HA100 : The Class : Management : Essence : Lesson1-1-1

Lesson1-1-1: The Essence and Scope of Hospitality

The essence of hospitality is SERVICE, and it starts with ATTITUDE.

If you are going to ask what people think when they hear the word "service," you will get a lot of answers and very different answers. To list a few:

Service It needs (to be):
On-time Friendly Polite Dependable Accurate Consistent People with knowledge	Attentive Fast Anticipating needs Follow through Personalized Value Willingness to go above standard

(Think for a minute what you expect from "service" and make sure that you understand that it takes a very positive attitude to provide service. Are you up to that task?)

Superior services encompasses all of the above and more, and then builds upon them, usually through creativity and empowerment.

What is empowerment?

1. Placing authority to DO in the hands of the employees.

2. Giving employees the opportunity to OWN the task and accept full responsibility for their decision with the confidence that management will stand behind them.

3. Great service can only come from excellent managers who demonstrate consideration, trust, and respect for the employees first; encouraging that respect among each other. Then, and only then, does it comfortably and emphatically filter down to the guests.

Once the SPELL of efficiency and responsiveness has been broken, the domino theory kicks in: the guest is now predisposed to looking for other problem areas

So what is superior service?
• AN ATTITUDE!
• A FEELING THAT THE CUSTOMER IS PLEASED THAT S/HE HAS DONE BUSINESS WITH YOU.
• ATTENTIVENESS, EARNESTNESS, RESPONSIVENESS AND THE TECHNICAL KNOWLEDGE TO GET THINGS DONE
• ATTENTION TO DETAIL: Little things don't mean a lot; they mean everything.

Is everybody in this industry providing the same types and levels of service? Of course not. There are more than 900 chains listed in directories, such as the Directory of Hotel and Motel Companies. Many of these companies have one or more products, name brands, or identities. Defining a market identity, or a "niche" is becoming very essential.

For example, Choice Hotels International offers 7 types of hotels under one umbrella. (To be honest, it is quite confusing to me what the difference is between some of these hotels. Do you think that Choice hotels did a good job in differentiating between these 7 types?)

Identity defines the essentials of the business:

what type of hotel or restaurant;
the cost of related goods and services;
the level of service to meet guests' needs and expectations.

Once identity is established, the planning process begins:

What kind of food will be served?
Will the restaurant have table cloths?
Will the hotel have 100% super-absorbent cotton terry towels?
How much will the guest room charge be?
How much will a meal cost?
What level of service will be provided?
(Will the guest be greeted by name as s/he enters the lobby? Will turn-down service be provided? Exactly how do we meet guests' expectations with appropriate levels of service?)

This is a hotel in Montmartre, Paris. Although the floors squeak, the building moves when the metro passes trough, and the plumbing clunks, guests are willing to pay $400 per night for a tiny room. Yes, part of the reason is that this hotel is in Paris, but another reason is its identity. For example, the hotel has a feel of romance to it. It is "typical" Parisian, and people are willing to pay for that.

Lecture Issues of Change I. The hospitality industry is an international industry. Investors are constantly on the lookout for opportunities abroad. But internationalization has more than only economic consequences: Travel shrinks the world and therefore might act as a peace maker among peoples. This requires that people (and certainly managers) become culturally sensitive.

Take a look at this worldwide promotion of Planet Hollywood

Take a look at the celebration of the Chinese New Year in Kuala Lumpur

Take a look at this special program Hilton offers for Japanese guests: (Find it on the web under "Yokoso Hilton E")

II. Changing Demographics.

• Women travelers: they are loyal/repeat guests; demand a safe environment.     An estimated 5% of top-level industry positions are held by women.
• The differently abled : workers and guests.
• Older Citizens: workers (low rate of absenteeism, they are gracious and polite) and guests
• Profile changes

  Baby Boomers:

  • are 77 million strong
  • by 2000 13 percent of the population will be 65 years or older:
  • have more income, more time
  • own 77% of the financial assets in America
  • spend more time on travel and recreation than any other age
  • eat out three times per week
  • travel to luxury resorts with their kids.

  Family vacations
  Experiential vacations
  What are they? Vacations with more than sightseeing and sunbathing.

  Examples: Dude ranches, tours of the homes of British Authors.

Lecture
Your Future in the Hospitality Industry

Where the wings of hospitality may take you!

(See page 18-25)

• Lodging:
  • There are close to a dozen categories of lodging facilities: from B&B's to mega-resorts and gaming hotels.
  • Camp grounds, college dormitories, and Elder Care facilities.

• Food Service
  • Commercial restaurant business.
  • Institutional: hospitals, businesses, colleges, correctional facilities.
  • Commuter food operations! Free-standing and grocery stores.

• Transportation:
  • A critical part of the INFRASTRUCTURE of hospitality.
  • Airlines; car rental; shuttle buses etc.

• Travel Agencies and Tour Arrangements
  • DMC's - Destination Management Companies: specialists who know the high points of their areas.

• Club Management
  • Public or Private facilities

• Activities and Attractions
  • Shakespeare Festival Utah and Grand Canyon
  • Arizona State Fair
  • State and National Parks
  • Shopping: Rodeo Drive

Do you know already what you would like to do? Managing your own Bed and Breakfast? Or managing a restaurant of a large chain, such as Red Lobster?

• Hospitality has what is known as "PERISHABLE INVENTORIES:" * If the room, or airline seat, or cover is not sold - it perishes.

• Use opportunities to be a good "corporate citizen":
  * make guest rooms available to trauma victims;
  * donate amenities to the homeless;
  * donate food to food banks;

• Student Clubs
  * Great way to get started in hospitality citizenship

• Environmental Concerns:
  * Waste management
  * Guest Room options: Do not change sheets every day; reuse towels.
  * Water Resources: Irrigation in the Desert: Reclaimed Water

Well, this was your first lecture in HA100. I hope you are going to enjoy this class and that you will get a real feel for this industry. I also hope that you will discover if the hospitality industry is a field you would like to work in.

There is no real homework this week. Please spend your time getting accustomed to the computer, the software, the conference center (please register), and the web.

• You could start building relevant hospitality-related bookmarks, looking in different search engines. And if you do not know how to do this, do not hesistate to call your professor.
• Read a hospitality-related magazine: http://www.ei-ahma.org/webs/lodging/index.html
• Check out the page for SHRM.
• Check out the educational institute (that has links to hospitality related web pages): http://www.ei-ahma.org/index.html

The only thing that I want you to do (you will receive credit for it) is to go into the conference center (register first) and introduce yourself to the rest of the class. You could post such things as your name, your nickname, your age, your status as a student, your job, your goals in life, your hobbies, why you are doing this class as a web-based course, etc. Please do this in the first week of class.

E-mail Lenka Hospodka or call (928) 523-2845 (Lenka Hospodka)

Copyright ©2002 Northern Arizona University
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED