Effective Accommodation management

The hospitality industry is one of the fastest growing industries around the world (Morrison & Lashley (Ed) 2000). There are several factors that can either make it grow or dwindle. The chief concern of the hotel management is how they can enhance growth as well as customer satisfaction within the confines of the resources that they have (Jones & Paul 1995). Hanover hotel, for instance, which is located in Victoria, London has been able to use its Victorian state to pull clients and also enhance the service provision personalized attendance of their needs while in the hotel (Chambers, et al, 1993).

The management systems in all hospitality institutions are as vital as the clients themselves (Williams, 2002). Proper management systems imply that the clients will be satisfied and thus the hospitality institution will cash in on their progressive booking. The scope of management systems should also be in such a way that totalitarianism is affected. This is in terms of the requirements of the staff, the staff, the management as well as the guests who lodge in the various hotels. This is especially when there is dire need to have environmental sustainability in hospitality (Morrison & Lashley (Ed) 2000).

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Interior and external design of the hotel can either enhance or reduce efficiency of its management. The colouring of the roofs, the type of windows as well as the availability of trees around the hospitality institution does impact to some degree the saving that is to be done on the energy consumption (Chambers, et al, 1993). The mode of settling the rates that are set by the hotels may aid in the gaining of more requests for space or few requests. The mode of payment should be flexible to allow people of diverse backgrounds to access the facilities.

Introduction A lot of money that various hotels across the world goes to maintaining or improving the efficiency of the existing systems, paying for the energy consumed and at the same time taking care not to deplete the environment (corporate social responsibility) (Beardsworth & Keil 2000). It is from this premise that there are several systems in place that allows for reduced energy consumption in various hospitality facilities like hotels. These hotels have to balance between making a profit and sustaining good customer relations (Jones & Paul 1995).

The accommodation must be comfortable enough to earn the hotel a good reputation thus increase its earnings via increased number of clients and should also not be overly expensive to maintain as to drain away the profits. Energy consumption in hotels falls under the management of the hotels (Jones & Paul 1995). It is therefore prudent for the management to buy systems that use less energy while maintaining a considerable efficiency in the undertakings that go on in the hotels. Cooling and heating systems should have a great output than input.

Energy saving air conditioners has been fitted into the buildings which generally cut the cooling cost by up to 30%. This implies that the effect of environmental pollution is prevented since saving energy prevents pollution which would have resulted in global warming (Chambers, et al, 1993). The purchase of these energy saving devices can prove to be costly to the hotels but with time, the cost difference will be paid back via the saving on energy bills. Mostly, the purchases made are those with higher SEER numbers.

Whereby, SEER (seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio) is the ratio of the amount of cooling produced (BTU) divided by the amount of electricity used (in watts) (Chambers, et al, 1993). The terminal systems employed in the individual room’s aid in controlling the internal environments of the rooms depending on the need of the client. This will go into making the hotel room no too cold, hot or stuffy, something which customers will not tolerate. As Beardsworth and Keil (2000) reports, some hotels have central air conditioning systems as opposed to individual room systems.

This is a bit more expensive but it saves a lot of energy in the long run. The hotel operators are also able to control the set systems points and monitor the performance so as to ensure proper operation always. Evaporative coolers, which cool outdoor air through evaporation and blow it into the room, causing a cooling effect can also be used. It requires that windows are partway opened to allow the warm indoor air to escape. Evaporative coolers are half a costly as central conditioners and use a quarter as much energy but require frequent maintenance.

For maximum maintenance also, instructions can be given to the cleaners to turn off or down heating or cooling when they finish doing the cleaning rounds and close the doors and the windows when the air conditioners are on so as to prevent improper functioning. The same should also be communicated to the guests. Thermostat temperature ranges available to clients are normally set so that they may not be above 80F in winter and below 60F in summer to prevent accidental extreme temperatures (Chambers, et al, 1993; Beardsworth and Keil 2000)).

Other efficiency assurance strategies include the checking of refrigerators so as to diagnose any leaks of refrigerants, regular maintenance of the systems and reduction of electric control failure via the installation of auto generators incase of power outages. As regards the environmental friendliness of the hotel, cleaning of sinks should be cleaned using less of non-biodegradable detergents and the used water should be recycled. Temperatures should not be left overly high as this aggravates global warming (Gilbert 1993).

For the purpose of this research, I chose Hanover Hotel situated in St George’s drive in Victoria, London. As compared to other London Hotels, Hanover is a bit cheaper but nonetheless offering qualitative hospitality to their guests. It combines personalized service with comfortable accommodation and stands on a mid Victorian structure of built in 1959 (Chambers, et al, 1993). This former residence has housed several illustrious families which imply that its decor is in tandem with the tradition. The Location of Hanover hotel Source: Branson, K & Lennox, M 1999, Hotel, Hostel and Hospitality Housekeeping 5th ed.

Oxford, London, p. 172 Hanover hotel’s location in the heart of a busy city is not a setback in any way as it enjoys a calm and peaceful ambience despite of its location. The hotel is easily accessible, close to underground railway and coach stations of Victoria in addition to the fact that British Airways and the Gatwick express are both in Victoria. The Buckingham palace and the parliament are also close by, within a walking distance. The Hotel arranges tickets for its customers to these places of interest (Branson and Lennox, 1999).

Other factors that make this Hotel likeable lies are the fact that it is located close to restaurants, pubs and bars. In terms of booking services, customers can do so via phone, e-mail or fax at lower rates. Moreover, the security system of the hotel is elaborate with all the guests going through security checks before being accepted in the hotel for the night. The safety of the guests is also guaranteed as the security system is water tight for 24 hours each day (Branson and Lennox, 1999). The rooms are cosy, greatly furnished and complete with en suite bed and breakfast facilities.

On the side of the staff, they are trained to provide excellent hospitality. Additionally, Customers get free coffee or tea making facilities in their rooms, rooms which have access to T. V and internet. The heating and cooling systems are single for each room and there is no central system. There is also a good practice in schedule of the meals that suits majority of clients in the sense that a continental breakfast is served at 7:30 and 9:30 A. M. while the checking in and checking out schedules are programmed to carter for customers comfort.

This is because customer’s check in time is 13:30 and check out is 10:30 am, although early check in is possible with luggage storage facilities being offered by the Hotel (Chambers, et al, 1993). Payment management is excellent as it minimizes failure of payments from the client’s perspective, while saves the hotel running into a possible loss as Payment must be made when checking in especially using Pounds sterling, Euros, Dollars with those who pay using Diners or American Express being surcharged at 3. 5% (Beardsworth and Keil 2000).

Furthermore, reservations demand that one’s credit card details be taken as a guarantee for the reservation and no charge will be made on the card but only on several conditions like cancellation being done less than 48 hours prior to the day of arrival. The hotel has a guest book that serves as a monitoring mechanism for service delivery from customer’s point of view whereby all customers are requested to leave their comments or participate in a survey which the administration uses to improve its services (Branson and Lennox, 1999).

The Report Form the information that I managed to gather, the hotel fits a refurbished home, tailored to give the customers a feeling of being in a home away from home. In this case therefore, the conventions of a modern hotel are not as well addressed as in five star hotels. The efficiency systems are less functional as the building in itself was initially structured for a home and not a hotel. The colouring is dark as opposed to a light one which reduces peak cooling by an appreciable degree.

The setting of the hotel is majorly responsible for the high number of guests who do the booking in it. It is close to major points of interest. The occupancy therefore is almost 100% full time which implies that the waste in terms of warming rooms especially in winter which have been checked out of is not as costly. The service package in Hanover hotel was a bit cheaper as compared with other London hotels. This implies that the number of guests who may not be in s position to lodge in other London hotels get a chance to enjoy standard service package at a cheap rate.

This is an aspect of management system which enables the hotel to cash in on the high number of customer’s all the year round thus minimal wastage of space and resources, both physical and human for instance workers. The capability to give guests a choice of making their own tea or coffee in addition to the major breakfast served to them is a prudent idea but the use of more energy by these individuals in their rooms leads to excessive energy consumption which may lead to increased heat thus increasing global warming. Some of the environmental sustainability measures are not taken care of by the management.

The facilities used are not in accordance with the requirements of the Kyoto protocol of using energy saving devices so as to reduce global warming (Branson & Lennox 1999). There was no orientation of the guests on energy saving practices in the hotel meaning that they would engage in environment unfriendly activities without minding anything. In terms of security, the hotel is very secure as there are security officers attached to the hotel, who first ensure that the guests are subjected to screening before being allowed into the premises (Chambers, et al, 1993).

Their luggage is also tagged and placed in secure rooms until they come for them for those that do their booking earlier than stated by the hotel rules. The hotel’s purchases department operates on strict rules to purchase only that which is needed so as to avoid wastage (Chambers, et al, 1993). It is further directed to handle all purchases and store them in a manner that will reduce environmental pollution and wastage of the supplies. The quantities of non –biodegradable products bought are recorded against the sellers.

The policy of the hotel is that recycled paper shall be purchased for use in the premises. This is a positive indication that despite the management’s lack of policy in energy consumption, it still aims at keeping the environment clean (Gilbert, J, M. 1993) Office and reusable consumables are normally purchased for instance, aluminum beverage cans that can be returned to the drinks’ manufacturers are given a priority in the purchase. Photo degradable plastic bags are also ordered and refrigerants with no CFC’s are prioritized in their purchase (Gilbert, J, M. 1993).

The human relations manager’s office has plans to send their environmental policy to the manufacturers of the products they use so that in future, environmental degradation will be a thing of the past. Recommendations The hotel even with its large number of clients still could gain more in terms of the profits if it considers the following recommendations: 1. The need to use air conditioning never seemed to bother the management. The whole issue of the need for mechanical conditioning can be reduced through insulating and air- sealing the hotel so that less air and heat leaks can take place. 2.

Some appliances in the hotel are inefficient as they release a lot of energy especially the refrigerators which had bee in the hotel for so long. The management should consider replacing these systems for maximum efficiency and save the environment 3. The colouring of the building in which the hotel stands does reduce peak cooling as it is dark. The hotel should use light colouring which essentially reduce about 10-15% of cooling demand hence saving energy. 4. There are many air conditioners in the hotel, something which can be replaced by fan operations that essentially use less energy but nonetheless provide the required comfort.

5. The west and east facing windows are not trellised and the south facing windows are not well protected by trees. The trellising of west and east windows should be done to keep the high- angle summer sun out and the planting of deciduous trees on the south facing windows enables the taking advantage of low-angle sun in the winter when the leaves fall. 6. The hotel should charge almost the same rate s for all its clients because in charging for example the holders of American Express higher rates they reduce the want of those who want to pay via the mode to lodge in the hotel which they may be willing to.

But can add processing fees which is understandable. Appended Documentation Table1. Check list question used Checklist Questions a. Which category of hotel to conduct my research in? b. Where is it located (site map) and when was it established? c. What is it nature/ history of the hotel? d. How does the hotel implement effective accommodation management practices? e. How does it approach the issue of systems management? f. What are some of the areas of systems management that the hotel engages in? g.

What are some of the regulations in the hotel that go into improving the management of the various systems that are in place? Bibliography Beardsworth, A & Keil, T 2000: Sociology on the Menu, Routledge, London Branson, K & Lennox, M 1999: Hotel, Hostel and Hospitality Housekeeping 5th ed. Oxford, London Chambers, R J et al, 1993: Cases in Operations management, Pitman Publishing, London Gilbert, J, M. 1993: Achieving Environmental Management Standards, Heinemann, Oxford Morrison, A. & Lashley, C. (Ed) 2000:

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