Facilities And Rational Essay Example for Free

Facilities And Rational Essay For a multinational hotel chain, there is need to maintain quality standards for organization to live- up to their brand equity and customers expectations. However, as hotel proposed to be a 3- star hotel, we need to take care of the costs and need not go overboard in promising amenities and services. Moreover, as per recent report (1), occupancy in London hotels has come down form 80% to 75% with respect to other European cities in 2001 to 2002 period. East end of London is right place to open a new hotel as next four- five years going to have lots of business activities prior to 2012 Olympics. During Olympics spectators load going to create havoc on cities infrastructure and demand from visitors would result is substantial shortfall of rooms. As costing and other business case related evaluations are done separately, below is the detailing of key elements of hotel facilities, infrastructure and amenities for a three- star hotel for business clientele Features of rooms: In a 200- room hotel, there is need for gradation of quality of rooms to cater to spectrum of customer profile. Rooms need to be premier and ordinary quality, however, allocation in the categories to follow pyramid structure of the target segment. Plan for maximum number of ordinary room, with 80% (160 units) coverage, 15% (30 units) of executive suites and 5% (10 units) of presidential suites. Suites can be on higher floor which can give better view of the city/ upcoming stadium/ river. Hotel room is most critical interface of the hotel with the customer in building impression and to ensure ‘recall’ and ‘re- visit’. Below are the key aspects of the room amenities. †¢ Decent size (6 ft* 7ft) bed with access from both sides, ample number of cushions/ pillows (hypo allergic), reading lamp attached from behind wall. †¢ Study table made of good quality wood. Chair with arm rest and robust cushioned back support for prolonged working. Table to have lamp and stationery. A detailed road map of London and transportation network would be great help to travelers. †¢ Comfortable couch to stretch legs after days work, centre table to place office bags etc, soothing paintings on the wall, cupboard with ample hangers, shoe- shine etc. †¢ LCD Interactive TV/ Entertainment system with access to business channels, individually controlled AC, internet connectivity, business papers and magazines, phone facility, safe deposits box, tea/ coffee making unit and complimentary mini bar. †¢ Bathroom: 24 hour hot/ cold running water, fitted with overhead shower, bath tub, WC. Along with other toiletries, shaving kit for business traveler, dryer, magnifying mirror, bathrobes, in- room slippers, 24- hr laundry service. Fire alarm: Each room required to be equipped with fire alarm, which is moral responsibility of hotel owner, moreover, it is statutory requirement. Alarm need be quite sensitive to smoke, and alarm must be audible to authorities and residents to take up proper cover. ‘Water sprinkler’ is option worth trying depending on the budget. Sprinkler would help in containing fire before it grows. All room to have instructions at bedside outlining what to do in case of fire. Exit signs must be visible from all corners of the corridor. As proposed hotel is to cater to business clientele, there would be large gathering of delegates to conduct meetings and conferences. Location of such facilities is important. Conference rooms neither should be at basement and nor at the top floor. All exits, pathways should be unobstructed for emergency evacuations. Air conditioning: Central air cooling and heating is hygiene level need for a 3- star hotel. To take care of customers/ guests during extreme temperatures in summers and winter effective air conditioning is required. Each room would have louver/ air- vent to release hot/ cool air draft. From each room, air duct to be connected with the central air compressor. Air conditioning systems are the greatest guzzler of electrical energy in hotels. A detailed assessment of energy efficiency is required to optimize costs. It is always preferred for each room to have individual control panel to regulate the temperature. Health facilities: †¢ To unwind after hectic day of work, business travelers look forward to Spa/ Swimming Pool (covered, temperature controlled) / Gym with treadmill, weights and trainer support. †¢ Doctor must be available on call, 24/ 7. For emergency a reference book with important telephone number s and contact person names to be provided in each room. Utilities: †¢ 24 hr water supply, with purification plant, captive to the hotel. East- End being not very advanced in life standards, it would be important to give comfort to customers on hygiene issues like pure water, unpolluted air and cleanliness. †¢ Uninterrupted power supply at steady voltage with no fluctuations. Any volatility in current would affect laptop kinds of gadgets of customers. Hotel must be equipped with power back- up in form of generator in event of electricity failure. †¢ Currency exchange facility, with tie up with international bank. Single window facility to take care of financial needs of customer would reduce unwanted hassles for the customers, avoiding unnecessary trip to the city. †¢ Fleet of cars for airport pick up/ drop. Or tie with car rental for availability of cars during peak hours. Economics to be seen. Under London congestion charging scheme, use of car in the city is becoming expensive, so for group transfers, use of coach would be time saving and cost effective. †¢ Speed elevators with proper signage and space. Separate service elevator for staff and service. Restaurant: †¢ Restaurant to offer complimentary buffet breakfast. Continental breakfast is recommended for all days. A variety of spread (boiled vegetables to cakes) would help in charging the customer for the big day ahead. †¢ 24- hour coffee shop for executives reaching at odd hours from office/ airports. This facility must have laptop/ mobile charging electrical points for executive to carry out work along with the much needed coffee break. †¢ Multi-cuisine restaurant to take care of varying taste buds of plethora of businessman travelling in and out of London. †¢ Bar cum live music: To tap business and tourist traveler both, a bar with live music is important differentiator. Features characteristics of the building a) Facade: For 200- rooms, and assuming space to be constrained in east- end, hotel need to be 12- 15 storey structure, with parking in basement. Reception, business centre, conference halls and restaurants at first and second floor level. Most of the room must be front facing. Room windows/ balconies to be of uniform size, glass and light fixtures, to give consistent view of the hotel. Two- lane space in front of main gate smooth flow of cars. b) Branding: Signage of hotel brand/ name to be positioned for it to be visible from the approach roads. Hoarding on the roads emerging out of airport, with toll- free number would help in generating enquiries from prospective customers. c) Business centre: Fax facility, desktops with high speed internet, small meeting room (for 4- 6 person), small library with latest business books/ journals. d) Conference rooms: Equipped with good quality overhead projector, 50- 100 chairs, round tables, chord less mikes, quality speakers with proper acoustics and white board etc. These halls must be suited for seminars, conventions, conferences, training programs etc. Important element for better ROI (return on investment) from conference rooms is to have partition arrangement. In event of small group size (20- 40), same hall can be partitioned into two for couple of parallel small sessions. e) Shopping arcade: If local artifacts, business and ethic garments and books on exotic topics etc is provided within hotel, customers may have another reason to avoid congested city markets. Moreover, this bazaar/ series of shops can be another string of revenues for the hotel. f) Car parking: Parking space must be available for 80- 100 cars, with valet parking facility. PA (public announcement) system to facilitate quick access to cars and faster movement from the main porch. 2012 Olympics: For summer Olympics just four years away, economic activities would start building up from now (2008). There would be pick- up in lots of construction and infrastructure work for facilities for Olympic stadium, athletes’ complex and spectators. Various suppliers of machineries, services and equipments would visit often the city and the area. During Olympics spectators from around the world would result is substantial shortfall of hotel facilities. As East End going to see lots of business activities and media focus in next few years, it is most opportune time for hotel industry to capitalize on top line and bottom line growth. From Olympics perspective, this multinational hotel chain must toy with the idea of taking a quality hotel property on lease for 5 years. Logistics: It is important to have proper connectivity with key points of London city like Airport at Newham. As per Regional Planning Guidance3 (RPG3) hotels are encouraged to develop facilities in underdeveloped boroughs (1) to overcome traffic snarls and make stay of customer comfortable. A proper commuting network is required to be developed, using coaches and cars for the customers who would be staying in the hotel. Conclusion: A well equipped hotel by a well known brand in a demand- supply gap scenario is a favorable business proposition. To have first- mover advantage, and to gear up to tap the potential in a 3- star hotel with aforementioned facilities is a compelling business case to be taken forward by the organization. Reference: (1) PriceWaterhouseCooper’s 2002 report to Greater London Authority on ‘Demand and capacity for Hotels and Conference centre in London’