Hotel Front Office Management, 3rd Edition

C H A P T E R 1 1Managing HospitalityOPENINGDILEMMACHAPTER FOCUS POINTSUpon check-in, a guest indicates that the national reservation agent misquotedhis room rate at $95 when it should have been $85 per night. The front deskclerk responds, “Sir, you will have to discuss that with the cashier when youcheck out in three days. I can only register you with the rate that was enteredinto the computer. What’s $30 to a businessperson on a budget?”• Importance of hospitalityto the hotel guest and thehotel entrepreneur• Managing the delivery ofhospitality• Total quality management(TQM) applications• Developing a servicemanagement programThe concept of hospitality, the generous and cordial provision of services to aguest, is at the heart of our industry. These services, in the hotel industry, caninclude room accommodations, food and beverages, meeting facilities, reservations, informationon hotel services, information on local attractions, and the like. Hospitality isa very subjective concept, and the degree of hospitality a guest perceives has implicationsfor the overall financial success of the hotel. Guests who feel they are not treated withrespect or have not received full value for their dollar will seek out others who they believedo provide hospitality. This chapter is intended to instill in you, the future professionalin the hospitality industry, a sense of responsibility for providing professional hospitality.As you prepare for a career in an industry that may differentiate its product by continualand efficient delivery of professional hospitality service, these basic rudiments will serveas a primer for your development (Figure 11-1).This chapter was inspired by a book entitled Service America! (Dow Jones–Irwin,1985), by Karl Albrecht and Ron Zemke. These management consultants were earlyproponents of the service concept in business. Their writings, as well as my own profes-TLFeBOOK