Hotel Front Office Management, 3rd Edition

314 CHAPTER 11: MANAGING HOSPITALITY• A commitment to develop and administer a service management program• A commitment to train employees to deliver service efficiently• A commitment of financial resources to develop incentives for the employees whodeliver the servicesThese directives will serve as guidelines in the development of a service managementprogram. More important, they force management to think of service as a long-rangeeffort and not as a quick fix.John W. Young states that the service strategy of the Four Seasons Hotels centers onofferingexceptional levels of personal service. People are our most important asset. Eachperson has dignity and wants a sense of pride in what they do and where they work.Success in delivering excellent service depends on working together as a team andunderstanding the needs and contributions of our fellow employees. [We must] trainand stimulate ourselves and our colleagues. [We must] deal with others as we wouldhave them deal with us. [We must] avoid compromising long-term goals in theinterest of short term profit. 8Here is one example of a service strategy statement:The owners of The Times Hotel, management, and staff will combine forces toestablish a Service to Our Guests program, administered by management and deliveredby staff. Delivery of service to our guests is crucial to the economic viabilityof our hotel. The owners of the hotel will provide financial support to the peoplewho deliver hospitality on a daily basis.Another version of the service strategy statement is as follows:The hotel, in its continual efforts to maintain a leadership position in the hotelindustry, will develop a VIP-Guest Service program. The administration and deliveryof this program are essential to the financial success of the hotel. This programwill include incentives and has received a priority budget line for this fiscal year.These statements, however worded, convey the message from owners and managementthat a successful service management program depends on the support of all levels ofmanagement and staff.Financial CommitmentThroughout the previous discussion on service management, financial commitmentfrom management was stressed. Managers who want to develop and deliver a successfulservice management program must provide adequate staff time to think through a plan andto develop methods to motivate their employees. Scheduling time for planning and strategyTLFeBOOK