Auckland Airport Lodge Improvement Plan

This assignment analyzes the strengths and weaknesses of Auckland Airport Lodge, a hotel located near Auckland Airport. It identifies key areas needing improvement such as customer service, room maintenance, marketing strategies, and facilities. The document proposes specific recommendations to enhance the hotel's reputation and profitability, including implementing a loyalty program, improving communication, providing better amenities, and establishing a restaurant on-site.

Running head: FACILITIES MANAGEMENT
Facilities Management
Name of Student
Name of University
Author Note

1
FACILITIES MANAGEMENT
Table of Contents
Introduction......................................................................................................................................1
1. Findings.......................................................................................................................................2
Guest facilities..............................................................................................................................2
a. Rooms.......................................................................................................................................2
b. Other guest facilities................................................................................................................3
Public areas..................................................................................................................................4
a. Restaurant.................................................................................................................................4
b. Foyer/reception........................................................................................................................4
c. Public assess toilets/restrooms.................................................................................................5
d. Parking.....................................................................................................................................6
2. Analysis and Conclusion.............................................................................................................6
3. Recommendation.........................................................................................................................9
Recommendation 1......................................................................................................................9
Recommendation 2......................................................................................................................9
Recommendation 3......................................................................................................................9
Recommendation 4....................................................................................................................10
Recommendation 5....................................................................................................................10
Bibliography..................................................................................................................................11

2
FACILITIES MANAGEMENT
Introduction
The report focuses on managing the facilities of a lodging establishment. Facilities
management is one of the most forms of management, as the managers have to look after every
detail that satisfies a customer (Alexander, 2013). The manager also has to identify areas that
require improvement in order to improve the reputation of the establishment. For the purpose of
the report, the researcher analyses a particular lodging establishment situated in Auckland. The
establishment chosen is the Auckland Airport Lodge.
Auckland Airport Lodge is a low-rise hotel that is situated 3 km away from Auckland
airport. It also consists of other famous and entertaining places around it that makes it a famous
lodging place in the city. The hotel is well furnished with rooms decorated in modern style to
attract people. Modern business facilities are also available which make it convenient for
businesspersons to stay at the lodge (Aucklandairportlodge, 2017). The purpose of the report is
to analyse the rooms, guest facilities and the public area of the lodge. Based on the analysis of
the findings the report draws conclusion regarding the reputation and success of the business.
Recommendations are also in order to improve the facilities and ensure that it remains as one of
the top lodging establishments in New Zealand.

3
FACILITIES MANAGEMENT
1. Findings
Guest facilities
a. Rooms
According to (Ashton, 2014), in order to ensure proper satisfaction of the customers it is
necessary for every lodging and hotel sector to maintain proper room facilities. The rooms need
to be cheap and need to address the needs of the customers. In this regard, it is important for
every manager to maintain the facilities provided in the rooms and ensure that the rooms are
managed in an effective manner. In the case of Auckland Airport Lodge, the rooms are designed
keeping in mind the modern tastes of the customers as well as the necessities of daily life.
The type of rooms available in Auckland Airport Lodge consists of deluxe rooms for
families consisting of two bedrooms, standard family rooms, deluxe studios and standard studios.
Each of the room has unique characteristic that makes it different from other hotels (Hui, Zhang,
& Zheng, 2013). The planning and designing of the rooms has been such that every room
consists of free wifi facility and kitchen. The objective of the establishment is to provide the best
experience to the customers residing in the hotel. Thereby, the services and facilities provided in
the rooms ensure that Auckland Airport Lodge satisfies the customers in a proper manner.
However, there has been criticism about the cold nature of the rooms. The rooms are said to be
very chilly that makes it difficult for the customers to have a comfortable experience. Apart from
the individual rooms for the guest, common guest rooms are also provided by the hotel.
b. Other guest facilities
The guests residing in the establishments usually use the facilities provided by a hotel, in
a common manner. This includes swimming pool, gym, studios and spa. The availability of such

4
FACILITIES MANAGEMENT
facilities makes a hotel attractive to the guests and satisfies their stay in the hotel (Douglas,
2016). This is another important factor that is needed to be considered in order to maintain a
reputed hotel. It has been seen that the common facilities are not maintained properly and have
been ignored due to continuous mismanagement. This can degrade the reputation of a hotel and
create bad reviews from the customers. In the case of Auckland Airport Lodge, the common
facilities provided by the establishment consist of the studios.
The lodge does not possess facilities such as swimming pool or gym that may help in
entertaining the people. (Fraser, 2014) stated that it is for this reason, that the lodge has lost
customers in the recent years. Some of the customers had a bad experience of the hotel that
reflected in the reviews provided by them. The facilities are one area in which the lodge have to
improve in order to gain a competitive advantage over rivals such as Heritage Auckland.
Public areas
a. Restaurant
Having an attached restaurant with the hotel is always considered as a positive factor for
an establishment. This is because; people do not have to travel outside during the three meal
times. This helps the lodges to have an additional benefit based on the quality and quantity of
food served and the room services that are provided (Hall, 2013). However, it needs to be kept in
mind that the cost of food served at the restaurants is not expensive compared to other areas that
serve food. Maintaining a restaurant can also an establishment to increase profit and improve
some of the services that it lacks. In the case of Auckland Airport Lodge, the establishment does
not have an attached restaurant.

5
FACILITIES MANAGEMENT
Most of the times, customers residing at Auckland Airport Lodge have to dine outside.
However, with the availability of kitchen in every room customers with the ability to cook
benefit from it. (Huang, 2014) stated that restaurants near the place provides collaboration with
the lodge in order to increase the services and the reputation of the both the restaurants as well
Auckland Airport Lodge. This helps in providing the customers with the satisfied room services
and orders that impresses the customers in visiting the area.
b. Foyer/reception
The entrance of a restaurant or hotel creates an idea in the minds of the people about the
quality of the place. According to (James, 2015), most customers select such places based on the
designing and decorations of the foyer. The reception also needs to be friendly and provide
information about the place and the nearby areas. The designing of a lodge needs to be done
keeping in mind a spacious hall and a well decorated outside entrance in order to attract
customers. Auckland Airport Lodge provides a beautiful entrance that attracts customers to
reside in the hotel. The front door of the hotel consists of an extended roof that light up the area
during the evening.
The designing of the pillars supporting the extended rooftop is done by simple brick
colour that provides an excellent contrast to the white theme colour that the establishment
possess. This beautifies the place and makes it attractive particularly during the evening. The
responses of the reception in terms of gaining information about the place are excellent. The
spacious area in the hall room provides for many sitting arrangements that are beneficial for the
customers after a long and tiring journey (Kassem, Kelly, Dawood, Serginson, & Lockley,
2015). Thus, the layout of the foyer helps in establishing the objectives of the lodge.

6
FACILITIES MANAGEMENT
c. Public assess toilets/restrooms
Restrooms are an important facility that needs to be designed in a building. Restrooms
can be designed both inside the rooms as well as outside in order to provide an option for people
coming immediately after travelling (Kelsey, 2015). The designing of the restrooms also need to
be maintained in a proper and cleaned every time in order to avoid germs and contamination.
The health factor of the people needs to be kept in mind while constructing the restrooms. The
restrooms have to be constructed in a place away from the kitchen but attached with the rooms in
order to avoid any problems. In the case of Auckland Airport Lodge, the every room is provided
with a restroom along with a common toilet in each floor of the hotel.
The option of a second restroom proves as a proper strategic facility management by the
owners of Auckland Airport Lodge. One of the important health concerns that the lodge ensure is
that people cannot smoke once inside the lodge. The establishment is a smoke free zone that
disallows any member to light a cigarette in any place of the building. Thus, the owners of
Auckland Airport Lodge also maintain the health of the people.
d. Parking
In the modern world, with the advent of personal vehicles, people often travelled by cars.
In order to park the vehicles in the hotels it is necessary to maintain a parking spot that helps in
the accumulation of the cars (Luo, 2014). However, the parking spot needs to be maintained in a
manner so that it does not degrade the attractiveness of the hotels. The parking spot also needs to
be constructed keeping in mind the legal laws related to construction. Thus, it can be said that the
parking spots are an important factor for most hotels in the modern day. Auckland Airport Lodge
also provides similar facilities to the customers who travel via car.

7
FACILITIES MANAGEMENT
According to (Markey, Harris, Knudsen, Lind, & Williamson, 2014), Auckland Airport
Lodge provides a 14 day free parking to the people who book the lodge via online. People stay in
the lodge in order to catch a flight for work or luxury travel purpose. In this regard, the hotel
provides bus service to the people in order to reach the airport on time. This additional privilege
is provided by the hotel. The lodge provides facilities for long term as well as short-term parking
for the people who reside in the hotel. Thus, this proves as an added advantage for Auckland
Airport Lodge.
2. Analysis and Conclusion
Based on the findings it can be analysed that Auckland Airport Lodge ensures that the
satisfaction of the customers are met fully. The manner in which the hotel provides facilities for
satisfying the customers indicate the fact that the objective of the hotel is to ensure the
improvement based on customer satisfaction. The findings also include certain negative aspects
that need to be rectified in order to maintain a competitive advantage in the hospitality industry
in Auckland. The fact that the hotel does not have additional facilities like swimming pool or
gym makes it vulnerable to competitors. The absence of a proper restaurant also proves as a
disadvantage for the hotel. In addition to this, the positives of the hotel can help it to mitigate the
issues arising from the negative aspects. The convenient location of the hotel and the parking
facilities that are provided allow customers to prefer the hotel. The spacious rooms and room
service provided play an important role in satisfying the customers. It can also be analysed that
the anti-smoking facility that the hotel provides create a healthy atmosphere within the lodge.
This helps people to live a healthier life and refrain from being addicted to cigarettes and other
drugs. Another positive point derived from the findings is the fact that the hotel provides free of
cost stay to children under the age of five years.

8
FACILITIES MANAGEMENT
Based on the analysis, a SWOT of the hotel can be provided
Strength
 Convenient location
 Huge parking space
 Offer pick up and drop from airport
Weakness
 Lack of common facilities
 No restaurant
 Lack of proper room service
Opportunity
 Become the best hospitality sector in
Auckland
 Increase reputation
 Increase profitability
Threat
 Competition from Heritage Auckland
 Loss of customers
 Loss of financial stability
Table: SWOT analysis of Auckland Airport Lodge
(Source: Created by author)
From the SWOT analysis, it can be seen that the weakness that Auckland Airport Lodge
posses may increase the chances of threat in the business. This can be a drawback for the
managers as Auckland Airport Lodge is one of the reputed hotels in the region surrounding
Auckland. However, with the convenient location of the place, the hotel may be able to eliminate
the threats by converting the weaknesses into its strength. The fact that the hotel provides
excellent accommodation for families provides the hotel with an advantage over the others. The
pick and drop facility from the airport allow the hotel to gather more customers that can help in
increasing the reputation as well profit of the business. The managers in order to increase the
reputation and profitability of the organisation view this strategy as an opportunity. The threat
faced from Heritage Auckland can be mitigated by adopting suitable recommendation

9
FACILITIES MANAGEMENT
techniques. These techniques are simple and strategic implementation can help Auckland Airport
Lodge gain back its reputation in the market. The threats to the hotel may lead it to lose its
reputation as well as create financial instability. Both the factors may cause huge loss for the
hotel that has excellent potential for improving and becoming a global sensation in future.
Thus, it can be concluded that Auckland Airport Lodge need to improve on the
drawbacks keeping in mind the positives of the hotel. The SWOT analysis helps to identify the
areas required for improving the hotel. The basic improvement that is required is the introduction
of facilities that can provide entertainment for the people. Although certain entertainment places
exist around the place, the existence of a swimming pool or spa can help to reduce the
competition from other hotels. Analysis of the reviews provided by the customers proves that the
hotel has many competitions from similar luxurious lodges in the city. The absence of certain
facilities makes it difficult for Auckland Airport Lodge to be the best in the hospitality sector in
the region. Hence, the threat of the competition is high for the organisation. Thus,
recommendations are provided based on the negative points from the findings.
3. Recommendation
Recommendation 1
Auckland Airport Lodge needs to build outdoor and common facilities for guests. This is
an important recommendation as the hotel looses many customers because it lacks these
facilities. Customers compare the hotel with Heritage Auckland because the Heritage Auckland
has two swimming pools along with sauna gym. This is a huge advantage for the hotel as the
people get to enjoy themselves outside the hotel rooms. Thus, this is an important area for the

10
FACILITIES MANAGEMENT
hotel to work on. Without a proper common guest facility, Auckland Airport Lodge may miss
spontaneous reviews provided by the customers.
Recommendation 2
The hotel needs to improve on the room service provided to the customers. With the
absence of an attached restaurant, the lodge neglects the room service ordered by the customers.
On some of occasions, there has been positivity about the room service that are provided. In most
cases however, the hotel have seen criticism about the services provided to the people. This has
led to many people avoid night stay in the hotel due to the lack of a proper room service. Thus,
the introduction of room service is essential in order to satisfy the stay of the customers.
Recommendation 3
Auckland Airport Lodge needs to ensure that the rooms have proper heating devices. This
recommendation is evidence from the fact that the rooms are said to be chilly and provide
discomfort to the people. This is a particular drawback is identified by people visiting the place
from a warmer region. The application of a heater can help Auckland Airport Lodge to maintain
rooms that can be adjusted based on the climate outside of the rooms. It can also help it to
maintain its status as a modern styled hotel. Thus, this is another recommendation that needs to
be kept in mind by the hotel owners.
Recommendation 4
The setting up of a restaurant is also important in order to maintain the level of
customers. Most customers prefer lodging with restaurant to save the cost of travelling to other
places in search of food. Auckland Airport Lodge lacks such facility and thus, customers find it
difficult to enjoy food at the place of stay. The start of a restaurant can also help the hotel

11
FACILITIES MANAGEMENT
increase its reputation and the profitability. Thus, it can be said that the setting up of restaurant
can help Auckland Airport Lodge to make vast improvements in the hospitality sector.
Recommendation 5
There have been evidences that people have complained about the lack of clean rooms
and toilet. This is a huge drawback for the hotel as a dirty place is a breeding ground for
diseases. Auckland Airport Lodge needs to ensure that the rooms and toilets are properly
maintained and well cleaned in order to avoid diseases. This can be done by providing
continuous sanitation to the places on a daily basis to prevent the spread of germs. Hence, these
recommendations can help Auckland Airport Lodge to maintain the reputation it has in the
hospitality sector of the region.

12
FACILITIES MANAGEMENT
Bibliography
Alexander, K. (2013). Facilities management: theory and practice. Routledge.
Ashton, A. S. (2014). Journal of Vacation Marketing. Tourist destination brand image
development—an analysis based on stakeholders’ perception: A case study from
Southland, New Zealand, 279-292.
Aucklandairportlodge. (2017, October 9). Retrieved from
http://www.aucklandairportlodge.co.nz/
Douglas, M. U. (2016). Journal of Facilities Management,. Finding the niche towards
performance excellence: A study of facilities management in New Zealand, 330-349.
Fraser, K. (2014). Journal of Facilities Management. Facilities management: the strategic
selection of a maintenance system., 18-37.
Hall, C. M. (2013). Risky lifestyles? Entrepreneurial characteristics of the New Zealand bed and
breakfast sector. Small in Firms Tourism, Michael, HC and K. Rusher (Eds.).
Amsterdam: Elsevier Publishing Company.
Huang, Z. &. (2014). In International Conference on Logistics Engineering, Management and
Computer Science (LEMCS 2014). The Analysis based on the Internal Marketing Hotel
Employee Satisfaction., 34-80.
Hui, E. C., Zhang, P. H., & Zheng, X. (2013). Facilities. Facilities management service and
customer satisfaction in hotels., 3 (2) 99-100.

13
FACILITIES MANAGEMENT
James, C. (2015). New Territory: The Transformation of New Zealand, 1984–92. Bridget
Williams Books.
Kassem, M., Kelly, G., Dawood, N., Serginson, M., & Lockley, S. (2015). Built Environment
Project and Asset Management. BIM in facilities management applications: a case study
of a large hotel complex, 261-277.
Kelsey, J. (2015). The New Zealand experiment: A world model for structural adjustment?.
Bridget Williams Books.
Luo, Y. &. (2014). Journal of Human Resources in Hospitality & Tourism,. Current human
resource management practices in the New Zealand hotel sector. , 81-100.
Markey, R., Harris, C., Knudsen, H., Lind, J., & Williamson, D. (2014). New Zealand Journal of
Employment Relations (Online), . Exploring employee participation and work
environment in hotels: Case studies from New Zealand, 2-20.