Impact of Consumer Preferences on Hospitality Guest Service Management

This report provides an in-depth analysis of guest service management within the hospitality industry, using Marriott International as a case study. It explores the responsibilities of guest service managers, emphasizing their role in enhancing customer engagement and satisfaction. The report delves into the application of total quality management (TQM) within Marriott, highlighting its impact on service provision, quality management, and the adaptation to evolving consumer preferences. It discusses how hotels, including Marriott, adjust to changing customer expectations, particularly in the context of technological advancements and modern consumer demands, such as themed rooms and online reservation systems. The report also addresses the influence of these changing preferences on guest service management practices, including laundry services, online presence, and room customization. The conclusion underscores the significance of guest service management and the benefits of TQM in maintaining a competitive edge in the hospitality market, emphasizing the importance of teamwork and top-level management support for successful implementation.

Hospitality and guest
service

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION ..........................................................................................................................1
Discussion/Evaluation and critical analysis ...............................................................................1
Service provision and quality management ...............................................................................1
How hotels adapt to changing consumer preference ..................................................................2
How changing preferences impacts guest service management ................................................3
CONCLUSION ...............................................................................................................................4
REFERENCES ...............................................................................................................................6

INTRODUCTION
Hospitality and guest service management are responsibilities for managing and handling
customers and other hotel operations. A guest service manager is professional who is engaged in
managing and handling hotel operations. He ensures that all functions are carried out smoothly
and effectively. There is major role of this person to increase customer engagement and
satisfaction. The responsibilities of guest service manager plays a vital role in success of hotel
(Cai, and Zhu, 2015). The hospitality organisation considered in this report is Marriott
organisation. This is an American multinational diversified company that manages and
franchises a broad portfolio of hotels and other related lodging facilities. This was founded by J.
Willard Marriott. This is the third largest hotel chains in the world and there are around 30
brands with approximately they own 7000 properties. This report discusses about guest service
management. It shows how hotels can adapt to changing consumer preference and how changing
consumer preference impacts guest service management.
Discussion/Evaluation and critical analysis
Guest service manager is focusing on needs and requirements of clients and ensures that
they are being fulfilled. They have to implement various strategies which will help in improving
hotel facilities and eventually leads to increase exceptional services. It is ensured that guests are
being escorted properly and that they have to directed to the requested rooms after proper
completion of check-ins procedure (Fu, Chou, and Wang, 2015). For keeping track of inventory
suppliers and making requisitions according to requirements for keeping updated reports on
relevant data for presenting on special requests.
Service provision and quality management
When organisations make use of total quality management, there is high probability of
improving effectiveness and efficiency of entire organisation. This can be explained by an
example- Marriott international has applied various techniques of total quality management for
ensuring a positive outcome. By the assistance of executive management, employees are trained
on the concepts of offering good quality services to customers and clients. Marriott International
is using technique of employing qualified staffs who are responsible for providing a positive
approach to various sensitive areas such as serving customers within short time, check in pints,
solving customer problems and offering a friendly approach.
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Cleanliness of rooms and good housekeeping services provides pleasant experience to customers.
This overcomes all other wrongs that they face in the organisation (.Gabdrakhmanova,
Kalimullina, and Ignatovich, 2016.). One of the aspect that contributes to good reputation of the
company is cleanliness especially the attractive housekeeping services which are offered.
Also for making their total quality management systems more effective, Marriott organisation
provides extensive training to various area managers by hiring a lot of people on regular basis. If
this organisation is not having effective leadership, it can be very challenging for it to provide
best services to customers and attain organisational goals and objectives.
When managers are hired in Marriott, these are provided one week training program where they
are equipped with necessary knowledge and skills for enabling them to serve customers in a well
mannered way. When this training is done, they are responsible for teaching other members of
staff on how to provide quality services to clients and customers.
It is analysed by study of various researchers that outcomes of poor quality services in business
are very costly. Poor service experience occurs due to employees who are not empowering for
solving quality services to the organisation. It is occurred by the employees who are not willing
to provide adequate results. Negative experiences of customers and guests within the
organisation is not thing for the company as it results in decline of customer satisfaction (Nanda,
2016). The management of the organisation is source of poor service delivery because of failure
to acknowledge that each individual is held responsible for his deeds.
How hotels adapt to changing consumer preference
There are various approaches towards improving customer care. Marriott international
has managed to launch 18 lodging brands which include limited service and full service which
has variety of services to serve needs of any guest. This hospitality organisation is managing and
contracting different hotels and resorts under Marriott. The work coverage of this company has
increased after the expansion of services (Ross, J.E., 2017). Due to this expansion, there is
increment in customers at global level. Marriott is having a good record of expansion for the
period and also financial base of the company is also high.
Marriott is one of the biggest hotels which operates globally. It provides quality services and
adheres good reputation. This has adopted holistic system of formal total quality management.
This system is made for ensuring increase in customer coverage with best services of good and
high quality. Another deal of responsibility depends upon guest service manager. For ensuring
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success, there must be demonstration of excellent organisation and time management skills.
There must be good and effective leadership skills in these managers and they have to supervise
and train staff and employees effectively.
Marriott international concentrates on making it's customers happy and satisfied by sharing
positive experience of company with employees. Reputation and image of brand depends upon
reaction of customers. It is easy to achieve customer satisfaction if by the application of total
quality management. Because of the wide experience of management of Marriott International
for long period of time, there are basically two main areas which are criticised by guests. Check-
ins and rooms are most sensitive areas which needs high quality services in front office
( Rumane, 2017.). In context of Marriott International these areas are well catered for highly
qualified staff and employees. The impression and first contact that guests receives in a service
industry is very essential as these guests can come back or may never desire such experience.
Total quality management is useful for Marriott International but on the other hand, it faces
various criticism. The TQM is not related with general organisational strategy. Decisions made
by the organisation that concerns about total quality management are related to finance and other
marketing approaches. Quality issues are part of functional side and should not be treated as
separate entity. Other essential factors that TQM lacks is a clear planning for implementation.
This indicates objectives and goals and how these can be achieved. TQM consists of unrealistic
goals because of managerial skills because of failure for training employees about TQM
philosophy.
How changing preferences impacts guest service management
As technology is becoming more advanced and people have became more modern, requirements
and preferences of people changes at a fast pace (Weckenmann, Akkasoglu, and Werner, 2015).
Due to this, it became important for an organisation to cater these changes as efficiently as
possible so that their customer base can be retained for maximum time period. In case of
hospitality sector, requirements and needs of people are constantly changing. Due to this guest
service management is also influenced and need appropriate changes. In earlier time, main
preference of people while staying at hotel is to have a decent place to stay and good food to it
so that they can complete their journey in a comfortable manner. But, now these aspects have
changed considerably. In present time, people expects highest level of hospitality where each and
every service is required to be highly standardised.
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Also, rather than getting a comfortable place to sleep, people now a days prefer to stay at
themed rooms which will provide them a soothing experience for their journey. In case of
Marriott hotel, changing needs and preferences of customers have leads to changes in guest
service management (.Zornoza, Bastida, Domínguez, Toledo, and 2015.). Guest services in
context with Marriott hotel are the amenities and services which are offered by the staff of hotel
to their customers. It includes activities like laundry, room service, concierge etc. At present,
people have became very sophisticated and they can not handle any single mistake while getting
served. Below are mentioned some aspects that will denote the manner in which changing
preferences and expectations of the customers leads to change in guest service management:
 In case of laundry, guests prefers to have washed clothes as soon as possible due to which
housekeeping manager has to upgrade their machines to wash and press clothes. This will
help the hotel management to do laundry of customers in fastest time possible.
 Earlier, people prefer to visits the reception of hotel for booking and reservations but due
to changing preferences of customers, they now prefer to perform reservations via online
medium. In this context, front desk department at Marriott has improved their social
media presence so that appropriate interaction and communication with customers via
digital media can be carried out.
 During the stay at hotel, in earlier time customers do not requires themed rooms and
elegant environment. But now, they are very particular about the rooms in which they are
staying. Due to this, Marriott hotel provide themed rooms to their customers. Other than
this, to provide enormous pleasure, hotel has also decided to offer customised rooms
which will be decorated as per the requirements of customers.
Services and facilities as per the changing needs of customers will help the Marriott hotel
in earning high revenues and profits due to which they will be able to sustain a strong presence in
market against their rivals. Also, by this, customer base of company will be retained for
maximum time period without any complexities.
CONCLUSION
From the above discussion, it is seen that guest service management is essential and it
plays vital role in providing good services to customers. Marriott international hotel is benefited
from the application of total quality management. This is important as there is huge competition
in market of hospitality sector. There is drastic increase in number of hotels within market. Thus
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for a hotel to retain it's guests and customers, it is essential to offer quality services. The
disadvantages of this system are outweighed by it's advantages. So the application of this is
beneficial for every organisation. The teamwork of management team and all levels of employers
can work best for this system. If employees want to adhere this system, there is need of big
support from top level management of the organisation.
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REFERENCES
Books and journals
Cai, L. and Zhu, Y., 2015. The challenges of data quality and data quality assessment in the big
data era. Data science journal, 14.
Fu, S.L., Chou, S.Y., Chen, C.K. and Wang, C.W., 2015. Assessment and cultivation of total
quality management organisational culture–an empirical investigation. Total Quality
Management & Business Excellence, 26(1-2), pp.123-139.
Gabdrakhmanova, R.G., Kalimullina, G.I. and Ignatovich, V.G., 2016. Professional pedagogical
education quality management. International Electronic Journal of Mathematics
Education, 11(1), pp.103-112.
Nanda, V., 2016. Quality management system handbook for product development companies.
CRC press.
Ross, J.E., 2017. Total quality management: Text, cases, and readings. Routledge.
Rumane, A.R., 2017. Quality management in construction projects. CRC Press.
Weckenmann, A., Akkasoglu, G. and Werner, T., 2015. Quality management–history and
trends. The TQM Journal, 27(3), pp.281-293.
Zornoza, R., Acosta, J.A., Bastida, F., Domínguez, S.G., Toledo, D.M. and Faz, A., 2015.
Identification of sensitive indicators to assess the interrelationship between soil quality,
management practices and human health. Soil, 1(1), pp.173-185.
Online
Guest Service Manager Responsibilities, 2019. [Online]. Available
through:<https://www.bestsampleresume.com/job-descriptions/hospitality/guest-service-
manager.html>
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