Customer Care Challenges and Solutions in the Hospitality Sector

This report delves into the contemporary issues surrounding customer care within the hospitality industry, using Hilton Hotels as a case study. It explores the significance of customer care, examining its impact on businesses, the stakeholders affected, and the competitive landscape. The report analyzes why change is crucial, identifies key factors influencing customer care, and assesses the implications for the industry. It further investigates the competitive environment, including the rise of competitors like Airbnb, and the need for innovation. The report provides actionable recommendations for improving customer care, emphasizing the importance of customer expectations, and suggests strategies for adapting to changing customer trends. The report concludes by summarizing the key findings and offering insights into the future of customer care in the hospitality sector.

Contemporary Themes in
the Hospitality Industry

Table of Contents
Contents
ABSTRACT.....................................................................................................................................1
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................1
MAIN BODY...................................................................................................................................1
Why change is important.........................................................................................................1
Who is affecting.........................................................................................................................2
Impact on hospitality industry.................................................................................................3
Competition present..................................................................................................................4
Ways to carry change...............................................................................................................5
Recommendations.....................................................................................................................6
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................7
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................8

ABSTRACT
This report explains about contemporary issue that arises in terms of organising and
managing hospitality industries. By caring up international hospitality conference contemporary
issue of customer care is discussed in this report in which various effects of this issue is
discussed. As this report experience about why customer care is important for hospitality
industries and what are its impact on company along with who are affecting by it. Along with
that this report explains about various competitions which could be analysed for providing
customer care services to customers in terms of analysing risk as well as considering different
factors. This explains about various recommendations that could be provided for hospitality
companies in order to resolve issue of customer care in their operations.
INTRODUCTION
In hospitality sector there are various reasons for stress as well as they are facing global
competition, demand for high diversified as well as personalised service, customer expectations,
timely services that are created in hospitality sector (Wong, Ou and Wilson, 2021). As this
contemporary issues have an important role in hospitality sector that are to be reserved on timely
basis for or having an effective play in facilitating effective implementation of management
process. As hospitality industry faces difference businesses challenges in terms of globalisation,
intellectual capital as well as change, profitability by growth (Sembiante, Baxley and Cavallaro,
2018). As these contemporary issues provides inevitable change for caring out business practices
effectively in development of potentiality to fulfil challenges. This report is based on then pretty
issues in toms of organizing as well as managing an international hospitality conference that
focuses contemporary issues of Hilton hotels that is an American multinational hospitality
organisation which manages along with franchising a wide portfolio of hotels and resorts of
contemporary issue of customer care. This report includes why change is important, who is
affecting, impact on hospitality industry, present competition, various ways to perform and carry
change, recommendations along with its conclusion.
MAIN BODY
Why change is important.
Customer care is said to be a big contemporary issue in hospitality industries. It is essential
remember that good customer care along with effective staff care is required in hospitality for
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carrying their practices smoothly. From different surveys it has been analyse that individuals are
happy at their work when they feel valued along with relaxed (Ladkin, 2018). As when they are
involved in their business as well as feel knowledgeable about what is happening in the
hospitality business. In present hospitality business customer care is said to be more major
concern where all businesses require to focus on as customer expectations in terms of quality are
increasing daily so it becomes the responsibility of hospitality company to fulfil their
expectations in order to provide them memorable experience with their stay. Along with that for
providing effective customer care services it also becomes a challenge for hospitality companies
to determine qualified workforce that it becomes difficult to find out in terms of human resource
Management. As a result, hospitality business is trying to focus on getting more effective results
by providing them training and development skills to their present employees in different fields
of hospitality for fulfilling demands of customers (Deale, Lee and Bae, 2020). As customers are
demanding from higher level of service excellence so for linking with this challenge and issue
through seasonality a common feature of tourism company could be affected.
As with the rise of customers wants and demand that are changing constantly along with
time and market trends it is necessary for hospitality businesses to fulfil their expectations in
order to sustain their position in markets for longer run. Customer care is said to be an effective
contemporary issue which is faced by different hospitality companies in terms of carrying their
business operations. In terms of Hilton hotels customer care is said to be an important
contemporary issue that company is facing. And for resolving that issue they are focusing on
providing effective customer care services to their customers in terms of their stay and facilities
(Nikolaou, 2018). Along with that in order to provide effective services to their customers they
are constantly carrying out training and development programs in order to provide their
employees training so that their skills could be enhanced and they will be able to serve their
customers with their higher level of performance.
Who is affecting.
As customer care being an important contemporary issue which is to be resolved on timely basis.
As it affects operations of hotels. As contemporary issue of customer care leads to affect Hotels
environment that could lead to have stress in their working surroundings. When there is a lack of
quality service it directly leads to affects hotels image in markets. As when customer care service
is not provided in a right manner towards customers it will lead to have dissatisfaction among
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themselves. So it is necessary for hospitality companies to resolve issue of customer care and
focus on providing a better experience in order to give them effective service through their
skilled and talented workforce (Ferreira, 2019). By having lack of skilled and talented workforce
it affects employee’s performance in providing customer’s battery facilities. So it becomes
responsibility of hospitality company to provide and carry training and development programs on
regular basis to their skills could be enhanced on timely basis according to customers’
requirements and expectations. As customer experience could be enhanced only by providing
them quality service and along with that company’s position could be improved in markets with
their brand value (Ryan and Garrett, 2018).
Lack of customer care service good effect management as well as leadership operations of
hospitality companies that could affect their daily operations. In terms of Hilton hotels
contemporary challenge of customer care affects their operations in terms of providing quality
services to their customer in their stay (Razak, Hall and Prayag, 2019). As they are lacking in
providing effective services through skilled and talented workforce so they are focusing on
hiring skilled and talented workforce so that they will be able to provide customers with smooth
and efficient facilities so that it their stays could be maintained in longer terms by increasing
their profitability. As they are focusing on resolving issue of customer care service so that their
surrounding could be lead to have stress free environment in terms of providing healthy
surrounding to their customers (Fuchs, Reichel and Poria, 2021). So it is necessary for a
company to focus on this concern by resolving their contemporary challenge of customer care by
having effective workforce.
Impact on hospitality industry.
As contemporary challenge of customer care has created a wide impact on hospitality
industry that affects various operations of companies (Fournier, 2018). In terms of Hilton hotels
impact of customer care issue on hotel are as follows:
 Poor customer service need to higher costs: As hospitality business which has poor
customer service will lead to have less sales in terms of new as well as existing customers
(So, Oh, and Min, 2018). Along with it leads to generate more cost in terms of higher
amount every year. In terms of Hilton hotels less effective as well as poor customer care
services affect cost of hotel that can lead to have expensive amounts of pays and losses.
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 Poor customer care service affects decision making of customers: As different aspects
affects customer’s decision making in terms of their stay as when customers are not
provided with quality services and care it will straight affect their decision making of
staying in hotel from availing its services (Wu and Gao, 2019). As in terms of Hilton
hotels, poor customer service effects customer decision making in terms of their stay and
they will not likely to stay in their hotels for availing their services if they were not
provided with quality services of their expectation level.
 Customers are twice as likely to share and negative experience: As when a customer is
negatively experience in hotel they will tend to share their negative experience twice
from other individuals that could straight affect companies brand value and image in
markets (Merga, 2019). In terms of Hilton hotel if customers are not provided with
quality service and handle them with care and quality they will experience a negative
impact which is not effective for hotel as they share their negative experience to other
individuals also that could affect image in market.
 Decrease in sales: Poor and ineffective customer care services leads to decrease in sales
of hospitality industry. As when customers are not satisfied with services and facilities
that they are provided with they will not reach out to hotel again that could create an
effect on sales of hospitality companies in terms of customers (DiPietro, Moreo and Cain,
2020). In terms of Hilton hotels poor customer service could lead to decrease in sales of
hotel.
Competition present.
As in international hospitality conference it has been analysed there is a rise of competition. As
competition between hospitality, Patel as well as tourism sectors has become fierce. Companies
should stay innovative along with thinking with new ideas on how to attract more customers on
regular basis that their survival could be maintained in corporate markets for long run (Lam and
Cheung, 2018). Along with that there are various reasons that are various competition which are
lead to technological adaptation as well as changing customers profile and trends. In terms of
Hilton hotels, company is presently competing with their Airbnb that offers cheaper offerings to
customers along with better customer facility in terms of rooms that has kitchen also. Song with
there are various hotels that are offering similar services in in lower prices and as a result
customers are staying with their friends or relatives their hotels. So in order to attract customers
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more it is necessary for company to focus on staying innovative as well as thinking about new
ideas so that more customers could be attracted (Presenza, Petruzzelli and Sheehan, 2019). As
technology adaptation could be used for making communication as well as branding and
outreach of company through mobile apps, websites as well as social media (Christou, Avloniti
and Farmaki, 2019). Hotel is introducing different argument that reality interactions in terms of
reality tools and robotics to fulfil customer requirements. Another reason is for changing
customer trends and profiles and dealing that company should be focused to think about new and
effective ways to engage their young generation so that more customers could be generated along
with individuals who are more aware about climate change for making any change company for
effective purposes in order to deal with issue (Jamal, Griffin and Raj, 2018).
Ways to carry change.
As concern of contemporary issue of customer care could be resolved by determining risk as
well as other competitors and their working styles so that companies could be able to make
changes according to that (Khoo-Lattimore and Yang, 2018). In terms of Hilton hotels factors
that could affect as well as implement change in hotel are as follows:
 Customer expectations: As travellers are specifically those who are on vacation trips
wants that their memories could be good and memorable when they look back through a
smile and when it begins to hotel as well as tourist destinations, staff members should be
courteous as well as friendly and helpful towards customer. They also run that staff
members of hotels are to be understandable about their area of attractions and different
travellers who are coming their area for the first time are generally and familiar through
that so it becomes responsibility of staff members of hospitality companies to make them
aware about their surroundings so that they could be attracted more towards their side and
it will help in creating those memories which they crave for (Gupta, 2019). In terms of
Hilton hotels company is focused on providing training as well as development to their
staff members so that they will be able to carry on their services and performance
according to customers’ expectations which they are required from hotels as their
operations as well as work is carried in a way that all the staff members are aligned to
provide their customers with awareness and a sense of responsibility by treating them and
making them aware about the surroundings.
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Online effect: As modern travellers and customers are very internet savvy. So they always find
as well as book their trips, destinations as well as hotel rooms on their laptops for their
smartphones (Azahari and Nayan, 2020). And when they look up for ideas on hotels as well as
activities their experience which they have with company’s website is very important. As
website' s information as well as reviews were considered as their first impression of hotel
(Harkison, Hemmington and Hyde, 2018). It is important for hotels to build their websites in an
effective way and generate their online presence in higher terms so that they could be able to
attract more customers by posting their reviews. In terms of Hilton hotels company is focused on
creating their online presence through websites along with that they are continuously posting
about their reviews and customer feedback so that virtual customers when they are searching for
hotels could be able to analyse about hotel and make their choice easily.
Recommendations.
As customer care is said to be and major contemporary issue which is to be resolved by
hospitality industries on continuous basis so that their survival could be maintained in markets
for long run (Bennett, 2018). For that there are certain recommendations that are to be provided
by which customer care issue could be resolved by hospitality companies in order to attract more
customers and provide them with better experience. In terms of Hilton hotels some of
recommendations that could be provided to hotel in order to resolve customer care issue are as
follows:
 Hilton hotels are recommended to provide customers with the friendly and relax
surrounding so that they stay could be provided for a longer term.
 It commanded that hotel should train their staff members in that manner so that they
could listen to two customers query in a patient way and try to resolve them with their
skills so that customer will be able to get satisfied from their service.
 Company should be focused and try to resolve conflicts as early as possible when it
arises. Along with that hotels are recommended to provide them better services so that if
any argument arises they will try to avoid them (Zhang, 2018). Hotels are recommended
to provide their customers with effective comfort and better of rings in terms of their
room hygiene and relaxed environment.
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 Hilton hotels should try to you ask customers for their feedback towards their hotel and
according to that make changes in order to satisfy customers and provide them better
experience.
 Hilton hotels should focus on creating their online presence more effectively so that more
customers could be attracted towards their website and try to avail their services.
 Hotels are recommended to carry training and development programmes for their staff
members on regular basis so that they will be able to provide training to their staff
members according to customers’ expectations that changes on timely basis (Pham and
Tuckova, 2018).
CONCLUSION
From above report it could be concluded that there are different contemporary issues that are
present in in hospitality sector which affects its operations for carrying it in an effective way. As
for carrying out international hospitality conference contemporary issue of customer care is
being focused in hospitality company. As that there is an explanation of various range of social
logical, economic, political, ethics as well as culture theories that are explained through
requirement of change which is essential along with reason behind contemporary issue off
customer care. There is an explanation of impact of contemporary issue of customer care that
will create on hospitality company along with identification of different competition which is
present in market. There is an explanation of risk of different situations along with
recommendations that are to be provided for dealing with changes effectively.
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