Master of International Hotel Management Reflection Journal Analysis

This report is a reflection journal from a student in the Master of International Hotel Management program at Blue Mountains Hotel School. The journal explores key aspects of hotel operations, focusing on the management of the rooms division and executive housekeeping. The student reflects on the guest cycle, including pre-arrival, arrival, stay experience, and departure phases, analyzing personal experiences and applying the Kolb experiential learning cycle. The report delves into the importance of the rooms division, including front office and housekeeping, and examines the roles and responsibilities within these departments. The reflection also covers topics like facilities management, labor costs, and effective communication within the hotel environment, providing insights into the challenges and opportunities within the hospitality industry. The student discusses practical applications of learned concepts and identifies areas for future development, providing a comprehensive overview of the hotel management experience.

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Horana Pathiranage Malmi Anushika Pathirana 201918311
Blue Mountains Hotel School Master of International Hotel Management
Management of Rooms Division Ms.Sophie A. Seeger
Reflection Journal
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RECEIPT - INDIVIDUAL ASSIGNMENT COVER SHEET - STUDENT COPY
…../09/2019

Running head: HOTEL MANAGEMENT
Subject Name: Management of Rooms Division Lecturer Name: Ms. Sophie A.Seeger
Assignment Title: Reflection Journal
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Torrens University Australia operates through the following legal entity: Torrens University Australia Pty Ltd, ABN 99 154 937 005, HE
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Horana Pathiranage Malmi Anushika Pathirana
201918311

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Introduction:
The aim of the report would be delving the importance and roles diverse operational areas
in hotels in Australia. The report would delve into the crucial operational areas like rooms
division, facility management to labour costs. .
Topic 1- Management of Rooms Division:
Reflection Portfolio (International journal of hospitality management)
My first topic is related to the guest cycle that describes activities passed by each guest
from reservation inquiry till the hotel departure. I have learnt that hotels generate as much as 60
percent from room sales. The rooms division consists of front office and housekeeping. A guest
cycle comprises of four explicit phases including, Pre-Arrival, Arrival, stay experience and
departure (Bhochhibhoya et al. 2017).
The few main issues and critical challenges I come across during this reflective portfolio
comprises of lack of adequate internet research skills, lack of judgmental abilities, ineffective
problem solving and analytical skills abilities. Besides, prior to this project, my writing and
presentation skills were quite weak. I will present the discussion on my experiential learning
with reference to overall guest cycle.

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Figure 1. Organisational chart of rooms division
(Source: Author)
Pre-Arrival Phase
In the Pre-arrival phase, I have learnt how to create a reservation for hotel guests. My
personal experience as the guest in this phase is affected by different factors such as advertising,
location, hotel reputation, and price and service quality. When practically applied at my
workplace, I have learnt how to create the reservation and how to draft the email for
confirmation of reservation. This concept is also applicable for enhancement of performance as
the hotel leader. In my view point, the effectively managed system of reservation is instrumental
for maximization of revenue of room through regular monitoring of the status of the room and
also useful for forecasting of revenue of room. I have learnt about the monitoring of effectively
efforts of upselling prior to the arrival of the guest. The in-depth knowledge about pre-arrival
phase will be useful for managing my successful career.
Arrival Phase
In the arrival phase, I have learnt how to welcome and register the guest in the hotel. In
my personal experience, I have discovered how to assign room in property management software

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of the hotel. As the guest, I felt that the check-in process is the critical aspect for impressing and
disappointing the customers. As the hotel leader, I have learnt to examine the behavior of the
guest, how to create tailored offers and compiles essential information to highlight the
improvement areas. In future, I will use effective skills of communication for handling the
requirement of the job. It is challenging for me to effectively deal with unexpected and
unforeseen issues faced by the management of the hotel. I found that the adoption of adaptability
and flexibility skills support the mangers for making well-informed decisions (Xie et al 2016).
Stay Experience
I have learnt that stay experience consists of providing ongoing services to guests in order
create value to them. In this phase, the role of excellent service quality is highly critical for
providing a positive guest experience (Dzhandzhugazova et al 2016). The primary learning
experience, I have gained from my job function as a front office includes handling of guest
messages, how to handle the accounts of guests, mail delivery of guest, resolve the complaints
and queries of guest and provide travel arrangement. I have learnt how to ensure critical
management by ensuring guest privacy. In this phase, my communication skills in terms of open
communication significantly improved related to benefits of concierge services.
Departure:
The departure phase is related with how to settle the account, total billed, check out and
obtained essential feedback (Baker, 2016). The author learnt that primary responsibilities of front
officer comprise of preparation and presentation of bills of guest, how to complete the settlement
of the account of guest, handling of luggage, and how to assist guest by providing the useful
promotional material and forthcoming future offers. In future, I will use my excellent computer
skills for keeping records, processing payments and completion of other tasks.
Application of Kolb Experiential Learning Cycle on Guest Cycle
I will also employ a Kolb experiential cycle of learning for evaluating and analyzing my entire
reflective portfolio.

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Source: Boud, Keogh, & Walker, (2013)
The application of the Kolb learning cycle on all over the journey of the Guest life cycle is
discussed as follow:
I was highly delighted when I received my schedule the first day. I believed that this opportunity
would develop my skills in varied areas of hotel management and all over the guest life cycle.
My supervisor was upfront and opens with me from the first moment and not hesitant to teach
and share their experience. I had a welcoming and delighted communication with them. The
primary responsibility assigned to me was the job of receptionist. Across the outset, I have learnt
how to provide assistance to a guest for check-in & check out. I much liked the position of the
receptionist as it gave me the opportunity for interaction with the indirect guest manner.
My other responsibilities related with the collection of updated information, task scheduling such
as when and how to contact the venue and persons, and how to update email contacts that were
incomplete and missing. Over than two thousand contacts were updated by me in given
deadline, and I achieved this objective efficiently and effectively.
My overall experience of working was highly informative for me as it aided the decision either to
prolong or continues the journey in the hospitality sector. I have learnt a lot about how to make a
reservation as it enabled me to sort out and ensure the organisation of information efficiently and
effectively. I have also determined how to make and use the Excel Spreadsheet and gained new
skills for programs. I have gained experienced about the tracking of information, for instance, the
night before and night audit. I was responsible for matching how many rooms in contrast to room
nights for confirming the revenue of night audit. I have also realised that the sales department of
the hotel is not suitable for me. Therefore, in future, I will be more interested probably in Front
desk services in the hotel.

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In the stay experience phase, I observed that my supervisor always admit and apologise in case
of any mistake that caused the dissatisfaction of the guest. The apology statement was useful to
minimise the bad mood of guests and also the quick handling of complaints also enhances the
loyalty of the guest. My supervisor told me that admitting mistake can be useful for the
resolution of the worst situation and also indicate a higher level of honesty.
In the departure phase, I have learnt how to handle negative comments of guests efficiently. I
encouraged the guest to leave positive feedback about their stay experience in a hotel. I always
thank the guest with their names and apologise in case of any poor experience. I expressed
sympathy towards if he fell short of their fulfilment and expectation. I also highlighted any
change by conducting offline conversation for the avoidance of any conflict publicly.
Conclusion
In my viewpoint, I have learnt how to utilise this Guest Cycle in proactive manner to fulfil and
exceed the expectation of a guest on each phase. It also encouraged the guest for repeating the
hotel visits and helpful for hotel leaders to improve and optimise their performance. I believed
that incorporation of technology could be used for enhancement of all over the life cycle of the
guest. Overall, I observed that a room division manager should be resistant to stress in highly
dynamic as well as exhausting industry. The steadiness and flexibility skills are inevitable for a
room division manager.

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Topic 2. Executive Housekeeping:
1. Description:
What happened?
I have learnt from the training and the course materials that the housekeeping department
is responsible for the smooth operations of the hotels. I have learnt and can point out from my
personal experience that clean and well maintained rooms are the basic expectations of the
guests and the customers. These criteria have to be ensured by the management bodies of the
hotels to ensure customer comfort and satisfaction. I have learnt that the housekeeping
department employees though do not maintain direct communication with customers, play
the significant role in ensuring positive guest experience. This maintenance of smooth
operations by the housekeeping staff are actually responsible for guest satisfaction and
revenue generation in the hotel. I can in fact point that housekeeping staffs are responsible
for maintain corridors and lobbies free from hazards like trays. In other words the
housekeeping department staff members are responsible for ensuring safety of guests
(Hotelmanagement.com.au, 2019).

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Figure 2.Organizational chart of housekeeping department
(Source: Author)
What is being examined?
The roles of the housekeeping department staff in maintaining service quality has been
examined in the article. The importance of the housekeeping department in ensuring smooth
operations of the hotels is under consideration as well.
2. Interpretation:
What is most important/interesting/relevant about the experience, thing or idea?
The analysis of the importance of the housekeeping brings into the light several important
aspects. First of all, the housekeeping department ensures that the rooms in the hotel are clean
and arranged so as to appeal to the tastes and preferences of the customers. Thus, it is clear that
rooms are one of the most important aspects of the service offerings of the hotels. In fact, the

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room services are one of the core products which hotels offer. It can be disputed that, the rooms
are among the most important factors which enable hotels to generate customer satisfaction and
revenue. In other words it can be interpreted that the housekeeping department is responsible for
ensuring creation and retention of brand loyalty (Hotelbusiness.com, 2019).
The housekeeping department is often interpreted as the heart of the hotel. It is because,
first of all, tidiness of rooms and common areas like flights of stairs are among the basic criteria
which come to play in meeting expectations of the customers (Kang et al., 2015).
I have learnt that executive housekeepers play several key roles like occupational health
and safety management, maintaining material safety data sheet, room inspection and inventory
control. I can point point out upon deeper reflection the role which housekeeping department
plays by providing clean rooms and hotel areas to guests. I can also interpret that the
housekeeping staff members play very significant roles in hotel operations. The housekeeping
staff members ensure that the rooms and lobbies are maintained properly (Accomnews.com.au,
2019).
It can be interpreted that the housekeeping departments of the hotel provide quick
turnaround service by cleaning up rooms as early as possible after guests check out. It can be
interpreted that the housekeeping staff make the rooms ready for the next customers to check in
or in other words ensure continuous service to customers. This prompt maintenance services
which housekeeping departments in hotels provide can also be interpreted as one of the drivers
of revenue generations in hotel companies.

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How can it be explained and how is it similar or different?
The roles of the housekeeping departments of the hotels can also interpreted differently in
terms of marketing. As already pointed out that the housekeeping departments in the hotels are
responsible for arranging the rooms which in turn ensure customer satisfaction. In other words,
housekeeping department staff members play significant roles in marketing of the hotels. The
role of the housekeeping staff of hotels can also be interpreted in terms of work health and safety
risk management. This is because housekeeping department employees maintain clean rooms
and lobbies. They in other words, maintain walkways free of any obstructions which reduces
scope of staff members and guests tripping. Thus, the service of the housekeeping departmental
staff members are also responsible for maintaining WHS risk management within the hotels in
Australia (Adbourne.com, 2019).
3. Outcome:
What have I learned?
I have learnt that housekeeping department staff members play a very important role in
ensuring customer satisfaction. I have also learnt that there are ten ways of succeeding as an
executive housekeeper. They are operating as a manager, appreciating the efforts of other
employees and supporting the revenue management department. I have learnt that housekeeping
contribute to the sustainability of hotels in Australia. Upon deeper reflection I realised that the
housekeeping departments can contribute towards the corporate social responsibility of the hotels
owning them. Supanti, Butcher and Sukhabot (2018) pointed out that housekeeping department
can play significant role in waste management as well. The housekeeping department staff while
cleaning the rooms and lobbies can ensure that the articles made from biodegradable materials
like paper are collected and sent for recycling. Upon deeper reflection I can point that

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management bodies of the hotels can set process of disposal of wastes which should be followed
by the housekeeping department. The employees of the department should be trained to dispose
the wastes in appropriate manner. They should also be taught to recycle the wastes to the extent
possible, thus in order words reducing waste generation. For example, the soap left in bottles can
be collected and reused for cleaning purposes instead of disposing all together. This way the
housekeeping departments can contribute hotels meeting their future sustainability goals.
What does this mean?
This means that the housekeeping staff members play significant roles in customer
service of the Australian hotels. This also means that the housekeeping departments of the hotels
are among their core departments.