Imperial Hotel London: Management Challenges and Solutions Report

This report analyzes the management challenges faced by the Imperial Hotel in London, focusing on a negative work culture, high levels of sick leave, and poor attendance among staff. The introduction highlights the importance of organizational structure and its impact on achieving business goals. The main body of the report delves into the specific issues, such as staff absenteeism, its effects on guest satisfaction, and the need for strategic solutions. The report examines the role of staff performance, diverse cultural backgrounds, and the impact of management on employee morale. It proposes solutions like flexible staffing, training programs, and improved communication to address these problems. The conclusion emphasizes the crucial role of effective management in overcoming challenges and improving overall performance. The report includes references to support the analysis.

The Imperial Hotel London

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................1
Main Body ......................................................................................................................................1
CONCLUSION ...............................................................................................................................5
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................6

INTRODUCTION
Organization structure refers to a system that defines carry out several tasks and
activities in order to achieve the goals and success of the organization to accomplish its
objectives and meet vision (Levett, 2010). The Imperial Hotels in London is an example of
successful organizational structure, as it is a well known brand chain from over hundred years,
offering a pleasure to stay comfortable with all amenities inside the hotel. Therefore assignment
is going to highlight major problem faced by Peter Farnsworth “A negative work culture
amongst the staff with high levels of sick leave and poor attendance”. As it is given in the case
study , Imperial Hotel is serving most of the pleasing services and employees pessimistic view
impacts harshly on the brand image, due to the staff which is the main source of performing well
to reach its set target and meet the objectives. The staff performance has a major role to stand a
business because they are a backbone because of them an organization grows faster as it can. But
their absenteeism affects an organizational in such a way that could be recover hardly.
Main Body
As it is known from the above introduction is that Star Farnsworth is in problem to
maintain the staff environment that being is a reason for guest dissatisfaction. Organization lies
on certain activities that includes rules, roles and responsibilities of every individuals consisting
within in the organization, the stated problem occurs when someone is not goes with the
activities, staff absence is breaking up the image of hotel. An organization is a structured
planning that is why Imperial Hotels is a leading hotel from past hundred years, and pleasing its
guests, actually a flow of information from top level to bottom, that means the top management
order the middle management and that is completed by the lower level staff (Matera, 2015).
Star hotels is one of the well known hotel in Imperial group, Peter Farnsworth, need to
solve the problem in certain strategic approach, as where the number of employees are 450
including some part time workers. One way is avoid the problem is that whenever an individual
goes on sick leave, the part time worker can take his place, or arrange some employees according
to shifts, so that there is hospitality problem for 24X7. Increase a few number of employees in
each department such as food and beverage, housekeeping, guest services and concierge, front
of house and reception, and human resources and training. Because rising in staff will give its a
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new identity like it offers employment and serving best to industry and it will raise its business
value too.
Absenteeism is an unwanted for a firm, because when a worker is getting absent from
workplace, then management have to find out some sudden replacement or substitution at last
minute, which is not suitable for all the time. This loss can be cover by hiring some conditional
workers, or overtime employees. Some employees take the leaves for some kind of health issues
such migraines, accident happens on or off job, injuries, etc., but get to over come from these
obstacles is expensive, as in terms of unapproved leave may cause to infect other employees that
they can reduce the productivity. So firms are finding out such ways, that can keep healthy its
employees. Employees may have stress, low morale, childcare, depressions, partial shifts,these
impacts on workers mental state, and this lead to poor attendance (Goh, 2010).
Sometimes it happens that workers manages work by themselves, as it is good but its not
work always, somehow it can come at wrong time, suppose if a person need a sick leave only the
colleagues knows that person on leave, and supervisor is not aware of this, then what happens is,
that co- worker could not join the workplace at time or may be they also have some immediate
actions to do, then only work will suffer and the guest will have so many troubles regarding
services. If supervisor would have any information then its their responsibilities to maintain the
environment. It may happen that sometimes head of department can also take leave, although it
is next to impossible, because they have to manage everything, so they can't take a leave but in
some instinct it happens then they should also have an associate who can mange their work in
their absence.
There are so many cognitions with impacts on standard of a hotel that needed to take under
foremost consideration that changes its ikon like amend its hospitality and services, food, and
other amenities, to deflect the discrepancy, for this supervision in all sections should be strict,
super-wiser should not approve leaves until or unless it is not necessary, for this it needed to put
some policies like they can have six sick leaves, and reduction of one day payment, or multiple
days. A controller should have a clear state of mind that how the situations are going to handle
and in absence of others. A close watch on workers will not let them enjoy liberty and this can
better efficiency of work (Arslan and Polat, 2015). Controller is working under manger, so they
have to follow the instructions as it is given. If these all will follow carefully then, this has to be
increase the standard and level performance.
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It is often seems that employees belongs from diverse culture, no matter in which
department they work, but they perform specific task for an organizations. Because they are
coming from several geographical location and culture, they have different languages to
communicate, that becomes a reason for others to bully them, which is not a tolerable behaviour
in corporate or hospitality industry or in any other industry. To ameliorate this atmosphere, a
manager should organize a training program to increase their skills and knowledge, that is
comes under competency development and regulated by the government. This will aid to
increase the ability of learning so that a healthy environment can be generate in hotel and that is
help to maintain a dignity for colleges, so that they can work freely.
Staff can get the reliance of management when management includes staff with regular
planning and problem solving. The staff feels attached when management involve them within
planning for certain events and problem solving, because their views can be important in
increasing level of hotel, they may have some new concepts to raise the offer services in a better
way to such as welcoming guests with warm smile complementary bouquet with a warm smile
on check in, and also please them with all the facilities, so that whenever a visitor will come
again, he recommend the same place to stay (De Sapio, 2014). There are several issues that
needed to solve, for this may be a small idea can work for example, if hotel have less
advertisements although, it is high street location, so does not require any advertisement but it
can go for online bookings that increases its demand. Besides increasing accommodation
artefact, there are several problems like food contamination, it have to maintain food purity, that
is most desirable. People are only wants best services like delicious food, well suited rooms so
there is a requirement for house keeping workers, that should be maintain through house keeping
department, so if any individual goes on leave with or without prior information, then increased
number of co – workers will help to come out from this. They will have to mange this issue,
through part time or full time staff (Bruneel, Yli‐Renko and Clarysse, 2010). It is generally
seems, that house keeping department has numerous female staff, that have several personal
issues, like they have family that have to look after, small kids, and family functions, so they
have a so many leaves, to avoid these circumstances either the manager should be rude to
sanction leaves or hire some other staff, but if it happens on regular basis, then poor attendance
makes a bad affect , and this declines the presentation graph of hotel. Food department consists
of cooks, what if chef does not comes to the hotel, then who will prepare food for thousands of
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guests, this will be blunder, the visitors will remain dissatisfied from the services, so for restrict
this hurdle, there is a need for cooks that can develop their speciality to serve the people who
loved the yummy flavours. First impression is last impression, so reception has a crucial place in
hotel industry, as they receives guests with humble greetings and talk them with an effective
manner, that they cannot check out from there. Reception is the face of hotel, so it necessary to
to build a strong image in visitor's mindset. So they have to be there all the time, to make them
comfy it is better to appoint them in alternative ways.
One more thing can be consider to maintain good attendance, is that reward for full
attendance and performance for serving the assistance. That is beneficial for the Star hotel,
because it is offering a great pleasure employees to work with hotel, appreciation matters for
them that their endeavour are recognized, they are not on back stage, they are importation in the
growth of the hotel. Give them positive feedback to maintain customers with good temper, as
this attitude matters a lot to have make relationships with customers. So that they can return back
to surge the growth of hotel (Avermaete, 2013).
Every organization provide training to their employees that renders the high standards
and values, similarly, Star Hotel is also allowed some training which helps to groom their
personalities, either in attire, self presentation, communication, behave, controlling temper,
skills, knowledge, etc. Because these things are having major issues while dealing with others.
A patron always recognize a hotel staff as they should be polite and quick in service, if they have
done something wrong by mistake, still they have to behave well as these are the etiquettes, but a
manager should protect staff, not by arguing with the guest, just cover them with humble request
to the visitors, so that they can be get calm. This shows the concern of employees and this makes
employees loyal towards the hotel (Hallam and Street, 2013).
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CONCLUSION
From the above prepared report it can be concluded that management play an essential
role in order to carry out all activities in effective and efficient manner. This report highlight the
case of hotel Imperial which is a well established organisation in London offering several quality
services to their customers. They have faced several problems in their management system. The
major problem underlined in this assignment is negative culture due to poor attendance ratio and
sick leaves. As there are no proper leadership and management system that control he
functioning of overall structure this lead to generation of various challenges in relation to it.
Peter, who is a newly appointed general manager that have observed number of problems that
have faced by this hotel and have hinder the performance that affect its profitability and
productivity. Apart from it, there are numerous solutions that are devised by this manager to
overcome these issues. This assignment also put light on improper management structure that has
resulted into poor attendance level of employees due to incorrect operating structure of the
overall management. In order to remove such issues managers have to restructure their overall
system to create such environment in which workers can work in accordance to highest level of
outcome and result. These solutions must employ proper structure so that employees get motived
in order to work according to best of their efforts so that final vision and mission could be
achieved. Thus it is important to carry out the overall process in adequate way.
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REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Levett, G., 2010. Sport and the imperial city: colonial tours in Edwardian London. The London
Journal. 35(1), pp.39-57.
Matera, M., 2015. Black London: the imperial metropolis and decolonization in the twentieth
century (Vol. 22). Univ of California Press.
Goh, D.P., 2010. Capital and the transfiguring monumentality of raffles hotel. Mobilities, 5(2),
pp.177-195.
Arslan, A. and Polat, H.A., 2015. The Ottoman Empire's first attempt to establish hotels in
İstanbul: The Ottoman Imperial Hotels Company. Tourism Management, 51, pp.103-
111.
De Sapio, J., 2014. Modernity and meaning in Victorian London: tourist views of the imperial
capital. Springer.
Bruneel, J., Yli‐Renko, H. and Clarysse, B., 2010. Learning from experience and learning from
others: how congenital and interorganizational learning substitute for experiential
learning in young firm internationalization. Strategic entrepreneurship journal, 4(2),
pp.164-182.
Avermaete, T., 2013. The architectonics of the hotel lobby: the norms and forms of a public–
private figure. In Hotel Lobbies and Lounges (pp. 73-85). Routledge.
Hallam, E. and Street, B. eds., 2013. Cultural encounters: Representing otherness. Routledge.
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