Improving Hotel Operations: A Management Report on the Imperial Hotel

This report presents a comprehensive case study of the Imperial Hotel, focusing on the challenges of negative work culture, high employee turnover, and poor attendance. It begins with an introduction to the hotel's operational context and the identification of key management problems. The report then reviews relevant management theories, including Scientific Management, Contingency Management, Human Relations Theory, Theory X and Y, and Modern Management, to provide a theoretical framework for understanding the issues. A detailed analysis of the specific problem of negative work culture, including poor communication, lack of time management, inadequate training, and limited promotion opportunities, is presented. The report proposes a three-point plan to resolve these issues, emphasizing the importance of selecting the right people for the right jobs, implementing reward and recognition programs, and fostering a feedback culture to improve service quality, employee morale, and operational efficiency. The report concludes by summarizing the findings and reiterating the importance of these solutions for the hotel's financial and ethical sustainability.

Introduction to
management

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION…………………………………………………………………………. ……..3
A REVIEW OF MANAGEMENT THEORY…………………………………………………….4
ANALYSIS OF ONE SPECIFIC PROBLEM……………………………………………………5
A JUSTIFICATION OF KEY PROPOSALS FOR THE RESOLUTION OF THE PROBLEM IN
THE ORGANIZATION…………………………………………………………………………..7
CONCLUSION…………………………………………………………………………………...8
REFERENCES……………………………………………………………………………………9

1. INTRODUCTION
The report is based on a management case study of The Imperial hotel in London.
Management is the process of controlling the organization, where the problems are identified and
solved for the growth of the organization. (Management in Hospitality Industry. 2019.) The
Imperial Hotel is an international hotel with 4 stars, operates about 25 hotels in the UK. The
Hotel is proving its services for 100 years, now the Hotel is going under renovation and
redecoration due to which some rooms will be out of services. This has caused loss to the Hotel
and it is facing the problem of the budget. A new general manager of the hotel has identified
some problems in the management of hotel-like poor guest satisfaction, high employee turnover,
and negative work culture among staff, inefficient use of software technology, and poor
operating and control procedures. In this report, as general manager, the problem of negative
work culture amongst the staff with high levels of sick leave and poor attendance will be
analysed. For this, some management theories will be discussed and their relationship with the
negative work culture will be evaluated. It will also show how the problem of poor attendance
and an increase in sick leave has raised the other problems in Hotel management and operations.
As a new general manager, a 3 point plan will be used for solving the problem, especially for
improving the quality of services, increasing employees and staff morale, operational
performance, and productivity to make the hotel both financially and ethically sustainable.
2. A review of Management Theory
Studying management theory with the problem. Analysis and justification of key proposal.
Various management theories help to run a business and increase the success of the business.
Here are some management theories, which will show how management problems are related.
Scientific Management Theory
Frederick Taylor who develops this theory proposes that scientific methods should be
used for increasing the productivity of employees. He suggested that forcing employees to

complete their tasks will not bring the best result. He promoted the way of standardization,
distributing the work to employees according to their ability, and trained them for their particular
role to be performed in the organization. (Hill and Van Buren, 2018.) The theory suggests that
money is the only key incentive that is used to motivate employees. While working only on the
way to finish the target, the theory ignored the humanity of any individual employee.
Contingency Management Theory
The theory was developed by Fred Fiedler that suggested that there is no single approach
for an organization to manage. Different internal and external factors affect the management
style of working. The three components that affect the management style Hotel Industry are- the
size of an organization, the technology being employed, and the style of leadership used. In the
Imperial Hotel, the size is large and the information technology system is not used effectively in
the reservation and property management system. (Velinov and et.al., 2018.) The leadership style
was poor as the previous general manager faced many problems with the staff.
Human Relations Theory
The theory suggested by Elton Mayo proposed that employee productivity can be
increased by improving the working condition at the workplace that satisfy employees. The
change in the working environment means changing the lighting, break time, and temperature at
the workplace. (Oyerinde, 2017.) It creates a positive effect on employees and their productivity
improves. The theory also proposed that when employees are given personal attention, they feel
more valuable and motivated. The productivity of the staff in the Imperial hotel can be increased
by making some changes in the Hotel operation management like proving them extra time for a
break, using high technology during work, proving them Staff Incentive Schemes, and changing
work culture.

Theory X and Y
The theory of X and Y was proposed by Douglas McGregor, which suggests that there
are two styles of management that are supervised by managers' thoughts of their team members'
motivations.( Mungi, 2020.) Theory X is used by the manager who thinks employees do not like
their work. Theory Y is used by managers who consider employees are committed toward work,
responsible, and self-motivated. Theory X raises the style of micromanaging while theory Y
increases work collaboration and decentralizing work culture. In the Imperial Hotel, theory Y
should be used by managers as it increases confidence among employees and makes them
accountable to provide their best services.
Modern Management
As with the increase in globalization, modern management theory is best for the
organization. The frequent changes in way of running business and change in technology gave
birth to modern management theory. The theory suggests to use new technology is business
while assessing the social problems of employees. The modern management theory explains that
to understand the relationship between manager and staff mathematical techniques should be
applied. It also shows that employees' only motto is not to earn money, but they work for
satisfaction, respect, happiness, and increasing their standard of living. (Tabatadze, 2020.) The
modern management theory focuses on providing training and developing skills in employees for
their individual and organizational growth. In the Imperial, Hotel training should be provided to
staff for improving their work and more skills in staff should be developed for their personal
satisfaction.
2.1 Analysis of one specific problem
The management problem of negative work culture amongst the staff with high levels of
sick leave and poor attendance in the Imperial Hotel is the major concern for the general
manager. The hotel works for 24 hours and 365 days which means that staff has to work for long
hours. When staff takes sick leave with short notice, it increases the responsibilities of other staff

and they get over-burden by work, which leads to decreases in productivity. Various female staff
members have family commitments, due to workload attendance of the staff has gone down. The
supervisory staff is facing high turnover due to the budgetary issue of the Hotel. The problem of
negative work culture started when about 80% of the staff left the work. The reason for turnover
as discuss in the exit interview of staff are poor work culture in the Hotel, lack of proper training,
less pay level, ineffective management style, less opportunity for bonus and promotion, and
transportation problems for night shift workers. Overall, the management working is not
effective and it should bring some changes in the work culture to control turnover and
absenteeism. Here are some of the problems of the Imperial Hotel and an understanding of the
processes and procedures for effective management.
Poor Communicate
Communication is a two-way process that should be regularly practiced between the staff
of the hotel and the general manager. The problems of the staff should listen carefully and all
possible measures that can be done by the manager should be used to solve the problem of the
staff. (Sthapit and Jiménez-Barreto, 2019.) To promote staff to communicate, talk with the
employees one-on-one, conduct meetings with staff related to their problems, try to understand
their problem and look at it as a serious issue and do not get biased on opinion. For example,
female’s staff at Imperial Hotel have family commitments so they have to take leave or work
part-time. So managers should make a time-shift for female’s staff.
Lack of Time Management
The hotel operates 24 hours and 365 days means staff has to work in time-shift to provide
24/7 services. When the time management is not flexibly applied to the staff, it creates an
overload on some staff and they may get sick. The poor time management increases sick leave
and poor attendance of staff as their work productivity slows down. If the time is not allowed
properly to staff, it creates miscommunication among them, and the problem increases. (Hight
and et.al., 2019.) If the managers do not make the time schedule of every staff in the Hotel, then
the guest will not get proper and on-time services, which will lead to poor guest satisfaction. It

will create negative feedback from customers and the impact will come on the income and sales
of the Hotel. For effective management, the time management strategies should be planned by
the manager. The practice of giving multiple works to a single staff should be avoided.
Lack of proper and regular training
The management that does not provide proper training and lack of regular training,
creates problems among staff. The staff should be given regular training to improve their work in
the Hotel. Providing training can give high-performance staff and an increase in productivity.
When the training is not proper the employee's morale goes down which increases the turnover
of staff and creates a negative work culture. (Baiburova, 2016.) The manager should understand
the skill of the staff and try to use them effectively. If there is any need to improve the skills of
staff, training should be given for that. Training provides opportunities for staff to develop them
self and work for the growth of the Hotel.
Limited opportunity for promotion
When staff get promoted or get a bonus, they feel valued for the Hotel and work with more
dedications. Reward and recognition are important for employees. When the opportunities are
limited in the workplace, the turnover of employees increases. They want to work for a company
that recognized their work and gives them promotion. In the Imperial Hotel, due to the budgetary
problem the promotion opportunities are very low, which has created the problem of sick leave
and poor attendance among staff.
2.2 A justification of key proposals for the resolution of the problem in the
organization.
A 3 point plan for solving the problem in the Imperial Hotel will help in improving the
quality of services, increasing operational efficiency in the increase in the morale of staff and for
the growth of the hotel, both financially and ethically sustainable can be explained as below -

Select the right person for the right job
In the process of recruitment, the manager should select the right person for the right job.
When a person gets a satisficing job they work with full dedication to the company and they are
committed to their work. For better job performance and quality of services hiring the right
person is very important. It will boost the staff to work with full responsibility and will help in
operation efficiency. When a person with good communication skills and inter-personal skills is
given the job of guest services then the performance will be better than other staff with no such
skill.
Reward and recognition
Every employee wants that his work should be recognized and rewarded by the organization.
When the work of staff is recognized and rewarded with monetary and non-monetary benefits,
they feel valued. It encourages staff to meet the standard of work and to improve productivity.
(Kakarougkas and Stavrinoudis, 2020.) There are various staff incentive schemes used by the
Imperial Hotel to boost the morale of staff like, Employee of the Month, paying college fees of
staff, year-end parties, and performance target reward. When the work of staff is appreciated, it
is good for individual and Hotel growth.
Feedback culture
The feedback of both customers and staff is very important for the effective working of the
Hotel. Feedback not only helps in improving the work culture, but it also works to increase the
satisfaction level of staff and customers. When the managers work on given feedback it supports
the productivity in the Hotel and among staff members. (Hu and et.al., 2016.) Feedback
encourages the Hotel to work on their strengths and overcome their weakness, building a better
work culture. The feedback should be review regularly. Negative feedback should be quickly
resolved with proper planning and strategy.

CONCLUSION
In this report, a case study of Imperial Hotel, London was studied that is facing many
problems in the management like low-satisfaction of guest, staff turnover, negative work culture,
increase in sick leaves and poor attendance and many more problems. One of the problems was
studied in detail with the analysis of management theories. It shows that the work culture of the
Hotel affects staff availability at the Hotel. Problems like workload, female’s employees'
priority, night shift staff transportation facility, and reward and recognition were discussed in the
report. A three-point problem-solving plan has been used that help in enhancing the quality of
service, raising the staff morale, and for the effective working of the Hotel. It explains that the
staff should be hired concurring their skill and they should be reward from time to time.
Feedback from customers and staff are essential for the development of the Hotel.

REFERENCES
Books and journals
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market trend. In Наука и образование (pp. 117-122).
Hight, S.K., and et.al., 2019. Managers from “Hell” in the hospitality industry: How do
hospitality employees profile bad managers?. International Journal of Hospitality
Management. 77. pp.97-107.
Hill, V. and Van Buren, H., 2018. Taylor Won: The Triumph of Scientific Management and Its
Meaning for Business and Society. In Corporate Social Responsibility. Emerald
Publishing Limited.
Hu, H.H., and et.al., 2016. Factors affecting employee willingness to report customer
feedback. The Service Industries Journal. 36(1-2). pp.21-36.
Kakarougkas, C. and Stavrinoudis, T., 2020. Examining the interrelationships among reward
systems, organisational climate and cultural changes in the hospitality
industry. Tourism Review International.
Mungi, A., 2020. Douglas McGregor's Theory X and Theory Y.
Oyerinde, O.F., 2017. Team management in the 21 st century: A human relations theory
angle. Nigerian School Library Journal. 16. pp.125-136.
Sthapit, E. and Jiménez-Barreto, J., 2019. You never know what you will get in an Airbnb: poor
communication destroys value for guests. Current Issues in Tourism. 22(19). pp.2315-
2318.
Tabatadze, L., 2020. The New Vision of Modern Management Theory. The New Economist.
15(1, 2020). pp.1-1.
Velinov, E., and et.al., 2018. Holacracy and obliquity: contingency management approaches in
organizing companies. Problems and Perspectives in Management. 16(1). pp.330-335.
Online
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