Reflective Essay on Real-Life Service Organization: Marriott Hotel

This reflective essay provides an in-depth analysis of the service organization within the Marriott Hotel, drawing upon the author's three-year experience as a chef. The essay dissects both the front-end and back-end operations of the hotel, illustrating the interconnectedness of various departments such as the reception, reservation, concierge, kitchen, housekeeping, and laundry. It highlights the importance of each department in delivering excellent customer service and maintaining operational efficiency. The author discusses the roles of different teams and their interactions, emphasizing the significance of coordination between front-end and back-end staff to meet customer needs effectively. The essay also touches on the importance of the kitchen department and its role in providing quality food and the overall success of the hotel. The essay concludes by stressing the need for management oversight to maintain ethical standards and ensure superior service delivery.

Running head: REFLECTIVE ESSAY ON REAL LIFE SERVICE ORGANIZATION
Reflective Essay on Real Life Service Organization
Name of the student:
Name of the University:
Author’s Note:

2REFLECTIVE ESSAY ON REAL LIFE SERVICE ORGANIZATION
There are various service organizations which fulfill our daily needs in everyday life. One
such type of industry can be referred to as the hotel industry. This type of industry tries in
satisfying the needs of the customers. From the past three years, I am working with the Marriott
hotel and it had given me ample of opportunities to gather knowledge about the various kinds of
services which are being provided by the hotel. I used to work as a chef in the hotel.
I have gone through various kinds of experiences from the day I joined the hotel and till
the day I have worked with them. I have come across the various kinds of departments in the
hotel and it also gave me knowledge about the various kinds of departments in the hotel. There
are two sub divisions which are associated in the operation of the hotel. They are classified into
backend and frontend operations. This is explained in the following diagram given below:
The Flowchart of the frontend operation of the hotel
Front Desk
Manager
Reservation
Counter
Reception Counter
Porter Service Concierge service

3REFLECTIVE ESSAY ON REAL LIFE SERVICE ORGANIZATION
Flowchart of the Frontend Operation of a hotel
The first stage which is associated with the hotel is the face of the hotel. The face of the
hotel is considered as the first point of contact for a visitor of that particular hotel and it is
regarded as the foremost service which is provided to the guest. The operation in this phase
comprises of the reception counter, reservation counter, desk manger, porter service and
concierge service. It was very vital for me as a chef to keep myself up-to date with the latest
information of the various departments in the hotel. It is my responsibility to check with the front
desk manager about the guest who has checked in the hotel so as to get a proper idea of their
choice of food and beverages (Baker, Bradley & Huyton, 2011).
The front end operation of a hotel plays a very vital role in the successful running of the
hotel. The same is the case with Marriot hotel. When any guest walk into the hotel, the front desk
manger welcomes and tries to solve his/her queries. After the guest is comfortable with the rules
and regulations and with the price of the room, he/she has to approach the reservation counter to
book a room in the hotel. It is very vital for the hotel to run the reservation counter properly
because the customers will check the availability of the rooms and book them according to the
availability. This also keeps the guest or the visitor informed and it is also vital for me to get a
proper idea of the different guests who have checked into the hotel. After booking a room in the
reservation counter, the guest has to visit the reception counter and the receptionist helps him/her
Functional hall Karaoke Bar Restaurant Pokies Bar

4REFLECTIVE ESSAY ON REAL LIFE SERVICE ORGANIZATION
with the various information of the hotel. I always stay in touch with the reception counter so
that the visitors can call us and it becomes comfortable for the visitors to book on their behalf.
The concierge counter is engaged with the task of fulfilling the request and wishes of the visitors.
The concierge also tries to confirm that they fulfill all the requests of the customers. The guest
finally visits the porter counter and then the porter carries the luggage to his room. I also interact
with the porter sometimes on my leisure times so that I can get an idea of the likes and dislikes of
the customers. It has been observed that sometimes the guest discusses their likings and disliking
with the porter.
The rooms in Marriot hotel are very spacious and it includes pokies bar, function hall,
karaoke bars. In the functional hall, various entertainment programmes are organized for the
visitors. This includes various kinds of concerts, other forms of comedy and various types of
entertainment. In the karaoke bar, the visitors sing different famous songs and enjoy among
themselves. It can be said that the restaurant of Marriot is one of the most popular restaurants in
that particular location. Many visitors come to the restaurant to spend some time with their
families having some famous cuisines prepared by the famous chefs. The entire restaurant works
in co-ordination among the servers and the waiters. A pianist is also appointed in the restaurant
to maintain proper ambiences for the visitors.
Flowchart depicting the backstage operation of the hotel
Housekeeping Kitchen Laundry

5REFLECTIVE ESSAY ON REAL LIFE SERVICE ORGANIZATION
Marriot hotel has a very dedicated team at the backstage department. This backend team
works in association with the frontend team and thus helps in fulfilling the needs of the guests. I
being a chef is a part of the backend team of the restaurant. This backend operation team consists
of various departments such as the kitchen department, housekeeping department and the laundry
department. The housekeeping department of Marriot hotel is the disciplined and the organized
department in the hotel industry. Proper training to provide to the housekeeping team so that they
can serve the guest properly. The main task of this department is to check that they keep the
room of hotel hygienic and clean. They must also keep the kitchen clean so that the restaurant
can maintain proper hygienic food.
The kitchen department prepares and serves the food to the guests. This department is
regarded as the main lifeline of the hotel industry because it is this department which serves food
to the guests. I have worked in this department from 2013-2016 and I have learned many new
dishes and cuisines it is my privilege to work with such a big team of Marriott. The kitchen is
very spacious and it is occupied with various modern food processing technologies and
equipments. It has been observed that a majority of the Indian guest prefers continental cuisines
of the restaurant. The laundry department also works in co-ordination with the back end team of
the restaurant and tries to provide clean towel and linen to the visitors of the hotel.
Thus, it can be said that there must be proper co-ordination among the different
department of a service industry. This is also given due importance in case of Marriot. Both the
backend and the frontend team work in co-ordination with each other to deliver the best service
to the customers. It is also the duty of the management team to co-ordinate and keeps a proper
check on the different departments of the hotel (Jones & Lockwood, 2002). The management

6REFLECTIVE ESSAY ON REAL LIFE SERVICE ORGANIZATION
team must also try to check that they deliver the best service in the hotel industry and this will
help them in maintaining the ethical standards without compromising the standards of the hotel.

7REFLECTIVE ESSAY ON REAL LIFE SERVICE ORGANIZATION
Reference List
Baker, S., Bradley, P., & Huyton, J. (2001). Principles of hotel front office operations. Cengage
Learning
Denton, G. A., & White, B. (2000). Implementing a Balanced-scorecard Approach to Managing
Hotel Operations The Case of White Lodging Services. Cornell Hotel and Restaurant
Administration Quarterly, 41(1), 94-107.
Jones, P., & Lockwood, A. (2002). The management of hotel operations. Cengage Learning
EMEA.
Lucas, A. F., & Brewer, K. P. (2001). Managing the slot operations of a hotel casino in the Las
Vegas locals’ market. Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Research, 25(3), 289-301