Analysis of Employability Skills and Strategies for Travelodge Hotels

Desklib provides past papers and solved assignments for students. This project analyzes employability skills at Travelodge.

Employability Skills

Table of Contents
Introduction.................................................................................................................. 3
Task 1- Written Report...................................................................................................4
Task 2- Written Report, formal letter, memo....................................................................7
Task 3- An employee induction pack.............................................................................11
Task 4- Management report..........................................................................................13
Conclusion..................................................................................................................16
Reference List............................................................................................................. 17

Introduction
The term employability skills can be referred to as a set of transferable skills. It makes an
individual capable to gain employment in their chosen field. Skills that are transferrable in
nature consist of communication skills, technical knowledge or leadership skills. This study is
divided into four sections. It will be written in the context of Travelogue, which is a travel
and tourism company. In the first part, certain performance activities and effectiveness of
own role will be evaluated. Following that, a formal letter and memo will be prepared and it
will be addressed to the line manager of Travelogue. Thereafter, the roles played by people in
the team to achieve goals will be explained and lastly, methods and tools used to solve
problems in the Travelogue Hotel will be presented.

Task 1- Written Report
Executive Summary
The manager of the famous travel company Travelodge Hotels limited has prepared this
report. One of the largest companies in the hospitality sector, it has hotel chains all around the
UK. The role of the manager and his responsibilities in such a position is analysed and
addressed. The way the manager executes his duties is explained in the task.
Introduction
In this report, the performance objectives and the responsibilities of the manager of
Travelodge, a tourism company are analysed. The scope for any improvement is assessed and
the solutions are reported. The motivational techniques used by the manager for quality
improvement are documented below.
1.1 Developing a set of own responsibilities and performance objectives
 Marketing skills- Promoting the best business strategies and developing marketing
techniques comprise of the chief skill sets required for the post of managers.
Managing the budget and the finances of the business are a mandate too. Selling the
company products and advertising it properly, to lure in more customers would be an
advantage to the company.
 Reception duties- Every manager is required to start small with managing the
reception duties initially. It involves dealing with the customers and the guests in an
amicable way and listening patiently to their desires and demands.
 Team management- Working with the other team members and coordinating with
them in the right manner adds to the team management strategies of the hotel
managers. A good team cooperates with each other and works as a unit, under the
guidance of a manager or a leader.
 Maintaining hygiene- It is important to look after the cleanliness and the sanitation
of the hotel and the guest rooms. A cleaner environment would please the customers

and help gain more popularity. The community halls, swimming pools, washrooms
and the gym should be cleaned and sanitised regularly.
 Recruitment- Recruiting a team of motivated officials and staff would help the
manager assign and complete the necessary tasks in a proper way and on time.
 Customer service- Reviewing the feedback of customers and making the necessary
changes for improvement in future is one of the main duties of the managers and
assistant managers. Meeting the demands and needs of the customers are of the
utmost importance.
1.2 Evaluation of our own effectiveness against the given objectives
The hotel managers at Travelodge are responsible for executing most of the regular duties,
expected of a manager, at such a position. He is needed to maintain proper hygiene and
cleanliness of the hotel and its surroundings. The manager is responsible for overseeing,
monitoring and reporting any repair works. Customer feedbacks are reviewed and necessary
actions are taken within the working hours, by our team. Health and safety, rota management
and financial responsibilities are some of the duties served by us. Listening to customer
feedback and responding to their queries help us to execute the objectives of the particular
position.
1.3 Recommendations for improvement
Issues like long working hours and little or no work-life balance have arisen in the past. The
managers and the assistant managers at Travelodge have often complained of being burdened
with a lot of responsibilities and duties. Lack of sanitation and use of inexpensive cleaning
equipment are some of their main concerns in the workplace. Underpayment issues and little
or no professional development in the domain add to their troubles. Often the managers and
staffs are deprived of proper appreciation or promotion opportunities for their performances.
Such issues could be resolved by proper coordination between the team members. The huge
workload can be reduced by recruiting more candidates in positions, which have been vacant
for long. An investment in better cleaning equipment and sanitizers might help in maintaining
the hygiene standards by the travel company in this sector.
1.4 How motivational techniques help improve the quality of performance

Inspiring and motivating the team members should be one of the main duties of the manager.
They need to possess good communication skills to influence more candidates to take up such
jobs. A manager could give his team members and juniors a first-hand account of his
experiences and help boost their confidence. A preparatory talk at the beginning of the
training would allow the candidates or the trainee to have a proper understanding of all the
qualities that the job or the position demands. (Wilson-Wünsch et al., 2015)
Conclusion
In the written report, all the qualities required for the position of a manager at a leading hotel
chain, Travelodge is analyzed and documented. The necessary skill set of the present
candidates are assessed. The present managers are found to inspire their juniors and team
members using various motivational techniques.

Task 2- Written Report, formal letter, memo
Executive summary
In this report, certain solutions to work based problems in Travelogue have been highlighted.
Further, a formal letter has been presented to the senior managers and a memo has been
prepared to present the problems to the staff. Lastly, certain time management strategies have
been identified and presented to the line manager.
Introduction
Travelogue is a travel and tourism company and it offers attractive holiday packages to their
clients. The managers at Travelogue have been working towards motivating their workers so
that customers receive excellent leisure services. Recently, the management team has been
facing certain issues and therefore, certain solutions will be highlighted in this report.
2.1 Develop solutions to work-based problems. You need to develop solutions to at least
two work-based problems identified during your work experience or in your role as a
manager at Travelodge Hotel (a written report).
As a manager in Travelogue, I have noticed that the hotel industry can only survive when the
hotel is good at its people-pleasing activities. This industry is increasingly demanding and

therefore, conflicts arise on a daily basis (Prafder, 2019). Two of the most common problems
faced during my work experience are – Information burden and problems related to the
retention of staff.
Travelogue is competing with various other renowned hotel companies in the UK and
therefore it has been difficult to retain the best employees. Employees tend to leave when
they get better working environments or job offers. This can have a negative impact on own
organization. Therefore, this issue can be solved by making the staff feel valued for their
contribution to work. The employees need to feel as if they are a part of the entire team. As a
manager, it is my responsibility to retain the best workers. Another common issue faced in
Travelogue is the information burden. Due to the availability of excess information or data, it
becomes difficult for employees to make important decisions quickly. This pleasure seeking
industry is quite fast-paced (Tsai, 2017). Hence, as a manager, it is my duty to ensure that
staff receives timely guidelines, which in turn will help them in making accurate decisions.
2.2 Communicate in a variety of styles and appropriate manner at various levels. You
need for example to write a formal letter to senior management of the hotel to inform
them about the problem and a memo to all staff
Formal letter to senior management of Travelogue
To,
The Senior Management Team
Travelogue
Subject: Request for making immediate changes in the operations of Travelogue
Sir/Madam,
This is to inform you that our organization has been undergoing tremendous change because
of a number of issues being faced almost on a regular basis. I would like to draw your
attention to the fact that the overall performance of the team has not been consistent.
Customers have been complaining about the low quality of services and it came to my
attention that many clients are not getting timely services that have been previously promised
to them while selling the holiday packages.

I understand that you have been busy particularly at this time; however, I shall be grateful if
you kindly arrange a meeting within next week to guide us effectively regarding this issue.
Yours Sincerely,
Anisora Balca
Team Manager
Memo
To: Travelogue Staff
From: Anisora Balca, Team Manager
Regarding: Issues at Travelogue
Dear Travelogue Staff: The Company has been facing issues because customers have been
complaining about the quality of our services. According to the vision of the company, the
employees are supposed to work by maintaining work duties and responsibilities. I am
confident that through proper skills training, you all will be able to communicate your needs.
Please try to follow all the guidelines from your supervisors, as they will help you in
achieving excellence in your field. The reputation of Travelogue depends upon your
performance levels only.
Sincerely,
Anisora Balca
Team Manager

2.3 Identify effective time-management strategies in relation to the work-based
experience or in your role as a manager at Travelodge. Present your evidence as a
written report to your line manager.
Travelogue, UK is a travel and tourism company and therefore the management team is
supposed to have effective time management strategies in place that will help in ensuring that
no amount of time is lost while providing services to the customers. The employees need to
quickly respond to the varying requests of clients (Jaykumar, 2018). To achieve this purpose,
coordination between various departments is essential. Holiday packages or other services
have to contain up-to-date information. This will further help customers to make decisions.
Among the various time-management strategies, a few have been explained below-
 Hiring more workers- By recruiting more workers, the long working hours of
existing employees can be reduced to a considerable amount (Farrell, 2017). This
will have a positive impact on the overall health of the employees. They will be
more productive in the workplace.
 Setting priorities- In the travel sector, every job is given equal importance because
the activities are linked to customer satisfaction. However, to manage time, it is
necessary to consider the urgent ones first. Less time should be spent on activities
that are less urgent. In order to prioritize job responsibilities, employees need to
maintain a ‘to-do’ list (Martin et al., 2017). It should be reviewed on a weekly or
monthly basis to check on progress.
 Usage of a Planning tool- Experts in Time Management claims that using a
planning tool can help in increasing the productivity levels of the staff. These
might include the following- index charts, notebooks, calendars and electronic
planners (Collet et al., 2015). Information can be recorded using these tools and
the planning tools can be reviewed on a regular basis. A back-up system must be
in place to help employees.
 Using a Personal Digital Assistant: Advanced technological tools as PDA has the
capacity to manage tasks. The staff can use it as well.
Conclusion
In this report, certain solutions to problems occurring at Travelogue, UK have been devised.
Following that, a formal letter and memo have been prepared to communicate the problems

that the organization has been facing in recent times. Lastly, useful time-management skills
have been presented to the line manager of Travelogue.

Task 3- An employee induction pack
Aims: Travelogue is aiming towards improving team performance and make employees
understand clear roles and responsibilities in the team
Objectives
 Addressing issues quickly
 Enhancing a team culture
 Focussing on building communication and interpersonal skills
3.1 Explain the roles people play in a team and how they can work together to achieve
shared goals
In the team, staff will perform the following roles –
 Marketing and promoting the holiday packages
 Maintaining financial records
 Providing information to customers regarding passports and visas
 Solving customer queries
 Selling holiday packages
In our organization, new employees need to make collaboration with experienced employees
thereby increasing the internal bond and mutual understanding. Customer satisfaction is the
ultimate goal of the organization, hence shared work is crucial (Robinson et al., 2016).
3.2 Analyze team dynamics
In the travel and tourism organization, it is essential to consider the team dynamics because
shared goals can be achieved only when people come together. People play distinct roles in
the organization. Some are involved in selling holiday packages while others arrange
accommodation facilities in tourist destinations (Pang et al., 2015). Hence, individual
behavior of employees has a direct impact on the entire team. Positive group dynamics
usually makes the group constructive in nature. The employees must learn self-corrective
behavioral patterns. Creativity increases only when people are concerned about the bottom
line.
On the other hand, poor group dynamics can be destructive for the entire team. As observed
in the case of Travelogue, there occurred an unhealthy rivalry and previous team members
were not clear about their roles. This resulted in employee turnover. However, this time, it is
essential to train employees by adopting new strategies to boost the team.