HISTORY OF HOTEL INDUSTRY:

This has largely been due to the 4.4 m tourist arrivals in Financial Year 2007 (13% growth) over the previous period. The compounded growth in tourist inflow over the last ten years (FY97-FY07) has been 4.3%, while in the last five years, growth stands at 11.6% per annum. The hotel industry went through a rough patch between FY00 to FY04 owing to factors like the Asian financial crisis, Afghan war, Middle East unrest, September 11 attacks, SARS and domestic riots. India occupies the forty-sixth position among the sixty tourist destinations in the world. The flourishing economy helped boost the demand for the industry. Also, Efforts to diversify tourist attractions by offering new products such as adventure tourism, wellness tourism, medical tourism and golf tourism are expected to have a positive effect on both foreign tourist arrivals and domestic tourism. The five star hotel segments have grown the fastest during the last five years at a CAGR of 12%. Further this segment can be divided into 3 sub-segments namely Luxury, Business and Leisure. The growth in this segment indicates the genre of travelers coming into the country. Over the last few years the country has witnessed a large influx of business travelers in the country owing to relaxation of the government's stand on Foreign Direct Investments (FDI) for most of the sectors in the country. The Hotel Industry comprises a major part of the Tourism industry. Historically viewed as an industry providing a luxury service valuable to the economy only as a foreign exchange earner, the industry today contributes directly to employment (directly employing around 0.15 million people), and indirectly facilitates tourism and commerce. Prior to the 1980s, the Indian hotel industry was a slow-growing industry, consisting primarily of relatively static, single-hotel companies. However, the Asian Games, held in New Delhi in 1982, and the subsequent partial liberalization of the Indian economy generated tourism interest in India, with significant benefits accruing to the hotel and tourism sector, in terms of improved demand patterns. Growth in demand for hotels was particularly high during the early 1990s following the initiatives taken to liberalize the Indian economy in FY1991, as per the recommendations of the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The euphoria of the early 1990s prompted major chains, new entrants and international chains to chalk out ambitious capacity additions, especially in the metropolitan cities. However, most of these efforts were directed towards the business travellers and foreign clientele.

Structure of the Industry Hotels in India are broadly classified into 7 categories (five star deluxe, five-star, four star, three star, two star, one-star and heritage hotels) by the Ministry of Tourism, Government of India, based on the general features and facilities offered. The ratings are reviewed every five years.

1. Premium and Luxury Segment This segment comprises the high-end 5-star deluxe and 5-star hotels, which mainly cater to the business and upmarket foreign leisure travellers and offer a high quality and range of services.

2. Mid-Market Segment This segment comprises 3 and 4 star hotels, which cater to the average foreign and domestic leisure traveller. This segment also caters to the middle level business travellers since it offers most of the essential services of luxury hotels without the high costs since the tax component of this segment is lower compared with the premium segment.

3. Budget Segment These comprise 1 and 2 star hotels referred to as Budget Hotels. These categories do not offer as many facilities as the other segments but provide inexpensive accommodation to the highly priceconscious segment of the domestic and foreign leisure travellers.

4. Heritage Hotels In the past four decades, certain architecturally distinctive properties such as palaces and forts, built prior to 1950, have been converted into hotels. The Ministry of Tourism has classified these hotels as heritage hotels.

5. Others At any point in time, applications for classification are usually pending with the Ministry of Tourism because of which such properties remain unclassified. The number of hotel rooms pending classification has declined from historical 15-20 per cent to 5per cent of the total rooms available in the recent past.

INTRODUCTION TO GINGER:
Roots Corporation Limited (RCL) is a subsidiary of The Indian Hotels Company Limited (IHCL). Incorporated on December 24, 2003, RCL operates the first-of-its-kind category of Smart Basics hotel chain across the country. IHCL operates Taj Hotels, Resorts and Palaces, one of South Asia's largest and finest group of hotels. The company was incorporated on 1902 by the founder of the Tata Group, Mr. Jamshedji Nusserwanji Tata and opened India's first luxury hotel, The Taj Mahal Palace Hotel, Mumbai in 1903. Launched in June 2004, the Smart Basics concept created a revolution in the world of Indian hospitality. A GenNext category of hotels, they signify simplicity, convenience, informality, style, warmth, modernity and affordability. The concept was developed in association with renowned corporate strategy thinker, Dr C. K. Prahalad, and the hotels have been indigenously designed and developed by IHCL. The first of the Smart Basics hotel was launched in Bangalore and was called IndiOne. Having completed the test marketing of the concept and subsequent fine-tuning of the hotel facilities and services, the Smart Basics concept is now ready to roll out across India. These hotels have been launched with a new name Ginger Hotels in sync with the fresh, simple-yet-stylish and warm world of Smart Basics. The Ginger Hotels are built around a unique concept that provides facilities to meet the key needs of today's traveller, at surprisingly affordable rates. They have created a new category in the domestic hospitality landscape, while giving a major fillip to Indian tourism and other ancillary industries. The primary objective behind the launch of these hotels is to provide a superior product offering and consistent experience to travellers, beyond the present offerings in the industry. Ginger Surat is located near Iskon Mall at Surat. It takes 20-25 minutes from Bus stand and Railway station and 10 minutes from Airport to reach the hotel. Ginger Surat has 98 intelligently designed rooms offering Smart Basic features. Business travellers across the country travelling to Surat chose to stay with Ginger. Surat is full of ancient temples and caves. A traveller to the city will find it impossible to resist spending a day at these heritage monuments that have withstood the ravages of time. Ginger Hotel

in Surat is centrally located and is close to the airport, railway station and the bus stand. It offers quick and easy access to all the temples as well as to the flourishing commercial establishments in and around the city. Ginger Surat , one of the best budget hotel, in the city has 98 self sufficient rooms, with all the special features of Smart Basics such as Smart space, Safe zone, Gymnasium geared to make your stay comfortable and pleasant. At Ginger Hotel in Surat all rooms are equipped with amenities such as Mini-fridge, LCD TV, Self-controlled A/c, Tea and Coffee maker and Telephone. This business hotel also has a conference room facility. To make your stay at Ginger Hotel in Surat comfortable, enjoyable and hassle free, we have detailed information in this section right from directions to our Hotel in Surat to tariff details and more. The City Guide section will help you gain an insight into important locations in Surat its heritage, businesses and business centres and other key locations to visit. Your experience at Ginger Surat is our primary concern, and rest assured, it will be a great one! In case the hotel is unable to provide room on confirmed reservation , the hotel will be responsible to relocate the guest to the same category or the next available category for room only. In case the hotel is unable to provide room on confirmed reservation , the hotel will be responsible to relocate the guest to the same category or the next available category for room only.

Value added services Taxi and Van service Doctor on call

What is in it for you? More and more corporates are finding it convenient, time saving, efficient and economical to stay with us. We strive to achieve excellence by providing all the basic and modern amenities required by smart business travelers, at a competitive price.

Our belief We believe in maintaining a long-term and enriching relationship with the corporates and we invite you to join us to experience newer ways of smart and cost-effective business travel.

Vision Ginger is a fresh and warm experience, of an unsurpassed value. Mission We provide smart, clean and safe hospitality offerings by adopting Gen next-practices that constantly enhance value for our patrons. We are driven by respect for people and nature and passion for our stakeholders.

CHARACTERISTICS OF SERVICES

Intangibilty:
Services are intangible and insubstantial: they cannot be touched, gripped, handled, looked at, smelled, and tasted. Thus, there is neither potential nor need for transport, storage or stocking of services. Furthermore, a service can be (re)sold or owned by somebody,but it cannot be turned over from the service provider to the service consumer. Solely, the service delivery can be commissioned to a service provider who must generate and render the service at the distinct request of an authorized service consumer.

Service is an experience for the customer The interaction between the customer and the service provider will leave an impression on the customer. The effect of the interaction between the service provider and the customer will either enhance or detract from the customers satisfaction of the tangible product.

Perishability:
Services are perishable in two regards The service relevant resources, processes and systems are assigned for service delivery during a definite period in time. If the designated or scheduled service consumer does not request and,l. An empty seat on a plane never can be utilized and charged after departure. When the service has been completely rendered to the requesting service consumer, this particular service irreversibly vanishes as it has been consumed by the service consumer. Example: the passenger has been transported to the destination and cannot be transported again to this location at this point in time. Excess production of service cannot be placed in inventory

Economies of scale cannot be realized in the production of services. Since demand fluctuates and production cannot be stockpiled, hospitality service providers are not able to take advantage of consistent and steady production that result in a cost reduction associated with the manufacturing of tangible products.

Inseparability:
The service provider is indispensable for service delivery as he must promptly generate and render the service to the requesting service consumer. In many cases the service delivery is executed automatically but the service provider must preparatorily assign resources and systems and actively keep up appropriate service delivery readiness and capabilities. Additionally, the service consumer is inseparable from service delivery because he is involved in it from requesting it up to consuming the rendered benefits. Examples: The service consumer must sit in the hair dresser's shop & chair or in the plane & seat; correspondingly, the hair dresser or the pilot must be in the same shop or plane, respectively, for delivering the service.

When service is delivered, the guest and service provider are both part of the transaction Services purchased by customers often involve the interaction between the service provider and the customer.Typically, the transaction requires the customer to be a participant in the experience

Variability:
Each service is unique. It is one-time generated, rendered and consumed and can never be exactly repeated as the point in time, location, circumstances, conditions, current configurations and/or assigned resources are different for the next delivery, even if the same service consumer requests the same service. Many services are regarded as heterogeneous or lacking homogeneity and are typically modified for each service consumer or each new situation (consumerised). Example: The taxi service which transports the service consumer from his home to the opera is different from the taxi service which transports the same service consumer from the opera to his home another point in time, the other direction, maybe another route, probably another taxi driver and cab.

Each of these characteristics is retractable per se and their inevitable coincidence complicates the consistent service conception and make service delivery a challenge in each and every case. Proper service marketing requires creative visualization to effectively evoke a concrete image in the service consumer's mind. From the service consumer's point of view, these characteristics make it difficult, or even impossible, to evaluate or compare services prior to experiencing the service delivery. Mass generation and delivery of services is very difficult. This can be seen as a problem of inconsistent service quality. Both inputs and outputs to the processes involved providing services are highly variable, as are the relationships between these processes, making it difficult to maintain consistent service quality. For many services there is labor intensity as services usually involve considerable human activity, rather than a precisely determined process; exceptions include utilities. Human resource management is important. The human factor is often the key success factor in service economies. It is difficult to achieve economies of scale or gain dominant market share. There are demand fluctuations and it can be difficult to forecast demand. Demand can vary by season, time of day, business cycle, etc. There is consumer involvement as most service provision requires a high degree of interaction between service consumer and service provider. There is a customer-based relationship based on creating long-term business relationships. Accountants, attorneys, and financial advisers maintain long-term relationships with their clientes for decades. These repeat consumers refer friends and family, helping to create a client-based relationship. the interaction between the customer and the service provider will leave an impression on the customer. The effect of the interaction between the service provider and the customer will either enhance or detract from the customers satisfaction of the tangible product.

When service is delivered, there can be no recall of the guests experience There is an aspect of time that is associated with the delivery of service. Additionally, since service is the intangible part of the organizations output there are no opportunities for the organization to recall and evaluate the quality of the service delivered. This requires management to develop service providers that have the ability to deliver service consistently under different and changing environments

Lack of Ownership:
The final distinguishing feature of a service is that, unlike a physical product, the consumer does not secure ownership of the service. Rather the customer pays only to secure access to or use of the service. Again the hotel room is a good example. Similarly, with banking services, although the customer may be given a Cheque book, credit cards, etc, they serve only to allow the customer to make use of what he or she is actually buying, namely, bank services. When purchasing services there is limited or no ownership When purchasing services from a hospitality organization, the purchaser has limited or no ownership of the service provided. Once the service transaction is complete, there is little or no ability to enjoy the use of the service again in the future. Managing the service delivery in any hospitality organization is difficult but often proves to be the only sustainable competitive advantage available to the business in a hyper-competitive marketplace. Failure to understand these characteristics of service will lead to a failure to recognize and meet the needs of the consumer. Service has an aspect of time Often, the delivery of service adds value to the physical product as noted above, therefore, service must be delivered at the time and speed that is appropriate to the consumption or delivery of the physical product. However, hospitality organizations can add value to the service proposition by varying the time the service is available so that it better meets the needs of the customer, such as restaurants having extended hours or brunches during weekends and holidays.

SERVICE MANAGEMENT AT GINGER

The service marketing mix is also known as an extended marketing mix and is an integral part of a service blueprint design. The service marketing mix consists of 7 Ps as compared to the 4 Ps of a product marketing mix. Simply said, the service marketing mix assumes the service as a product itself. However it adds 3 more Ps which are required for optimum service delivery. The product marketing mix consists of the 4 Ps which are Product, Pricing, Promotions and Placement. These are discussed in my article on product marketing mix the 4 Ps. The extended service marketing mix places 3 further Ps which include People, Process and Physical evidence. All of these factors are necessary for optimum service delivery. Let us discuss the same in further detail.

Product
The product in service marketing mix is intangible in nature. Like physical products such as soap or a detergent, service products cannot be measured. Tourism industry or the education industry can be an excellent example. At the same time service products are heterogeneous, perishable and cannot be owned. The service product thus has to be designed with care. Generally service blue printing is done to define the service product. For example a restaurant blue print will be prepared before establishing a restaurant business. This service blue print defines exactly how the product (in this case the restaurant) is going to be.

Place
Place in case of services determine where is the service product going to be located. The best place to open up a petrol pump is on the highway or in the city. A place where there is minimum traffic is a wrong location to start a petrol pump. Similarly a software company will be better placed in a business hub with a lot of companies nearby rather than being placed in a town or rural area.

Promotion
Promotions have become a critical factor in the service marketing mix. Services are easy to be duplicated and hence it is generally the brand which sets a service apart from its counterpart. You will find a lot of banks and telecom companies promoting themselves rigorously. Why is that? It is

because competition in this service sector is generally high and promotions is necessary to survive. Thus banks, IT companies, and dotcoms place themselves above the rest by advertising or promotions.

Pricing
Pricing in case of services is rather more difficult than in case of products. If you were a restaurant owner, you can price people only for the food you are serving. But then who will pay for the nice ambience you have built up for your customers? Who will pay for the band you have for music? Thus these elements have to be taken into consideration while costing. Generally service pricing involves taking into consideration labor, material cost and overhead costs. By adding a profit mark up you get your final service pricing. You can also read about pricing strategies. Here on we start towards the extended service marketing mix.

People
People is one of the elements of service marketing mix. People define a service. If you have an IT company, your software engineers define you. If you have a restaurant, your chef and service staff defines you. If you are into banking, employees in your branch and their behavior towards customers defines you. In case of service marketing, people can make or break an organization. Thus many companies nowadays are involved into specially getting their staff trained in interpersonal skills and customer service with a focus towards customer satisfaction. In fact many companies have to undergo accreditation to show that their staff is better than the rest. Definitely a USP in case of services.

Process
Service process is the way in which a service is delivered to the end customer. Lets take the example of two very good companies Mcdonalds and Fedex. Both the companies thrive on their quick service and the reason they can do that is their confidence on their processes. On top of it, the demand of these services is such that they have to deliver optimally without a loss in quality. Thus

the process of a service company in delivering its product is of utmost importance. It is also a critical component in the service blueprint, wherein before establishing the service, the company defines exactly what should be the process of the service product reaching the end customer.

Physical Evidence
The last element in the service marketing mix is a very important element. As said before, services are intangible in nature. However, to create a better customer experience tangible elements are also delivered with the service. Take an example of a restaurant which has only chairs and tables and good food, or a restaurant which has ambient lighting, nice music along with good seating arrangement and this also serves good food. Which one will you prefer? The one with the nice ambience. Thats physical evidence. Several times, physical evidence is used as a differentiator in service marketing. Imagine a private hospital and a government hospital. A private hospital will have plush offices and well dressed staff. Same cannot be said for a government hospital. Thus physical evidence acts as a differentiator. This is the service marketing mix (7p) which is also known as the extended marketing mix.

Customer-Driven Service Designs and Standards Service Designs and Standards Theres Ginger in the air Walk into a Ginger hotel in any one of 25 locations, and it feels like home. Clean and neat, without being overwhelmingly luxurious, theres ginger in the air-an exciting yet cheerfully friendly atmosphere thats eicient without being intimidating. Ginger hotels brought about a signiicant change in the Indian hospitality space by unveiling an innovative, irstof-its-kind category of Smart Basics hotels, says Prabhat Pani, chief executive officer, Roots

Corporation, which owns and runs Ginger hotels. For the past five years, this Smart Basics philosophy has been providing intelligent, well-planned facilities and services at attractive pricing that delivers great value to guests.

EXPANSION PLANS
Not surprisingly, the demand for Ginger hotels has grown enormously especially among young business travellers. And it is against this scenario that Roots Corporation has several new projects underway at Bengaluru (second hotel), Hyderabad, Mumbai, Amritsar, Chandigarh and Jaipur, along with three hotels in the National Capital Region (NCR). In addition, the company is planning energetic forays into new areas having multiple hotels in metros and tier 1 cities such as DelhiNCR, Mumbai, Bengaluru and Chennai; targeting markets that do not have wide seasonal fluctuation in occupancy; and a sharper focus on small entrepreneurs, traders, business travellers from large corporate organisations and self-employed professionals. From the current number of 25 operational properties, the target is to have about 40 hotels by the end of iscal 2012-13, and a total of about 75 to 80 properties in two or three years thereater. While a high proportion of properties will be owned or leased, the company has also commenced with the asset-light model of management contracts, where Ginger hotels earn management fees for providing the design, branding and operational management of a property owned by another party but maintaining the Ginger standards. Growth is likely to be largely organic. Redevelopment of existing hotel properties could be an option in limited cases, where the basic layout of the property meets the Ginger requirements, adds Mr Pani. International markets are not Rooted in the Smart Basics approach, Ginger hotels offer intelligent, no-frills services. Not surprisingly, the chain has enjoyed steady growth in demand and customer loyalty Ginger places a high premium on its employees... More than ever, the quality and ability of our employees and partners will become a make-or-break factor for us. Under consideration currently; there is a clear focus on India, where the demand for hospitality is at least double and, according to some sources, even four times the number of rooms available (Ginger for select international markets with some adaptation is not ruled out in the future). The category attracting the highest demand in India is the budget segment, eyed by several domestic and international companies.

THE SMARTADVANTAGE
Roots Corporation is in the enviable position of having the first-mover advantage. We believe that this current value proposition of the Ginger brand needs to be made even stronger by growing its footprint, says Mr Pani. To facilitate growth, Ginger has developed a flexible expansion model with new hotels coming up as a part of a research park promoted by IIT in Chennai, alongside a shopping mall in Ahmedabad, and in public-private partnership with Indian Railways- The Ginger Rail Yatri Niwas in New Delhi.At the heart of all the hotels is the Ginger Smart Basics package that focuses on hospitality elements needed by a business or leisure traveller, with no unnecessary frills, keeping tarifs extremely attractive. The no-frills model ofers all the necessary comforts posturepedic mattresses that support the back, good quality linen, an LCD TV ofering channels from Tata Sky, a tea / cofee maker, a mini fridge, an attached bathroom with 24-hour hot water, free wi-fi connectivity but dispenses with elements like the traditional services of doorman and valet, multiple restaurants and swimming pool. Even the room service is limited, allowing guests to order only a select range of snacks.

GOING GREEN
Moving ahead, various new improvements are planned, all of them with an eye to eiciency in the use of resources. here has been a deliberate efort to go green, with additions like solar-based water heating, sensor-operated lighting in public areas, rain-water harvesting and so on. he latest three Ginger hotels at Tirupur, Indore and Surat use LED lighting (in place of the CFL bulbs used earlier), which may well make Ginger the first hotel in India to do so. Product innovation coupled with well-trained staff is helping strengthen customer loyalty at Ginger. Using technology, other improvements have also been planned across the range of operations payment mechanisms, guest engagement and customised offerings among these a pre-paid product, a check-in kiosk, webbased and mobile phone-based booking and check-in. A special section for travel agencies on the Ginger website would allow them to create speciic user accounts, define access rights, make, view, amend or cancel bookings online, print invoices online, and so on.

FOCUSING ON PEOPLE
Such growth demands continuous focus on people, processes and product oferings, while keeping the customer at the centre, says Mr Pani, expounding further that, hence, the strategy involves investment in people in the recruitment, training, development processes in infrastructure and IT-related operations, in product innovation and in building relationships and forging key new relationships with outsourcing partners.While staing is tight by design, availability of suitable human resources is a challenge and likely to remain so going forward. Says Mr Pani, Ginger places a high premium on its employees being multi-skilled and professional. More than ever, the quality and ability of our employees and partners will become a make-or-break factor for us. Therefore, Roots Corporation undertakes intensive training programmes to advance skill levels of both regular employees and staf members of partners. Outsourcing of services such as food and beverage (F&B) offerings, including 24-hour caf operations and la carte and buffet meal options, and laundry and housekeeping services to reputed and specialised partner-companies, allows for cost-efficiencies. Outsourcing partners include Caf Coffee Day and Khaaja Chowk for F&B services, Forbes Concepts for house-keeping services, and Jyothi Fabricare for laundry services. In the budget hotels space, Ginger can, in fact, take credit for starting a trend in outsourcing. Constant improvement is a mantra at Ginger. Feedback from employees and customers is sought virtually as a business development tool. There is a speciic efort made to collect feedback from guests and recommendations from employees. This helps in providing essential inputs towards short-term and long-term approaches on product development, process changes, training, spends, and so on, says Mr Pani. At Ginger, we recognise that repeat business is the key for success and hence it is essential to track customer satisfaction. It is equally important to have low attribution rates in the interests of operational and cost efficiencies. As a fast-expanding hotel chain, the challenge is to keep pace with the evolving needs of consumers and to make necessary changes in the Ginger product offering in a timely and cost effective manner. A big challenge is to make the brand visibility salient and build strong brand equity amongst potential and current guests. It does, after all, have the punch of ginger to offer guests. Reach and spread: 25 operational Ginger hotels in Bengaluru, Haridwar, Bhubaneswar, Mysore, Thiruvananthapuram, Pune (two, including Wakad), Nashik, Agartala, Puducherry, Vadodara,

Pantnagar, New Delhi (two, including the Rail Yatri Niwas), Goa, Ludhiana, Ahmedabad, Mangalore, Guwahati, Jamshedpur, Surat, Chennai, Indore, Manesar and Tirupur. Number of employees: Over 300 on the rolls of Roots Corporation (as of August 2011).

Flower of Services

FLOWER OF SERVICES

The eight clusters are displayed as petals surrounding the center of a flower; hence we call it the Flower of Service. The petals are arranged in a clockwise sequence depending on how they are likely to be encountered by customers.

However, the sequence may sometimes vary. For instance, payment may have to be made before service is delivered rather than afterwards. In a well-designed and well-managed service organization, the petals and core are fresh and wellformed. A service that is badly designed or poorly delivered is a like a flower with missing or dried petals. Even if the core is perfect, the flower looks unattractive. Think about one of your negative experiences as a service customer. When you were dissatisfied with a particular purchase, was it the core that was at fault, or was it a problem with one or more of the petals A company's market positioning strategy helps to decide which supplementary services should be included. If a company's strategy is to add benefits to increase customers' perceptions of quality, then more supplementary services are required

Information
To obtain full value from any good or service, customers need relevant information .New customers and prospects are especially hungry for information. Information may sometimes be required by law. These include conditions of sale and use, warnings, reminders, and notification of changes. Customers also appreciate advice on how to get the most value from a service and how to avoid problems. Companies should make sure that the information they provide is both timely and accurate. If not, it is likely to make customers feel irritated or cause them inconvenience. Traditional ways of providing information to customers include using front-line employees, printed notices, brochures, and instruction books. Information can also be provided through videos or software-driven tutorials, touch screen video displays, or through company web sites. The types of information range from train and airline schedules, to assistance in locating specific retail outlets, to information on the services of professional firms.Many business logistics companies offer shippers the opportunity to track the movements of their packages, which have been assigned a unique identification number.

Order-Taking
Once customers are ready to buy, the company accepts applications, orders, and reservations. The process of order-taking should be polite, fast, and accurate so that customers do not waste time and endure unnecessary mental or physical effort. Technology can be used to make order-taking easier and faster for both customers and suppliers.

Billing
Billing is common to almost all services (unless the service is provided free of charge). Customers usually expect bills to be clear. Inaccurate, illegible, or incomplete bills risk disappointing customers who may, up to that point, have been quite satisfied with their experience. If customers are already dissatisfied, the billing mistake may make them even angrier. Billing should also be timely, because it encourages people to make payment faster. Procedures range from verbal statements to a machine-displayed price, and from handwritten invoices to elaborate monthly statements of account activity and fees. Busy customers dislike being kept waiting for a bill to be prepared. There are different ways in which bills can be presented to customers in a faster way. Hotels and rental car firms now have express check-outs. Many hotels may push bills under guestroom doors on the morning of departure showing charges to date

Payment
In most cases, a bill requires the customer to take action on payment. One exception is the bank statement which shows details of charges that have already been deducted from the customer's account. Increasingly, customers expect it to be easy and convenient to make payment, including using credit, when they make purchases in their own countries, and while traveling abroad.

A variety of options exist for customers to make payment. For selfservice payment systems, one may make payment by inserting coins, banknotes, tokens or cards into machines. Good maintenance of the equipment is important. If the equipment breaks down, it can destroy the purpose of such a system. Most payment still takes the form of cash or credit cards. However, more and more shopping is being done online. PayPal offers a fuss-free and secure way to make payments for goods bought over the Internet. Online shoppers must first register with PayPal and have a credit card to use the service. Customers can make their payments via PayPal who will process the payment to the seller. PayPal will then charge the amount owed to the registered buyer's account.

ENHANCING SUPPLEMENTARY SERVICES

Consultation
Now we move to enhancing supplementary services, led by consultation. Consultation involves a dialog to probe customer requirements and then develop a solution that is suited to the needs of the customer. Examples of several supplementary services in the consultation categoryCustomized advice Personal counseling Tutoring/training in product use Management or technical consulting At its simplest level, consultation consists of immediate advice from a knowledgeable service person in response to the request, what do you suggest? (For example, you might ask the person who cuts your hair for advice on different hairstyles and products).

Finally, management and technical consulting for corporate customers include the solution selling associated with expensive industrial equipment and services. Effective consultation requires an understanding of each customer's current situation, before suggesting a suitable course of action. Good customer records can be a great help in this respect, particularly if relevant data can be retrieved easily from a remote terminal In an Internet environment, which encourages customers to engage in self-service applications and be more self-reliant, companies should not forget the personal touch of a live human being during the process of consultation. The human touch of a friendly customer-service officer will certainly be valued and remembered, and will go along way for customers. Counseling is another type of consultation that is less direct than consultation. It involves helping customers understand their situations better, so that they can come up with their own solutions and action programs

Hospitality
Hospitality-related services should, ideally, reflect pleasure at meeting new customers and greeting old ones when they return. Well-managed businesses try, atleast in small ways, to ensure that their employees treat customers as guests. Courtesy and consideration for customers needs apply to both face-to-face encounters and telephone interactions. Hospitality is an element that can be more clearly displayed in face-to-face encounters. In some cases, it starts (and ends) with an offer of transport to and from the service site on courtesy shuttle buses. If customers must wait outdoors before the service can be delivered, then a thoughtful service provider will offer weather protection.

If customers have to wait indoors, then there can be a waiting area with seating and even entertainment (TV, newspapers or magazines) to pass the time. Recruiting employees who are naturally warm, welcoming, and considerate helps to create a hospitable atmosphere The quality of the hospitality services offered by a firm can increase or decrease satisfaction with the core product. This is especially true for people-processing services where customers cannot easily leave the service facility. Private hospitals often seek to enhance their appeals by providing the level of room service that might be expected in a good hotel. This includes the provision of quality meals. Failures in hospitality can extend to the physical design of the areas where customers wait prior to receiving service. A survey found that unappealing offices and lack of comfort can drive away patients of cosmetic surgeons.

Safekeeping
While visiting a service site, customers often want their personal possessions to be looked after. In fact, some customers may choose not to go to certain places that do not have safekeeping services like a safe and convenient car park. On-site safekeeping services includes coatrooms, baggage transport, handling and storage; safekeeping of valuables; and even child care and pet care.

Examples of Safe-keeping Elements

Caring for Possessions Customer Bring with Them Child care, pet care Parking for vehicles, valet parking

Baggage handling Storage space Safe deposit boxes Security personnel

Caring for Goods Purchased (or Rented) by Customers

Packaging Pickup Transportation and delivery Installation Inspection and diagnosis Cleaning Refueling Preventive maintenance Repair and renovation

Exceptions
Exceptions involve supplementary services that fall outside the normal service delivery. Exceptions include special requests, and problem solving. Companies should anticipate exceptions and develop back-up plans and guidelines in advance. That way, employees will not appear helpless and surprised when customers ask for special assistance. Well-defined procedures make it easier for employees to respond promptly and effectively.

Managers need to keep an eye on the level of exception requests. Too many requests may indicate that standard procedures need to be changed.

Examples of Exception elements Special Requests in Advance of Service Delivery Children's needs Dietary requirements Medical or disability need Religious observances Handling Special Communications Complaints Compliments Suggestions Problem Solving Warranties and guarantees Resolving difficulties that arise from using the product Resolving difficulties caused by accidents, service failures Assisting customers who have suffered an accident or a medical emergency

Restitution
Refunds and compensation Free repair of defective goods

BRANDING SERVICE PRODUCTS AND EXPERIENCES

In recent years, more and more service firms have started talking about their products. What is the difference between a service and a product A product is a defined and consistent bundle of output. One bundle of output can be differentiated from another bundle of output. Service providers can usually offer a menu of products, representing an assembly of carefully prescribed elements built around the core product. They may also bundle in certain value-added supplementary services.

Product Lines and Brands

Most service firms offer a line of products rather than just a single product. As a result, they must choose among three broad alternatives: using a single brand to cover all products and services, a separate stand-alone brand for each offering, or some combination of these two extremes. The term branded house is used to describe a company like the Virgin Group, which applies its brand name to multiple offerings in often unrelated fields. Next on this spectrum are what they term sub-brands. A sub-brand is one where the master brand is the main reference point, but the product itself has a distinctive name too.

Offering a Branded Experience

Branding can be used at both the company and product level by almost any service business. In a well-managed firm, the corporate brand is not only easily recognized, but it also has meaning for customers. The brand stands for a particular way of doing business. Applying distinctive brand names to individual products helps marketers to establish a mental picture of the service in customers' minds and to clarify the nature of the value proposition.

CHANNEL OF SERVICE DISTRIBUTION

The channel of service distribution means the channels through which service is distributed to masses. In our hotel Ginger, owned by the TATA group, the channel of distribution is zero level i.e. the company doesnt involves the intermediaries to provide services to people. Although it has various branches in various cities so as to provide its hospitality services to a large number of people living in different cities. The company sees to it that the services are uniformly spread over each region viz East, West, North, and South parts of our country. The channel is designed in such a way that the services and the product of the company are easily accessible by the general public. Its hotels are spread over 23 cities all over India from Manesar in Haryana to Trivendrum in Kerala thereby ensuring that its services are available at different parts of the country. The management of the company decides where to expand their services operations and through which mediums and intermediaries. The TATA group along with the roots corporation carry on the service operation of the Ginger and decide the distribution channel through which they can market their services. The distribution channel plays a vital role in making the service reach to masses. The more efficient the distribution channel, the better will be service delivery. The efficiency level of the service delivery or distribution channel can be measured by the number of customers who are satisfied with the services. The company Ginger sees to it that the quality is not compromised throughout its various branches which exist due to their zero level distribution channel. The quality is the major component that company focuses on while spreading their services through distribution channel. The channel of distribution decides the actual route through which service has to be delivered to the customers. Channel of distribution defines the ways through which the company reaches its services to the masses, and sees to it that the quality is not degraded while reaching product or the service to public.

Customer Role in Service Delivery:

There are three types of roles for the customer in the service delivery process. The customer can be a productive resource, a contributor to quality and satisfaction or a competitor in the service delivery process. For the service Amtrak expects the customer to take part as a productive resource in the service delivery process to gain a better. For Amtrak it is clearly most effective for a customer to get the tickets from the QuickTrak machine. There is simply no labor involved other than that of the customer himself. The second best way for Amtrak is if the customer orders his tickets online. This way, few employees are needed to send the tickets to the customers address. The last and most ineffective way for Amtrak is if the customer makes his purchase at the ticket booth at the train station. Amtrak needs to employ people to sit behind the counter and help the customer. This brings also the risk of complaints and lowering the customers perception of the service delivery. They totally depend on the person behind the ticket booth and blame that person for any mistakes. Although the customer still needs to provide the cashier with the necessary information. This leads to the second customer role. The customer can also has to contribute to the quality and satisfaction. The customer will be more satisfied if they think that they have done their part in the service delivery. Therefore it is advisable to involve the customer. By online and QuickTrak purchases the customer is fully involved. The customer needs to find out when and where he wants to go. What level of comfort he desires. If he wants to eat on the train, what he wants to eat. These are all examples of decisions that the customer is involved in.

The third and last is viewing the customer as competitor. By answering the critical factors we can see that there is a way that the customer can be seen as a competitor. The customers ultimate goal is to get from point A to point B. There are few different options. The train is one and others might be going by car or taking a airplane.

Factor Explanation Expertise capacity Resource capacity Time capacity Economic rewards Psychic rewards Trust

Control The expertise capacity of the customer is likely not to be that good that he can produce the service of the train trip himself. Other options to go from point A to B are therefore important. The recourses of duplication are low. People are not known to have an entire train in their backyard. However, they do have a car most likely. A plain is again a good option. If there is no expertise or resource for duplication it is not likely that time will be a critical factor. However the time aspect can be seen in the options again. The train is quicker than the car but not quicker than the plane. Other options such as the car might prove to be cheaper. A plane is generally more expensive. The psychic reward does not play any role here. The degree of confidence or certainty the customer has in the various options. So what confidence does the customer has in options such as the car or the plane. The control level will be higher for the customer if he chooses to go by car. The level of control will be lower if he chooses the plane. We can conclude that there is a certain form of viewing the customer as a competitor. If the critical factors associated with the external or internal exchange are reviewed, the conclusion is that the customer fulfills his role as a competitor by evaluating its options on substitution possibilities.

Role-learning There is a question for to ask concerning role-learning. How did the customer learn his role in the service experience? As stated before the customer takes all three roles there are in the service delivery process. It is often learned from others what the customer needs to do as a productive recourse. By asking questions and receiving answers from others the customer becomes aware of what his role is in being a productive resource. The second role that the customer adapts is that of contributor to quality and satisfaction. The customer learns this by asking himself how he contributed to the technical and functional quality. Treating employees, other customers, supplying them with the necessary information. The third and last role the customer has to learn is the role of competitor. This is done by answering and weighing the critical factors. The customer does this in his mind upfront. During the service delivery the customer makes the same decision about various aspects of the service. For instance the purchase of food in the food-car. The customer can also decide to bring his own food. This role is learned by knowing the alternatives and what the outcome of the critical factors are. Customers do not know the critical factors by heart but they go by them all the time. This displays that the customer does not have to learn these but already knows.

The importance of the customer to the service delivery process As stated before the satisfaction of the customer goes up if the level of participation is higher. Through appropriate or inappropriate, effective or ineffective, productive or unproductive behaviors the customer contributes to GAP 3. This GAP deals with the problems between the service delivery on the one hand and the customer-driven service designs and standards on the other. The importance of the customer to the service delivery process is huge. The customer is receives the service direct. A mistake in the service can cause the customer to feel negatively towards the service. It is all important for future customers. The customer can decide not to use the service anymore. He also can promote the company negatively. Word of mouth is one of the strongest marketing tools there is. Therefore if the customer feels that the service lived up to his expectations and standards or even exceeded it, he will be greatly important for future revenue.

Participation level in the service delivery process

There is a low participation level in the service delivery process of a train trip. First of all, the service is standardized (or at least standardized in segments). The service that the next person gets is the same as the customer himself. Second, the service is provided regardless of any individual purchase. The train is going with or without the customer on it. And third the payment is the only required customer input. After deciding where and when the customer wants to go there is only the payment for the ticket involved. After that the customer cannot change the service to fit his profile individually.

Other customers influences on the service experience There are many ways that other customers can influence the service experience. Someone can display disruptive behavior in line for the ticket purchase, in the waiting area or in the train. Other customers are expected to share space, time and other service factors. This may become a problem if segments are not comfortable with sharing or with each other or when the need to share is intensified due to capacity constraints. Customers will more often notice each other because they are in close physical proximity to each other. They are influenced by each others behavior. There are many ways of positive and negative influencing the customers service experience.

How other customers can enhance or diminish the service experience Above is stated how customers can influence the service experience by displaying certain behavior. Enhancing can be done in various ways. The most common way is helping the customer. In this the most frequent way is that the customer gets directions to something. The track number, location of the track number, to the restrooms or just the information desk. Just a friendly conversation with a fellow passenger on the train can enhance the service experience as well. These are ways other customers can enhance the service experience, just by interacting with one another. Interacting can also diminish the service experience. If the outcomes of interaction are negative towards the customer or the customer feels it is negative can contribute to a diminished feeling towards the service experience. Nowadays another thing that other customers can do to diminish the experience is calling on cell phones. Often people are not aware of the fact that apparently they try to conquer the distance by shouting on their phone. This leads to another diminishing fact. The fact that other customers are loud in the train. The customer might want to go to sleep or just quietly read the newspaper.

How the customer is able to enhance the service experience. Participation is a key element in how the customer is able to enhance his service experience. This means that the customer should come prepared. If the customer feels he has done his part, he will have a better experience. Your involvement in the ticket purchase can be part of this. Second, the customer maybe asked to seat himself and during the train trip go to the food-car himself. This is all participation. Customers often do not feel that they contribute to the service. This is the positive part of this. Let the customer decide simple things for himself, and the service experience goes up. The customer is also able to enhance the service experience if he knows enough of it. So self-education is also an important part. This may the customer do by asking questions. They know what to do. Also linked to this is helping others. If you have the knowledge you can help others. Most people feel that the service is better if they have helped another person. If it is standing up for an elderly woman or just directing someone to the bathroom on the train. There is another thing the customer can do to enhance the service experience. Often if the customer encounters a bad service delivery there is possibility to complain about it. Amtrak allows the customer to complain. Often when the customer complains, he will enhance his feeling towards the entire experience. Complaining makes a customer feel better so understanding that is a huge part on enhancing the customers service experience.

EMPLOYEES ROLE IN SERVICES DELIVERY

The level of customer participation required in a service experience varies across services as shown in Table I. In some cases, all that is required is the customers physical presence (low level of participation), with the employees of the firm doing all of the service production work, as in the case of a symphony concert. Symphony-goers must be present to receive the entertainment service, but little else is required once they are seated. In a business-to-business context, examples of services that require little participation are less common. One example shown in Table I is that of providing plant and flower interior landscaping services. Once the service has been ordered, little is required from the organization other than to open its doors or provide access to the service provider to move plants in and out. Low: Customer presence Moderate: Customer inputs required during service required for service High: Customer co-creates delivery creation the service product Products are standardized Client inputs customize an active client participation standard service guides the customized service. Service is provided Provision of service requires Service cannot be created apart regardless of any individual customer purchase from the customers purchase active participation. Payment may be the only Customer inputs (information, Customer inputs are mandatory required customer input materials) are necessary for an and co-create the outcome adequate outcome, but the service firm provides the service Examples: End consumer Airline travel Hair cut Marriage counselling Motel stay Annual physical exam Personal training Fast-food restaurant Full service restaurant Weight-reduction programme Business-to-business customer Uniform cleaning Agency-created advertising Management consulting service campaign

Executive management Pest control Payroll service seminar Interior greenery Independent freight Install wide area network maintenance service transportation (WAN) In other cases, consumer inputs are required to aid the service organization in creating the service (moderate level of participation). Inputs can include information, effort or physical possessions. All three of these inputs are required for a CPA to prepare a clients tax return effectively: information in the form of tax history, marital status and number of dependents; effort from the client in putting the information together in a useful fashion; and physical possessions such as receipts, past tax returns, etc. Similar types of information, effort and possessions are required when the customer is an organization seeking to outsource services such as payroll, customer database management, or tax accounting. In some situations, customers can actually be involved in co-creating the service (high level of participation). For such services, customers have essential production roles that, if not fulfilled, will affect the nature of the service outcome. All forms of education, training and health maintenance fit this profile. Unless the customer does something (e.g. studies, exercises, eats the right foods), the service provider cannot effectively deliver the service outcome. Similarly, an organization seeking training services for its employees will need to help define the nature of the training, identify the right employees for the training, provide incentives for them to learn and facilitate their use of the training on the job. If the organization does not do this, it and the employees involved will not receive the full benefits of the service. Table I captures the three levels of participation required of service customers and provides several examples of each type for both end consumers and business-to-business customers. The effectiveness of customer involvement at all of the levels will impact organizational productivity and ultimately quality and customer satisfaction. Customers roles in service experiences Within the levels of participation just discussed, customers can play a variety of roles. Through a review of literature which has contributed to our understanding of customer participation (see Table II), we have identified three of these:

(1) The customer as productive resource; (2) The customer as contributor to quality, satisfaction and value; and (3) The customer as competitor to the service organization. These roles are not mutually exclusive meaning an individuals co-productive behaviors in a specific situation may apply to more than one of the three roles. Elements of each role may be at play in a given service transaction. A description of these roles and their implications follows. Afterwards, the discussion of two empirical research studies further illustrates customer participation levels and the roles customers can play in service delivery

SERVICES MARKETING COMMUNICATION MIX

Special offers:
Monsoon offer: Experience the Monsoon Mania with Ginger Hotel's Special Monsoon Package! Early Booking Offer: SAVE NOW" Book Early and Pay Less with Ginger Hotels Exclusive discount for BPCL Petro card members: Indias most trusted loyalty program for fuel, Bharat Petroleums PetroBonus today has over 1.6 million Members across the country offering 15% discount on your stay at Ginger Hotels. Last Minute Rates: Sensational last minute rates in our top destinations. Book Now!! Day Use Rates: Introducing special day use rates for travellers to freshen up or relax before heading for work. Exclusive discount for VISA Premium card members: VISA- India's Preferred Services and Fine Dinning program for Visa premium card holders. Weekend offer: What would be better than a hassle free and relaxed weekend? So get out of your routine office grind and take a few days off with Ginger weekend offers.

HOW TO BOOK:
Online booking Take advantage of our online booking service and reserve your rooms today, click here For Cash or Debit Card bookings, email your reservation details to reservations@gingerhotels.com

Phone Booking

Ginger offers you the convenience of booking a room over the telephone. Just call our national toll free number or our reservation helpdesk and reserve your rooms. Call us on our new call center number 1860-266-3333 Payment Options American Express Card Master Credit/Debit Card Visa Credit/Debit Card Net Banking and Cash Cards

Rescheduling and cancellation Change is the only constant in this world. If you need to reschedule, we will be glad to help. However, rescheduling your reservation is subject to room availability. In the event of cancellation of your reservation, cancellation charges plus taxes apply. These charges are as follows: 24 to 48 hours prior to arrival: 50 per cent of the room tariff per reserved room Less than 24 hours prior to arrival: Room tariff for one night per reserved room Non arrival: Room charge for one night per reserved room To cancel your booking online, click here

Group booking Reservations for five to 25 rooms are considered as group booking. Please note that group bookings need to be cancelled at least 7 days prior to arrival. Cancellation of a group booking involves the following cancellation charges plus applicable taxes: 7 to 21 days prior to arrival: 50 per cent of the applicable room tariff for the block of rooms reserved

Less than 7 days prior to arrival: Total room charges for the block of rooms reserved More than 21 days prior to arrival: One night's charge paid at the time of booking

TRAVEL AGENTS: Welcome to Ginger hotels. We provide information and services that will make it easier for you to do business with Ginger hotels and assist you in making right choice for your clients. We feature all accommodation types to suit every taste and budget. We are always eager to welcome new travel partners, and are committed to improving our services so that we can always exceed expectations of you and your clients. If you wish to use Ginger hotels to make travel arrangement for your clients, then we urge you to sign as a registered travel agent. All you have to do to register with Ginger hotels is provide us with below mentioned information and documents by sending email to sales@gingerhotels.com 1. Name of the Organisation 2. Contact Detail of the organisation (Address, Telephone no., Fax no., Email ID) 3. Detail of the 2 contact Person (Name, Telephone No., Email ID) 4. Name of the head of Organisation To Register with Ginger Hotels, copies of any two of the following documents at least one from each category need to be submitted Category I 1. PAN Card of Entity 2. Service Tax Certificate 3. Certificate of registration under Shops and Establishment Act Category

Values Customer-driven excellence: We anticipate expectations and delight our patrons with convenient and modern facilities at an unsurpassed value Entrepreneurship: We strive to take ownership of the tasks we perform and to create an environment that encourages and supports initiative and appropriate risk-taking Innovation: We believe that making meaningful changes to improve products, services and processes to create value for all stakeholders is an integral part of the daily work of the organisation Valuing employees, partners and communities: We believe in nurturing and developing internal and external partnerships, balancing the growth of the core business while preserving natural resources and contributing to society Speed and agility: We deliver on promises with a sense of urgency and short response time Fun, joy and zing: We believe that a happy employee leads to a delighted guest Smart Basics is much more than a catchy phrase. It is a philosophy of providing intelligent, thought-out facilities and services at a value pricing. Smart Basics reflects the new spirit in which people live and work today. The emerging lifestyle which is visible in the degree to which individuals have taken control of their various activities viz. the use of email instead of letters as also the use of mobile phones, conference calls and video conferences to get things done quickly and efficiently. Essentially, Smart Basics signifies simplicity, convenience, informality, style, warmth, modernity and affordability. Simplicity and convenience in ease of doing business (awareness, booking channels, payment gateways) informality, style, warmth and modernity in its approach to product design, service philosophy and affordability in pricing. Food and Beverage options

Our hotels have a myriad of options when it comes to dining. We believe in giving you the best value in dining, as with everything else. The Square Meal : Open for breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks 20" Large screen TV

Dial-a-meal Order from a selection of menus from local restaurants and enjoy the meal at our restaurants,collect the food at the Give 'n' Take counter Smart Basics Facilities and Services Ginger hotels have intelligently designed facilities and services, conceived with convenience and comfort in mind. Some of our features include:

The Square Meal: The Multi-Cuisine restaurant for a wholesome breakfast, lunch or dinner Net Zone: For high speed internet connectivity Conference Room (seats 80-100 people) or Meeting room (seats 8-10 people)

Laundry facility: Express delivery (same day delivery): Give your clothes by 9.30 am and get them back on the same day. Gymnasium: Equipped with treadmill, exercycle and weights, air power bike, dumbbells, dual action poles with stepper, wrist curler, doorway chinning bar and punching bag, yoga mat

On-site ATM: From a selected set of approved/empanneled banks Secure parking: 24*7 security on-site: monitoring by CC TV

Doctor on call Smart Basics, Smart prices We have a totally transparent pricing policy, with no hidden costs and additional levies. We believe in giving you true value for your money.

Smart Planet An eco initiative At Ginger Hotels, our values give special emphasis on environmental and ecological issues. We constantly work towards building a better and sustainable way of living by providing facilities to our customers without compromising on the environment. The steps taken by us speak volumes of the measures that have been taken to create a safer environment for the future.

Smart Sleep* A good night's sleep is very important as it renews the mind and rejuvenates the body. At Ginger, we understand the importance of a good nights rest and strive to make our guests incredibly comfortable. We offer state-of-the-art posturepedic mattresses, which provide adequate support, thus ensuring a good slumber. Our special mattresses help in:

Providing advanced pressure point relief Absorbing and redistributing pressure from your body weight Delivering the correct orthopaedic support Sensing body motion and responding with increased support Reducing tossing and turning These mattresses are complimented with duvets that offer softness and comfort to enhance the sleeping experience. Our exciting new range of beautiful bed linen, our comfortable pillows, and sumptuous duvets add to your convenience and comfort. So, dont forget to sleep smart the next time you are in Ginger Pune.

*Smart Sleep is currently available in Ginger Pune.

Smart Space Rooms At Ginger, we believe in the luxury of simplicity. Our Smart Space rooms are designed with comfort and practicality in mind. You can choose from: Single Rooms: Ideal for the lone traveller, yet does not compromise on any of the conveniences of the other rooms Twin Rooms: Separate beds for those who travel together Double Rooms: A queen-size bed for your comfort Family Rooms: Perfect for a family of four (at Delhi) Special Room to look after the special needs of the physically challenged Our rooms are packed with features, to make your stay a memorable experience. You can find the following amenities: Electronic locks on doors 17-inch wall-mounted flat-screen TV 24-hour cable TV with all major channels Internet connectivity: Wi-fi Mini-fridge Tea / coffee maker with complementary sachets of Tea/Coffee STD and local direct dial, voice mail and self programmed alarm on phone Full-length mirror Ergonomic work area Wardrobe and luggage rack Self controlled AC

Bottled water, Posturepedic mattress, Duvets Every room has an attached bathroom with the following facilities: 24-hour running hot and cold water Branded toiletries: Body & hair wash, and hand wash Shower area Bath and hand towels Safe Zone At Ginger, we realise the importance of safety. Our hotels designed for total security and has security features like: 24-hour security Close-circuit TV maintains records of all areas and visitors Swipe card locks that offer the latest in security Digital safes located at the Give 'n' Take counter at the lobby

SERVICE CULTURE
Service culture can be defined as Culture where an appreciation for good service exists, and where giving good service to internal as well as ultimate, external customers is considered a natural way of life and one of the most important norms by everyone. Service cultures differ from organization to organization. Culture includes values, beliefs, norms, rituals, etc. Any policy, procedure, action or inaction on the part of an organization and its employees contribute to service culture. Employees can play key roles in communicating a company's culture to its customers. Examples include: employee dress code, interactions with customers, service provider's knowledge, skill, and attitude. Companies develop vastly different service cultures depending on their industry, product, size, business model, etc. The culture is usually set and communicated by top executives.. Service culture can be built in an organization only by a sustained and consistent effort over and extended period. It cannot be introduced by top management diktats only. Building of service culture requires sustained attention to:

Hiring right people: It is necessary to hire right kind of people in the hotel because they are the one who represents the hotel. Management sees to it that the employees who are hired are disciplined, well behaved, efficient and calm. They should be such that they can easily manage everything.

Retaining the best people: It is the responsibility of the management to retain the best employees by providing them good facilities and also giving them monetary incentives like bonus, promotion and as well as non monetary incentives like appreciation in front of the other employees.

Developing the people to deliver service quality: The management should give proper training to the employees so that the chance of delivering bad service is minimized to a greater extent. The hotels should ensure that they deliver the best service to the customers and take feedback and make changes accordingly.

Providing needed support system to people:

It should be seen by the management of the hotel that the needs of the customers are fulfilled and they do not face any problem.

SERVICESCAPE
Environment dimension a) Ambient conditions
Temperature: The company has assure that the temperature in the hotel for providing services should be kept cool and moderate and as per the customers requirements and comfortability. Air quality: Air quality plays a significant role for comforting the customers requirements. A good air quality influences the mood of the customers and create good atmosphere around. Noise: The management sees to it that there is no irritating noise or voice around the hotel. Noisy atmosphere irks customer and so the hotel industry should make sure to reduce it as much as possible. Music: A good music is a base for the perfect ambience. So the manager and other executives have to make sure that there is good soothing music playing in the background when the customers are around. Scent, colour etc.: There should be a pleasant odour around the hotel so that the customers feel comfortable and relaxing.

b) Space/ Function:
Layout: The layout of the hotel should be such that the customer does not face any problem and they feel easy to move. It should be seen that the area is not congested enough and little bit spacious to make them feel comfortable. Equipments: It should be seen that the equipments in the gym, clubs etc. are maintained and managed properly by their respective authorities. Similarly, the vessels used in the kitchen of the restaurant by the chef

should be seen that it is cleaned and tidy enough so that the quality of the food is not affected. Furnishings: The waiting lounge facilities and the reception are kept neat and up-to-date and even the furnishings of room are made attractive and pleasing to eyes for the customers.

c) Signs, symbols and artifacts:

Signage: the GINGER signage depicts the existence of the hotel and it is large enough to be seen from a distant place and even the signages inside the hotel are easy to understand and unambiguous figures. Personal artifacts: the hotel should ensure that the personal artifacts are easy to understand by the customers.

Internal Responses (From Employees Point of view): a) Cognitive:

Beliefs: The employees Beliefs and values affects positively if the working atmosphere is favourable to work in. He will get satisfied with the companys working style and work effectively and efficiently for the firm. Categorization: The employee categorizes his job based on the movement of other jobs in the company and hence concludes which category his job belongs to and works according to it without any hindrance to other jobs. Symbolic Meaning: Employee has a symbolic meaning regarding the firm he works in, whether it is good or bad, luxury or normal. He works according to what he feels for the company. His efforts might turn in positive manner if he has a positive symbol about the company in his mind.

b) Emotional:
Feelings: Feelings play an important role in deciding the attitude towards work, if the employee has a positive feeling about the company

that it is good and respects his work, he may work even harder, considering the service of the company as his own, rather than the companys. Moods: Feelings decide the moods of the employees. If the mood of the employee is enthusiastic and workaholic type, he may work harder and harder to support the management in providing efficient service to the customer and vice versa. Attitudes: The attitude of the employees towards their work and company exhibits their working style in the firm. If the employee develops a positive attitude regarding the service firm, he works positively and vice versa.

c) Psychological:
Pain: The employees works effectively where he doesnt find too much pain to his body, so the company has made sure that there is least burden on employees body for the service delivery and hence making them easy to work in the working atmosphere without any pain. Comfort: Comfort is the major issue that is considered by the employee while working in a firm. He sees to it that he is comfortable in the working atmosphere of the company or else his productivity in service delivery might suffer and consequently hinder the firm. Movement: The management makes sure that the employee doesnt have to move around too much in the service place for delivering the service or else the employee may get tired moving here and there for tiny works and consequently affecting his efficiency. Physical Fit: An employee has to be physically 100% fit for rendering any service to the customer and hence the management should see to it that the it has a physically fit workforce working in its service structure.

Internal Responses (From the customers point of view): a) Cognitive:

Beliefs: The beliefs of the customer about the service firm are the most important feedback of the firm. If the customer has a positive belief about the service company, he might come back again for taking services of the firm and may also suggest other individuals for approaching the service firm.

Categorization: The customer may categorize the service of the firm according to his expectations, such as excellent, good, average or poor. On the basis of his categorization, he might decide wether to visit that service firm again or not.

Symbolic Meaning: The customer has a symbolic meaning regarding the firms name in its cognitive mind. For example, by coming to GINGER, he has a symbolic meaning in his mind that it is one of TATAs products, so it might be good enough to try once.

b) Emotional:
Feelings: The feelings of the customer about the service are an important emotional aspect to consider. If the customer acquires positive and good feelings about the service he took, he may come back again and create a word of mouth. Moods: The experience of the customer after taking the service largely depends on its mood. If he is not in a good mood, while taking service, his experience regarding that service might not be good and affect companys prestige as well at large. Attitudes: When the customer has a favourable experience visiting the service place and taking that service, he might develop a positive attitude for the company and consequently create positive word of mouth publicity for the company.

Behaviour Approach of employees:

Affiliation: Affiliation is the basic component that an employee expects from the management. The GINGER management provides affiliation to

its workers so that the workers feel a sense of belongingness towards the firm and stay loyal to the firm. Exploration: By working with a positive mindset, the employees explore new ideas for efficient working. It is the responsibility of the management that they should accept new ideas from the employees and they should be appreciated so that they feel free to communicate their ideas. Stay longer: If the employees are satisfied while working with the service company and feel a sense of belongingness towards the company. They stay longer with the firm and labour turnover reduces, also the management has to look after its employees in a proper manner for retaining them for longer period. Satisfaction: Management tries various measures to gain employee satisfaction such as paying them timely wages, giving them extra monetary as well as non-monetary benefits. Through these measures, an employee gets to know his importance in the company and hence his satisfaction level increases.

Behaviour Approach of Customers:

Attraction: The service place should be such that it is attractive enough to make the customer come inside the Hotel, atleast for trying its service once. The Ambience, Furnishings, Colours, Articrafts, etc. should be kept in the hotel in such a manner that it grabs maximum attention of the customer and make him feel like a king of the palace. Stay/Explore: If the customer finds the Hotel attractive and luxurious enough to stay in, he might stay there for longer period and explore new things of his interest in the hotel like the gym, club, and other recreation facilities, on which he can spend his leisure time. Spend more $$$: If the customer enjoys his time in the hotel and is satisfied the services provided by the company, he may spend more money for buying other services of the hotel. The hotel therefore should constantly try to satisfy the customer as much as possible with all its value added as well as core service.

Satisfaction: The level of services rendered to the customer and the happiness of the customer after receiving them decides the satisfaction obtained by the customer. If he is fully satisfied with the services of the hotel, he might come back again or even recommend the hotels name to someone else and thereby create a positive word of mouth.

CONCLUSION

Roots Corporation Limited, which is a subsidiary of the Indian Hotels Company Limited (IHCL), along with the TATA group founded the GINGER hotels all over India. Today it has its branches in 22 cities covering all the regions in the country. The Ginger Hotels are built around a unique concept that provides facilities to meet the key needs of today's traveler, at surprisingly affordable rates. Ginger Surat is located near Iskon Mall at Surat. Ginger Surat has 98 intelligently designed rooms offering Smart Basic features. The company not only focuses on its core product of providing well cleaned and spacious rooms but also makes sincere efforts to provide other value added services, so that the customer doesnt get disappointed with any service of the hotel, but gets full value of his money spent into getting the valuable services of hotel and hospitality. The company also looks after other recreational facilities available to the customer, so that he turns his experience from normal to lavish and extravagant. The Hotel GINGER also considers its workers as their premium asset, as they are the one who deal with the customers and make their experience worthwhile. So the management of the hotel puts various efforts in motivating the employees to work well under the expert supervision of Manager. He constantly remains in touch with the employees and try to solve the difficulties they face in delivering the service. The Ambience, Furnishings, Articrafts, Rooms are designed in such a way that they attract the customer at first sight. GINGER also not compromises on the quality of food they offer to customer at the restaurant of the hotel. They make sure that every service they offer is rendered in the best way possible to the customer and thereby making their experience memorable and unforgettable.

The success of the RCL-TATA based Hotel GINGER lies in the fact that they never compromise on the quality of service they provide to customer, that too on reasonable prices. So the experience of the customer as well as the employees associated with the firm turns memorable after the delivery of service by the employee and using the service by the customer.