Professional Documents
Culture Documents
PROJECT REPORT
ON
HOSPITALITY SECTOR
SUBMITTED BY
SRIDHAR G. DASARI
ROLL NO 16010
T.Y.B.M.S
ACADEMIC YEAR: 2014 2015
PROJECT GUIDE
Dr. VEENA PRASAD
S.I.W.S
N.R SWAMY COLLEGE OF COMMERCE & ECONOMICS
SMT. THIRUMALAI COLLEGE OF SCIENCE
337, SEWREE WADALA ESTATE,
WADALA, MUMBAI 400 031.
PROJECT REPORT
ON
HOSPITALITY SECTOR
SUBMITTED
IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE
AWARD OF DEGREE OF BACHELOR OF MANAGEMENT
STUDIES (B.M.S)
BY
SRIDHAR G. DASARI
ROLL NO 16010
T.Y.B.M.S
S.I.W.S
N.R SWAMY COLLEGE OF COMMERCE & ECONOMICS
SMT. THIRUMALAI COLLEGE OF SCIENCE
337, SEWREE WADALA ESTATE,
WADALA, MUMBAI 400 031.
DECLARATION
Date: ________________
__________________
SRIDHAR G. DASARI
Place: Mumbai (Signature of
Student)
Hospitality Sector
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
I would also like to thank my parents and my friends, who have stood by
me when ever needed and without whose support this task would not have
been accomplished.
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Hospitality Sector
INDEX
3 GLOBAL CONCEPTS 10
5 TYPES OF SERVICES 22
7 MARKET TRENDS 33
11 CONCLUSION 70
12 BIBLOGRAPHY 71
13 REFERENCE 72
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HISTORY ORIGIN
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Global concepts
Ancient Greece
To the ancient Greeks, hospitality was a right. The host was expected
to make sure the needs of his guests were met. The ancient Greek
term xenia, or theoxenia when a god was involved, expressed this ritualized
guest-friendship relation. In Greek society a person's ability to abide the
laws to hospitality determined nobility and social standing.
Celtic cultures
Celtic societies valued the concept of hospitality, especially in terms
of protection. A host who granted a person's request for refuge was
expected not only to provide food and shelter to his/her guest, but to make
sure they did not come to harm while under their care.
India
In India hospitality is based on the principle Atithi Devo Bhava,
meaning "the guest is God". This principle is shown in a number of stories
where a guest is revealed to be a god who rewards the provider of
hospitality. From this stems the Indian practice of graciousness towards
guests at home and in all social situations.
Judaism
Judaism believes in the principle of Hachnasat Orchim, or
"welcoming guests," based largely on the example of Abraham in the Book
of Genesis. Hosts provide nourishment, comfort, and entertainment to their
guests.
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Hospitality Sector
Pashtun
One of the main principles of Pashtunwali is Melmastia. This is the
display of hospitality and profound respect to all visitors.
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Hospitality Sector
General Manager
Deputy General Manager or Director of Operations or Resident
Manager
o Executive Assistant Manager or Duty Manager or Assistant
General Manager
o Director of Rooms
Front Office Manager
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Hospitality Sector
Revenue Manager
Reservations Manager
Night Manager
Head Night Auditor
PBX Supervisor
Guest Services Manager
Chief Concierge
Bell Captain
Valet Captain
o Executive Housekeeper
Assistant Housekeeping Manager
Floor Supervisor
Laundry Supervisor
Public Area/Custodial Supervisor
Laundry Manager
Director of Sales & Marketing
Senior Sales Manager
Leisure Sales Manager
Business Travel Sales Manager
Social Group Sales Manager
Corporate Group Sales Manager
Wedding Sales Manager
Senior Marketing Manager
Social Media Manager
Public Relations Manager
o Director of Food & Beverage
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Hospitality Sector
Restaurant Manager
Restaurant Supervisor
Executive Chef
Room Service Manager
Room Service Captain
Bar & Lounge Manager
Staff Cafeteria Chef
o Director of Events and Catering
Convention Services Manager
Event Manager
Catering Manager
Banquets Captain
o Hotel Controller
Accounting Manager
Certified Accountant(s)
o Director of Engineering
Assistant Engineering Manager
Facilities Manager
o Director of Human Resources
Human Resources Manager
Recruiting Manager
Training Manager
Labor Relations Manager
o Chief of Security
o Shift Supervising Officer
o Recreation Manager
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Hospitality Sector
General Manager
Front Office Manager
Housekeeping Manager
Head of Maintenance
Sales & Marketing Manager
Food & Beverage Manager
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Hospitality Sector
Typical qualifications
Working conditions
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Hospitality Sector
Hotel managers are generally exposed to long shifts that include late
hours, weekends, and holidays due to the 24 hour operation of a hotel. The
common workplace environment in hotels is fast-paced, with high levels of
interaction with guests, employees, investors, and other managers.
Depending on the size of the hotel, the hotel manager's day may
include scheduling breaks, covering a window for check in or check out,
handling cash, reconciling bank accounts, writing a review for an
employee, disciplining an employee or handling dissatisfied guests. These
duties may vary each day depending on the needs of the property. The
manager's responsibility also includes knowing about all current local
events as well as the events being held on the hotel property. Managers will
be required to attend regular department and company meetings. A
hotel/casino property may require additional duties regarding special events
being held on property for casino complimentary guests.
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Hospitality Sector
Salary expectations
The median annual wage in 2011 of the 50,400 lodging managers in the
United States was $46,810.
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Hospitality Sector
Organization
Although many government and chamber of commerce bodies also
market destinations to visitors and meeting planners, most U.S. convention
and visitors bureaus (CVBs) are independent non-profit organizations.
Services
Typically, a convention and visitors bureau provides information
about a destination's lodging, dining, attractions, events, museums, arts and
culture, history and recreation. Some even provide bus services, insider
tips, top ten attraction and activity lists, blogs, photos, forums, free things
to do, season-specific activity suggestions and more. The organization
works with tourists and meeting planners to provide valuable information
on their local area. Their goal is to help make a visitor's trip or a conference
attendees' meeting a much more enjoyable and rewarding experience. In
many locations, they work closely with a convention center that will offer
large spaces for larger meetings, trade shows, and conventions than can be
accommodated in a single hotel. Usually, these organizations also have a
local office where one can find maps, brochures, travel professionals, local
insight, visitors guides, souvenirs and more.
Marketing initiatives
A convention and visitor bureau's marketing initiatives are typically
achieved through the following: trade association marketplaces, web pages,
advertising, distribution of promotional and collateral material, direct sales,
hosting familiarization tours for journalists and travel industry personnel,
and sponsoring other hospitality functions. The target decision maker of
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TYPES OF SERVICES
Hotel operations vary in size, function, and cost. Most hotels and
major hospitality companies that operate hotels have set widely accepted
industry standards to classify hotel types. General categories include the
following;
Upscale luxury
An upscale full service hotel facility that offers luxury amenities, full
service accommodations, on-site full service restaurant(s), and the highest
level of personalized and professional service. Luxury hotels are normally
classified with at least a Four Diamond or Five Diamondstatus or a Four
or Five Star rating depending on the country and local classification
standards.
Full service
Full service hotels often contain upscale full-service facilities with a
large volume of full service accommodations, on-site full
servicerestaurant(s), and a variety of on-site amenities such as swimming
pools, a health club, children's activities, ballrooms, on-site conference
facilities, and other amenities.
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Hospitality Sector
Extended stay
Extended stay hotels are small to medium-sized hotels that offer
longer term full service accommodations compared to a traditional hotel.
Extended stay hotels may offer non-traditional pricing methods such as a
weekly rate that cater towards travelers in need of short-term
accommodations for an extended period of time. Similar to limited and
select service hotels, on-site amenities are normally limited and most
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Hospitality Sector
MOTEL
A motel is a small-sized low-rise lodging establishment similar to
that of a limited service hotel, but with direct access to individual rooms
from the car park. Common during the 1950s and 1960s, motels were often
located adjacent to a major road, where they were built on inexpensive land
at the edge of towns or along stretches of highways .
New motel construction is rare as hotel chains have been building economy
limited service franchised properties at freeway exits which compete for
largely the same clientele, largely saturating the market by the 1990s.
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Hospitality Sector
Prior to the 1980's, the Indian Hotel Industry was a nascent and slow
growing industry primarily consisting of relatively static, single hotel
companies. However, Asian games 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. Fortunes of the hotel industry are tied to the
fortunes of tourism and the general business climate in the country, which
is why the economic liberalization initiatives implemented since 1991, led
to a soaring demand and supply gap in the hotel industry. This enabled
Indian hotel companies to increase their Average Room Realisations by
almost 50% between April 1994 and April 1997 and still enjoy extremely
high occupancies of above 80% for most of this period. During this time
Average Room Realizations of Indian 5 star hotels were comparable to
those prevailing in Singapore and Hong Kong and were among the highest
in the region. Also, during this time there was a noticeable shift in customer
mix of 5 star hotels as the share of business revenues far outweighed
revenues from any other segment.
Room supply in the five-star segment has grown by only 3 per cent
over the last five years and consequently this has not been an area of
concern in the past as new capacity additions in the five-star segment in the
metro cities have been slow. It is expected that in the metro cities, after
three to four years, the hotel industry is expected to face major problems on
the supply side. However, we would regard these as a long-term concern.
The slow growth in room supply in the past can be attributed to the
high land costs, long gestation periods, license problems and the scarcity of
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Hospitality Sector
good locations. The hotel sector boomed from 1992 to 1996. Led by the
lure of easy money and missed perception that hotels can be a simple
business, profitable (especially the five-star segment) and is easy to get a
foreign tie-up prompted many companies in the construction and real estate
business to enter the arena.
Perishability:
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If the full capacity of the services is not utilized, the service becomes
perishable. If a hotel having an accommodation facility of 100 rooms is
able to lease out only 70 rooms on a particular day, then the remaining 30
rooms or 30% capacity gets perished and can never be reused. The product
is perishable -- a room not sold tonight is lost forever. The location and
product inventory (rooms) are fixed -- they cannot be moved as demand
patterns change. Entry into the business takes large amounts of capital --
creating huge fixed costs that necessitate high occupancies to achieve a
break-even level of volume.
Variability:
The fact that service quality is difficult to control compounds the
marketer's task. Intangibility alone would not be such a problem in
customers could be sure that the services they were to receive would be just
like the successful experiences their neighbors were so pleased with. But in
fact, customers know that services can vary greatly. Services are
performances, often involving the cooperation and skill of several
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Hospitality Sector
individuals, and are therefore unlikely to be same every time. This potential
variability of service quality raises the risk faced by the consumer.
The service provider must find ways to reduce the perceived risk due
to variability. One method is to design services to be as uniform as possible
- by training personnel to follow closely defined procedures, or by
automating as many aspects of the services as possible. The appeal of some
service personnel - particularly, the hotel industry- lies in their spontaneity
and flexibility to address individual customer needs. The danger with too
much standardization is that these attributes may be designed right out of
the services, therefore reducing much of their appeal. A second way to deal
with perceived risk from variability is to provide satisfaction guarantees or
other assurances that the customer will not be stuck with a bad result.
Inseparability:
This characteristic is interpreted differently by different service
marketing marketers, but all interpretations point out that special operation
problems exist for the firm's managers. One interpretation of this term is
the inseparability of customers from the service delivery process. In
particular, many services require the participation of the customer in the
production process. Unlike goods, which are often produced in a location
far removed from the customer and totally under the control of the
manufacturing firm, service production often requires the presence and
active participation of the customer - and of other customers. Depending
upon the skill, attitude, cooperation and so on that customers bring to the
service encounter, the results can be good or bad, but in any event are hard
to standardize.
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Hospitality Sector
Intangibility:
Intangible services are difficult to sell because they cannot be
produced and displayed ahead of time. They are therefore harder to
communicate to prospective customers. Marketers of services can reduce
these risks by stressing tangible cues that will convey reassurance and
quality to the prospective customers. These tangible cues range from the
firm's physical facilities to the appearance and demeanor of its staff to the
letterhead on its stationery to its logo.
In case of hotel industry, the core benefit is getting good food, good
boarding and lodging facilities. The tangible services are those, which one
can touch and taste. Thus hotel industry is tangible.
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Hospitality Sector
Business factor:
Liberalization has brought home a new class of MNCs, which has
increased the number of corporate travellers visiting India. Other than
metros, developing cities have also come into the limelight and hence
there has been an increase in demand for hotels in various places. This
class of business travellers has reduced their dependence on seasonal
tourism. The industry is again headed for a hit, with the attacks on the
world's largest financial centre in the US.
Room occupancy:
The ARR and occupancy are the other critical factors that determine
profitability. These, in turn, depend on the location, star rating,
amenities and quality of service. The occupancy of Indian hotels and the
ARR has been on the decline for the past three to four years due to the
turbulent socio-political environment in the nation and also because of
the East Asian economic crisis. However, the hotel industry reported
impressive earnings and revenue growth for the year ended March 2003.
Seasonality:
India being a tropical nation witnesses an inflow of leisure tourists,
mainly during the winter months of October to March. Hence the hotel
industry has a better second half. In the first half of the year, local
tourists prefer April to May and October in the second half due to
summer and Diwali vacations respectively. Other months being off-
season periods, many hotels offer heavy discounts on room tariff to
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Hospitality Sector
Political scenario:
In the past couple of years, the hotel industry has been going through
a lean phase. Room occupancy has been on a decline, mainly due to a
steep fall in both business and tourist arrivals. Though the exorbitant
rates of five-star hotels as compared to the quality of services provided
are one of the factors for the decline, the fluid political environment has
also had a negative impact and foiled the dreams of the Indian hotel
industry.
Tax structure:
This industry is one of the heavily
taxed sectors of India. State
governments have levied various taxes
like expenditure tax, luxury tax and
sales tax. This is apart from the income
tax levied by the central government. These taxes are as high as 30 per
cent in cities like Chennai, while other Asian countries have a tax
structure of 4 to 5 per cent. As a result, Indian hotels are more expensive
than their Asian counterparts.
Industry bottlenecks:
Progress of the industry is held hostage to various bottlenecks
existing within the industry like high variable costs. The hotel industry
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Hospitality Sector
Differential pricing:
Hotels in India typically offer discounts on published room tariffs to
many clients. As a result, though the occupancy rate of these hotels
increases, the ARR does not increase proportionally. However, the
magnitude of discounts varies depending on the nature of the client
location and size of the hotel. Furthermore, in the dual tariff rate system,
there is a domestic currency rate for local travellers and a dollar rate
applying to foreign travellers. Hence there is need of a common
yardstick for tariff rates.
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Market Trends
With the demand curve in the metros stagnating, smaller towns have
emerged as potential growth areas. Thus, chain hotels like IHCL, EIH and
ITCH are better placed than single-location hotels like BHL and AHL.
Most players, with the exception of IHCL and EIH, have entered into
a marketing tie-up with major international hotel chains. For example, ITC-
Sheraton, Leela-Kempinski and AHL-Hyatt Regency are well-established
collaborations. BHL, too, has a tie-up with the Inter-Continental Hotels
Corporation. The Indian partners gain from the brand following of the
worldwide international chain and get global exposure. International hotel
chains do not stand to lose either. They get an opportunity to test Indian
waters without setting up their own infrastructure.
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Like most of the countries in world, India also has hotels divided in
different categories depending on their location, facilities, infrastructure,
and amenities provided. All the star hotels in India are government
approved with continuous control on the quality of services offered.
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Hospitality Sector
A rung below five star hotels, these hotels provide all the modern
amenities to the travelers with a limited budget. Quality of the services is
almost as high as the five stars and above categories. These kinds of hotels
are there for the travelers with a limited budget or for the places, which
might not get the tourist traffic associated with larger cities.
These are mainly economy class hotels located in the bigger and
smaller cities and catering to the needs of budget travelers. Lesser in
amenities and facilities, these hotels are value for money and gives good
accommodation and related services on the reduced price. Services would
be the stripped down version of higher categories of hotels but sufficient to
fulfill your basic needs.
These hotels are most available in the small cities and in particular
areas of larger cities. Catering to the backpacker tourist traffic, these hotels
provide all the basic facilities needed for general accommodation and
offers lowest prices.
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The hotels with most basic facilities, small number of rooms, and
location in the far-flung areas are grouped under One Star Hotel category.
These hotels are best when you are looking for cheapest available
accommodation option (apart from camps and hostels).
(On The Basis Of Nature)
Heritage Hotels
Heritage hotels in India are best if you are looking for sheer
elegance, luxury, and royal treatment. They are not just another
accommodation options but tourist attractions in themselves. Exquisitely
designed and decorated, meticulously preserved, high standards of service,
and ethnic cultural motifs helps the tourists get the complete experience of
an India that otherwise exists only in the history books.
E.g. The Lake Palace Hotel, Udaipur
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These are the hotels, which might not have applied for star
categorization or small enough to find them in the list. Many of the wildlife
resorts, lodges, and hostels are government approved providing a minimum
level of accommodation facilities at far off places.
Guesthouses
These provide the minimum facility of food & beverages along with
accommodation. The standard of accommodation is not as good as a hotel.
The menu offered is not as elaborate as a hotel or similar establishments.
Services are not very professional or specialized. Expenses are very much
less in comparison to the above mentioned other establishments. Generally
people who cant afford the expenses or the luxuries of higher-class
establishments make use of these facilities.
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Dormitories
Holiday Villages
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The market of hotels in Mumbai is very big. There are almost every
type of hotel in India to various income groups. The hotels are classified
according to the stars and then graded. The main types of hotels are:
5 Star Hotels
These hotels are more or less same as 5 star deluxe hotels, but
they may not have the facilities and the features that 5 star deluxe
hotels may have. Some of the important 5 star hotels in Mumbai are
Hotel Holiday Inn, Hotel Orchid, Hotel Sea Princess and Hotel
Ramada Plaza Palm
4 Star hotels
These hotels dont have facilities as good as compared to that
of 5 star deluxe and 5 star hotels. Some of the important hotels in
Mumbai are Hotel Best Western Emerald, Hotel Bawa International,
Hotel Fariyas and Hotel Juhu Plaza.
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The other types of hotels are 3 star and 2 star hotels. Some examples of 3
star hotels are Hotel Ajanta, Hotel Atithi Mumbai, Hotel The Ambassador
whereas as far 2 star hotels are concerned these are some of the important
ones: Hotel Bawa Continental, Hotel Chateau Windsor and Hotel Diplomat
Mumbai
.
CORE PRODUCT
At the very center is the core product, which satisfies the basic need
of the consumer. The core product in the hotel industry is
ACCOMODATION. The role of Hotel International is to provide basic
accommodation facilities. Like a bed for the night and a room with a
bathroom.
FORMAL PRODUCT
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Room Service: When people go to hotels, they would expect good and
prompt room service. This means, when they order food or ask for any
service, a hotel that provides it promptly will have a great edge over the
other hotels.
Price: The price of the rooms should be such that both the rich and the
middle class people can afford them. Not everyone can afford a very
expensive room and also not everyone will like to stay in a room that does
not have some luxurious facilities.
Etiquettes: The people who come in contact with the customers, that is,
the reception people, room service people, and waiters, all have to be
trained well to behave in a manner that pleases the customer. They should
be civilized, cultured and polite.
AUGMENTED PRODUCTS
the traditions and heritage of India has made the Taj brand a symbol of
luxury and service the world over. The Taj group of hotels is grouped into
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strategic business units to get consistency across the different units in the
same brand and standardize the product and service across the brands,
making them distinct and identifiable. These brands have been classified as
Luxury, Business and Leisure.
The Taj Luxury hotels capture the essence of the Taj experience.
Located in the main political and commercial cities of India they maintain
the highest standards in all the services they offer. With exquisitely
appointed rooms and modern comforts, these hotels offer the finest
standards of hospitality and service.
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At the Taj leisure hotels, pleasure seekers, the curious and those
simply wanting to get away from it all can do just that. These properties
include idyllic beach resorts, genuine palaces, turn of the century garden
retreats, hotels located close to historic monuments, pilgrim centers and
some of Indias best wildlife sanctuaries.
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Product Element
Tower Wing Rooms: With easy access to the Business Centre, these
contemporary rooms offer guest amenities like Internet connectivity, 2-line
speaker phones with international direct dial facility and voice mail. Mini
bar, personal safe, channel music and television with satellite programmes.
A complimentary in-room fax can be provided on request. Guests have a
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choice of rooms that overlook the city or face the Gateway of India and the
Arabian Sea.
Heritage Wing Rooms: These rooms are renowned for their architecture
and exude an aura of old-world elegance. Each corridor in this Wing
resembles an art gallery, and the design, dcor and furnishing ensure that
no two rooms are alike. Guests have a choice of rooms that overlook the
city or pool or face the Gateway of India and the Arabian Sea.
Taj Club:
Located on the top floors of the Heritage Wing, Taj Club is designed
for the discerning business traveler. Guest amenities and services include
complimentary airport limousine transfers, private check-in at the Club
desk, in-room fax, personal safe, a complimentary bottle of wine, valet
service and complimentary deluxe Continental breakfast. Taj Club guests
can also enjoy complimentary tea/coffee throughout the day and cocktails
during the Cocktail Hour at the Club Lounge. Taj Club also offers guests
exclusive Meeting Rooms and a Business Service Unit on the Club Floor.
Suites:
Choose from elegantly appointed Junior Suites, Executive Suites,
tastefully decorated Large Suites, newly renovated Luxury Suites or
spacious, plush Grand Luxe Suites. The finest suites at The Taj Mahal are
the luxuriously appointed Presidential Suites. Each of these suites is
decorated with original paintings and antiques that transport guests into a
world of regal luxury and grandeur. Grand Luxe and Presidential Suite
guests can also avail of a personal Valet Service.
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any feedback form is missing, the staff is held liable for it. This is to ensure
that the management views every feedback form.
Process:
In order to ensure that the core product and the supplementary
product is developed and delivered in the right manner and at the right
time, the hotel has formed certain set processes. When the room is being
prepared for customer check-in, the housekeeping department makes sure
that all the room amenities are provided as per the checklist. For e.g.
certain room amenities like 3 embroidered laundry bags, 2 closed slippers
with logo, 2 shoe bags, etc. are provided by The Taj Mahal Hotel.
Infact the processes are so specifically laid down that hotel staff is even
advised on what to say and what words to use while talking to a customer.
The following example will illustrate this better. When a customer asks for
something to be done instead of saying no problem, the staff is taught to
say most certainly.
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Productivity:
The Taj as a hotel does not compare itself to only Indian hotels, but
even with the hotels internationally as it claims to have World Class
Quality. In order to ensure that its inputs are transformed into desired
outputs, they provide extensive training to their employees irrespective of
the field they come from.
The Taj Mahal hotel has various quality tools to enhance quality.
This involves every department, as they have to make sure that the raw
material as well as the finished product is of top quality. At The Taj, it is the
responsibility of the purchase department to make sure that the raw
materials are purchased at the Right Time, Right Place, Right Cost and
from the Right Source, in order to avoid any hindrances in their
productivity and quality.
Taj has developed enormous credibility in terms of trustworthiness
being the oldest brand of hotels, with the reputation of being World class
and honest service provider. Security, Communication and understanding
the customer psychology are special assets the Taj management has
mastered with time.
People
customer services such as The Taj Inner Circle Group, Taj Advantage
and Taj Epicure.
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Each of the four modules have four sections. The first stage consists
of theoretical lessons, providing a sound background to the practical
application of the knowledge required of them in the second stage. In the
third stage, the students return to the Institute and their performance is
evaluated by professors of TISS. In the fourth and final stage, grades are
awarded. While practical training sessions for the first three modules have
been organised at the Taj hotels across the country, the fourth modules
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practical sessions had students of the first batch working in Tata companies
such as TISCO and Tata Consultancy Services (TCS). This gave them a
wider scope and more exposure, besides making them realise that HR skills
in a service-specific industry like the hotels are much more challenging
than their application in the manufacturing or any other industry, observed
Srinivasan. He said he himself had started off in the manufacturing industry
and only later did he move over to the service industry. I have been in the
industry for over a decade now and am well-set here, he added.
The key to retaining staff and ensuring the success of any business
organisation lies with the HR department and its effective functioning. Any
organisation, including hotels, incurs heavy expenditure on their
employees, especially between the time of recruitment and the employees
acquisition of the skills imparted during their training. It can be inferred,
therefore, that a high employee turnover rate lowers the efficiency of the
staff as a whole owing to their constant on-the-job training and skill
enhancement.
An organisation must be able to create for itself a unique place and
image in the minds of the employees, both present and prospective. This
enables the employees to aspire to be a part of the organisation, giving it
their very best, says Srinivasan. Though the training programme has and
will continue to cost us money, we believe that it is truly worthy
investment, he added.
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also have special offers during the off-season etc. Also The Taj is the
only hotel chain to personify itself and in promotion campaigns and
advertisements the Taj is often referred to as She
Physical Evidence
The Taj Mahal Hotel was built in 1903. The architect was Sitaram
Vaidya. It had a very ethnic look to it, which kept up their image of
providing an Indian experience of warmth and hospitality. They realized
that modernization is the name of the game and had The Taj redesigned by
Mr. Chambers, Mr. Wilkes and Mr. Bernard from Singapore.
Some of the recent renovations that have been carried out at the Taj are:
a. The exterior has been given a new and modern look while still
retaining the old world charm of the building.
b. The entrance has splendidly carved bronze and glass doors
Soaring onyx columns stretch to a luminous alabaster ceiling;
while underfoot, rich hand-woven carpets set off a magnificent
floor painstakingly inlaid with semi-precious stones. The eclectic
mix of western contemporary style and traditional Indian motifs
creates a veritable feast for the sense.
c. The city's most exclusive restaurant, The Zodiac Grill
provides a graceful setting for an intimate dining experience.
Under a magnificent trompe l'oeil dome, they serve the finest
gourmet cuisine complemented by an extensive wine list, as a
classically trained pianist entertains patrons.
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Taj realizes that their prices are high and not affordable by all, but
this is due to various overheads that it incurs and the superior quality that it
offers. For e.g. a roadside sandwich seller sells his sandwich for Rs.10 as
he has no overheads and has no quality standards to maintain, like the
quality of the bread and the vegetables. But at The Taj, they serve the best
quality and also incur overhead expenses.
Also the target audience that the Taj caters to are the ones who come
to the Taj for its ambience and world class standards, therefore they say
that their prices is justified as they help The Taj retain the exclusivity that it
stands for.
The Competitors
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The hotel being the one of the best hotels in Mumbai, it faces a tough
competition from many other hotels in Mumbai. Some of the main
competitors for this hotel are as follows:
32 ITC One rooms - The new wing unveils a whole new world of
exclusivity for up-market business travellers with spacious and elegantly-
furnished rooms. 77 Sheraton Towers rooms - The exclusive Towers Club
comes with its own restaurant, library, bar, 24-hour tea/coffee service and
Club Hour.
Hotel JW Marriott
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SWOT Analysis is the basis on which you analyse some thing. The
term SWOT refers to Strength, Weakness, Opportunities and Threats. The
following is the SWOT Analysis of Hotel Taj Mahal.
Strengths:
Strengths are basically the assets of the company or service. It is
that important factor which differentiates it from other products or services.
The main strengths of Hotel Taj Mahal are as follows:
1. The age old trust and fame backed by the TATA Group who are
considered one of the best companies in the world.
2. The history associated with the hotel and the changes it has gone
through maintaining the same aura.
3. The advantages of being close to the airport and situated close to
the famous landmark of Mumbai, the Gateway of India.
4. The quality service assured by the staff and the hospitality given
by the hotel. The clientele serves by the hotel.
5. The pioneer hotel being an example to other hotels around
Mumbai.
Weakness:
Weakness refers to the weaknesses the Hotel is facing. Some of the
weaknesses of Hotel Taj Mahal are:
1. The competition it is facing from various hotels.
2. The age-old building and the structure.
3. Competition from its twin Taj Mahal Hotel which is newly
constructed close to it.
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4. The Pricing (there are hotels which offer lower prices compared
to that of Taj Mahal hotel).
Opportunities:
These are basically the chances to obtain maximum advantages from
the products or services offered. The opportunities of Taj Mahal hotel are:
1. The number of hotels, which the Taj Group has under its belt.
2. The ever-growing tourism industry in India.
3. The legacy associated with the hotel, which will ensure the
Taj Group to initiate more hotels in the near future.
Threats:
Threats are basically the dangers which any product or service faces
either by competition or any other situations. Some of the main threats
associated to Hotel Taj Mahal are:
1. The ever growing competition from other hotels
2. Natural Calamities i.e. proximity to the Sea will harm the
hotel in big way. Any natural incident like Tsunami may
harm the hotel in a big way.
3. Any Political or Terrorist activities such as Bomb Blast or
killings will affect the sales and the occupancy levels. For
example the bombings near the Gateway of India will also
affect the hotel in a very disturbing way. As it is in the prime
location in the city it is always susceptible to various
activities by terrorists.
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Hospitality Sector
The Taj Mahal Hotel, Mumbai has won the coveted award of the
Best Business Hotel in India for a second consecutive time. The award
was announced last week at a glittering ceremony at Singapore during the
3rd Annual Best Business Hotels in Asia Awards 2000.
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Conclusion
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Hospitality Sector
Atlast we would like to conclude by saying the hotel industry is the biggest
hospitality service in the world. The hotels serve as the best medium to
help and cater people. As said before it is the biggest money-spinner sector
among the Hospitality Services sector. It had been an wonderful experience
to work on a very exciting sector. The Hotel Industry is here to stay for
long.
Bibliography
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3. www.indianhotels.com
5. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hotel
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