Benchmarks for Excellence in Hotel Management

A Best Practices Analysis for The Caribbean Market

Publication Date	October 2005
Publisher	Best Practices
Product Type	Report
Pages	73
ISBN Number	not applicable
Product Code	BPC00026

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Summary

This best practice benchmarking study employed a two-pronged data gathering approach. The field research team designed and conducted a performance benchmark survey that gathered statistical insights from nine of the participating hotels, representing a cross-section of the industry. The Best Practices research team then conducted in-depth interviews with more than 15 key functional leaders at 10 participating hotels to harvest qualitative insights, process excellence observations and managerial lessons learned.

The report evaluates multiple fronts of hotel operations that have greatest impact on customer service excellence. Some areas are directly related, such as training staff for attentiveness and courteousness in guest interactions, and effectively managing complaints. Other areas are indirectly related, but no less important. Incentives and recognition programs, for example, help sustain staff energy and morale so that customer service levels are maintained over the long-term.

Well-planned, yield-management systems help managers maximize profit in high and low seasons, anticipate swings in business and plan for staff and resources accordingly, so that the customer experience remains consistent. Fully realized marketing plans help managers define the customer segments most important to their financial and strategic goals and enable them to plan accordingly.

While any one of these areas could be benchmarked fully in its own right, a complete overview study seemed the most applicable way to suggest improvements that would improve productivity overall.

Content

Executive Overview
- Project Background
- Study Methodology and Benchmark Class
- Report Structure and Organization
- Key Findings and Insights
- Path Forward
Introduction
- The Mission
- The Challenge
- Current State of Performance Management
- The Approach for this Study
Operational Performance
- Overview
- Occupancy Rates and Revenue
- Balancing Employee Productivity and Service Excellence
Achieving Customer Service Excellence
- Overview
- Establishing Standards for Customer Experience
- Monitoring Customer Satisfaction
- Complaint Resolution
Personnel Development
- Overview
- Creating Staff Capabilities
- Structure and Design of Training Programs
- Managing Employee Performance
- Driving Staff Morale with Problem-Solving, Coaching,
- Incentives and Compensation
Marketing
List of Figures
- Figure I.1-Key Hotel Performance Metrics
- Figure 1.1-Average Daily Room Rate
- Figure 1.2-Seasonal Occupancy Rates
- Figure 1.3-Seasonal Discount and Occupancy
- Figure 1.4-Seasonal Change in RevPar
- Figure 1.5-Decreases in RevPar and Room Rate
- Figure 1.6-High Season Staff Productivity
- Figure 1.7-Low Season Staff Productivity
- Figure 1.8-Internal Review Process
- Figure 2.1-Customer Satisfaction Scores
- Figure 2.2-Basic Empowerment Process
- Figure 2.3-Quality Measurement Tools
- Figure 2.4-Logging Customer Data
- Figure 2.5-Customer Satisfaction Metrics
- Figure 2.6-Excellence in Complaint Resolution
- Figure 3.1-External Turnover Rates
- Figure 3.2-Hiring Criteria
- Figure 3.3-Management Training
- Figure 3.4-The Importance of Training for Staff Morale & Motivation
- Figure 3.5-Finding an Optimal Training Mix
- Figure 3.6-Analysis of Comment Cards Identifies Areas for Training
- Figure 3.7-Employee absent Rates High Season
- Figure 3.8-Measuring Employee Satisfaction
- Figure 3.9-Promotion as a Key Motivator
- Figure 3.10-Using the Right Cash Incentive
- Figure 3.11-Qualifiers for Incentives and Rewards
- Figure 3.12-Wage Rate - Overall Stats