Hospitality Management Defining and Observing Hospitality Management Essay

Hospitality Management

Defining and Observing Hospitality Management

Defining Hospitality Management

The hospitality industry incorporates a broad range of different types of business, all of which have a common characteristics; providing some type of service which has a focus on the services where the provision of hospitality is a central element of the that service, and is a sub-category within the service sector. The industry includes hotels and lodgings, cruise ship companies, restaurants, theme parks and the other fields which may be incorporated in the tourism industry. The Oxford English Dictionary (2013) defines manangment as "the process of dealing with or controlling things or people." Mintzberg (et al., 2011), states that management has four functions; planning, organizing, leading and controlling. Bringing these together, hospitality management refers to the role undertaken by mangers in the hospitability industry; it also refers to the study of the hospitality industry, incorporating all theories, tasks and processes associated with planning, organizing, leading and controlling in that industry (MBA Brief, 2013).

This means hospitality management may include many of the traditional classification of management, including customer services management, human resource management, operations management etc. (Mullins and Dossor, 2013). Within the hospitality industry leader managed in order to provide the customer/guests that are using the services with the experience that they expect, and the many organizations there is a desire to go beyond expected experience in order to exceed expectations and create delight (Kotler and Keller, 2011).

A Hospitality Experience

Coming into contact with a hospitality organization facilitates the ability to gain experience. That experience can be reviewed in order to identify the different elements of hospitality that were present. The Disney Corporation is a diverse company, including entertainment and hospitality divisions. Walt Disney World in Florida is perhaps one of the most well-known theme parks, but it is not merely a theme park, it is a holiday resort with many elements of the hospitality industry present.

An experience that Walt Disney World in Florida may be a fifth day trip, experiencing the theme parks, but for each year literally millions of people will have an entire vacation experience, staying at the hotels, experiencing the accommodation, restaurants and transportation that support the theme park, as well as the operations within the theme park. I

A Walt Disney World vacation experience will not start on arrival at the resort, but before this, with the planning and the booking. One only has to look at the Internet, and forums such as www.disboards.com, where people spend many hours weeks, months, sometimes years, planning their Walt Disney world vacation. The experience provided by the company may be argued as starting with the booking process. The company provides a number of options for making a booking, vacations may be booked online directory the organization, without the need to talk to any individual. However, many individuals will prepared to talk to somebody when planning a holiday, which is why the company also offers a telephone booking service, as well as deal with a large amount of travel agents.

Personal experience may start with booking on the telephone, which is provided on a toll-free number. Booking the vacation on the telephone direct with a Walt Disney World employee is designed to be an easy process; full details are taken regarding the trip, from the dates through to the accommodation required. However, it is not simply an order placing process, a number of suggestions are also made which may enhance the state, some of the suggestions may be argued as a revenue generation strategy, increasing the amount spent, but other suggestions and advice given were not revenue generators, but designed to enhance individuals experience and improve the guests' experience. Following the advice given on the telephone, after thinking about the vacation and planning which parts to visit on which day, I used the dedicated telephone number for making dining reservations to call and make several bookings for restaurants on different days. It is notable, the advice I was given on the phone regarding making bookings proved to be very good, as many of the restaurants I had chosen were fully booked on the days I ate there.

The experience of the vacation started when arriving at the hotel. Staying at one of the on-site Disney hotels; Pop Century, I believe there would be immersed in the Disney experience for the entire stay. On arriving at Walt Disney World in Florida I was surprised at the size of the resort. There is no doubt regarding when you arrive at the resort, even though it may be some distance from the hotel's, as you are greeted with a large sign and some large Disney characters on the roadside.The signage directing to hotels was very clear, and when arriving at the hotel there was a large amount of parking available.

After parking near the reception area, we went to the front desk to checking. This process was very quick, the paperwork was ready for us to sign, along with the theme park tickets. When being allocated the room, we were also given a map which marked where the room was, and where the closest parking was available, and giving clear directions on how to get there. The receptionist was very clear when pointing directions, and it was interesting to note that they did not use one finger, but two fingers. W later found out this was to ensure that there was no potential for causing any insult through non-verbal signals; in some cultures a single finger pointing can be an insult (Wasko, 2001).

From the reception area is easy to see a range of continental services, a Disney shop, as well as restaurant were both visible, both clearly changed not only with Disney, but with the "Pop Century" theme. The different buildings in which the accommodation was housed were named after different decades; we stayed in the "70s" building, which was strongly themed with 1970s images and motifs. However, I had the chance to compare the room we stayed in, with the room that was experienced by some of staying in the 1960s building, the rooms are very similar; the room contained two queen size beds, with a television and a bathroom with Disney themed soap supplied. The room was basic but adequate, it is notable that this was one of the low-cost hotels in the Disney resort, and the furnishings reflected this positioning. There was housekeeping attending the room everyday, who made the bed and empty the bins, as any clothing left on the floor, or even rubbish left at the tables, was left alone. I later found out that trash left on the side was purposely left there, in case it was not meant to be trash, and housekeeping threw away something that someone was meant to keep.

Each day I would have breakfast in the restaurant on site, where I served by individuals wearing a Disney uniform, with products that were served having a strong Disney theme, such as Mickey Mouse shaped waffles. Then I would travel to the one of the several theme parks at the resort using the transportation provided by Disney, which were very frequent buses provided free of charge. The buses would often have a commentary that would make the journey pass more quickly, giving information and tips about Disney. Everywhere I went individuals were dressed as cast members, all were extremely polite and always smiling, all went out of their way to be helpful, and created a very positive image enhancing my own experience.

How the Experience Falls within Hospitality

It is possible to see the way in which hospitality management has been utilized in order to create a very pleasurable experience for Disney customer/guests. The planning is highly efficient; the website provides high-levels information about the hotels and the theme parks, which is also backed up by the agents on the telephone. The advice given on the telephone has the potential of enhancing and experience, and although some elements of advice may help to generate increased revenue, other pieces of advice offered simply to enhance the experience. However, more cynical person may also argue that by enhancing experience the guests, such as ensuring there is booking taking place the restaurants, there is also an increased level of operating efficiency of those who utilize the forward planning figures to manage their relevant areas of departments (Mullins and Dossor, 2013).

The entrance to the resort is designed to start experience before you even get out of the car, stimulating thoughts of the Disney characters that are associated with the theme parks. This also helps to increase expectations and excitement which is felt when getting to the hotel and checking in. The road system was also extremely well organized to direct traffic to the right areas. The receptionists at the front desk were all very positive, smiling and welcoming, even when there was a long queue, which reflects their training, and the speed at which they dealt with customers without seeming hurried,….....