When arriving at a service establishment, the client obviously needs or wants a service, but above all, he seeks happiness, security, comfort in rooms and hotel areas. Any technique or science applied to hotel management would not be effective if it is not possible for all workers to understand the need to achieve excellent service.
Supporting the importance of the quality of the rooms and the need to achieve excellent service is of vital importance to build customer loyalty and achieve truly satisfied customers.
Introduction:
Tourism as an industry is a phenomenon that has acquired a growing dynamic in the international economy, for many countries it constitutes its fundamental activity, generating income, employment and development. This fact has meant that tourism companies move towards a much more professional path, in which every detail counts.
When arriving at a service establishment, the client obviously needs or wants a service, but above all, he seeks happiness, security, comfort of rooms and areas of the hotel. Any technique or science applied to hotel management would not be effective if it is not possible for all workers to understand the need to achieve excellent service.
It is important to note that the rooms within the hotel comply with certain comfort parameters that guarantee the well-being of our clients (physical, sensorial, functional, environmental, ergonomic and others). We must not forget that there are personal aspects that influence customer satisfaction, tastes and preferences, and customer expectations.
Supporting the importance of the quality of the rooms and the need to achieve excellent service is of vital importance to build customer loyalty and achieve truly satisfied customers.
Development
In tourism, quality and service are two categories that have a first-rate importance and have a close relationship, which could give the impression that it is the same, but there are marked differences between them that we should not forget.
Regarding the service, the Tourism Encyclopedia refers to: It encompasses situations of interaction between service providers, usually employees of a facility or establishment, and its customers. A broader description would include all the elements that become part of a package… as it happens in the hotel, a complex combination of products and services…
A service is the result of necessarily carrying out at least one activity at the interface between the processor (service provider) and the customer (tourist).
The provision of the service may involve, as in the case of tourism, the creation of an environment for the client: hotels, recreation centers, restaurants, but there are also tangible services: restoration, cleaning, reception, a cultural show, and others. The tourist product, due to its characteristics, integrates different categories of interrelated services.
According to Soler Grillo, Ortelio; 2004, five principles of service can be identified:
1. Listen to clients.
2. Define the principle to be provided.
3. Establish parameters and measure yields.
4. Select and train your employees.
5. Recognize and reward good results.
In the first place we will make references to the room and in this sense the reflections offered by the group of authors in the book of Floor Management, 2007 deserve special attention.
… ¨The room is the fundamental nucleus of a hotel installation since it is the basic concept that the client pays for. Its sale depends largely on their conditions, and its demand will be broader, if it corresponds to the current market offer possibilities…
The residential floors must be designed and furnished in such a way that they favorably impart to the clients, harmoniously reflecting the characteristics of each installation. In this sense, it is vitally important to achieve a pleasant, attractive, comfortable and safe environment. The management of the hotel must never forget the rigidity of the accommodation offer… once the day is over there is no possibility of storing or recovering the room product. Hence the need to thoroughly understand both actual and potential demand, so that until the last minute there is hope of selling all the rooms… Jesús Felipe Gallego.
To analyze the different types of rooms, those referred by Olmo Garre, María José, 2001 were taken into account:
• Single room: Mounted with a single bed.
• Double room: they are equipped with two single beds or one double bed.
• Room with lounge: They have a private lounge.
• Suite: Set of two rooms, each with a respective dressing room and bathroom, as well as a living room and a common hall. You can also have a small kitchen.
• Junior suite: Unlike the previous one, it lacks a second bedroom.
• Rooms for the disabled: Its design must be careful and beautiful but adapted to the needs of the clients.
• Apartment room: Also called aparthotel. Its greatest contribution is to have a kitchen with an endowment.
• Connecting rooms: Separated by an intermediate door.
• Rooms with mezzanine: They have two levels linked by a staircase.
• Non-smoking rooms: Their only difference is that they lack an ashtray in their accessories and are identified by an indicator of smoking prohibition. Some hotels may have plants for these clients.
In other hotels we can find rooms for businessmen, for babies, for the elderly for ladies, ecological and others, always taking into account the function that it fulfills.
The style of the decoration, the basic components of the furniture, the lighting, the noise, the smells, the layout of the floor, the adaptability, the air conditioning are of vital importance in the room.
The success in the business of a tourist accommodation establishment consists, mainly, in maintaining maximum occupancy in all its rooms. A room that was not sold can no longer be stored.
The cleaning and preparation room Departure is especially important, as the new host will be prepared to a pleasant experience, we should not disappoint. Customers form immediate ideas the moment they enter the facility. These impressions are accentuated and confirmed or disappear on the journey from the reception to the elevator, and then along the corridor to your room.
Today the concept of quality has taken a great turn, the client defines what his needs are and the producer has to seek to know what those needs are and satisfy them. There are different levels of demands for each product or service, a quality for each need. Carrying out an analysis in this direction, quality is not only a property of the product or service other than who is going to consume it, but it is totally oriented to the needs of that consumer.
Today's customers are increasingly demanding and suppliers must change to adjust, always adding greater value to the products and services they sell. Quality expert studies show that today's customers want the exact selection of products and services that help deliver the total solution they have in mind.
On the other hand, the waitress is responsible for the cleaning, conditioning and aesthetics of rooms, to provide them fully with the necessary supplies as well as to report their damage and breakdowns found. Since it guarantees hygiene and comfort to the client, it is an important element in the quality management of the hotel facility. The person in charge of this work must have specific and necessary qualities and characteristics to fulfill these tasks and responsibilities.
Today more than ever the phrase " quality in service " has a lot of meaning in modern hotels, which strive to provide guests with the greatest comfort in a pleasant and clean environment, because they know that the neatness they reflect will motivate them to to return.
Functions of the waitress position
• Check the good condition of the rooms and other dependencies (corridors, bathrooms, living rooms, kitchens, etc.) and the furniture.
• Clean and tidy the facilities and furniture, change the beds and move the dirty clothes to the laundry, supply the minibars, water the plants, vacuum and scrub the floors, replace the cleaning products and solve any other imperfect that may arise.
• Deliver objects forgotten by customers, following the rules established for their custody and return.
• Complete the worksheets and report the anomalies detected to the corresponding governor / superior.
• Prepare the necessary supplies, tools and cleaning products depending on the state of the rooms and collect them in the warehouse once the work is finished.
• Have their own work endowment.
• Collect parts and keys.
• Take out supplies and merchandise.
• Give the governess the forgotten objects.
• Check the facilities in the room, informing the housekeeper of any breakdowns (hairdryer, trouser press, lights,…).
• Clean the rooms, Office, corridors and general stair.
• Remove the breakfast trays and take them to the Office.
• Provide the rooms.
• Bring supplies and merchandise to the Office.
• Prepare the necessary material for the following day.
• Close Office leaving it clean and without garbage.
• Return parts and keys.
• Communicate material needs to the governess.
• Order the work cart and keep it in order.
• Keep the office tidy and with the door closed throughout the day.
• Check the minibar (where applicable)
• Replace the minibar (where applicable). Check expiration dates.
• Fill in the delivery note for the minibar drinks.
• Defrost the minibar (according to the conservation program).
If we analyze the functions of the waitress's workplace, we quickly realize the importance of their good performance to achieve comfort levels in the rooms and the role they play in achieving customer satisfaction rates, where the Service of excellence.
Quality in general has become the main strategy for tourism companies, a differentiating element within the acute competitive environment that prevails in the sector. For some years now, the tourism sector has been undergoing a process of change that has made quality one of the most precious elements for both tourists and tourism organizations.
In this context, the quality of services is occupying a primary place, associated with the changes that have been taking place in the life of society, becoming a competitive factor for small and medium-sized companies and promoting the use of instruments or tools that allow guarantee quality which can only be achieved in a stable, systematic and continuous way through its proper management.
International clients demand more and more quality of tourist services and the accommodation process as a key macro process within the hotel industry must take this into account and ensure the quality of all elements of the tourist product (including reception areas)., housekeeper, maintenance, technical services, among others).
The new trends in the tourism markets, together with the greater demand from consumers, technological innovations and the latest research related to the quality of services, require a constant effort in proposing new approaches and imaginative solutions for companies. of the sector. Hotel companies are a clear example of this need for continuous development of new services and products focused on quality and customer satisfaction.
The quality of the services is valued through the satisfaction of the client or user. However, the fact that the service is produced and consumed at the same time makes it impossible to control its quality before the sale or provision, that is, the error once made cannot be corrected. The client is present in the whole process and the longer the duration of the service, the more possibilities there are for mistakes to be made. For this reason, it can be said that in services it is essential to “do it right the first time.
If we take into account that the cause of quality is human beings, since it is we who make it or fail to do it because we have two characteristics that differentiate us from other beings on earth: will and intelligence, then we consider the role of the human factor in services.
The will makes us capable of deciding, of being and of wanting. It is a commitment to ourselves, to no one else. Know what I am, why and why.
Intelligence allows us to reason and understand the:
1. must be of things.
2. it must be from our work.
3. Our system works towards optimization and not towards maximization.
Satisfying customer needs and expectations is the most important element of quality management and the foundation of a company's success. The client becomes a source of strategic information about the quality of the product.
The mission is no longer about being better than the competition, the mission is now excellence.
In the consultation to the article, Excellence in service. An inescapable demand for globalization, by Daniel Tigani points out.
Why is excellence in service necessary?
• 96% of dissatisfied customers never complain, they just leave and never come back.
• Very satisfied customers, convey their satisfaction to 3 or less people.
• Dissatisfied customers convey their dissatisfaction to 9 or more people, because a bad experience will always be a good reason for conversation.
• It costs up to 5 times more to get a new customer than to sell to a customer. Because to sell to a stranger I have to advertise, promote, discount, gift, etc.
• The customer has a lifetime value, which is all that the customer can consume from what we sell throughout their lives. Losing a sale is insignificant compared to losing a customer.
The Mathematics of Service
• 1 dissatisfied customer who complained then means 20 dissatisfied customers who did not
• 20 x 9 influenced = 180
• 180 x 5 times the cost = 900
• 900 x Value for Life = A lot of money lost
The Tourism Encyclopedia refers to customer satisfaction that represents the positive result of the consumption of some products or the use of some services… it appears when the expectations of the tourist are met. It is associated with motivations, attitudes and service provision…
The company of the 21st century, if you want to stay and progress, needs excellence, according to Miguel Ángel Cornejo: Excellence is a peak to conquer. Constant obstacles and risks make the climb more challenging. Obviously upon reaching the goal the ecstasy of triumph is achieved. If tomorrow we want to feel it again, we must travel the route again to conquer the top of excellence… It is recommended by the author, live the spirit of service by adding a smile and launch new products and services.
Achieving to build a highly competitive company implies knowing very well how the internal processes work in companies, in terms of human relations, problem solving systems and decision making, internal political levels, emotional intelligence at work, but it also means understanding the way of being and acting of consumers. Therefore, to build quality, the use of management tools, the understanding of production processes and the measurement of quality levels are no longer enough. Today it is also very important to know the organizational behaviors, as well as consumer behavior.
Conclusions
• The quality of the rooms constitutes an element to consider in order to achieve the full satisfaction of our clients and retain customer loyalty.
• Achieving excellence in services is a major task for companies for the 21st century.
• The human factor plays a central role in current conditions because it is we who do or do not do quality.
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Daniel Tigani. Service Excellence
An inescapable demand for globalization. http://www.amauta-international.com/Excelencia%20en%20Servicio.htm
Lluis Mesalles Canals. Looking for quality and excellence in customer service and attention. 10 Of the month 11 of 2010. http://www.mailxmail.com/curso-atencion-habitaciones-hotel-aplicacion-calidad-2 Support
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