Travel, Tourism, Lodging, Food & Beverage, Content and Application Essay Example for Free

Travel, Tourism, Lodging, Food Beverage, Content and Application Essay Abstract In this very competitive world of business like in hotel and restaurant, it is not only about customer service is important but more importantly it is about safety and design of the hotel is very important.   Rehabilitation that not only gives security for its guest and even rehabilitation of guestrooms would give added enticement for guest to come to the hotel.   This is also the main aim of this paper, which is to provide the different factors that should be done in order to achieve effective rehabilitation and maintenance in the hotel. Introduction In this continuous effect if globalization, many businesses are not only continuous to rely heavily on research on how they can perform quality service and also on how they can effectively manage human resources in the organization.   But, for hotel and restaurant business, it is more than just superior quality service or satisfying its manpower that needs to the main priorities.   Since hotels and restaurants are there to entice guest, most especially foreign guests, their safety and comfort is another aspect of the business that cannot be compromised. Safety, not only with regards to terrorist attack but safety with regards to maintenance and rehabilitation of the building itself is the one that needs to be done.   For superior comfort and satisfaction among its guest, design is another aspect that guest would always feel to come back to the hotel and restaurant that has created more than just satisfaction for them, but it is more of total relaxation and peace whenever they visit and these are the main focus of this paper.   This paper also provides some relevant information that would really help hotels or restaurant to achieve these very important aspects of this type of business. Main Thesis Rehabilitation is truly one of the most important aspects of ensuring guest that safety is also a priority in every hotel business in order to achieve superior quality service.   This has also become a common practice and a shared responsibility of the housekeeping, maintenance, and engineering department of all hotels.   Housekeeping because with excellent housekeeping, it can help guest to be organized since the hotel is also organized, effective advice on where and when to use facilities and other hotel service will be observed.   Maintenance is also another aspect for this paper because it also a vital department for assuring quality in the hotel, this department does all the fixing that need to be perform in the hotel before it becomes worst if not attended properly. One excellent example for maintenance is electrical maintenance within the hotel, possible leak problems also.   These are just some of the problems that may arise if maintenance department will not be pro-actively anticipating these problems.   Lastly, engineering department within the hotel is also another team that will be vital for the success of rehabilitation; engineering team will be used to formulate a more of long-term plan for the hotel in order to achieve longer and stable security and assurance for safety within the hotel.   One good example here is when they implement control system for disaster and safety devices that will be used for emergency situations. III. Related Topics In the actual rehabilitation of the facilities in the hotel, there are many roles that need to be involved.   Not only roles or duties are involved but also additional cost is also involved. Facility Systems Facility systems are one of the major aspects of rehabilitation that is always a concern within the hotel.   It involves the following facilities: (1) safety and security, (2) water and wastewater, electrical, (3) heating, ventilating and air conditioning, (4) lighting, (5) laundry, (6) food service equipment, lastly, (7) building structure, finishes and site system.   These are the different facility system that has to be the main focus for rehabilitation and maintenance.   Starting from safety and security, alarm signals are just one of the most common facilities involved in security.   This sometimes creates peace of mind for most of the guest since it makes them feel that the hotel can always be ready for any disaster. This also directs guests to directions and paths for safety in case disaster happens, an example guide here is the fire exit and fire extinguishers, and these are just two common examples.   For water and wastewater systems, it involves how waster is properly managed within the hotel.   This is one of the most important facility systems within the hotel that can create big dissatisfaction among its guests, because waster can affect health and it can cause other problems like environment as well.   Waster control like proper garbage collection and disposal are just some of the common priorities in this area.   But, more importantly is water; water system should also be maintained at all times since it is the source for cleanliness within the hotel.    Maintaining it like always checking the water holes and reserves, most especially for disaster situation is importantly be monitored and checked round the clock.   The third is electrical system, this is no question that has to be maintained as well since most buildings like hotels, electrical related disasters are always the issue for fire in the buildings. Some of the common priorities in order to minimize if not totally eliminate this problem is that it needs to check the smoke and fire detectors, also includes here is the safety guidelines for safe electrical tips within the hotel.   Guest should always be well educated for every situation that would occur that relates to electrical issues within the hotel, because this not only would create problem for the guests but also for the owners most especially.   The fourth facility that needs to be well maintained and rehabilitated is lighting, lighting creates better ambiance for the hotel which creates a relaxing mood for the guests. Lighting focuses more on the design of the hotel rather than for security and safety of the guests.   For the fifth and sixth facility systems, laundry and food service equipment, starting with the laundry, these are very important for long stay guests, laundry services and facilities are essential most especially in terms of drying services for laundries. There are laundry services that have no driers available and this can create dissatisfaction for the guests.   The sixth facility services of food equipments, many facilities that falls in this category are common facilities within the hotel, food equipments are sometimes in common areas where these equipments must also be checked if it is enough for its guests, like for example doe micro wave ovens are enough for the guests. Or will there be any facility that would give guest the chance to cook in their own room in case they want it.   Lastly, is building structure, does the building is well maintained yearly, does the structure is string enough to sustain the number of floors with the total number of guest and what if the number exceeds this numbers. Or what if there will be disaster like earthquake, will the building can sustain that unexpected disaster, does the building has been checked regularly on how its structure can sustain disaster.   This is very important because it does not only create a worry-free for customers or guests but also a concern for business if in case the owners would really focus on not just satisfying their customers with their design but most of all safety of everyone. Facility Design The design for hotels establishments is also another priority for maintenance and rehabilitation.   Design is always a recipe for competition among hotels, it also one major aspect on how it can entice more guests depending on how relaxing and how inviting the design of interiors it maybe.   One of the major designs driven part of the hotel is the lobby or the guest rooms.   This is where quest considered as king and queen of the hotel.   This can create an environment of high respect for its guests.   Maintaining this part of the hotel is considered a mandatory action that needs to be done all the time.   From the superior design of lightings, interiors, furniture and even up to the uniform that is worn by hotel personnel are all part of the design that would attract more and more guests to visit the hotel. In the design priority within the hotel, there are three most common design factors that always need to prioritize in the hotel: lodging planning and design, food service planning and design, and lastly, other renovation design.   Lodging planning design is again part of this is the guest room, reception or lobby design area, where this section should always be well attractive to the guests.   Again, most of the time it is not only the design itself that is being focus here but part of it are also the people who are working within this special section of the hotel.   Usually, only the most charming, intelligent and articulate persons of the hotel works in this section, which not only to educate guests about the security, safety as well as how they can enjoy other facilities are explained.    Lodging planning design also involves the way the rooms are designed which primarily focus on how they can effectively welcome guests with the design and well presented gifts and service that guests can always feel respected.   For food planning design, this is more of how personalized service is given for guests, like the usual breakfast in bed or if the guests are in the buffet area, a design for presentation of food where the guests will be able to be given freedom of choosing what ever food he or she wants.   A design that would not always make the guest feel bored, even a smile from the waitress and a warm offering of additional coffee or with additional towel even before the end of meal are an important gestures that need to be carries out and will always be part of the design of the food planning of the hotel. For other renovation design, there are also other parts of the hotel that are usually in need of design improvements or maintenance.   This includes facade of the hotel or even the design of facilities of the hotels like swimming pools and saunas.   This could also add value to the service that the hotel provide from its guest, most especially if the hotel always tried its best to be more personalized as possible, that would give additional appreciation from the guests.   (Stipanuk, D, 2006, pp. 89-201). Involvement in Safety Organization through Training and Seminars It is also important for hotels to be able to really measure the success and achievement they have when it comes to safety or design is to be involved in known and respected organizations.   Like in the case of safety OSHA Us Department of Labor (Occupational Safety and Health Administration), this organization is one of the well respected institution when it comes to safety and health administration in all types of organization.   For hotels, it is important that they are well monitored and followed the best guidelines of this organization in order not only use the company investment effectively but also would give its owners most especially their customers the assurance that they are compliance to real safety and health procedures that are presented by such well respected institution like OSHA. As lone good example in this paper is where there was a recent partnership or alliance between the workers of the US Virgin Islands Hotel and Tourism Association and the US labor Department’s OSHA.   This alliance will promote safety and health trainings for hotels and hospitality workers of the Island.   This alliance will focus on three aspects: fire protection, hazard communication and the use of personal protective equipment.   This training not only gives the worker more confidence as to how they would react and act on certain situation pro-actively, most especially in situations that are unexpected. The training will also give the workers enough information on hoe they will identify the hazardous information that they might encounter on the job and how they can respond and act on it.   OSAH will also provide best practices and processes on the safety and health administration that can be applied in the hotel which is mandatory for all hotel businesses.   This was also considered a big investment not only for future business benefit but also knowledge gain for all the workers in the hotel business around the island.   With this initiative, the workers will be more confident in performing their jobs and also can increase quality service for its customers in the island.   (Fitzgerald, T, 2007). Infusing New Ideas In the side of design, there are both innovative and economical ideas that can be perform in the hotel business.   This also could help minimize or if effectively implemented could eliminate disaster in the hotels.   Like the infusion of better lighting systems and designs within the hotel.   One of the most well respected organization in the United States that focuses on inventing and finding new innovative ideas when it comes to lighting is the American Lighting Association.   These organizations are formed to assist home owners or hotel business owners on how they can design a lighting system that not only costly but also can provide an enticing design for guests.    Sometimes it is really important for hotel owners not only to seek designs that are presented by internal hotel experts but also can come from experts that are purely specialized into a specific subject, like in this case lightings.   The American lighting Association has a group of experts in lighting that are experienced with expertise in imagination.   They are tag to developed not economical design but also beautiful to the eyes. This is very essential in the success of the hotel because it does not only help the business in minimizing the cost but more importantly can be an option for design improvements and rehabilitation process in the hotel which is the main subject of this study.   (What does it mean when a store is a member of the American Lighting Association, n.d.). Conclusion In this study, it only shows that for hotel any hotel business, maintenance and rehabilitation is not just making sure that customer will be satisfied but also would help its owners and employees to know the right processes that needs to be perform in the hotel businesses.   Processes like in terms of facilities and design, facilities that would make the business performs based on the effective guidelines that is advised and mandated by respected organizations like the US Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration.   This can help boost the business not only will favor the employees but most especially their customers as well, since they can always make sure that the service being rendered are in accordance with the policies. In this study, it also showed that design is not just for beautification that needs to be done in the hotel, but it can also create economical ideas that can also comes from not just from the internal experts of the hotel but also from reliable organizations like American Lighting Association, which not only provides expertise for beautification through lighting but also gives convenience for owners as well since cost will be less.   Trainings are also encourage to be perform of hotel businesses since there are some cases that learning the processes within is not enough, most especially as time goes on, new implementation needs to be followed in order to be sure that processes are still applicable. References Fitzgerald, T. New Alliances will Promote Safety and Health Training for Hotel and Hospitality Workers in the US Virgin Island’s Hotel Tourism Association Joins with the US Labor Department’s OSHA. US Department of Labor – Occupational Safety Health Administration. 20 February 2007, http://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_document?p_table=NEWS_RELEASESp_id=13781, Retrieved 13 July 2008. Stipanuk, D. (2006). Hospitality Facilities Management and Design 3e. US: Educational Institute of the American Hotel. What does it mean when a store is a member of the American Lighting Association. American Lighting Association. N.d, http://www.americanlightingassoc.com/home.php, Retrieved 13 July 2008.