...Be Our Guest Inc. is a Boston based company that rents party equipment to caterers, event planning firms, hotels, etc. for various events. The company was founded in 1983 by Stephen Lizio, a man with prior experience in the wine and food industry. When the firm first started operations, it only provided wait staff and other services to catering companies. However, in the mid-1980s the company began renting tables, chairs, and equipment as well and eventually became a full service company. Al Lovata, a former banker who started out as a part time financial consultant for Be Our Guest Inc. in 1987, was eventually promoted to Chief Executive Officer. Simone Williamson was also brought into the company in 1989 because of her extensive network among the Boston area caterers, and by 1996 she was appointed President of the firm. The company was growing rapidly from the early to late 1990’s, producing revenues of about $1 million in 1991 and reaching $2.7 million in 1997. They went from being a secondary firm who provided help to caterers when they had a bigger than usual event or needed some special service that regular suppliers could not provide, to a primary provider of party equipment. CEO Al Lovata claimed that the firm's emphasis on excellent service is to key to their success. As an example of the quality of Be Our Guest's service, they always make sure to wash, press and deliver their linens to clients on hangers, and even if the client requests for linens from another company...
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...Samuel Kui Section 0501 Be Our Guest Be Our Guest, a Boston based company, is a rapidly growing equipment rental company with substantial seasonality in its revenues and profits. For years, the company has been renting party supplies and furniture to caterers, event planners and hotels; it has also managed to grow gradually in a very volatile and seasonal business. The founder, Stephen Lizio and co-owners Al Lovata and Simone Williamson found it difficult to fund daily operations because of seasonal cash shortages. In 1996, the company had secured a $100,000 revolving line of credit at the prime rate plus 1.5%, and a $390,000 five-year loan at a fixed rate of 9.25%. By the end of 1997, the loan outstanding balance was reduced to $315,000 and the monthly payment is more than $8000. Many of Be Our Guest's customers had followed up their annual holiday rush, then party-equipment rentals peak, with their annual winter slump, leaving them unable to pay their bills until late spring. Holiday seasons in the fall and winter typically accounted for half of the company's annual revenues and the size of the seasonal rises is unpredictable. Trying to finance such sharp swings in demand has been one of the biggest challenges that the owners had to face. Although the company's annual revenue from 1995 to 1997 had risen 49% to $2.7 million, net income for 1997 had declined 37% to only $88,000; the decline was primarily attributed to large payouts and was taking it as salary...
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...In our case, a guest is having meal in The Hong Kong Jockey Club. She has order an a la carte with steak. She would like her steak with well done. Unfortunately, the waiter gives her a wrong meat temperature dish, i.e. medium. The guest is not satisfy with the dish and begin lose temper asking for explanation. The waiter has do the following step to provide the right and quality service to the guest. Firstly, the waiter tries to calm the guest down. Secondly, he is listening to the guest’s grievances, so as to provide the right service to the guest again. And he is allowing the guest to vent, to let the guest express her unsatisfactory. Thirdly, the employee tries to apologize for the wrong service, to give the image that our restaurant is willing to correct our mistake and not to happen again. Fourthly, the employee has done the corrective action. He asks the chef to cook the dish again as soon as possible. And with the correct meat temperature i.e. well done. This can show to the guest that we have a positive “can do” attitude. Finally, servicing the guest with politeness again. The skills and theories that we have apply in the case: For the procedural side: We have attempt timeliness. When the guest has problem regarding the steak she ordered. The employee has taken immediate action to approach to the guest. Listening what is her concerns and grievances. Then make a corrective action. Therefore, we can practice the moment of truth to the guest. Communication skill...
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...PARIS GRADUATE SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT MBA Case Study – Assignment 1 Operations objectives at the Penang Mutiara There are many luxurious hotels in the South-East Asia region but few can compare with the Penang Mutiara, a 440 room top-of-the-market hotel which nestles in the lush greenery of Malaysia’s Indian Ocean Coast. Owned by Pernas-OUE of Malaysia and managed by Singapore Mandarin International Hotels, the hotel’s General Manager is Wernie Eisen, a Swiss hotelier who has managed luxury hotels all over the world. He is under not illusion about the importance of running an effective operation. ‘Managing a hotel of this size is an immensely complicated task,’ he says. ‘Our customers have every right to be demanding. They expect first-class service and that’s what we have to give them. If we have any problems with managing this operation, the customer sees them immediately and that’s the biggest incentive for us to take operations performance seriously.’ ‘Our quality of service just has to be impeccable. First of all this means dealing with the basics. For example, our staff must be courteous at all times and yet also friendly towards our guest. And of course they must have the knowledge to be able to answer guests’ questions. The building and equipment, in fact all the hardware of the operation, must support the luxury atmosphere which we have created in the hotel. Stylish design and top-class materials not only create the right impression but, if we choose...
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...Solution During a development phase spanning two years, Build-A-Bear Workshop worked with numerous partners to create a newly imagined store incorporating innovative interactive technology. With fun, experiential applications developed for each stage of the bear-making process, Samsung technology — including the Samsung SUR40 with Microsof PixelSenseTM, the Series 7 Slate PC and other touch-screen displays — provided the platform for a new, personalized retail experience that engages young guests in immersive digital play. Results The new, interactive store concept contributed to higher trafc and a 30 percent boost in sales — exceeding the company’s own ambitious targets. Customer satisfaction scores have risen in the stores, as has an equally important metric for the company: the number of children’s smiles. Based on this success, Build-A-Bear Workshop plans to open 40 to 50 more stores with interactive technology over the next two years. CASE STUDY: BUILD-A-BEAR WORKSHOP® Samsung Technology Helps Create Engaging Retail Experience for New Generation of KidsTHE CUSTOMER Build-A-Bear Workshop Build-A-Bear Workshop invented “experiential mall-based retailing” 16 years ago. It is the only global company that provides a retail environment where children can create their own stufed animals. Since its founding in St. Louis in 1997, Build-A-Bear Workshop has grown to more than 400...
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...Case Study Professor K Seung Joon Choi 32122606 Won Seuk Cho 32122603 Minh Nguyen 32145346 Yong Beom Park 32122594 4-29 Based on the Hotel Paris's competitive strategy "to use superior guest service to differentiate the Hotel Paris properties, I suggest these employee behaviors important for the Hotel Paris's staff to exhibit. 1. Employees show positive energy and be friendly with guests all the time, always look and talk to guests with a smile. Welcome guests with warm greetings, and end conversation with 'thank you'. 2. Employees remain calm and be supportive to guests regardless of situation. Know the standard of behaviors for various situations. Example: when guests are not happy, when guests have problems, etc. 3. Employees are ready to help/back up one another if needed, ready to collaborate to deliver superior value to guests. 4. Employees know how to deal with the unexpected, be aware of when, where, and who to call for help depending on the situation. For example: Know how to provide first-aid, call ambulance, how to evacuate people in case of fire, etc. 5. Employees are knowledgeable, know general information about the city, be able to suggest tourist information, where to eat, shop, as well as leisure activities and events going on in the city. Employees are encouraged to know a second/third language. 6. Employees know how to go beyond what is asked in a gentle and proper way to make memorable stay for guests. Example: Provide flower bouquet for wedding couples, small...
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...member’s case situation analysis and compare the spreadsheets posted in the corresponding group discussion forum. Engage in discussions with your team members to answer the new case questions and finalize the financial spreadsheet. You should submit the answers to the following questions and the spreadsheet in the corresponding group link included in the assignment drop box. The group submission will be graded according to the group case rubric. Rosewood Hotels & Resorts 1. What would you recommend to Rosewood Hotels & Resorts? In your answer include the following: • Provide 3 arguments that would support your decision. • Describe how you would implement your recommendation. Our recommendation to Rosewood would be to implement the Corporate Branding Strategy for its portfolio. • The Corporate Branding Strategy increases the number of stays per guest, which in turn, increases the top line revenues generated with the number of nights per stay remaining constant under both scenarios. With a gross profit margin of 32%; this translates to over 400k in Gross profit (before marketing costs). • Their retention rate would also increase 5 percentage points by providing a loyalty program their guests can associate with. This increase reduces the overall marketing dollars needed to attract “new” guests and use those resources towards the corporate program. The corporate branding increases the number of visits from 1.2 to 1.3 per year per guest. This raises...
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...there is a brand called Hyatt Park where I will focus and In this case they have an average of 200 rooms per hotels, so big hotels and they are situated on big cities where they are sure about the demand focusing on two main segments leisure and business. Economies of Scope: as product scope I selected the cross selling Product Scope: I realized that most of the Hyatt Park hotels have Spa, so they aren’t just focus on selling the room but also the spa in order to get more money. Because as we seen today its most of the times is better to have two products together than two separately in order to reduce costs and increase the profit. Market Scope: As most of the Hotels around the world are doing there are more than one price even for the same room, we have the seasonality issue than the rack rate corporative rate travel agencies rate, internet rate and partners as booking.com rate. Geographical scope: As most of international chains the cultural aspects of the country where Hyatt park establish is hotel there are cultural problems and due to the fact of Hyatt park is present around the world some adjustments has to be made. Hyatt Hotels has won several diversity awards and, as an example, the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Houston, USA, has carved out a niche market by specializing in South Asian Weddings. Hosting such events gives properties a competitive edge in obtaining future business and confirms to employees, guests and the...
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...weStJet mini case a great guest experience As the filled-to-capacity Boeing 737 taxis to the ramp at Maui’s Kahului Airport, 200 weary travellers are brought back to life by the a capella stylings of the lead flight attendant’s playful rendition of “Over the Rainbow.” Customers, or “guests” as WestJet prefers to call them, quickly realize that they are now part of another unique WestJet moment. They chuckle as the WestJetter cleverly integrates local time, temperature, and gate information into the lyrics, but he earns genuine LOLs when he works in the verse, “flying to Hawaii is free when you’re a WestJet employee.” Thus, despite being awake since 4:30 a.m., boarding a plane in Calgary in the dead of a prairie winter, and enduring a seven-hour flight with two young children who refused to sleep, these “guests” are ready to embrace the magic of Maui. The travellers may never know the reason for the improv performance, but maybe it was just another example of what the advertisements have been telling us for the better part of a decade: “Owners care,” a slogan communicating how the airline’s employee stock option package motivates participating WestJetters to go just a little bit further to please. WestJet’s philosophy of creating customer value is not based in its industry-leading turnaround times, modern fleet of planes, or even its competitively priced fares. Customer value stems from the core of a corporate culture, something only achievable when your people are engaged...
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...INDUSTRY CASE STUDY Leading Hotel & Resort Brand Harnesses the Voice of the Customer to Improve the Guest Experience About the Brand One of the leading hotel and leisure companies in the world has over 1,000 properties spanning eight different brands in 100 countries and approximately 145,000 employees at its owned and managed properties. The company is also one of the premier developers and operators of high quality vacation interval ownership resorts. “ We were specifically looking for a tool that would provide the managers with a quick snapshot of the top ten guest compliments and top ten guest complaints each month... ...We also wanted to allow them to be able to drill down to look at the actual comments. Challenge: With a reputation for driving ever-higher levels of guest loyalty, satisfaction and brand advocacy, the hospitality company strives to continually improve its guest experiences. And what better way to accomplish that goal than by gaining a deep understanding of the wants, needs, and preferences of its guests? Indeed, collecting and analyzing customer feedback on an ongoing basis lies at the heart of the company’s day-to-day operations and overall growth strategy. Each of the hotels across the hospitality company’s entire portfolio of renowned brands automatically invites guests to complete a brief online satisfaction survey following their stay. The survey consists of standard questions with answer choices for rating different aspects of the guest experience...
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...accessibility to every passenger travelling on Nexuss Airlines. Our telephone numbers which are accessible 24 hours are: 800 37000 800 21000 800 56000 • Nexuss Airlines are committed to making our tickets easily available to our Guests. Nexuss Airlines tickets can be purchased by: 1. Calling up our Call Centers 2. The Nexuss Airlines website (www.nexairlines.com) 3. Through the Travel Agents • Nexuss Airlines follows a dynamic fare policy and the fare levels fluctuate depending on the number of bookings made / anticipated on a particular flight. It is Nexuss Airlines’s commitment to the Guests that at any given point of time the lowest available fare at that time would be made available on all booking mediums. In case a lower fare level is available after a Passenger has made his booking, a rebooking will be allowed on the lower fare level after paying a seat release charge. Our fares are quoted in UAE Dirhams and in US Dollars. International guests can book and make payments through their credit card. • Amendments and Cancellations Nexuss Airlines understand that passengers could be in a situation where they have to amend or cancel their tickets. At Nexuss Airlines our passengers can amend or cancel their tickets up to one hour before the scheduled departure of the flight. • Keeping you informed At Nexuss Airlines we are committed to keep passengers informed in case of known delays, cancellations and diversions as early as possible...
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...Contents Executive Summary Chapter 1 Research background * Research Question * Hypothesis * Target group * Problem statement Chapter 2 Employee contracts & Guest contracts * Legal issues present * Authorities that check contracts and agreements Chapter 3 Plan of action * Implementation of the STEM Concept * Strategy to come to a solution * Suggested incorporated contract agreements Chapter 4 Conclusion Chapter 5 Recommendations Executive Summary The hotel industry is currently growing in Suriname, which makes that also that job opportunities are increasing. In Suriname there are various hotels with different classifications with different standards. It is very important for hoteliers, employees and guests that they adhere to these standards. One of the most important standards is that the hotel management must follow the agreements written in a contract towards the employees and also towards the guests. It is important for Hotels to incorporate the concept of Reasonable Care. Reasonable care is the degree of caution and concern the hotel in this case would use in similar circumstances. It is a standard used to determine a legal duty and whether such duty was fulfilled. Hospitality operations have a duty of reasonable care to protect guests. The hotel is not liable for acts that it could not reasonably foresee. A Contract is an agreement between two or more parties that is enforceable in court, which means that there...
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...Task 1: 1.1 Discuss accommodation and front office services for different organizations. Different hotel offers different type of accommodation and services. Some hotel may offer a complimentary breakfast when guest checked in but some might not have this type of services available in their hotel. These hotels are categorized under a system called the hotel rating systems. Hotel ratings are used to classify hotels according to their quality. Its main purpose is to inform travelers on basic facilities that can be expected. (Wikipedia, 2014) There are various ranges of hotel star ratings, from 1 star hotel to luxurious 5 star hotel. Hotel Star Ratings | | | | | | | | | Example of hotel star ratings For this report, as a Rooms Division Manager who previously worked in Rizqun International Hotel, a 5 star hotel in Brunei Darussalam, I am now working in The Brunei Hotel, a 3 star hotel and are required to restructure and analyse the differences of the housekeeping department and front office department between a 5 star hotel and a 3 star hotel. Housekeeping Department A housekeeping department in a 5 star hotel has more responsibilities than a 3 star hotel, because a 5 star hotel’s housekeeping department require a lot of staff as there are more rooms to be cleaned. In Rizqun International Hotel, there are more than a thousand rooms that need to be cleaned. In Brunei Hotel, there are only 65 rooms in total, and this does not require them to hire...
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...The Mansion on Turtle Creek in Dallas and The Carlyle in New York—trophy properties so distinctive, each could thrive on its own name, without any “corporate” identification (see Exhibit 1 for brand history). The Rosewood brand was muted, unmentioned in advertising, and known mainly to hotel professionals. However, in early 2004, to boost the company’s growth, John Scott, Rosewood’s new president and CEO, and Robert Boulogne, vice president of sales and marketing, were considering a new brand strategy. As Boulogne recalled: We thought the time was right to establish Rosewood as a true brand incorporated into the name of each hotel and prominently displayed in all communications for and at our properties. This would help provide us with a platform for encouraging guests who stay at one of our properties to stay at some of the others. But, they wondered how far they could push this branding strategy without undercutting the distinctiveness of each individually branded hotel. Company Profile and Background Headquartered in Dallas, Texas, Rosewood Hotels & Resorts, L.L.C, was a privately held company, established in 1979 by the Caroline Rose Hunt Trust Estate (see Exhibit 2 for biographies of key figures). The first hotel Rosewood managed was The Mansion on Turtle Creek, opened in 1980. This hotel was an old mansion in Dallas rescued from demolition by Mrs. Hunt, the daughter of Texas oil tycoon H.L. Hunt. Rosewood worked with Hunt to transform the property into a worldclass hotel...
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... You have asked our law firm for advice as to whether you are legally responsible for an intoxicated minor’s death, which occurred at a party at your residence near Hollywood, and alcohol was served. After reviewing the facts, you could be found free of any legal punishment by law. Although an entrance fee was required for some guests, in effect making them customers, not all guests were charged the entrance fee. Based on the facts of the case, the deceased minor did not pay an entrance fee. It would require the deceased minor’s representation to prove that you are liable in the death of the minor through the sale of alcohol on your premises or consumption. But, noting there is little to no evidence of such a sale, it would be nearly impossible to prove. The deceased minor’s representation will have to provide proof that the minor consumed alcohol at your residence as or had access to it as a customer and not a guest. The minor appeared to be intoxicated prior to the party and there is also no proof as to who provided the alcohol that the deceased may not have consumed. Your son and his fraternity threw a party at a private residence near Hollywood, CA. Members of Theta Kappa Sigma sorority were invited as guests. The party was a free social event at which alcohol would be provided. Guests arrived to the house at around 10:00pm, and by 11:00pm, the small gathering had increased drastically in size. There was not enough alcohol for the additional guests, so the first uninvited...
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