Complementary Services And Products In The Hotel Industry

Concept of home to deliver the hospitality experience

Discuss about the Complementary Services and Products.

Hotels are the establishments which offer the paid lodging and generally complementary services and products to the customers, and are ubiquitous, as well as, represents the hospitality industry. The hospitality industry particularly the hotel industry is observed to be the most lucrative enterprises globally and with the increasing global growth, the hotel industries are found to be continued as warrants and positive introspective scrutiny. It has been observed that the most important component of the hotel industry is the hospitality factor, also known as the service (Akova, 2015). The hospitality factor or service is paramount and is above anything else. One can form the most beautiful and attractive hotel having the most amazing parameters and features, but if the services to the guests are not good, the hotel industry will fail undoubtedly. Hence, hospitality factor or services is an important parameter in determining the growth of the hotel industry (Kattara & El-Said, 2013). I have been employed as a consultant by a hotel named Colony inn, which provides various facilities and services to the consumers like accommodation, entertainment, food and beverages, gaming, spas, meetings, events, and some related products. Authentic hospitality and high customer satisfaction are the key components of this hotel industry. Hence, in this business report, the methods and ways of incorporating the concept of home to market the services and to hospitality experience of the hotel industry will be discussed associated with its positive outcomes.

Hotels are focused on fulfilling the number of roles in the society and serve several services to the consumers. For several vacationers and travelers, a hotel is considered as a home away from their home. The main purpose and role of hotels is the provision of the shelter, refreshment, food, and various similar goods and services to the travelers, which are offered on a commercial grounds that are customarily equipped within the households but are unavailable to the individuals who are on a journey and away from their home. Historically, the hotels are found to serve various other functions like serving as centers of business exchanges, sociability, decorative showcases, places of deliberation and public assembly, vacation spots, political headquarters, as well as, temporary residences. Moreover, a broad range of various social and meeting procedures and activities are also conducted in a hotel like meetings, weddings, trade shows, family reunions, and conventions (Knutson, Beck, Kim, & Cha, 2008). The hotel can be described as an establishment that is held out by the owner or proprietor as a provision or offering of the sleeping accommodation to the individuals who are capable and willing to spend  a reasonable sum or amount of money for the various facilities and services that are being provided to them in the hotels. Various services and facilities can be housed or offered to the individuals in a hotel like guestrooms, fitness and spa facilities, meeting rooms, bars, restaurants, casinos, business centers, and parking facilities. As there is the evolution of the hotel restaurant in the  marketplace, it is very important for hotels and restaurants to become more distinct and competitive in the marketplace for gaining a competitive advantage over others in the market.  Various concepts and ideas have been utilized by several hotels and restaurants for increasing the hospitality experience and services provided to the consumers. The concept of ‘home’ is observed to be widely used by various hotels for providing their services to the consumers and delivering their hospitality experience, which in turn, provides a competitive advantage to them (Geieregger & Oehmichen, 2008). Hence, the utilization of the concept of ‘home’ by the hotels can help in gaining competitive advantage and providing good services and experiences to the consumers.

The concept of a home in the hotel industry

One of the most adherent developing sectors related to the economy in the present times is the hotel industry. It alone is emerging and multi-dollar enterprise. The hotel industry is the never boring, inspiring, as well as, the platform that offers various unlimited services, opportunities, and facilities to the consumers. Hotels tend to provide the precise and modern facilities, services, experiences to their guests. Guests are considered to be individuals who are on a vacation or tour and away from the homes. Thus, it has generated a feeling that the hotel industry should focus on providing the environment that is comfortable and homely to their guests (Kim, Palakurthi, & Hancer, 2012). Service or Hospitality is the primary essence of the hotel industry .Guest service indicates attentiveness to the needs and requests of the guests. The good and effective quality service is the primary component for running a good hotel and this could be achieved through the creation of an environment and atmosphere for the guests that provides the  feeling of being at home for the guests who are away from their homes (Lewinson & Esnard, 2015). The primary focus of the hotel industry is to make their guests feel relaxed and comfortable while staying or residing in the accommodations provided by the hotels. To increase the hospitality experiences of the customers, various commercial hotels and others who provide accommodations are using the concept of ‘home’ for offering their services and facilities. By using the concept of ‘home,’ the hotels are successful in handling and providing the effective services to the customers and hence, establishing good relationships with the guests (“Current and Conventional Appraisal Trends in Hotels”, 2016). Therefore, the incorporation of the concept of home by various commercial hotels and accommodation providers have increased the outcomes and services of the hospitality provided to their customers.

In the present times, a great change in the manner the individuals spend their vacations is observed.  Nowadays, people want to spend the quality times with their families and friends while simultaneously they also want to explore the several tourist places and spots present across the world. Hence, as a result of this variation, the hotel industry throughout the globe is observed to have the unprecedented growth that also resulted in the enormous growth of the accommodation facilities by the hotel industries and other commercial providers. Comfortable hotels, as well as, accommodation facilities, have the major role in popularizing or generalizing any tourist destination (Mifflin & Wilton, 2005). For instance, if the individual, who stays in the hotel and is far away from his/her home gets the opportunity of enjoying the same comfort and facilities as he gets at his home,  then the individual will be bound to have an attachment to that particular place. While, on the other hand, if the individual ends up at a hotel or a place where the accommodation facilities or hotels are not satisfactory, the chances are that he/she might not return to that particular place. Hence, this is the major reason why certain accommodation facilities and hotels that provide the accommodation have utilized the concept of ‘home’ in their offerings and shifted their primary focus on the provision of the maximum comfort and ease to their tourists and guests at a reasonable price. Various hotels have utilized the concept of the hotel by providing accommodations that are having extra benefits of having the library, study rooms, lounges, gym, cafes, personal bike, own cable TV, and Wifi. Additionally, many hotels and commercial providers are observed to provide the guests with the number of full-services that offers their guests to have access to the valet and laundry services, beauty salons, swimming pools, health spas, and fitness centers (Olsen & Connolly, 2000). Extended-stay hotels are generally found to provide the guests with the accommodation that are fully equipped with the kitchens, have office space with telephone lines and computers, entertainment systems, fitness centers, and various other types of amenities. Thus, incorporating the concept of the home fully making the guests more comfortable and relaxed with the home alike environment (Geieregger & Oehmichen, 2008). Moreover, all the suite hotels are found to offer a sitting or living room to the guests in addition to the provision of the bedroom in their accommodation facilities. Various hotels provide the services like housekeeping, laundry, and meals to their customers. While some of the hotels use the information technology for providing the home alike environment to their customers by using a wake-up system, providing video library, video cassette players, personal computers, multiple phone lines, voicemails, and electronic door locks. Hence, the incorporation of the concept of home by using various innovation ideas, the hotels are successful in providing good services to their guests and make them feel living at a “home away from home” (Kam Fung So & King, 2010).  Hotels are designing in such a way to provide the residential feel to their guests and aim to provide a physical environment to their guests where they can feel secure, relaxed, comfortable, in short, they can have the feeling that they are at home. By designing their rooms to look like and provide the home-like environment as much possible as, the hotels and other accommodation providers are utilizing the architecture, as well as, design for adding value to the experience of their guests (Gyurácz-Németh, Horn, & Friedrich, 2016).

Utilization of the concept of home by the hotels and other commercial providers

Customizing the experience of services for hotel guests and tourists is another way of service innovation. By incorporating the concept of home, the hotel can positively impact the hospitality experiences of the guests. The major attribute, which is often looked by the travelers or guests in a hotel is the ability of the hotel to make their guests feel comfortable and relaxed while they are away from their homes on a trip. It has been observed that there increasingly, various hotels are utilizing the concept of home-like or residential design and style for accomplishing that task (Bluyssen, 2010). Moreover, the degree to which a hotel, both the public spaces, and guest rooms can make the tourist feel comfortable like at their homes have a great impact on the hotel experience of the guests. Hence, our organization can also widely use the concept of residential or home-like environment for increasing the hospitality experience of the guests. Various ways by which the organization can utilize or incorporate the concept of hotel for the hospitality purposes include the idea of offering the furnishings that are rarely available in a hotel room like provision of the reclining lounge chair, television provided with a VCR, a big clock radio having a CD player with it, and provision of full-size appliances and utilities in the kitchen area to the guests. The  bathrooms can be featured with the Italian marble floorings, and using the wallpapers that are  typical or similar of the home design. Further, the concept called kid suites can also be employed, which is the room inside the room (Siguaw & Enz, 1999). The main purpose of designing kid suite is mainly for the children, and it enables the vacationing parents accompanied by their children to have their privacy and own space, thus, providing the home-like environment.  Further, the rooms can be provided with the personal computer, fax lines, multiple phone lines, and printers for the guests. The incorporation of the home like concept will increase the experience of the guests and will provide a competitive advantage to the organization over other in the market (Schall, 2003).

Conclusion

The main aim of the hotels and hospitality industry is to create an experience and environment for  achieving a high level of customer satisfaction. The main focus is hence, on pleasing and providing the best services to the customer. Hence, for delivering and anticipating the needs of the guests during their stay at the hotel has propelled the hotel industry to provide the best and comfortable environment to their customers (Su, 2004). Therefore, the concept of home is widely incorporated by various hotels and other accommodation providers for making their guests feel satisfied and comfortable during their stays and to provide them the residential or homely environment.  For enhancing the vacation experience of the guests, the guest and hotel rooms must be the source of the full entertainment, as well as, should be the sensory package, which is desired by the guests (Torres, Fu, & Lehto, 2014). Thus, the concept of home is the innovative idea for creating a wonderful and meaningful hospitality experience for the guests and in turn, increases the customer satisfaction.

References

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