PERFORMANCE CHECKS AND OPERATIONAL AUDITING

 

It is gospel in the hospitality industry that a guest is less likely to return to a hotel where they have experienced an unsatisfactory stay. The direct impact of dissatisfaction on revenue is obvious. The converse is also true, more satisfied guests tend to return. The hospitality industry spends millions of dollars per year to better understand guest satisfaction operational efficiency and loyalty. With an understanding of what causes guests to stay and return, hoteliers can act to increase loyalty, improve image and maximize operational effectiveness. Without this understanding, it is difficult to design programs that capture or retain guests and increase profits.

To identify the operational and marketing issues that influence satisfaction and loyalty, most hotels engage in some sort of survey of their guests. However hardly any hotel, restaurant or other service related company conducts a survey or carries out an internal performance check.

And then the questions, scales, and methods are often recycled from old surveys, created by people with much hospitality but little survey research expertise, or purchased from a consultant or a research firm.

For example, a dirty room makes for an unhappy guest, but a clean room may not change the negative attitude of a guest dissatisfied with the amount paid for the room. Attitudes and operational issues intertwine. Dissatisfied guests are more likely to perceive the property as offering a poor value for the money, and are less likely to return to the property.

The development of valid and timely data is the key to gaining the information that hoteliers use to guide profitable decisions.

SERVUS has developed a number of questionnaire templates called HEAD (Hospitality Evaluation and Development forms) for all departments and disciplines within the hospitality industry covering City and Resort Hotels, Golf and Wellness Hotels, Bio Hotels, Club Houses and others.

In order to achieve the best results the Performance Evaluation Process has been defined as a Trilogy of Events which will produce the necessary results and based on which meaning management decisions can be taken

TRILOGY OF EVENTS

Step 1:

Objective definition:

• Which areas are to be checked
• What is the preferred measuring ( 1 - 5 or 1 - 3 or 1 - 2)
• Identify weight of the various Questions

 

Step 2:

• Disguised Guest observes the operation based on an agreed report
• Departmental Performance control in co-operation with the Department Heads. The Initial Performance Check of the operation based on a proven check list covering all aspects of the operation.
• We have developed a set of questionnaires for all departments and all functions within a hotel operation which are - with the help of the owner or the help of an assigned Executive of the hotel - tailored to the needs and specifics of property.
• The answers to these questionnaires define the strength and weaknesses of the present operation.

Step 3:

Report:

The report is a blend of the observations made by the Mysteryshopper and the Findings collected during the interviews with the respective executives and department heads.

The report given is

• Numeric: which allows for measuring and comparing
• Narrative: which allows for listing of further details
• Visual: some of the operation will be taped by a disguised guest (Mystery Shopping)

The reports include

• Observations
• Analyses
• Suggestions for Improvement

Please contact us in case you would like to have further information and / or to provide you with a quotation for your hotel or restaurant.