Managing hospitality resources Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Managing hospitality resources - Essay Example This paper takes a glance at the factors which influenced at the survival and economic prosperity of the hotel industry: the availability of leisure time for people and the possession of a high disposable income by them. This is so because; most people will go to the hotels after they have serviced the domestic needs and remain with extra disposable income, which they can use for leisure, recreation, and entertainment. Without ample leisure time however, it is difficult for them to attend to such activities. Since the industry mostly offers food service and accommodation, competition in this field is inevitable. With the advances in technology witnessed of late, the industry can take the advantage of these advances to obtain a competitive edge over its competitors. Technology can therefore be used in the industry to improve operational efficiencies, afford the hotel guests enhanced and quality services, and increase the income earned by the hotels. The pace and rate at which technolo gy is changing is too high, so that it leaves the whole industry confused in the right technology to adopt. Since a technology considered superior today might be found redundant after a few months or years, the industry has a difficult time deciding on which ones to incorporate into their systems. Thus, the choice of appropriate technology for the hotel industry is a paramount issue. Technology can support the management of the hotel industry through many ways. It can be used to enhance the guest experience, an aspect that will allow them visit the hotel again or recommend others to the same facility. This way, technology can be used to enhance customer services, through creating avenues that will enhance faster check- ins and check-outs, allow a timely response to any of the customer requests and enhance their stay environment through a range of entertainment and recreation activities (Bentley, 2005 p66). The other way in which technology can support the management of the hotel ind ustry is in improving the operational efficiencies. This can be achieved through applying technology to reduce the administrative requirements, lean the staff requirement in the facility to sizeable and manageable level, and enhance the cross-functional training. Technology can also be used to centralize most of the functions of the hotel, so that they are operated from a centralized locality, while at the same time enable the management of the hotel to distribute widely its services to the point of easy access by their clients. Since customer expectations as to the services they should receive from the hotel industry are increasing by the day, incorporation of appropriate technology can enhance the possibility of meeting their requirements. Presently, customers expect to be served within the least time possible when they enter into a hotel facility. In such a case, the incorporation of advanced technology that will be used to communicate the requirements of the customers from the r eception department to the kitchen and lodging department will go a long way to ensure that customers are not delayed (Lew, 2008 p412). Management can also use technology to enhance their cost control functions. Appropriate technology such as a system to procure, order, receive and store raw materials and other products required by the hotel facility can serve to reduce the cost incurrence by the hotel (Patrick, 2010 p35). For example, if a hotel lacks a good stock control system, it is likely to find itself lacking some materials while they are highly demanded. This would mean that the hotel would fail to meet their customer needs and consequently lose their loyalty and goodwill. If a hotel facility incorporates a good stock