NN GRADUATION THE INVESTIGATION INTO THE CURRENT SITUATION OF SERVICE QUALITY OF FRONT OFFICE AT VINPEARL RESORT SPA HOI AN AND SOME SUGGESTIONS TO IMPROVE ITS QUALITY

FACULTY OF ENGLISHGRADUATION PAPER THAI THI THANH VAN THE INVESTIGATION INTO THE CURRENT SITUATION OF SERVICE QUALITY OF FRONT OFFICE AT VINPEARL RESORT & SPA HOI AN AND SOME SUGGESTIONS

FACULTY OF ENGLISH

GRADUATION PAPER

THAI THI THANH VAN

THE INVESTIGATION INTO THE CURRENT SITUATION

OF SERVICE QUALITY OF FRONT OFFICE AT VINPEARL RESORT & SPA HOI AN AND SOME SUGGESTIONS TO

IMPROVE ITS QUALITY

Course : 2016 - 2020

FACULTY OF ENGLISH

GRADUATION PAPER

THAI THI THANH VAN

THE INVESTIGATION INTO THE CURRENT SITUATION

OF SERVICE QUALITY OF FRONT OFFICE AT VINPEARL RESORT & SPA HOI AN AND SOME SUGGESTIONS TO

IMPROVE ITS QUALITY

Course : 2016 – 2020

SUPERVISOR: PHAN THI TINH TAM

DA NANG – May 2020

STATEMENT OF AUTHORSHIP

Except where reference is made in the text of the graduation paper, this papercontains no material published elsewhere or extracted in the whole or in partfrom a graduation paper by which have qualified for or been awarded anotherdegree or diploma

No other person’s work has been used without due acknowledgement in thegraduation paper

This graduation paper has not been submitted for award of any degrees ordiplomas in any other tertiary institutions

Danang, May 14 th , 2020

Thai Thi Thanh Van

This graduation paper could not finish without all enthusiastic assistance,advice, and encouragement of my beloved teachers, family, and friends.First of all, I am so grateful to you for your help and transfer of valuableexperience, which will equip us with the knowledge to get into real life.Mainly, I would like to thank my supervisor – Mrs Phan Thi Tinh Tam, whohas enthusiastically supported and guided me a lot during my graduationpaper

Secondly, I would like to thanks all lecturers of the Foreign LanguagesDepartment at Duy Tan University, the silent ferrymen that have loved andtaught me every day

Thirdly, I always express my deepest gratitude to my darling family Theyhave supported me when I have met some troubles in this graduation paper.They take care of me every day and always encourage me to study hard

At last, I would like to thanks my friends, who be with me to deal withtroubles and create a reasonable effort in studying Besides studying, theyhave held many funny games to relax I am so excited about that

I hope all of you have good health and success!

Thanks and Best Regard,

Thai Thi Thanh Van

TABLES AND FIGURES

Picture 1 & 2: VINPEARL RESORT & SPA HOI AN

Diagram 1: Front Office at Vinpearl Resort & Spa Hoi An

Table 2.1: Statistics table of the number of guests at Vinpearl Resort & SpaHoi An

Chart 1 : The column chart showed the percentage of guests staying between

2018 and 2019 at Vinpearl Resort & Spa Hoi An

Diagram 2: Front Office at Vinpearl Resort & Spa Hoi An

Diagram 3: Guest service process of Receptionist

Table 2.2: Quests’s evaluation about the lobby area of VinpearlResort & Spa Hoi An

Table 2.3: Guests’s evaluation about the Reception area of VinpearlResort & Spa Hoi An

Table 2.4: Guests’ evaluation about the Receptionist of Vinpearl Resort &Spa Hoi An

Chart 2: Guests’s evaluation about the voice of Receptionist at VinpearlResort & Spa Hoi An

TABLE OF CONTENTS

STATEMENT OF AUTHORSHIP i

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT ii

TABLES AND FIGURES iii

PART A: INTRODUCTION 1

1 Rationale 1

2 Aims and objectives 2

2.1 Aims 2

2.2 Objectives 2

3 Scope of the study 2

4 Method of the study 3

5 Structure of the study 4

PART B: DEVELOPMENT 5

CHAPTER 2: CASE DESCREPTION 6

2.1 General introduction of Vinpearl Resort & Spa Hoi An: 6

2.2 Operation of Vinpearl Resort & Spa Hoi An: 7

2.3 Organizational Structure of Vinpearl Resort & Spa Hoi An: 8

1.3.1 General Manager 9

1.3.2 Reception department 10

1.3.3 Personnel Department 10

1.3.4 Accounting Department 11

1.3.5 Technical and Security Department 11

1.3.6 Housekeeping Department 12

1.3.7 Food and Beverage Department 12

1.3.8 Sale Department 13

CHAPTER 2: ANALYSIC AND EVALUATION 14

2.1 The target market of the resort 14

2.2 Area of essential business 14

2.3 Accommodation business 14

2.4 Catering business 15

2.5 Additional service business 16

2.6 The real situation of service quality of the Reception Department at 17

2.7.1 Reception and reception activities at the resort 19

2.7.2 The organizational structure of the reception department 26

2.7.3 Human resources of the reception department 28

2.7.4 Physical Facilities of the Reception 29

2.7.5 Working hour and human resource layout of the Reception Department 30

2.7.6 Serving Process and basic operations of the Reception Department .30

2.7.7 Opportunities for training and promotion of the reception department 34

2.8 Evaluating the real situation of service quality of the Reception Department at Grand Tourane Hotel 34

2.8.1 The method of assessing service quality of the Reception Department 35

2.8.3 Evaluating the staff of the Reception Department 37

2.9 General evaluation of the service quality of the Reception Department at Vinpearl Resort & Spa Hoi An 39

2.9.1 Strengths 39

2.9.2 Weaknesses 41

CHAPTER 3: SUGGESTIONS 42

3.1 The basis for giving solutions to the company 42

3.2 Suggestions 42

3.2.2 Improving Human qualifications 44

3.2.3 Improving foreign languages skills 44

PART C 46

CONCLUSION 46 REFERENCES

SUPERVISOR’S COMMENT

COUNCIL REVIEWER’S COMMENT

PART A: INTRODUCTION

1 Rationale

In recent years, Tourism has continuously been growing It has becomeone of the dynamic economic sectors of many countries around the world.Each year, the tourism industry has brought to each country a hugerevenue, contributing to the national economy, increasing people’sincome, creating jobs, v.v The hospitality industry has increased aroundthe Vietnam country, and the services have made good progress Whenliving standards are rising, human needs are growing They not only havematerial needs but also they have spiritual needs, they want to relax, enjoy

a cozy space, a class service, and some exceptional food with family,friends The number of hotels, restaurants increased, the organization ofproducts and services varied increasingly All of them satisfy the needs ofpeople The Hotel is also considered as a business, and its top goal is tomake a profit The problem is how can a hotel business stand and maintainits prestige in the competitive world? Competition in the industry iscompetitive in terms of cultural quality, quality of civilization, quality ofservice … Alternatively, competition in all areas, including service quality

of Front Office, requires businesses to improve the quality of service.Determining the importance, each business needs to set a strategy, abusiness goal One of the critical factors for successful business operation

is the quality of service This is a key to help the company succeed in eachbusiness and achieve some brands and position in the market Therefore, Ihave chosen this topic “ THE INVESTIGATION INTO THE CURRENTSITUATION OF SERVICE QUALITY OF FRONT OFFICE AT

VINPEARL RESORT & SPA HOI AN AND SOME SUGGESTIONS TOIMPROVE ITS QUALITY” for my graduation paper.

2 Aims and objectives

- Identifying the reality of the service quality of Front Office at VinpearlResort & Spa Hoi An Basing on that basis, I have suggested solutions

to improve the quality of services, contributing to the development ofthe resort

2.1 Aims

- Identifying the importance of the service quality to attract customers ofthe resort

- Appreciating the real situation with the service quality of Front Office

at Vinpearl Resort & Spa Hoi An

- Suggesting solutions for improving the quality of service of FrontOffice at Vinpearl Resort & Spa Hoi An

2.2 Objectives

- Understanding the functions, duties, and importance of Front Office atVinpearl Resort & Spa Hoi An, for proposing some solutions toimprove the quality of the Reception in the hotel business

3 Scope of the study

- The study focused on the quality of service of Front Office

- Then, the research finds out the disadvantages and advantagesassociated with the procedure

- From there, proposing some solutions to improve the service quality ofthe Front Office to meet the needs of guests when coming to the resort

- Research subjects: Vinpearl Resort & Spa Hoi An

- The data was collected from 2018 to 2019.

How luxurious is the lobby area?

How clear is the lobby area?

How comfortable is the waiting chair?

How is the welcome drink?

How luxurious is the Reception desk?

How clear is the Reception desk?

How beautiful is the Reception desk?

How enthusiasm is the Receptionist?

How beautiful is the uniform of Receptionists?

How good is the language skill of Receptionists?

How professional is the job skills of Receptionists?

4 Method of the study

In order to finish the paper, I would like to use the following methods.Direct observation of activities, tools, and channels of communication ofAloha Restaurant at Holiday Beach Danang has been performed

- Method of collection: Collecting documents related to the serviceprocesses of the Reception in the resort

- Methods of the practical Survey: Spending a lot of time on doing world survey of hotels to compare and compare the theory and to reality

real Methods of analysis, synthesis, and evaluation: after synthesizing theinformation, I have analyzed and evaluated the data so that I can givesome comments on the service process of the Receptionist

5 Structure of the study

PART A: INTRODUCTION

PART B: DEVELOPMENT

There are 3 chapters in this part

Chapter 1: CASE DESCREPTION

Chapter 2: ANALYSIC AND EVALUATION

Picture 1: VINPEARL RESORT & SPA HOI AN

CHAPTER 1: CASE DESCREPTION 2.1 General introduction of Vinpearl Resort & Spa Hoi An:

Address : Block 6, Phuoc Hai, Cua Dai, Hoi An city, Quang Nam Province,Vietnam

Phone : (+84) 235.375.3333

Fax : (+84) 235.374.3333

Website : https://www.vinpearl.com/resort-hoi-an/

Picture 2: VINPEARL RESORT & SPA HOI AN

Vinpearl Resort & Spa Hoi An is located in block 6, Phuoc Hai, Cua Dai, Hoi

An, and 30km from Danang city; this luxurious resort has the most poetic andpeaceful beach location in Vietnam Vinpearl Resort & Spa Hoi An 5-star

resort welcomes all guests looking for luxurious accommodation, superbfacilities, and comprehensive services Vinpearl Resort & Spa Hoi An isabout 8 km from Hoi An ancient town Hoi An Market and Hoi An NightMarket are worth checking out if shopping is on the agenda, while thosewishing to experience the area’s natural beauty can explore Cua Dai Beachand Riverside Hoi An Hoi An Impression Theme Park and Thanh Ha PotteryVillage are also worth visiting Vinpearl Resort & Spa Hoi An is also close tofamous destinations such as Hoi An market, Cu Lao Cham, Bay Mau CoconutFores, etc.

2.2 Operation of Vinpearl Resort & Spa Hoi An:

Main areas of operation of the resort are accommodation, catering, and otherservices such as: 24-hour room service, massage, sauna services, laundry, drycleaning, meeting and events, etc

2.3 Organizational Structure of Vinpearl Resort & Spa Hoi An:

Diagram 1: Front Office at Vinpearl Resort & Spa Hoi An

Due to the complexity of the management work, which consists of unitsoperating in different areas but related to each other, the resort has made afairly reasonable management model It is a combination of two types ofstructure online and function

Hotel management has researched a lot of models to find the most appropriateorganizational model to get the above management and organization model.The system of technical facilities of catering - Currently, the entire businesssystem of the resort divided into seven parts, each of which is associated with

the operation function, forming a system of hotel services Leading eachdepartment is the General Manager; the services are closely related; the resortproducts are the contribution of the department and become the closerelationship between the teams, creating many stages of service With thismanagement model, the resort has reduced overlapping stages and delineatedthe functions of each department Therefore, we can find the organizationalmanagement model simple, compact, but still reasonable.

1.3.1 General Manager

The General Manager takes a responsible role for making decisions,determining plans, assigning tasks to the departments, comprehensivelymanage revenue - profit - loss issues, and supervise daily activities ofenterprises

In the resort, the General Manager - the position that holds the highestmanagement right with financial matters, operating - supervising the dailyoperations of the resort and often report the job directly to the investor orchairman

Directly responsible for business strategy, marketing, budget management,revenue - profits of the resort

Manage and supervise the operations of departments and divisions in theresort - ensuring efficiency, maintaining the best quality of service tomaximize profits

The Survey, analyze market trends, customer needs, and regularly monitor thebusiness situation of the resort to make timely changes proactively

Setting the hotel service quality standards Organizing and managing theimprovement of resort service quality to better meet the needs of customers.

1.3.2 Reception department

The function of the front office is to get in touch with customers directly and

is usually the first place that customers get to when they arrive at thecompany The front office can discover more information about the customer

by asking them questions, also helping the customers out

Staff working in the front office can also deal with simple tasks, such assorting out emails, helping out on printing and typing works Front office staffneed to use different skills in technologies too, such as using printers, faxmachines, and phones This is the reason why training is required before thestaffs start to work, although some might only be simple tasks The mostcommon work for the front office worker will be a mix of getting in touchwith customers and also helping out internally in the office

Other simple tasks, when taking customers’s jackets or serving drinks tocustomers, might also be part of the front office staff’s job

1.3.3 Personnel Department

Human resource managers are in charge of every aspect of the employee lifecycle in an organization The duties include planning, recruitment, andselection process, posting job ads, evaluating the performance of employees,organizing resumes and job applications, scheduling interviews, and assisting

in the process and ensuring background checks

Another job is payroll and benefits administration, which deals with ensuringvacation and sick time are accounted for, reviewing payroll, and participating

in benefits tasks, like claim resolutions, reconciling benefits statements, andapproving invoices for payment HR also coordinates employee relationsactivities and programs, including but not limited to employee counseling.The last job is regular maintenance, and this job makes sure that the current

HR files and databases are up to date, maintaining employee benefits andemployment status and performing payroll/benefit-related reconciliations

1.3.4 Accounting Department

Functions: Deciding on financial strategies; Finding capital, capital for theresort is about monitoring, managing, and reporting on revenue, expenditure,and debt books

Tasks: Making documents in the formation and use of capital; set up vouchers

to determine the business results of each department and the whole resort;Making financial statements by month, quarter, and year Managing andmonitoring revenues and expenditures

1.3.5 Technical and Security Department

or upon request

1.3.6 Housekeeping Department

Function- providing main products and services at the resort, bringing thehighest revenue in the total revenue of the resort, being responsible for theguests’ stay at the resort, coordinating closely and consistently with thereception department in selling and providing room service

Room division divided into small parts with specific functions, such ascleaning room, laundry room, cloth storage, public toilet, greenery, flowerarrangement, etc

Task: Preparimg the room, making sure it is always ready to welcome guests;like daily housekeeping toilets, lobby areas, and public areas; checking thecondition of rooms, equipment, items, and other products in the room whencleaning; receiving and delivering customer service, informing theReceptionist of the relevant issues; Understanding the tenant situation

1.3.7 Food and Beverage Department

The restaurant department is the division that brings the highest revenue tothe resort after the room division This department performs the jobs related

to dining at the resort, which is divided into two small sectionskitchen and bartable.

Function: providing food and drink to customers; cost accounting at thedepartment

Tasks: organizing food business activities including three main activities:processing, circulation, and catering services at the resort; catering for hotelstaff; provide additional services such as banqueting, buffet for seminars,banquets organized at the request of guests

1.3.8 Sale Department

Functions: finding customers for other departments such as restaurant rooms,expanding the market, attracting potential customers for the resort

The general business department includes Sales and Marketing Department

Mission: planning to find customers; promotion of product; market research,competitors; statistics, analysis, evaluation of hotel business efficiency;survey customers to give suggestions to their superiors on innovating andupgrading efficient services

CHAPTER 2: ANALYSIC AND EVALUATION 2.1 The target market of the resort

In business, customers are the critical factor number one, and the hotelbusiness is also no exception The number of guests determines the failureand revenue of the resort Currently, there is a wide range of hotels born, inHoi An also has a lot of 5-star hotels and Resorts established So there are afew difficulties in attracting customers In such conditions, the resort needs tounderstand the service market, products Besides, we can make reasonablebusiness strategies to attract and maintain the source of customers.

Vinpearl Resort & Spa Hoi An has exploited a relatively stable source ofinternational visitors, especially Korean enterprises, Australia works andworks in Hoi An This is the subject of high liquidity, mainly European guestsmarkets wish to use the services and premium products of the resort Forguests arriving in the resort, Korean guests accounted for 50%; Australianguests accounted for 40% and the rest of the guests, including 10% from othercountries

2.2 Area of essential business

Vinpearl Resort & Spa operates mainly in three areas; accommodation,dining, and complimentary services Accommodation and catering servicesare two services that bring revenue to the resort Additional services are alsobeing developed and partly profitable for the company

2.3 Accommodation business

This is the main business activity of the resort, invested in modern facilitiesand equipment The resort consists of a 4-story building and two villa areas,with 193 hotel rooms and 25 villas

All apartments are self-contained and fully equipped with modern equipmentsuch as high-speed internet, minibar, safe box, and small materials to bringthe perfect satisfaction to customers The closed toilet is arranged neatly,cleanly, up to the aesthetic standards The room also has fresh fruits, teamaking equipment, and some kinds of food and drinks In addition, the resortalso places booklets about the resort, additional services, or tours in Hoi An orthe surrounding areas.

For apartments, there are other utilities such as kitchens, refrigerators,microwaves, electromagnetic cookers, sinks making customers feel ascomfortable as being at their own homes

2.4 Catering business

This is an indispensable type of business in the resort to meet the dining needs

of guests as well as party guests The resort has two main restaurant areas Buffet restaurant - The Cham

Ala Carte restaurant – FAIFO

Pool Bar

Lobby Lounge

1 Buffet restaurant - The Cham

 Location: the 1st floor

 Capacity: 272 guests, serving buffet

 Service hours: Breakfast 06:00 – 10:30, Lunch 12:00 – 14:00, Dinner18:00 – 22:00

2 Ala Carte restaurant – FAIFO

 Location: the 1st floor

 Capacity: 168 guests, serving: A la carte / Set menu or Semi buffer

 Service hours: 11:00 – 22:00 (Lunch & Dinner)

 Serving: drinks, alcohol, and snacks

2.5 Additional service business

As advanced services such as business center, spa, laundry service, souvenirshop, Because this type is equally important to the revenue of the resort, it

is still invested and distributed by the resort and developed into specialequipment, especially the spa and business center Guests in the resort can usefree services such as swimming pool, sauna, business center, gym, in otherservices; guests have to pay extra

2.6 The real situation of service quality of the Reception Department at Vinpearl Resort & Spa Hoi An from 2018 - 2019

Quantity Rate

(%) Quantity

Rate(%)

(Chart 1 : The column chart showed the percentage of guests staying between

2018 and 2019 at Vinpearl Resort & Spa Hoi An.)

As the Resort only offers promotions and signs a contract with two countries,

information on the number of guests of those two countries and othercountries, including Vietnam.

The column chart illustrated the percentage of guests staying between 2018and 2019 at Vinpearl Resort & Spa Hoi An Generally, the highest percentage

of guests made up Korean and Australian, and visitors from other countries,including Vietnam, accounted for only a small percentage from 2018 to 2019.Specifically, the most common guests staying in 2018 belonged to Korean(55%) While the number of Korean guests in 2019 increased by 13% Thesecond most common visitors rested on Australian (35%) in 2018 But turning

to 2019, Australian guests were the most common guests staying And theleast common was other countries in 2018 (10%) and 2019 (14%)

In short, the above figures demonstrated an increase in the number of resortguests and an increase in revenue

2.7.1 Reception and reception activities at the resort

checkout procedures for guests on request, etc The Receptionist is usually thefirst contact and works with guests, ensuring an excellent first impression onthe resort, deciding the success in introducing, promoting the brand image ofthe resort, attracting potential customers, and retaining loyal customers.

In general, the main work in the resort reception’s working shift will bewelcoming guests - performing check-in, check-out, payment for guests -consulting services, and answering questions For guests, if available -receiving booking calls - receiving guest requests and forwarding to therelevant departments - handling situations of complaints, complaints of guestswithin the scope of authority, etc

B Role of the Receptionist

The reception department plays an essential role in the resort and gueststhrough its operations

• For customers:

The front desk is the first place customers come to, and when leaving, this isalso the place where customers come to checkout and complete theprocedures Therefore, receptionists need to make the first and lastimpressions very well with guests The more professional the Receptionist is,the more “points” the customer will earn, and the more they will want toreturn, the more beneficial they will be At the same time, this is also thedepartment that always knows all the interests and tastes of customers Thereception desk is also a place to receive and resolve any complaints arising

from guests during their stay in the resort promptly From there, help guestsunderstand, sympathize, and trust in the quality of the resort.

 For hotels:

A resort can operate thanks to the combination of many different partssmoothly In particular, the reception department is like the “nerve center” ofthe resort, receiving and resolving all customer information Specifically, thereception department has the following roles:

- Providing information, referrals, and advice to customers on the servicesavailable at the resort

- Receiving and promptly addressed all requests and complaints of customersand brought satisfaction to customers

- Getting reservations and room layout for customers

- Coordinating with related departments to ensure service, meeting all theneeds of guests during the stay at the resort

- Doing procedures of check-in, check-out, and paying for guests when guestscome and go

- Participating in the marketing of the resort

In the daily work, the front desk has a direct impact on the occupancy and theannual turnover of the resort The receptionists also act as advisors to help thegeneral manager to understand the characteristics and needs of the guests,from making specific and long-term plans At the same time, it is also easier

to develop and set up product promotion plans, prices, best practices to attractcustomers and bring customers satisfaction in price, and a great experience