BÁO CÁO TIỂU LUẬN THI KẾT THÚC HỌC PHẦN TÊN HỌC PHẦN NGHIỆP VỤ PHÒNG KHÁCH SẠN ĐỀ TÀI DEVELOPING SERVICE QUALITY IN 5 STARS HOTEL HOUSEKEEPING DEPARTMENT UNDER INFLUENCE OF COVID-19 PANDEMIC

KHOA DU LỊCHBÁO CÁO TIỂU LUẬN THI KẾT THÚC HỌC PHẦNTÊN HỌC PHẦN: NGHIỆP VỤ PHÒNG KHÁCH SẠN BẬC: ĐẠI HỌC CHUYÊN NGÀNH: QUẢN TRỊ KHÁCH SẠN TÊN ĐỀ TÀIDEVELOPING SERVICE QUALITY IN 5 STARS H

KHOA DU LỊCH

BÁO CÁO TIỂU LUẬN THI KẾT THÚC HỌC PHẦNTÊN HỌC PHẦN: NGHIỆP VỤ PHÒNG KHÁCH SẠN

BẬC: ĐẠI HỌC CHUYÊN NGÀNH: QUẢN TRỊ KHÁCH SẠN

TÊN ĐỀ TÀIDEVELOPING SERVICE QUALITY IN 5 STARS HOTEL HOUSEKEEPING DEPARTMENT UNDER INFLUENCE OF COVID-19 PANDEMIC GIẢNG VIÊN MÔN HỌC: Mr.s Ngô Thanh Phương Quỳnh

HỌC KỲ 2 - NĂM HỌC 2020 – 2021

KHOA DU LỊCH

BÁO CÁO TIỂU LUẬN THI KẾT THÚC HỌC PHẦN

TÊN ĐỀ TÀIDEVELOPING SERVICE QUALITY IN 5 STARS HOTEL HOUSEKEEPING DEPARTMENT UNDER INFLUENCE OF COVID-19 PANDEMIC

GIẢNG VIÊN MÔN HỌC: Mr.s Ngô Thanh Phương Quỳnh

I am Vo Thi Yen Nhu I commit that numbers and information in The CourseReport are collected from the experiences, book and internet by my teamwork while

all of the theories are referred to specialist scientific journals (citing and referencing

as required); The content discussed in the report is a summary of individual

experiences and research NOT PLAGIARIZING from other materials and sources.

I hereby confirm that all information provided on this application form iscorrect and I agree to take full responsibilities to the laws and university for theinformation provided

GROUP LEADER

Vo Thi Yen Nhu

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Ngày tháng năm

GIẢNG VIÊN XÁC NHẬN

Group name: Pineapple

TABLE OF CONTENTS I TABLE OF CHART III TABLE OF PICTURE IV INTRODUCTION V

CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW HOTEL DEFINITION 1

1.1 HOUSEKEEPING DEPARTMENT 1

1.1.1 Definition 1

1.1.2 Categories 2

1.1.3 Types of Hotels 2

1.2 GUEST SATISFACTION AND SERVICE QUALITY 6

1.2.1 Definition of Housekeeping 6

1.2.2 Role of Housekeeping 6

1.2.3 Housekeeping Department Organizational Chart 7

1.2.4 Different sections in the Housekeeping 8

1.2.5 Housekeeping Staffing Calculation 9

1.2.6 Main responsibilities of Housekeeping 10

1.2.7 Cleaning equipment used in Housekeeping 11

1.3 THEORY OF SERVICE QUALITY 12

1.3.1 Definition of Service Quality 12

1.3.2 Definition of Guest Satisfaction 13

1.3.3 The importance of satisfaction 13

1.3.4 The relationship between Guest Satisfaction and Service Quality 14

1.4 Theory of service quality 15

1.4.1 Service Quality Model 16

1.4.2 SERVQUAL 18

1.4.3 Five Importance Dimensions 19

1.4.4 Research result of existing scientists, related to this model 20

CHAPTER 2: HOUSEKEEPING EMPLOYEE MOTIVATION IN REX HOTEL 22 2.1 HOTEL INTRODUCTION 22

2.1.2 Hotel products & service in Rex Hotel 23

2.1.3 Hotel organization chart 36

2.1.4 Hotel departments functions and responsibilities in Rex Hotel 36

2.2 HOUSEKEEPING DEPARTMENT INTRODUCTION 41

2.2.1 Housekeeping organization chart 41

2.2.2 Job responsibilities 41

2.2.3 Details of existing workflows in The Housekeeping Department 49

2.3 Research method and results 54

2.3.1 Method 54

2.3.1.1 Definition 54

2.3.1.2 Implementation Process 55

2.3.2 Results 57

2.3.2.1 Analysis of factors affecting the quality of room service in hotels 57

2.3.2.2 The main causes/problems causing service quality to decline under the impact of the COVID-19 epidemic 59

2.3.2.3 Swot model analysis and damage assessment 61

CHAPTER 3: DISCUSSION 64

3.1 Hotel service quality practices 64

3.1.1 To upgrade our technical facilities 64

3.1.2 Improving recruitment and training of human resources 64

3.1.3 Improving preventive quality management 66

3.1.4 Improve the quality of additional services at the department of room 66

3.2 Applied service quality practices 67

REFERENCE 69

Chart 1.1: Housekeeping Organizationl Chart For 5 Star Hotel 8

Chart 1.2: Conceptual Model of Service Quality 18

Chart 2.1: Hotel organization chart in Rex Hotel 36

Chart 2.2: Housekeeping organization chart 41

Chart 2.3: Implementation Process 55

Chart 2.4: International visitors to Vietnam in March 2010-2020 (million visitors) 60

Chart 2.5: Graph of tourist arrivals and hotel room occupancy 2019-2020 60 Chart 2.6: Business results for the last 5 years and 6 months of 2020 (billion VND) .63

Image 1.1: Cleaning Equipment Used in Housekeeping 12

Image 2.1: Logo of the Rex Hotel 22

Image 2.2: Rex Hotel 22

Image 2.3: The Premium room in Rex Hotel 24

Image 2.4: The Governor Suite room in Rex Hotel 25

Image 2.5: The Deluxe room in Rex Hotel 25

Image 2.6: The Rex suite room in Rex Hotel 26

Image 2.7: The Imperial Suite room in Rex Hotel 27

Image 2.8: The Executive Governor Suite room in Rex Hotel 27

Image 2.9: The Executive Premium room in Rex Hotel 28

Image 2.10: The Executive Suite room in Rex Hotel 28

Image 2.11: The Presidential Suite room in Rex Hotel 29

Image 2.12: The Rooftop Garden Bar 30

Image 2.13: The Hoa Mai Restaurant 31

Image 2.14: The Cung Dinh Restaurant 31

Image 2.15: The Paredise Coffee Lounge 32

Image 2.16: The Vertical Garden 33

Image 2.17: Swimming pool in Rex Hotel 34

Image 2.18: Beauty and Health care 35

Image 2.19: Gymnasium 35

Image 2.20: Tennis Court 35

Reality has proven that over the years, Vietnam's tourism has had a rapid growth,gradually improving its image and position in the regional and international tourismmarket, and at the same time affirming its role in tourism its role and position in thenational economy According to statistics of the Vietnam National Administration ofTourism in 2019, the tourism industry has attracted more than 18 million internationalvisitors to Vietnam, domestic tourists reached 85 million, total tourism revenuereached 755,000 billion dong Tourism activities have actively contributed to the cause

of industrialization and modernization of the country and the process of internationaleconomic integration, implementing the foreign policy of multilateralization anddiversification of the Party and State

However, since February 2020, the outbreak of COVID-19 in the world hasimmediately seriously affected the tourism industry Vietnam's tourism industry has toface unprecedented difficulties Since March 2020, Vietnam has stopped welcominginternational visitors, leaving only domestic tourism activities But the domestictourism market has also been affected by social distancing measures during theoutbreak

In 2020, the whole country has 3,339 travel businesses, including 2,519international travel businesses, 820 domestic travel businesses, but 90-95% of travelbusinesses temporarily stop operating Also in 2020, there were 201 travel companiesapplying for a new license, but 338 companies applied to have their license revoked.International travel companies have switched to domestic travel business 26,721instructors, with 16,965 also switching to domestic instruction or changing careers.More than 30,000 accommodation establishments with 650,000 rooms across thecountry, but the room capacity is only 20-25% in the provinces and cities; In some keytourist areas, many hotels were forced to close or change their use because they couldnot stand it

The World Tourism Organization forecasts that international tourism will takethree to four years to recover Meanwhile, at this time, the COVID-19 pandemic haseroded the capacity of businesses, most tourism businesses are facing financialdifficulties to restore operations, many businesses transfer or redirect their businesses.business; employees incomes are reduced, the psychology of limiting spending greatly

support policies, despite having policies, have not yet reached businesses andemployees in the tourism industry.

This forces the tourism industry to focus on developing domestic tourism.Tourism must simultaneously perform a "dual task": ensuring the safety of people'slives and health while maintaining production and business According to experts, in

2021, domestic tourism will be an important lever for the industry to recover from the

"storm" of COVID-19, in which the safety factor is still considered by tour operatorsand tourists put on top

To meet the current actual needs, localities and businesses need to pay moreattention to new tourism trends to make appropriate changes The needs of customershave completely changed after the COVID-19 epidemic, guests who go for a shorttime, go many times, go in small groups, pay more attention to health, combo products(airplanes and hotel rooms)… Therefore, in 2021, investors and businesses will alsochange according to customer trends

That is why topic: “Developing service quality at 5 star hotel room under the

impact of Covid-19” is worth studying The essay talks about the causes and factors

affecting service quality and solutions during the Covid-19 epidemic season The essay

is researched according to the SERVQUAL model by qualitative method

CHAPTER 5: LITERATURE REVIEW HOTEL DEFINITION

5.1 HOUSEKEEPING DEPARTMENT

5.1.1 Definition

Hotel is a building, symbol, company or business entity that provides servicesaccommodation, food and beverage providers and other service facilities where all theservices are intended for the people, whether they are staying overnight at the hotel orthose who only use the facilities According to the experts the definition of hotel:Rumekso states that hotel is a building which hires the rooms with the facilitiessuch as food and beverage which is run well to get the benefits Sulastiyono (2007)says that hotel is an accommodation that gives the facilities like rooms, food andbeverage and other supporting facilities such as sport area, and laundry

According to Tarmoezi and Manurung hotel is a building that provides the roomswith the supporting facilities such as the food and beverage Base on the definition,hotel is not only selling the room but hotel is one of accommodation that sell the otherfacilities

Steadmon in Fadmawati also states that a hotel may be defined as anestablishment whose primary business is providing lodging facilities for the generalpublic and which furnishes one or more of the following services

Yoeti explains hotel must have 4 elements or main requirements They are Physicinfrastructure and facilities, quality of product and service, employees’ attitude, andcompetitive price

1 Physic infrastructure and facilities, includes:

f Room or shop rental

g Sport and recreation facilities

h Laundry

i Office room

2 Quality of product and service, includes of tangible products and intangibleproducts

3 Employees’ attitudes, means:

a Able to serve guest honestly

b Have knowledge, ability and attitude fit with their position

c Have feel of possess and responsible to their job, also have good personality

d Awareness that advances of their career in hotel depends on the number ofguests which use hotel service, so the employee should be able tocommunicate and have good relationship with guests

4 Competitive price based on management decision and fix with the value that notalways cheap

From the explanation above, writer concludes that hotel is a big building thatprovides paid lodging and has some facilities and service for the guest Hotel has somedepartment to support the activity of sell the product

5 Star hotel offers most luxuries premises, widest range of guest services, as well

as swimming pool and sport exercise facilities

5.1.3 Types of Hotels

Hotel are classified according to the hotel size, location, target markets, level ofservice, facilities, number of rooms, ownership and affiliation etc

1 Size:

Or number of rooms, Under 150 rooms,150 to 299 rooms, 300 to 600 rooms,more than 600 rooms These categories enable hotels of similar size to compareoperating procedures and statistical results.

2 Target Market

Hotel target many markets and can be classified according to the markets theyattempt to attract their guests Common type of markets include business, airport,suites, residential, resort, timeshare, casino, convention and conference hotels

Business Hotels: These hotels are the largest group of hotel types and cater

primarily to business travelers and usually located in downtown or business districts.Although Business hotels primarily serves business ravellers, many tour groups,individual tourists and small conference groups find these hotels attractive Guestamenities at business hotels may include complimentary newspapers, morning coffee,free local telephone calls, Break fast etc In addition to this facilities like access tobusiness centre, personal computer, Wi-Fi and fax machines also provided to theguest

Airport Hotels: These type of hotels typically target business clientele, airline

passengers with overnight travel layovers or cancelled flights and airline personnel.Some hotels might give free transport between hotel and airport Some hotels alsoprovide meeting facilities to attract guests who travel to a meeting by air and wish tominimize ground travel Another attraction of these hotels is instead of charging theguest on a daily basis guest can also pay for their room on a hourly basis

Suite Hotels: These kind of hotels are the latest trend and the fastest growing

segments in the hotel industry Main attraction of these hotels is guestrooms with aliving room and a separate bedroom In exchange for more complete living room suitehotels generally have fewer and more limited public areas and guest services thanother hotels This also helps keep suite hotel's guestroom prices competitive in themarket Professionals such as accountants, lawyers, business men and executives findsuite hotels particularly attractive as they can work and also entertain in an areabesides the bedroom

Extended Stay Hotels: Extended stay hotels is somewhat similar to the suite

hotels, but usually offers kitchen amenities in the room These kind of hotels are fortravellers who want to stay more than a week and does not want to depend on the

service of the hotel Extended service hotels usually does not provide any F & Bservice or Laundry service etc These kind of hotels are considered by guests as

“Home away from home”

Apartment Hotels: Apartment/Residential hotels provide long-term or

permanent accommodation for Guest Usually guest makes a lease agreement with thehotel for minimum of one month up to a year These lease agreements are renewed on

a yearly basis Guest rooms generally include living room, bedroom, kitchen, privatebalcony, washing machines, kitchen utensils etc Residential hotel also providedHousekeeping, laundry, telephone and in some hotels a restaurant and lounge etc will

be present on the premises

Resort Hotels: Resort hotels are usually located in the mountains, on an island,

or in some other exotic locations away from city's These hotels have recreationalfacilities, scenery, golf, tennis, sailing, skiing and swimming Resort hotels provideenjoyable and memorable guest experiences that encourage guest to repeat to theresort

Bed and Breakfast Hotels: These are houses with rooms converted into

overnight facilities, this can size up to 20 to 30 guest rooms They are also known as

“Home Stay's” The owner of the B&B usually stay on the premises and is responsiblefor serving breakfast to guest Due to the limited services offered at these hotels theprice for room is very less than any full service hotel

Timeshare and condominium Hotels: Another new type or segment of the

hospitality industry is the timeshare hotels These are sometimes referred to as

"Vacation – interval" hotels Timeshare hotels are where the guests who purchase theownership of accommodations for a specific period These owners may also have theunit rented out by the management company that operates the hotel Condominium aresimilar to timeshare but the difference between the two lies in the type of ownership.Units in condominium hotels only have one owner instead of multiple owners , eachfor a limited amount of time each year In a condominium hotel, an owner informs themanagement company if when he/she wants to occupy the unit

Casino Hotels: Hotels with gambling facilities may be categorized as a distinct

group called Casino Hotels Although the food and beverage operations in casino is

luxurious their functions is secondary to and supportive of casino operations Casinohotels attract guest by promoting the gambling and other entertainments.

Conference Centres: These type of hotels focus on meeting and conferences and

overnight accommodation for meeting attendees They also provide high qualityaudiovisual equipment, business services, flexible seating arrangements, flipchart etc.These hotels mostly located outside the metropolitan areas and have facilities like golf,swimming pools, tennis courts, fitness centres, spas etc

Convention Centres: Convention hotels are larger in size compared to

conference centres and likely to have more than 1500 rooms These hotels are hugeand have sufficient number of guest rooms to house all the attendees of mostconventions, even the size of the meeting rooms, ball rooms, exhibit rooms are quitehuge They usually cater to convention market for state, regional, national, andinternational associations

3 Levels Of service

World class service: These are also called luxury hotels, they target top business

executives, entertainment celebrities, high – ranking political figures, and wealthyclientele as their primary markets They provide upscale restaurants and lounges,concierge services and also private dining facilities Guestrooms are oversized, heatedand plush bath towels, large soaps bars, shampoo, shower caps and all amenities.Housekeeping services are given two times a day including turn-down service Aboveall luxury hotels give personalized service to the guest and have a relatively high ration

of staff members to guests

Mid-Range Service: Hotels offering mid-range service appeal ti the largest

segment of the travelling public This kind of hotels does not provide elaborate serviceand have a adequate staffing They also provide uniformed service, food and beverageroom service, in room entertainment's and also Wi-Fi Property may offer a specialityrestaurant, coffee shop and lounge that cater to visitors as well as hotel guests Type ofguests who like to stay at these hotels are business people, individual travellers, andfamilies Rates are lower than luxury hotels as they provide fewer services, smallerrooms and a smaller range of facilities and recreational activities

Economy/Limited Service: These hotels provide clean, comfortable, safe,

inexpensive rooms and meet the basic need of guests Economy hotels appeal

primarily to budget minded travelers who wants a room with minimum services andamenities required for comfortable stay, without unnecessary paying additional costfor costly services The cliental of these hotels include families with children,travelling business people, backpackers, vacationers retirees etc These type of hotelsmight not offer food and beverage facilities.

4 Ownership and Affiliations

Ownership and affiliation provide another means by which to classify hotelproperty There are two types one is Individual and another is chain hotel

Independent Hotels: They do not have identifiable ownership or management

affiliation with other properties That means these properties doesn't have anyrelationship to another hotel regarding policies, procedures, marketing or financialobligations Example for the same would be family owned and operated hotel that isnot following any corporate policies or procedures The advantage of a individualproperty is its autonomy An independent hotel however does not get the advantage ofboard advertising exposure or management insight and consultancy of an affiliatedproperty

Chain hotels: These kind of ownership usually imposes certain minimum

standards, rules, policies and procedures to restrict affiliate activities In general themore centralized the organization the stronger the control over the individual property.Some chain have strong control over the architecture, management and standards ofaffiliate properties Others concentrate only on marketing, advertising and centralpurchasing

5.2 GUEST SATISFACTION AND SERVICE QUALITY

5.2.1 Definition of Housekeeping

Housekeeping may be defined as ‘provision of a clean, comfortable, safe andaesthetically appealing environment’ By another definition, “housekeeping is anoperational department in a hotel, which is responsible for cleanliness, maintenance,aesthetic upkeep of rooms, public areas, back areas and the surroundings”

The term Housekeeping outside the hospitality, hospitals refers to themanagement of daily duties and chores involved in the running of a household, such ascleaning, cooking, home maintenance, shopping, and bill payment etc These daily

recurring tasks may be performed by any members of the household, or by otherpersons like butler or maids who are hired for the purpose.

5.2.2 Role of Housekeeping

Housekeeping department in hotel ensures the cleanliness, maintenance, andaesthetic appeal of all rooms and public areas The housekeeping department not onlyturnarounds (prepares and clean guestrooms) on a timely manner it also cleans andmaintains everything in the hotel so that the property is as fresh and attractive similar

to the day when it opened the doors for the business

The effort that the housekeeping makes in giving a guest a desirable room has adirect bearing on the guest’s experience in a hotel There are more employees working

in the housekeeping department when compared to any other hotel departments

Being responsible for the turnaround of the rooms in a timely manner,housekeeping primary communications are with the front desk/reception team Eachroom status is updated on a regular basis from the housekeeping to the front desk andvice versa With new technologies available a room status update can be done viathe hotel software, telephone systems, housekeeping mobile applications etc

Housekeeping also coordinates closely with the maintenance or engineeringdepartment, as the housekeeping staff identifies different types of maintenance issueswhile cleaning the rooms and reports to the maintenance team for rectification orreplacement Example snags or issue with the TV, AC, Heating unit, Plumbing,Lighting, Electrical faults, Furniture, Toilet, Vanity, Tub, Towels racks, Ventilationissues etc

The role of housekeeping can change depending upon the type or category of thehotel, for example only in a luxury or full – services hotel evening or turndownservices are offered by the housekeeping department The housekeeping department is

one of the major “Support Centre” in the hotel as it doesn't generate any major

revenue for the hotel

Housekeeping is considered as a “back of the house” department even though

they have some direct contact to the guests; like for example while cleaning rooms,picking up laundry, providing evening or turndown services etc

5.2.3 Housekeeping Department Organizational Chart

Housekeeping organizational chart provides a clear picture of the line ofauthority, the housekeeping department in a large hotel or 5 Star Hotel is headed bythe executive housekeeper He/she reports to the general manager, or to the residentmanager, or the room division manager in a large hotel In the case of a chain ofhotels, the executive housekeeper also reports to the director of housekeeping, whoheads the housekeeping departments in all the hotels of that chain.

The deputy housekeeper assists the executive housekeeper and looks after thevarious areas of responsibility in the hotel, that is, floors, public areas, the linen room,desk control and staffing etc

The Housekeeping Organizational Chart in a large hotel also contains multiplesupervisors for each section of the housekeeping like the Laundy, Desk Control, FloorSupervisor, Public Area Supervisor, Night Supervisor etc each of these supervisorsreports to the Assistant Housekeeper or the Executive housekeeper.

(Source: setupmyhotel.com) 5.2.4 Different sections in the Housekeeping

Executive Housekeeper's office: An Executive housekeeper has to plan,

counsel, brief and meets her subordinates It should preferably be a glass – paneledoffice so as to give her/him a view of what is happening outside the office The officeshould be led by a cabin for the secretary who would control movement into thehousekeeper's office

Desk control room: This room acts as a nerve system centre for coordination

and communication with the front office and other departments The desk controlroom should have a large notice board to pin up staff schedules and day to dayinstructions The desk control room is the point where all staff report for duty andcheck out at the duty end

Linen room: This is the room where current linens are stored for issue and

receipt The room should be large airy and free from heat and humidity It should have

Chart 5.1: Housekeeping Organizationl Chart For 5 Star Hotel

adequate shelves, easily accessible to stack all linen It should be secured and offer nopossibilities of pilferage The linen room should have a counter, across which theexchange of linen takes place The room should preferably be adjoining the laundry so

as to supply linen to and from the laundry

Linen room store: This room stores the stock of new linen & cloth materials for

uniform, etc the stock maintained should be enough to replenish the whole hotel at atime However, these stocks are only touched when the current linen in circulationfalls short due to shortage, damage or loss The room should be cool and dry withample shelves, generally 6 above the ground

Uniform room: This room stocks the uniform in urgent use It is possible that

smaller hotel may choose to combine the uniform room with the linen room Aseparate uniform room really depends upon the volume of uniforms in circulation Theonly difference will be that the uniform room would have adequate hanging facilities

as many uniforms are best maintained when hung

Tailor's room: This room is kept for house tailors who attend to the stitching

and patch-up work of linen and uniforms Room is avoided if the mending and thestitching jobs are done in contract basis

Lost and found section: This section should be small and airy with cupboards to

store guest articles lost and maybe claimed later

Flower room: This should be an air-conditioned room to keep flowers fresh The

room should have a work table, a sink with a water supply and all necessary toolsrequired for flower arrangement

Laundry: This is an important section under housekeeping which is responsible

for the cleaning of all fabrics used in the hotel The section should be adjacent to thelinen room so as to avoid excessive steps Laundry should ensure the cleanness anddrying of all guest clothes, employee uniforms and linen to the best-assured standard

5.2.5 Housekeeping Staffing Calculation

Compared to other hotel departments, the housekeeping department employs thelargest workforce in most hotels Manpower thus becomes a major operating expense.Good management of the housekeeping department depends on achieving a balancebetween the workload and the staff strength When calculating staff strength, it must

be remembered that each property will have its individual requirements

The factors to be considered here are the type of hotel, location of the hotel,traditions and customs of the locality, the size of the hotel (in terms of the number ofrooms), the occupancy rate of the hotel, management needs and policies, the quantity

of work to be done per room, the quality of work expected, the standards to be met,The time needed to do the work, the frequency with which the work needs to be doneetc

The staff strength of the housekeeping department mainly depends on the sizeand structure of the hotel, that is, whether it has a compact structure with clusters ofrooms, the number of rooms per cluster or floor, the expanse of the public areas andlandscaped areas, and so on The general rule of thumb that aid in determining staffstrength in the housekeeping department is given below

5.2.6 Main responsibilities of Housekeeping

 To ensure well furnished and maintained guestrooms and public areas

 To ensure excellence in housekeeping sanitation, safety, comfort and aesthetics forhotel guests

 To oversee the coordination of and administer all housekeeping programs andprojects

 To act as a source of contact in interdepartmental communications, vendors,professional agencies etc

 To act provide a budget, budget control, and forecasting related to housekeeping

 To achieve the maximum efficiency in ensuring the care and comfort of guests & inthe smooth functioning of the department

 To establish a welcoming atmosphere

 To ensure courteousness, reliable service from all staff to the guest

 To ensure a high standard of cleanliness and general upkeep in all areas for whichthe department is responsible

 To provide linen in rooms, restaurants, banquet halls, conference halls, health clubsetc, as well as to maintain an inventory for the same

 To provide uniforms for all the staff & maintain inventory for the same

 To Cater to the laundering requirements of hotel linen, staff uniforms, and guests

 To provide & maintain the floral decorations and to maintain the landscaped areas

of the hotel

 To select the right contractors & ensure the quality of work is maintained.

 To co-ordinate renovation and refurnishing of the property in consultation with themanagement & with interior designers

 To co-ordinate with the purchasing department for the procurement of guestsupplies, cleaning agents, equipment, fabrics, carpets, & other items used in thehotel

 To deal with lost & found articles

 Carpet shampooing and maintaining

 Dealing with any guest queries, complaints & requests as they occur

 To keep the general manager or administrator informed of all matters requiringattention

5.2.7 Cleaning equipment used in Housekeeping

Efficient cleaning and maintenance are dependent upon high-quality cleaningequipment, correctly using Though only 5-10% of the overall cost incurred oncleaning is accounted for by cleaning equipment and agents, selecting the idealequipment plays a major role in the cleaning process There will often be several ways

of carrying out any particular cleaning task and different types of equipment that can

be employed for it

It is the executive housekeeper’s responsibility to select the most appropriatepiece of equipment according to the hotel’s requirement Most types of cleaningequipment fall under the category of recycled items, but a few large pieces of itemsmay be considered as fixed assets The correct choice of quality cleaning equipmentcould save costs due to breakdowns, reduce fatigue and ensure overall efficiency inoperations

The equipment used in the cleaning of the surface, furniture and fittings in a hotel

building includes both Manual Equipments and Mechanical Equipment.

Image 5.1: Cleaning Equipment Used in Housekeeping

(Source: setupmyhotel.com)

 Manual Equipment: Manual equipment can include all types of equipment

that clean or aid in the cleaning process by directly using manoeuvre, operationand energy of employees Examples of Manual cleaning equipment areBrushes, Mops, Brooms, Cloths, Polish applicators, Containers, Buckets etc

 Mechanical Equipment: The various pieces of mechanical equipment used in

the housekeeping department are usually powered by electricity or gas Thestaff should be well-trained in the operation of this equipment since incorrectusage will not only lead to inefficient cleaning but may also become a safetyhazard Examples of mechanical equipment used in housekeeping are Vacuumcleaners, Electric brooms, Wet-and-dry vacuum cleaners, floor maintenancemachine for scrubbing,buffing polishing etc

5.3 THEORY OF SERVICE QUALITY

5.3.1 Definition of Service Quality

There are a number of different “definitions” as to what is meant by servicesquality In its simplest form service quality is a product of the effort that every member

of the organization invests in satisfying customers In its broadest sense service quality

is defined as superiority or excellence as perceived by the customer

 The delivery of excellent or superior service relative to customer expectations

 Quality is behavior – an attitude – that says you will never settle for anything lesscommunity, your stockholders or colleagues with whom you work every day

 When we want to be effective – delivering good quality to the customer – we mustproduce services that meet “as much as possible” the needs of the consumer

 Quality is providing a better service than the customer expects

One that is commonly us defines services quality as the extent to which a servicemeets customer’s needs or expectations Today the most popular model of servicequality in use is service quality gap model, perceived service quality as the differencebetween consumer expectations and their perceptions.

5.3.2 Definition of Guest Satisfaction

Customer satisfaction is defined as a measurement that determines how products

or services provided by a company meet customer expectations Customer satisfaction

is one of the most important indicators of consumer purchase intentions and loyalty

5.3.3 The importance of satisfaction

Maximise customer lifetime value

Many businesses underestimate the cost of acquiring a new customer It is muchmore cost-effective to invest in retaining existing customers rather than constantlychasing new ones If you focus on customer satisfaction, then those that buy from youare much more likely to buy from you again

This increases the lifetime value of that customer, i.e The amount they spendwith you over their entire lifetime When customers keep coming back to buy fromyou, your return on investment from their customer acquisition cost increases Thebottom line is: satisfied customers are more loyal and loyal customers are moreprofitable for your business

Minimise customer churn

Customer churn refers to those customers that stop buying from you, whetherthat’s after their first purchase or after several years of being a loyal customer.Customer churn can be very costly for your business because it means you need to goback to focusing on getting new customers As mentioned above, a satisfied customer

is more likely to remain loyal, therefore decreasing customer churn

Positive brand exposure

Word of mouth is important to any business Disgruntled customers will goonline and complain about your business or its products, they’ll write negativereviews, and they’ll recommend your competitors over you By improving yourcustomer satisfaction, you not only avoid this, but you also benefit from positive word

of mouth Satisfied customers will recommend you to friends and family, talk

positively about you online, and, hopefully, write positive reviews on places likeGoogle, Facebook, and Yelp.

Increase revenue

All businesses want to increase their revenue and grow their business, but theymight not always have the resources to invest in actively growing it Once you’ve gotyour customer satisfaction strategy right, it becomes an effective way to grow yourbusiness and its revenue passively

While you focus on improving other areas of your business, satisfied customerskeep coming back to buy from you and they keep recommending you to their peers orwriting positive reviews online This keeps a steady and, hopefully, increasing revenuestream coming in without you having to constantly work on it Of course, customersatisfaction is something you should review on a regular basis to ensure you’re stillhitting the nail on the head

5.3.4 The relationship between Guest Satisfaction and Service Quality

The concepts of service quality and customer satisfaction have been the centre ofattention in both marketing theory and practice over the past two decades(Sureshchandar et al 2002:363; Spreng & Machoy, 1996:201) In previous researchstudies (Cronin & Taylor, 1992; Patterson & Johnson, 1993) on service quality andcustomer satisfaction, there appears to be an agreement among the researchers thatservice quality and customer satisfactions are separate variables that have a closerelationship Cronin and Taylor (1992:56) note that the difference between theperceived service quality and customer satisfaction is based on the notion that servicequality is an attitude associated with a long term, overall evaluation, whereas customersatisfaction is associated with both transaction and long term relationship

The results by Sureshchandar et al (2002:363) indicate that service quality andcustomer satisfaction are independent but closely related variables (highly correlated),which means that an increase in one will lead to an increase in another The researchstudy conducted by Taylor and Baker (1994:172) in four service industries found thatthere is a positive relationship between service quality and customer satisfaction Thepositive relationship of service quality and customer satisfaction is further reinforced

by Sivadas and Baker-Prewitt (2000:78) who suggest that service quality influencescustomer satisfaction within retail stores A research study done in the

telecommunications industry also found that service quality has effects upon customersatisfaction, as the results of the study revealed a positive relationship between the twovariables (Ojo, 2010:88) Customer satisfaction has been found to be dependent onservice quality (Sureshchandar et al 2002:373), while Cronin and Taylor (1992:65)found that service quality is an antecedent of customer satisfaction For example, inthe retail supermarket industry, an organization that offers high levels of servicequality is likely to have highly satisfied customers.

A research study done in the supermarket industry in South Africa by Beneke et

al (2012:37) revealed that there is no strong direct relationship between some servicequality dimensions and customer satisfaction The results of the research study byBeneke et al (2012) found that only service quality dimensions of physical aspects andpersonal interaction had a direct relationship to customer satisfaction; while reliabilitywas found to be weakly related to customer satisfaction and the two dimensions ofproblem solving and policy had no significant effect on customer satisfaction

The strong relationship between physical aspects and customer satisfactionconcurs with the notion that supermarket customers want to shop in an environmentwhich is clean, well structured (with particular emphasis on convenience in movingaround the shop) and safety (Beneke et al 2012:37) The research by Beneke et al.(2012:37) indicates that personal interaction had a significant relationship withcustomer satisfaction which shows that customers like to shop in an environmentwhere employees are knowledgeable, friendly and willing to assist In contrast to theresearch by Beneke et al (2012) in South Africa, a research conducted by Singh(2013:94) in India found that policy, problem solving and reliability had a significantrelationship with customer satisfaction

5.4 Theory of service quality

From the last decade, the service sector has become greater economicimportance The elimination of waste due to poor quality and meeting customerexpectations are the major challenges facing managers in the service sector This paperalso presents the reasons why we should measure service quality, customer satisfaction

in hotel industry as well as their measures Time by time, different researchers tried tofind out the way to measure of service quality and customer satisfaction in the hotelindustry Next scientist generation improved the model of the precedents or invented a

new one Among all, the most popular models to measure customer satisfaction andservice quality in the hotel industry are SERVQUAL

5.4.1 Service Quality Model

The SERVQUAL model is the most popular model to measure the customersatisfaction in almost services industry The model is based on the client’s evaluation

of service quality, which is a comparison of the expected and the obtained value aswell as a consideration of gaps in the process of service provision The foundation ofSERVQUAL scale was the gap model

Parasuraman, Zeithaml, and berry formulated a service quality model thathighlights the main requirements for delivering high service quality The model shown

in Fig.1 identifies five gaps that cause unsuccessful delivery, (Kotler, 2003)

GAP 1: Gap between consumer expectation and management perception

This gap arises when the management does not correctly perceive what thecustomers want For instance – hotel administrators may think customer want betterfood, but customer may be more concerned with the speed of the delivery Key factorsleading to this gap are:

 Insufficient marketing research

 Poorly interpreted information about the audience's expectations

 Research not focused on demand quality

 Too many layers between the front line personnel and the top levelmanagement

GAP 2: Gap between management perception and service quality specification

Here the management might correctly perceive what the customer wants, but maynot set a performance standard An example here would be that hotel administratorsmay tell the waiter to respond to a request “fast”, but may not specify ‘how fast’ Gap

2 may occur due the following reasons:

 Insufficient planning procedures

 Lack of management commitment

 Unclear or ambiguous service design

 Unsystematic new service development process

GAP 3: Gap between service quality specification and service delivery

This gap may arise owing to the service personnel The reasons being poortraining, incapability or unwillingness to meet the set service standard The possiblemajor reasons for this gap are:

 Deficiencies in human resource policies such as ineffective recruitment,role ambiguity, role and conflict

 Ineffective internal marketing

 Failure to match demand and supply

 Lack of proper customer education and training

GAP 4: Gap between service delivery and external communication

Consumer expectations are highly influenced by statements made by companyrepresentatives and advertisements The gap arises when these assumed expectationsare not fulfilled at the time of delivery of the service For example – The hotel printed

on the brochure may have clean and furnished rooms, but in reality it may be poorlymaintained – in this case the customer’s expectations are not met The discrepancybetween actual service and the promised one may occur due to the following reasons:

 Over-promising in external communication campaign

 Failure to manage customer expectations

 Failure to perform according to specifications

GAP 5: Gap between expected service and experienced service

This gap arises when the consumer misinterprets the service quality Themanager may keep ask the customer about service but the customer may interpret this

as an indication that something is really wrong

(Source: PZB, 1985) 5.4.2 SERVQUAL

SERVQUAL is a service quality assessment tool Since the development ofSERVQUAL, it has been extensively applied in a variety of businesses or betterbusiness models SERVQUAL is the most favored instrument for measuring servicequality (Robinson, 1999) Parasuraman et al (1988) concluded that consumers perceivequality by comparing expectations to performance and evaluate the quality of theservice in different dimensions

The SERVQUAL instrument consists of 36 statements for assessing consumerperceptions and expectations regarding the quality of a service Respondents are asked

to rate their level of agreement or disagreement with the given statements on a 5-pointLikert scale Consumers’ perceptions are based on the actual service they receive,while consumers’ expectations are based on past experiences and informationreceived The statements represent the determinants or dimensions or factors of servicequality

For each determinate, the SERVQUAL scale provides a score for customerexpectations (E) and a score for customer perceptions (P) of service providers’performances Customer expectations are “wants or desires of customer” (Miller,1977), what they feel the providers should provide or it can be the prediction of future

Chart 5.2: Conceptual Model of Service Quality

events They appear before using service While customer perceptions are measureddirectly within and after their experience in using service They reveal the evaluations

of customers about what they gain from service According to Parasuraman and hiscolleagues, the difference between the two scores is service quality (Q)

Q=P – EThe key to optimizing service quality is to maximize this positive gap score Thenegative value of this gap score reveals the dissatisfaction of customers The input tocalculate this score is customers feedbacks

5.4.3 Five Importance Dimensions

Service quality is a perception of the customer Customers, however, formopinions about service quality not just from a single reference but from a host ofcontributing factors Service marketers need to understand all the dimensions used bycustomers to evaluate service quality

David Garvin in the article ‘Competing on the Eight Dimensions of Quality’identified the following eight dimensions of quality applicable to both goods andservices

These include – Performance, Features, Reliability, Conformance, Durability,Serviceability, Aesthetics, Perceived quality or prestige

In a further refinement of their earlier factor identification, Parasuram, Zeithmaland Berry have identified the following five dimensions of service quality as crucial

1 Reliability:

This dimension is shown to have the highest influence on the customerperception of quality It is the ability to perform the promised service dependably andaccurately Sahara Airlines, an upcoming domestic air carrier within India, has beenstriving to protect itself as a reliable airline It hopes to differentiate itself from otherairlines Indian Airlines To protect this reliability, Sahara Airways has a scheme of fullrefund plus a coupon of Rs.3,000 to every passenger on delay of flights by more than

59 minutes

When service delivery fails the first time, a service provider may get a secondchance to provide the same service in the phase called ‘Recovery’ The expectations ofthe customer are usually higher during the recovery phase than before because of theinitial failure Thus, the service provider is likely to come under greater scrutiny,

thereby increasing the possibility of customer dissatisfaction The reliabilitydimension, which ensures timely delivery time after time, helps the service provider tomeet the customer expectations fully at the lowest level of service expectation.

2 Responsiveness:

It is the willingness of the service firm’s staff to help customers and to providethem with prompt service The customers may have queries, special requests,complaints, etc In fact, each customer may have problems of his or her own Whilethe front- end employee may have been trained or equipped to deliver standardizedservices, the customers want them to go beyond this limit It is the willingness to helpthe customer or willingness to go that extra distance that is responsiveness

3 Assurance:

It defined as the ability of the company to inspire trust and confidence in theservice delivery It refers to knowledge and courtesy of the service firm’s employeesand their ability to inspire trust and confidence in the customer toward the company.This dimension is considered vEital for services that involve high risk as customersmay not be able to evaluate all the uncertainties involved in the process by them

4 Empathy:

It refers to the caring, individualized attention the service firm provides eachcustomer When service provider puts himself in the shoes of the customers, he maysee the customer’s viewpoint better When customers feel that the provider is makinghis best effort to see their viewpoint, it may be good enough for most

5 Tangibles:

It refers to physical facilities, equipment, and appearance of a service firm’semployees The job of the tangible and physical evidence of a service ismultifunctional When a patient in the waiting room of a clinic sees the doctor’scertificate, he becomes aware of the quality of service he is about to receive

If a dental clinic provides patients with clean rubber footwear and freshlylaundered bibs or coats before the actual service, the patients and their accompanyingrelatives or friends will be impressed A dentist dressed in a spotless white coat islikely-to impress, them even further Tangibles provide the customer proof of thequality of service

5.4.4 Research result of existing scientists, related to this model

1 SERVPERF model

Service Performance was created on basis of critique of SERVPERF by J.J Croninand S.A Taylor in 1994 They claimed that Parasuraman's study of relations betweenexpected and experienced quality is not proper approach to quality assessment TheSERVPERF measures quality as an attitude, not satisfaction However, it uses an idea

of perceived service quality leading to satisfaction But it goes further, and connectssatisfaction with further purchase intentions The SERVPERF is a modification ofSERVQUAL, and thus uses the same categories to assess service quality (RATERmodel)

2 RATER model

RATER model is an evolution of SERVQUAL method presented by A Parasuraman,

V Zeithaml and L Berry in 1988 The main idea is based on 5 gaps, which result inlower than expected quality of services The authors proposed that the differencebetween expected and perceived quality should be evaluated in 5 dimensions:

3 Importance-Performance model (Martilla & James)

Importance – performance analysis has been proposed by Martilla and James in 1977.The model shows results of quality evaluation on grid where one axis is Performanceand the other - Importance The evaluation depends on the quadrant in which theelements of the service will be shown There are four possibilities:

 Quadrant 1 high performance, high importance - keep up the good work

 Quadrant 2 high performance, low importance - possible overkill

 Quadrant 3 low performance, low importance - low priority

 Quadrant 4 low performance, high importance - concentrate here

CHAPTER 6: HOUSEKEEPING EMPLOYEE MOTIVATION IN

REX HOTEL

6.1 HOTEL INTRODUCTION

Hotel name: Rex Hotel

Address: 141 Nguyen Hue Street, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

6.1.1 Hotel history and development in Rex Hotel

Image 6.2: Logo of the Rex Hotel

(Source: rexhotelsaigon.com)

Image 6.3: Rex Hotel

(Source: rexhotelsaigon.com)

Originally built as a French garage in the early 20th century, in 1959 theRex Hotel, was expanded into a 6-floor trading center It was leased to theAmerican Cultural Center in 1960, at which time the Abraham Lincoln Librarywas established on the ground floor During the Vietnam war the AmericanInformation Service made its base at the hotel which soon became the favoritehaunt of U.S officers and the scene of daily press briefings to foreigncorrespondents, or “five o’clock follies”, as they were called.

In 1973, the building was renamed the Rex Trading Center It includedthree cinemas, a cafeteria and dance – hall, famous throughout South East Asia.Designs were drawn to convert the Trading Centre into an illustrious hotel;however, the project was unrealized at the conclusion of the war on April 30,1975

Since 1975, the development and prosperity of the country has come fullcircle The Rex Trading Centre became a property of Saigontourist Ho ChiMinh City and was upgraded into an international hotel, renamed Ben Thanh.The “Rex Hotel” was adopted as its international trademark

The hotel has been voted in the “Top Ten Hotels” for ten consecutiveyears by the Vietnam Tourism Association In 2008, the Rex Hotel wasclassified as an international 5-star hotel With its traditional charm, a widerange of international standard services and 286 well-appointed rooms, theluxurious new refurbishments have been thoughtfully designed to preserve thehistoric integrity of the Rex Hotel while at the same time introducingsophisticated postmodern architecture The Rex is really “Your VietnamHome”, a choice venue for international V.I.Ps, as well as visitors and friends

“Ho Chi Minh is not the Saigon it once was Everything changesfollowing the developing trend” However, the memories remain The Rex ismore than a hotel, as quoted by Tim Page on the occasion of the gathering ofover 100 foreign correspondents and veterans at the Rex’s Rooftop in May2005: “…from the 5 o’clock follies to the freaky reunion of a hundredcomrades, four decades down line, the king of residences has surpassed thenorm of provision”

The Rex Hotel was one of the first state-owned five-star hotels built andrun by the Vietnamese The refurbishments blend new international technologywith national cultural characteristics.

Vietnam is proud of this landmark hotel, which is known as the pearl ofVietnamese tourism

Over the years, Rex Hotel has received many typical awards such as:

- On December 4th, 2013 in Hanoi, Rex Hotel was honored to be awarded thetrophy and certificate by the Organizing Committee for the title of Vietnam'sleading 5-star hotel in 2013

- Award of hotel environmental energy in 2013 was honored as Asean Green HotelAward

- On March 16th, 2014 in Hanoi, Rex Hotel was honored to receive the 2014National Quality Gold Award awarded by the Prime Minister

- Vietnam's leading 5-star hotel award awarded by Vietnam NationalAdministration of Tourism (Ministry of Culture, Sports & Tourism) incollaboration with Vietnam Tourism Association on 9/7/2016

- October 13th, 2017, Rex Hotel was honored to receive the “Typical Product –Service 2017” award from the HCM City Business Association

- On January 21th, 2021, Ben Thanh Hotel (Rex Saigon) was honored to be voted

to receive the “Golden Brand of Ho Chi Minh City 2020” Award

6.1.2 Hotel products & service in Rex Hotel

* Hotel products in Rex Hotel:

Rex Hotel Saigon features 286 rooms & suites, strike a balance betweencomfort and tradition, offering exceptional products and sheer luxury Allrooms vary in standard, style and size, elegantly appointed to give each room itsindividual character In addition, there are 5 restaurants, bars and 8 conferencerooms

Currently, the rex hotel has 3 types of rooms: West Wing, East Wing,Executive Wing

- West wing: Premium, Governor Suite

+ Premium: The 38 sqm Premiums are equipped high-quality mattress of

King or Twin bedding configuration, pillow menu and bedside control panel forconvenience

Room equipment:

• Cable TV Channel • Safety box

• Hairdryer

Image 6.4: The Premium room in Rex Hotel

(Source: rexhotelsaigon.com)

+ Governor Suite: The 57 sqm Governor Suites offer a scented

atmosphere, comfortable sofa to relax, flat-screen LCD with internationalchannels, hi-ranking amenities, separate living room and convenient workingtable

Room equipment:

• Workdesk

Image 6.5: The Governor Suite room in Rex Hotel

(Source: rexhotelsaigon.com)

Image 6.6: The Deluxe room in Rex Hotel

(Source: rexhotelsaigon.com)

• Coffee/ Tea • Safety box • Slippers

- East Wing: Deluxe, Rex suite, Imperial Suite

+ Deluxe: Located in East Wing,

Deluxe is a standard room with 28sqm and fully equipped with standardamenities, offering a comfy and cozyatmosphere

+ Rex suite: The Rex

Suite offers King bedding

configuration Some of them

have fantastic views overlook

the bustling of downtown area

with Juliet balcony The sitting

room is the perfect place to

Image 6.6: The Deluxe room in Rex Hotel

(Source: rexhotelsaigon.com)

Image 6.7: The Rex suite room in Rex Hotel

(Source: rexhotelsaigon.com)

wind down and enjoy a relaxing drink and reflect on the historic charm of theRex

Room equipment:

• Twin Bed

• Coffee/

+ Imperial Suite: Located on the 3rd & 4th floor of East Wing, theImperial Suites strike a balance between comfort and authentic Vietnamesetraditional decoration, offering a best view of Nguyen Hue Pedestrian StreetWith the size of 98 sqm, Imperial Suite has enough space for separate livingroom, dining area and working table with internet cable dock and is fullyequipped with exceptional amenities and in-room sauna

Room equipment:

• Hydro massagebath

Image 6.8: The Imperial Suite room in Rex Hotel

(Source: rexhotelsaigon.com)

Image 6.9: The Executive Governor Suite room

in Rex Hotel

(Source: rexhotelsaigon.com)