Dedication
To mom and dad,
Your dream is coming true.
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Acknowledgements
I would like to thank the shareholders, management and staff of Pandhari Hotels for
affording me time and opportunity to complete my Industrial Attachment at their
organisation.
Thanks goes to Vincent Tsvangira my friend for helping me find attachment placement and
my colleagues from UZ Brenda, Maybe, Tatenda “tatcash”, Teddy, Ruramisai, Leobah,
Jacqueline and Patricia for the support we gave each other during attachment. Tatenda
Majoni, Munyaradzi, Simon and Ronny you were good friends thank you. Jimson you were a
good friend and your influence was good on me thank you.
Last but not least my family for the support you gave me during this period. I know it’s
difficult to give bus fare to someone going to work thank you.
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Table of Contents
Dedication ....................................................................................................................... i
Acknowledgements ........................................................................................................ii
Table of Contents ..................................................................................................................... iii
Executive Summary .................................................................................................................vii
Chapter One: Introduction ......................................................................................................... 1
1.1
Objectives of the Report .............................................................................................. 1
1.2
Introduction and Background Information of Pandhari Hotels ................................... 1
1.2.1
Company History ................................................................................................. 1
1.2.2
Facts about Pandhari Hotels................................................................................. 2
1.2.3
Address ................................................................................................................ 2
1.2.4
Vision, Mission and Values of Pandhari Hotels .................................................. 3
1.2.5
Hotel Structure/Organogram ................................................................................ 4
1.2.6
Hotel Departments Descriptions .......................................................................... 5
1.3
Awards and Accolades ................................................................................................ 6
Chapter Two: Evaluation and Analysis of the Organisation’s activities ................................... 7
2.1
Introduction ................................................................................................................. 7
2.2
Evaluation and Analysis of the organisation activities ............................................... 7
2.3
SWOT Analysis of Pandhari hotels .......................................................................... 11
2.3.1
Strength .............................................................................................................. 11
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2.3.2
Weaknesses ........................................................................................................ 11
2.3.3
Opportunities...................................................................................................... 12
2.3.4
Threats................................................................................................................ 12
Chapter Three: Food and Beverages ........................................................................................ 14
3.1
General Description................................................................................................... 14
3.2
Restaurant and Banqueting........................................................................................ 14
3.2.1
Restaurant Operations ........................................................................................ 14
3.2.2
Banqueting operations ....................................................................................... 18
3.3
Bar ............................................................................................................................. 21
3.4
Kitchen ...................................................................................................................... 21
3.4.1
3.5
Kitchen sections and their operations ................................................................ 22
Personnel in the food and beverages department ...................................................... 23
3.5.1
Banqueting Supervisor ....................................................................................... 23
3.5.2
Head Chef .......................................................................................................... 24
3.5.3
Chefs .................................................................................................................. 25
3.5.4
Waiters ............................................................................................................... 25
3.5.5
Cashiers .............................................................................................................. 25
3.6
Challenges and recommendations ............................................................................. 25
Chapter Four: Accounting and Finance Department ............................................................... 28
4.1
Food and Beverages Controls ................................................................................... 28
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4.1.1
4.2
Controls department operations ......................................................................... 28
Stores and Purchasing Department ........................................................................... 29
4.2.1
Stores.................................................................................................................. 29
4.2.2
Purchasing .......................................................................................................... 30
4.3
Challenges and recommendations ............................................................................. 30
Chapter Five: Housekeeping .................................................................................................... 32
5.1
Introduction ............................................................................................................... 32
5.2
Operations ................................................................................................................. 32
5.2.1
Bedroom hands .................................................................................................. 32
5.2.2
Public area cleaners............................................................................................ 33
5.2.3
Laundry hands .................................................................................................... 34
5.3
Challenges and recommendations ............................................................................. 34
Chapter Six: A Special in-depth study on the organisation of Pandhari Hotels ...................... 36
Chapter Seven: Evaluation of the Industrial Attachment, Recommendations and Suggestions.
.................................................................................................................................................. 37
7.1
Introduction ............................................................................................................... 37
7.2
Expectations of the Attachment Period ..................................................................... 37
7.3
Experiences and knowledge gained during industrial attachment ............................ 37
7.4
Challenges faced during industrial attachment ......................................................... 39
7.5
Analysis of the relevance of theory to practice ......................................................... 41
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7.6
Recommendations and suggestions ........................................................................... 42
7.7
Summation ................................................................................................................ 43
Chapter Eight: Summary and Conclusion................................................................................ 44
8.1
Summary ................................................................................................................... 44
8.2
Conclusion................................................................................................................. 45
Appendices ............................................................................................................................... 46
Appendix A: Menu .............................................................................................................. 46
Bibliography and References ................................................................................................... 47
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Executive Summary
Industrial Attachment Report: Chawanda Hama Oscar (R129763L)
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Chapter One: Introduction
This chapter is introductory. It will lay the basis of what the report is all about. The objectives
of the report will be outlined in this chapter. It will further on give an introduction and a brief
background of Pandhari Hotels.
1.1
Objectives of the Report
 To show an understanding through hands on experience how Pandhari Hotels operates
in its different departments.
 To critically analyse the relevance of theory to practice.
 To explore the various ways through which Pandhari Hotels can improve on service
delivery so as to be able to attract more clients and retain the existing ones.
 To recommend to Pandhari Hotels the measures that can be taken to overcome some
of the noted challenges facing the organization.
 To recommend to the University of Zimbabwe on how best it can implement its
industrial attachment programme for its students that it becomes a success as wanted
by both the students and the university.
1.2
Introduction and Background Information of Pandhari Hotels
1.2.1
Company History
Pandhari hotel is owned by Mr Sunday Chifamba who holds 85% of the shares. Mr Swisidayi
Nyamufukudza is a non-executive director who holds 15% of the shares. This company was
formed in 1997 and started operating in two hundred with only three employees. Originally
built with five rooms and no conference room, it has grown through leaps and bounds and
now has two suites and fifty-nine spacious air conditioned bedrooms. Pandhari now boasts
seventy-four employees. It also has outside and inside dining areas that can sit up to five
Industrial Attachment Report: Chawanda Hama Oscar (R129763L)
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hundred people, two cocktail bars and six conference rooms. The largest conference room
accommodates up to one hundred and fifty participants and the smaller one up to twenty
participants. Pandhari once was located on three different locations namely: the Whitehouse
complex and the Garden Court and the Main lodge. The Main Lodge was recently sold off to
the School of Hospitality and Tourism along with all its facilities. The Whitehouse Complex
boasts of one conference room which sits up to a hundred guests’ leaf style and two hundred
cinema styles. Garden Court has a Gazebo which has a capacity of seating one thousand
guests’ cinema style and five hundred banqueting style.
1.2.2
Facts about Pandhari Hotels
Pandhari hotel is a unique, vibrant and exciting hotel located in the serene and tranquil
neighbourhood of Glen Lorne in Harare. It is situated some 17km from the City Centre and
31km from Harare International Airport. It holds a 2 star grading from the Zimbabwe
Tourism Authority.
All the guest rooms have twin or double beds, private bath, shower and toilet, electric-shaver
point (110/220), satellite television, telephone and air-conditioning. The Garden Court
restaurant has a sitting capacity of fifty guests and an outdoor dining area with a capacity of
two hundred and fifty guests and is complemented by the Garden Court bar which also act as
the functions bar and a cocktail bar.
Towards the end of 2014 the Main Lodge Complex was sold to the School of Hospitality and
Tourism in a deal that see Pandhari able to use facilities at the Man Lodge though they no
longer own it.
1.2.3
Address
16 Gainesville Drive, Glen Lorne
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Telephone: 263 4 494918-19, 263 4 494758
Fax: 263 4 494916
E-mail: pandhari@pandhari.co.zw
Website: www.pandharihotels.co.zw
1.2.4
Vision, Mission and Values of Pandhari Hotels
Vision
To become the market leader in the provision of world class services in Zimbabwe.
Mission
To provide customer driven hospitality services in line with best practice, with a highly
competent workforce to unlock shareholder value.
Values
Excellence
Innovation and Diversity
Integrity and Accountability
Professionalism
Teamwork
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MD
1.2.5
Hotel Structure/Organogram
GM
PA to GM
Food &
F&B
Front Office
Sales and
Maintenance
Security
HR
Beverage
Outcat
Manager
Marketing
Manager
Manager
Manager
Manager
Manager ?
Executive
Banqueting
Group
Chef
Manager
Accountant
Banqueting
Accountant
Housekeeper
Cashiers
Manager
Head
Head
Outcat Head
F/o
Night
Waiter
barman
Chef ?
Supervisor
Auditor
Sales Execs
Guest
Relations
Reservations
Maint
Security
Ass
enance
Supervisors
H/Keeper
Head Chef
Head Chef
Supervisor
Supervisor
Waiters, Still
Room Hand
Barman
Outcat
Receptionis
Head
Security
Floor
Senior
Waiters &
ts
Gardner
Guards
Supervisor
Section
barman
Bookkeeper
creditors
Chef
Gardeners
Bedroom
Junior
hand
section
Buyer
Chef
Handymen
Public area
Kitchen
cleaner
Porter
Bookkeeper
debtors
Food and
Linen
Beverage
Supervisor
controller
Laundry
Storesman
hand
Figure 1.1
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1.2.6
Hotel Departments Descriptions
Accounting
It has overall control of all receipts and payments, maintains internal audits, and reports all
data pertaining to the financial aspects of the hotel.
Banqueting
Coordinates staff and supplies to serve all hotel food and functions held in the meeting room.
Front Office
Responsible for guest check-in and check-out, invoices, porter services, general information,
telephones and shuttles. It is also responsible for reservations and guest services as well as
housekeeping functions.
Human Resources
It is responsible for employee hiring and orientation, wages and salaries administration,
training, benefits administration, counselling and co-ordination of team-member activities,
transport of team members.
Hotel security
Maintains order, safety and security throughout the hotel.
Sales and Marketing
Responsible for locating and generating hotel business and sales; preparation of sales and
marketing strategies and promotional activities.
Purchasing
Buys all merchandise and food stuffs, making certain all products purchased conform to hotel
specifications and quality standards.
Stores
Receives, properly stores, accounts for and dispenses all food stuffs, office supplies, etc.
ordered by Purchasing.
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Maintenance
Responsible for all engineering works and repairs throughout the hotel complex.
1.3
Awards and Accolades
National Annual Tourism Awards: Best City Lodge 2010 and 2011
MEGA FEST Tourism Awards: Best City Lodge 2014
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Chapter Two: Evaluation and Analysis of the Organisation’s activities
2.1
Introduction
This chapter will take us through the evaluation and analysis of Pandhari hotels’ activities.
By activities reference is made to the product of Pandhari hotels and non-core business
activities like corporate social responsibilities and employee welfare.
2.2
Evaluation and Analysis of the organisation activities
The product of Pandhari hotels can be classified into two categories, accommodation and
banqueting. Most of the revenue at Pandhari hotels is generated through banqueting. In this
chapter banqueting will refer to activities that fall under conference and meeting hosting,
wedding and party hosting and dinning. Accommodation will refer to the selling of bedrooms
and laundry services. Other activities which do not fall into the above categories are
employee welfare and corporate social responsibility.
For a 2 star hotel, Pandhari hotels boast of market class standard bedrooms. As mentions in
chapter one all of the bedrooms are air conditioned and have a private bath, shower and toilet.
The rooms have either twin beds or double beds and satellite television. The lighting and
choice of colour in the rooms creates an ambience that is so relaxing and can make every
guest want to stay longer.
The honeymoon suite and executive suite are the best rooms at Pandhari hotels. These rooms
are spacious and are very comfortable. They bring out real value for money to the guests.
Accommodation is charged on bed and breakfast basis. A guest can pay less and be provided
accommodation only, but usually it is negotiated first. The guest is supplied with towels,
shampoos and lotions in the room. Every room has a tea/coffee making kit.
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However some of the rooms still have old fashioned cathode-ray tube television sets which
display poor quality picture as compare to some rooms which have Liquid Crystal Display
which produce good quality pictures. The satellite television has a very limited number of
channels and does not include some of the popular channels on satellite like Telemundo, EAfrica, for example, which are very popular with the ladies. The rooms area is not all covered
by Wi-Fi internet and some rooms are prone to waterlogging during the rainy season. The
waterlogging is due to poor roofing which lets water trickles into passages and this can be
corrected by sealing the openings on the roof.
The conference rooms are of standard and serve their purpose fully. The rooms are well air
conditioned and the lighting is perfect. The environment at Pandhari hotels is quiet hence
providing an ideal setting for meetings and conferences. The well-manicured gardens and
lawns add to the ambience of the place. Conference guests can sit in the gardens refreshing
their minds with the beautiful scenery.
The wedding venues are just as exquisite and the beautiful gardens are ideal for wedding
photos. There are two wedding venues, the Whitehouse deck and the Main Gazebo multipurpose hall. The two venues can be transformed through decorations, from mere deck and
room into beautiful world class wedding venues. The Whitehouse conference room can also
be transformed into a beautiful chapel.
Banqueting at Pandhari hotels is not banqueting without the food and drink. As part of all the
packages under banqueting food and drink play the most important role in satisfying the
guest. With senior chefs of a combined experience of over ten year, the meals prepared at
Pandhari hotels are delicious and leave the dinners begging for more.
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The food is served in the restaurant or the mini-gazebo which is a fine outdoor eating area.
The Whitehouse deck is also sometimes used for dinning purposes and is also a good outdoor
dining area.
The bar at Pandhari hotels is up to standard. Stocked with top of the range whisks, rum,
brandy, liqueurs, gin, champagne, wine, ciders, beers and lagers, the bar also has nonalcoholic beverages in stock. The bar also has a wide variety of cocktails for guests to choose
from.
Although the food is good, there are a number of things that affect the product and need
attention from the management of Pandhari hotels. The menu is very limited; if one is a
regular at Pandhari hotel he/she will notice the dishes do not change very much. The a la
carte menu is not up to standard as it does not have a large variety of dishes rather it is more
like a table d’hôte menu which has very few dishes. See appendices for Pandhari a la carte
menu. Apart from its limitedness the menu is also not well presented. The menus are just
printed from regular bond paper and in black and white. Notice the wrong spellings on the
menu. They are not designed to appeal to the guests or promote the standard of the food being
prepared.
The restaurant is squashed; the arrangement of tables makes it difficult for guest and waiters
to move around when the restaurant is full to capacity. This impacts on the guests as they
may fail to enjoy the whole dining experience as they would have experienced difficulties
getting to their table. At times essential materials like tooth picks and paper serviettes run out
and this create a wrong impression on the guest.
The management and staff of Pandhari hotels are an essential part of the product of Pandhari.
Generally the staff at Pandhari hotels is very welcoming but their presentation is not the best
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that Pandhari can do. The problem lies on the fact that there are no standard uniforms for
different personnel. The front office personnel have certain dress codes they have to follow
but none is being followed and the same can be said about the security personnel who are
supposed to wear blue and white but now some wear black and white and the uniforms are
not very appealing neither do they fit some of the guards. The porters must also have a
distinctive uniform from other personnel in other departments.
The housekeeping personnel put on black and white as well as waiters but this is not ideal
because housekeeping personnel clean toilets and then a guest sees a waiter serving food in
black and white, nothing can stop him/her to think it’s the same people who serve food as
well as clean toilets. There must be a distinction and the hotel must come up with appealing
unique uniforms for waiters to enhance the dining experience of guests.
On employee welfare, Pandhari hotel is not fully committed to this cause. However, the
reasons for its failure to meet this obligation are beyond its control as this is a national crisis
being faced by most organisations in Zimbabwe. Pandhari is failing to pay its salaries and
wages on agreed dates and this has strongly affected the moral of its staff and has also
resulted in high staff turnover. It has grown to relay on trainees to deliver services in order to
reduce the wage bill and this is not a very good situation as trainees will always require
guidance from experienced staff in order for the service to remain up to standard.
However, Pandhari hotel has tried to come up with ways to try and support its staff through
the difficult times. It sells food stuffs like meat and vegetables to its staff at subsidised prices.
A bus is supplied to carry staff to and from the city centre to ease on the transport cost of its
employees.
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Pandhari hotels engage in corporate social responsibilities through providing water to
residents around the hotel. Generally the city of Harare has no capacity to pump water to
Glen Lorne as such most residence relay on borehole water but not everyone has a borehole.
The residents are always welcome to fetch water at Pandhari hotels for as long they do not
disturb guests.
2.3
2.3.1
SWOT Analysis of Pandhari hotels
Strength
 A well established brand
 Its appeal to famous people and celebrities
 Exquisite location
 Experienced workforce
 Industry recognition through awards
 Well maintained hotel site
 Loyal client base
2.3.2
Weaknesses
 Inconsistent service delivery due to shortage of resources
 Limited menu
 High staff turnover especially management staff
 Inaccessibility due to lack of signage from the main road
 Unappealing infrastructure specifically the Garden Court Complex
 Demotivated and undisciplined workforce
 Slow appreciation of technology e.g. Pandhari has no Ecocash Merchant number,
Visa and MasterCard point of sale.
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 Unpresentable security personnel
 Lack of a solid organisational structure
 Centrality of decision making- almost all decisions wait for the Managing Director
 Reliability on trainees for labour. These are usually very inexperienced hence
compromise quality of service.
2.3.3
Opportunities
 Branding its restaurant and bar thereby appealing to a new group of customers rather
than waiting for conference guests only
 Providing laundry services to non-guests, mainly residents of Glen Lorne who have to
drive either to Chisipite shopping centre or Sam Levi Village to access laundry
service when Pandhari hotels has a fully automated laundry.
 Increasing the number of conference rooms at its newly acquires land or create a wing
with a new theme appealing to a different market for leisure.
 Economic recovery results in more spending money amongst the general public
hence the urge to visit hotels
2.3.4
Threats
 Intense competition from surrounding lodges and hotels for example Imbamatombo
Hotels and Thorne tree lodge.
 Sprouting of wedding venues in and around Glen Lorne.
 New bar opened at School of Hospitality and Tourism at Pandhari hotels’ former
complex.
 Guests losing confidence due to the news that Pandhari is under the hammer (Daily
news aired an advert that Pandhari hotels was going to be auctioned due to
outstanding debts with CABS )
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In short Pandhari hotels meet the two star grades it holds and actually surpass them. This is
evidence by the awards and accolades it has received from different institutes in recognition
of its Excellency towards service delivery. Apart from the hiccups it faces to provide the
service, generally the guests are satisfied by the service they receive. It is only those from
inside the organisation who can actually see how the hotel is struggling to meet its mandate.
If this is not addressed, the situation may result in graver consequences which can even lead
to failure of the organisation.
There is need for the management of Pandhari hotels to take a look at the SWOT analysis of
Pandhari and map a way forward. The major strength of Pandhari is its strong well
established brand and this should be taken advantage of while it still last, once the
opportunity lost the road to recovery will be longer.
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Chapter Three: Food and Beverages
3.1
General Description
Pandhari hotels does not have a Food and Beverages department headed by one manager but
rather as two different sections which are Restaurant and Banqueting and Kitchen. The
Banqueting supervisor is the head of the Restaurant and Banqueting department and also the
bar manager. The kitchen is headed by two Head chefs. Both the Head chefs and banqueting
supervisor report to the General Manager. These two sections are the largest departments in
terms of man-power and resources.
The kitchen produce the food and banqueting will provide waiters who will serve the guest.
3.2
Restaurant and Banqueting
3.2.1
Restaurant Operations
The restaurant is responsible for serving all the meals in the hotel from room service to
buffet. It is run by the banqueting supervisor. Day to day operations is supervised by the head
waiter and head cashier. The shift at the restaurant begins at 06:00hrs and ends at 15:30hrs.
Another will start at 15:30hrs to 22:00hrs.
All floor workers including students will commence the day with the evening shift, that is,
from 15:30hrs to 22:00hrs. The evening shift commences by doing a mise-en-place for
dinner. Depending on the numbers expected for dinner, the menu may be a la carte or buffet
(also known as table d’hôte). If there are less than twenty people the menu will be an a la
carte and if more than twenty it will be a buffet.
Mise-en-place for dinner
The shift supervisor informed the team of the total number of resident diners expected for
dinner, and if none we would prepare for ten and it would be an a la carte. We would divide
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in two teams; one team would clean cutlery and crockery and the other team would change
the table linen, refilled salt and pepper cruets and fold the serviettes.
Dinner plates and side plates are washed by kitchen porters and thus waiters only wiped them
dry and removed chipped plates. Depending on the menu being served we would include
additional cutlery like steak knives, soup spoons and joint forks. Dinner plates once clean
they were put in plate warmers so that they could maintain the warmth of the food.
We would all lay the cutlery, cruets and serviettes on the tables, see photo below.
Figure 3.1 table setting for an a la carte menu
Before welcoming the first guests, we would get the beverages list from the bar and then a
briefing would follow.
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Serving dinner
The first thing was to greet the guests and make them feel welcome. Then we would escort
them to their tables if a la carte and if buffet we would escort them to the serving point(s).
Once the guest sits we would present to him/her the drinks we had in this manner; “good
evening sir/madam may I take your drinks order, I have coke, sprite, orange and mango
juice.” If a la carte we would present the menu and take the drinks order. The guest would
read the menu whilst the waiter would be collecting the drink from the bar. When serving a
guest, a drink is served from the right hand side of the guest.
The buffet at Pandhari hotels has a minimum of seven dishes. The first three dishes would be
of starches and Sadza is a must to be served. Then there will be three or four of protein and
one of mixed vegetables/or vegetables and the last one will have gravy. The a la carte menu
for dinner and lunch usually has a selection of three starters; three main courses and three
desserts and all is served with a starch.
When serving an a la carte one has to be a good listener and should repeat the order to the
customer before going to the kitchen to place an order. When the customer orders the waiter
will go to the kitchen and place the order to the chefs. The waiter shouts the order at the
hotplate starting with the starter then the main course and lastly the dessert. The hotplate is
the contact point between kitchen and service staff. When placing the order the waiter would
bring a warm dinner plate and a side plate for the starter to the kitchen. The waiter should
retain to the restaurant and see if the guest has any other requests and take drink orders if
necessary.
The waiter will bring the food to the guest and a guest is served a plate from the left. If there
are four guests for example, the waiter should thrive to serve the entire guests at once starting
with the ladies. One should not serve a guest the main course when another guest on the same
table has not been served with a starter. Before bringing the main course the waiter must clear
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the plates and cutlery used to eat the starter. Desserts are served lastly. After the guest have
finished the waiter must clear the tables and prepare for the next guest.
After serving dinner the waiters will begin mise-en-place for breakfast.
Mise-en-place for breakfast
The mise-en-place is similar to that of dinner but for breakfast there will be cleaning of
teaspoons, cups and saucers. We would prepare tea flasks; two for Rooibos tea, two for
Tanganda tea and two for Coffee; and juice jugs for three different fruit juices.
The tables would be set as follows; see pictures below
The morning shift starts at 06:00hrs and the first thing would be to boil water for teas and
coffee and milk for cereals, teas and coffee. Breakfast will be served from 07:00hrs and so
cereals and fruit juices will be in place before that. Teas and coffee will be brewed when the
first guest enters the restaurant.
Serving breakfast
The first thing is to greet the guest(s) and escort them to the cereals table or to the table if an
a la carte. At the cereal table there would be three varieties of cereals, three varieties of fruit
juices and milk, both hot and cold. The buffet has a minimum of seven dishes. The a la carte
menu for breakfast is similar to the buffet only that the food would be served from the
hotplate.
When serving breakfast the waiters’ task will be to pour tea for the guests, clear tables, taking
orders from the guests and making tea and coffee. It is the duty of the waiters to replenish
cereals and making sure the tea is still hot.
After serving the entire guest, two waiters are tasked to set the table for management and
serve them. When setting the table for management instead of using linen serviettes, paper
serviettes are used and they can only have eggs and all the food that might have remain
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during guest service. While serving management the other team members will be doing miseen-place for lunch.
Mise-en-place for lunch
It is similar to that for dinner. The difference is the workload. Pandhari hotels usually have
more guests during lunch time than breakfast and dinner. This is because conferences have a
lunch package and the hotel thrives on conferences. The serve is the same as that for dinner.
Other operations
The restaurant personnel are also responsible for providing room service. When providing a
room service a waiter must listen carefully to the order and the room number. Then set a tray
for room service. The tray should have cutlery, salt and pepper, paper serviettes and of course
the food. The waiter should knock three times shouting “room service” and wait for the door
to be opened. The waiter should place the tray on the table in the room and then present the
invoice to the guest. The guest may pay cash or charge it to the guest account.
Apart from selling the menu the restaurant also sells platters. There are three types of platter;
small, medium and large platters. These are ideal for guest drinking alcoholic beverages and
usually the orders for platters come through from the bar.
3.2.2
Banqueting operations
It is responsible for service at the conferences and functions held within the hotel. Their
functions would be to set up the conference rooms, serving welcome teas and punches for
weddings and parties and other services as per guest requirements.
The shifts are the same as that of restaurant. In fact there is no actual division of personnel
between banqueting and restaurant. They are all waiters. There are no waiters who are said to
belong to banqueting or restaurant. The same waiters can either work in the restaurant or
banqueting at conference rooms depending on where there is more work to do.
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There is one supervisor who reports to the banqueting super who is responsible for
banqueting operations. This supervisor is responsible for the setting up of conferences,
replenishing conferences and requesting commodities from the stores department. This
supervisor is also responsible for hiring casual waiters when more man-power is required
with approval from the Human Resources Department.
Setting up conference rooms
This is the arrangement of tables and chairs to meet the guest’s needs for a meeting room.
There are many styles for setting up conference rooms and examples include board room
style, U-shape and Leaf style.
Below is a picture of a U-shaped conference style at the Whitehouse conference room
Figure 3.2 U-shape conference style
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Setting up a conference room involves arranging the furniture to the desired shape, then
laying the table linen. There must be four sheets of writing pads, a pen, a whisk glass and a
500ml bottle of mineral water. For every four people there must be a juice jug for mazoe
orange crush or blackberry or any juice the guest may have requested and crystal mints/
endear mints.
Other utilities which will be put in place for a conference include flip charts, projector stand
and markers. A Public Address (PA) system is provided upon request at an extra fee. A table
for teas, coffee and sandwiches is place near the conference room.
Serving conference guests/waiting at conferences
The waiter will first switch on the lights and air conditioners in the conference room before
the guests arrive. He/she will make tea and coffee and boil milk for welcoming guests. When
the first guest arrives the waiter should already be waiting by the teas table. Before the
conference start the waiter should identify the meeting co-ordinator and get the conference
programme, that is, when will they break for mid-morning teas and lunch and if there are any
guests with special menu requirements. The waiter will also show them where the restrooms
are and how to operate the air conditioning system. If guests were in-house and had breakfast
welcome teas will not be necessary.
When waiting at a conference the waiter should never leave the conference area and must be
a quick decision maker especially when there does a problem need solving.
Replenishing a conference room
This is done during lunch break and at the end of each day. During lunch break, the waiter
will rearrange the chairs to position, remove all the water bottles and clear the tables of any
dirt without disturbing any of the guests’ equipment or materials. All the whisk glasses will
be cleaned and replaced, new writing pads will be issued and mints and juices will be refilled.
Mineral water will be given to every guest.
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Replenishing at the end of the day is done by the evening shift and only if the guests are
retaining the following day. This replenish is more thorough as some overlays will be
changed. Material left by the guest will be removed, that is if the guest would not have left a
directive for their material to be left untouched. This exercise will be similar to setting up
only that the guests will not be provided with new pens.
3.3
Bar
The bar is directly managed by the banqueting supervisor. It has three barmen and two of
them work on rotating shifts of a week each. The bar opens at 10:00hrs and close at 22:00hrs.
The bar serve a wide range of beverages and it also serve as the functions bar. It complements
the restaurant.
For functions and duties of barman see Barman Competency Profile in the appendices.
3.4
Kitchen
The kitchen is responsible for preparation of all the hotel food. It is run by the head chefs.
There was reshuffling of the kitchen structure which saw the exit of executive chef and being
replaced by two head chefs. The shifts are similar to those of the restaurant and banqueting
department. The head chefs are seconded by the sous chefs and the sous chef will be incharge of the kitchen during the night shift.
There are two kitchens at Pandhari hotels; the main kitchen and the pastry kitchen. The
pastry kitchen is situated at the Main Lodge although the property is no longer owned by
Pandhari hotels. The pastry kitchen is headed by the Pastry chef who reports directly to the
Head chefs and the pastry chefs is quasi-independent from the main kitchen as it has its own
requisition book and pantry for food storage.
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To carry out its operations successfully the kitchen is divided into different sections for a
smooth flow of operations. The sections are Larder, vegetable, breakfast, saucier and pastry
though pastry is a more stand alone.
3.4.1
Kitchen sections and their operations
a. Breakfast section
The breakfast chef is the first one to get in the kitchen. He may even start as early as 04:00hrs
in order to finish preparing all the dishes before seven o’clock. The breakfast menu at
Pandhari hotels consists of seven dishes and these are; star tomatoes, baked beans, potato
sauté, pork and beef sausages, bacon and eggs.
During the ZANU PF National Congress held in December, we had to start work at 03:00hrs
so that by 05:30hrs breakfast would be ready as the guests were leaving early for the
congress.
b. Larder section
This section mainly prepares cold foods; salads and sandwiches for conference teas. This
section is also responsible for garnishing the buffet serving area. The section taught me to be
creative when garnishing buffet and making salads.
The larder chef starts work at six o'clock and the first thing would be to cut bread and make
sandwiches for conference guests. The sandwiches should be ready by ten o'clock. Then after
making the sandwiches she will turn attention to making cold salads for lunch. She must
come up with three dishes of salads.
c. Vegetable section
This section is responsible for making vegetables and starch foods. To successfully complete
lunch preparation mise-en-place is done the previous night. The mise-en-place involves
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cutting vegetables like broccoli, cauliflower, butternuts and carrots and peeling potatoes is
they are on the menu.
The vegetable section taught me to be confident as on some occasions especially Friday I
would be working on the section alone being supported by the sous chef.
d. Saucier sections
Prepares all the protein dishes especially meat and the sous chef is the head of this section. Its
dishes are the most important on the menu.
e. Pastry section
All the baking is done here. They make all the desserts for the meals offered at Pandhari
hotels. For breakfast and conference teas they make muffins, scones and cakes.
f. Porters
This section is responsible for all the cleaning done in the kitchen. They are also responsible
for cooking Sadza for the guests and preparation of staff meals.
The student was able to perform duties in all of the above kitchen sections.
3.5
Personnel in the food and beverages department
3.5.1
Banqueting Supervisor
 Responsible for the smooth running of the department
 Budgeting for the department –weekly, monthly and yearly budgets
 Cost control
 Inventory management specifically equipment, crockery, cutlery and silverware
 Forecasting conference needs trend
 Direct management of the bar
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3.5.2
Head Chef
Duty roaster preparation
The supervisor is responsible for ensuring that an up to date duty roaster is drawn up every
month and that it is followed without fail. All kitchen staff need to ensure that they talk to the
head chef in advance should their wish to change their duties for any reason whatsoever.
Allocation of duties
The supervisor is also responsible for the allocation of duties and responsibilities every
morning as soon as the kitchen opens. Since the kitchen normally opens before the head chef
gets to work, the following day’s duties are allocated a day before.
Menu planning
The head chef in conjunction with the sous chef, who happens to be the second in command
after the head chef, needs to make sure that there is a menu for the day by nine ‘o’ clock
every day to ensure that food is prepared in good time and avoid inconveniencing guests
since lunch can start as early as twelve ‘o’ clock!
Requisition of kitchen supplies
The kitchen supervisor needs to make sure that every day supplies for the following day are
requested from the stores and supplied to the kitchen so as to ensure that breakfast is catered
for without delays as it may start around six ‘o’ clock in the morning as guests may require
from time to time. Where some items are not in stock the kitchen supervisor will have to
make sure substitutes are available to avoid bottlenecks.
Controlling costs
The supervisor should control food and beverage costs so that the organisation, through the
food and beverage department, does not operate at a loss as it is popularly known that the
department has huge overhead costs. This cost control involves ensuring that chefs adhere to
portion control measures as may from time to time be communicated to them so as to cut
costs without prejudicing the client of their value for money at the same time.
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Maintenance of losses register
To keep and maintain an updated losses and damages register. Broken plates, water glasses,
cups and any other kitchen equipment must be recorded capturing the date and how the
breakage occurred.
3.5.3
Chefs
 Responsible for meal preparation adhering to the menu as set by the Head chef.
 Ensuring that high standards of hygiene and sanitation are followed in preparing and
serving food.
 Portioning and serving guests food
3.5.4
Waiters
 Conference room waiting.
 Preparation of teas
 Table waiting.
 Cleaning of crockery and cutlery.
 Serving teas
 Arranging conference rooms and all other function venues.
3.5.5
Cashiers
 Creating invoices for conference utilities and lunch
 Making up bills for restaurant personnel
 Posting transactions on Hostit Hotel Management System
3.6
Challenges and recommendations
 The personnel in the department are lowly motivated. –the management must always
find ways to motivate the employees and show appreciation when a good service has
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been offered. The hotel may give the staff a 2% tip on every sale made and this can
drive the employees to work and maximise on sales.
 Shortage of essential commodities. –tooth picks would run out during service and
guests would complain. Some of the commodities would be bought late thereby
affecting final output, for example some steak would be delivered at 12:00hrs and
expected to be served during lunch which would be starting at 13:00hrs. Yes the steak
would be cooked by 13:00hrs but it would be of poor quality. Proper planning should
be done in stores and purchasing to ensure the availability of all commodities when
needed.
 Little appreciation of effort put up by trainees and lack of confidence in the abilities
of trainees. –had to put extra effort to convince and change the mind set of supervisors
and other permanent staff by proving my worthiness and skills
 Poor customer care. –specifically kitchen staff. The staff has a belief that only waiters
should practise good customer care. When a customer complains about the portion of
food received or may need an extra portion they may respond with coldness that a
waiter might be left with no clue of what to tell a guest. There is a need to train
employee good customer care and why it is important to the organisation.
 The department is understaffed. –relaying heavily on the trainees to deliver service
due to lack of permanent staff. On one incident I over-cooked rice since I was
working alone with no supervision and the guests had to eat the poorly cooked rice as
there was no time to correct the mistake due to the high workload.
 Before commencing work in the department I had no any prior knowledge of how
things are done in the department as compared to student from other departments who
had gone through some of the task through practicals in at college. So I suggest the
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department of tourism at the university should find ways to encompass the learning of
practicals before going to attachment.
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Chapter Four: Accounting and Finance Department
This will take a look at the accounting and finance department specifically the Store and
Purchasing and Food and Beverages departments which at Pandhari are sections of the
Accounting and Finance department.
4.1
Food and Beverages Controls
The food and beverages controller is responsible for the guidance and regulation of the costs
and revenue of operating the catering activity in a food and beverage establishment (Davis, et
al., 2008). At Pandhari hotels the controller has a much broader scope than as defined by the
Davis et al. the controller is responsible for all the costs; that is from food and beverages and
all the other hotel departments.
The Controls department is a department under accounting at Pandhari hotels and the
controller is directly above the Stores-man. No goods will be issued from the store without
the controller’s signature or acknowledgement.
4.1.1
Controls department operations
The day starts at eight o'clock in the morning. The first task done is to complete the Daily
Revenue and Projections Report using invoices from the restaurant and housekeeping and this
will be reconciled with the reports generated by the Hostit Hotel Management System. This
process will identify any errors, uncompleted transactions and will unearth any pilferages.
The Requisition Costing Report is compiled after eleven o'clock when most departments
would have finished requesting commodities for the day. This report is used to generate the
cost of sales and the figures are compared to those of the Daily Revenue and Projections
Report to check if the revenue outweighed the cost.
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The controls department is also responsible for conducting stock-taking at all the hotel
departments. Stock-taking is done on the last day of each month except for the bar where it is
done on every Monday when the barmen are exchanging shifts.
4.2
Stores and Purchasing Department
This department is responsible for the proper storage and purchasing of all hotel
commodities.
4.2.1
Stores
Manned by one stores-man, is responsible for the storage, ordering, receiving and issuing out
of commodities. It is a department under the Accounting department. The commodities in the
stores are stored in categorised sections and the categories are housekeeping, maintenance,
stationery and food and beverages. Absolute care is taken not to mix the commodities as it
can have some fatal results.
Operations
To be issued out with commodities every department has a requisition book and it has to be
signed by the Food and Beverages Controller or other top personnel from the accounting
department. The stores-man will issue out the goods and has a right to reduce the quantities
issued if necessary. He/she will record the quantities issued on the requisition book and
update the bin cards.
When stocks dwindle the stores-man will raise a requisition order to the accounting
department. The purchasing will be done by the chief buyer and the stores-man will be
responsible for receiving the goods.
When receiving the goods, the security personnel will record all the goods received and
stamp the receipts. The stores-man will update all the bin cards and complete a Cash
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Reconciliation Statement and this is submitted to the food and beverages controller who in
turn submit it to the accounting department.
The cash reconciliation statement is a summary of the commodities bought and the initial
money given to the buyer to purchase the commodities. The rule at Pandhari hotels states that
the buyer should not have more than $10 in change, so the statement will show if there was
more than $10 change and if any stealing has happened it will be detected.
The stores-man is responsible for checking if all the cold room and refrigerators are
functional and that all the goods are properly stored. The stores-man is also tasked with
keeping a good inventory list of all the commodities in storage.
4.2.2
Purchasing
There is one buyer at Pandhari hotels. Purchasing at Pandhari is not usually large scale as
such suppliers rarely deliver goods at Pandhari but rather the buyer visits wholesales and
purchase commodities on cash and carry basis. Guest amenities are supplied through special
suppliers who supply branded soaps, shampoos and lotions bearing the name Pandhari
Hotels.
When going for buying usually a list of commodities wanted is compiled by the store-man
and the buyer would go around purchasing the commodities. There are specific suppliers
which are visited; for most commodities Ok Mart is the preferred supplier, Spices are bought
at F Neil and Sons and Kefalos for dairy products.
4.3
Challenges and recommendations
 The spread sheets used in controls contain information which is no longer useful
and this posed a challenge because some of the spread sheets have the same names
as those which are relevant. –for example Daily Revenue and Projections Report
for 2012 would be found but would have the same heading as that of 2014 thereby
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creating confusion. There is need to grade the spread sheets and dispose those no
longer relevant and keep those useful.
 The stocktaking process was very tiresome to do as the stock sheets did not
include some of the equipment and some of the equipment is given wrong names
and everyone would wonder which equipment is being referred to thereby
prolonging the whole process. –to correct this problem we made new stock sheets
with updated names and with everything in stock.
 Updating bin cards was a challenge as some of the commodities were never
stored in the stores as they would be issued out from the delivery van to the
department requesting. –need for an electronic inventory system that would work
with receipts and does all the updating of stock sheets and issued out
commodities.
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Chapter Five: Housekeeping
5.1
Introduction
This chapter will provide an insight into the operations and organisation of the housekeeping
department. Responsible for all the cleaning of the hotel area the house keeping department
in the second largest department in-terms of manpower at Pandhari hotels. The department is
divide into three sections; laundry, bedroom hands and public area hands.
The department is run by the executive housekeeper and is seconded by the assistant
housekeeper. A floor supervisor supervises all the bedroom hands and public area cleaners
and he reports directly to the executive housekeeper. A linen supervisor supervises the linen
hands and is also responsible for the proper storage of and dispatch of linen from the linen
room.
5.2
Operations
The department has an eight hour shift from 08:00hrs to 17:00hrs. The night shift will have
only two people; one in the laundry and the other responsible for public areas. At 08:00hrs a
briefing is conducted by the assistant housekeeper and the bedroom hands are allocated the
rooms they will be working in and the public area cleaners are assigned to the respective
areas they will be cleaning.
5.2.1
Bedroom hands
Bedroom hands are responsible for thorough cleaning the guest rooms and making sure all
the necessary amenities are available in rooms and all the equipment is functional.
Procedure of cleaning rooms
Upon entering the room the bedroom hand should;
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 Ventilate the room by opening the windows. The bedroom hand should open all the
windows of rooms assigned to him and also leave the doors open if the room is
unoccupied.
 Strip the bed, change the bed sheets and the pillow cases and remake the bed to
standard. See picture in appendices of a standard made bed.
 Place all dirty linen in the trolley and emptying the litter bin in the guest room. All
dirty linen should be submitted to the laundry before ten o'clock.
 Wipe all the fixtures and fittings in the room; televisions, mirrors, headboard, table,
telephone and the tea set. Furniture polish is applied once a week.
 Vacuum clean the carpet.
The bathroom and toilet are cleaned as following:
 Flush the toilet and sprinkle detergents into the toilet sit and follow instructions on the
use of the detergent.
 Scrub the bath tub dry or the shower. If shower, scrub the glass enclosure clean.
 Polish all the silver and sinks and wipe the mirror.
 Properly arrange the soap, shampoo, bath gel and the lotion in the bath amenities
basket.
 Mop the floor.
5.2.2
Public area cleaners
They are responsible for cleaning restrooms, conferences rooms, administration offices and
dining areas. Restrooms and conference room area cleaned by the person on night shift. After
every thirty minutes they are obliged to check all the guest toilets is they are in good
condition.
They clean the conference areas after teas are served.
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5.2.3
Laundry hands
Laundry section its main objective is to provide guests with clean and comfortable linen. The
section is responsible for cleaning dirty linen from guests rooms such towels, sheets and
duvets. Other linen such as serviettes used by the restaurant and also table cloths used in
banqueting is washed by the laundry section. The laundry duties are elaborated below;
 Laundry personnel should always make sure the floors are clean.
 They are responsible for cleaning laundry machines, removing lint from the driers,
test run the washing machines, recoding noted faults of the machine, and informing
the supervisor so that she informs the maintenance department.
 They wash guest laundry for a stipulated fee and this must be done with due care to
avoid damaging the guest’s laundry and any damages to the guest’s laundry must be
noted before doing the laundry.
 Laundry personnel are also responsible for washing dirty linen, but firstly they have to
sort out the linen according to texture and colour. Care must be taken not to overload
the machines.
 Issuing out linen to the restaurant department, banqueting department and also the
rooms section.
5.3
Challenges and recommendations
Challenges
 Missing door keys
 There is no strict monitoring of guest room keys as such access to rooms especially
during the evening shift is very easy and some employees actually use guest rooms for
personal use like bathing.
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 The personnel are lowly motivated and as such employ many shortcuts when
performing tasks compromising the quality of service offered, e.g. re-using dirty bed
sheets just to avoid a trip to the laundry room.
 Unhygienic ways of completing tasks, e.g. using bed sheets to wipe tea cups and
water glasses.
 Stock-outs of essential guest room amenities like soaps and lotions thereby
compromising the quality of service.
 Shortage of bed linen resulting in improper use of linen for example, king size bed
sheets being used on a queen size or even a single bed.
 Shortage of protective clothing, e.g. PVC gloves for cleaning toilets.
Recommendation
 There is need to find ways to motivate personnel
 Clearly labelling the guestroom keys and a proper key register on which anyone with
keys is logged on to trace who had the keys when it went missing.
 There is a serious need to train on hygiene issues and on the consequences of being
unhygienic.
 There is need to prioritise quality against quantity. Instead of assigning a bedroom
hand 20 rooms to clean assign 14 rooms for a thorough job.
 Priority should be placed on making sure all guest amenities are always available in
stock to avoid stock-outs.
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Chapter Six: A Special in-depth study on the organisation of Pandhari
Hotels
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Chapter
Seven:
Evaluation
of
the
Industrial
Attachment,
Recommendations and Suggestions.
7.1
Introduction
The Industrial Attachment and Professional Experience was an eagerly awaited course. To
me it was a chance to leave college and experience the work environment and it did not
disappoint. It provided an opportunity for personal growth and an evaluation of the chosen
carrier path.
Through this chapter I will examine the pros and cons I faced during the industrial attachment
period. I will also lay out some of the solutions to the problems I faced and also recommend
and suggest to the University of Zimbabwe’s Department of Tourism, Leisure and Hospitality
studies in the Faculty of Commerce how best it can assist and carry out Industrial
Attachment.
7.2
Expectations of the Attachment Period
 To test theoretical tools and construct learnt during the first two years in college
with the realities of running business organisations in Zimbabwe and worldwide.
 To develop hands on experience in the world of business and its intricacies.
 To develop entrepreneurial skills and knowledge.
 To test career expectations against the realities of the workplace.
7.3
Experiences and knowledge gained during industrial attachment
During the industrial attachment I gained a lot of experience both positive and negative and
the same can be said for knowledge. The experiences afforded me the opportunity to truly
understand some of the theoretical concepts leant in class, for example theories on
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motivation, especially that of Maslow’s hierarchy, I was able to see how they apply to the
real organisations and how they can be used to enhance productivity.
Due to the nature of the hospitality industry good communication skills are vital for one’s
success as a manager in the industry. At Pandhari hotels my level of communication was
enhanced and I learnt how to effectively communicate practically as I could see the
consequences of poor communication and the advantages of good communication.
I am now a good team player due to industrial attachment. Work especially in Restaurant and
banqueting require a great deal of teamwork to succeed in completing the task and this made
me gain a great deal of experience of teamwork.
I gained a lot of knowledge on the serving of food and beverages as well as preparation of
different foods. At the University of Zimbabwe we do not do food production practically
neither do we do food service practical (waiting) and attachment afforded me the opportunity
to learn how it is done. I gained knowledge on the importance of costing when dealing with
food production. I improved my knowledge on beers, whiskeys and wines and how each
complement to the provided menu in the restaurant.
Attachment afforded me with the opportunity to perform the lower level tasks like cleaning
plates, toilets and so forth. It also gave me the opportunity to work under a manager and
observe how he/she performs his/her duties. This will be important when I become a manger
myself, as I would be having the experience of how those I manage perform their tasks and
will give me confidence to lead and manage my subordinates. In hotels, low level employees
perform tasks which are not highly satisfying as such require a manager who can motivate
them to work and I know have the knowledge on how best I can motivate them if I become a
manager.
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Unfortunately to Pandhari hotels and fortunately to me in a way, Pandhari hotel is suffering
to poor management likely caused by failure to separate company ownership and
management. This has given me an opportunity to witness the consequences of poor
management and the success of the business. Most of the problems experienced at Pandhari
are due to poor management, for example when I was at the restaurant and banqueting
department they had no inventory list for equipment they had in that department and access to
their storeroom was unlimited as such employees feasted on sweets, juices and milk meant
for guests. But this was rectified by employing a storeman responsible for the store room.
The employees of Pandhari are no longer motivated and most of them are holding on to their
jobs since there are no alternatives. This has taught me to stick to my goals in life as some of
the employees have tried to influence trainees into boycotting their duties so as to get back at
the owners of Pandhari hotels as they now relay on trainee labour in most departments.
Sticking to my own goals prevented me from doing activities that could harm me and the
university.
Before attachment, most of the students thought they would be employed as managers and
executives in different companies. Attachment opened us up reality that there is more to
management than a degree on paper and fours in university. Now I have a clear knowledge
on how and what I should do to be a good manager and also that the road to be a manager is
not as easy.
7.4
Challenges faced during industrial attachment
 Low self-confidence. At University of Zimbabwe we do not do practical related to
the hotel industry as such some of the task performed during attachment were
being done for the first time and this was a challenge and resulted in low selfconfidence because compared to those studying the same degree programme at
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other universities like Chinhoyi University of Technology do practical and have
an edge against us.
 Students pursuing other degree programmes like Accountancy, Marketing for
example, were perceived to be doing better degrees and were even treated
differently from us studying tourism and hospitality. At one time the trainee at the
Human Resource office would dine with the managers and actually had authority
to relieve you from your duties and send you home. Because of this I developed a
sense of inferiority and felt my degree programme is weak.
 Low self-esteem. Cleaning toilets, making beds and waiting tables had a negative
effect on me especially with the perception I had and the perception people have
on degrees and university students. I was doing a job most people believe should
not be done by university students especially those from the University of
Zimbabwe.
 Little appreciation from the host company. Pandhari hotels did not show full
appreciation of the students and the big part they played on the operations of the
company. When something needed to be done we would be considered a part of
the company but when it has been done we are labelled trainees and made feel we
are not part of the company.
 Financial problems which led me to quit industrial attachment after only eight
months.
 Due to large number of students on attachment at Pandhari hotels I failed to go
through all the departments especially Front Office and Marketing departments
where there was a waiting list and I could only get a chance to get to these
departments maybe in June and July.
 Due to the financial crisis facing Pandhari hotels most of their operations are
substandard as such I did not fully learn international hotel management.
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 I was over-worked during attachment. Working overtime with no payment and
sleeping in undesirable conditions at the staff quarters provided by the hotel.
 Did not get real opportunities to exercise management skills as the company
mostly needed us for labour.
7.5
Analysis of the relevance of theory to practice
Bachelor of Science in Tourism and Hospitality Management degree is business related
degree aimed at people interested in the management of hospitality establishments and other
tourism related industries. Theory learnt in college is on becoming better managers and how
the business environment work.
Theory learnt in college is very relevant when it comes to actual performance of the tasks at
hand. Contingency management theorists who state there is no one best solution for all
problems, but that all solutions are contingent upon the situation. This knowledge was vital
when faced with different situations during attachment. I knew to every problem I was facing
there was no one best solution to the all as such I would find the perfect solution to the
problem.
In theory I learnt the pros and cons of poor communication during communication skills
lectures. This knowledge became handy during attachment as I would use it to communicate
effectively thereby reducing any barriers to communication and the tasks at hand would be
completed perfectly.
My knowledge on the importance of cost cutting and profits learnt during first two years in
college made it easy for me to adjust to the cost cutting measures which were implemented
by the company. I knew why it was important to portion food when serving guests and why
employees were not allowed to consume or use guest facilities.
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However some of the theory learnt is invalid in Zimbabwean industry as it is facing some
changes and the theory is designed to work in certain environments. The theory would give
blinkers if all is followed according to what is taught in school and could worst a lot of time.
There are some things which theory cannot teach for example how to fold a bed or to be
friendly to the guests. In these areas theory was found to be irrelevant. So it is important to
combine theory with experience.
Generally theory is relevant to practice because in theory I knew business survive to make
profits and all the work I did during attachment was targeted at the company making a profit.
Only a few hands on activities like cooking I did not know in theory but I knew the food must
be good for the guests to enjoy it.
7.6
Recommendations and suggestions
 The University should find ways for students to learn practically in hotels, that is
expanding the curricular.
 Workshops with industry personnel should be conducted before students are sent
to industrial attachment.
 The lecturers themselves should go for attachments during vacations so as they
stay in touch with the industry and be better equipped to assess and advice
students on industrial attachments. Some of the lecturers left the industry over ten
years ago and a lot has changed since then and not all has been documented in
journals and texts books.
 There should be a standard contract that is signed by the student, university and
the organisation providing attachment. The contract must prevent the organisation
from exploiting the attachee and also as a security for the student against unfair
dismissal. As of now the student has no claim against the organisation if dismissed
from attachment unfairly as there is nothing binding between student and attachee.
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 The university should communicate with the students frequently and visit their
workstations inquiring on student welfare.
 The Human Resources department of the host company should strive to treat the
trainees equally so as not to create demotivation by feeling unwelcome.
 The host company should show appreciation for job well done and not remind
every time you are a student and we are doing you a favour here by giving a job.
7.7
Summation
A lot was learnt during industrial attachment. Self-confidence among other things is one of
the greatest things I learnt during attachment. Challenges were met along the way but ways to
overcome them were also established. I managed to have a feel of how organisations behave
both internally and externally. Some of the things I had learnt theory during the first two
years in college became clearer.
I managed to meet most of the objectives of the industrial attachment. Unfortunately due to
the economic hardships currently being faced by our nation the industry is not fully
functioning accordingly. As such some of the things we learn in school are hard to apply as
there are a lot of shortcuts being made just for survival, for example staggering payment of
employees to retain revenue for other important business operations. This is not ideal
management but it has to be done for survival.
In my personal evaluation, industrial attachment is very important. It prepares the student for
the industry when he/she graduates from university. Now because the attachment experience
I have a much clearer vision of what I would want to do after I graduate and I know it will
not be as easy as I thought before going for attachment.
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Chapter Eight: Summary and Conclusion
8.1
Summary
The first two chapters were mainly aimed at Pandhari hotels on how it is run and other
internal information as seen by the student. In chapter one background information was
shown. Chapter two was about the analysis of the product of Pandhari hotels. The product of
Pandhari hotels was classified into two broad categories and these are accommodation and
banqueting. Accommodation is offered through the front office and the housekeeping is
responsible for thorough cleaning of the rooms. Banqueting is about all the food and drink as
well as functions, meetings and events hosted by Pandhari hotels.
The organisation has a host of problems which if not addressed urgently can result in
business failure. Problems like shortage of essential resources for example rooms can go for
days without tissues or soap and in the restaurant some essentials like tea toothpicks can run
out during service. Demotivated staff is another issue and it is now difficult for the
organisation to achieve its mission of a customer driven hospitality service in line with best
practice; with a competent workforce to unlock shareholder value.
Nevertheless the hotel also has some very good opportunities to be the best in the industry.
Through its well established brand and popularity it can harness a competitive edge against
its competitors. This with a good management can propel it to the best hospitality provider in
the industry.
Chapters which summed up the duties performed by the student followed up. These were
detailing all the tasks performed by the student through either job descriptions of personnel in
the departments or by listing the entire task performed. Most of the task I performed in the
major departments of the hotel, which are housekeeping and food and beverages, I had no
prior knowledge of them as compared to other students from other institutions of higher
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learning and this resulted in labelling of University of Zimbabwe students as empty vessels
who knew nothing about hotels. So suggestions were the Department of Tourism, Leisure and
Hospitality Studies should expand the curriculum and encompass learning of practicals
before sending students to attachment.
The report also looked at the organisation of Pandhari hotels which I observed as having no
recognisable organisational structure beside the organogram provided by the Human
Resources department. This has caused a number of problems on the operation of the
organisation as it is unclear who is in control over whom.
A personal evaluation of the industrial attachment was done in chapter seven. Challenges
faced by the student were listed and some solutions were provided. Industrial attachment was
found to valuable and a necessity if one is to succeed after graduation.
8.2
Conclusion
The industrial attachment was a success and I learnt a lot of new things. It afforded me an
opportunity to learn and apply theory to practice. I leant new skills, cooking for example. I
was given a chance to improve my team working skills and how to cope with others at a work
place.
I met most of my objectives. I also learnt to see the world in a new way and that success only
comes through hard-work. Industrial attachment is important for the development of the
student and the theory learnt in college is relevant when put to practice.
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Appendices
Appendix A: Menu
STARTER
CREAM OF MUSHROOM SOUP
GARDEN SALAD
CHICKEN SAUTE
MAIN COURSE
BBQ PORK SHOULDERS
CHICKEN& BEEF MARRIAGE
PAN FRIED HAKE FILLETS
With tarte sauce
BRAISED BEEF STEAKS
STUFFED CHICKEN PICCATA
SERVED WITH EITHER MASHHED POTATO, BRAISED RICE OR SADZA AND
MIXED VEGETABLES
DESSERTS
FRUIT SALAD
JELLY
TRIFFLE
VANILLA CAKE
Food is our expertise and we make every meal a memorable one!!!
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Bibliography and References
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