SCHOOL OF HOSPITALITY, TOURISM & CULINARY ARTS
Bachelor of Culinary Arts & Food Service Management (Hons)
Name of the Student Aiman Asyraf Bin Anuar
Student ID
1004JP89035
Batch N° / Intake:
BC 4 Group 5
Name of the Company Palace of the Golden Horses
Internship Dates
31st December to 23rd March4
SUBMISSION DATE: 22 APRIL 2013 (Monday) by 5pm

INDEX
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
1
2 INTRODUCTION
COMPANY PROFILE
SCHEDULES,DUTIES AND LEARNING
OUTCOME
CONCLUSION
TCHT INTERNSHIP SURVEY
INTERNSHIP EVALUATION FORM
MARKSHEET
3-7
8-10
11
12-13
14-19
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
I would like to take this opportunity to give thanks to Mr Joaquim, Head of Bachelor program for giving the briefing and explanation on our industrial training. I would be lost without his guidance. I would also like to thank staff members of Taylor’s University Career Services Center for all their help in organizing talks about subjects concerning our industrial training. Without their initiative to educate us we would be ill prepared for our training. Besides that I would like to thank the Human Resource Department staff Ms. Tan Siu Theng and Mr. Ronnizam for helping me as a trainee settle in the hotel and for keeping an eye out for me during my training period.
With their help I felt more welcomed to the company and was able to fully enjoy my time at
Palace of the Golden Horses. Finally I would like to my parent for their support in all matters during my training period and encouraging me to pursue my dreams. Their unyielding confidence in me encourages me to work hard and to excel. Thank you all for all your help as I would not be what I am today if not for you.
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INTRODUCTION
For my third industrial training the place i choose to conduct my training was Palace of The
Golden Horses a hotel located in Sri Kembangan. My first industrial training was conducted at Le
Meridien KL and my second industrial training was conducted at Au Poie Gourmand in
Toulouse. I choose Palace of The Golden Horses as a location for my third industrial training because i wanted to be exposed to how big hotels conduct functions where the number of guests is at least 500 pax or more. In my two previous industrial training i was never given a chance to experience what it would be like to work during a function with a lot of guests. By doing some research of my own i discovered that the specialty of Palace of The Golden Horses was MICE where they are able to provide venues to guest for a number of different types of events based on the purpose of the event and the amount of guest expected to attend the event. They also have wedding packages available for purchase that sell very well and i thought of this as an opportunity for me to experience firsthand the working conditions when it came to wedding functions.
Before the start of my internship i was expecting to learn a number of things by going to Palace of The Golden Horses. One of the things that i expected to learn during my training was how did the hotel do their planning when they had a function to prepare for. I wanted to see how they managed their staff as well as the preparations they were required to be made in order for the function to be a success. I was also expecting to know about the food made during functions. I had expected my training to answer some of the questions i had such as ‘Were food made for a large quality of people in hotels the same quality compared to food cooked in smaller portions?’
And ‘How did they know how much food to order and how much needed to be cooked to satisfy the amount of guests attending?’ Since i was also required to enter the admin department of the hotel i also expected to learn how the hotel managed their money and the process the hotel used to purchase all of the items required for them to maintain their operation. Never before have had I learned all these on my previous training because before that I was not required to enter the admin department of any establishment.
This report will be divided into 4 parts where the first part will be where I elaborate more on the company i choose and provide more details on it. The second part on my report will contain information on my schedule and progress during my training. I will go deeper into my daily work during my training and also explain what i had learned by doing those daily tasks. In the third part of the report i will have my conclusion where i will summarize in general about my training and also state some of my thoughts and suggestion about the hotel and my training. Finally in the fourth part of my report i will include all the necessary documents that are required of me as prove that i have completed my training.
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INTERNSHIP PLACEMENT PROFILE
NAME OF COMPANY
AND OPENING DATE
AFFLIATION OF
COMPANY TO A GROUP
LOCATION
Palace of the Golden Horses
Jalan Kuda Emas,
MINES Resort City,
43300 Seri Kembangan,
Selangor, Malaysia.
Opened in 1997
Palace of the Golden Horses belongs to the group company of
Country Heights Holdings Berhad which was founded by Tan
Sri Dato’ Paduka Lee Kim Yew and was officially incorporated on 10th May 1984. It was first known as Kurniata Sdn Bhd before changing its name to Country Heights Holdings Sdn
Bhd on 17th January 1991.
The motto of the group is ‘Ever Searching for Better Living’ which is reflected by the type of businesses they are associated with such as property development, property investment and hospitality and health.
Their 5 core values are style, nature, love, quality and excellence.
Palace of the Golden Horses is located at Seri Kembangan near Mines Resort City, the location is strategic as high profile guest staying in the area usually visit the hotel and it is connected with The Mines shopping center by a lake so guest staying in the hotel are able to use the ferry provided to go to and back from the shopping mall.
Mines Wellness Resort is located nearby the area which is also a company under country heights and they are able to work together to ensure maximum quality is provided to guest staying in both hotels. For example cakes from Palace of the
Golden Horses is often transferred to Mines Wellness Resort since they do not have a dedicated pastry department in return
Mines Wellness Resort provide their professional help relating to health to guests staying in Palace of the Golden Horses.
The location is also strategic as the hotel is situated nearby
Kuala Lumpur but has the advantage of being outside the busy city center area which is convenient for guests that would like to visit Kuala Lumpur during their stay but prefer a quiet and relaxing environment during their stay.
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TARGET MARKET
COMPETITORS
COMPANY
DESCRIPTION
The hotel is clearly targeting big groups of people that require a venue to conduct their events to their business. The facilities in the hotel are all suitable to be used for big events as they have a
Royal Ballroom that is able to fit at least 2,000 pax and many other smaller meeting rooms. Guests can also make use of the
Mines International Events Conference Center through the hotel. The kitchen in the hotel is fully equipped and specializes in cooking food in huge amounts of number. They also provide technical expertise to guests in the form of stage preparation,
PA system set up and lighting system.
The good quality of the hotel also attracts different guest from other countries such as Arab, India and China and even celebrities are a target market of the hotel as some of their previous guests include Tiger Woods, Manchester United
Football Club, the Arabic International Hockey Team, Jolin
Tsai, Jackie Chan, Justion Lo, Dato Siti Nurhaliza, Russel
Peter, Queen Elizabeth, Queen Fabeola and Nelson Mandela.
The hotel does not have a nearby competitor as the nearest hotel which is Mines Wellness Resort is a sister company.
However the hotel still has to complete with many other hotels in Kuala Lumpur and its closest competitor would probably be
Impiana KLCC Hotel because they too specialize in doing big events. Like Palace of the Golden Horses, Impiana has access to facilities such as a royal ballroom, meeting rooms and they also have use of the KLCC International Convention Centre.
Palace of the Golden Horses has an advantage on them in terms of price since being in the city center requires them to increase their cost significantly. Although both hotels specialize in doing big functions or events, the types of crowd they attract are different since people who prefer the busy and bustling environment of Kuala Lumpur would choose to have their event in Impiana while people who prefer a more mellow and relaxing environment for their event would choose to conduct their event in Palace of the Golden Horses.
KITCHEN AND RESTAURANT
The kitchen department of Palace of the Golden Horses can be divided into 9 different sub departments. Those different sub departments are:-

Malay Banquet Kitchen

Chinese Banquet Kitchen

Western Banquet Kitchen

Cold Kitchen

Butchery

Pastry Kitchen
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
Carousel

Kim Ma

Ki No Uma
Both Kim Ma and Ki No Uma are separate restaurants that serve a la carte dishes while the other kitchens cooks’ food for the buffet set that is available in Carousel which is the coffee house of the restaurant. Carousel however does not cook any food for the buffet instead the food that they cook are only for a la carte orders for guest that do not want to eat at the buffet or for room service orders. There is two more F&B establishment in the hotel which does not have their own kitchen but are provided food by other kitchens in the hotel. Those two establishments are Grand Salon a place where guest can sit and enjoy a cup of coffee and Sidewalk Cafe which is another place for the guest to enjoy beverages and snacks such as breads or cakes.
Pricing for the food differs from establishment to establishment.
Kim Ma which is a Chinese restaurant under Chef Roy Wong allows guest to choose their dishes based on different sets containing at least 6 courses or more and most of them are priced at RM 1000++ or higher. Ki No Uma which is a
Japanese restaurant have sets in form of bentos to attract customers who are on their lunch break and their sets usually consists of a bowl of rice, miso soup, chawa mushi, japanese salad, a type of protein cooked in the style of the guest choosing and fruits. The sets are usually priced at RM 56.50++ or higher.
MEETINGS AND EVENTS
The hotel is also well known for its Event and Meeting services and they have different types of facilities available for different type of events or meetings. Some of the facilities provided are:-
ROOM PAX AREA

ROYAL BALLROOM (2000 pax, 1323 sq.m)

Royal 1 (600 pax,432sq.m)

Royal 2 (600 pax,432sq.m)

Royal 3 (600 pax,432sq.m)

UNITY ROOM (810 pax, 589 sq.m)

Unity 1 (360 pax, 266 sq.m)

Unity 2 (130 pax,126 sq.m)

Unity 3 (130 pax,126 sq.m)

Majestic 1 (90 pax, 96 sq.m)
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
Majestic 2 (90 pax, 96 sq.m)

Majestic 3 (90 pax, 96 sq.m)

Boardroom 2 (14 pax, 64 sq.m)

Congress 1 (100 pax,120 sq.m)

Congress 2 (100 pax,120 sq.m)

Conference 1 (60 pax, 49 sq.m)

Conference 2 (60 pax, 49 sq.m)

Conference 3 (60 pax, 49 sq.m)

Conference 4 (60 pax, 49 sq.m)

Conference 5 (60 pax, 49 sq.m)

Conference 6 (60 pax, 49 sq.m)

Secretariat (80 pax, 84.8 sq.m)

Theatrette (300 pax, 630 sq.m)

State Room (120 pax, 220 sq.m)
*Unity Room and Royal Ballroom have retractable walls that allow the size and max occupancy to changed accordingly
The pricing for these facilities is dependent on the type of meeting or even the guest would like to have and it will differ according to whether or not food is requested or if they require anything extra to be provided. Details of pricing will be done by the banquet department or banquet manager whereby he or she will discuss with the guest about the details of the event before coming up with a final price.
ROOMS AND SUITES
The hotel has a total of 472 guestrooms and 72 suites. They offer a wide variety of rooms and suites for guest to enjoy.
Some of the types of rooms and suites provided are:-

Dignitaries Floor

Deluxe Room

Executive Suite
 Minister’s Suite

Head of State Suite

Host Nation Suite

Golden Suite
The average rate for the rooms for one night would be around
RM320++ TO RM 1080++ for the Deluxe Room, Executive
Suite and Minister’s Suite. The other suites price would be significantly higher and require booking well in advance.
WEDDINGS
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The hotel also specializes in holding wedding events and offers a variety of sets with a different range of price and all of the preparation from food, decoration, and event set up is handled by the hotel. Some sets that they offer for the year 2013 are :-

Chinese Set Menu
Emperor’s Delight RM1488++
Emperor’s Charm RM 1688++
Emperor’s Devotion RM 2088++

Indian Set Menu
Maharaja’s Affection RM 1288++
Maharaja’s Desire RM 1588++
Naharaja’s Love RM 1788++
Maharaja’s Buffet RM160++

Malay Set Menu
Raja’s Loyalty RM 1288++
Raja’s Unity RM 1588++
Raja’s Divinity RM 1788++
Raja’s Buffet RM 138++

Garden Menu
Aphrodite’s Buffet RM150++
HOTEL & KITCHEN ORGANIZATION CHART
Country Heights CEO
(Ms Diana Lee)
Country Heights Core Businesses
Property Development Hospitality and Health Property Investment
Palace of the Golden Horses
Resident Manager
(Mr Robert Menzies)
.
Accounting Dept. MARCOM Dept. Housekeeping Dept. Culinary Dept. F&B Dept. Front Office Dept. Sales Dept. Finance Dept.
Executive Chef
(Chef Wilfred)
Executive Sous Chef
(Chef Simon)
Kim Ma Ki No Uma Western Banquet Malay Banquet Chinese Banquet Butchery Pastry Carousel Cold Kitchen
(Chef Roy) (Chef Khair) (Chef Salsabil) (Chef Saiful) (Chef Kam Seng) (Chef Musa) (Chef Izham) (Chef Nasri) (Chef Nizam)

SCHEDULE, DUTIES AND LEARNING OUTCOME
INTERNSHIP PLACEMENT BREAKDOWN
PERIOD OF PLACEMENT
31st December to 3rd March 2013 Culinary
DEPARTMENT
4th March to 24th March 2013 Purchasing
The total period of my internship is 3 months or 12 weeks. I spent 9 weeks in the Culinary
Department of the hotel spending at least 1 week in the 9 different sub departments and 3 weeks in Purchasing Department spending at least 1 week in the 3 different sub departments.
1st Department : Culinary Department – Kim Ma, Ki No Uma, Carousel, Western Banquet,
Malay Banquet, Chinese Banquet, Pastry, Butchery, Cold Kitchen ( 9 weeks total, 1 week in each department)
As a trainee in the culinary department of the hotel i was given a wide variety of duties. My main duty was to assist in production for the different kitchens. Whenever a kitchen was busy or required help, they would always send trainees to that department in order to help with the heavy work load. The work could be many different things such as picking up items from the receiving area, cleaning pots and pans required for service, preparing mise en place in advance, arranging ingredients contained in the chiller or cooking food that will be consumed by guests. Sometimes i would also be given a duty to take care of a buffet line or buffet station. I had to ensure that the food contained in the buffet was clean, hot and presentable and if there were any shortages it was my duty to refill them as quickly as possible. Sometimes guest would even come up and talked to me for assistance so it was also my duty to ensure that the guest needs were fulfilled. During my time in the Chinese Banquet Kitchen most of my duties were helping the chef prepare the ingredients needed for cooking and helping set up the Chinese buffet line. At times when there is a wedding function it would be my duty to help prepare and plate the dishes before they are served to the guests. My duties in the Malay Banquet Kitchen and Western Banquet Kitchen was similar as my duties mostly required me to help with preparing food needed for the buffet line as well as food for the staff cafeteria. In the Pastry Kitchen, I spent most of my time helping the bakery section of the kitchen where i had to prepare the daily required bread for the morning buffet such as, white and whole meal bread loaf, soft rolls, croissant, danish pastries, donuts and sesame seed rolls. While in the butchery department, my duties were preparing the items ordered by the different kitchens such as deboning chicken leg, cutting chicken chunks, peeling prawns, slicing beef and cleaning whole chicken for roasting. Besides that, during my time in Cold
Kitchen it was my duty to ensure the items for the cold kitchen buffet line were well stocked as well as helping the regular staff in cutting fruits or making sandwiches that were required in large amounts for all types of functions and events held in the hotel. My duties in Kim Ma, Ki No Uma and Carousel were different compared to my duties in the other kitchen. Since it was a restaurant,
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it was my duty to help plate cooked food during service time and to ensure that everything was pre prepared before service in the restaurant began.
My training was not always easy and enjoyable. I experienced many different kinds of challenges and difficulties while I was at Palace of the Golden Horses. One of the difficulties I had was adapting to my new work environment. Since the longest I would be placed in one department was 1 week, every time I changed department I had to learn everything about the new department as soon as possible to not be a burden in production. Another difficulty i faced was communicating with my fellow coworkers. Workers in the hotel originated from all over
Malaysia some of them Chinese, Indian, natives of Sabah and Sarawak so they have their own language as well as their own accent when speaking Bahasa Malaysia and English. I had to learn on how to communicate effectively with them so that what I wanted to say could be understood.
It was extremely difficult when i was placed in Chinese Banquet Kitchen and Kim Ma since all of the workers are Chinese and spoke mandarin amongst each other. Besides that it was also difficult for me to adapt at first to the working environment since it had been awhile since I worked in a kitchen. I was not used to the working hours required and the amount of work that had to be done. Even though I was both physically and mentally exhausted at first, I endured my pain and it eventually disappeared as I got more comfortable with the working environment.
Throughout my training I have come to learn a lot about the hotel’s kitchen operations. I’ve learned how the chefs manage their staff and resources when it came to events with more than
500 pax. I’ve also learned a lot about the different types of setting that can be done to make a buffet line more presentable and efficient. Besides that, I learned a lot about Chinese Weddings from the type of food served, the type of ingredients used and the reason and meaning behind having courses separated into appetizer, soup, fish, chicken, vegetable, rice and finally dessert.
Another lesson I learned is how to deal and interact better with my co-workers. Animosity is something that can’t be avoided when working with a large company but I learned on how to cope with the different personality of staffs working in the kitchen.
2nd Department : Purchasing Department – Purchasing Department, Cost Control, Receiving
(3 weeks total, 1 week in each department)
The time i spent in the Purchasing Department has been both interesting and eye opening.
During the week that i spent in the Purchasing Department i was given a lot of duties concerning the requisition of items ordered by the different department of the hotel. Whenever a new purchase requisition arrived it was my duty to ensure that it was recorded properly in the department’s log book and to make sure that the document was signed by the Finance Manager,
Purchasing Manager, Senior General Manager and Resident Manager. I would be sent out on runs to the Financial Department as well as the Front Office Department to pick up and drop off important documents. Sometimes it was also my duty to issue checks to visiting companies and search and sort paperwork into files. In the Cost Control Department my duties include managing
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and arranging invoices as well as making sure that the invoices were signed by the correct individual. I also had to key in different types of data into their system such as ENT and OCT cost, menu costing and inter department transfer costing. Since the Cost Control Department is located within the Receiving Department whenever i had finished my duties with them I could help out Receiving Department. My duties during my training period in the Receiving
Department were to issue and ensure that items exiting the store of the department were correct and recorded. It was also my duty to check the quality of ingredients received from the suppliers and to check if the information on their invoices was the same as the information on the hotels purchase order. They also allowed me to key in information on finished purchase orders into the
KenSoft system.
I experienced plenty of difficulties and challenges during my training in this department. One difficulty would be adjusting from kitchen work to office work. Office work was more laidback and mentally demanding than kitchen work and it took a while to get used to it. Besides that, having to be very precise was also another difficulty i experienced in this department. A single mistake when handling and issuing documents could cause a lot of headaches to not only one department but to all the different departments in the hotel. That is why all of work had to be checked over and over again to minimize errors. Moreover another difficulty i faced was time management. Office hours are the same throughout Malaysia which is 9 am to 6 pm and going to work would result in having to face a congested road. There were a number of times i nearly came to work late because i did not manage my time properly.
My learning outcome from the time I spent training in this department are aplenty. I learned a lot about how requisitions are made in the hotel and how tedious and time consuming the process is.
Every requisition had to have clear justification and before the purchase order could be issued the purchase requisition had to be signed and acknowledged by certain members in the hotel. I also learned not to trust email and faxing so much. Although convenient it is not advisable to rely
100% on these two methods instead the safe way would be to follow up the email or fax by giving the person a call and ask whether he or she received said email or fax. Errors and mistakes can be avoided and kept to a minimal by doing so. Another learning outcome I learned was on the procedure hotels used to purchase items. Before my training i always thought that departments in the hotel would order their items on their own. I was wrong and soon discovered that every purchase had to have a good reason and had to be under the budget the department received from the hotel. Departments could not simply make purchases as they like and had to follow a certain set of procedures to ensure that the items they require arrive on time. Besides that, I learned that every department in the hotel is important and teamwork between departments is important to have a smooth operation. When one department cuts corners or does something without following procedure, it would not only affect said department but would also affect other departments.
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CONCLUSION
In conclusion, I have learned all that I had hoped to learn from my training and then some. This training had made me more experienced when it came to big functions and weddings. Now if I had to plan my own function and wedding I would have a rough idea on what to expect and the steps needed to make it successful. The training also educated me on the inner workings of the hotel. I now know more about the daily operations of a hotel and learned how each department is important to ensure that operations run smoothly. If the working system of a department is bad it will affect the hotel as a whole. Communication is also another important factor when it comes to hotel operation. Communication between guest and hotel, hotel and supplier and hotel and staff are all important and the higher ups of the hotel need to ensure that communication is clear and understandable. Besides that, I learned that companies have to put in effort to keep their staff satisfied because the image of the hotel could be tarnished if staff’s are unhappy. I have seen how much effort Palace of the Golden Horses put into ensuring their staffs are satisfied for example, repairing and maintaining staff facilities, promoting healthy competition amongst staff and rewarding outstanding and hardworking staff.
All in all this internship has really helped me a lot in learning my strengths and weaknesses as well as what i hope to achieve in the industry in the near future. All of the experiences and knowledge I received have been eye opening and has made me more determined to be successful in the culinary industry. However it is regretful to say that there is more for me to learn and I am humbled due to the fact that there are so many more knowledgeable and skillful out there. I will have to work harder in order to catch up with those people and stand amongst them. I would recommend anyone interested in learning more about the hotel industry to go to Palace of the
Golden Horses since they try to give their trainees the necessary knowledge required to excel in the industry and the staff are friendly and helpful people. I have really enjoyed my 3 months training in Palace of the Golden Horses.
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INTERNSHIP SURVEY
1
Name of the Company
Palace of the Golden Horses
Internship period
31 st
December to 23 rd
March
Departments covered
Kitchen and Purchasing
Thank you for taking the time to answer these questions using the Likert rating scale presented below.
5 – Strongly Agree 4 – Agree 3 – N/A 2 – Disagree 1 – Strongly Disagree
I received a full orientation of the company’s facilities & operation.
2 I understood what was expected from me during my internship.
3 I received necessary training on all the tasks I was asked to complete
4 I was given proper and valuable training by the supervisor.
5 I received frequent feedback and guidance from my supervisors.
6 I found the overall quality of supervision appropriate and sufficient.
7 I found this internship challenging but interesting for my future.
8 I was able to learn more and to apply my practical knowledge.
9 I was able to give suggestions or ideas to my supervisors/managers.
10 I was given opportunity to work independently with minimal supervision.
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I have now a much better understanding of skills, systems & procedures in place and needed.
12 I have learned and now feel more confident about my skills and competencies
13 I felt my presence was appreciated by the staff & management.
14 I was treated with respect by management and fellow employees.
15 My superior was available and accessible when I had questions or concerns.
16 I felt well integrated and welcomed in this working environment.
17 I have been treated fairly and was given relevant tasks to achieve.
18
I was satisfied with staff welfare (allowance, paid overtime, duty meals, uniforms, etc…)
19 This internship fulfilled my expectations
20 This experience gave me a realistic preview of my field of interest.
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Thank you for taking a bit more time answering these additional questions.
List down three critical learning that you have gained during your internship
1.
2.
3.
What effects this internship has made on your future career goals?
What can be further improved to enhance the overall internship program at this hotel/restaurant?
Would you recommend this hotel to other student or your friends?
Yes No, why? Kindly specify
If you had the opportunity, would you like to join this hotel as permanent staff?
Yes No, why? Kindly specify
Please mark your overall experience during this internship out of “20”
/ 20
Name:
Date:
Signature:
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INTERNSHIP EVALUATION FORM
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MARKSHEET
ASSESSMENT COMPONENTS
1. Pre-Internship Training/Workshops/Briefings (10%)
1.1 Internship Briefing by Career Centre
1.2 Internship Module Briefing / Report Guidelines + E-portfolio briefing
1.3 Career talk workshop
Pre-Internship Training: TOTAL (Marks)
2. Internship Period (50%)
Internship Evaluation Forms by Supervisors
Q1-10 – total marks:
Internship Period : TOTAL (Marks)
3. Post-Internship Report (40%)
/3
/4
/3
(A) /10
(B) /50
3.1 Portfolio / e-portfolio
3.2 Internship Report
/10
/30
(C) /40 Post-Internship Report : TOTAL (Marks)
GRAND TOTAL (A + B + C) /100
NOTE TO MARKING LECTURERS:
Forms and Reports which are submitted late to the Divisional Office will be penalized as follows:
Submitted one (1) day after deadline - deduct 5% from mark awarded Submitted two (2) days after deadline - deduct 10% from mark awarded Submitted three (3) days after deadline - deduct 15% from mark awarded Submitted four (4) days after deadline - deduct 20% from mark awarded Submitted five (5) days after deadline - ZERO (0) mark for the assignment
Incomplete documents will be rejected.
ASSESSER’s
NAME and
SIGNATURE
GRADED
ON (DATE)
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