Rooms Division
Front Office / House Keeping / Uniformed Service / Concierge /
Telephone Operator / Other Rooms Divisions
People
Product
Promotion
Profit
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PEOPLE
Selection / Induction / Training / Motivation / Development
Diagnosed by:
Mr. Rene Balin
Department:
Rooms Division
–
Mohamed El Shaib
Rooms Division Manager
Data and Findings:
The Rooms Division Manager in responsible for the Front Desk, Reservations, Housekeeping &
Laundry, Guest Relations, Bell Captain and Security and reports directly to the GM.
Selection
The turnover at the Front Desk is very low with 4 Supervisors in the department for a long time.
The most recent appointments were the Rooms Division Manager and the Reservations Manager
Ahmed El Hak. No new additions are planned at this point.
Induction
The induction at this JV property is the same like in most of the other JV hotels. The new Team
Members (TM) go through the hotel orientation only once per month. In the meantime
Mohamed with the FOM and ResMgr conduct a mini orientation in the department and the some
of the other parts of the hotel. In the first 4 weeks after the employment new TM works closely
with a senior TM in the department he/she is assigned to.
Training
The daily briefing is done jointly with the Reservations Department team at 9;30 am. During that
briefing the overall activity at the Front Desk for the day including all Group arrivals and VIPs is
reviewed.
Training is not done by Mohamed which is a surprise to me since he should be participating
jointly with the FOM and Reservations Manager to ensure the training goals are met and to
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evaluate the progress of the TMs. The FOM and AFOM conduct smaller session during the week
according to the training plan.
A specific Front Office Training Manual for the JV KIL does not exist. The training tasks are
selected by the FOM with some handouts.
The monthly training schedule is prepared and send to the Training Manager. In my review of
the topics I did not see the topics in relation to our service experience at the hotel.
Motivation
The overall motivation sessions are conducted by the HR Department according to the monthly
plan.
Mohamed looks at outside venues to take the team away from the hotel to get to know them
better.
The Rooms upselling program is already a good tool to motivate from the financial aspect and it
works well so far the property. Additional programs are in development jointly with the HR
Director.
Front Desk development is not seen as important since the desk has already for 4 Supervisors in
addition to the FOM and AFOM
The cross exposure at other JV or Maritim Germany properties is positive.
The new Front & Reservations Department leadership plans to develop Team Members within
the department and cross exposure with FB.
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Department:
Rooms Reservations – Ahmed El Hak
Reservations Manager
Data and Findings:
Selection
The Reservations Department selects replacements at the Front Desk of the hotel or of other
similar 5 Star hotel operations in Luxor.
Induction
Since he started no changes and new TM joined the reservations department. The last hire was
two years ago.
Training
He does not use a hotel specific training manual and feels that the JV SOP covers all aspects.
The Cairo office sends his department new instructions on a regular basis which have to be
implemented and the training is established accordingly
Motivation
The top reservations performer is reported to Management and celebrated in the department with
a special note from the GM and the future programs in addition to the incentive program for
upselling
The upselling program for the Front Desk and Reservations is an effective tool to motivate the
team. Last month they achieved $60,000 in additional rooms revenue and $6,000 incentives were
distributed accordingly.
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Department:
Rooms Division
–
Anne Loevenbruck
Director of Housekeeping
Data and Findings:
Selection
The HR department handles all replacements since local referrals are difficult to get at this point
due to the shortage of the pool of candidates in an area.
Induction
The HK Dept manning: 80 TMs with 8 Supervisors and 2 Asst. Housekeeping Managers
It’s unusual that the pool attendants report to Housekeeping instead of the Recreation
department.
Training
Standard monthly training plan but the topics for the sessions should be more orientated on the
guest feedback and needs of the department. The departments training matrix for all the TMs
should be part of this plan as well.
Motivation
The general activities are planned jointly with the HR and Training Managers. Anne started just
a few months ago and is now very occupied with the upcoming handover of the Extension
bungalows.
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PRODUCT
System / Policies /Procedures / Standards
Diagnosed by:
Mr. Rene Balin
Department:
Rooms Division
–
Mohamed El Shaib
Rooms Division Manager
Data and Findings:
System
I reviewed the following Front Office sections;
The plans and renderings of this major Extension & Renovation of the hotel should be displayed
and explained in the Lobby of the hotel with a full color architectural rendering and photos of the
new rooms and creative theme restaurants. This applies in particular to the exclusive Spa
operation.
Guest arrival from the airport; the hotel bus picks up the guests if they request the service when
reservation is made. If nothing is confirmed the guests are reminded of this service option when
reservations are made. Most tour operators make arrangements to bring the guest with their buses
to the hotel Regular return guests receive this service complimentary.
Guest Relations Manager/Duty Manager; the desk is in the lobby but no phone or PMS terminal
to access Fidelio has been installed. The sign is on the desk which is very misleading since the
Guest Relations Manager tours the property with guests and is most of the time not in the lobby.
It is very essential to offer the service of the GRM. The Bell Captain desk which is right next to
the GRM cannot help since the English understanding of the team is limited.
The Concierge Service desk is not planned at this time in the lobby of the hotel. This service is
one of the essential services for the 5 Star service delivery.
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Duty & Guest Relations Mgr lobby desk
Bell Captain desk is in the lobby but no phone or PMS terminal. Guests are not able to located
the Bell Capt and the Bellman give only some limited information. The desk is still part of the
renovation and is not set up at this point. All the information comes from the Front Desk to the
Bellmen. Several bellmen/lobby greeters do not wear name tags most of the time.
Lobby House phone section is next to the Front Desk but no phones installed. An explanation to
apologize would be appropriate to advise the guests.
The guest service desks of the local tour operators are in a primary location across from the
Front Desk and next to the Lobby Kings Bar. The new lobby interior design does not match very
well with the neon signs behind those desks to promote limousine & local tourist tours and hot
air balloon services.
Hotel gift shop in the new lobby does not carry the cell phone “pay as you go” cards for Mobinil
and Vodaphone. Many tourists and business travelers buy a local Sim card and therefore need
the service to upload those cards while at the hotel. Hotel provides the service when the bus
drivers goes to the city.
Front Desk; the digital hotel presentation with all services is on the desk counter and promotes
the WiFi service in the guest rooms. This service is presently not available and the information
should be corrected until the renovations permit this service again. The registration card and
document holder needs to be replaced.
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FDesk reg card holder
Business Center; only 2 CPUs are installed for the hotel guests, the use of those is not free. There
is no scanner at the center installed. All guest rooms do not have WiFi or wire connection to the
Web, only the lobby of the hotel but it does not work all the time.
Business Center with tour programs and 2 terminals
Policies
I requested to see the Front Desk Operations Manual. Mohamed advised me that presently they
are only using the JV guidelines. For next year they are planning to establish the hotel FO
Manual including the Maritim guidelines.
Procedures
Rooms Division monthly meeting to advice on trends and new projects with follow up
Guest satisfaction monthly tracking report with daily follow up at the GM briefing meeting
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Department:
Rooms Reservations – Ahmed Abdelhak
Reservations Manager
Data and Findings:
System
The JV properties operate on Fidelio Version 8. At the JV KIL over 90% of all the bookings are
from via the Cairo sales office for tour operators. The BAR (Best available Rate) is offered by
the reservations department . The rate mix of B&B at 40% and Half Board 60% since “All
Inclusive” is not offered at this property. The long term regular guest reserve directly with the
hotel or tour operators.
The long and short time booking pace board is not in place since the information is only on the
Fidelio system. It would be a great motivator to show the remaining 5% inventory at max rate
with daily goals set by Ahmed and posted on the wall board of the reservations office.
The email flashes to the regular guests in the guest history are in place. There is not additional
follow up of those flashes and this should be done to book the next stay with the guest directly at
the hotel.
Presently the guest history is updated by the Guest Relations Managers.
Policies
The standard JV policies are applied as per SOP
Procedures
Reviewed the files: Contracts with and without allotment, allotments daily follow up file and
tour series. The turn away file, as it was explained, has no system in place to try to regain the
guest confidence with special email follow up for their next visit to Luxor. I was advised that
only when the guest contacts the hotel for the next visit the reservations department offers
sometimes an upgrade.
Upselling Reservations have the same upselling program as the Front Desk and work jointly to
maximize the rates. Yield system is not in place for daily BAR rates (Best Available Rate) at
this point, those rates were displayed on an annual calendar which showed no flexibility. The
Reservations Mgr and Rooms Division Mgr can suggest different BAR rates to the GM and
Cairo office.
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Department:
–
Rooms Division
Anne Loevenbruck
Director of Housekeeping
Data and Findings:
System
Presently the “On the job training” is conducted once a week as per schedule. During my visit
this very essential training was canceled and not rescheduled. The department has only 4 training
session per month those are not adequate for a team of 80 TMs.
I have noticed similar canceled training sessions in several departments and advised the Training
Manager Sayed.
The new guest room attendant carts are the wrong model since the metal frame is too hot in the
summer months. Replacement requested and they are waiting for the delivery.
The HK store rooms do not carry any major inventory and all needed supplies is ordered from
the main store room weekly. The bungalow store rooms have the same very low supply.
The Pillow a la carte program is in place with more supplies on order for the extension.
The flyer is of low quality and should be replaced. I was advised that the print shop paper cutter
has no power cord and they are waiting for the installation. Consequently the quality and
presentation of printing matters is not very professional.
The new Employee locker/shower rooms are under Housekeeping’s supervision. It was noticed
that the sinks had only soap but no towels available for the TMs. Below are the lockers in need
of regular cleaning and removal of debris.
TMs locker showers
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The Chemical Material Safety Data Sheets are not in place in the entire hotel. Johnson & Diversy
is suppose to supply the first set but the local service provider is not effective.
Material data sheets (MDS) are not in place
General Clean program for the rooms including curtain and mattress turn controls have to be
implemented since they were not done in the past..
R&M reports are written and given to Engineering. Weekly recap is not done in order to
effectively follow up on the status of those repairs.
The pillows a la carte selection guide is now in the renovated guest rooms.
TV channel guide needs to be reprinted. Presently not possible since the paper cutter in the print
shop of the hotel has no electric connections after the relocation.
The Lost and Found department is located in Hkeeping and recordings are done on the system.
Policies
Only the JV SOP’s but the hotel specific policy is not in place. The policy has to be translated
into Arabic in order to permit the Supervisors to work with the information effectively
Procedures
Daily briefing of the Supervisors is done at 7:30 am
Weekly Supervisors communication meeting is conduced but minutes just started last week to be
taken since this was not done prior.
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In order to enforce the procedures check lists are required for the TM’s to meet the expectations
after the training sessions. Since the performed standards are different daily I assume that those
lists do not exist.
The bungalow HK service areas need a procedure to control the stocks.
Standards
The bed linen and towel par is not known presently and Anne is planning to conduct an
inventory in the coming 4 weeks after the new bungalows are in operation. The goal is a Par of 3
for bed linen and cotton towels.
Productivity standards for the bungalow rooms is 16 per room attendant. The bungalow
Housekeeping storage needs to be organized
HK bungalow service station
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Renovated guest room inspection:
Positive improvements of those rooms but the overall impression does not the meet the
International 5 Star standards as indicated with the following comments:
-Chairs; light fabric will be stained very fast and consequently creates extra maintenance
-Paint contractors; quality of finish, they need to return to the rooms to complete the job
-Phone; room no. is not recorded on the phone set
-Phone in the bathroom is missing as well as the speaker for the TV sound
-Mini Bar armoire needs a circulation opening to complete the installation of the bars
-Closet coat hanger plastic rider does not meet 5 Star standards
-Laundry bag system does not meet 5 Star standards, in the process to be upgraded
-Extra Pillow; still needs plastic cover
-Waste paper basket should have liner instead of the unattractive plastic bags
-Internet outlet at the desk to be replaced or with WiFi for rooms to be activated
-Bathroom grouting quality not acceptable and needs to be redone in some parts of the bathroom
-Shower doors come of the tracks easily and will be a major problem
-Bathroom needs 2nd towel rack for the long staying guests
-Toilet seat is too short for the unit installed
-Shampoo; impossible to get the shampoo out of the clear container,
-Quality of all bathroom amenities poor quality and selection
-Tea bags should be wrapped and not open
-Urgent sound insulation in the rooms since TV sound disturbance is extremely high
-TV channel guide to be revised
Chairs; light fabric will be stained
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Paint contractors; quality of finish
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Bathroom grouting quality not acceptable
Bungalow water hose (renovated N section)
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PROMOTION
Marketing / Awareness for Guest & Employees
Department:
Rooms Division
–
Mohamed El Shaib
Rooms Division Manager
Data and Findings:
Marketing
The Guest History is applied for the newsletter and information emails to the regular guests of
the hotel. They are planning to promote the 300 room extension to the core group of the regulars
in addition to the tour operators.
The lobby JV-Maritime brochure stand did not have any info of the 5 JV properties in Egypt
including this hotel. They displayed only the Maritim Hotels in Germany and other parts of the
world.
Awareness for Guest and Employees
The guest comment cards were not available in the rooms during our MS visit. At our Audit visit
I noticed an already completed report in the stationary folder of the room ( this comment card
was removed the next day) . The total number of guest questionnaires received in relation to the
occupancy for the month of the report are very low and therefore the results are misleading. For
the month of October the hotel received 139 leisure comments.
The in house newsletter and the Intranet keep the TM’s up to date with new products or
programs in the Rooms Division of the hotel. This Intranet news is not accessible for line Team
Members since the Employees Dining room does not have a terminal available.
The Round Table meetings with guests are planned by the Guest Relations Manager but
unfortunately the Rooms Division Manager does not attend those important guest feedback
sessions.
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Department:
Rooms Division
–
Anne Loevenbruck
Director of Housekeeping
Data and Findings:
Marketing
Anne did not have any further comments on Marketing in the rooms. The guest room stationary
folders is now in the renovated rooms including the Fauna Guide. Cross selling brochures of the
Hotel and Directory of all hotels are not included.
Awareness for Guest and Employees
The HKeeping Team is going through a major restructure due to the expansion of 300 new
rooms. The Marketing awareness will be to prepare the perfect new rooms for the soft opening of
the Extension for the upcoming Xmas season
.
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Profit
P&L Statement / Expenses
Cost Control
Revenue a) Rates b) Pricing c) Yielding
Department:
Rooms Division
–
Mohamed El Shaib
Rooms Division Manager
Data and Findings:
P&L Statement/Expenses
No financial reports are given to us! We were permitted to see the information on the POS
screens but no printouts were provided.
Cost Control
The Housekeeping bed linen and towels are presently not controlled due to the works at the
hotel. Inventory to be taken in Jan 2011. Is should be standard to take quarterly Housekeeping
inventories.
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Other expenses/Departmental Profit
Revenue
a) Room rates
The MTD ADR for November: 350 LE at 93 % for 227 rooms. The occupancy is
impacted by the 100 rooms under renovations since Feb. 2010. Based on those results
they are expecting to reach 85% with 330 LE ytd.
.
b) Pricing
The rates for the tour operators and on line booking systems are set up by the Cairo sales
office.
The allocation for B&B is $35 and for HBoard at $55 in addition to the room rate
The competitive set shows the JV KIL in the 2nd position after the Sofitel Winter Palace
.
c) Yielding;
Only the BAR rates have the potential for the Yield system. At this point not in place and
the reservations department works with a yearly planner.
Departmental Rooms Profit
YTD 75% in Nov. 2010
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