The commissioning of equipment, roll out of training on site, defining staff uniforms, the details of guest service all become your brand.
Prior to opening the resort to guests, all the operating systems and standards should be in place and tested, staff recruitment and training of staff on systems and equipment undertaken, and detailed punch lists prepared and actioned.
Operations | What is it that makes you a 5 a 4 or 3 star rating property? | This is complex question. Historically industry “Star” ratings are a reflection of ticking the right boxes. Air-conditioning, 24 hour room service, restaurants, etc. Whilst still applied today the rating base has shifted and you can be described as 6 star destination and offer none of these! What is expected by guests today is value.An experience more than a check list of services. The consumer is more likely to pay attention to your reviews on social media platforms and what other guests have said or specialist media or travel agents than “worry”about a star rating. Value perceptions are important. Operations covers everything to do with the day to day running of your resort business Taylor Dade has stepped away from classic hotel concepts and won accolades in the international arena for bespoke dining experiences delivered by local teams. Karen’s teams learn how to exceed the expectations of discerning customers. Customers become repeat guests and staunch advocates, spreading “the word” to families and friends, driving both the reputation and the bottom line of the business.
The required level of service offering to be extended to the guests will also impact on operations. Sometimes these decisions come down to:
I will help review these opportunities and come to decisions on each and every one. This will then flow on to the SOP’s required, the HR requirements, equipment and general procurement of the necessary basics to start operations. | ||||||
Service Offering | Mission Statement and Core Values | Defining service outputs for each department requires a lot of thought. This thinking should be done whilst still at the planning stage. Special sites and situations demand different solutions to deliver. What is your service profile?
Brand hotels tend to define their standards for their brand. Not for the culture or the site or the specific situation or to a special cultural space, but primarily for their brand. This is what they charge for when you pay their management fees and they hire to ensure that this is delivered as prescribed. Private hotels can be what they want. The important thing is to make sure that this is clearly definedand so there can be no misconception. This comes back to original planning thinking and sales strategies. | ||||||
Food & Beverage Service | Defining the product offering | Defining the product offering for food and beverage services is one of the most impactful strategies you will make. Food and beverage service requires a lot of thought and investment. Guests should be the cornerstone to decisions that relate to service delivery. Getting food and beverage right, is key to the success of the resort project. A kitchen is a large capital investment. Architects are not chefs, equipment suppliers have self interest, and a chef may have a wish list that would be very different, if he was paying the bill. It is important to define what your offering is and be well informed with practical knowledge of operations and trends. Kitchen planning and food and beverage service is an area where very expensive design mistakes can have a huge adverse impact on the project. All these experts are important. And need inclusion, but the very first step is to determine what it is that you are offering as a concept. In addition to these early considerations you will also have to consider the skills set of the Food and Beverage team and complete their checklists, and job descriptions.
With extensive food and beverage experience for discerning guests, for events, fine and casual dining, Taylor Dade can suggest alternatives that will not only create a point of difference but will deliver great guest feedback provide income opportunities, and save on infrastructure costs. | ||||||
Housekeeping Service | Throw out the classic hotel strategy | Who said that it had to be done “that” way? The service for in room is a solution to many other potential challenges that can arise when delivering a room based product. These issues should be considered when defining the accommodation services, and in the planning stages. How can service delivery be changed to improve the overall guest experience. What support is needed to then make this deliverable? A classic hotel solution may be the final decision, but it should be the end result of reviewing the options, not an automatic planning approach. Again there are many things to consider that will define your guest experience and these need to be considered early as these decisions can affect your planning and investment in equipment.
In addition to these early considerations you will also have to complete their checklists, and job descriptions for day to day operations. | ||||||
Maintenance Service | Establishing routine procedures for upkeep | Establishing routine procedures for upkeep of plant property and equipment is important. Ensuring that the allocations budgeted are spent wisely even more so. Some “ savvy managers” make themselves look good to owners, by delivering a robust bottom line from “savings” made on maintenance spend, at the cost of the long term wellness of the resort. This is a very short term strategy, and consequences can be very serious. I will help identify routine maintenance costs and programs. These programs must cover all equipment in all departments, and ensure that world standards and government compliance is delivered.
Defining the skills required for your maintenance team based on your project needs will lead to a job specification and the checklists required to manage day to day operations. | ||||||
Landscape | Ensure that the completed gardens are maintained | Ongoing works should ensure that the completed gardens are maintained. Ensuring that the team have the right tools and the right guidance on trimming and pruning, and that the gardens continue to flourish.
Defining the skills required for your maintenance team based on your project needs will then lead to a job specification and the checklists required to manage day to day operations | ||||||
Service Providers | Utilities and solutions | Utilities and solutions will be dependant on individual sites and preferences.
I will make sure that these solutions are resolved to the right compliance standards, assist energy savings and help to minimise future operating costs whilst allowing for potential expansion in demand at some stage in the future. |
There are industry standards for performance review.
However it can be easy to make a big mistake if these standards are simply applied in a vacuum of knowledge of the specific operations. It is easy to be mis-led by misinformation or half truths, especially when dealing with other cultures.
This is when it is vital to be objective. To ask questions, before assuming that something is wrong
Staff motivation and staff training support should be the outcome of a Performance Review so that things can be kept on track, and existing procedures reviewed and possibly changed. Taylor Dade will conduct a robust audit the operations wellness.
A comprehensive list of actions and recommendations will be submitted for consideration. Agreed changes must then be detailed in the required standards and operating procedures and job descriptions to ensure consistency is achieved across the operations, and become part of the next audit review.
Tell us what your concern is and we will see if we can help or direct you to the help you need.
