With all the holiday travel plans, many of us will be staying overnight at a hot

Question

With all the holiday travel plans, many of us will be staying overnight at a hotel. As a customer, we expect to be treated very well but, as we know, this is not always the case.Let's play the role of a customer, and see how many service failure points you can identify.Read the Case Study on p. 420-422 and then address question #2 on p. 423 and identify 10-15 service failures. During your reading, be on the lookout for the failure points and make note of them.Once you finish reading, select THREE failure points.Using your THREE failure points, discuss any personal experiences you might have had in these same areas. If you, as a customer, had experienced these failures how might you have handled the situation or problem? (MINIMUM 1000 WORDS)

Case Study Sage Hill Inn Above Onion Creek: Focusing on Service Process and Quality Sage Hill Inn Above Onion Creek is a popular lodging des- Inn Above Onion Creek were updated guest rooms with tination for those visiting the Texas Hill Country to relax new flat-screen TVs and more contemporary furnishings. and experience nearby attractions and activities. Located There are three suites, eight guest rooms, three cottages, in Kyle, Texas, the 88-acre property is 25 miles south of and a three-bedroom ranch house. The cottages and Austin, Texas, and a few hours drive from San Antonio and ranch house include amenities such as gourmet kitchens, Dallas. The property, formerly known as the Inn Above oversized porches, and a private hot tub. The grounds Onion Creek, was purchased in 2012 by Eric Goldreyer, were improved with a larger pool deck, a 14-person spa, founder of Bedandbreakfast.com, and John Banczakfor- and a large outdoor fire ring. Many other changes and mer president of the company. The new owners focused service additions were completed, such as opening the on enhancing the popular Inn Above Onion Creek by add- Garden Spa in a separate building with four massage ing new services, updating the facilities, and expanding rooms, a lounge, and covered porch overlooking a flower the use of environmentally conscious practices. John garden. The website for the inn has numerous photo- Banczak was quoted in The Houston Chronicle as saying, graphs of accommodations and descriptions of services "When we purchased the inn, we loved the location and and activities available to guests. topography of the land and surrounding area, and the architecture and layout of the main inn and buildings So we set out to redesign with a modern yet rustic aes- available, by reservation, for an extra fee. Individuals not thetic, while trying to stay true to the Hill Country area." A gourmet prix fixe breakfast and three-course din- ner are included with each overnight stay and lunch is staying at the inn may also enjoy dining at the inn by A conversation between Amy Dolan, the innkeeper, and making reservations in advance. Chef Ryan Castille cre- a consultant indicated three needs: (1) the need to under- ates the menus with fresh produce from the garden and stand guests' expectations, (2) the need to detemine and draws on local suppliers for seasonal ingredients. monitor guests' perceptions, and (3) the need to identify potential service failure points. She said, "We do our best to tea, coffee, soft drinks, and a selection of homemade maintain excellent service in order to build repeat business cookies. Across from the dining area is a large library and obtain positive word of mouth. If guests' expectations with enough seating and tables for meetings and a wide are not met, then they are likely to be dissatisfied and occu selection of books, games, and DVDs. pancy rates will decline. That means lower revenues." To continue attracting previous guests of the Inn Above Onion Creek and build loyalty among ones staying at the inn for the first time. "We must listen closely to understand what they expect when deciding to stay here and, afterward, how they feel about their experience. With this feedback, we can provide an experience that meets expectations and effectively resolve service problems that are creating guest dissatisfaction." In addition to knowing more about guest expectations and perceptions, she said it would be good to identify potential service failure points. These could then be The dining room is always open with complimentary GUESTS' EXPECTATIONS AND PERCEPTIONS Knowing what guests expect is important because their sat- isfaction with the quality of a service is formed by compar- ing perceptions of a stay to previously formed expectations. Amy Dolan talked with the consultant about how guests expectations form as they find out about a hotel property from a variety of sources, including friends and family, guidebooks, websites, and previous experiences at the inn, or similar properties. She stressed that, "the website plays a shaping perceptions of what they may experi- ence when staying at the inn." The consultant said that it would be good to examine the website (www.sagehill.com) for explicit promises (e.g., breakfast and dinner menus) and When operating as the Inn Above Onion Creek, the lodg- implicit promises (e.g., pictures of the inn) that influence the ing was designed to resemble a Texas homestead of the development of expectations. He suggested that the Five 1800s with a main house of rustic redwood and a second Dimensions of Service Quaity could be used as a guiding building similar to one an owner would build when expand- framework to figure out expectations and that a SERVQUAL ing the family's living area. The twelve guest rooms, named questionnaire could be used to measure the five dimen- after famous Texans, conveyed the homestead image with sions fi.e, responsiveness, assurance, tangibles, empathy, a mix of modern amenities and antique furnishings. A and reliability). However, he indicated some concem about gourmet breakfast and dinner were included with each all of the five SERVQUAL dimensions and survey questions big part in BACKGROUND overnight stay. Among the design changes for Sage Hill being useful specifically for the hotel industry Written by Michael W. Pass, Sam Houston State University and published in Journal of the Intenational Acodemy for Cose Suaies 21, no. 5 July 2015), pp. 197-203. Revised by Roger Schroeder, September 2016. This case was written for class discussion and is not intended to ilustrate either effective or ineffective management practices. Reprinted with permission. 420

Explanation / Answer

The below are the service failure points in this service blueprint:

1. The customer has to drive and park the car themselves

2. The customer has to carry his luggage to room himself

3. While checking in the staff should also suggest the local tourist attractions in case the guest is interested.

4. If need be the front desk should provide travel arrangements (Self or outsourced) to visit these places

5. Apart from the spa, the staff should also explain the facilities provided for the guests which include fire rings, pool, gym if any (all timings too) and emergency contact information.

6. After entering the room with inn keeper, the inn keeper should explain about the way to access internet, the in-room dining service also and the telephone extension numbers for reception, housekeeping, dining area etc.

7. Newspaper can be provided in the room itself.

8. Laundry service is not mentioned anywhere which can be provided

If I as a customer face any of these, I would first suggest the inn staff to incorporate this into their service provision. Especially the laundry part which is crucial in case guests stay for longer durations and also write in their suggestions book (If they have any else suggest on placing that as well). If there is no positive response from the staff, then inevitably the suggestions would go online into the websites where they are seeking for suggestions.

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