AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE REAL SITUATIONS AND SOME SOLUTIONS TO IMPROVING THE SERVICE QUALITY OF THE RECEPTION DEPARTMENT AT DANANG TRADE UNION HOTEL

BU I TH I PH UO NG NG A – GR AD UA TI ON TH ES IS IN SO CI AL SC IE NC ES AN D H U M AN ITI ES DA NA NG 202 MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING DUY TAN UNIVERSITY FACULTY OF ENGLISH GRADUATION THESIS BUI THI PHUONG NGA AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE REAL SITUATIONS AND SOME SOLUTIONS TO IMPROVING THE SERVICE QUALITY OF THE RECEPTION DEPARTMENT AT DANANG TRADE UNION HOTEL GRADUATION THESIS IN SOCIAL SCIENCES AND HUMANITIES DA NANG – May 2021 MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING DUY TAN UNIVERSITY FACULTY OF ENGLISH GRADUATION THESIS BUI THI PHUONG NGA AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE REAL SITUATIONS AND SOME SOLUTIONS TO IMPROVING THE SERVICE QUALITY OF THE RECEPTION DEPARTMENT AT DANANG TRADE UNION HOTEL Major : English for Tourism Code : 702 SUPERVISOR: MAI LAN THI, M.A DA NANG – May 2021 GRADUATION THESIS Supervisor: Mai Lan Thi, M.A ACKNOWLEDGEMENT In fact, there is no success without support and help In the process of completing this graduation paper, I have received a lot of help, guidance and encouragement from teachers, colleagues, friends and family Firstly, I would like to express my deep gratitude to my guidance advisor from the Faculty of Foreign Languages of Duy Tan University, M.A, Mai Lan Thi for his guidance and encouragement in doing this research I am truly grateful for his advice and suggestions right from the first step Secondly, I would like to express my gratitude to all the teachers who gave me useful knowledge and materials Not only that, they also inspired and facilitated me during my study and practice at Duy Tan University That is the important foundation for me to complete this paper in the best way Finally but not least , Members of my family give advise and useful life lesson to me Student: Bui Thi Phuong Nga Code:2320312424 GRADUATION THESIS Supervisor: Mai Lan Thi, M.A STATEMENT OF AUTHORSHIP I declare that this graduation paper has been composed myself, and described my own work, unless otherwise acknowledged in the text Except where reference is made in the text of the graduation paper, this graduation paper contains no material published elsewhere or extracted in the whole or in part from the graduation paper by which have qualified for or been awarded another degree or diploma No other person’s work has been used without due acknowledgement in the graduation paper This graduation paper has not been submitted for award of any degree or diploma in any other tertiary institution Student: Bui Thi Phuong Nga Code:2320312424 GRADUATION THESIS Supervisor: Mai Lan Thi, M.A ABSTRACT In this graduation paper investigates the real situation and provides solutions to improve the service quality of the Reception Department at Danang Trade Union Hotel This case study is conducted on the basis of theory and practical data In order to get results, I have gathered all the main relevant information about hotel, tourists, etc from primary and secondary sources, such as textbooks, the Internet, as well as receptionist data and customer reviews of the hotel through my surveys, findings and observations Based on this information, I will outline some of the characteristics of the staff, the service, the organizational structure and then propose some suggestions to improve the service quality of Reception Department at the hotel Student: Bui Thi Phuong Nga Code:2320312424 GRADUATION THESIS Supervisor: Mai Lan Thi, M.A ABBREVIATIONS FO : Front Office Sqm: Square meters Student: Bui Thi Phuong Nga Code:2320312424 GRADUATION THESIS Supervisor: Mai Lan Thi, M.A TABLE OF FINGURES Tables: Student: Bui Thi Phuong Nga Code:2320312424 GRADUATION THESIS Supervisor: Mai Lan Thi, M.A PART A: INTRODUCTION Rationale More recently, the speed of development of science and technology together with the developed economy has helped improve people's material life Besides, tourism has made great development steps in Vietnam Tourism is widely promoted, because it offers potential and employment opportunities, creates revenue for the country and becomes a source of revenue for the government This requires all businesses, to give high priority to the provision of high quality services, to meet growing demand The growth of Vietnam's tourism industry in recent years has contributed significantly to the hospitality industry With the increasing number of hotels today, the hotel must take measures to attract and thereby assert its competitive position in the market Vietnam has a stable economy, rich culture, beautiful natural landscapes and world cultural heritages capable of attracting high tourists In addition, Vietnam also has many opportunities to attract investors around the world, creating favorable conditions for hotel business - developing tourism in the future In the hotel business, reception and other services are important factors to create the image of the hotel in the minds of customers Customer care is a difficult and complex task, but it is very important and can affect product quality The reception department provides all information about hotel services and sales of products and services to guests This is the first and last part to interact with guests, making a first and last impression on the quality of the hotel In other words, "Show Case Window" reflects the image of the hotel This is also the place where businesses can receive and resolve customer complaints and questions From there, it is possible to explore the different needs of customers, to meet and meet their maximum needs Therefore, improving the service quality of the reception is very necessary Moreover, the hotel and tourism business is becoming increasingly fierce This fact Student: Bui Thi Phuong Nga Code:2320312424 GRADUATION THESIS Supervisor: Mai Lan Thi, M.A requires businesses to implement measures to improve service quality to turn it into a competitive advantage Recognizing the importance of receiving, as well as improving the quality of service at the reception, with the guidance of dedicated teachers, I decided to choose the topic “ An Investigation into the Real Situations and Some Solutions to Improving the Service Quality of the Reception Department at Danang Trade Union hotel” 2.Aims and objectives: 2.1 Aims • Find out the function, duty and importance of the reception in the hotel, give solutions to improve this department • Assessing of hotel business situation, the strengths and weaknesses in the service at the reception of Danang Trade Union Hotel thereby offering solutions to improve and improve service quality 2.2 Ojective • Determining the factors affecting the quality of service of the reception department at Danang Trade Union Hotel • Assessing the satisfaction of guests with the quality of the reception department at Danang Trade Union Hotel • Proposing some solutions to improve the service quality of the reception department at Danang Trade Union Hotel The scope of study Focus on competence, work and service related elements In addition, there are issues such as Labor structure, Hotel facilities, Business area, situation arrivals of guests To explore these issues, I will look directly at the Reception Department at Danang Trade Union Hotel In order to have stale data, I will collect information by doing some surveys with the guests of hotel Next, the research data will assess the quality of hotel services and analyze the actual situation of the hotel through the data I gathered Student: Bui Thi Phuong Nga Code:2320312424 GRADUATION THESIS 10 Supervisor: Mai Lan Thi, M.A Finally, provide practical solutions to improve and advance the service quality of the reception Method of study - Data collected: Directly observe the activities and working processes of receptionist at Danang Trade Union hotel to collect data These data are processed and analyzed for inclusion in the thesis - Questionnaires and interviews: I designed a questionnaire to give to tourists in Danang Trade Union hotel to get their information and ideas when they are at the hotel - Survey and observe productivity - From the data and information I have collected, analyzed, compared, combined with practical theory to evaluate the quality of service at the reception Organization of the study This study consists of the following three parts: • Part A is an introduction to the graduation paper covering the rationale, goals and objectives, scope of the study, research methodology and research organization • Part B talks about development; It consists of three chapters: - Chapter is the theoretical basis of the hotel industry, reception department and service quality in the hotel - Chapter is a description of the general of Danang Trade Union hotel, Reception and Organizational Department at this hotel - Chapter is analyzing and evaluating the problem • Part C talked about some solutions to improve the service quality of the Reception Department at Danang Trade Union hotel PART B: DEVELOPMENT Student: Bui Thi Phuong Nga Code:2320312424 GRADUATION THESIS -Foreign 43 Supervisor: Mai Lan Thi, M.A 44 20 19 Table 12 : Evaluation about Procedures of registering rooms Chart 5: Evaluation about procedures of registering rooms Room registration procedures are well appreciated Because guests mainly go on tours and book indirectly through travel agents So the booking and check-in process is relatively professional and thoughtful Staff at the union hotel are always enthusiastic and flexible And the number of visitors decreased sharply, so the procedure for guests was very easy and fast The staff still does a good job of declaring medical care online and in a very convenient location, regularly checking the temperature when passengers go in and out of the hotel 3.4.6 Evaluation about the Payment procedures for guests Target Amount % Payment procedures for guests Very Satified Normal Bad Satisfie d -Total 120 -Percent 100% 30 68 22 25% 56.7% 16.3% -Domestic 76 16 48 12 -Foreign 44 14 20 10 Table 13 : Evaluation about the Payment procedures for guests Chart 6: Evaluation about Payment procedures for guests Student: Bui Thi Phuong Nga Code:2320312424 GRADUATION THESIS 44 Supervisor: Mai Lan Thi, M.A Most customers are satisfied with the bill payment of employees A few normal reviews In order for the payment to occur quickly, there is a need to coordinate information between Housekeeping and reception At Danang Trade Union Hotel, the staff are always trained to be better every day Customer reviews are really necessary and important, they contribute to improving service quality and motivating employees to work more efficiently in the future To accelerate the epidemic situation to return tourism and develop more Student: Bui Thi Phuong Nga Code:2320312424 GRADUATION THESIS 45 Supervisor: Mai Lan Thi, M.A PART C CONCLUSION AND SUGGESTIONS 4.1 Conclusion In recent years, both in the world in general and in Vietnam in particular, tourism has grown strongly, leading to an increasing focus on the hotel business People's lives are increasingly improved, tourism and entertainment needs are increasing In order to meet the needs of the hotel, the hotel has constantly changed new services, more modern equipment to satisfy the needs of guests Therefore, more and more hotels are born to serve everyone's needs Because many businesses race to open hotels, the competition is very fierce To attract customers, hotels must always improve service quality and enhance professionalism in each department and especially the reception department Because this department is seen as the face of the hotel Through the actual situation, I found the organization of the reception department very important, so I researched and collected information to complete this topic Clarifying the importance of the front desk department I have objectively assessed the reality of the reception staff in the hotel through this thesis In order to provide the best solutions to improve the service quality of this department Not only that, in the process of making this thesis, I also have a specific and realistic view of the tourism industry in general and the hotel industry in particular Besides the knowledge learned at Duy Tan University, I have added myself a lot of new and useful things I am very grateful and grateful, it will help me a lot in the future Support a lot in my dream job later Student: Bui Thi Phuong Nga Code:2320312424 GRADUATION THESIS 46 Supervisor: Mai Lan Thi, M.A Due to limited experience and knowledge, perhaps this thesis will have many shortcomings The epidemic situation is very complicated, affecting the tourism industry in general and the hotel industry in particular It is also a part that hinders a lot in the process of researching this thesis topic I hope to receive the comments and sympathy of the teachers to improve the lesson 4.2 Some solutions to improving the service quality of Reception Department 4.2.1 Upgrading Facilities -The front desk should have some fresh flowers to look better So that when guests first walk in, they can see something new and full of life in the hotel reception area Create a more comfortable feeling for guests when they want to stop at the hotel to rest - At the waiting table, there should be bookshelves and magazine shelves at the waiting table for guests to read while waiting for check-in In order not to make guests feel like waiting too long to make them more frustrated -In addition to books, put up a few posters about tourist attractions and cultural knowledge of Vietnam I think foreign guests will love to learn about these - In addition, computers and equipment need to be upgraded or replaced Because of their long use, they are old Can take a long time to process information Student: Bui Thi Phuong Nga Code:2320312424 GRADUATION THESIS 47 Supervisor: Mai Lan Thi, M.A 4.2.2 Improve the service process of the reception and improve the quality of staff -Employees need to be trained and coached every day, especially in foreign languages and customer service skills and improve knowledge not only specialized knowledge but also knowledge about the culture, customs and habits of other countries to behave politely and show respect to foreign guests -The staff can learn, help each other, know how to grasp the psychology and needs of customers to serve thoughtfully and make a good impression on customers -The management department needs to collect opinions of employees, let employees express their opinions and express their wishes, in order to create a comfortable spirit when working with higher efficiency In addition, it can also help organize and develop a more perfect strategy to attract customers in the future -Excellent members need praise and rewards to make them work better, and to motivate other employees to try to their job well -Urging staff to work and update the health status of guests regularly Departments work together to try and coordinate better to make the working process more efficient and professional Shorten customer waiting time 4.2.3 Improve and enhance the quality of management at the reception deparment -Besides providing solutions and working criteria for front desk staff In addition, there should be strict supervision and management for Student: Bui Thi Phuong Nga Code:2320312424 GRADUATION THESIS 48 Supervisor: Mai Lan Thi, M.A the best development of the hotel Management has a very important role in the operation of the department Their responsibilities are great, if neglected or not focused, it will greatly affect all departments and employees in the hotel From there will adversely affect the hotel They need to motivate employees to work harder and more efficiently, quickly achieving goals -At Danang Trade Union hotel , the management of the reception is still limited, so I would like to offer some solutions to improve the quality and improve -The management should monitor employees more closely and closely Remind and help employees if they make mistakes Use measures and discipline to avoid repetition Because it can affect the image of the hotel -The Management should take note of all customer reviews and complaints in order to improve service quality to satisfy customers -The management must grasp the achievements that have been achieved in the business of the hotel What has been done well must be done better, what has not been done needs to find the cause and then develop a clear plan to handle it well From there, the quality of the front desk department will be improved Because the needs of customers are increasingly to ensure satisfaction of incoming and outgoing customers 4.2.4 Strengthening the coordination of work between reception and other parts of the hotel -The reception desk is the bridge between guests and other parts of the hotel The work and quality of the hotel are effective or not is due to Student: Bui Thi Phuong Nga Code:2320312424 GRADUATION THESIS 49 Supervisor: Mai Lan Thi, M.A the coordination among the departments So in the process of serving customers, the reception department needs the support of other departments: - Housekeeping department: The front desk staff provide quick room information so that they can prepare the room for the customer thoughtfully and accurately When guests check out, they will check the room and notify the front desk when customers use any services while staying here To avoid bad cases happening In addition, they report the current situation to the front desk so that the receptionist will best arrange for customers to check-in -Sales-marketing department: The front desk will inform the business situation to have a basis for build business strategies and policies for the hotel's products - Restaurant department: This is the department that serves food to customers during their stay When customers use services and products This department will issue an invoice to the front desk for clear and quick payment, avoiding long waits for customers -Technical department: when there is a problem with the equipment in the room, the reception will contact the technical department to quickly fix it and repair it right away so as not to affect customer satisfaction Handle with care to avoid confusing customers - Security Department: If there is any problem in the working process related to the safety of customers They will ensure security and help the front desk deal with serious problems Avoid dangerous situations for customers and hotel staff Ensure absolute safety for customers while staying at the hotel Student: Bui Thi Phuong Nga Code:2320312424 GRADUATION THESIS 50 Supervisor: Mai Lan Thi, M.A Customer Feedback Form Dear our precious customers Thank you for your recent space at Danang Trade Union hotel It was our joy that you to stay with us and we sincerely hope we have the chance to welcome you again on your next travels to Danang As a small and independent resort hotel, we value our guests' feedback, and are always looking for ways to connect with them We invite you to take a survey regarding your stay so we can continue to improve As a special thank you, we invite you to access our unpublished, secret rates that we’ve created just for our returning guests for future bookings Very Student: Bui Thi Phuong Nga Code:2320312424 GRADUATION THESIS 51 Supervisor: Mai Lan Thi, M.A Satisfied Satisfied Normal Bad How would you rate the Hotel Facilities? How you feel about the uniform?? Do you have to wait long during check-in?? Are you satisfied with the accuracy of the bill payment?? How you feel about the quality of service you received here?? How you feel about the quality of service you received here? Attitude: Good Normal Bad Good Normal Bad Foreign Language: Excellent Good Normal Bad Waiting time: Good Normal Bad Good Normal Bad Professional: Service: Excellent Excellent Excellent Excellent Your comment: Student: Bui Thi Phuong Nga Code:2320312424 GRADUATION THESIS Supervisor: Mai Lan Thi, M.A REFERENCES ENGLISH BOOK: Trist Stott & Rod Revell: Highly Recommended: English for the hotel and catering industry Jatashanka R Tewari, Hotel Front Office Operations and Management WEBSITES: https://setupmyhotel.com/train-my-hotel-staff/front-officetraining/76-classification-of-hotels https://www.traveloka.com/vi-vn/hotel/vietnam/cong-doan-dananghotel-danang-trade-union-hotel-3000010022539 https://www.hoteljob.vn/tin-tuc/4-giai-doan-phuc-vu-khach Student: Bui Thi Phuong Nga Code:2320312424 GRADUATION THESIS Supervisor: Mai Lan Thi, M.A APPENDIX QUESTIONAIRES Dear Sir/Madam! My name is Bui Thi Phuong Nga I am currently a 4th-year student majoring in English for Tourism at Duy Tan University, Da Nang city I practiced at the Reception Department of Danang Trade Union Hotel for weeks Currently, I need some information and practical data to complete the graduation thesis: “An Investigation into the Real Situations of Reception Department and Some Solutions to Improving the Service Quality at Danang Trade Union Hotel” Therefore, I would greatly appreciate it if you could spend some of your time answering some of the questions below Your opinion will provide me with a lot of useful information for my research and finally to be able to improve the service quality of the Reception Department at Danang Trade Union Hotel I pledge to you that your personal information will be kept confidential and will not be used for any other kind of business Thank you very much for your help! A PERSONAL INFORMATION Name: Gender : Male/ Female Age: Nationality: Number of room: Email : Contact : Student: Bui Thi Phuong Nga Code:2320312424 GRADUATION THESIS Supervisor: Mai Lan Thi, M.A B.SURVEY How many times have you stayed at Danang Trade Union Hotel? o o The first time The second time o o The third time More than third How did you know about Danang Trade Union Hotel o o o Travel agent Internet Relatives, friends o How long have you stayed at the hotel? o o One night Two nights o How you feel about the hotel's decoration? o o Luxurious, trendy Elegant, polite o How you rate the facilities and equipment at the hotel? o o o o Three nights More than three Normal Not eye-catching o oVery useful o oConvenient o oNormal o oNot good at all o How you feel about the food at the restaurant? o o Extremely delicious Quite delicious o Please indicate your satisfaction level with the information about the o o Moderately delicious Not at all delicious Reception Department at Danang Trade Union Hotel Rated on a scale from to as follows o 1: Very good o 3: Pretty good o 2: Good o 4: Not good o o Design and decoration of the department Student: Bui Thi Phuong Nga o o o o o Code:2320312424 GRADUATION THESIS Supervisor: Mai Lan Thi, M.A o Facilities and equipment at the department o Appearance (presentable uniform, neat hair) of the Receptionist o How friendly is the Receptionist? o The service attitude of the Receptionist o Guest service process of the department o The receptionist's ability to communicate in foreign languages o Communication skill o Ability handle problems o The receptionist's level of knowledge o How helpful was the concierge throughout the guest’s stay? o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o Ability to coordinate with other departments o Overall, at what level were you satisfied with Danang Trade Union Hotel? o o o o o o Extremely satisfied Quite satisfied Somewhat satisfied Quite dissatisfied Dissatisfied Extremely dissatisfied Student: Bui Thi Phuong Nga o 10 How likely are you to stay at our hotel again? o o o o Extremely likely Quite likely Somewhat likely Not at all likely Code:2320312424 GRADUATION THESIS o 11 Will you introduce Danang Trade UnionHotel to other people? o No, I won’t Student: Bui Thi Phuong Nga Supervisor: Mai Lan Thi, M.A o o I’m not sure Yes, I will o o Code:2320312424 GRADUATION THESIS o 57 Supervisor: Mai Lan Thi, M.A SUPERVISOR’S COMMENT o  o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o ... with the quality of the reception department at Danang Trade Union Hotel • Proposing some solutions to improve the service quality of the reception department at Danang Trade Union Hotel The scope... as improving the quality of service at the reception, with the guidance of dedicated teachers, I decided to choose the topic “ An Investigation into the Real Situations and Some Solutions to Improving. .. Structure of Danang Trade Union Hotel 2.2 Introduction about FO department at Danang Trade Union Hotel 2.2.1 .The Organization Structure of FO department at Danang Trade Union Hotel The receptionist at