AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE REAL SITUATION OF THE SERVICE QUALITY OF RECEPTION DEPARTMENT AT DLG HOTEL DANANG AND SOME SOLUTIONS TO ENHANCING ITS SHORTCOMINGS

DUY TAN UNIVERSITY FACULTY OF ENGLISH GRADUATION PAPER AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE REAL SITUATION OF THE SERVICE QUALITY OF RECEPTION DEPARTMENT AT DLG HOTEL DANANG AND SOME SOLUTIONS TO ENHANCING ITS SHORTCOMINGS Major: English for Tourism SUPERVISOR : TRAN HUU HUNG, P.G STUDENT : NGUYEN THI KIEU TRINH CLASS : K23 NAD8 STUDENT CODE: 23203111932 DA NANG, 2021 Graduation Paper Supervisor: Tran Huu Hung, P.G ACKNOWLEDGMENT This graduation paper has been finished with the invaluable assistance, advice from beloved teachers, hotel, friends and family First of all, I would like to give my special appreciation to all Teachers in Duy Tan University I am grateful to you for your help and transfer of precious experience, which will prepare us for knowledge to get to the life Especially, from my bottom of my heart, I would like to express my deepest thanks to my supervisor, Mr Tran Huu Hung for helping me to complete my graduation thesis Besides, I would love to thank to DLG Hotel Danang for creating the favorable conditions during the internship, providing useful experiences as well as valuable materials for me in the research and completion this thesis Especially, I would like to express my sincere thanks to the Manager of the Hotel, Mr Phan Minh Quy for his kind cooperation during my internship My due thanks also go to my parents, and friends for their endless love, support, and encouragement in the past four years Finally, I wish all of you good health and great success Thank you all! Yours sincerely, Nguyen Thi Kieu Trinh Student: Nguyen Thi Kieu Trinh Code: 23203111932 Graduation Paper Supervisor: Tran Huu Hung, P.G STATEMENT OF AUTHORSHIP I declare that this graduation paper is an independent research project that I have tried to research in the internship and studying at school It does not use either in the whole or in part from a material previously submitted for degree or diploma in my university, except where due reference is made in the text No other person’s work has been used without due acknowledgement in the thesis This thesis has not been submitted for award of any degree or diploma in any other tertiary institution Danang, May 27th, 2021 Student: Nguyen Thi Kieu Trinh Code: 23203111932 Graduation Paper Supervisor: Tran Huu Hung, P.G NGUYEN THI KIEU TRINH ABSTRACT In this graduation paper, I would like to investigate into the real situation of the service quality of Reception Department at DLG Hotel Danang This case study is carried out based on the theoretical background and the practical data Next, I analyze the current situation of service quality at the hotel From there, I point out the strengths, weaknesses of this Department Through the survey, observation, analysis, I would like to give some suggestions for DLG Hotel Danang to improve its shortcomings I hope that suggestions will help the hotel in strengthening the quality of customer service and contribute to the growth of the hotel in Da Nang city Student: Nguyen Thi Kieu Trinh Code: 23203111932 Graduation Paper Supervisor: Tran Huu Hung, P.G ABBREVIATIONS DTU: Duy Tan University F&B: Food and Beverage HR: Human Resource Student: Nguyen Thi Kieu Trinh Code: 23203111932 Graduation Paper Supervisor: Tran Huu Hung, P.G LIST OF TABLES Table 3.1: Accommodation 17 Table 3.2: Additional services 18 Table 3.3: The workforce’s qualification, sex and age of Reception Department at DLG Hotel Danang 25 Table 4.1: The Structure of Tourists to DLG Hotel 29 Table 4.2: Tourist Structure Based on the Form of Trip 30 Table 4.3: Number of guests at DLG Hotel Danang from 2018 to 2020 .33 Table 4.4: Questionaires about Reception’s facilities of DLG Hotel Danang 41 Table 4.5: Questionaires about Reception’s Appearance and Uniform of DLG Hotel Danang 43 Table 4.6: Questionaires about Reception’s Attitude and Spirit of DLG Hotel Danang 44 Table 4.7: Questionaires about Reception’s Serving process of DLG Hotel Danang 46 Table 4.8: Questionaires about Reception’s Qualification of DLG Hotel Danang 48 Student: Nguyen Thi Kieu Trinh Code: 23203111932 Graduation Paper Supervisor: Tran Huu Hung, P.G LIST OF DIAGRAMS Diagram 2.1: Classification of Hotel Diagram 2.2: Organization structure of the R.D in the small-sized hotel Diagram 2.3: Organiation structure of the R.D in the medium-sized 10 Diagram 2.4: The Organizational Structure of the RD in the large-size hotel 10 Diagram 2.5: The Process of Reception Service 11 Diagram 3.6: Organizational Structure of DLG Hotel .19 Diagram 3.7: Organization Structure of Reception Department at DLG Hotel Danang 23 Student: Nguyen Thi Kieu Trinh Code: 23203111932 Graduation Paper Student: Nguyen Thi Kieu Trinh Supervisor: Tran Huu Hung, P.G Code: 23203111932 Graduation Paper Supervisor: Tran Huu Hung, P.G LIST OF CHARTS Chart 4.1: Tourist Structure based on the Purpose of Travelling 31 Chart 4.2: The number of guests visiting to DLG Hotel Danang from 2018 to 2020 32 Chart 4.3: The number of International Guest from 2018 to 2020 34 Chart 4.4: Guests’ evaluation about Facilities of Reception and lobby area 41 Chart 4.5: Guests’ evaluation about Appearance and Uniform 43 Chart 4.6: Guests’ evaluation about Attitude & Spirit 44 Chart 4.7: Guests’ evaluation about Qualification 48 Student: Nguyen Thi Kieu Trinh Code: 23203111932 Graduation Paper 10 Supervisor: Tran Huu Hung, P.G TABLE OF CONTENTS Student: Nguyen Thi Kieu Trinh Code: 23203111932 Graduation Paper 57 Supervisor: Tran Huu Hung, P.G facilities that not only bring satisfaction to the customer during their stay but also help the staff a lot in their working Furthermore, there is a coordination between the group of the staff whose has many working experience (over years) and a large group of the staff who are young, enthusiastic to dedicate and develop Hotel Reception employees have a higher friendliness & service attitude performance They are careful, thoughtful, and well trained in serving the guest process During the serving process, from booking to check-out, staff does their job fast but accurately and ensuring guest’s information Lastly, there is a tie link between the Reception Department and other Departments, each department helps and supports each other Hence, they can improve the speed of the work process and increase the customer satisfaction after all 4.3.2 Week points The first disadvantage is that there was some bad feedbacks of guest about facilities which is not as luxury and modern as a 5–star hotel must have Some receptionists not meet the requirements of 5-star hotel because their language competence is limited They only communicate with foreigners in English and just speak other languages such as: Chinese, Korea, etc in basic Moreover, there was a phenomenon about limited motivation of employees because they must almost similar jobs everyday This case may lead to the decreasing quality of service that is given to the guests Another week point is about the costume of Reception staff It is considered that the costume is normal and unattractive Lastly, most of staff are young and enthusiastic but the experience and manner are not really professional Student: Nguyen Thi Kieu Trinh Code: 23203111932 Graduation Paper Student: Nguyen Thi Kieu Trinh 58 Supervisor: Tran Huu Hung, P.G Code: 23203111932 Graduation Paper 59 Supervisor: Tran Huu Hung, P.G CHAPTER 5: DIFFICULTIES AND SOLUTIONS 5.1 Difficulties • Facilities: the hotel’s facilities are modern and high quality but it also has some old and damaged equipment such as: sofas, carpets are quite dirty and discoloring Besides, there are some complaint comments about the about facilities which is not as luxury and modern as a 5–star hotel must have Many customers complained that the power outlet is not designed in the right place, almost located far from the waiting sofas which lead to the inconvenience In addition, during the intense Covid-19 situation, some guests staying in the hotel complained about the Reception area’s light was dark and gloomy Hence, it is necessary to repair and renovate timely the facilities to avoid losing the beauty image of the hotel in • customers’ eyes Qualification: Most of employees can speak English well but the second language level is limited, only few staff can communicate in Korean and Chinesein basic For instance, when Chinese guest who can not communicate in English, while the staff’s Chinese level is low, it was leading to the situation of misunderstanding between the staff and the customers and causing the procedures slowly • Serving process: In the peak seasons or night shifts, the staff sometimes not provide the customers with adequate information about hotel services, room facilities or not warmly welcoming guest with tea or wine, transfer guest’s luggage,etc Most of the staff are young and enthusiastic but the experience and manner are not really professional, leading to many inadequate handling situations For example, there are still some situation when receptionist found out that they had not paid enough passports or identity cards to the guests when they were in a group Besides, doing the similar tasks everyday leads to the consequence that limited motivation of employees • The coordination relationship between Reception Department and other Department: Student: Nguyen Thi Kieu Trinh Code: 23203111932 Graduation Paper 60 Supervisor: Tran Huu Hung, P.G Although there is a mutual support between each department, it is unavoidable the delays in transforming information, causing to waste customers’ time For example, guests booking food to their room by calling the Reception Department, then the Reception Department will transfer information to F&B Department However, there was a interruption during the co-operation which leading dissatisfied to guests Moreover, the Reception Department sometimes does not take the initiative in linking with the security guards of Security Department to solve security problems at the hotel such as the guests lose their property 5.2 Solutions 5.2.1 Improving the Facilities of the Reception Department Being the face of the hotel, the Reception area must always be clean, bright, tidy and cozy Cleanliness is one of the first factors subject to strict evaluation of quests In the reception hall, cleaning is almost a permanent activity because of the traffic prevailing there Cleaning should be discreet, fast, and efficient For instance, the front desk, the floor, the wall, the carpets, the windows and the window blinds should be clean The tables and sofas should always be well maintained To impress guests, the hotel needs to invest in repairing, replacing, and renovating the damaged and old-fashioned equipment For example, discoloring sofas should be changed It is necessary to design more power outlet which are located near waiting sofas so that customers can be easy to charger their battery Besides, the hotel should order some baby chairs for guest’s kids when they are waiting for procedures The hotel should also equips direction sign boards to giving guests the resources they need such as hotel’s map, events or restaurant’s advertisement (Buffet) Investing more ceiling air conditioner to improve the service quality during peak seasons Moreover, a bright reception area will bring satisfaction to customers, so whether it is during a period of epidemic or low season, the reception area should Student: Nguyen Thi Kieu Trinh Code: 23203111932 Graduation Paper 61 Supervisor: Tran Huu Hung, P.G limit power cuts to bring satisfaction to guests Instead, the hotel can reduce the power supply in unnecessary places such as basements, parking lots The decoration in the Reception area is also very important The hotel should invest more flower and bonsai to create a fresh space Decorating more pictures, more lightings such as ceiling chandeliers to increase the luxury and attract the guest’s attention Souvenir shop should be invested more in the form of decoration, products, to pay more attention from customers Last but not least, regularly checking the operation situation of equipment, machines, tools, coordinating with related departments to have additional and replacement plans to bring best serves to customers 5.2.2 Improving the Quality of Reception Staffs • Organizing language training courses for employees to improve the languages and communication To improve the language skills of the Reception staff, there is a great recommendation that the organization may consider is to organize language training courses for their employees This gives learners the opportunity to express themselves in an encouraging language environment Encourage employees to communicate in English to practice their language skills well Besides, providing policies to support about finance and time for staff to participate in foreign language classes • Organizing Professional Advanced courses for employees Currently, the hotel only has a mode for the management level to learn Professional advanced courses This policy should extend to employees as they are who directly serve the customers It is necessary to let staff go to school alternately to improve customer service skills • Paying more attention in recruitment process Student: Nguyen Thi Kieu Trinh Code: 23203111932 Graduation Paper 62 Supervisor: Tran Huu Hung, P.G Giving priority to candidates who can communicate in a second language It is clear that the main source of guests of the hotel is from Asia, especially Korean, Chinese, but most of them are not fluent in English Therefore, if the candidate can speak one of the above languages, it can help the process of serving, taking care of the guest and especially handling customer complaints better, improve the service quality not only at the Reception Department but also at the entire hotel • Changing the appearance The innovation in appearance and outfits is an important factor to help enhance the hotel's image in the eyes of customers The hotel should change the costume rule, such as: instead of wearing the uniform every day, changing to wearing Ao Dai on Monday or on holiday for female employees 5.2.3 Improving the Serving Process • Labor allocation: The manager must know the qualifications of each employee to arrange the shift accurately, divide the number of employees appropriately based on the number of customers checking out or checking in every day For example, to avoid loss of control or not provide the customers with adequate information during peak seasons or night shifts, management should come up with solutions about labors such as increasing the number of employees to ensure quality customer service Besides, arrange the shift appropriately and flexibly is a great way to decrease the staff’s boring and dispirit • Completion, setting up the service process The department must also provide a specific, specialized service process of each working position from pick-up, check-in, during guests’ stay until guests check-out Shorten the maximum time for check-in, check-out by urging and reminding staff to regularly update the situation of customers about to check-in, check-out to prepare necessary procedures before arrival such as preparing room key, breakfast ticket, checking room • Improve the working attitude of each employee Student: Nguyen Thi Kieu Trinh Code: 23203111932 Graduation Paper 63 Supervisor: Tran Huu Hung, P.G The receptionist must always actively observe, suggest help if necessary, be willing to support guests, polite and courteous attitude to guests etc Always being calm, confident, flexible in all cases, timely, quickly find reasonable solutions to solve customer complaints In that way, customers will always feel that they are noticed, cared for and respected • Staff remuneration policy The hotel should have policies on salaries, bonuses, allowances, promotion opportunities to encourage employees physically and mentally For example, salary increases for employees who perform well and have a lot of creative achievements at work Employees should be cared about reasonable policies for employees such as sickness, maternity, birthday, social insurance for employees, organizations for employees traveling in and abroad in the low season, on holidays such as March 8, October 20, etc 5.2.4 Enhancing the Service Quality by Management and Supervision Except from 15 minutes of handover shift every day, the department needs to organize more weekly meetings to summarize shortcoming issues, work together to find out ways to deal with customer complaints and draw lessons for future organiation for the hotel Supervisors and managers regularly supervise, inspect and record the working style of the staff in the department Ensuring the employees not violate rules such as voluntarily leaving work, using phones, doing private work, etc affecting the manner and productivity of the department Managers must observe more closely and have a stronger voice towards employees If employees make mistakes, disciplinary measures can improve employee self-awareness Besides, encouraging staff who achieving positive results 5.2.4 Enhancing Coordination between Departments The synchronous and harmonious coordination among departments in the hotel is an important factor for the customers' needs service to be quick Student: Nguyen Thi Kieu Trinh Code: 23203111932 Graduation Paper • 64 Supervisor: Tran Huu Hung, P.G For F&B Department: Since Reception Department is the one where the guests speak about their food and beverage requirements during reservation, the Reception • needs to communicate with the food and beverage sections frequently For Security Department: these departments need to work together more closely in maintaining guest security and property • For Housekeeping Department: closely linked with this department, exchanging room information quickly to help Housekeeping department timely prepare rooms and to avoid waiting guests’ time In contrast, Housekeeping department also informs room information to Reception department to be proactive in selling rooms • and arranging rooms for guests to help hotels improve capacity and revenue For IT Department: the Reception Department should support the IT staff for the smooth operation of the computer system, limiting major errors that directly affect the work because all customer information and professional operations are all through the computer system Besides, in order to make each department in the hotel to connect and understand each other better, the hotel needs to have extracurricular activities such as teambuilding to help maintaining the spirit of work, supporting each other in customer service CHAPTER 6: CONCLUSION AND SUGGESTIONS Student: Nguyen Thi Kieu Trinh Code: 23203111932 Graduation Paper 65 Supervisor: Tran Huu Hung, P.G 6.1 Conclusion With the current development and integration trend, tourism is gradually becoming a spearhead industry The tourism industry in Vietnam is constantly developing, leading to the development of the hotel industry Besides, the demand for service quality of customers is getting higher and higher Therefore, to attract guests to come and return to the hotel, the service quality at the hotel in general, the reception department in particular needs to be guaranteed For each accommodation business unit, the Reception Department is considered as the "brain, nerve center" This is the first and last place in contact with guests, leaving an initial and final impression on guests DLG Hotel Danang is a 5-star hotel, so service quality at Reception Department is always a priority mission to consider in order to increase customer satisfaction With the hospitality, enthusiasm, and sincerity in work, the professional expertise of the staff in the hotel meets most of the guests’ needs and make the hotel’s reputation go up However, the Reception Department at DLG Hotel Danang still has limitations and shortcomings that need to overcome With the solutions and recommendations I have proposed, the hotel can consider to take full the advantages and overcome the disadvantages so that the service quality will be more and more completed in the future, brings absolute satisfaction to tourists when choosing DLG Hotel Danang to stay To conclude, with the knowledge learned from the school, the enthusiastic guidance of the instructors and staffs at DLG Hotel Danang’s reception, I have completed my graduation thesis with the topic: “An Investigation into the Real Situation of the Service Quality of Reception Department at DLG Hotel Danang and Some Solutions to Enhancing Its Shortcomings” 6.2 Suggestions 6.2.1 Suggestion for State and Government Land rents need to be adjusted (decrease) not only for private hotel businesses but also for foreign-invested hotel businesses A specific characteristic of these Student: Nguyen Thi Kieu Trinh Code: 23203111932 Graduation Paper 66 Supervisor: Tran Huu Hung, P.G service is the use of large areas of land When paying high land rental fees, businesses will have to provide services at high prices to tourists, thereby reducing the competitiveness and attractiveness of hotels Reducing income tax for long-term land rent businesses and business which achieved good results to encourage businesses to participate in rating, and make accommodation services’ value in hotels from stars to become more higher compared to lower ranked hotel accommodation services The Covid-19 pandemic is a major shock to the tourism industry in Danang city Hence, governments should more consider, support for businesses to recover from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic by: supporting salary for employees, assist and promote businesses to access to new markets after the pandemic ends, 6.2.2 Suggestion for Vietnam National Administration of Tourism Improving the policy about service quality in the system of Vietnamese tourist accommodation establishments in order to bring satisfaction to visitors, then creating a positive change in service quality of the hotel industry, changing the image of Vietnam tourism in foreigner’s eyes Promoting the campaigns to change and recover the image of Vietnam tourism as well as the service quality after the COVID-19 epidemic Organizing more delegations to check at hotels to point out weaknesses that need to be fixed and changed early to improve quality in the service process as well as increase competitiveness for the tourism industry in Vietnam Vietnam National Administration needs to further promote the image of Vietnam tourism to other countries by opening representative offices in more countries, organizing visits and working with leading tourism agencies such as France, America, Spain, or neighboring countries like China, Thailand, etc in order to create a solid friendship, sign cooperation and to stimulate tourists Student: Nguyen Thi Kieu Trinh Code: 23203111932 Graduation Paper 67 Supervisor: Tran Huu Hung, P.G 6.2.3 Suggestion for Local Authorities Vietnam Social Insurance Agency should consider the suspension of social insurance payments for accommodation businesses because of the economic crisis after the COVID-19 pandemic It is necessary to consider, localize, project the potential areas to support the development of the city, such as: build more sightseeing and entertainment destinations to attract more visitors to Da Nang city Because the theft, robbery, and manipulation of foreign visitors situations are still happening regularly, local authorities need to take strong policies to ensure the security of the city as well as preserve the lives and property of tourists when coming to Da Nang city 6.2.4 Suggestion for DLG Hotel Danang The Board of Directors should pay attention to the staff ( in work) in the hotel, regularly remind the staff during the working process, promptly improve the shortcomings of the staff Besides, it is very necessary to pay more attention to material and spiritual life of staff The hotel must also be diversifying products and services, increasing additional services to attract customers Then, improving and changing the service system accurately to bring best quality to guests Regularly innovating the hotel’s image, promoting, marketing on the website, Facebook page of the hotel, on booking applications and applying the discount policy for patron guests, long-stay guests at the hotel Maintaining a long-term business relationship with the travel agencies The hotel must positively applying questionnaires to survey the guests about services in the hotel Proposing solutions to overcome the post-pandemic COVID-19 difficulties such as: reducing room price, improving services, creating more promotions, etc Student: Nguyen Thi Kieu Trinh Code: 23203111932 Graduation Paper 68 Supervisor: Tran Huu Hung, P.G 6.2.5 Suggestion for DLG Hotel Danang’s Reception Department In order to further improve the service quality, it is recommended to organize regularly languages, communication and skills classes for staff Moreover, each reception staff must improve his/her proffesional skills and properly recognize their role in the service guests process At the same time, investing, upgrading more modern technical facilities and equipment at the department to bring the best quality service to customers 6.2.6 Suggestion for the Teaching and Studying of English for Faculty of English, DTU In a new market economy of Vietnam with the increasing number of foreign tourists, the ability to communicate in English has become a key to get a success job in the future Hence, the English language major of DTU plays an important role As a senior student of English for Faculty at DTU, I would like to present some objective ideas of myself It is hopefully that my opinions will contribute a small part to help the department improve and attract more and more students in the following years Firstly, the ideal environment for foreign language learners is that involved in native speakers So, English of Faculty should invite more foreign teacher to teach It is a great way to help students enhance their pronunciations and listening comprehension skills Specially, communicating with foreigners helps student feel more confident Secondly, the content of classroom teaching should focus on communication meaning rather than the academic That means teachers should not overly correct grammatical errors but should pay attention to the specific language expressions of the students Furthermore, effective class should integrate different means of audio-visual media, mass media and the Internet to leverage the outcome of teaching and studying Hence, instead of using traditional teaching materials, English of Faculty Student: Nguyen Thi Kieu Trinh Code: 23203111932 Graduation Paper 69 Supervisor: Tran Huu Hung, P.G should create more conditions for learners to be exposed to foreign languages through videotapes, VCDs, cassette tapes, CDs, etc REFERENCES Vietnamese ThS Nguyễn Huỳnh Mai (2014) Thang đo chất lượng dịch vụ Truy xuất từ https://nlv.gov.vn/nghiep-vu-thu-vien/thang-do-servqual-mot-cong-cu-danhgia-chat-luong-dich-vu-thu-vien-dai-hoc.html English Peter Novak (24 April 2017) What are the segments of the hospitality industry Retrieved from https://www.hospitalitynet.org/opinion/4082318.html#:~:text=The %20hospitality%20industry%20is%20a%20multibillion%2Ddollar %20industry%20that%20depends,Tourism%2C%20lodging%2C%20and %20recreation Birminghamcity (n.d) The Different Hospitality Sectors Explained Retrieved from https://www.bcu.ac.uk/business-school/news-and-events/blogs/the-differenthospitality-sectors-explained Front Office Department Introduction, Operations and Key Functions Retrieved from https://setupmyhotel.com/train-my-hotel-staff/front-office-training/743-frontoffice-introduction-operations-functions.html Front Office Management – Quick Guide (n.d) Retrieved from https://www.tutorialspoint.com/front_office_management/front_office_man agement_quick_guide.htm Student: Nguyen Thi Kieu Trinh Code: 23203111932 Graduation Paper 70 Supervisor: Tran Huu Hung, P.G Classification of Hotel – The only Guide you Need to Read (n.d) Retrieved from https://www.hospitality-school.com/hotel-classification-type/ The Front Office Function Of A Hotel Tourism Essay (1970) Retrieved from https://www.auessays.com/essays/tourism/the-front-office-function- of-a-hotel-tourism-essay.php Baker, S., Bradley, P., & Huyton, J (2001) Principles of Hotel Front Office Operations (2nd edition ed.) Cengage Learning EMEA DLG Hotel Danang Retrieved from www.dlghoteldanang.com Agoda DLG Hotel Danang Retrieved from https://www.agoda.com/dlghotel-danang_2/hotel/da-nang-vn.html?cid=1844104 Student: Nguyen Thi Kieu Trinh Code: 23203111932 Graduation Paper 71 Supervisor: Tran Huu Hung, P.G SUPERVISOR’S COMMENTS Student: Nguyen Thi Kieu Trinh Code: 23203111932 ... analyze the service quality of Reception Department at this hotel To find out the pros and cons of R.D at DLG Hotel Danang To propose some suggestions to improve and advanced the service quality of. .. materials of the studied subjects Besides, through collecting information during internship at DLG Hotel Danang, I analyzed and evaluated the real situation of RD at DLG Hotel Danang • Method of Statistics:... Situation at DLG Hotel Danang • Chapter 5: Difficulties and Solutions about the Service Quality of Reception Department at DLG Hotel Danang • Chapter 6: Conclusions and Suggestions CHAPTER 2: THEORETICAL