THE REAL SITUATION AND SOME SOLUTIONS TO IMPROVING THE SERVICE QUALITY OF FO DEPARTMENT AT MUONG THANH LUXURY SONG HAN DA NANG HOTEL

MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING DUY TAN UNIVERSITY FACULTY OF ENGLISH GRADUATION PAPER NGUYEN THI HUYEN TRANG THE REAL SITUATION AND SOME SOLUTIONS TO IMPROVING THE SERVICE QUALITY OF FO DEPARTMENT AT MUONG THANH LUXURY SONG HAN DA NANG HOTEL Code : K22.702 Course : 2016 – 2020 DANANG – MAY, 2020 MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING DUY TAN UNIVERSITY FACULTY OF ENGLISH GRADUATION PAPER NGUYEN THI HUYEN TRANG THE REAL SITUATION AND SOME SOLUTIONS TO IMPROVING THE SERVICE QUALITY OF FO DEPARTMENT AT MUONG THANH LUXURY SONG HAN DA NANG HOTEL Code : K22.702 Course : 2016 – 2020 SUPERVISOR :BUI THI CHUNG, M.A DANANG – MAY, 2020 Graduation Paper Supervisor: Bui Thi Chung, M.A ACKNOWLEDGMENT Nguyen Truong To Street Thanh Khe district, Da Nang city February 20th, 2020 To Teachers in Duy Tan university! To Director and all of Staff in “Muong Thanh Luxury Song Han Da Nang”! Foremost, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to teachers’ guidance in the past four years I am grateful to you for your help and transfer of precious experience, which will prepare us knowledge to get to life Besides, I would like to send my deep thanks to Ms Bui Thi Chung – my vulnerable teacher who teaches and helps me all the time in research and writing of the thesis My sincere thanks also go to CEO Nguyen Thi Hoa for offering me the internship opportunities in their groups and leading me to work on diverse exciting projects Especially, Ms Van Thi Trinh Hieu – front office manager, Ms Bui Thi Han Thuyen- supervisor and all staff in “Muong Thanh Luxury Song Han Hotel” was also ready to help me in my position Lastly, I would like to thank my family and my friends for caring and supporting me spiritually throughout my life Student :Nguyen Thi Huyen Trang code : K22.702 Graduation Paper Supervisor: Bui Thi Chung, M.A STATEMENT OF AUTHORSHIP I declare that except where reference is made in the text of the thesis, this thesis contains no material published elsewhere or extracted in the whole or in part from a thesis by which have qualified for or been awarded another degree or diploma in my university and that to the best my knowlede 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 Danang, May 2020 Nguyen Thi Huyen Trang Student :Nguyen Thi Huyen Trang code : K22.702 Graduation Paper Supervisor: Bui Thi Chung, M.A ABTRACT This graduation paper focused on the real situation and and solution to improve the service quality of FO Department at Muong Thanh Luxury Song Han Da Nang Hotel In my paper, I give some tables of the number of guests as well as Muong Thanh Luxury Song Han Da Nang Hotel’s business to make it clearer After discussing those problems, I will give some solutions and suggestions to improve the service quality of the Front Office Department at Muong Thanh Luxury Song Han Da Nang Hotel Student :Nguyen Thi Huyen Trang code : K22.702 Graduation Paper Supervisor: Bui Thi Chung, M.A TABLES AND FIGURES Table 2.1: Facilities of Room Table 2.2: Facilities of Restaurant Table 3.1: Revenue profile of Muong Thanh Luxury Song Han Hotel between 2018 and 2019 Table 3.2: Number of guests at Muong Thanh Luxurry Song Han Hotel between 2018 and 2019 Table 3.3: Customer’s evaluation about Reception Department facilities Table 3.4: Result of customers’ evaluation about the Front Office Department staff’s attitude Diagram 1: Organizational structure of Muong Thanh Luxury Song Han Hotel Diagram 2: Organizational structure of FO Department in Muong Thanh Luxury Song Han Hotel Chart 3.1: Revenue profile of Muong Thanh Luxury Song Han Hotel between 2018 and 2019 Chart 3.2: Number of guests at Muong Thanh Luxury Song Han Hotel between 2018 and 2019 Chart 3.3: Customer’s evaluation about Reception Section facilities Chart 3.4: Result of customers’ evaluation about the Front Office Department staff’s attitude Student :Nguyen Thi Huyen Trang code : K22.702 Graduation Paper Supervisor: Bui Thi Chung, M.A LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS UNWTO : The United Nation World Tourism Organization F&B : Food and Beverage FO : Front Office Student :Nguyen Thi Huyen Trang code : K22.702 Graduation Paper Supervisor: Bui Thi Chung, M.A TABLE OF CONTENTS Student :Nguyen Thi Huyen Trang code : K22.702 Graduation Paper Supervisor: Bui Thi Chung, M.A PART A: INTRODUCTION Student : Nguyen Thi Huyen Trang code : K22.702 Graduation Paper 10 Supervisor: Bui Thi Chung, M.A RATIONALE Currently, tourism is one of the thriving industries and contributes greatly to the income of countries around the world The tourism industry has developed so well because of the increasing travel demand of people and gradually become the essential and important needs of life Following that trend, Vietnam's tourism industry in general and the hotel industry, in particular, have made great changes The growth of Vietnam's tourism industry in recent years has contributed significantly to the hotel industry The current number of hotels is increasing, requiring hotels to take measures to attract guests and thereby assert their competitive position in the market More and more customers are demanding high quality of service, but as we know, the quality of service depends largely on the feeling of each customer To satisfy all the needs of all customers is a difficult issue for the business To create high-quality products, it is necessary to minimize errors in the service process from the time of arrival until the time of leaving the hotel As in the business of other economic sectors, hotel communication is an important issue, which contributes to the success or failure of a business In particular, in the hotel business, the receptionist's department plays a particularly important role Through which businesses can inform, guide, explain customer complaints or inquiries Student : Nguyen Thi Huyen Trang code : K22.702 Graduation Paper 44 Supervisor: Bui Thi Chung, M.A needs of guests when staying at the hotel  Reservation’s mission: Reservation’s main task is to receive and handle booking requests of guests who book directly, through intermediaries The reservation department of the Lobby / Reception block operates under The management of the hotel reception director  Bellman’s mission: Support customers with errands when bringing things and leading guests to the room, informing guests about check-in procedures as well as helping them get used to the hotel's facilities, introduce some places to visit as well as delicious food in the area for guests  Security’s mission: With an important role, hotel security staff need standard professional skills to perform the following basic such as: Stay in the lobby, supervise the access to the hotel, operating and controlling security equipment, handling fights or collisions of customers, fire protection 2.2.2.2 Working hours Like most other hotels, Muong Thanh Luxury Song Han Danang Hotel is divided into main shifts: - Morning shift : from 06:00 AM – 02:00 PM Afternoon shift : from 02:00 PM – 10:00 PM Night shift : from 10:00 PM – 06:00 AM 2.2.2.3 Working style - Be honest and serious at work - Be diligently and meticulously follow the work order to achieve high efficiency, be able to organize and solve all problems effectively - Be dynamic, agile and flexible in handling and in how to handle situations that occur - Be open, hospitable, respectful and willing to help customers - Be enthusiastic at work, persuading guests Student : Nguyen Thi Huyen Trang code : K22.702 Graduation Paper 45 Supervisor: Bui Thi Chung, M.A - Be ready to support and help employees in the department, teamwork at work 2.2.3 Serving process of the Receptionist at Muong Thanh Luxury Song Han Hotel Check-in - Morning shift: check the status of the room, grasp and notify the hotel reception - Make requests to set up rooms according to booking such as fruit preparation, extra beds, other special requirements - When customers check-in procedures: room staff receive information from the receptionist; quickly check the corresponding chamber status again, quality assurance, ready to serve guests - In case of detecting an incident, immediately notify the receptionist and the shift leader to assist and promptly handle Coordinate with the luggage staff to move guests' furniture into the required room location - After finishing the arrangement, the room staff informed the receptionist for confirmation; and ask guests if they need information or guidance and follow the customer's request (if any) - Room staff need to follow the procedures in and out of the room Immediately report to the Head of the Department arising problems to promptly solve - Carry out the prescribed work and other jobs when assigned Check-out - When customers perform check-out procedures: receive room information from the receptionist or shift leader, check the room for the quantity and quality of everything in the room; Check if guests have left Student : Nguyen Thi Huyen Trang code : K22.702 Graduation Paper 46 Supervisor: Bui Thi Chung, M.A anything in the room If there is a problem, you must immediately notify the receptionist or charge to add to the bill; and notify the maintenance department for timely repair or replacement - Check the minibar, reception desk or room office to charge guests Carefully check to see if any small objects or decorations are missing (because many customers like to take them as souvenirs) In case of detecting loss, the customer must not be asked but must report it to the duty officer for handling - In case you know the guest has not received the information from the receptionist or shift leader: immediately contact the receptionist or cashier to check if the customer has paid Note: room staff are not allowed to directly accept the sec, or guest money; no payment on behalf of guests; In case of a request, the guest shall receive and so by the group leader When guests go: collect the key, if necessary can actively request or go to the reception room to ask - When guests leave: notify the service department; at the same time assist the luggage staff to take the passengers' luggage off the vehicle (if necessary) Clean the room in accordance with the process and regulations, make sure the room is available to serve the next guests Student : Nguyen Thi Huyen Trang code : K22.702 Graduation Paper 47 Supervisor: Bui Thi Chung, M.A Chapter III: ANALYSIS AND EVALUATION 3.1 Hotel’s bussiness in recent years 3.1.1 Revenue profile of Muong Thanh Luxury Song Han Hotel in recent years Unit: Million dong Billion dong 2018 2019 Revenue Total Room Catering services Growth Rate (%) 2019/2018 Q % Q % 4.6B 100 5.8B 100 126 3.05B 66.3 4.11B 71 135 1.02B 22.1 1.2B 18.9 117,7 Other 531M 11.6 491M 10.1 92,5 services Table 3.1 Revenue profile of Muong Thanh Luxury Song Han Hotel 20182019 (Source: Sales & Marketing Department) The table show the revenue of Muong Thanh Luxury Song Han Hotel from the year 2018 to 2019 Overall, it is clear that the revenue of Muong Thanh Luxury Song Han Hotel has risen significantly between 2018 and 2019 As can be seen from the table that the revenue of room had the highest percentages both in 2018 and 2019 Increasing from 4.6B to 5.8B in two years, it show that the revenue of room increase stably, while other services bring the lowest income for the hotel and even dropped about 40M in 2019 compared to 2018 although this amount is negligible Student : Nguyen Thi Huyen Trang code : K22.702 Graduation Paper 48 Supervisor: Bui Thi Chung, M.A The table also shows that the catering services makes a profit for the hotel when increasing slightly from 1.02B to 1.2B Chart 3.1: Revenue profile of Muong Thanh Luxury Song Han Da Nang Hotel in 2018-2019 3.1.2 Number of guests at Muong Thanh Luxury Song Han Da Nang Hotel Target The number of guests Local guests Domestic tourists International tourists 2018 Quantity 2019 % Quantity % 43,238 100 61,086 100 5,673 12,938 13.13 29.92 4,045 18,439 6.63 30,18 24,627 56,95 38,602 63,19 (Source: Sales & Marketing Department) Table 3.2: Number of the guests at Muong Thanh Luxury Song Han Hotel in 2018-2019 The table describes the number of guests came to Muong Thanh Luxury Song Han Hotel in 2018-2019 In general, the number of guests staying at Muong Thanh Luxury Song Han Hotel tends to increase over two years It is clear from the table that the largest number of guests coming to the hotel belongs to international tourists, accounting for 56,95 percent in 2018 and 63,19 percent in 2019 on the total number of guests On the other hand, local guests have the lowest number of stays and are on a downward trend over two years While in 2018 there are 5,673 guests, in 2019 only 4,045 guests Student : Nguyen Thi Huyen Trang code : K22.702 Graduation Paper 49 Supervisor: Bui Thi Chung, M.A As is illustrated by the chart, there was a significant increase of 5.501 guests in domestic tourists, from 12,938 to 18,439 between 2018 and 2019 Chart 3.2: Number of the guests at Sea Castle Hotel in 2017-2018 3.2 Reception Department facilities Target Quantity Percentage Attitude Local Domestic Internationa (person) (%) guests tourist l tourists Satisfied 26 69 97 192 64 Normal 15 23 36 74 24,6 Dissatisfied 17 34 11,4 Total 50 100 150 300 100 Table 3.3 Customers’ evaluation about Reception Department facilities The table 3.3 indicates how guests experienced and evaluated the equipment quality of reception at Muong Thanh Luxury Song Han Da Nang hotel At a first glance, it is clear that the satisfaction level of tourists in here is still quite good and accounts for the highest level On the other side, the hotel 's dissatisfaction with the Reception Department facilities was the least with 11.4 percent However, the hotel still needs to constantly improve its equipment to fit the needs of the guests Chart 3.3: Customers’ evaluation about Reception section facilities Student : Nguyen Thi Huyen Trang code : K22.702 Graduation Paper 50 Supervisor: Bui Thi Chung, M.A 3.3 Reception Department staff’s attitudes Target Quantity Percentage Attitude Local Domestic Internationa (person) (%) guests tourist l tourists Satisfied 39 77 128 244 81,3 Normal 11 21 20 52 17,3 Dissatisfied 2 1,4 Total 50 100 150 300 100 Table 3.4 Result of customers’ evaluation about the Front Office Department staff’s attitude The table 3.4 shows how guests felt about the Front Office department staff’s attitude As can be seen from the table 3.4 that the majority of customers were satisfied with the attitude of the staff when there were 244 guests out of 300 who were satisfied However, local guests felt dissatisfied because the receptionist did not really guide guests clearly about the check-in process when the guests did not understand and Korean guests felt uncomfortable when some staffs not fully understand Korean language Chart 3.4: Result of customers’ evaluation about the Front Office Department staff’s attitude 3.5 General evaluation to the strengths and weaknesses of the Services quality of Front Office Department at Muong Thanh Luxury Song Han Da Nang Hotel 3.5.1 Strong points An important thing for the development of Muong Thanh Luxury Song Han Hotel today is the contribution of a large number of staff in terms of quantity and training in quality Moreover, the Front Office Department plays an extremely important role in the development of the hotel Student : Nguyen Thi Huyen Trang code : K22.702 Graduation Paper 51 Supervisor: Bui Thi Chung, M.A - The staff in the hotel is at university level, they know at least two foreign languages - They always work honestly and seriously - Everyone works very hard and meticulously follows the work order to achieve high efficiency, most of them have the ability to organize and solve problems effectively - Because they are thoroughly trained, they are very active, agile and flexible in handling and handling situations - The attitude of staff is assessed as open, hospitable, respectful and willing to help customers - Enthusiastic at work, persuading guests 3.5.2 Weak points Beside the advantages, there are some weaknesses that some employees need to make good: - Some employees work in a slow manner - Professional qualifications and foreign language skills of staff still need further training to suit the development of society - The staff is not really united - The attitude of some employees is not really welcoming to the guests Student : Nguyen Thi Huyen Trang code : K22.702 Graduation Paper 52 Supervisor: Bui Thi Chung, M.A PART C: SOME SOLUTIONS AND SUGGESTIONS 1.1 Summary of the findings 1.2 Suggestions and solutions Doing some assessment on the quality of service at the reception desk to understand the actual quality of service at the reception desk in the hotel from which to take measures to improve the quality of service provided to guests, attract customers to the hotel, as well as train and retrain staff to keep up with the general trend of the industry So I have come up with the following solutions to overcome the shortcomings for the reception as well as the whole hotel 1.2.1 Front Office Department’s facilities Overall the technical facilities in the hotel are relatively good, the rooms are always quality assurance But besides that, some of the equipment in the process of using has deteriorated, not guaranteeing quality while serving: computers, fax machines, water systems in the hotel not create synchronization in the process serve customers To be able to better serve customers, hotels need to some of the following: - Upgrading a number of degraded equipment at the reception to contribute to improving service quality - Investing in replacing computer system because the computer system currently in use has a slow configuration, so the speed and operations on the machine are not fast so it is difficult to apply the management software - The hotel should also invest in the radio system in the hotel because the radio system is used only units for the Receptionist and the Chamber Division to contact each other when checking out At peak time, the radio is not enough to contact other departments For example, the receptionist must be contact to the restaurant department about the needs of guests' meals or Student : Nguyen Thi Huyen Trang code : K22.702 Graduation Paper 53 Supervisor: Bui Thi Chung, M.A contact to other departments to provide additional services when guests need 1.2.2 Front Office Department’s staffs Muong Thanh luxury Han River hotel has a large number of visitors and especially in the high season The amount of work to be done is quite a lot when the employees have to take on many different jobs (receiving telephone while paying for customers), so there are many mistakes when working Therefore, improving the skills and qualifications for the employees is extremely necessary Hotels need to organize some field trips to larger hotels for staff to gain more experience and should have periodic tests for staff to promote and know more about job knowledge Recruitment is also very important, they need to carefully select the people who have experience and qualifications It is necessary to recruit people with professional qualifications, cultural knowledge, good communication skills, who can speak two or more languages and especially have good qualities and personalities The hotel should focus on the attitude of employees because that is the key for customers to feel satisfied Moreover, I encourage the hotel to recruit staff with two or more languages to contribute to perfecting the service team 1.2.3 Other solutions 1.2.3.1 For Muong Thanh Luxury Song Han Da Nang Hotel The hotel industry has a very specific point different from the other industry That is the hotel needs to focus on promotions in the low season Need to attract customers to maintain operations during this period In particular, in the peak season, the number of customers is large, the hotel should not offer promotions because they can not serve customers or the best service, this means losing customers, even ruining reputation of the hotel Student : Nguyen Thi Huyen Trang code : K22.702 Graduation Paper 54 Supervisor: Bui Thi Chung, M.A Therefore, to get the best profit, Muong Thanh Luxury Song Han hotel should not apply promotions in the peak season Moreover, In order to attract more customers booking rooms, in addition to solutions for facilities, management, organizational structure, the hotel also needs to pay attention to expanding the online booking channel as this plays an indispensable for any hotel Another way for hotels is to build social media, great clips or videos about your hotel, introducing services, products of the hotel, real experiences of customers when using the service, then, uploading to social networks, which will impress and attract customers at home and abroad Some current popular Social networking sites that hotels can refer such as Facebook, Instagram, Besides, training is still important for hotel development Hotels need to focus on training and must always create work incentives to encourage employees not to be bored at work In the end, the hotel always must update tourism trends to develop in line with trends and social needs Student : Nguyen Thi Huyen Trang code : K22.702 Graduation Paper 55 Supervisor: Bui Thi Chung, M.A 1.2.3.2 For Receptionist Department In the hotel business, reception and hospitality are important factors that make the hotel image in the minds of its customers The process of welcoming and serving guests of the reception department is a complex and difficult task, but it is very important to heighten the quality of the hotel products Therefore, reception is also considered an art Improving the quality of hotel reception staff is a top priority for hotel business units For the reception department of Muong Thanh Luxury Song Han Da Nang, some flexible solutions should be applied to achieve the highest efficiency First, The management needs to strengthen the management and labor organization at the reception in the hotel Identify the goals that the Receptionist needs to achieve in the course of serving customers Determining these goals is based on customer demand research and relevance to the overall hotel goal Furthermore, Training and fostering professional skills, constantly improving the skills of the staff at the Front Desk Receptionist must always know how to take care of customers, answer all related issues when guests need In addition, the reception is the face of the hotel, so a happy and welcoming attitude is always needed They must understand the importance of the work they Finally, The front desk is the face of the hotel so it is always clean The equipment, machinery, reception, carpets main paths must be regularly cleaned so that when customers look at, they will feel assured of the quality of hygiene and service quality of the hotel 1.2.3.3 For F&B Department Coming to the hotel for relaxation, guests not only pay attention to accommodation but also food and drink service which is also a point of Student : Nguyen Thi Huyen Trang code : K22.702 Graduation Paper 56 Supervisor: Bui Thi Chung, M.A interest to them Therefore, the Food and Beverage Department should have some methods to improve service quality Firstly, the issue of food hygiene and safety is an issue that every restaurant needs to pay attention to during its production and business process Any mistake in ensuring food safety and hygiene can have bad consequences for businesses and customers In addition to ensuring hygiene inside the processing of food, the hotel must also ensure the hygiene and safety of processed materials Therefore, ensuring food hygiene and safety need the attention of the hotel in general and the F&B department in particular Besides, The price issue is always a very important aspect for all businesses For the catering business, the hotel must always find a balance between price and service quality to ensure that it can cover the variable costs and the fixed costs but still generate benefits profit, on the other hand, creates a competitive advantage for the hotel On the other hand, The diverse menu is also easy for guests to choose and attract them more Therefore, it is necessary to add European and Asian dishes to serve foreign guests However, to ensure the quality and taste of the dish, it is necessary to recruit more experienced chefs 1.4 Conclusion With the current trend of society, the need for people to travel is increasing because it is not only entertaining and relaxing but also helps them to increase their understanding of culture, history and social knowledge Generally, Muong Thanh Luxury Song Han Da Nang Hotel is making a good impression in the hearts of visitors, receiving quite a lot of positive reviews from visitors, but there are also many dimensions that hotels need to Student : Nguyen Thi Huyen Trang code : K22.702 Graduation Paper 57 Supervisor: Bui Thi Chung, M.A pay attention to better Currently, the Front Office Department in general and the lobby area in particular have been working very well During the internship at the hotel, I gained a better understanding of the importance of the F&O Department and gained a lot of working experience I got to know a lot from the professional working style of the hotel, how to behave with colleagues, superiors, and how to handle the work properly This experience is invaluable and it will be of great help to me when I have an official job after graduation With the enthusiastic help of the Management, the reception and all of another staff, I would like to send my sincerely thank for all the staff in Muong Thanh Luxury Song Han hotel because they helped me a lot in my 6week internship and got the job done well Student : Nguyen Thi Huyen Trang code : K22.702 Graduation Paper 58 Supervisor: Bui Thi Chung, M.A SUPERVISOR’S COMMENTS Student : Nguyen Thi Huyen Trang code : K22.702 ... Introduction and foundation With a 5-star standard hotel, Muong Thanh Luxury Song Han Da Nang is in the chain of 53 hotels and hotel projects of Muong Thanh Group and is the third hotel Muong Thanh invests... solution to improving the service quality of F&O Department at Muong Thanh Luxury Song Han Da Nang Hotel? ?? to the final thesis AIMS AND OBJECTIVES Aims The project aims to study the actual situation of. .. of the real situation and solution of the quality of the services of the Front Office Department at Muong Thanh Luxury Song Han Hotel  Part C: Conclusion and some suggestions to improve the Welcomingguest