Week 5 – Imperial Hotel Case Study Planning Sheet 

Student Name/No: Miruna-Ana Jugaru, JUG16423421 

Group/Seminar Tutor: Hashim Hirani 
Date of submission: 12/02/2018 
Problem No: 5: Front of house staff (Reception, Conference & Banqueting,
and Restaurant & Bars) – poor team working and inefficient use of IT systems
including the reservation and property management systems 

 · What do you consider the core reasons for this specific problem at the
hotel? 

The core reason for this specific problem is the fact that the staff was not trained
enough in using the  Micros Fidelio reservation and Property Management System
(PMS), implemented recently in the hotel.  The staff is struggling using the new
operation systems but they do not want to admit that because they are afraid to not
be dismissed. All the time they try to hide their mistakes and to blame the other
departments for the complains of the guests. 

 · Briefly identify how your specific problem may be linked to any other of the
5 remaining problems identified in the hotel case. 

The issue that the front staff is confronting is affecting all the departments of
the hotel. Guests are often waiting long time before they can get in their rooms, a lot
of confusions are made with the bills and often are charged wrong. All this
generating a poor guest satisfaction. All the stress generated is leading to a high staff
turnover because many times old staff is accusing the new employers of the
inaccurate use of the operation system. Also the previous negative leadership
struggled with a lack of communication between departments and generated a
negative work culture between staff because the targets sets wore to high and
employers prefer to say that they are sick and not to come to work.  Also many times
the targets can not be completed on time because the information that the front staff
should give to the back of house staff are wrong or delayed.  

2/2
 · How useful do you consider the suggested actions are proposed by
Peter Farnsworth to resolve your specific problem? 

The actions proposed by Peter Farnsworth are: Training into IT systems, Cross-
team building exercises and Review of team bonus schemes. Seems to be good
ideas because the main problem is the lack of communication and focus on the
employees. And if the employees are not given their best this will reflect in their
attitude regarding the guests. 
  · Consider  two alternative ways that this specific problem could be
resolved which have not as yet been considered. 

An alternative is to set new policies of the hotel, that has to be followed without
any exception. The front house staff should know all the stages how to act with the
guests from the first second they enter in the hotel till they left. Also this apply with
the information that they are passing over the other departments of the hotel,
because everything has to be very easy and smooth. 
The second alternative is to conduct surveys from the staff with what should
be improved and also from the clients. In this way the management can find
suggestions and after that they can decide what changes need to be done for
everybody to be satisfied.