DEPARTMENT OF HOSPITALITY AND TOURISM

CASE STUDY ANALYSIS

Student’s Name: Joseph Niño S. Raganas Date: March 04, 2021

Trainer’s Name: Mrs. Lecarme Susada & Ms. Claire Visande
Score:
Group No./Schedule:
Instruction

THE SHARED SUITE

(Front Office Department Case)

Mark Williams is a professional in the hospitality industry who has worked at the operations
level in several hotels and clubs and has extensive experience as a human resources consultant.
His ongoing industry involvement prompted him to participate in a hospitality industry
conference held in Nashville, Tennesse. Mr. Williams’ stay at the hotel during the convention
was characterized by frustration, confusion, and poor guest service.
The incident that spoiled his visit at the hotel occurred within the first few hours of his arrival in
the early evening. Mr. Williams had confirmed reservations at the hotel held under two names,
his own and Michael Thompson. Mr. Williams’ plan was to share a two-bedroom suite with Mr.
Thompson so that they could have a space to work together during free hours. Mr. Williams was
the first of the pair to arrive at the hotel. He checked in at the front desk, received his room
assignment, and told the reservations agent that Mr. Thompson would be checking in within the
next few hours. Mr. Williams then had his luggage sent up to his room and went to an
educational seminar on the other side of the hotel. Minutes later, the other gentleman checked in
at the front desk and found his way to the suite he was to be sharing with Mr. Williams. Upon
entry, he decided that he was not satisfied with the bedroom that he had been given, as it had a
sleep sofa instead of an actual bed. He immediately called the front desk to arrange for a room
change. He left a note for Mr. Williams explaining that he was moving them to a different suite
and that the front desk would have the new room number. The front desk immediately sent a
bellman who escorted Mr. Thompson to a larger suite that satisfied his needs. After settling into
his new room, Mr. Thompson went to the lobby bar to meet a colleague.
One hour later, Mr. Williams returned to his original room, found the note from Mr. Thompson,
and called the front desk to get the new room number. As Mr. Williams was not registered in the
new room the front desk would not give out the number, but instead connected him to the new
room. He received a busy signal. Over the course of the next hour, Mr. Williams continued to

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 attempt to call Mr. Thompson, yet the line remained busy. Eventually, Mr. Williams felt that the
room that he was calling might be the room that he was currently in, so he called the front desk
to straighten out the misunderstanding. The front desk clerk told him that the room he was in was
classified as unoccupied, and that she could not give him the other gentleman’s new number
because the computer was down. She then instructed Mr. Williams to remain in his room until
the computer came back on-line and then she would call him to straighten the situation. While
waiting in his room for the return phone call, a stranger opened Mr. Williams’ door and walked
into the room. Each person was shocked by the encounter, and the stranger’s shock quickly
turned into anger. A confrontation erupted and Mr. Williams was forced to calm the stranger that
a simple mistake had been made due to computer problems, Mr. Williams called the front desk to
report that someone had been assigned to his room, and a bellman was immediately sent to move
the stranger to a different room.
One hour later, Mr. Williams received a call from the front desk informing him of Mr.
Thompson’s room number. As it was very late, Mr. Williams had prepared for bed and told the
clerk that he was planning to sleep in his original room, however, he felt that he should not be
billed for the one night’s stay due to the hotel’s mishandling of his transfer to the other suite. The
clerk initially resisted his request and then agreed that the cost of the room would be credited to
his account in the morning. The next morning, Mr. Williams moved his luggage to the other
room and went to the front desk to confirm that his bill for one night’s stay had been credited.
The clerk at the front desk informed Mr. Williams that she had no record of a credit on his bill
and directed him to speak with the manager on duty. Mr. Williams explained the entire situation
to the manager on duty, who was both skeptical about the content of the story and reluctant to
credit the bill. After 20 minutes of conversation, the manager agreed to credit Mr. Williams’
account. Only at this point could Mr. Williams put the incident behind him and with peace of
mind begin to focus his attention on attending the conference.

Guide Questions:

How can you help with this case? Do it through answering this.
1. Statement of the Problem: What is the main problem of the case?
2. SWOT Analysis: Make a diagram for SWOT Analysis. Strength, Weakness, Opportunity and
Threats. How can you make the Weaknesses and Threats into Strength and Opportunity?
3. Alternative Course of Action: What are other options to do that you may suggest in order to
answer the problem. You may have it in bullets. Arrange your suggestions with your #1 as your
best solution.
4. Analysis of the Alternative Course of Action: Analyze or explain each of the suggestions you
have given as to why should this/there be done.
5. Conclusion: What have you realized from all of the points you have stated.
6. Recommendation: What is the best thing to do and how are you going to do it. You may make
a chart or steps on how should it be done.

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 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM:

 How should the problem have been prevented by management?

 What can management do right away to make up for the inconvenience they caused?
 What are some more efficient ways for concerns to reach the workers more quickly, and
how can these issues be addressed?

The primary cause of confusion in the story is the room which Williams and Thompson
were assigned. They were to be assigned a two-bedroom suite as he had reserved but instead they
were giving a room with a sleeping couch in the place of a second bed. This led to Thompson’s
discontent who ended up changing rooms.

The misunderstanding was amplified by the fact that Williams' room was identified as
unoccupied, and he had to wait for a computer to come back online before being given the
number of Thompson's new room. He had previously been informed that he was not registered in
the new room when he asked for Thompson's phone number. The worst of it all occurred when a
stranger entered the room where he was staying, pretending to have been allocated, resulting in a
confrontation.

SWOT ANALYSIS:

ALTERNATIVE COURSES OF ACTION:

 For management to change such practices that should motivate/retrain employees, be

customer-centric, and lead to the organization's positive path.
 For management to enhance internal connectivity and information access, such as by
upgrading the central computer system.
 Management should assign tasks/roles to employees who will assist them in quickly
resolving concerns and problems. The goal is also to change the way these employees are
guided.

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 ANALYSIS OF THE ALTERNATIVE COURSES OF ACTION:

 Staff members are given instructions to help them remember their role in the company,
which is to contribute to customer satisfaction. Equity Theory is used to inspire
employees by ensuring that the compensation received when a preferred job is completed
is equal. Customers are prioritized, and employees are not restricted to only following
laws and policies. They are granted the freedom to make their own choices as long as
they follow the management's vision for the company's name.

 Management is entrusted with the task of leading the company to greater heights. This
would result in a smoother flow of information and the ability to take decisive action.
Due to the rapid and reliable flow of information, certain issues or grievances can be
avoided. Because of the knowledge available, managers would be able to make decisions
more quickly in some cases. It significantly strengthens the establishment's operational
coordination and centralization.

 Who is to be obeyed is described as authority. Despite this, managers also allow

employees to make their own choices as long as they are in line with their mission and
vision, as well as the establishment's progress may blur the line between fear of authority
and thus promotes/encourages members' perspectives and ideas.

CONCLUSION:

 There is no assurance that this constant stream of data can assist the manager in making
the best decisions for the organization. Certain obstacles, such as a lack of preparation or
unclear assumptions, can still exist, preventing decisive action. Fixing this could be
expensive for the company.

RECOMMENDATION:

 Select certain aspects from each course of action that will eventually form a solid
foundation for the business. To avoid such misunderstandings, hotel management should
instruct its staff to concentrate on providing excellent service. They can make sure they
have the right item for the right customer and stay in contact with them at all times.
Williams should have been aware of Thompson's decision to change the room because he
was the one who had made the reservation. The hotel can, once again, depend on an
efficient yield system to ensure that no events that could lead to confrontations occur.

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