Communication at Harper Hotels, Inc. CASE STUDY Harper Hotels is a family owned hotel group with eight locations in the southeastern United States. Jack Darwin founded the company with the initial mission of serving the budget market. However, after the success of the first four locations and changing philosophy of the leadership team, Harper Hotels has gradually moved into the mid-range market. This shift has taken over four years. Currently, only two out of the eight Harper Hotels have remained in the budget market. Mr. Darwin and his leadership team have pledged to continuo acquisition and development of locations in the mid-range market, including 12 more hotel openings over the next five years. The success of this long-term vision depends on the duplication of proven systems. Harper Hotels wants to use the Denver location as the flagship model. This mid-range market location has been one of the most profitable over the past four years. Even so, a recent audit and visit of this location has yielded many areas for improvement. Mr. Darwin is keen on making the necessary improvements, especially if this location is to be the model for the entire company Imid-range). A main area of concern is effective commu- nication throughout the entire Denver property. According to the audit report, protocols and systems of communica- tion seem to be either inefficient or missing entirely. Harper Hotels has recently hired you as general manager (GM) of this three-star property. After shadowing the outgoing GM for one month, you have concluded that starting with the F&B department will be your first step. You have observed numerous communication challenges in this department and have observed service failures because of these communication mishaps. To streamline the communica- tion channels, you decide to create an organizational chart that you will present at your next company meeting this Friday. You will also introduce other standards designed to improve communication, such as ongoing meetings, an Internal newsletter, and e-mail updates What meetings, if any, are needed daily, weekly, and monthly? Give names to these different meetings, time frames, and describe the objectives of these meetings. skills, and be willing to work long hours to meet the needs of the guests. Room service provides meal delivery to guest rooms and provides foodservice for small meet- Ings held in guest suites. The number of hotels offering room service is declining as it becomes less cost effective. Point-of-sale systems are used to minimize errors, improve controls, increase guest check averages, and decrease labor costs. Check Your knowledge Outlet managers are responsible for the day-to- day operations of the hotel's restaurants, lounges, and in-room dining. Hotel restaurant managers' duties are like those of other restaurant managers with responsibility for guest service, employee satisfaction, maintaining standards, and forecasting. The beverage department oversees all of the bars in the hotel in addition to being responsible for developing a wine list, maintaining beverage costs, and providing responsible alcohol service. The stewarding department is responsible for the cleanliness of the kitchen and all food and beverage back-of-the-house areas. In addition, the executive steward also maintains all inven- tory, is responsible for the sanitation of all kitchens and equipment, and manages the chemical stock. The catering department uses a banquet event communicate needs Key Words and Concepts banquet banquet event order (BEO) capture rate catering catering event order (CEO) catering services manager (CSM) chief steward contribution margin covers covers-per-person-hour Introduction to Hospitality Eighth Edition P John R. Walker Communication at Harper Hotels, Inc. CASE STUDY Harper Hotels is a family owned hotel group with eight locations in the southeastern United States. Jack Darwin founded the company with the initial mission of serving the budget market. However, after the success of the first four locations and changing philosophy of the leadership team, Harper Hotels has gradually moved into the mid-range market. This shift has taken over four years. Currently, only two out of the eight Harper Hotels have remained in the budget market. Mr. Darwin and his leadership team have pledged to continuo acquisition and development of locations in the mid-range market, including 12 more hotel openings over the next five years. The success of this long-term vision depends on the duplication of proven systems. Harper Hotels wants to use the Denver location as the flagship model. This mid-range market location has been one of the most profitable over the past four years. Even so, a recent audit and visit of this location has yielded many areas for improvement. Mr. Darwin is keen on making the necessary improvements, especially if this location is to be the model for the entire company Imid-range). A main area of concern is effective commu- nication throughout the entire Denver property. According to the audit report, protocols and systems of communica- tion seem to be either inefficient or missing entirely. Harper Hotels has recently hired you as general manager (GM) of this three-star property. After shadowing the outgoing GM for one month, you have concluded that starting with the F&B department will be your first step. You have observed numerous communication challenges in this department and have observed service failures because of these communication mishaps. To streamline the communica- tion channels, you decide to create an organizational chart that you will present at your next company meeting this Friday. You will also introduce other standards designed to improve communication, such as ongoing meetings, an Internal newsletter, and e-mail updates What meetings, if any, are needed daily, weekly, and monthly? Give names to these different meetings, time frames, and describe the objectives of these meetings. skills, and be willing to work long hours to meet the needs of the guests. Room service provides meal delivery to guest rooms and provides foodservice for small meet- Ings held in guest suites. The number of hotels offering room service is declining as it becomes less cost effective. Point-of-sale systems are used to minimize errors, improve controls, increase guest check averages, and decrease labor costs. Check Your knowledge Outlet managers are responsible for the day-to- day operations of the hotel's restaurants, lounges, and in-room dining. Hotel restaurant managers' duties are like those of other restaurant managers with responsibility for guest service, employee satisfaction, maintaining standards, and forecasting. The beverage department oversees all of the bars in the hotel in addition to being responsible for developing a wine list, maintaining beverage costs, and providing responsible alcohol service. The stewarding department is responsible for the cleanliness of the kitchen and all food and beverage back-of-the-house areas. In addition, the executive steward also maintains all inven- tory, is responsible for the sanitation of all kitchens and equipment, and manages the chemical stock. The catering department uses a banquet event communicate needs Key Words and Concepts banquet banquet event order (BEO) capture rate catering catering event order (CEO) catering services manager (CSM) chief steward contribution margin covers covers-per-person-hour Introduction to Hospitality Eighth Edition P John R. Walker