Management of the Hospitality Industry in Miami

Select three different organizations in Miami upon which to focus. These should be places that you can easily visit during the semester, as you will benefit from being able to observe the organization at different times and will develop a deeper knowledge of the operations and service elements. The purpose of these papers is to expose you to various hospitality organizations and to help you begin to understand the service strategy challenges, the service staff needs, and the hospitality service systems, which all work together to create the guest experience.  In addition to the visits to the selected locations, class discussions, and reading the text, the paper should include at least 5 additional references, at least two of which must be papers selected from those listed in the syllabus.  The text also includes dozens of articles and websites that you can locate, review and use. You may also use the 20 organization’s website, business press, or hospitality industry articles about the organizations or other quality materials that address the overall service strategy of the organization. Each of the three papers must be 6-8 pages in length and must follow APA Guidelines. Margins must be 1” and the text double spaced. References and citations must follow the guidelines. Paper #1 –  The Hospitality Service Strategy.  This paper will require at least two visits to the selected locations during the first two weeks of class. The first visit will be to capture an overall impression of the organization, the service experience, the service product, and the environment. The second visit will use the new concepts from the first 4 classes to further analyze the product, setting and delivery. You should observe at least 10 service encounters and visit all public areas of the location. You must identify the tangible and intangible offerings, discuss the service promise and the servicescape, and explain how you assessed the quality and value of the offerings.  You can also discuss your expectations and the expectations of other guests and how well the organization met your expectations. Who is the target guest? What are their expectations? How do you know? What is their service strategy?  The paper should cover all aspects of the guest experience equation:  Guest Experience = Service Product + Service Setting + Service Delivery System  Your paper should introduce the three chosen locations and give experiential details about how the location looks, feels, smells, sounds, and is experienced.   What clues do you see that give you the impression of quality and value?  What is the company’s competitive advantage?  Once you have described each experience, compare, and contrast them – which “feels” more luxurious? Why?  Which has the friendliest staff?  Which looks fun or entertaining?  What is their service strategy? How do you know? How are they delivering on the strategy?  Discuss any evidence of the planning process such as:   How does the physical location reflect the mission and vision of the organization?  What do you see that differentiates each organization?  How does the location express the brand image?  How much competition does each organization have nearby? How well are they competing?  What can you say about the overall environment in which these organizations are operating? 21  What demographic trends should they consider?  How updated is their technology?  Discuss any green or sustainable practices you observe.  Identify and discuss the service setting.  Are themes important?  What are the crucial aspects of the setting and environment?  How does the setting affect guests?  What evidence is there that helps guest feel safe and secure?  How do guests interact with staffers and with other guests?  Using Bittner’s model (p. 94), discuss how guests respond to the environmental influences. From your observations, research, and readings, can you make any statements about the organizational culture?  Is there evidence of the culture, beliefs, values, or norms that you can observe?  Do you know anything about the organization’s culture and how does it contribute to their service success? Does the culture seem to contribute to the company’s success? What are your conclusions about the importance of the right product, the right setting and the right systems in creating memorable hospitality experiences?