Resorts Analyzes

Introduction

Virgin Holidays is one of the best tour and travel companies operating globally to meet potential differences and preferences of various kinds of clients anticipated. The tour company receives guests from different parts of the world, and these guests often have unique cultural and social attributes that need to be respected. Virgin Holidays provides transportation to international destinations to make sure that the customers get the utmost experience of visiting numerous amazing places. The tour operator aims at bottom-line results that meet and/or surpass financial expectations while remaining environmentally sensitive, thereby making it more competitive. Ideally, operations in the company such as handling and managing customer service functions within this volatile environment would work well toward quality assurance and hence the worth of the tour operator in the global market. In this essay, the analysis focuses on the operations, management structure, quality systems and the impacts of implementing effective quality systems at Le Blanc Spa Resort and its relationship with Virgin Holidays Tour Company.

LO 1:

Task 1: A

The section analyzes Le Blanc Spa Resort in Cancun, located in Mexico, which is regarded as a heaven for luxury and comfort for potential visitors. It means that the company targets both local and international clients who are interested in exciting adventures. In terms of the function of resort operations, the company coordinates and handles various tour operators to ensure a continuous flow of visitors into the facility. For instance, Virgin Holidays is one of the tour operators that the organization works with on a regular basis. At this resort, the management understands the relationship between guest satisfaction and financial management and the complications that come with their misuse. This is an indication that the resort offers an assortment of customer service functions such as housekeeping, guest services, facilities, and financial management, foods and beverages, and a front desk (Bertucci & Alberti, 2003).

The other function is supplier handling and coordination. Here, through strategic planning, the resort has put in place measures that allow for cost containment for the goods supplied and the increase of its profitability. The cost of accommodation and food at the resort is competitive as compared to others on the market. This has increased the profit margin of the company. In this regard, the resort coordinates the activities of various suppliers aimed at meeting the different needs of the clients. Therefore, it has established Human Resource Development system where they have expanded their operations to include the use of Information Technology (IT) level as well as ensure that they produce fiscal and account information for all their transactions with suppliers for the sake of transparency and accountability (Grant, Hackney & Edgar, 2010).

On adherence to the local laws, the fact that the resort is located along the beach makes it ensure that the management keeps the waters clean as stipulated in the laws of the country. This measure also ensures environmental sustainability. According to Rosenbalt and Shapiro (2013), the entity regulates environmental issues by encouraging the guests to use the dustbins around the area and avoid littering in the waters. In one way or another, the effective handling and coordination of different activities contribute to guest satisfaction, market penetration and ultimately sustainable revenue growth.

There are also health functions that the resort is engaged in. For instance, the incidents that could affect the health and safety of customers and staff in a resort environment and during transit include drowning, accidents, and acts of terrorism (Mitchel, 2014). Drowning could occur during boat rides, a situation that could lead to the potential loss of lives. Also during touring, there could be accidents that compromise the clients’ lives. In other cases, acts of terrorism such as attacks and arsons could compromise the lives of clients. In dealing with the situation, the tour operator Virgin Holidays has taken the following steps. First, Virgin Holidays has purchased a health insurance system that ensures that its guests are covered (Evans & Wurster, 1997). To ensure that the clients are safe during diving and boat rides, the tour operator has hired a rescue team to accompany tourists who opt for such activities (Mitchel, 2014). The operator has also employed drivers with sufficient experience in driving and knowledge of the environment to ensure that accidents that could result from careless driving and lack of knowledge about the terrain are minimized as much as possible.

Task 1: B

Regarding the management structure, one should mention that the resort and tour operator adopts a complex structure, in which each person plays a significant activity that would enhance the experience of each client. However, the employees are free to form and join unions to help them bargain with the employer. In terms of the roles of the resort representatives, the staffs were categorized to facilitate operations. Some of them were to conduct activities such as SPA treatments, pedicures, massages, and manicures based on the needs of the clients. Special programs include camping, couple therapy, and diving among others. For these activities, a guide is required to ensure that operations proceed uninterrupted. All the guides are expected to report to the task manager who then reports to the assistant managers and finally, the manager. This kind of communication is adopted to ensure the operational efficiency of the resort.

The activities majorly succeed based on the effective application of the philosophy-laden approach. Regarding the philosophy-laden approach to employee relation, one should state that that the relations can be enhanced by promoting excellent employee relations to ensure that the resort workers do not engage in malpractices that may compromise satisfaction at the facility. This should be between the employers and employees as well as among the employee themselves. It is also clear that a union should be formed with a substantial number of employees. This number should be over two hundred because if it is lower, the union will be ineffective. Employees’ relations within the union in the resort have created a harmony that the organization has enjoyed for a long time. In a time of campaigns and elections, the differences in opinion normally do not affect the relationship. Differences are usually solved in a manner prescribed by the organization’s structural systems so peace prevails even after a tedious process.

LO 2

Task 2: A

Quality systems are the aggregate of the organizational activities, incentives, policies, procedures, responsibilities and information infrastructure required in formulating and implementing a total quality management approach (Grant et al., 2010). In the resort, it entails coming up with vision and mission statements, organizational values, internal communication structures, internal audits, development documents, control system as well as the voice of customers systems among other aspects (Zanoni, 2011). Now, it is important for a resort to have these quality systems in order to function effectively, and they provide a shield for the resort and its guests respectively. According to Zanoni (2011), effective quality systems in resort operations are important in resort development in areas of revenue, market penetrative and assessment management. Such systems improve communication and enhance relationships.

In this regard, the resort relies on its quality system, which forms part of its constitution, and does not contravene the provisions of the country’s laws. From this quality system, the offense that the customers are accused of is looked up, the guidelines that resolve the accusations are analyzed, and from the analysis, the law is applied to make a decision (Goldstein, 2007). The procedures to be implemented in dealing with potential incidents were actually in compliance with the guidelines of governmental bodies and trade associations operating in the tour and hotel industry. The procedures necessitated the involvement of the hotel’s board of management in taking legal actions against offenders. For instance, the board in charge decided to hire a quality system manager and security chief to take the resort to the next level and secure its operations respectively.

In order to make sure that the resort achieves quality, there should be a proper job description for all employees. The managers have to remain focused and come up with an effective quality system and safety systems that would prove beneficial to the resort in all aspects, but mostly in operations and safety. The quality system manager, for instance, came up with policies, procedures and organizational activities that were geared towards cleaning up the resort and tour operator in order to make way for the boom on its way (Blaxill & Eckardt, 2009).

In essence, lack of appropriate communication between the clients and the employers in a resort is often one of the management problems that are to be addressed in the company’s mission statement. Solutions to address this problem are to be identified and strictly be implemented. The impact is that effective communication in any institution is very important as it helps in the effectiveness, performance, and improvement of the resort (Evans & Wurster, 1997). The solution to this may be developing appropriate channels and means of delivering information and messages in all the departments, especially between the employees and the clients as they interact all day. This may include developing the resort’s own websites where views concerning and affecting the clients and the resort as a whole can be posted and be addressed in time. Through this, the clients may benefit positively in the sense that they will be able to put across all the issues that one feels should be addressed to enhance the effectiveness and the performance of the resort.

Task 2: B

Implementing the stated quality systems gives freedom to the customers to complain and to take legal action against the resort for offenses they feel have been done to them. Another instance is where the quality systems procedures and responsibilities of various individuals within the resort are outlined; therefore, if there is a fault with a certain area in management, then the individual not really doing their work can be addressed directly (Boselie, 2010). Another impact of effective communication is involving and allowing the clients to participate in the communication process freely without intimidation. This may be done through them attending meetings with their employers. The impact is that the employers will be able to get first-hand information, which will benefit the client more as his or her needs will be addressed on time one will also be able to convince the employers as they try to air out and express their ideas regarding certain issues in the resort (Rosenbalt & Shapiro, 2013).

On costing, this essay recommends resort management to reduce their prices to attract more clients and retain the existing ones, thus compete favorably and outdo the emerging competitors (Rosenbalt & Shapiro, 2013). The research also recommends that the resort has to improve the drainage system along the road leading to and within the business premise to reduce the impacts of flood (Blyton, 2004).

In implementing the quality systems, there are significant management problems that the administrators face. In the restaurant, for instance, lack of training and development programs affects the output of particular individuals. The solution to this is offering training to the staff to get the required skills to compete effectively with others in the economy. The impact of initiating development programs is that they may help solve the anticipated unprecedented customer relations problems (Mitchel, 2014). The other impact is that training and developing the skills of the employees may make them become very knowledgeable, hence be able to compete in the activities they do (Blyton, 2004).

Leadership is also another problem. If an ordinary resort worker is made a leader in a company, he/she may be given the mandate to exercise power. The impact of this measure is that it may affect the performance of the other employees negatively as they will feel demoralized and this, in turn, is transferred to the resort by affecting its performance and effectiveness, hence becoming unable to meet its strategic goals and objectives (Mitchel, 2014).

Conclusion

In summary, adequate management of various functions of the resort and tour operator could lead to its success, while lack of it may cause failure. The essay also indicated that the management structure of the resort and tour operator could either facilitate or derail the operations. Furthermore, the kind of quality systems that they had adopted and the impacts of implementing those effective quality systems have rationalized its success. The success occurs despite the various problems that the resort and tour operator faces during their day-to-day affairs.