Houston Marriot Westchase Hotel
Houston Marriot Westchase Hotel is one of the best hotels in Houston offering excellent hotel services to thousands of guests across the globe. The hotel is a premier and luxurious destination for many visitors in Houston, Texas (and from United States). It is located about seven miles from downtown Houston, 17 miles from William P. Hobby International Airport and 26 miles from George Bush international Airport (Marriott international inc. 2010). Houston Hotel is strategically located in the town just a short drive from two major international airports. This accessibility gives the hotel superior advantage over the other hotels in that region.
For any one passing through Houston, Houston Marriot Westchase Hotel is more than a home. Houston is also a real business center with large fully equipped conference rooms with audiovisual equipment, small groups meeting rooms and events catering (Marriott international inc. 2010). All of the above are essentials of business related conferences, meetings, seminars, training and recruitment and many other important functions necessary in any organization. Houston Marriot Westchase Hotel has highly qualified workers offering excellent services to conferences or individuals in an entirely luxurious atmosphere. Several departments were observed and high level of standards in the services offered to dignitaries noted. Apart from this, a few weaknesses were pointed out from the departments and the necessary mitigation measures to correct them were outlined.
Front desk
The Houston Marriot Westchase Hotels front desk portrayed professionalism and courtesy that any guest would easily recognize it as a world class service. The smartly dressed receptionists would go for the guests at the parking zone as they paused to admire the magnificent style and colors of the hotel that portray the highest degree of mastery in the most modern technologies. The warm welcome worked marvelously in giving the guests an anticipation of a lifetime service in the hotel. Checking in hours was as from 3.p.m and guests were to clear by 12.00pm (Marriott international inc. 2010). All guests were treated to high-class individualized service by being led to their areas of concern. These areas were either the lounges, the conference rooms or to the exquisite executive restaurant.
Highly trained translators fluent in many international languages would be allocated to non-English speaking guests and this could add a homely feeling to the guest. There was however some cases where receptionists would ignore the clients due to the language barrier prompting the clients to react with anger. Sometimes, the supervisors had to be called in to intervene. Comparing the receptionists in Houston Marriot Westchase Hotel to those in Hay Adams hotel, Washington, the receptionists in the former needed more training in their handling of such aggressive guests. Hay Adams hotel has been the favorite Hotel for heads of state and other dignitaries (Five star alliance, 2009). The executive delegation calling in this hotel could be an indication of the quality of reception offered in the hotel. Houston hotel by achieving the Hey Adams level of quality in reception, the number of executive dignitaries would increase reasonably.
The Lobby
The lobby in Houston Marriot Westchase Hotel is an epitome of elegance and excellence in professional hotel management. The lobby was casually sophisticated and comfortably arranged for business or leisure. The spacious relaxation area had a piano at the center on a raised podium. Beautifully carved seats had been neatly arranged to surround the piano. Most dignitaries streamed in the lobby every hour from meetings or to have breaks from their monotonous private rooms. To the left of the lobby is a luxurious bar with a sun bathing area for those willing to enjoy the scorching sun or watch the amazing luster of stars at night. (Hotels.com, 2010). The workers were always very friendly courteous, committed to their duties and willing to offer services upon request.
The staff were very warm and welcoming and apart from offering services, they offered guidance and company to guests who seemed new to the region and the country at large. However, there were some few cases where the house keeping staffs were somehow rude and behaved negatively to the guests. It was mostly in cases where the guests would be asking for simple directions. In fact, one client was too annoyed and had to report to the supervisor that the staff was very hit or miss and went beyond their limits and could not give anyone their time of the day (Virtual Tourist, 2006). This brings out a very negative image of the house keeping staff in the hotel and if not looked into, it may cost the hotel its customer base to a great deal. Some clients were however very rude and unfriendly to the workers and this may have caused the workers to either ignore or be rude to them. The Hotel management should look into this matter to either retrain their staff on public relations or find a way of taking care of such guests.
The above incidence was a bad precedence in the hotel compared to superior services offered in a luxurious Hotel such as the Hey Adams Hotel. As noted with the customer services of Hey Adams Hotel, the services are exquisite and a wonderful way to end the day (Five star alliances, 2009). This world class and personalized service is an essential requirement for any hotel that attracts international corporate business individuals or even high profile leaders. It is paramount for Houston Marriot Westchase Hotel to improve the service offered by the staff and retrain them to improve their service delivery. The lobby was however, a wonderful relaxing and entertainment zone that brought a sense of calmness, and the staff offered excellent services according to the requirements of the guests.
The Restaurant
The restaurant in Houston hotel was a reflection of both professionalism and mastery in design. The beautifully polished walls, which enclosed a spacious dining room lined with expensive comfortable furniture, gave the restaurant an excellent quality and taste. The food service staff in Houston Marriot Westchase Hotel offered warm and personalized service to every guest, which was an added taste to the mouth-watering cuisines. The efficiency and warmness in which the staff would serve the guests in their private rooms, at the lobby or in the restaurant portrayed a paradise-like service provision. Dressed in spotless clean uniforms bearing the logo of the hotel the restaurant staffs were always seen smiling and courteous to the incoming guests.
The service was so excellent that, most of the guests could be observed having a lifetime moment in the hotel. The food was very delicious and the menu offered a wide variety of cuisines and all types of drinks at very reasonable prices (Virtual Tourist, 2006). One of the guests commented. This explains why the hotel was an unmatched choice for many local and foreign dignitaries.
The organization of the dining areas, in the lobby or the restaurant was of high standards. There however seemed to be a problem with the food service during certain hours. One guest bitterly complained that the room service was very slow with some varieties lacking. He claimed that from five to 11pm only frog legs and steaks are available, and it was after 11pm that he was able to get some pizza or a sandwich (Virtual Tourist, 2006). This weakness in the food production or service departments may cost the Hotel its clientele. It would be expected that, at any time the client order for any type of food in the hotel, it had to be available. It puts into question the reliability and efficiency of either of the two departments. Complaints by guests would not leave a positive image of the hotel and it would be best to address them immediately to avoid clients dissatisfaction.
Comparing the food service in Houston Marriot Westchase Hotel with Hey Adams Hotel service, the former had some limitation. Many guests from Hey Adams hotel leave very positive feedbacks about the service provided. The food provided is wonderful the rooms are just perfect and concierge at its highest quality (Five star alliances, 2009). This is the major improvement required in Houston Marriot Westchase Hotel to make it among the leading luxurious hotels globally. However, it was noted that different types of cuisines from major European countries were available especially the Italian, French as well as Mexican and other types of food. This is a very positive factor in attracting more guests globally.
The Rooms
The rooms in Houston Marriot Westchase hotel gave the real meaning of comfort and luxury. Very spacious highly polished rooms with temperature control devices and two queen beds in the room were a bargain worth making in real comfort (Virtual tourist, 2010). The guests were provided with a coffee console, a desk table that could be pulled out a reading chair and it all looked like an office. A pool at the vicinity was an ingredient to the luxurious life provided by the rooms and guests could be observed basking in the scorching sun in a tranquil mood that offered the best description to comfort. The gym besides the pool was another important amenity that the guests untilled to the limits of their pleasures. The hotel could be best described as the epitome of comfort to any guest that booked in.
Auxiliary services and Parcel Departments
Houston Marriot Westchase Hotel had one of the best auxiliary services and parcel deliveries department. This department catered for a wide range of functions including newspaper delivery, internet, TV provision and servicing, business support services for business class and other support functions. News papers were readily delivered to the clients at the lobby or in private rooms as requested. There were a number of services special to the business dignitaries, which included copy service, fax service, messenger service network, and internet printing, delivery and pick up of parcels as well as posting of the parcels (Marriot international Inc, 2010).
The auxiliary service department had a complete dedicated team of staff assigned to ensure smooth operations of the department. In most cases it was observed that individual executives were allocated private staff upon request to offer urgent or personalized service where required. The staff was very efficient and reliable in delivering, collecting any parcels or delivering messages as instructed by the guests.
The internet related services had a team of techno-savvy staff that ensured efficient internet connectivity particularly to the business executives who usually operated from their rooms. This team was also responsible for ensuring that TV signals in the guest rooms were clear and reliable. However, there were some hiccups with this service provision concerning the internet and TVs. One guest was heard claiming that internet access was pay only there was a severe lack of channels on the TV, and this led to a lot of boredom during the late night hours (Virtual Tourist, 2010).
The hotel should institute some changes in the provision of internet where they would plan to offer free internet to guests on business class to facilitate their business operations. Such a claim from a guest would be detrimental to the hotel in that it would result into loss of clientele.
Considering the services offered in an excellent luxurious hotel such as Hey Adams, provides a clear picture of how these services should be availed to the guests. Business executives, heads of state, and the general social elite have chosen the personalized services, elegant luxury, culinary excellence, and one- of -a kind amenities offered at Hey Adams hotel (Five star alliances, 2009). The services here are on an international scale and this explains why the hotel is a choice for the best executives worldwide. The management in this hotel recognizes that flaws in their service delivery may cost the company its clientele and thus exceptional services have to be offered. There is also complimentary high speed (T-1) in every room (Five star alliances, 2009). Unlike in the previous case, internet is free and accessible in all rooms.
This is an excellent move by the staff of Hey Adams to attract and maintain special high - end guests than other hotels around. It is a good example to Houston Marriot Westchase Hotel auxiliary department staff to make the internet free in all rooms to avoid the above critics. However, the large base of auxiliary services offered including shoe shining services for the guests shoes (Marriot international, 2010), was a positive and warranted service to guests who would find the hotel services awesome and worthy investing in.
Housekeeping Department
Houston Marriot Westchase Hotel has one of the best housekeeping staff in the hospitality industry around. They are highly trained in interior design skills to bring out wonderful state of the art facilities that would be of magnificent look to guests. The house keeping was professionally planned, carried out and managed to give a superior world-class look to all amenities that were to be utilized by the guests. In fact, one of the guests applauded that the lobby was unique. (Virtual Tourist, 2010) The house keeping department by making the hotel neat, attractive, and professionally organized gave a positive face of the Hotel to any guest who called in at any time.
Their duties included the general maintenance of the guests rooms and the arrangement of the hotel facilities such as conference rooms and meeting rooms. Apart from the many complements overheard from guests about the house keeping there were some negative remarks about the rooms. One of the guests commented that his room was very spacious but showed some slight wear and tear (Virtual Tourist, 2010). This might be due to poor check ups by the housekeeping staff. The house keeping staff has to be thorough in their checkups and house keeping duties in order to offer the best to potential guests and thereby improve the standards of the hotel.
Comments by guests in the Hey Adams hotel are on the contrary, to the above as one guest in the Hey Adams hotel puts it, Hay Adams is our favorite hotel in the world. The service is of high quality, the rooms are sumptuous, and the location is perfect. (Five star alliances, 2009) This is the proper description of an international luxurious hotel. Everything is seriously catered for and nothing left to chance. Besides, top executives require an executive environment. Houston Marriot Westchase Hotel by working slightly on the housekeeping issues might achieve similar room standards. Besides the above slight anomalies, Houston Marriot Westchase Hotel had excellently furnished and organized rooms that portrayed a high degree of elegance and acted as a great attraction to all in either business or leisure adventures.
Other Services
Houston Marriot Westchase Hotel offered excellent security services to the both normal and high profile guests checking in everyday. Security was guaranteed not only to the guests but to their valuables as well. It was noted that there were safe boxes at the reception front desk where guests were requested to leave their valuables while checking in the hotel (Marriot international Inc, 2010). This was a good guarantee for the safety of their valuables to avoid cases where some unscrupulous staff members would interfere with the valuables in the guests rooms especially during house keeping routines.
Security around the hotel was noted to be very tight and guests had to provide proper identification documents before they could be allowed in the hotel. This made them feel more secured while enjoying their visits and is one of the factors that they opt for Houston Hotel compared to the other neighboring hotels. The security in Houston hotel is commendable although not to the level of security in Hey Adams hotel. However, Hey Adams hotel has an added advantage for being just a walking distance from Washingtons landmarks including the white house (Five star alliances, 2009). The security provided at the former explains why many high profile guests and heads of state prefer to book in. All the same, the above observed security measures in Houston Marriot Westchase Hotel both for guests and their valuables was beyond average and a good guarantee for any type of guest who may want to be booked in the hotel
Laundry department was another department that performed excellently. Valet dry cleaning, laundry on site as well as coin operated laundry machines were observed in the laundry department (Marriot international Inc, 2010). Through these services, guests could book in their clothes for cleaning at any time. For guests with children this department was of great importance and high level of cleanliness would be maintained at all times during their stay. The staff here was very cooperating and willing to help in any way.
The hotel had special offers for family with kids. It was observed that kids were offered with free lunch, breakfast or lunch when their parents were around (Marriot international Inc, 2010). Most of these families opted to take their meals at the lobby due to the elegance and free space available. When the parents were in meetings, special children care services were offered for a special fee by assigned staff. These additional services by the staff made bookings in the Houston hotel a worthy venture to make.
The Hey Adams hotel is described as a model of friendliness, professionalism and luxury (Five star alliances, 2009). This would be the best description that Houston Marriot Westchase Hotel is supposed to work for in all its departments. An example of services warranting that description in Hey Adams hotel is the childrens department. There are special packages offered specifically for children, which include books, cookies, and a smoothie at bedtime (Five star alliances, 2009). These services may uplift the Houston Hotel to be an excellent luxurious hotel just like Hey Adams Hotel. Houston Marriot Westchase Hotel with the above services is able to offer an exclusive business or leisure atmosphere to all the guests and for a cheaper price compared to Hey Adams Hotel
With all the observations made in the different departments of the hotel, Houston Marriot Westchase Hotel is typically the best hotel to book in for business, leisure, or conferences. The hotel has supporting staff for virtually any department with specialized roles to offer an exclusive service for all types of guests. The hotel being strategically located near two international airports receives an incredible number of visitors worldwide. Apart form the few observed shortcomings in the house keeping, customer relations, and food service departments, Houston Hotel remains a world-class hotel in comfort and service delivery.
Compared to other 5 star hotels around such as Hey Adams, Houston Hotel might be considered slightly cheap according to the above detailed services and the luxury offered in the Hotel. The staff by improving these shortcomings will boost the image and services offered in this hotel it would not be surprising to have a gradual increase in the number of bookings after a short time.
Availability of the essentials of a business-operating environment such as the ATMs, the foreign exchange, and a full service business center (Marriot international Inc, 2010), makes Houston hotel not only an ordinary tourist or luxurious hotel but a fully equipped amenity suitable for business related events that involve high-class executives. Apart from few guests who were seen complaining on certain aspects, most of them complemented the staff for their friendliness in offering unique services and help (Marriot international Inc, 2010).
Improvement of these claims however would place Houston hotel at par with other 5 star hotels and high - end clientele and dignitaries would consider the hotel as an alternative conducive environment to book in. Houston Marriot Westchase Hotel is thus a business center or a leisure environment with excellent amenities that any dignitary would feel comfortable and a worthy place for every coin spent.
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