Abstract
The hospitality industry in the first half of the 1990s has faced an increasingly competitive and changing marketplace, as well as a highly unpredictable external environment, which is to a large extent outside the organisation's control. Of importance to the industry has been the continuing move to decentralise operations, with increased responsibilities given to unit managers. This research focuses on the notion that as managers undertake this new role, on of the key challenges is to continually adjust and fine tune their internal operation to align with market needs. Using a qualitative approach, four specific research techniques were employed; participant observation, in-depth interviews, critical incident technique and focus group interviews. The research first considered a number of London properties. Then efforts concentrated on three hotels; a 3 star UK branded business hotel, a 4 star UK non-branded leisure hotel and a 5 star internationally branded business/leisure hotel. The first two stages of the study focused on unit managers and departmental managers, to determine, operational constraints that impact on the successful delivery of customer service. Data was collected through participant observation and in-depth interviews, concluding that the hotels were failing in their efforts to adjust internal operations to meet customer needs. With these operational constraints, the research looked to provide 'best practise' solutions. The critical incident technique was therefore used as it provides the means by which a list of service issues defined as critical are drawn up. It is then through analysis of such incidents that hotels are able to determine guest requirements. Overall, such a process assists managers in adjusting their operation to meet guest needs. The findings of this study contribute both to theoretical knowledge, as well as providing practical solutions to incidents. The study addresses the theoretical research questions and in relation to industry, a brand-based model for operational and service adjustments is proposed.