Resource: Crestwood Inn Case Study

Read the Crestwood Inn case study located in Ch. 11 on page 312.

Write a 1,050- to 1,400-word analysis paper.

Evaluate the pros and cons of Christy’s comment card development.

Describe the benefits and challenges of involving the housekeeping staff in collecting the comment cards, and address the following in your response:

• What can Christy learn from the questions about the guests’ experience, the hotel’s service, and the guests’ rooms?
• What additional information should be collected?
• What additional information can help to improve guest services?
• If you were Christy, what else would you do in her situation to help improve overall service?

Format your paper consistent with APA guidelines.

Christy Kelley moved from Boston, Massachusetts, to take over as the general manager of The Crestwood Inn, located in Lexington, Kentucky. Before taking the job at The Crest- wood, Christy had been the assistant general manager of a large chain hotel in downtown Boston. She had grown tired of the harsh winters and fast pace of the Northeast, and she felt it would be a welcome change to move to a warmer climate and a much more relaxed atmosphere. Christy had worked for the large chain for several years, starting in the man- agement training program and working her way up eventually to assistant general man- ager, before taking her new position as general manager of the inn. The Crestwood Inn is one of the oldest properties in the area, but it has been reno- vated periodically over the years. The inn is owned by a group of independent investors and has 116 rooms with basic amenities. There is no restaurant or pool, but there are some restaurants in the local area. The inn’s room rate is at the low end for the market, which consists mainly of upscale properties. The Crestwood Inn’s primary strategic advantages include its price and its location, which is convenient to local horse racing venues.

Upon starting her new position as general manager, Christy realized that there were major differences between working for a large chain and working at a small, independent motel. The large chain hotels had sophisticated computer systems for reservations, sales, catering, and revenue management. In addition, customer information was systematically gathered through surveys and comment cards. The surveys and comment cards provided managers with valuable information that could be used to make important decisions about hotels rates and services. Unfortunately, The Crestwood Inn had a very simple res- ervations system and no additional information except for some historical figures on past rates and occupancy. As Christy took over as general manager, the average room rate was $100 and the occupancy rate was around 70 percent. Christy understood the value of gathering customer information, and she personally developed a comment card to be placed in every room. Customers were asked to com- plete the comment card and leave it in the room for housekeeping to collect. The purpose of the comment card was to determine how guests staying at the motel felt about the property and its services. Christy wanted to make sure that all her guests were satisfied. At the end of the first year, she received a total of 169 completed comment cards.

After compiling the information contained on the comment cards, Christy looked at guest responses pertaining to their overall customer satisfaction: Which of the following best describes your experience at The Crestwood Inn? The motel exceeded my expectations 18.7 %. The motel met my expectations 56.8%. The motel failed to meet my expectations 24.5%. The percentages indicate the guests’ responses to the question—nearly 75 percent of guests indicated that the inn met or exceeded their expectations. Christy was pleased that this year’s results could serve as a benchmark for future years, but she was concerned that The Crestwood Inn failed to meet the expectations of approximately one-fourth of its guests. Next, Christy looked at the guests’ ratings of the motel’s facilities and services on a five-point scale (1 = poor, 2 = fair, 3 = neutral, 4 = good, and 5 = excellent).

HOTEL SERVICES MEAN Reservations 4.46 Front desk/check-in 4.52 Front desk/checkout 4.34 Front desk/guest service 4.50

GUEST ROOM Comfort 4.18 Bedroom lighting 3.90 Cleanliness 4.31 Furnishings 4.10 Adequacy of supplies 4.21 Heating/air-conditioning 3.89 Overall quality 4.15 Price/room rate 4.12