Analyse and produce a report a lodging operation in the Birmingham (UK)

Assignment Task

You will be allocated a lodging operation in the Birmingham (UK) area to analyse and produce a report that includes a number of evaluative and reporting tasks.  Guidance is given for approximate word counts for each section, and while these may not add up to 4,000 words, they can be used for guidance.  Words used in figures, charts, tables and your final list of references are not  included in your word count. A marking scheme for the report appears in ‘Task Guidance’ and your report should be structured in the following way:

1.A title page followed by a list of contents

2.Introduction (up to 200 words): Introduce the lodging operation and identify its market position and target markets

3.Part one – Monitoring hotel room prices. Using the operation’s own web site, monitor the price for a specific room type (e.g. standard double).  By reference to recommended texts and journal research, provide reasons for why room prices change (or don’t for some reason) over time

a)Start monitoring the price on Friday 19^th March for arrival on Friday 9^th April (your arrival date). Using the room type you have selected, record the room price for the arrival date – this date (the 9^th April) does not change, and you gradually get closer to it as you monitor the price daily. If a room has different prices such as with or without breakfast or advance payment, then select only one option and stick with it.

Check and record the price every day, remembering that the arrival date does not change – you are monitoring to see if the price changes for the room on the arrival date as that date gets closer. Remember, always check the price for the same room type AND same arrival date only.  Check the room price at approximately the same time each day.

b)In addition to monitoring the price of your selected room for the fixed date (9^th April), also check and note the price for the same room type as if you were arriving on each day that you were checking the price.  For example, if today is March 19^th, you now also check and note the room price for March 19^th and April 9^th.  On March 20^th you check the price for March 20^th and April 9^th – you will do this over the 3-week period

Plot the prices on separate column charts (not a table).  If the room type you are monitoring ceases to be present on the hotel website on any date then record the price as zero pounds.

c)Provide reasons (around 800 words), supported by reliable sources, that could explain why the price and availability of rooms may (or may not) change over time (exercise in ‘a’) and for different days of the week (exercise in ‘b’).  Use the data that you collected as a source of examples to illustrate your discussion

4.Part two – Distribution channels. Critically evaluate and justify the range of online distribution channels used by your lodging operation but do not include the hotel’s own web site

a)Create a table listing the online distribution channels used by the operation

b)Use reliable sources to explain why hotels use online distribution channels (around 500 words)

5.Part three – Analysing customer feedback. Investigate and analyse online feedback (perhaps on TripAdvisor) about the operation. It is suggested that you find and analyse at least 50 postings

a)Categorise responses (such as; service experiences, facilities, maintenance or cleanliness, location but do not include comments about food and beverage that are included in postings.) and present them in a table of up to five positive and five negative categories with the frequency with which they are mentioned. Remember to put them into categories and say how many times (the frequency) a comment fits that category.  Note that some posts may consist of a variety of comments that can be included in different categories

b)Briefly use your own words to comment (around 300 words) on what you found, for example, whether there was a category that was frequently mentioned.  You can include quotes from postings to illustrate the range of comments within a category

c)Select one negative comment and evaluate why the application of operations management principles about “the cost of quality” could reduce the likelihood of poor quality (around 1000 words).

6.Part four – Investigate and analyse the lodging accommodation.  Hotels usually have a number of different types of room, often for sale at different prices

a)Use reliable sources to support a brief explanation of why your hotel has different room types (around 200 words)

b)Justify the use of “standard operating procedures” within housekeeping operations to ensure the speed and consistency of the room servicing process and comment, using supporting sources, on how Covid-19 has impacted on room-cleaning procedures (around 1000 words)

7.Summary (around 200 words) – Summarise your findings

8.Reference list (not part of the word count) – please refer to the UCB referencing guide to see how to accurately and consistently present your references