Product Element
This gracious turn-of-the century hotel is located
32 km from the airport and minutes away from Mumbai's commercial, shopping and
banking districts. The Taj Mahal Hotel has an old-world Heritage Wing and a
contemporary Tower Wing. The hotel's premium suites have been used by royalty
and Heads of State.
Taj believes that the their core product is space.
This space is supplemented with the services they provide like the restaurants,
health club, banquets, discotheque, bar, business centers etc. Their other
supplementary products also include travel arrangements, ticketing, airport
pick-ups, sightseeing etc. The hotels various other departments like the house
keeping, front office, food and beverage, room service and maintenance, all
provide the supplementary services to the customer.
A
few of the Facilities and Services offered are as follows:-
Types of Accommodation
Types of Accommodation
582 centrally air-conditioned rooms including 49 suites.
Tower Wing Rooms: With easy access to the Business Centre, these contemporary rooms offer guest amenities like Internet connectivity, 2-line speaker phones with international direct dial facility and voice mail. Mini bar, personal safe, channel music and television with satellite programmes. A complimentary in-room fax can be provided on request. Guests have a choice of rooms that overlook the city or face the Gateway of India and the Arabian Sea.
Heritage
Wing Rooms: These rooms are renowned for their architecture and exude an aura
of old-world elegance. Each corridor in this Wing resembles an art gallery, and
the design, décor and furnishing ensure that no two rooms are alike. Guests
have a choice of rooms that overlook the city or pool or face the Gateway of
India and the Arabian Sea.
Taj
Club: Located on the top floors of the Heritage Wing, Taj Club is
designed for the discerning business traveler. Guest amenities and services
include complimentary airport limousine transfers, private check-in at the Club
desk, in-room fax, personal safe, a complimentary bottle of wine, valet service
and complimentary deluxe Continental breakfast. Taj Club guests can also enjoy
complimentary tea/coffee throughout the day and cocktails during the Cocktail
Hour at the Club Lounge. Taj Club also offers guests exclusive Meeting Rooms
and a Business Service Unit on the Club Floor.
Suites: Choose from elegantly appointed Junior Suites, Executive Suites, tastefully decorated Large Suites, newly renovated Luxury Suites or spacious, plush Grand Luxe Suites. The finest suites at The Taj Mahal are the luxuriously appointed Presidential Suites. Each of these suites is decorated with original paintings and antiques that transport guests into a world of regal luxury and grandeur. Grand Luxe and Presidential Suite guests can also avail of a personal Valet Service.
Broadband wireless Internet access at select Taj hotels
Now when you stay at select Taj hotels in Mumbai (including The Taj Mahal Hotel), New Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai, Bangalore and Hyderabad, you no longer need to be in your room or at the Business Centre to use the Internet. Multiple 'hot spots' located across the hotels lets you get onto the Internet from almost any place in the hotel - quickly and without plugging in! What's more, there is a Cyber Butler on call, should you need any
Suites: Choose from elegantly appointed Junior Suites, Executive Suites, tastefully decorated Large Suites, newly renovated Luxury Suites or spacious, plush Grand Luxe Suites. The finest suites at The Taj Mahal are the luxuriously appointed Presidential Suites. Each of these suites is decorated with original paintings and antiques that transport guests into a world of regal luxury and grandeur. Grand Luxe and Presidential Suite guests can also avail of a personal Valet Service.
Broadband wireless Internet access at select Taj hotels
Now when you stay at select Taj hotels in Mumbai (including The Taj Mahal Hotel), New Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai, Bangalore and Hyderabad, you no longer need to be in your room or at the Business Centre to use the Internet. Multiple 'hot spots' located across the hotels lets you get onto the Internet from almost any place in the hotel - quickly and without plugging in! What's more, there is a Cyber Butler on call, should you need any
assistance with getting connected.
Facilities and
Services
Swimming pool, fitness centre
and spa, beauty parlour, barber shop, travel desk, car rental,
pastry shop, book shop, shopping arcade, currency exchange, doctor-on-call and
babysitting. Complimentary use of steam, Jacuzzi and gymnasium at the fitness
centre for all guests. Arrangements for golf, badminton, squash, billiards,
tennis and table tennis on request. 24-hour room service and laundry service
Place and Time
As far as place is
concerned, all the Taj services and facilities are provided at one point. To
ensure timely delivery of their services, they have set processes in place and
incase of failure or delay of service, they have built in contingencies and
trained their staff to communicate the delay to the customer in the right
manner.
One of the incidents that
Mr. Vivek Sah, the Training Manager at Taj provided us with to explain this
concept further is of the implementation of the contingency plan during the
breakdown of the elevator. In case of breakdown of the elevator, the Room
Service makes use of the elevator in the other wing to ensure timely delivery
to the customer.
They
also have complaint management systems where they encourage customer feedback.
Each of their feedback form is numbered and hence if any feedback form is
missing, the staff is held liable for it. This is to ensure that the management
views every feedback form.
To ensure standadization in their services, they
have Standard Operating Procedures (SOP), e.g the food that is served in the
restaurant will be of the same quality and taste at any given day and time.
Process
In order to ensure that the core product and the
supplementary product is developed and delivered in the right manner and at the
right time, the hotel has formed certain set processes. When the room is being
prepared for customer check-in , the house-keeping department make sure that
all the room amenities are provided as per the check list. For e.g. certain
room amenities like 3 embroidered laundry bags, 2 closed slippers with logo, 2
shoe bags, etc. are provided by The Taj Mahal Hotel.
Infact
the processes are so specifically laid down that hotel staff are even advised
on what to say and what words to use while talking to a customer. The following
example will illustrate this better. When a customer asks for something to be
done instead of saying “no problem, the staff is taught to say ‘ most
certainly’.
The Taj Blueprint
When
the service provider comes in contact with the customer, he needs to surpass
the customer’s expectations, for which a blue print is made and followed by the
service provider, in this case the Taj Mahal Hotel.
Dinner Service Sequence
|
|||
Procedure
|
|||
1
|
Greet
Guests
|
Entrance
|
Host(ess)
/ Manager
|
2
|
Smile
using appropriate salutation,correct posture,eye-contact and guest name where
possible.
|
Entrance
|
Host(ess)
/ Manager
|
3
|
Smoking/Non-smoking
preference to be confirmed.
|
Entrance
|
Host(ess)
/ Manager
|
4
|
Assist
guests to their seats.
|
Restaurant
|
Host(ess)
/ Manager
|
5
|
Unfold
the napkins, ladies first
|
Restaurant
|
Captain
|
6
|
Suggest
the Dinner buffet, and describe the buffet highlights - specials etc.
|
Table
|
Captain
/ Manager
|
7
|
Present the food menu
along with the beverage list/ wine menu, if A La Carte is desired by the
guest. Suggest daily specials and advice non availability`s, prior to food
orders.
|
Table
|
Captain
/ Manager
|
8
|
Suggest
bottled water and offer wine by glass.
|
Table
|
Captain
|
9
|
For
wine service, appropriate glassware to be present on the table.
|
Table
|
Captain
/ Server
|
10
|
For
all orders, serve ladies first
|
Table
|
Captain
/ Server
|
11
|
Clear
plates accordingly before guests return after second helping from buffet.
|
Table
|
Captain
/ Server
|
12
|
For A La Carte orders,
plates to be cleared only after all complete their meal.
|
Table
|
Captain
/ Server
|
13
|
Replenish
the cuttlery accordingly.
|
Table
|
Captain
/ Server
|
14
|
Napkins
to be folded neatly in half and placed on the left arm-chair, when guests
leave for second helping.
|
Table
|
Captain
/ Server
|
15
|
For A La Carte orders,
offer dessert menu and describle items.
|
Table
|
Captain
/ Server
|
16
|
Offer
tea / coffee after entrée and side plates are cleared.
|
Table
|
Captain
/ Server
|
17
|
Always
maintain table top clean, before resetting the table
|
Table
|
Captain
/ Server
|
18
|
Place
bill folder with cheque on table for signature, as per guest convinience
|
Table
|
Captain
/ Server
|
19
|
Thank
all guests using their names respectively.
|
Table
|
Captain
/ Server / Host(ess) / Manager
|
20
|
Bid
farewell.
|
Restaurant
|
Captain
/ Server / Host(ess) / Manager
|
21
|
Upon
guest departure, clear table immediately.
|
Table
|
Captain
/ Server
|
Productivity
The Taj as a hotel does not
compare itself to only Indian hotels, but even with the hotels internationally
as it claims to have “World Class
Quality”. In order to ensure that its inputs are transformed into desired
outputs, they provide extensive training to their employees irrespective of the
field they come from.
The Taj Mahal hotel has various
quality tools to enhance quality. This involves every department, as they have
to make sure that the raw material as well as the finished product is of top
quality. At The Taj, it is the responsibility of the purchase department to
make sure that the raw materials are purchased at the Right Time, Right Place,
Right Cost and from the Right Source, in order to avoid any hindrances in their
productivity and quality.
Taj has developed enormous credibility in terms of
trustworthiness being the oldest brand of hotels, with the reputation of being World
class and honest service provider. Security, Communication and understanding
the customer psychology are special assets the Taj management has mastered with
time.
People
People here mean the
customers, employees, management and the society. It is the final customer who
is to be satisfied and this can be done only with the help of the employees,
who are directed and guided by the management. In the end the final motive of
Taj is to provide consistently and relentlessly an Indian experience of warmth and
hospitality by anticipating and exceeding guest expectations. They also provide
various customer services such as ‘The Taj Inner Circle Group’, ‘Taj Advantage’
and ‘Taj Epicure’.
In order to ensure the
productivity of their employees they provide them with various facilities such
as medical help, consultation, traveling facilities, perks and bonuses. The
employers here each have their own lockers in which they keep their uniforms
and other belongings, they also have bunkers with small beds so that the employees
working in shifts can catch some sleep if need be.
In spite of the fact that
human resources management is such an integral part of the service industry of
which hotels form a major part, its role has begun to be acknowledged only
recently. The Taj Group of Hotels is probably one of the first Indian hotel
chains to have recognised and respected the significance of HR in the
hospitality industry. Says K S Srinivasan, GM-corporate human resources, The
Taj Mahal Hotel, Mumbai, “Functions like sales, marketing and HR are not
hotel-specific, unlike those of chefs, housekeepers, bartenders, stewards and
the like. They are, in fact, common to all businesses.”
He asserts that HR, as a
function, is like a partner in the business in any organisation and not a
stand-alone function. It is the key to effective utilisation of the manpower
that the hotel industry is so dependent on. And the Indian hotel industry is
among the most labour intensive since the number of people serving guests is
the maximum here. It is precisely for this reason that the significance of HR
requires to be appreciated.
It is not merely monetary
rewards that employees seek today; the intriguing aspect is the learning
experience that the job promises. “It is precisely with this very thought in
mind that the Taj Group of Hotels, a Tata enterprise and one of the oldest
hotel chains in the country, decided on a training programme for the operations
trainees,” explains Srinivasan.
Interactive sessions between
the Taj management and the director of the Tata Institute of Social Sciences
(TISS), a Tata educational and research institution, led to an interesting and
comprehensive tailor-made course curriculum being chalked out. Thus was born
the ‘Taj TISS HR Associate Programme’, a one-year course comprising four
modules that are designed to give equal importance to and impart balanced
knowledge of both the theoretical and the practical aspects of all HR-related
functions of the hotel industry.
After finalising the course
details, the Taj made announcements about the course, offering interested
trainees with two to three years of work experience an opportunity to apply.
The response was encouraging and five trainees were shortlisted for the first
batch of the training programme.
Each of the four modules have
four sections. The first stage consists of theoretical lessons, providing a
sound background to the practical application of the knowledge required of them
in the second stage. In the third stage, the students return to the Institute
and their performance is evaluated by professors of TISS. In the fourth and
final stage, grades are awarded. While practical training sessions for the
first three modules have been organised at the Taj hotels across the country,
the fourth modules practical sessions had students of the first batch working
in Tata companies such as TISCO and Tata Consultancy Services (TCS). “This gave
them a wider scope and more exposure, besides making them realise that HR
skills in a service-specific industry like the hotels are much more challenging
than their application in the manufacturing or any other industry,” observed
Srinivasan. He said he himself had started off in the manufacturing industry
and only later did he move over to the service industry. “I have been in the
industry for over a decade now and am well-set here,” he added.
The key to retaining staff
and ensuring the success of any business organisation lies with the HR
department and its effective functioning. Any organisation, including hotels,
incur heavy expenditure on their employees, especially between the time of
recruitment and the employees’ acquisition of the skills imparted during their
training. It can be inferred, therefore, that a high employee turnover rate
lowers the efficiency of the staff as a whole owing to their constant
on-the-job training and skill enhancement.
“An organisation must be able to create for itself a unique place and image in the minds of the employees, both present and prospective. This enables the employees to aspire to be a part of the organisation, giving it their very best,” says Srinivasan. “Though the training programme has and will continue to cost us money, we believe that it is truly worthy investment,” he added.
“An organisation must be able to create for itself a unique place and image in the minds of the employees, both present and prospective. This enables the employees to aspire to be a part of the organisation, giving it their very best,” says Srinivasan. “Though the training programme has and will continue to cost us money, we believe that it is truly worthy investment,” he added.
“The
Taj group,” says Srinivasan, “is an expanding organisation and we are a
people-oriented company. What we need are people who can match our
organisational standards. We are also looking to create and ensure a constant
supply of good quality HR professionals, which is why we decided to impart
training of an extremely specialised nature to our management trainees. I have
observed them at the end of the programme and must say that they appear all
charged up and raring to go,” he remarked.
The Taj-TISS joint programme is expected to create a demonstration effect in the industry with more hotel groups placing additional emphasis on the HR training programmes.
The Taj-TISS joint programme is expected to create a demonstration effect in the industry with more hotel groups placing additional emphasis on the HR training programmes.
To be a successful HR professional, what is required
most is the aspirants’ ability to challenge themselves as well as their
colleagues. Only then can they get the very best from themselves and their
team. “Challenges in the HR field are immense and since it is so
people-centric, it is only obvious that professionals should have strong
people-management skills,” explains Srinivasan. Besides this, a right attitude
towards the job and life in general is extremely essential. “As a manager
myself, what I would look for in an applicant would be the ability to fit into
my organisation perfectly and be emotionally balanced, competent and above all,
be a cultural fit, fulfiling the basic values that the Taj is known for,”
concludes Srinivasan.
Promotion and Education
They carry out their
promotions by the means of calendars, monthly letter to their ‘Inner Circle
Customers’, informing them about their upcoming events and offers. Taj has
television advertisements on popular channels like CNBC, and print ads in
magazines and newspapers. Taj takes part in exhibitions like wherein they
promote their holiday packages. They also have special offers during the
“off-season” etc. Also The Taj is the only hotel chain to personify itself and
in promotion campaigns and advertisements the Taj is often referred to as
“She” The print ads for the Taj are :-
Physical Evidence
The Taj Mahal Hotel was built in 1903. The architect
was Sitaram Vaidya. It had a very ethnic look to it, which kept up their image
of providing an Indian experience of warmth and hospitality. They realized that
modernization is the name of the game and had The Taj redesigned by Mr.
Chambers, Mr. Wilkes and Mr. Bernard from Singapore.
Some of the recent renovations that have been
carried out at the Taj are
The
exterior has been given a new and modern look while still retaining the old
world charm of the building.
The entrance has splendidly carved bronze and glass
doors Soaring onyx columns stretch to a luminous alabaster ceiling; while
underfoot, rich hand-woven carpets set off a magnificent floor painstakingly
inlaid with semi-precious stones. The eclectic mix of western contemporary
style and traditional Indian motifs creates a veritable feast for the sense.
The city's most exclusive restaurant, The Zodaic
Grill provides a graceful setting for an intimate dining experience. Under a
magnificent trompe l'oeil dome, they serve the finest gourmet cuisine
complemented by an extensive wine list, as a classically trained pianist
entertains patrons.
Price and Other User Costs
Taj realizes that their prices are high and not
affordable by all, but this is due to various overheads that it incurs and the
superior quality that it offers. For e.g. a roadside sandwich seller sells his
sandwich for Rs.10 as he has no overheads and has no quality standards to
maintain, like the quality of the bread and the vegetables. But at The Taj,
they serve the best quality and also incur overhead expenses.
Also the target audience that the Taj caters to are
the one’s who come to the Taj for it’s ambience and world class standards,
therefore they say that their prices are justified as they help The Taj retain
the exclusivity that it stands for.
All Construction Work More Preferred the Pipe for wiring and water in that case Small Room Interior Decor Concept India is very well in chennai. For More About Check Bed room designs for small size. For Cookscape Reviews
ReplyDelete