Question No 1. What recommendations would you offer to Amit to:

1) Increase occupancy

2) Improve operations

Question No 2. What would you do to further increase the level of personal responsibility that Amit developed among employees?

Question No. 3. Do you believe that employees should be cross-trained to do many tasks in a hotel? Does this alienate applicants who might otherwise be good employees?

Question No. 4. Should Amit hire an ad agency to help position and market the hotel? Explain your answer.

Aiter just 10 months of operation, Amit was proud of what he had accomplished managing the PRS Hotel, but he knew that much work remained. The PR5 was owned by the Elegant Cosmetic Company and was located in Bhubaneswar. The hotel had priginally been built to serve as housing for students wha attended the Elegant Cosmetalogy Schabl and was canverted to a G4-raom hatel in September 2018 ta serve the aeneral public. In addition to the hotel, the complex contained a manufacturing plant for personal care products and the corporate headquarters of the Elepant Cosmetic Company The Elezant Cosmetic Company discontinued the operation of a cosmetology school and decided to concentrate on the manufacture and sile of cosmetics, The hotel was coened to use the existing building. When the hotel opened, there were very few guests, almost na staff, and a limited budiget. The hotel had no trochure, Web site, or even a listing in the Google Map. Although Amit had no previous hospitality industry experience, he was tald to buid the business and turn it into a profitable operation. Amit held a MBA degree in specializing in Marketing \& Operation from KSOM. He had worked with a large regional bank and with Educational Placement Team. Marketing Strategr Amit decitied that the hotel should be marketed to a wide spertrum of guests. Ouer the yoars Amit had met many penple through his interaction cwer business development plans. These contacts proved useful in promoting the hotel. The Convention and Visitors Bureau also prover to be hrlpful and referred many guests. Amit centicted the corporate HR team and secured contracts far their officials to stay in the hotel by affering a deep discount based on the volume of sale. To entice evests during the season. Amit decided to offer three nients for the price of two if euests would make reservations two months orior to amival and oay in advance. This proved ta be maderately effective. A large electric utility compary was offered very good rates ta encourage their officials ta stay at the hotel for langer durations for two weeks or more when the are on relocation or on a project assienment. This resulted in many nights of occupancy. Gavernment officials were alsp encouraged to stay at the hatel through very good rates. Amit believed that with anly 64 reams, the best oppertunity to fill beds was to contact oreanizations rather than attempt to market to individual travellers The hatel seemed to be gaining a reputation as "value ladging" and had experienced 58 percent ocoupancy on awerage for the last four months. Amit observed that the company's cosmetic items were not used or sold in the hotel even though they were manufactured on the grounds. This was cocrected by placing Elegance Cosmetis' amenity praducts in the rooms and opening a gift shop in the hotel, which soid the company's personal care products as well as other traditional gift shop items. Personnel Asa small, privately cwned hotel not oporating as a fling proporty, Amit could explore different aperational strategies. As an example, frant desk emplayees were paid a pommission on business that they brought to the hotel. This encouraged front-desk people to continuously be aware of sales opportunitios when somenne called or droppod in. It also encouraged them Pare 1 of 2 to "sell" the hotel to their friends and to arzanizations they knew such as corporates institutions, and clubs. Amit said that with commissions, front-tesk emplavees averagec more incame than their counterparts in other area hotels. Amit believed that his primary decisions should be left to these responsible for the operational areas. He held the belief that most people who desired personal growth and responsibility could leam the operational tasks and would find ways to do the job better without top-down micromanagement. Ho also believed that all emplaposs should be cross-trained and willirg temperarily to aceret responsibilities outside the primary department. The maintenance man had once been asked to wear a suit and serve as bellboy during a heawy occupancy period. This seemed to work well. All new employees were expected to learn how to clean rooms and make beds so they could helo with that important area in crunch times. The number-one criterion for emoloyment with PAS was, "Are you willing to learn and willing to work?" En ployees were also expected to constantly improve their professionalism When densions were needed by management, bepartment heats were expected to type up their proposal and present it in a professional manner. This forced the department heats to think through the proposal, take it seriously, and be prepared to defend it. Openness to New ideas Amit said he was open to new ideas from emplopees and others conceming wavs to improve occupancy and operations at the hotel