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Group Project
Service Blueprint Ideal Beach Resort
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INTRODUCTION: The East Coast Road in Mahabalipuram has a chain of resorts along the coastline as it provides a picturesque and comfortable vacation spot for both local and international travelers. There are about 10-‐15 major resorts including two 5-‐star hotels and other mid segment options. Ideal beach resort is located at about 40 kilometers from Chennai, in Mahabalipuram and is targeting its services towards Families, Young people as well as groups of foreign tourists. The resort is spacious, customer friendly and has a history of being in the business since the past 30 years. It offers services like swimming pool, dining, spa, recreation and also has a beautiful private beach as an attraction. We narrowed down on the Check-‐in services and the services offered by the resort to its guests and analyzed the service blue print for the same. OBJECTIVE: The objective of the study was to observe the various touchpoints for a tourist while they check into Ideal Beach Resort, and study the service delivery process of the Check-‐in services and all the other services provided by the resort to the guests . METHODOLOGY: Source: We collected our data about the wide range of services currently offered by the resort through personal interactions, in-‐depth discussions, short conversations with customers and reviews on tripadvisor.Next we collated all the data and categorized it under different heads to be able to map out the blue print . Action Points: We chalked out the best practices of the resort and mapped them against shortcomings and challenges. Using the existing data, we thought of recommendations to increase the attractiveness of the resort in a highly crowded market where we have a range of competition in the close vicinity: Grand Bay Resort, Chariot Beach Resort etc.
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SERVICE BLUEPRINT:
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Source: http://creately.com/diagram/example/ho7c294s/Service+Blueprint+Template
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GOOD PRACTICES:
• Idea • •
Information
Family Fun Tie ups with Make my trip, Agoda.com, Hotels.com
Rental Cart to airports, railway station etc
Beach Restaurant
Family Restaurant
Room Service, Coffee Shops/
Internal arrangements of travel to pondicherry
IDEAL BEACH RREORT
Food Options Travel
Exchange Rate Counter
Room Tarrifs Separate Check in-Checkout
Wifi, Laptop Rental
Gift Shops, Swimming Pool, bar
Aryurvedic Massage and Spa, Exercise
Private Beach, Sunset, Saftey
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• ldeal Beach resort has a legacy of 30 years in place and has established itself as one of the biggest hotels in Mahabalipuram. In a
destination like Mahabalipuram, they are targeting mainly family oriented people (mainly foreigners) and taking right steps to attract those kinds of people. They have wide range of facilities like dining, swimming pool, private beach, aryurvedic massage and spa, bar and other forms of cultural programs to attract their targeted customers.
• They are making efforts to provide all necessary information to their customer at the check in counter such as information about the exchange rate, Internet access, maps or laundry. They have a well maintained and properly functioning website for their customer with attractive servicecape in the form on pictures of kids playing on beach.
• Information about room tariffs is available on request easily. There are different categories of room available to suit the requirement of people in different income category.
• They have a proper mechanism in place in case of service failure in the form of gift vouchers, up gradation of room, discounts offers. Proper authority is there in place to take decision about the offer to made to the customer in case of service failure.
• Placed close to luxurious hotel Raddision Blu, Ideal beach resorts are taking right steps to match up to level of their competitors. It has tie ups with all the famous websites like Makemytrip.com, Hotels.com, Agoda,com that provides all required information to the customer who are planning to visit to Mahabalipurm. It also has an internal agency within the hotel for arranging day travels for its customers to nearby places like Pondicherry, Auroville etc.
• It understands the importance of time and takes right measures to save it for its customers. It has a separate check in and check out counter in place to make it convenient for its customers who are checking in and checking out of the hotel. During the peak period when the occupancy of the hotel is 100%, the average waiting time for check in(including all paper work) is only 5 minutes. They also have a computerized network through which staff at the hotels is informed timely about the arrival or departure of its
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guest. All the necessary information about the guest gets timely reflected to the receptionist with the help of the software in place.
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CURRENT CHALLENGES :
Price Promotion Place Product
Physical evidence
Process People
Effect: Dissatisfaction
• One time customers • Negative
reviews/feedback • Lack of business • Deterioration of
service levels and eventually brand image
Signage
Misinformed
Unapproachable
Lacked Training
Cluttered Furniture
High tariff No offers
Few special events
Check-in takes time on the weekends
Archaic Architecture
Lack of maintenance
Restaurant needs work
Air conditioners are turned off
Tour Operator charges are
high
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• Not approachable: Other than the front desk most of the staff were not approachable and were very unhelpful.
• There is a distinct lack of signage at the entrance of the resort. There is a possibility that people might drive past the location. Even in the
resort there is a high possibility of confusion because of the unstructured signage.
• The restrooms lack maintenance. For instance the hand towels should be changed regularly. The layout is not aesthetically pleasing.
• There was a constant sense of suffocation thought the resort especially in the various rooms. This could be due to the archaic
architecture and lack of maintenance. The place lacks a distinctive appeal, which could be done by incorporating a modern element.
• The reception/check in area was cluttered, with furniture almost blocking the entrance. There is no space between one seat and the
other and there were over 20 seats in the Check-‐in area.
• Like in various other areas in the resort the furniture was old and creaky. This was noticed by a couple of tourists as well. This does not bode well for the resort as it a place people come to relax and as such they expect the best.
• There was no one to greet or direct us to the reception in the resort and this gave off a very cold vibe.
• Staff is adequately helpful but they wouldn't go the extra mile to provide the experience that guests are looking forward to. There were extended periods in the resort where we were left unattended (restaurant).
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• The high rate of occupancy makes it a little overcrowded at times; it feels like a hotel more than a resort.
• Playing ground (for soccer, volleyball, etc) was full of rusty nails. There is a high possibility of people getting injured.
• High tariffs for the kind of services they provide. The tariff rates do not coincide with the quality of service and as a result there is high
possibility of having dissatisfied customers leading to it being only a one time visit.
• There is a distinct lack of choice in the alcoholic beverage segment. This choice narrows down further in the beach/pool or in the room.
• The menu is geared more towards the Indian clientele. This is strange considering the fact that close to 60% of their occupancy/business
in from foreign/international tourists.
• Reception is not informative enough: The person at the check-‐in counter lacked training, as she was unsure about a lot of the requests we made. Calls were made to the manager to confirm her decision on multiple occasions.
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RECOMMENDATIONS:
1. Reception • The reception is the first point of contact for a customer but we noticed a couple of things lacking in terms of the reception
experience. • The reception is not as informative in terms of visible signage about the tariffs, the updated exchange rates etc. Also the
magazines and travel guides are on the inner side of the reception. They should be displayed towards the outer side. • Also the reception is extremely cluttered and full of huge chairs. They should focus on re-‐doing it in a non-‐cluttered way. • The reception does not have air-‐conditioning, which should immediately be put in place. • Also receptions of good resorts and restaurants mostly do display certifcations by Trip advisor , City Guides etc . These help the
resort build credibility in the customer’s mind at a very initial stage.
2. Infrastructure • The resort needs to add Banner signage around the ECR road indicating the presence of such a resort. Competitors like Chariot
Beach Resort have huge signage on the ECR road with the aim of increasing visibility. In a highly crowded market, Ideal Beach Resort does not stand out when it comes to external signage.
• Freshness and ventilation: The entire resort is well build and clean but there is a stale feeling all through the experience starting from the reception to the rooms and the restrooms. They should particularly look into this and make sure there is proper ventilation and air purification in all their rooms and lobbies.
• Currently they have the Queens Suite next to the pool, which is usually occupied by families who avoid loud noise at night. They should rather think of placing standard rooms next to the pool to cater to the right audience at the right place. They could create two standard rooms out of each of the Queen Suits.
• They have 8 budget rooms, next to the reception that in no way add to resort's attraction especially when a person just enters the resort. They could build on the exterior look and feel of these rooms.
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• The resort is 30 years old and this point comes through when you enter the place. The aesthetics do not exhibit rich heritage and rather there is a pressing need to modernize the look and make it more contemporary. If we look at the target audience, they are catering to two markets: 1) People from Chennai and around coming for weekend getaways 2) International tourists. The resort is named Ideal "Beach" Resort and the theme of the decor, interiors and exteriors is nothing close to the name. They should rather optimize on this fact and build physical touch points that give a place a relaxing, colorful beach like ambience.
3. Dining Facilities
• They could add a 24-‐hour cafe to make it more conducive for international tourists. • The dinner at the restaurant closes at 10.30 pm which isn't in line with the other players at ECR road. • Also the menu offerings are rather localized and limited. The fact that they have clearly mentioned that their target group is
skewed towards foreign travellers, they could look at more continental dishes to cater to their taste buds. • Considering they are looking at an international audience, they should revamp their bar menu as per international standards.
Currently they only serve IMFL with a very limited set of offerings even in terms of beer, which are a must for a beach resort. • Aesthetic Appeal: Also the reviews on Tripadvisor clearly mention that they have a beach facing dining place and the private beach
is a big asset for the resort. To optimize on the experience they could add dim yellow lighting to give it a subtle, beach like look with some peppy live music on the weekends. Rather they could try traditional dance on special days, about twice a month.
4. Additional services: The Resort could add a range of services to stand out in a highly crowded market on the ECR road. Also these services could add to the revenue of the resort.
• Travel: Mahabalipuram is a heritage site and also it has a huge coastline with a lot of activities to look forward to.They could tie up with external vendors and a team of tour guides to provide the following services :
o A visit to the rates, rocks and heritage temples
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o A visit to the lighthouse.
o Rock climbing
o A visit to Auro Ashram
o Night Safari with Crocodiles
o A ride in the sea
o A tour to the local villages
o Information with respect to Pondicherry
o Rides in ATVs on tracks build on ECR
• Gym/Health Services The biggest surprise to us was that there was no gym in the resort. Having a huge property and a good number of in-‐house guests this is definitely a negative for Ideal Beach Resort. They should open a gym with atleast two trainers to start with next to their ayurvedic massage/spa center. The gym should be fully functional in all forms and should have the right kind of equipment as per the available space. Again cleanliness would play a vital role for the gym to be a hit.
• Offsite for Corporates o Ideal beach comes way before Chariot Beach Resort, Grand Bay and Confluence, however it fails to attract many corporates for
their offsite programs. o The resort has a huge potential for accommodating such kind of services. Especially during the lean season they can offer more
services at cheaper rates as compared to their competitors. o Building better infrastructure such as Boardrooms, conference halls, classrooms with Wi-‐Fi would help attracting more and more
corporates to the resort.
• Attractive packages for college students o Surrounded by so many colleges the resort can capture the student population easily by offering attractive packages for students.
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o Packages could range from beach parties or pool parties to a special student discount on overnight stay. Many students travelling from Chennai to Pondicherry stop at mahabalipuram for lunch so keeping a student discount on food and drinks would attract this crowd to the resort.
• Packages for Kids The resort could build on summer camps in summer vacations inclusive of outdoors activates, music and theater workshops. The resort is looking to capture the attention of families and ECR road provides a lucrative opportunity to get the kids to experience a boot camp. IT would add to the attractiveness and the range of services provided by the resort.
• Shuttle services Consumers are looking for luxury and convenience while on a vacation. Offering convenience of travel to the guests would save a lot of their time and effort in finding a reliable cab plus there are not many cab services available. Ideal beach resort should therefore provide airport transfers and shuttle services for the in house guests.
5. Online – Presence • While the resort is regular at making customized comments on the feedback it receives from Tripadvisor, it has not build any
presence on any of the social platforms. Resorts built in such suburbs should rather capitalize on this avenue to tap onto a pool of customers and also to communicate and engage with existing customers.
• They should build a Facebook page and keep it active with attractive yet candid pictures of the resort, the activities and the beach. They could communicate their weekend activities via their page. Also they could launch contests for weekend travellers and college students for attractive discounts for stays, spas etc.
• Experiences to travel bloggers who are the new way of bringing travel destinations into the limelight in the world of Internet based travel.
• Youtube videos capturing content travellers at the beach, the dining destination and other places. • They could also tie up with city guides with a huge follower base in the online space to communicate with a larger set of audience.
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• Also they could look at Pinterest as a platform to showcase their experiences. Currently they do have presence on Pinterest but it is not as updated as it should be. Currently the Indian audiences do not have too much of a presence on the online platform, but the international audience that they are looking at are largely present on this forum. They could highlight the entire experience of Mahabalipuram through different boards on Pinterest with appropriate captions and keywords.
• Lastly they could tie up with deal websites like GroupOn to aim at 100% occupancy rate even during lean months.
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