Monday, December 2, 2019

Radicor Hotel Darling Harbour free essay sample

Thank you for writing our consultancy in regards to the predicament facing you and your team at the Radicor Hotel Darling Harbor Sydney. I understand this time must bring you considerable angst; especially considering Simcom- the partial owners- intend on divesting from one of her hotels: the Radicor being one such possibility. As such, I have taken this case under my personal consideration. You will find at the end, an appendix (Reference List) for any sources which I have used to underline criteria or feedback regarding the adverse review received by your premium restaurant- The Abbey. This letter touches on what I had advised to the Managing Directors and Executive Chef Marcus Vesty for the first twenty four hours upon receiving the review; but, also delves deeper into the issues facing not only the Abbey, but the Radicor Hotel Darling Harbor as well. Unfortunately some of the resources materials you have sent my firm seem to be lacking in some areas, therefore my comments will make do with the data provided. We will write a custom essay sample on Radicor Hotel Darling Harbour or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page I will go into these areas later below. First an outline of the presenting issue. The Radicor Hotel at Darling Harbor Sydney prized itself as a premium luxury hotel, focusing on the idea of paramount customer service coupled with paramount customer satisfaction. On the back of that premise Marcus Vesty opened The Abbey in 2009 to match that service quality excellence. To reiterate my twenty four hour contingency plan, first the primary stakeholders need to be identified. In the case of the Abbey and the Radicor the primary stakeholders affected by JohnTrevallin’s ill-fated review, are Marcus Vesty and the Radicor Hotel Darling Harbor’s Management and Operations team for this particular joint-profit venture. Let me get this out of the way Tom, even if the review by John Trevallin is particularly harsh and at some points droll; he is by no means a novice food critic as Miranda Caustin outlined in her interview. Despite your food and beverage manager, Richard Goh’s, view of Trevallin being a hack, this review is not personal. As you suspected there is evidence to suggest that standards have slipped since 2009, these will be touched on shortly. It is therefore crucial to reflect upon the original concept set forth by Marcus Vesty in 2009 upon the opening, for the twenty four hours post Trevallin’s review. Additionally, the active involvement of both stakeholders mentioned above, the Management and Operations team at the Radicor and Marcus Vesty, can we attempt to hemorrhage residual bleed effects from the review and put into action an immediate short-termed contingency plan. Chef Marcus Vesty’s initial concept was to bring a world class fusion, French-Asian, cuisine into a quality five star establishment. This aimed, from what I understand, at introducing a contemporary cuisine merging palates from the East and the West for guests wanting a luxury experience. From the review by Trevallin, I gather this concept floundered. As such we must focus our first twenty four hours on damage control. Let us assume that everything Trevallin has written is true for this one day period, our next step is to minimize damages to the reputation of the Radicor Hotel and The Abbey. The first step in our contingency plan is to get everyone on the same page. Ann Johnson (2013) of Demand Media outlines that the purpose of damage control is to ensure that the new public information, despite the fact that it’s negative connotations, brings about a positive opportunity for the organization. This is what needs to be done not only for the Abbey but the Radicor Hotel. If we play our hand correctly we have an opportunity to bring back and even surpass previous standards. Once people understand this we may move on. The second step in our damage control plan is to delegate a spokesperson to address the media, perhaps even Trevallin himself. Our spokesperson here must do several things; they must be transparent regarding the problem, they must know whom to address (in this case various food critics and relating social media), and they must deliver a statement outlining the criteria from which the problem may have arisen (Bitesize PR 2013), and lastly plans to rectify the issue. This short term action yields long term benefits. Some of the problems which may be addressed in the PR statement can be seen in my twenty four hour plan and here as well: ‘Herewith appear to be the most pressing matters; one, infective and inexperienced entrepreneurial leadership. Two, the dialectic nature between front of house and back of house, and three, a lack of general training motivation and direction in original concept. ’ Now I shall divulge onto you my complete analysis of the information that you have provided to me. Examining the bottom line factor (Weber Savitz 2006) the fact that Abbey lost its spot from being the second highest revenue earning outlet in 2009 to the 4th in 2011 is alarming in itself. A rough two hundred thousand dollar loss in takings, in two years, should have sounded the alarm bells for the Managing Directors and more importantly Marcus Vesty. This ties in significantly with the fact that the concept from opening of the Abbey in 2009 has since wallowed. The entrepreneurial and perhaps managerial aspects of the Abbey have waned resulting in poor standards of service (Parsa et al. 2005). This is reflective almost in its entirety upon the leadership of Executive Chef, Marcus Vesty as he is the owner. It is of utmost importance that the Executive Chef of any restaurant, especially in a luxury hotel, shows passion and commitment throughout ensuring that standards remain constant (Ramsay 2008: UKTV 2003). The loss of any cognizance relating to those standards is detrimental to the reputation of the primary chef and the hotel from which they operate. I agree with Richard that food critics should be aware that the Executive Chef is not always present in premiere restaurants; nevertheless customers attend Marcus Vesty at the Abbey not his Sous Chef- Dan Tambling at the Abbey. Case studies examining how other world class chefs like Gordon Ramsay earn several Michelin stars while writing, producing and acting may prove necessary and prudent for Marcus if he wants to maintain the repute of the Abbey and by extension- himself. Taste tests measuring standards of the Chefs prior and post openings are commonplace to ensure that the recipes served are exactly those which described or designed by the executive chef (UKTV 2003). Despite the fact that Marcus’ immediate staff enjoys working with him; this is a luxury business and should be treated as such. The standards of a luxury hotel are also reflected in the price list. Here is where a menu and wine list of the Abbey would have been useful. Regardless this is what I can deduce; Trevallin suggested that the wine list in particular was not reflective of the wine quality but was priced too high. The average expenditure at Darling Harbor is between 89$ to 120$ at restaurants, it would be beneficial (if the wine list is not of premiere quality) to reduce costs of wine reflecting its quality to make it seem more reasonable. From the food quality and satisfaction survey I can only deduce breakfast and drinks; surveys should include lunch and dinner surveys as well (something to think about to for future surveys). Secondly, the lack of leadership has led to discord between the front of house provided by the Radicor and Marcus’ Matrie’d Hotel and kitchen staff. Miranda Caustin pointed out that Trevallin is a well-known critic; as such, it is the responsibility of the Matrie’d Hotel to inform the chefs and the wait staff. The service Trevallin received, even though ‘well oiled,’ lacked a personal touch. Johnson (2004) surveyed that guests feel most valued, when the business conducted between them and an organization is seamless and easy, and especially when there is an addition of personal tailored flair. This lack of communication is excusable in mediocre restaurants but not those which claim to be one of Australia’s premiere fine dining establishments. Additionally poor wait staff performance could be attributed to confusion between the several guidelines and manuals you sent me. For example the ‘Abbey Front of House Procedure’ states to address guests along the lines of , ‘Hi my name is Joe welcome to the Abbey Restaurant’ opposed to the other guides which once again teach wait staff how to greet a guest, albeit more reflective of a fine dining service, in a different manner. Why are guides from the same establishment teaching two different ways to greet a guest? Tom, your Food and Beverage department must realize that in the contemporary workspace, casual work is increasing (Steers Sharipo 2004), wait staff are hugely reflective of that casual work environment. This once again ties into a lack of leadership by Marcus, but it would have been far more effective to have highly trained staff tailored to the vision set forth by Marcus, including food and beverage reflective of the Abbey. What Trevallin outlined is reflective of the haphazard and sometimes contradictory training guides that you have sent me, and their resulting performances coupled with poor leadership. In new light, we can use Trevallin’s review to spin a positive light for both the Abbey and Radicor. Darling Harbor at Sydney received over twenty five million visitors. Which has only grown since 2009, it would be safe to assume this growth is an ideal market for the Abbey and the Radicor. For the data you sent me, I can outline that the Abbey had missed its target. Additionally the reviews you sent me were not dated as such, it was difficult for me to deduce when a drop in service standards was seen; however, Trevallin’s review enables us to redefine the Radicor’s concept. The Radicor’s philosophy of team empowerment is clearly evident in the loyalty between staff (which I gathered from the interviews). However, this type of ‘T. E. A. M’ approach, albeit empowering staff, makes no mention about quality or customer care. For instance the Ritz Carlton’s (The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company 2013) motto is ‘We are Ladies and Gentlemen serving Ladies and Gentlemen. ’ This concept empowers staff and suggests extravagance for guests. The same must be applied to the Radicor and the Abbey. Without having a clear concept a restaurant shall surely fail (Ramsay 2007: Ramsay 2008). It is therefore imperative that Marcus call in his reins and address issues of concept and wait staff at the Abbey. Additionally it may prove useful to redesign the original concept using a market analysis of competitors such as the Lobby Lounge or The Promenade at Darling Harbor. The market analysis may also reveal that for the 18-31 age demographic which visits Darling Harbor, French Asian cuisine is not the most appealing. It could be advantageous to change cuisine to reflect local Australian produce resources (Ramsay 2007), perhaps seafood. In conjunction having a celebrity chef such as Marcus around, post re-launch will be in itself attractive and this could be used promotionally: ‘Dinner for two with Marcus Vesty at the Abbey, Radicor Hotel Darling Harbor. ’ Additional quality checks from Marcus can ensure that he maintains his standards whilst engaging in other activities. To conclude, Marcus Vesty, by repute can be the Radicor’s saving grace; however, it is vital that you understand that the Abbey does not exist without the Radicor Hotel. If these changes cannot be made, there are other up and coming chefs and veterans who would jump at the chance and locale of the Radicor Darling Harbor. It may be necessary to cut your losses to save the Radicor if Marcus is not on board with these indispensable changes. It is seven times more cost effective to retain one loyal guest than to find new ones (Laslhey Morrison 2000). One should keep this in mind if changes cannot be made. I would be very interested in what Marcus has to say to your subsequent feedback. This is an opportunity to start fresh, and restore the Radicor and the Abbey to their prime. Finally Tom, I implore you to see reason, Trevallin’s review is largely incontrovertible, action with haste is necessary. Your Friend,

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