Resort Management

  • Post last modified:17 December 2021
  • Reading time:20 mins read
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Introduction to Resort Management

Resort management is part of the hospitality and lodging industry. There are often different types of managers within a hotel or resort, including those who oversee food and beverage, maintenance and activities departments.

In a large resort, a general manager may be in charge of all operations while overseeing various other managers, like those in the front office. In a small resort, the general manager may be required to oversee most of a facility’s departments. Resort managers must be familiar with all aspects of the industry; most have a significant amount of hospitality experience.

Evolution of Resorts

Resorts mean different things to different people. For some, a resort merely must provide relaxation and recreation. Others may want a resort to improve health and well-being, or require beautiful surroundings and the highest quality of food, entertainment and service. The resort industry has evolved to meet this diverse set of needs, balancing basic amenities with new and changing facilities, services and experiences.

Traditional Resorts

Historically, the most famous resorts in North America were free-standing properties, such as the Greenbrier in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia, and the Arizona Biltmore. Most of these grand old resorts were built by wealthy individuals or railroad companies and offered a wide variety of recreational amenities with little commercial activity or real estate offerings. Subject to highly seasonal occupancies, they often were closed during a large part of the year.

Mega Resorts

In the past eight years, a new type of resort has entered the marketplace – mega resorts or fantasy resorts. These are best exemplified by Chris Hemmeter’s resorts in Hawaii (Hyatt Regency Waikaloa, for instance) and the Disney and Hyatt Grand Cypress hotels in Orlando, Fla.

These resorts combine lodging, meeting facilities and an array of amenities and activities, many with fantasy themes. Capital and operating costs thus are extremely high, requiring high room rates and occupancies throughout the year. The Orlando resorts have tapped a strong year-round market, but those in Hawaii have not been as successful.

Despite their attraction, the long-range viability of the more elaborate of these resorts is in question.

Boutique Resorts

For the market segment that does not like big resort hotels, a strongly emerging product is the small boutique resort hotel that caters to the high-end of the market and emphasizes service, quality and privacy. Boutique resorts, such as the Ventana Inn in Big Sur, California, and the Jumby Bay on Antigua, have 50 to 100 rooms and serve select markets.

Boutique resorts target upscale individual travellers and small business meetings. They tend to focus on lodging and related amenities, with limited shopping and residential development. They do not try to provide “everything to everyone”, but rather promote a mystique and market niche.


Resorts and Traditional Hotels

Although the major national and international hotel chains were slow to enter the resort market, they are now the dominant players in large resorts. However, there are significant differences between operating a resort and a traditional hotel in a major urban center.

Resorts cost more to build than traditional hotels, but they generate more revenue from longer guest stays, higher occupancy rates and other on-site services.

In 1990, occupancy rates for the top 25 resorts averaged 76 per cent, compared to 71 per cent for the top quartile of traditional, full-service hotels, according to a study by Pannell Kerr Forster. Room rates averaged $136 per night in those resorts versus $94 in traditional hotels, while resorts’ net operating income as a percentage of total revenues was 30 per cent higher.

Other primary differences include:

  • Occupancy: Traditional hotels typically cater to weekday travelers and thus face an occupancy threshold they cannot surpass without penetrating the weekend-meeting or FIT-getaway markets. Resorts, on the other hand, face strong seasonal fluctuations in occupancy. Good properties can achieve occupancies of 80 percent or higher during a majority of their peak operating seasons.

  • Rates: Traditional hotels provide deep discounts on the weekends, whereas resorts are inclined to do just the opposite. During off-seasons and “shoulder” seasons (typically the fall and spring months), resorts also may offer rates at almost half those of the peak season, often along with inducements traditional hotels typically cannot provide.

  • Retail Shops: Traditional hotels typically achieve limited retail sales, mainly of convenience items. Resorts, however, offer souvenirs, arts and crafts, designer resort wear and logo items, which help their retail departments contribute more to the bottom line.

  • Food and Drink: Resorts can achieve much higher per capita food and beverage revenues than traditional hotels. This is due to menu pricing, the greater number of meals captured on-site and the higher occupancy per room.

  • Amenities: Traditional-hotel amenities typically are limited to an exercise room, pool and the concierge’s ability to arrange off-site activities. A resort provides a wide range of amenities, such as golf and tennis, that can be major revenue generators. Golf, in particular, has been a primary reason why resorts have attracted business meetings.

Trends in Resort Facilities and Services

To thrive in an increasingly segmented market, resorts will have to focus on amenities and services. Some major trends in facilities and services are described below.

Health Spas and Fitness Facilities

With people more concerned than ever before with health and well-being, it is not surprising that fitness facilities are now considered a basic amenity for resort and hotel properties. Some resorts are adding on-site health spas to complement existing fitness centres.

Health spas pamper guests while offering educational and medical programs designed to monitor health and guide nutritional habits. Some even offer holistic, “New Age” programs like yoga, acupuncture and meditation. Spas have higher capital and payroll costs than fitness centres and also require highly skilled personnel.

Soft Adventure Programs

Many new and larger resorts have begun to provide a variety of off-site excursions for guests who want more adventure and fantasy than traditional resort activities offer. These “soft” adventures—white-water rafting, three-day hikes, wild-game hunting—typically require guides and provisions and include some element of thrill.

Gaming

Casino gaming is spreading across the U.S. as state and local governments legalize such operations to generate tax revenue. More than a dozen states already allow some form of casino gaming on land or water.

Gaming in a resort setting has become more common as existing casino operations have developed resort facilities to broaden their market appeal. However, the proliferation of casino gaming may reduce its appeal as a tourist draw.


Departments in Resorts

Corporate Marketing

This team is responsible for promoting Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts as the premier luxury hotel and resort provider through marketing communications, branding, public relations, web marketing, sales, direct marketing and market research, in partnership with hotel and resort marketing teams.

Worldwide Reservations Office

Reservations office provides round-the-clock reservations services to business and leisure travellers around the world. It also manages the global distribution systems for all hotels and resorts, provides direction on pricing, merchandising and revenue management, and processes reservations through toll-free voice services, e-mail, global electronic systems including fourseasons.com and the airline systems.

The group also supports the worldwide Four Seasons gift card programme and leads management for Four Seasons residences and guest recognition efforts of our hotels and resorts.

Design and Construction

This team is the brain child behind the design and construction of all new hotels, resorts and Residence Clubs, as well as major renovations for existing properties. They work with hotel owners to ensure compliance with defined Four Seasons standards and review acquisition opportunities and engineering standards for all properties.

Finance

This is backbone of the entire organization.Here, planning and reviewing of short- and long-term financial strategies are carried out to ensure the financial stability of the company. As well, regular financial maintenance and in-depth reporting and analysis are carried out to project future trends. The Finance group oversees Corporate Finance and Treasury, Accounting, Operations Finance and Tax Planning.

Human Resources

The HR team provide a wide range of support for employees worldwide in the following areas: compensation and benefits, learning and career development, recruitment support through college recruitment and succession planning and HR programming for Corporate employees worldwide.

Information Systems and Technology

This group manages the information technology needs for our hotels, Corporate Office, remote/satellite offices, and Residence Clubs worldwide. They also oversee the IT strategy for the organisation, manage the operational side of information technology and create new applications.

Legal

The team of professional lawyers and advisors negotiates and prepares the necessary documentation for all major property acquisitions, divestitures and restructuring initiatives. They also assist with purchase and sale financing transactions relating to our existing hotel agreements.

Operations

The Operations team establishes, implements and monitors operating policies, procedures, systems and standards for all hotels and resorts worldwide in the areas of guest experience, food and beverage and rooms. They continually assess trends and competitive industry practices and ensure effective communication with owner representatives.

Housekeeping supervisor

The Housekeeping Supervisor leads and manages housekeeping department to ensure clean, orderly, and attractive conditions of the South Beach Casino for all guests, patrons and visitors by performing a series of duties personally or through subordinate team members, casino housekeepers.

The Housekeeper in the Kitchen is responsible for keeping the Kitchen area in a clean and orderly condition while following all guidelines set by Executive Chef. Ensures all equipment is properly cleaned when kitchen is closed and assist dishwasher when needed.

Laundry Attendent

The laundry attendant is responsible for processing all hotel linen from washing to folding. Additionally, the laundry attendant maybe called upon to assist with laundry pick up from rooms or floors involving direct customer service to guests


Food and Beverage Manager

Food and beverage managers are responsible for overseeing the operational aspects of a restaurant or food service establishment. From the hiring and training of personnel to ordering supplies, food and beverage managers assume a variety of responsibilities within a fast-paced food service environment.

Work hours are often long, and managers must sometimes deal with difficult employees and demanding customers. However, these workers typically work full-time schedules within a comfortable restaurant atmosphere.

Casino Manger

Casino managers, also known as gaming managers, are responsible for the daily management of the casino floor. This includes hiring and firing employees, managing money and games, ensuring that gaming regulations and laws are followed and assisting high-profile customers.

Education requirements vary by casino, but most gaming managers need to have at least completed high school. Work experience in the industry is also important. Casino managers typically need to earn state licensure.

Spa Manager

Spa managers are in charge of spas that can be found in a variety of locations and settings, such as health clubs, cruise ships, resorts, mineral springs and hotels. Spas offer a broad range of health and beauty treatments that can include cosmetic procedures, massage, facials, waxing, aromatherapy and steam baths.

There are no specific requirements for spa managers; however, most employers may prefer a formal education. Spa managers are responsible for the day-to-day operations of health or beauty spas. They manage a spa’s finances, employees and services. Spas can differ greatly in size, from small privately-owned boutiques to large health spas located in resorts and hotels.

Support Services Department

Support Services is responsible for keeping the premises of South Beach Casino & Resort in a clean, orderly condition for overall customer satisfaction as well as the overall Health and Safety of all visitors, guests and employees.

This is achieved by having diverse team of Housekeepers, Groundskeepers, Maintenance Technicians, Room Attendants, Laundry Attendants, Lobby Attendants and Security Officers that ensure our facility is running smoothly.

Duties and responsibilities in resort management

  • Promotes positive customer relations by providing prompt, courteous and efficient service to all patrons and guests

  • Endorses, sells and markets current promotions and upcoming activities with present patrons as well as potential patrons

  • Acts as liaison for all functions and locations within the Resort

  • Listens to customer complaints and resolves problems to restore and promote good public relations for ultimate customer satisfaction

  • Creates, updates and edits players memberships

  • Serves beverages

  • Assists with jackpot payouts and provides patrons with copies of any required documents

  • Carries out guest operations of registration, rooming lists, check-outs and reservations

  • Supports the Banquet department for overall customer satisfaction

  • Updates and communicates with Supervisor and Manager on all key issues or concerns that effect overall customer satisfaction

  • Ensures guest confidentiality at all times

  • Performs other duties as deemed necessary

Promotes positive customer relations by providing prompt, courteous and efficient service to all patrons and guests

  • Cleans gaming floor, bathrooms, hotel lobby, hotel rooms and back offices

  • Empties and cleans wastebaskets and transports waste to disposal area

  • Replenishes bathroom supplies, and replaces light bulbs

  • Maintains and repairs resort including plumbing, electrical, heating, cooling or ventilation systems, machinery and landscaping

  • Respond to service calls and conducts routine inspections

  • Ensures property ensuring a pleasant looking atmosphere, inside and outside

  • Sustains constant vigilance to ensure the safety of patrons, employees and resort assets

  • Performs other duties as deemed necessary

Responsibilities of Operations Manager

  • Knowledge in Statutory and legal matters, analytical skill, managerial skill, budjeting and forecasting, industrial knowledge, Communication skill, ability to manage contingencies,

  • to over see entire operation of all F&B departments

  • Provide strategic direction to the departmental head’s on the ongoing basis

  • Finalize the operational budgets and monitor the same

  • Conduct periodic review along with the departmental head

  • Planning, organizing,directing & controlling of work

  • To make one complete team, to make them believe that we are a team and we all need to play a Significant role in making our organization as a profit oriented center

  • Motivating the stafff or multi tasking job

  • Setting the target and motivating the staff to perform their level best. Setting the standard operating procedure and check that all the team member for following that Procedure.

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