Internship In Hotel Pak Continental Tourism Essay

The following internship report represents my learning and working experience, during my internship in Hotel Pak Continental. The report includes an overall glance of analysis of the hospitality industry and also the operational analysis of Hotel Pak Continental i.e. how they manage to do their work and complete their task in time.

This report is based on personal analysis of my abilities and also about what I have learned about personal ethics. The report includes my personal analysis of my abilities and also about what I have learnt so far about the professional ethics.

I chose hotel Pak continental Islamabad for doing my internship as I was interested to work in the hospitality/service sector and to learn that how different departments work in this sector. I had interest in working in the hospitality industry and this was also a big reason that why I had choose hotel to do my internship. I think that in my point of view there is a huge scope in the hotel industry in Pakistan as there are figure countable renowned hotels that are working in Pakistan. While working in the hotel I learn to manage it gave me a chance that how things are managed in a short notice and what circumstances are taken by the hotels to satisfy its clients and how guest complaints are entertained.

Doing my internship there it improved enhanced my exposure to meet and interacted communicate with different clients and used different tactics to satisfy them. As I worked in sales and marketing department, I experienced how two different departments are controlled operated under the supervision of a single person. Overall it was a wonderful very good experience for me to work in Hotel Pak continental.

Internship Letter

INTRODUCTION

Background of Hotel Industry:

The hotel business is quite rapidly flourishing divisions of the economy. The hotel industry solely is a multi-billion dollar and developing enterprise. It offers unlimited opportunities as well as it is an active and exciting field. The hotel industry is diversified in nature so it allow different people from different interest to work in various segments of the hotel at different The hotel industry is diverse enough for people to work in different areas of interest and still be employed within the hotel industry. This movement is not just in a single country, but all around the globe.

The hotel industry is a mature industry marked by intense competition. According to a survey today around 15% of working population of the world is engaged in the hospitality industry. Hotel today not only caters to the basic needs of the guest like food and shelter but in addition to that they also provide much more than that, like personalized services.

“Hotels today are a “Home away from home”.

Vision

To build trademark with defined, reliable product standards via extraordinary personalized packages, exceeding expectations, and creating a connection to our brand in the experiences we offer.

Mission

To accomplish our commercial objectives while certifying supreme quality and service to our clients.

Core values:

The following are the core values of Hotel Pak Continental.

Exceptional Service

Integrity

Respect

Continuous Improvement

Hotel Pak Continental is sort of a smaller luxury hotel designed to Satisfy the individual traveler seeking the privacy, Hotel Pak Continental the company’s smaller, luxury hotels designed to cater to the discriminating individual traveler seeking the privacy, personalized packages and elegance of a small Pakistani hotel. The owner of the hotel is Mr. HAJI GUL AFRIDI who is the Ex-senator. They offer a sense of reservation and indulgence. They provide exceptional food and beverages facilities, corporative environment, intimate and 24-hour personalized service. Since the opening of Hotel Pak Continental in 2003, Hotel Pak Continental has become known as a leader in the establishment and operation of dramatic luxury hotels. Hotel Pak Continental is a smaller, 3 star hotel. Hotel Pak Continental offers amenities of a 3 star hotel in room and has excellent food and beverage facilities and 24-hour personalized service.

Today, in the range of three star hotels, Hotel Pak Continental specifies in deluxe hotel including conference facilities and special services for the business traveler, HPC is operated in capital city of Pakistan, near airport and PIMS hospital and prominent resort area in Islamabad. Hotel Pak Continental has made a significant contribution to revitalizing the area and encouraging business.

Cataloguing & types of hotel

Hotel can be categorized into different categories or classes, founded on their operational standards. For example the type of housing they provide, location of the property, type of facilities provided, facilities given and the custom they provide to can help groups hotels today.

Economy hotel: It provides well-organized rationality private rooms with bath. The equipping and decor are acceptable to common of travelers. Food and drink service may or may not be obtainable.

First class hotels: They are extravagance hotels with excellent decor better than regular food and drink service, uniformed bell services. They often have 2 or 3 dining rooms, swimming pool, sanatoria etc.

Deluxe hotels: They are improved and offer more dedicated services than first class hotels. They also provide limousine facilities.

Traditional hotels: They have the basic idea of rooms with breakfast, bell desk facilities and the other usual amenities.

Motels: They are situated on highways. Guest is given space right outside their lodgings. The usually have a gas station / workshop involved to them.

Resorts: They are typically located in tourist sites like on rivers, foothills, forests, or the sea. They give more honor to sports proceedings freedom and re-creation events like achieves, tourism, venture sports, etc

Resident hotels: Where guest vacation for longer period, stay like weeks, months even years.

Casino hotels: They are hotels typically in traveller advertisements and mostly provide to people who are on holidays. Casino hotels like the name propose offer gaming services along with rooms.

Government Approved Hotels: These are the hotels, which power not have applied for star classification or small sufficient to find them in the list. Many of the nature remedies, cottages and hostels are government accepted providing a minimum level of housing services at far off places.

Commercial Hotels: These hotels bring largely to work-related customers and classically offer room facility, coffee-shop, eating room, cocktail living room, laundry and clean competence along with reception to PCs and fax accommodations.

Airport Hotels: They are located near to airports and are a appropriately situated to deliver any level of facility from just a fresh room to room service and they might deliver bus or limousine service to the air lines.

Conference Centers are planned to precisely deliver conference galaxy from clusters; they deliver all facilities and apparatus essential to grip agreements.

Economy Hotels deliver a incomplete facility and are known for clean rooms at low values conference just the undeveloped needs of tourists.

Suite or All-Suite Hotels are hotels which proposal expansive plan and project.  Business persons like the location which delivers galaxy to effort and amuse isolated from the bedroom.

Residential Hotels used to be very common.  The characteristic housing hotel proposals long term housings.

Casino Hotels are frequently fairly comfortable.  Their chief determination is in provision of the gaming process.  Nightclub hotels repeatedly proposal top name performing and outstanding restaurants. 

Resort Hotels are the deliberate terminus of visitors, usually travelers.  This is because recourses are situated at the marine or in the foothills absent from inner capitals.  Resort hotels may proposal any form of performing to keep their visitors pleased and eventful.

Size:

Hotels can be identified according to their size and the accommodation level they are offering to their customers. According to this some generally accepted sizes of the hotels in the world are

The Small Hotels: Contains up to 150 rooms.

The Medium Hotels: This range of hotels consists of 150 to 300 rooms.

The large Hotels: Starts room 300 to 600 rooms.

The Extra Large Hotels: More than 600 rooms

Awarding of class of the hotel:

When awarding of class of the hotel is done there are a couple of things and standards mentioned below are taken into concern while granting star category to any hotel.

How many rooms a hotel consist

Elegant and relaxed environment

Rooms competence

Sanitation and Hygienic environment

Staff size and expertise

Variety of services

Amount of Restaurants

Bars and Beverage services

Concierge services

Accessibility to entertainment

Availability of transportation

Spa and swimming pool facility

Reservation and referral services.

Star classification of hotels

To prize a hotel a star requires few exact critical criteria which must be achieved by the hotel and moreover the grading up stage is also done on the basis of attaining those values in bright. It can be said that the hotel standing is dependent on the procedures it take to content the client. The well recognized classifying of the hotel are done in costars which remain by way of tracks.

One star (*)

Two star (**)

Three star (***)

Four star (****)

Five star [*****]

Five star deluxe (***** deluxe)

One Star Group

The hotels with basic facilities, minor number of accommodations. These hotels are best when customer is looking for cheap available housing choice.

Two star categories

These hotels are mostly presented in the small cities and in specific parts of larger cities. These hotels deliver all basic services required for general lodging and offers lowest charges.

Three star categories:

Three star hotels are those which having good architectural landscapes and should be good parking facilities. At least 50 % of the rooms will be air conditioned also nice décor and having well trained staff. They should provide you hygiene and sanitation facilities.

Four star Categories

Rank below five star hotel but giving you Hi- Fi facilities are four star hotel, where travellers have a limited budget they use to go four star hotel. Quality of services as like five star hotels

Five star categories:

Five star groups are only chosen to belongings, which have all the potentials of a three star stuff and a few added. Similar the entire stuff must be fully cooled. The structure of the stuff must be an good-looking unique. All the lodgings must be roomy. The stuff must have good banqueting ability, commercial center. Good and well-maintained swimming pool and fitness club a sanatorium is elective

Five star deluxe categories:

There are just like as five star place having just difference in this is on large scale. Five star deluxe categories preserve a high trained staff to maintain a high level of services. They have 5 to 7 dining rooms, bar, 24-hour coffee shop, sanitations, banqueting services, fitness centers, business centers.

1.2 Objectives:

The objectives if the Hotel Pak Continental are

Establish and maintain high standards of leisure and comfort.

To satisfy customers by delivering quality service and through customization of quality products

1.3 Organizational structure

Pak continental organizational structure is as follows

G.M &

Administrator

Sales &

Marketing

Manager

Finance

Controller

House keeping

Manager

Food &

Beverage

Manager

Room service

Manager

Front desk

Assistant sales manager

Finance manager

Assist. Finance

Manager

Accountant

Supervisor

House keeping boys

Assistant

Manager

Captain

Day manager

Night manager

Assistant marketing manager

Waiters

Assistant Manager

Order Taker

Receptionist

Receptionist

Telephone operator

Bell boy

Telephone operator

Bell boy

1.3.1 Description of the departments

Food and Beverage F&B Department: F&B department deals with the services related to food and beverages. Diverse segments are there in F & B like Restaurants, Bar, Banquets, Specialty Restaurants, Coffee Shop, Room service etc. This department also provides Utility services (Cleaning).

Food Items Production Department: This department deals in the preparations of food items. This is mostly involved in the arrangement of those dishes, which the guests have ordered and then F and B department caters it.

Front Desk Office Department: The front Desk office undertakes the reservations, record keeping of guest’s accounts, and inspection of guests. Distribution of guestroom keys and post, memos or other info for guests are also tackled by the front desk managers.

Housekeeping Department: Housekeeping is responsible for the cleaning of guestrooms and public areas. This department contains the largest no of staff, which consists of an assistant housekeeper, linen area attendants, room inspectors, room attendants, a house person crew, and employee uniforms in charge. The laundry and valet gear may be only used for hotel linens and uniforms; they usually send guest clothing to a specialized and private service where it can be handled professionally.

Marketing Department: Sales and marketing plays vital role in the functions of the hotel business and is an important part of hospitality business. This department is involved in packaging for selling, sales promotion, and advertising. The marketing department is responsible of keeping the rooms occupied at a good price.

Finance/ Accounting Department: Accounting department manages many business transactions that occur, on daily basis. This department does more than just keeping books; it can also be called finance management, which is probably the right description of this department. However the control department handles cost control plans by way of decreasing in investment, decrease in operating cost, control of food service costs, beverage costs, and labor cost etc.

Administration Department: Top executive associates usually manage the Admin Department in the hotel. This department is accountable for work related with administration, employee’s wellbeing, health check and safety

1.4. Products and services

The hospitality industry covers a range of businesses that deliver services and amenities such as accommodation, food and beverage, entertainment, gaming and other products. Hotel Pak continental is a company of hospitality sector and mainly it’s is offering

products in term of food

services in terms of rooms and halls to stay and enjoy

Where these two main categories are further explained

Services

Events facilities at Hotel Pak Continental: HPC Islamabad has a number of halls for parties, marriages and conferences. Hotel’s dining and banqueting rooms are designed to offer maximum flexibility, together with up to date technical and lighting facilities. This certifies that even the most delicate event can be accommodated; the hotel also offers smaller private occasion.

Banqueting: No matter what the purpose or scale of the event, from the VIP breakfast for guests to a wedding ceremony. HPC is being able to host every possible dining and banqueting occasion at the greatest leisure and style. The customer can confidently trust the hotel’s highly qualified Banquet team, which can meet all their needs. This service, will ensure that the event is truly a memorable one.

Services: HPC provides complimentary airport shuttle service including travel desk facilities. HPC also have links with other hotels to all major international cities Within Pakistan, Pak Continental Hotel offers 4star deluxe service.

Other entertainment facilities: The hotel facilities are:

30 Channel Satellite TV

In-house movies

Fax machines in all suites

executive club’s rooms

International direct dialing

Exclusive electronic safes

Non-smoking floor

Centrally air-conditioned environment

Beauty Salon/Barber Shop

Shopping arcade

Rooms and residence: The 10 guest rooms comprising of 18 Executive suites, four super deluxe suites and 15 Executive Rooms are all designed to provide the utmost in comfort. All rooms are equipped with satellite television, in-house movies and modern amenities. In fact, every facet and facility required by the discerning traveler is catered to. The room division offers the ultimate in luxurious living with 24 hours in – house movies, satellite music and 30 channel satellite television networks.

Room Service operates round the clock caring for all the travelers’ needs. Fulfilling the smallest of requests to urgent needs, the room service assures in-house guests of the best quality of assistance. Personal facsimile machines are available in all suites and executive club’s rooms ensuring complete privacy and confidentiality. Business Centre & Secretarial Services are also available throughout the day and upto midnight.

Exclusive Executive: Business guest can also enjoys club facilities. The Executive Club offers special butler service and entrée to an Executive Club lounge where continental breakfast is served for the guests. Exclusive club offers refreshments and light snacks, through out the day.

Hotel Pak continental also entertain its customers by giving seasonal packages of

wedding

Ramadan

1.4.2. Products

Besides these the above services following facilities are available for the guests:

40 fully equipped rooms

Wedding hall Hina

Wedding hall Sana

Conference hall Arosa

Conference hall Chandni

Authorized Money Changer

Business Centre

In-House Doctor

Pharmacy

Car Rental.

Learning & experience

2.1. Finance Department:

The Finance Department in the business is one of the most significant sections, as it assistances in providing the financing and accounting data important to make numerous choices. However, this department has a part that contains a number of responsibilities.

Records Maintenance:

The finance Department is answerable for keeping record of all sales and investment spending at a business.

P&L Statement:

Another duty of the finance department is to deliver organization with a profit & loss statement that will display the overall strengths or weaknesses of a business.

Inform Executives:

Manager needs the most present facts to make the finest decision for their sections. The Finance department has a responsibility to deliver them with the maximum perfect and well-timed facts possible. This would contain information such as costs to create a product.

Financing:

The finance department shows an essential role in serving the business obtains the essential financing it requirements, how the money will be funded.

Consideration:

Finance department are a main part of all governments also businesses, such as universities, charities and governments and hospitality etc.

2.1.1. Limitations of the work:

There are some limitations which I faced during the Internship program, which are described as under:

The time period of (eight weeks) was too short for learning experience.

Staff members avoided to give all information. They kept most of the data secrets. So it was very difficult to collect the relevant information.

Manager and other staff members have their own task to do and it was a great problem for them to spend time with internee.

Lack of co-operation by some employees

Lack of accuracy of the relevant data.

The grade staff was not properly trained therefore they have not answered accurately.

Instead of all these difficulties I have completed this work with full cooperation of few managers specially Manager Mr. Ajaz Ahmed who provided most of the required data and information.

2.1.2. What I learnt during internship;

I learnt the answers of following questions during practical experience of internship

What is financial management

Why accounts are maintained

How payments are made

What is cash book

What is utility and importance of accounting information

Role of accounting information in policy making and planning of the organization

Arrangement of finances and making policy and principle of fruitful utilization of funds is financial management. Accounts are written record of receipt and payments. Keeping account is essential for preserving record of receipts and payments and providing accounting information to stakeholder and policy maker for planning and policy making. All payments are made after obtaining sanctions of competent authority and duly supported with vouchers. Payments are made through Cheque. To ensure the accuracy of account reconciliation of all payments and deposit in bank is made with bank on monthly basis. Following books of accounts are maintained.

Cash book

Ledger

Budget register

Register if income/receipt

Register of advances

2.2. Internship duration and Rational for Selection

My internship covers a period of 8 weeks starting from 27th of June, 2011 to 26th of August, 2011. As I have interest in in the field of marketing so it was a very experience for me to work in the Marketing department and was easy for me to understand various marketing and sales concepts and techniques which were practically used there. It was all over a new experience for me to use those methods to solve the tasks assigned to me. During my internship in the hotel I got a chance to practically apply my knowledge to solve the tasks. One of the reasons why I choose Hotel to do my internship was that in my point of view the hospitality industry has a huge scope in Pakistan. It is a diamond mine waiting to be explored.

Task performed in finance department

I learnt the answers of following questions during practical experience of internship

What is financial management

Why accounts are maintained

How payments are made

What is cash book

What is utility and importance of accounting information

Role of accounting information in policy making and planning of the organization

Arrangement of finances and making policy and principle of fruitful utilization of funds is financial management. Accounts are written record of receipt and payments. Keeping account is essential for preserving record of receipts and payments and providing accounting information to CEO and policy maker for planning and policy making. All payments are made after obtaining approvals of competent authority and correctly supported with vouchers. Payments are made through Cheque and cash. To ensure the accuracy of account reconciliation of all payments and deposit in bank is made with bank on monthly basis. Following books of accounts are maintained. Cash book

Ledger

Budget register

Register if income/receipt

Register of advances

Task performed in the sales and marketing department:

I have performed almost all the tasks at sales and marketing department. The description of job which was provided at orientation (start of the internship) time was consisting of the following tasks which I had performed there:

Sales visits.

During the internship I visited various organizations in which we were visiting for the first time and some of them were our clients and we visited them just for the courtesy so that they may visit the hotel soon and give it some business.

The learning point in this task was the convincing discussion we had gone through with the clients and I got a chance to get an idea how to use different tactics to get a business.

Marketing visits:

With the manager and sometimes with his assistant we visited the market to analyse the ways to attract new customers. As Ramadan was heading in August so in order to launch the Ramadan scheme we visited the market to get an idea what other hotels were offering.

Sales Calls

In the mean time of my internship I also got the training of making sales calls. It was interesting in a way that we call to new companies and discuss with them our products and services and the best part was the patience required for making the customer to get agree to avail our product. Most of the times it happened that the customer agreed on the phone and when we made a sales visit it totally refused our offer.

Courtesy calls.

In the internship I was also trained to make courtesy calls in order to retain our old customers and to tell them about any new package which we were going to launch in the future.

Customer record, billing and recovery:

This was the part of my internship which was directly related to my MBA. As I am a finance student so I also got the training of:

maintaining the customer record

issuing them letters for the outstanding of their accounts with us

recovery calls and visits

recovering the amounts

reminder letters

By doing all the above said tasks I learned a lot about how to move in the organization and how to work in the tensed environment. Before doing the internship I had no idea how the courtesy is used and how this is difficult to make any organization our customer. The tasks which I performed there in the hotel were a bit different which we are taught. For instance sales and marketing are two separate departments in the books but in reality both departments are working under one head.

I learned how to use my patience and how to make a new company client of the hotel. The biggest key point I learned was the presentation of myself in front of executives of the organization. Recovery of the outstanding amounts and giving discounts also help me in increasing my information that how all these things are done in the real business life.

2.3 SWOT Analysis of Pak Continental Hotel

SWOT MATX

Strengths

Weaknesses

Opportunities

Threats

Strengths

Became a strong and established brand name in a limited tenure of 9 years

It is near to Islamabad air port about 15 minutes drive.

Have a bright name in the category of 3 star hotels in Islamabad

Using banquet facilities with complete range of audio- visual equipments.

Giving catering services at your door step.

24/7 doctor available on a single call.

Standby generator for facing the power shortage in the country.

Spacious car parking, rent a car service and tour information services.

They also have lift facility

Weaknesses

The site of the hotel can be said as a weakness for the hotel. As it is situated in a market yet the area is surrounded by motor workshops and a car showroom which is a point customer hesitate to come to the hotel.

Another weakness can be its short time period of existence in the sector of hospitality where there are people sitting for more than 40 years.

Limited room space can be said another weakness for the hotel. With the emergence of other hotels of same category like Envoy continental hotel Pak continental need to look upon in increase their residence facilities but they are bound not to do it because of cost and space constraints.

Opportunities

By introducing more packages like wedding and for Ramadan Pak continental can increase its customer ship.

By introducing memberships for the business as well as for general public the hotel can increase its business.

By making affiliations and doing contracts with renowned boutiques and and dress designers it can arrange events which will attract the customers and will help in increase in the market share of the hotel.

With sponsoring different local events like Basant and musical nights the hotel worth will increase in the eye of public which will help it to increase in the profits.

Some special packages introduction in the hotel products like giving discounts to the newly wed couple and on birthday parties will increase the customer ship of the hotel.

Threats

Increasing competition can be said a vital threat for the hotel as new hotel like opening of hotel De Pape’, Rose garden and Envoy continental which are situated in the same region are a threat for Pak continental.

lawlessness due to the suicide bombing in the recent years have adversely effect the tourism sector causing decreasing in the business of hotels.

As Pak continental is a three star hotel and it has already a limited market and due to the global economic recession the buying power of the customer has decreased affecting the hotel industry adversely.

Recommendations

After this comprehensive report on the hospitality sector, I came up with some suggestions for Pak continental hotel to tackle with the existing conditions and as well as to cope with the merging competitors in the sector.

Pak continental should enhance its business by introducing new products

Hotel should give time to time promotions to retain its customers.

It should also consider the restaurants one of its competitors

New hall and lobbies should be constructed.

Human resource management is the merging new sector in the world and the hotel is lacking in the department so it should introduce a H.R department in it so that the optimal use of the employees can be made.

There is a deficiency observed in the hotel about training its employees and conducting work shops to enhance their working capabilities. HPC higher authority should also consider employee training in their near future plans

Conclusion

I would like to conclude that I have been given a great opportunity in my to work in a the hospitality sector, and in a private organization. While learning and gaining a professional experience, I enjoyed there and it was the time when I felt independent, confident, responsible and realized my decision making power.

The aim of my internship was to get a practical experience and exposure the difference between the theoretical things and the practical implementation of them. I have exercised what I have learned during my MBA. I have learned that how organizations are different and how they are compete each other on the cut t