A hotel has and had a series of walk-outs, which have become the main topic of conversation at departmental management meetings. The most recent has been investigated fairly thoroughly, and the following facts have emerged. The clients (a couple and three children) checked out in one evening at around 9:30pm. They were chance bookings, but the receptionist took a deposit for the first night’s accommodation and tax. When the morning shift arrived they enter the booking onto the computer, since it had not been done the night before. At 5:00am the housekeeper reported that they had not vacated the room, so a message was left on the system for them to call reception. The hotel was not full, so it was not really a problem. When the family arrived backed in, they called reception, and said they wanted to stay until the weekend, so their stay was extended, and all the departments were advised of the departure date. The hall porter reported that they had been very friendly, had been on several trips, and always appeared very pleasant. The restaurant staff said they always added a tip when they signed the bill, and most staff were eager were eager to serve them. The housekeeper said the room was usually quite tidy, although they had very little luggage for a relatively large family, who were staying (she was told) until the end of the month. In public relations they were anxious to please this family, since he worked for a well-known company, whose business would be a great asset to the hotel if they could get this client to recommend them. The bar manager reported that, ‘The gentleman liked a drink, but never brought the children down. He usually sent them and his wife something upstairs and put it on the bill.’ By the time the family walked out they had accumulated a large bill and several different stories had grown up around them. Tasks (20 pts.) 1.1 List the departments that were at fault in this scenario. 1.2 Write a report for the general manager explaining how this could have happened. 1.3 List the departments that were not involved but should have been. 1.4 Outline ways in which this situation could be avoided again.
