Hotel Variability

One of the characteristic of service like variability services are highly variable due to service quality depends on who provides, where and when they are provided. Variability is opposite meaning of consistently which mean no fixed pattern and hard to change or control. Variability is a negative attribute for a hotel because it can be defined as risk and uncertainty. To avoid any barriers to hotel’s operation, it is important to identify types of customer variability and then create strategies to manage variability

Four Seasons Hotel uses reduction strategy to deal with arrival variability by offering room reservation services. It requires guest to make room appointments or reservation first due to people will not want the service at the same

This enables to attract more guests to visit their hotel and help the guest to enjoy great value on their trip to Hong Kong. For example, Four Seasons Hotel can provide off-peak pricing to let the guest book early at least 30 days in advance to enjoy 15% off hotel room rate. The guest can also stay at Four Seasons Hotel for 2 or more nights to enjoy 10% off best available rate.

The hotel also uses reduction strategy to deal with request variability by designing the menu of In-Room Dining. The purpose of menu is to limit the range of what customers ask for in the service. The unlimited range of orders will make harder the operations and it would be the barrier for hotel to provide meals in consistent quality at fixed cost. For example, guests of Four Seasons Hotel are only allowed to order their meals according to menus provided in menu such as Children 's menu, Express menu, Breakfast, All-day dining, Dinner and Late-night

The guest’s requirements can vary widely so the hotel must have flexible operation system to provide many types of facilities. For example, Four Seasons Hotel provides variety of facilities such as swimming pool, fitness facilities, children’s amenities, executive club, non-smoking floor, internet access and so on. Some guests might having family trips and some might having business or company’s trips. The different types of guest can find out the ideal types of room that suits them the most according to the variety of facilities provided.

The hotel can deal with service variability by increasing the communication with guest. What the guest’s expected will not always same with what the service actually provided. For example, Four Seasons Hotel only provides spa services for guest ages 15 and older to enjoy massage treatments. Some guest might think there is no spa service for those under age of 15. Actually massage treatment for children ages 12 to 15 is provided if parents or adults are present with them. The staffs of Four Seasons Hotel can communicate to guest by define it verbally, printed on spa’s menu or state on