In Tray Exercise 1

Practice
In-Tray
Exercise
Rest Well Lodges
June 2011
AssessmentDay
Practice Aptitude Tests
Instructions
Please read the instructions on this page, then turn over the page to begin the exercise.
Your assistant has left 13 items (documents) on your desk marked for your attention. These
appear in a variety of formats including emails, letters, reports and web pages, just as you would
use in an office environment. Some of these items may appear to describe isolated issues, while
others link to one or more of the other items. A summary listing each item is provided for you on
a subsequent page.
You need to review each item and then need to provide the following:
-
A list of actions, written in brief, which include your analysis of the key issues in each of
the 13 items.
The priority that you would assign for dealing with each item. Please use these 3
categories: high priority, medium priority, and low priority. When determining these, a
balance needs to be struck between urgent tasks (that need to be completed as soon as
possible) and important tasks (that have a high impact on the business).
Please include who should be involved. For example, if you want to forward an item to a
colleague, or if you want to call a meeting.
You have 90 minutes in which to complete this task. You are strongly advised to spend the first
5-10 minutes reviewing the documents as a whole before considering actions pertaining to each
item. There is a template at the end of this file for you to enter your Actions and Priority Ratings.
The exercise begins on the next page.
______________________________________________
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Background Information
Role
Your name is Pat Rawlings and you joined Rest Well Lodges through its Graduate Trainee
Programme. As the companys top-performing Graduate Trainee you were appointed to a
Assistant Manager position in London at one of the chains flagship hotels. Your rapid ascent has
continued and you have just been appointed as General Manager of a struggling Rest Well
Lodges outlet in Watlington. The outlet has been given 6 months to increase its profitability or it
faces closure.
Rest Well Lodges is a chain of mid-range hotels that has suffered over recent years due to the
proliferation of value hotel chains and the high levels of competition at both the high and low
ends of the hospitality industry. Furthermore, the rise of the gastro pub has affected profits from
external customers using hotel restaurant facilities.
Rest Well Lodges has been slow to pick-up on trends in hospitality, such as outsourcing and
online check-in. This is particularly true of the smaller Rest Well Lodges outlets. Each outlet is
run relatively independently from Head Office although each is expected to adhere to brand
values.
Your immediate team consists of the Restaurant Manager and the Hotel Manager; each of whom
supervises three Team Leaders. You have overall responsibility for all hotel functions, including
reception, housekeeping, and the restaurants front of house and back of house functions. You
and your colleagues also deal with a range of external suppliers.
Managing the Watlington outlet is just the opportunity that you have been waiting for. This is your
chance to hone your leadership and problem-solving skills and to put your managerial training
and experience into practice. You have the Area Managers authority to take whatever decisions
you feel are necessary. She has asked for regular updates, so you are advised not to defer any
important issues.
Today is the 26th July 2010 your first day as General Manager of the Watlington hotel.
_______________________________________________

Summary of documents: Document number and Title

Doc
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
Document Title
Organisation chart
Area Manager introduction
Rest Well Lodges website pages
Customer complaint
Email chain between Chef and Restaurant Manager
Excerpts from half-yearly Financial Report
Business articles
Appraisal data
Hotel Customer Satisfaction Survey results
Meeting minutes
Email chain between Team Leaders
Reception staff rota
Performance statistics from Operations Director

Item 1 - Organisation Chart
Chris Mayfield
Area Manager
You,
General
Manager
Susie Desai,
Watlington Rest Well Lodges
Hotel Manager
Justin Seales,
Reception
Team Leader
& team of 8
Kasia Nowak,
Housekeeping
Team Leader
& team of 12
Linda Peters,
Room Service
Team Leader
& team of 4
Nikki Phillips,
Front of House
Team Leader
& team of 12
Brian Parker,
Restaurant
Manager
Paolo Diaz
Chef
Marie Kelly,
Sous Chef
Adam Adeyemi,
Back of House
Team Leader
& team of 8 waiters
Item 2 Area Manager Introduction
CONFIDENTIAL
To:
Pat Rawlings
From: Chris Mayfield, Area Manager (Southern Region)
Date: 25th July 2010
Re: General Manager - Watlington
Good to have you on-board! Our Watlington hotel has been part of my Region for
many years and Im sure that you will find the team there to be a friendly and
dedicated lot. Susie and Brian, in particular, are looking forward to meeting you.
The current economic climate is forcing Rest Well Lodges to make some difficult
choices over the next few months. Head Office have been clear about the need to
cut costs at each of our outlets. To reiterate what we explained at interview, your
target is to turn financial performance around over the next 6 months. Making our
Watlington outlet viable means increasing profits and thinking of ways to reduce
staff costs. Furthermore, Watlington only just squeaked through its Food Hygiene
Inspection last month. Im sure you do not need reminding that compliance with
health and safety regulations is essential to our brand.
Although our goal is to reduce costs, we cannot do so at the expense of customer
service or health and safety. Rest Well Lodges is committed to providing a satisfying
experience for everyone who stays with us. We also listen to new ideas; only by
innovating at each of our hotel outlets can the company grow as a whole. I welcome
your ideas for any local or regional/national initiatives for attracting more income.
There is a central fund of money available to finance ideas that drive business
development. However, any requests will need to be backed up by a strong business
case for a potential increase in revenue. Your predecessor, Stuart King, managed
Watlington with a steady hand for many years before retiring, but in recent years
income has declined. Stuart was a traditionalist, and wouldnt consider marketing via
the Internet.
One other point is that you may find some of the staff a little demoralised, mainly
due to the recent high levels of staff turnover at Watlington. In particular, the Hotel
Manager, Susie Desai, was disappointed not to be offered the General Manager
position.
I will be in Watlington next Wednesday. I suggest we meet then, and you can
update me on your progress.
Chris
Chris Mayfield
Area Manager
Item 3 Rest Well Lodges Website Pages
Rest Well Lodges

About Us
Our Brand Values
Careers at Rest Well Lodges
What We Look For
About Us
The first Rest Well Lodge opened in 1972 in Bournemouth, catering to families of
holidaymakers. Today there are 180 Rest Well Lodges in the UK in a range of terrific
locations, so youll never be far from one when you travel for business or for pleasure. As the
UKs leading mid-market hotel brand, we are dedicated to making your stay comfortable and
welcoming. At all of our outlets you will receive a warm local welcome accompanied by
universally high standards of accommodation. Last year we began an extensive renovation
programme, and will be updating many of our locations with contemporary dcor.
Our Brand Values

Quality
From the mattresses on our beds to the shampoo in our showers we believe that quality
makes Rest Well Lodges special. Our on-site Eat Well restaurants offer delicious, quality
ingredients, prepared to a high standard.
Comfort
At Rest Well Lodges, we aim to provide you with everything you need to get a good nights
sleep when you are away from home. Need an extra pillow? Forgot your toothbrush? No
worries just ask our housekeeping team.
Affordability
These days, we know our customers are watching every penny. Rest Well Lodges believes
in fair pricing we offer excellent quality at an affordable price, so that you can spend more
on enjoying your visit.
Service
The Rest Well Lodges brand is dedicated to providing superior service. Our helpful, efficient
staff will go the extra mile for all our guests, and are committed to delivering fast, friendly
service with a smile.
Careers at Rest Well Lodges

Are you interested in working for one of the UKs leading hospitality providers? Rest Well
Lodges runs a two-year graduate trainee scheme, offering full management training and a
fast track to a career in hospitality.
What we look for:
Leadership potential
Ability to motivate others
Desire to offer the best service possible
Passion for the hospitality industry
Interest in innovation
Home | Terms & Conditions | Contact Us

Item 3 continued
Watlington Rest Well Lodge

Welcome
Hotel Facilities
Room Facilities
Room Types
Welcome to the Rest Well Lodge, Watlington

We look forward to welcoming you to Watlington. Our hotel is conveniently located only 5
miles from the M40 motorway, so you will be ideally placed to enjoy the lovely surrounding
countryside, and our lively town centre. After a busy day of sightseeing, we invite you and
your family to relax and dine at our delicious Eat Well restaurant.
Hotel Facilities
Concierge
24-hour reception
Early check-in
Late check-out
Lounge
Fitness centre
Swimming pool
Laundry service
Full-service restaurant
Function room
Conference rooms
Business centre
Wi Fi
24-hour room service
Free parking
Play area
X

X
X

X

(closed pending essential repairs)
X
X

Room Facilities
En-suite bathroom
Colour TV
Minibar
Tea and coffee facilities
Air conditioning
Direct dial telephone
Toiletries
Safe
Trouser press
Wi Fi
Baby cots
Newspaper

X
X

X
Room types
Family suites
Standard double
Standard single
Handicap accessible
15
60
15
10
Home | Terms & Conditions | Contact Us

Item 4 Customer Complaint

General Manager
Rest Well Lodge
58 Fosse Way
Watlington
21 April 2010
Dear Sir
I recently stayed three nights at the Rest Well Lodge, Watlington while on business in
the area. I chose your hotel because I assumed it would be a cut above the many budget
hotel chains that offer cheaper room rates. Unfortunately, I felt very disappointed with the
level of service offered to business travellers such as myself.
When booking my room, I was assured that the hotel had Wi-Fi, but discovered on arrival
that it was only available in the lobby and not in the guest rooms. I thus had to work in
the evenings in a noisy and rather shabby lobby. I also felt that the reception staff did not
go out of their way to assist me when I requested directions and restaurant
recommendations. The long queues to speak to the reception staff were extremely
frustrating, particularly when I was rushing to morning meetings. On my last
morning, I had to wait nearly twenty minutes before I could check out because only one
person was manning the desk at what must surely have been the busiest time of day. I
cannot fault the quality of the food at your Eat Well restaurant. However, with my early
start I would have preferred a self-service breakfast option that I could take-away with me.
In future when I return to the Watlington area I will be choosing a different hotel one
that caters to an executives needs.
Best regards,
John Powell
John Powell
Sales Director, Tech Solutions Ltd

Item 5 Email chain between Chef and Restaurant Manager

From:
To:
CC:
Date:
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
20th July 15:06
Subject:
specials
Terrific theres no shortage of ideas there. Lets talk these over

when Pat starts. We need to focus on changes that will attract local
customers into the restaurant. Have you given any thought to
updating the childrens menu, like I asked last week?
Regards,
Brian
From:
To:
Date:
[email protected]
[email protected]
20th July 14:11
Subject:
specials
Brian
Glad the steak went down well with the punters. Did you know
that we ran out of beef on Friday night? We had to do an
express butchers order to re-stock for Saturday and Sunday
bit pricy, Im afraid.
This really isnt the ideal time to run a deep clean back of
house is short-staffed at the moment. Im sure Adam can get in
some temp cleaners quickly, as long as you dont mind turning
a blind eye about work permits. The last lot he got in didnt
speak much English, so they may not have had health and safety
training.
Marie and I have been busy developing new recipes and menu
ideas. I know Stuart wasnt keen on running theme nights, but
could we look at it again with the new manager? I love the
idea of a mid-week curry night my jalfrezi is out of this
world! A Friday fish and chips special might also be fun. And
tapas is very hot in London right now how about a special
gourmet Spanish tasting menu? Korean barbecue is also very
trendy in London, but wed need to install charcoal grills at
every table. I can get a quote if you are interested. Have you
given any thought to my request to install an industrial woodfired pizza oven? I know 5,500 is a lot, but the pizzas would
be really tasty and authentic. Cheers,
Paolo

Item 5 Continued
From:
To:
Date:
[email protected]
[email protected]
20th July 13:13
Subject:
deep clean
I just wanted to let you know that the steak special we ran last
weekend was a big success. Many customers mentioned how delicious it
was! Well done! We had a few complaints that it was served cold, but
I know that wasnt the kitchens fault Nikki had too few waiters
working over the weekend.
By the way, we really need to schedule a deep clean of the kitchen.
We got called up on a number of points in the Food Hygiene report
last month, and need to rectify them ASAP as the inspectors could
return any time.
Best,
Brian

10
Item 6 Excerpts from Half-Yearly Financial Report (Jan-June 2010)

TABLE 12 Occupancy levels (Watlington)
National
Average
(all UK
hotels)
Rest Well
Lodges
Occupancy weekend
64.7%
62.9%
Occupancy
weekday
60.2%
Average daily
room rate
74
Watlington
outlet
Competitor Hotel Chain

Starfun
Inns
Peakbreak
Hotels
63.5%
65.4%
63.9%
57.8%
47.2%
63.5%
56.4%
70
65
75
62
Occupancy % = Rooms occupied / Total number of rooms

Average daily room rate = Total rooms revenue / Number of rooms occupied
TABLE 20 Watlington Room Service Revenue per week (in )

Watlington
Average*
Rest Well
Time period
Hotel Average**
24:00 - 03:00
20
30
03:00 - 06:00
30
55
06:00 - 09:00
140
260
09:00 - 12:00
20
60
12:00 - 15:00
145
355
15:00 - 18:00
35
95
18:00 - 21:00
220
420
21:00 - 24:00
210
395
Total (per week)
820
1,670
* Watlington room service employee salary range = 11,250-12,500
** Average Rest Well room service employee salary = 11,000

11
Item 7 Business Articles
FinanceToday
7th January 2010
E-coli outbreak affects Rest Well Lodges Share

Price
Seven people, including a girl aged four, have contracted E coli after eating at
an Eat Well restaurant in Milton Keynes. All seven cases of the potentially lethal
bug are thought to have been caused by eating contaminated beef. The
restaurant, located within a Rest Well Lodge, shut voluntarily, pending a Food
Standards Agency investigation. A company spokesperson for Rest Well Lodges
apologised and said, Rest Well Lodges are committed to the highest standards
of food hygiene. We will re-open our Milton Keynes restaurant once we have
ensured that all hygiene controls are in place.
News of the outbreak triggered a drop in Rest Well Lodges share price (down
12% to 459p) - the latest blow for the beleaguered chain of mid-range hotels.
Hospitality Times
17th April 2010
Rise in on-line bookings

A recent survey conducted by Hospitality Times indicates that 70% of Britons
prefer to book their hotel accommodation online, citing convenience and best
prices. One in three hotel rooms are now booked online, with market leader
extramile.com commanding 12% of the online market. Taking 35% of the total
booking value, it is perhaps unsurprising that extramile.com recently announced
pre-tax profits of 80 million.
The rise of on-line travel agencies has created new opportunities for hospitality
providers. Ruth Simmonds, CEO of Crown Hotels, says, Since working with online agencies to attract more business customers weve seen a rise in single room
occupancy during weekdays. Joseph Pierce, MD of Diamond Inns, commented,
Weve always done well with our multiple-occupancy rooms on weekends in the
holiday period, but running promotions on extramile.com has ensured that
weekend occupancy is high year round.

12
Item 7 continued
Watlington Gazette
30th June 2010
New Business park opens

A new industrial estate located on the outskirts of Watlington opened for business on Friday.
The 250,000 sq ft complex can house up to 50 businesses, and the sites management company,
Property West, say that 75% of the units have been let. Matthew Roberts, the sites general
manager said, We are conveniently located off the M40 and less than two hours from London,
so can expect full occupancy within a year of operation.
A spokesperson from Watlington council welcomed this new addition to the local business
community. The business park will create hundreds of jobs for Watlington. We also look
forward to welcoming increased numbers of visitors to the area a much needed boost after the
closure of the Happyland theme park two years ago.
Sunday Herald Travel Supplement

4th February 2010
Family Long-weekends Review

We travelled to the Lake District for a weekend of family fun, including a cruise on Lake
Windermere and a visit to the beautiful locations from my childrens favourite Beatrix Potter
books. We stayed in a family room at the Keswick Rest Well Lodge. I remember staying at
Rest Well Lodges with my parents when I was a kid, but hadnt stayed in one for ages.
Frankly, not much seems to have changed. The dcor could have been straight out of the
1980s, as could have been the amenities. While the staff were very friendly and
accommodating, this mid-market chain, once the go-to option for families, really needs to get
its act together if it wants to compete with the budget chains that offer far better value for
family travellers.

13
Item 8 Annual Appraisal Data

From: Isabel Parks [mailto:[email protected]]
Sent: July 23, 2010 5:00 PM
To: [email protected]
Subject: FW: Appraisal Info
Hi Pat,
I wanted to wish you all the best in your new role. Im sure that you will not disappoint us. Before he
left us Stuart King ran some appraisals for the Watlington managers. Im forwarding the appraisal
ratings as well as Stuarts own comments. These may give you some useful insight.
Let me know if youd like to meet regarding staffing levels.
Best wishes,
Isabel
HR Director
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Susie Desai, Hotel Manager

- Susie joined Rest Well Lodges as a graduate trainee 6 years ago. She was promoted to
Hotel Manager, Watlington 4 years ago.
- An experienced manager with strong organisational and administrative skills, she is
respected by her team and very loyal to the brand and to her General Manager.
- At times she loses sight of the key brand value of customer focus, and has a key objective
of developing her and her teams customer focus.
Susies Comments Compared to when I started working at Rest Well Lodges I have a very
mixed team. English is not necessarily the first language and training can be a struggle.
Several members of staff are very de-motivated - myself included particularly by the
rumours that the hotel is under threat of closure. Going forward Id like more guidance from
the General Manager.
Appraisal Ratings
(4 - Above expectations; 3 Expected rating
2 Needs to improve; 1 Inadequate)
Overall = 3 Competency breakdown
Rating
3
Leadership
2
Innovation
4
Financial Management
2
Customer Service Focus
2
Planning and Organising
4
Rule-following

14
Item 8 continued
Brian Parker Restaurant Manager

- Brian joined Rest Well Lodges Graduate Scheme 2 years ago and took his current post 6
months ago. He is a very popular, friendly and enthusiastic manager with many ideas for
developing the Eat Well restaurant.
- His targets include improving profitability and addressing staffing and stock control
problems.
- Brians key objective is to ensure that the restaurant complies with all health and safety
and other working practices.
Brians Comments I love working at Eat Well I cant understand why so many staff leave.
Im keen to take on more responsibility, as I have a lot to offer. It would be great to get
more input from the General Manger, but I do understand how difficult it is to set aside a
regular time to meet.
Appraisal Ratings
(4 - Above expectations; 3 Expected rating
2 Needs to improve; 1 Inadequate)
Overall = 3 Competency breakdown
Rating
4
Leadership
4
Innovation
2
Financial Management
3
Customer Service Focus
2
Planning and Organising
2
Rule-following
Paolo Diaz, Chef

- Paolo was only appointed to Rest Well Lodges by Brian Parker 2 months ago, so there are
no appraisal ratings available.
- He was previously the Sous Chef at the Chelsea Royal Hotel.
- Honours graduate of the London Culinary Institute.

15
Item 9 Hotel Customer Satisfaction Survey result excerpts (Watlington outlet)

Hotel customers are offered the opportunity to complete a customer satisfaction
survey in their room. This survey uses the following rating scale:
1 Very dissatisfied; 2 Somewhat dissatisfied; 3 Neither Satisfied nor dissatisfied;
4 Somewhat satisfied; 5 Very satisfied
No.
Question
How satisfied were you with the following?

- Hotel facilities
2.8
- Your room facilities
2.0
- Your room decor
2.5
- Lobby decor
2.6
- Car parking facilities
2.9
How satisfied were you with the warmth and friendliness
of the staff working in the following areas?
2.1
- Reception
2.9
- Restaurant
3.1
- Housekeeping
3.2
- Room Service
How satisfied were you with the availability and
helpfulness of the staff working in the following areas?
- Reception
2.2
- Restaurant
2.4
3.0
- Housekeeping
- Room Service
3.3
How satisfied were you with the cleanliness of the
following areas?
4.4
2.3
- Reception
- Restaurant
4.0
- Your Room
If you used the restaurant how would you rate the
following?
3.1
- Your menu prices
4.2
- Your menus choices
2.2
- The speed of service
2.3
- The quality of the service
4.5
- The quality of the food
Did you use our room service?
9% said Yes
Did you use our restaurant?
19% said Yes
If yes, do you have any comments about our restaurant?
I only used the restaurant for breakfast and the staff were very helpful. They did
seem to be very overworked, but were doing their best!
We all liked our dinner. That said I wasnt expecting to have to wait so long time to
get it. Not great when youre eating with two impatient toddlers.
The excellent food served in the restaurant exceeded my expectations for this
class of hotel.
We came to your restaurant when we heard about your new chef. Well be back
since we only live around the corner. We shall also recommend it to our friends
living locally!
10
16
17a
17b
Average
(Jan-June 2010)

16
Item 9 continued
19
What did you like or dislike about your stay?

I found the housekeeping staff to be very efficient and well-organised, but your
hotel could offer more additional services/facilities.
I stay with you a lot but last time I was informed upon arrival that I did not have a
reservation. Whilst I then had to pay a higher rate for my room (ever heard of
corporate rates?) this was covered by my business expenses anyway.
Your Reception staff did not seem interested in helping me find a taxi quickly one
even suggested that I make the call myself.
My kettle was not in working order and the coffee sachets were not refilled after
my first night. I really needed some caffeine to work on my report.
The desk in my room was a little small for working with my laptop and spreading
out my documents. Also, most of the hotels Ive stayed in have provided at least
some writing paper for business travellers. A trouser press would have been useful
as my suit got wrinkled in my case.
Your restaurant decor is starting to look a bit tired. The childrens playground could
also do with a lick of paint.
Only one complaint. Call me fussy but the soap was not replaced in my bathroom
after my first night and the housekeeper didnt seem to understand me when I
requested a replacement.
When I visit a hotel for business I only ask for two things. Firstly, having Wi-Fi in
my room. Secondly, a reliable wake-up service. Your hotel had neither.
I am a big fan of Rest Well Lodges and stay in the one in Watlington when I visit
my parents. I just wish I could use www.extramile.co.uk to book my stays!
The other Rest Well Lodges we have stayed at were always very family friendly.
While it is great that you provide cots and high-chairs, your reception staff were not
very welcoming to my children and one even asked them to quiet down.

17
Item 10 Meeting Minutes
Monthly Area Management Meeting

Date:
June 30th 2010, 14:00-16:00
Meeting:
Tichford Conference Room 1
Chair:
Chris Mayfield, Area Manager (Southwest)
Attending:
Kim Conti, General Manager Tichford
Raj Seth, General Manager Gingley
Sally Floyd, General Manager West Homerton
Michelle Gomez, General Manager Kingsley
Stuart King, General Manager Watlington
Chloe Fraser, General Manager Maidenvale
Apologies:
None
1. Farewell to Stuart King

Chris thanked Stuart for his twenty years service and presented him with a watch.
2. Corporate News
Head office announced plans to trial two new schemes for cutting costs:
Online check-in/check-out scheme, with a view to reducing reception costs.

New Website for collating customer feedback (as a cheaper alternative to the paperbased customer satisfaction survey).
Each scheme is to be piloted in 10% of outlets.

Relaunch of Rest Well Lodges loyalty card scheme, backed up by a national print, TV and
radio advertising campaign. Aim to restore confidence in the brand.
Actions: Sally Floyd volunteered to participate in on-line check-in trial.
3. Monthly Results
Kim Conti Difficult month for Tichford, poor weather led to lots of weekend cancellations.
Raj Seth Gingley mid-week occupancy rates up 30% after teaming up with extramile.com.
Also reported nearly 90% occupancy rates for its three newly converted conference rooms.
Sally Floyd Great month for Eat Well, kids eat free promotion working well, especially
with non-residential guests.
18
Item 10 continued
Michelle Gomez Takings up after partnering with extramile.com, www.UKlodgings.com
with deal-of-the-day.co.uk
Stuart King Revenue down again in hotel and restaurant. Blamed economy families
cant afford weekends away.
Chloe Fraser switched toiletries supplier and cut housekeeping costs by 20%.
Actions: Chris Mayfield reminded everyone of upcoming quarterly financial review, and
stressed the need for increased profitability. Chris encouraged all locations to explore
relationships with reservations websites, within corporate profitability guidelines.
1. Competitor Review
Regal Inns offering premium executive rooms (with Wi-Fi) and express business breakfast at
every location.
Premium Hotels has replaced 24-hour room service with automated vending facilities.
Roadside Rests have rebranded their on-site restaurants as value-for-money Jolly Time
family pubs.
Diamond Lodges announced a leap in profits, as its environmentally-friendly Green Diamond
campaign cut waste and energy consumption by 45%.
Boutique B&B went into administration. Regal Inns rumoured to be taking over sites.
Actions: Michelle Gomez to visit a Regal Inn, Raj Seth to visit a Jolly Time pub.
2. Requests for funding
Stuart Kings request for refurbishing the Watlington wedding function room was denied.
Michelle Gomezs request for employing two further members of her pool and leisure team
was approved.
Chloe Fraser proposed pooling marketing resources and running an area-wide campaign
promoting bank holiday weekend special offers.
Action Chloe Fraser to prepare business case for bank holiday promotion.
3. Any Other Business
West Homerton branch selected to be part of next phase of corporate refurbishment

programme.
New Watlington Manager, Pat Rawlings, to start on 25th July 2010.

19
Item 11 Email chain between Team Leaders

From:
To:
CC:
Date:
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
18th July 15:36
Subject:
Re. Busy Reception
Linda,
Thats news to me. I checked with Gary and he has no memory of
receiving the room service monies and I definitely didnt receive
them. Are you sure it was Gary? This is very worrying, since hes
been working with us as a temp for a few months now.
I nearly gave Gary a verbal warning about Reception logs not being
fully completed. Gary must have the worst attitude to customer
service of any temp from the recruitment agency. I cant deal with
the hassle of replacing him.
Pat, can we discuss this?
Regards,
Justin
From:
To:
Date:
Subject:
linda.peters @restwell.co.uk
justin.seales @restwell.co.uk
18th July 14:55
Re. Busy Reception
Thanks Justin,
I know what you mean about being busy. My Room Service teams
are busiest in the evenings. While I sympathise with your
situation, we have to have staff available 24-hours a day
you never know when someone is going to order room service.
Anyway none of my team have received Reception training. Since
a couple are non-native speakers, I dont even know how you
could train them and whether they would be up to the job. One
of them, Tomas, missed his shift last week because he didnt
understand my rota.
By the way, Ive been leaving overnight room service takings
with Reception for a few days now. I asked the new guy there,
(Gary isnt it) to pass them on to you.
Regards,
Linda

20
Item 11 continued
From:
To:
CC:
Date:
[email protected]
[email protected]
18th July 14:11
Subject: Busy Reception

Linda,
I wanted to put into writing my request that you blatantly ignored
this morning. Between 07:30-08:30 we are exceptionally busy
checking-out guests. Why cant the member of your Room Service team
thats on duty be made available to help?
You said that I need to mention this to my manager. I will certainly
do so once we next meet, but this will be several weeks away Im
sure. I was hoping that we could sort this out amongst ourselves.
Regards,
Justin

21
Item 12 Reception staff rota
Watlington Rest Well Lodge - Rota

Dear team,
Ive now found time to complete next weeks rota starting early tomorrow morning.
Its to be another full week, so looks like well have to skip this weeks team meeting
again. Ive tried to make it fair so that everyone is working their share of unsociable
hours. Please see below for the full rota.
As usual each of you will be paid the same hourly rate for each day. Feel free to sort
out any conflicts amongst yourselves.
Best regards,
Justin

22
Shaheen
Nicki
Andrew
Simone
Julia
Maria
Jessica
Justin
(Team
Leader)
Reception
Staff
Member
Not
working
17:3023:30
11:3017:30
05:3011:30
Not
working
17:3023:30
11:3017:30
05:3011:30
09:0017:00
Monday
July 4th
17:3023:30
11:3017:30
05:3011:30
Not
working
17:3023:30
11:3017:30
05:3011:30
Not
working
09:0017:00
Tuesday
July 5th
11:3017:30
05:3011:30
Not
working
17:3023:30
11:3017:30
05:3011:30
Not
working
17:3023:30
09:0017:00
Wednesd
ay
6th July
05:3011:30
Not
working
17:3023:30
11:3017:30
05:3011:30
Not
working
17:3023:30
11:3017:30
09:0017:00
Thursday
July 7th
Not
working
17:3023:30
11:3017:30
05:3011:30
Not
working
17:3023:30
11:3017:30
05:3011:30
09:0017:00
Friday
July 8th
11:3017:30
Not
working
05:3011:30
Not
working
17:3023:30
11:3017:30
05:3011:30
17:3023:30
Not
working
Saturday
July 9th
Not
working
05:3011:30
Not
working
17:3023:30
11:3017:30
05:3011:30
17:3023:30
11:3017:30
Not
working
Sunday
July 10th
Item 12 continued
Working Time Regulations (1998)

Maximum average working week of 48 hours
Daily rest period of at least 11 consecutive hours
Uninterrupted rest period of 24 hours every 7 days
Compulsory rest break if the working day is over 6 hours
Gary
23
Item 13 Performance Statistics from Operations Director
Hi Pat,
Here is some useful information about some of the
suppliers for the other Rest Well Hotels in your
region. I thought you might also like to know the %
of the daily
daily rate that other agencies charge for
temporary staff.
Im sure that any of these suppliers would be happy
to work for your hotel on the same contract terms!
Best of luck with your new role.
David
(Operations Director)
Director)

24
Item 13 continued
TABLE 1 - Rest West Suppliers (Southern Region)
Temp
Agency
(% fee)
Value for Money Ratings
Rest Well
Laundry
Location
Services
31
Tichford
1
34
Watlington
2
26
Gingley
4
West
27
Homerton
3
30
Kingsley
4
25
Maidenvale
3
28.8
Average
2.8
* Catering services (for special events)
Toiletries
5
2
1
Catering
supplies*
3
N/A
3
2
4
5
3.2
4
3
1
2.3
GRAPH 1 - Rest West Suppliers (Southern Region)
Rating Scale: 1 Very poor; 2 Poor; 3 Average; 4 Good; 5 Very good

25

26
Item Key Issues and Recommended Actions

No.
Priority
(high,
medium or
low)

27

No.
Priority
(high,
medium or
low)

28

No.
Priority
(high,
medium or
low)

29

No.
Priority
(high,
medium or
low)
10
11
12

30

No.
Priority
(high,
medium or
low)
13
End of practice in-tray exercise

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In Tray Exercise 1

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In Tray Exercise 1

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What issues is the Watlington hotel currently facing and what needs to be improved?

What issues is the Watlington hotel currently facing and what needs to be improved?

What steps should be taken to improve the performance of the suppliers?

What steps should be taken to improve the performance of the suppliers?

Practice

The exercise begins on the next page.

Practice In Tray Exercise | http://www.AssessmentDay.co.uk

Practice In Tray Exercise | http://www.AssessmentDay.co.uk

Summary of documents: Document number and Title

Practice In Tray Exercise | http://www.AssessmentDay.co.uk

Item 1 - Organisation Chart

Watlington Rest Well Lodges

Item 2 Area Manager Introduction

Item 3 Rest Well Lodges Website Pages

Rest Well Lodges

Our Brand Values

Careers at Rest Well Lodges

What we look for:

Home | Terms & Conditions | Contact Us

Practice In Tray Exercise | http://www.AssessmentDay.co.uk

Watlington Rest Well Lodge

Welcome to the Rest Well Lodge, Watlington

Practice In Tray Exercise | http://www.AssessmentDay.co.uk

Item 4 Customer Complaint

Practice In Tray Exercise | http://www.AssessmentDay.co.uk

Item 5 Email chain between Chef and Restaurant Manager

Terrific theres no shortage of ideas there. Lets talk these over

Practice In Tray Exercise | http://www.AssessmentDay.co.uk

Practice In Tray Exercise | http://www.AssessmentDay.co.uk

Item 6 Excerpts from Half-Yearly Financial Report (Jan-June 2010)

Competitor Hotel Chain

Occupancy % = Rooms occupied / Total number of rooms

TABLE 20 Watlington Room Service Revenue per week (in )

Practice In Tray Exercise | http://www.AssessmentDay.co.uk

Item 7 Business Articles

E-coli outbreak affects Rest Well Lodges Share

Rise in on-line bookings

Practice In Tray Exercise | http://www.AssessmentDay.co.uk

New Business park opens

Sunday Herald Travel Supplement

Family Long-weekends Review

Practice In Tray Exercise | http://www.AssessmentDay.co.uk

Item 8 Annual Appraisal Data

Susie Desai, Hotel Manager

Practice In Tray Exercise | http://www.AssessmentDay.co.uk

Brian Parker Restaurant Manager

Paolo Diaz, Chef

Practice In Tray Exercise | http://www.AssessmentDay.co.uk

Item 9 Hotel Customer Satisfaction Survey result excerpts (Watlington outlet)

How satisfied were you with the following?

Practice In Tray Exercise | http://www.AssessmentDay.co.uk

What did you like or dislike about your stay?

Practice In Tray Exercise | http://www.AssessmentDay.co.uk

Item 10 Meeting Minutes

Monthly Area Management Meeting

1. Farewell to Stuart King

Online check-in/check-out scheme, with a view to reducing reception costs.

Each scheme is to be piloted in 10% of outlets.

West Homerton branch selected to be part of next phase of corporate refurbishment