Portman Hotel-Case
1) What is the Portman Hotel business model and what was the personal valet arrangement trying to accomplish?
The business model of the hotel was setting new standards in the hotel industry from the very beginning. It was a niche product, a revolution in guest service and style of service. The management of the hotel got impressed by this approach in Asia where they stayed at fine hotels for a lower amount of money.
The hotel was relatively small – 348 rooms and 21 floors. Its rooms were elegant with natural furniture. The hotels are all niche, a revolution in guest service. This type of hotels is, as mentioned before, from Hong Kong, where Portman spent some time. The base challenge had been to build a company providing high quality at affordable rates and to do these quickly and against strong competition. The guests must be provided not just great service but an experience. The hotel aimed to overwhelm quests by the professionalism, cheerful and immediate repose to every request. There were to be “no rules” for guests. The hotel staff was expected to give each guest a memorable experience through service by satisfying guest’s intangible psychic needs.
The group of employees most central to the Asian philosophy of service were the personal valets. Personal valest were like butlers: they were expected to provide comprehensive personal services for guests. No other American hotel had anything similar: the personal valets were to be a key competitive difference for the hotel. The key to the business strategy was providing unparalleled service. The hotel wanted to become most fulfilling, fun work experience that anyone on the staff has ever had. They wanted to be the best employer in San Francisco, to show their trust and pride in each person on their staff and to work in ways that help each person to grow, both personally and professionally.
In Portman hotels an employee is called an associate. The associate contract spells out how the hotel would
The business model of the hotel was setting new standards in the hotel industry from the very beginning. It was a niche product, a revolution in guest service and style of service. The management of the hotel got impressed by this approach in Asia where they stayed at fine hotels for a lower amount of money.
The hotel was relatively small – 348 rooms and 21 floors. Its rooms were elegant with natural furniture. The hotels are all niche, a revolution in guest service. This type of hotels is, as mentioned before, from Hong Kong, where Portman spent some time. The base challenge had been to build a company providing high quality at affordable rates and to do these quickly and against strong competition. The guests must be provided not just great service but an experience. The hotel aimed to overwhelm quests by the professionalism, cheerful and immediate repose to every request. There were to be “no rules” for guests. The hotel staff was expected to give each guest a memorable experience through service by satisfying guest’s intangible psychic needs.
The group of employees most central to the Asian philosophy of service were the personal valets. Personal valest were like butlers: they were expected to provide comprehensive personal services for guests. No other American hotel had anything similar: the personal valets were to be a key competitive difference for the hotel. The key to the business strategy was providing unparalleled service. The hotel wanted to become most fulfilling, fun work experience that anyone on the staff has ever had. They wanted to be the best employer in San Francisco, to show their trust and pride in each person on their staff and to work in ways that help each person to grow, both personally and professionally.
In Portman hotels an employee is called an associate. The associate contract spells out how the hotel would