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Group  Project  

 

Service  Blueprint  Ideal  Beach  Resort  

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 INTRODUCTION:    The  East  Coast  Road  in  Mahabalipuram  has  a  chain  of  resorts  along  the  coastline  as  it  provides  a  picturesque  and  comfortable  vacation  spot  for  both  local  and  international  travelers.  There  are  about  10-­‐15  major  resorts  including  two  5-­‐star  hotels  and  other  mid  segment  options.  Ideal  beach  resort  is  located  at  about  40  kilometers  from  Chennai,  in  Mahabalipuram  and  is  targeting  its  services  towards  Families,  Young  people  as  well  as  groups  of  foreign  tourists.  The  resort  is  spacious,  customer  friendly  and  has  a  history  of  being  in  the  business  since  the  past  30  years.  It  offers  services  like  swimming  pool,  dining,  spa,  recreation  and  also  has  a  beautiful  private  beach  as  an  attraction.    We  narrowed  down  on  the  Check-­‐in  services  and  the  services  offered  by  the  resort  to   its  guests  and  analyzed  the  service  blue  print   for  the  same.    OBJECTIVE:    The  objective  of  the  study  was  to  observe  the  various  touchpoints  for  a  tourist  while  they  check  into  Ideal  Beach  Resort,  and  study  the  service  delivery  process  of  the  Check-­‐in  services  and  all  the  other  services  provided  by  the  resort  to  the  guests  .      METHODOLOGY:  Source:  We  collected  our  data  about   the  wide   range  of   services  currently  offered  by   the   resort   through  personal   interactions,   in-­‐depth  discussions,  short  conversations  with  customers  and  reviews  on  tripadvisor.Next    we  collated  all  the  data  and  categorized  it  under  different  heads  to  be  able  to  map  out  the  blue  print  .    Action  Points:  We  chalked  out  the  best  practices  of  the  resort  and  mapped  them  against  shortcomings  and  challenges.  Using  the  existing  data,  we  thought  of  recommendations  to  increase  the  attractiveness  of  the  resort  in  a  highly  crowded  market  where  we  have  a  range  of  competition  in  the  close  vicinity:  Grand  Bay  Resort,  Chariot  Beach  Resort  etc.    

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SERVICE  BLUEPRINT:    

       

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   Source:  http://creately.com/diagram/example/ho7c294s/Service+Blueprint+Template  

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GOOD  PRACTICES:    

                                             

• Idea  •  •  

Information

Family Fun Tie ups with Make my trip, Agoda.com, Hotels.com

Rental Cart to airports, railway station etc

Beach Restaurant

Family Restaurant

Room Service, Coffee Shops/

Internal arrangements of travel to pondicherry

IDEAL BEACH RREORT

Food Options Travel

Exchange Rate Counter

Room Tarrifs Separate Check in-Checkout

Wifi, Laptop Rental

Gift Shops, Swimming Pool, bar

Aryurvedic Massage and Spa, Exercise

Private Beach, Sunset, Saftey

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 • ldeal  Beach  resort  has  a  legacy  of  30  years  in  place  and  has  established  itself  as  one  of  the  biggest  hotels  in  Mahabalipuram.  In  a  

destination  like  Mahabalipuram,  they  are  targeting  mainly  family  oriented  people  (mainly  foreigners)  and  taking  right  steps  to  attract  those  kinds  of  people.  They  have  wide  range  of  facilities  like  dining,  swimming  pool,  private  beach,  aryurvedic  massage  and  spa,  bar  and  other  forms  of  cultural  programs  to  attract  their  targeted  customers.    

• They  are  making  efforts  to  provide  all  necessary  information  to  their  customer  at  the  check  in  counter  such  as  information  about  the  exchange  rate,  Internet  access,  maps  or  laundry.    They  have  a  well  maintained  and  properly  functioning  website  for  their  customer  with  attractive  servicecape  in  the  form  on  pictures  of  kids  playing  on  beach.  

   

• Information  about  room  tariffs  is  available  on  request  easily.  There  are  different  categories  of  room  available  to  suit  the  requirement  of  people  in  different  income  category.    

• They  have  a  proper  mechanism  in  place  in  case  of  service  failure  in  the  form  of  gift  vouchers,  up  gradation  of  room,  discounts  offers.  Proper  authority  is  there  in  place  to  take  decision  about  the  offer  to  made  to  the  customer  in  case  of  service  failure.  

   

• Placed  close  to  luxurious  hotel  Raddision  Blu,  Ideal  beach  resorts  are  taking  right  steps  to  match  up  to  level  of  their  competitors.  It  has  tie  ups  with  all  the  famous  websites  like  Makemytrip.com,  Hotels.com,  Agoda,com    that  provides  all  required  information  to  the  customer  who  are  planning  to  visit  to  Mahabalipurm.  It  also  has  an  internal  agency  within  the  hotel  for  arranging  day  travels  for  its  customers  to  nearby  places  like  Pondicherry,  Auroville  etc.    

• It  understands  the  importance  of  time  and  takes  right  measures  to  save  it  for  its  customers.    It  has  a  separate  check  in  and  check  out  counter  in  place  to  make  it  convenient  for  its  customers  who  are  checking  in  and  checking  out  of  the  hotel.    During  the  peak  period  when  the  occupancy  of  the  hotel  is  100%,  the  average  waiting  time  for  check  in(including  all  paper  work)    is  only  5  minutes.  They  also  have  a  computerized  network  through  which  staff  at  the  hotels  is  informed  timely  about  the  arrival  or  departure  of  its  

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guest.    All  the  necessary  information  about  the  guest  gets  timely  reflected    to  the  receptionist  with  the  help  of  the  software  in  place.      

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CURRENT  CHALLENGES  :                                              

   

   

Price Promotion Place Product

Physical evidence

Process People

Effect: Dissatisfaction

• One time customers • Negative

reviews/feedback • Lack of business • Deterioration of

service levels and eventually brand image

Signage

Misinformed

Unapproachable

Lacked Training

Cluttered Furniture

High tariff No offers

Few special events

Check-in takes time on the weekends

Archaic Architecture

Lack of maintenance

Restaurant needs work

Air conditioners are turned off

Tour Operator charges are

high

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   • Not  approachable:  Other  than  the  front  desk  most  of  the  staff  were  not  approachable  and  were  very  unhelpful.      

 • There  is  a  distinct  lack  of  signage  at  the  entrance  of  the  resort.  There  is  a  possibility  that  people  might  drive  past  the  location.  Even  in  the  

resort  there  is  a  high  possibility  of  confusion  because  of  the  unstructured  signage.    

 • The  restrooms  lack  maintenance.  For  instance  the  hand  towels  should  be  changed  regularly.  The  layout  is  not  aesthetically  pleasing.    

 • There  was  a  constant  sense  of  suffocation  thought  the  resort  especially  in  the  various  rooms.  This  could  be  due  to  the  archaic  

architecture  and  lack  of  maintenance.  The  place  lacks  a  distinctive  appeal,  which  could  be  done  by  incorporating  a  modern  element.    

 • The  reception/check  in  area  was  cluttered,  with  furniture  almost  blocking  the  entrance.  There  is  no  space  between  one  seat  and  the  

other  and  there  were  over  20  seats  in  the  Check-­‐in  area.      

• Like  in  various  other  areas  in  the  resort  the  furniture  was  old  and  creaky.  This  was  noticed  by  a  couple  of  tourists  as  well.  This  does  not  bode  well  for  the  resort  as  it  a  place  people  come  to  relax  and  as  such  they  expect  the  best.  

   

• There  was  no  one  to  greet  or  direct  us  to  the  reception  in  the  resort  and  this  gave  off  a  very  cold  vibe.      

• Staff  is  adequately  helpful  but  they  wouldn't  go  the  extra  mile  to  provide  the  experience  that  guests  are  looking  forward  to.  There  were  extended  periods  in  the  resort  where  we  were  left  unattended  (restaurant).  

   

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• The  high  rate  of  occupancy  makes  it  a  little  overcrowded  at  times;  it  feels  like  a  hotel  more  than  a  resort.    

• Playing  ground  (for  soccer,  volleyball,  etc)  was  full  of  rusty  nails.  There  is  a  high  possibility  of  people  getting  injured.    

 • High  tariffs  for  the  kind  of  services  they  provide.  The  tariff  rates  do  not  coincide  with  the  quality  of  service  and  as  a  result  there  is  high  

possibility  of  having  dissatisfied  customers  leading  to  it  being  only  a  one  time  visit.    

• There  is  a  distinct  lack  of  choice  in  the  alcoholic  beverage  segment.  This  choice  narrows  down  further  in  the  beach/pool  or  in  the  room.      

 • The  menu  is  geared  more  towards  the  Indian  clientele.  This  is  strange  considering  the  fact  that  close  to  60%  of  their  occupancy/business  

in  from  foreign/international  tourists.        

• Reception  is  not  informative  enough:  The  person  at  the  check-­‐in  counter  lacked  training,  as  she  was  unsure  about  a  lot  of  the  requests  we  made.  Calls  were  made  to  the  manager  to  confirm  her  decision  on  multiple  occasions.    

   

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RECOMMENDATIONS:  

 

 

1. Reception  • The  reception  is  the  first  point  of  contact  for  a  customer  but  we  noticed  a  couple  of  things  lacking  in  terms  of  the  reception  

experience.  • The  reception  is  not  as  informative  in  terms  of  visible  signage  about  the  tariffs,  the  updated  exchange  rates  etc.  Also  the  

magazines  and  travel  guides  are  on  the  inner  side  of  the  reception.  They  should  be  displayed  towards  the  outer  side.  • Also  the  reception  is  extremely  cluttered  and  full  of  huge  chairs.  They  should  focus  on  re-­‐doing  it  in  a  non-­‐cluttered  way.  • The  reception  does  not  have  air-­‐conditioning,  which  should  immediately  be  put  in  place.      • Also  receptions  of  good  resorts  and  restaurants  mostly  do  display  certifcations  by  Trip  advisor  ,  City  Guides  etc  .  These  help  the  

resort  build  credibility  in  the  customer’s  mind  at  a  very  initial  stage.    

2. Infrastructure  • The  resort  needs  to  add  Banner  signage  around  the  ECR  road  indicating  the  presence  of  such  a  resort.  Competitors  like  Chariot  

Beach  Resort  have  huge  signage  on  the  ECR  road  with  the  aim  of  increasing  visibility.  In  a  highly  crowded  market,  Ideal  Beach  Resort  does  not  stand  out  when  it  comes  to  external  signage.  

• Freshness  and  ventilation:  The  entire  resort  is  well  build  and  clean  but  there  is  a  stale  feeling  all  through  the  experience  starting  from  the  reception  to  the  rooms  and  the  restrooms.  They  should  particularly  look  into  this  and  make  sure  there  is  proper  ventilation  and  air  purification  in  all  their  rooms  and  lobbies.    

• Currently  they  have  the  Queens  Suite  next  to  the  pool,  which  is  usually  occupied  by  families  who  avoid  loud  noise  at  night.  They  should  rather  think  of  placing  standard  rooms  next  to  the  pool  to  cater  to  the  right  audience  at  the  right  place.  They  could  create  two  standard  rooms  out  of  each  of  the  Queen  Suits.  

• They  have  8  budget  rooms,  next  to  the  reception  that  in  no  way  add  to  resort's  attraction  especially  when  a  person  just  enters  the  resort.  They  could  build  on  the  exterior  look  and  feel  of  these  rooms.  

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• The  resort  is  30  years  old  and  this  point  comes  through  when  you  enter  the  place.  The  aesthetics  do  not  exhibit  rich  heritage  and  rather  there  is  a  pressing  need  to  modernize  the  look  and  make  it  more  contemporary.  If  we  look  at  the  target  audience,  they  are  catering  to  two  markets:  1)  People  from  Chennai  and  around  coming  for  weekend  getaways  2)  International  tourists.  The  resort  is  named  Ideal  "Beach"  Resort  and  the  theme  of  the  decor,  interiors  and  exteriors  is  nothing  close  to  the  name.  They  should  rather  optimize  on  this  fact  and  build  physical  touch  points  that  give  a  place  a  relaxing,  colorful  beach  like  ambience.    

 

3. Dining  Facilities    

• They  could  add  a  24-­‐hour  cafe  to  make  it  more  conducive  for  international  tourists.  • The  dinner  at  the  restaurant  closes  at  10.30  pm  which  isn't  in  line  with  the  other  players  at  ECR  road.    • Also  the  menu  offerings  are  rather  localized  and  limited.  The  fact  that  they  have  clearly  mentioned  that  their  target  group  is  

skewed  towards  foreign  travellers,  they  could  look  at  more  continental  dishes  to  cater  to  their  taste  buds.  • Considering  they  are  looking  at  an  international  audience,  they  should  revamp  their  bar  menu  as  per  international  standards.  

Currently  they  only  serve  IMFL  with  a  very  limited  set  of  offerings  even  in  terms  of  beer,  which  are  a  must  for  a  beach  resort.  • Aesthetic  Appeal:  Also  the  reviews  on  Tripadvisor  clearly  mention  that  they  have  a  beach  facing  dining  place  and  the  private  beach  

is  a  big  asset  for  the  resort.  To  optimize  on  the  experience  they  could  add  dim  yellow  lighting  to  give  it  a  subtle,  beach  like  look  with  some  peppy  live  music  on  the  weekends.  Rather  they  could  try  traditional  dance  on  special  days,  about  twice  a  month.  

 

4. Additional  services:  The  Resort   could  add  a   range  of   services   to   stand  out   in  a  highly   crowded  market  on   the  ECR   road.  Also   these   services   could  add   to   the  revenue  of  the  resort.  

 

• Travel:  Mahabalipuram   is  a  heritage  site  and  also   it  has  a  huge  coastline  with  a   lot  of  activities   to   look   forward  to.They  could   tie  up  with  external  vendors  and  a  team  of  tour  guides  to  provide  the  following  services  :  

o A  visit  to  the  rates,  rocks  and  heritage  temples  

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o A  visit  to  the  lighthouse.  

o Rock  climbing  

o A  visit  to  Auro  Ashram    

o Night  Safari  with  Crocodiles  

o A  ride  in  the  sea  

o A  tour  to  the  local  villages  

o Information  with  respect  to  Pondicherry  

o Rides  in  ATVs  on  tracks  build  on  ECR  

 

• Gym/Health  Services  The  biggest  surprise  to  us  was  that  there  was  no  gym  in  the  resort.  Having  a  huge  property  and  a  good  number  of  in-­‐house  guests  this  is  definitely  a  negative  for  Ideal  Beach  Resort.  They  should  open  a  gym  with  atleast  two  trainers  to  start  with  next  to  their  ayurvedic  massage/spa  center.  The  gym  should  be  fully  functional  in  all  forms  and  should  have  the  right  kind  of  equipment  as  per  the  available  space.  Again  cleanliness  would  play  a  vital  role  for  the  gym  to  be  a  hit.  

 

• Offsite  for  Corporates  o Ideal  beach  comes  way  before  Chariot  Beach  Resort,  Grand  Bay  and  Confluence,  however  it  fails  to  attract  many  corporates  for  

their  offsite  programs.    o The  resort  has  a  huge  potential  for  accommodating  such  kind  of  services.  Especially  during  the  lean  season  they  can  offer  more  

services  at  cheaper  rates  as  compared  to  their  competitors.    o Building  better  infrastructure  such  as  Boardrooms,  conference  halls,  classrooms  with  Wi-­‐Fi  would  help  attracting  more  and  more  

corporates  to  the  resort.    

• Attractive  packages  for  college  students  o Surrounded  by  so  many  colleges  the  resort  can  capture  the  student  population  easily  by  offering  attractive  packages  for  students.  

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o Packages  could  range  from  beach  parties  or  pool  parties  to  a  special  student  discount  on  overnight  stay.  Many  students  travelling  from  Chennai  to  Pondicherry  stop  at  mahabalipuram  for  lunch  so  keeping  a  student  discount  on  food  and  drinks  would  attract  this  crowd  to  the  resort.    

• Packages  for  Kids  The  resort  could  build  on  summer  camps  in  summer  vacations  inclusive  of  outdoors  activates,  music  and  theater  workshops.  The  resort  is  looking  to  capture  the  attention  of  families  and  ECR  road  provides  a  lucrative  opportunity  to  get  the  kids  to  experience  a  boot  camp.  IT  would  add  to  the  attractiveness  and  the  range  of  services  provided  by  the  resort.  

 •      Shuttle  services  Consumers  are  looking  for  luxury  and  convenience  while  on  a  vacation.  Offering  convenience  of  travel  to  the  guests  would  save  a  lot  of  their  time  and  effort  in  finding  a  reliable  cab  plus  there  are  not  many  cab  services  available.  Ideal  beach  resort  should  therefore  provide  airport  transfers  and  shuttle  services  for  the  in  house  guests.  

 

5. Online  –  Presence  • While  the  resort  is  regular  at  making  customized  comments  on  the  feedback  it  receives  from  Tripadvisor,  it  has  not  build  any  

presence  on  any  of  the  social  platforms.  Resorts  built  in  such  suburbs  should  rather  capitalize  on  this  avenue  to  tap  onto  a  pool  of  customers  and  also  to  communicate  and  engage  with  existing  customers.    

• They  should  build  a  Facebook  page  and  keep  it  active  with  attractive  yet  candid  pictures  of  the  resort,  the  activities  and  the  beach.  They  could  communicate  their  weekend  activities  via  their  page.  Also  they  could  launch  contests  for  weekend  travellers  and  college  students  for  attractive  discounts  for  stays,  spas  etc.    

• Experiences  to  travel  bloggers  who  are  the  new  way  of  bringing  travel  destinations  into  the  limelight  in  the  world  of  Internet  based  travel.  

• Youtube  videos  capturing  content  travellers  at  the  beach,  the  dining  destination  and  other  places.  • They  could  also  tie  up  with  city  guides  with  a  huge  follower  base  in  the  online  space  to  communicate  with  a  larger  set  of  audience.  

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• Also  they  could  look  at  Pinterest  as  a  platform  to  showcase  their  experiences.  Currently  they  do  have  presence  on  Pinterest  but  it  is  not  as  updated  as  it  should  be.  Currently  the  Indian  audiences  do  not  have  too  much  of  a  presence  on  the  online  platform,  but  the  international  audience  that  they  are  looking  at  are  largely  present  on  this  forum.  They  could  highlight  the  entire  experience  of  Mahabalipuram  through  different  boards  on  Pinterest  with  appropriate  captions  and  keywords.  

• Lastly  they  could  tie  up  with  deal  websites  like  GroupOn  to  aim  at  100%  occupancy  rate  even  during  lean  months.