Reality based education paper
You will research your chosen organization, visit the organization and/or interview the manager by
telephone. Suggested kinds of interview questions are below:
- What is the identified purpose or mission of the organization?
- What does it produce? Or what kinds of goods or services does it provide?
- What are key organizational characteristics (e.g., number of employees, etc..)?
- Who are the organization�s main competitors? How does it differentiate itself?
- Upper management of the organization – background, criteria for selection or promotion to these
positions
- Selection criteria of other employees – hiring policies, diversity policies, etc.
Chosen organization
Hilton hotel Houston is a glamorous piece of art and a place where utmost hospitality is a
priority. Standing on a 24-storey building, Hilton hotel has been termed as largest convention
hotel and is a place where every visitor wants to land. The four-diamond hotel offers refreshing
experiences and is an ideal choice for corporate events and meetings. Under the management of
Joseph Palmieri, Hilton hotel- Houston offers impressive hospitality services and exceptional
management strategies that have placed it amongst the best hotels in America (Hilton-America’s
Houston website, 2014).
Objective
To understand key management concepts of Hilton hotel-Houston
Literature review
Hilton hotel –Houston is an affiliate hotel of many Hilton America hotels. The bustling
downtown of Houston is home to one of those luxurious affiliate hotels. Since 2003, when the
hotel was built, it has done nothing short of offering excellent services through its food and
beverage outlets and numerous hotel amenities. Other services available at the exclusive hotel
are 1200 guest rooms, a spectacular appointed lobby featuring individual or more registration
desk sections, a café, java jive, the lobby bar and gift shop. Executive staffed lounges, floor level
rooms and technologically advanced spaces at 92000sq ft function in three floors (Hilton-
America’s Houston website, 2014). The largest convention center measuring one million sq and
a sky-walk connection are other features of the hotel. Wifi is available throughout as well as
audio/visual for in house services. The restaurants, three ballrooms, skyline spa, infinity edge
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pool, health club, valet and space worth 1600 car parking garage are other stunning services
offered by the hotel.
Guests have expressed great experiences of feeling valued and respected every time they
visit Hilton hotel. The hotel has created a culture of innovation, continuous improvement, and
excellence to help team members become the best and develop their talents. Selecting and
attracting the right talent at the right time is not a new phenomenon for Hilton hotel-Houston.
The management of Hilton hotel strives to recruit people who share similar goals and passion for
the organization as a hospitality institution. The hotel desires to further its staff careers while
wile still being true to its vision and mission.
Research method
To learn more about Hilton hotel-Houston and the management of the organization the interview
method was used.
Interview questions and responses
- How can you describe Hilton hotel Houston?
Hilton hotel is a hotel where hospitality is an art that never disappoints and is home to
exceptional guest experiences. - What is the mission and vision of this hotel?
Our hotel prides in the mission of being the preeminence of global hospitality while our vision is
to give the world hospitality warmth. - What are the values of this hotel?
Hospitality, leadership, integrity, teamwork, urgency and ownership are core values of Hilton
hotel-Houston. - Which organizational goals run the hotel?
To offer the best hospitality services through global talent management. - Which hotels are major competitors of Hilton?
Five star hotels, Hyatt and Marriott are examples of Hilton’s competitors. Each of these hotels
uses a unique strategy to market their hospitality and as a result have remained competitors to
Hilton hotel. - How does the upper management of the hotel function?
The upper management is divided into the general manager and a team of 15 hotel executives.
The GM works with those executives as the head of the committee. He makes major decisions
for the hotel. The directors are also supervise managers in other respective departments. For
example, Janice O’Neill who was hired as the director of sales and marketing, supervises a sales
team of another 12 managers (Hilton hotel website, 2014). The board and HRM take up the role
of recruiting employees. - What are the selection criteria for employees in this hotel?
Recruitment of employees is a selection criterion that Hilton hotel uses to appoint qualified and
talented employees. The global websites, talent acquisition centers and university partnerships
are used to facilitate the selection criteria. Once selected interviews are conducted leading to
hiring the best candidates. - Which type of culture prevails in this hotel?
The culture of hospitality and growth of talent prevails in Hilton hotel. - What key management concept does Hilton hotel offer to learners or aspiring managers?
Management concepts like global talent management, engagement, diversity, health and youth
opportunity are key to this hotel. - How can those concepts be implemented, applied or organized?
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Key management issues have been implemented through various ways in the hotel. According to
Hilton worldwide (2014), global talent management, engagement and recognition, diversity and
inclusion, health and well-being are some of the ways through which these concepts are applied.
Discussion and analysis
Global talent management is a concept that implies that the hotel only succeeds when its
teams have resources needed to support their employees and help them serve their guests in the
best way possible. Talent management is achieved through ongoing learning opportunities
leading to professional and personal talent growth. To achieve this, Hilton encourages University
study, cross-cultural training, use of another language and performance management.
Engagement and recognition is a concept that Hilton hotel uses to manage employees and
make them feel valued. Team member engagement is crucial for feedback through a global
annual survey, which leads to changes in the hotel’s policies. Through feedback, the
management has been able to improve its performance assessment and make necessary
adjustments. The recognition of team members happens through giving rewards and incentives to
active team members who are a fundamental part of the hotel. The recognition of leaders,
managers and team members is a great way of improving the hotel’s image. Hilton hotel-
Houston is proud to be associated with a general manager who is recognized for his outstanding
achievements globally. Hotelier Joe, who has not even completed a decade since being recruited
to the hotel recently was awarded for his efforts. He received the first organization’s award as the
general manager of the year for exceptional managerial skills.
Diversity and inclusion are other key concepts for Hilton hotel’s management. Having
many branches across the globe has opened doors for Hilton hotel to meet people from different
cultures and diverse populations. Hilton hotels embrace diversity and view it as a stronghold for
their organization. It thus is no wonder that Hilton hotel has recruited employees from across the
globe. It includes all people as long as they share in the vision and have the talent to deal with
the hospitality business (Hilton worldwide, 2014).
Health and well-being are core elements for the hotel business. As a result, the
management believes in promoting health and wellness for team members. It is crucial for
performance and service delivery as ailing employees cannot be productive. To ensure that
health and well-being prevails in the organization, certain strategies have been employed by the
management. Health benefits packages and sick leaves are given to team members who feel
unwell. Health and wellness activities are also in place with the fitness day as a major event for
the hotel. The hotel collaborates with health care providers to promote health and wellness
activities and themes. Flexible work arrangements have also been made as a way of showing
support for work life and other activities balance. Apart from the team members, the family of
employees and staff enjoy health and wellness programs from the hotel. Through family travel
programs, families unite and get to spend time with their loved ones occasionally.
In conclusion, Hilton hotel-Houston has exceptional management skills and is an
incredible example of what good management can do to a hotel. Apart from Joe, showing his
managerial prowess in the hotel business, he has also promoted sustenance of the environment in
and outside the hotel. The green seal achievement award did not come as a surprise to Hilton
hotel though it was the first in the state. The management of the hotel has ensured that it is not
only about luxury and refreshments but has also taken initiative to conserve the environment and
encourage the guests to do the same.
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Contact information of the manager
1600 Lamar, Houston, Texas, United States 77010
Tel: 1-713-739-8000 • Fax: 1-713-739-8007
Key dates and deliverables
This interview was conducted on 4.Dec.14
Its deliverables included gaining great knowledge on management of a hotel
organization. The mission and vision of the hotel as well as its culture were found to be useful
components in management of the organization. Besides that, key concepts of management that
made the organization stand out from the rest were also very useful.
References
Hilton-America’s Houston (2014). About Hilton Hotel,
