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This is a sample blog for students of HOST 4103, Fall 2007, created by Professor Prisca Campbell.
By the end of Week III
This is a sample blog for students of HOST 4103, Fall 2007, created by Professor Prisca Campbell.
Welcome
I will be facilitating HOST 4103 this term.
For more than 20 years, I’ve been working in the tourism sector of the Hospitality and Tourism Industry. I began in operations, coordinating group tours, but quickly moved into marketing – brochures, flyers, face-to-face presentations, newsletters, direct marketing campaigns, and eventually e-commerce. (Before I entered the travel industry I spent about 15 years in radio and television. My undergraduate degree is a BAA from Ryerson in Radio and Television Arts.)
In addition to teaching HOST 4103, I am Marketing Manager for Quark Expeditions, a polar adventure specialist – http://www.quarkexpeditions.com/. Our product is delivered on passenger ships in the Arctic and Antarctic, and our guests come from around the world, which means that our brick and mortar facilities can be located anywhere. The head office is in Darien, Connecticut. The marketing office is in Toronto. The hotel department is in Austria.
Working in cooperation with colleagues on ships, in offices thousands of miles away, and in the desk next to mine, has compelled me to learn to work effectively in teams that communicate asynchronously (not in real time) by e-mail, and message boards.
Quark Expedition’s channels of communications include e-pushes, direct marketing campaigns, e and print newsletters, brochures and the website.
In addition to continuing real world experience, I bring a Master of Distance Education to the business of teaching HOST 4103. Every e-marketer should be following trends in e-learning. Research is being done on user satisfaction, motivation and design and communication techniques that will make e-pushes, e-newsletters and websites persuasive tools.
For more than 20 years, I’ve been working in the tourism sector of the Hospitality and Tourism Industry. I began in operations, coordinating group tours, but quickly moved into marketing – brochures, flyers, face-to-face presentations, newsletters, direct marketing campaigns, and eventually e-commerce. (Before I entered the travel industry I spent about 15 years in radio and television. My undergraduate degree is a BAA from Ryerson in Radio and Television Arts.)
In addition to teaching HOST 4103, I am Marketing Manager for Quark Expeditions, a polar adventure specialist – http://www.quarkexpeditions.com/. Our product is delivered on passenger ships in the Arctic and Antarctic, and our guests come from around the world, which means that our brick and mortar facilities can be located anywhere. The head office is in Darien, Connecticut. The marketing office is in Toronto. The hotel department is in Austria.
Working in cooperation with colleagues on ships, in offices thousands of miles away, and in the desk next to mine, has compelled me to learn to work effectively in teams that communicate asynchronously (not in real time) by e-mail, and message boards.
Quark Expedition’s channels of communications include e-pushes, direct marketing campaigns, e and print newsletters, brochures and the website.
In addition to continuing real world experience, I bring a Master of Distance Education to the business of teaching HOST 4103. Every e-marketer should be following trends in e-learning. Research is being done on user satisfaction, motivation and design and communication techniques that will make e-pushes, e-newsletters and websites persuasive tools.
Deception Island, Antarctica
Reading List
- Canadian E-Marketing: A Strategic Approach
- Hospitality Information Systems and E-commerce
- Successful Web Marketing for the Tourism and Leisure Sectors
- Textbook: E-commerce and Information Technology in Hospitality and Tourism
Blog Archive
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2007
(13)
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September
(13)
- Andy and Anna's Cuban E-xperience
- Just for Fun: The Challenge of Communicating in En...
- I uploaded this sample video from Microsoft to hel...
- 5 characteristics of the Internet
- Glossary of E-Marketing Terms
- Human versus Machine: The Technology Dilemma
- The Challenges of Blogging
- Participate in an online survey
- Special Guest: Phil Algar
- Questions
- Tourism Blogs
- Blog Marketing
- What is a blog?
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September
(13)
41 comments:
Phil will make an introductory posting late on the 10th of September. That will be early on the 11th of September in Australia.
He is looking forward to the questions which you will be posting. He will return throughout the week to answer the questions. So make sure you drop by regularly to read his answers.
Hello,
I would like to introduce myself as a guest to this blog. My name is Phil Algar and I write this from Fremantle in Western Australia. I have worked in the hospitality and tourism industry for over 25 years. I entered the industry and completed formal training as Chef in my home country of New Zealand. For several years I worked as a Chef at various hotels and resorts throughout the South Pacific before moving into catering management and administration.
I currently work as a Hotel Manager on expedition vessels taking passengers on remote voyages to the Antarctic and Arctic. Our operation relies on being able to communicate between our head office in Darien, Connecticut, our hotel department based in St Andrae, Austria and our vessels of which we will operate seven of this season.
Operating in such remote areas poses a number of unique challenges. On board we generally have to be very self-sufficient and try to accommodate our guests requests using only the resources we have available on the vessel. Our guests come from around the world and arrive with a variety of expectations.
Once we sail for these remote locations our only contact with the outside world is by voice over Iridium, email over Iridium and ships Inmarsat. A recent addition has been to receive an email news publication, one that our guests eagerly await most mornings!
One of our biggest challenges in the hotel department when operating in remote locations is to provide a high standard of catering. Many of our catering staff come from Europe and work seasonally between the Antarctic and Artic. A large amount of our provisions also come from Europe, these are containerised and forwarded in advance to our ports of call. Other provisions, including fresh items are purchased locally.
It’s very exciting and always challenging working in such an environment. I meet interesting people from a variety of backgrounds on every voyage. Each season I am constantly thinking of new ways for our team to provide a good hotel service. I work very closely with the VP of Hotel Operations in St. Andrae, Austria.
I look forward to receiving your questions during this week and will try my best to provide you with information about my position as Hotel Manger on an expedition vessel.
Phil,
Eco-tourism is a very important sector in this industry of ours. Spending time in the remote areas that you do, I'm curious to know what your company does in terms of Eco-tourism and what your roll is in that?
Hi Phil,
Thank you very much for finding time to participate in this course. I am confident that your career and life experiences will contribute greatly to our learning process in the field of E-Marketing. My question to you is:
The polar regions face significant challenges caused by social and environmental change, as direct impact of human activities. Therefore, it was deemed essential to assimilate the scientific finding and reduce anthropogenic pressures, and to create awareness on receding ice and impact on people & culture.
Potential Impacts of Tourism in Antarctica and Arctic:
• Littering
• Taking biological or historically significant items
• Pollution (oil spills or sewage)
• Introduction of disease
• Disturbance to breeding wildlife
• Impact to landing sites
Should we be travelling to the polar regions, or should these fragile areas be left pristine?
Hey Phil,
Thanks for joining us from your many, many miles away! I thought St.Catharine’s was a far distance from Toronto but looks like you might be just a little further away than me.
The questions that are of most interest to me will be dealing with the Food & Beverage section of your vessel:
What really jumped out at me was how you spoke about purchasing fresh items locally.
(1) How does your chef design his menu? Is it done before hand or is he/she like Alice Waters ( Chez Panisse )
who just designs it with what is fresh in season and with what is freshest at the market using local farmers with sustainable agricultural practices?
(2) How does he/she source his produce, farmers and most importantly what kind of fresh items are purchased locally? (Especially in Antarctica and in the Arctic)
I guess to have a better understanding of how flexible and how creative the chef can be:
(3) I would also need to know how many covers the chef needs to cook for on any given night? And whether or not there are different styles of restaurants? (ie. Casual - > Fine dining?)
(4) Along with how big his/her brigade is on the ship I am curious to know how diverse his/her culinary skills are? (Docking in different countries on a daily basis and picking up regional produce would definitely pose a challenge for many chefs)
I am also curious to know about your wine list:
(5) Does it have labels from across the globe or is it focused on one country more so than the next?
I guess I should try to keep it short and simple because you will have your work cut out for you answering questions from all my other colleagues let alone the 30,000 questions I just asked you.
All the best in your travels
ryszard!b
ps. How is the 2007 vintage looking to be in Australia?
Ryszard…Thank you for your questions.
When our vessels are provisioned we try to cover all possible cultural food choices and dietary preferences. We do have to keep in mind however where we are and what is possible. The individual Chefs and Hotel Mangers design our menus. Chefs often specialise or have a particular interest in a culinary style and are allowed some freedom with the purchase of speciality items. Wherever possible local ingredients are incorporated into our menus. Port agents and providores will often take us to markets to check on produce.
Operating a vessel in Antarctic is more limiting. Many fresh items are flown to the Southern tip of Argentina (Ushuaia) from Buenos Aires. Generally a good range is available throughout the Austral summer. Unlike the Arctic we cannot purchase any items in Antarctic. In the Arctic we can sometimes purchase, Musk Ox, Reindeer, Halibut and Arctic Char and have special dinners to promote the local produce.
Our expedition vessels range in size with passenger numbers between 48 – 115. These numbers are optimal to facilitate quick and spontaneous landings. The configuration and layout of each vessel is different, some with one dining room and others with two or three. We have to be very flexible with the meal times as the voyages are planned around landings, wildlife and weather. Although the dining style is more casual the standard of food and presentation is very high and similar to what you would find in a good quality shore based hotel.
Our catering staff and chefs come from all over the world. Our Executive chefs have a wide range of culinary experience and expertise, usually with 10-15 years of catering/hotel experience. Our kitchen brigades are small, including the assistants we would have 7 galley staff catering to 100 passengers. This would normally consist of an Executive Chef, Sous Chef, Entremetier, Garde Manger and Baker/Pastry Chef, with 3 – 4 assistants.
The wine list is international and features a mix of French, Californian, Italian Argentinean, New Zealand and yes some Australian wines. We do try to feature local wines when operating out of Ushuaia and the emphasis is on South American varieties.
As for the 2007 vintage in Australia…..well I guess I’m biased, but it should be a good year by all accounts.
As tour operators working in a pristine area we are constantly evaluating our impact on the environment. One cannot dispute the fact that just by being in such an environment there will some kind of impact. There are great deal of cultural and environmental issues to be considered when visiting the Arctic and Antarctica, too many to list here. I do not come from a scientific background but can give you an idea of the steps that are taken to minimise the impact of vessels visiting this area from a hotel or shipboard perspective.
Probably one of the most important things to be aware of is that most tour companies are working together in Antarctica to protect the resource. They have formed a self-governing body – International Association of Antarctic Tour Operators (IAATO). There is a great deal of information regarding this on the web. The fact that they are self-regulating and practising responsible ecotourisim provides ongoing potential for sustainable development.
Onboard practises are all aimed at minimising our impact and every step of the operation is looked at from disease control, garbage management, recycling and more. All passengers, crew and staff must attend mandatory IAATO briefings before being allowed to set foot ashore. Landings are closely regulated and managed, with limits on the amount of passengers and time spent ashore.
After passengers visit areas such as Antarctica, it is my personal belief that they return to their daily routine enriched and far more aware of their own personal impact on the environment. How we live and exist in our own homes and workplaces impacts on these areas a great deal more. Passengers definitely return from a polar expedition voyage in a more informed and educated position, for me that’s what it’s all about!
Phil,
Expedition vessels in the Antarctic and Arctic is certainly a unique place to be entertaining guests! I am curious to know how you feel the expectations of your guests might differ from guests at a traditional hotel on land?
Also, when your guests are aboard, you are of course the only provider of food and retail items; how does affect your pricing strategy, knowing they cannot shop around?
What is the government’s involvement in supporting the work of IAATO? And if there is any involvement, whose governments participate in it?
Hi Phil,
My question is somewhat related to Johanna's. On land many hotels face challenges such as over-booking on room types, and making sure enough rooms and available and cleaned in time for that days arrivals. They may even have a room with dysfunctions, causing the hotel to be another room short.
What kinds of challenges do you face being in a vessal?
Would a vessal ever overbook on rooms, or underbook to make sure they have a spare room or two incase of any issues?
Hello Phil,
Thank you for taking the time to speak with our class with our education in mind.
You said that you had chef training and a catering management background. Now, you are a hotel manager. I know the two are closely linked, but I was curious as to why you decided to make this change with such a high education level in the food and beverage sector. What skills and knowledge were you able to bring from this chef training and catering management, to your current position of hotel manager? How do you think it has all come together to get you where you are today?
Lastly, you have 25 years in the hospitality industry. Do you have any words of wisdom or encouragement for students with very little experience, who are excited to get their career in this industry started?
Hello Phil,
Aside from the challenges you face in the standard of catering you offer, what are some other challenges you face when operating in such remote areas. I am particularly interested because I work as a Front Desk Agent and I am aware of the number of guest requests and concerns that they have when staying at our property.
Thank You For your Time
Best Regards
Enza Velocci
Johanna, Lindsay Earle and Enza, Thank you for your great questions I will try to cover them with the following reply….
The challenges of running a hotel operation on a ship differ greatly from that of a land based hotel. We have to make sure we have all bases covered. As soon as we untie from the wharf we are on our own and have to be totally self-sufficient. We cannot make a quick trip to the supplier to purchase forgotten items. Dietary requirements, medical supplies and special needs all have to be taken into account. We receive notification of such items in advance but on occasions some requests take us by surprise and we have to be resourceful in being able to meet expectations.
Although the passengers receive a great deal of pre-departure information before they arrive at the vessel, many are about to participate in something they know very little about. They may have never sailed on a vessel before, let alone crossed some of the roughest oceans in the world.
As Hotel Manager I face a lot of questions during the embarkation time. The arriving passengers are curious to explore what is to be there new home for the next 10 or up to 38 days. Most passengers want to see what they have paid for when they arrive. They are shown to the cabins and assisted in settling in. We try to have a pre-departure briefing soon after embarkation. This serves as a staff and crew introduction session but more importantly a time where a great deal of shipboard and safety information is passed on. In this respect it is quite different to arriving at a land based hotel. At times passengers may arrive at the vessel with problems. This may range from lost luggage to unrealistic expectations of their voyage. Handling of such cases requires a great deal of diplomacy and understanding. Generally these problems are solved and pale into insignificance when underway and once the first iceberg or polar bear is sighted.
Reservations are handled by our booking office and the Hotel Manager is sent a full passenger manifest usually 3 days in advance of an up-coming voyage. Email and good communication between the booking office, head office and each vessel is paramount in this type of operation. Prior to the introduction of email on our vessels I received the new passenger manifest on the day we arrived into port. At times this was difficult as it gave a limited amount of time to prepare and check on any special passenger requirements. Thankfully overbooking does not occur and we do not generally keep any spare cabins in the event that it does. On occasions you may have a passenger that requires a change of cabin. This can be quite a challenge if you are fully booked, but all efforts are made to accommodate such requests.
All food is included in the voyage fare. Passengers make beverage and souvenir purchases and pricing is generally what you would expect to pay in a hotel or land based souvenir shop. Pricing considerations have to include, customs charges, carriage and storage costs. Most of these items are generally containerised and forwarded to a remote port for loading. There are competitors in the market so one has to determine the pricing tolerance and what is reasonable price for products.
Hello Michelle….
My background as a trained chef along with my involvement in catering management has provided me a greater understanding of the whole catering operation in general. Being able to provide quality catering is an essential ingredient in any hotel operation, similarly the front of house operation also has to be proficient and up to the task. One cannot operate without the other. From a catering point of view I know what is realistic and what is not, when I can push things and when to pull back.
In order to be a successful chef you must be totally organised, be thinking ahead and able to make quick decisions in sometimes pressured situations. These attributes can be carried through to management. I decided to make the move into management after several years of cooking, to me it was a natural progression in my chosen industry. In a way I also think I wanted guest contact and not to be shut away. This did require going back to study and attending various courses.
I think as manager it is essential to understand all of the departments and positions on the vessel. I periodically try to work in each area and spend time with the staff involved. Styles of management differ; our hotel managers are hands on and fully interacting with the passengers.
If I were starting out in this industry I would try to gain quality experience in as many different aspects of the hospitality arena that I could. To get a start in the industry you may accept a position that isn’t quite what you want so be prepared to travel and move to learn new ideas. It’s an exciting industry and one with many different career opportunities.
I am learning new things all the time, the industry and people are dynamic and that keeps it more than interesting!
Phil may be too modest to tell you that he hasn't completely given up his position as chef.
He has been known to take a shift in the galley, when a newly hired chef is flat in a bunk suffering from seasickness!
I sailed with Phil during a gale that was rated 9 on the Beaufort Scale. I was seasick, completely incapacitated. Phil arrived at my cabin door with a smile on his face and a basket of sandwiches, making sure that I was well. He had been to every cabin on the ship, taking care of every guest - including the ship's doctor, who too suffered from seasickness!
That is hands-on hotel management!
Last semester we took a course in hospitality law and learned about the measures an operator can take to protect themselves and limit risks to guests. What kind of operating procedures and policies are in place on the ships? Do you have security on board to deal with problems like theft? Are there special legal challenges you face because the ship docks in different countries?
I am also interested in how many staff you have on board. Is there a ratio of guest to staff? How are the wage rates established? How does having an international staff affect wages and other HR issues?
Hello Mr. Aglar,
I can only imagine the challenges and obstacles you face on a daily basis with regards to hotel operations and once you factor in the extreme conditions things could get out of hand really fast. So my questions are directed towards the day to day operations of the vessel you manage:
•What were the biggest changes/adjustments you had to make to you management style to better run the vessel? (in regards to managing employees, time management, resource management and communication style)
•What part does the vessel captain play in day to day operations and is it a challenge working with the captain?
•In the major cities of the world you find blackberries and pda’s being used to communicate with managers, How do the employees communicate with you on the vessel and keep you in the loop when you are away from your desk and also How do you communicate conflict resolution and executive decisions to all the employees?
•How do you use e-commerce in day to day operations? Are there any best practices in place in your corporation that sets you apart from the rest of the competition?
•Do your patrons have any prior misconception and fears about nuclear powered ice breakers? What security and maintenance procedures do you have in place in regards to the nuclear powered engines?
•What qualities are you looking for in a candidate before you hire him/her and how do you set about finding the right individual to man your vessel?
•How does one manage employees on board if they keep getting sick or are uncooperative to management?
•What procedures do you have in place if an employee is counterproductive to the team (you want to fire the employee) and you are a couple of days away from land?
•Working on a vessel for extended periods of time might affect employee morale in a negative manner. As a manager how do you motivate employees when they are far away from their families?
Thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to answer our questions,
Rahul Sam
Hello Phil,
1)In your opinion, what will happen to this industry in the future?Will it continue to grow or not?
2)Are the majority of passengers older people or young people? Who are the market targets?
Thank you for answering the questions.
Tanya Rykova
Hi~Phil…
I have two questions to ask.
First, I am not that familiar with the expedition vessels. Is it different from regular cruises? If so, what is it going to be in terms of a service provider?
Second, I think working environment is quite challenge for employees staying on board for 10 to 30 days; therefore, are there any benefits for employees in order to keep themselves active? What can the employees on board expect during the off duty?
Thank you for reading my questions.
Hello Sue,
I am sorry I cannot answer your question accurately as to which governments work in supporting the work of IAATO. I can tell you that IAATO holds a conference and meets at least once a year to discuss all aspects of tourist operations in the Antarctica. Close to 50 nations participate and observe the Antarctic treaty that is a formal agreement from the governments of these countries to protect the area for science and peace. IAATO was founded in the early nineties and I believe there are approximately 80 Antarctic operators that are voluntary members of this organization.
Hello Tanya,
I the think the tourism industry in the Arctic and Antarctica will continue to grow. I don’t think it will grow as rapidly as it has done in the past but there is no denying these regions have become destinations on the tourist map. More people are taking cruises in the world than ever before and more cruise ships are being built. We are different and apart from the cruise industry and operate expedition voyages, but a high percentage of our passengers have been on cruise ships.
Generally our passengers are from mixed age groups. A lot depends on the length of the voyage, the itinerary and the vessel. For many it is the voyage of lifetime and something they have longed to do but have not had time, so they may be retired from working and older. We also get many business people that continue to run businesses while they are away. For these people the communication from a remote location is important. We also at times have special interest charters where we may run a specialist photography expedition or workshop. There really isn’t any typical age.
Hi Phil,
Thank you for participating in our class discussions. I am fascinated by your experiences in Antarctica. I never met anyone that went to Antarctica, let alone work there.
My questions are:
1)You’ve mentioned you met a lot of interesting people with various backgrounds on every voyage. How do you overcome language and communication barriers?
2)Does one need a physical health examination to go on tour? Are there any physicians on board? Are there medical waivers one has to sign? What are special menus for people who have medical conditions?
3)What safety measures are implemented and included in your expedition? Have you encountered any medical or physical emergencies in your voyages?
There are many different styles and sizes of cruise and expedition vessels operating worldwide. Periodically cruise vessels may pass close by to Antarctica or the Arctic and cruise through the general area but these are quite different than an expedition style vessel. Usually no landings are offered from such vessels. Expedition vessels are normally smaller and carry fewer passengers.
As we do not have a huge number of hotel staff onboard these expedition vessels effective communication is rather simplified. We would normally have a meal together at least once a day. For a vessel carrying 100 passengers we have 32 staff engaged in passenger operations, this includes, cabin staff, dining room staff, bar, interpreters and management. We use HF radio throughout the vessel so key hotel staff and expedition staff carry a radio and all times. Communication with the Captain or bridge officers is easily done this way if you are on the vessel or at a landing site. The Captain is ultimately responsible for the safety of all-onboard. He works closely with the expedition leader and hotel manager to ensure a smooth operation. They are generally very cooperative and supportive of the landings and activities.
As with any workplace there are conflicts to resolve. Living and working together 7 days a week for up to four months can be demanding. Staff is chosen not only for their experience but their ability to work as part of a team. Normally good communication via regular meetings help to keep to keep all staff motivated and informed. Executive decisions are communicated in writing and/or verbally.
I am sure some our passengers have concerns about boarding a nuclear powered vessel. Personally I do not get any aboard as I would imagine such concerns would have been taken up with the booking office or agents. We conduct engine room tours on board this vessel and hold meetings where passengers can ask the Chief Engineer and his team all questions about the vessel. Like any nuclear facility or plant, security is very high and all passengers and crew may be searched and have identity checks before entering the nuclear facility or wharf area. Onboard the control room is secured and monitored by video surveillance. A team of security officers are onboard to ensure the safety of all.
If any staff are uncooperative there is formal procedure that must be followed including providing performance feedback and performance indicators in writing. All staff has an employment contract with very clear terms and conditions of employment.
The hotel staff has many opportunities to make landings when not on duty. It is very much a team effort and after a few months onboard they become very familiar with each other provide support for each other when needed. At times we have special staff evenings or movie nights etc.. These are social events but do provide a break from routine. Most services staff members are very motivated by positive comments from passengers and management. We distribute passenger questionnaire cards towards the end of the voyage. The staff are very keen to get good ratings and to view any comments. The questionnaires are processed off the vessel and results forward a few weeks after the voyage has been completed.
Hi Phil, Thank you so much for sharing your time with us and answering our questions. This brought me a great opportunity to look at something different from what I’ve been looking at.
You’ve mentioned that landings are offered from your vessel unlike standard cruise ships. So about how many days of a voyage are you landed and how many days on board? And since the sizes of vessels are smaller than standard cruises, facilities and Entertainments you can provide might be limited. So what kinds of efforts are made to entertain the travelers while they are on board?
Hi Phil,
Thank you for spending your time here with us and answering our many questions.
I understand that there are lots of organization involved in planning and preparing for a successful trip. So i was wondering if there was a time that something wrong happened (before, during, and/or after the trip) and how you dealt with it so we have a good understanding that this industry isn't a "walk in the park" sometimes. Also were there any liabilities involved? And who will deal with those liabilities?
Thank you for all your comments!
Greetings Phil,
After reading the comments posted through this thread I have noticed a lot of issues and concerns that have already been covered, thanks for the good read and all the info.
I truly admire your passion for the type of work you have invested your time in. For someone to align their hobby with career is truly extraordinary, and is something we are all potentially looking for.
I have 2 questions that I hope you will be able to answer.
Firstly, after watching a lot of Discovery Channel about the high seas, I wanted to know the actuality of coming across pirates. Apparently, there are more pirates now, then ever before in recorded history. Although you have a security team on board, how do you/they prepare themselves for an encounter, or what safety measures do you/they have in place if there ever is an encounter with these sea hoodlums?
Secondly, How much do you gross (on average) in revenue a year. If you have 7 voyages a year, approximately 78 guests per voyage, 32 employees (on board)? What are your food, labor, and operational costs?
Thank you very much for all your feedback.
Cheers
Hi Phil,
Last summer I worked as a Cruise Director on a 72 foot long yacht on the Toronto Harbourfront. The cruises I organized were no longer than five hours long and remained in water no more than 10 meters deep. One recurring issue on almost every cruise was the pure negligence of guests towards clearly outlined rules. You could always count on the majority of guests at the beginning of a cruise to disregard the instructions from the Captain.
How do you enforce rules, guidelines and other measures related to the safety and well being of guests on your vessel? Do you ever feel as though you are taking away from the guests' experience by enforcing rules or guidelines?
Nowadays it seems as though most guests and patrons at a number of hospitality establishments feel as though they can do as please since they have paid for a service or product. I find this discouraging and disrespectful as someone who does their best to offer premium service, consistently.
Feel free to share a story about a rebellious guest and how the situation was handled.
Hello, Moon, Larissa and Shay,
In response to your great questions….. Our voyages vary in length a great deal, some voyages are tailored for those passengers that may have a limited amount of time or are on a budget, others are full adventure voyages with Kayaking and even camping on the ice for a night. Every effort is made to offer voyages that suit different interests and budges.
The number of landings on any one voyage will vary greatly and is dependent on weather and sea conditions. On some expeditions we have some days where 4 landings may be possible and on other days we may have a chance of 1 or 2. It really is a fluid and dynamic program. It is not uncommon for us to publish the daily program in the evening only to completely change it the next morning due to weather or wildlife sightings. This is really one of the main differences between a cruise and an expedition voyage. Our entertainment between landing is really infotainment, we have expert expedition staff that may lecture on biology, glaciology, ornithology, history etc.. Passengers don’t come on our voyages expecting to have floorshows or similar, they want to learn about and experience Antarctica.
The very nature of crossing some of the roughest oceans in the world does pose problems. Passengers and crew can be easily injured in severe ocean conditions. While every effort is made to ensure the safety of all, sometimes we have injuries. These are mostly mild bumps or scraps from a fall, but on occasions they are more serious and we may have to medivac a passenger from the ship. This involves a great deal of logistical planning and may include the cooperation of other vessels and base facilities in the area. It is mandatory for all passengers to have travel insurance to cover costs in the unlikely event of this type of situation, but it has happened.
The control of disease spreading on a vessel is another problem. On any ship with passengers coming from all over the world and then living closely for a voyage there is a chance of viral infections spreading through the vessel. These can be of the flu or noro-virus type or similar. We have to monitor for outbreaks and be very aware of hygiene standards onboard. We have strict cleaning procedures and protocols in place along with a management plan in the case of an outbreak. We have a doctor onboard trained in emergency medicine along with a well-equipped clinic.
The waters in which we operate are not frequented by pirates….maybe it’s too cold for them. There have been many incidents of these activities in other areas. Our security staff is more trained for the protection of passengers on and off the ship. In the case of the Arctic they will carry a loaded weapon with them when we are landing at sites where there is a possibility of polar bears. On smaller vessels the Captain and officers assume the role of security and are trained in such matters. Each vessel is equipped with an alarm system that will activate a land based alert in the case of vessel in distress of a security nature. Shay I cannot accurately answer your question in regards to budget. Onboard I am given an operating budget to adhere to (varies on each vessel or voyage type). It is up to me as Hotel Manager to manage such items as food budget, stock control, beverage inventory and security, payroll and other onboard hotel related operating costs. I report to a Director of Hotel Operations and the company Financial Controller. At the end of every voyage a complete set of financial voyage papers is sent from the vessel.
Thanks again for your questions, I am sorry to group my reply to you but your questions were quite closely linked so thought you may all be interested in this reply. I wish all of you well in your studies!
Greetings Mr. Algar,
I am very interested by the fact that you work as a hotel manager and at the same time you have the opportunity to travel. That is exactly why I would like to pursue a career in the hospitality and tourism business. Hotel management has always been a career I would have wanted to pursue. However, after experiencing the tourism aspect of the trade, I feel it would give me a greater chance of traveling and seeing the world more. Relating to the subject, what would you say are the strengths and weaknesses of choosing this lifestyle? Furthermore, as we know, the hospitality and tourism industry is an ever growing and has become globally competitive. Who would you say are your competitors? Moreover, what is the company’s mission statement?
Hello Phil,
Thanks for taking the time to participate in our course. It has been very interesting reading about your experience in the Antarctic and Arctic.
I have a question about managing budget. I understand that you are given a specific budget to adhere to for specific departments of the vessel. However, do you find there are unique challenges to keeping operations on the vessel within budget (in comparison to a traditional hotel on land)?
Thanks for your time,
Ashleigh
Hi Phil,
My questions are what type of crisis management plans to do you have in place for situations such as heavy storms or sever weather or natural disasters?
And has the events of 9/11 caused any modifications to your crisis management plans for terrorists attacks?
Hello Silvia,
Being able to combine travel with work certainly is attractive and it’s surprising how many people manage to do exactly this. I meet many hotel staff, tour guides, specialist instructors and lecturers who make a good living and see much of world at the same time. Like anything there is a downside, for many people it would be different. Personally for me it takes me away from my home, family and friends. Each time I return home after being away for a period of time I have some catching up to do. I have been lucky however and managed to work and travel with my partner.
Competition in the industry is good thing and the fact that most operators openly cooperate with each other only helps the industry as a whole. Access to landing sites is well managed, there is not more that one vessel at a landing site at any one time. The objective is not to see other vessels at all, however with the increase in vessels and operators this is starting to prove difficult.
Hi Ashleigh,
Your question regarding unique challenges to keeping within budget on the vessel is a good one.
Probably the main difference between operating a hotel on vessel and a traditional land based hotel is that you can find yourself with little or no choice when it comes to local suppliers. In remote locations some items may be unacceptably high. It comes back to good planning. Transport costs, port costs and customs charges all have to be taken into account. Also the importation of some items into certain countries can be heavily regulated. When operating out of a Russian port, all our importation documents have to be 100% in order and all products specified. There is a lot more logistical planning in this respect when compared to a land-based hotel.
We keep in contact with suppliers and will plan our buying around our location. We may buy beef in Argentina and many of our dry goods in Europe for example. It really helps to keep our budget under control and stay within our limits.
Hi Phil,
As I know your industry has to maintain high quality service all the time.
My question are how is the turnover rate in this industry? Can the employees get used to the strict rules while they are working?
Hi Calvin,
When operating in areas such as Antarctica contingency planning and crisis management procedures all need to be thought of well in advance with set protocols in place to follow. Weather plays a huge part in our operation and we have to deal with heavy storms, sea and ice conditions as they arise. In the event of delays caused by storms we may have to modify the current voyage or possibly the next voyage. Most of these of events are managed and coordinated via our head office. Passengers may require changes to flights and hotel bookings etc..
Onboard we have to manage such events as they happen. The Captain, Expedition Leader and Hotel Manager all have guidelines that need to be followed, each with different areas of responsibility. We have an onboard operational manual that outlines the steps and procedures in each case. Depending on the situation we may have to contact our head office emergency contact number to coordinate land based operations. This may be in the case of a medical evacuation or similar emergency.
There is no question that the events that occurred on 9/11 have changed the way we all live and operate. It is mandatory that all passenger vessels be fitted with systems that raise land based alarms if required. As part of an onboard management plan and basic training all ships crew have to complete training in crowd control, fire fighting and security matters. There are stricter controls for the loading of items onto vessels and all supporting documentation has to be in order before anything is loaded. Access to sensitive areas on vessels is now more controlled and passenger embarkation procedures have been tightened.
Dear Phil,
On behalf of the students of HOSt 4103 I wish to thank you for the time you have invested in adding to their professional knowledge.
Your attention to detail and thorough answers are appreciated.
There will be a token of our appreciation in the Hotel Manager's office aboard Ocean Nova when you board in Montevideo. Please look for the package.
Prisca
Students, please note that this thread is now closed.
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