Critical Success Factors of the Maintenance Function in the South African Hotel Sector

Critical success factors of the maintenance function in the South African hotel sector CL NEETHLING 21254079 BCom Honours in Tourism Management Dissertation submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree Magister Commercii in Tourism Management at the Potchefstroom Campus of the North-West University Supervisor: Prof M Kruger November 2015 PREFACE Incidentally, I started this dissertation while working at a guest house where I was placed in charge of maintenance oversight (after the owner saw that I had some understanding of maintenance). While attempting to find and identify a research gap as my undergraduate research module lecturer instructed us years ago, and simultaneously undertaking my everyday duties, I realised that there appeared to be a general lack of acknowledgement and recognition for the maintenance profession. It dawned on me that this was quite possibly that “gap” that I was searching for. After some tentative foraging in the academic literature wilderness, this idea was further strengthened when I experienced difficulty in obtaining relevant resources on the subject matter. Working alongside these men and women who (quite often) needed to put their dignity and distaste for certain tasks aside for the sake of the greater good, I become resolute in my decision to bridge, or, at least, attempt to bridge, this research “gap”. What a daunting task it turned out to be. A massive lack of participation from the target community, which I believe is due to loyalty towards their hotels, even though all of the information was collected anonymously and any possible confidential questions were limited to a minimum, and a general lack of appropriate and relevant literature in the field of hotel maintenance were obstacles that I at times almost considered too daunting. However, three years and countless hours later, I am able to provide a document that I still hope can at least in part bridge that divide between academic research and practice, and give greater insight into a selfless profession which is, even more so in my mind today than when I set out on this undertaking, often undervalued and underappreciated. My only request is that next time, when you, the reader, encounter an individual who is practising the art of maintenance, whether it be at your home, at work or at your favourite vacation destination, acknowledge their endeavours and thank them for their service. We all need a little recognition from time to time, and may you do so for these men and women. “By the sweat of their brow.” Carel Neethling November 2015 i DECLARATION I, Carel Ludolph Neethling, identity number 8612315013080 and student number 21254079, hereby declare that this research submitted to the North-West University, for the Master study in dissertation format: Critical success factors for managing maintenance within hotels in South Africa, is my own independent work, and complies with the Code of Academic Integrity, as well as other relevant policies, procedures, rules and regulations of the North-West University; and has not been submitted before to any institution by myself or any other person in fulfilment (or partial fulfilment) of the requirements for the attainment of any qualification. _________________________ __________________________ CL NEETHLING PROF MARTINETTE KRUGER Supervisor 15 December 2015 15 December 2015 DATE DATE ii FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE The author wishes to acknowledge and commend the financial assistance that has been offered by the National Research Foundation (NRF), South Africa, for postgraduate studies in scare skills. The assistance has been invaluable in funding the completion of the study. Further financial support for postgraduate studies from the North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, South Africa, is also gratefully acknowledged. The University’s assistance in funding research for post-graduate qualifications is highly appreciated. iii DISCLAIMER Statements, suggestions and opinions expressed or implied in this study are those of the author and should not be regarded as those of the North-West University (Potchefstroom Campus). iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS To our Heavenly Father, for without whose might and grace nothing would have existed on which to carry out research, and no-one would have existed to conduct that research. Without His strength and guidance, this undertaking would not have been seen through. To my beautiful wife, Nicolene, to whom I got married while busy with this study, and whom I incidentally met on campus as an undergraduate. Without your support (admonishing?) I surely would not have undertaken nor finished this undertaking. Thank you for everything, my love. To my supervisor, Professor Martinette Kruger, who has guided me through my honours degree and now through my Master’s degree. It has been a long road thus far, and I am proud and honoured to have walked it with such a capable and experienced academic. May I aspire to be an academic of such calibre one day. “Always two there are, a master and an apprentice.” To my friend, with whom I started the journey in academics and who herself now have attained a PhD, thank you, (Dr) Corné Pretorius. We have been through many things and seen much since our friendship started, and here’s to the long road ahead. May more mysteries of this universe be unlocked through hard work and friendship. To our family friend, Ms Vinette Eales, who assisted with the preliminary language editing, I thank you for all the assistance. You gave invaluable feedback from the viewpoint of a reader who is not familiar with the subject matter, which was used to simplify certain concepts where possible. May retirement from the education profession be as kind to you as your observations were regarding this text. To Dr Suria Ellis of the Statistical Consultation Services who did the statistical analysis, thank you for the assistance. Statistics is not my strong suit, and I would almost dare to say neither is it for most people. However, without statistical analysis this study would be fruitless. Thank you for giving the numbers meaning. To Armand Viljoen of the TREES research institute at the Potchefstroom Campus of the NWU, thank you for processing the questionnaire into something digitally tangible. Without your assistance the questionnaire would have never made it to Adobe® FormsCentral®. A special thank you goes out to the respondents of this study, for without your valuable input and feedback this study would never have taken place. To all the men and women working each day in often quite unsavoury situations, mending, repairing and maintaining that which is needed to provide a seamless and excellent hotel experience, thank you. Moreover, keep up the good work, lest we all succumb to critical maintenance failures! v ABSTRACT Critical success factors of the maintenance function in the South African hotel sector Research and the literature available abound regarding the general management of hotels, as well as when looking at departments such as marketing, human resources and housekeeping. However, when attempting to obtain the literature or research that relates specifically to the hotel maintenance department, there appears to be a massive lack of this information in the academic world. This seems strange, given that any department within any organisation can only function when the supporting infrastructure is in place and working properly. Even more so when looking at hotels and taking into consideration that the only physical aspect that the guest can experience at the hotel is comprised of the tangible assets of the hotel itself. This indicated an overwhelming lack of appreciation and understanding of the important role that the maintenance function fulfils with the hotel’s organisation, and an ideal research opportunity presented itself to attempt to address this shortfall. The primary goal of the study was therefore to determine the critical success factors of the maintenance function in the South African hotel sector. For this goal to be achieved, four objectives were formulated. The first objective, to do an analysis of the hospitality industry, and of hotels, in particular, was achieved by conducting a literature study. The literature study on the hospitality industry and of hotels, in particular, was explored by understanding hotel management, which was achieved by discussion aspects relating to a hotel (by defining the concept of hotel, identifying the different classifications of hotels, explaining how the grading system of hotels work and which organisational bodies regulate it in South Africa, and the importance of hotel management); discussing the importance of hotel managers as well as characteristics and personal traits of these managers; and investigating the critical success factors that are needed in effectively managing hotels. Modern hotel managers are an essential part of the hotel organisation. For the hotel to remain successful, the focus needs to be on customer experience, staff attitude and aptitude, and the appearance of facilities and the physical aspects of the hotel. Good customer experience especially requires that these aspects be monitored and controlled in fine detail. The second objective, to do an analysis of hotel maintenance, was also accomplished using a literature review. It was necessary to understand what hotel maintenance management entails; what the importance of maintenance management is for hotels; how the maintenance department fits into the organisational structure of the hotel (by outlining the process

Load more