Dealing With Various Guests' Questions About The Hotel and Tourist Destinations When Working As A Bellboy At Novotel Hotel Bandung.

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Maranatha Christian University

ABSTRACT

Tugas akhir ini membahas mengenai masalah yang saya hadapi dalam masa magang saya sebagai bellboy di Hotel Novotel. Masalah tersebut adalah ketika saya harus menjawab pertanyaan-pertanyaan dari tamu seputar hotel dan tujuan wisata di Bandung. Berdasarkan analisis, saya menemukan bahwa penyebab masalah tersebut adalah saya sebagai

bellboy trainee hanya mempunyai pengetahuan yang sedikit di bidang

hotel dan tujuan wisata di Bandung. Selain itu, saya terlalu mengandalkan bantuan dari staff senior untuk menjawab pertanyaan tersebut. Masalah ini pun membawa beberapa akibat, yaitu tamu merasa kecewa ketika saya tidak dapat memberikan jawaban yang memuaskan, kemudian bell captain atau supervisor merasa kecewa dengan performa yang saya tunjukkan, dan staff yang lain akan berpikir bahwa saya tidak mampu untuk

menjawab pertanyaan dari tamu.

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APPENDIX A: FLOWCHART

Causes:

1. I, as a bellboy trainee only have little knowledge on both hotel and tourist destination in Bandung

2. I was too much relying on senior staff to help me answer every question that was asked by the guests.

Problem:

as a new bellboy trainee, I am having a hard time to answer questions related to

the hotel and tourist destinations in Bandung.

Effects:

1. The guests were disappointed with me as I could not give satisfying answers.

2. The bell captain or the supervisor was disappointed with my performance.

3. The other staff thought that I was not capable of getting along well with the guests, specifically in handling guests’ question.

Potential Negative Effect: brochures only contain information about the hotel, while guests’ questions are usually various.

Potential Solution I: I should use tools to help me, such as hotel brochure and the map of Bandung.

Potential Positive Effect: The guests will feel satisfied, as I can give them quick answers.

Potential Negative Effect: I will be considered incompetent and unconfident by my seniors.

Potential Solution II:

I should ask the support of my senior colleagues who can advise and teach me.

Potential Positive Effects: 1. I can get information that can help

me deal with guests’ question. 2. I can build a relationship with my

senior colleagues, so that I can enjoy my working experience.

Potential Negative Effect: Eventhough I have gone through a training programme, my level of service may not meet the hotel’s standard.

Potential Solution III: I should have a training before starting doing the job.

Potential Positive Effect: I will be more encouraged and self-confident.

Chosen Solution:

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APPENDIX B : TRANSCRIPTION OF THE INTERVIEW

Name of interviewer : Paul Tambahani Name of respondent : Rifky Safari

Day & Date of interview : Monday, September 30, 2012 Place of interview : Back office, Novotel Hotel Bandung

Paul : Selamat siang Pak Rifky. Pak Rifky : Siang juga Paul.

Paul : Saya ingin bertanya beberapa hal mengenai bellboy nih Pak.

Pak Rifky : Silahkan.

Paul : Saya langsung saja bertanya yah Pak. Menurut bapak, seberapa pentingkah peran Bellboy di dalam hotel ? Pak Rifky : Semua departemen di hotel itu punya tugas masing-masing

yah. Kita di front office khususnya di concierge ini, sangat erat sekali berhubungan dengan para tamu. Mulai dari tamu check-in hingga check-out, kita sebagai bellboy sangat diharapkan untuk dapat memenuhi semua

kebutuhan tamu tersebut.

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sebelumnya tidak punya latar belakang pendidikan hotel dan hanya bermodalkan kemampuan berbahasa inggris ini, cukup sering kebingungan nih pak dalam melayani

pertanyaan dari tamu hotel. Kemudian saya mulai meminta bantuan dari staff bellboy yang lain untuk membantu. Apakah itu dinilai baik ataukah jelek ?

Pak Rifky : Oh untuk itu tidak perlu khawatir ul, selama masa training yang lalu kan, kita dilatih untuk siap menghadapi berbagai masalah yang bisa saja muncul setiap saat. Kalau kamu memang butuh bantuan itu wajar saja lah. Hanya perlu diingat, ya tidak baik juga yah kalau terlalu sering meminta bantuan ke staff lain, mereka juga itu kan punya tugas yang lain juga yah.

Paul : Begitu yah pak, kemudian untuk status saya yang training ini, apakah dibedakan statusnya dengan staff yang lain nih pak ?

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tetap harus bisa menjalankan semua daily job yang sudah ditentukan.

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CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTION

A. Background of the Study

Working in the hotel as a bellboy is one job people consider as a position that requires a lot of muscle skills. Bagyono lists the job descriptions of a bellboy as follow: welcome the guest, carry guest’s luggage, secure guest’s luggage, guide the guest to check-in counter, guide the guest to their room, carry guest luggage to their room and show the room as well as the facilities (66). There are prejudices about the job, but after I have my own experience as a bellboy in Novotel Bandung, changed my opinion of working as a bellboy. During my internship at Novotel Hotel Bandung, I got a lot of true stories which told me that most of hoteliers started their career as a bellboy. It shows that before people got to the top of their career, they have to start from below, but they start the job as well as they can, and it determines where they will be at in the following years.

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hotel industry. The only thing that helped me a lot was the lessons in the subject “Hospitality in Tourism” and all the theories from the visiting managers from Hilton Hotel Bandung, that was meant to help hoteliers when they face a problem. The other problem that also occurred when I did my internship at Novotel Hotel, was that the guests often asked about several tourist destinations which I have very little knowledge on.

Judging from the problems mention above, I would like to bring them up into the topic for my term paper, which is entitled “Dealing with various guests’ questions about the hotel and tourist destinations when working as a bellboy at Novotel Hotel Bandung”. In the paper, I would like to present an analysis of the problem as well as to investigate the solutions of the problem both critically and comprehensively, to find out the best solution.

B. Identification of the problem

Based on my experience as a bellboy trainee at Novotel Hotel Bandung, I would like to discuss the following:

1. Why did I, as a bellboy trainee, have a problem in answering guests questions about hotel and tourist destinations in Bandung?

2. How did the problem affect my working performance ? 3. How should I overcome the problem ?

C. Objectives and Benefits of the Study

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The second objective is to find out how the problem affected my working performance. The third objective is to find the solutions to overcome the problem. In addition, this study offers three benefits. Firstly, I will be made aware of my inability and how to cope with it. Secondly, the readers can get useful information about how to deal with those problems when they become a trainee or even when they work as a bellboy. Thirdly, for the hotel itself, they will know the problem of a bellboy trainee might face, and the hotel can get some ideas on how to deal with the problem.

D. Description of the Institution

According to “Novotel”, the first hotel was established, and in 1967 “Novotel is a 4-star International midscale brand for business & leisure travelers, with hotels located in the heart of major international cities, business districts and tourist destinations” (par. 1).

In an article entitled “Hotel Novotel Bandung” it is stated that “Novotel Bandung is a four-star International Hotel and conveniently located in the centre of Bandung, which is on Jalan Cihampelas No. 23-25 Bandung 40171, West Java, Indonesia. The General Manager at the present time is Mr. Marak Setiadi. The hotel features 156 rooms, and also offers a

conference facility for a capacity of 500 people. For the convenience of the guests, the hotel has a swimming pool, fitness centre & spa and the

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Cihampelas Walk. It is only 10 minutes from the Airport or Train Station. The place is ideal for business trips and holidays” (par. 1). The hotel mission of the year 2012 is “Let’s keep the highest standard of service and performance” which can be spotted at the bulletin board in the groundfloor area of Novotel Hotel Bandung.

E. Methods of the Study

There are several methods of the study that I use to collect the data for this term paper. The first method is self-observation, in which the data are collected from my three months internship. The next method is interview to collect the data from a concierge staff to support the information of this term paper, and the last method is library research to complete the theories to support the analysis in this term paper.

F. Limitation of the Study

The limitation of my study is to find out the reasons why I, as a bellboy trainee had such difficulty in answering guest questions and the solution in order to overcome my incapacity as I try to answer guest questions. I have done my internship from 18 June 2012 to 15 September 2012.

G. Organization of the Term Paper

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of the Study, Limitation of the Study, and Organization of the Term Paper. The second chapter is Problem Analysis, containing the analysis of the causes and effects of the problem. The third chapter is Potential Solutions, which contains three potential solutions with the analysis of the positive and negative effects of each solution. The last chapter is Conclusion, containing the best solution chosen from the potential solutions. The paper ends with Bibliography, which contains publishing information of the

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CHAPTER IV

CONCLUSION

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colleagues who can advise and teach me. Then the last potential solution is I should have a training before starting doing the job.

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BIBLIOGRAPHY

PRINTED SOURCE :

Bagyono. Teori dan Praktik Hotel Front Office. Bandung: Alfabeta, 2008.

ELECTRONIC SOURCES :

Daniels, John Ray. “Why Use a Brochure.” Dadooda. 14 September 2010. 15 April 2013.

<http://www.dadooda.com/index.cfm/fa/library.detail/Library_ID/9368>

Kolah, Varzan S. “To Self-Service or Not To Self-Service? That is the Question for Hotels.” 27 March 2013.

<http://aut.researchgateway.ac.nz/bitstream/handle/10292/1339/KolahV .pdf>

Mckay, Dawn Rosenberg. “How to Get Along With Your Colleagues.” Careerplanning. 20 April 2013.

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Xiao, Yang. “The Importance of Staff Training in the Hotel Industry.” 22April2013.<https://publications.theseus.fi/bitstream/handle/10024/721

3/Final%20Thesis--The%20importance%20of%20Staff%20training%20in%20the%20hotel %20industy.pdf>

“Concierge Work” Bestsampleresume. 1 April 2013.

<http://www.bestsampleresume.com/work/customerservice/concierge.ht ml>

“Hotel Novotel Bandung” Novotel. 1 April 2013.

<http://www.novotel.com/gb/hotel-6181-novotel-bandung/index.shtml>

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“Peer Worker Relationships.” 2008. 10 May 2013.

<http://www.sagepub.com/upmdata/23944_3___Peer_Coworker_Relati onships.pdf>

“The Importance of Training Towards Hospitality in order to Enhance the Service Quality” 2003. 7 May 2013.

<http://www.ukessays.com/essays/tourism/importance-of-training-towards-hospitality-staffs.php>

“Working with Your Colleagues.” heacademy. 2010. 22 April 2013.

<http://www.heacademy.ac.uk/assets/bmaf/documents/Resources/3_W orking_with_your_colleagues.pdf>

INTERVIEW

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