Process Performance and Quality at Starwood Hotels & Resorts

Background

Starwood Hotels and Resorts was one of the world's largest hotel companies that owns, operates, franchises and manages hotels, resorts, spas, residences, and vacation ownership properties under its 11 owned brands. Starwood Hotels and Resorts is no stranger to quality management. In the most recent year, Starwood properties around the globe held 51 of approximately 700 spots on Conde Nast’s Gold List of the world’s best places to stay. Its spa and golf programs have consistently been ranked among the best in the world. They are one of the world’s largest hotel and leisure companies. Starwood conduct their hotel and leisure business both directly and through subsidiaries. At Starwood, processes and programs are driven by the work of its Six Sigma experts called Black Belts. Developed by Motorola more than 20 years ago, Six Sigma is a comprehensive and flexible system for achieving, sustaining and maximizing business success by driving out defects and variability in a process.

Statement of the Problem:

        The Sheraton Service Promise program did not work well in reporting any problems and on taking care of service issues during the guest’s stay in the hotel.

Causes of the Problem:

Alternative Courses of Action:

1. Measure call logs to established the track speed, empathy of associate handling the call, and efficiency of the staff charged fixing the problem,
2. Improve specific processes that affected performance; telephone operators handling of request, procedures for determining who to call, engineering workloads and so on.
3. Control and Monitoring of monthly feedback to the manager or department head responsible for the improvement of Sheraton Service Promise program.

Conclusion

        Six Sigma model define-measure-analyze-improve will help to guide the work of Sheraton Service Promise program. It will define the problem in collecting the data and analysing the organization’s status. The model will identify how to improve the program with the used of different processes in handling the call and efficiency of the staff charged with fixing the problem. The Six Sigma Team will help the management in improving the data collection of guest’s problems.

Recommendation

        Six Sigma seeks to improve the quality output of process by identifying removing the causes of defects and minimizing variability in manufacturing and business processes. Six Sigma project carried out within an organization follows a defined sequence of steps and has quantified value targets. It can increase the customer satisfaction and increase in profits. The Six Sigma program at Starwood Hotels & Resorts will help the management increase its financial performance by improving the quality and consistency of guest’s experience as well as those of their internal customers. It will provide the framework and tools they need to create and maintain superior standards at all properties and aspect of the management. It will improve the result in measurable financial and improving the bottom line of customer loyalty gains.