8TH SEM (BHCT416) UNIT 4 Facility Planning and Management

 

Strategic planning is the process of developing a plan, guideline or roadmap for your hotel based on its mission, vision, values, and stated goals and objectives, which indicates the specific strategies and tactics or actions that will be taken to achieve these goals.

 

The following are seven major design considerations that must be considered while designing any Hotel:

1. Attractive appearance: All over the appearance of a hotel is one of the very important considerations for a hotel. It should be attractive and should reflect the architecture of that area and should also have a character of the services being provided in that Hotel.

2. Efficient Plan: The plan of the Hotel should be such that it should be functional and also appeal to the eye. All the services should be so designed that it meets various principles of layout and design.

3. Good Location: The design of the Hotel will be guided by the geographical location of the Hotel e.g. if a Hotel is situated near the airport or railway station, the reception of the Hotel will be designed in such a way that it could handle a large number of guests at one time because there is a possibility of guest checking in large groups and around the clock. Similarly, hotels situated at hill stations, beaches and hotels located in the heart of the cities and metros will be designed differently.

4. Suitable Material: The Hotel should be designed in such a way that it should be able to use the material locally available which will be cost-effective and efficient.

5. Good Workmanship: While designing a hotel one should consider the fact that what kind of workmanship is available and the designer should take advantage of local expertise. This will not only make the hotel efficient but also will be economical.

6. Sound Financing: One of the very important factors is finance in designing the Hotel. The availability of ready funds and management of finance is a crucial factor and it should be considered very carefully in Hotel Design.

7. Competent Management: The design of a Hotel will depend upon the quality of management available to operate the establishment. If we have quality management and manpower only then Hotel should be designed for sophisticated equipment and high-tech gadgets.

 

HOTEL DESIGN PROCESS

Developing an efficient design is a complex sequential process requiring intense interaction of many professionals to successfully planned, designed, and operate all facilities. The result of participation will surface following decisions:

·       Manage all services

·       Preparing a programme defining requirements for all services and operations

·       Apply the principle of design and layout to service facilities

·       Select the most appropriate equipment for all services provided by the hotel.

These design programme will fall into two basic categories, i.e.:

1.       Guiding programme: It will be written prior to undertaking the design process. The programme inputs will be gathered all appropriate sources.

2.       Confirming programme: This programme will be written after the facility design process is well underway which contains both basic criteria and describe design philosophy, constrain, and capability to develop. This programme is used to provide all available information to the designer. A working copy of the programme is to be continuously updated during the design process.

 

The hotel design process must focus on the following points:

·       Feasibility Study,

·       Conceptualization,  

·       Design & Licensing,

·       Contractor(s) Selection,

·       Quality Control and

·       Project Delivery and Closure.

 

HOTEL DEVELOPMENT PROCESS

1.       Conceptualization: It will start with the Internal developer organizational analysis, which involves preliminary audits of the hotels’ macro environment, hotel market analysis, competition, and internal audits of the developer’s expertise to understand gaps and ultimately create a team of experts to bridge down the identified gaps. To develop and establish the project objectives, determining the financial, developmental, and operational standards and guidelines will need to be initialized at this phase. Planning for the development of strategy and criteria which may include site location, market segments to go after, building ownership structure, brands to consider for hotel management/operator, and building owner /equity structure needs to be processed too. Last but not least, gathering data for the feasibility study also needs to be initialized at this phase.

2.    Feasibility study: The feasibility stage consists of a highly-detailed analysis of:

·       Macro environment feasibility

·       Physical feasibility

·       Market feasibility

·       Financial feasibility (financing options)

·       Operator audit which includes looking into the track record of success, competitive advantages, pluses and minuses of each, development requirements, etc.

·       Development of estimates, budgets, costs, cash flow pro formats, etc.

The Feasibility Report must cover:

·       L.A.E. (Local area evaluation): Analysis of the economic vitality of the city or region. Describe the suitability of the project site for a hotel.

·       L.M.A. (Local Market analysis): Assess the present demand and future growth of several market segments. Identity the existing properties and their probable growth.

·       P.F. (Proposed Facilities): Propose a balance of guest room and revenue generating public facilities (Restaurant and lounges, function area, recreating facilities). Assess competitive position of the property).

·       F.A. (Financial analysis): Estimate income and expenses for a hotel over a five year period to show its potential cost flow after fixed charges.

3.    The space allocation program: Among the many tasks of the development team is to establish a space allocation program. The allocation of space among the principal functions in a hotel varies from property to property. The most obvious difference among properties is the ratio of guest room space to public space and support area space. This varies from 90% in budget hotels and many motels to 50% - 65% in large commercial hotels.

     Architectural Consideration will include the Site Design and the Design Phase:

1. Site Design – The Architect is responsible for site planning, and analysis of the site, its constraints, and opportunities. Before firming up the design, the architect must consider:-

i) Visibility and Accessibility: Consider Road access and surrounding street patterns.

ii) Surface Conditions: Analyse terrain, vegetation, existing buildings and roads, and environmental constraints.

iii) Sub Surface Condition: Confirm the location and underground utilities, height of the water table, bearing capacity of the soil, and the existence of environmental hazards.

iv) Regulatory restriction: Height restrictions, parking requirements, Highway restrictions, etc.

v) Site Character: Describe qualities of the site such as surrounding uses and views.

vi) Orientation: for Sunlight.

vii) Adaptability: Potential for future development

​2. Design phase: Commences with the preparation of schematic design (set of alternate plans) and establish design directions considering the space allocation program. Provide the design team with approvals. Establish design schedule, Freeze structural drawings and specification of finishes etc. While working on design, it is important to consider: -

         i.            Site Benefit: Potential sites need to be considered in relation to the main tourist and service attraction. View influences the plan and compensatory attractions (garden view, recreational focuses), which should be provided for disadvantaged rooms. The orientation of sun, shade and prevailing winds will affect building design.

       ii.            Traffic Analysis: An analysis of traffic flows is necessary to identify: -

a.       Counter flows of traffic.

b.       Restrictions on new entries to the highway and

c.       Condition relating to signage on the highway

     iii.            Density and Height: The density and massing of the building is dictated by location, land costs, and local regulation.

     iv.            Circulations: The movement and guests, non-resident visitors, staff, and supplies in a hotel tend to flow distinct, circulatory patterns. Where practical, guest, supply, and staff circulation be kept separate.

       v.            Guest Room Plans: Guest rooms may be arranged in rows or one on both sides, of the corridor forming a slab plan or stacked around the circulation core of a tower structure, which is explained as under:-

a)       Slab Plan: This can be double loaded slab or a single-loaded slab. In a double-loaded slab the rooms are laid out on both sides of the corridor whereas in the single-loaded slab, the rooms are only on one side of the corridor. Double-loaded corridors are the most efficient so far as space utilization is concerned and work out to be more cost-effective and economical.

b)      Atrium designs: These are internal corridors overlooking the central space which may be open or sub-divided by mezzanine extensions to increase utilization. Elevators extending through the atrium are invariably transparent. The guest rooms are arranged in a single-loaded corridor.

c)       Tower Structure: The rooms are spread over around a central core which enables the guest rooms to be cantilevered, propped, or suspended around the sides. The proportion of space taken up in circulation, including corridors on each floor, is high and tower structures are generally used for high-rise buildings where the advantages of view justify the higher costs.

4.       Procurement

·       Final owner /equity situation

·       Selection and negotiation with Brand operator – which Brand makes the most sense?

·       Secure financing

·       Gain control of the site, selection of an architect, design, construction contractor, owner’s representative, the construction team

·       Final contract negotiations with stakeholders

·       Final design and documentation including furniture, fixtures, equipment

·       Final budgets/commitment point

·       Begin Pre-construction

5.       Construction

·       Site preparation / actual construction

·       Monitoring of budgets and schedules for on-time, on-budget assessments

·       Ongoing quality reviews

·       Completing contracts with vendors/documentation

·       Securing occupancy permits

6.       Operational

·       Development and initiation of operations/team/ staffing

·       Initial and ongoing sales and marketing efforts

·       Ongoing management of the hotel asset which includes operations, sales and marketing, and maintenance/upkeep of the asset

·       Possible rebranding / operational changes as market conditions change

·       Distinguishing Success Factors

RELATED LINKS:

HOTEL PLANNING AND DESIGNING METHODS

HOTEL FACILITY PLANNING (HOTEL DESIGN)

HOTEL DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS

http://www.sihmind.mp.gov.in/Uploaded%20Document/jer/notes/facilty%20planinng.pdf