Situation Handling

Answer 1. 

Difficult vendors are definitely a risk that project managers need to take into consideration and know how to deal with when they arise.

Some signs of difficult vendors:

• Disinterested or unclear communication
• Inability to give correct estimates of when deliverables will be completed
• Work isn’t up to the agreed standard
• Constant need for revisions and returns
• Missing agreed deadlines with no warning
• Lack of follow-up support

Work on your communication

Some vendors may have a bad attitude, others may simply be bad at organizing themselves, whatever the problem is, when managing vendor relationships communication  is always the key. It’s fine being friendly and sociable when things are going well but when they’re not doing what they’re supposed to. Communication should be done in a respectful and polite manner. 

Get everything in writing

A sure-fire way to clear up most problems when managing vendor relationships is to get as much as possible down in writing at the start. If the vendor relationship has grown on word-of-mouth but is getting unmanageable, simply state to them that for management or administrative reasons you need to establish the limits and expectations of your cooperation together and ask them for their input and sign-off.

Ask them what they need from you

Most vendors don’t set out to be difficult, often they might not know (or care enough to find out) if they aren’t delivering what’s expected of them. To be proactive in this situation ask them directly if there is anything you can do to help, for example defining the terms of your expectations better or assisting them. 

Escalate in a timely manner.

Don’t let things get out of hand and poor performance to become the norm, recognize an issue when it occurs a second time and escalate your language and/or actions at each subsequent occurrence.

Evaluate if their service is actually the tool or platform you require

When a vendor relationship takes a turn for the worst and there is frustration and acrimony on both sides, it can be a good time to re-evaluate why you actually need them. Sometimes the service you need and the solution they are providing might seem to match but when you look deeper you are not a good fit as you previously thought.

Don’t be afraid to pull out

Though not exactly a strategy for managing vendor relationships, getting out of the situation is an option that always has to be on the table. At the end of the day you are the client and while that doesn’t mean you should be unreasonable with vendors, it also means you shouldn’t be pushed around and be at the whim of their decisions. If your current vendor can’t supply what you require then you need to find one who can.

 As the hotel operations can't be compromised on the standards and procedures set, it is better to look for a new vendor if the situation does not improve. 

Answer 2.

Death resulting from natural causes or illness that occur on hotel premises are typically much easier to handle than those that occur as a result of a suicide.

Whether it is a housekeeper, security officer, or hotel manager who discovers a potentially deceased victim, the first responsibility must always be to check the body to determine that the guest is actually dead and not merely asleep, suffering a stroke or heart attack, or has lapsed into a state of unconsciousness.

The front desk will notify the hotel’s security department. It is imperative to share word of a guest’s death only to those individuals who need to respond or notify the authorities.

The decision to inform the police rests in the hand of the General Manager and only after instructions are 8ssued through him, the chief security officer informs the police department. Media should not be included in such situations. 

The next step is to exit and secure the guestroom or immediate area. This means leaving the guestroom, locking the door, and awaiting the arrival of hotel management and the police. To preserve the area for investigation and to secure the decedent’s valuables, it is critical that no single employee be left alone in the area where the death occurred

Once Management arrives, the employee who discovered the body should explain how and when they found the body, what steps they undertook to ascertain the guest was no longer alive, anything else they noticed, and what items in the guestroom or general area they touched

Have a manager escort the employee to a secure location and wait with them to gather their composure and await questioning by police. Have a front desk agent or security officer stationed in the lobby to meet responding police and escort them to the location of the guest’s body. 

No employee or manager should re-enter the guestroom or area of the body until police arrive, unless there is sufficient reason to believe that an unattended baby or child is still located in the room. At this point it is the hotel’s primary responsibility to secure the location. 

Once the police arrive, give them access to the scene and provide them the guest’s registration card and payment information from the front desk. 

With the assistance of the police, hotel security should inventory all personal items of the decedent found in the guestroom. 

If the police or coroner does not remove the guest’s personal property, it is the hotel’s responsibility to do so and safeguard it. Do not remove the decedent’s property until the police approves.

The employee who has discovered the body may also he in a state of shock and can be taken to hotel doctor for counselling sessions. Also, the rooms on the floor where the deadbody is found cannot be put on sale unless the matter is resolved. The dead body is always removed from the back elevators. The guest room is sanitised and disinfected before it is again added to the room inventory. 

Ans 3.

Do not ignore the cry for help the guest is asking for. If the guest calls housekeeping control desk and says that he or she is attempting suicide, it is important to engage the caller in conversation. Try to empathise with the guest while ensuring that you inform your supervisor or shift incharge on duty side by side. Try to enquire the reason as to why the guests wants to die and how you can offer assistance to him or her. 

The shift incharge along with the security department head and manager on duty can go to the guestroom and open the room with the grand master key. The hotel's doctor should also be informed of the same. 

Try to sympathise with the guest and inform the family members. The guest should be taken care of and should be kept under regular supervision until he is accompanied by his or her family members after being checked out from the hotel.