pts report italy_daniela vanessa bermadinger

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P RACTICAL T RAINING S EMESTER

S OBRINI , E DIL M ACOS , T USCANY

H OTEL & R ESIDENCE STELLA DEL M ARE

R ESIDENCE R ELAIS V ILLA M AZZANTA

Reflection Report

submitted at the

IMC University of Applied Sciences Krems

Bachelor’s Programme

„Tourism and Leisure Management“

by

Daniela Vanessa Bermadinger

0910311005

Mentor of Internship: Mr. Andrea Biondi

Advisor: FH-Prof. Mag. Walter Grassl

Submitted on: 28/08/2011



Daniela Vanessa Bermadinger

TABLE OF CONTENTS

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY........................................................... I

1. INTRODUCTION ...................................................................1

2. THE ORGANISATION’S IDENTITY......................................2

2.1 Internal dimensions ................................................................... 2

2.1.1

Objectives and strategies ........................................................................ 2

2.1.2 Organisational structure .......................................................................... 4

2.1.3 Organisation culture ................................................................................ 7

2.1.4 Personnel structure and human resources ............................................. 7

2.2 Context dimensions ................................................................... 8

2.2.1 Relevant external environments .............................................................. 8

2.2.1 History and status quo .......................................................................... 10

2.2.2 Future expectations and perspectives .................................................. 10

3. APPLICATION OF THEORETICAL KNOWLEDGE ...........11

3.1 My tasks, duties and responsibilities ..................................... 11

3.2 Relevant IMC courses .............................................................. 12

3.3 Challenges and acquired competences ................................. 13

4. CONCLUSION ....................................................................15

REFERENCES......................................................................... A

APPENDIX............................................................................... B



Executive Summary

Daniela Vanessa Bermadinger I

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

I have completed my practical training semester at Edil Macos s.r.l., more precisely in

the two hospitality facilities “Hotel & Residence Stella del Mare” and “Residence

Relais Villa Mazzanta” of the Sobrini family, from April to September, in Tuscany.

I have preferred this specific organisation for several reasons which include the

location as itself, the chance to learn more about the Italian hospitality business and

culture, the opportunity to use all languages I have been studying so far and

especially the improvement of my Italian language skills and, last but not least, the

positive feedback from former interns who have always been IMC students.

Concerning my expectations, I was told right from the beginning that my duties would

include tasks from both, the front and the back office. Therefore, I was mentally well-

prepared for the check-in and –out procedures as well as the proposal writing.

However, I thought I would get more involved in the development of marketing

strategies and gain a better insight into the HR department, which in this company

does not exist as such though.

Nonetheless, I have gained a lot of real life practical knowledge and developed a

great many of my already existing skills and competences, as well as my overall

personality. Working abroad, especially in a country where a foreign language is

spoken, can be quite challenging at times, but all the more it encourages you, makes

you proud of yourself and provides you with experiences lasting for a lifetime. With

regard to the IMC courses, I could successfully apply the theory of Management,

Marketing and Tourism and Leisure. My job involved tasks and duties from both the

front as well as the back office and therefore, was quite diversified, the proposal

writing, the booking process and the check-in and –out procedures taking centre

stage. I was also appointed for customer care which included a welcome

presentation, an information-point, pool rounds and excursions to a vineyard and I

enjoyed socialising with the guests very much. Since my boss trusted me with my

Italian, he also assigned me with the translation of the company homepages and

other texts into English and German.

My working hours, as well as my days off, continuously varied, but all in all I was

working about 37-40 hours per week on six days a week, more specifically from six to

eight hours per day with shifts in the morning, the afternoon and the evening and one

day off during the week. I did not receive any fixed financial remuneration, but

accommodation, meals, laundry and cleaning service on request, a uniform, bike and

tips were provided. In the beginning I could stay in a more luxurious apartment at

“Villa Mazzanta” and eat à-la-carte at a nearby restaurant for about two months,



Executive Summary

Daniela Vanessa Bermadinger II

before moving into a smaller apartment at the “Villette Tina” and choosing from the

menu of the day at our restaurant at “Stella del Mare” for the time left.

I had started out as an amateur without any real hotel experience answering e-mail

requests by preparing proposals in the office before I was alternately transferred to“Stella del Mare” and “Villa Mazzanta” where I gained my first experiences at the front

desk. The check-in and check-out procedures had to be performed with only a tiny

little bit of training because it immediately started to get hectic with the arrival of the

first guests around Easter, but over the months I was getting quite a good routine in it

and sooner or later nearly everything has been explained to me. It has to be

emphasised, though, that the level of involvement depends very much on oneself

and in order to obtain new information and higher responsibilities, one has to be

interested in learning more, curious about lots of different stuff and open for new

things and should simply never stop asking questions. An important part also played

the observation of my colleagues and my boss and, whereas in the beginning I was

still a little bit shy answering the phone and talking in Italian, in the end I did not even

hesitate anymore and could speak self-confidently with the Italian guests too.

In the course of the “World Dance Championship 2011” at Castiglioncello and the

“Sport Fishing World Championship (under 21) 2011” at Vada, the hotel hosted a

great number of the participating groups which have been of completely different age

classes and nationalities. The arrangement of their stays beforehand and the ensuinggroup arrivals represented an organisational challenge in which I was fortunately

involved and therefore could gain another valuable insight.

What I want to highlight is the extraordinarily great support of my supervisor and

personal tutor Mr. Andrea Biondi from whom I could learn a lot and who always

encouraged me irrespective of occasional mistakes. Thanks to the fantastic staff the

internship can be called an absolute success and has definitely been a good starting

point for my future career in the tourism sector.



Introduction

Daniela Vanessa Bermadinger 1

1. INTRODUCTION

This paper gives an account of the internship which I have completed in the

enterprises of the Sobrini family, primarily in its two establishments “Hotel &

Residence Stella del Mare” (Edil Macos s.r.l.) and “Residence Relais Villa Mazzanta”

(Villa Mazzanta s.r.l.), in Mazzanta, Tuscany, for the period from 11th April to 11th

September 2011. The internship’s purpose is to implement the acquired theoretical

knowledge in a work environment and in doing so, gain real life experience in an

organisation in the tourism sector abroad.

Following the initial report the seminar paper provides a more detailed overview and

better insight into the company’s identity by differentiating the organisation into its

different internal and external dimensions and by demonstrating their interrelationship

according to the identity model by Gareis and Stummer (2008). Thereby the focus is

placed onto the organisational structure and the relevant social environments as part

of the internal structures and the context, respectively.

Furthermore, it includes a critical reflection and personal statement about the five

months spent in this company: my role as a receptionist, the involving tasks and

responsibilities and finally, the new practical experience I have gained. Special

emphasis has been placed on the comparison between the theoretical knowledgeacquired at the IMC and the experiences made during the practical training, i.e. the

relevance of the mainly theoretical knowledge from the already completed IMC

courses and the challenges I have experienced throughout this practical training

semester.

This paper has been divided into two main parts, the first section describing the

company itself , i.e. it examines the composition of Sobrini’s associations in general

and the organisational structure of Edil Macos s.r.l. in particular, and the second one

providing an analysis of my personal experience and the relevance of the alreadycompleted IMC courses.



The Organisation’s Identity


2. THE ORGANISATION’S IDENTITY

The identity model allows the holistic perception of an organisation as a social

system by considering internal structures and its interrelationship with relevantexternal environments (cf. Gareis & Stummer, 2008, p. 26).

2.1 Internal dimensions

2.1.1 Objectives and strategies

The objectives and strategies of an organisation should be clearly defined in form of

a mission statement in order to determine the company’s boundaries and provide

orientation for all members (cf. Gareis & Stummer, 2008, p. 27). Sobrini’s mission

statement is to satisfy the needs of different customer types by diversifying the

holiday offer according to their slogan “Una vacanza per tutti i gusti! – Holidays for

everyone’s taste!”. Its operation covers almost everything from camping over hotel

rooms and independent apartments to agri-tourism. The core vision is to increase the

service quality by continuously refining the holiday products, for instance by means of

building restoration and extension, in order to meet customers’ expectations and

become more competitive (cf. Biondi, 2011).

Products and services

The three-star “Residence & Hotel Stella del Mare” is a holiday village which offers

two different accommodation formulas for its customers – they can choose between a

stay on a self-catering basis, i.e. the apartment comes along with a kitchenette and

the price includes only the overnight stay, and a hotel room with breakfast, half or full

board and bed linen, towels and daily cleaning provided. In the latter case the

apartments remain the same typology, but by adding the extra costs they are sold as

“hotel rooms”. The customer, furthermore, can choose between two categories of

apartments – a standard and a superior one – which either come along with no air-

conditioning, dish washer, bed linen and towels or with everything included,

respectively. The facility also offers a mixed option; so for example, one could book a

standard apartment including half board and the providence of bed linen and towels.

There are three different types of apartments – studios, two-roomed and three-

roomed apartments – which provide the capacity to accommodate a minimum of 2 up

to a maximum of 6 persons depending on the specific typology. The hotel is operated

from April to November and is closed in winter. In the high season, i.e. in July and

August, the stays are usually carried out weekly with arrivals and departures on

Saturday, whereas in the low season, the minimum stay is three nights with arrivals

and departures on any weekday.





All guests of Edil Macos, no matter if they reside within the main site or in one of its

external apartments, are welcome to use the services at the residence. In addition,

the guests from “Villa Mazzanta” and “Borgo Guglielmo”, which do have their own

swimming pools, can benefit from the special convention with the restaurant and join

the guests from “Stella del Mare” for the animation and evening entertainment.

Among the services offered by Edil Macos are swimming pools and swimming

courses for children, a mini club, animation during the day and evening

entertainment, a restaurant with an associated bar, a parking lot, free wireless

internet access and an information-point. Moreover, the guests are free to choose

between a public beach and a private one with beach service against payment

(sunshades, -beds and deck chairs included).

Target market and marketing strategies

Obviously, the predominant target group are families with smaller children of which

the majority is Italian or at least Italian-speaking (the Swiss from the Italian part of

Switzerland). The Germans also represent a very important target group. The primary

marketing platform is the Internet, more specifically five websites – a general

homepage with all of Sobrini’s establishments, a specific one for “Villa Mazzanta”,

two for the accommodation facilities of Edil Macos s.r.l. and one for “Borgo

Guglielmo”. The underlying motives of having more than one homepage are in order

to appeal to different types of customers and to be more widely spread out and highlyvisible in the World Wide Web (cf. Biondi, 2011). The company is also present on

facebook and reviews on Tripadvisor are checked on a continuous basis.

The primary communication channel is the communication via e-mails, has to be

differentiated again between direct requests and multiple ones sent from the

numerous portals. A minor but nonetheless very important part of the proposals and

bookings are carried out on the phone. Phone calls, furthermore, have a higher

priority than e-mail requests because it is generally believed that someone who calls

is more committed and therefore definitely a potential customer. Brochures of thehotels are not available.

The majority of the apartments is booked in advance and only in case a room

remains unoccupied, a discount is granted and an immediate booking is carried out in

the presence of the person inquiring. In the low season the occupancy rate extremely

varies from year to year, week to week and establishment to establishment, but in the

high season all of Sobrini’s facilities are usually fully booked, the most important

week being the one around the public holiday “Ferragosto” on 15 th August which is

celebr ated with a big party at “Stella del Mare”.





2.1.2 Organisational structure

The organisational structure’s purpose is to enable the performance of services and

the sale of products and to coordinate the actions of members in an organisation (cf.

Gareis & Stummer, 2008, pp. 28-32).

Sobrini’s associations

Villetta Cavalleggeri

Villetta Gherardini

Villetta Capitani

Villetta Biagini

Rocchiccioli

FR (= Fronte Residence)

The scope in which the Sobrini family operates can be generally subdivided into five

main enterprises of which four are directly connected to tourism. Beside the real

estate agency Agenzia Immobiliare Sobrini which rents out and sells private

apartments (about 30 at a time) for holiday purposes, the Sobrini family runs three

other accommodation facility companies: Edil Macos s.r.l., Villa Mazzanta s.r.l. and

Borgo Dino s.r.l ., “s.r.l.” being the Italian abbreviation for “limited liability company” (cf. Franchi, 2011).

SOBRINI

family

Edil Macos

s.r.l.

Villa Mazzanta

s.r.l.

Borgo Dino

s.r.l.

Socom s.r.l.

Hotel & Residence

Stella del Mare

Villette Tina

& Dino

Other holiday

cottages

Borgo

Guglielmo

Agenzia

Immobiliare

Sobrini





Edil Macos s.r.l. is responsible for the “Hotel & Residence Stella del Mare” (67

internal apartments), the “Villette Tina & Dino” (two separate cottages with 23 and 8

apartments, respectively) and other holiday cottages (11 external apartments for

guests with pets). “Villa Mazzanta” (28 more exclusive apartments) and “Borgo

Guglielmo” (17 apartments) are two separate establishments operated by the

corresponding companies. Altogether the Sobrini family runs a total of about 155

apartments in more than three different sites that are not only operated but also partly

owned by the different family members. Furthermore, half of the campsite “Mare Blu”

in Mazzanta belongs to Mr. Dino Sobrini. The restaurant at “Stella del Mare” is leased

by someone else and for the major part individually managed. The private beach

establishment is not owned by the company; there exists only an agreement between

the two of them. The life guards and animators are hired by a company called Time

Italia s.r.l. from which Edil Macos s.r.l. and Villa Mazzanta s.r.l. again procure them(cf. Biondi, 2011; Ingoglia, 2011).

Organisation chart of Edil Macos s.r.l.

Firm Owner &

Administrator

Massimo Sobrini

General Manager

Andrea Biondi

Front Desk - ReceptionistsHotel & Residence Stella del Mare

Cleaning staff &

attendants

Accounting Manager

Franco Franchi

AccountantSilvia Ingoglia

Booking Manager

Elke Wrulich

Restaurant

Manager & staff

Animation

Team





Mr. Massimo Sobrini, besides being the firm owner, is also the administrator of Edil

Macos s.r.l The General Manager is called Mr. Andrea Biondi and is directly

responsible for the overall management of Edil Macos s.r.l. and “Villa Mazzanta” and

indirectly even of “Borgo Guglielmo” since the handling of its bookings is carried out

by the reception at “Villa Mazzanta”. The Tina, Dino and other holiday cottages are

run by the reception at “Stella del Mare”. The organisation is split up into three main

divisions that are structured according to the different roles. The role allocation is a

little complex and the boundaries between the single divisions vague. There is the

administration or (financial) accounting department, the booking department and the

front office. Given the small size of the company there are only working a few

employees in each department. The organisation is rather horizontally organised,

which means that there do not exist many hierarchical levels; it is basically the

General Manager managing the different departments. To some extent thereceptionist do have authority over the cleaning, attendant, animation and restaurant

staff.

Internal communication

The internal and mostly informal communication takes places in four different ways

and between all members of the organisation, i.e. top-down, bottom-up and even by

skipping hierarchical levels in-between. The information exchange and decision

making takes place either orally and face-to-face or over the phone, as well as inwriting on Skype, via e-mails or in the form of little messages left for others. Skype,

connecting the computers in the reception with the ones in the main office,

represents the latest and moreover very effective communication tool. In my opinion,

the efficient use of it can be still improved though. Furthermore, all computers are

connected with the main server which allows every member to have free access to

shared documents. Formal communication structures such as meetings take rarely

place and, from my point of view, should be increased.





2.1.3 Organisation culture

A big strength that characterises Sobrini’s organisations is their exceptionally strong

company, their incredible team spirit, which is created by a number of shared values,

tools, objects, symbols, linguistic expressions and particularly events.

In the first place, the names of the different associations do reflect the names of the

owners and managers and furthermore, “Stella del Mare” and “Villa Mazzanta” have

a sea star and sea horse, respectively, as their logos. Secondly, concerning the

language used, there are lots of German- and English-speaking employees, but

anyway, most of the times it is communicated in Italian in order that no one will be

excluded and to make sure that everyone has understood everything. Throughout all

hierarchies, members call each other on a first-name basis and informally, even

creative nicknames have been developed, so are, for example, Stella’s receptionists

called “stelline” and the ones from Villa “villine”. Moreover, there are many other

special expressions for the internal use and information exchange between team

members only.

Thirdly, the “villine” and “stelline” often meet outside of the workplace to undertake

something together like having dinner where they also share job anecdotes. A great

many of events, including birthdays, summer parties and graduations, are organised

by the General Manager Andrea Biondi and contribute a lot to the teambuilding.Besides the connecting communication tool Skype, the receptionists also wear a

uniform which not only physically underlines their group identity, but also

psychologically strengthens the feeling of togetherness even more. Finally, the

working atmosphere in general is extremely intimate and casual, contributing to

everyone feeling part of the team, even more of a family. I personally got along really

well with all my colleagues and they have turned into my best friends during my time

in Italy.

2.1.4 Personnel structure and human resources

Mr. Andrea Biondi is responsible for the recruitment, scheduling and controlling of

staff and it has to be pointed out that he is exceedingly qualified for this job. I could

derive a lot in his behaviour towards my colleagues and me from what I have been

taught in theory. Edil Macos’ personnel consist of six perennial employees who work

in the low as well as the high season and of 29 seasonally employed people of whom

about half are full-time and half part-time employees (mostly cleaning staff) (cf.,

Biondi, 2011). It additionally admits one to two interns each summer. However, there

are no advanced trainings and workshops offered to its employees.





2.2 Context dimensions

2.2.1 Relevant external environments

The relationship an organisation has with its clients, partners, suppliers, authorities

and even competitors influences the company’s economic performance, and

therefore, has to be managed deliberately (cf. Gareis & Stummer, 2008, p. 29).

Customers

As already mentioned, the predominant target group are families with smaller

children, whereupon the majority of Sobrini’s customers are of Italian, German and

Swiss nationality, followed by the Belgians, Swedes, Hungarians, Frenchmen, Danes

and the Dutch. However, the proportion again varies from facility to facility and from

period to period. Whereas the Italians with about 68% represent the majority of theguests at “Stella del Mare”, they have a low presence (about 30%) at “Borgo

Guglielmo” and “Villa Mazzanta” which instead is rather frequented by international

guests from the northern European countries, such as Sweden, Belgium,

Netherlands, Germany and Poland (cf. ERICSOFT, 2011). The great many of French

requests for “Villa Mazzanta”, moreover, do definitely stand out. “Villa Mazzanta”

generally attracts families and couples with higher income since it is appointed in a

more luxurious style. Another reason is the close cooperation of Villa Mazzanta s.r.l

and Borgo Dino s.r.l with the German tour operator “TUI”. Besides, whereas there

are, for instance, more Germans coming in the high season, i.e. in July and August,

the Swiss prefer the month of October due to their autumn half-term (cf. Wrulich,

2011).

Tour operators

The apartments of all three accommodation facilities are being booked in two ways –

either directly by the customers themselves which applies to the majority of sales or

indirectly over tour operators and travel agencies, the tour operator being the hotel’s

contact person. The twenty tour operators with which the company is mostly dealing

are situated in different European countries. An extract of them are “TUI – Wolters”

and “italiaREISEN” in Germany, “Interhome”, “Swiss-Residence” and “Toscana Ferie”

in Switzerland, “Thomas Cook” for the Netherlands, “Azzuro” in the Czech Republic,

“Studit” in Hungary and “sol nostrum tourist” for the Eastern European countries in

general (cf. Wrulich, 2011).

Naturally, the types of contracts differ, but two acquisition methods can be

differentiated: through allotments, i.e. the tour operators hold a pre-negotiated

number of purchased hotel rooms until a specific date, or on request. The date as

well as the commission are individually negotiated and stated in an allotment





contract, but usually the date is set a couple of days prior to the planned check-in

and the commission rate amounts to 20% in the high season and 25% in the low

season from which 10% are again assigned to the travel agency. In the rare cases

when travel agencies make a direct request a commission rate of 10% is granted to

them. Unsold rooms are generally released back to the hotel (cf. Wrulich, 2011).

Socom s.r.l.

The Sobrini family is also the owner and manager of the building company Socom

s.r.l. which, apart from constructing private apartments or other building complexes,

plays also an important role when it comes to the construction of the establishments

for Edil Macos s.r.l. Thus, it has constructed all of the hotel’s main buildings and

cottages (cf. Di Sacco, 2011). This collaboration clearly provides economic

advantages for both companies. For the current project “Villette Chiardiluna” it hasalso come into play again (see “Future expectations and perspectives”).

Destination

A hotel is very much influenced by its location, the destination’s infrastructure, its

attractions and entertainment. “Stella del Mare’s” value is increased by the great

variety of recreational facilities and restaurants in Mazzanta, Cecina and

surroundings which in return benefit from the promotion and the supply of guests.

This mutual benefit can be increased by a close collaboration of both parties.Moreover, within a bigger radius the destination offers a lot of historical cities, cultural

sites, amusement and nature parks, markets, festivals and events and a wide range

of sporting activities. The excellent promotion of the Etruscan Coast is carried out by

the tourism agency “Costa degli Etruschi” which also provides a lot of information

material for Sobrini’s guests.

Authorities

With regard to the amusement park close to “Villa Mazzanta” and Edil Macos’

facilities, the company depends very much on the competent authorities to observe

the tolerable hours and volume of operation.

Competitors

At the beginning of its business, the Sobrini family has executed an analysis of the

proximate competitors in order to become more competitive. The first step was to

compare the prices and services with the ones offered by other holiday resorts and

residences in that area and adapt their own ones. In a second step they increased

the quality of their own products and services by restoring and refurnishing the

buildings and the apartments and by adding special services (cf. Biondi, 2011).





Almost every time before a special offer is published on one of Sobrini’s websites, the

competing offers are controlled and tried to be under matched. The biggest

competitors are the “La Buca del Gatto” and “La Cecinella” because of their proximity

to “Stella del Mare” and the similarity of their holiday offers. They are both situated in

Cecina and do offer apartments as well as rooms, but in contrast to “Stella del Mare”

they additionally provide their guests with a spa centre and sports facilities (cf. Buca

del Gatto, 2011; La Cecinella, 2011).

2.2.1 History and status quo

The Sobrini family has been working in the tourism sector for 50 years. In the Sixties,

Dino Sobrini started with construction work in Mazzanta before buying some of the

properties and going into business for himself in 1967. In the Seventies, more

precisely in 1973, the association Edil Macos s.r.l. was founded and in the beginningof the Eighties the real-estate agency Sobrini has been established for the sale of

houses in Mazzanta. Additionally, in 1980, the “Residence Stella del Mare” was

inaugurated, however in the first few years also those apartments were only being

rent out for longer periods. By including more and more special services Stella del

Mare developed into a “holiday village” in the nineties. The hotel has always been

extended over the years and the last one of the three hotel buildings was brought into

service this year. The apartments have been refurbished and the outer spaces

completely reorganised (cf. Franchi, 2011).

2.2.2 Future expectations and perspectives

The biggest project for the near future is the dedication of the already semi-

constructed four-star residence “Villette Chiardiluna” – eleven cottages of four to five

three-roomed apartments each, hence a total of 50 apartments and a spa centre – in

Castglioncello, a posh village at the coast, in the vicinity of Mazzanta (cf. Sobrini,

2011). The construction work is carried out by Socom s.r.l. (cf. Di Sacco, 2011).

Furthermore, Mr. Massimo Sobrini (2011) is planning to set up a booking centre

which engages only in the booking process, to appoint night receptionists and

additionally employ an assistant accountant.



Application of Theoretical Knowledge


3. APPLICATION OF THEORETICAL KNOWLEDGE

3.1 My tasks, duties and responsibilities

Divisions of placement: Reception & Booking

Front Office

Performance of check-in and –out procedures (i.e. welcoming of guests,

completion of registration form, explanations, handling of payments,

accompanying the guests to their apartments – feedback, handling of deposits

and outstanding debts, presentation of VIP card => loyalty program); in Italian,

English, French and German; mainly on Saturdays;

Concierge service (giving advice regarding facilities, events, public transport

means, trips and tours, etc.) – “Info-point”: welcome presentation of the

Etruscan Coast (tourist information); every Sunday morning; bar service at

Villa Mazzanta;

Customer care (feedback, translations, problem solving) during the week –

development and compilation of customer satisfaction evaluation sheets

implemented to improve the performance of the company;

Organisation of a weekly excursion to the vineyard “Chiappini”, tour guide,

interpreting of Italian, English and German, guest support; every Thursday;

Back Office

Telephone and e-mail correspondence in Italian, English, French and German

and preparation of proposals (receiving and answering e-mail and phone

requests by preparing proposals in Italian, English, French and German and

creating customer files in the data bank);

Receiving of booking confirmations and handling of the further booking

procedure (communication via e-mail and phone, up-dating of the data bank)

Assistance in the preparation of arrivals and archiving of customer files

Coordination of cleaning staff, attendants and mechanics

Translation of the company’s homepages into English and German and

correction of English and German texts

Preoccupation with the company’s marketing strategies; social media

(especially facebook as a means of marketing);





3.2 Relevant IMC courses

With regard to the relevance of the already completed IMC courses, it has to be

pointed out that overall I could fortunately apply a lot of the mainly theoretical

knowledge acquired at the IMC.

First of all, in order to understand the organisational structure, different hierarchies,

social responsibilities of the organisation, to recognise interactions between the

environment, technology, human resources and organisations and to improve the

allocation of tasks and coordination of staff, the subject Fundamentals of

Management including human resource management has been absolutely essential.

Concerning the four major functions of management – planning, organising, leading

and controlling – I could derive a lot in and learn from the comportment, approach

and performance of Mr. Andrea Biondi. The knowledge gained in Marketing linked tothe one from the Management course, furthermore, has contributed to a better

understanding of the marketing concepts and the underlying psychology of the

customer buying behaviour.

Working in the hospitality industry and therefore being confronted by the specific

touristic terminology, concepts and proceedings, Introduction to Tourism and

Leisure has been by far one of the most relevant subjects. It has allowed me to

consider the hotel as part of the holistic tourism system, i.e. to recognise its position

in a tourism destination region such as Italy and its interrelationship with tour

operators. Indeed, the course of action in the hotel has also been the same as the

one discussed in this subject, and therefore, I could better comprehend it when

experiencing it in practice.

Obviously of great aid have also been the language courses, given the fact that the

internship has been completed in Italy and therefore, the working language has been

Italian. Besides, a great deal of my tasks was based on the communication with

foreign guests and the translation of spoken and written Italian into English and

German. However, I am convinced that my confident handling of the English

language is primary due to the exchange semester I have spent in Australia and not

to the Business English course at the IMC and I have to admit that I have already

been studying Italian since the lower grade in secondary school. Due to the hotel’s

location there have not been many overseas guests and I did not get the chance to

give my basic Chinese a try. I have noticed though that the French language has

been important in this location and type of establishment (especially at “Villa

Mazzanta”) and that, moreover, Russian language skills would have been of great

help at times.





As stated before, there is a lot of communication involved in the duties of a

receptionist and I was for example also responsible for the “Info-point”, i.e. the

presentation and question & answer session of the residence and its surroundings,

on Sunday. Hence, I could utilise the presentation and communication skills acquired

in Personality Training (and Mentoring). Actually, they have already proven to be

useful before when applying for an internship.

Since I had to work a lot on the computer, the knowledge from Applied Computer

Technologies was quite helpful, even though we did not go through the booking

systems and data banks which, anyway, vary from one company to the next, and

therefore, have to be learned in sito. The subject Introduction to Research, finally,

has helped me in writing this seminar paper, while the IMC courses Accounting,

Statistics and Law have been of little to no relevance for my tasks.

3.3 Challenges and acquired competences

The IMC courses have prepared me with a sound theoretical background, but

nevertheless they cannot prepare you for every practical situation which may occur.

Therefore, every know and then I had to experience challenges or at least gaps

between the theory and its practical realisation. Nevertheless, they have also

contributed to the acquisition of new knowledge and the development of my already

present skills and competences.

There occurred, for instance, a lot of IT problems, where my technical skills or the

knowledge from Applied Computer Technologies did not suffice. A great deal of our

work at the reception has been based on our e-mail outlook, as well as the booking

software ERICSOFT, and without the function of the Internet we were quite limited in

our work possibilities. In such a situation, e.g. where I had to perform an immediate

check-in in sito without our working booking system, I could fortunately rely on my

spontaneity. Some other time we the had to perform check-ins and –outs to some

Russian dance groups who did not know any English, but in the end we fortunately

understood each other. Thus, my improvisation or creative skills have been

developed. In addition, a couple of times I had to fill in for sick colleagues and in

doing so, could successfully exercise myself in flexibility.

Another important factor in this type of job has been stress management. Having to

perform check-outs and –ins nearly at the same time with several phones

continuously ringing while a queue is being formed in front of the reception desk and

the cleaning staff waiting for instructions, prioritising intelligently is important, and

even more, necessary. Consequently, I could enhance my general organisationalskills, as well as my management and leadership skills by coordinating other staff.





Absolutely essential have been, furthermore, good teamwork skills, since I have

almost always worked together with at least one of my colleagues and we often had

to up-date and motivate each other. Besides, the close contact with other employees

and guests has given me the chance to improve my communication skills in the

diverse foreign languages even more.

Moreover, I could further develop my administrative skills, given the fact that I

consistently had to deal with guest registration, payments and receipts, activate

Internet connections and arrange deliveries and appointments. My teaching and

helping skills have been enhanced inasmuch as that I taught some people a little bit

of English, translated Italian texts into English and German also for private purposes

and assisted friends with their business in my leisure time.



Conclusion


4. CONCLUSION

Reflecting my time at Sobrini’s companies, I have definitely gained professional

knowledge about the hotel business and developed my personal competences and

soft skills. The management, marketing and tourism and leisure courses have

provided me with a comprehensive understanding of the theory and the internship

has enabled me to experience and carry it out also in practice, e.g. by applying the

most effective and efficient tools. With regard to the languages, I definitely want to

continue with Italian and in addition, brush up my French and start with Russian as

soon as I get back to Krems.

What I liked best about my internship in this company was the opportunity to take a

look at all departments, get varied duties and responsibilities, have a lot of contact

with the guests, be flexible with my working hours and being immediately met with a

kind reception. I really felt part of the “family” from the very first moment I arrived and

this feeling did not change at all, but on the contrary, only intensified itself towards

the end of my internship.

On the negative side I have noticed about the company that the internal

communication by means of little notes spread out everywhere is quite inefficient and

creates rather confusion than clarification. Besides, there were lots of changes takingplace during my time working for Sobrini which complicated the immediate

operational procedures. Although I experienced difficulties in introducing my ideas

and suggestions and especially their practical implementation, they were basically

appreciated by the General Manager. In my opinion, the underlying problems from

which have often resulted customer dissatisfaction, anyway, have been to a great

extend more profound ones and could be attributed to the hotels’ location, the

apartments’ design, the lack of certain accessories in the apartments and the

mentality to fix broken objects only short-term instead of replacing them so that they

work on the long run. I have realised once again how important it is to keep the gap

between customers’ expectations and the reality to a minimum in order to reduce

customer complaints.

To conclude, I am convinced that the internship has contributed to a deeper practical

understanding of the hospitality business in general and of the Italian operation

method in particular and due to the outstanding work atmosphere I have definitely

enjoyed my practical training semester.



References

Daniela Vanessa Bermadinger A

REFERENCES

Gareis, R., Stummer M. (2008). Processes & Projects. Manz, Vienna, pp.26-39.

Biondi, A. (2011). Personal interview, marketing strategies and organisationalstructure of Edil Macos s.r.l. General Manager of Edil Macos s.r.l. Hotel &Residence Stella del Mare in Mazzanta, 1 August 2011.

Biondi, A. (2011). Personal interview, Edil Macos’ human resources, Sobrini’smission statement, competition analysis. General Manager of Edil Macos s.r.l.Hotel & Residence Stella del Mare in Mazzanta, 15 August 2011.

Di Sacco, D. (2011). Personal interview, Socom’s operation scope. Geometer andTopographer of Socom s.r.l. Agenzia Immobiliare Sobrini in Mazzanta, 11 August 2011.

ERICSOFT. Statistics. Access on 8 August, 2011.

Franchi, F. (2011). Personal interview, Sobrini’s future perspectives, Sobrini’sassociations, company foundation of Edil Macos s.r.l. Accounting Manager for Sobrini, Manager of Agenzia Immobiliare Sobrini. Agenzia Immobiliare Sobriniin Mazzanta, 4 August 2011.

Ingoglia, S. (2011). Personal interview, organisational structures of Sobrini’sassocations. Accountant of Edil Macos s.r.l. Agenzia Immobiliare in Mazzanta, 4and 5 August 2011.

Sobrini, M. X (2011). Personal interview, Sobrini’s future perspectives. Firm Owner and Administrator of Edil Macos s.r.l. Villa Mazzanta, 6 August 2011.

Wrulich, E. (2011). Personal interview, booking, tour operators. Booking Manager of Edil Macos s.r.l. and Villa Mazzanta s.r.l. Hotel & Residence Stella del Mare inMazzanta, 2 August 2011.

Bibliography

IMC Management courses

La Buca del Gatto. La Buca del Gatto Homepage. Access on 18th August, 2011 onhttp://www.labucadelgatto.com.

La Cecinella. La Cecinella Homepage. Access on 18th August, 2011 onhttp://www.lacecinella.com.

Sobrini. Hotel & Residence Stella del Mare Homepage. Access on 28th July, 2011 onhttp://www.residencestelladelmare.com.

Sobrini. Hotel & Residence Stella del Mare Homepage. Access on 28th July, 2011 onhttp://www.stelladelmare.it.

Sobrini. SOBRINI Homepage. Access on 28th July, 2011 onhttp://www.sobrini.it/home.phtml.

http://www.labucadelgatto.com/

http://www.labucadelgatto.com/



Appendix

APPENDIX

Example interview

Personal interview

Interviewee: Mr. Andrea Biondi, General Manager of Edil Macos s.r.l.

Topics: Edil Macos’ human resources, Sobrini’s mission statement, competition

analysis

Date: 15th Agust 2011

Place: Hotel & Residence Stella del Mare in Mazzanta

Language spoken: ItalianLanguage notes taken: Italian

Transcript:

Dipendenti: 6 tutto l’anno, 35 alta stagione (luglio & agosto), 15 part-time (donne

delle pulizie), 20 full-time + 1-2 stagiste => Edil Macos

Visione:

1) Diversificare l’offerta turistica: campeggio, Hotel & Residence, agriturismo,

app. privati. Una vacanza per tutti i gusti, soddisfare tutte le esigenze;

2) Aumentare la qualità del servizio -> interventi ristruzioni (nuova piscine,

benessere) per essere competivi e per esaudire/accontentare le aspettative

dei clienti;

Competizione:

1) Analisis della concorrenza, comparazione dei prezzi/servizi in questa zona

2) Riduzione dei prezzi – allargamento dei servizi

pts report italy_daniela vanessa bermadinger

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