Written report (Research Paper Sample)

Audit Report-Hilton Hotel Student Name Institutional Affiliations Instructor Date Audit Report for Hilton Hotel Group Hilton Hotel Group is a leading multinational global hotel with over 187 premier hotel brands around the world. The Hotel was founded in 1919 by Conrad Hilton after realizing the potential of the Hotel sector within the fast-paced society. Hilton Group owns, franchises and manages as well as renting over 6100 hotel chains in about 118 countries worldwide. Being an international luxury brand, Hilton Hotel target market is comprised of first-class hotel products, luxury facilities and high-grade service, tourists and leisure. The brand is known globally for thoughtful quality service as well as rigorous and very efficient style of management as well as superior efficiency economic-wise. Ambience and excellent customer service adds to the great customer experience following which the brand hotels and resorts are spread all over the world. Hilton prides in early success which is well linked to the brand’s superior lodging and service. One of the prime strengths of the hotel brand portfolio is its commitment to diversity with the different Hotel Groups catering for distinct market segments (Oladipo & Priyamvada, 2023). This paper is an audit report which analyzes and evaluates the brand at individual unit levels and also at corporate level with a focus on organizational culture, structure, goals, change initiatives, strategic direction etc. Organization structure, culture and goal 104775232473500Organizational Structure: The Hilton Hotel Group has globally stamped its dominant position within the hospitality industry as one of the prime diverse hotel brands. While operating 11 distinct hotel brands, Hilton Group assumes a hierarchical organizational structure with centralized headquarters which oversees the operations of the hotels as well as resort units (Puranam & Maciejovsky, 2017). In Hiton hotels, the board of directors reviews the strategic direction and guarantees the long-term standing of the hotel at the highest level in the hierarchy. There is also an executive team in the management which is comprised of the CEO, the CFO and senior executives who reports to the company’s board of directors (Hilton Management, 2023). The executive team executes the strategic direction of the board. With this hierarchical structure, Hilton follows a centralized structure with a vertical chain of command with distinct lines of authority. The company’s decision-making authority flows from top-level executives to middle managers and then to front line employees. There are also divisions such as marketing which handles public relations, advertising, branding etc. The finance department looks into financial planning, forecasting and budgeting while the Human Resource division handles remuneration, training and training. Hilton’s structure gives it an advantage in terms of clarity in lines of authority and effecting decisions in timely and efficient manner. Compared to competitors like Marriot who adheres to a decentralized structure with authority for decision-making being distributed across various levels and units, Hilton has an edge (Hilton, 2019). Whereas decentralization allows for flexibility, it also causes delays in timely decision-making and thus little uniformity in standards and processes thus the hierarchical structure gives Hilton a competitive edge when it comes to decision-making. Hilton’s hierarchical structure also enables the company to consistently implement corporate strategies in the entire chain of its global network. Organizational Culture: Within the hospitality sector; support, respect, collaboration, teamwork, leadership and integrity are very vital for success. Hilton has a skewness towards a very strong market culture which is characterized by a strong focus on results, achievement and competition. The market culture has its emphasis on competitiveness among individuals and competitors; the culture is performance driven, it focuses on productivity and efficiency where employees are inspired to be proactive towards meeting the needs of the customer, set high goals and take initiative. The culture informs a high diversification of the workforce offering every staff with opportunities and resources to offer value (Culture, 2021). With a customer-centric culture, Hilton strives to provide the finest quality services to customers. Hilton also has a good grip on employee empowerment which spurs retention, loyalty and superior service to customers. With a comparison to a key competitor like Accor Hotels which adopts a clan culture which aims at a more sense of belongingness and cooperation but again it hinders individual accountability. Hilton has a n edge in culture in that it is more placed to collaborate more, develop its employees and inspire teamwork for accountable moves with a sense of urgency and result-oriented culture (Hilton Culture, 2023). The culture motivates the staff to go beyond just meeting customer expectations. This culture aids the company to stay competitive and capitalize on opportunities. Organizational Goals: As defined in its mission, Hiltons look forward to be the most hospitable group of hotels globally through the creation of heartfelt experiences for its customers, meaningful opportunities for its members, positive community impact as well as value for shareholders. The company seeks global expansion with a focus on brand recognition and market reach via establishing strong partnerships. It aims to offer exceptional customer service and exceed the expectations of the guests while creating memorable experiences for repeat business. Again, Hilton is focused on strong financial performance in terms of effective cost management, revenue growth and increased share in the market for maximized profitability (Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc, 2021). Again, Hilton strives to excel as a global market leader in hospitality by maintaining a very strong global presence and consistently delivering high quality services and products. The company develops key leaders who have a dedication towards the progress of the group. Again, Hilton strives towards sustainable business methods through reduction of food waste, use of renewables and less plastic. Recent change initiatives, their impact and how well these were managed Recently, Hilton has undertaken some key change initiatives. One such initiative is the ‘Travel with Purpose’ initiative whose aim is a sustainability program. This initiative was launched in 2018 and its aim is to redefine tourism and travel through a focus on social responsibility and environmental responsibility. The change initiative has had significant impact with Hilton setting to its ambitious goals of minimizing the environmental footprint by 61% throughout its entire portfolio as it nears 2030 (Đurić, 2019). The company has pledged towards zero soap to all landfills and go for recycling of a million soap bars via soap recycling program. The efforts on sustainability have reduced the environmental impact and also have enhanced the reputation of the company as a socially responsible organization. The ‘Travel with purpose’ initiative is being undertaken through the integration of sustainability practices in Hilton’s operations (Hilton Management, 2023). Again, Hilton has implemented measures on energy saving such as automated HVAC hotel systems, water efficient fixtures and LED lighting. Contributing to this initiative, Hilton encourages its customers to participate in the linen and towel reuse programs. Hilton also implements the ‘Hilton Innovation Gallery” serving as a platform for discovery, testing and implementation of new technologies and innovations across its properties. This initiative was founded in 2019 and it is purposed to drive innovation, improve operational efficiency, and enhance the experience of customers (Strategic plan Hilton hotel, 2022). The initiative has had positive impact since it has permitted the hotel to stay at the front at the wake of technological advancements within the hospitality industry. The gallery offers a good space for collaboration between technology partners and the Hotel enabling the company to evaluate and test new solutions prior to implementing them in the hotel chains. This has been important in helping the hotel to stay competitive, enhance its product offerings and meet the changing customer needs (Hilton Grand Vacations, 2022). Hilton has had effective management of the Innovation Gallery initiative with Hilton actively getting engaged with startups in technology and experts so as to identify and implement innovative solutions. The Hotel has also made strategic moves with technological experts like the IBM Watson and Amazon Web Services in order to leverage their resources and expertise. The organization’s strategic direction and current business performance Hilton’s strategic direction is concentrated on expansion and growth. Hilton has a strategy of developing new properties in emerging and developing markets. It aims at increasing its international footprint through entering new markets as well as expanding its presence in existing markets. The company’s strategy of growth is well supported by the strong brand recognition, customer loyalty programs, as well as strong relationships with developers and property owners (CFA, 2019). In regard to the business performance of Hilton Hotel Group, the company has consistently delivered very strong financial results. Hilton has achieved revenue growth year after year driven by the factors od additional new properties, high daily average rates, increased rates of occupancy etc. Hilton leverages its global presence and thus it has captured a bigger share of the hotel market as well as generating strong returns for shareholders. In addition, Hilton has shown resilience and adaptability in the face challenge...