A service blueprint of a Beach Resort at ECR Road, Mahabalipuram and recommendations to improve the services of the check-in aspect of the resort.

1. 0
Group
Project
Service
Blueprint
Ideal
Beach
Resort

2. INTRODUCTION:
The
East
Coast
Road
in
Mahabalipuram
has
a
chain
of
resorts
along
the
coastline
as
it
provides
a
picturesque
and
comfortable
vacation
spot
for
both
local
and
international
travelers.
There
are
about
10-­‐15
major
resorts
including
two
5-­‐star
hotels
and
other
mid
segment
options.
Ideal
beach
resort
is
located
at
about
40
kilometers
from
Chennai,
in
Mahabalipuram
and
is
targeting
its
services
towards
Families,
Young
people
as
well
as
groups
of
foreign
tourists.
The
resort
is
spacious,
customer
friendly
and
has
a
history
of
being
in
the
business
since
the
past
30
years.
It
offers
services
like
swimming
pool,
dining,
spa,
recreation
and
also
has
a
beautiful
private
beach
as
an
attraction.
We
narrowed
down
on
the
Check-­‐in
services
and
the
services
offered
by
the
resort
to
its
guests
and
analyzed
the
service
blue
print
for
the
same.
OBJECTIVE:
The
objective
of
the
study
was
to
observe
the
various
touchpoints
for
a
tourist
while
they
check
into
Ideal
Beach
Resort,
and
study
the
service
delivery
process
of
the
Check-­‐in
services
and
all
the
other
services
provided
by
the
resort
to
the
guests
.
METHODOLOGY:
Source:
We
collected
our
data
about
the
wide
range
of
services
currently
offered
by
the
resort
through
personal
interactions,
in-­‐depth
discussions,
short
conversations
with
customers
and
reviews
on
tripadvisor.Next
we
collated
all
the
data
and
categorized
it
under
different
heads
to
be
able
to
map
out
the
blue
print
.
Action
Points:
We
chalked
out
the
best
practices
of
the
resort
and
mapped
them
against
shortcomings
and
challenges.
Using
the
existing
data,
we
thought
of
recommendations
to
increase
the
attractiveness
of
the
resort
in
a
highly
crowded
market
where
we
have
a
range
of
competition
in
the
close
vicinity:
Grand
Bay
Resort,
Chariot
Beach
Resort
etc.
Page | 1

3. SERVICE
BLUEPRINT:
Page | 2

4. Source:
http://creately.com/diagram/example/ho7c294s/Service+Blueprint+Template
Page | 3

5. GOOD
PRACTICES:
• Idea
•
•
Page | 4
Room Tarrifs
Separate
Check in-
Checkout
Information
Family Fun
Rental Cart to
airports,
railway station
etc
Tie ups with
Make my trip,
Agoda.com,
Hotels.com
Beach
Restaurant
Family
Restaurant
Room Service,
Coffee Shops/
Internal
arrangements
of travel to
pondicherry
IDEAL
BEACH
RREORT
Exchange
Rate Counter
Wifi, Laptop
Rental
Food Options Travel
Gift Shops,
Swimming
Pool, bar
Aryurvedic
Massage and
Spa, Exercise
Private Beach,
Sunset, Saftey

6. • ldeal
Beach
resort
has
a
legacy
of
30
years
in
place
and
has
established
itself
as
one
of
the
biggest
hotels
in
Mahabalipuram.
In
a
destination
like
Mahabalipuram,
they
are
targeting
mainly
family
oriented
people
(mainly
foreigners)
and
taking
right
steps
to
attract
those
kinds
of
people.
They
have
wide
range
of
facilities
like
dining,
swimming
pool,
private
beach,
aryurvedic
massage
and
spa,
bar
and
other
forms
of
cultural
programs
to
attract
their
targeted
customers.
• They
are
making
efforts
to
provide
all
necessary
information
to
their
customer
at
the
check
in
counter
such
as
information
about
the
exchange
rate,
Internet
access,
maps
or
laundry.
They
have
a
well
maintained
and
properly
functioning
website
for
their
customer
with
attractive
servicecape
in
the
form
on
pictures
of
kids
playing
on
beach.
• Information
about
room
tariffs
is
available
on
request
easily.
There
are
different
categories
of
room
available
to
suit
the
requirement
of
people
in
different
income
category.
• They
have
a
proper
mechanism
in
place
in
case
of
service
failure
in
the
form
of
gift
vouchers,
up
gradation
of
room,
discounts
offers.
Proper
authority
is
there
in
place
to
take
decision
about
the
offer
to
made
to
the
customer
in
case
of
service
failure.
• Placed
close
to
luxurious
hotel
Raddision
Blu,
Ideal
beach
resorts
are
taking
right
steps
to
match
up
to
level
of
their
competitors.
It
has
tie
ups
with
all
the
famous
websites
like
Makemytrip.com,
Hotels.com,
Agoda,com
that
provides
all
required
information
to
the
customer
who
are
planning
to
visit
to
Mahabalipurm.
It
also
has
an
internal
agency
within
the
hotel
for
arranging
day
travels
for
its
customers
to
nearby
places
like
Pondicherry,
Auroville
etc.
• It
understands
the
importance
of
time
and
takes
right
measures
to
save
it
for
its
customers.
It
has
a
separate
check
in
and
check
out
counter
in
place
to
make
it
convenient
for
its
customers
who
are
checking
in
and
checking
out
of
the
hotel.
During
the
peak
period
when
the
occupancy
of
the
hotel
is
100%,
the
average
waiting
time
for
check
in(including
all
paper
work)
is
only
5
minutes.
They
also
have
a
computerized
network
through
which
staff
at
the
hotels
is
informed
timely
about
the
arrival
or
departure
of
its
Page | 5

7. guest.
All
the
necessary
information
about
the
guest
gets
timely
reflected
to
the
receptionist
with
the
help
of
the
software
in
place.
Page | 6

8. CURRENT
CHALLENGES
:
Page | 7
Price Promotion Place Product
High tariff No offers
Physical
evidence
Lacked Training
Process People
Effect:
Dissatisfaction
• One time customers
• Negative
reviews/feedback
• Lack of business
• Deterioration of
service levels and
eventually brand
image
Signage
Misinformed
Unapproachable
Cluttered
Furniture
Few special
events
Check-in takes
time on the
weekends
Archaic
Architecture
Lack of
maintenance
Restaurant
needs work
Air conditioners
are turned off
Tour Operator
charges are
high

9. • Not
approachable:
Other
than
the
front
desk
most
of
the
staff
were
not
approachable
and
were
very
unhelpful.
• There
is
a
distinct
lack
of
signage
at
the
entrance
of
the
resort.
There
is
a
possibility
that
people
might
drive
past
the
location.
Even
in
the
resort
there
is
a
high
possibility
of
confusion
because
of
the
unstructured
signage.
• The
restrooms
lack
maintenance.
For
instance
the
hand
towels
should
be
changed
regularly.
The
layout
is
not
aesthetically
pleasing.
• There
was
a
constant
sense
of
suffocation
thought
the
resort
especially
in
the
various
rooms.
This
could
be
due
to
the
archaic
architecture
and
lack
of
maintenance.
The
place
lacks
a
distinctive
appeal,
which
could
be
done
by
incorporating
a
modern
element.
• The
reception/check
in
area
was
cluttered,
with
furniture
almost
blocking
the
entrance.
There
is
no
space
between
one
seat
and
the
other
and
there
were
over
20
seats
in
the
Check-­‐in
area.
• Like
in
various
other
areas
in
the
resort
the
furniture
was
old
and
creaky.
This
was
noticed
by
a
couple
of
tourists
as
well.
This
does
not
bode
well
for
the
resort
as
it
a
place
people
come
to
relax
and
as
such
they
expect
the
best.
• There
was
no
one
to
greet
or
direct
us
to
the
reception
in
the
resort
and
this
gave
off
a
very
cold
vibe.
• Staff
is
adequately
helpful
but
they
wouldn't
go
the
extra
mile
to
provide
the
experience
that
guests
are
looking
forward
to.
There
were
extended
periods
in
the
resort
where
we
were
left
unattended
(restaurant).
Page | 8

10. • The
high
rate
of
occupancy
makes
it
a
little
overcrowded
at
times;
it
feels
like
a
hotel
more
than
a
resort.
• Playing
ground
(for
soccer,
volleyball,
etc)
was
full
of
rusty
nails.
There
is
a
high
possibility
of
people
getting
injured.
• High
tariffs
for
the
kind
of
services
they
provide.
The
tariff
rates
do
not
coincide
with
the
quality
of
service
and
as
a
result
there
is
high
possibility
of
having
dissatisfied
customers
leading
to
it
being
only
a
one
time
visit.
• There
is
a
distinct
lack
of
choice
in
the
alcoholic
beverage
segment.
This
choice
narrows
down
further
in
the
beach/pool
or
in
the
room.
• The
menu
is
geared
more
towards
the
Indian
clientele.
This
is
strange
considering
the
fact
that
close
to
60%
of
their
occupancy/business
in
from
foreign/international
tourists.
• Reception
is
not
informative
enough:
The
person
at
the
check-­‐in
counter
lacked
training,
as
she
was
unsure
about
a
lot
of
the
requests
we
made.
Calls
were
made
to
the
manager
to
confirm
her
decision
on
multiple
occasions.
Page | 9

11. RECOMMENDATIONS:
1. Reception
• The
reception
is
the
first
point
of
contact
for
a
customer
but
we
noticed
a
couple
of
things
lacking
in
terms
of
the
reception
experience.
• The
reception
is
not
as
informative
in
terms
of
visible
signage
about
the
tariffs,
the
updated
exchange
rates
etc.
Also
the
magazines
and
travel
guides
are
on
the
inner
side
of
the
reception.
They
should
be
displayed
towards
the
outer
side.
• Also
the
reception
is
extremely
cluttered
and
full
of
huge
chairs.
They
should
focus
on
re-­‐doing
it
in
a
non-­‐cluttered
way.
• The
reception
does
not
have
air-­‐conditioning,
which
should
immediately
be
put
in
place.
• Also
receptions
of
good
resorts
and
restaurants
mostly
do
display
certifcations
by
Trip
advisor
,
City
Guides
etc
.
These
help
the
resort
build
credibility
in
the
customer’s
mind
at
a
very
initial
stage.
2. Infrastructure
• The
resort
needs
to
add
Banner
signage
around
the
ECR
road
indicating
the
presence
of
such
a
resort.
Competitors
like
Chariot
Beach
Resort
have
huge
signage
on
the
ECR
road
with
the
aim
of
increasing
visibility.
In
a
highly
crowded
market,
Ideal
Beach
Resort
does
not
stand
out
when
it
comes
to
external
signage.
• Freshness
and
ventilation:
The
entire
resort
is
well
build
and
clean
but
there
is
a
stale
feeling
all
through
the
experience
starting
from
the
reception
to
the
rooms
and
the
restrooms.
They
should
particularly
look
into
this
and
make
sure
there
is
proper
ventilation
and
air
purification
in
all
their
rooms
and
lobbies.
• Currently
they
have
the
Queens
Suite
next
to
the
pool,
which
is
usually
occupied
by
families
who
avoid
loud
noise
at
night.
They
should
rather
think
of
placing
standard
rooms
next
to
the
pool
to
cater
to
the
right
audience
at
the
right
place.
They
could
create
two
standard
rooms
out
of
each
of
the
Queen
Suits.
• They
have
8
budget
rooms,
next
to
the
reception
that
in
no
way
add
to
resort's
attraction
especially
when
a
person
just
enters
the
resort.
They
could
build
on
the
exterior
look
and
feel
of
these
rooms.
Page | 10

12. • The
resort
is
30
years
old
and
this
point
comes
through
when
you
enter
the
place.
The
aesthetics
do
not
exhibit
rich
heritage
and
rather
there
is
a
pressing
need
to
modernize
the
look
and
make
it
more
contemporary.
If
we
look
at
the
target
audience,
they
are
catering
to
two
markets:
1)
People
from
Chennai
and
around
coming
for
weekend
getaways
2)
International
tourists.
The
resort
is
named
Ideal
"Beach"
Resort
and
the
theme
of
the
decor,
interiors
and
exteriors
is
nothing
close
to
the
name.
They
should
rather
optimize
on
this
fact
and
build
physical
touch
points
that
give
a
place
a
relaxing,
colorful
beach
like
ambience.
3. Dining
Facilities
• They
could
add
a
24-­‐hour
cafe
to
make
it
more
conducive
for
international
tourists.
• The
dinner
at
the
restaurant
closes
at
10.30
pm
which
isn't
in
line
with
the
other
players
at
ECR
road.
• Also
the
menu
offerings
are
rather
localized
and
limited.
The
fact
that
they
have
clearly
mentioned
that
their
target
group
is
skewed
towards
foreign
travellers,
they
could
look
at
more
continental
dishes
to
cater
to
their
taste
buds.
• Considering
they
are
looking
at
an
international
audience,
they
should
revamp
their
bar
menu
as
per
international
standards.
Currently
they
only
serve
IMFL
with
a
very
limited
set
of
offerings
even
in
terms
of
beer,
which
are
a
must
for
a
beach
resort.
• Aesthetic
Appeal:
Also
the
reviews
on
Tripadvisor
clearly
mention
that
they
have
a
beach
facing
dining
place
and
the
private
beach
is
a
big
asset
for
the
resort.
To
optimize
on
the
experience
they
could
add
dim
yellow
lighting
to
give
it
a
subtle,
beach
like
look
with
some
peppy
live
music
on
the
weekends.
Rather
they
could
try
traditional
dance
on
special
days,
about
twice
a
month.
4. Additional
services:
The
Resort
could
add
a
range
of
services
to
stand
out
in
a
highly
crowded
market
on
the
ECR
road.
Also
these
services
could
add
to
the
revenue
of
the
resort.
• Travel:
Mahabalipuram
is
a
heritage
site
and
also
it
has
a
huge
coastline
with
a
lot
of
activities
to
look
forward
to.They
could
tie
up
with
external
vendors
and
a
team
of
tour
guides
to
provide
the
following
services
:
o A
visit
to
the
rates,
rocks
and
heritage
temples
Page | 11

13. o A
visit
to
the
lighthouse.
o Rock
climbing
o A
visit
to
Auro
Ashram
o Night
Safari
with
Crocodiles
o A
ride
in
the
sea
o A
tour
to
the
local
villages
o Information
with
respect
to
Pondicherry
o Rides
in
ATVs
on
tracks
build
on
ECR
• Gym/Health
Services
The
biggest
surprise
to
us
was
that
there
was
no
gym
in
the
resort.
Having
a
huge
property
and
a
good
number
of
in-­‐house
guests
this
is
definitely
a
negative
for
Ideal
Beach
Resort.
They
should
open
a
gym
with
atleast
two
trainers
to
start
with
next
to
their
ayurvedic
massage/spa
center.
The
gym
should
be
fully
functional
in
all
forms
and
should
have
the
right
kind
of
equipment
as
per
the
available
space.
Again
cleanliness
would
play
a
vital
role
for
the
gym
to
be
a
hit.
• Offsite
for
Corporates
o Ideal
beach
comes
way
before
Chariot
Beach
Resort,
Grand
Bay
and
Confluence,
however
it
fails
to
attract
many
corporates
for
their
offsite
programs.
o The
resort
has
a
huge
potential
for
accommodating
such
kind
of
services.
Especially
during
the
lean
season
they
can
offer
more
services
at
cheaper
rates
as
compared
to
their
competitors.
o Building
better
infrastructure
such
as
Boardrooms,
conference
halls,
classrooms
with
Wi-­‐Fi
would
help
attracting
more
and
more
corporates
to
the
resort.
• Attractive
packages
for
college
students
o Surrounded
by
so
many
colleges
the
resort
can
capture
the
student
population
easily
by
offering
attractive
packages
for
students.
Page | 12

14. o Packages
could
range
from
beach
parties
or
pool
parties
to
a
special
student
discount
on
overnight
stay.
Many
students
travelling
from
Chennai
to
Pondicherry
stop
at
mahabalipuram
for
lunch
so
keeping
a
student
discount
on
food
and
drinks
would
attract
this
crowd
to
the
resort.
• Packages
for
Kids
The
resort
could
build
on
summer
camps
in
summer
vacations
inclusive
of
outdoors
activates,
music
and
theater
workshops.
The
resort
is
looking
to
capture
the
attention
of
families
and
ECR
road
provides
a
lucrative
opportunity
to
get
the
kids
to
experience
a
boot
camp.
IT
would
add
to
the
attractiveness
and
the
range
of
services
provided
by
the
resort.
•
Shuttle
services
Consumers
are
looking
for
luxury
and
convenience
while
on
a
vacation.
Offering
convenience
of
travel
to
the
guests
would
save
a
lot
of
their
time
and
effort
in
finding
a
reliable
cab
plus
there
are
not
many
cab
services
available.
Ideal
beach
resort
should
therefore
provide
airport
transfers
and
shuttle
services
for
the
in
house
guests.
5. Online
–
Presence
• While
the
resort
is
regular
at
making
customized
comments
on
the
feedback
it
receives
from
Tripadvisor,
it
has
not
build
any
presence
on
any
of
the
social
platforms.
Resorts
built
in
such
suburbs
should
rather
capitalize
on
this
avenue
to
tap
onto
a
pool
of
customers
and
also
to
communicate
and
engage
with
existing
customers.
• They
should
build
a
Facebook
page
and
keep
it
active
with
attractive
yet
candid
pictures
of
the
resort,
the
activities
and
the
beach.
They
could
communicate
their
weekend
activities
via
their
page.
Also
they
could
launch
contests
for
weekend
travellers
and
college
students
for
attractive
discounts
for
stays,
spas
etc.
• Experiences
to
travel
bloggers
who
are
the
new
way
of
bringing
travel
destinations
into
the
limelight
in
the
world
of
Internet
based
travel.
• Youtube
videos
capturing
content
travellers
at
the
beach,
the
dining
destination
and
other
places.
• They
could
also
tie
up
with
city
guides
with
a
huge
follower
base
in
the
online
space
to
communicate
with
a
larger
set
of
audience.
Page | 13

15. • Also
they
could
look
at
Pinterest
as
a
platform
to
showcase
their
experiences.
Currently
they
do
have
presence
on
Pinterest
but
it
is
not
as
updated
as
it
should
be.
Currently
the
Indian
audiences
do
not
have
too
much
of
a
presence
on
the
online
platform,
but
the
international
audience
that
they
are
looking
at
are
largely
present
on
this
forum.
They
could
highlight
the
entire
experience
of
Mahabalipuram
through
different
boards
on
Pinterest
with
appropriate
captions
and
keywords.
• Lastly
they
could
tie
up
with
deal
websites
like
GroupOn
to
aim
at
100%
occupancy
rate
even
during
lean
months.
Page | 14