COURSE UNIT TITLE

: GUEST RELATIONS IN TOURISM

Description of Individual Course Units

Course Unit Code Course Unit Title Type Of Course D U L ECTS
TMT 3024 GUEST RELATIONS IN TOURISM ELECTIVE 3 0 0 4

Offered By

Tourism Management

Level of Course Unit

First Cycle Programmes (Bachelor's Degree)

Course Coordinator

DOCTOR MANOLYA AKSATAN KAPLANSEREN

Offered to

Tourism Management

Course Objective

The aim of this course is to provide detailed information about guest relations management in the hospitality focusing mostly on handling guest complaints and crisis management.

Learning Outcomes of the Course Unit

1   Identify the main components of guest service and guest types.
2   Demonstrate an understanding of the importance of guest service to hotel's success and failure.
3   Recognize effective methods of gathering, using and interpreting guest feedback.
4   Identify key features of communication in a guest focused team.
5   Recognize how technology may be used to improve service for guests.
6   Identify key steps in solving potentially difficult situations.

Mode of Delivery

Face -to- Face

Prerequisites and Co-requisites

None

Recomended Optional Programme Components

None

Course Contents

Week Subject Description
1 General Overview of the Course
2 Guest Types, Guest Service Excellence and Customer Focused Management Culture
3 Customer Relationship Management
4 Customer Strategy
5 Handling Guest Complaints, Gathering, Analyzing and Interpreting Guest Feedback
6 Handling Guest Complaints, Gathering, Analyzing and Interpreting Guest Feedback
7 Dealing with Difficult Situations and Guests
8 Dealing with Difficult Situations and Guests
9 Technology in Customer Relationship Management
10 Customer Relationship Management and Social Media
11 Term Paper Presentations / Discussion
12 Term Paper Presentations / Discussion

Recomended or Required Reading

1. Peppers, D. and Rogers, M. (2011). Managing Customer Relationships: A Strategic Framework. New Jersey: John Wiley.
2. Deuschl, D. (2006). Travel and Tourism Public Relations. Paris: Butterworth Heinemann.
3. Kinni, T. (2011). Be Our Guest: Perfecting the Art of Customer Service. New York: Disney Institute.

Planned Learning Activities and Teaching Methods

1. Lecture: There will be three lecture sessions every week.
2. Guest Speakers: According to the availability, PR and CRM Managers of Izmir's large scale hotels will be invited as guest speakers to share their experiences with students.
3. Role Playing: Scripts about handling guest complaints will be given to improve basic communication skills.

Assessment Methods

SORTING NUMBER SHORT CODE LONG CODE FORMULA
1 MTE MIDTERM EXAM
2 PRJ PROJECT
3 ASG ASSIGNMENT
4 FIN FINAL EXAM
5 FCG FINAL COURSE GRADE MTE*0.30+PRJ*0.30+ASG*0.10+FIN*0.30
6 RST RESIT
7 FCGR FINAL COURSE GRADE(RESIT) MTE*0.30+PRJ*0.30+ASG*0.10+RST*0.30


*** Resit Exam is Not Administered in Institutions Where Resit is not Applicable.

Further Notes About Assessment Methods

1. Midterm and final exams will cover the questions from the topics in the outline.
2. At the beginning of the term students will form groups and work together for term project. Term project should be typed in Times New Roman, 12 point font, double-spaced and Apa format. The presentation should be no longer than 15 minutes. Grading of term project will be based on content, style and presentation.
3. A written assignment will be given.

Assessment Criteria

1. The students will be able to identify guest service cycle.
2. The students will be able to discuss the importance of guest service in a hotel.
3. The students will be able to outline how to gather, use and interpret guest feedbacks.
4. The students will be able to relate key features of communication in a guest focused team.
5. The students will be able to identify key steps in solving potentially difficult situations.

Language of Instruction

English

Course Policies and Rules

1. Attending at least 70 percent of lectures is mandatory.
2. Plagiarism of any type will result in disciplinary action.
3. Students are advised that faculty use Turnitin to prevent any kind of cheating.
4. Tardiness and early departure from lecture will be referred as absenteeism.
5. Using cell-phone for messages or any electronic devices during the course are strictly prohibited.

Contact Details for the Lecturer(s)

E-mail: manolya.aksatan@deu.edu.tr
Room: 215

Office Hours

To be announced.

Work Placement(s)

None

Workload Calculation

Activities Number Time (hours) Total Work Load (hours)
Lectures 12 3 36
Tutorials 0 0 0
Project Preparation 1 6 6
Preparations before/after weekly lectures 10 3 30
Preparation for midterm exam 1 9 9
Preparation for final exam 1 9 9
Preparing presentations 1 3 3
Preparing assignments 1 4 4
Quiz etc. 0 0 0
Final 1 1 1
Midterm 1 1 1
TOTAL WORKLOAD (hours) 99

Contribution of Learning Outcomes to Programme Outcomes

PO/LOPO.1PO.2PO.3PO.4PO.5PO.6PO.7PO.8PO.9PO.10PO.11PO.12PO.13PO.14PO.15PO.16PO.17PO.18PO.19
LO.15
LO.24
LO.34
LO.44
LO.54
LO.65