Holiday Inn Hotel, Prague, has satisfied the IQNet 9004 Criteria Recently tourism has been experiencing an unprecedented boom. In the course of the last ten years, the number of organisations involved in this sector has more than tripled, which, in turn, has led to the strengthening of competition and the risk of unexpected losses. Moreover, as a tool for increasing competitiveness and improving the quality of provided services, these organisations introduce and subsequently certify quality management systems according to ISO 9001. In this context, we have to pose the following question: “Is the certification according to the ISO 9001 specifications a proof of successful undertaking?“ We have asked Ing. Marie Šebestová, Head of CQS certification association, how she perceives the role of this certificate in the tourism sector and the possibilities of its future development. The certificate according to ISO 9001 has already been awarded to a number of organisations in this sector and is a confirmation that the given organisation has introduced a quality management system ensuring that: the customer is provided with the services, of which the scope and quality meet his expectations the customer is offered the whole range of advertised services the personnel is highly qualified for the provision of the services in question and their main goal is a satisfied customer the organisation complies with all the statutory provisions it is able to gradually improve its services Provided the above mentioned qualities have really been implemented, they represent a benefit for the customer. However, is this enough to guarantee future prosperity? The answer to this question is not so unequivocal. The certificate according to ISO 9001 is definitely an essential prerequisite for a company to gain a good position on the market, but is not the only criterion of success. Successfulness is dependent, among others, on invention and assertiveness of the company management and their abilities to exploit and develop all managerial tools. This is where the art of winning customers must be combined with the art of systematic, but also flexible and efficient use of facilities, energy, capital and financial means as well as the art of establishing and developing partnerships with customers on the one hand and suppliers, investors, public administration and potential competitors on the other hand. The introduction of a quality management system may be an inspiration for creative management. Apart from standard certification according to ISO 9001, the IQNet certification network, of which CQS is a partner, offers other possibilities of certification not designed for large-scale evaluation of the “standard means”. It is a kind of special acknowledgment for those who exceed the common average. This certificate is known as “IQNet 9004” and the organisation holding the certificate can use a characteristic logo which is a sign of its exceptionality. Is there someone in the tourism sector who has been awarded this certificate? In the Czech Republic, there are several IQNet 9004 certificate holders, in particular in the manufacturing sector. In the tourism sector, the Holiday Inn Hotel applied for the certificate less than two years after its successful certification according to ISO 9001. To initiate the IQNet 9004 certification process, it is always necessary to present above-standard achievements in the process of obtaining the ISO 9001 certificate and to communicate the intention to move the management system further on in the prescribed direction, which in the case of the Holiday Inn Hotel was quite strong. It has been demonstrated that tourism and large international hotels are a suitable milieu for the implementation of above-standard management systems built on well thought-out work with clientele, optimisation and improvement of infrastructure management processes and personnel training aimed at excellent performance. We have also asked JUDr. Jan Filip, General Manager of the Holiday Inn Prague Congress Centre, to give us his opinion: “When we were presented and offered the IQNet 9004 product, we thought it was the next logical step in the application of the quality management system according to ISO 9001 which we achieved two years ago. It is an inspiration for further elaboration of marketing, financial, personnel and technical management tools in order to reach a certain level of consistency and excellence. This was a challenge for us and the communication in the course of implementation of the IQNet 9004 model criteria helped us substantially to meet the goals of continuous improvement of quality and professional care provided to our guests. IQNet 9004 facilitates in particular the systemisation and assessment of these annually set goals.“ When interpreting the model, which “best practices” were used? We have known for long that setting goals and planning is not sufficient, the necessary preconditions of successful management are to systematically review and monitor results and trends, to analyse the causes of their growth and decrease and to make careful and detailed comparisons with the performance of competitors. It is interesting that deliberate long-term and medium-term planning in ensuring the infrastructure of this facility can significantly improve not only the level of services provided, but also financial results of the entire company. The success of hotel service lies primarily in direct communication between the staff and guests. Training and good qualification are essential, but are not enough. It is necessary to realise the role of employees in the service sector and thus to identify with the goals set by the company. This seems to be a simple task, but its full accomplishment requires a great deal of efforts and invention. We are pleased to be quality-oriented and to have taken the right direction.

Holiday Inn Hall Meeting room Restaurant Restaurant Room Lobby lights