Tuesday, 26 July 2016

I joined in The Gateway hotels – Taj groups, Chennai on April 18, 2016 with three students from our university. On the first three days, we were given orientation about The Gateway hotels – Taj groups. I had the chance to learn about the history of History, Vision and Game plan, Aims, and about the Taj’s Brands, outlets etc., The Orientation classes were taken by Mr. Lakshmi Narayan, who is the Manager of Human Resource Department. The Organizational structure has been decided in such a way that each and every person can communicate with others with ease. The cross-functional communication is made easier so that any discrepancies can be sorted out in no time. From the fourth day, I was shifted to my core Finance department. From the Finance Department, I was received by Mr. Hari Krishnan, Manager of Finance Department. In Finance department, there were two main divisions namely Receivables and Payables. At the starting, I was placed in Receivable. There I got to know about the “Bill to companies” and “Credit Card” receivables.  After some days I was introduced to the Purchases department and Stores department. There I was able to know the set of rules and regulations for a vendor to supply the products and also learnt about the stock keeping from the stores department. I also got the privilege to visit the Cold storages, and Stock keeping places, where certain tests for the incoming goods are performed before storing. After that I have got permission to do an overall project. Then I went to the department of Spa; Buzz (24*7 restaurant); Eat-in (In-house dining); Sian (Chinese restaurant); Swirl (Bar); Front Office; and Sales & Marketing to know about its functions. The products dealt in the hotel can be classified according to its nature of the each department.
Before explaining about my work in my Internship, I would like to explain about the Taj Hotels as a whole. Taj Hotels Resorts and Palaces is recognized the world over for delivering a unique flavor of hospitality that offers world-class refinement while remaining deeply rooted in its Indian heritage. For more than a century, Taj has brought together the unique beauty and traditions from across India in an experience that highlights true Indian hospitality. This draws on the time-honored traditions central to the Indian homecoming, from the refreshing simplicity of the welcome drink to the careful choreography of the dinner service. Taj has helped to put many Indian destinations on the map. From the resorts of Goa to the upcoming business hubs of India’s Silicon Valley, an iconic Taj hotel is a mainstay of the destination. By providing jobs to the local community, supporting endangered artisan practices and reviving regal history at palaces where royal families are still in residence, Taj offers a rare insider’s point of view to the fascinating story of India – from Maharaja to modern day. With 100 hotels in 62 locations across India, Taj offers guests the refined luxury of heritage combined with effortlessly efficient service and local expertise to create a moment to remember. In India, Taj hotels are strategically located to offer the Taj experience in business hubs, industrial towns and metropolises, as well as the most remote pilgrimage centers, historic and natural destinations. The group has extended its international presence with 15 hotels in the Maldives, Malaysia, the UK, USA, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Africa and the Middle East.
Its Headquarters is situated in 
Taj Hotels and Palaces,Oxford House 15/17 N.F. Road Apollo Bunder,    Mumbai 400 001 ,India
I was admired on seeing the Game Plan of the The Gateway Hotels Expressway Chennai. The Gateway Hotel's Game plan is as follows:-
The Indian Hotels Company Ltd is the Largest hotel, Leisure and Hospitality company in South Asia. The company’s hotel business emphasizes the global operation of hotels and resorts in the Luxury, Upper – Upscale, Upscale and Economy segments. The company’s brand names include Taj Hotels Resorts and Palaces, Vivanta by Taj, The Gateway Hotels & Resorts and Ginger. Dedicated to the highest standards of hospitality, service, and continuous innovation for over hundred years, the Taj group includes Owned, Leased and Managed hotels totaling 125 hotels (Feb 2014) in 12 countries on 5 continents and 15,391 rooms. Our aim is to be recognized as one of the Top global hotel groups providing exceptional customer satisfaction in each of our hotels. The growth strategy of our group is to operate 25,000 rooms in 25 major destinations around the world.
The Values the Taj groups are 
  • People Diversity, Integrity & Respect
  • Passion for Excellence
  • Exceed Expectations
  • Innovations
  • Sense of Urgency & Accountability
  • Social Responsibility
  • Joy at Work

BRANDS OF TAJ HOTEL GROUPS
  • Taj/Taj luxury- The luxury brand generic brand of the Taj Hotels Resorts and Palaces.
  • Taj Exotica- The resort and spa brand of Taj Hotels.
  • Taj Safaris– This brand label comes for the wildlife lodges amidst the Indian national parks.
  • Vivanta by Taj– This Brand of Hotels are found for business and vacation destinations.
  • The Gateway Hotels & Resorts– It is a mid-market brand below the brand of Vivanta.
  • Taj Luxury Residences – Another luxury brand consisting of Residents only.
  • Ginger - A New brand under a category called "Smart Basics Hotels" for Economy class.

OTHER VENTURES
  • Taj Air- An air charter 
  • Taj SATS- The largest airline catering service in South Asia.
  • Taj Khazana- Chain of luxury lifestyle stores across India which showcases and stocks artefacts, collectibles, apparels, garments and accessories created by Indian craftsmen and designers.
  • Jiva Spa- The spa brand of the Taj group.
  • Taj Yachts– Provides two & three bedroom luxury yachts.
  • Institute of Hotel Management, Aurangabad- This institute offers a four-year degree, designed with the help of faculty from the hospitality background with an affiliation to the University of Huddersfield in the United Kingdom.

The Departments of The Gateway Hotels Expressway - Taj groups where I worked during my Internship are as follows:-
  • Sales
  • Reservation & Marketing
  • Finance
  • Food & Beverages
  • House Keeping
  • Front Office
  • Information Technology (IT)
  • Time office
  • Stores
  • Purchases
  • Business Centre
  • Engineering
  • Human Resources
  • Spa
My internship daily report is as follows:-
Internship Weekly Report - 1
Date
Description
Department
18-04-2016
Orientation Day-1
HR
19-04-2016
Orientation Day-2
HR
20-04-2016
Orientation Day-3
HR
21-04-2016
Introduction to Finance Department
Finance, Purchases and Stores
22-04-2016
Checking Hotel Bills and Vendor Bills
Finance
23-04-2016
Learning and Checking Daily, Weekly, Monthly Trail Balance
Finance






Internship Weekly Report - 2
Date
Description
Department
25-04-2016
Transfering Credit Card (CC) transactions to the bank through company's software
Credits - Finance
26-04-2016
Introduction to Credits division of Finance Departent
Credits - Finance
27-04-2016
Learning about the Bills to Company (B2C) concept
Credits - Finance
28-04-2016
Understanding Consolidation of Individual bills into a Single bill for Client's purpose
Credits - Finance
29-04-2016
Introduction to Stores Department
Stores
30-04-2016
Understanding Stock keeping methods; and handling nearby expiry and expired stocks
Stores






Internship Weekly Report - 3
Date
Description
Department
02-05-2016
Understanding the usage of discounts on bills and ow it is recorded in book keeping
Finance
03-05-2016
Revoking of Bills - When, Why and How
Finance
04-05-2016
Complementary Bills and its workings
Finance
05-05-2016
Workings of Service Tax - on food; and other services
Finance
06-05-2016
Value Added Tax (VAT) and its implementation
Finance
07-05-2016 to 22-05-2016 Holidays for University Semester Examination






Internship Weekly Report - 4
Date
Description
Department
23-05-2016
Introduction to Swatch Bharath Cess (SBC)
Finance
24-05-2016
SBC - how it is charged on bills
Finance
25-05-2016
Comparing the Credit Card Transactions with Bank statement and Preparing  Bank Reconciliation Statement (BRS)
Finance
26-05-2016
Implementation of Krishi Kalyan Cess (KKC) and its workings
Finance
27-05-2016
Understanding Taj Positive Assurance Model (TPAM) - Auditing Procedure
Finance
Internship Weekly Report - 5
Date
Description
Department
30-05-2016
Bill Booking and VAT redeeming from Vendor bills
Payments - Finance
31-05-2016
Introduction to SPA Department
SPA - Outlet
01-06-2016
Briefing about SPA Equipments
SPA - Outlet
02-06-2016
Buzz (Coffee Shop); Eat-in (inhouse dining); Sian (Chinese restaurant); Swirl (Bar) - Introduction about workings
Buzz; Eat-in; Sian; and Swirl Outlets
03-06-2016
Buzz (Coffee Shop); Eat-in (inhouse dining); Sian (Chinese restaurant); Swirl (Bar) - Briefing about billing,etc.,
Buzz; Eat-in; Sian; and Swirl Outlets
04-06-2016
Introduction to Front Office and its workings
Front Office


Internship Weekly Report - 6
Date
Description
Department
06-06-2016
Linkage of other departments for final room billing to the Front Office
Front Office
07-06-2016
Bill Checking; Tax workings on bills redefining
Finance
08-06-2016
Understanding the charges to the different companies and MOUs
Finance
09-06-2016
Reservations and Terms & Conditions prior to the same
Sales and Marketing
10-06-2016
Marketing strategies and Policies used; and their results on the Hotel
Sales and Marketing
Internship Weekly Report - 7
Date
Description
Department
13-06-2016
Recording Credit Card transactions in the software and Booking the vendor bills
Finance
14-06-2016
Recording Credit Card transactions in the software and Booking the vendor bills
Finance
15-06-2016
Absent
-
16-06-2016
Absent
-
17-06-2016
Recording B2C bills and attaching the proper billing addresses for the bills
Finance