Decisions

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What can you do?

In the game you have a number of possibilities to influence your hotel.

• This platform on which you have a teampage (for instance 06NL-A01). On this teampage you present your strategy and for instance the links to your social media. Anyone can read all on this platform. Only after loging-in you can edit your own teampage.
• The social media (which you link to your teampage)where you can communicate with different targetgroups
• Other live actions of your team: sometimes required, like the Trade Fair but maybe also your own initiative.
• The secure section: only accessible with your private link, any hotel has its own code. In this secure section your hotel has its own teamsheet with:
  • a decisions section to make financial choices each year
  • the explanations form, decision number 14 in which you explain your financial decisions each year: very important.
  • the results section where your hotel finds its results after each year, after this has been released by your coach.

A version of the teamsheet with decisions and results as example is available at example teamsheet team Z01
You can not edit this example.
The requested explanantions form for this demo-team Z01 - not filled out - is available at: example team Z01 explanations

We know look at the (financial) decisions you make each year.

Your hotels teamsheet in the secure section

Look at the screenshot below: this is what you will see in the secure section: your hotels private teamsheet.

Your teamsheet in the secure section

This example is the teamsheet of team A01 Black Onyx, in Amstelburg competition 04LV as it looked after four years. In this example all of the years are filled out, of course if you start you will only see year0 filled out and the rest will be empty. The history, filled out with decisions from the past made by Christina Bergman will always be available and is your first point of reference. As you can see she didn't spend anything on the group of costs we now call team decisions on expenses, group 7 to 13 cell 18-24.

Outlines on decisions

Christina Bergman has decided that she only wants to be informed with the main outlines of your choices. Therefore the number of items you can make decisions on is limited. These decisions need to be filled out and explained by you in the secure section (with your secret login code). These decisions form the backbone of your new policy in running the hotel.

A few rules on the decisions and further information on their limitations.

- Please take into account that your hotel has 364 days and nights per year (52 weeks * 7 nights).
- the basic occupancy rate of hotel is 50%
- the number of rooms in your hotel is 100
- the weekend days are 43% of the total number of nights (rounded-up)
- the weekday days are 57% of the total number of nights (rounded-up)
- the average number of guest in a room is in the weekend days 1,7
- the average number of guest in a room is during the week days 1,0
- We completely refrain from (adding) VAT and and other taxes on profit for now.
- You cannot change the number of rooms of your hotel.
- You cannot sell the property.
- The effects of all of your decisions only last for one year!

List of the decisions

Underneath you will find the list of financial decisions you will have to make each year. Adapt them to your new plans and strategy each year. On filling them out, remember that (for now) you can only change the cells with a blue background and only in the active year. Do NOT (try to) change other cells and only fill out the year you are supposed to.
Each year, use the decisions 14, the Explanations form to explain your decisions to Christina and your coaches. Of course your actual decisions go along with these explanations. These explanations are very important and account for the biggest part of your decisions and if they have the effect you hoped for and contribute heavily to your mark. Make especially calculations to justify your choices.

The above situation is the situation as you take over the hotel and shows Christina Bergman's decisions last year. After each year the next column should be filled out by your team, i.e., column D for year one, column E for year two etc. And, only the BLUE highlighted part.

You can only change the hotel's name in cell B1 in the first year.

• Ranges

In all decisions made there are a few ranges built in to make it possible for you to make your decisions appropriately and to prevent you from going bankrupt. Running this hotel consists of more than just filling out numbers in a spreadsheet, therefore you have to explain things in the explanations form and we encourage you to behave like an entrepreneur throughout the entire game.

• Euros

Only make your decisions in euros, don't use cents or other currency. In filling out the amounts do not use € signs or . or , just use the numbers!

• Price systems

You can use psychological pricing, flex prices, dynamic pricing, revenue management or whatever system you want to use in your decisions. The better your explanations (and especially your calculations) are, the better your company's results will be, the higher your gameplay mark and so the more customers you get.

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Team decisions on prices

Decisions on prices.

You will have to decide what prices you will charge (per room per night) for hotel's week days or weekend days which serve the two current markets. There is not much information on the past yet. In the pages on room you can read a bit more as well as in the page on prices.

• 1. Weekend last-minute room-price per night

In the past (year0) the average price was € 80. You can change this by a maximum of 20% (more or less) each year.

• 2. Weekend rack rate room-price per night

In the past (year0) the average price was € 100. You can change this by a maximum of 20% (more or less) each year.

• 3. Business min. room-price/room/night

In the past (year0) the average price was € 100. You can change this by a maximum of 20% (more or less) each year.

• 4. Business max. room-price/room/night

In the past (year0) the average price was € 140. You can change this by a maximum of 20% (more or less) each year.

You can make a decision on an average room-price. This will not be the price published, that's up to your marketing approach and you can elaborate on that in your explanations form. For any price chosen, let's say € 80, it means that there will always be an average of € 10 in there for the breakfast. So in fact you would get an average of € 70 for the room-use.
And, as this is an average, it is of no importance for now or your decisions how many people will stay in the room.
→ Limitations
Do not change any of these four prices by more then 20% each year. This is build in to protect your hotel from too extreme changes.

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The market for banqueting is totally different and separated. Your hotel offers two choices in the type of banqueting offer.

• 5. Banqueting standard price per person per day

In the past (year0) the average price was € 25.

• 6. Banqueting premium price per person per day

In the past (year0) the average price was € 30.
→ Limitations
Do not change any of these prices by more then 50% each year. This is build in to protect your hotel from too extreme changes.

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Team decisions on expenses

Other things you will have to make decisions upon:

Decisions on expenses.

• 7. Marketing expenses

No expenses made on this in the past: n/a mean not available.
This is the total spending for all paid marketing actions in the past: maybe this is on the shy-side? There was very little going on at the Emerald Forest Hotel, especially on social media or affiliates and also in bartering.
→ Limitations
You can use any amount between € 0 and € 100.000 per year. This is build in to protect your hotel from too extreme changes.

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• 8. Extra staff rewarding expenses

No expenses made on this in the past: n/a mean not available.
Apart from the salaries, there were s.ome extra's paid to the staff depending on their sales (if part of their job) or on their performance (others). In addition, sometimes there were special occasions for which something extra was paid.
→ Limitations
You can use any amount between € 0 and € 100,000 per year. This is build in to protect your hotel from too extreme changes.

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• 9. Extra depreciations of investments

No expenses made on this in the past: n/a mean not available.
You start off a new company: so, in the past this was € 0. These are the depreciation costs related to your NEWLY planned investments. Check the specific investments page on this.
→ Limitations
You can use any amount between € 0 and € 250.000 per year. This is build in to protect your hotel from too extreme changes.

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• 10. Environmental expenses

No expenses made on this in the past: n/a mean not available.
This are expenses related to clear air, to green energy, to social responsibility etc. All above the minimum required by legislation.
→ Limitations
You can use any amount between € 0 and € 100,000 per year. This is build in to protect your hotel from too extreme changes.

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• 11. Additional maintenance expenses

No expenses made on this in the past;: n/a mean not available.
As you can see on the footage available the hotel is in need for some additional maintenance in the rooms, facilities etc.
→ Limitations
You can use any amount between € 0 and € 100.000 per year, there is a history on the hotel. You have to explain the amount carefully , check the specific investments page on this.

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• 12. Marketing research expenses

No expenses made on this in the past: n/a mean not available.
These are the cost for buying information from Top Research which will be analyzing the past year and it will be visible, if bought, on your results page after any year.
→ Limitations
You can use chose the amount from the choice box so € 0 buys you no information, € 25.000 buys you for the small package, € 50.000 buys you the medium package and € 75.000 gets you the large package. Make sure you explain very clearly in your explanations form why you think buying this will benefit your company. The company Top Research will carry out the research and report to you.

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• 13. Other expenses

No expenses made on this in the past: n/a mean not available.
This could be anything apart form the groups mentioned above. So things like supporting the distributions chain, good courses or maybe costs on legal issues and governmental- or city-fees. Maybe contribution to tourist information offices activities.
→ Limitations
You can use any amount between € 0 and € 100.000 per year, remember there is a history on the hotel. This is build in to protect your hotel from too extreme changes.

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Explanations form

File:Example decisions on explanations.jpeg

Explanations form.

• 14. Explanations form

Not in use in the past.
Each year you have to fill out a new section of the same explanations form. The link to this file is at decision 14. Only if your are really ready entirely set the choice box van No to Yes!
→ Limitations
You have to repeat your decisions in this form. Be sure only to work in the applicable year!

Costs and results

If a year has passed, you will see the results, only after they have been released. This part is accessible in your teamsheet by clicking at the bottom on the "Results" tab. With the costs mentioned above and the revenues made in the past, the results of Emerald Forest Hotel were realized: you can find this in the results. So, if you change the costs (increase them), understand that you have to earn these extra costs back (or your profit will go down rapidly)! You start off with a profit of € 486.307 last year.

Compensating for the extra costs or benefiting from them can only be done in a few ways:
- Make costs that -by making them- bring down other costs (for instance, in using ICT, less staff is needed);
- More revenues by choosing higher prices, so a higher profit per sold product;
- More revenues by achieving a higher occupancy-rate, so more sales.

So fill out the decisions from above for each year and explain clearly what you are aiming for in doing so. Do stick to the deadlines!

All the costs which you have made extra through your decisions will be brought directly to the results of the year you are playing and will be immediately visible there. This will be at the end of each playing year.
Spending the maximum on all possible costs looks like a bad idea! You have to earn back all these expenses, so you will have to make clear choices and keep the profit in mind! So, if you would decide to spend to the maximum on all options you could have in extra costs (per year):

• decisions 1-6 are no expenses.
• decisions 7 maximum € 100.000
• decisions 8 maximum € 100.000
• decisions 9 maximum € 250.000
• decisions 10 maximum € 100.000
• decisions 11 maximum € 100.000
• decisions 12 maximum € 75.000
• decisions 13 maximum € 100.000
• decisions 14 brings no expenses.

The maximum grand total on expenses is € 825.000,-. Keep in mind that the profit in year0 was € 486.307!
Once again, these are the maxima and any euro spend you have to earn yourself.

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Emerald Forest Hotel offering an emerald hotel experience! | Run your own hotel in this management simulation.