Hotel Doldrums - The Teambuilding Game . Download training materials and resources.

Hotel Doldrums - The Teambuilding Game

About

Time:
This game can be played in about 240 minutes. In total, allowing for discussion and evaluation, we recommend allowing 300 minutes (based on 3 teams).

Aims:
• To encourage participants to analyse financial and other data using a SWOT analysis.
• To give participants the opportunity to identify and explore options and appraise these.
• To build an understanding of the key steps in strategic planning.
• For participants to create a 3 year outline strategic plan based on the fictional case study they’ve been given.
• To encourage participants to prepare and give a persuasive presentation outlining their strategy and the work they have done.
• To develop team skills and test time management skills.

Skills and Behaviours Tested:
Analytical skills, strategic thinking, entrepreneurial skills, creative thinking, planning, time management, leadership, teamwork and marketing.

Group Size:
An ideal group size for this module is 12, with participants working in 3 teams of 4. If you have more than 15 participants in your group, you may want to consider ‘doubling up’ on some of the briefs with more than one team using the same scenario. This doesn’t detract from the learning; in fact it can be interesting to see how different teams approach the same problem and task.

Useful For:
Staff at all levels including individuals, groups and teams that need to use strategic planning and analysis skills in the workplace.

You'll Need:
• One hotel data pack for each team.
• Plenty of space. (Ideally each of your teams will have a separate breakout room to work in.)
• You can also provide participants with tools to help them produce a powerful presentation if you wish.

Notes:
Hotel Doldrums is a teambuilding game based around a challenging business scenario, where three hotels in the same small town are struggling to survive.

Each hotel is represented by a different team that must try to develop a business and marketing plan that will persuade the bank to support their hotel over the others.

For a more trainer-led intervention, Hotel Doldrums is also available as three separate course modules that together make up a complete 1.5 day workshop. The trainer’s notes for this alternative version can be found in Trainers’ Library under Course Modules/Strategic Thinking.

Downloads

Available to Basic
Trainer Notes
Hotel Data Packs
Bankers Evaluation Sheet
Bankers Evaluation Sheet (Word)
Handout (SWOT)
Handout (SWOT) (Word)

+ more for Pro
Trainer Notes (Word)

Counts as 1 download.

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Reviews

I've used Hotel Doldrums a couple of times now with around 35 first line managers attending a high potential programme. One of their key learning needs is around developing commercial and strategic thinking. On this particular module, over two days, we use this activity to help them review current performance. We ask a couple of our senior leaders to act as bank managers which increases the pressure on the teams. On day two, they have to 'bid' for real improvement projects they'd like to work on in smaller teams. As we take them through this process, we provide further development on topics such as visioning, presentation skills, influencing. The level of detail provided for each hotel works extremely well for our managers, who are looking to step up into more strategic roles.

Paula Knight rated this item with 5 stars.

I have now run Hotel Doldrums twice as a 1 day team build exercise.
Marketing Team
This team is quite large (24 in total) and is spread throughout the country. Their opportunity to spend time together as a team is limited. Also, the team manager knew some elements of the team very well and others hardly at all having ‘inherited’ them following a company take over. A big part of this team build day was to get to know each other on a personal as well as a business basis.
I ran the exercise after going through some personality profiling. It was really powerful to see how people responded in their preferred behavioural style and perhaps even more so how their fellow team members recognised the behaviours!!
Not surprisingly there was an abundance of creativity going around, when the analytical people tried to intervene there were some ‘clashes’ although always controlled, usually ending up in peels of laughter. It did, however, demonstrate the need to listen to all team members and give everyone the chance to contribute. A good learning for the stronger personalities in the group. Time management was an issue and gave the team manager an insight as to why and how deadlines sometimes slip. She left the session with a strategy for managing this within the team more effectively in the future.
The meetings with the Bank Manager weren’t particularly successful. I’m not sure whether this was the way I positioned this aspect of the training or not. The overall feedback was that the meetings contributed very little and took away valuable time.
A number of leaders emerged. Some based on personalities and others on expertise again demonstrating the advantages of having a good mix within the team.
The need for a 3 month plan did give focus to think about the future. The team are often required to be reactive, rapid change being a trait in our industry. Having to plan in a structured way for the future was a useful learning and demonstrated how much control you get when you are able to do this.
The final presentations were very light on financial information which was recognised as something of a problem given that they were for the bank manager!! Known your audience eh? There was much emphasis on how they would ‘pretty-up’ the respective hotels, what fun things they could offer and how they would improve the experience to encourage the return of guests. Not so much thought around what would happen if people didn’t return!! Glass half full perhaps?
The most valuable things taken from the exercise were:
Recognising and be able to utilise the strengths within the team.
The importance of planning Thinking inside the box as well as outside it!
Raising awareness of financial implications around the roles of the team members.
Working as a team.
Strategic Sales Team
I ran the exercise again 4 weeks later with a smaller team of strategic sales people. This team have huge transformation in front of them due to changes in our business so it was good to give them a subject they were totally unfamiliar with.
The team had slightly less time which proved a challenge and a learning point for me here is that a smaller team doesn’t necessarily mean less time.
There was definitely a more financial focused approach and less creativity. As with the previous group the presentations ran over time neither groups having practised. They would argue they didn’t have time….I would argue they should have made time!!! Creativity was limited in this session and it highlighted the need to involve other areas and expertise within the business for the new challenges ahead.
This team had a brand new manager who was eager to demonstrate his style. He joined in the exercise which proved really valuable and his team could see he would not ask them to do anything he wouldn’t or couldn’t do himself.
We did not include the bank manager role this time and in all honesty I don’t think the exercise lost anything as a result.
Again the need for a 3 month plan was very powerful and I would say that this was the most valuable aspect for both sessions.
All in all, this is an excellent exercise with an incredible amount of learning from it. It has been a huge success and I will/would use it again and again.

Previous Member rated this item with 3 stars.