Better Collections: Trays, A3s and Inquiry at the Vineyard Hotel

The case is set in the room service department in a privately owned four-star hotel in Cape Town, South Africa. The hotel is operating to five-star standard, but chose to be rated four stars to attract corporate clientele. Uncollected room service trays have been a long and nagging problem at the hotel, where initiative after initiative seems to fizzle. Lenny Jacobs, the outgoing room service manager, is keen to leave his department on a good note and brings in some pro bono help in the form of a young and enthusiastic consultant, Elaine Scholtz. Scholtz is itching to try out some Lean Thinking tools in an alternative environment. In particular, she hopes to employ the “A3” style of addressing problems. A3 works on the classical ...