Rooms Division Lecture

8/10/2019 Rooms Division Lecture

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Rooms Division

The Rooms Division is composed of departments and

functions, which play essential roles in providing the

service guests expect during a hotel stay.

A hotel room division is a room specifically divided in a

hotel, it may include housekeeping, concierge, porter

and sometimes front and back office as well.



The structure of the hotel will vary from hotel to hotel. The

variation can be caused by differences in the size of

hotel, types and level of service and the organization ofthe management.

The departments are under the control of the Rooms

Division Manager or Manager of Rooms.



Rooms Division Manager

• Responsible to the General Manager for the efficient and

effective leadership and operation of all the rooms

division.

• Room division manager’s knowledge includes a complete

understanding of hotel operations, specifically those

operations involving the front office, housekeeping andbasic accounting procedures.





The rooms division consists of the following

departments:

• Front office

• Reservations• Housekeeping

• Concierge

• Guest services• Bell service

• Valet



Front Office

• The front office is considered the hub or

nerve center of the hotel. It is the

department that makes a first impression

on the guest and one that the guest relies

on throughout his or her stay for

information and service



The front office operation consists of four primary

activities that are known in the lodging industry by

the following terms:

• Check-in

– Check-in refers to a process by which peoplebecome guests in a lodging establishment.

Check-in takes place in a reception area or

front desk. Here, guests register, are

assigned accommodations, and pick up keysfor these accommodation.



• Information

– The goal of the information activity in a hotel

or motel is to serve the special needs ofguests and employees for information about:

• Guests

• Goods and services



• Check-out

– Check-out refers to a process by which guests

terminate their status as guests of a lodging

establishment. The goal of check out activity in hotels

motels, and other lodging is to accomplish this

process. During check-out , guests surrender the

keys, verify the accuracy of their bills, and settle their

accounts. Guest accounts may be settled in two basicmethods by some form of cash or by credit card.



Front Office Manager (FOM)

• The Front office manager is responsible for

enhancing guest services by constantly

developing services to meet guests needs. e.g.having a guest service associated greet guests

as they arrive at the hotel, escort them to the

front desk, and then personally allocate the

room and take the guest and luggage to theroom.



Responsibilities:

• Check night clerk report

• Review previous night’s occupancy

• Review previous night’s average rate

• Look over market mix

• Check complimentary rooms

• Verify group rooms to be picked up for the next thirty

days• Review arrival and departures for the day



• Review the VIP list and prepare pre-registration

• Arrange pre-registration for all arrivals

• Attend rooms divisions and operations meetings

• Review arrivals and departures for next days• Make staffing adjustments needed for arrivals and

departures

• Review scheduling (done weekly)

• Meet with lead Guest Service Associates (GSAs) (donedaily)



Desk Clerk, Desk Attendant,

Receptionist, or Rooms Agent• Basic functions:

– Clerk handles rooming and cashiering duties:

• Welcomes and registers arriving guests

• Presents statements and collects payments

A front desk clerk must be able to work under

pressure. Constant interruptions to the actual

work of the front desk occur and employeesare always on stage; therefore, it is necessary

to maintain composure even during moments

of apparent panic.



Responsibilities:

• Displays a friendly and professional manner in all

dealings with guests, patrons, and other employees

• Welcomes and registers hotel guests with an emphasis

on fulfilling their requests

• Follows special handling and credit procedures

• Is familiar with room availability for current and future

dates

• Maximizes revenue and guest satisfaction by means ofselling techniques



• Selects and blocks rooms for arriving guests

• Pre-registers individuals and groups

• Assists in escorting VIP and returns guests to their

rooms• Work closely with concierge staff to handle guest

luggage and special requests

• Follows through in rooming process by contacting guest

by telephone to ensure satisfaction• Checks guest out according to set procedures



• Exchanges foreign currency

• Issues safety deposit boxes

• Post charges to guest accounts

• Reconciles all cashier transactions at the close of shift• Coordinates and follows up with the other departments

to handle guests’ special requirements

• Handles and reports guests’ problems and complaints



Night Auditor

• The night auditor waits until the hotel quiets

down at about 1:00 A.M. and then begins the

task of balancing the guest’s accounts

receivables. The other duties include thefollowing:

– Post any charges that the evening shift was not able

to post

– Pass discrepancies to shift managers in the morning



– Run backup reports so if the computer system

fails the hotel will up-to-date information to

operate a manual system

– Reconcile point of sale and PMS (PropertyManagement System) to guest accounts

– Complete and distribute the daily report

– Determine areas of the hotel where therecould potentially occur.



Reservations

• The term reservation refes to an arrangement by which

lodging operators hold accommodations for guests who

will be arriving at some later time.

• The reservations department is headed by the

Reservations manager who is the same level as the

Front Office manager and reports directly to the Director

of Rooms Division or the Director of Sales.



Goals of Reservations:

1. To provide assurance to prospective guests

that suitable accommodation will be available to

them at a specific price for a specific period.

2. To ensure that the greatest number of rooms

possible are occupied each day and that the

rates charges for those rooms are the highest

possible.



• A reservation is the first contact for the guest or

person taking the reservation for the guest.

Although the contact may be by telephone, a

distinct impression of the hotel is registered withthe guest. This calls for exceptional telephone

manners and telemarketing skills. The

reservation department generally works from

8:00 A.M. to 6:00 P.M.



Reservations originate from a variety of

sources:

• Telephone to the same property – Fax

– Letter

– Cable

• Corporate• Travel agents

• Internet

• Meeting planners

• Tour operator• Referral from another company property

• Airport representatives

• Walk-in



Types of Reservations:

• Confirmed reservation is a reservation made

with sufficient time for a confirmation slip to be

returned to the client by mail or fax.

• Guaranteed reservations refers to areservations where the clients pays for the first

night prior to his or her arrival. This may be in

the form of a credit card number or receipt of the

first day’s payment.



• Regular reservation or non-guaranteed

reservation type of reservation not paid in

advance and the room is held until a

specified time (usually 6:00 P.M.) on the

date of arrival.



Yield Management

• In recent years, many hotels have

instituted a reservation system taken from

the airline industry called yield

management. Yield management is theprocess of allocating the right type of

capacity to the right kind of customer at

the right price.



It consists of two separate but related parts:

1. Room inventory management is handled by the desk

staff

2. Pricing by the hotel’s management

Although each hotel chain has a different variation of it, the goal is

the same for all – to obtain maximum occupancy at maximumrates.



Telephone Exchange

• The communication (PABX) includes: – In-house communication

– Guest communications such as pagers and radios

– Voice mails

– Faxes

– Messages

– Emergency center



• The telephone exchange section is a vital part of

the smooth running of the hotel. Guests often

have their first contact with the hotel by

telephone. This underlines the importance ofprompt and courteous attention to all calls. It is

also a profit center because hotels generally add

a 50 percent charge to all long-distance calls

placed from guest rooms.



• Communications operates twenty four hours a

day, in much the same way as the front office

does, having three shifts. It is essential that thissection be staffed with people who are trained to

be calm under pressure and who follow

emergency procedures.



Guest Services / Uniformed

Services• The guest service department or uniformed staff

is headed by a guest services manager who

may also happen to be the bell cap tain. The

staff consists of door attendants and bellpersons and the concierge – although in some

hotels the concierge reports directly to the front

office manager. People in these positions

usually receive gratuities or tips from guests fortheir services.



Door Attendants, Doorman or

Door Person

• Door attendants are the hotel’s unofficial

greeters. Because they have so much

guest contact, they need a pleasant,

outgoing personality.





Bellman or Bell person

• Basic Functions:

– Handles guest’s luggage and

– Escorts guests to their rooms

– Provide information on hotel services and

room amenities

– Maintains the guest luggage storage area



Responsibilities:

• Escort guests to elevators and delivers luggage via

service elevator

• Place luggage in guestroom

• Explain room features to guests, offers ice and asks if

pressing is required

• Explain hotel services and food and beverage outlets

• Transfer guest’s luggage when room change is required

• For checkouts, remove luggage from guestroom viaservice elevator



• Assist concierge staff as needed

• Remain at lobby post when not otherwise occupied

• Relieve door attendant during meal breaks

• Deliver guest messages on an hourly schedule• Deliver packages, mail, and flowers to guestrooms

• Look after flags as instructed by supervisor

• Enter every service provided in a log book

• Perform other duties as assigned by concierge



Concierge

• The concierge is a uniformed employee of

the hotel who has her or his own separate

desk in the lobby or on special conciergefloors. The concierge is a separate

department from the front office, room

clerks, and cashiers



Basic function:

• To operate an efficient and effective

concierge department, ensuring a high

degree of guest satisfaction and return, inan atmosphere of hospitality. Does so in a

dignified, positive, friendly manner and

complete each guest request to the

highest standard.



Responsibilities:

• Conduct himself/herself in a professional manner at all

times, reflecting the high standard of the company.

• Maintain a clean, well-groomed appearance in uniform;

maintain a clean, well-organized work area

• Assist guests at the concierge desk and over the

telephone, prior to arrival, during their stay, and after

departure

• Keep abreast of all events in the hotel by reviewing

memos, messages, special attraction lists, functionsheets, arrival sheets, departure lists, etc.



• Maintain contacts with other businesses in the areas,

including restaurants, airlines, ground transportation ,

agencies, theaters, clubs, entertainment events.

• Maintain contacts with other concierges in the city and

the company. Handle mail, messages, deliveries andrentals.

• Maintain an inventory of stamps and stationery and

knows postage rates for domestic and foreign

shipments.



• Handle and report guest’s complaints and problems

• Perform secretariat work

• Keep current on all city attractions, transportation

schedules, entertainment calendars, recreational

charters and rentals, and related services to guests

• Arrange and book tours and special attractions

• Arrange services such as babysitting, shipping, courier

dispatches, luggage repairs





Housekeeping

• The housekeeping department is

responsible for the cleanliness,appearance, and condition of the entire

hotel. This includes the public areas. It is

the largest department in terms of member

of people employed.

Oth f ti f th



Other functions of the

housekeeping department:• Efficiently keep as many rooms as possible in a

ready condition

• Give information regarding ready rooms

• Interior decorating and arranging fresh flowersfor VIPs

• Clean guestrooms, public rooms and outside

grounds

• Attend to the special requests of the guests



Executive Housekeeper

• Responsible for maintaining a smooth and

efficient flow of operations of the

housekeeping department

• See to it that housekeeping maintenance

is carried out in accordance with

prescribed standards and policies

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Responsibilities:• Establish goals of his department. Plan activities geared

towards the attainment of these objectives and compareactual achievement against goals

• Prepare and submits operation budget

• Take corrective action for any problem affecting the

operation in his department. Attend to customercomplaints: coordinate with department: Coordinate with

department concerned for necessary action

• Conduct job orientation and training of housekeeping

personnel• Call and preside over operational meeting with staff



Checkers or Supervisors

• Basic function:

– Directs and controls rooms keeping activities

– Ensure conformity to prescribed rooms

keeping standards and policies



Responsibilities:

• Conduct rounds and inspection to check

the quality of room make-up

• Check and maintain per stock

• Check the thoroughness of room cleaners,

and efficiency of new electronic devices



Room Attendant

• Basic function:

– Attend to the maintenance and upkeep of allguestrooms and service areas assigned to

him/her



Responsibilities:

• Look after the maintenance of cleanliness, orderliness,

and sanitation in his assigned guestrooms

• Performs turndown service

• Attend to the needs and additional requests of guests

• Reports and surrender all lost and found items to

supervisor

• Assist in the inventory of guest supplies and linens



Laundry Personnel

• Basic function

– Responsible for washing and drying of guestlaundry and hotel linens such as bed sheets,

pillowcases, towels, table cloths and napkins



Security / Loss Prevention

• The security division is responsible for

maintaining security alarm system andimplementing procedures aimed at

protecting the personal property of guests

and employees and the hotel itself.



Security Officers

• Responsibilities:

– Make regular rounds of the hotel premises including

guest floors, corridors, public and private functionrooms, parking areas, and offices

– Observe suspicious behavior and take appropriate

action, investigating incidents, and coordinate withlocal law enforcement agencies.



The End

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Rooms Division Lecture