UNIT II

Lesson 1

LAYOUT OF THE HOUSEKEEPING DEPARTMENT

There is no ideal or universal model for the layout of a Housekeeping Department. The
Layout differs from hotel to hotel, depending upon its size & physical space limitation.
However if the Housekeeper is involved during the planning stages, then she must be told
about the volume of business anticipated, number of rooms so that she can estimate the
linen requirement for rooms & food & beverage service. She must also find out if the
Management intends to contract out certain areas of Housekeeping like horticulture,
tailoring, upholstery, etc., to include or preclude space for such activities. It is important
not to ask for space more than what is required. It is necessary to know the traffic flows
& size of equipment, trolleys, etc. that need to be moved around so that there is no
cluttering & congestion.

Housekeepers Office:
This is the main administration center for the department. It must be an independent
cabin with preferably glass panels, which gives her a view of the activities outside the
office. This cabin gives her silence to plan out her work & also the privacy to counsel or
hold meetings with her staff. Usually the office is preceded by the secretary’s cabin, who
monitors the movement into the Housekeepers office.

Desk Control Room:

This is the main communication center of the department. It is called the nerve center for
it is from here that co-ordination with other departments like Front Office, Maintenance,
and etc. takes place. It is from here all information is sent out &received concerning the
department. The desk control room should have a desk, chair, computer & more than one
telephone. There should be a big notice board to put up the staff schedule, everyday
instructions, etc. This is the point where staff report for duty & check out after duty.

Linen Room:
This is the room where the current requirement of linen is stored. This room should be
large, airy & free from heat & humidity. Adequate shelves, easily accessible to stack
linen should be present. It should be a secure area & offer no possibilities of pilferage. It
should have an exchange counter where the exchange of linen takes place. The room is
preferably adjoining the laundry to facilitate smooth supply of linen to & fro.

Linen Uniform Store:

This place stores the stock of new linen material for uniform, tablecloth, etc. The stock
maintained should be enough to replenish the whole hotel once over. But these stocks are
only used when the current linen in circulation falls short due to damage or loss. The
room should be cool & dry. Shelves should be provided to store all the linen & uniform.
In bigger hotel, there might be a separate uniform store in addition to a linen store.
 Pic: Layout of Housekeeping Department

Uniform Room:
This is where the uniforms, which are in circulation, are stored. Depending on the size of
the hotel, they may choose to combine it with the linen room. A uniform room also
depends on the volume of uniform in circulation. The only difference is that a Uniform
room will have adequate hanging facilities, as many uniforms are best maintained when
hung.

Tailors Room:
This room is kept for house tailors who attend to mending & stitching of linen &
uniforms. If the house policy is to contract out the work, then the tailor room can be
avoided.

Lost & Found Section:

This should be a small space away from thoroughfare, secure, cool & dry with a
cupboard to store all guest articles that are left behind or lost & maybe claimed later.

Flower Room:
This should be an air-conditioned room to store fresh flowers required for flower
arrangements required by the hotel. The room should have worktables, a sink & water
supply. Small hotels may contract the work out, and then this space is not required.

Heavy Equipment Stores:

This room is used to store heavy or bulky machinery like vacuum cleaners, shampoo
machines, ladders used for cleaning chandeliers or window cleaning. The place should be
dry & clean. It should also be locked at all times to avoid stealing or pilferage by other
departments.
Floor Pantries:
Each guest floor must have a floor pantry to keep supply of linen, guest supplies,
cleaning supplies for the floor. It is the housekeeping nerve center for the floor. It should
stock one complete set of linen for that floor over & above what is in circulation in the
rooms. The pantry should be away from guest view & situated at the service landing near
the service elevators. It should have shelves & cupboards to stack all linen & supplies.

Pic: Layout of Floor Pantry

Green House:
As horticulture comes under housekeeping, a green house to foster specialized plants is
necessary in the garden areas.

Horticulture Equipment Store:

There are a number of garden equipments, such as lawn mowers, spades, rakes, and etc.
that are used in gardening operations. These need to be stored safely. A store close to the
gardening operations must be provided. Larger the landscapes to be maintained, larger
will be the storage area.
 Lesson 2

DIFFERNET SECTIONS AND LAYOUT OF FRONT OFFICE – Their

Importance

The “Front Office” as the name signifies deals with all the activities in the front of the house. As
the front office is the first department that the guest comes into contact with, so it is through this
department that the guest forms his/her opinion about the hotel. So the staff should be always on
their very best dealing with the guest. The front office department consists of groups of brilliant,
efficient and ever smiling staff that resemble and focus the organization in the initial seconds of
guest contact, giving him the feeling of the best in the hospitality movement that has engulf the
modern human generation. The Front office department’s motivated workforce strives to achieve
the highest level of performance in meeting the needs of their guests. With their traditional
commitment to serve, the staff strives endlessly to ensure total guests satisfaction and loyalty. So
this is the feeling which makes a whole world of difference.

Pic: Layout of Front Office Department

The Front Office department is divided into eight distinct sections according to their nature of
functions.
They are as follows: -
 1. Reservation
2. Reception/Registration
3. Information
4. Cash
5. Concierge and Bell service
6. Telephones
7. Travel Desk
8. Business Centre

Functions of Various Sections

Reservation
 The main function of reservation is to receive the reservation request through various
modes and to generate records for processing.
 Besides this there are two subsidiary functions namely cancellation and amendment.
 Reservation prepares the expected arrival list for the next day and sends it along with the
correspondence file to the reception.

Reception/Registration
 The most important function of reception is to welcome &check in guests on arrival he
guest fills up the registration card with the help of the receptionist. Registration of guests is
mandatory for all status of guests including VIP/ VVIP etc.
 Another important function of reception is to take bookings off the same day.
Cancellations/ amendments of the same day are also handled by reception.
 Reception answers all phone calls, regarding guest, restaurants and expected arrivals etc.

Information
This section of front office is responsible for the following functions:
 Maintains guests Alphabetical index rack.
 Handles guests room keys
 Handles guests mails
 Handles guests complaints
 Organise paging
 Provides information regarding city and hotel.

Cash & Bill

This section is responsible for maintaining the guests bill and help them settle their bills
at the time of departure. This section also handles safety lockers.
Concierge and Bell Desk
 Handles baggage for all check-ins and check outs.
 Deliver messages, telex and faxes and any other items to and from the guests.
  Deliver newspapers (mornings & Evenings)
 Give physical wake up calls to the guests who do not answer their telephonic
wake up calls.
 Handles paging in the lobby, restaurants, and in other public areas.
 Helps in room change of guests.
 Perform other functions like:-
o Open Double locked rooms
o Place personalized stationery in guest rooms after getting it from the
hospitality desk.
o Place any item in the absence of the guest on the instruction of the duty
manager.
 Keeps Baggage on hold for guest in house as well as for the awaited arrivals.
 Assists guests in packing.
 Self postage stamps.

Note: Paging is a procedure to locate a resident guest from the public area of the hotel.
Telephones
 The Most Important function of this section is to handle all the incoming and
outgoing calls both for guests and management.
 They are responsible for giving the wakeup calls.
 They set DND (Do not Disturb) on the phone. The operator accordingly passes
the call to the various departments in the hotel.

Travel Desk
 This section is responsible for all travel logistics for the guests, such as airport.\/
station pickups, airport/station drop etc.
 This section is also responsible for organising city tour and business tour for the
guests.
 Most of the business hotels have their own fleet of cars for the above services.

Lesson 3

ORAGANISATIONAL STRUCTURE/HEIRARCHY OF
HOUSEKEEPING DEPARTMENT

The scope of housekeeping embraces the entire hotel. Naturally, the largest work force of
the hotel belongs to the housekeeping department. It would be appropriate at this stage to
ascertain as to who comprise Housekeeping Department & what their roles.
Executive Housekeeper
She/he is responsible for the total cleanliness, maintenance & aesthetic upkeep of the
hotel. This is achieved with the resources available such as manpower, materials,
machines, money, space & time.

Assistant Housekeeper
He/she may be one per shift of a large hotel or the only deputy to the Executive
Housekeeper of a medium hotel or the housekeeper of a small hotel. She manages the
resources provided by the Executive Housekeeper to achieve the common objectives of
cleanliness, maintenance & attractiveness in a given shift. Her accountability normally
ends on the completion of her shift.

Uniform Room Supervisor

A non-management person solely responsible for providing clean serviceable uniforms to
the staff of the hotel. As the hotel staff are all in uniforms, her task is huge as she has to
keep an inventory control on various uniforms at various stages of use, such as, when
sorted ones are handed over, or those which are being washed in the laundry, or those on
the person of the staff, or those in store for issue. She would set the systems of control as
also budget for the procurement of additional material for uniform room.

Pic: Organizational Structure of a Large Hotel

Uniform Room Attendants
The uniform room supervisor is assisted by attendants who actually do the issue of
uniforms while receiving soiled ones for onward transmission to laundry. These
attendants are in actual contact with the staff.

Helpers
They do the physical work of transporting, counting & bundling of uniforms & linen.
They are found in both linen room & laundry.

Linen Room Supervisor

A non-management person, solely responsible for the acquisition, storage, issue &
cleanliness of linen in various forms. Types of line are many, such as, bed sheets, towels,
tablecloth, table napkins, etc. Her task is mammoth, as she has to keep track of all linen,
as they would number in thousands.

Linen Room Attendants

Assists the supervisor by actually issuing linen & filling up records that are necessary.

Floor Supervisor
Responsible for the cleanliness, maintenance & attractiveness of the guest floors attached
to her in a shift. Her scope encompasses guest rooms, corridors, staircases, and floor
pantries of the allotted floor.

Public Area Supervisor

Responsible for cleanliness, maintenance & attractiveness of all public areas which
include restaurants, bars, banquets, gardens, administrative offices, shopping arcade,
health club, swimming pool, main entrance & car park areas.

Room Attendants
They are known also as chambermaids or room boys. They do the actual cleaning of
guest rooms & bathrooms allotted to them. They are not responsible for the cleaning of
guest elevators, corridors or floor pantries.

Housemen
Handy men who do the heavy physical cleaning required in guest rooms & public areas.
Their job would include heavy duty vacuuming, shifting of furniture, cleaning of
windowpanes, mopping, polishing, sweeping etc.

Head Houseman
Supervises the work allotted to housemen, esp. those in public areas. He would deputize
on behalf of the public area supervisor esp. at night if state law prohibits women from
working at night. In medium sized hotels he could be the person in charge of night shifts.
Desk Control Supervisor
The desk supervisor is a very important person in housekeeping operations. The desk
should be manned 24 hours as guests & staff will contact to transmit or receive
information concerning housekeeping. He is the one who co-ordinates with other
departments like front office about departure & cleared rooms. He also receives
complaints on maintenance from supervisors spread all over the hotel.

Pic: Organizational Structure of a Medium Hotel

Cloakroom Attendants
Cloakroom attendants, male or female, are responsible for the cleanliness, maintenance &
service of guest toilets in public areas. Their task comprise of supply of fresh towels,
soaps & perfumeries, if prescribed by the hotel.

Hat Checkers
This is a service provided by superior hotels in cold climates. A hat-checker room is
where the guests deposit hat & heavy over coats as soon as they enter the hotel so as to
spare them the inconvenience of carrying them around in the hotel. The hat-checker
would carefully label these guest articles & hang & store them correctly so as to return
the same to the guest when they leave the hotel.

Night Supervisor
He/she is special in manner that he/she becomes responsible for the whole department
including control desk operations & issue of linen & uniform in case of emergencies, etc.
He/she is solely responsible & accountable for the smooth functioning through the night
& has larger decision-making authority then other supervisors, as she is the housekeeper
for the night.

Pic: Organizational Structure of Small Hotel

Horticulturist
He should be a Diploma holder in agricultural science or horticultural science. He is
responsible for the maintenance of the garden & also supplies flowers for interior
arrangements. The head gardener & gardeners follow his instructions.

Head Gardener
Supervises the brigade of gardeners in maintaining hotel garden & keeping them
contemporary each season.

Gardeners
They do the actual digging, planting, watering, etc of the garden on a day-to-day basis.
 Duties & Responsibilities of Housekeeping Personnel

Executive Housekeeper:
• Co-ordination with other departments
• Recruiting, training, dismissal & welfare of staff
• Compiling of duty roster & holiday list
• Checking for cleanliness, appearance & order of all areas
• Supervise inspections by assistants of all areas
• Dealing with guest complaints & requests
• Checking & reporting of all maintenance work
• Control & supervision of the linen room & possibly an in-house laundry
• Developing standard systems & procedures
• Dealing with lost property, including disbursement of unclaimed articles to
employees
• Preparing annual budget
• Control of all keys in the department
• Checking of room occupancy reports
• Plan, control & supervise horticultural requirements
• Prevention of fire & other accidents in the department
• Care of the sick & provision of first aid for guests & staff
• Maintaining inventories & records of equipment, re-decoration.
• Floral Decorations
• Ordering & control of stores & equipment
• Maintaining all records concerned with the department
• Identifying reliable suppliers
• Paying attention to odour & pests

Following should never be overlooked

• Daily inspection of public areas & employee’s locker rooms
• Issuing order to housemen, window cleaners, furniture yard & tailor room
employees
• Daily briefing & review of reports of supervisors – Floors, Public area, Linen &
 Uniform room
• Daily checks on quality of cleaning in Guest rooms, in particular Suites
• Checking incoming order of supplies
• Immediate attention to complaints
• Coordinating the preventive maintenance schedule of rooms with Maintenance
department

A housekeepers attributes should include

• An interest in people and tact in handling them
• A pleasant personality and ability to converse with all types of people
• An ability to hide personal likes and dislikes and to be fair and just.
• Strictness regarding punctuality and the keeping of necessary rules
• Loyalty to the establishment and to the staff
• Critical powers of observation
• A good sense of humour
• Adaptability and willingness to experiment with new ideas
• Use initiative and take responsibility
• A cool head to deal with any emergencies
• A strong heart and good feet

Public Area Supervisor:

• Reports to Executive Housekeeper or Assistant Housekeeper
• Check all public areas against check-list & make sure they are up to the standards
of cleanliness stipulated
• Remove furniture, curtains & other fixtures, which require repair, mending,
spotting, washing, etc
• Maintain a regular & complete schedule for special cleaning of the public areas
after the final consent from the Executive Housekeeper
• Prepare schedule for chandelier cleaning & carpet shampooing
• Inspect staff turnout
• Train new recruits
• Prepare performance appraisal of staff
• Clean safety & security systems in public areas, like locks, shutters, etc
• Account for furniture movement
• Initiate & follow-up maintenance orders
• Check & control equipment like hoovers, shampoo machines, etc & ensure
correct usage
• Undertake daily allocation of staff

Floor Supervisor:
• Reports to Executive Housekeeper or Assistant Housekeeper
• Assign duties to the floor housemen & room attendants
• Inspect staff turnout
• Inspect rooms according to specific checklist after completion

• Check par stock of linen, guest supplies & cleaning supplies on floors & ensure
timely delivery of soiled linen to laundry & requisition for fresh linen from linen
room, guest & cleaning supplies from stores
• Train staff for maximum productivity & standards of efficiency
• Prepare performance appraisal periodically
• Check all safety systems on the floor
• Coordinate with security on security aspects on guest floors
• Account for movement of linen from the floor
• Prepare room occupancy report for the given floor
• Check the maid’s trolley to ensure it is set as per standard with sufficient supplies
& linen
• Follow up on maintenance orders & sign after completion
• Coordinate with Control Desk for list of rooms that need to be cleared for sale
• Call Room Service for clearance of dirty trays from rooms
• Check on the serviceability of all equipments on the floor
• Record “lost & found” items as per set down norms
• Issue floor keys to room attendants.

Uniform/Linen Room Supervisor:

• Reports to Executive Housekeeper or Assistant Housekeeper
• Schedule of staff
• Check periodically the condition of uniform & hotel linen
• Assign daily work to tailors
• Device a procedure for effective control system to issue clean linen & uniform
• Co-ordinate with laundry to ensure timely delivery of fresh uniforms & linen
• Conduct periodic inventories of linen & uniforms
• Ensure that all the linen & uniforms that need stitching or mending are attended to
before being sent to the laundry
• Ensure that the linen room is keep clean & tidy
• Ensure that all linen & uniforms are neatly & systematically stacked & arranged
• Train the staff to perform effectively & efficiently
• Maintain relevant records in respect of material, uniform or linen – their storage
& movement

Night supervisor:
• Reports to the Executive Housekeeper or Assistant Housekeeper
• Co-ordinates with Front Office – for receiving departure rooms & cleaning them
for sale.
• With engineering – for maintenance follow up

• With security – on security aspects

• With lobby manager – help in managerial decisions
• With room service – clearing of dirty trays from rooms & placing of
complimentary VIPs amenities & bar replenishing
• Supervises the night staff engaged in cleaning all the public areas & guest rooms
of the hotel

Room Attendant:
• Reports to the floor supervisor
• Clean guest bedrooms & bathroom & replenish supplies as per room checklist
• Report missing or broken hotel property to the supervisor
• Maintain a polite, dignified & helpful attitude towards the guests
• Attend daily briefings & give attendance
• Receive allocation of floors & rooms
• Replenish maids trolley with guest supplies, detergents & linen
• Count soiled linen handed over to floor linen room
• Hand over lost & found articles to the floor supervisor
• Make physical check of rooms for preparing the housekeeping occupancy list
• Check for any maintenance work in the room & report the same to the floor
supervisor
• Change the water glasses & replenish water in the flasks daily
• Turn down beds in the evening & draw the curtains
• Remove & dispose of refuse & rubbish at the assigned area
• Return keys to the housekeeping dept before going off duty
• Ensure that housemen polish guest shoes & assist the bell boys in carrying
luggage when required
• Prepare room checklist

Uniform/Linen Room Attendant:

• Reports to the linen/uniform room supervisor
• Issue uniforms to all hotel employees on a one to one basis
• Count soiled linen/uniforms received & deliver the same to the laundry for wash
• Maintain records of linen/uniform movement
• Store uniforms & linen according to the prescribed method
• Check for damages when receiving dirty uniforms
• Co-ordinates with upholsterers & tailors, floor boys & maids
• Co-ordinates with laundry for sending soiled linen & uniforms & receiving fresh
ones

Cloakroom Attendant:
• Reports to the public area supervisor
• Maintain adequate stock of soap, detergents & hand towels to meet the demand
• Maintain shoe-shine kit & clean guest shoes if required
• Maintain a polite, dignified & helpful attitude towards guests
• Report any plumbing problems or any other maintenance work to be done to the
supervisor
• Ensure that the cloakrooms are clean – faucets sparkling, wash basin dry & the
environment free of unpleasant odor
• Sweep, wash & scrub the floors
• Clear the soiled towels periodically from the baskets & store them in the janitor’s
room & take it to the linen room for replacement

Tailor/Upholsterer:
• Reports to the linen room supervisor & Assistant Housekeeper
• Mend all damaged linen & uniforms
• Refurbish all the damaged upholstery which is given by the supervisor
• Estimate the requirement of material & request the linen room supervisor to
procure it from the stores
• Withdraw material from stores & take it to the work area
• Pre-shrink material which have a tendency to shrink
• Keep the work area neat & tidy
• Keep systematically all items, i.e., thread, needles, etc & requisition & render
accounts of the same
• Render accounts of the material used & balance left over should be handed back
to stores
• Check the quality of all materials & replace if necessary under the supervision of
the supervisor

Houseman:
• Reports to floor/public area supervisor & assistant housekeeper
• Hoover carpets
• Shift beds, chairs, heavy furniture for cleaning carpets beneath them
• Beat carpets & shift from one area to another
• Clean swimming pool when assigned
• Clean all surfaces
• Polish all brassware

• Clean all doors, windows & ventilators

• Clean & replenish line from floor & pool area
• Do all heavy cleaning like shaft & terrace cleaning

Head Gardener:
• Reports to the Executive Housekeeper or horticulturist
• Ensures that the landscaping, i.e., gardens, rocks, waterways etc., are maintained
as per original concept
• Brief, schedule & allocate duties to the gardeners
• Dig-up areas for fresh planting
• Procure seeds from reliable source at the best price
• Ensure that the gardeners follow the watering schedule & report in case of
shortage of water
• Cut, prune & trim plants to enhance the aesthetic appeal
• Maintain nursery up to the prescribed conditions & ensure steady supply of
saplings
• Provide the hotel with flowers as required
• Prepare, provide & maintain indoor plants for the hotel
• Ensure the lawn is well maintained
• Train & motivate the gardeners
• Ensure the gardeners handle & maintain the garden tools correctly & carefully
• Be knowledgeable about seasonal plants & their maintenance conditions
• Co-ordinate with fertilizer supplier for supply of acceptable fertilizer, nurseries &
seed markets for purchase of good quality saplings & seeds, housekeeping for
maintenance of indoor plants & flower shop for supply of flowers (if applicable)

Gardener (malis):
• Reports to the head gardener
• Take daily briefing from head gardener
• Plant seeds & saplings as per condition prescribed
• Lay manure & fertilizers economically ensuring proper coverage
• Water all garden areas daily as per schedule & routine
• Maintain the nursery as prescribed
• Maintain indoor plants as per schedule when assigned
• Utilize garden tools correctly
• Be punctual & regular
 Lesson 4

ORGANISATIONAL STRUCTURE/HEIRARCHY OF FRONT

OFFICE DEPARTMENT
 Duties of Front Office Staff

Front-office Manager
He or she heads the department. In a large luxury hotel of people report to him and he in
turn reports to the general manager .Front office manager is responsible for the smooth
functioning of the department and its day to day functions. His or her duties include:
1. Guiding and training the staff under him and the performance of their duties
2. Allotting work timings, work schedule etc. To his subordinate
3. to maintain and improve guest relations
4. To ensure prompt , courteous and hospitable services from his staff to the guest,
correspondence regarding reservation of rooms etc
5. compiling analyzing and preparing of reports which will serve as information to
the management to help improve the business
Assistant Front Office Manager
He assists front office manager in all his functions and takes charge of his duties in his
duties in his absence.

Front Office Supervisor:

He supervises the work of all assistants in the front office .He has to ensure that the
counter is tidy, fully equipped , the staff are in inform and well-groomed ,the staff report
in time and perform the assigned duties He also helps the staff report in time and
informs the assigned duties. He also helps the staff in their day to day work, helps in
solving problems , ensure prompt and efficient service from the staff and helps the staff
at the counter during rush time.
Telex Operator:
In large hotels telex is an important aid of communication and is operated by a telex
operator
1. Telex is utilized for receiving reservation request transmitting. Messages of the
hotel or guest and for any other communication purpose
2. The operator apart from sending or receiving messages will maintain relevant
records registers and receipt books.
3. The reservation department utilizes the telex facility most

Lobby Manager
1. He is stationed at the lobby and his function includes supervising a lobby and the
reception counter.
2. He maintains files pertaining to airline crow, groups ,travel agent etc
3. He is a trouble shooter.
4. He allocates rooms to V.I.P, s inspects the rooms and helps in coordinating with
other departments of the hotel and also helps in coordinating with other
departments of the hotel and also helps in their smooth functioning.

Guest Relation Executive (G.R.E)

1. she is stationed at the lobby and her work include receiving VIPs and repeat
customer or arrival
2. she maintains a file of VIPs that she can in touch with them every thing during
their stay
3. she arranges complimentary for VIPs
4. During busy times she helps the receptionist in his or her work in the front office.

Bell Captain
1. Brief all the bell boys at the beginning of the shift.
2. ensure that the bellboys are well-groomed and properly uniformed
3. Controls the movement of the bell boy
4. Ensure that the bell desk is well stocked with postage.
5. Takes action against scanty baggage guest.
6. Organizing paging service in the lobby
7. assign errands to bellboys execute formalities regarding left luggage

8. execute formalities regarding left languages

9. assist security vigilance
10. Assist the crew and group with wake call procedure.
11. Perform any other duties that are required by the management from time to time

Bell Boys
1. Carry guest baggage to the room at the time of guest arrival.
2. Explain all the control in the room to the guest.
3. Issue postage to the guest on payment.
4. Deliver guest baggage to the left luggage room.
5. Check the guest room at the time of guest departure.
6. Carry the baggage at the time of guest departure.
7. Page guest in the lobby area if required.
8. report scanty baggage to the bell captain and to the receptionist
9. Perform any errand as required by the management and the guest

Receptionist
1. Prompt ally and courteously register guest and as again them rooms.
2. Update the room rack continuously.
3. Calculate room’s availability position and advice reservations.
4. Issue i.e. amenities voucher.
5. Complete pre-registrations formalist for i.e., invalids, old people, groups, airlines
crews.
6. Execute government formality regarding foreigners.
7. Co-ordinate closely with house keeping with clearance of rooms to sell.
8. Prepare room reports and occupancy statistics.

Information Assistant
1. Maintain guest room keys safely and accurately.
2. Provide up to date information on the hotel and city to guest.
3. Receive and distribute guest mail.
4. Continuously update the guest rack.
5. Receive messages of guest and forward them correctly and promptly.
6. Laise with lobby to page guest

Cashier
1. Post all guest charges and credit into their respective folios.
2. Settle all guest bills upon departure.
3. Encash foreign excharge as a per regulations.
4. Disburse petty cash to hotel staff and authorized paid outs.
5. Control safety deposit lockers.
6. Operate the accounting machine and be responsible for all postings in it.
7. Receive and hold in safe custody all cash payments made by guests till the 8. account
is rendered.
9. Render account through cash payments made by guests till the account is rendered.
10. Maintain and turn it control records and reports specified by the management.
11. Note telephone meter reading on folios.
12. Coordinates with
a. Front Office: Regarding arrivals and departures
b. Lobby: Regarding arrivals and departures
c. All other revenue producing departments such as restaurants, bars, telephones, etc. to
collect charges to charges to post into guest folios.

Reservationist
1. Promptly & courteously handle all reservation requests.
2. Update regularly the reservation chart & rack.
3. Keep all reservations correspondence up to date.
4. Keep room availability board up to date.
5. Handle amendments and cancellations of reservations.

Lesson 5

CO-ORDINATION OF ROOMS DIVISION DEPARTMENT WITH

OTHER DEPARTMENTS

DEPARTMENTS THAT FRONT OFFCE COORDINATES WITH

1. LOBBY:

Arrival: The boy escorts guests from the main their luggage to the front office. After the
guest has been registered the front office informs the bell boy of the room number so that
the guest may be escorted to his room and his luggage placed in the room.

Departure: In most hotels, guest wishing to check out of the hotel calls the bell desk for
a porter to carry his luggage down. The bell desk informs the front office of the intentions
of the guest so that the cashier can prepare his bill. It is only after the front office is
satisfied regarding the payment of bills and retrieval of room key will they allow the bell
boy to remove the luggage the premise of the hotel

Shifting: Often, guests request the front office for a change of room. The front office
intimates the bell desk to sent bell boys to help in the shifting of luggage.

Scanty Baggage: “Skippers” are those guests who leave the hotel without paying their
bills. This is made possible because the “skippers” comes with little luggage to avoid
bringing the attention of the bell boys to his “secret” check out. Alternatively, if he has
just a briefcase, he may leave the hotel under the pretext of a business call. The bell boys
here to alert notify the front office about guests with scanty baggage so that necessary
advice is taken from them and close watch is kept on them.

Message: The information sections of front office alert the bell boys to deliver message
received by them for guests in the hotel.

Paging: “Paging” is the system of displaying the name of guest on a small board with
along handle .The board is held above the head of the bell bay and has small bells which
are rang to draw the attention of customers to the board When a phone call is received for
guest in a specified location, this paging system is used to contact guests. The boy does
the paging in most public areas especially the lobby

2. HOUSE-KEEPING:
Room Report: To keep a tight control on rooms, the house keeping and front office have
to closely co –ordinate. One way is through the room report where by the house keeping
staff checks each room on every floor and advises There status through a report.

Discrepancy Report: A discrepancy report is prepared by the front desk on receiving the
room report from the hose keeping the front office compares it with the room rack for
reconciliation of room status discrepancies notice between room rack and housekeeping
room report are noted down on a separate report called the “discrepancy report” which is
then handed over to a bell boy for physical check reporting back of the room under
discrepancy. After a physical check of the room the bell boy notes down the correct status
which is accepted by the front office and room and reconciled accordingly.

Room Clearance Arrangement: When a guest checks out, the front office has to
immediately inform the house keeping desk (which is the central point of information for
housekeeping)or the floors, to clean the room so that it is ready for sale again. This
information is controlled on departure intimation control sheets. Housekeeping in return
would have inform the front office immediately after a room has been cleaned and
prepared for sale to a guest. In technical parlance when the front desk informs the
housekeeping desk about a check out a room, it is referred to as given a “departure room”
to housekeeping and when housekeeping informs the front office about which are ready
for sale, it is known as “cleared room”.

Occupancy Statistics: After reconciling the “Room Rack” with the housekeeping room
report, the front office reception compiles data on the “occupancy” position of the hotel
for the day in the form of a report for the purpose of management information. This
compilation and analysis of occupancy details referred to as “night room report” and is
invariably prepared by the night receptionist.

Special Arrangement for Groups and VIPS: The front office informs housekeeping
being alert to attend to rooms occupied by groups or VIPS. Service has to be quicker and
efficient. Housekeeping provides “flowers” for VIPS in the room on receipt of the
amenities voucher issued by the front desk.

3. ACCOUNTS

Front office cashier: The Front office cashier receives payments for a guest’s stay in the
Hotel. This is the point where all the charge vouchers (bills) generated by the guest are
received to be included in the overall bill. Close liaison between the lobby staff and
cashier is imperative. The Bell Captain must inform the cashier about the intended check
out of a guest so that the guest’s bill are updated and kept ready for presentation. Also,
the cashier is informed of a new arrival by the reception by opening and forwarding a
new folio in the guest’s name giving room number and time of check in, with defined
billing instructions which the cashier places in the bill tray against the appropriate room.

Night auditor: The night auditor all guests’ bills received by the front office cashier and
prepare and prove for the calendar day.
City ledger: This is the credit section which receives bills from front office that has
extended credit as per previous arrangement between the hotel and the guest. This
department follows up with the individual or company for the payment of the bills.

4. ROOM SERVICE

Arrivals and departments: The room service is kept closely intimated on arrivals and
departures of guests. It is this department that provides food and beverage services to the
room and must be informed as to the occupant in order to raise bills accordingly.

VIP procedures: The front office informs room service through the amenities voucher
and a list of the VIPs expected to arrive in the hotel so that special services like providing
pastries or whatever gesture the establishment wishes to extend to a VIP as per the policy.

5. TELEPHONES-

Arrivals and departures: This is another department that is informs immediately of the
arrival and departure of a guest so that when calls come for particular guest it is fully
knowledgeable about his/her presence in the hotel so that calls may be connected to
him/her. Also calls made by the guest are recorded or metered.

6. ENGINEERING: The engineering department is responsible for any maintenance of

furniture, fixtures and equipment and for rectifying faults, services provided like air
conditioning, plumbing, etc. Sometime when guest keys are lost, the workshop of the
engineering department makes duplicate keys from key blanks, besides changing the
location of the level; by altering the lock and key plan of the hotel.

7. STORES: The stores are responsible for supplies of relevant forms formats and
stationary.

DEPARTMENTS THAT HOUSEKEEPING COORDINATES WITH

1. FRONT OFFICE:
Coordination with the front office is one of the critical features of housekeeping
operations. As soon as there are guest departures the Front Office rings up Housekeeping
Control Desk & informs the departure room numbers so that Housekeeping can clean the
same & get them ready for sale. Once a room is clean & ready, the Housekeeping Floor
Supervisor rings the Front Office directly or through the Control Desk & hands over the
room to Front Office for sale. Rooms handed over to Housekeeping are called “departure
rooms” & cleaned rooms handed over to Front Office are called “cleared rooms”. The
precision with which Housekeeping carries out the above duty enables Front Office to
sell rooms to waiting guests. This is especially critical in hotels with high occupancy.

The desk also receives other information, which requires special attention by
housekeeping such as:
 1. VIP’s in house: with this information the Housekeeping can take a little extra time
and care in cleaning the VIP rooms.

2. Groups in house: groups move together in terms of arrivals, departure, sightseeing

tours & meals. It is thus important to clean their room’s together n view of strict
time parameters.
3. Crews in house: Normally airline crews are allotted a given set of rooms on a
given floors. Very often the arrival of a crew and the departure of another crew of
the same airline may overlap. In such circumstances it is important for the allotted
rooms to be cleared within a very short period of time.
4. Flowers: Sometimes the management extends its compliments by a special
gesture of a flower arrangement in the room as recognition of importance to a
person. Such individuals are normally given a status of a VIP. Since flower
arrangements come under Housekeeping, knowledge of who is to be provided that
is received from the Front Office on a daily basis.
PERSONNEL:
Housekeeping coordinates with Personnel Department for the recruitment of
Housekeeping staff, salary administration, indiscipline, grievance procedures, identity
cards for staff, induction, locker facilities, transfers, promotions, appraisals & exit
formalities.

LAUNDRY:
This is a department that can enhance or mar the quality of Housekeeping services. The
responsibility of laundry to Housekeeping is two fold – to wash & dry clean linen & staff
uniforms to a very high standard of cleanliness & to supply clean uniforms & linen to
Housekeeping on time.

Housekeeping has to ensure that clean linen is issued to guest rooms, restaurants, health
clubs etc., as this directly reflects the quality & image of the establishment. If these are
not received on time from the laundry, rooms would not be ready or restaurants would
not open, etc.

The co-ordination becomes critical in view of the large volume of linen & uniforms that
are involved.

FOOD & BEVERAGE:

The restaurants & banquets constantly required clean tablecloths, napkins, etc. Their
staffs, as well as those in the kitchen require clean uniforms – the former because they are
in guest contact & the latter due to strict standards of hygiene required in kitchens by
most governments. The Housekeeping also has to clean the areas before the opening so
that the areas are clean when the guest arrives.

SECURITY:
The guest room is the most private place and a hotel goes to great length to ensure guest
privacy & security. However, if a guest can takes advantage of this privacy by gambling,
smuggling, etc. Housekeeping has to be alert to these goings-on, and seek the Security
department’s intervention if necessary.

PURCHASE: The purchase department procures out-of-stock items for Housekeeping

such as guest supplies kept in rooms, stationery, linen of various types, cleaning supplies,
and etc. Housekeeping should convey their requirements to purchase by way of advance
notice in the form of a purchase requisition.

Engineering – One of the most important functions of Housekeeping is the maintenance

aspect of the hotel for the sole purpose of keeping furniture, fixtures & facilities in
working order, contemporary & safe for guests. Hence a close co-ordination is necessary
with engineering, which actually carries out the task of fixing out of order fixtures &
facilities. As Housekeeping personnel are spread throughout the hotel, checking on
various things, they originate maintenance orders for the engineering department to
attend to. The maintenance orders could cover a number of duties such as fused bulbs,
plumbing not functioning in guest rooms or public bathrooms, broken fixtures, a/c not
functioning, etc. For Housekeeping to be able to clear a room to Front Office for sale, it is
necessary that all malfunctioning items in a room be attended to promptly by engineering.
Hence close co-ordination or co-operation is necessary. Housekeeping would also hand
over rooms to engineering for major repairs & renovation.
All maintenance requirements are registered at the Control Desk. The Desk Attendant
puts this information in the Maintenance Register giving the room number, nature of
complaint & name of the supervisor or attendant who gave the complaint. The desk
attendant makes a maintenance slip & forwards it to the Engineering department. The
engineering department then prepares a work order slip & sends the concerned technician
directly to the floor or public area. When the work is completed satisfactorily the
attendant or supervisor signs an acknowledgement of completion of the work order. This
signed work order is then produced to the desk attendant who enters this info into the
maintenance register against the appropriate complaint earlier registered.

Stores – Larger hotels may have a separate Housekeeping stores to stock the
Housekeeping linen & supplies independently. Smaller hotels may stock them in the
general store except for the linen, which should be issued to Housekeeping department.
The co-ordination with the stores would ensure the availability of day-to-day
requirements of Housekeeping. Communication with stores is by way of a requisition
form, which the housekeeping sends to stores when it requires certain items.
 Lesson 6

ATTRIBUTES & QUALITY OF ROOMS DIVISION STAFF

QUALITIES OF FRONT OFFICE STAFF

As the front office is a critical department in a hotel in view of its revenue generating
capacity and influence in image building, the staff working on it assumes a special
importance.

Great care is taken in the selection of front office staff as they play a key role as:

Salesman: They motivate the guest to spend more on the various hotel facilities.

Problem Solvers: Guests invariably approach the front office for help in case they have
a problem or complaint. The staff has to be diplomatic and resourceful to solve the
problem at the shortest possible time.

Reference Point: Guests who want information or want to pass on information use them
for this purpose.

Co-ordinator: Since they are a reference point, the front office staff are required to
coordinate with other departments, airlines, travel agencies and city tour offices to give
the guest personalized service.
Image Builders: As an extension to their salesman`s role, front office staff can certainly
generate a good image for the establishment in their manner of dress,
communication,personal conduct and efficiency.

ESSENTIAL ATTRIBUTES OF FROMT OFFICE STAFF

In view of the important role they play, the front office must have the following essential
attributes.

1. A High Sense of Personal Grooming : Uniform must be clean and neatly

pressed. Hair should be groomed well. It is preferable for ladies to tie their hair up
in a bun. Nails should be manicured. A soft cologne is preferable to heavy
perfumes. Jewelry should be restricted to one ring and a necklace for ladies. In
short, the front office staff must be sent at their best at all times.
2. Personal Hygiene: This is imperative to front office personnel. As they are
constantly exposed to hotel guests, a clean appearance helps to protect a good
image not only of themselves but of the establishment as well.
3. Self Confidence: This is necessary as front office personnel meet guests of
different countries, states and cultures. They should be comfortable and feel easy
in dealing with the people.
4. Communication Must Be Correct And Clear : It is preferable that front office
staff know more than one language. It helps in communicating with guests who
cannot speak English or the local language.
5. Diplomacy Is The Greatest Attribute Required : Very often there are situations
when a guest is irritated over some things; a diplomatic dealing helps in diffusing
the explosive moment. It is quite common for a busy hotel to have no room to
offer a guest who has come with a confirmed booking. A diplomatic approach is
the only way by which the guest can be pacified.
6. Calmness to Take the Busy Demands of Front Offices Operations : Being the
nerve centre of the hotel, the front office is constantly in touch with the guests and
therefore invariably comes under tremendous pressure. The guests always expect
personalized, priority treatment and the pressure of demand of never ceases.
Coupled with these are difficult guests who can unnerve a person. The front office
 staff should thus have a high degree of tolerance for pressure of work and be calm
and composed to all times.
7. Ability to Remember Names and Faces: This single attribute distinguishes the
good from the average amongst the front office staff. Every individual has an ego
and his/her name is most precious and personal to him. If the front office staff can
call most guests by their names, this immediately flatters them and personalizes
the guest experience. The guest begins to feel he is welcome as people recognize
him by name.
8. Good Manners: As the hotel is a meeting place of social elites all the grace and
etiquette associated with good society comes into play. Guest of all statures
comes to stay in the hotel and they are used to good manners and politeness.
Wishing a guest the time of the day and saying “Thank You” are the basic
etiquettes shown.
9. Ready Smile: This is very becoming to front office operation. Guests like to be
handled by a cheerful staff at the desk. Their smile exudes cheer to the guests and
puts them at ease.
10. Physical Fitness: Front office operations require the staff to stand for long hours
at a stretch. The staff must be sturdy, agile and active.
11. Quick Decision Making Ability: Guests often approach the front desk with
problems and requests .Front office staff must be able to decide quickly a course
of action that satisfies the guest, at the same time keeping the interest of the
organization alive.

ATTRIBUTES AND QUALITIES OF HOUSEKEEPING

STAFF

Personnel attributes of housekeeping staff in hospitality industry plays an important role.

It enhances the images of the property as well as the quality of personalization that only
humans can give. These attributes are based on the following terms.

1. Personal Hygiene: They must have clean hair. Manicure figure nails, clean hands
and feet and body. No body or mouth odor should be present. Any transferable
disease must be reported immediately.
 2. Personal Grooming: Housekeeping staff would be normally uniformed, hence
each staff member must ensure his/her uniform is crisp, clean and well ironed.
Lady staff must wear light make up and restrict their jewelry to the minimum. A
soft cologne is preferred. Hair must be tied in a bun or worn short. Most hotels
have a maid’s cap for chambermaids. Shoes must be low heeled and sturdy as
housekeeping staff work long hours on their feet.
3. Honesty: Honesty is a very essential attribute for housekeeping staff as they have
access to all guest bedrooms. Guest belongings, either valuable or invaluable are
often found lying around the room which may arouse temptation. Hence only
honest personnel can defy the temptation.
4. Eye for Detail: This attribute enable housekeeping staff to take note of the
minute details in any given area. This term means that the person has a sharp eye
to detect things and can ensure that all flaws are set right.
5. Courtesy: Room attendants, floor and public area supervisors are always in
contact with guests. It is often that a guest requests some housekeeping service or
other. It is essential that while talking to guests in such moments, it should be
done with utmost politeness and charm. Guests will certainly remember pleasant
staff as this adds to his/her positive experience.
6. Tact and Diplomacy: Often, a guest may request for facility and service that are
outside the management policy. It takes a lot of tact and diplomacy to decline
without hurting a guest’s feeling. Occasionally room attendants are confronted
with embarrassing situations, both for the guest and the staff member. It is tact
alone that can defuse such a situation.
7. Physical Fitness: Most work in housekeeping is manual. A housekeeping
member, when on duty is on his /her feet almost continuously. It would require
sturdy physical constitution to cope with the demands of housekeeping work. This
is a very important quality which housekeeping staff must possess.

TELEPHONE COURTESY AND MANNERS

A good receptionist must develop a telephone personality remembering that you can’t be
seen only heard. The voice must be well modulated, spoken words clear and distinct; the
tone must be friendly, interested and helpful. It should never sound mechanical,
indifferent or impatient

The following simple rules will help develop good telephone manners and techniques.
1. Answer the telephone promptly and make a habit of picking up a pencils and the
note pad at the same time being kept waiting the guest or caller may get impatient.
2. Greet the caller presenting with a” good morning, good after noon or good
evening and never with a “hello” and identify the establishment for example
 “imperial hotel or if it is an internal call answer by saying good morning reception
desk”.
3. Callers usually respond by giving their names stating their bulinen, but if they do
not give their name, tactfully ask . “Who is calling please?” Or “may I know to
whom I am talking to?”.
4. Listen attentively if any information or details have to be recorded write them
down clearly as they are given.
5. If a message has to be taken be certain to record the date, time and for whom the
message is and always repeat the message back to the caller to ensure that the
details are correct.
6. While receiving incoming calls for executives or management always be certain
who the caller is and if possible the nature of his or her business and check
whether the member of the staff wishes to accept the call. Busy executive should
not be disturbed for small matters thus a receptionist must learn to classify calls
and root then to the person but be suited to deal with them
7. False promises should never be made on telephone .
8. Staff should have absolutely no private conversation on the telephone.
9. Never use slang words like ‘yeah, yep, hang on, ok”. Instead use “yes sure, hold
on”, do not use words like “right” instead use “Am I correct sir “.

Examples:
Receptionist: Good morning, Imperial hotel, May I help you?
Caller: May I speak to the manager?
Receptionist: May I know who is calling please? /May I know whom am I talking to?
Caller: Mrs. Jones. I have a room booked for 13th July. And I would have a word with
the manager.
Receptionist (quickly checking advance booking chart): Oh, yes, Mrs. Jones, we have
a room booked for you for 13th of July. Can I be of any assistance to you?
Caller: Well ,I just wanted to ask the manger ,if it is alright to bring my poodle with
me as I can’t leave her behind.
Receptionist: That will be quite alright, Mrs. Jones. The hotel has facility for small
dogs at the rate of Rs.90/per day, but I am afraid they are not allowed in the public
areas.
Caller: Oh! That’s fine.
Receptionist: Would you like me to make arrangements for your poodle, Mrs. Jones?
Caller: yes please, thank you very much.
In this telephone conversation, a receptionist tactfully ascertained the nature of the call,
realized that it could be dealt with, without bothering a busy manager, dealt with the
matter according to the establishment policy and reassured the caller.

Receptionist: Good afternoon, imperial hotel may I help you?

Caller: This is the secretary of Sailing Club. I am calling about our dinner on 12 th of
November. I would like to discuss the seating arrangements.
Receptionist: Just a moment please. I will just put you on to Mr. Ravi, the Assistant
Banquets Manager.
good afternoon bonquets . May I help you
Receptionist: controller: who deals with all function, booking may I have your name
please?
Caller: Mr. William, good afternoon” I would like to discuss the seating arrangement
Receptionist: .if you will please hold on the line sir, I will see if Mr. Ravi is available.

The receptionist the locater Mr.Ravi as quickly as possible and inform him,there is a call
for him from MrWilliams,secretary of the sailing club , who wishes to discuss the seating
a arrangements for their dinner on the 12th of November. This will alert Mr. Ravi to
nature of the call. The call is then put through.