Republic of the Philippines

City of Taguig

Taguig City University

General Santos Avenue, Central Bicutan, Taguig City

MODULE 1 – MIDTERM
COLLEGE OF HOSPITALITY AND TOURISM MANAGEMENT
COURSE MODULE in

OPERATIONS MANAGEMENT IN THE HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY

I. LESSON 04 – THE ROOMS DEPARTMENT

II. INTRODUCTION

Every hotel must have a rooms division, a department devoted to handling

guests' needs and providing a smooth and comfortable stay. The rooms
department handles everything from taking a guest's reservation to preparing their
room and getting the guest checked in for the night.

Imagine you are responsible for the rooms division of your hotel. It is your job
to make sure your guests have everything they need to make their stay relaxing
and comfortable. If there is a problem with their reservation or visit, you will need
to be prepared to handle their complaint - and prevent the problem in the future.

In larger hotels, the rooms division has several departments that all work
together to please guests. In midsize and smaller properties, those departments
may be reduced in size and number, but they still need to serve guests.

III. LEARNING OBJECTIVES

At the end of the lesson, you should able to:

LO1. recognize the functions of the front office and housekeeping departments;
LO2. illustrate and explain the guest cycle;
LO3. define the different front office and housekeeping key terminologies; and
LO4. enumerate the different areas of responsibilities of these two departments

IV. LESSON PROPER

Rooms Division/Department

The rooms division director is held responsible by the GM for the efficient and
effective leadership and operation of all the rooms division departments.

They include concerns such as the following:

1|P ag e- P ROF. EUNICE G. PARC O

• Financial responsibility for rooms division
• Employee satisfaction goals
• Guest satisfaction goals
• Guest services
• Guest relations
• Security
• Gift shop

The rooms division consists of the following departments: front office,

reservation, housekeeping, concierge, guest services, security, and
communications. Figure 3–2 shows the organizational chart for a 300-plus-room
hotel rooms division. The guest cycle in Figure 3–3 shows a simplified sequence
of events that takes place from the moment a guest calls to make a reservation
until he or she checks out.

Figure 4.1 The Hotel Guest Cycle/Journey

Generally, a guest’s interaction with the hotel is divided into the following four
sequential phases −

Pre-arrival

It is the stage when the customer is planning to avail an accommodation in the

hotel. In this first stage, the customer or the prospective guest enquires about the
availability of the desired type of accommodation and its amenities via telephonic
call or an e-mail. The customer also tries to find out more information about the
hotel by visiting its website.

At the hotel end, the front office accounting system captures the guest’s
information such as name, age, contact numbers, probable duration of stay for
room reservation and so on.

2|P ag e- P ROF. EUNICE G. PARC O

Arrival

The front office reception staff receives the guest in the reception. The porters
bring in the guest luggage. For the guest with confirmed reservation, the front office
clerk hands over a Guest Registration Card (GRC) to the guest and requests the
guest to fill in personal information regarding the stay in the hotel. The clerk then
registers the guest in the database thereby creating a guest record and a guest
account along with it. Later, the clerk hands over a welcome kit and keys of the
accommodation. After the procedure of registration, the guest can start occupying
the accommodation.

Occupancy

During occupancy, a front office accounting system is responsible for tracking

guest charges against his/her purchases from the hotel restaurants, room service,
bar, or any outgoing telephone calls made via the hotel’s communication systems.
The front office staff is responsible to manage and issue the right keys of the
accommodations to the right guests. On guests’ request, the staff also makes
arrangement for transportation, babysitting, or local touring while the guest is
staying in the hotel.

Departure

During guest departure, the front office accounting system ensures payment
for goods and services provided. If a guest’s bill is not completely paid, the balance
is transferred from guest to non-guest records. When this occurs, collection
becomes the responsibility of the back-office accounting division.

At the time of guest departure, the front office staff thanks the guest for
giving an opportunity to serve and arrange for handling luggage. In addition, if the
guest requires airport or other drop service, the front office bell desk fulfils it.

THE FRONT OFFICE DEPARTMENT

Every multi-departmental physical business needs to have a front office or

reception to receive the visitors. Front Office Department is the face and as well as
the voice of a business. Regardless of the star rating of the hotel or the hotel type,
the hotel has a front office as its most visible department. For a business such as
hospitality, the front office department comes with an aspect of elevating customer
experience with the business.

Front Office department is a common link between the customers and the
business. Let us learn more about it.

What is Front Office Department?

It is the one of the many departments of the hotel business which directly
interacts with the customers when they first arrive at the hotel. The staff of this
department is very visible to the guests.

3|P ag e- P ROF. EUNICE G. PARC O

 Front office staff handles the transactions between the hotel and its guests. The
staff receives the guests, handles their requests, and strikes the first impression
about the hotel into their minds.

Front office department includes −

• Front Desk
• Uniformed services
• Concierges
• Front Office Accounting System
• Private Branch Exchange (PBX), a private telephone network used within
an organization
• Basic Responsibilities of Front Office Department

Following are the most basic responsibilities a front office can handle.

• Creating guest database

• Handling guest accounts
• Coordinating guest service
• Trying to sell a service
• Ensuring guest satisfaction
• Handling in-house communication through PBX

Front Office Operations

There are two categories of Front Office Operations −

Front-House Operations
These operations are visible to the guests of the hotel. The guests can
interact and see these operations, hence, the name Front-House operations. Few
of these operations include −

• Interacting with the guests to handle request for an accommodation.

• Checking accommodation availability and assigning it to the guest.
• Collecting detail information while guest registration.
• Creating a guest’s account with the FO accounting system.
• Issuing accommodation keys to the guest.
• Settling guest payment at the time of check-out.

Back-House Operations
Front Office staff conducts these operations in the absence of the guests or
when the guest’s involvement is not required. These operations involve
activities such as −

• Determining the type of guest (fresh/repeat) by checking the database.

• Ensuring preferences of the guest to give a personal touch to the service.
• Maintaining guest’s account with the accounting system.
• Preparing the guest’s bill.
• Collecting the balance amount of guest bills.
• Generating reports.

4|P ag e- P ROF. EUNICE G. PARC O

 Front Office Management - Terminology
Following are some common terms used in relation to the front office department
−

S. No. Term & Meaning

1
Account receivables
The amount of money an organization has the right to receive within some specified
period (say 30 days) against the delivery of products/services.

2
Bell desk
An extension of front desk that deals with personalized guest services.

3
Cancellation charges
They are the charges borne by the guest on cancellation of a confirmed reservation or
for not showing-up on confirmed reservation.

4
Concierge
Information desk that assists guests for transportation, booking of events outside the
hotel.

5
GRC
Guest Registration Card, which the guest needs to fill in with personal formation at the
time of registration.

6
Guest
Customer of the hotel business being served.

7
IP-PBX
Internet Protocol Private Branch Exchange, where internet protocol is used for call
transmission.

8
MICE
Acronym for Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions.

9
Non-guest
Customer of a hotel business not being served at the moment.

10
No-show

5|P ag e- P ROF. EUNICE G. PARC O

 A guest who has reserved an accommodation neither turns up nor cancels it.

11
OHMS
Online Hotel Management System, a software system to manage all back-office
operations of a hotel.

12
PBX
Private Branch Exchange, a private network of telephones within an organization.

13
POS
Acronym for Point of Sale. It is the revenue generating place in the hotel where retail
transactions are carried out.

14
Rack rate
The price at which the hotel rooms are sold before applying discount.

15
SMERF
Acronym for Social, Military, Educational, Religious, and Fraternal.

16
Trial balance
It is a report of accounts that represents ending balance of each account in the list. It
is prepared at the end of an accounting period.

17
Uniformed services
Personalized services provided to the guests.

18
Valet
A male attendant to park and clean the car.

19
Whitney System
An old reservation system for hotel accommodations.

20
Yield Management
A variable pricing strategy, based on understanding, anticipating and influencing
consumer behavior in order to maximize revenue from a fixed, perishable resource.

Operational Structure of Front Office

There are lot of staff working under front office manager. The structure of the
front office department changes according to the size of the hotel business,

6|P ag e- P ROF. EUNICE G. PARC O

physical size of the hotel, and the hotel management policies. Following is the
general structure of the front office department –

Figure 4. 2 The Front Office Department Organizational Chart

Hotel Front Office Sections

Front office department manager heads the team of staff working on various
activities and responsibilities in the front office department. Few prominent
activities that the front office staff is involved in are −
Reservation − It includes handling request of customers for reserving
accommodations.
Reception − It includes receiving the guests according to the highest standards
and registering them appropriately. It also includes bidding the guests off.
Guest Services − They are also known as Uniformed Services. It includes
personalized guest services such as −
• Handling guest luggage.
• Handling guest mail.
• Delivering newspapers in accommodations.
• Paging the guest inside the hotel (locating the guest in the hotel).
• Arranging for a doctor in emergency.
• Parking guest’s automobiles.
• Arranging for reservations at the places of entertainment outside the
hotel.
Accounts − It mainly includes a front office cashier and a Night Auditor. The
cashier is responsible for handling guest payments. He typically reports to the
accounts manager rather than the front office manager.
The night auditor performs the duties of front desk reception as well as
accounting partly during the night shift. He needs to report to the heads of both
departments, front office, and accounting.
Communication − It involves handling communication among various other
departments and guests of the hotel.

THE HOUSEKEEPING DEPARTMENT

The largest department in terms of the number of people employed is
housekeeping. Up to 50 percent of the hotel employees may work in this
department. Because of the hard work and comparatively low pay, employee
turnover is very high in this essential department. The person in charge is the
executive housekeeper or director of services. Her or his duties and responsibilities

7|P ag e- P ROF. EUNICE G. PARC O

call for exceptional leadership, organization, motivation, and commitment to
maintaining high standards. The logistics of servicing large numbers of rooms on
a daily basis can be challenging. The importance of the housekeeping department
is underlined by guest surveys that consistently rank cleanliness of rooms number
one. Figure 3–9 shows the housekeeping department organization chart.

Figure 4. 3 The Housekeeping Department Organizational Chart

The four major areas of responsibilities for the executive housekeeper

are as follows:
1. Leadership of people, equipment, and supplies
2. Cleanliness and servicing the guest rooms and public areas
3. Operating the department according to financial guidelines prescribed by the
general manager
4. Keeping records

Objectives of Hotel Housekeeping

The main objectives of hotel housekeeping are −

• To maintain overall cleanliness of the entire hotel at all times.

• To perform cleanliness duties most efficiently and effectively.
• To use good quality, safe cleaning equipment and chemicals.
• To manage laundry and linen.
• To control pests.
• To keep up the hotel with classy interior decoration.
• To take care of the furniture, fittings, and fixtures of the entire hotel.

An example of an executive housekeeper’s day might be as follows:

7:45 a.m. Walk the lobby and property with the night cleaners and supervisors
Check the housekeeping logbook
Check the forecast house count for number of checkouts
Check daily activity reports, stayovers, check-ins, and
VIPs to ensure appropriate standards
Attend housekeepers’ meeting
Meet challenges
Train new employees in the procedures
Meet with senior housekeepers/department managers
Conduct productivity checks
Check budget
Approve purchase orders

8|P ag e- P ROF. EUNICE G. PARC O

Check inventories
Conduct room inspections
Review maintenance checks
Interview potential employees
6:00 p.m. Attend to human resource activities, counseling, and employee
development

Housekeeping − Areas of Responsibility

The housekeeping department is responsible to keep the following areas clean and
tidy.

• Guest Rooms
• Guest Bathrooms
• Public Areas such as Lobby and Lifts
• Banquets and Conference Halls
• Parking Area
• Sales and Admin Offices
• Garden

Apart from the cleaning task, the housekeeping is also responsible for handling
keys of each floor. In addition, it manages the laundry, which is often at some
places considered as a sub-department of housekeeping.

Perhaps the biggest challenge of an executive housekeeper is the leadership

of all the employees in the department. Further, these employees are often of
different nationalities. Depending on the size of the hotel, the executive
housekeeper is assisted by an assistant executive housekeeper and one or more
housekeeping supervisors, who in turn supervise a number of room attendants or
housekeeping associates (see Figure 3–9). The assistant executive housekeeper
manages the housekeeping office. The first important daily task of this position is
to break out the hotel into sections for allocation to the room attendants’ schedules.
The rooms of the hotel are listed on the floor master. If the room is vacant,
nothing is written next to the room number. If the guest is expected to check out,
then SC will be written next to the room number. A stayover will have SS, on hold
is AH, out of order is OO, and VIPs are highlighted in colors according to the
amenities required.
If 258 rooms are occupied and 10 of these are suites (which count as two
rooms), then the total number of rooms to be allocated to room attendants is 268
(minus any no-shows). The remaining total is then divided by 17, which is the
number of rooms that each attendant is expected to make up.

Therefore, 16 attendants are

required for that day

9|P ag e- P ROF. EUNICE G. PARC O

 The housekeeping associates clean and service between 15 and 20 rooms
per day, depending on the individual hotel characteristics. Servicing a room takes
longer in some older hotels than it does in some of the newer properties. Also,
service time depends on the number of checkout rooms versus stayovers because
servicing checkouts takes longer. Housekeeping associates begin their day at 8:00
a.m., reporting to the executive or assistant executive housekeeper. They are
assigned a block of rooms and given room keys, for which they must sign and then
return before going off duty.
The role of the executive housekeeper may vary slightly between the
corporate chain and the independent hotel. An example is the purchasing of
furnishings and equipment. A large independent hotel relies on the knowledge and
experience of the executive housekeeper to make appropriate selections, whereas
the chain hotel company has a corporate purchase agent (assisted by a designer)
to make many of these decisions.
The executive housekeeper is responsible for a substantial amount of
record keeping. In addition to the scheduling and evaluation of employees, an
inventory of all guest rooms and public area furnishings must be accurately
maintained with the record of refurbishment. Most of the hotel’s maintenance work
orders are initiated by the housekeepers who report the maintenance work. Many
hotels now have a computer linkup between housekeeping and engineering and
maintenance to speed the process. Guests expect their rooms to be fully functional,
especially at today’s prices. Housekeeping maintains a perpetual inventory of
guest room amenities, cleaning supplies, and linens.
Amazingly, it took about 2,000 years, but hotels have finally figured out that
guests spend most of their stay on a bed, so they have introduced wonder beds
and heavenly beds to allow guests to enjoy sweet dreams—but hopefully not miss
that pesky wake-up call. Around the country, guest rooms are getting a makeover
that includes new mattresses with devices that allow one side to be set firmer than
the other side or on an incline. Other room amenities include new high-definition or
plasma TV s, Wi-Fi services, and room cards that activate elevators.

Key terms used in the hotel housekeeping department

Housekeeping Status report : A report prepared by the housekeeping

department to indicate the current status of each room, based on a physical check.

Preventive maintenance: A systematic approach to maintenance in which

situations are identified and corrected on a regular basis. This will help to control
costs and keep larger problems from occurring.

Room Status Discrepancy: A situation in which the housekeeping department's

description of a room status differs from the room status information at the front
desk.

Routine maintenance: Activities related to the general upkeep of the property that
occur on a regular basis, This also requires minimal training or skills to perform.

Schedule maintenance: Activities related to the general upkeep of the property

that are initiated through a formal work-order.

DND Card: A do not disturb card is hung outside the room to inform hotel staff or
visitor that the occupant does not wish to be disturb.

10 | P a g e - P R O F . E U N I C E G . P A R C O
Double Locked (DL): An occupied room in which the deadbolt has been turn to
prohibit entry from the corridor. Only a grand master key or an emergency key can
open it.

DNCO (Did Not Check Out): The guest made arrangements to settle his or her
account (and thus is not a skipper), but has left without informing the front office.

Turn down Service: A Special service provided by the housekeeping department

in which a room attendant enters the guest room in the early evening to restock
supplies, tidy the room and turn down the covers of the bed.

Deep cleaning: intensive or specialized cleaning undertaken in guest rooms or

public areas, often conducted according to a special schedule or on a special
project basis.

Area inventory List: A list of all items within a particular area that need cleaning
by or attention of housekeeping personal.

Frequency Schedule: A schedule that indicate how often each item on an area to
be cleaned or maintained.

Non - Recycled inventories : Those items in stock that are consumed or used up
during the course of routine housekeeping operations. Non-recycled inventories
including cleaning supplies, small equipment items, guest supplies etc.

Recycled inventories: Those items in stock that have relatively limited useful lives
but are sued over and over in housekeeping operations. Eg: Linen, uniforms, major
machines etc and guest rentable objects.

Par Number: A multiple of the standard quantity of a particular inventory item that
represents the quantity of the item that must be on hand to support daily routine
housekeeping operations.

Floor Par: The quantity of each type of linen that is required to outfit all rooms
serviced on that floor.

Master Key: A Key which opens all guest room doors which are not double locked.

Grand Master / Emergency Key: A Key which opens all guest rooms and doors
even when they are double locked.

Guest room key: A Key which opens on one guest room when it is not double
locked.

Room inspection: A detailed process in which guest rooms are systematically

checked for cleanliness and maintenance needs.

Amenity: A service or item offered to guests or placed in guestrooms for

convenience and comfort, at no extra cost.

11 | P a g e - P R O F . E U N I C E G . P A R C O
Back of the house: The functional areas of the hotel in which employees have
little or no guest contact, such as the engineering and maintenance department,
laundry room and so on.

Back to back: Describes a heavy rate of check outs and check ins on the same
day, so that as soon as room is made up, a new guest checks into it.

Make up: Servicing of the room while a guest is registered in the room.

On-change: The guest has departed, but the room has not yet been cleaned and
readied for re-sale.

Buffing: To smooth the floor with a low speed floor polishing.

Burnishing: Polishing the floor with a high-speed floor machine to achieve an

extremely high gloss.

Capital budgets: These allocate the use of capital assets that have a life span
considerably in excess of one year, these are assets that are not normally used up
in day to day operations.

Cleaning supplies: Cleaning agents and small cleaning equipment used in the
cleaning of guestrooms and public areas in the hotel.

Luggage rack: A furniture item provided in guestrooms for placing the guest’s
luggage on.

Linen chute: A passage in the form of a tunnel for sending soiled linen from the
floor pantries of all floors to a central place near the laundry, from where it can be
collected by the laundry staff.

Mitering: A method for contouring a sheet or blanket to fit the corner of a mattress
in a smooth and neat manner.

Vacant and ready: The room has been cleaned and inspected and is ready for an
arriving guest.

Out-of-order: The room cannot be assigned to a guest. A room may be out-of-

order for a variety of reasons including the need for maintenance, refurbishing, and
extensive cleaning. (Out Of Order Vs Out Of Service )

Lockout: The room has been locked so that the guest cannot re-enter until a hotel
official clears him or her.

Hand Caddy: A portable container for storing and transporting cleaning supplies
and equipment.

Check-out: A room from which the guest has already departed / vacated / checked
out.

Due out: A room which the guest is due to checkout that day.

12 | P a g e - P R O F . E U N I C E G . P A R C O
Stayover: The guest is not expected to check out today and will remain at least
one more night.

Occupied: A guest is currently registered to the room.

Sleep-out: A guest is registered to the room, but the bed has not been used.

Skipper: The guest has left the hotel without making arrangements to settle his or
her account.

Sleeper: The guest has settled his or her account and left the hotel, but the front
office staff has failed to properly update the room’s status.

V. SUMMARY OF THE LESSON

Starting your career in the rooms division of a hotel is an exciting, demanding,

and rewarding experience. You will be part of a team whose overall responsibility
is the well-being of guests and ensuring that their expectations are met and that
they have a memorable experience. As a rooms division employee you will be part
of several interconnected functions that include: front desk, housekeeping,
reservations, concierge, guest services, security, and communications. The
following are some important tips for success in fulfilling the company’s promise to
each guest:

Front Desk here is where the first and last impressions are always made! At the
front desk it is important to be personable, confident, and patient because your
guests will vary in temperament, needs, and expectations. Always remember a
friendly, calm, and positive attitude are your best tools even in trying situations.
Multitasking becomes an art form at the front desk, calling upon all of your
communication, typing, and computer skills.

Housekeeping Perception is reality and cleanliness are always at the top of a

guest’s expectations. In housekeeping it is the attention to details, the eye for the
out of place, the worn or frayed that keeps it real for guests. It is a demanding work
area with much physical labor that is essential to guest satisfaction. Your work is
done mostly behind the curtain, out of guest view, but noticed and appreciated
when they enter to fresh towels, a made bed, and a flawlessly clean room. This is
where you should start your lodging management career because it is the most
demanding and least popular department among new hospitality graduates, and
yet it is the best training ground for early lodging management success!

Reservations How do you convey a smile over the phone? You must do so as
you begin the process of the guest cycle. Reservations calls for total command of
the keyboard, awareness of hotel revenue goals, upcoming events, room
availability, but above all listen, truly listen, to the guest so you can match their
requests with the hotel’s services. The promise begins with you and you must
never write a check that the front desk can’t cash at check-in.

Concierge A job that calls for diplomacy, ability to wheel-n-deal, and just a touch
of magic. Your role is to accommodate the guest needs during their stay. It calls
for an encyclopedic memory of restaurants, theater offerings, key points of interest,

13 | P a g e - P R O F . E U N I C E G . P A R C O
and current city events. The ability to develop a vast network of connections
throughout the hospitality community in your area is essential to serve your guests
and see to their every wish. Your reward as a successful concierge is that no two
days are ever the same and there are always new and different challenges,
opportunities, and rewards various activities in the hotel.

The size, layout, and staffing of the front desk will vary with the size of the hotel.
The front-desk staff size of a busy 800-room city center property will naturally differ
from that of a country inn. The front desk is staffed throughout the 24 hours by
three shifts. The evening shift duties include the following:

• Check the log book for special items. (The log book is kept by guest
contact; associates at the front office note specific and important guest requests
and occurrences such as requests for room switches or baby cribs.)

• Check on the room status, number of expected checkouts still to leave,

and arrivals by double-checking registration cards and the computer so that they
can update the forecast of the night’s

Guest Services Also referred to as uniformed services; consists of valet,

doorperson, and bell person positions.

All jobs essential to first and last impressions set the tone for the quality of
service. A congenial disposition that projects a true spirit of helpfulness will disarm
any initial guest trepidation. It also calls for thorough comprehension of the hotel,
its layout, rooms, and amenities. It is work that demands immaculate grooming
(especially the uniform), standing for long hours, and physical activity. In uniform,
you are the hotel to the guest.

VI. SELF-PROGRESS TEST/ACTIVITY

Create a role play script showcasing the different positions and their respective
roles in the Front Office Department

VII. ANSWER TO SELF-PROGRESS TEST/COMMENTS

The instructor will provide a set of rubrics in marking the students’ work. Pls
refer to the course syllabus.

VIII. SUPPLEMENTARY READINGS/MATERIALS

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pFBuuGNURm0. Rooms Division Operations

Management
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bb4-9fYt9JM. The guest cycle

14 | P a g e - P R O F . E U N I C E G . P A R C O
IX. REFERENCES

https://www.tutorialspoint.com/front_office_management/front_office_manageme
nt_quick_guide.htm. Front Office Management-Introduction
https://www.tutorialspoint.com/front_office_management/front_office_manageme
nt_quick_guide.htm. The guest cycle
https://www.pearsonhighered.com/assets/samplechapter/0/1/3/4/0134514211.pdf
. The rooms department
https://www.tutorialspoint.com/front_office_management/front_office_manageme
nt_quick_guide.htm. The Front Office Department
https://www.tutorialspoint.com/hotel_housekeeping/hotel_housekeeping_introduc
tion.htm. The Housekeeping Department

15 | P a g e - P R O F . E U N I C E G . P A R C O