CHAPTER 2

Introduction to Hotel Rooms

Division
Introduction
Rooms division has a huge impact on hotel guests'
overall experience, it is therefore significant that
hospitality professionals are aware on the basics of
managing hotel's assets and the people behind the
management team.
The Rooms Division

R O O M S D I V I S I O N I S T H E " N E RV E
CENTER" FOR MOST OF THE HOTEL'S
O P E R AT I O N S .

It is the area that is most responsible to the hotel's main

product, the sleeping rooms. As a functional area that
has a vital role in the success of a hotel's operation, it is
composed of the front office, reservations,
housekeeping, night audit, and loss prevention/security
department.
Areas of the
Rooms Division
• Front Office
• Reservations
• Housekeeping
• Night Audit
• Loss Prevention/Security department
The Front Office

This term is frequently used to imply both front

office and back office operations. This is the most
visible of all since it is responsible for the
incoming and outgoing guests. It usually generates
the greatest amount of revenue for an
accommodation venue through room sales.

Front office is composed of two areas, the front

desk and the uniform services who reports directly
to the Front Office Manager.
Front Desk

This plays a big role in the hotel's operations since it is

the first and is often the last points of contact with a
hotel guest. This is also called as the "hub" or "command
center" of the rooms division because so much
information is funneled through it. The following are
some of the functions and activities of the front desk:
• Check in the guest on arrival
• Processes guest's financial transactions
• Organize services during a guest's stay
• Perform guest's checkout
Uniform Services
Sometimes referred to as guest services, this section
encompasses the areas within the front office other than
that of the front desk. The following are the areas within
this section:
• PBX (Private Branch Exchange) - manages the
communications into and out of the hotel.
• Bellstand - assists guests to and from their rooms.
• Valet parking/garage - manages the guests'
automobiles.
• Concierge - serves as the guests' liaison with both
hotel and non-hotel services.
• Doorpersons - assists guests upon entering the hotel
premises.
Back Office
This section supports the front office services including
that crucial first contact for many guests, the
telephonist. This is actually located directly behind the
front office together with the reservations department.
The staffs under back office are responsible in liaising
with guests by other means that the front office is
doing, like over the phone or written communication.
The following are some of the tasks of the back office
section:
• Reservation (booking and maintenance)
• Guest correspondence
• Generation of reports
• Receiving calls
• Transferring calls to the right department/person
The Reservations
This is also called as transient room sales. To
maximize room revenue, this area strives to book
individual reservations in conjunction with group
sales.
The Housekeeping
This is in-charge of keeping the hotel premises always
clean, in order and is acceptable to the taste of
discriminating guests. This area is very important in the
rooms division since they are the one directly
connecting with the front office and ensuring that the
hotel's main product, the rooms, are ready for sale.

In collaboration with the front office section, the

housekeeping group must determine what rooms are to
be cleaned, what rooms are available, and what rooms
are not or occupied. This is now called room inventory,
ensuring that there is no opportunity for cost incurred in
empty rooms.
The Night Audit

Led by Night Audit Manager, and supported by

anywhere from two to five auditors, this is the
department/area that reconciles the hotel's daily
financial transactions and other activities for
reporting purposes. The team conducts its duties
at night when the hotel is generally less busy. In
addition to this, the team also assumes some front
office duties aside from their direct reporting to
the accounting department.
The Loss Prevention/Security Deparment

Led by the Director of Loss Prevention, this

department is also vital in hotel operations.
The main task of this is the safety and security
of the hotel guests and, of course, the
employees. The group will need to patrol the
common areas of the hotel and guest room
hallways. The group should ensure that all
accidents, guest complaints and the likes are
handled professionally and thoroughly.
• Rooms division is perhaps the largest and most visible of all hotel
departments.
• The front desk and uniform services that are part of the front office section
have the highest amount of guest contact within the hotel, while others
play vital roles "behind the scenes".
• A very good way to understand and appreciate the rooms division's
function is by examining the roles played by each area for one to learn how
management and control systems are implemented in the said division.
The Rooms Division Manager
Rooms Division Manager was called before as the
Resident Manager of a hotel.

The latter is still being used in some hotels, the

former is now used by some because of the age-old
responsibilities of coordinating the operations of
room-related hotel functions. Another term used is
Director of Rooms. One thing in common is that,
all of them manages the day to day operations of
the hotel, in the rooms division in particular.
 BELOW ARE SOME OF THE FUNCTIONS OF
THE ROOMS DIVISION MANAGER:

• Manage areas of the hotel rooms division.

• Supervise employees engaged in the operation of the front
areas of the hotel.
• Ensure proper staffing, purchasing, and budgeting.
• Maintain open communications with other divisions and
within his division.
• Monitor availability controls.
• Develop monthly plans.
Department Heads of the Rooms Division

Front Office Manager - This is the

department head responsible for a large
portion of the most visible aspects of a
hotel's daily operations. He or she oversees
the functions and performances of the front
desk and the uniform services.
 Under the Front Office Manager are the following:
TITLE BASIC DUTIES/FUNCTIONS
Front Desk Manager Responsible for the daily operation of the front
desk and closely communicate with
housekeeping.
Front Desk Supervisor Ensures quality and efficiency of front office
activities while supervising the works of the front
desk staff.
Front Desk Agent Ensures efficient guest check-in and check out.
Bell Captain Directs and supervises the bellstaff.
Bellstaff Assist guests to the front desk, to their rooms and
out of their rooms (checkout).
Doorperson Greet and assist guests arriving at the hotel.
Valet Supervisor Also called as Garage Supervisor; supervises the
valet parking and parking garage staff.
Parking Attendant Park, care and retrieve guest’s vehicle.
PBX Supervisor Closely monitors the hotel switchboard and
his/her staffs.
PBX Operator Ensure smooth flow of internal and external hotel
communications.
Concierge Manager Monitor and manage staff in provision of
assistance to guests with any requests.
Director of Services - This department
head can be viewed as the "behind-the-
scenes" version of the front office manager
because he or she is responsible on other
aspects of hotel services that the guests
expect to be excellent for them to be
satisfied, the housekeeping and laundry
operations. This is a vital role that
interaction with the front office manager is
significant for a smooth flow of hotel
operations.
The following table shows the people reporting to the Director of
Services:

TITLE BASIC DUTIES/FUNCTIONS

Executive Housekeeper
Assistant Executive Housekeeper
Senior Housekeeper
Room Attendants
Responsible for the daily operation of the
housekeeping department and closely
coordinate with the front desk.
Ensures quality and efficiency of housekeeping
activities (guest rooms cleaned and other areas
to be maintained) while supervising the works
of the housekeeping staffs.
Ensures standards of cleanliness are maintained
and work closely with housekeepers.
Clean and prepare guest rooms.

Housepersons Assist room attendants through provision of

supplies such as linens, towels, and amenities.
Laundry Manager Responsible in supervising, monitoring and
managing the internal laundry operation of the
hotel.
Linen Attendant Monitor and ensure that there is adequate
supply of linen and towels.
• These department heads are working hand in hand to ensure that hotel
operations, especially the rooms division operations is running
smoothly and is in accordance with company standard operating
procedures.

• As every hotel has their own way of staffing, the tables presented may
not be present in some. Hotel size and operation type will dictate as to
who will man which department to be able to provide excellent guest
service.
Thank you for listening!

Prepared by:
Katrina V. Sanchez
BSHRA 3-1