READING 2: Rooms Division

Besides classifying units or departments according to their functions, there is also another type of classification, which is commonly used in describing the nature of hotel departments: ‘Front-of-the-house’ and ‘Back-of-the-house’ or Housekeeping Departments.
Front Office Operations: The front office is the hub of a hotel. It is the department that makes the first and last impression on the guests, and the place that guests approach for information and service throughout their stays. The attentive, warm greeting of a front-desk receptionist can have a tremendous impact in making the guest feel welcomed. If something goes wrong, most guests will complain first to the front desk. When the guests leave, the desk clerks check them out. If anything has gone wrong, this will be a good time to catch it (“I hope you enjoyed your stay”—and then listen to the answer). The following is the work descriptions of the front office and its functions in a small hotel:

The morning clerk typically works from 6:45 A.M. to 3:15 P.M. with a half-hour meal break, this is an eight-hour day. Because the evening crew comes in at 2:45 P.M. and the night auditor goes off duty at 7:15 A.M., all shifts overlap so as to ensure a smooth transition. Some properties maintain a logbook in which information or events with which later shifts should be familiar are noted. This logbook could also take the form of an automated database of information from shift to shift. The new shift’s first task upon coming on duty is to check the logbook to make sure everyone is fully briefed.
The morning shift’s work is concentrated in the early hours (from around 7:30 A.M. until midmorning) on checking out guests. At the same time, of course, the employees on this shift answer guests’ questions and perform other routine tasks. Most hotels require checkout by a certain time, typically by 10 A.M. to 11 A.M., to facilitate cleaning and preparing the room for the next guest’s arrival. A guest may request a later checkout time through the front office with approval typically depending on the number and estimated arrival of incoming guests.
When a guest is ready to leave, the clerk verifies the final amount of the bill, posts any recent charges, and assists the guest in settling with cash, check, or credit card. Although the technical aspects of the clerk’s work are important, the courtesy a clerk accords a guest is of tremendous importance. A departing guest must have an opportunity to register complaints if he or she has had problems. The morning clerk’s work thus includes a special responsibility for ensuring that guests leave with the intention of returning to the hotel on their next visit to town. Many hotel companies, in realizing the important role of front-desk employees in hearing guest comments and complaints, have empowered these employees to make necessary adjustments to guest charges or provide discounts to be used for future visits in order to maximize the number of return guests to any one property.
As guests check out and their rooms become vacant, housekeeping is notified. This permits housekeeping to make up the rooms promptly so that they will be ready when new guests check in later that day. As the rooms are made up, housekeeping notifies the desk so that early arrivals can be accommodated in rooms that are ready to rent. Alternatively, when the room is made up, the room status can be changed to “ready to rent” at housekeeping’s computer terminal.
Most properties now have computerized reservation systems that keep track of the balance between rooms available and reservation requests. The morning clerk and his or her supervisor, the front-office manager (or guest services manager), monitor this process and block any special reservation requests. In a property that does not have a computerized reservation system, they will block the day’s reservations.
The afternoon clerk’s work is shaped by the fact that the heaviest arrival time begins, in most hotels, in late afternoon around 4:00 P.M. The afternoon clerk, therefore, takes over the reservation planning begun by the morning clerk and greets the guests as they arrive.
First impressions are crucial, and the desk clerk’s warm welcome often sets the tone for the guest’s entire stay. By remembering the names of repeat visitors, meeting special demands when possible (such as requests for certain floors or room types), and bearing in mind that the guest has probably had a hard, tiring day of work and travel, the desk clerk can convey the feeling that the guest is among friends at last. The clerk checks in the guest, which establishes the accounting and other records necessary for the stay.
The night auditor is a desk clerk with special accounting responsibilities. When things quiet down (usually by 1:00 A.M.), the auditor posts those charges not posted by the earlier shifts, including (most especially) the room charge. He or she then audits the day’s guest transactions and verifies the total balance. The auditing process can be quite complicated, but simply stated, the auditor compares the balance owed to the hotel at the end of yesterday with today’s balance. He or she verifies that the balance is the correct result of deducting all payments from yesterday’s balance and adding all of today’s charges.
Back of the House or Housekeeping: An essential requirement, for both business and leisure travelers staying in limited-service or luxury properties, is that the guest room be clean. The essential department of housekeeping is as much a production department of a hotel as the front desk and bell staff are service departments. It is clear that without clean rooms to rent, a hotel would have to close. Understanding how important a housekeep-ing department is to the proper functioning of a hotel, the management should always pay close attention to morale factors such as pay and worker recognition in that department. Because of the physical demands in cleaning between, on average, 16 to 18 rooms per day per housekeeper, safe and injury-free working conditions are also a priority in this department.
The housekeeping department is usually headed by an executive housekeeper. In a smaller property, this role may be held by a housekeeping supervisor. Many hotels give the housekeepers the responsibility of inspecting their own rooms utilizing a checklist of cleanliness requirements.
The housekeeping department also plays a significant role in purchasing guest room supplies including linens, and guest room amenities. Guest room amenities may range from bars of soap to a full array of toiletries including shampoo, conditioner, body lotion, sewing kits, and shoe-polishing cloths. Typically, the more extensive array of guest room amenities would be found in full-service and luxury properties. The housekeeping department also purchases equipment necessary to keep the hotel clean such as vacuum cleaners, carpet-care machines, and floor buffers. In addition, to be able to properly do their jobs, housekeeping employees require numerous chemicals, which must be inventoried. These cleaning products include everything from porcelain cleaners for the bathroom to glass cleaners, furniture polish, and carpet shampoos.
In most hotels, housepersons take responsibility for cleaning the halls and public areas (lobby, elevator lobbies, ballrooms, meeting rooms). These employees also play a vital role in maintaining high cleanliness standards for a hotel.
Hotels with their own laundries often assign the supervision of that area to the housekeeping department. Generally, a working laundry supervisor handles routine supervision under the executive housekeeper’s general direction. In larger hotels, a laundry manager may well be warranted.