Hotel Accommodation and its various activities

I- HOTEL ORGANIZATION:

· In order to carry out its mission, global and departmental goals and objectives, every company shall build a formal structure depicting different hierarchy of management, supervision, and employee (staff) levels. This very structure is refereed to as organization chart. Moreover, the organization chart shows reporting relationships span of management, and staff/line functions.

· There are two types of relationships that might exist between any two functions at any organization chart. These are:

1.      Solid Lines: This kind of relationship shows Direct Line Accountability. To illustrate, if position A and B are linked with a solid line, it means (for example) that A shall report to B, that B shall tell A what to do, when to do, and how to it. Lastly, B shall be liable (i.e. responsible) for A.

2.      Dotted Lines: This kind of relationship entitles both positions linked with dotted lines to have a high degree of Cooperation and Communication but not direct line accountability. Usually in the hotel industry, where the sole aim is to satisfy guests, positions, whatsoever level in the hierarchy they occupy, shall coordinate jointly their efforts so as to provide quality, standard product to their customers. Therefore, examples of dotted lines are numerous in hotel organization charts.

· Every organization chart shall be flexible, to reflect the ever-changing environmental dynamics and, hence be able to survive. In accordance, organization charts shall be reviewed periodically in order to determine whether the actual organization still match the environment needs (i.e. guests, employees, technology, competitor's needs…) or not. A SWOT analysis (i.e.: Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats) shall be a good start to initiate a change in the organization chart or not. Last but not least, it is of extreme importance that there are no 2 hotels having exactly the same organization chart, and that a hotel might have an organization chart change over time. For, organization charts shall be tailored to fit the needs of each individual property.

II- HOTEL DEPARTMENTS:

1.      Rooms Division: In a statistics conducted by the U.S. Lodging Industry in 1995, it has been shown that the majority of hotels revenues (60.2 %) are generated from Rooms Division Department under the form of room sales. This very department provides the services guests expect during their stay in the Hotel. Lastly, the Rooms Division Department is typically composed of five different departments:

a)      Front Office

b)      Reservation

c)      Housekeeping

d)     Uniformed Services

e)      Telephone

Beneath is a brief description of the different departments decomposing the Rooms Division Department, along with their related main responsibilities:

a) Front Office:

§ Sell guestrooms; register guests and design guestrooms

§ Coordinate guest services

§ Provide information

§ Maintain accurate room statistics, and room key inventories

§ Maintain guest account statements and complete proper financial settlements

b) Reservation:

§ Receive and process reservation requests for future overnight accommodations.

§ With technology development, the Reservation Department can, on real time, access the number and types of rooms available, various room rates, and furnishings, along with the various facilities existing in the hotel

§ There should be close relation-ships with Sales and Marketing Division concerning Large Group Reservations

c) Housekeeping:

§ Inspects rooms before they are available for sale

§ Cleans occupied and vacant rooms

§ Communicates the status of guestrooms to the Front Office Department

§ Cleans and presses the property’s linens, towels, and guest clothing (if equipped to do so, free of charge or for a pre-determined fee)

§ Maintains recycled and non-recycled inventory items

d) Uniformed Services:

§ Bell Attendants: Ensure baggage service between the lobby area and guestrooms

§ Door Attendants: Ensure baggage service and traffic control at hotel entrance(s)

§ Valet Parking Attendants: Ensure parking services for guest’s automobiles

§ Transportation Personnel: Ensure transportation services for guests from and to the hotel

§ Concierge: Assists guests by making restaurant reservations, arranging for transportation, and getting tickets for theater, sporting, or any other special events

5. Telephone Department:

§ Answers and distributes calls to the appropriate extensions, whether guest, employee, or management extensions

§ Places wake-up calls

§ Monitors automated systems

§ Coordinates emergency communications

( ‘Protects Guest Privacy‘

2. Food & Beverage Department:

· According to U.S. Lodging 1995 statistics, F&B Department constitutes the second largest revenue generator of a typical hotel with an average of 23.1 for Food sales, and 8.6 % for Beverage sales. In a five-star hotel, Food and Beverage outlets might have the following forms:

§ Quick Service

§ Table Service

§ Specialty Restaurants

§ Coffee Shops

§ Bars

§Lounges

§ Clubs

§ Banquets

§ Catering Functions Þ Wedding, Birthdays…

3. Sales & Marketing Division:

· A typical hotel should usually have Sales & Marketing division. However, if the staff size, volume business, hotel size, expected group arrivals is low enough, the hotel might have marketing staff placed under the reservation department (i.e. No need for a Sales & Marketing Division).

· A typical Sales & Marketing Division is composed of four different departments:

a)      Sales

b)      Convention Services

c)      Advertising

d)     Public Relations

4. Accounting Division:

· The Accounting Division monitors the financial activities of the property. Some of the activities that are undertaken in the Accounting Division are listed below:

a)      Pays outstanding invoices

b)      Distributes unpaid statements

c)      Collects amounts owed

d)     Processes payroll

e)      Accumulates operating data

f)       Compiles financial reports

g)      Makes bank deposits

h)      Secures cash loans

i)        Performs other control and processing functions

5. Engineering and Maintenance Division:

· This very department maintains the property's structure and grounds as well as electrical and mechanical equipment. Some hotels might have this very division under different names, such as maintenance division, property operation and maintenance department…

6. Security Division:

· Security division personnel are usually screened from in-house personnel, security officers or retired police officers, across certain physical skills, and prior experience.

· Some of the functions of the security division are listed below:

a)      Patrols the property

b)      Monitors supervision equipment

c)      Ensures safety and security of guests, visitors, and employees

7. Human Resources Division:

· Some of the duties of the human resources division are listed below:

a)      Responsible for external & internal recruitment

b)      Calculates employees' salaries, compensation, and tax withholding…

c)      Administrates employees' paperwork, monitors attendance…

d)     Maintains good relations with Labor Unions

e)      Ensures employees' safety and working conditions

8. Other Divisions:

· All the above mentioned departments and/or divisions should exist in a typical five-star hotel; however there might be some revenue generators that are specific to certain hotels but not existing in others. Below is a list of some possible extra or other divisions that might exist in a hotel:

a)      Retail Outlets (i.e.: Shops rented to outsiders or managed by the hotel)

b)      Recreation Facilities (ex: Fitness Center, Tennis Courts, and Cinema Saloons…)

c)      Conference Centers

d)       Casinos