Hotel Departments

DIVISIONS & SUB DIVISIONS

HOTEL ORGANIZATION- ORGANIZATIONAL CHARTS

Organizational chart is a schematic representation of the relationship between positions within an organization.

It should be flexible and should be reviewed and revised yearly, or more often if business conditions significantly change.

A copy of the property’s organization chart should be included in the employee handbook distributed to all employees.

FUNCTIONAL AREAS

Revenue center sells goods or services to guests, thereby generating revenue for hotel. (F & B dept., front office, room service, and telephone.)

Support centers, also referred to as cost centers, include the housekeeping, accounting, engineering and maintenance, and human resources divisions. These divisions do not generate direct revenue, but provide important support for the hotel’s revenue centers.

Front of the house areas are areas where guests interact with employees. Such areas include the front office, restaurants, and lounges.

In back of the house areas, interaction between guest and employees is less common. Such areas include housekeeping, engineering and maintenance, accounting, and human resources.

HOTEL DIVISIONS - ROOMS DIVISION

Front office

The front office is the most visible department in a hotel. Guests come to the front desk to register; to receive room assignments; to inquire about available services, facilities, and the city or surrounding area; and to check out.

Other functions include receiving and distributing mail, messages, and facsimiles, as well as guest cashiering.

Cashiers post charges and payments to guest accounts, all of which are later during an account auditing procedure (often called night audit).

The functions of The front office are to:

Sell guestroom, register guests, and assign guestrooms.

Process future room reservations, when there is no reservation department or when the reservation dept. is closed.

Coordinate guest services.

Provide information about the hotel, the surrounding community, and any attractions or events of interest to guests.

Maintain accurate room status information.

Maintain guest accounts and monitor credit limits.

Produce guest account statements and complete proper financial settlement.

Reservations More than half of all hotel guests makes reservations. The

reservations department is responsible for receiving and processing reservation requests for future overnight accommodations.

These individuals arrange for hotel accommodations through such means as toll-free telephone numbers; direct telephone lines; hotel sales representatives; travel agencies; property-to-property networks; postal delivery; telex and fax; e-mail; and other communications services.

Reservation agents should convey the desirability, features, and benefits of staying at the hotel, rather than simply taking an order. It is no longer satisfactory for a reservations agent to say that the front desk will determine the room rate at check-in.

Reservation agents should confirm the rate over the telephone at the time the guest makes reservation. The agent should also tell the guest why the room is such a good value information to avoid overbooking. It is essential for reservations department personnel to work closely with the hotel’s sales and marketing division.

Communications

The telephone department may also be referred to as a private branch exchange or PBX.

Hotel switchboard or PBX operators may have responsibilities that extend beyond answering and distributing calls to the appropriate extension.

When long distance calls are routed and priced through the switchboard, charges must be relayed to a front office cashier for posting to the proper guest account.

Switchboard operators may also place wake-up calls, monitor-automated systems, and coordinate emergency communications.

Operators also protect guests’ privacy, and thereby contribute to the hotel’s security program by not divulging guestroom numbers.

Uniformed Service / Guest Service

Bell Attendants provide baggage service between the lobby area and the guestroom.

Should have strong oral communication skills and display genuine interest in each guest. Depending on the size and complexity of the hotel, bell attendants may be counted on to:

Transport guest luggage to and from guestrooms. Familiarize guests with the hotel’s facilities and services, safety

features, as well as the guestroom and any in-room amenities. Provide a secure area for guests requiring temporary luggage

storage. Provide information on hotel services and facilities. Deliver mail, packages, messages, and special amenities to

guestrooms. Pick up and deliver guest laundry and dry cleaning. Perform light housekeeping services in lobby and entry areas. Help guests load and unload their luggage in the absence of a door

attendant.

Door Attendants welcome the guest to the hotel. Some of the duties door attendants perform include:

Open hotel doors and assisting guests upon arrival. Help guests load and unload luggage from vehicles. Escort guests to the hotel registration area. Control vehicle traffic flow and safety at the hotel entrance. Hail taxis, upon request. Assist with valet parking services. Perform light housekeeping services in the lobby and entry areas. Concierges Concierges may provide custom services to hotel guests. Duties include making reservations for dining, securing tickets for theater and

sporting events, arranging transportation, and providing information on cultural events and local attractions. Concierges are known for their resourcefulness.

HOUSEKEEPING

Part of the rooms division of the hotel.

Effective communication among housekeeping and front office personnel can contribute to guest satisfaction while helping the front office to effectively monitor guestroom status.

Housekeeping employees inspect rooms before they are available for sale, clean occupied and vacated rooms, and communicate the status of guestrooms to the front office.

Often employs a larger staff than other departments in the rooms division.

The department also includes inspectors (Floor SV), room attendants (Maid), lobby and general cleaners (Houseman), and laundry personnel.

Housekeeping personnel are responsible for maintaining two types of inventories:

Recycled inventories – are those items that have a relatively limited useful life but are used repeatedly in housekeeping operations. (Linens, uniforms, and guest amenities like irons and hair dryers.)

Non-recycled inventories – are those items that are consumed or worn out during the course of routine housekeeping operations. (Cleaning supplies, small equipment, and guest supplies and personal grooming items.)

FOOD AND BEVERAGE DEPARTMENT

Many hotels support more than one food and beverage outlet.

There are almost as many varieties of hotel food and beverage operations as there are hotels.

Possible outlets include quick service, table service, and specialty restaurants, coffee shops, bars, lounges, and clubs.

The food and beverage division also typically supports other hotel functions such as room service, catering, and banquet planning.

SALES AND MARKETING DIVISION

Sales and marketing responsibilities are typically divided into four functions:

sales, convention services, advertising, and public relations.

The primary goal of the division is to promote the sale of hotel product and services.

Sales and marketing staffs need to coordinate their efforts with the front office and other hotel divisions to effectively assess and communicate guest needs.

ENGINEERING AND MAINTENANCE DIVISION

A hotel’s engineering and maintenance division is responsible for maintaining the property’s structure and grounds, as well as its electrical and mechanical equipment.

This division may also be charged with swimming pool sanitation, parking lot cleanliness and fountain operations.

HUMAN RESOURCES DIVISION

Functions of the human resources division are; employment, training, employee relations, compensation, benefits, administration, labor relations, and safety.

ACCOUNTING DIVISION

A hotel’s accounting division monitors the financial activities of the property.

Accounting activities include paying outstanding invoices, distributing unpaid statements, collecting amounts owed, processing payroll, accumulating operating data, and compiling financial reports.

The accounting staff may be responsible for making bank deposits, securing cash loans, and performing other control and processing functions as required by hotel management.

In many hotels, the night audit and the food and beverage audit are considered accounting division activities.

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