Managing Front Office Operations 9th Edition Chapter 2 - Hotel Organization

1. Chapter 2: Hotel Organization
1. Explain what a mission is, and describe how goals, strategies, and
tactics are used to accomplish a hotel’s mission.
2. Describe how hotels are organized and explain how functional
areas within hotels are classified.
3. Describe the functions performed by departments and positions
within the rooms division.
4. Identify the functions performed by other divisions and
departments within a full-service hotel.
5. Describe the organization of the front office, including traditional
work shifts, alternative scheduling practices, and the purpose of
job descriptions and job specifications.
Managing Front Office Operations PowerPoint
1
Competencies for Hotel Organization

2. Chapter 2: Hotel Organization
• Every organization has a reason or purpose for existing
• An organization’s purpose forms the basis for its mission
• The mission can be expressed in a mission statement
Managing Front Office Operations PowerPoint
2
Organizational Missions

3. Chapter 2: Hotel Organization
• Express the hotel’s underlying philosophy
• Often address a hotel’s three main constituent groups: guests,
managers, employees
• Can reflect a hotel’s management philosophy
• Can help employees meet or exceed guest and management
expectations
Managing Front Office Operations PowerPoint
3
Hotel Mission Statements

4. Chapter 2: Hotel Organization
• Goals are those activities and standards an organization
must perform or achieve to effectively carry out its mission
• A goal is more specific than a mission; it can be observed
and measured
• Measurable goals encourage hotel employees to perform
effectively while enabling managers to monitor employee
progress
• Goals are often planned yearly, and can be broken down by
month or quarter
Managing Front Office Operations PowerPoint
4a
Goals
Continued

5. Chapter 2: Hotel Organization
Goals Continued from previous slide…
• Goal achievement can be part of a manager’s evaluation;
employees can be evaluated on goal achievement as well
• A properly written goal includes an action verb and a specific
form of measurement (time, quality level, quantity, cost, etc.)
• Often it takes more than one department to reach a hotel goal
• The goals of various hotel departments can be tied together
Managing Front Office Operations PowerPoint
4b

6. Chapter 2: Hotel Organization
• To achieve goals, hotel departments or divisions establish
specific strategies
• Strategies are the methods a department or division uses to
achieve its goals
• Tactics further define how goals will be achieved
• Tactics are the day-to-day operating procedures that
implement strategies
• Strategies and tactics should complement and support the
hotel’s mission and property-wide goals
Managing Front Office Operations PowerPoint
5
Strategies and Tactics

7. Chapter 2: Hotel Organization
• Hotel managers plan, organize, coordinate, staff, direct,
control, and evaluate hotel activities and/or personnel
• A hotel’s top executive is usually called the managing director
or general manager; he or she is responsible for the success
of the hotel
• In the absence of the general manager, the assistant general
manager, resident manager, director of operations, or a
designated manager-on-duty (MOD) is in charge
• Other managers head up hotel divisions or departments
Managing Front Office Operations PowerPoint
6
Hotel Organization

8. Chapter 2: Hotel Organization
• An organization chart is a schematic representation of the
relationships between positions within an organization, and
where divisions of responsibility and lines of authority lie
• Solid lines indicate direct-line accountability; dotted lines
indicate relationships that involve a high degree of cooperation
and communication, but no direct reporting relationship
• An organization should be flexible, and reviewed and revised
yearly (or more often if necessary)
• The hotel’s organization chart should be a part of the employee
handbook
Managing Front Office Operations PowerPoint
7
Organization Charts

9. Chapter 2: Hotel Organization
• Front office
• Food and beverage outlets
• Catering
• Room service
• Retail stores
Managing Front Office Operations PowerPoint
8
Revenue Centers

10. Chapter 2: Hotel Organization
• Housekeeping
• Accounting
• Engineering and maintenance
• Human resources
Managing Front Office Operations PowerPoint
9
Support Centers

11. Chapter 2: Hotel Organization
• Front office (reservations, telecommunications)
• Uniformed service (bell attendants, door attendants, valet
parking attendants, transportation personnel, concierges)
• Housekeeping
Managing Front Office Operations PowerPoint
10
Rooms Division

12. Chapter 2: Hotel Organization
• For guests, the most visible department in a hotel
• Front office staff have more contact with guests than other
hotel staff
• The front desk is the focal point of activity for the front office
• Guests come to the front desk to register, receive room
assignments, make inquiries, and check out
• Other front office functions: receive and distribute mail,
messages, and faxes; provide cashiering services for guests;
manage guest accounts; provide concierge services
Managing Front Office Operations PowerPoint
11
Front Office Department

13. Chapter 2: Hotel Organization
• Sell guestrooms, register guests, and assign guestrooms
• Process future room reservations (when there is no reservations
department or when that department 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
• Complete financial settlements
Managing Front Office Operations PowerPoint
12
Traditional Front Office Functions

14. Chapter 2: Hotel Organization
• The reservations department is responsible for receiving and processing
reservation requests for future overnight accommodations
• The goal: to accommodate guests while maximizing hotel occupancy and
room revenue
• Technology has shifted the responsibility for room sales from the front
desk to the reservations department
• Reservations agents should be salespeople who convey the desirability,
features, and benefits of staying at the hotel, not simply process requests
• Reservations personnel must work closely with the hotel’s sales and
marketing division to properly handle group reservations
• If the hotel is part of a chain, the hotel’s reservations department must
work closely with the chain’s reservation center or call center
Managing Front Office Operations PowerPoint
13
Reservations

15. Chapter 2: Hotel Organization
• A hotel’s telecommunications department may also be called a private
branch exchange
• Hotel operators answer and distribute calls to the appropriate
extension, place wake-up calls, answer questions about the hotel,
monitor automated safety systems, and coordinate emergency
communications
• Recent technological advances have decreased the responsibilities and
workloads of operators in many hotels
• Telecommunications technology includes call accounting systems,
automated answering devices, voice messaging technology, and
automated wake-up-call systems
Managing Front Office Operations PowerPoint
14
Telecommunications

16. Chapter 2: Hotel Organization
• Bell attendants
• Door attendants
• Valet parking attendants
• Transportation personnel
• Concierges
Managing Front Office Operations PowerPoint
15
Uniformed Service Employees

17. Chapter 2: Hotel Organization
• For guests, probably the best-known employees on the uniformed
staff
• Should be carefully selected; they must not only be able to physically
handle the job, but also should have strong oral communication and
people skills
• Duties include handling luggage; marketing the hotel to guests;
delivering mail, packages, messages, and special amenities to
guestrooms; picking up and delivering laundry and dry cleaning;
performing light housekeeping duties in the hotel’s lobby and entry
areas, and informing other departments about guest needs
• Familiarity with the hotel and the local community is an important
part of the job
Managing Front Office Operations PowerPoint
16
Bell Attendants

18. Chapter 2: Hotel Organization
• Play a role similar to bell attendants
• Dedicated to welcoming guests to the hotel
• Usually employed by hotels offering world-class or luxury service
• Duties include: opening doors and assisting guests upon arrival;
helping guests load and unload luggage from vehicles; escorting guests
to the hotel’s registration area; controlling vehicle traffic around the
hotel’s front entrance; hailing taxis, assisting with valet parking
services, and performing light housekeeping duties in the lobby and
entry areas
• Must be informed about the hotel and the local community
• Should be able to greet frequent hotel guests by name
Managing Front Office Operations PowerPoint
17
Door Attendants

19. Chapter 2: Hotel Organization
• Generally employed by hotels offering world-class or luxury
service
• Responsible for the security of vehicles being moved to and from
the hotel entrance
• Duties include: parking guest and visitor vehicles; issuing
tickets/receipts to guests/visitors; securing vehicle keys; and
providing traffic control assistance when necessary
Managing Front Office Operations PowerPoint
18
Valet Parking Attendants

20. Chapter 2: Hotel Organization
• Must be well trained and properly licensed to operate hotel
vehicles
• Must be polite, efficient, and knowledgeable about the hotel
• Duties include: informing guests about the hotel while they are
in transit; helping guests enter and exit the vehicle; loading
guest luggage; maintaining guest privacy; and checking vehicle
and safety equipment
Managing Front Office Operations PowerPoint
19
Transportation Personnel

21. Chapter 2: Hotel Organization
• The concierge position is perhaps the least understood in the
uniformed service department
• Most often found in a world-class or luxury hotel
• Certified by Les Clefs d’Or
• Duties include: making various types of reservations for guests;
arranging transportation for guests; providing information about local
cultural events and other attractions; and developing an extensive
network of local and other contacts
• Technology concierges are a new type of concierge employed by
some hotels to help guests with technology problems they may
experience at the hotel
Managing Front Office Operations PowerPoint
20
Concierges

22. Chapter 2: Hotel Organization
• Perhaps the most important support department for the front
office
• Effective communication among housekeeping and front office
personnel crucial to providing quality guest service
• Housekeeping personnel clean occupied and vacated
guestrooms, inspect rooms before releasing them for sale, and
communicate guestroom status to the front office
• The housekeeping department usually employs a larger staff
than other departments in the rooms division
Managing Front Office Operations PowerPoint
21a
Housekeeping Department
Continued

23. Chapter 2: Hotel Organization
Housekeeping Department Continued from previous slide…
• Headed by an executive housekeeper, with one or more assistants
• Other personnel include room attendants, inspectors, housepersons,
lobby and general cleaners, and laundry personnel
• Depending on the hotel’s service level and other factors, room
attendants may clean eight to eighteen rooms per shift
• Department has two types of inventories: recycled (linens, uniforms,
and guest amenities) and non-recycled (cleaning supplies, small
equipment items, and guest supplies/ personal grooming items
Managing Front Office Operations PowerPoint
21b

24. Chapter 2: Hotel Organization
• Typically ranks second to the rooms division in terms of total revenue
• Many hotels support more than one food and beverage outlet
• Almost as many varieties of hotel food and beverage outlets as there
are hotels
• Types of outlets include quick-service, table-service, and specialty
restaurants; coffee shops; bars; lounges; and clubs
• The food and beverage division typically supports room service,
catering, and banquet activities
• Banquets and catered functions may represent tremendous sales and
profit opportunities
Managing Front Office Operations PowerPoint
22
Food and Beverage Division

25. Chapter 2: Hotel Organization
• Sales and marketing staff may vary from one part-time employee to
more than a dozen full-time employees
• In small properties, the general manager often fulfills the sales and
marketing roles
• In large hotels, sales and marketing responsibilities are divided into
five functions: sales, revenue management, convention services,
advertising, and public relations
• Main goal is to promote the sale of hotel products and services
• Must coordinate its efforts with other hotel divisions
• Marketing employees research the marketplace and develop
advertising and public relations programs; sales employees sell hotel
products and services to individual guests and groups
Managing Front Office Operations PowerPoint
23
Sales and Marketing Division

26. Chapter 2: Hotel Organization
• Monitors the financial activities of the hotel
• Accounting activities include: paying outstanding invoices,
distributing unpaid statements, collecting amounts owed,
processing payroll, accumulating operating data, compiling
financial reports, making bank deposits, securing cash loans,
and performing other control and processing functions as
required by hotel management
• The night audit and the food and beverage audit may be
considered accounting division activities as well
• Must closely coordinate with the front office
Managing Front Office Operations PowerPoint
24
Accounting Division

27. Chapter 2: Hotel Organization
• Responsible for maintaining the property’s structure and grounds,
and electrical/mechanical equipment
• May also be charged with swimming pool sanitation, parking lot
cleanliness, fountain operations, and the hotel’s safety equipment
• Some engineering/maintenance problems or projects require outside
contracting
• Some work must be done in cooperation with the housekeeping
department
• Must have efficient communication with the front office to ensure
guest satisfaction
Managing Front Office Operations PowerPoint
25
Engineering and Maintenance Division

28. Chapter 2: Hotel Organization
• Dedicated to the safety and security of hotel guests, visitors, and
employees
• Personnel may include in-house employees, contract security officers,
and off-duty or retired police officers
• Responsibilities include: patrolling the property; monitoring
surveillance equipment; and ensuring the safety of all those on the
hotel’s premises
• The cooperation and assistance of local law enforcement officials is
crucial
• Securing the cooperation of all hotel staff in keeping the hotel safe
and secure is very important
Managing Front Office Operations PowerPoint
26
Security Division

29. Chapter 2: Hotel Organization
• Hotels have increased their investment in and dependence on human
resources management
• The size and budgets of human resources divisions have grown
steadily, along with their responsibility and influence
• In small hotels, the general manager often supervises the human
resources function
• In multi-hotel companies, the human resources function may be
housed in a main office to serve the HR needs of several properties
• Responsibilities include: finding and hiring employees, training,
employee relations, compensation, benefits, administration, labor
relations, and workplace safety
Managing Front Office Operations PowerPoint
27
Human Resources Division

30. Chapter 2: Hotel Organization
• Retail outlets
• Recreation
• Casino
Managing Front Office Operations PowerPoint
28
Other Hotel Divisions

31. Chapter 2: Hotel Organization
• Front desk agent
• Cashier
• Information clerk
• Telephone operator
• Reservations agent
• Uniformed service agent
Managing Front Office Operations PowerPoint
29
Typical Front Office Positions

32. Chapter 2: Hotel Organization
• Forty-hour workweek is typical for front office employees in most
hotels
• Federal and state wage and hour laws apply to front office staff; at
some properties, union contracts and rules may also apply
• Traditional front office work shifts are: day shift, 7 a.m.–3 p.m.;
evening shift, 3 p.m.–11 p.m.; night shift, 11:00 p.m.–7 a.m.
• Flextime allows employees to vary the time they start and end work
• Compressed work schedule: an employee works forty hours in fewer
than five days
• Job sharing: two or more part-time employees share the
responsibilities of one full-time position
Managing Front Office Operations PowerPoint
30
Work Shifts

33. Chapter 2: Hotel Organization
• List job tasks
• Outline reporting relationships
• List additional responsibilities
• Describe working conditions
• List job equipment and materials
• List other important information
Managing Front Office Operations PowerPoint
31a
Job Descriptions
Continued

34. Chapter 2: Hotel Organization
Job Descriptions Continued from previous slide…
Used to:
• Evaluate job performance
• Train/retrain employees
• Avoid duplication of duties
• Ensure tasks are performed
• Determine staffing levels
Managing Front Office Operations PowerPoint
31b

35. Chapter 2: Hotel Organization
• List the personal qualities, skills, and traits an employee needs
in order to successfully perform the job
• Are usually developed after job descriptions
• Job specification factors: formal education, work experience,
general knowledge, previous training, physical requirements,
communication skills, and equipment skills
• Often form the basis for advertising job opportunities and
identifying eligible applicants
• May help identify current employees who are ready for
promotion
Managing Front Office Operations PowerPoint
32
Job Specifications