Chapter 2: Hotel Organization

Competencies for 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

 Chapter 2: Hotel Organization

Organizational Missions
• 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

 Chapter 2: Hotel Organization

Hotel Mission Statements

• A mission statement is a concise explanation of the organization's
reason for existence. It describes the organization's purpose and its
overall intention. The mission statement supports the vision and serves
to communicate purpose and direction to employees, customers,
vendors and other stakeholders.
• 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

 Chapter 2: Hotel Organization

Goals
• 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

Continued

Managing Front Office Operations PowerPoint 4a

 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
• Goals must be SMART- Specific, Measurable, Achievable,
Realistic and Timely

Managing Front Office Operations PowerPoint 4b

 Chapter 2: Hotel Organization

Strategies and Tactics

• To achieve goals, hotel departments or divisions establish specific
strategies
• Strategies are the methods a department or division uses to achieve its
goals
• Tactics definition in management is the administrative process of
selecting among appropriate ways and means of achieving strategic plans
.
• 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
 Chapter 2: Hotel Organization

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

 Chapter 2: Hotel Organization

Organization Charts
• 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
 Chapter 2: Hotel Organization

Organization Charts Cont’d

Managing Front Office Operations PowerPoint 9

 Chapter 2: Hotel Organization

Revenue Centers:
• A revenue center is the business operation responsible for
generating a company's sales revenue. These centers may
be departments, divisions or business units
• Front office
• Food and beverage outlets
• Catering
• Room service
• Retail stores

Managing Front Office Operations PowerPoint 8

 Chapter 2: Hotel Organization

Support Centers
• A support center in a hotel is a place where customers can go
to get their needs taken care of. This is typically
• Housekeeping
• Accounting
• Engineering and maintenance
• Human resources

Managing Front Office Operations PowerPoint 9

 Chapter 2: Hotel Organization

Rooms Division
• The rooms division comprises departments and personnel
essential to providing the services guests expect during a
hotel stay
• Front office (reservations, telecommunications)
• Uniformed service (bell attendants, door attendants, valet
parking attendants, transportation personnel, concierges)
• Housekeeping

Managing Front Office Operations PowerPoint 10

 Chapter 2: Hotel Organization

Front Office Department

• 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

 Chapter 2: Hotel Organization

Traditional Front Office Functions

• 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
 Chapter 2: Hotel Organization

Reservations
• 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
 Chapter 2: Hotel Organization

Telecommunications
• 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
 Chapter 2: Hotel Organization

Uniformed Service Employees

• Bell attendants
• Door attendants
• Valet parking attendants
• Transportation personnel
• Concierges

Managing Front Office Operations PowerPoint 15

 Chapter 2: Hotel Organization

Bell Attendants
• 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
 Chapter 2: Hotel Organization

Door Attendants
• 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

 Chapter 2: Hotel Organization

Difference between bell attendants and door attendants

Bell attendants provide baggage service between the
lobby area and the guest room while door attendants
provide door attendants provide curbside baggage
service and traffic control at the hotel entrance

Managing Front Office Operations PowerPoint 20

 Chapter 2: Hotel Organization

Valet Parking Attendants

• 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

 Chapter 2: Hotel Organization

Transportation Personnel
• 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

 Chapter 2: Hotel Organization

Concierges
• 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 (the golden keys)
• Concierges must be at least 21 years and worked five years in the hotel and
three of these years must have worked a concierge
• 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
 Chapter 2: Hotel Organization

Housekeeping Department
• Housekeeping is an operational department in a hotel, which is
responsible for cleanliness, maintenance, aesthetic upkeep of rooms,
public area, back area and surroundings
• 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
Continued
other departments in the rooms division
Managing Front Office Operations PowerPoint 21a
 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

 Chapter 2: Hotel Organization

Food and Beverage Division

• 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
 Chapter 2: Hotel Organization

Sales and Marketing Division

• 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
 Chapter 2: Hotel Organization

Accounting Division
• 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
 Chapter 2: Hotel Organization

Engineering and Maintenance Division

• 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
 Chapter 2: Hotel Organization

Security Division
• 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
 Chapter 2: Hotel Organization

Human Resources Division

• 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
 Chapter 2: Hotel Organization

Other Hotel Divisions

• Retail outlets
• Recreation
• Casino

Managing Front Office Operations PowerPoint 28

 Chapter 2: Hotel Organization

Typical Front Office Positions

• Front desk agent
• Cashier
• Information clerk
• Telephone operator
• Reservations agent
• Uniformed service agent

Managing Front Office Operations PowerPoint 29

 Chapter 2: Hotel Organization

Work Shifts
• 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
 Chapter 2: Hotel Organization

Job Descriptions
• List job tasks
• Outline reporting relationships
• List additional responsibilities
• Describe working conditions
• List job equipment and materials
• List other important information

Continued

Managing Front Office Operations PowerPoint 31a

 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

 Chapter 2: Hotel Organization

Job Specifications
• 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