Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Rooms Division Department
Rooms Division Department
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: (i.e.:) 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: (i.e. ---------) 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.
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 ⇒ Wedding, Birthdays…
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
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
• The sole priority of the Rooms Division Department shall be ensuring Guest
Satisfaction, which happens when, guest expectations match what the hotel provides.
Front Desk Agent: Registers guests, and maintains room availability information
Accounts Receivable Clerk: Posts charges in correct guest folios and updates folios'
outstanding balances
Night Auditor: Controls the job of the Accounts Receivable Clerk, and prepares daily
reports to management (ex: Occupancy Report and Revenue Report)
Mail & Information Clerk: Takes Messages, provides Directions to Guests, and
maintains Mail
Uniformed Service Agents: Handles Guest Luggage, escorts Guests to their Rooms,
and assists guests for any bit of information requested
3. Work Shift:
• The Front Office Manager shall schedule his/her employees according to seasonality,
business volume, and available staff in hand
• The most commonly used scheduling is the Traditional Scheduling, which assumes
that every employee shall work 40 Hours per Week. Moreover, the hotel shall ensure 3
shifts per day, each of which lasts for 8 hours. A possible example to traditional
scheduling is shown below:
• Sometimes, due to non-availability of staff, seasonality, and volume business, the Front
Office manager might be forced to adopt an Alternative Scheduling, which might be
arranged under the following patterns:
a) Flexible Work Hours or Flextime: This kind of alternative scheduling entitles that
employees might start work, for example, one hour earlier, just to leave again one
hour earlier.
b) Compressed Work Schedule: Employees, instead of working 5 days per week, 8
hours per day, might work 4 days per week, 10 hours per day. Therefore, compressed
work-scheduling means working all the 40 hours per week in less than the standard 5
days per week.
c) Job Sharing: This kind of scheduling entitles that two or more part-timers occupy the
job of one full timer.
• Front Office managers shall carefully schedule their employees in order to minimize
conflicts that arise between hotel and employee needs. In big hotels operating under fully
automated systems, some scheduling software package programs might be installed as to
aid and help managers in effective scheduling.
4. Job Descriptions:
• Job description lists all tasks and subtasks that compose a work position. Moreover, it
may outline reporting relationships, responsibilities, working conditions, equipment and
materials to be used.
• All job descriptions shall be tailored and customized to reflect the needs of each single
hotel property, and work position. Moreover, job descriptions shall be task-oriented
rather employee-oriented, which means that hotels shall try to search for employees who
can fit their job descriptions, not design jobs to fit the skills of certain job applicants.
• Job Descriptions shall be revised periodically to cope with the ever changing demands
and needs of the industry and to respond to the sophisticated needs of guests. While doing
so, managers shall let their employees be involved in the revision process.
• Job descriptions might be used as:
a) To evaluate job performances
b) Tools to conduct training or retraining
c) Prevent duty duplications
d) Ensure the performance of each job task
e) Determine appropriate staffing levels
5. Job Specifications:
• Job specifications List the personal qualities, skills, and traits a person needs to have in
order to perform successfully the tasks outlined in a job description. That's why;
departments shall first design job descriptions, and later job specifications!
• Job specifications usually serve as a basis for advertising job vacancies, and as a tool to
identify current employees for promotion purposes.
• Inside a typical job specification, the underneath key factors shall exist:
a) Work experience
b) Formal education
c) General knowledge
d) Previous training
e) Physical requirements
f) Communication ability
g) Equipment skills