Write a conversation between the manager and the receptionist on a topic of your choice
HOTEL DEPARTMENTS AND STAFF
The internal organization of hotels as well as the names of jobs and departments vary from hotel to hotel. The main departments, however, are similar in most hotels. They are:
§ Front Office or Reception Department
§ Housekeeping Department
§ Food and Beverage Department
Hotel Management
The Hotel Manager (or General Manager) has the responsibility of establishing the running poìicy of the hotel and seeing that his instructions are carried out. In a small hotel - where he may be the owner - his background is based on experience and relationships he normally has with tourist bodies operating in a limited environment.
In a large hotel he is a professional provided with a university degree in hotel administration. He is a business executive whose main qualifications include knowledge of accounting, sales promotion, business law, public relations, a command of two or three foreign languages. He also co-ordinates the work of the department heads seeing that all hotel activities run smoothly and efficiently. In chain-operated hotels the manager moves along the guidelines set up by the owner company although he may exercise his initiative to promote business.
The management refers to the people who collectively establish or carry out the hotel policies. They operate as a board of directors presided by the managing director who is the hotel manager. They include the Front Desk Manager, the Food and Beverage Manager, the Housekeeper, the Sales and Public Relations Manager, the Purchasing Manager, the Security Manager, the Chief Engineer, the Personnel and Training Manager.
New trends in hotel management
Until recently the management organization of large hotels was represented by the hotel manager who was more closely concerned with guests and more personally involved in the running of hotel operations (reception, housekeeping, catering facilities, etc.). His management approach was based on his knowledge and technical skills necessary in the accommodation and catering industry. Areas such as financial control, personnel management, sales and marketing, health and safety, a better employment of hotel interiors, staff training, rentals and concessions were either trusted to individuals who handled them as any other clerical duties or neglected at all.
Nowadays this profile has changed. A hotel is considered as being a business with its own products, services, markets, running policy and technology. It is a complex business which combines production and sale under the same roof. It provides products and services to a range of markets in a number of points of sale. It is a labour intensive business with a lot of facilities to staff and a wide variety of different careers. It is an establishment operating within the guidelines of budgets prepared by the senior management in consultation with the departmental heads.
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The days of the general manager acting as the grand host are long gone. The new hotel manager performs the five management functions of planning, organizing, motivating co-ordinating and controlling. His ability to work out strategic plans involves setting objectives, making decisions, formulating policies, checking performance against budgets or forecasts, locating and rectifying any problem areas. A general manager must have abilities in many areas apart from the skills associated with the hospitality industry, such as management, budgeting and finance. The new management profile of large-sized hotels is based on the active collaboration of more specialists with specific competencies and responsibilities in their areas. Thus you can see a front office manager, a staff recruitment and training manager, a public relations officer, a food and beverage manager, a sales and marketing manager, a congress manager, a maintenance engineer, an IT manager. They are key members of the core facilities management team. The roles hold responsibility and demand a high level of intellect, interpersonal skills, literacy, organising skills and extensive hospitality retailing backgrounds. Several units are closely related to each other. Reception, uniformed services and housekeeping are considered as components of the hotel accommodation function and are no longer regarded as separate departments. They fall under the responsibility of the front office manager. Likewise hotel catering facilities such as restaurants, bars, room service, functions, kitchens, kitchen stores and cellar are the responsibility of the Food & Beverage Manager. Banquets, conferences, exhibitions, wedding receptions, dinner dances and other social occasions are an important source of revenue for most hotels. They are grouped under the heading of Functions. Hotels handling a large volume of functions have a separate functions department directed by a banqueting or congress manager.
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There is no sharp dividing line between the heads of individual departments and the hotel manager. They all form the management team. All important issues are discussed and decided upon by the team. Although making arrangements for a banquet is the specific task of the banqueting manager, this function calls for the effective co- ordination and responsibility of reception, housekeeping, F&B department and other support services. Similarly a new arriving large group of guests who are going to stay a few days on full-board basis poses issues regarding the availability and type of rooms requested, the allocation and preparation of rooms, the necessary arrangements regarding restaurant and bar service, the menu to be served, the commodities necessary to the preparation of the menu dishes, the purchase of any raw food necessary to meet special requirements, etc. It goes without saying that all the above aspects are considered and solved prior to the group's arrival.
Profiles of Management Staff
Hotel General Manager
Hotels are rampant nowadays. The bigger they get, the more people they need to work for them. Thus, the more they need people who can take in charge of everything. This is what general managers do.
Your main job is to create and sustain a guest-driven hotel which goes beyond guest expectations for the criteria important to your guests. You should also provide an atmosphere which inspires your hotel team members to offer their best efforts. It’s your job to watch over the quality process in order to ensure your guest’s satisfaction through consistent delivery of service and quality product in conformance with your hotel's profitability goals whilst fulfilling the important requirements of your guest.
First priority is to perform and supervise the daily routines of the hotel. You check guests in and out, and inspect their suites for engineering and housekeeping quality. You also participate in the Food and Beverage outlet where you would greet and serve guests as needed.
You also have some responsibility for staffing. You will interview, and hire people. Once accepted, you would also be the one to supervise and counsel them. This would include the different department managers in the hotel. Although the pay is high, this job places many responsibilities on your shoulders and you should be up for that.
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The Front Office Manager
The Front Office Manager is generally in charge of everything that goes on in the front desk. He is responsible for all duties of the front desk operation which includes: staff training, inter-department communications, and staff scheduling. He usually works a regularly scheduled front desk shift and must be available to work any shift as needed. He holds department meetings regularly, cover all shifts that are open and tries to understand any problems which desk clerks may have.
The biggest responsibility is to supervise over the front desk clerks. The Front Office Manager should possess strong communication skills and demonstrate leadership abilities. There are many responsibilities and duties that come with this job title. He hires and trains new people for the front desk and will make sure that everything runs properly and that everything is organized. This position requires such services as answering questions, taking difficult telephone calls, analyzing the front desk budget, setting schedules, welcoming guests, dealing with guests’ complaints and solving a variety of problems that may come up for example when it comes to deal with groups of foreign guests.
This position requires plenty of patience with people and understanding. Smiling when dealing with guests helps to create a friendly atmosphere. A smile says, “We’re glad you’re here!” Whenever an employee speaks with a guest, the employee should end the conversation with the statement, “ Please call on me if I can be of any further assistance.” The Front Office Manager is also required to posses language skills, as well as a very good command of at least two or three foreign languages. He should also monitor finances at the front desk and is responsible for communicating with all other departments in regard to the front desk department.
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Food And Beverage Director
This position is not only applicable for hotels. You can also work in hospitals, schools and other places where food directors are needed. The general job description would be having the responsibility to oversee the lounge/restaurant operations. You also get to recruit and train employees. You would also be the one who would create their schedules.
Managing budgets and achieving sales targets are also part of your job, along with maintaining close control of product orders and stock. You should also be able to control and analyze food costs. Of course, as the director, you should ensure that food safety and customer service are provided. Lastly, you should communicate well with your team and be able to motivate them.
Executive Chef
This career would generally involve managing the flow and direction of a kitchen. You would be responsible for arranging menus and tables on hotels, cruise ships, and other hot spots that tourists go to. You also keep track of inventory and try to keep costs down. You decide which supplies and food items are necessary to purchase. As time passes by, you will establish and modify the menus so that there is an increase in profits and decrease in monetary loss. You are also the one who is in charge of overseeing the overall satisfaction of your customers.
The Sales Manager
This key role carries responsibility for marketing hotel products, facilities and services. He designs such hotel products as accommodation special offers, bargain breaks, leisure and activity breaks. He also advertises meeting and recreational facilities for groups and conventions by sending circulars to companies, cultural and political associations, professional bodies. He attends regional and national conferences on tourism issues hoping to catch new glimpses of forth coming events which may increase hotel business.
The Purchasing Manager
He is responsible for the search, selection, purchase, receipt, storage of commodities in accordance with the catering policy of the hotel. Commodities cover the following categories: food, beverages, tabletop products, maintenance products, catering 1 food service equipment, furnishings and fixtures, operations equipment and systems, telecommunications systems, management services. His duties include:
providing all items to user departments
evaluating new products
researching into new markets and price trends
reporting to the hotel management
The Personnel and Training Manager
He is responsible for defining the structure and scope of the personnel function. As a pragmatic, articulate and influential person, he shows a committed and commercially relevant approach to Human Resources. His duties include:
recruitment of staff members
planning educational courses for hotel employees
finding out HR policies to support hotel services efficiency
The Chief Engineer
Traditionally associated with maintenance engineering has evolved as a separate department in very large hotels. The chief engineer is responsible for all the mechanical and electronic equipment conditioning systems, escalators, lifts, electrical implements, television sets, computers, audio visual aids, lightening, etc.. He supervises a team of technicians assigned to the control and maintenance of such equipment as heating and air-conditioning systems, escalators, lifts, electrical implements, television sets, computers, audio visual aids, lightening, etc.
The Housekeeper
Her primary concern is the overall cleanliness of the premises. Her duties would involve bed making, replenishing of linens, cleaning and vacuuming halls and rooms. She also gets to carry linens, toilet items, towels, and cleaning supplies by the use of wheeled carts. Cleaning rooms, lobbies, hallways, restrooms, lounges, corridors, elevators, locker rooms, stairways, and other working areas are tasks related to her job. As a supervisor she is the head of a team whose main job is perform the above mentioned duties. She checks if requirements regarding cleanliness are met and should also interview, hire and train people who want to be part of her team.
The Supervisor
The supervisor is the basic managerial element in the hotel organization. He forms the essential link between the general manager and the workers. His main functions are motivating and controlling, but, actually, he operates within all of the management procedures. He is responsible for the training needed within his department. The workers must have good and effective supervision to perform to the best of their ability
Notes:
CEO = Chief Executive Officer. Officer of a firm principally responsible for the activities of a company
Front office: the reception area that is visible to the public
Back office: the part of a reception area that is not visible to the public.
Practice
1. Answer these questions:
1. What are the main duties of a hotel manager?
2. What skills must a hotel manager have to run a large hotel?
3. What is a small hotel manager required to have?
4. What about the manager's role in a chain-owned hotel?
5. What is the management?
6. Who is the management formed by?
7. What are the main departments of a hotel?
8. Who operate in the Reception department?
9. What are the main facilities of the food and beverage department?
10. Mention the staff of the housekeeping department
2. Put the following items in the appropriate column:
recruiting staff / following price trends / storing products / checking lifts / training staff / supplying items to hotel depts. / advertising bargain breaks / selecting commodities / defining personnel tasks / supervising technicians.
| Purchasing Manager | Sales Manager | Personnel Manager | Chief Engineer |
A Staff Meeting
'One is up early in this business' explains Harvey Pascoe, managing director of the Dormy House Hotel on the Cotswolds near Broadway. 'I like a gentle start to the day before the racing begins', he admits.
Harvey assembles all available staff into the Conference Room for their weekly (Friday) briefing. Today's session has a sentimental note; Louise Weston, a chambermaid who's been at Dormy for the last five years, is retiring and Harvey presents her with a Russell Hobbs coffee maker.
Harvey is going through a pile of mail in his office. '1 see every single letter. They all get a reply from me and then they'll be categorised. And look. It's only September 19th and here is our first booking for our New Year's Eve party. After making a phone call with stock and another with accounts, a travel agent in Philadelphia calls to make a booking for four clients.
The meeting with the various Heads of Department - the housekeeper, head bar-lady, banqueting manager, head receptionist, maintenance man and others. Everyone brings Harvey their own set of seemingly major catastrophes but nothing seems to faze him, not even the news brought by the maintenance man that all the outside lights have 'gone on the blink'. Harvey agrees with his diagnosis - that the underground cable is old, worn and must have shorted the circuit. 'It will cost a lot of money but we have no choice,' Harvey concludes. 'We need new cabling a.s.a.p.' Maurice Howman, the gardener, worries about 'the early chills we've been having'. Housekeeper Sally Hodgkinson reports on how the new carpets are settling down.
They then talk about which rooms are to be 'released for refurbishment' and the design for curtains, fabrics, bathroom fittings and the like.
Harvey adds that Friday mornings are always more crucial than the rest because it's the best time to go through the following week's function lists.
'I try to spend as much time as I can before lunch just talking to the staff. I make a point of saying good morning to everyone, and by name. I work with people, a team, not just numbers, and that applies to employees as much as guests. It is a vital ingredient in the successful running of a hotel.’
Practice
1. Read 'A Staff Meeting' and complete these sentences:
1. Mr Harvey Pascoe gets up early in the morning because.
2. The staff meeting always takes place on ..................... in……………….
3. Louise Weston is ................................................................
4. Every morning Harvey goes through the incoming mail and.
5. Harvey ha made two phone calls, namely ...... ……………………………………
6. He has also got two bookings: one for ................................. the other from ..............................................
7. Among the staff attending the meeting were ...
8. The maintainance man reported that ....
9. The housekeeper reported that ......................................and went on talking to the manager about ..........................
10. The reason why Mr Harvey Pascoe is a successful hotelier is …………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
2. Write sentences of your own using the following verbs:
to present s. o. with / to go through / to make a call / to make a booking / to hold a meeting / to report / to worry about / to run a hotel
3. Write a short description of the picture following these guidelines:
what it is about
who the persons are
what they are talking about
You canstart like this: The picture shows the staff meeting hold at the Dormy House Hotel onSeptember 191h ......
Write a conversation between the manager and the receptionist on a topic of your choice.
FRONT OFFICE STAFF
It is the department where guests make reservations, check in and check out. The Front Office Manager is in charge of the reception area. The Receptionist welcomes and registers the guests. He hands out the keys and gives them information about hotel services. The Reservations Clerk deals with reservation inquiries, booking and allocation of accommodation. The Hall Porter or Concierge (USA: bell captain) is the person who does services for guests. He can help guests with any of these: car hire, theatre tickets, sightseeing, postcards and maps, airline reservations, timetables, luggage storage, mail dispatch, valetting. The Cashier is concerned with the guests' accounts and prepares bills. He may also exchange travelers’ cheques or foreign currency. The Switchboard Operator connects outgoing and incoming calls. The Night Clerk attends to the reception area during the night shift. The Doorman receives guests, opens the door, orders taxis, etc. The Porter is the person who handles the guests' baggage. When a guest completes his check-in procedure, he normally gets the room key from the room clerk who shows the guest to his room. He also collects baggage from the guest's room when the guest checks-out.
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Answer these questions:
1. What does the Front OfficeManager supervise?
2. Who work under his supervision?
3. Who looks after the guests when they arrive?
4. What does the Receptionist do?
5. Who hands out the room key?
6. Who carries the luggage to the guests' rooms?
7. What services does the Hall Porter provide?
8. Who deals with reservation inquiries?
9. What are the doorman's duties?
10. Who exchanges foreign currency?
HOUSEKEEPING
This department is in charge of the general cleanliness of the hotel. It provides cleaning materials, bed linens, paper products, stationary, etc. It is also responsible for laundry, dry cleaning and ironing services and handles storage supplies. The staff members in charge of this department are: the Executive or Head Housekeeper who is responsible for the smooth running of the department. She supervises the work of chambermaids and housemen.
The Chambermaids whose job is cleaning and caring for the guest rooms. Housemen and Assistants help in performing various chores such as collecting dirty linen, hoovering carpets, polishing mirrors, etc.
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