OPERATIONAL ASPECTS OF A

HOTEL/BURJ AL ARAB

Name: Daniel Preetham Fernandes

Registration number: 186092428

Submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirement for

Bachelors in Hotel Management (BHM) Degree of Mangalore
University

Sarosh Institute Of Hotel Administration

July 2021
Project guide Principal

Internal Examiner External Examiner

I
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT :

I would like to thank Mr. Donald James D'Souza, Prof. Amar Z.

Cherian, Principal, of Sarosh Institute Of Hotel Administration
for their guidance, help and assistance accorded to me in
completion of this project work.

Name of the Student: Daniel Preetham Fernandes

II
 DECLARATION
I Daniel Preetham Fernandes here by declare that the presented
report of project work on “ HOTEL OPERATIONS ” Is uniquely
prepared by me after understanding the concept of report work
and taking help of secondary data available for reference through
various sources.

I also declare that, the report is only prepared for my academic

requirement given by Mangalore University and not for any other
purpose. This project work is submitted in the partial fulfillment
of the requirements for the award of the degree of Bachelors in
Hotel Management.

Daniel Preetham Fernandes Date:

Regd. No:186092428 Place: MANAGLORE

III
 INDEX

LIST OF CONTENT
SL. NO. PARTICULARS PAGE
NUMBER
01 CHAPTER 1 - INTRODUCTION 1-5
02 CHAPTER 2 - PROFILE OF THE 6-30
DEPARTMENT
03 CHAPTER 3 - LAYOUTS OF 31-70
THE DEPARTMENT AND
EQUIPMENTS USED
04 CHAPTER 4 - OPERATIONS 71-85
05 CHAPTER 5 - CURRENT 86-87
SCENARIO

LIST IF TABLES
SL. NO. PARTICULARS PAGE
NUMBER
TABLE 2.1 ORGANISATIONAL CHART 6
OF A LARGE HOTEL
TABLE 2.2 ORGANISATIONAL CHART 8
OF HOUSEKEEPING
DEPARTMENT
TABLE 2.3 ORGANISATIONAL CHART 13
OF FRONT OFFICE
TABLE 2.4 GUEST CYCLE 17
TABLE 2.5 ORGANISATIONAL CHART 19
OF FOOD & BEVERAGE
SERVICE DEPARTMENT
TABLE 2.6 ORGANISATIONAL CHART 23
OF FOOD PRODUCTION
DEPARTMENT
TABLE 3.1 LAYOUT OF 32
HOUSEKEEP[ING
DEPARTMENT
TABLE 3.2 LAYOUT OF FLOOR PANTRY 34
IV
TABLE 3.3 LAYOUT OF A ROOM 35
TABLE 3.4 LAYOUT OF A RESTAURANT 46
TABLE 3.5 LAYOUT OF A KITCHEN IN 50
A 5 STAR HOTL
TABLE 3.6 LAYOUT OF FRONT OFFICE 64

LIST OF FIGURES
SL. NO. PARTICULAR PAGE
NUMBER
FIG 1.1 BURJ AL ARAB 1
FIG 1.2 BURJ AL ARAB 3
FIG 1.3 TIGER WOODS AND DAVID 4
GUETTA
FIG 1.4 SPECIAL FEATURES 5
FIG 2.1 EXECUTIVE HOUSEKEEPER 10
FIG 2.2 SUITE ROOM IN BURJ AL 11
ARAB
FIG2.3 BURJ AL ARAB TERRACE 11
FIG 2.4 LINEN ROOM 12
FIG 2.5 LOBBY OF BURJ AL ARAB 14
FIG 2.6 RECEPTION IN BURJ AL 16
ARAB
FIG 2.7 STAFF OF FOOD AND 20
BEVERAGE SERVICE
DEPARTMENT
FIG 2.8 KITCHEN 24
FIG 2.9 DISH 26
FIG 2.10 EGGS BENEDICT 27
FIG 2.11 BOILED EGGS 28
FIG 2.12 BEEF RIBS 29
FIG 2.13 DISH 29
FIG 2.14 CHEFS IN BURJ AL ARAB 30
FIG 3.1 SINGLE AND DOUBLE 35
ROOM
FIG 3.2 ROOMS IN BURJ AL ARAB 36
FIG 3.3 PRESIDENTIAL SUITE IN 37
BURJ AL ARAB
V
FIG 3.4 MANUAL EQUIPMENTS 38
FIG 3.5 ELECTIRCAL EQUIPMENTS 39
FIG 3.6 CLEANING AGENTS AND 40
CHEMICALS
FIG 3.7 AL MUNTAHA 42
FIG 3.8 AL MAHARA 42
FIG 3.9 SCAPE LOUNGE 43
FIG 3.10 GOLD ON 27 44
FIG 3.11 CHINAWARE 48
FIG 3.12 HOLLOWARE 48
FIG 3.13 SILVERWARE 49
FIG 3.14 CHAFFING DISHES 49
FIG 3.15 KITCHEN 51
FIG 3.16 KITCHEN 52
FIG 3.17 BAKERY 53
FIG 3.18 BURNERS 54
FIG 3.19 COOKING RANGES 54
FIG 3.20 OVENS 55
FIG 3.21 GRIDDLES 55
FIG 3.22 PANS 56
FIG 3.23 SPOONS 56
FIG 3.24 KETTLES 57
FIG 3.25 VEGETABLES CUTTERS 57
AND CHOPPERS
FIG 3.26 MIXERS 58
FIG 3.27 COOKERS AND STEAMERS 58
FIG 3.28 FRYERS 59
FIG 3.29 JUICERS 59
FIG 3.30 DISHWASHERS 60
FIG 3.31 DISH WARMER 60
FIG 3.32 NUTCRACKER 61
FIG 3.33 SHREDDERS 61
FIG 3.34 KNIVES 62
FIG 3.35 RESERVATION 65
FIG 3.36 REGISTRATION 65
FIG 3.37 TELEPHONE OPERATOR 66
FIG 3.38 INFORMATION SECTION 66

VI
FIG 3.39 FRONT OFFICE CASHIER 67
FIG 3.40 BUSINESS CENTRES 67
FIG 3.41 EQUIPMENTS USED IN 69
FRONT OFFICE
DEPARTMENNT
FIG 4.1 COVER SETUP FOR FOUR 74
PEOPLE
FIG 4.2 BELL BOYS 80
FIG 4.3 HANDING THE KEYS 84

VII
 CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION

The Burj Al Arab is a luxury hotel located in the city of Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

Managed by Jumeirah hotel group, it is one of the tallest hotels in the world, although 39% of
its total height is made up of non-occupiable space. Burj Al Arab stands on an artificial
island that is 280 m (920 ft) from Jumeirah Beach and is connected to the mainland by a private
curving bridge. The shape of the structure is designed to resemble the sail of a ship. It has
a helipad near the roof, at a height of 210 m (689 ft) above ground.

The Burj Al Arab was designed by the multidisciplinary consultancy Atkins, led by

architect Tom Wright. The design and construction were managed by Canadian engineer Rick
Gregory, also of WS Atkins. Construction of the island began in 1994 and involved up to 2,000
construction workers during peak construction. It was built to resemble the billowing spinnaker
sail of a J-class yacht. Two "wings" spread in a V to form a vast "mast", while the space
between them is enclosed in a massive atrium.
The hotel was built by South African construction contractor Murray & Roberts, now
renamed Concor and Al Habtoor Engineering. The interior designs were led and created by
Kwan Chau and John Coralan of KCA international and delivered by UAE based Depa Group.
The building opened on 1 December 1999.
The hotel's helipad was designed by Irish architect Rebecca Gernon. The helipad is above the
building's 59th floor, and has been used as a car race track, a boxing ring, a tennis match, and
the jumping off point for the highest kite surfing jump in history.
The hotel rests on an artificial island constructed 280 m (920 ft) offshore. To secure a
foundation, the builders drove 230 40-metre-long (130 ft) concrete piles into the sand.
Engineers created a ground surface layer of large rocks, which is circled with a
concrete honeycomb pattern, which serves to protect the foundation from erosion. It took three
years to reclaim the land from the sea, while it took fewer than three years to construct the
building itself. The building contains over 70,000 m3 of concrete and 9,000 tons of steel.

FIG 1.1 Burj Al Arab

1
The Jumeirah Group was created in 1997 and joined the Dubai Holding in 2004.
Professional golfer Rory McIlroy was the company's global ambassador from 2007 to 2012.
Jumeirah was founded in 1997 in Dubai, UAE, and currently employs approximately 14,000
staff from across 140 nationalities. Jumeirah Hotels & Resorts have been given many
international travel and tourism awards. In 2018 Jumeirah launched a second brand, Zabeel
House by Jumeirah.
The Burj Al Arab is managed by the Jumeirah Group. Despite its size, the Burj Al Arab holds
only 28 double-story floors which accommodate 202 bedroom suites. The smallest suite
occupies an area of 1,820 sq ft, the largest covers is 8,400 sq ft.
Suites feature design details that juxtapose east and west. White columns show great influence.
[ Bathrooms are accented by mosaic tile patterns.
The Royal Suite, billed at US$24,000 per night, is listed at number 12 on World's 15 most
expensive hotel suites compiled by CNN Go in 2012.
The Burj Al Arab is very popular with the Chinese market, which made up 25 percent of all
bookings at the hotel in 2011 and 2012.

There are six restaurants in the hotel, including:

Al Muntaha ("The Ultimate"), is located 200 m (660 ft) above the Persian Gulf, offering a view
of Dubai. It is supported by a full cantilever that extends 27 m (89 ft) from either side of the
mast, and is accessed by a panoramic elevator.[
Al Mahara ("Oyster"), which is accessed via a simulated submarine voyage, features a large
seawater aquarium, holding roughly 990,000 L (260,000 US gal) of water. The wall of the tank,
made of acrylic glass in order to withstand the water pressure, is about 18 cm (7.1 in) thick.

The Burj Al Arab is a five-star hotel, the highest official ranking. While the hotel is sometimes
erroneously described as "the world's only 'seven-star' hotel", the hotel management claims
never to have done that themselves. The term appeared due to a British journalist who had
visited the hotel on a tour before the hotel was officially opened. The journalist described Burj
al Arab as "more than anything she has ever seen" and therefore referred to it as a seven-star
hotel. In the words of a Jumeirah Group spokesperson: "There's not a lot we can do to stop it.
We're not encouraging the use of the term. We've never used it in our advertising."
The finest and most exclusive materials were sourced for finishing the interiors of Burj Al Arab.
Amongst the fine items brought in to create the magical interiors were custom-made carpets and
rugs from South Africa and India; marble from Brazil and Italy; wooden doors from Dubai and
chandeliers from the UK.
Approximately 1,790 square meters (19,270 square feet) of 24-carat gold leaf was used to
embellish the interior.
Despite its size, Burj Al Arab holds only 28 double-story floors which accommodate 202
bedroom suites. The smallest suite occupies an area of 169 square meters (1,820 square feet),
the largest covers 780 square meters (8,400 square feet).
There are 142 One Bedroom Deluxe Suites, 28 Two Bedroom Deluxe Suites, 18 Panoramic
Suites, 4 Club Suites, 6 Diplomatic Suites, 2 Presidential Suites and 2 Royal Suites.
The palatial 780 square meters (8,400 square feet) Royal Suite is fit for a maharaja, with an
exquisite majlis style lounge, library and cinema room, along with two master bathrooms, each
with full-size jacuzzis and separate five-head rain showers

2
 FIG 1.2 Burj Al Arab

It is one of the most expensive hotels in the world to stay in. The cost of staying in a suite
begins at $1,000 per night and increases to over $15,000 per night; the Royal Suite is the most
expensive, at $24,000 per night.
It has a helipad near the roof at a height of 210 meters (689 feet) above ground.
There are 60 reception desks, one per each floor.
The staff to suite ratio is 8:1. It is one of the highest in the world.
Every female member of the front office and greeting desk Team wears bespoke, gold earrings
and necklace pendants, in the shape of Burj Al Arab logo.
One of the world’s largest fleets of Rolls Royce’s available for guests.
Every guest get their own 24 carat gold iPad during their stay.
It will take you 1080 steps to reach the 27th floor of the hotel.
It takes one full month, 19 people, plus the rope access team to clean the windows of the whole
building.
The hotel’s dramatic helipad has given a platform to a number of incredible stunts
In 2004, Tiger Woods teed off from the helipad. A year later, Andre Agassi and Roger Federer
took to it to play tennis on a makeshift court. In 2013, Chinese world number one players, Long
Ma (men’s) and ShiWen Liu (women’s) played the first ever table tennis match on the platform.
And more recently, in 2017, professional kitesurfer Nick Jacobsen, jumped off it with his
kiteboard, in a death-defying world first.

3
HISTORY

Designed by Tom Wright and built on Dubai’s coast in 1999, the Burj Al Arab, literally
translated to ‘the Arabian Tower’, was built over a five-year period: three to create the island
and two to build the hotel. Construction involved an international team of over 3,000
contractors, 250 designers and 3,500 workmen onsite at any given time. The hotel was one of
Dubai’s first record-breaking structures.

The Burj Al Arab sits on a private island 15 kilometers south of the shore of one of Dubai’s
oldest low-rise neighbourhoods, Jumeirah. It is currently one of the tallest hotels on Dubai’s
coast and has one of the most unique views of the ever-growing city. Exclusivity goes a long
way, so the restricted entry to the hotel gives only guests the luxury of seeing the city from a
coastal point-of-view while lounging in some of the world’s finest and most expensive interiors.

It took five years to build. Construction began on the iconic landmark in 1994. It took two years
to create the island, and then three years to build the hotel itself.
It has broken an impressive number of records
In addition to being the tallest all-suite hotel in the world, in 2008 Burj Al Arab also broke the
Guinness World Record for the most expensive cocktail, valued at 27,321 AED. It also created
the world’s largest tin of caviar in 2016, which contained 17kg of Empress caviar – the world’s
only fully-certified organic caviar from native-raised sturgeon.

The hotel’s dramatic helipad has given a platform to a number of incredible stunts
In 2004, Tiger Woods teed off from the helipad. A year later, Andre Agassi and Roger Federer
took to it to play tennis on a makeshift court. In 2013, Chinese world number one players, Long
Ma (men’s) and ShiWen Liu (women’s) played the first ever table tennis match on the platform.
And more recently, in 2017, professional kitesurfer Nick Jacobsen, jumped off it with his
kiteboard, in a death-defying world first. David Guetta performed on the helipad of the Burj Al
Arab.

FIG 1.3 Tiger woods and David Guetta

SPECIAL FEATURES:

It has broken an impressive number of records

In addition to being the tallest all-suite hotel in the world, in 2008 Burj Al Arab also broke the
Guinness World Record for the most expensive cocktail, valued at 27,321 AED. It also created
the world’s largest tin of caviar in 2016, which contained 17kg of Empress caviar – the world’s
only fully-certified organic caviar from native-raised sturgeon.

4
It is home to the largest Swarovski crystal ceiling in the world
The ceiling in the hotel’s Japanese restaurant, Junsui, is adorned with 21,000 crystals, used to
represent the Milky Way. The installation is worth 1.3 million AED.

FIG 1.4 Special features

The Terrace is the first man-made luxury beach facility of its kindThe 10,000sqm luxury
platform, which features two pools, cabanas and a 1,120sqm beach area (for which 1,000 tonnes
of white sand were imported) opened in 2017. The Terrace was constructed in a cruise ship and
yacht production facility in Finland before being shipped to Dubai in six pieces. Since then, its
two pools have been adorned with 10 million gold and azure mosaic tiles.

The hotel has a designated turtle hospital

Burj Al Arab and neighbouring Madinat Jumeirah are home to Dubai Turtle Rehabilitation
Project (DTRP), which treats sick and injured sea turtles in collaboration with Dubai’s Wildlife
Protection Office, Dubai Falcon Clinic and the Central Veterinary Research Laboratory. Since it
was launched in 2004, the programme has released more than 1,600 rescued sea turtles safely
back into the Arabian Gulf.

5
 CHAPTER 2: PROFILE OF THE DEPARTMENTS

TABLE 2.1 THE ORGANISATIONAL CHART

The Burj has different sections specialized for different functions. The hotel is known as a place
to stay and food. To stay or for accommodation two departments Front office and House
Keeping departments are responsible. For the purpose of production Food Production and Food
and Beverage Service departments are there. In this way a hotel has four sections they are:

1. Housekeeping: This section manages and maintain the cleanliness of the guest room
and public areas like lobby, passage, flower arrangement etc. This unit is responsible to
every aspect of a guest room that is to provide all the required materials in a room and
maintain security.
2. Front Office: This section is responsible public relation, reservation, registration,
reception, maintain records and to collect dues. This unit receives the guest, do check-in
and provide information and communicate with other concerned service units such as
food and beverage, housekeeping, lobby, account, etc. This unit manages room keys.
3. Food and Beverage Service: The main job of this department is to prepare food and
serve the food. This job includes food. This job includes food planning and

6
 management of the groceries. They calculate the cost price and prepare menu and try to
maintain cost control their service part includes maintaining hygiene. Their most
important job includes serving the food beverage. This department is divided into two
different jobs; Food Production and Restaurants.
4. Food Production/ Kitchen: This department is responsible for production of food. It
prepares the food and get ready to serve. They make purchase, specification, maintain
stock, develop new idea find out the cost and develop menu. They must manage waste
and maintain proper hygiene.

Above sections are supported by marketing, account, engineering, human resources

departments.

There are various departments in the Burj. It depends upon the size and type of hotel. The hotel
departments are classified as operational and functional departments. Operational departments
are directly related to provide services to the guest they are Front Office, Housekeeping F and B
Service and Production/ Kitchen. The functional departments are related to management
function of the company. They are Management, Sales and Marketing, Human Resources,
Accounts and Finance, etc. The size and number of functional departments depends upon the
requirement of the company.

1. Management: The management team is made of Chairman, Board of Governors/

directors, General Manager, Executive assistant managers and head of the departments.
The management team is responsible for formulating plan policy, and program and
implement the company rules and regulation.
2. Human Resources: This department plans the required human resources and recruits
manpower. Training and development, evaluation and reward, etc. is the responsibility
of this department.
3. Finance and Account Department: is responsible for cash management including credit
collection. In a big organization the department may be managed by financial controller
and divided into accountant, cashier and petty cashier.
4. Sales and Marketing Department: It does promotional activities. Maintaining public
relation, publication and developing brochures, booklets, etc. is also done by this
department. They participate in different fairs, festivals, seminars and perform
agreements with travel agents regarding rate and tariffs. In a large organization
marketing department is a divided into Reservation and Convention. Other functional
departments of a hospitality organization are security, engineering, procurement and
store, etc.

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.
A hotel survives on the sale of room, food, beverages and other minor services such as the
laundry, health club spa and so on.Housekeepers handle light cleaning needed for the upkeep
of homes as well as commercial buildings, such as offices, hotels, and hospitals. Typically
they'll replace bedding, clean rooms, halls and bathrooms, vacuum, sweep, mop, replace
toiletries and make beds

The following are the most common housekeeping skills needed to be a good housekeeper:

 Time management skills.

7
 Attention to detail.
 Communication skills.
 Interpersonal skills.
 Flexibility.
 Customer service.
 Housekeeping hard skills

TABLE 2.2 Organisational chart of Housekeeping department

The entire team can include several sub-departments, each with different responsibilities and
areas of expertise.

 Leadership roles: In very small hotels, the room attendants might report directly to the
front desk manager or the general manager, but most hotels have a leadership role
within the housekeeping team. In medium-sized hotels, this role could be a
Housekeeping Manager or an Executive Housekeeper, and in large hotels, there might
be a Director of Housekeeping who is supported by an Assistant Director of
Housekeeping, a Housekeeping Manager, or an Executive Housekeeper. The head of
housekeeping is responsible for scheduling staff, managing expenses, and ensuring all
rooms and public areas meet the hotel’s standards of cleanliness.
 Rooms: All hotels have guestrooms, so all hotels have room attendants that are
responsible for cleaning rooms during and after reservations. In some hotels, floor

8
 supervisors might oversee the room attendants on each floor and perform quality
control checks.
 Public areas: Just like guestrooms, a hotel’s public areas also need to be kept clean.
Public area attendants keep the lobby, meeting spaces, restaurants, bars, offices, and any
other public areas neat and tidy.
 Laundry: All those sheets and towels need to be cleaned somehow! Some hotels send
their laundry out to an off-site laundry service, but many hotels have on-site laundry
rooms. Laundry attendants are responsible for cleaning, drying, and pressing all of the
hotel’s linens, towels, and uniforms. Many hotels also offer valet laundry for guest
clothing, so specialized laundry staff handle those items. Some hotels also have on-site
tailors and upholsterers to fix or alter uniforms, furniture, and guest clothing items.
 Linen room: After the sheets and towels have been washed and dried, linen attendants
organize them in the linen room and distribute them to various departments in the hotel.
 Other roles: Some hotels have a dedicated phone operator for the housekeeping
department, who answers calls from guests and other hotel departments and forwards
the request to the appropriate housekeeping team member. Some hotels also have
minibar attendants, who are responsible for restocking and billing minibar items, as
well as housemen, who bring housekeeping items to guestrooms upon request, such as
additional pillows or towels.

There’s never a dull moment in a hotel’s housekeeping department! The entire team works
together to make the hotel shine - literally - so that guests can have the best possible experience.
With so many moving parts, strong housekeeping departments utilize housekeeping technology,
like Optii Solutions, to streamline communication within the department, reduce errors, prevent
communication lapses, and improve overall efficiency. Communication can be challenging for a
big team that often works in different areas of the hotel, so housekeeping-specific systems can
make communication between the room attendants, public area attendants, laundry staff, and
management team easier.

Housekeeping manager:

The housekeeping manager’s role is to organize the housekeeping department’s operations. He

or she is usually the main point person for the housekeeping department when communicating
with other departments, like in emails or meetings. The housekeeping manager sets the
department’s schedule and holds the team accountable for upholding the hotel’s service
standards.
A housekeeping manager’s daily tasks include:

 Gathering arrivals and departures reports

 Scheduling housekeeping staff for the week or two ahead
 Working with the front desk to arrange special requests or welcome amenities
 Attending hotel leadership meetings
 Holding pre-shift team meetings
 Responding to guest requests
 Resolving guest service issues related to housekeeping
 Leveraging technology to communicate with other departments and track task
completion
 Managing department expenses, like supply costs and payroll

9
 FIG 2.1 Executive Housekeeper

Housekeeper/Room attendant:

A room attendant has one of the most important jobs in the entire hotel. If a guest’s room isn’t
clean when they arrive or if essentials aren’t restocked mid-stay, then the guest can have a
negative impression of the hotel. They might never stay at the hotel again, and they might write
a bad review of the hotel online. On the other hand, if a room attendant goes above and beyond
to provide quick service and attention to detail, the guest could have a very positive experience
that inspires them to return again and again. Room attendants have a lot of responsibility and
can make or break the guest’s experience.
Room attendants usually work in shifts of 8 hours, during which they may clean as many as 16
guestrooms. Many hotels offer housekeeping service only once per day, so room attendants
would work one daytime shift (usually 8am to 4pm, approximately), while high-end hotels that
offer evening turndown service would have a second shift of housekeeping staff who work
afternoon and evening hours. Some hotels also might offer 24-hour housekeeping service, so a
few room attendants may work overnight shifts.
Duties and responsibilities of housekeeping attendant include:

 Cleaning guestrooms mid-stay and after departure

 Making beds
 Replacing dirty linens and towels
 Restocking guestroom amenities like toiletries, drinking glasses, and notepads
 Removing garbage, recycling, and room service trays
 Picking up and returning valet laundry items
 Organizing and stocking housekeeping carts
 Notifying the maintenance department about broken appliances, old light bulbs, or
damage
 Upholding the hotel’s confidentiality and security standards
 Respecting “do not disturb” signs and the guest’s privacy

10
 FIG 2.2 Suite room in Burj Al Arab

Public area attendent :

Like room attendants, public area attendants have a big impact on a guest’s impression
of the hotel. Nobody wants to see overflowing garbage cans, dusty lobby furniture, or
dirty carpets in the hallways when they stay at a hotel, so a public area attendant’s job is
instrumental in creating a positive guest experience. Some public area attendants work
daytime shifts, while others work evening or overnight shifts to clean high-traffic areas,
like lobbies, when guests aren’t using them.

FIG 2.3 Burj Al Arab Terrace

Duties of linen/laundry room attendent:

11
  Though most laundry or linen room attendants don’t interact directly with guests, their
work is crucial to the hotel’s overall operations. Without clean sheets and towels, room
attendants can’t do their jobs and guests will want to stay elsewhere.
 Daily tasks of laundry staff or linen room staff include:
 Sorting, washing, drying, folding, ironing, and organizing all hotel laundry, which can
include towels, sheets, bathrobes, napkins, tablecloths, uniforms, and more
 Removing linen that has stains or holes
 Operating washing and drying machines
 Mixing and measuring soaps, detergents, and cleaning products
 Handling guest valet laundry and dry cleaning within the agreed upon timeframe

FIG 2.4 Linen room

FRONT OFFICE DEPARTMENT:

Front Office Department is the face and as well as the voice of a business. ... For a
business such as hospitality, the front office department comes with an aspect of
elevating customer experience with the business. Front Office department is a common
link between the customers and the business
The main function of this department is Reservation, Guest service, Check-in, Check-
out, Telephone, Finance & Cashiering, Foreign Exchange, Room Assignment, Inquiry
etc. The Front Office is also called the nerve centre of a hotel
Front Office Department plays a vital role in a hotel, and it is the face of a hotel or
hospitality establishment. It is the first and the last department where a guest interacts.
The Front Office Department is responsible for creating first hand impressions
regarding the level of services and facilities provided .

12
 TABLE 2.3 Organisational chart in Front office

The operational function of the Front Office Department:

Guest Registration: Does all guest registration-related activities like Check-in, room

assignment, welcoming, room rate etc.

Guest Service: Fulfils any Guest Services related activities.

Guest History and records: Creates and maintains a guest profile, history, likes and dislikes,
collect feedback etc.

Guest Database: Develops & maintains a Comprehensive Database of Guest Information

Updates Room Status: responsible to update the correct room status like CI,

CO, DNCO, DND etc.

Reservation: This section is responsible in registering the room reservation from various

sources, with recordings, filing of reservation records, and revise on the appropriate time to
make sure that guests would have their rooms upon entering the hotel.

Postage and Parcels: This section is to facilitate guests pertaining to the posting of letters,
telegrams, and parcels.

13
Telephone: This section is to facilitate guests pertaining to the telephone both internally and
externally, and to wake guests up in the morning upon request.

Finance and Foreign Exchange: This section relates with the Accounting Department, through
the collection from guests through their services, and also give the foreign exchange service.

Inquiry: This section is to answer questions and inquiries of guests. Therefore, this section
would have to be alert with all the movements of the hotel.

Bell Desk and Concierge: Provide all services related to Bell desk and Concierge.

FIC 2.5 Lobby of Burj Al Arab

Basic Responsibilities of Front Office Department

Following are the most basic responsibilities a front office can handle.

 Creating guest database

 Handling guest accounts
 Coordinating guest service
 Trying to sell a service
 Ensuring guest satisfaction
 Handling in-house communication through PBX

Front Office Operations

There are two categories of Front Office Operations −

Front-House Operations

These operations are visible to the guests of the hotel. The guests can interact and see these
operations, hence, the name Front-House operations. Few of these operations include −

 Interacting with the guests to handle request for an accommodation.

 Checking accommodation availability and assigning it to the guest.

14
  Collecting detail information while guest registration.
 Creating a guest’s account with the FO accounting system.
 Issuing accommodation keys to the guest.
 Settling guest payment at the time of check-out.

Back-House Operations

Front Office staff conducts these operations in the absence of the guests or when the guest’s
involvement is not required. These operations involve activities such as −

 Determining the type of guest (fresh/repeat) by checking the database.

 Ensuring preferences of the guest to give a personal touch to the service.
 Maintaining guest’s account with the accounting system.
 Preparing the guest’s bill.
 Collecting the balance amount of guest bills.
 Generating reports.

Few prominent ranks in the front office department and their respective
responsibilities:

Reservation manager

Reception manager

Night audit manager, etc

Responsibilities of Reservation manager:

 Having knowledge about the reservation systems.

 Providing and updating information on tours, prices, and itineraries.
 Reviewing daily hotel reservations.
 Preparing occupancy forecast.
 Updating travel agent rates in the system.
 Handling correspondence with outside travel agencies.
 Allocating daily tasks to the reservation staff.
 Ensuring special deals with repeat guests, VIPs, or guest groups.
 Training the staff under hand.

Responsibilities of Reception manager:

15
  Dealing with arrival and departure of the guests.
 Welcoming the guests, escorting them to the room, and seeing them off.
 Ensuring professional greeting of clients, visitors, and guests.
 Coordination with housekeeping department for cleaning rooms.
 Filling registration cards for the guests with reserved accommodation or help the guests
to fill it up.
 Arranging surprise gift for the guests on their special days.
 Training of receptionists.
 Handling appraisals and performance rewards of the staff.
 Reviewing current standards of front office services and procedures, and implementing
new practices if required.
 Ensuring and Scheduling front office desk staff.
 Managing VIP functions and events taking place in the hotel.
 Upgrading software if required.
 Updating backup database regularly.

Responsibilities of Night audit manager:

 Posting accommodation charges, taxes, and other paid services such as restaurant,
Internet charges to each guest's account accurately.
 Taking the responsibility as a duty manager for night shift.
 Settling guest accounts if required.
 Authoring security of the hotel during night shift.

16
 FIG 2.6 Reception in Burj Al Arab

Guest cycle in a hotel:

guest’s interaction with the hotel is divided into the following four sequential phases 

17
 TABLE 2.4 Guest cycle

Pre-arrival

It is the stage when the customer is planning to avail an accommodation in the hotel. In
this first stage, the customer or the prospective guest enquires about the availability of
the desired type of accommodation and its amenities via telephonic call or an e-mail.
The customer also tries to find out more information about the hotel by visiting its
website.
At the hotel end, the front office accounting system captures the guest’s information
such as name, age, contact numbers, probable duration of stay for room reservation
and so on.

Arrival

The front office reception staff receives the guest in the reception. The porters bring in
the guest luggage. For the guest with confirmed reservation, the front office clerk
hands over a Guest Registration Card (GRC) to the guest and requests the guest to fill
in personal information regarding the stay in the hotel. The clerk then registers the
guest in the database thereby creating a guest record and a guest account along with it.
Later, the clerk hands over a welcome kit and keys of the accommodation. After the
procedure of registration, the guest can start occupying the accommodation.

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Occupancy

During occupancy, a front office accounting system is responsible for tracking guest charges
against his/her purchases from the hotel restaurants, room service, bar, or any outgoing
telephone calls made via the hotel’s communication systems. The front office staff is
responsible to manage and issue the right keys of the accommodations to the right guests. On
guests’ request, the staff also makes arrangement for transportation, babysitting, or local
touring while the guest is staying in the hotel.

Departure

During guest departure, the front office accounting system ensures payment for goods and
services provided. If a guest’s bill is not completely paid, the balance is transferred from guest
to non-guest records. When this occurs, collection becomes the responsibility of the back office
accounting division.

At the time of guest departure, the front office staff thanks the guest for giving an opportunity to
serve and arrange for handling luggage. In addition, if the guest requires airport or other drop
service, the front office bell desk fulfils it.

FOOD AND BEVERAGE SERVICE:

The food and beverage service is part of the service-oriented hospitality sector. It can be a part
of a large hotel or tourism business and it can also be run as an independent business. The
members of the F&B Services team are required to perform a wide range of tasks which
include preparation for service, greeting the guests, taking their orders, settling the bills, and
performing various other tasks after the guests leave.

Most of the star-ranked hotels offer multiple F&B services in their hotels. They
can be −

 Restaurant
 Lounge
 Coffee Shop
 Room Service
 Poolside Barbecue/Grill Service
 Banquet Service
 Bar
 Outside Catering Service

TABLE 2.5 Oraganisational chart of Food & Beverage service department

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Food and Beverage Service Objectives
The food and beverage service is looked as a means of achieving satisfaction and making
yourself feel comfortable in today’s world. The main objectives of this service are −

 To satisfy the following needs −

o Physiological − The need to taste different varieties of food.
o Economical − The need to get F&B Services at the invested cost.
o Social − The need to find friendly atmosphere.
o Psychological − The need to elevate self-esteem.

 To provide high quality food and beverages.

 To provide friendly and welcoming atmosphere.

 To provide professional, hygienic, and attentive service.

 To impart value for money.

 To retain the existing customers and to bring in new ones.

Structure of F&B Services Department

Food & Beverage Service Manager

The Food & Beverage Service Manager is responsible for −

20
  Ensuring profit margins are achieved in each financial period from each department of
F&B service.
 Planning menus for various service areas in liaison with kitchen.
 Purchasing material and equipment for F&B Services department.

FIG 2.7 Staff of Food & Beverage department

Assistant Food & Beverage Service Manager

The Assistant Food & Beverage Service Manager is aware of and is tuned to all the work the
F&B Services Manager performs and carries out the same in the absence of his superior.

Restaurant Manager

The Restaurant Manager looks after the overall functioning of a restaurant. The responsibility
of this staff member include −

 Managing the functions in the dining room

 Ordering material

 Stock-taking or inventory checking.

 Supervising, training, grooming, and evaluating the subordinates

 Preparing reports of staff and sales

 Managing budgets

21
  Handling daily sales and coordinating with cashiers

Room Service Manager

The Room Service Manager is responsible for −

 Selecting, training, encouraging, and evaluating all junior employees

 Ensuring that cultural values and core standards of F&B department/establishment are
met
 Controlling labor expenses through staffing, budgeting, and scheduling
 Handling guest complaints
 Providing special requests

Banquet Manager

The Banquet Manager is responsible for −

 Setting service standard for banquets

 Forecasting and allocating budgets for various types of events such as conferences,
meetings, etc.
 Achieving food and beverage sales
 Controlling chinaware, cutlery, glassware, linen, and equipment
 Handling decorations and guest complaints
 Providing special requests
 Purchasing required stock by following appropriate requisition procedures
 Following up each function by receiving guest feedback and submitting it to F&B
Manager
 Participating in departmental meetings
 Planning and pricing menu
 Training, grooming, and development of staff underneath

Bar Manager

The Bar Manager is responsible for −

 Forecasting the daily flow of customers

 Allocating right number of staff according to customer influx
 Managing and monitoring bar inventory from store to bar
 Tracking all types of drink sales
 Allocating cleaning and tendering tasks

Food Safety Supervisor (FSS)

A Food Safety Supervisor is a person who is trained to recognize and prevent risks associated
with food handling in an F&B Services business. He holds an FSS certificate that needs to be
no more than five years old. He is required in an F&B Services business so that he can train
and supervise other staff about safe practices of handling food.

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F&B Ancillary Departments
Food and Beverage department relies upon the support of the following departments −

Kitchen Stewarding

The Kitchen Stewarding department strives to ensure cleanliness, preparedness, and

orderliness in the commercial kitchen so that the kitchen staff can work efficiently. It also
ensures that all the tools and utensils required for a specific meal or cooking task are cleaned
properly and are ready to go. The kitchen steward is a working link between the F&B Services
and the commercial kitchen.

Dishwashing

The Dishwashing department is responsible for providing clean and dry supply of glassware,
chinaware, and cutlery for bar, banquet, lounge, and restaurant service.

Laundry

The F&B department is highly reliable on laundry department or outsourced laundry services
for timely supply of dry-cleaned and wrinkleless linen.

F&B Staff Attitudes and Competencies

Each member of the F&B department hierarchy needs to have the following traits and skills −

Knowledge

Awareness of one’s responsibilities and roles, appropriate knowledge of food items, food and
beverage pairing, etiquettes, and service styles is a great way to build confidence while serving
the guests.

Appearance

It creates the first impression on the guests. The F&B staff members must maintain personal
hygiene, cleanliness, and professional appearance while being on duty.

Attentiveness

Attentiveness is paying sincere attention to details, memorizing the guests’ needs and fulfilling
them timely with as much perfection as one can put in.

Body Language

The F&B Services staff needs to conduct themselves with very positive, energetic, and friendly
gestures.

23
Effective Communication

It is very vital when it comes to talking with co-workers and guests. Clear and correct manner
of communication using right language and tone can make the service workflow smooth. It can
bring truly enhanced experience to the guests.

Punctuality

The F&B Services staff needs to know the value of time while serving the guests. Sincere
time-keeping and sense of urgency helps to keep the service workflow smooth.

Honesty and Integrity

These two core values in any well-brought-up person are important for serving the guests in
hospitality sector.

FOOD PRODUCTION/KITCHEN DEPARTMENT

Food Production is a department that is involved in the preparation of food. A process, in which

raw materials are cooked, combined, and transformed to make a dish. The scope of Food
Production has been widening at a faster pace in India as well as Abroad. Education plays a
critical role in this profession

TABLE 2.6 Organisational chart of Food production department

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Sub departments of Food Production

1. Main Kitchen: This is the large kitchen area where food is prepared for different
restaurants or F&B service outlets. The food here is prepared for Coffee Shop, Room
Service, & Snacks for Bar. The main kitchen has further sub-sections such as Indian
Kitchen, Continental Kitchen, South Indian Section, Tandoor.
2. Pantry: Most of the orders from the pantry section, such as tea/coffee, sandwiches,
salads, raitas, etc. are serviced. The pantry operates 24*7*365 days.
3. Bakery & Confectionery: All bakery items like cakes, pastries, chocolates, Muffins are
made in this section.
4. Butchery: It is a section where all the raw meat supplies such as chicken, mutton, fish,
prawns, lobsters, etc are received and cleaned, properly wrapped for further storage.
5. Banquet Kitchen: Bulk cooking for function happens in this section.
6. Chefs area: Executive chef sits here and a lot of planning takes place inside this area.
7. Garde Manager: It is also known as salad house our Factory outlet for salad preparation
in bulk. Here cold salads are prepared for Banquet parties and coffee shop buffet.
8. Commissary: It is a place or section where we store all the green vegetables in bulk.
9. Walkins: Depending upon the size of the hotel there is a minimum of 2/3 walk-in
refrigerators. One is kept especially at -18 to store meat.

25
 FIG 2.8 Kitchen

Types of kitchen

1. Main kitchen :- 

It is also called  central kitchen and conventional kitchen. Executive chef office is
located at this kitchen and occupies more space. This kitchen is located at central part of
the hotel normally,near  food and beverage outlets. It provides wide range of food
varieties/cuisines  and have both A' la carte and Table d hote menu for breakfast , lunch
and dinner. It is the kitchen where works of all Commer kitchen takes place . This is
fully independent kitchen as it receives the ingredients , store them properly and
performs Mis - en - place  as well as final production.

2. Satellite kitchen :-

Satellite kitchen is constructed and established to cater particular food and beverage
outlets where main kitchen cannot cater due to location disadvantages. They are
established to cater particular food and beverage outlets in a hotel. It is dependent
kitchen as it depends on main kitchen for sauce, stock , gravies. Normally ,it is run by
chef de partie and commis . Banquet kitchen and coffee shop kitchen are good examples
of satellite kitchen

26
 3. Fast food kitchen :- 

They provide dry and light food which can be eaten on premise or taken away. Items
like burger, sandwich , pizza , snacks , fish and chips e.t c are served . Fast food kitchen
is influenced by American catering technology I.e fast food lead to a fast life .

4.  Display kitchen :- 

In display kitchen , food is prepared in full view of customers . It is also called open
kitchen or show kitchen .when food is prepared in full view of customers it add appeals
to the eye  and increase dining experience due to aroma of food. It takes help from the
central kitchen for different semi - prepared food items.

5. Experimental kitchen :-

The main objective of this kitchen is different as it is established with objective of

improvement of food production rather than serving customers. They are research and
development based kitchen. They are also used to develop new food items in Menu.

Duties and Responsibilities of Food production personnel:

1.  Executive chef/chef de cuisine

The executive chef is the head of the kitchen and they do all planning and execution of the
menus. Apart from being a skilled cook, they have to lead a team not by authority but by
inspiring them. The responsibilities are :

 To plan kitchen elegantly and economically.

 To recruit kitchen staff in co-ordination with management
 To supervise and train his staff
 To establish standard recipes and methods of preparation
 To control the quality, quantity and cost of the food
 To prepare capital and operational budgets
 Ensure a hygienic, clean and safe environment of the kitchen
 check spoilage and wastage 
 To co-ordinate with other departments of the hotel
 Hire and fire staffs
 To attend food and beverage meetings
 keep oneself updated with the market knowledge
 to drive the goal and vision of the company
 Take responsibilities for criticism and corrections.
 Greet with a smile to everyone on the hotel

27
 2. Executive Sous Chef

FIG 2.9 dish

An executive sous chef assists the executive chef in directing and guiding the food production
team in providing quality of food and beverage in all outlets as per the international standard to
achieve a maximum level of guest satisfaction. The responsibilities are - 

 represent the executive chef in his absence

 makes the duty roaster of the kitchen
 to act as a liaison between executive chef and kitchen staff
 to ensure smooth flow of dishes from the kitchen
 fully supervise all food tasting,
  presentations and food sampling
 assist in menu planning and costing
 ensure all raw ingredients are available at all time
 to maintain coordination between different sections of the kitchen
 responsible for maintaining international standards of safety, security, hygiene and
cleanliness in both food preparation and storage area

3. Sous Chef:-

Sous chef is responsible for day to day functioning of the kitchen. He has to organize, develop
and supervise food production in the main kitchen as per standard and recipes developed by
Executive chef.

28
 Represent Executive sous chef and executive chef in his absence
 To Train his staff on improved work procedure, quality of food production and
economical usage of food
 Maintain all attendance record
 Responsible for overall food cost control
 Responsible for checking Mis - en - place of all stations
 Attend food and beverage meetings and departmental meeting
 Make duty Roaster
 Assist in Menu planning
 Complain Handlings
 Briefing and scheduling of staff
 To supervise the work of the kitchen
 To maintain and inspect cleanliness, grooming, attendance of staffs.


FIG 2.10 Eggs bendict

4. Chef de partie:-

They are the station heads and must be skilled to cook every dishes made by their stations. They
are:-

 Responsible for food production and wastage in his areas.

 Responsible for implementing hotel standards on food quality, preparation and
presentation in his section.
 Recommend changes in system and procedures to increase efficiency
 Maintain a high standard of hygiene and cleanliness in his section
 Make sure all kitchen equipment is operated, maintained and stored properly
 Ensure all ingredients are available at all times 
 Ensure proper mis-en-place in his production section
 Register complaints regarding improper machinery functions or employee ill's
behaviour.

29
 5. Demi Chef de partie:-

A Demi chef de partie assists his superior in maintaining the highest standard of quality in food
preparation by following standard recipes and high level of hygiene standards maintained as per
the HACCP standards in his area.

 To represent CDP in his absence.

 Ensure prompt and efficient service by all kitchen staff under his control.
 Assists CDP to define the organizations of work within his kitchen including
assignments, time schedules and vacation.
 Eliminate wastage to minimize food cost without compromising quality
 Make sure all kitchen equipment is operated, maintained properly.
 To supervise and guide staff under him.


FIG 2.11 DISH

6. Commis:-

They are also a skilled cook and are classified into commis-I, commis-II, commis-III as per their
skills, competencies.

They assist chef de partie and Demi chef de partie in food preparation. They also assist in
cleaning and rotating the stock properly in large establishments. Only with patience and
willingness to learn the ability, they can reach their maximum potential. 

30
 FIG 2.12 BEEF RIBS

FIG 2.13 DISH

7. Apprentice/ Trainee:-

Apprentice are a person who wishes to make his career in the professional kitchen as a chef. An
apprentice joins the organization at the lowest level of kitchen and has no skill, experience.
Only a few apprentices become a chef as apart from skill, experience, it requires passion.

Burj Al Arab now has another string to add to its bow – seven Michelin stars, with the
appointment of its three new chefs.

Chef Francky will be joining French restaurant, Al Muntaha, which has stunning sea views from

the 27th floor. Sky View, with decadent afternoon tea and mouthwatering tapas, will welcome

Chef Kim. Chef Kasper is to join the Al Mahara restaurant, famous for its floor-to ceiling

aquarium and stunning seafood dishes.

31
 FIG 2.14 CHEFS IN BURJ AL ARAB

CHAPTER 3: LAYOUT OF THE DEPARTMENT

The term ‘layout’ means positioning of the work centres.Work centers can be main operational
areas or ancillary areas. These areas are arranged with respect to the equipment used in a
particular area and the flow of operations. It is also necessary to keep in mind the architectural
and infrastructural difficulties while making a layout; for example, services such as drainage
and fuel supply lines.

32
Layout means the systematic arrangement of furniture and equipments within the available floor
space. The arrangement of equipment and furniture should be done in such a manner that it will
make the maximum utilisation of the available floor space.

There are various departments of a hotel which helps in the smooth and efficient operation of
the hotel where some are very important and some are little less important.

The major four departments of hotels are:

1. Housekeeping Department
2. Food and Beverage Service Department
3. Food Production or Kitchen Department
4. Front Office Department

These four departments are the operational departments of the hotel. But not only operational
department but secondary department also plays a significant role to ensure general
administration of hotel and they are:

1. Sales and marketing

2. Personal and human resources
3. Account and finance
4. Security and engineering
5. Purchase and store

Layout of HK Department

The layout of the housekeeping department is the physical demarcation of areas in the
department. when the layout is well planned, it enables the smooth functioning of the
department. The layout is dependent on the size of the hotel as well as physical space
restrictions. Normally, the layout is decided by the executive housekeeper, at the
facilityplanning stage in stage in setting up the hotel. The following factors are taken into
consideration when deciding on the area and layout.
• Total number of guestrooms
• Number of function rooms and n
Volume of business anticipated
• Number of jobs contracted out
• Flow of traffic (people and equipment)

The following areas constitute the layout of a housekeeping department

Executive Housekeeper’s cabin

This is main administration center for the department. It must be an independent cabin to
provide the housekeeper with silence to plan out her/his work. The office should be proceeded
by a cabin for the secretary who would control movement into the housekeeper’s office. A
glass-panelled office with blinds to provide privacy at times, such as when meetings are
conducted and confidential issues are discussed, is most appropriate. The cabin should have one
entrance-cumexit door where entry is controlled by the secretary. Ample built-in shelves and
cupboards with locks should be provided to store files and records.

Assistant Housekeeper’s Cabin

33
A smaller cabin should be provided for the assistant housekeeper, preceding the executive
housekeeper’s cabin. Storage area for documents is essential in the AHK’s cabin.

TABLE 3.1 LAYOUT OF HOUSEKEEPING DEPARTMENT

Desk control room

This is the main communication center of housekeeping. It is formation that all information is
sent out and received concerning the department. The desk control room should have desk and a
chair with preferably more than one telephone. The desk control room is point where all staff 3
report for duty and check out at the duty end. It should have notice board to pin up information
for staff and more than one telephone connection as well storage shelves for register and files

Linen room

This is the room where current linen is stored for issues and receipt. The room should be large,
airy and free from heat and humidity. It should have adequate shelves, easily accessible to stock
all linen. It should be secure and offer no possibilities of pilferage. The room should preferably
be adjoining the laundry so that the supply of linen of and from laundry is quick and smooth.
Only authorized personnel working in the linen room should be permitted to enter it.

Linen uniform store

This room stores the stocks of new linen cloth material for uniform etc. the room should be cool
and dry. It should be provided shelves and racks to store all linen and uniforms.

34
Uniform room

This room stocks the uniforms in current use. It is possible that smaller hotels may choose to
combine the uniform room with the linen room. The only difference would be that the uniform
room would have adequate hanging facilities as many uniforms are best maintain when hung.

Sewing room

This room is used for repair work carried out on linen, uniforms, and soft furnishings. It should
be large enough to accommodate sewing machine, an ironing table, and space for items to be
repaired

Lost and found

This should be a small place away from the thoroughfare, secure, cool and dry with a cupboard
to store all guest articles that are lost and may be claimed later.

Florist’s room

This should be an air-conditioned room to keep fresh flower for such flower arrangement as the
hotel may require. The room should have work tables a sink and water supply.

Floor pantries

Each guest floor must have a floor pantry to keep a supply of linen, guest supplies and cleaning
supplies for the floor. The floor pantry should keep one complete set of linen that floor over and
above what is circulation in room

Heavy equipment store

This will be room to store bulky items. The room should be clean and dry. It should also be
securely locked to avoid stealing or pilferage by other department.

Horticulture equipment store

There are a number of gardens equipment’s such as lawn mower, spades, rakes, and pots that
essential to gardening operation. The larger the landscapes to be tended, the larger will be
storage measurement.

35
Floor Pantry

Through not attached to the department physically, floor pantries are very much a part of the
housekeeping department. These are locked on each floor to keep a stock of linen, guest
supplies, and maid’s cart and cleaning supplies for that particular floor. The floor pantry should
be tucked away from guests view and should be situated near the service elevators. It should
have shelves and cupboards for linen and supplies, and sufficient area to park a room maid’s
cart. It should have a sink with water supply. The sample layout of floor pantry is given below:

TABLE 3.2 Layout of floor pantry

Since the floor pantry is used to stock expensive items such as linen, it should remain locked at
all times when not is use. The key to the floor pantry is kept by the GRA of that floor a
duplicate is kept with the floor supervisor.

The following should be provided in be provided in a floor pantry:

• Cupboards to store guest supplies, cleaning agents and equipment.

• Shelves and racks to store fresh room linen.

• Linen trolleys to store fresh and soiled linen and for transporting/dispatching the same to the
linen and uniform room.

36
• A notice board to display information regarding expected arrivals, VIPs in the house, extra bed
and guest loan items given to guests.

• A sink with hot and cold-water facilities to wash or disinfect glasses, fill drinking water in
flasks, and for flower arrangements.

• Guest loan items such as rollaway beds, cribs and bed boards.

The forms and records maintained in the floor pantry are as follows:

• Copy of Room Linen Exchange Form sent from the Linen Room.

• Room Linen Inventory Form.

• Stores Requisitions Form for requisitioning guests supplies, cleaning supplies, and Stationery
items.

• Floor Duty Chart

• Floor Maintenance Register that records all the maintenance works that need to be completed
on the floor.

• Spring Cleaning Register for the periodic schedule of thorough cleaning of the rooms on
rotation.

TABLE 3.3 LAYOUT OF A ROOM

37
Types of Hotel Rooms
The condition of guest rooms maintained by housekeeping is the most vital factor as far as the
customer satisfaction in the hotel business is concerned.
 Single Room − A room with the facility of single bed. It is meant for single occupancy.
It has an attached bathroom, a small dressing table, a small bedside table, and a small
writing table. Sometimes it has a single chair too.
 Double Room − A room with the facility of double bed. There are two variants in this
type depending upon the size of the bed
o King Double Room (with king size double bed)
o Queen Double Room (with queen size double bed)
It is equipped with adequate furniture such as dressing table and a writing table, a TV,
and a small fridge.

FIG 3.1

 Deluxe Room − They are available in Single Deluxe and Double Deluxe variants.
Deluxe room is well furnished. Some amenities are attached bathroom, a dressing
table, a bedside table, a small writing table, a TV, and a small fridge. The floor is
covered with carpet and most suitable for small families.
 Double-Double (Twin Double) Room − This room provides two double beds with
separate headboards. It is ideal for a family with two children below 12 years.
 Twin Room − This room provides two single beds with separate headboards. It is
meant for two independent people. It also has a single bedside table shared between
the two beds.

FIG 3.2 Rooms in Burj Al Arab

38
  Hollywood Twin Room − This room provides two single beds with a common
headboard. If a need arises, the two beds can be brought together to form a double bed.
 Duplex Room − This type is composed of two rooms located on two different floors,
connected with internal stairs.
 Cabana − This type of room faces water body, beach, or a swimming pool. It generally
has a large balcony.
 Suite −It is composed of one or more bedrooms, a living room, and a dining area. It is
excellent for the guests who prefer more space, wish to entertain their guests without
interruption and giving up privacy.There are various types of suites −
o Regular Suite − Best for business travelers.
o Penthouse Suite − Luxurious than the regular suite. It is provided with the
access to terrace space above the suite. It is aloof from crowd and provides
abird’s eye view of the city. It has all the amenities and structure similar to a
regular suite.
o Presidential Suite − The best possible suite in the hotel.

FIG 3.3 Presidential suite in Burj Al Arab

 Sico − This is a kind of multipurpose room, which can be used as a meeting room
during the day and as a bedroom during the night. These rooms have special beds
called Murphy Bed that can be folded entirely against a wall. This bed may or may
not have headboard. The lower face of the bed which becomes visible after folding or
placing upright, has a decorative wall paper, mirror, or a painting. After folding the
bed, the room can accommodate sitting for five to ten people.

Equipment used:
The housekeeping staff needs to clean various guest rooms, guest bathrooms, and a number of
public areas in the hotel. The staff needs to take the help of various cleaning equipment while
trying to keep the hotel premises to the highest standard of appearance.

Classification of Cleaning Equipment

Manual Cleaning Equipment

As the name suggests, they are used manually to keep the surfaces clean. Some commonly
used manual equipment are −

39
 Abrasives − They are the sharpening stones or grit papers used to polish metal or
wooden surfaces. There are various abrasives depending upon the size of grit and
adhesion of grit particles on the paper.
 Brushes − They are handheld flat brushes with bristles to dust the plain surfaces as
well as the corners. They come with non-slip handles and stiff scratch-free bristles.
They help removing stubborn dust.
 Chambermaid’s Trolley/Housekeeping Trolley − This trolley is large enough to
keep all the guest room and guest bathroom supplies in an organized manner. It makes
the housekeeping staff to move it around and carry large number of items in one go
while keeping and cleaning the guest rooms.
 Dustbins − They are used to collect daily garbage produced in the hotel.
 Dusting Cloths − They are soft cloths used for wiping the surface dust.
 Dustpans − They are used to collect dust and garbage from the floor and putting it into
the dustbin.
 Janitor’s trolley − It is a trolley that stores cleaning supplies such as detergents, spray
bottles, dustbin, mop, and dusting cloths, all in a compact manner. It can be moved
around easily. It fulfills the challenge of modern day housekeeping in hotels.
 Mops − There are various types of mops such as string mops, flat mops, dust mops,
and synthetic mops. Mops are generally made of flat cotton strings or heavy-duty
sponges fixed on the metal frames. The cotton mops have high absorbing ability but
need more care unlike the synthetic mops that offer almost zero absorbing ability and
very less maintenance.
 Mop Wringer trolley − A mop bucket cart (or mop trolley) is a wheeled bucket that
allows its user to wring out a wet mop without getting the hands dirty. The mops are
squeezed between two surfaces to remove dirty water from it.
 Scarifying machine − It is used for keeping gardens, golf courts, and lawn in the hotel
premises. It cuts through the turf, and removes moss and dead grass. It helps grow
spongy lawn. Scarifiers have fixed knife blades attached to the rotary cylinder. They
cut through the grass by which the offshoots are separated into lots of individual
plants. This helps to thicken up the turf and improve its health.
 Spray Bottles − They are used to spray water or chemical solutions on the surface that
needs cleaning. They are also used to spray water on the delicate flowers or leaves of
flower arrangement.

40
 FIG 3.4 Manual Equipments

Electric Cleaning Equipment

As the name depicts, these equipment require electrical power to operate. They are operated
either on AC power or on the battery. Some important electric equipment are −
 Box Sweeper − It is electric sweeper that consists of a friction brush. The brush often
is fit to revolve vertically or horizontally, when the equipment moves on the surface. It
can clean floors as well as carpets. The wider the better is the box sweeper brush.
 Vacuum Cleaner − It is again a majorly used equipment in hotel housekeeping. It
comes with a suction motor fit in a case, a hose, and various attachment for delicate as
well as tough cleaning requirements.
 Polishing Machine − They are used to add a shine to the floors of most frequented
areas of the hotel.
 Scrubber − It is a floor care accessory that comes with handheld electrically operated
scrubber. It is used where only mopping doesn’t suffice. It can scrub stubborn and
sticky stains on the floors of cafeterias, restaurants, lobbies, and fitness areas where
people can take food and beverages.
 Vapor Cleaning Machine − They are used where the chemical odors are not desired.
They are equipped for continuous operation. They heat up quickly and work with low
amount of moisture. They kill the beg bugs and their eggs, the yielding a completely
clean environment.

41
 FIG 3.5 Electrical equipments

Cleaning Agents or Chemicals

Apart from water and regular detergents, the housekeeping staff also uses cleaning chemicals,
which are often available in the form of liquids, blocks, and powders.
 Water − It is the most commonly used medium for cleaning and rinsing. The
housekeeping staff needs to use only soft water because hard water cannot dilute
detergents properly. Non-oily and non-greasy stains such as ink stains can be removed
using water.
 Vinegar − It is used in removing light stains in the bath.
 Bathroom Cleaners − They come in liquid form for easy cleaning. They clean,
descale, and disinfect the bathroom walls, bathtubs, bathroom flooring, sinks, and
showers. They often contain phosphoric acid.
 Clean Air Sprays − They are best for freshening the hotel corridors, washrooms,
bathrooms, and reception areas. These sprays remove the pungent smell of tobacco,
smoke, and organic wastes.
 Degreaser − This is mainly used in bars to remove the marks of grease and lipstick that
cannot be removed by traditional washing of glasses and cups. Degreaser restores the
surface shine and transparency of the glasses and bowls.

42
 FIG 3.6 CLEANING AGENTS AND CHEMICALS

 Floor Cleaners and Sealers − One of the important tasks of hotel housekeeping is
cleaning the floor periodically and keeping it sealed with the help of sealer of the right
consistency for optimum maintenance. Some areas in the hotel are busy and bear
heavy traffic such as lobby, corridors, parking areas, restaurants, and dining halls.
Their floorings loses smoothness and shine. In such a case, the floor cleaners and
sealers are used for restoring their look and shine.
 Laundry Cleaners − They are liquid concentrates with variable amount of peroxide
that removes tough stains, bleaches the linen, and enhances its whiteness.
A number of chemicals are used in dry-cleaning. They are camphor oil, turpentine
spirits, benzene, kerosene and white gasoline, petroleum solvents such as naphtha
blends, chloroform, carbon tetrachloride, and liquid carbon dioxide. They remove the
stains from silk tapestry without damaging the fibers.
 Surface Sanitizers − They often come in the form of liquid concentrate. They are
water-based and sanitize the surfaces without damaging their appearance. The
sanitizers reduce the presence of bacteria to a great extent. They come with different
concentrations and fragrances.
 Toilet Blocks − They deodorize the toilets and leave them with a fresh smell. They
come with two variants: continuous action and instant action. They contain oxidizing
agents such as ozone, hydrogen peroxide, or chlorine that removes unpleasant organic
odor from the surface of a material.
 Toilet Cleaners − They are available in liquid form containing strong hydrochloric
acid. They remove stains and plumbing scales easily, and restore the shine of their
surface.
 Carpet Cleaning Agents − Cleaning and maintaining the carpets are important tasks
of hotel housekeeping. As suggested by the Carpet and Rug Institute (CRI), carpet
cleaning is complete when the following issues are tackled −
o Soil containment
o Vacuuming

43
 o Spotting
o Interim cleaning
o Restorative cleaning
Carpet cleaning chemicals are often low-moisture, fast-drying cleaners that take care
of the above said issues effectively
 Swimming Pool Cleaners − They are used for cleaning the swimming pool water.
Some of them are TCCA-90 granules or tablets, SDIC, hydrochloric acid (HCL),
liquid chlorine, and alum. The pool cleaning chemicals kill the bacterial and algae
growth in the water.
The chemicals like Sodium Dichloroisocyanurate (SDIC) has 60% of chlorine content and is
used worldwide for disinfecting water. The pool cleaning chemicals dissolve fast in water and
provide quick cleaning results. The housekeeping staff needs to take extra care while cleaning
baby pools using these cleaners.

FOOD AND BEVERAGE SERVICE DEPARTMENT:

F&B Service Department is responsible for maintaining the high quality of food and service,
food costing, managing restaurants, bars, etc. Food and Beverage Service is the service of Food
made in the Kitchen and Drinks prepared in the Bar to the Customers (Guest) at the Food &
Beverage premises, which can be: Restaurants, Bars, Hotels, Airlines, Cruise Ships, Trains,
Companies, Schools, Colleges, Hospitals, Prisons, Takeaway, etc

Food & Beverage Outlets are divided into the following categories:

Restaurants: Restaurants are places where Food & Drink is served. There are various types of
Restaurants:

All Day Dining Restaurants: They are usually called Coffee Shop or Cafe in Hotels. They are
usually big in size with many Covers (seats), compared to other Restaurants in the same Hotel.
The main reason why they are called All Day Dining Restaurant is because of their hours of
operation, as they are open for Breakfast in the Morning to Lunch in the afternoon to Dinner in
the evening.

44
FIG 3.7 Al Muntaha (The finest French and Italian cuisine in the world’s most iconic hotel by
acclaimed Chef Saverio Sbaragli)

Fine Dining Restaurants: Fine Dining Restaurants are characterized by their elaborate and
exclusive menu with special emphasis on the very high-quality food they serve. The emphasis is
on fresh ingredients and natural flavors or on the type of Cuisine served, or both. Usually, the
operation of this restaurant revolves around the Head Chef or Chef De Cuisine of this Outlet.

Specialty Restaurants: These are Restaurants which usually have a type of National or

Regional Character or Cuisine attached to them, for example: Italian Specialty Restaurant,
Chinese Specialty Restaurant, etc. In some Hotels, they do also sometimes have Multi Cuisine
Specialty Restaurant, which literally means that Restaurant serves cuisine from more than one
country.

FIG 3.8 Al Mahara ( seafood restaurant with its own floor-to-ceiling aquarium)

45
Bar: Bar is a place where drinks are served. There is usually a small Snacks Menu too. The
service is fast and quick. There are various kinds of Bars ranging from Formal bars to Club
Bars, Pubs, Pool, Bars, Wine Bars, Cocktail Bars, Beach Bar to Juice Bars and many more.

Discotheque/Nightclub: They are outlets where Music and Entertainment take priority with
Food & Drink. The operation is very fast and the guest numbers are large. Security is an
important aspect of these operations. Music and entertainment can range from DJ to live bands
playing.

Room Service/In-Room Dining: Room Service, also known as In-Room Dining. It is the

service of Food & Drink in Guest Rooms in a Hotel or a Resort.

Meeting and Conference Rooms: Meeting and Conference rooms together with Ball Rooms
come under the Banquets & Conference section. They are a great source of Revenue in Food &
Beverage Department usually in Corporate and City Hotels. MICE (Meetings, Incentives, and
Conferences & Exhibitions) can alone bring much revenue to some hotels in comparison to
other outlets in the Hotel.

Lounge: Lounges can be found in different hotels. Their main purpose is to offer Food &
Drinks in comfortable and cozy seating in relaxed surroundings. There are many kinds of
Lounges ranging from a Lounge in a Lobby, Cocktail Lounge and Cigar Lounge to Executive
and Club Lounge on special Floors.

FIG 3.9 Scape Lounge (A lively, music-filled terrace overlooking the Gulf makes this the
perfect place to start or end a night out in Dubai)

Bar: It is a Commercial establishment where the guest is served alcoholic and non-alcoholic
beverages along with snacks.

46
 FIG 3.10 Gold on 27 (A glittering night spot with master mixology and magical views of
Dubai)

Banquets: These are large Function Rooms that are primarily used for Functions and
Weddings. The Staffing ratio of Full Time Staff in this section is very less as the Function and
Wedding Business can sometimes be seasonal and extra staff is usually filled in by the use of
Casual Staff. This Section is the most Dynamic section in Food & Beverage with the
Conference Section, which is more physically demanding and creatively oriented.

STEPS FOLLWED IN PLANNING AN OUTLET

Planning is the first and the most important factor to be considered while establishing an outlet.
Proper planning reduces project time and labour cost. There are three steps involved in
planning.

STEP 1 Doing market survey and gathering information. Actually developing the blue prints
and putting plans into practice.

STEP 2 Procuring funds and the required space area or building and equipment; setting
standards (SOP) and recruiting staff.

STEP 3 Listing out policies and procedures, setting goals and targets to be achieved in a
particular time frame. Defining service standards and focusing on operations to bring in more
profits.

POINTS TO BE CONSIDERED WHILE PLANNING AN OUTLET

Location: Location of the outlet plays a major role in deciding the operations. It also affects the
profitability.

Operations of an outlet located in tourist spot or in a resort area is different from those in an
outlet located in an urban area.

47
Target market: Recognizing a market segment and understanding their preference is very
important to cater to a target market

Business Potency: Knowing the potency of a particular market segment or location is essential
to start an outlet, because business comes from the potential guest and not from the population
of the market.

Budget: Budget affects the size and quality of operations. Most of the planning is directly
connected to budgeting. One should remember to include initial operational costs in the budget.

Space availability: Procuring space for establishing an outlet is one of the major difficulties
faced. Sufficient space is required to accommodate the potential guests, and more often this is
expensive. Space should not be very from targeted location

Availability of skilled manpower: Success of any operation depends on the quality of services
offered. Quality service can be achieved by setting high standards. To maintain the high
standards and to provide speciality services, skilled staff is required. Getting skilled labour is
expensive.

Local Influence: The greatly affecting factors are religious and communal restrictions, culture
life style, and eating habits of a particular locality.

Competition: Identifying and studying competitors is important while planning an outlet. A

detailed analysis of the competitors helps in introducing new concepts and better services in an
outlet

Legal aspects: This is important and generally ignored aspect of outlet planning. Finding and
completing all legal formalities is essential. It is always advised to adhere to local laws.

OBJECTIVES OF A GOOD LAYOUT

1. To make maximum or optimum use of the available area, keeping equipments in an orderly
way

2. Giving maximum moving space to the staff and the guests

3. To allocate washing and storing areas

4. To ensure that service time is minimal as possible

5. To ensure smoother flow of operations

6. To reduce unnecessary movements of the staff and equipments.

7. To give comfortable working conditions to staff

8. To ensure safe environment

9. Guest flow path and staff flow path should not cross each other

48
The space required for any food and beverage outlet is calculated based on the seating capacity,
arrangement, and type of operations. A general guideline is that, the guest area should be 70%
of the total outlet space. The rest 30% can be for the supporting areas. This percentage may
differ from operations to operation. First, it is essential to identify the capacity of an outlet. This
can be calculated with a simple formula based on three factors.

 Expected Guest Flow /Potential Covers: This figure can be achieved by doing market
study and competitor analysis.
 Available Service Time /Operating Hours: This is outlet opening time for a meal in
minutes.
 Average Meal Time: This is the average time taken to consume one meal in the outlet.
This is decided based on the type of operations and the menu offered.

TABLE 3.4 Layout of a Restaurant

49
Equipment used:

The equipment used in food and beverage outlets can be categorized into ‘heavy-duty’ and
‘light-duty’ equipment. As the name refers, the heavy-duty equipment is too heavy to move and
shift. Working tables, refrigerators, bain-marie, deep freezers, food cabinets, and trolleys
usually come under this category. On the other hand, the light duty equipment is smaller in size
and easy to carry. Trays, crockery, cutlery glassware, and flatware come under this category.

50
Heavy –duty equipment: These are large in size and difficult to move around. So , a great care
must be taken while planning to purchase and locating them. Once the heavy equipment is
located or fixed, it is difficult to shift it. So, identifying the correct locations for the first time is
very important. As the heavy-duty equipment is expensive therefore, it is necessary to check its
durability and life warranty.

Light-duty Equipment: This category mainly consists of crockery, glassware, cutlery, and linen.
As these are small in size, there is a lot of probability of misuse and pilferage. So, a great care
must be taken when selecting and deciding on stock levels.

Furniture in F&B Services

Furniture is an important part of any F&B Services outlet. It needs to be strong, easy to use and
clean. The furniture plays an important role in bringing the look and creating an ambience of
the outlet. The furniture, fixtures, and fittings are fixed commodities.

Indoor Furniture

It mainly consists of tables, chairs, push-down chairs, racks, and lockers.

Outdoor Furniture

It needs to be sturdy as well as attractive. It includes coffee tables and chairs, bar chairs, dining
sets, day beds, loungers, hammocks, and swings.

Fixtures and Fittings

A fixture is any item bolted to the floor or walls. For example, air conditioners, electric plugs,
sinks and toilets, art pieces, and television screens mounted on wall are fixtures.
A fitting is any free standing item or an item that can be hung by a nail or hook. For example,
paintings, mirrors, curtain rails, and lamps are fittings.

Tableware in F&B Services

Tableware consists of crockery, cutlery, glassware and linen used while serving and eating
meals at a table. These are circulating equipment which can be grouped into the following
types −

Chinaware

This is a collection of fine dishes, bowls, food platters, section dishes, ramekins, cups and
saucers, soup spoons, vases, and ash trays made using a translucent ceramic material.

51
 FIG 3.11 CHINAWARE

Hollowware

This consists of containers such as serving bowls, pots, kettles, ice jugs, and water. These
containers are either made from glass or metals such as copper, brass, or stainless steel.

FIG 3.12 HOLLOWWARE

Glassware

52
This consists of articles made of fine glass. Glassware includes jugs, pitchers, drinkware, ash
trays, vases, and similar articles.

Silverware

The objects in silverware are made of Electro Plated Nickel Silver (EPNS). These are made
from an alloy of brass, zinc, stainless steel or nickel with silver plating of 10 to 15 microns.
Silverware includes spoons, forks, knives, hollowware, drinkware, tongs, ice bucket, and a
salver.

FIG 3.13 SILVERWARE

Chaffing Dishes (Chafers)

These are food warming dishes. They keep the food warm for an adequate time and
temperature. They come in two variants: electric or chafer fuel candle.
Chaffing dishes are available in multiple sizes, shapes, and lids. Modern-day chafing dishes are
made of light metal or ceramic with handles, sometimes covered with a see-through lid. Here
are some chaffing dishes −

FIG 3.14 CHAFFING DISHES

FOOD PRODUCTION DEPARTMENT:

53
Food production allows not only to produce maximum products from the minimum amount of
raw materials, using rational processing and other methods but also to preserve products for a
longer period of time, to avoid damage and rejection, which is no less important.

Food production has many sections and it starts with basic things like cleaning, packing,
segregating, sorting, preparing, adding ingredients in correct proportions, presenting, etc.

TABLE 3.5 LAYOUT OF KITVHEN IN A 5 STAR HOTEL

Sections of the kitchen:

SAUCE section of hotel kitchen :

The sauce section is responsible for providing all meat, poultry and game dishes with the
exception of those that are roasted or grilled. All the meat dishes are cooked and garnished here

ROAST section of hotel kitchen :

The roast section is responsible for providing all roast dishes of meat, poultry and game It is
responsible for all grilled dishes of meat, chicken and fish, and this duty is often delegated to the
grill cook. The section is also responsible for the preparation of a number of dishes and the deep
frying of the food items

54
FISH section of hotel kitchen :

This section is responsible for the provision of all fish dishes with the exception of those that are
plain, grilled or deep fried The cleaning, scaling, filleting, crumbling is done by the fishmonger

FIG 3.15 Kichen

GARDE MANGER / LARDER / COLD KITCHEN :

The word larder has in professional kitchens a much wider significance it is generally referred
as the cold kitchen or the cold section where mise – en- place is done All cold savoury items in
the menu are prepared here. The larder is not simply a place where food is stored but a place
where the raw materials for cooking are prepared and dressed In large establishments, the work
is further divided into sections With the butchery being considered more as a separate entity,
presently this section is hardly controlled by the Larder Chef The Butcher Chef or Head Butcher
works in close liaison with all the sections, especially with the Roast Cook. Grill Cook. Curry
Cook and the Larder Chef to provide the meat to them right on time.

1) Hors d’oeuvre & Salad section section : Section of the cold kitchen where salads, cold sauces
and preplated cold starters are prepared

Pantry section of hotel kitchen:

All juices and sandwiches are prepared and served from here This section is also considered as
the service counter of the entire section This section is generally in the main kitchen and away
from the cold room as because hot sandwiches like toasted and grilled options are also served
from here

55
Butcher Shop / Butchery : Air conditioned pre – preparation room for boning, paring and
cutting, where meats are cut according to specifications are prepared and portioned and sent to
the main kitchen

SOUP section of hotel kitchen :

It is the responsibility of this section to prepare all varieties of soups All basic stocks are also
prepared here The cold soups are prepared and passed to the larder for service.

COMMISERIE section of hotel kitchen:

Basically it is the mise-en-place zone of vegetables Various quantities of vegetables are peeled,
cleaned and trimmed, refreshed and placed into the refrigerator by semi-skilled workers Mise-
en-place is carried out according to menu requirements and supplied to the respective section of
the kitchen

VEGETABLE section of hotel kitchen :

An entremets course in France was the responsibility of the vegetables, who skillfully prepared
and cooked vegetables, which could be served as a separate course Vegetable garnishes are
prepared here and given to other sections Italian pastas but not noodles are also prepared in this
section Items like spaghetti, macaroni and rice may be sent to other sections for garnishes

INDIAN section of hotel kitchen :

This section is responsible for the preparation of all Indian dishes. The work is subdivided into
subsections

such as: Hot Range : Vegetables, (bhajee. curries), rice, pulao. biryani, meat, Fish, etc are
prepared here The banquet dishes can be prepared here too.

56
 FIG 3.16 Kitchen

Tandoor section of hotel kitchen :

Tandoori breads (bread, chappaties, puries, bhaturas, etc.), tandoor (seekh kababs, tandoor
chicken, boti kababs) are prepared here.

Halwai section of hotel kitchen :

Indian sweets (jalebis. rasgullas. rabri. etc.) of all variety are prepared here

PASTRY section of hotel kitchen:

The work of this section is normally separated from the main kitchen and is self-contained. The
function of this section is to prepare hot and cold sweets, and pastries for tea-time and other
occasions The department needs

workers with skill, imagination and experience. The department has two sub divisions:

Confectionery section of hotel kitchen :

The art of pastry includes work like coloured sugars to make flower baskets and similar
decorative centre pieces, work with fondant and icing sugar, gum pastes, fashioning of praline
into decorative objects

57
Bakery section of hotel kitchen :

This section deals with all the baking and hot preparations It produces the sponge for the cakes
and also prepares pastes like short and puff pastry, which are later assembled in Patisserie

FIG 3.17 Bakery

EQUIPMENTS USED:

Commercial kitchen equipment need to produce food for a large number of consumers. It
needs to be robust, durable, and easy to operate. The equipment should consume less
electricity, improve the productivity of food production operations, and must be eco-friendly.
Last but not the least, it should serve its purpose effectively.
Most kitchen equipment are operated electronically. There is a wide range of cooking, cutting,
baking, and cleaning equipment available for the kitchen staff.
Let us introduce ourselves to some typical kitchen equipment.

Commercial Food Production Equipment

Here are some basic food production equipment.

Burners

They are used for cooking, boiling, and steaming. They often operate on Liquid Petroleum Gas
(LPG). Now induction burners and hot plates are available, which operate on electricity. They
come with open top, mesh top, or flat top.

58
 FIG 3.18 BURNERS

Cooking Ranges

Cooking range is the most versatile equipment operating on either LPG or electricity. The
name implies, it can perform a range of functions such as cooking, frying, boiling, grilling, and
baking. It comes in two basic versions −
 Restaurant range − Less expensive, good for less food volume, and is stand alone.
 Heavy duty range − Expensive, suits a large volume of food production, and can be
banked with other ranges using a battery.

FIG 3.19 COOKING RANGES

Ovens

They are used for cooking, baking, roasting, and browning. They operate either on LPG or
electricity. There are various oven models such as Rack with the option of rotating or steady
racks, Deck, and Tunnel depicting their shape and working style.

59
 FIG 3.20 OVENS

 Rack oven − It contains a set of stacked racks often placed equidistant, one above the
other in a tall stainless steel frame. This oven is good to produce large volume of food
items such as breads, cookies, and croissants.
 Deck oven − It contains racks or rotisseries that can cook various meats such as
chicken, duck, lamb, etc. simultaneously and evenly. They also come in baking deck
and pizza deck variants. The number of decks are generally up to four.
 Tunnel oven − It comes in direct heat and indirect heat variants. It is suitable for high
temperature baking.
There are myriad number of ovens available in the market, which vary according to the energy
they consume, the manner of heating food, sizes, and shapes.

Griddles

They are flat plates made of iron, stainless steel, or aluminium, which transfer heat to the food.
Griddles are prone to heat loss when the plate is partially unused.

FIG 3.21 GRIDDLES

They are mainly used for preparing breakfast items such as omelets, scrambled eggs, patties,
sandwiches, burgers, and pancakes. Normally, the residual grease needs to be wiped out
occasionally from the surface to prevent tempering. In case of steel griddles, caramelization
occurs if the surface is not kept clean. Teflon surface griddles are more durable and efficient.

Pans and Cooking Spoons

There are a wide range of pans, pots, and spoons used for cooking.
 Pans − Depending upon the type of cooking, the cook selects a pan. The pans serve the
purpose of shallow frying, boiling, and stir frying.
 Pots − The pots are used for cooking and preparing stocks. They are generally
accompanied with lids. The steamer is used to prepare steamed food such as rice,
momos, and idlis (fluffy rice dumplings). There are two variants − shallow and deep.

60
 FIG 3.22 PANS

 Spoons − The spoons help to check the thickness of liquids, tenderness of solids, stir,
and turn the food in the pots and pans. Various spoons used during cooking are
skimmer, turner, masher, ladle, fork-spoon, and utility spoon.

FIG 3.23 SPOONS

Kettles

The kettles are used for cooking, warming, and storing food. They are two layered pots- one
inside the other with a gap in between for steam. They are usually jacketed, agitator tilting for
better view and food handling. The kettles also have a product discharge valve that provides an
efficient transfer of kettle product to a service area without damaging delicate food items.

61
 FIG 3.24 KETTLES

Deep kettles are best for soups, gravies, spaghetti sauces, pie fillings, and puddings as the
quality of these food items remains the same irrespective of their volume and frequent stirring.
Lentils, beans, and pasta can be cooked in deep kettles.
The shallow kettles are best for cooking and warming stews, patties, steamed vegetables,
where this kettle offers better view and less food handling.

Vegetable Cutters/Choppers

The cutters or choppers are used in cutting, dicing, shredding, and slicing vegetables in various
shapes and sizes. They are also used to cut bread into small pieces for puddings or soups. The
handheld cutters are used for cutting fruits, salads, etc. for presentation.
Cutters are made of either plastic or stainless steel. Some cutters come with single or multiple
wheels with zig-zag or plain edge. Some cutters have round small bowl-like shape to cut round
pieces of fruits.

FIG 3.25 VEGETABLE CUTTERS/CHOPPERS

Mixers

62
The overhead motor vertical mixer is most commonly used in commercial food production
units. Mixers are used for mixing and blending. There are broadly two types of mixers − table
mounted and floor mounted.

FIG 3.26 MIXERS

Mixers have the following standard accessories −

 Flat beater − Mashing and beating foods of medium consistency such as boiled
potatoes.
 Wire whipper − whipping cream, eggs, frosts and other light foods that contain air. It
works on high speed.
 Dough arm − It handles heavy and bulky ingredients such as bread dough at low
speed.

Cookers and Steamers

Commercial cookers and steamers largely operate on electricity. The cooks use these for
cooking rice, lentils, and vegetables. The steamers are used for preparing steamed food such as
Idli (a type of fluffy rice dumpling), momos, and dhokla.

FIG 3.27 COOKERS AND STEAMERS

Fryer

63
Some food items are prepared by immersing them in heated oil in a fryer. There are two basic
versions of a fryer − Electric fryer and Gas fryer. The frying time and oil temperature varies
directly with the food type and the size of the fryer. It consists of a fryer basket and heating
element and a thermostat controls a fryer.

FIG 3.28 FRYER

The fryers are used to fry potato chips, Pooris (fried Indian bread), doughnuts, begels, onion
rings, shrimp, fish, chicken, okra, and zucchini.

Juicer

Juicers extract juices and pulps from fruits and vegetables. It operates on electricity and speeds
up the juice production process. The fruits are added in the juicer from the top. It separates the
juice and left over peels and unused fibers from the fruits. There are three types of juicers −
 Centrifugal − It works by crushing fruits. It is quick and yields plain juice.
 Masticating − It works longer to yield juice of specified texture and consistency.
 Twin-gear − It uses various gears and membranes to yield best quality juice of almost
any fruit, carrot, tomato, or leafy vegetables. It also helps to prevent oxidation of the
juice.

FIG 3.29 JUICERS

64
It is very useful in preparing juices and pulps for breakfast, for meals as appetizers, and for
using them in cocktails, mocktails, and smoothies.

Maintenance Equipment in Commercial Kitchen

We will discuss here a few important maintenance equipment used in professional kitchens.

Dish Washer

It can wash multiple dishes and bowls simultaneously. It is an automatic machine but needs
human interaction for loading used dishes into dish racks and unloading clean dishes after
wash cycle. It eliminates a great effort required for traditional dish washing. There are two
basic types of dishwasher −
 Door-type − It is large machine. It can clean from 50 to 125 dish racks depending upon
the size of the machine.
 Under-counter − It is smaller and can fit under the kitchen platform.

FIG 3.30 DISHWASHERS

Both dishwashers give sparkling clean dishes.

Dish Warmer

It can dry as many as 1800 dishes an hour and eliminates the possibility of contamination
caused by conventional drying methods. It conducts speedy washing of dishes. It also keeps
the micro organic particles depositing at bay for long time.

FIG 3.31 DISH WARMER

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Special Equipment in Commercial Kitchen
There are a few special equipment used in commercial kitchen to make the tasks easy.

Nut cracker

It is used to crack the shells of hard nuts such as almonds, walnuts, hazelnuts, pine nuts, palm
nuts, and pistachio. Some machines are also capable of shelling watermelon and pumpkin
seeds, and peeling peanuts, cashew nuts and almonds.

FIG 3.32 NUTCRACKER

Shredders

A shredder cuts the fruits and vegetables into string-like fine pieces, which are useful in salads
and vegetarian cookery.

FIG 3.33 SHREDDERS

Kitchen Knives

Knives are used across various small volume dicing, cutting, slicing, carving, and filleting.
There are various knives used for different cutting and carving purposes −
 Paring knife − It is used for fine cutting work, removing onion skins, and cutting small
fruits.

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  Utility knife − It is used in general purpose cutting and scraping.
 Steak knife − It is used for cutting steaks.
 Santoku knife − Originated in Japan, this knife is used for cutting, dicing, and
mincing. (Santoku = Three virtues)
 Chef’s General knife − It is a multi-purpose knife used on multiple commodities such
as vegetables, fruits, meat, and poultry.

FIG 3.34 KNIVES

 Serrated knife (Bread Knife) − It has a long thin blade with serrated edge that
provides sawing-like motion. It is used to slice certain foods with firm skins or outer
layers such as bread, tomatoes, and capsicums.
 Boning/Filleting knives − They come with a narrow, sharp, and flexible blade and a
protruding heel near the handle. They can run along the bones of flat fish or ribs
smoothly.
 Carving knife − This knife comes with a long, thin and sharp blade to ensure neat and
accurate cutting.
 Slicing knife − It has a long sharp blade that tapers at the end and helps slicing fruits
and vegetables finely.
 Turning knife − It is an essential component to present the food in a unique way. This
knife has a small curved blade that is used to carve the vegetables into the shape of a
container.
 Cleaver − It is a butchers’ knife. It is very strong and sharp to cut through large pieces
of meat such as pork and beef.
Now let us see the fuels typically used in commercial kitchen for cooking.

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Fuels and Energy Used for Cooking
Fuel is a prime necessity in cookery. There are various types of fuels used for cooking food.
Mainly two types of fuels are used in food production − Solid fuels and Liquid fuels.

Wood Fuel

It can be acquired from logs, wood chips, and bamboo pellets. Seasoned logs are more popular
in commercial kitchen as they contain less moisture. The more the moisture, more is the smoke
created while burning.
Though it is easily available, it requires a separate storage space at commercial food
production end. Its calorific value is around 3500 Kcal/kg for moist wood and up to 4700
Kcal/kg for dry wood.

Charcoal

It is obtained by slow heating of wood, animal or vegetable remains in the absence of oxygen.
Charcoal is easily available and widely accepted as commercial cooking fuel. It produces less
smoke than wood fuel. It also requires separate storage space. Its calorific value is around 7500
Kcal/kg.
Solid fuels are useful in direct heating ovens, three stone stoves, tandoor, and barbeques. This
fuel can emit carbon or ash particles while burning. Solid fuels give gradual heating. The initial
cost is low. It also gives a tempting smoky aroma to the baked/roasted food.

Liquid Propane

It is nothing but LPG, a mixture of propane and butane gases that exist in liquid state at room
temperature. The LPG is highly inflammable and burns with a blue flame without emitting
smoke, and it can be controlled precisely. Its calorific value is around 1000 Kcal/kg.

Kerosene

It is also a petroleum product used in commercial kitchens for cooking. The liquid fuels
produce heat almost instantly. The initial cost can be high. They are convenient to use but risky
if proper safety precautions are not followed while handling these fuels.

Electricity

Though electricity is considered as an alternative fuel under energy power, it is the most
commonly used heat energy for cooking. Most of the commercial cooking appliances operate
on electricity. Electricity provides instant heating. The heat can be regulated as per the
requirement. It is easy to access, though the initial cost of wiring may be considerable

Restaurants in Burj Al Arab:

 SAL Burj Al Arab has just unveiled Sal, a shiny new pop-up restaurant, with Southern
European cuisine dining packages that include pool and beach access

 Al Muntaha Located on the 27th floor providing finest French cuisine with a
panoramic view of Dubai and Arabian gulf

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 Sahn Eddar is a bright, casual lounge in the atrium of Burj Al Arab hotel in Dubai
serving international dishes for lunch and afternoon tea.
 Al Iwan at Burj Al Arab in Dubai is Jumeirah's quintessential Arabian restaurant,
serving traditional Middle Eastern delicacies in a smart, elegant setting.
 Al Mahara is Burj Al Arab's premium seafood restaurant in Dubai for intimate dinners
from Michelin-starred chefs surrounded by marine life.
 Bab Al Yam Middle Eastern style meets European flavour at this award-winning open
kitchen
 Skyview Bar & Restaurant is a cocktail spot on the 27th floor of Jumeirah's Burj Al
Arab in Dubai, with views of the city and the sea.

FRONT OFFICE DEPARTMENT:

Front Office Department is the face and as well as the voice of a business. ... For a
business such as hospitality, the front office department comes with an aspect of
elevating customer experience with the business. Front Office department is a common
link between the customers and the business.

TABLE 3.6 LAYOUT OF FRONT OFFICE DEPARTMENT

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Physical Setup of Front Office
The physical setup includes key-hanging boards, bell desk and guest-mail handling register.
The front desk is equipped with various compartments, the computerized property
management system, and an in-house communication system.

Positioning the Front Desk

The front desk is where the guests temporarily await to find an accommodation or to clear their
bill. Hence, it needs to be positioned appropriately such that the staff and the guests can use
them conveniently. The front desk needs to be −

 Positioned at an adequate height and reach.

 An adequately lit-up area.
 Aesthetically furnished.
 Preferably near the hotel lobby and lift.
 Preferably near the sitting area.
 Wide enough to make the staff member communicate with the guests across the desk.

The functions of different front office sections are as follows:

♦ Reservation

FIG 3.35 RESERVATION

A request for accommodation by the guest in a hotel for any particular period is called
reservation. Reservationists are the employees responsible for accepting or rejecting the
reservations made by the guests from different modes such as telephone, e-mail, fax, letters, etc

♦Registration

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 FIG 3.36 REGISTRATION

Guest Registration
This section of the front office is responsible for the warm and friendly reception of all guest.
Staffs working in this section are known as a receptionist. Receptionist are the staff who have a
direct contact with the guest, thus they should pose an amiable personality with high-level o
grooming at all the times.

♦ Telephone Operator

FIG 3.37 TELEPHONE OPERATOR

This is the separate section under front office department which is located on the back side of
the hotel. They are connected to the front desk and cannot be seen by the guest. A telephone
operator is an employee in this section, responsible for handling all incoming and outgoing
guest call and hotel calls. Telephone operator is responsible for posting of all charges incurred
by the guests and the hotel employees while making out calls.

♦ Information Section

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 FIG 3.38 INFORMATION SECTION

This is another section under front office department, which is located at the visible part of
lobby separately within the lobby area or joined together with the front desk. This section is
responsible for providing information related to the hotel, rooms, and facilities and about the
city or towns where the hotel is located. Information centre of the front office is also responsible
for handling guest mails and messages.

♦ Front Office Cashier

FIG 3.39 FRONT OFFICE CASHIER

This section of the front office is located at the front desk. Front office cashier, working in this
section is responsible for updating guest bills, keeping up to date cash and credit transactions of
the guest and get them settled before the guest departure. Front office cashier should ensure the
timely collection of all guest bills from different outlets and posts them in respective folios in
case if the Front Office is not computerized.

♦Business centre

FIG 3.40 BUSINES CENTRE

Modern technology has changed the pace of information system. People can do their job in a
home country from far countries. The role of fax, photocopying and secretarial work is deemed
important t to provide these types of services to the guest. There may be demand for guest to
translate and interpret services as well as the hire of laptops, computers, and portable telephones
in their rooms. The responsibility of such type of services comes under business services. The
arrangement of meeting rooms, conferences, is also one of the duties of business centre staff. It

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the hotel has many none – English speaking guests , then bilingual secretaries may be required
in the business centre.

EQUIPMENTS USED:
Here is a list of equipment and furniture, racks and cabinets, etc. usually used in hotels run
on manual/ mechanical and automatic systems, i.e., non-automated, semi-automatic, and
fully automatic systems.

Manual Equipments

1. Room Rack
• Located just behind the front desk.
• The room rack is a wooden framework designed and contains a metallic array of pockets
which contains large number of room rack slips for showing the Reservation and HK status of
each guest room of a property.
• The Room Rack slip contained in the metallic pockets shows the type of room, the occupancy
status of guestroom and name of the guest registered in the guest room.

2. Information Desk
• Positioned at the front desk and used by the front desk agent to track the various in house
guest of the hotel.
• Information contained in the information rack are name of the guest, number and type of room
occupied, rate of the guestroom and departure and the billing instructions.

3. Mail And Message Rack

• It contains an array of pigeonholes with each pigeonhole used to store the various mails and
messages received for an in-house guest.

4. Key Rack
• It is underneath the counter of front desk.
• It contains array of slots used to keep the keys of the guestrooms.

5. Folio Bucket
• It is used in the front desk Cash section.
• It contains large number of slots where folios are arranged sequentially according to room
number.
• It is used by the Front Office Cashier to store and track the folios of the registered guests of
the hotel and also used to maintain the folios safely for future use and reference.

Semi – Automated

1.Posting Machine
• For posting the various charges in the accounts of the guest.
• Used to calculate totals of the guest accounts, departments and transactions.
• There is a keypad in account posting machines which enables cashier to enter room number
and type of transaction.

2. Cash Register
• It is used to record various sales of sundries at the Front Desk such as stamps , Newspapers ,
Candies.
• It includes a key pad , category key and amount entering key.

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3. Wake Up Devices
• It is used to remind the guests of the awakening the guest at the requested time.
• The most famous device is James Remindo Timer which is an alarm clock with pull out pins.
• Simple alarm clocks are used .Wake up calls are recorded in wake up sheet with information
of time , room number and name of the guest.

4. Credit Card Imprinter

• It is used when the guest makes a payment at the time of settling the bill.
• Makes an imprint of the credit card used by the guest as a method of payment.

5.Typewriter
• Used for preparing Front Office Documents like :
I. Registration Card Of the Guest
II. Group Reservation Confirmation letter
III. To conduct other word processing job

FIG 3.41 EQUIPMENTS USED IN FRONT OFFICE DEPARTMENT

Automatic

6.Credit Card Validator

• To check the validity of the guest credit card at the time of arrival as a mode of payment.

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• It is a computer terminal linked to the credit card data bank which holds the information
concerning the validity of the credit card of the guest.

7. Time Stamping Machine

• It is used to record the check in and checkout time of the guest and delivery time of any mail
or message for the in- house guest.
• It imprints the time and date on a piece of paper and is important for carrying out front office
operations.

8. Fax Machine
• Facsimile Automated Xerox
• It operates through telephone lines to receive and send official documents.

9. Call Accounting System

• It is fully computerized telephone system which allows the proper billings of the outgoing
calls of the guest.
• It is also known as APBX known as Automatic Private Branch Exchange.

10. Computers
• It is used for the purpose of :
Reservation
Registration
Accounting
Auditing
User friendly.

CHAPTER 4: OPERATIONS

A Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) is a set of written instructions that document a routine
or repetitive activity followed by a Hotel. SOP helps in maintaining the quality and consistency
of service and standards in your hotel.
The development and use of SOPs are an integral part of a successful quality system as it
provides individuals with the information to perform a job properly, and facilitates consistency
in the quality and integrity of a product. It is a must that all newly recruited hotel staff and
should be given training on hotels SOP. In addition, the hotels training or HR department should
be maintained and documented department wise.

Housekeeping SOP:

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 A housekeeping SOP (Standard Operating Procedure) is a documented, step-by-step process on

how to effectively perform housekeeping procedures, such as daily cleaning and maintenance

tasks. SOP in housekeeping is primarily used by hotel housekeeping supervisors to help maids

and commercial cleaners observe housekeeping standards, deliver consistent quality service,

and support positive reviews.

A Housekeeping SOP Checklist is used as a guide to ensure that the standard cleaning protocols

set by an establishment are followed. This checklist can be used by housekeepers, cleaners, and

housekeeping managers to ensure that rooms are clean and adequately prepared before allowing

the next guest to check in.

1. Ensure that doors, lights, windows, and amenities are working properly.
2. Check if the room and bathroom is clean and toiletries and other necessities are
provided for the next guest.
3. Confirm that hotel brochures, along with the hotel’s food and drink menu is available.
4. Sign-off with a digital signature from inspector or assigned housekeeper.

Here are some of the hotel SOPs for some of the most common housekeeping room:
Room for Check-In
These are standard housekeeping procedures for hotel staff when preparing rooms for new set of
guests:

 Make bed with fresh linen and pillow cases.

 Check power switches and other electronic appliances for any damages.
 Clean up ashtrays and trash bins.
 Restock desk stationery and vanity supplies
 Clean the bathroom: floor, walls, toilet, shower area, and tub.

Occupied
Perform the following sample proper housekeeping procedures for an occupied room and use
the housekeeping SOP checklist to record task completion:
 Clear the dustbins.
 Collect and replace used bedroom and bathroom linen.
 Make the bed.
 Vacuum floor carpets and rugs.
 Clean the bathroom and replenish bathroom supplies.

Room for Check-out

It can be used as a teaching tool to educate workers on the correct housekeeping procedures and
keep them updated regarding any process changes.

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 Assemble bed, chairs, settees, and other furniture and placing it appropriately.
 Wipe guest room floor with a wet mop.
 Cleaning the writing tables, assembling and placing stationery appropriately.
 Check for any articles the guest left behind.
 Clean bathroom equipment and ensure adequate supply of toiletries according
to SOPs for bathroom cleaning.
 Clean all electric appliances such as microwave, fan, refrigerator, and others.

Preparing for Bed Making:

 Remove soiled bed linen from the bed.

 Look at the mattress pad / mattress protector to see if it is stained, torn or damaged. If it
is not straighten it and make sure the mattress and box spring are even.

 Always adjust the mattress with your leg and not with your back to avoid any injuries.

 If the mattress pad is stained then remove it.

 Get a clean mattress pad and place it on the mattress:

 Lay the fresh pad on the bed.

 Unfold the pad right-side up and spread it evenly over the centre of the bed.

 Smooth out any wrinkles.

 Mattress pads / mattress protector comes in different size, be sure to use the correct size.

 Make sure you have the correct size sheets.

 Do not use a stained or torn sheet. Place them immediately in your solid linen bag.

 Take three fresh sheets and 04 pillow cover / slips as per the bed size.

Making the bed:

 Pull the bed a little away from the headboard.

 Spread the 1st bed sheet and tuck the bottom side of the bed except for the four corners.

 Take the loose end of the sheet, about a foot from the corner at the head of the bed and
pull it straight out, foaming a flap. Pull up the flap so it is flat.

 Tuck in the free part of the corner.

 Pull the flap out toward you and down over the side of the bed. Tuck the flap in.

 Move to the corner at the foot of the bed on the same side of the bed and repeat the
procedure.

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 Spread the second sheet the wrong side up, from the edge of mattress.

 Put Quilt 6” lower than the 2nd sheet.

 Spread the third sheet over the quilt.

 Fold the second sheet above the quilt and the third sheet and make a fold approximately
6” to 8”.

 Tightly tuck the sheets under the mattress.

 Go towards the foot of the bed and tightly tuck the second sheet, quilt and third sheet
together.

 Maitre the corners.

 Inset the pillows into the new pillowcase and tuck in the loose ends.

 Repeat this process for the other pillows.

 Place the pillow on the bed with the tucked edges facing the centre and the tucked flaps
on the other side of the pillows.

 Position the bedspread on the bed with equal amounts hanging over both sides and the
foot of the bed.

 Report to the supervisor if you notice stains or tears in the bedspread.

 Smooth the bedspread over the pillows to the head of the bed.

 Tuck the remaining of the bedspread under the front edge of the pillows.

 Smooth the surface of the bed.

 Check the bedspread for evenness on both sides.

 Push back bed towards the side of headboard in the exact position.

 All the four corners of the bed is mitered properly. Bed linen is stain free and properly
pressed. Bed has to be firm.

 Distance of the pillow from Headboard to the fold of the bed is approximately 20”.

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 Technology to Streamline Housekeeping SOP Compliance

With dozens of rooms to service and multiple housekeeping duties to perform for each one,
there is a chance that housekeepers may miss critical SOP points. With iAuditor by
SafetyCulture, a web and mobile inspection app, housekeeping supervisors can strengthen
compliance with housekeeping standards and enjoy the following benefits:

 Use this checklist technology for hotels to develop paperless housekeeping SOP
checklists for a variety of tasks
 Confirm compliance with housekeeping procedures on handheld devices
 Capture photo evidence of compliance and non-compliance for reporting
 Update housekeeping SOP templates without the hassle of paper printing
 Capture electronic signatures for sign off
 Enable cleaners to save time and send auto-generated reports on accomplished
housekeeping SOP (PDF, Word, CSV, or JSON)
 Submit housekeeping SOP reports to your supervisor anytime, anywhere
 Secure all SOPs and reports via unlimited cloud storage

Food & Beverage Service SOP:

Foodservice Industry standard operating procedures (SOPs) are written practices
and procedures of how your establishment will produce safe food. SOPs are a key component to
your overall food safety program. SOPs include specific details of how a policy will be
implemented including: Who will perform the task.
Here are some of the SOPs in food and beverage department:
Laying Out a Guest Table
The procedure is as follows −
 Check the table linen for cleanliness and spread it on the table neatly to remove
wrinkles.
 Replace the table soiled linen if required.
 Ensure the dining type before the setting table layout: Formal or Informal.

Formal Dining Table Layout

For a formal table setup, place the tableware as follows −

 Place the dinner plate one inch from the table edge near the chair.
 Place the salad plate above the dinner plate.
 Place the forks on left of the dinner plate. Arrange the forks according to their size with
the largest fork nearest to the dinner plate.
 Place the spoons and knives on the right side of the dinner plate according to their size
with the largest spoon and knife near the plate.
 Place the dessert spoon and fork above the plate horizontally.
 Place the quarter plate on the left side of the dinner plate.
 Place the water and the wine glasses on the top-right corner of the dinner plate.

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  Shape the clean linen aesthetically and place it on the extreme left.

FIG 4.1 Cover setup for table for four

Informal Dining Table Layout

For an informal table setup, place the tableware as follows −

 Place the dinner plate one inch inside the table edge near the chair.
 Place the forks on the left side in descending order of their size with the largest fork to
be closest to the dinner plate.
 Place dinner spoon and knife on the dinner plate’s right side.
 Place water and the wine glasses on the top-right side of the dinner plate.
 Shape the clean linen aesthetically and place it on the extreme left on the top of the
dinner plate.

Handling the Telephone Calls

The staff members who handle the telephone calls must be thoroughly aware of the work
system. The procedure for handling calls is as follows −
 Always answer the phone call promptly, within three rings. If it takes time to answer,
apologize to the customer.
 Speak with the caller attentively by avoiding any distractions around.
 Always inform the caller before transferring his call and putting him/her on hold.
 Always talk politely and respectfully to the customers by addressing women as
‘Madam’ and men as ‘Sir’.
 Ensure that you solve all the customer queries before terminating the telephonic
conversation.
 Speak clearly with a cooperative tone; do not speak loudly.
 Avoid domain jargons and informal words such as ‘Yup’, ‘hang-on’ or yeah.’ Instead,
use formal words such as ‘absolutely’, ‘please wait’, ‘Yes’, etc.
 Always end the phone call by saying, ‘Thank you for calling (sir/madam)!’.

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Taking the Order
The orders for table reservation or food delivery can be taken on phone. Direct service orders
are placed and taken to the guest table.

Taking Orders on Phone

While taking orders on phone, the visual channel of communication is absent. Hence the staff
needs to listen to the caller attentively while taking order on the phone.
 Answer the customer’s call immediately and take the communication further cordially
by saying, “Good (morning/afternoon/evening), I am (own name); How can I help
you?”
 Pay a complete ear to the customer’s requirement of food, beverage, table reservation,
or any specific requirement.
 Note down the order details on a notepad.
 Inform the customer about time estimation of delivery if it is home delivery order. If it
is table reservation, confirm the timing of customer’s arrival and the total number of
persons to the customer.
 Repeat the order to the customer and take his confirmation.
 Ask for the address or confirm the address and contact number if it is already in the
database.
 End the conversation by greeting the customer and assuring him the best service.
 Hand over the order to the kitchen staff. Inform the delivery staff member in case of
home delivery. Inform the service staff members to prepare a table for the given
number of persons and the occasion in case of table reservation.

Taking Orders at the Table

This takes place when the guests are already seated.

 Ensure that the guests are seated comfortably.
 At the start, offer them welcome drink if any or chilled water.
 Offer them food and wine menus.
 Greet the guests and ask them courteously, “What would you like to have,
(Sir/Madam)?”
 Note down the order carefully.
 Confirm which variant of the food or beverage they wish to have; if there are multiple
variants of the same food item. Help the guests by suggesting the beverage or side dish
that goes well with the main dish if required.
 Repeat the items ordered with their respective quantities.
 Inform the guest about expected time of the order arrival.
 Leave the guest table and send the order to the kitchen

Serving Food and Beverage

Following are some meticulous ways while serving food or beverages.

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  Bring food to the guest table if it is not a buffet service.
 Present the food from guest’s left side in case of formal dining.
 Prepare the food plates from the kitchen and place them on the guest table in case of
casual dining.
 Ask the guests if they need help to serve the food.
 Serve one food item at a time.
 Serve the eldest lady guest of the group first unless the lady herself is a host. After all
ladies are served, serve the men guests starting from the oldest.
 Always present a dish with its respective serving spoon.
 Tilt the service bowl a little to bring east in serving and take it away after serving.
 Always present the ordered drink in an appropriate glass by informing its name to the
guest.
 When same wine is offered in consecutive courses, serve it in the same wine glass. If
wine is changed then replace the glass with fresh one.
 Always tilt the glass while pouring drinks or fuzzy drinks so that its head and aroma is
held.
 Do not bend over served plates while serving other plates across the table. Move as
near as possible to the plate in which you serve.

Clearing the Tables

It is important to clear the table between two dining sessions by following procedure −
 Clear the table first when the guests finish their main course.
 Clear it for the second time just before the guests leave the table.
 While clearing, first remove all the pieces of flatware and chinaware except table linen
and center piece. Let the dessert flatware remain in case of first clearing.
 Let wine glasses be on the table even after the main course.
 While clearing, pickup one plate at a time and place on the tray carefully. In case of
formal dining, replace the removed plate by a fresh one so that table cover of the guest
is never empty.
 Do not overload the tray with pile of used plates; make extra rounds to the table if
required.

Presenting Bills to the Guest and Settling Them

Before presenting bill to the guest, make sure the guests don’t want to order anything more.
There are many policies of setting guest bills in the F&B establishments. Some prefer the
guests pay cash at the cash collection counter. In such case, the serving staff must accompany
the guest to the payment counter to ensure only the right amount is charged to the guest.
Some F&B Services businesses prefer to bring bills (or checks) to the guests’ tables and get
them settled. While presenting and settling the bill, follow the given steps −
 Ask politely, “Should I bring you the bill, Sir/Madam?”
 Once the guest confirms, ask how he/she would like to pay. It should be either credit
card, debit card, or cash.
 Go to the payment counter to prepare the bill.

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  Cashier prepares the bill according to the table number told by waiter.
 Present the bill in a small closed folder to the guest from his/her left side.
 Stand beside the guest till the guest examines the bill.
 If the guest pays by cash, take it and deposit the amount at the payment counter. If the
guest wishes to pay by card, take the guest’s signature on the bill, and take the card
and bill to the payment counter. If the establishment has facility of mobile card-
payment service, take the transaction device to the guest table.
 The cashier returns the balance amount if paid by cash. If the payment is by card, he
ensures the card’s expiry date and accepts the payment.
 Bring back the copy of printed bill and any change or the card to the guest.
 If the guest insists to take the tip, mention your thankfulness with smile.
 When the guest stands up to leave the table, pull the chair backwards by informing
him/her to help to get out of the chair gracefully.
 Thank the guest for his/her visit and invite him/her to visit again.

Food Production SOP:

Preparation for Kitchen Service or Kitchen Opening Task. Purpose of this SOP: The
purpose of this standard operating procedure for the kitchen is to prepare all mise en place
consistently and in a timely manner, in order to facilitate an efficient service delivery.

The purpose of this standard operating procedure for the kitchen is to prepare all mise en
place consistently and in a timely manner, in order to facilitate an efficient service delivery.The
kitchen operations service standards defined here will help the kitchen staff to achieve
the hotel's operational goals and standard.

Here are some of the SOPs in Food production/kitchen department:

Kitchen Opening Standard Procedures:

1) The Executive Chef or Sous Chef should ensure that kitchen employees arrive on duty at the
appointed time.

 All kitchen personnel meet the expected requirements of personal hygiene and wear the
correct uniform and safety clothes.

2) Explain the menu items on a daily basis prior to service to all Kitchen staff.

 All the chefs should be familiar with the preparation for the different dishes.

 All the chefs should be familiar with the presentation and garnish required for each
dish.

 Make sure the chefs are familiar with all the equipment, plates needed in preparation.

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3) Allocate the sections to respective chefs prior to service.

 All chefs are briefed prior to each shift and are clear on their duties and responsibilities
for service.

 Any special requirements for each shift or section should be highlighted.

4) Ensure that food production personnel work in a professional and efficient manner at
all times.

 Food production personnel are fully competent in the preparation of the required dishes.

 Chefs should adhere to all kitchen hygiene and safety procedures at all times.

 The Chefs should make sure that their work area is clean and tidy at all times.

 The Chefs should assemble all appropriate ingredients in advance to ensure efficiency
and work productivity.

 All initial preparations are completed efficiently and items are stored correctly until
required.

5) Assemble dishes in a timely and appealing manner.

 Crockery is correct, clean, polished and not damaged.

 Crockery is placed in a hot box one hour prior to service.

 Dishes should be prepared in accordance with the hotel's standard recipes.

 The Sous Chef should lead kitchen service from the pass.

 All orders are dictated to by the sous chef or executive chef or on the kitchen order
display system.

 Every dish is checked by the senior chef before leaving the pass for presentation,
quality and portion accuracy.

6) Ensure that the wash-up or stewarding area and equipment are clean and tidy.

 All equipment should be kept in a clean and safe state at all times.

 Dishwashing machines are checked for cleanliness before use and maintained.

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  Water is changed at least twice a day and is at the correct temperature at all times.

 Correct quantities of dishwashing detergent to be used and rinse aid are safely used.

 Waste disposal facilities are effectively used.

 Waiting for staff correctly and safely clear, stack and sort crockery, cutlery and glasses.
 All breakages must be recorded and careless breakages by the staff should be noted and
reported to management.

Front Office SOP:

A hotel's standard front office operating procedures will address everything from the
appearance of employee uniforms to making guest reservations at local theaters.
These procedures are crucial to a hotel's continued financial viability.
Here are some of the SOPs in Front Office department:
SOP for Handling Guest Luggage
This is a procedure followed by the bell desk staff at the time of the guest’s arrival and
departure. It goes as follows −

Handling Luggage on Guest Arrival

 As a bellboy look for the new arrival of guest.

 The guest vehicle stops at the hotel entrance.
 Go ahead and open the vehicle door.
 Greet the guest as, "Welcome to (hotel_name), I am (own_name). Do you need any help
with your luggage?"
 Help the elderly/disables guests to get out of the vehicle if required.
 Take the luggage in charge and ensure that nothing is left in the vehicle.
 Ask the guest’s name politely as, "May I know your name Sir/Madam?"
 Tag the luggage with the guest name.
 Ask if anything fragile or perishable is in the luggage.
 Add this information on the luggage tag.
 Inform the guest that their luggage is with you.
 Escort the guest to the hotel reception.
 Inform the guest that you will be taking care of their luggage.
 With the other front office staff, find out the accommodation number allotted to the
guest.
 Write the accommodation number on the luggage tag.
 Confirm if the guest registration formality is complete.
 If the room is ready, take the luggage to the room by the staff elevator.
 Place the luggage on the luggage rack.
 If the room is not ready, then take the luggage to the store room.
 Record the luggage details into the Daily Luggage Register.

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 FIG 4.2 Bell boys
Handling Luggage on Guest Departure
 Inform the guest that you are going to guest’s accommodation to collect the luggage.
 Have an informal conversation with the guest as, "Mr./Ms. (Guest_Name), I hope you
enjoyed your stay with us. Do you need an airport transport?"
 Collect the luggage from the guest room.
 If the guest needs to store the luggage for long term, tag the luggage with the guest
name, accommodation number, date and time of collection, contact number, and
receive the guest’s signature on long-term luggage request form.
 Ensure with the guest that nothing perishable is there in the luggage.
 Store the luggage on the designated departure area.
 If the guest is leaving the hotel immediately after check-out, then bring the luggage to
the lobby.
 If a transport vehicle is ready to go then place the luggage in the vehicle.
 Request the guest to verify the loaded luggage.
 Update the departure luggage movement on the Daily Luggage movement register.

SOP for Handling Reservation Request

The SOP goes as follows −
 Pick up the incoming call in three rings.
 Greet the guest in the audible voice, introduce yourself, and ask how you can help the
guest as, “Good (morning/evening), this is Mr./Ms. own_name, how may I help you?”
 Wait for the guest to respond.

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  The guests say that he/she needs an accommodation in your hotel.
 Tell the guest that it’s your pleasure.
 Take a new reservation form.
 Inform the guest about the types of accommodations in your hotel and their respective
charges.
 Ask for the guest’s name, contact number, and type of accommodation the guest wants.
 Ask for the guest’s dates of arrival and departure.
 Check for availability of the accommodation during those dates.
 Briefly describe the amenities the hotel provides to its guests.
 If the accommodation is available, inform the guest.
 If exactly the same kind of accommodation is not available, ask the guest if he/she
would care for another type of accommodation.
 Note down the guest’s requirements related to the accommodation.
 Ask the guest if an airport pickup/drop service is required.
 Ask how the guest would settle the bill: by cash, credit, or direct billing.
 If the guest prefers by cash or by card, then insist to pay the part of cash in advance
against booking charges or credit card details of the guest.
 Inform about reservation with the guest name, contact number, accommodation type
required, payment method, and confirmation number.
 Conclude the conversation as, “Thank you for calling hotel_name, have a nice day!”

SOP for Guest Check-in

The SOP goes as follows −

 Upon the guest’s arrival, greet the guest.

 Ask the guest for his/her name politely.
 Search the reservation record in the PMS.
 Generate and print a registration card.
 Handover a GRC to the guest for verifying printed details.
 Request the guest to show the ID card from an authorized institute.
 Request to show passport and visa in case of foreigner guest.
 Request the guest to fill in the following details on the GRC −
o Salutation
o Designation
o Organization
o Business or Residence Address with City and ZIP Code
o Purpose of Visit
o Contact Number in case of Emergency
o Passport Details
o Visa Details
 Inform the guest about any early/late check-out policies.

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  Request the guest to sign on the GRC.
 Counter-sign the GRC.
 Update the details on the guest record.
 Create a guest account.
 Prepare copies of driving license/passport and visa.
 Attach them to the GRC and file the entire set.

SOP for Handling Wake up Calls

There are manual and automatic wakeup calls.

Handling Wakeup Call Manually

 The guest can request for a wakeup call at the front office directly or by calling from
his/her own accommodation.
 Ask the guest for a wake-up time and any immediate special request after getting up.
 Open the Wakeup Call Register and enter the following information −
o Salutation
o Guest Name
o Accommodation number
o Wakeup date
o Wakeup time
o Any Special immediate request such as tea/coffee, etc.
 Conclude the conversation by greeting the guest again.
 Pass the special request for tea/coffee to the room service staff.
 At the time of wakeup call, follow the given steps −
o Confirm the current time.
o Call the guest’s accommodation number on telephone.
o Greet the guest as per the time and inform about the current time and the
progress on guest’s special request.

Handling Wakeup Call Automatically

Most hotels facilitate their guests to set automatic wakeup call using their phones or
televisions. The housekeeper must ensure that the printed instructions about setting an
automatic call are kept handy and visible.
The guest can set automatic call which is notified at the PBX system and the PMS system.
Even if the guest has set up an automatic call, it is the responsibility of the front office staff to
give a manual wakeup call to the guest to avoid any chances of inconvenience.

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SOP for Guest Check-out
The process of checking out generally is initiated by the guest. The guest calls up front office
and asks to keep the bill ready.

 The guest arrives at the front desk.

 Greet the guest.
 Print a copy of guest folio.
 Hand it over to the guest for verification.
 If there is any discrepancy, assure the guest about its solving.
 Resolve the discrepancy immediately.
 Apologize to the guest for inconvenience.
 From the guest database, ensure the guest’s preference of payment method. Recite it to
the guest.
 Settle the guest account.
 Print the receipt and give it to the guest.
 Ask the guest if he/she needs any assistance for luggage.
 Ask the guest if the transport facility to the airport is required.
 Greet the guest for giving an opportunity to serve as, “Hope you enjoyed your stay with
us. Thank you. Good (morning/afternoon/night).

SOP for Processing Cancellation Requests

The guests initiate the cancellation of the reserved accommodation. The SOP goes as −
 Request for the guest’s full name and reservation number.
 Search the guest database for the given name and reservation number.
 Recite the guest name, accommodation details and the date of reservation.
 Ask the guest if he/she would like to postpone it.
 Request the guest for reason behind cancellation.
 Record the reason in the PMS.
 If the cancellation is being done by a person other than the guest, record the person’s
name, contact number, and relation with the guest for information.
 Inform the caller about any cancellation charges applicable according to the hotel
policies.
 Cancel the reservation in the PMS.
 Inform the guest about e-mail for cancellation charges. Send the cancellation charges
plus cancellation number to the guest by e-mail.

SOP for Controlling Guest Room Keys

The front office staff needs to manage at least two sets of the keys. The number of sets may
vary according to the guest policy. Accommodation numbers are not written on the keys,
which creates problems when the keys are misplaced within or around the premises.

Giving Accommodation Key to the Guest

 Request for the guest’s last name and accommodation number.

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  Check the information told by the guest against the one recorded in PMS.
 If there is any deviation, request the guest to provide photo ID card.
 Do not give away the accommodation key without proper authentication.
 If the doubt about the guest arises and the guest refuses to cooperate, then inform the
front office manager immediately.
 If any other superior front office staff member recognizes the guest, then you can give
away the duplicate key.
 If the guest has lost the key and needs a new one, then ascertain that the guest has lost
it.
 In the above case, program a new key with the same code.
 Present the newly created key to the guest.
 You must not issue accommodation keys to any person that claims to be sent by the
guest for getting the keys. Yet, you can give them to a non-guest, if the guest has sent
the person with a written authority letter addressed to the front office team. In such
case, confirm by calling the guest and accompany the non-guest to the
accommodation.

FIG 4.3 Handing the keys

Giving Occupied Accommodation’s Key to Staff

The authorized staff on duty is allowed to access the occupied guest accommodation for the
purpose of professional work.
For example, the keys can be given for preparing vacated accommodation, laundry staff, mini-
bar staff, and bell-boy to take out the guest luggage.

SOP for Turning Away Reservation Request

One thing for sure, always try to solve the guest’s accommodation problem as far as possible.
Try selling hotel service by giving options than plainly denying to what the guest wants.

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There are a number of reasons why a reservation staff needs to turn down the
reservation request. These are few important ones −

 The hotel is fully booked during busy seasons.

 Guest is not interested to reserve after knowing rates.
 The type of accommodation the guest desires is not available.
This is how you turn down a reservation gracefully −
 When the guest calls to enquire, answer the call as, “Good (morning, evening), this is
own_name from reservations. How may I help you?”
 The guest says he/she would like to reserve an accommodation.
 Reply as, “Certainly (Sir/Madam). May I request you for your name, mobile number
and email ID please?”
 The guest tells the same.
 Further ask, “And your company/travel agency name is?”
 The guest replies, “I am from (Company/TA name)”.
 Ask the guest about check-in and check-out dates required for reservation.
 Request the guest to hold the line till you search for availability of the desired
accommodation.
 Inform the guest approximately how much time you would take to find out.
 Put the call on hold and check availability.
 Convey the non-availability of the desired type of accommodation to the guest politely
as, “Sorry sir/madam, “(all the accommodations are occupied/the desired type of
accommodation is not available)”.
 Suggest the guest about a nearby sister-concern hotel, if any.
 Suggest the guest to take other similar kind of accommodation by describing its
amenities.
 If the guest doesn’t agree to it, turn away politely as, “Sorry sir, then we don’t have any
other available accommodation.”
 Record the guest data in the PMS along with the ‘Turn away’ reason.

CHAPTER 5: CURRENT SCENARIO

COVID-19 has affected every sector across the globe, and the hotel industry is among
the hardest hit. Our research suggests that recovery to pre-COVID-19 levels could take
until 2023—or later. Investors are providing similar views of hotel companies’
prospects, as seen in the underperformance of US lodging real estate investment trusts
(REITs). Like so many industries, hospitality will also see both subtle and substantial
shifts in the post-pandemic era. Some are already apparent today.

COVID-19 outbreak has presented unprecedented circumstances before the fragile

tourism and hospitality industry. The highly infectious novel coronavirus continues to
thwart the sector and raises serious questions about the present and future survival of

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 the sector. The research addresses two important concerns, first, pertains to the major
challenges that hospitality and tourism industry faces amid current conditions; and
second relates to the vital learnings for the industry. The study draws on the interviews
with 15 participants in senior positions in hospitality industry, and tourism and
hospitality education services. Responses to the interviews were content analysed,
which resulted in 27 sub-themes that were further condensed into 4 major themes. The
dominant sub-themes that emerged out of the qualitative enquiry included need of
multiskilling and professional development of the employees, increased sense of
hygiene, sanitation and related SOPs, optimism toward revival of the industry, media
roles, and need of better crisis preparedness. Subsequent overarching themes included
“Human Resource Management”, “Health and Hygiene”, “Continuity” and “Concerns”.
The study critically discusses prominent themes in the light of the existing arguments
from the literature and reflects on implications for the decision makers. The major
implications of the study are in the form of determined themes adding to the evolving
theory on COVID-19 pandemic and tourism & hospitality industry; and managerial
recommendations to address host of issues while taking essential learnings stemming
from the current circumstances. Limitations and scope of future research are also
discussed.

COVID-19 and the accommodation sector Hotels and accommodation establishments

are places where there is a high degree of interaction among guests and workers. It is
these aspects—the lodging of guests, the services this entails (food and beverage,
cleaning, activity organization, etc.) —and the interactions specific to these
establishments (guest-guest, guest-staff, and staff-staff) that require specific attention.
All staff of the accommodation establishment should comply with basic protective
measures against COVID-19 including hand hygiene, physical distancing, avoiding
touching eyes, nose and mouth, cough and sneezing etiquette (respiratory hygiene), use
of medical or fabric masks, stay-at-home orders when indicated and seeking medical
attention when symptoms consistent with COVID-19 are present.

Precautions to be taken:

 Wash all parts of your hands frequently (at least 20 seconds if using an alcohol-based
hand rub, and at least 40 seconds with soap and water), including after exchanging
objects such as money or credit cards. Look for hand sanitizer stations and use them
before going into dining halls, restaurants or bars.
 Cover a cough or sneeze with a bent elbow or tissue, and throw away the tissue in a
closed bin.
 Maintain at least a 1 metre distance from staff and other guests. This includes avoiding
hugging, kissing, or shaking hands. If you can’t guarantee the distance, wear a mask. Be
sure to check local and national guidelines on the use of masks.  

Fabulous food in different formats

Burj Al Arab is committed to delivering exceptional dining experiences and as an added

precaution and for guest's peace of mind, the restaurants are fully sanitised before each
service. The buffet dining options have been redefined as á la carte; the tables are
spaced at the appropriate distance to maintain social distancing, and all tables are set
with a sanitiser dispenser and pocket size packs of sanitising wipes.

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 Looking after the guest's room

The housekeeper will clean and fully aerate your room each day, while the guest's are
out. This will be scheduled at guest's convenience. Sanitising and hygiene amenities are
at disposal in each guest room and include masks, sanitising gel and sanitising wipes
with the correct specifications. Rooms are left vacant for three days after each stay as an
additional safety measure. Where this is not possible due to high occupancy, the room
undergoes a complete fogging process. Pillows and duvets undergo a thermal hygiene
process, and pillow and mattress protectors are changed after each checkout.

Leisure

A selection of the most popular restaurants, kids clubs, fitness centres, beaches, pools
and Wild Wadi Waterpark are now operational, in strict accordance with health and
safety guidelines from the Ministry of Health and Prevention. In alignment with the
directives from Dubai Department of Economic Development and as part of our
commitment to the health and safety of our guests and colleagues, operations for our
spa facilities remain suspended until further notice. The situation will be continually re-
evaluated with the authorities.

Every aspect considered

Many more measures behind the scenes for your wellbeing are being implemented,
from colleagues’ transportation to food service and laundry, exceeding standards.

Flexible cancellations

The staff of Burj Al Arab take great pride in caring for valued guests, colleagues and
partners, and they aim to provide with the highest levels of flexibility for travels in
these unprecedented times.

As such, Jumeirah Hotels and Resorts offers all guests (including those with pre-paid or
non-refundable reservations) the ability to change or cancel reservation free of charge,
up to 24 hours prior to arrival should you not be able to travel due to COVID-19
restrictions including positive PCR testing, cancelled flights and travel ban.

Conclusion:
The coronavirus disease and mandatory quarantine have resulted in many great negative
implications for health, society, and the economy, as well as negatively affecting every single
industry of almost every country in the world, especially the tourism industries, our case hotel
has done everything it can to maintain their business as well as secure the jobs for their staff
members such as adopting cost and investment reduction approaches. This is as well as

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promoting multi-tasking roles for employees. On the other side, employees are also willing to
work and try to follow cost-saving strategies and engage in paid quarantine services.

The research suggests that the development of hospitality services for paid quarantine guests in
a hotel can be a way of minimizing the negative implications of the COVID-19 pandemic to
several sectors and stakeholders. First, the introduction of paid quarantine service can help the
hotel and its staff to reduce the current negative economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic as
well as improving the already-high morale of its employees. It also reduces pressure on the
government and the hospital as they need to cover costs and places for institutionally
quarantined people. Finally, the paid quarantine service option can satisfy visitors who want to
pay for receiving higher-quality hospitality services during their time in quarantine.

Theoretical contributions
Our study makes a number of theoretical contributions. First, the current findings from this
study also add to a growing body of literature on marketing in hospitality and tourism research.
This paper focuses on several main aspects, especially in terms of a collaboration network and
value co-creation to obtain competitive advantage. This research emphasizes that these facets
have been embedded into the organization to introduce a response strategy that is initially
effective and helps the case hotel to survive during the Covid-19 pandemic. Hence, we suggest
that the idea that provides a number of exciting opportunities for further research into
hospitality in the other business contexts.

Second, we adopted the Bourdieu (1977)’s framework of fields, capitals and habitus to shed
light on how the response approaches are being developed in the case of hotel and highlights the
interaction between actors such as managers and employees, as well as other stakeholders, and
of these response strategies through habitus, capital, and field lenses. The outcome of this study
does not only highlight straightforward narratives; it also actually suggests that, given sufficient
effort in managerial and the necessary resources, alongside appropriate organizational and
external support for the development of response strategies for the COVID-19 pandemic such as
the introduction of a paid quarantine service, this process can be successfully embraced in the
novel organizational hotel practice. Our findings also identify explicit resources, support, and
training that the case hotel might use to introduce the paid quarantine services in the hotel.
Inspiring managers and employees to participate in this new paid quarantine service may require
sufficient support, training, and time. In another context, adapting to new habitus, procedures,
and services may depend on the capabilities of employees, the engagement between diverse
professional groups, as well as the available capitals of each hotel organization. Therefore, we
argue for significant understanding and willingness for support from top management as the
fundamental event to encourage this novel response strategy.

Practical contributions
In addition to theoretical contributions, the findings of this study delivers significant practical
implications. First, connection and communication between the government and the hotel was
also essential to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. Government agencies and hotel have
worked together to develop appropriate strategies and guidelines, and also provide support to
minimize the negative consequences of the crisis as well as developing paid quarantine services.
In addition, support from stakeholders and business partners have contributed to the success of
the paid quarantine service. Finally, frequent communication and promotion strategies with
customers as well as the exploration of new markets imply the necessary care and the readiness
of the hotel for recovering their business.

The hotels have introduced the paid quarantine service. Although the coronavirus disease has
been stopped in few countries and community infection of coronavirus has not been found since

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late April 2020, the negative implications of the COVID-19 pandemic still exist for the
economy in general, and the tourism industries in particular, until a vaccine is found. Hotels
have learned from the COVID-19 pandemic that business can be continued differently through
the paid quarantine service. Other hotels can learn from the experience of our hotel to develop
contingency plans for handling the COVID-19 pandemic appropriately.

To conclude, due to the negative implications of the COVID-19 pandemic to human health, and
both the economy and society still being unpredictable, we suggest that there is further scope for
studies that explore how hospitality enterprises in a variety of countries respond to survive,
including responding to initiatives that consider the impacts on employees, customers, society
and other relevant industries. Due to the fact that response strategies including paid quarantine
service were only developed for a few months, it would also be useful to return to the case of
Viehost to examine the long-term implications and consequences of their responses. Moreover,
as the implications are that the coronavirus disease has delivered different problems in different
countries, in addition to the divergence in social and economic structure, our study also suggests
that it is essential to adopt a relational perspective to study specific responses from different
countries using a rich and textured account of the national and organizational contexts in which
appropriate responses have been established.

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