The Main Departments In a Hotel

Or Resort
As an outsider when you look at a hotel, the operation appears to
be pretty simple, selling of rooms and food and beverage services
etc. But, actually, the hotel is a highly complex operation where
several departments function, coordinate and interact for a smooth
day to day operations.

In order to run the Hotel as a functional unit, there are several

departments in a hotel which work and coordinate together and the
major departments of the hotel are:

1. Front Office Department

2. Housekeeping Department

3. Food and Beverage Service Department

4. Kitchen or Food Production Department

5. Engineering and Maintenance Department

6. Accounts and Credits Department

7. Security Department

8. Human Resources (HR) Department

9. Sales and Marketing Department

10. Purchase Department

11. Information Technology (IT)

1. Front Office Department:

This department performs
various functions like reservation, reception, registration, room
assignment, and settlement of bills of a resident guest and the front
office department is considered as the nerve centre of a hotel.

The front-office staff welcome the guests, carry their luggage, help
them register, give them their room keys and mail, answer
questions about the activities in the hotel and surrounding area, and
finally check them out. In fact, the only direct contact most guests
have with hotel employees, other than in the restaurants, is with
members of the front-office staff.

2. Housekeeping Department:
The housekeeping department is responsible for the cleanliness,
maintenance, and aesthetic upkeep of rooms, public areas, back
areas, and surroundings in a hotel and for the immaculate care and
upkeep of all guest rooms and public spaces at all times.

The staff members who excel in the Housekeeping

Departments have an eye for detail and a commitment to the
training, development and motivation of a diverse group of talented
employees. It is the service and cleanliness that really make an
impact on our guests and determine whether they will return and
also recommend the hotel to others.

3. Food and Beverage Service

Department:
This department looks after the service of food and drinks to guests.
The Food which is made in the Kitchen and Drinks prepared in the
Bar to the Customers (Guest) at the Food & Beverage premises.
Some examples of the food and beverage outlets are Restaurants,
Bars, Hotels, Airlines, Cruise Ships, Trains, Companies, Schools,
Colleges, Hospitals, Prisons, Takeaway etc

4. Kitchen or Food Production

Department:
All the food and beverages that are served to the hotel guest is
prepared in the kitchen. Culinary preparation, as an art and science
in the modern kitchen, required more than just a knowledge of food
being prepared and the methods of preparation.

It is through a knowledge of basic skills, terminology, and rules of

the kitchen that a final goal, preparation and service of quality is
achieved in the hotel kitchen.

5. Engineering and Maintenance

Department:
The engineering department is responsible for repairing and
maintaining the plant and machinery, water treatment and
distribution, boilers and water heating, sewage treatment, external
and common area lighting, fountains and water features etc. Also, It
looks after the maintenance of all the equipment, furniture and
fixture installed in a hotel.

6. Accounts and Credits Department:

This department maintains all the financial transactions. Accounting
departments typically handle a variety of important tasks. Such
tasks often include invoicing customers, accounts
receivable monitoring and collections, account reconciliations,
payables processing, consolidation of multiple entities under
common ownership, budgeting, periodic financial reporting as well
as financial analysis.

Also common are setting up adequate internal controls for all

business processes (to prevent theft/misappropriation of assets),
handling external audits and dealing with banks in order to obtain
financing. Taxes are sometimes handled by accounting departments
in house, but this work is often contracted to outside tax
accountants.

7. Security Department:
The security department of a hotel is responsible for the overall
security of the hotel building, in-house guests, visitors, day users,
and employees of the hotel, and also their belongings.

8. H R department:
Human Resource department is responsible for the acquisition,
utilisation, training, and development of the human resources of the
hotel.

The role of the HR department also has to do with

the administration of an impartial and internal justice system which
will promote transparency and openness in organisational
communication. The Human resources department also serves as a
progressive voice in a common system and strives to ensure
competitiveness in the conditions of service for staff.

9. Sales and Marketing Department:

The major role of the sales and marketing department is to bring in
business and also to increase the sales of the hotel’s products and
services is the major task of the department.

10. Purchase Department:
The purchase department is responsible for procuring the
inventories of all the departments of a hotel.

Hotel departments and their

functions in room division
28 TuesdayFEB 2012

POSTED BY MS3304HOSPITALITYMGT IN ROOMS DIVISION OPERATIONS

≈ 25 COMMENTS
1.     Front Office

Front office has been described as the hub or nerve center of the hotel. It is the department
that makes a first impression on the guest and one that the guest relies on throughout his
or her stay for information and service. It’s duty is to enhance guest services by constantly
developing services to meet guest needs. The function of front office are the followings:
 To sell and up-sell rooms
The front office will hand over all the expected arrivals and available rooms after
reservations office closed at 6:00p.m. The front office will try to sell out all the
remaining rooms to call-in or walk-in guests to ensure 100%occupancy. Also,it should
apply the yield management that is upselling the features of a larger room, a higher
floor or a better view in higher price for someone booking a room with shortly notice
when the demand of room is high.
 To maintain balanced guest account
The office should make use of the property management systems(PMS) and point-of-
safe terminals(POS) to open a guest account for each customer and post all charges
 from the departments. This means that guest charges from the various outlets are
directly debited to the guest’s account and payment can be received on guest check out
or transfered to the city ledger.
 To offer service such as handing mails,faxes,messages and hotel information
Customers always approach the front dest with questions so the front dest employees
should have enough knowledge about the hotel. The front desk is staffed throughout the
twenty-four hours by three shift to provide service. Ever shift has different duties
to do.Most likely, the front desk need to note things and check on the log book to see if
there is some guests request for room switches, check on the room status, number of
expected checkouts still to leave in order to update the forecast of the night’s occupancy
and handle guest check-ins and take reservations.
2.    Reservations
 

The reservation department is one first contact to the guest making the reservation for
room. Since some guests may be shopping for the best value, it is essential to sell the hotel
by emphasizing the hotel’s advantages. It’s main responsibility is to sell all of the hotel
rooms for the maximum dollars and avoid guest resentment of being overcharged. The
reservation can be done by a variety of sources such as telephone, corporate 1-800
numbers, travel agents, internet and walk-in. The central reservations system interfaces
with the hotel’s inventory and simultaneously allows reservations by individual hotel
reservation personnel. There are two types of reservation that the department need to
consider.
 Confirmed reservation
It is a reservation made with sufficient time for a comfirmation slip including confirmed
dates,types of room booked, number of guests and so on.It is to return to the guests by
mail or fax so that they can bring the slip to the hotel to verify the booking. If the guest
 arrive late, the hotel may have the right to cancel his or her reservation and sell the
room to others.
 Guaranteed reservation
The hotel will take the credit card number of the guest to ensure the payment of the
room. The guest choose to have guaranteed reservation has the promise from the hotel
to provide room even if the guest arrive late. However, if the guest does not show-up,
the hotel will charge him for one night accommodation automatically.
3.      Housekeeping
The four major areas of responsibilitys for the executive housekeeper are as follows:

 Leadership of people, equipment, and supplies

 Cleanliness and servicing th eguest rooms and public areas
 Operating the department according to financial guidelines prescribed by the general
manager
 Keeping records of supplies and equipment to control inventory
4.      Concierge

The concierge is a seperste department from the front office room clerks and cashiers.
Concierges serve to elevate a property’s marketable value and its image. They provide the
special touch services that can cater to a guest’s percise needs. They should not only have a
detailed knowlege of the hotel and its service, but also of the city and even the international
details. Also, they can speak several languages. They will assist the guests with a board
range of service, such as restaurant reservation, advice on local activities, tickets to show or
VIP’s messages and special request.

5.      Guest service

The guest service department is responsible to give the guest positive first impressions. The
staff consists of door attendant, bell person and concierge.

Door attendants are dressed in impressive uniforms. They greet guests at the hotel front
door, assist in opening or closing automobile doors, removing luggage from the trunk,
hailing taxis, keeping the door entrance clear of vehicles and giving guest infomation about
the hotel and the local area in a courteous and friendly way.

Bell person is mainly to escort guests and transport luggage to their rooms. They also need
to explains the service of the hotel and points out the features of the room to the guest. For
example, the lighting, TV, air-conditioning, room service etc.

6.      Security
Security department is providing guest protection and loss prevention. And it includes four
elements.

 Security officers make regular rounds of the hotel premises, observing the suspicious
behavior and taking appropriate action, investigating incidents and cooperating with
local law enforcement agencies.
 Equipment includes two-way radios, closed-circuit television cameras, smoke
detectors, fire alarms and electronic key cards etc. which can provide the guest more
safeguard.
 Safety procedures are some guidelines for the staffs and the guests to ensure their
safety. For example, security officers should be able to gain access to guest room, store
room and office all the times.
 Identification procedure is to offer identification cards with photographs to all
employees. The guests can contact with name-tagged employees that not only project a
friendly image for the property, but also useful for security reasons.
7.     Communication
The communication department will manage the in-house communication, guest
communication and also the emergency center by CBX or PBX technologies. For example,
the call billing system will charge the customer if the customer make a long-distance call
placed from the guest room.

Also, communication department is a profit center. It is because hotels generally add a 50

percent charge to all long-distance phone calls
Housekeeping - Definition, Role,
Responsibilities and Layout
1. Definition of Housekeeping
Housekeeping may be defined as ‘provision of a clean, comfortable,
safe and aesthetically appealing environment’. By another
definition, ‘housekeeping is an operational department in a hotel,
which is responsible for cleanliness, maintenance, aesthetic upkeep
of rooms, public areas, back areas and the surroundings’.

The term Housekeeping outside the hospitality, hospitals refers to

the management of daily duties and chores involved in the running
of a household, such as cleaning, cooking, home maintenance,
shopping, and bill payment etc. These daily recurring tasks may be
performed by any members of the household, or by other persons
like butler or maids who are hired for the purpose.

2. Role of Housekeeping
Housekeeping department in hotel ensures the cleanliness,
maintenance, and aesthetic appeal of all rooms and public areas.
The housekeeping department not only turnarounds (prepares and
clean guestrooms) on a timely manner it also cleans and maintains
everything in the hotel so that the property is as fresh and
attractive similar to the day when it opened the doors for the
business.

The effort that the housekeeping makes in giving a guest a

desirable room has a direct bearing on the guest’s experience in a
hotel. Thre are more employees working in the housekeeping
department when compared to any other hotel departments.

Being responsible for the turnaround of the rooms in a timely

manner, housekeepings primary communications are with the front
desk/reception team. Each room status is updated on a regular
basis from the housekeeping to the front desk and vice versa. With
new technologies available a room status update can be done via
the hotel software, telephone systems, housekeeping mobile
applications etc.

Housekeeping also coordinates closely with the maintenance or

engineering department, as the housekeeping staff identifies
different types of maintenance issues while cleaning the rooms and
reports to the maintenance team for rectification or replacement.
Example snags or issue with the TV, AC, Heating unit, Plumbing,
Lighting, Electrical faults, Furniture, Toilet, Vanity, Tub, Towels
racks, Ventilation issues etc.

The role of housekeeping can change depending upon the type or

category of the hotel, for example only in a luxury or full-
service hotel evening or turndown services are offered by
the housekeeping department. The housekeeping department is one
of the major 'Support Centre' in the hotel as it doesn't generate
any major revenue for the hotel.

Housekeeping is considered as a 'back of the house' department

even though they have some direct contact to the guests; like for
example while cleaning rooms, picking up

Front Office Department

Introduction, Operations and
Key Functions
Introductions To The Hotel Front Office
Department
Front Desk is a very important department in the hotel, making
direct contact with guests. 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. It can be defined as a front of the housing
department located around the foyer and the lobby area of a hospitality property. As this department is
located around the foyer area of the hotel and is visible to the guests, patrons and visitors, they are
collectively called “Front Office”.

Should guests have any problems or require to appreciate or

comment, they would normally go directly to the Front Office,
because it is convenient to contact and converse with other
departments. Therefore, this department is the direct delegate to
link the work and report the consequence to other departments.

This department is one of the major operational and revenue-

producing departments of the hotel which generates two-thirds of
the revenue earned by a hotel from the sale of the guest rooms. It
involves in providing valuable services to the guests during the
entire guest cycle consisting of Pre-arrival,
Arrival, Occupancy and Departure.

Importance of Front Office Department:

Traditional Front Office functions include reservation, registration,
room and rate assignment, guest services, room status,
maintenance and settlement of the guest account, and creation
of guest history records.

The Front Office develops and maintains a comprehensive database

of guest information, coordinates guest services, and ensures guest
satisfaction. These functions are accomplished by personal in
diverse areas of Front Office Department.

The front office is also known as the face of the hotel. It is the first
guest contact area and also the nerve centre of the hotel. All the
activities and areas of the front office are geared towards
supporting guest transaction and services.
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.

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.
LAUNDRY

Laundry is the other department under the housekeeping department. The Laundry
manager need to report to the Executive Housekeeper. The laundry department need to
manage the linen supply. The linen supply include the towels such as face towel, hand towel
and bath mat, bed linen pillow case and bed sheet, bathrobe and F&B linen such as table
cloth, place mat and napkins. The laundry department also provide guest laundry service,
normally included wet cleaning, dry cleaning and pressing. It is responsible in taking good
care of the staff uniform and have good inventory control.

Being a laundry valet you are responsible to ensure that all laundry
services for the hotels guests is done as per the standard policies
and is met on time. Also responsible for laundry collection from
guest rooms, dry-cleaning, washing, drying, pressing and folding of
guest's laundry along with other hotel linen.

Additionally properly tags Guest items and then sorts for

appropriate action like Washing, dry cleaning, stain removal,
pressing or send for repairing to the hotel tailor.

Laundry Valet Attendant Duties and

Responsibilities:
1. Responsible for picking up and delivery of in house guest
laundry.
2. Responsible to collect and deliver outside guest laundry / dry
cleaning.
3. Responsible for delivering all guest items punctually,
accurately and in a professional and courteous way.
4. Collect laundry and dry cleaning bags from guest rooms and
ensure that guest name, room number and laundry pieces are
listed.
5. Count and verify all items collected as per laundry price lists /
laundry sheet signed by the guest and note down
any discrepancy or damages on the same sheet.
6. Check all items for damage or stains and take appropriate
action to rectify these issues.
7. Report immediately to the superiors in case any valuable items
like cash, jewellery, creidt cards etc. found in guests cloth
pockets.
8. Responsible to processes the guests clothing on the correct
equipment / machines using the appropriate chemicals and
temperature.
9. Once processed, neatly fold or hangs the clothing as requested
by the guest on the laundry sheet.
10. Sorts employee uniforms for appropriate action like
washing, dry cleaning, pressing or send for repairing to the
hotel's tailor.
11. Able to processes the staff uniforms on the correct
equipment using the appropriate chemicals and temperature.
12. Once processed, hangs and transports clean uniforms
to Housekeeping.
13. Shakes wet sheets, table linens and napkins prior to
ironing in order to spread them out.
14. Responsible to feed washed linens and napkins into ironer
or folder or calender machine.
15. Retrieves folded linens and stacks or hangs clean linens
as appropriate.
16. Sorts clean towels, rugs and robes.
17. Uses towel folder and manual folding for bath towels,
washcloths, rugs and robes.
18. Assist in the loading and unloading of dryers and sort out
washed laundry items
19. Operates and maintains folding equipment, presser and
iron.
20. Operates and maintains washer, dryer, dry cleaning
machine etc.
21. Reports any technical problems or deficiencies to Laundry
manager or maintenance team.
22. Places folded product on appropriate rack.
23. Reports any damage or deficiencies in the laundried items
to the laundry manager.
24. Assist in inventories and attend all departmental training
as informed and scheduled by the manager.
 25. Assists with other responsibilities and duties in the
absence of other team members or other tasks assigned by
the manager.

Basically, the main kitchen is divided into the following sections:

 The hot sections (the main cooking areas) Still rooms.
 The vegetable preparation area.

 The cold section.

 The pastry/ bakery section.

 The butchery section.

 The larder.

 Temporary kitchen.

How many departments are there in the kitchen?

Basically, the main kitchen is divided into the following sections: The hot
sections (the main cooking areas) Still rooms. The vegetable preparation area.
The cold section.

What is the kitchen in hotel?

Main Kitchen The kitchen is essentially the space allotted for preparing and
cooking food. The main kitchen is located in the central part of the hotel where
sequence of food receiving, storing, preparing, cooking, serving and clearing
areas are properly defined and managed accordingly.

Why is it called kitchen?

From the verb coquere came the later Latin noun coquina, meaning “a kitchen.”
With some changes in pronunciation, coquina came into Old English as cycene.
This became Middle English kichene and finally modern English kitchen.

Why is the kitchen important?

Not only is the kitchen vitally important because it contains the appliances and
tools necessary to prepare any kind of meal, but it is also one of the most
important spaces for storage, seating, and communication. Without the kitchen,
the home would likely feel empty and confused, without a direction.

What are the ranks in a kitchen?

The Kitchen Hierarchy: Career Options in a Restaurant Kitchen
 Executive Chef.
 Head Chef (Chef de Cuisine)

 Deputy Chef (Sous Chef)

 Station Chef (Chef de Partie)

 Junior Chef (Commis Chef)

 Kitchen Porter.

 Purchasing Manager.

What are the three types of kitchen?

There are at least 6 different types of kitchens: one wall, L shape, U shape,
galley, peninsula, and island. There are some other, lesser-known kitchen
layouts, but these 6 are the most common.

What are the 4 categories of kitchen equipment?

To summarize, kitchen equipment categories are divided into four types:
food storage, food production, maintenance, and special equipment.
Knowing the kitchen utensils that fall under these categories will allow you
to better organize your kitchen.

What is a black woman’s kitchen?

Recently, I wrote a column about how kitchens are perceived by black
women who were born with nappy hair. The kitchen has still another
cultural connotation for people with nappy hair. The kitchen, dear readers,
is also the nickname for the hair that resides at the nape of our necks.

What are the types of kitchen?

The 6 Most Popular Kitchen Layout Types
1. The One Wall Kitchen. Usually found in smaller kitchens, this simple
layout is space efficient without giving up on functionality.
2. The Galley Kitchen.

3. The L-Shaped Kitchen.

4. The U-Shaped Kitchen.

5. The Island Kitchen.

6. The Peninsula Kitchen.

What are the duties of a kitchen department?

They enjoy a different status and the work of their department is generally
separated from the main kitchen and is self-contained in the matter of
cold storage, machinery, and equipment. They are responsible for all hot
and cold desserts.

What is the role of the kitchen in a hotel?

The role of the Food Production or Kitchen department is to prepare food
for the guest. The guests who are staying in the hotel rooms and also for
those who are walk-in guests and comes to the restaurants to enjoy
meals. The Hotel Food production and sub-departments of the hotel
kitchen is headed by Executive Chef.

What are the sub departments of hotel kitchen?

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. Pantry – Most of the
orders from the pantry section, such as tea/coffee, sandwiches, salads,
raitas, etc. are serviced.

Which is the best definition of a kitchen?

1. A room or an area equipped for preparing and cooking food. 2. A style
of cooking; cuisine: a restaurant with a fine French kitchen. 3. A staff that
prepares, cooks, and serves food.