The Problem

It depicts a scenario in which the Front Office Manager allotted rooms on the seventh and eighth floors
to visitors on Tuesday night notwithstanding the Director of Housekeeping's request to block off the
floors for cleaning on Wednesday morning. As a consequence, the cleaning staff had to spend
Wednesday morning cleaning 12 occupied rooms on the eighth floor and 14 occupied rooms on the
seventh floor, which cost the hotel money.

What is the problem based on the case? If you were the General Manager (GM), how would you solve
such problem? Discuss your recommendations.

- What's happening here is a breakdown in communication between the front desk and the
cleaning division. The Front Office Manager was asked by the Director of Housekeeping to seal
off the seventh and eighth levels for cleaning, but the Front Office Manager refused. As a result,
the cleaning staff was forced to clean occupied rooms at a cost to the hotel.

As General Manager, I would address this issue as follows:

- Having a discussion about what transpired with the front office manager and the director of
housekeeping. I'd like to know how they view the circumstance and what led to the breakdown
in communication.
- Examining the hotel's policies for separating occupied rooms for cleaning. I would want to
confirm if the instructions are understandable and simple to follow.
- Putting together a strategy with the front office manager and director of housekeeping to
ensure that this doesn't happen again.

Recommendations:

- Establish a mechanism of communication between the front desk and the housekeeping
division. A simple daily meeting, a shared calendar, or a piece of software that lets both
departments know which rooms are set aside for cleaning might all serve as options for this.
- Make a list of the rooms that need to be blocked off for cleaning.
- Give all employees training on the hotel's policies for closing off rooms for cleaning.

What key job functions and roles of a GM are exercised in solving this case?

In resolving this matter, a general manager's (GM) primary responsibilities and obligations are:

- Leadership: The hotel's general manager is in charge of establishing the tone and standards. In
this instance, the GM must show leadership by taking responsibility of the matter, speaking with
the affected staff members, and creating a strategy to stop the issue from occurring again.
- The general manager is in charge of liaising with all employees, from the director of
housekeeping to the front desk workers. In this situation, the GM must speak with the staff
members involved in order to comprehend what took place, create a strategy to stop it from
occurring again, and share the plan with the whole workforce.
- Teamwork: It is the general manager's job to foster an atmosphere in which staff members are
at ease talking to one another and cooperating to solve issues. To avoid the issue from occurring
again in this instance, the GM must collaborate with the Director of Housekeeping and the Front
Office Manager.