ROOM DIVISION OPERATIONS – II

UNIT–I
INTERDEPARTMENTAL COORDINATION

No individual department in any hotel can work in isolation. The housekeeping

department is one of the departments in a hotel working towards the satisfaction of
the guests, and each department is dependent on others for information and
services if its work is to be accomplished effectively. Within the rooms division,
housekeeping primarily coordinates with the front office and maintenance. Amongst
all co-ordination relationships in hotels, the most important one is that between the
front-office, housekeeping and maintenance.

Housekeeping Department can coordinate with:

• Front-Office

• Food & Beverage Department

• Stores

• Purchase Department

• Personnel Department/ Human resource department

• Sales and Marketing Department

• Maintenance Department

• Security Department

COORDINATION WITH FRONT OFFICE.

1. To ensure efficient rooming of guests, both housekeeping and front office must
inform each other of changes in a room’s status. Knowing whether a room is
occupied, vacant, on change, out of order (OOO), under repair, or similar for proper
room management

2. There should be coordination to clean front office public areas

3. There must be coordination between housekeeping and front office department to

share information on occupancy levels which helps to forecast occupancy for the
year and makesit easier to draw up a budget, establish par stock levels and estimate
required staff strength.

4. There should be coordination know about the daily room report and housekeeping
discrepancy report.
5. It also helps to gear renovations and spring cleaning to low occupancy periods
there by preventing loss of revenue.

6. The housekeeping and front office department also coordinate with each other for
other important information which require special attention like

7. VIPs in house: this information is essential so that the staff can take a little extra
care and keener precautions in cleaning and supervising VIP rooms.

8. Groups in the house: the group rooming list must be provided before the group’s
arrival to the housekeeping as groups tends to move together in terms of arrival,
departure, sightseeing tours and meals. Their rooms need to be readied together in
view of strict time parameters. Group rooming lists enable the hk department to
organize their work and have the group’s room ready on time.

9. Crews in the house: Sometimes the arrival of a crew and the departure of another
crew from the same airline may overlap. In such circumstances, it is important for the
allotted rooms to be cleaned within a short period of time. Thus for this there should
be a effective coordination between front office and housekeeping.

10. Flowers: sometimes the management extends its compliments to a guest with a
special gesture of a flower arrangement in the room as recognition of the importance
of a person. This requirement of flower arrangements for certain guests is conveyed
to housekeeping by the front office on a daily basis.

11. Apart from the above communications the front office needs to depend on
housekeeping for the provision of clean uniforms to its staff.

COORDINATION WITH FOOD AND BEVERAGE DEPARTMENT

1. The coordination of housekeeping with the restaurants and banquet halls is mainly
concerned with the provision of linen and uniforms.

2. On his/her part the restaurant manager should ensure that the time set for the
exchange of linen must be maintained and linen should not be lost or misused.

3. There should be coordination to maintain mini bar in guest rooms.

4. The housekeeping should be well informed about the forthcoming banquet

function in advance so that housekeeping will arrange everything to organize that
function.

5. House- keeping may also have to arrange for flower decorations for banquets.

6. The coordination between the two departments becomes particularly necessary in

collection of trays from the guest corridors which are collected from the room,
placement of fruit basket in special rooms.
7. In many hotels housekeeping also looks after pest control in restaurants, kitchens,
and stores attached to them. Special cleaning of these areas call for coordination
with the housekeeping department.

8. Both the restaurant and kitchen staff requires clean uniforms on a daily basis, for
which too they need to coordinate with housekeeping.

COORDINATION WITH STORE

1. Coordination with stores ensures the availability of day-to –day necessities of

housekeeping.

2. Larger hotels have a store attached to the housekeeping department that stocks
linen, supplies and so on.

3. Smaller hotels may stock them in the general store, except for linen, which is sent
to the housekeeping department on purchase.

4. Communication with stores is by way of a requisition form, which housekeeping

sends to when it requires certain items. The requisition form is called as store
requisition form.

COORDINATION WITH PURCHASE DEPARTMENT

1. The purchase department procures out –of –stock items for housekeeping, such
as guest supplies and amenities, stationery, linen, cleaning materials and
equipments etc.

2. Housekeeping should convey their requirements to purchase by way of advance

notice in the form of a purchase requisition.

COORDINATION WITH PERSONNEL DEPARTMENT/HUMAN RESOURCE

DEPARTMENT

1. Housekeeping coordinates with the personnel department for following reason

2. Acquisition: human resource planning, recruitment, selection and induction/

socialization.

3. Maintenance: compensation management e.g. pay/ salary, wages, over time,

medical treatment etc.

4. Motivation: performance appraisal system, reward management system and

training and development.

COORDINATIONWITH SALES AND MARKETING DEPARTMENT

1. There should be effective coordination between sales and marketing department

and housekeeping to supply promotional items in guest rooms and other areas of
hotel.
2. The sales and marketing department informs housekeeping of the occupancy
forecast for the entire year, which is broken up month wise. This enables
housekeeping to budget for the necessary expenses

3. An important contribution of the housekeeping staff to hotel sales is ensuring that

repeat business is obtained by providing the level of cleanliness and service that
meets or exceeds guest expectations.

4. The sales and marketing team also have to depend on housekeeping for their
uniforms.

5. Two things are certain in the hotel business: no matter how many guests a
salesperson brings in the door, if housekeeping does not execute itsfunction with
excellence the guests will not be coming back.

6. Vice versa, no matter how well- kept the rooms, if the sales staff does not bring
potential guests to the hotel, occupancy falls.

COORDINATION WITH MAINTENANCE DEPARTMENT

1. The housekeeping department depends on maintenance to keep things in order.

2. While carrying out their scheduled work, housekeeping employees may find some
deficiencies in the hotel facilities, such as faulty electrical plugs, dripping faucets,
leaking pipes or malfunctioning air-conditioning units etc.

3. A need for urgent repairs is reported to maintenance over telephone and these
requests are usually taken into action immediately.

4. There are various heads under which maintenance work is done they are:

5. Electrical work: air conditioning and heating; fused bulbs , lights and lamps that
are not functioning ; defective plugs and plug points ; short circuits; and faulty
geysers , refrigerators , and mini bar fall under this category.

6. Boiler work: this is necessary to maintain a supply of hot water to guestroom.

7. Mechanical work: this entails repair or replacement of any faulty equipment, such
as vacuum cleaners, ice-cube machines, and so on.

8. Plumbing work: this deals with faulty faucets (taps), showers, drainage systems,
water closets, and so on.

9. Carpentry work: broken of shaky furniture; mirrors and cupboards in less than
peak condition, and fresh woodwork are all part of this.

COORDINATION WITH SECURITY DEPARTMENT

1. The coordination here is mainly concerned with the prevention of fire and thefts
and the safekeeping of keys and lost property.
2. Housekeeping personnel should also report anything of a suspicious nature or
movement in hotel immediately to the security staff.

3. Housekeeping have to coordinate if they see any anti-social activities in the guest
room such as gambling, smuggling and so on.

4. The security department is responsible for conducting training sessions on

handling emergency situations for the staff. e.g. they conduct fire drill to train staff to
gear up in a fire emergency. Apart from above, housekeeping is responsible to
provide uniform to all department personnel, be it kitchen, kitchen stewarding or any
of the above departments.

INTRODUCTION AND FUNCTIONS OF THE CONTROL DESK

Housekeeping Control Desk Activities

Housekeeping Control Desk:
 The Housekeeping control desk is the nerve centre of the Housekeeping
Department.
 It is the one point of contact for all Housekeeping activities which also
controls, co-ordinates and keeps a constant link among the various activities
taking place at different locations by Housekeeping staff. And also people
associated with Housekeeping within the Hotel premises.
 Coordinates with the Front Office for room status. updation and sorting out
room discrepancy issues.
 Coordinates with the maintenance department regarding guest room
maintenance issues.
Registers/reports maintained in the housekeeping control desk:
Departure register:
To keep track of changes in the status of guest rooms from Dirty to Clean for re-
selling. It also acts as a control book for Mini bar consumption checking in check out
rooms.
Expected Arrival Register:
Keep track of the arrival of pre-registered guests as regards profile/VIP status,
timing, pax, and any special request.
Room Status Report:
Shows the list of all rooms in the hotel with their current room status, ( Eg:
Dirt Vacant, Vacant Clean, Dirty Clean, OOO – Out of order, OOS – Out of service,
etc. )
Guest call Register:
To note down any relevant messages about guest rooms and adjoining areas.
E.g. Maintenance, requests, special instructions, etc. It helps in keeping track of the
completion of the activity and the duration of the same.
Mini bar and Laundry Posting Reports:
Shows the list of postings/sales under the revenue head Laundry, Mini Bar, Dry
Cleaning Etc.
Control desk checklist:
To keep track of all keys, key cards, “I need it now” cupboard items, etc. during the
changeover of shifts.
Missing item Register:
Any item placed in guest rooms [other than consumable items] found missing in a
departure room is recorded in this Register after duly informing
the Lobby Manager on duty.
Breakage Register:
Any breakable item found damaged/broken or that opts damaged/ broken while
handling is duly recorded in this Register.
Lost and Found Register:
Any personal item/article of guest found anywhere in the Hotel premises is recorded
in this Register with the relevant details.

UNIT–II
CLEANING ROUTINE OF GUEST ROOMS
Guest room cleaning is a crucial aspect of maintaining a hotel’s reputation and
providing a pleasant stay for guests. To ensure that all rooms are clean and
comfortable, hotels follow a cleaning frequency schedule.
Typically, guest rooms are cleaned on a daily basis, with housekeeping staff tidying
up the room, making the bed, and replacing towels. Sheets and pillowcases are
usually changed every three to four days, depending on the length of the guest’s
stay.
In addition to daily cleaning, hotels also perform deep cleaning on a regular basis.
This includes tasks such as vacuuming the carpet, wiping down surfaces, and
disinfecting high-touch areas like door handles and light switches. Deep cleaning is
usually done every few months or as needed.

It’s important for hotels to adhere to a strict cleaning schedule to maintain

cleanliness and ensure a positive guest experience. By keeping guest rooms clean
and tidy, hotels can help guests feel more comfortable, relaxed, and at home during
their stay.
This list indicates how often each item on the guest room and bathroom should be
cleaned. There are items which need to be cleaned on a daily, weekly, monthly,
every 6 months etc.
Housekeeping department should implement a routine cleaning cycle as part of their
standard operational procedures.
Below you can find the list of common items which is cleaned or inspected by
the Room attendant.
Guest Room Cleaning Frequency Schedule – Daily Cleaning:

 Cleaning Door Locks, Chains – Once

 Vacuum Clean – Once
 Mop Floors Tiles – Once
 Dust all wood works – Once
 Dust LCD TV, Set top box and DVD players – Once
 Dust Ipad and other docking Stations – Once
 Dust and Disinfectant TV, DVD Remote – Once
 Dust and Disinfectant Telephone – Once
 Wet Dust Paintings and mirrors – Once
 Replenish all Contents – Once
 Replenish all Guest Amenities – Once
 Damp-dust bathroom doors – Once
 Mop Bathroom Floors – Once
 Clean Bath Tub and Grab Bars – Once
 Damp-dust Shower Curtain – Once
 Check and Clean Bathroom Fixture – Once
 Check and Clean Faucets – Once
 Clean Toilet, Flush Handle and Seats – Once
 Empty and Clean Sani-bins – Twice
 Replenish Bathroom Amenities – Once
Guest Room Cleaning Frequency Schedule – Every 2 Days:

 Change Bed Spreads -Once

 Change Bedding – Once
 Damp-dust Bathroom Mirrors – Twice
Guest Room Cleaning Frequency Schedule – Weekly:

 Cleaning and checking Lights and Switches – Once

 Dust Walls – Once
 Clean and Dust AC Vents – Once
 Damp-dust the head boards – Twice
 Clean dressers – Twice
 Clean nightstand – Twice
 Clean lamp shades, lamps and bulbs – Once
 Vacuum Clean Chairs – Twice
 Vacuum Clean Sofa – Twice
 Polish Picture and Mirror Frame – Twice
 Dust Closet and Safe – Twice
 Wet Dust Mini Bar – Twice
 Polish Mirrors – Twice
 Check and Clean Tissue Holders – Once
Guest Room Cleaning Frequency Schedule – Monthly:

 Clean Ceiling – Once

  Buff Floor Tiles – Once
 Clean Window drapes and tracks – Once
 Clean Windows – Once
 Buff Bathroom Floor Tiles – Once
 Clean Shower Heads – Once
 Scrub and Wash Shower Curtains – Once
 Dust and Clean Exhaust Vents – Twice

CLEANING ROUTINE OF PUBLIC AREAS

THE PULBIC AREA IN HOTELS ARE:
 Entrance
 Lobbies
 Front office
 Elevators
 Stair case
 Guest corridors
 Banquet hall
 Health club
 Swimming pool
ENTRANCE:
Guest get their first impression of hotel from the entrance lobby. Entrances which are
not cleaned and maintains daily, it will become unpleasant for the guest due to heavy
traffic and exposure. So proper & daily cleaning is required in this areas.
LOBBIES:
There are common meeting points of the guest near the reception. Many lobbies are
carpeted while others are hard flooring. Floors in the lobbies are need to be cleaned
frequently, since these are spaces where guest interact, relax etc.
FRONT OFFICE:
Housekeeping department is responsible for this public area cleaning and
maintaining of front office because front office is the face of the hotel, so daily
cleaning of the department is required.
ELEVATORS:
Elevators must be cleaned at the time of day when it is least used. the necessary
boards indicating the cleaning is carried out must be displayed properly. Elevators
should be cleaned daily and more through cleaning may be done on periodic basis.
STAIR CASE:
Stair case should be cleaned when there is less traffic.
While cleaning of staircase care should be taken that dirt and dust do not fall
downwards.
GUEST CORRIDORS:
While cleaning of the corridors necessary boards indicating the public area cleaning
is carried on must be displayed properly.
The cleaning tasks of guest corridors are:
 Carpets should be vacuumed regularly.
 Any finger marks on walls should be cleaned.
 All the wall painting should be dusted everyday.
BANQUET HALL:
Banquet hall is mainly used for conferences, wedding etc. so proper public area
cleaning is required for this department.
HEALTH CLUB:
Health club is another hotel facility provided to the guest to exercise and work out. so
properly cleaning of machine is required daily because it is the busiest areas. proper
dusting of the equipment, cleaning of the glass windows, cleaning of carpet floor.
SWIMMING POOL:
Regular public area cleaning and disinfecting of the swimming pool is important for
the point of hygiene. if not regularly cleaned swimming pool may becomes carriers of
water borne disease.
UNIT–III
PRE-ARRIVAL PROCEDURE AND GUEST ARRIVAL

Hospitality management is an art that revolves around the guest experience. A

critical component of this understands the Hotel Guest Cycle, which is divided into
four stages: Pre-arrival, Arrival, Occupancy, and Departure. Each stage comprises
specific activities that collectively enhance the guest experience. Let’s delve into
each stage and the pivotal activities that define them.

Pre-Arrival: Anticipation and Preparation

The Pre-arrival stage begins the moment a guest books their stay. It’s a phase of
anticipation where the guest’s expectations are set, and the hotel begins tailoring
their experience. Efficiently managing reservations and inquiries during this stage
sets the tone for the guest’s upcoming visit.
 Key Activities in Pre-Arrival
 Enquiry: The initial interaction that often determines whether a guest will
book a stay.
 Reservation: A critical touchpoint where guests commit to staying and share
their preferences.
 Pickup Service: A thoughtful service that can ease the guest’s journey to the
hotel.
Arrival: First Impressions Count
Arrival is the first physical touchpoint with the guest. This stage is about making a
lasting first impression. The activities involved aim to welcome guests warmly,
manage their immediate needs, and set the scene for a comfortable stay.
Essential Activities Upon Arrival
 Handling Luggage: Taking care of guests’ belongings to start their stay
smoothly.
 Registering: Officially marking the beginning of the guest’s experience at the
hotel.
 Opening Guest Account: Creating an account that serves as the guest’s
financial ledger during their stay.
 Allocating Room: Placing guests in a room that meets or exceeds their
expectations.
 Issuing Key, Welcome Kit: Providing the essentials for accessing and
enjoying their accommodation.
Occupancy: The Stay Itself
During the Occupancy stage, the guest makes use of the hotel’s amenities and
services. This stage is critical for guest satisfaction as it involves the core of the
hospitality experience. Managing guest services and ensuring comfort are
paramount to encourage repeat stays.
Managing the Guest’s Stay
 Managing Guest Services: Overseeing the plethora of services provided to
ensure guest satisfaction.
 Managing Transport: Facilitating local travel arrangements for guests.
 Telephone Calls: Handling guest communication needs efficiently.
 Currency Exchange: Assisting guests with financial transactions for their
convenience.
 Check-Out Procedure: Preparing for a smooth transition as the guest’s stay
concludes.
Departure: The Fond Farewell
 Departure is the final stage of the guest cycle but is as important as the welcome. It’s the
last opportunity to leave a positive impression. The departure process should be handled
with care, ensuring all guest needs are met and their departure is as pleasant as their
arrival.
Concluding Activities in Departure
 Guest Payment Clearance: Ensuring a hassle-free settlement of the guest’s
account.
 Handling Luggage: Assisting with luggage to ease the guest’s departure.
 Drop Service: Providing a parting service with transportation to the guest’s
next destination.
GUEST ARRIVAL

In the guest arrival stage there are certain steps:

Preparing for guest arrival (In reservation section)

 Verification of documents

 Preparing of documents i.e. Movement list or expected arrival +expected

departure list.
MOVEMENT LIST: It is a document which contains the name of expected arrival and
expected departure for next day.

 Pre-Arrival: The front office needs a list of all guests expected on a given day to
prepare for guest’s arrival, with their estimated arrival times, room type (or allocated
room, if any), special requirements and so on. The arrivals list is usually generated,
using the date in booking diary, the day before the arrival date, so that it is as current as
possible. Separate group arrivals lists and VIP/SPATT (Special attention guest) ,
handicapped guest, regular guest etc, lists may be generated a week in advance,
 however because these guest require more preparation. The various lists will be copied,
as required by the housekeeping dept, F&B dept and guest relation.
 Pre-registration for some guest: Pre-registration is an activity of registering a
guest before his arrival based on the information already available. The entries are made
in guest registration (GR) card.
 Preparation of amenities voucher: This voucher is made by receptionist prior to
guest arrival so that the extra amenities which is requested by the guest at the time of
reservation shall be kept in the room.

Preparatio
n at reception desk
 Morning briefing and reading log book.

 Calculation of number of expected arrivals and departure

 Calculation of room position: Room position-Available vacant rooms + no of

rooms of expected departure–no of rooms of expected arrival.

 Allocation of rooms for guest VIP’s etc.

WELCOMING OR RECEIVING GUESTS:

First impressions are incredibly important. The look, the appearance and manner of the
reception and front staff will either match ,exceed or disappoint guest’s expectation,
which in turn may influence how they feel about their whole stay at the hotel, how they
describe their experience to others. It dosen’t matter how good your check in system and
procedures are, and how impressive the public area of the hotel, if reception staff don’t
welcome every guest promptly, courteously and in friendly manner.

WHY DO GUEST NEED TO REGISTER?

 It satisfies the legal requirement for the hotel to keep records of their guests.

 It provides a record of arrivals, while may help to account for residents in the
event of a fire or other disaster.
 It confirms guest’s acceptance of the hotel’s term and condition.

 It occupies the guest while the receptionist checks booking records, allocates
rooms, preparing keys.

After a guest arrives at the hotel, the front desk agent should complete the guest
registration process. This is to make sure that the guest registration is completed as per
the hotel standard and also to collect important guest information’s. Guest is also asked
to sign on the printed registration card as a statutory requirement and also to verify that
the details provided on the registration card is accurate.
Registration card may also include details of the reservations like room type, room rate,
billing instructions, arrival and departure date etc. Regcard also include ‘Management
policies’ to which the guest has to accept and sign on the space provided for the same.
In some countries it is a legal requirement to have the guest signature on the registration
card.
Even in hotels with fully automated front office management systems guests may be
asked to sing on the pre-printed registration card on arrival as a legal requirement.
The formats used during the check-in of the guests are:
1. Guest Registration Card (GRC) – Registration card is filled by the guest during
check-in. It is a very important document from where a front desk agent gets all the
information about the guest. A registration card consists of name of the guest, address,
organization name and address, nationality, arrival time and date, expected date of
departure, purpose of visit, room number, number of person, room rate etc.
2. C Form – C Form is a legal document which has to be filled by all foreign
nationals except those from Nepal. NRI’s with green cards do not have to fill this card.
Children up to 16 years and diplomats from other countries are also exempted from
filling C form. Three copies of C form are made, 1st copy is sent to the FRRO, 2nd copy
is sent to the local police station, and the 3rd copy is kept as office copy with the hotel.
 FRROs are mostly located only in metropolitan cities. In smaller cities or towns, the C
form has to be sent to the local police station. Pakistani forms are directly sent to special
branch of FRRO called Pakistan Cell. A Pakistani after reaching India has to report in
person to the office within 24 hours.
3. Arrival and Departure Register – It is a register maintained by the front desk
agent which monitors all the arrivals and departures on a particular day. It monitors the
rooms allocated and those just vacated for helping the Housekeeping department for
making rooms ready again for guests. It also helps to find out the number of people
checked in so as to calculate the house count.
Assigning the room and rate– Room assignment is an important part of the
registration process. Room assignment involves identifying and allocating available
rooms in a specific room category to a guest. Room and room rates may be pre
assigned on the basis of reservation information. Room assignments are finalized during
registration.
UNIT–IV
COMMUNICATION WITHIN FRONT OFFICE, INTER-DEPARTMENTAL
COMMUNICATION, GUEST SERVICE, GUEST RELATIONS, FRONT OFFICE
SECURITY FUNCTIONS

Inter-Departmental Coordination
For effective and smooth functioning of any hotel inter-departmental coordination and
cooperation is a vital element. No department in a hotel is independent of another.
Rooms are the largest selling items in hotels and the largest contributor to the profits of
the hotel. Since rooms are the major responsibility of housekeeping, it has a very
important role to play. Thus housekeeping works in a very close relationship with the
front office.
I. Coordination with Front Office
From the front office to housekeeping
 Occupancy forecast: These are the forecast based on the reservations already
made and the forecast is on annual, quarterly, monthly, 3 days and daily updating. This
helps in planning the staff, staff holidays, and extra cleaning tasks.
 Night report: This report gives the status of each room along with the
occupancy, house count, ARR. This enables the housekeeping to allocate the work for
the day.
 Daily VIP arrivals and in-house guests: This will enable the housekeeping or
preparing the staff for the VIP arrivals as well as good services.
 Daily anticipated departure list: The work in each section is arranged around
the check-out.
 Long term forecast of VVIP arrivals: Sometimes for the VVIP suites or normal
rooms also, the room requires to be put off for a few days for extra preparations.
 Group Rooming List: This helps the housekeeping to do their work as per the
program also given.
 Room Changes: This helps the housekeeping in lost and found and in laundry
purposes.
 Arrival List: This is a list used only in small hotels.
 Discrepancy Report: The report showing the difference between the
housekeeping report and that of front office.
 Check-out Room: To be reported immediately for checking of missing items and
servicing of rooms as quickly as possible

From Housekeeping to Front Office

 Housekeeper’s Occupancy report: This report is made twice in a resort and
thrice in a business hotel. This report should tally with the front office board/rack and any
discrepancy is to be investigated.
 Check-out Ready Rooms: This enables the reception to know when a given
room is in a saleable condition.
 Sleep-out: This is to be done to avoid skippers, scanty baggage, and packed
luggage.
 Out of order/Under-repair rooms: The reception has to know so that they do
not let or reallocate the given rooms. In case it is an occupied room then the required
room changes are to be carried out.
 Anticipated check-outs that have not left: This is so that the front office is
made aware and the front office can enquire directly from the guest of his program.
 Unusual Observation: Observations like that of suspicious movements,
suspicious objects, DND and DL for two consecutive shifts have to be immediately
reported to that necessary action can be taken.
The guest, who comes to a particular hotel, comes with an understanding that he and
his belongings both will be safe and secure during his stay at the hotel. At the same
time it is also quite important that the hotel staff and assets are protected and secure.
Hence it is very important to have a proper security system in place to protect staff,
guests and physical resources and assets such as equipment, appliances buildings,
gardens of the hotel and also the belongings of the guest.
The management must take care that the security and safety systems cover
the following areas:
1. Guest: Protection from crimes such as murder, abduction and health hazards
from outsiders, hotel staff, pests, food poisoning etc.
2. Staff: Providing staff lockers, insurances, health schemes, provident funds etc.
Protective clothing, shoes, fire fighting drills, supply of clean drinking water use of aqua
guards, sanitized wash rooms etc.
3. Guest luggage: Secure luggage store rooms and proper equipment such as
luggage trolley and bell hop trolley should be provided.
4. Hotel Equipment: Lifts, Boilers, Kitchen equipment, furniture fitting and building
etc. must be protected and for these the security and safety should cover up fire safety
equipment, bomb threat security system, water floods security system, earthquake
security system , safe vault security system etc.
5. Protection of raw materials, goods, provisions and groceries etc. for this the
security system should cover proper storage and pest control systems, apart from the
application of total material management system.
SAFE DEPOSIT
Though hotel is not responsible for the guest valuables, the rule to this effect is written in
the guest registration card and also notified in the in guest room .but a hotel offers a free
safe deposit facility for his valuables.
Hotels have bank type of lockers installed at the front office cash. A locker is allotted to
guest that can be opened by using two keys .the master key is with the front office
cashier and other key is issued to the guest. A contract is also signed in between the
guest and the hotel. Whenever a guest wants to open that locker it has to be entered
into the locker operating register. Signatures are always verified with the specimen .head
cashier inserts his key then a guest inserts his own key, and then only a lock can be
opened. Guest is left alone to operate his locker. Guest can lock the locker with his own
key. At the time of departure the guest is asked to vacate the locker.
If the key is lost by the guest .then the locker will be drilled open in presence of the guest
and can be charged for the replacement of the locker.
If the forgets to vacate the locker, he or she has to be informed by the hotel to come and
vacate it either personally or by sending an authorized person with authority letter.
These days some hotels have installed an electronic safe deposit box in each guest
room .this safety box can be operated by using an electronic number. Guest can use any
number to open the lock. The number selected by the guest becomes the locker’s code
number .the guest’s are advised to keep there valuables in the electronic safety box.
Though hotel is not responsible for any lost item .But hotels take this issue as prestige
issue. So an inquiry is done on the hotel security level.
 Key Control
It is the duty and responsibility of the front desk staff to ensure the right guest is given
the key to his room and his safety and security pertaining to issuance of key is not
compromised or violated during his stay in the hotel.
Front Desk Agent should never give keys, room numbers, messages, parcels or mails to
any person without first requiring appropriate identification.
For Security reason hotels uses at least three types of keys, Emergency Key, Master
key and guest room keys. Types of keys used may vary hotel by hotel but the process of
handling them remains pretty much the same.
When Guest Request for room key:
 Request for Guest’s last name and room number.

 Cross check the information given against by guest against the reservation
details on the hotel software (PMS).

 If there any mismatch is the details provided then request for any valid photo
identification like passport, Driving license, government ID cards etc. Do not handover
the room keys without proper authentication of the guest identity.

 If no picture identification is available by the guests, the Front office assistant

must accompany the guests to the room to confirm the identity. When being challenged
by our actions, we are to inform the guest:

“We are doing this for your security and safety. We appreciate your understanding.”
 Only in an emergency situation can we use the information on the guest passport
number, date of birth, address given to the hotel on arrival etc. to ascertain against
computer’s record.

 When in doubt with the identity and guest refused to be escorted to room, inform
the Front office manager immediately. If the Team Leader or Assistant Manager – Front
Office could recognize the guest, give the duplicate key to the guest while reinforcing
politely why we need to perform the identity check.

 Check if guest requires additional key or if he has lost his previous key.

 If guest requests additional key, program a new key with duplicate code.

 If guest has lost his previous key, program a key with new code.

 Present the new key to the guest

Keys must never be issued to persons claiming to have the guest’s permission to enter
the room unless the guest has personally given his /her verbal or written authorization to
the Front Office team.
Room numbers should not be written on the keys in case keys are misplaced. A set of
codes are encoded to differentiate keys being held by guests.
On Staff’s request entry into occupied room:
1. Only designated operational staff is allowed access to occupied guest rooms.
They are: Bellboys, Concierge, Front Desk agents, Housekeeping Manager, Assistant
Manager– Housekeeping / Team Leader / Designated Room Attendant and Laundry
Attendant, Mini Bar, F&B – Room Service Fruits Deliverer.

2. Key machines should constantly be in ‘log off” mode. Access code should be
known only to those designated personnel and not shared amongst other staff.

3. Cashier may hand over the checked out room key to the bellman to collect
luggage and check mini-bar and safe boxes. The bellman must return the used key to
the same cashier after removing the luggage from the room.

“Show Room” / Sales mock up rooms Keys

1. On a daily basis, a set of rooms will be blocked off for viewing purposes by the
Duty Manager – Front Office.

2. Two sets of keys to these rooms will be programmed and placed at the Front
Office Reception for site visit purposes.

3. Staff releasing the site visit keys must inform the receiver to return the keys back
to the Reception upon completion.
 10 Types of Emergency Situations Encountered in Hotels
 Bomb Threat emergency situation.

 Fire Threat emergency situation.

 Death of an In-house Guests in the hotel.

 Accident emergency situation.

 Lost and Found.

 Theft emergency situation.

 Illness and Epidemics emergency situation.

 Vandalism.

 Damage to property by the guest.

 Handling drunken guest.

Bomb Threat Emergency Situation:
In case of any call received regarding the bomb threat, the hotel should tie-up with the
local police authority and follow their instructions. The person who receives the call
should take complete details of the situation and should even try to note down the voice
and accent of the person calling regarding a bomb threat. Immediately the hotel should
inform the anti-bomb squad and should defuse the bomb after locating the place where it
is planted.
Signal the colleague to also listen in the call and try to find out the location through the
exchange. Listen to the caller carefully and make it prolong and get all the information
carefully like the place where planted, time of explosion and strength of explosives.
If possible this call may be taped and note the back noise and try to catch information
from accent and police to be informed. Immediately after disconnection, the G M and
security officer has to be informed. If the location is identified the department head
should be also informed People from that suspected area have to be evacuated from
that particular location. After “all clear” signal from the police, the normal process of the
hotel can be continued.
Fire Threat Emergency Situation:
Fire is the most common emergency situation which could break in the hotel at any point
in time. The most probable reason for a fire break in the hotels can be a kitchen or faulty
wirings in the hotel. The concerned staff should be immediately informed and fire
brigade should be informed immediately.
 Do not panic, If the hotel staff is well versed with the fire fighting equipment then
immediately fire extinguisher should be used. The supply of electricity and gas should be
immediately turned off whenever any news regarding fire comes to the hotel.
Death of an In-House Guest in the Hotel:
Whenever information comes regarding the death of an in-house guest the Front Office
Manager should be reported directly who informs the General Manager and the Security
Manager. Later on, the police authority is even told and the hotel doctor is summoned to
confirm the death of the guest.
The residential address of the guests is also identified and the relatives are informed.
Once the doctor has confirmed the death and the police has given the permission the
dead body is removed by the help of a stretcher. In the meanwhile, if the deceased
guest was under some other doctor consultation then that doctor is also enquired.
A death certificate is also prepared and a report is prepared to mention the time, room
number and other details related to the deceased guest. The guest room is locked and
sealed and after the permission and clearance of police the room is opened and spring
cleaned and can be resold again after the approval of the local authority.
SOP for Handling Death and Medical Emergency In Hotels at the
end of this page.
 The hotel emergency team members should consist of the
Duty Manager, Security Manager or Supervisor, Front Office Manager, Manager on Duty
and the General Manager.
 A health emergency is defined as any situation when guests or staffs well being
or threats to his /her life eg: Cardiac Arrest, Respiratory Arrest, Unconscious Individual
or any Conscious Person in Acute Distress.
 As the first point of contact, the Telephone operator / Guest service agent should
check with the guest what problem he is facing.
 If the guest service team is being the first who received the call, inform the
operator to contact Security and rush to the scene.
 Take down the caller’s name, room number or location of the scene, type of
sickness or injury and inform the Front Office Manager or Duty manager immediately.
 If the guest requires hospitalization then an ambulance is to be called, or
alternatively, a hotel vehicle may be offered depending upon the situation/condition of
the guest.
 The hotel staffs should Stay with the guest or injured person till the arrival of the
Emergency Unit.
 In case guest request to call a doctor (doctor on call) then the standard procedure
should be followed.
 In case of a serious medical emergency, the Manager on Duty should act as the
leader of the medical emergency team.
 The Security Manager must be immediately notified and should be present to
access the situation.
 The First aid trained staff should attempt to stabilize the victim with the
assistance of the Security Team / Manager while the ambulance is being called.
 A wheelchair should be placed on standby if required, and the Security
Supervisor / Manager will arrange for an elevator to carry out the evacuation.
 As per the hotel policy, the ambulance will be directed to arrive either via the
Employee Entrance or to the hotels emergency exit.
 All medical emergencies must be logged onto the Hotel log, Security Log and
Front office daily log.
Accident Emergency Situation:
Accidents can take place in the hotels at any point of time due to faulty stairs, ramps,
and balconies and even due to the parking places. The hotels should ensure that
handrails, the non-slip surface should be used while framing the architecture plan for the
hotels.
Lost and found:
This is a term used in hotel parlance to refer to any item which is left by the guest or
temporarily misplaced by the guest but traced later by the hotel staff. Such articles to be
handed over to the housekeeping department which maintained a special locker for this
purpose.
If the item belongs to the guest who has already checked out, then a letter has to be
sent to the forwarding address left by the guest while checkout or which is there in the
registration card. If no reply is received by the hotel within a certain time limit, that may
be auctioned to the hotel employees or take a decision as per the hotel policies and
rules.
Theft Emergency Situation:
The front desk is having cash with them so there is also the possibility of theft. Also,
there are belongings of in house guest. To discourage theft, the front office should
inform the guest to deposit their valuables in the safety deposit locker.
Illness and Epidemics Emergency Situation:
There should always be a Doctor on call available for the hotel so that in case if any
guest suffers from any kind of problem he /she can be given the concern treatment as
soon as possible.
Vandalism:
 The front office staff must call the hotel security and order the main door to be locked. If
the situation gets out of the hand then the security manager should call the police
immediately.
Damage to property by the resident guest:
The front office cashier is instructed to raise a charge for the value of the damages to
property, a responsible guest will never argue but if he does the subject to be referred to
the general manager.
Handling Drunken Guest:
A drunken guest may disturb another guest. In order to avoid this, the drunken guest
should be escorted to an isolated area like a back office. Hotel staff should calmly
handle the situation by following the SOP for Handling drunken guests
SOP for Handling drunken guests
 Do your best to deal with each situation without putting yourself at risk.
 Act politely.
 Always stay calm.
 Don’t argue with the intoxicated guest.
 Don’t embarrass the guest, especially in front of other people.
 Deal with the situation in a calm, friendly way.
 Speak to the person directly, and firmly explain that what they are doing is
unacceptable.
 Listen and empathize with your guest.
 Acknowledge your guest’s anger or frustration, but also remind them that you are
responsible for their safety and don’t want to see them get hurt.
 Invite the problem guest to an area away from other guests, where you can talk.
 Talk softly and lead him away from the public area.
 Point out that if they were sober they would agree that what they are doing is a
bad idea.
 If the drunk guest is behaving rudely then the last option should be to call
the security officer but try and handle the situation very calmly.
 The duty manager or the immediate supervisor should take the drunken guest
away from the reception/front desk area.
 Make the guest realize that this is not the right way to talk and then acting very
calmly and talking very politely with him the supervisor can escort him to his room
 The manager can also indulge the guest in some other thoughts and just keep
the guest calm and as soon as possible send him back to his room.
 If the guest has come to a restaurant or bar and if you decide to ask this person
to leave, remember that you are still responsible for their safety (call a cab, get someone
to drive them home, or if the situation gets out of control – call the security officer or
police).
UNIT–V
CONCIERGE AND BELL DESK
Bell desk is an extended arm of the front desk. There are many activities at the time of
arrival, during the stay, and at the time of departure of the guest which cannot be carried
out from the front desk but are to be carried out essentially, in order to provide services
to the guest. As the name suggests it is a small desk/counter in the lobby near the main
entrance of the hotel. The bell desk should be situated in clear view of the front desk,
cashier, and particularly the doorman standing outside the lobby, so that the doorman
may signal for a bellboy at the arrival of a guest. Further, it is also important that the bell
desk is situated near the luggage center and luggage entrance.
Head Hall Porter
The in-charge of uniformed staff is the head hall porter, and he usually wears a uniform
of either tails or a frock coat with brass or silver buttons and gold or silver braid or any
other uniform as decided by the management. The majority .of hall porters in larger
hotels are members of an international society called “Societe des clefs d’ or” and wear
a badge of crossed keys on the lapel of their coat.
Functions of Bell Desk
The senior bell captain is the in-charge of the bell desk and along with his staff performs
various duties from here. The various functions performed from here are as follows.
1. Luggage handling
Luggage handling of the guest is done on various occasions such as arrival, during stay
(change of room), and at the time of departure. At the time of arrival when the luggage of
the guest is moved from car/taxi to the lobby and further to the allotted room, the activity
is called “up bell activity”. When the luggage of the guest is moved from room to lobby
and further to the car/taxi at the time of departure the activity is called “down bell
activity”. The baggage is collected from the room upon request. A left luggage register is
maintained in this case and an entry is made in this book. A baggage ticket (which has
two parts) is used. One part is attached to the luggage and the counterfoil is given to the
guest. This portion details the hotel’s liability exemption clause. When the guest comes
to collect his luggage he has to produce his portion of the baggage ticket. The luggage
storeroom must be secure at all times.
2. Paging
Apart from luggage handling the bell desk is also responsible for paging a guest. The
paging is a system of locating the guest in the hotel. Many times the in-house guest
expects a phone call or a visitor but decides not to wait in the room, and might decide to
go to public areas such as a bar, restaurant. swimming pool, lobby or lounge, etc. of the
hotel or may go out of the hotel. In such cases, the hotel requests the guest to tell about
his whereabouts through a location form. This proforma may be kept in the stationary
folds in the room as well as at the information section of the counter. Usually, it is mm in
by the guest but many times it may be filled in by the hotel staff on the instructions of the
guest The completed location form is kept in the key and mail racks. This information is
sent to the telephone department also (the guest may directly inform or the front desk
may do so). The purpose of the form is to earmark the area of paging and save time. In
the case of a computer system, the information is recorded on the computer instead of
the location forms.
3. Mail and Message Handling
The bell desk’s function is also to handle and distribute mail and message received by
the front desk in the absence of the guests to their respective rooms. Also distribution or
newspaper and magazines etc. to various rooms and the areas of the hotel and keeping
a record of the same is done by the bell desk.
4. Delivery of Newspapers
As per the hotel policy, all hotel guests receive a copy of a local newspaper each
morning. The bellboys in the night shift are responsible for delivering the newspapers to
all occupied rooms.
The bell captain obtains the room verification report (providing information on all rooms
presently occupied). The bellboy then marks the room numbers for each newspaper.
The bellboy also inserts the daily newsletters in each paper provided by the public
relations office the previous evening. The bellboy then distributes the newspapers. The
record of numbers of newspapers received on a daily basis is maintained by the night
shift bell captain.
5. Collection of Room Keys at Departure
Another very important function of the bell desk is the collection of room keys from a
checkout guest and depositing the same at the information desk.
6. Miscellaneous Jobs
Miscellaneous jobs such as postage stamps handling, taking care of outgoing mail of the
guest, carrying out outside errands for the guest and hotel such as buying of cinema
tickets, moving of files and documents, etc. for the guest as well as going to banks, post
office and FRRO police station for delivering of ‘C forms’ etc., confirming of railways/bus
reservation, etc. are done by the bell desk. Bellboy shall do the outside jobs only on the
instructions of the bell captain. A service call slip will be prepared. Also, an entry in the
logbook will be made and an entry in the bell captain’s control sheet, which is meant to
control the movement of bellboys will be made. Finally when the bellboy will return an
entry will be made in the service call slip and bell captain’s control sheet and will be
signed by the bell captain. In most hotels these days the bell desk is also responsible for
 car parking areas and control of revenue generated from the car parking area. At times
when there is a room discrepancy, the bell desk staff helps the lobby manager in
checking and sorting out the status of the hotel.
7. Wake Call
In some hotels, the wake-up call to groups and crews is coordinated by the bell desk. In
such cases, it is the responsibility of the bell captain on duty in the morning shift to
prepare the wake call sheets of all the groups and crews in-house.
Records and Procedures
1. Left Luggage Procedure
At times guest finds it inconvenient and expensive to carry their luggage to a place
where they are going for a few days. Guest is expected to check out by check out time
(12 noon) even if their fight is in the evening and they find it too expensive to retain the
room for an extra day just to keep the luggage. Most hotels offer the left luggage room
facility free of cost but some hotels do charge for it. The left luggage facility may also
bring back the guest to stay in your hotel on his next visit. The procedure for receiving
luggage is as such:
Before accepting the luggage, it is checked whether the guest has settled his bill or not.
1. Check the baggage of the guest if it is properly locked or not. In case the
baggage is damaged then the guest must be informed and note for the same must be
made in the receipt. Scanty Baggage Procedure

2. Luggage stickers should be pasted on all luggage pieces. A proper receipt must
be made, signed by both guest and bell captain, and handed over to the guest.

3. Enter the details in the left luggage register with the expected date the luggage
will be picked up by the guest.

4. Keep the luggage in the left luggage room under lock and key.

When the guest comes to pick up his luggage pieces from the left luggage room then the
following procedure is carried out. The guest is requested to give the receipt.
In case the guest has lost the receipts then the guest is requested to sign in the left
luggage register.
1. Check the receipt and bring out his luggage pieces from the left luggage room.

2. Make an entry in the left luggage register entering the date luggage pieces
delivered.

2. Scanty Baggage Procedure

Scanty baggage means no baggage or light luggage consisting of briefcase or airbag.
Guest with scanty baggage is normal skippers from the hotel. Skippers are those
 persons who check out of the hotel without settling their bills. The scanty baggage
guests also normally go out with their light baggage and the hotel never knows that if this
guest is going out with an intention to come back or not. To save guard the hotel’s
interest, normally guests with scanty baggage are requested to pay in advance.
There is a set procedure adopted by hotels to keep control of guests, with scanty
baggage.
1. The lobby manager and the reception are notified immediately on the guest’s
arrival about the scanty baggage.

2. Arrival errand card is stamped with scanty baggage.

3. Guest registration card’s all copies are stamped with ‘scanty baggage’.

4. The scanty baggage register is filled up by the bell desk.

5. Get the guest registration cards and the scanty baggage register signed by the
Lobby manager.

3. Message Handling Procedure

1. Receiving messages for in house guests in their absence, recording them, and
communicating them to the guest as soon as possible is an important function of the
front desk staff. The efficiency and professionalism of the hotel and the attitude of staff
are reflected by the way this function is carried out by the staff.

2. The need for receiving a message for in house guests is when the guest is not in
the room. Usually, when the guest goes out of his room, he would leave his room key at
the counter where the information clerk would put in the appropriate room number in
pigeon holes. Sometimes the guest may leave his whereabouts at the reception counter
through a yellow card also called locator or location form whereabouts in the card.

3. In case a phone call comes or a visitor comes to the hotel to see the guest, the
receptionist will first confirm through the key and mail rack whether the guest is in the
room or not. He/she will look for any location form left by the guest also.
Suppose a visitor comes and the in -house guest has left a location form indicating that
he will be in the bar, dining hall, etc, then the paging in that particular area will be done
for him either by public address system or through traditional page board system.

4. In case the guest has not left any whereabouts but has left the key at the counter,
the visitor will be asked to leave a message for the in-house guest. A special performa
called the message slip is prepared and is filled in by the visitor.
Usually, hotels prepare the slip in triplicate on behalf of the visitor. The top one or the
 original is kept in key and mail rack in an envelope and is delivered to the guest when
he/she comes to collect the room key.

5. The first copy of the message is slipped in the room and the second copy
remains in the message book as a reference copy.

6. In case the guest has neither left any location form nor has given the key of the
room to the reception counter, the same system is followed for recording but in addition,
either an “attention card “or “mail and message advise slip “ is put on the knob of the
room or message light is activated in those hotels which use electronic systems. The
message details may also be fed into the computer and the guest may view it on the
screen of the tv in his room.

7. A similar system is followed in case of a telephone message. The important point

to be noted here is that whenever the receptionist receives information about guest’s
whereabouts (through location form) he /she must immediately pass on the same
information to the telephone department so that call may be diverted to the message
center without delay.

4. Mail Handling
Mail handling is a very important activity of the front desk and the way mail is handled
shows the efficiency and attitude of the hotel staff. Any delay and carelessness shown
by the staff may result in great dissatisfaction. The term “mail handling” covers up both
incoming and outgoing mail.
Incoming mail
As per the policy of the hotel, the incoming mail may be received at the bell desk or by
the information department. The first step involved in the mail is sorted, arranged
alphabetically and put separately ie,
1. Mail for the guest

2. Mail for the hotel

Next, the mail is date and time-stamped.

The incoming guest mail
It is sorted into three categories :
1. Mail for the inhouse guest

2. Guest who has already checked out

3. Guest who has not yet arrived.

Mail for the inhouse guest

 In case the key of the room of the in-house guest is in keys mail rack, the in-
house guest mail is put in key and mail rack and is delivered to him along with room key
when he comes to the counter. In case the guest is in the room, he is intimidated about
the mail and if he/she so desires the bellboy takes the mail to the room.

 Sometimes the guest may go out of his room without leaving the key on the
counter. In such cases, a Mail Advice Slip is put on the key knob of the door so that if
the guest goes to the room directly, he/she would know about the mail which the hotel
has received in his / her absence.
 These days hotels use message light on the telephone or on the door and
computers are used for this purpose in some hotels.

Checked out guest

The mail of the checked-out guest is checked out with the forwarding instructions and
mail is forwarded according to the instructions left out by the check out guest and
appropriate entries are made on the mail forwarding address slip.
Awaited arrivals
 Mail of such guest is marked with the date of arrival and kept in the Hold Mail
Rack This information is then marked on advance reservation slip/movement list or is fed
in the computer.

 On the night before the arrival date, the expected arrival mail along with the
reservation record is sent to the front desk. When the guest arrives the mail is handed
over to him at the time of registration. The awaited mail is retained for a period of one
month only. After the expiry of the date, it is sent back to the sender.

 At times the hotel may also receive registered, recorded mail such as letters,
packages, parcels, etc for the guest. Since there is a record maintained by the hotel of
all such staff mails at times of receiving, it is important that it should be delivered
urgently to the guest and acknowledgment taken.

Formats And Records Maintained At Bell Desk

1.Bell Desk Log Book:
A logbook has to be maintained by bell boys for all the shifts to keep a record of all
activities and instructions that are performed during a particular shift and need to be
shared with the next shift.
2.Bell Boy Errand Card:
The bell card is an important format maintained by the bell captain during the shift
timings of individual bell boys to control the activities when they leave the desk for any
purpose like luggage delivery, newspaper distribution, message delivery, etc. The bell
 boy errand card is printed on both sides, front side used at the time of arrival and the
backside used at the time of departure.
3.Lobby Control Sheet:
This sheet is maintained by bell captain during a particular shift in the hotel. The sheet is
a summary of all the activities performed by bell boys during shifts. It even helps in the
preparation of individual errand cards of the bell boys. This format is further used by
lobby manager to counter check the moment of bell boys for better performance.
4.Guest Location Form:
This form is used to know the location of the guest when they leave the room and inform
the location which is kept in key/mail rack. When a guest is expecting any message, he
usually informs whether he will be in the hotel or outside and accordingly, gives his
location in the hotel or provides a phone number in case he goes out of hotel premises.
And intimates to reception once returning back to the room. In the case of a visitor, only
after his instructions by the guest about his whereabouts.
5.Inventory Register:
The inventory register keeps a record of all inventory items of the bell desk such as bell
trolley, torch, formats, wheelchair, metal detector, paging board, stationery.
6.Message Form:
Message form is used to deliver any received message for an in-house guest in their
absence from the hotel. The message is delivered immediately on arrival in the hotel.
Two copies of the message are prepared, one copy is taken by bell boy and slotted
through under the door of the guest room and the other is kept as a record in key/mail
rack. It is done to make the delivery/communication of the message to the guest.
7.Wake-up Call Sheet:
Wake up call sheet is used to wake guests who wish for the same. It is generally
requested by guests who want to be waked up early in the morning or want to get a
reminder about some important work. This sheet is prepared by the telephone operator
or is done by the bell captain.
8.Room Shifting Slip:
In case a room of a guest has to be changed, in that case, the room shifting sheet is
used to maintain records of the same. It is done with the approval of the front office
manager/lobby manager.

CONCIERGE DESK
Concierges have a broad range of responsibilities that may make their career role hard to define. In hospitals,
hotels and other service-oriented organizations, they act as vital links between institutions and their patrons.
FUNCTIONS OF CONCIERGE DESK
1. Facilitate Travel
Some concierges double as private or for-hire chauffeurs. These individuals do more than just drive people
around, however; they’re also commonly relied on to act as personal assistants. As such, they could be
responsible for arranging tours and excursions or transferring passengers from airports and other transportation
hubs to cities.
 Concierges who also drive passengers might have to develop deeper relationships with their clients. For
instance, a travel enthusiast who’s accustomed to ritzy treatment may expect their chauffeur-concierge to have
their favorite newspaper or beverages on hand when they meet up. In some cases, concierges who actively
perform travel services require special licensing and training.
2. Improving Hospitality
Hotel concierges perform services that define the modern hospitality experience. At a basic level, their work
includes tasks like taking reservations, checking guests in and fielding requests for items and amenities. They
commonly act as the first point of contact for patrons.
Behind the scenes, a hotel concierge may perform tasks like overseeing cleaning services, managing resource
inventories, compiling reports on maintenance jobs and other office work. While the highest-level decision-
making is often left to management staff, concierges are critical cogs in the business-process machine, and
higher-ups commonly delegate vital tasks to these key players.
3. Assisting Visitors
In hospitals and other large-scale healthcare facilities, concierges routinely handle the front-end tasks associated
with patient occupancy and family-member visitation. Hospital concierges may schedule overnight occupancy for
a patient’s loved ones, pass on treatment requests from relatives to nurses and care teams and provision specific
amenities prior to patient stays. Many also provide on-demand services, such as fulfilling special dietary requests
or securing entertainment.
A healthcare concierge could even be responsible for high-level resource management and planning. Some have
been known to oversee construction and administer improvement projects, like upgrading habitability features.
4. Keeping Patrons Informed
Regardless whether they work in hospitals, hotels or other institutions, one common task nearly all concierges
perform is answering questions. Patrons may want to know about nearby tourism sites, regional cuisine,
entertainment and a host of other issues that impact the quality of their visits.
To field these questions accurately, concierges need more than prior knowledge. Some also have to complete
additional training to learn about their company’s unique offerings or branding. Those who work in special-
interest facilities, such as hotels near national landmarks, may also improve their career skills by brushing up on
local histories. In certain situations, it may be to their advantage to be multilingual.
5. Guest Services
Nightclubs and restaurants commonly employ concierges to control access, greet guests and oversee daily
operations. These individuals have to be sufficiently capable to keep an eye on multiple affairs simultaneously
without losing track of issues like crowd control, security, emergency response and patron requests.
Concierges and other front-of-house staff usually handle reservations, large parties and seating arrangements.
During high-volume periods, they may move to assist with expediting kitchen or bar services.
No matter where they find employment, concierges are largely responsible for keeping things running smoothly.
Although this career is most often associated with the hospitality and tourism field, concierges work hard to
improve patron experiences in a range of industries.
Bell Desk
The bell desk is located very close to the main entrance of the hotel. This section is headed by a bell captain,
who leads a team of bell boys and page boys.
 Functions of bell desk :The bell desk is responsible for the following tasks:
 – Handling guest luggage at the time of arrival and departure
 – Escorting guests to their rooms on arrival.
 – Familiarizing guests about safety features and in-room facilities.
 – Making sundry purchases for the guest.
 – At request keeps guest luggage in the left luggage room
Equipment used in bell desk
1. Computer.
2. Telephone
3. Luggage trolley
4. Paging board
5. first aid box
6. Wheel chair
7. Oxygen cylinder
8. Stamp folder
9. Franking machines
10. Umbrella
11. Postage weighing machine
12. Date and time punching machine