Front Office Manual 6n5m6s

NAME OF THE UNIT : THE HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY

Content: 1. Introduction

- 01

2. History And Development Of Lodging Industry – International

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3. History And Development Of Lodging Industry – India

- 10

4. Defining The Term Hotel

- 15

5. Reason For Travel

- 18

Objective: Objective of this unit is to make the students aware of development of lodging industry in India and aboard. This unit includes defining hotel along with various reasons of people for traveling.

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INTRODUCTION TO THE FRONT OFFICE

Front office is the department which is responsible of giving first impression of the hotel when the guest arrives in of revenue it contributes 50% of the total hotel sales. The roll of front office is to reserve, receive, , assign room to the guest and act as a node of information. In this segment we are going to discuss front office and other departmental coordination. With housekeeping:1) Receive the report from the housekeeping that the room is ready to sell. 2) Receive the room status report from the housekeeping. 3) Notifying Special arrangement to be done for any VIP or group arrival. 4) Requirement of flower arrangement in lobby. 5) Receive uniform from the housekeeping department. With food and beverage department:1) Notifying room service about the guest status. 2) Likes and dislikes of the guest in term of food as it may be I guest history card. 3) F&B inform the front office about banquet parties and other seminars. 4) Make the tour plans for the guest or groups as per the discussion about the food and beverage to be served. 2

5) The room service is informed about the arrival and departure of the guest. With s department:1) Upkeep of information with the cashier about guest folios. 2) Receiving financial and departmental reports particularly about guest approaching credit limit. 3) Intimating section about dealing with guest and city ledger. 4) Intimate about the guest arrival and departures. With sales and marketing department:1) Coordinating with sales departments so as to improve sales during lean occupancy period. 2) Receiving of market trends from sales department. 3) Forecasting of business along with sales department.

ATTRIBUTES OF THE FRONT OFFICE PERSONNEL: As the front office department is the frontier department of the hotel so its personnel should presentable and well ethical .the attributes of the front office personnel are given below; 1) Punctual: the staff should be punctual enough towards their duties& they must understand the value of time. 2) Grooming: they must be well groomed according to hospitality standards 3) Self confidence: the staff should be confident enough to handle guest in a emergency situation. 4) Communication: should be good in communication skills as they have to interact with guest from different place very often. 5) Diplomacy: they should be well smart to handle the situation diplomatically when the guest is irritated. 6) Calmness; they should remain calm under pressure situations. 3

7) Sharp memory: he must be able to memorize room rent and taxes & guest names along with their likings and disliking. 8) Quick decision making power: should be able to take spontaneous decisions when required. 9) Smiling face: the front office personnel should always look cheerful and always wear a smile. 10) Technical knowledge: should be having sound knowledge, not only about the hotel as well as about the front office procedures. 11) Physically fit: the front office personnel should be physically fit as they have to stand and work for long hours. 12) Soft spoken: the staff should be soft spoken not only in front of the guest but also on the phone. 13) Salesmanship; the staff should be smart to sell the room with a good profit margin. 14) Convincing power: the staff should be able to convince the guest to avail more and more facilities provided by the hotel.

1.1 HISTORY OF THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE INTERNATIONAL LODGING INDUSTRY 1. Introduction:Hotel or inn or Sarai are derived from British era which means a place where a tourist can get accommodation & food along with entertainment & the tourist will be in a position to pay for the facilities provided. A hotel is supposed to provide lodging to travelers on payment. The inns were developed some where in 6th century B.C. earlier it was operated by hoses where they used to provide big dormitories with beds. Then in subsequent years they’ve started providing with food & wines. Entire service & preparation of food was done by the family itself.

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The history of tourism is closely associated with the history of Europe. This phenomenon is originated at Europe. After the industrial revolution in Europe, a great change was observed in the tourism industry. More and more people started traveling in order to satisfy social, business and leisure interest. Various empires of Europe contributed significantly in the development of tourism such as Egyptian, Greeks, Persians and Romans etc. In the western part of the world the tourism was established Egyptian empires and reduced its zenith under Romans. The road transport was developed because of the business need. More & more people have started traveling frequently in order to get business from different parts of the world. Earlier tourist used to carry their own kitchen equipments, household amenities, tents and animals, staff & servants during traveling. Then many people understood the requirement of Inns and Sarais as carrying all he above items made their journey uncomfortable. Egyptian:Egypt right from the beginning was a great tourist attraction as it was equipped with so many Palaces, Pyramids and on top of it the Light House of Alexandria was considered on of the Seven Wonders of the World. Graffiti and messages on the walls were symbolic of the fame of Egyptian monuments. The real adventures extended the boundaries of the Atlantic from 11th century onwards. They were also the first to use money as a form of exchange which helped the traveler lighten his loads. Persian:The Persians improved the travel infrastructure because the empire expanded over a large area. They designed roads and developed wagons with four wheels. This invention was significant in favor of the merchants. Greeks:5

Greeks have developed a new era in the field of tourism. They have started the coastal business and made use of the sea routes for the development of business. They established the system of currency exchange; the language was common in Mediterranean region. Romans:Romans had a keen iration for the Greek manners and lifestyle; however they refined most of their new developments introduced by Greeks through their remarkable sense organization. In this period of tourists were mainly diplomats, philosophers and researchers. During 7th & 8th century only, the monasteries used to provide hospitality to the travelers. The word INN means a lodging place or house. And subsequently after the implementation hotel’s proprietor’s act in 1956, it was known as a legal term “HOTEL”. The next big revolution came into existence when motor car was invented, it helped the people to travel frequently and hence a term evolved called “MOTEL” that was exclusively for the motor tourist.

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1.2 HISTORY OF DEVELOPMENT OF THE LODGING INDUSTRYINDIA Whenever we mention of history, the general assumption is that we want to know about the past. We study the past because our present has evolved out of it and to plan a better future. However various approaches and methods are involved in this exercise. Ideological leanings and interests determine the course of history writing. There came another stage when social scientists tried to re-orient methodology in the history by adopting methods of physical science. Thus historical methods were challenged to assert that all people have a history. Soon there developed the theory of historical materialism to prove that history went through an inevitable process change through various forms of social organization. Therefore it’s possible to talk of a history of the people rather than of the ruling class. The main objective to study the history of the lodging industry is to understand the phenomenon in a particular society in a particular time. Therefore we not only reconstruct the past but also develop generalizations that are more useful in understanding the present nature of the tourist phenomenon. To avoid simple generalizations the data needs to be assessed carefully. In early history we have archaeological evidence of inns, hotels, villas and transport but such information is fragmentary and covers periods of thousands of years. For instance the French looked only at the key events and the factors like standard of living, free time, and cheap transport and sea side resorts and link them to the growth of industry, labour force, social legislation and local customs. In this the physical, economical, technical, environmental, socio-political and cultural factors are studied understand the links between the past and present. And all this is used for the development of future. The history of lodging industry has made an important breakthrough in two areas. 1)

Identification of sources of data

2)

Use of both written and oral history 7

A critical examination of the historical process highlights new perspectives within which a particular field of interest can be viewed. The establishment of the history of tourism and lodging industry also helps in establishing the credibility of tourism as an academic discipline (which in India is still in fancy). 1.2.1 Periodisation and concepts Within the age of time the classes of people involved in the lodging industry have changed and become more democratized. Also the natures of the facilities have become more standardized if not universal. The main periods in the history of lodging industry are: 1)

The ancient era

2)

The transition era

3)

Modern era

The following concepts were commonly used during all periods: 1)

Motivation- the value of new experience and the transformation of travel from

survival to an improvement in the quality of life. This includes a)

Curiosity: moving from known to unknown

b)

Anticipation: to look for something and evaluate every new experience

c)

Leaving a mark for posterity: what the world offers and why you have experienced it.

2)

Holiday:

The world has two sources, religious and secular. a) In Europe, a day was set aside at the end of a work cycle and was called for a religious ritual and this day was called the holy day. In time, certain other observances were added to the number of holidays when no work was done and everyone celebrated. b) The secular tradition was a part of the imperial system when the state granted public holidays to celebrate imperial glory. On these holidays no work was done and the people participated in feasting and fun, public games and spectator sports were the highlights on such occasions. 8

In time the religious and secular combined and a day of rest became a part of all societies. 3) Mode of travel: Mode of travel was the state of art in of transport networks and routes, vehicles, cost of travel, documentation, safe age, wayside facilities and conveniences to the traveler. 4) Tourism impacts: The influence of tourism is not only on the lifestyle of the people but in bringing about changes in consumption and production as well as wealth.

1.2.2 Development chart for the hospitality industry: Traveling by foot  Traveling by animals  Shelter required for tourists.  Families in Europe started providing accommodation & food.  Concept of inns came in existence.  Lodge & Sarai started providing food & shelter to the travelers.  Motor cars were invented and thus Motels came in existence.

1.2.3 Landmarks in the growth of hotel industry:1650 : Pascal opened a café in Paris and a coffee house in London. 1794 : City Hotel (73 rooms) at 115, Broadway, New York. First building specially made for the hotel purpose. 1829 : Tremont House. Adam & Eve of the modern hotel industry was opened at Boston (170 rooms) 1889 : Cesar Ritz introduced luxury hotels such as Savoy, Carlton and Hyde Park hotels in England. 1890-1899: Fredrick Gordon anduxsd Sir Blundell Maple launched Gordon hotels and Fredrick hotels ltd. 9

Late 19th century: Famous Waldorf Astoria in New York. 18.1.1908: Buffalo Statler by Ellsworth Statler in United States was considered as the birth of the commercial hotels in the world 1927: Stevens Hotel in Chicago, later renamed as Hilton Hotel (3000 rooms). 1950: 2 new concepts (a) Motels and (b) international chain operations came up. Hotel Rossia or Rossiya: Moscow (remained largest hotel for world quite for sometime) West Inn Stanford: Singapore (remained tallest building for quite sometime) 1930 depression in world economy: depression in hotel industry. World war period : upsurge in the hotels.

1.3 DEFINING THE TERM HOTEL Hotel: - it is an establishment where facilities like lodging, food and entertainment is provided to the guest in order to which he will be in a position to pay for it. A hotel may be called as an establishment where the primary business is to provide the general public facilities such as food, beverage, uniformed services etc. As per reader’s digest dictionary, the hotel refers to a house of entertainment of travelers. As per the encyclopedia Britannica, the word hotel is of ancient origin, but it’s used in English for a house offering lodging and food for travelers. 1.3.1 INNS:The house frequented by common men who were known as tavern. The less important establishment in was called CABARETS. 1.3.2 HOSTELS:Derived from the word “host” and was used very late. The head of the hostel was Hosteller in French, while in England he was called Inn Keeper. 10

1.3.3 Hotels may be categorized depending upon factors given below:1)

Location

2)

Number Of Rooms

3)

Type Of Plans & Room Rates

4)

Type Of Clientele

5)

Length Of Guest Stay

6)

Facility That Is Offered.

1.4 REASONS FOR TRAVEL

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According to Hunziker and Kraph Tourism is a phenomenon and relationship arising from the travel and stay of non residence, in so far as it do not lead to permanent residence and is not connected any earning activity. The League of Nations had defined the tourism as a social activity when a person travels for more than 24 hours in a foreign country. The limitation of this definition was that it excluded the domestic tourism and stressed only about the international ones. The Rome conference on tourism had recommended replacing the term ‘tourist’ with ‘visitor’. They’ve also laid the two explainable criteria for both, as a)

Tourism: - the activity of temporary visitors staying at least 24 hours for

leisure, business, family, mission or meeting. b)

Excursion: - the activity of temporary visitors staying less than 24 hours

but excluding people in transit. This definition included both the domestic as well as the day visitor. The British tourist society defined it as the movement of the people for a short term to the destinations where they don’t usually live. It may be for the day visits or excursions.

The two basic types of tourisms following all the efforts were evolved as:1.

International tourism: when travel is from one country to another.

2.

Domestic tourism: when the ravel is within the country i.e. the trips taken by a tourist within his/her own country. 12

• Under the international tourism two more come in existence>>> 1.

Inbound: - refers to tourists entering a country.

2.

Outbound: - refers to the tourist leaving a country of his origin for another.

Coming back to the reasons of travel, we have the following reasons in basic: 1) Holiday or vacation including visit with friends and relatives. 2) Meetings and conferences, including other business activities. 3) Health and sports. 4) Religion and culture 5) Special interest tours like study tours etc.

1.4.1 The time period of a tour can be limited or affected by the following factors:-

1) Holiday duration or period 2) Price 3) Attraction & activities 4) Single or multi destinations 5) Packaged itinerary or individual travels 6) Inclusive arrangement or special interest tours etc.

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1.4.2 In today’s context the different types and reasons for tourism are:

Rest and recuperation: For taking a break from the everyday life relieving the stress of the societies and every day long work hours. Tourism which takes a person away from all the hectic daily routines and stress to a peaceful destination can be called vacations. It can be both domestic and international.

Escape: It can be defined as a mass shift of place from everyday reality world to a periphery region or in other words a ‘north-south migration’. Communication:Spending time with friends and relatives who far from a person’s home and don’t come in in the busy daily schedules. Culture and education:This tourism is based on generally the site seeing tours to experience and see different destinations, domestic or international though not necessarily in depth. Freedom: This is something when a person free from work chooses his own destination & sets out for the facilities and comforts that come his way rather than experience. 14

6)

Health: -

Some tourists come particularly to experience the Spas, Saunas, Undergo cures of different ailments, visit health club for workouts and yoga. 7)

Special interest tours: -

Organized as per the special interests such as golfing & fishing. These can range from medical, historical, archaeological and other interests.

8)

Adventure & Wildlife: -

All away from the modern civilization when the researchers, doctors or adventure crazy tourists come to the forests with bearers, porters and mules, animals of different or jeeps mixing, trekking, hiking and camp life with the luxury of a first class hotel. 9)

Convention tourism: -

Mixing leisure with work holding conferences, meetings at tourist destinations.

1.4.3 Out of all above factors, what motivates a tourist?? These questions are pertinent and the answers are relevant for those in studies of the tourism development areas and the tours and travel industry:-

 Sun, Sea, Sand & Sex: The American parlance defines it as the 4S formula. Sea bath with access to beach (sand) and a good weather (sunshine), is an expectation of tourist who want to escape 15

from temperate or tropical climates. New fashion of a SUN TANNED skin also takes over the traditional skin style. Some tourists like to do things with the crowd. So the overcrowding has pushed those who like privacy to he destinations in Africa and Asia. Many analysts the 4S as the “TOURISM IN A GHETTO”, to emphasize the artificiality of a created reservation which can be used to analyze or measure the tourist attention a particular destination is getting. In recent times, the 4S had been expanded into Golf, Sports which is extremely popular in the more affluent countries of the world, and particularly Japan. According to the records 15 million of the Japanese took off only for the golfing tours all over the world. Hawaii and Australia are the most favoured destinations for such tourists. Many tourism experts condone golf tourism as an environmental affair however some studies In Japan says that the colours and the chemicals used the greens are no less than the pesticides and harmful industrial effluents.

 Leisure, Touring, Site seeing and Culture tourism: - (LTC) Some tourists with ‘touristic lens view’ like to wander more and more and spend every night in a different place experiencing different cultures and people. That is why the destinations visited by these tourists are much more varied and widespread than the ones visited by he 4S tourist. Although the interests may vary with every tourist and thus, the level of service also would differ.

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 Visiting friends and relatives: - (VFR) Generally this form of tourism covers the domestic run. We get to see this in almost every walk of our life, e.g. a person wants to meet a friend in Delhi and also plans to visit the historical places in and around. Then the nearby destinations like Agra’s Tajmahal can also be visited in the run. This segment is of great importance but not considered economically significant by the providers of accommodation and food services because this type of tourist will stay, eat and spend with their host i.e. his friends and relatives. These tourists use friends or relatives as hosts for visiting the places of interest. In India we see an interesting combination of VFR & LTC to subside the cost of transport and accommodation so that there will be enough money left to spend on site-seeing, leisure, recreation and shopping.

 Business and Incentive Travel: -

Business traveler usually overlaps or turns up as the holiday maker. Though the business trips are not directed towards the tourist centers or resorts, rather than their demand is directed to the centers of trade and commerce or diplomacy. They may demand special services like communication and secretarial facilities, meeting & convention rooms, car rentals & accommodation. Such tourists focus on the travel to the destinations within the city after they finish up their business meetings etc.

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Special areas of interest of such tourists are conferences, trade fairs &b exhibitions. Some organizations feel the need of executives to be in the resort atmosphere to make them more productive as well as enjoy while they work. Fairs and exhibitions are a reflection of the health of an economy and give an opportunity to the local people to earn the benefits from the emerging tourist traffic.

1.4.4 Other determinants for traveling: 1. Psychological: It has become like a fashion nowadays that at certain time of the year, a person desires to go for a vacation. It also acts as a psychological break from the hectic daily life of a person. 2. Socio-Political: Many societies encourage tourism as a form of rejuvenation. Many organizations give incentives and entitlements to their employees. Some companies even organize visits to the medical spas etc to their employees in need. Even the political system encourages certain preferences for holiday destinations as well as activities, like holding conventions and conferences. E.g. Nandi Hills near Bangalore was chosen for the SAARC summit. Economic: In west when a person’s income rises by 1 unit, then he spends around 1 and a half unit on tourism. This indicates their propensity to travel. Where income is not high, people tend to spend less on travel and tourism. 18

The price of tourism in relation to other consumer expenditures is also important. Special offers along with discounts often make tourism a more favorable option for this class of the society.

Progress review: Unit I Q1. Why is it important to know about the history of tourism? (3 marks) Q2. Explain the development of tourism in India?

(5 marks)

Q3. Give an insight of the transition of tourism from the Inns and Lodges to the modern five star hotels.

(10 marks)

Q4. Define the term hotel.

(10 marks)

Q5. Expand the following reasons of travel:

(10 marks) 19

1) Vacation 2) Business 3) Conferences 4) Medical tourism 5) VFR

NAME OF THE UNIT: CLASSIFICATION OF HOTELS

Content: 1) According to the size, location, & length of stay.

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2) Level of service , ownership & affiliation

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3) Referral hotels , franchise & management contract

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4) Chain hotel

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5) Target market

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6) Alternate lodging facilities

- 50 20

Objective: By the end of this unit student will be able to understand various classification of hotel such as according to location, size, length of stay etc. this unit includes various level of service, ownership, and affiliation. Unit explains about referral hotels and various management contracts, concept of chain hotels and target market. It includes alternate lodging facilities also which are in trend now a days . UNIT II. CLASSIFICATION OF HOTELS

2.1 Hotels can be classified on the basis of a) Size b) Location c) Clientele & facilities d) Star e) Length of stay of the guest

According to the size:While discussing the size of the hotel, we should to distinguish between the no. of rooms and no. of rooms available for sale. Accordingly as per the available rooms we can accept the fact that 21

1. Less than 100 rooms are considered small. 2. From 100 to 199 rooms are considered medium. 3. And more than 300 rooms are considered large hotels. According to the location Hotels can be broadly classified under this category. Such kind of a hotel can either belong to one category or even more. E.g. a commercial hotel can be described as for businessman purpose wherein if the commercial hotel is located near some tourist place, it can also be called a resort hotel where people can come to relax and for enjoyment.

1. Commercial hotels:A commercial hotel is basically found in the heart of the cities, and busy commercial area so as to assist the businessmen and other people to carry out their tasks while staying in the hotels. Company executives traveling for a short no. of days may stay in these kinds of hotels while they do their work. Apart from these, tourists may also come for a stay and to enjoy the various tourist spots of the city. Basically the length of the stay of the guest in such hotels is short, we can say about 2 days to 7 days. These hotels provide a guest with facilities such as a Business Club, Health Club, Swimming Pool, 24 Hour Coffee Shop, Room Service, Rooms (Designed Exclusively For The Executive Fleets), Bar And Disco 2. Transit Hotels :-

These kinds of hotel are located near by an airport, sea port or any port of entry. The fact is that these hotels are particularly for the people who are in move from on place to 22

another. The people who fly from one place to another prefer such kind of hotels. Usually the clientele of these hotels consists of: a. Layover engers b. Airline Crew c. Transit engers d. Tourist/ Businessmen

In these hotels the length of stay of guest is very short, mainly for one or two days or even for a few hours. The facilities provided in such hotels are very similar to commercial hotels.

3. Resort hotels:The location of such kind of hotels is mainly in the resort areas. Resort areas are basically those places where people go for recreation, to enjoy themselves and to get away from the hectic city life or to pursue a specific interest or activity. e.g. a) Hill resorts – mountain climbing, trekking b) Beach resorts – swimming, surfing c) Health resorts In these resorts the type of guest visiting are holiday makers, health facilities, sportsmen etc.

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Also conventioneers, since many resorts nowadays are trying to attract business clienteles by providing good convection facilities. In such cases the length of stay of guest is long and ranges from a week to a month or even longer. Such hotels are influenced by seasons. These hotels have distinct on and off seasons. Thus the number of staff employed differs in both seasons the tariff differs, special off season package are offered to get more business. The facilities provided are fewer than in the commercial hotel. More emphasis is laid on homely, informal atmosphere with casual dress and more social between guests. Entertainments are provided to the guest in form of housie, treasure hunts, fancy dress parties, film shoots etc. Recreational facilities like T.T., bton, golf and other facilities with would depend entirely on the area e.g. lake resort-boating, sea resort- surfing, water skiing etc is provided.

4. Residential Hotels:They are basically found in the cities likewise commercial hotels. The guest here stays for long period of times, who have to stay away from their homes for some reason, and who make these hotels their homes. The length of stay rises from six months to a year or even more. The rent is paid either monthly or quarterly. The facilities are less as compared to the commercial hotels with minimum comforts a person would need for shelter, meals. NOTE:-

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In a commercial hotel some rooms may be booked for a long period but this does not make it a residential hotel. The HRACC classifies hotels against set criteria of standards and awards STAR RATINGS. These criteria encom standards that are “NECESSARY”, “ESSENTIAL” & “DESIRABLE”.

5. Motels:The name itself is derived from the phrase “Motor Hotels”. These hotels are mainly situated on the perimeters of cities and highways where people traveling on wheels may check in and spend a night. The types of guest are mainly motorists and road travelers. The length of stay of guest is very short usually overnight. The facilities provided are same as in commercial hotels. Adding to the requirements of the travelers these hotels should have a parking space for every hotel, a garage, a service station and a refueling station.

2.2 LEVEL OF SERVICE

It is a way of classifying lodging properties by the level of facilities provided to the guest. The level of guest services offered in a hotel varies without regard to the hotel size. 25

Some hotels offer more than one level of service. The level of service usually reflects from the guest room rate. The level of service can be classified under three categories: • World class service • Mid-range service • Economy or limited service

1)

World class service: hotel offering a world class service sometimes called luxury service. Targeting top business executives, Celebes, bureaucrats, politicians. World class hotels provide upscale restaurants and lounges. Guest may find over sized bath towels, soap bars, shampoo, shower cap, clock radio and more expensive furnishing, décor and upholstery. Bathroom linen is changed twice in a day and night turndown service is given. Magazines and newspapers are provided in each guestroom. Public area of the hotel has world class paintings and furnishings etc. The lobby itself will have many retail outlets, specialty retail outlets and international newspapers. In world class hotels the ratio of staff to the guest is high. This enables the hotel to provide services up to the guest satisfaction. Multi lingual concierge is also in the lobby giving not only the information but also arranges tickets for transport and entertainment. In some hotels there is separate floor to entertain the special guests. These rooms are exceptionally large and contain large number of amenities. A separate concierge is available on such floors. Special food is also

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served on these floors and the facilities such as secretarial service, special checkins and check-outs may also be available. 2)

Mid range service: these hotels also attract a large no. of people, particularly the ones who are planning small conference, group meetings and conventions. This type of service levels are typically seen in properties with rooms approximately around 150 to 200. Though these hotels do not provide elaborated services, but have sufficient staff to guest ratio. These hotels also provide restaurants and bars for both in house and other guests.

3)

Economy or limited service: these properties occupy large percentage of hospitality industry. The basic idea behind these type of services is to provide guest, a clean and comfortable environment and basic amenities. These properties attract tourists with budget in mind. In these properties, guest is given a room with in room phone, soap bar and a television. Some properties also provide swimming pools and other entertainment facilities. Uniformed service, in room dining (room service), laundry, and health clubs are missing in these kinds of hotels but a continental breakfast is provided in the morning in lobby area.

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2.2.1 CLASSIFICATION ON THE BASIS OF OWNERSHIP AND AFFILIATION

Another way to classify a hotel is to examine the ownership through which a hotel can be classed. The classification is as follows: -

1) Independent hotel: These hotels are on the ownership basis and do not have any affiliation through any other property. And also they do not have any tie up with any other hotels with regard to policy, procedures and financial obligations. The advantage in this type of hotel is that they need not maintain a particular image and they are not bound to maintain any set targets, but can independently adapt quickly to the changing trends.

2) Management contractual hotel: -

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Another type of chain organization which operates properties owned by individuals or partners is management contractual hotels. The contract is entered between the owner and the operator and usually as per the contract

Owner retains the legal and financial responsibilities Operator pays for the operating expenses and recovers from the owner. Owner is responsible for paying taxes, insurance and debts.

3) Chains: There may be single owned hotels, yet more and more hotels and motels are now getting d to each other. This gives them the advantage of a large central organization providing reservation system, management aids, financial strength, expertise, manpower specialties, merchandises and promotional help.

Affiliation:I. Two or more operations belonging to some organizations; for example, Holiday Inns, Ramada, Sheraton Corp., Trusthouse Forte, Hilton Corp., Howard Johnson, Balkantourist, Day Inns, Travel Lodge, Intercontinental Hotels, Hyatt, Marriot Corp etc. within one chain, the type of affiliations may vary. II. A “Referral Chain” is made up of independently owned and operated hotel and motel and provides shared ment, t reservation system and standardized quality. Virtually no shared managements or financial functions. 29

III. Another chain operation is “Multi-Unit Company” usually with a head office and several operations across the country and abroad. E.g. ITC group. The concept of Franchise: Franchise is a system in which the franchise owner grants another the right or privilege to merchandise a product or service for a specified return. Franchise Agreement: It is an agreement under which the owner operates as a member of the chain, utilizing the brand image, name, goodwill and obtaining for a certain fee some services of marketing and operating nature from resources of a large organizations, advertising, sales promotion, technical and financial help etc. The most successful franchiser in the hotel industry is the Holiday Inns. Other successful organizations in the field of hotel franchise are Hilton, Marriott, Howard Johnson, and Ramada Inns etc. Franchising must be looked at as a two way benefit scheme. Franchiser provides certain services and conveys certain rights to the franchisee and the franchisee as in turn certain obligations to the franchiser. For uniformity franchised units are generally standardized. Constituted to a specific standard of furniture and décor specification, fitting, fixtures and equipment specifications. Site selection and feasibility and appointment of the architect.

Franchise services

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Franchiser provides services in three general categories: (i) Methods & Systems, (ii) Technical Assistance (iii) Marketing Methods i.

Methods & Systems: a. Proven systems and established operating procedures of a franchiser are provided to franchisee (operating manuals are given) b. Training programmes and sessions conducted by the franchiser to the employees of the franchisee.

ii.

Technical Services: Franchiser provides various technical assistances in different forms such as assistance during development and construction phases, study of potential sites and its selection in obtaining finances by introducing the financers to the franchiser, making of capital budget, feasibility studies, architectural services, purchasing services (crockery, cutlery, furniture, equipment, linen, glassware and consumables etc.). These may be provided for a fee (which may be consolidated or separate for each service).

iii.

Marketing: Marketing techniques, name of the franchiser and its goodwill, logo, signs etc. Reservation system marketing, ment programmes benefits (t ment campaign) with franchiser, marketing packages, regional sales offices at strategic points.

Obligations of the franchiser 31

I. Definitive standard (which defines the physical characteristics), for example, size of room, size of beds, type and number of furniture, T.V. etc. and also the standard of swimming pool, F&B outlets, parking etc. II. Operational quality standard such as cleanliness, behaviour and attitude of staff,

quality of service, tariff, frequency of changing of linen etc. The franchisee is required to maintain both the above types of standards as per the franchiser’s requirement. Franchise costs and fees I. Payment of an initial fee which is non refundable in the event of the termination of agreement due to the action or as a result of violation by the franchisee. It is based on number of rooms. II. In addition to the initial fee a monthly fee is also payable to the franchiser. III. Royalty based on room sales, advertising fees, reservation fees, training fees etc. Method of Computing i.

Fixed monthly fee.

ii.

Fixed monthly fee plus an amount per reservation originating from the reservation system.

iii.

Percentage of room sales.

iv.

Percentage of total sales.

v.

Fixed rupee amount per available room.

vi.

Fixed rupee amount per occupied room.

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Some common requirements for franchise hip: •

Minimum number of rooms required.

•

Architectural design in confirmation to the hotel owner’s requirement

•

Securitization of location

•

Certain services may be provided

•

Centralized training programmes for management.

•

Highest calibre establishment in its category.

•

Certain standards regarding maintenance, operations, staffing and services. Some benefits of franchise system:•

Feasibility studies

•

Opening assistance

•

OJT (on job training) for staff

•

ing services

•

Advertising

•

Central purchasing

•

CRS benefits

•

Financial assistance

•

Discount on levels and supplies

•

Newsletters and brochures

2.3 Referral hotels:33

These are hotels forming a group for a common purpose. These hotels are not exact replica of each other like franchisee hotels but service standards are consistent enough to satisfy the guest. Through this concept, all the hotels in a group will have broad exposure as one property may refer to the other d property in the group. E.g. Best Western International is the largest referral group hotel.

2.3.1 Chain hotels:Chain hotels can be owned and operated by one company or can form a chain by offering franchise to the local hotel owners. Here they provide all the standard operation procedures and their name just the same way like in the normal franchising operations. They also provide them with the management rules and regulations and to dome extent they also help in the hiring of the staff for them. Chains with a less dominant central organization allow individual hotel managers to research more on their creativity to make it a much profitable affair. Like we said above, several structures exist where some chains own their properties whereas many do not. Some have strong control even over the architecture, management and standards of their properties. Some concentrate only on the advertising and marketing and purchasing only. Some will have minimum hip standards. This means they will not be equipped to provide a great deal of assistance to local ownership. A chain hotel is usually classified under a management contract, or as a franchise or referral group. 34

2.4 Target markets:The type of clientele or the section of society, travelers, tourists etc. on which any hotel desires to focus is basically its target market. By means of surveys, researches, some historical data and trends of visitors, a hotel determines it target market. A new trend of dividing the clientele into segments is in these days. This process is called market segmentation. Here they divide the large market into a number of distinct segments and then they easily divide the ones to focus upon and in what manner, may it be by the means of discount on meal or holiday packages or it may be even by the means of advertising or may even dividing the range of their product divided under some particular brand names. E.g. the Marriott hotels and Resorts now have different brandnames like Marriott Marquis, Marriott Hotels, Marriott Inns, and Courtyard by Marriott etc. Here each brand is dedicated or focused on a particular type of clientele or we may say a particular market segment. The advantage of this type of segmentation is that when different varieties of services can be located in a small geographical region, it will attract different type of clientele also. The disadvantage of this is that the guest may get confused by seeing a variety of differences in each hotel offering even when it belongs to one central organization. 35

The concept of segmentation of the markets can be made clearer by the following of the type of hotels or lodging facilities which focus to cater only to a specific type of clientele. 1) Commercial Hotels 2) Airport Hotels 3) Suite Hotels 4) Residential Hotels 5) Resort Hotels 6) Bed And Breakfast Hotels 7) Time Share Hotels 8) Casino Hotels 9) Conference Centers 10)

Convention Hotels

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6. Suburban Hotels:These hotels are mainly situated in suburbs with a guest and peaceful surroundings. a. According to the to the length of stay

According to the length of stay

Very short

I. MOTELS

Short

Long

I. COMMERCIAL HOTELS

I. RESORT HOTELS

II. TRANSIT HOTELS

II.SUB URBAN HOTELS

Very long

I. RESIDENTIAL

37

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b. According to the star classification In India we adopt the star classification system which depends on the no. of rooms and the standard of the facilities provided by the hotel. There is a statutorily appointed committee known as Hotel and Restaurants Approval & Classification committee (HRACC) which comprises of the representatives chosen from govt. & trade. Under this we have:I. A 5 star deluxe II. 5 star III. 4 star and then 3, 2 & 1 star hotels

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2.5 Alternate lodging facilities:-

Apart from the hotels, we also have supplementary lodging facilities or supplementary accommodation. It consists of all type of accommodation other than the conventional hotel type. These supplementary accommodations offer shelter & food but not the extra facilities or services which are provided by a hotel. Distinguishing between the different type of hotels we will come across then following differences:• The standard of comforts is modest as compared to that of a hotel. • They can sell accommodation at a much lower price. • They have an informal atmosphere and freedom regarding uniform. • There is more emphasis on entertainment & games. Supplementary accommodation plays a very important role in the total available tourist accommodation in a country. It caters to both international & domestic tourist traffic. Examples:I. II.

Sarais/Dharamshalas Camping sites

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III.

Youth hostels e.g. YMCA

IV.

Dak bungalows

V.

Circuit houses

VI. VII. VIII. IX. X. XI. XII.

Tourist bungalows Traveling lodges Forest lodges Dormitories Paying guest accommodation Rotels (Hotels on wheels) Floatels (hotels on water e.g. houseboats)

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Unit II Exercise n Q1. Categorize the hotels on the basis of the length of stay.

(5 marks)

Q2. Define the following: 1) Casino & time share hotels 2) Rotels & floatels 3) Residential and transit hotels 4) Convention hotel 5) Transit hotels Q3. Fill in the blanks:

(2 marks)

1) Medium size hotels have _________ number of rooms. 2) Rotels are the hotels on ________. Q4. Transit hotels are located at which place of the city:

(1 mark)

a) Center of the city b) Near the port of entry c) Country side d) Hill stations Q5. Explain the classification in he basis of size.

(5 marks)

Q6. What are the functions of the HRACC?

(5 marks)

Q7. Explain in brief, different classifications of hotels.

(10 marks)

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Q8. Briefly explain about the following :

(10 marks)

1) Referral hotels 2) Franchise 3) Management contract 4) Chain hotels Q9. Why is it important for the hotels to make their policies keeping in mind the target market?

(2 marks)

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NAME OF THE UNIT : ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE OF THE HOTEL& LOBBY LAYOUT

Content :

)

Organizational structure of hotels

- 54

)

Layout of lobby

- 57

)

Handling VIP’S

- 65

)

Uniformed service

- 73

Objective: By the end of the chapter you should be able to understand the organizational structure of different types of hotels and should be able to plan a basic hierarchy of any requirement. The chapter explains and enlists various equipments used in the hotel front office department and also the various methods a lobby can be furnished depending upon the size of systems used etc. The most important factor of any service outlet is the guest satisfaction. The chapter explains various methods and procedures to be kept in mind while dealing with the guest.

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Unit III. Organization structure of hotels Small hotel (with approx 50 rooms)

Front office In charge Reservations, receptionist, Informationist

Bell boy

Cashier cum bill clerk

In a smaller hotel as the no. of rooms is less, the front desk needs not to be very elaborate. A desk with equal space for reservation/ receptionist/information’s can be located comprising all the three in one. A bell boy is sufficient for carrying of the luggage, no bell captain is required. A separate cashier cum bills clerk can handle all the bill settlements.

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3.2 Medium hotels (approx 100 rooms)

Front office manager

Assistant front office manager

Receptionist

Reservations/informatio n

Bell clerk

Cashier

Bell captain

Bell boys/page boys

Doorman

Lift operator

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In a medium sized hotel, the overall head of the front office is the front office Manager. He is the supreme commandant of the front office fleet. Under him comes Assistant front office manager or lobby manager. He looks after the lobby as well as the front desk and the bell captain. In such hotels a different desk is provided for the bell captain to carry out his work peacefully. Doorman & lift operators are also there in a medium hotel that assists the guest.

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Unit IV. Lobby Arrangements

4.1 layout of the lobby Many times in addition to a hotel’s name, an attractive lobby arrangement also plays an important role while a guest selects a hotel to stay in. An attractive lobby setup also reflects the comforts and luxury what the rooms of the hotel may hold. Thus it plays a very vital role in attracting the clientele looking for luxury and comforts.

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Since all guests and their visitors through this area, it must be very well planned. The above mentioned diagram is the basic one for any hotel lobby. All these facilities give the lobby a much ‘easy reach’ look. The lobby of a hotel includes the following:

• A general circulation area and a waiting area which leads to the check-in. • Information center • Cashier’s counter • Concierge • Travel desk etc. This area is managed by a senior official called the ‘Lobby Manager’ A shopping arcade may be either the part of the lobby or ading it. Various food and beverage outlets like the coffee shop also may accompany the lobby for an easy approach for all type of in house or external clientele. Location of the cloak rooms for public is also in the lobby.

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4.1.2 Size of the lobby:The size of the lobby depends upon the size of the establishment. Lobby should be spaciously designed not wasting any valuable space. Principles of space management should be used while planning a lobby. Avoid pillars as they may obstruct the view of many attractive parts of the lobby. The systems used in the hotel like manual, mechanic or automatic will also determine the size of the lobby. Lobby of the hotel is a high traffic area of the hotel because, all the in house guests, staff, luggage and visitors of the in house guests move through this area. Thus the lobby should be maintained clean in an efficient manner. A spic n span lobby also reflects the hygiene that the hotel maintains in its other parts, be it the rooms or the kitchen for the various food and beverage out lets. The reception counter: The reception counter is the place which is associated with the activities like Arrivals, Information, Departures, Mail Handling, Luggage Handling, etc. are done from reception counter only which is situated in the lobby. Thus it must be a fully equipped counter with all he modern facilities to handle the heavy rush in an efficient manner. For an efficient handling of the guests, the following points should be taken in consideration:

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• Shape:The reception can be made in different shapes like ‘L’ shape, straight lined, curve shape (semi circular) or circular shape etc. • Size:The size would depend basically on the type of system which the hotel is using. Like for a large hotel using the automatic system, the size may be small while for a small hotel using a Whitney rack system, it may be comparatively bigger. • Dimensions:Usually the counter dimensions are height between 38” to 42”; width is 30” approx and length depending on various factors such as size of lobby, type of hotel, business profile of the hotel.

Various materials can be used for making of a counter like wood & carpet to concrete with finishing of laminated surfaces, stone, marble, granite etc. depending upon various factors like cost and design etc. A new concept of separation of counters has also emerged as more communicative in the industry such as separate section for each i.e. Arrivals, Informations, Cash and Bills section is also being used by many hotels. In such an installation, there should be a very efficient communication network and computer communication is used for the same.

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4.1.3 Also, apart from the front desk other such counters and offices in large hotel’s lobby are: • Lobby manager’s desk • Concierge desk • Bell desk • Travel counter • GRO desk • Public telephone counter • Bank etc.

Right behind the counter, the reservation area, safe deposit lockers, bills section, and telex and message center may be situated.

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4.1.4 Hospitality desk:The hospitality desk is meant to deal in services offered complementary or are available at very little charge for the guest. They include the following basically: • Baby sitting • Personalized stationary • Flowers and fruits • Free air port pick up and drops to the air port • Assistance in shopping • Guiding foreign guests on tours and shopping etc.

Functions: • Courtesy call to VIP’s • Ensuring comfortable stay • Escorting VIP’s to the rooms

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4.2 Equipments and furniture etc. Here is a list of equipments and furniture, racks and cabinets etc. usually used in the hotels run on mechanical /manual and automated systems. 1. Front Desk Counter 2. Bell Desk And Concierge 3. Lobby Desk 4. Travel Counter 5. Key And Mail Rack 6. Mail Sorting Rack 7. Mail Forwarding File 8. Duplicate Key Rack 9. Guest History File Cabinet 10.Reservation Filing Cabinet 11.Page Board 12.Safe Vault And In-Room Safe 13.GR Card Holder 14.Typewriters 15.Bulletin Boards 16.Photocopying Machine

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17.Duplicating Machine 18.Room Rack 19.Reservation Rack 20.Billing Machine And Posting Machine 21.Cashier Well/Bucket 22.Date And Time Punching Machine 23.Credit Card Imprinter 24.Telephone (Direct And Intercom Line) 25.Various Offices And Business Machines 26.Rotatory Rack 27.Postal Weighing Scale 28.Luggage Trolleys/Bell Hop Trolleys 29.Luggage Net 30.Telex Machine 31.Complete Computer System Hardware 32.Revolving Rack 33.Reminder For Times 34.Franking Machine 35. Perpetual Year Planner/Status Board

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4.3 HANDLING VIPs: As the name suggests, the VIPs are a very sensitive affair for every hotel. VIP handling for every hotel is a task where it has all the rules and guidelines laid well in advance to avoid any problems. Some concepts in VIP service have evolved as follows: 1)

Receiving at the airport with the most expensive car which the hotel has, and welcome by an executive of the hotel with flowers.

2)

Registration can be done in VIP lounge. Some hotels have evolved a special VIP lounge system where only the check-ins are done. As soon as the guest arrives at the hotel, they are straightaway taken to the first floor which generally is the location of the VIP lounge also called Club Floor or Club Lounge.

3)

Special amenities are provided for the VIPs. These include personalized stationary, large soap bar and other vanity amenities, extra flowers arrangement and a large fruit basket. Minibar is fully equipped with different kinds of spirits. Some hotels also provide champagne or wine to the VIPs.

4)

The rooming list (which is circulated in different departments like front office communication center, room service, housekeeping etc) carries all the names of the VIPs with their room numbers and SPATT i.e. special attention marked on it

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5)

Guest is called after he checks in for just the courtesy reason and to assure that the guest is settled comfortably in his room and if he has any other requests.

6)

Wake up calls or any other special requests are also taken if needed.

7)

Screening of calls is done in case of all the VIPs. Screening means to ask the guest for connecting him to an outside incoming call. It may be that the VIP in house may or may want to get disturbed. For that reasons it’s an added service from the hotel which also gives a personalized sense of service.

8)

During check out, all his documents should be ready well in advance after a confirmation call that the guest wants to check out or not. It leads to speedy check-out because the guest would only need to sign his bill and swipe his credit card for the check out.

9)

The FOA should courteously ask the guest about his/her stay and when can the hotel expect them next.

10)

The VIPs are given a drop to the airport in the same way they had been received and escorted with his/her luggage till the entrance of the airport.

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4.3.1 HANDLING EMERGENCY SITUATIONS In hospitality industry especially we might come across with various emergency situations which are explained below:-

1) Lost and found: if some luggage or item is recovered by front office staff after the guest departure it must be deposited with housekeeping department as they maintain special lockers for such items and make the separate formats in this regard. 2) Fire in the hotel: in case of fire inform the fire fighting department and must know the name of the first who located the fire. Then the guest may be asked to use the fire exits instead of guest elevators. The work according to the fire drill. 3) In case of death: in case some dead is body is located in the hotel immediately inform the general manger, security officer and hotels doctor. After this with out creating panic call the police for further necessary actions. The information about the mishap will be sent to the deceased guest’s permanent address. 4) Theft: in case if the guest has stolen something from the hotel then the amount must be adjusted to his final bill. This is a polite way to tell the guest about his

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misdeeds but this should only be done when the staff is absolutely sure other wise it may tarnish the reputation of the hotel. 5) Accidents: house doctor must be called as soon as any accidents came into the notification. First aid may be provided on the spot .care must be taken about training front office staff regarding first aid. 6) Riots and curfew: in this situation the front office staff is supposed to inform the security, and then they should seal the entry and exit points of the hotel. In case the situation becomes more serious then they may call the police. 7) Damages by In house guest: he should bee charged according to the damage, if he objects general manger may be informed about it. 8) Drunken guest: this situation is happen quite often time in the hotel. the drunken guest must be isolated and taken away from the public areas . This condition must be handled in a very polite way, (do not argue, in any case)if guest still misbehaves then security should be informed.

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4.4.1 Types of Rota Usually, a rota covers between seven days and one month. For each member of staff, a row of symbols indicates which shifts to work for each of those days. The total number of hours planned, over the whole period, is calculated and displayed on the right. The numbers of staff providing cover for each shift are counted for each day and displayed at the bottom. In general it is best suited to self-contained departments of up to about 40 staff, but it can handle many more.

A basic rota A basic Rota is used to record staff details, target hours and shift patterns that generally remain fixed from one period to the next.

Specific Rotas Rotas for specific periods of time are created by copying the basic rota and giving it a start date. This new specific rota is then edited for variations in staff for the period it covers. Then, it is edited for variations in the shifts that they work for that period.

Total hours The rota uses symbols to indicate shifts and other activities for each person. Some of these symbols, particularly the shifts, correspond to a number of hours worked. These

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hours are added up for each member of staff and appear as a total for the whole period. The totals are compared with target hours and the difference displayed. Any adjustment hours that you want to contribute to the total can also be included.

Cover count The rota uses symbols to indicate which shift each person is working on each day. Not all symbols are shifts; some indicate activities such as training or holiday etc. Staff covering each shift, are graded and counted each day, so you can see and control your skill mix. Cover reports list the graded staff on duty to cover each shift.

Custom symbols The symbols used in the rota can be customized, so you can use familiar ones. Details include a description, the number of hours they correspond to, which ones count as cover and how the staff is graded for skill mixing. Symbols can consist of multiple characters and digits, etc.

Staff details Staff details include position in the rota, name, grade, supernumerary or not, the shifts, other and target hours for the period, etc. Supernumerary of staff are those whose shifts are not counted to provide cover.

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Self-rostering Because nurses have complex, ever changing personal circumstances and expect flexible working, this system does not attempt to create schedules automatically. Telling a system how to propose schedules is complex and time-consuming, tending to offset the advantages. Self-rostering is growing in popularity in the NHS, as a sensible alternative to automatic scheduling. The Department of Health recommend explains and encourage selfrostering in their publication "Working Lives: Programmes for Change: Team Based Self-Rostering". With self-rostering, you can let individual of staff propose their own shifts. For each rota, this is done by letting staff edit their own shifts over a period of time before the rota is finalized. After this self-rostering period the planner then acts as referee editing the rota to remove anomalies, before releasing it in draft or as approved. FOA

Mon

Tue

Wed

Thu

Fri

Sat

Sun

Weekly hours

A

8-4

8-4

8-4

8-2/5-9

8-4

Off

Off

39

B

Off

Off

8-2/5-9

8-4

8-4

8-4

8-2/5-9

40 ½

C

8-4

8-4

Off

Off

8-2/5-9

8-4

8-4

39

D

8-2/5-9

8-4

8-4

8-4

Off

Off

8-4

39

4.4.2 Duty roaster for front office asst. assuming 5 days a week. 62

4.4.3 Work schedules It lists the actual work to be undertaken by a particular member of the staff during a particular period of the day. Times of meal, break and any special jobs are pin pointed throughout the period so that so that there is a guide not only as to what has to be done but also when it has to be done. Order of work card may supplement work schedules. A recent trend in front office operation is to provide a limited level of guest service during late night hours, thereby reducing the number of employees required on the night shift. The front office is likely to offer during this time. Front office work shift may vary with guest business pattern. A program of flexible work hours or flex time allows the employees to vary the time they start and end work. Certain hours during a shift however may require the presence of most workers. E.g. a front office desk agent may work from 6 am to 12 pm so that wake up calls and check outs can be handled more efficiently through the 7 am shift change. On the other hand, scheduling of front desk agent to work from 10 am to 6 pm may allow for smooth processing of guest arrivals during the time, evening shift personnel take their meal break. Traditionally, front office work shifts are: • Day shift: 7 am to 3 pm • Evening shift: 3 pm to 11 pm • Night shift: 11 pm to 7 am

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4.5 Uniformed Services Uniformed Services: all the departments in the hotels nowadays have a specified uniform provided by the hotel itself. Typically the uniformed services of a hotel include: • Front office • Food and beverage service uniforms may differ according to the theme or type of outlet • The room service. • Housekeeping personnel • Maintenance department • Kitchens • Bell desk also may have a little different dress code. The basic purpose for all the uniforms is creating a point of differentiation that would be easy for both the guest and the staff to distinguish between. This would avoid confusion and the guest can enquire the right person about the right thing.

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Unit III Q1. With the help of a flow chart, explain the hierarchy of a large hotel.

(10 marks)

Q2. Suggest an organizational hierarchy for a small hotel and also explain the duties and responsibilities of each personnel.

(10 marks)

Q3. Why is the organizational structure important to the hotel?

(5marks)

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BIBLIOGRAPHY •

Managing Front Office Operations by M.L Kasavana & R.M. Brooks.

•

Front Office Management by Sushil Kumar Bhatnagar.

•

Hotel, Hostel & Hospital Housekeeping By Branson & Lennox

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