Micro Perspectives of Tourism and Hospitality

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Functions and Departments of a Hotel
The Functions and Departments of a Regardless of the size of a hotel, the
Hotel organisational structure will be basically
The day-to-day operations of a hotel are the same. It is usually divided into
the key factors determining the success several distinct departments, each
or failure of its service. It is necessary to responsible for a particular area of work.
understand the structure of hotels in
order to get an overview of how the The larger the hotel is and the more
organisation fits together. facilities it offered, the more specialised
the departments become.

Key Executives In The Hotel The main responsibilities of the resident

1. General Manager manager include:
The main responsibilities of the general  Holding a major responsibility in
manager (GM) include: developing and executing plans
 Providing leadership to the developed by the owner(s), the general
management team manager and other members of the
 Coordinating the work of all management team
departments  Checking on operations, providing
 Participating in the formulation of feedback and offering assistance when
hotel policies and strategies needed
 Leading the hotel staff in meeting the  Completing, reviewing and
financial, environmental and summarizing statistical reports and
community responsibilities sharing them withthe general manager
 Assuming full responsibilities for the  Assuming responsibilities for the daily
overall performance of the hotel operations and management of the
hotel
2. Resident Manager
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Functions Of Major Hotel and visitors through a variety of
Departments outlets and facilities/services.
1. Engineering Examples include lounge, bar,
 The engineering department is coffee shop, restaurants, banquet
responsible for maintaining the service, room service (also called in-
physical plant of the hotel such as room dining) and cake shop.
electricity, plumbing, air
conditioning, heating and elevator 5. Sales and Marketing
systems; and for overseeing all  The main functions of the sales and
mechanical and technical conditions marketing department involve
of the hotel. generating new businesses for the
hotel, coordinating advertising, as
2. Security well as sales promotions and public
 Security is an important concern in relations activities aiming at
every hotel. The security department enhancing the hotel’s image.
is responsible for implementing
procedures which aim at protecting 6. Accounts
the safety and security of hotel  The accounts department is headed
guests, visitors, hotel employees and by the financial controller who, as a
the hotel itself. Examples include key member of the management
monitoring surveillance equipments, team, can guide the hotel to an
patrolling the hotel premises and increasing profitability through
maintaining security alarm systems. better control and asset management.
In addition, this department is
3. Human Resources responsible for monitoring all of the
 The human resources (personnel and financial activities of a hotel.
training) department is responsible Examples include overseeing
for hiring, orientation, training, accounts receivable, accounts
wages and benefit administration, payable, payroll, and cost control
labour relations, employee relations, systems of the hotel; keeping records
and staff development. of assets, liabilities and financial
transaction of the hotel; preparing
the monthly profit-and-loss
statement, coordinating with
4. Food and Beverage purchasing department and
 The food and beverage (F&B) information technology department,
department provides food and and handling guests’ inquiries about
beverage services to the hotel guests billing.
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Room Division

The three main functions of the front The FOM performs the following
office are as follows: duties:
1. Selling rooms  Monitoring reservation status
2. Maintaining balanced guest accounts  Looking over market mix and
3. Providing services and information to preparing occupancy forecasts
guests  Determining rate structures and
supervising implementation of rate
The front office department is headed by policies
the front office manager (FOM) whose  Reviewing previous night’s occupancy
main duty is to enhance guest services by and average room rate
constantly developing services to meet  Reviewing arrivals and departures for
guests’ needs. the day and the next day
 Making staffing adjustments needed
for arrivals and departures
 Reviewing the VIP list, checking VIP
rooms, meeting VIPs and entertaining
them

The Front Office Department

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The Housekeeping Department  A room that can accommodate two

The housekeeping department requires persons with a double or queen-size
the following information from the front bed.
desk: 4. Twin double (also double-double or
 Check-in, occupied and check-out queen double)
rooms in order to organise room  A room that can accommodate two
cleaning to four persons with two twin double
 Special requests from guests, such as or queen-size beds.
baby cot or extra blanket, etc., so that 5. Triple
extra amenities and services can be  A room that can accommodate three
provided to guests persons and has been fitted with
 In return, the housekeeping department three twin beds, one double bed and
will provide the actual room status to one twin bed or two double beds.
the front desk for comparison with the
computer record which ensures that the 6. Hollywood Twin
front desk has the correct room status.  A room that can accommodate two
Any discrepancy found will be double persons with two twin beds joined
checked by the Assistant Manager. together by a common headboard.
7. Murphy
 A room that is fitted with a murphy
bed, ie. a bed that folds out of a wall
or closet.
Types of rooms 8. Suite
1. Single  Room with one or more bedrooms and
 A room that sleeps only one person a living space. The bedrooms might be
and has been fitted with a single, singles, doubles or twin doubles.
double or queen-size bed. 9. Adjacent
2. Twin  Rooms close by or across the
 A room that can accommodate two corridor, but are not side by side.
persons with two twin beds. 10.Adjoining
3. Double
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 Rooms that are side by side, but do  prepares work schedules, work
not have a connecting door between procedures and job descriptions
them.  compiles duty rotas, holiday lists, etc.
11.Connecting  personnel records
 Two rooms that are side by side and  arranges supervision
have a connecting door between  staff welfare
them.  orders and controls equipment,
materials and linen
The Housekeeping Department  handles complaints
The housekeeping department of a large-  key control
sized hotel comprises of the following
sections:
 Assistant Executive Housekeeper
 Laundry department
 Assistant Housekeeper
 Uniform and linen room
 Floor supervisor
 Housekeeping office
 Room attendant
 Guest floors
 Public area supervisor
 Public areas
 Cleaner
 Health club
 Tailor and seamstress
 Floral and plant arrangement
 Uniform and linen room attendant
The housekeeping department is
Food and Beverage
responsible for cleaning and maintaining
Food & Beverage is a term the
the guestrooms,public areas, office
hospitality industry uses to refer to all
spaces and back of the house areas in the
food and beverage needs for an event,
hotel so that the property is as fresh and
dining experience or general catering.
attractive as its first day of business.
The food and beverage department
Although the roles that housekeeping
within a hotel consists of many areas and
performs vary from one hotel to another,
personnel that cater to internal or
the tasks performed by the housekeeping
external guests.
department are critical to the smooth
daily operations of any hotel.
Divisions
 Kitchens
 Executive Housekeeper
 Restaurants
 interviews, selects and engages staff in
 Catering, internal and external
conjunction with human resources
 Banqueting, internal and external
manager
 Room service (In-room dining)
 training
 Minibars
 deployment
 Lounge bars
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 Stewarding
 Banqueting and catering (internal
 Kitchens and external)
 A kitchen is a place for the storage  A banquet, event or function can be
and preparation of food for described as the service of food and
consumption. In some hotels, there drink at a specific time and place, to
may be a variety of kitchens catering a given number of guests at a known
to different needs from breakfast, price. Banquet is a term used to
luncheon and dinner to events such describe a large formal occasion.
as gala dinners and conferences. The  Some examples of hospitality
number of guests being catered for functions include: Business
varies depending on the size of the functions: Conferences, working
dining facilities and kitchen,the breakfasts, luncheons and dinners,
number of staff employed and the meetings
equipment being used.The purpose  Social functions: Gala dinners,
of a kitchen is to produce the right anniversaries, weddings
quality of food of the highest  Stewarding Department
standard for the required number of  The correct cleaning, drying and
people, on time, by the most storage of all equipment used in the
effective use of staff, equipment and preparation and cooking of food is
materials. critical to prevent the spread of
bacteria and cross-contamination.
 Restaurants Responsibilities of the Chief Steward
 A restaurant is a retail establishment are:
that serves prepared food to  Cleanliness of back-of-house
customers. Food is generally for  Washing of pots and pans and other
eating on the premises, although kitchen equipments
‘restaurant’ can also describe take-  Cleanliness of glassware, china and
out establishments and food delivery cutlery
services. The term covers many  Inventory of chemical stock
types of venue and a diversity of  Maintenance of dishwashing machines
styles of cuisine and service.  Pest control, where necessary
Restaurants can range from modest
lunching or dining places catering to The responsibilities of a Food and
people working nearby, with simple Beverage Manager will typically cover a
food served in simple settings at low number of areas. They will have the sole
prices, to expensive establishments responsibility for the day-to-day running
serving refined food and wines in a of the F&B department and ensuring
formal setting. budgetary controls while overseeing
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pricing and purchasing in all food and dining area into areas of
beverage areas. They will also be responsibility for the various waiting
involved in the recruitment and staff on duty. He or she may also be
supervision of a highly skilled F&B team the person who receives and records
and be responsible for the creation and advance reservations for dining, as
implementation of seasonal F&B well as dealing with any customer
marketing strategies including input into complaint and making sure all
menu planning. servers are completing their tasks in
an efficient manner.
Their responsibilities can also include:
 Dealing with all matters concerning  Assistant Restaurant Manager
spirits, wines and beers.  An Assistant Restaurant Manager
 Ensuring that the profit margins are will assist the Restaurant Manager in
achieved for each food and beverage the organisation and running of the
outlet. restaurant. They will assume full
 Purchasing, receiving, storing and responsibility when the Restaurant
issuing liquor as well as controlling the Manager is unavailable, on leave or
overall inventory. absent.
 Interviewing and selecting staff. Their duties will include daily operations
 Training of staff for supervisory level. and staffing and will also extend to:
 Promotion of the beverage department  Responsibilities to the guests
and marketing.  Responsibilities to the employer
 Co-ordinating requests from other  Responsibilities for health and safety
departments within the hotel.  Responsibilities for staff training
 Complying with health and safety  Helping and assisting the Restaurant
regulations. Manager with interviewing and
 Holding regular meetings with section selecting new staff
heads to ensure that all departments
are working efficiently.  Station Head Waiter/Section
Supervisor
 Restaurant Manager  This person is responsible for a team
 A Restaurant Manager can also be of staff serving a set number of
referred to as the maitre d' (short for tables in the restaurant or function;
maitre d'hotel which literally means this is known as a station.
"master of the hall"). In a suitably
staffed restaurant or hotel this  Station Waiter
person is in charge of assigning  In larger hotels this position is
customers to tables in the sometimes called a chef de rang.
establishment, and dividing the This employee will work under the
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direction of the Station Head Waiter  Advise on purchases of equipment
and serve guests.  Be responsible, in many cases, either
wholly or partially, for the stores, still
 Waiter/Waitress room and the washing up of silver
 This employee will work under the crockery etc.
direction of the Station Waiter and is  Be responsible for guest satisfaction
usually an apprentice or a person  Ensure food quality and consistency
who is just beginning to learn the
skills of serving guests. An Executive/Head Chef also has to
work in conjunction with:
 Other chefs and cooks
Kitchen organisation  Food and beverage staff
 Executive Chef  Function staff
 To become a Head Chef or an  Kitchen stewards
Executive Chef takes many years of
hard work with long hours standing Second Chef (Le Sous-Chef)
on your feet, working unsociable  The Second Chef/sous chef relieves
hours at any time of the day or night. the Head Chef when they are off
It takes years to learn the skills and duty and is the Chef’s 'right hand'.
knowledge necessary to become
proficient in different cooking  Chef de Partie
methods and styles.
 The Chefs de Partie are each in
charge of a section of the work in the
 Head Chef (Le Chef De Cuisine) kitchen, such as sauces and soups,
 In large establishments the duties of fish, vegetables, larder or meat. This
the Executive Chef, Head Chef or is the job of the specialist. The Chefs
person in charge are mainly de Partie organise their own sections,
administrative; only in small delegate the work to assistants and
establishments would it be necessary are in fact the 'backbone' of the
for the Head Chef to be engaged in kitchen.
handling the food.
The functions of the Head Chef are to: Pastry Chef (le patissier)
 Organise the kitchen  All the sweets and pastries are made
 Compile the menus by the Pastry Chefs, as well as items
 Order the food required by other parties, such as
 Show the required profit vol-au-vents, bouchees, noodles etc.,
 Engage the staff and also the coverings for meat and
 Supervise the kitchen (particularly poultry dishes when pastry is
during service hours) required.
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 Assistant Cooks (les commis chefs)

 The Chefs de Partie are assisted by
commis or assistants, the number
varying with the amount of work
done by the partie, e.g. the vegetable
partie is larger than the fish partie
due to the quantity of
 work to be prepared, so there are
more assistants in that partie. The
Assistant Cook is usually capable of
taking over a great deal of
responsibility, and in some cases
will take charge of the partie when
the Chef is off duty.

 Apprentice (l’apprenti)
 The apprentice is learning the trade
and rotates among the parties to gain
knowledge of all the sections in the
kitchen.