LESSON 8

THE PRIMARY CONCERN BETWEEN THE FRONT OFFICE,

HOUSEKEEPING AND OTHER KEY PERFORMANCE AREAS IN
HOTEL OPERATION

TOPICS
T1: Importance of collaboration between Front Desk and Housekeeping
Department
T2: Structure of Front Desk and Housekeeping
T3: Role of the key players

LEARNING OUTCOMES
At the end of the lesson, you should be able to:
1. Describe the primary concern between the front office,
housekeeping and other key performance areas department.

TOPIC 1: IMPORTANCE OF COLLABORATION BETWEEN FRONTDESK

AND HOUSEKEEPING DEPARTMENT

No individual department in any hotel can work in isolation. A willingness to

cooperate and coordinate with the assistance of efficient methods of communication is
essential if the establishment is to run smoothly.

The housekeeping department is just one of the departments in a hotel working

towards the satisfaction of the guests, and each department is dependent on others for
information and/or service if its work is to be accomplished efficiently. Frictions
between departments must be kept to a minimum and there should be close inter-
departmental liaison.

Coordination with Front Office

Rooms are of chief concern to the front office and housekeeping departments. It
is important for the departments to continuously exchange information on room status.
The front office must provide lists for expected arrivals and departures for the day in
advance, and notify housekeeping of actual arrivals and departures as and when they
occur. The front office is not allowed to assign guestrooms until the rooms have been
cleaned, inspected and released by the housekeeping department.

Each night, a front office assistant produces an “occupancy report “also called
the night report. This report list room occupied that night indicates guests who are
expected to check out the following day. The executive housekeeper procures and
consults this list early in the morning and schedules the occupied room for cleaning. As
guest check out, the front office notifies housekeeping. Housekeeping ensures that
these rooms are given top priority in servicing, so that clean rooms are available for sale.
To ensure efficient rooming of guests, both housekeeping and front office must inform
each other of changes in a room’s status. Out of order, under repair, or similar, is
important for proper room’s management.

A room status discrepancy is a situation in which the housekeeping department’s

description of a room m’s status differs from the room status information being used by
the front office to assign guestrooms. As unoccupied rooms are cleaned and inspected,
the floor supervisors call the housekeeping desk attendant, who in turn informs the
front office of rooms ready. The front office then updates the room’s status to ‘vacant
and ready’. Promptly informing the front office of the housekeeping status room is a
tremendous aid in getting guests who arrive early registered, especially during high-
occupancy or sold-out period.

The housekeeping department also receives other important information from the front
office, which required special attention:

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

Group in the house – The group rooming list must be provided before the group’s arrival
as groups tend to move together in terms of arrival, departure, sightseeing tour, and
meals. Their room needs to be readied together in view of strict time parameters. It is
also important to intimate room changes, so that items left behind by guest may be
handed over. Group rooming lists enable the department to organize their work and
have the group’s rooms ready on time. This particularly crucial when the turnover is
high and rooms are experiencing back to back occupancy.

Crew in the house – Under normal circumstances, airline crews are allotted a given set of
rooms on a particular floor. However, 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. Also,
because of odd timing for international flights, these crew rooms may display a “do not
disturb – DND “card at times when other guests are normally out, which the
housekeeping schedule must take into account.

Flowers – Sometimes the management extends its compliment 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 front office on a daily basis. Apart from the above communications,
the front office needs to depend on housekeeping for the provision of clean uniforms to
its staff.
 TOPIC 2: STRUCTURE OF FRONTDESK AND HOUSEKEEPING
DEPARTMENT

Chart link: www.setupmyhotel.com

Figure 4.0
Chart link: www.setupmyhotel.com
Figure 5.0
Chart link: www.setupmyhotel.com
Figure 6.0
 HOUSEKEEPING ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE

Chart link: www.tutorialspoint.com

Figure 7.0
 TOPIC 3: ROLES OF THE KEY PLAYERS

The organization chart of the Front Office department should provide a clear
picture of the lines of authority and the channels of communication within the
department. In a large hotel, the department is headed by the Front Office Director who
is assisted by the respective Reservation Manager, Front desk Manager and the Revenue
Manager.

Front Office department chart not only provides for a systematic direction of
orders but also protects employees from being over directed. The organogram chart
shows that each employee should take orders only from the person directly above
him/her.

ROLES OF FRONT OFFICE STAFF FOR LARGE HOTEL

1. Front Office Manager / Director of Rooms: Directly supervises all front office
personnel and ensures proper completion of all front office duties.

2. Assistant Front Office Managers: Responsible to assist the Front office manager in his
day to operations and also take charge when FOM is not available.

3. Duty Manager: Directly supervises the reception, concierge, telephone, travel desk
and the bell desk.

4. Guest Relations Manager: Responsible for all the guest relations related activities in
the hotel.

5. Reservation Manager: Responsible for all reservations related tasks.

6. Revenue Manager: Responsible for managing the hotels online inventory, website,
Online Travel Agents etc..

7. Front Desk Agent: Registers guests, and maintains room availability information.

8. Cashier: Maintains and settles guest folios, and properly checks out guests.

9. Night Auditor: Controls the job of the Accounts Receivable Clerk, and prepares daily
reports to management (ex: Occupancy Report and Revenue Report).

10. Mail & Information Clerk: Takes messages, provides directions to guests, and
maintains mail.

11. Concierge: Responsible to assist guests by booking tours, making theatre and
restaurant reservations, etc.

12. Telephone Operator: Manages the switchboard and coordinates wake-up calls.

13. Reservation Agent: Responds to reservation requests and creates reservation

records.

14. Supervisors: Responsible to oversee and assists the duties and tasks of the
respective staff work.
15. Uniformed Service Agent: Handles guest luggage, escorts guests to their rooms, and
assists guests for any bit of information requested.

ROLES OF FRONT OFFICE STAFF FOR MEDUIM HOTEL

1. Front Office Manager / Director of Rooms: Directly supervises all front office
personnel and ensures proper completion of all front office duties.

2. Assistant Front Office Managers: Responsible to assist the Front office manager in his
day to operations and also take charge when FOM is not available.

3. Duty Manager: Directly supervises the Reception, Concierge, Telephone, Travel Desk
and the Bell desk.

4. Guest Relations Manager: Responsible for all the guest relations related activities in
the hotel.

5. Front Desk Agent: Registers guests, and maintains room availability information.

6. Cashier: Maintains and settles guest folios, and properly checks out guests.

7. Concierge: Responsible to assist guests by booking tours, making theatre, and

restaurant reservations, etc.

8. Reservation Agent: Responds to Reservation Requests and creates Reservation

Records.

9. Supervisors: Responsible to oversee and assists the duties and tasks of the respective
staff work.

10. Uniformed Service Agent: Handles Guest Luggage, escorts Guests to their Rooms,
and assists guests for any bit of information requested.

ROLES OF FRONT OFFICE STAFF FOR SMALL HOTEL

Typical Staff positions of Front Office in a Small Hotel:
1. Front Office Manager / Director of Rooms: Directly supervises all front office
personnel and ensures proper completion of all front office duties.

2. Duty Manager: Directly supervises the Reception, Concierge, Telephone, Travel Desk
and the Bell desk.

3. Guest Service Agent: Registers guests, handle telephone, maintain room availability,
guest folio, guests’ profiles, and perform check-out.

4. Reservation Agent: Responds to Reservation Requests and creates Reservation

Records.

5. Supervisors: Responsible to oversee and assists the duties and tasks of the respective
staff work.

6. Uniformed Service Agent: Handles Guest Luggage, escorts Guests to their Rooms, and
assists guests for any bit of information requested.
 Here is a huge workload on the hotel housekeeping staff. The housekeeping work is
carried out at various levels such as managerial level, supervisory level, and operational level.
Let us see more about the staff and qualities they should possess.

1. Executive Housekeeper / Manager of Housekeeping

The Executive Manager is the chief of housekeeping department. The Deputy
Housekeeper and Assistant Manager of Housekeeping report to him. Their
responsibilities include −
 Ensuring overall cleanliness and aesthetics of the hotel.
 Ensuring overall sanitation, comfort, and ambience of the hotel.
 Training the new joiners and motivate the existing employees.
 Modelling and establishing Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for cleaning
and decorating.
 Monitoring regular inventory of guest supplies and linen.
 Monitoring housekeeping equipment and hotel property.
 Evaluating employee performance, and handling their training, promotions, and
transfers.
 Organize flower arrangements for events.
 Presenting the estimate of the required budget to the General Manager of the
hotel.

2. Supervisors of Housekeeping
The supervisors report to the Assistant Housekeeper. Their positions and their
respective responsibilities include −
a. Floor Supervisor
 Issuing keys to the room attendants.
 Coordinating floor operations and tray clearance with room attendants.
 Inspecting rooms for readiness and reporting to the front office for the same.
 Catering for VIP facilities and providing special supplies such as hot drinking
water, baby-sitting provision.

b. Public Area Supervisor

 Ensuring that cleanliness is maintained at all times in public areas such as lobby,
lifts, parking, swimming pool, coffee shop, conference hall, banquet hall, and
restaurant.
 Ensuring banquet and conference halls are well kept and ready.
 Ensuring the concerned operating staff is available as per the schedule.

c. Night Supervisor
 Ensuring provision of guest supplies such as water, extra bed, fans, or towels.
 Ensuring the operating staff working at night is following all cleaning SOPs.
 Supervising hotel area at night and ensuring cleanliness in all areas of hotel.

d. Uniform Room Supervisor

 Providing clean, ironed, and fresh uniforms to the hotel staff.
 Suggesting procurement of any uniforms required.
 Checking repaired linen from tailor room.
 Keeping track of number and condition of uniforms.

e. Linen Room Supervisor

 Inspecting linen and sending it to the laundry.
 Checking linen from laundry and sending it for ironing.
 Maintaining linen influx and out flux register.
 Checking repaired linen from tailor room.
  Suggesting linen replacements if required.

f. Operating Staff / Attendants

The positions and responsibilities of the Operating Staff/Attendants are explained
below.
- Uniform Room Attendant
 Collecting uniforms of staff at the end of every shift and maintaining them to
be used for the next time.
 Maintaining the shelves of uniforms and linens clearly.
 Giving and taking back the uniforms from the staff.
- Linen Room Attendant
 Segregating the dirty linen according to its type and sending it to the
laundry.
 Keeping the track of linen count before and after laundry.
 Stacking towels, bed sheets, pillowcases, table napkins separately into
different sections of shelves.
- Guest Room Attendant
 Reporting to the floor supervisor.
 Cleaning the guest rooms, guest bathrooms, and the corridors.
 Changing the linen of the guest room and guest bathrooms.
 Topping up the guest supplies.
 Making guest-room beds.
 Replenishing the hotel cleaner’s trolley with supplies and linens for the next
shift staff.
- Storekeeper
 Reporting to the floor supervisor.
 Keeping the count of cleaning equipment and items such as cleaners and
detergents.
 Generating requisition to purchase the required material.
- Public Area Attendants
 Reporting to public area supervisor.
 Keeping the parking, lobbies, guest rooms, lifts, and corridors in best
maintained status.
 Keeping these areas smelling fresh and clean.
- Night Shift Attendants
 Reporting any hotel safety issues to the night supervisor.
 Performing housekeeping duties during night.

Rooms are of chief concern to the front office and housekeeping departments. It
is important for the departments to continuously exchange information on room status.
To ensure efficient rooming of guests, both housekeeping and front office must inform
each other of changes in a room's status

Task/Activity

Essay Homework: Give examples or situations where Frontdesk and Housekeeping

Department work as a team in attaining hotel’s objective which is to promote quality
experience and sustainability of high profit for the benefit of hotel’s employees.

For this activity, rubric is provided as a guide to evaluate the quality of student’s
constructed responses. Rubric for essay is available on page 100.