Hotel Department Functions and Operations

This assignment delves into the various departments within a hotel, focusing on Hilton as a case study. It analyzes the roles and responsibilities of each department, highlighting their interdependence in providing seamless guest experiences. The report emphasizes how departments like front desk, housekeeping, and food & beverage collaborate to deliver quality services and achieve organizational goals.

TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................1
TASK A...........................................................................................................................................1
P1. Different sectors of hospitality and the diversity of products and services they offer.....1
P2. An explanation of the operational and functional departments of Hilton........................4
M1. Providing an organizational chart to support interrelationships between different
departments.............................................................................................................................6
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................7
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INTRODUCTION
Hospitality refers to the relationship between a host and a visitor. In this, the host
receives guests with goodwill including their entertainment and reception. This industry consists
of a wide range of businesses such as bars, hotels, resorts, casinos, restaurants, etc. In this present
assignment, Hilton, UK has been chosen that is a hotel brand which provides hospitality services
and known as one of the largest hotel chains across world. This report will focus on different
sectors of hospitality industry as well as products and services they offer. In addition to this, an
explanation of the operational and functional departments of Hilton will be given in brief.
TASK A
P.1. Different sectors of hospitality and the diversity of products and services they offer
Hospitality is the service industry whose main aim is to provide leisure time to customers
by giving them the best quality services. There are four major sectors of hospitality industry.
Accommodation
Sector of accommodation is very vast where there are many services being provided to
customers (Ryan, 2015). It provides bed to breakfast and even lodging services. Main foundation
of these services is to provide world class services along with high comfort.
There are three types of hotel and accommodation services i.e. Lodging: Lodging is a type of hotel and accommodation services, which means when a
person travel from one place to another place they need a room or shelter to sleep. It is
basic requirement of every tourist so that they be safe and comfortable. This make the
tourist book a room or lodge for the purpose of stay. Guest house – It is another type of accommodation business in which any individual
offers rooms to travellers on rent for the purpose of earning money. Resorts: This is the third type of accommodation which is very much preferable in
today's time. It provides such amenities which is very close to nature and helps the
customers in having relax time.
Product and services offered

Hotels provides various intangible and tangible services to their customers. Every person
wishes to get many services in return for what they pay to hotels. Services like swimming pool,
laundry, 24 hours Wi-Fi, Body massage and manicure pedicure etc. are the different tangible
facilities provided by hotels.
When a guest comes to stay in a hotel they expect to be secured and their safety. Hotel
provides safety to all the visitors along with accuracy of services are being provided to them. All
promises of customers are being fulfilled before timings is the most important intangible service
provided by Hotels. Clean rooms, comfortable toilet and staff who helps guests all the time also
falls under the category of intangible services.
Food and beverages
This sector is largest and most supreme sector in hospitality industry. Maximum hotels
have their own restaurants which enhances their services by giving food and good quality
experience to consumers (Davis and et.al., 2018). There is a big list when it comes to
categorisation of food and beverages sector. But major categories are described below. Quick-service establishment: These restaurants provides food and services in short
timings. Customers go there majorly for their taste and brand name. Few employees
engaged here because self-service norm is followed by such establishments. McDonald
and Subway is the best example of this category. Catering Businesses: These provides food occasionally on any special celebration such
as birthday or marriages. Complete menu is being provided by them along with some
extra services. Full service restaurants: These are the typical eateries where complete menu card is
being offered to the customers. Waiters come to take orders at the table person is sitting.
Multiple fine dines are available in every city along with various themes. Many types of
cuisines are being offered by this full service restaurants.
Products and services offered
This sector of hospitality industry provides various product and services to their
consumers. Serving food on time along with additional mock-tails and cocktails are the tangible
products provided by food and beverages industry (Nieves and Segarra-Ciprés, 2015). Parking
facilities outside restaurants are one of the services offered by full service restaurants. Quality of
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food along with hygiene is one of the intangible services given by all kind of food and beverages
industry.
Travel and tourism
Travel and tourism offers many services to public. Tour operators provide facilities of
advance booking in hotels along with reservation in train or flight. On visiting the destination,
tour operator ensure that tourists are being welcomed (Espino-Rodríguez and Gil-Padilla, 2015)
Now, while travelling guide is being provide who helps in knowing every small single detail
about the place.
Many other intangible services of tourism are as follows:
 Bookings of hotels and local sightseeing tickets
 Experience of visitors by going to any destination, eating at a restaurant, or enjoying any
place.
 Memories which are created by storing the details of events and experience on the tour.
The high degree of satisfaction or dissatisfaction is often kept like a long term memory.
 Transportation facilities for tourists along with their luggage from one destination to
another.
Take away food shops: This is a sector of hospitality industry which does not provide home
delivery services. This take away food shops offer discounts on pick up.
Entertainment sector:
This sector brings lots of laughter and fun time to people and even it overlaps all the
other sectors of hospitality industry. While travelling it plays a very important role to make feel
good to travellers. A travelling without entertainment is dull and empty. Dance to bars
everything is covered under entertainment industry (Lovelock and Patterson, 2015). This sector
includes various business such as -
 Open theatre – This business refers to a open area in which the organisation offers a show
of movie to their customers. Clubs – This business includes drinks, music and dance floor services that highly attracts
customers.
Products and services offered
Entertainment industry provides lots of services like DVDs and CDs of old songs, Mock-
tails and cocktails in bars as complimentary drinks also falls under the category of services.
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P 2. An explanation of the operational and functional departments of Hilton
Hilton is a hotel brand which provides services of accommodation to the customers
internationally. This hotel targets both business and travellers with location in centre of cities or
near to airports so that customers can reach easily to the hotel. There are various departments in a
hotel which helps in effective and smooth working of the hotel (Pearce, 2015). Hilton follows
divisional organisational structure in which different departments are being formed according to
the work they need to perform. Majorly, there are four departments of hotel which are
responsible for day to day operations. All four operational departments are described below:
Housekeeping department: This is responsible for cleanliness and maintenance of all the
rooms and public area of a hotel. These departments contribute a lot in the profits of the hotel
because every customer comes for luxury and relax stay. It provides such services which makes a
hotel to be a desirable ambience (Lovelock and Patterson, 2015). Housekeeping is the first
impression in the mind of the visitor, so they should give the best possible services to their
clients. Hotel decoration also comes under the head of this department only. They also keeps the
room clean and ready before guest arrival. Hilton housekeeping department provides the best
hygiene services to their clients which contributes in increasing the visits of people. These are
also some activities which are performed by housekeeping of hotel.
 Cleanliness of rooms in Hotel
 provide room service
Food and beverages service department: This department provides food and beverages
to the clients as per their requirement. It has various work to perform like designing of Menu,
wastage control, cook the best quality food etc. This department has major two operational areas
that is BAR and Restaurant. Staff of this department should present themselves in the most
hygienic possible way. As they are representing the entire Hotel and its services to they need to
be clean and proper.
Food and beverages department contributes to great extent in a Hotel because every
visitor order their food from restaurant. Hilton hotels also have a restaurant and BARS inside
their ambience. It contributes around 40% of the revenue collected in the Hotel. Hilton has
divided staffing pattern in this department under two parts, one is service staff and another one is
kitchen staff. It helps in dividing entire work in to a proper format (Lovelock and Patterson,
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2015). A manager is also being appointed in every restaurant area of Hilton who checks and
manages every small activity performed in Bar and restaurant.
Front desk and reservation department: It is that department which lies in the centre of
hotel is completely visible to every person who comes and goes out. Main operation of front
office will be welcoming and greeting customers that is done by reception desk. It is that place
which creates first impression on every visitor that is the reason it is decorated in the most
beautiful way. Hilton Hotel also follows the same policy of making its reception desk very
attractive. Reception desk consists of cashier and registration section. Every guest comes or
books their rooms in Hotel at front desk only, a request for room by customer in a hotel for any
fixed period is called reservation (Robinson and et.al., 2016). Person who works and seats at
reception is called receptionist. Hilton hotel has always hired for receptionist position to those
who have good communication skills and high grooming skills. It is the duty of receptionist to
attain every client in positive manner.
Food production or kitchen department: It is the sub department of food and beverages
department which includes highly qualified chefs who can cook the best delicious dishes to make
the customers happy. Cooking, storing and cleaning everything is the work of this department
only. Chef are hired after testing that they know all the dishes which are written in the menu
card. In big hotels like Hilton, different chefs are appointed who are has specialisation in single
cuisine.
Functional departments of Hilton
Accounting department: This section checks the entire cost and revenue of hotels by
maintaining books of accounts. Entire report is prepared by this department so that profits and
losses can be calculated. All the accounts from maintaining cash book to preparation of balance
sheet is done by accounting department.
Human resource department: Staff is being hired and trained by this department. HR of
hotel helps every employee by providing them rules and regulations which they should follow
while working in the hotel (Cheung, Kong and Song, 2014). If any worker in hotel is facing any
problem then they should share it with HR of hotel. From making salary slips of every employee
to maintaining the attendance of every work man is the duty if this department.
Purchase department: This department focuses on purchasing all the material that is
required in a Hotel. All type of item from kitchen to products that required in rooms and cleaning
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everything is recorded by this department (Rivera and Pizam, 2015). It maintains the record of
every issue of material and smooth flow of perishable and non-perishable goods are also
maintained by this section of hotel.
Sales and marketing department: This section has major focus on improving brand
image (Functional departments of Hilton, 2018). Many agents are also appointed by hotel to
increase the customers so that hotels can give rooms to more individual guest for holiday
purpose.
IT department: Every hotel has their own IT department which look out through all the
technical issues and problems arises in the Hotel.
M1. Providing an organisational chart to support interrelationships between different
departments
Illustration 1: Organizational chart of Hotel
(Source: Organizational chart of Hotel,2017)
In Hilton hotel, every department is connected with each other. Front desk tells housekeeping
that when next client will come, they need to get ready about cleaning and maintaining the room
(Organizational chart of hotel, 2017). Likewise, purchase department makes order after
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consulting with housekeeping about their requirements such as cleaning material, bed sheets,
toiler equipment, etc. Other departments of Hilton like accounting department is interconnected
with marketing section because marketing manager makes all policies as per the budget and cost
fixed by finance department. This shows that all the department of Hilton can not function
without each other. Thus, there is a high dependency of functional department on each other in
every Hotel. The Human resource department hires most talented and skilled employees for
performing any function or role given to them effectively. Sales and marketing helps to promote
the services which are offered by operations functions of the hotel. Accounting functions in
preparing budget for each and every activity of the hotel. The services of hotel also include
security of the customers and their information which is managed by IT department.
CONCLUSION
From the above report, it has been concluded that every hotel has several departments
that manage the entire work in order to attain goals and objectives effectually. The report
determined that in Hilton hotel every department is connected with each other. Front desk tells
housekeeping that when next client will come, they need to get ready about cleaning and
maintaining the room. They provide different services like food and beverages, rooms, laundry,
swimming pool, etc. Under one roof. In addition to this, hotels provide luxury and quality
services so that they can attract more clients. Overall the study defines that hospitality industry
has a wide range of businesses which are highly profitable and attractive.
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REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Cheung, C., Kong, H. and Song, H., 2014. How to influence hospitality employee perceptions on
hotel brand performance?. International journal of contemporary hospitality
management. 26(8). pp.1162-1178.
Davis, B. and et.al., 2018. Food and beverage management. Routledge.
Espino-Rodríguez, T.F. and Gil-Padilla, A.M., 2015. The structural and infrastructural decisions
of operations management in the hotel sector and their impact on organizational
performance. Tourism and Hospitality Research. 15(1). pp.3-18.
Lovelock, C. and Patterson, P., 2015. Services marketing. Pearson Australia.
Nieves, J. and Segarra-Ciprés, M., 2015. Management innovation in the hotel industry. Tourism
Management. 46. pp.51-58.
Pearce, D.G., 2015. Destination management in New Zealand: Structures and functions. Journal
of Destination Marketing & Management. 4(1). pp.1-12.
Rivera, M.A. and Pizam, A., 2015. Advances in hospitality research:“from Rodney Dangerfield
to Aretha Franklin”. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality
Management. 27(3). pp.362-378.
Robinson, P. and et.al., 2016. Operations management in the travel industry. CABI.
Ryan, C., 2015. Trends in hospitality management research: a personal reflection. International
Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management. 27(3). pp.340-361.
Online
Organizational chart of Hotel (2017) [Online]. Available through:
<http://www.orgcharting.com/hotel-organizational-chart/>.
Functional departments of Hilton (2018) [Online]. Available through:
<http://www.managementservices.hilton.com/en/support-services/>.
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