Rooms Division Management Assignment

Management of rooms
division

TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................1
INTRODUCTION TO ROOM DIVISION MANAGEMENT.......................................................1
1. Front office..............................................................................................................................2
1. Front office..............................................................................................................................2
2. Effective housekeeping............................................................................................................6
3. Effective communication.........................................................................................................8
4. Preparation and review of Night audit.....................................................................................9
5. Safety and Security................................................................................................................11
6. Facility management..............................................................................................................13
7. Labour costing and staffing...................................................................................................18
CONCLUSION..............................................................................................................................19
REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................20

INTRODUCTION
Management of room division is focused on leading, controlling and supervising, guest
services, front desk and housekeeping departments (Noone, Enz, & Glassmire, 2017). Present
study is a reflective portfolio where learner will outline own learning from different weeks and
from practical learning earning from housekeeping department when working in Adina Hotel
Surry hills. The learning is based on different topics that is introduction to front office, executive
housekeeping, effective communication, preparation and review of nigh audit, security and
safety, management of facilities, labour cost and staffing. The evaluation is based on individual
learning and idea of week as per theoretical perspective of different services in hospitality sector.
INTRODUCTION TO ROOM DIVISION MANAGEMENT
Room division manager is responsible for effective and efficient leadership and operating
different departments of room division. Their main function is to take responsibility of the room
financially, satisfaction of employees, guest service, guest satisfaction, security and maintaining
relations with them. There are various department in room divisions such as front office,
housekeeping, reservation, guest service, security and communication (Room division
management, 2019). Further, from the learning I evaluated that An Australian Hotel’s profit on
an average for rooms is 75 % and 25 % is from food and beverage. Front office is known as
revenue generating department as it develops programs to control cost and improve sales and
profits. Housekeeping is non-revenue generating department which provides guest services and
is responsible for managing upkeeping of public areas and guest rooms in hotel. As per my
experience in Adina Hotel Surry hills I learnt that it is important for housekeeping department to
control cleaning of public areas regularly.
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Figure 1: Chart of room division
1. Front office
1. Front office
Learnings and outcomes from the front office desk
In accordance with my practical learning in Adina Hotel Surry Hills I learnt that Front office
manager is responsible for enhancing services provided to guest in order to constantly
improving the services and fulfil the needs of guests. Further, I evaluated that front office
manager improve their guest service by assigning guest service associate who greets the guest
on their arrival, guide them on front desk, allocate room personally and take luggage to their
room (Kimes, 2017). While working in Adina hotel Surry hills I found out that front office is
the most visible department in the hotel, staff of front office has more contact with the guests
and their main focus is on transfer information to the guests. It is also known as communication
hub where guest complains and request, it the operational hub for any emergency situation. I
have built my communication skills by communicating with the guest, I am able to handle
complains, provide good customer service and I am confident in using opera system. In
accordance with technological system I learnt about Opera system from which hotel receive
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reservation query. Further, the system allows to check availability of room as er guest
requirement and offer alternatives to meet guest expectations. Next the system resp4eont to
features on screen as per reservation query and them record details, confirm reservation and
prepare document for client and for front office desk. This allows easy management of
reservation queries and booking.
Figure 2: Chart of front office department
Theoretical perspective to support learning
From the view point of Qoura & Khalifa, (2016) I analysed that major role of front desk is to
manage services as per guest cycle. The guest cycle includes 4 steps i.e. pre-arrival, arrival,
stay experience and departure. Pre-arrival refers to creating reservation in hotel, Adina hotel
need to create reservations for every guest, this will help hotel in initiating the guest cycle. It
moreover includes communication, preparing guest stay and maintain reservation records to
provide personalise service to guest. Front office manager needs to ensure that all the bookings
are confirmed. Arrival refers to registration of rooms and build relations with the guests. While
checking-in service agent makes sure that guest has signed the registration card and while
checking-out guest service agent has an opportunity of upselling room and increase the revenue
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of hotel. This stage is very essential because it leaves a long-lasting impression (good or bad) in
the mind of guests. Stay experience defines how fast front office department coordinate with the
customer services accurately. Also, I learned about roles of Front office manager handles
feedbacks and provide solutions and communicating with the management. To provide a good
experience to guest it is important for FOM to ensure that valuables of the guests are protected
through privacy act, guest key controls, safe deposit, property surveillance and on-site security.
Departure is a stage where guest pay the bill and leave the hotel. The role of front office desk is
to save the guest profile in computer and settle the balance. At the point of check-out staff need
to encourage guests so that they return to the hotel again in future.
Figure 3: Guest cycle in Front office department
For managing front office department FOM is responsible for coordinating 4 elements such
as guest satisfaction, employee satisfaction, financial results and reporting,
interdepartmental communication in order to achieve profits. FOM need to manage its guest
cycle as they are the main source of income for the hotel. FOM need to make forecast of guest
movement, upselling opportunities, forecasting wages and expenses, developing employees and
interacting with potential guests. Front office manager needs to manage the staff of the hotel
because it incurs huge cost, FOM need to control the cost and make budgets. There are various
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factors that affect staffing such as arrival and departure movements, location, market segment,
facilities and many other. It is necessary to keep employees satisfied and motivated so that they
provide quality service to customers and make them return in future.
Figure 4: Key considerations of FOM
Apart from this, communication also plays essential role in front office department. There is an
in-house communication, delivery of service and financial operations. Communication tool is
vital for front office in keeping everyone informed. FOM need to communicate the work done
by next shift clearly so that there is no confusion. FOM need to inform every member about
sales opportunities, care guest, VIPs and room activities that affect operation of front office
desk. Front office manager daily communicates the planned events and shifts to its employees.
There need to be an electronic bulletin board through which all the employees are informed
about a particular day. Some of the daily communication done by front office is bookings and
reservations, billing issues, scheduled events, managing feedbacks, tourist information etc. if a
message is delivered inaccurately then staff will fail to perform the given tasks, this will break
the experience of guest.
Front office manager of hotel implements property management system which are used for
reservations, point-of-sales and accounting systems. Nowadays all the hotels operate automated
systems which make operations easy. Further, Opera which is an Automated hotel management
and booking system which made communication faster, guest can book online and reservation
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department automatically generate confirmation letter (Opera: Property Management System,
2019).
2. Effective housekeeping
Effective housekeeping
Outcome and summary of learning from housekeeping experience
Working in housekeeping department of Adina Hotel Surry Hills was awesome, where I
worked in team of 3 people. When working for cleaning of apartment rooms I learnt that
rooms are the core products of hotel and therefore reflects guest loyalty towards one
particular hotel. From the practical learning I evaluated that cleanliness is the basis
expectation of guests and therefore house keeping department is responsible for shaping
memories of guest during stay, success of hotels operations and maintaining expenses in
order to maintain profitability of hotel. However, when working in hotel I learned about
sustainability management of house keeping services for which hotels are focused on key
cards controlling lights, conducting utility audit and cleaning vacant rooms first. During
practical earning for house keeping department I felt confident for working in this job role as
I was able to pay attention to details of guest.
Figure 5: Chart of housekeeping department
Theories to support learning
According to Qoura, & Khalifa, 2016, I learned that executive housekeeper of hotel has 3
elements of management that is people, process and communication. In accordance with
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people the individual is responsible for overseeing details and supervising people. Further,
process sis about planning, organizing, controlling and directing services according to guest
requirement. However, communication is about interaction with other departments about the
specific needs of guest and expenses required to meet guest expectations.
On the other hand, effective housekeeping is based on management of key areas that is
occupational health and safety administration, reports of housekeepers, in-house laundry
versus outpouring laundry, assignment of room, safety of material and data sheets, inventory
control (guest supplies, cleaning supplies, furniture, linens), communication, training and
cleaning control. As per the views of Wood, 2017, I learnt that cleaning control in hotel is
based on standardized routine for cleaning for particular rooms. However, deep cleaning is
about cleaning of accessories, windows, walls, flooring and furniture. Communication for
this area is about scheduled repair dates and cleaning of banquet rooms in down times.
Apart from this, triple bottom line reporting is an approach used in hotels for managing
housekeeping practices with regard to environmental and social performance measures. The
approach is implied to main sustainability of housekeeping operations. For example,
reporting by TBL approach aids in controlling use of energy in hotels like cooling, lighting,
ventilation, refrigeration, hot water production, space heating, etc. (Problems in
housekeeping, 2017) Further, I learnt about importance of managing waste in hotel like food,
plastic, comingled, cardboards, etc. Moreover, from the week I learned about
implementation of environmental management system for encouraging effective
housekeeping which is based on cyclic process that is planning, doing, checking and acting.
In accordance with this, in planning stage hotels establish goals to maintain sustainability.
For example, for managing energy hotelier sets goal like, use of renewable sources like solar
power for hot water production, wind power, biomass generation, etc. Whereas, waste
management can be effectively managed in hotels by implementing waste management
hierarchy that is landfill, incinerate, recycle, reuse, refuse, reduce and waste minimisation.
For example, purchasing recyclable and reusable products, avoiding use of toxic
biodegradable and disposable product, etc. (Papargyropoulou and et.al., 2016). Thus,
learning from week 3, I evaluated the importance of incorporating socially responsible
practices in hotels to maintain safety, preventing environmental hazards and controlling
inventory.
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3. Effective communication
Effective communication
Outcome and summary of learning from Effective communication
Communication plays an important role to communicate or transfer the information to the staff
in accurate and same meaning (Sharma, 2015). During my practical working in Adina Hotel
Surry Hills, effective communication was reflected when I was working in team of 3 members.
I work in front office department where we communicated with the help of role play activities.
When working in housekeeping department I evaluated at my communication skills are good
and effective for my future growth as I was able to handle guest complaints smoothly. Further,
I learned that front office is known as clearing house for communication activities. From
working in hospitality sector, I evaluated that I am good listeners which is key skills of
effective communication.
Theoretical perspective to support learning
According to Kimes, 2017, communication in hospitality sector is essential between front
office and house keeping department. The communication is specific to special amenities
required by guest which are communicated by house keepers and then proceeded from front
desk. Further, communication of F&B and front office is about is on confirmation over specific
dinner and breakfast packages of guest, daily availability for booking in restaurant, etc. The
best approach of effective communication in hotels ae emails which encourages written
communication and supports evidence of in usage of inventory and guest details. Further,
communication via online application is between sales and front office which is based on
reservation queries to confirmation (Noone, Enz, & Glassmire, 2017). For example, effective
communication via opera automated system. Apart from this, effective communication in hotel
is about evaluated from meetings of management for the setting goals and performance
measures for improving performance as per guest expectation (Benefits of Effective
Communication in the Hotel Industry, 2014). Meeting of staff which is conducted for
training in order to guide them with change of business and business environment like
technological advancement. On the other hand, communication in hotel is also managed via
360-degree feedback approach where employees of different department of hotels reports for
individual performance and for peers and supervisors (Alhelalat, 2015).
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4. Preparation and review of Night audit
Preparation and Review of Night Audit
Learnings and outcomes from the front office desk
According to my learning night audit involves front desk duty and some duty of accounting
department. In large hotels night auditor can work along with night shift employees,
telephone attendants, security guards, night manager and room service whereas in small
hotel night auditor works alone, after completing their daily report they retire from the area
away from the desk but they are available for unexpected guests. Further I have learned that
night auditors prepare reconciliation report to measure the revenue generated by the hotel
from the banquets, food & beverage, rooms etc. They identify all the errors in the
reconciliation report by reviewing each and every activity. While working in Adina hotel I
found that night auditors face difficulty in preparing reports because accurate information
was not available by the manager or information was not communicated properly. Night
auditor need to calculate the proportion of available rooms in the hotel which requires full
and accurate information. It helps the manager to measure the availability of rooms so they
can provide the rooms to their guest. The main role of night auditor is to record all the
transaction and make reports which is beneficial for maximizing profits, responding to
complaints of guest, reservations, coordinating with housekeeping and handling emergency
situation. There are various tasks performed by night auditor are posting rooms, collecting
guest charges and payments, tax charges, running the trial balance and preparing night audit
report.
Idea development
According to Mitrović & Knežević, (2018) Hotel business is one of the business which has
to serve their services 24 hours to the customer. Night audit is necessary where report is
prepared for communicating information to managers, investigate the accuracy of the
information, update the report etc. To manage the 24 hours service, audit of the daily
offered services and activities is necessary to minimize errors. There are 3 steps involved in
night audit process:
First step: As soon as night auditor arrives in the hotel, front desk manager needs to pass
necessary information then count front desk floats, printing contingency report, check how
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many rooms left, check how many arrivals are left to check-in, investigating if any admin
accounts are there and cancel cash bookings. Night auditor also make end to shift reports
which includes spa reports, banquet summaries, bar and restaurants reports.
Second step: Before starting the day, night auditor audit market rate changes, check errors
and make necessary adjustments, audit room rates unless approved by the senior
management, check house accounts and make changes, make credit card reconciliation and
balance any discrepancies.
Third step: After rolling over the day, daily accounts are maintained such as cash journals,
account receivables, house status, arrivals, departures, guest account reports, rooms to clean
reports, housekeeping reports, revenue statistics. According to the property of hotel, night
auditor will elaborate room rate analysis and flash reports (Losekoot and et.al., 2018). Night
auditor distribute the daily reports and prepare front desk, all the information is passed to
morning shift staff.
Night audit is beneficial for managers in identifying the effective use of resources,
identifying errors which can be rectified. It is essential for hotels because it controls the cost
and transactions of the day. It also updates housekeeping status and closes cash counters,
generate cash journals etc.
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5. Safety and Security
Learning and outcome from safety and security of hotel
In response to hotel's safety and security, I recently faced an issue regarding credit card fraud as
I paid my room's tariff via credit card but the hotel's security system was very weak and it led to
unauthorized transfers from my card and then hacked it. This is a usual problem at hotels
because many customers have accused their digital security system of stealing confidential
information from their guests. Safety of a hotel is basically concerned with protecting the
people against accident while security involves protection of people from injury or harm caused
by other people or groups deliberately. Further, when working in Adina Hotel Surry Hills I
evaluated that bathroom safety is of major concern which occurs due to slipping, hotel water,
mirrors, screens and electrical hazards. However, security of hotel is for emergency
communication and evacuation plan, fire safety system, bomb threat action, etc.
Terrorism still remains as one of the biggest threats for hotels is for terrorist attacks which has
not only affected their brand image but also reduced their profits incessantly. Another major
security threat to hotels is the fear of natural disasters. I have also noticed that our hotel has
become a potential hub for drug paddling and other illegal activities which may reduce their
customer base in the future because many families would avoid visiting these kinds of hotels.
Idea development
In the view point of Simpao, (2018) the hotel companies must tighten their security as it would
help in maximum customer satisfaction. Also, the hotel chains need to use artificial intelligence
in order to enhance their safety systems a step further. CCTV surveillance cameras must also be
installed at various places around the property.
Magalhães and et.al., (2017) suggests that, the hotel staff must also be trained in case of
emergencies and should have the ability to protect their guests too.
Recently, our hotel faced security issues related to credit card frauds and unethical hacking of
our computer system therefore in this situation the IT department of our hotel installed digital
security soft wares like File integrating monitoring (FIM) and United threat management
(UTM) which helped the hotel manager in identifying the location of hacking and other
important details that led to finally police officers catching them.
The hotel finally decided to give importance to safety and security and as a result of that
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security cameras were installed in the lobby, restaurant, parking lot and in the corridors. Also,
fire safety alarms were installed in each room so that the staff could be aware in case of
emergency.
Safety of employees is also important therefore all the employees had regular check-up from
time to time in order to find out that they do not have any infectious disease. Moreover, all the
employees were also medically insured by the hotel company.
As a housekeeper in the hotel, we were also given training related to fire safety measures like
trying to prevent the fire then detecting the source of fire and after that notifying all the guests
and staff members by pressing the alarm, suppressing the fire and finally evacuating the guests.
The digital security must be improved like File integrating monitoring (FIM) and United threat
management (UTM) as it would be beneficial for the hotel because they can help in identifying
the place where the money is transacted and other security benefits.
Duty of care concept theory states that the service providing industries must adhere to a
standard of care while performing any service or acts that could possibly cause harm to others.
It is the duty of hotels to anticipate and scan the potential risk for their customers and must
avoid them. The duty of care concept is applicable towards employees as they must be provided
with safe working environment and proper training for performing their jobs.
Risk theory plays a very important role in the hotel because it is a widely used scientific
technique. The theory is about identification and analysis of the threat which can be disaster
risk, fire risk, tsunami risk etc. As per the theory the risk is divided into two categories such as
high risk also known as sensitive risk and moderate risk. Immediate action is required for the
sensitive risk in which appropriate measure taken to over the risk can be maintaining fire
extinguishers for the fire, sensors for the tsunami and backup for the tsunami and for the
moderate risk the hotel can give preference to the risk after the sensitive risk. In the moderate
risk appropriate actions can be taken by making proper investment plan, making proper
financial plan, tightening security in order to prevent theft activities, etc. for all of the above
mention factors are the risk management factors by which the risk can be managed by
managing the above-mentioned factors in advance.
There are two types of risk such as qualitative risk and quantitative risk as per the risk
theory. The qualitative risk focuses on the probability of the occurrence and the impact on the
hotel from the risk whereas quantitative risk focuses on giving priority to highest risk in order to
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achieve the whole cost of the risk and accordingly schedule the objectives of the hotel.
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6. Facility management
Learning and outcome from safety and security of hotel: I have faced various problems in the
hotel mainly regarding the health and hygiene. When working in Adina Hotel Surry Hills I
learnt about objectives of facility management that is attaining competitive advantage with
regard to design, technology, electronics, amenities. It is important for hotels to maintain the
cleanliness and they must also provide proper facilities related to room service, WI-FI, security
and other things. I have also noticed that the Hotels do not understand the customers’
expectations and it is important for them to do so otherwise it can hamper their image in the
long run. Another major issue is that many luxury hotels also use old linens and towels which
really leaves a bad impression in front of the guests.
Recently I worked in hotel and noticed various problems like broken lights, damp patches, hair
in the bathroom and used toiletries which disappointed me. I immediately called the front office
so that they can change my room. Also, the hotel told me that they have WI-FI facility but at the
time of my arrival they told me that it is not working. The hotels and resorts must take this issue
seriously if they wish to attract more customers and increase their profitability in the near
future. I have also noticed that the hotel always never maintained proper inventory in relation to
tools and other stock which always created problem for the customers.
Idea development
According to the author, the hotel industry defines the hospitality and their main objective is to
provide a comfortable stay to their customers therefore it is imperative for them to provide all
the possible facilities to them. The hotels must not compromise on providing complimentary
breakfast which must be hygienic and fresh and also they must provide time to time room
service and house keeping facilities to ensure that their guests are comfortable and satisfied.
Our hotel has also improved their customer service in order to provide better facilities to the
guests.
In the view point of Author, the hotel staff must pay attention to other important things in
guest's room whether they have proper toiletries, blankets and pillows. The room must be
cleaned properly and supervised by hotel manager before the customers check-in. There are few
points which can help in improving the facilities of hotel like
 The staff members must treat every guest like a VIP and should give them warm

welcome so that they feel specialTheir must be a customer service number that must be
available 24/7 so that the guest can communicate with them if they need something.
 The performance of the employees must be continuously monitored and evaluated in
order to increase their efficiency and effectiveness.
 The hotels must also provide all the necessary facilities they have mentioned on their
website or mobile application.
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Theories related to facility management.
For the purpose of facilities management, the theory which can be used is the management
science theory. This theory is being used in the hotel because of the reason that this theory
relates to managing the working and facilities of the hotel but in a scientific way. This is done
by applying different logical and practical theories and steps so that there is no misuse of the
resources and these resources are used optimally up to their fullest capacity. Within this theory
the most of the used theory is TQM that is Total Quality Management. It is a theory which is
used for maintaining the quality of the working. For ensuring that the facilities are managed in a
proper way it is of utmost importance that the quality of work is maintained. If the quality of
facilities and working is proper then it will help the hotel in effectively and efficiently
managing the facilities and operations within the hotel. Therefore the theory of TQM is
advantageous because of the reason that in order to maintain the quality the problem are
identified and the hotel gets an opportunity to remove or eradicate these problems. Also, the
another reason for using TQM as a theory is that because of the application of this theory the
quality of facilities is improvised and this increases the customer satisfaction as they get
superior quality services and facilities.
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Labour cost and staffing
Labour cost and cost control is the major aspects of hotels. When working in
housekeeping department of hotel I learnt the clear difference of fixed assets and operating
assets. Further, from practical learning I evaluated that departmental profit is affected by
cost of labour, average rate which is generated by sales, controllable expenses, etc. Further, I
learned that labour cost is hindered when due to changes in staffing requirement. Lack of
trained staff will affect the client services as one man cannot attend three clients at a time. In
accordance with staffing and maintenance of labour cost I earnt that it is important for the
hotel to imply practice of consultancy terms. In accordance with this employer are liable to
engage employees in major workplace changes.
Theoretical perspective
According to ____, hotels implement different tools to control labour cost like,
housekeeping employee enjoys flexibility on national and public holidays. Further, work of
employee needs to be in flow and synchronised pattern to minimize the risk of loopholes and
additional expenses. Further, it is important for the hotels management to make proper use
of labours like full time, part time and causal workers. In addition, the hoteliers can also
focus on reducing staff turnover by focusing on adequate training, goof line of interaction,
appropriate and beneficial incentive schemes. On the other ____, stated that labour cost can
be managed by complying to legislation like, work health and safety, anti-
discriminatory regulation, etc. Also, some hotels set parameters like performance
measurement, key performance indicator etc. This helps in deriving areas of improvement
earlier.
Apart from this, I learned that Australian hotels comply with Enterprise bargaining
agreement which supports flexible working arrangement for employees. Further, it
promotes employee participation in decision making of hotel. Also, the agreement states
about rate of pay which can be less the n national minimum wage.
Lai & Choi, (2015) states that staffing guides approach can be used by company for
controlling the productivity of staff and efficiently managing the staff cost effectively. Cost
control measures are given by staffing guide for managing the staff of hotel. Standard are
set by company for the staff so that they can manage multiple tasks at same time. It will
enable managers to give optimum use of staff by increasing their pays by some percentage
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they will increase their efficiency as monetary benefits are the source of motivating
employees. It will save the cost of hotel to hire new employees for performing the tasks.
As per the views of Luhmann, (2017) labour and staffing is an important operation that are
required to be managed very efficiently require chefs, hosts, hostesses’ servers and
bartenders for its functioning. Chefs are the main who is going to prepare food for customers
so it is important for company to employ a professional chef. Hosts and hostesses of
sufficient number are required for serving the food. If they are not of required number it will
affect customer experience which will affect the brand image of hotel. Therefore, managers
have to employ number of staff to people.
It is stated by author that for hotel industry managers have the role and responsibility
related to staffing also. Labour are required for housekeeping of the rooms for keeping the
rooms clean and tidy. Hotels need staff and labour for replenishing linens and other room
items, making beds, cleaning bathrooms and sanitizing the rooms. There are number of jobs
which are required to be performed in hotel industry. Effective staffing is required for
smooth functioning of hotel. It is the job of managers to analyse the staffing requirement in
hotel like staff over reception at season times and housekeeping staff and number of staff per
room.
CONCLUSION
From the above portfolio is can be concluded that there are various department in room
division such as front office, housekeeping, security, guest service and communication. There are
various problems related to each department such as reservation issues, hotel service, delay in
check-outs and check-ins, bad behaviour of staff, misunderstanding and communication gap
which makes guest frustrated and they never want to visit the hotel again. This increases
employee turnovers, reducing customer base and decreasing goodwill of the company. There are
various management theories and tools for measuring performance suggested to the hotel
manager which includes 7 C's of communication, risk theory, Fayol's principles, management
science theory etc. to solve the problems.
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