Managing Accommodation Services in Hospitality Industry

This report discusses the scale and size of accommodation services, different forms of ownership, role of grading, classification systems, and online review sites, key roles of front office and housekeeping department, importance of forecasting of supplies and linen stock, the importance of relationship between departments, and importance of scheduling, maintenance and security in hospitality industry.

Managing
Accommodation
Services

Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................1
MAIN BODY ..................................................................................................................................1
P1 Identify the scale and size of the accommodation services found within the hospitality
industry........................................................................................................................................1
P2 Explain the different forms of ownership available to accommodation services...................2
P3 Discuss the role that, grading, classifications systems and online review sites play when
potential guests look for and book accommodation....................................................................3
P4 Explain the organisation of front office functions within a variety of accommodation
services.........................................................................................................................................4
P5 Discuss the key roles within the front office department for a selected organisation............5
P6 Review the key roles found within the housekeeping department in a selected organisation6
P7 Assess the importance of forecasting linen stock and other guest supplies to ensure
sufficient supply to meet demand................................................................................................7
P8 Illustrate the importance of inter-relationships between housekeeping and other key
departments within a selected organisation to provide quality provision and services...............7
P9 Examine the importance of scheduling maintenance or repair work to minimise disruption
to guests.......................................................................................................................................8
P10 Discuss the importance of security within a selected organisation......................................9
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................9
REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................10

INTRODUCTION
The term Accommodation services means providing the short term temporary housing
and hospitality services. The accommodation includes hotel, apartments, guest house, campsites,
hostels, resorts, villas etc. the accommodation services are part of hospitality industry, it involves
staying of guests and the amenities provided to them. The accommodation services can be
provided on daily basis, weekly basis, generally it is for short term period. These are provided to
the travellers, lodgers and to the tourist (Alrawadieh and Alrawadieh, 2018). Travel Lodge
London is a private company that operates in hotels and hospitality industry. The company is
headquartered in Thame, England, United Kingdom. It operates 586 hotels in United Kingdom,
Ireland and Spain. It is the largest independent hotel brand of UK. This report aims to examine
the scale and size of accommodation, different forms of ownership, role of grading, classification
systems, and online review sites, key roles of front office and housekeeping department,
importance of forecasting of supplies and linen stock, the importance of relationship between
departments, and importance of scheduling, maintenance and security.
MAIN BODY
P1 Identify the scale and size of the accommodation services found within the hospitality
industry.
The Accommodation services means providing the short term lodging and hospitality
services to the people. The accommodation includes building, rooms etc. but in hospitality
industry the accommodation includes hotels resorts, villas, motel guest-house etc. The scale and
size of the accommodation includes different type of classifications on the basis of hotel size,
number of rooms, target market level of service and ownership.
Levels of service-
1. World class service- This service is also counted as five star or luxury service hotels.
These hotels targets top income level persons like executives, corporates, businessman,
celebrities, high-ranking politicians and top level government executives. These type of
hotels provides every possible service within the hotel such as valet, private dining
service, lounges, restaurants with top class chef.
2. Mid range services- These are the mid range type of hotels with 3 and 4 star ratings.
This is the largest segment in the industry. These type of hotels targets tourists and
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travellers. These hotels provides mid range services like in room services like
entertainment and Wi-Fi, also they provides food and beverages services to the people.
3. Limited / Budget service- These hotels are inexpensive and provide basic facilities to
the people. These hotels provides minimal services and amenities like clean, safe and
comfortable rooms to meet the basic needs of the person (Bigné, Oltra and Andreu,
2019). These type of hotels targets the budget travellers or low income people who wants
a room In budget with minimal service to stay without any extra cost.
4. Non serviced- It is the type of accommodation which does not provides any additional
services to the customers. For instance the camping, cottages etc.
5. Serviced accommodation- These type of accommodation provides additional services
to the consumers during their stay. Additional services includes breakfast dining service
housekeeping etc.
Size of accommodation
On the basis of size the hotels are divided on the basis of their occupation capacity and
rooms for instance under 200 rooms, 200 to 500 rooms, 500 to 1000 rooms, more than 1000
rooms etc.
Ownership
1. independent or single owners- these type of hotels are owned and run by the single
owners, these hotels doesn't have any other proprietorships under its name or brand.
2. Chain hotels- these hotels are the part of some hotel chain under any brand or proprietor.
These type of hotels follow standards, rules, policies, and procedures of the brand. These
generally have a centralised structure and controlled by that system.
P2 Explain the different forms of ownership available to accommodation services
There are four different forms of ownership available for accommodation; privately
owned and operated, franchise, leased and managed.
1. Privately owned and managed- This type of hotels is owned by one person or one
company, but it can have other investors in the ownership. This type of model provides
the autonomy of decisions to the owner and most freedom, but it is also most risky
(Chattopadhyay and Mitra, 2020). The owner can take decisions however he likes to
decorate, catering, location, target marketplace, prices, additional services etc. this type
of model have its disadvantages like the most travellers like to stay in chain bases hotels
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because of the quality expectation, the owner can't avail bulk discount on amenities like
other brands.
2. Leased- These hotels are also private hotels but the physical structure is belonged to
other person or company. In this the owner leases its property to chain based or private
owners. The lessee have to pay the agreed amount as fixed rent to the lessor for operating
the hotel. This involves high risk as if the hotel performs poorly, the lessee have to pay
the lease amount to the owner or lessor.
3. Managed- This type of hotels are managed by other person or a company. For instance a
businessman opens a hotel but have lack of experience or no experience in this industry
they might hire some other person or company to manage the hotel. In this type of
business the owner have the control over business but responsibility of taking
management decisions and day to day operations is of the managing company.
4. Franchise- In this type the owner pays to the brand or chain to use their name, logo in his
business. The advantages of franchise is that the travellers and tourist will trust the hotel
as they have expectations of quality and amenities that the brand or chain offers. The
disadvantage of this type of ownership are that the hotels image will depend on the brand
or chain. And it have to maintain the standards, practices, policies and regulations strictly
that the brand/chain made. Also in this the franchise owner does not have the autonomy
of decisions (Dolnicar and Talebi, 2020).
P3 Discuss the role that, grading, classifications systems and online review sites play when
potential guests look for and book accommodation
The role of the grading, classification systems and online reviews site is most important
for the consumer to decide and selection of the hotel or accommodation. The grading system
classifies the quality and services and facilities of the hotel. The classification defines the star
rating of the hotel it is based on a scale from 1-5, one is the lowest and five is the highest
slandered. The review sites are used by travellers to know the reviews of the past experiencers of
other people of that accommodation.
The role of Grading, and classification systems- The grading and classifications of the
hotels decides the standard of the hotel and the ability to purchase hotel accommodation.
 This helps the consumers to decide quality.
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 These provide assurance to the travellers local or international as the accommodation is
assessed by the other third party.
 It act as a indicator of expected offering and services.
 It helps consumers to determine the offerings and services.
 It also provides the budget idea to the consumers which accommodation fits in.
Travel lodge hotels operates the mid range and luxury hotels and operates 3-5 star hotels
across the London, UK Ireland and Spain.
The role of review sites- Review sites are important source for the consumers to find
details about the hotels.
 These sites provides detailed reviews of the hotel, service, product, quality, and facilities
 Online review sites also provides the prices and compares them to other hotels for the
consumer. It is the most deciding factor to choose or book a accommodation (Dowling,
2021).
 The considers the reviews important while booking an accommodation, if the reviews are
positive it increases the chances of booking
 If the accommodation has zero reviews it will also impact the decision of the consumer.
 It is time consuming for the people to search individual hotel, if the hotel is not registered
on online review site it will impact the bookings.
The Travel lodge hotels also have its presence on different review websites such as
Tripadvisor, Booking.com, Expedia, hotels.com, google etc. The Travel lodge hotels has positive
reviews on sites, it helps the consumers to look about the hotel reviews and it increases the
chances of booking.
P4 Explain the organisation of front office functions within a variety of accommodation
services
The front office people have the first interaction of the consumer and to the public. The
front office is most important for a accommodation service. It performs various functions like
reservations, check-in, check-out, inquiry, billing and assigning the rooms etc. it also maintains
the records and informations of the guests, that helps in future promotions and reviews. The front
office functions in variety of accommodation service are;
 Hotels- In this type of service the front office performs various functions, it interacts with
the guests and handle inquiries and registrations check-ins and check-outs. It collects the
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informations of the guests, it handles the availability of rooms, it provides the room keys
to the customers, it handles the billing of the guest also some accommodations provides
foreign exchange services to the international guests.
 Villas- In this type of accommodation service the front office performs functions like
registrations, catering services, provides detailed information about the villa facilities to
the guests.
 Chalets- The chalets are for the guest that prefers nature and adventures the front office
of chalets functions various functions like the chalets assigning, house keeping and
cleaning services, maintenance of the surroundings, also some provides extra facilities
like booking and travelling or nearby areas. And it ensures the safety of guests (Gatt, and
et. al., 2020).
 Resorts- In this type of accommodation the front-office performs these functions; it
provides registration, check-outs, check-ins, housekeeping and cleaning of rooms, resorts
are located generally on mountains or beaches it attracts the foreign tourists, the front-
office also provides foreign money exchange service to them.
P5 Discuss the key roles within the front office department for a selected organisation
The front-office department is also important for a organization's perspective. The front
office acts as the first contact person to the guests. This first meeting or interaction can make a
good or bad impression in the mind of guest (Sanjeev and Tiwari, 2021). The front office
maintains the records and information of the guests of Travel lodge hotels. This is also
responsible for the guest satisfaction. The desk also performs answering quarries of the guests
for reservations, checking availability of rooms in the. The front office tries to sell the extra
services to the guests and generates the revenue for the group. The front office connects with the
other departments like laundry dining housekeeping etc. to provide better satisfaction to the
consumers. The Travel lodge hotels divided the front office into different types and assigned
duties for better functionality those are;
 Front office management- The front office manager in Travel lodge hotels oversees
the front desk operations and manages the employees. The manages assign the
responsibility, tasks and manage the schedules. In addition it performs other activities
for staff training, coaching and hiring activities for front desk.
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 Reservation management- The reservation manager controls the services related to
the room reservations and bookings.
 Housekeeping management- In this manager take cares of housekeeping and
cleaning services of the rooms, also of the hallway and public area such as swimming
pool area, rooftop lounge etc.
 Guest service management- Travel lodge hotels have separate guest service
manager who is responsible for guest service provided.
 Reception management- The Travel lodge hotels has appointed reception managers
to perform the actions of welcoming and greeting at the time of guests arrival.
P6 Review the key roles found within the housekeeping department in a selected
organisation
This the most important department in an hotel it ensures the maintenance, cleanliness
and aesthetic upkeeps of the rooms as well as common areas (Jeong, 2021). It is the backbone of
the Travel lodge hotels and plays a significant role to provide satisfaction to the guests. In Travel
lodge hotels the key roles of the housekeeping department are as follows;
 Housekeeping maintains the standard of the hotel and take care of all key areas and
provides perfection for each stay. It attracts the customer for future bookings.
 the housekeeping of Travel lodge hotels is responsible for cleaning guest rooms
regularly basis on arrival, in mid stay or after departure of the guests to provide best
comfort stay.
 The housekeeping also takes care of the amenities providing in the room are well placed
and if empty restocking them. The department also take cares of towels and linens are
clean during the stay, also it take care of the laundry of the guests in the hotel.
 It also plays role to decorate and maintain the landscape areas in Travel lodge hotels, and
run activities in effective manner.
 Housekeeping also plays a significant role to offer positive work environment and it
ensures to provide smooth experience to the guests, it increases the performance of the
organization and growth of the Travel lodge hotels.
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P7 Assess the importance of forecasting linen stock and other guest supplies to ensure
sufficient supply to meet demand
The stocking of the supplies and linen is the most important for a hotel. Keeping the right
amount of stock is very important to business to meet the customer demand and save the
financial resources of the hotel. Having low stock of linen and other supplies means customer
dissatisfaction, and having high supplies means spending unnecessary cost for the stock and
supplies as well as inventory management. The Travel lodge hotels can reduce these by
forecasting and ensure sufficient supply to meet demand. The Travel lodge hotels forecasts the
linen stock and other supplies like amenities and beds, chairs, tables etc. to improve the overall
performance and growth. Forecasting ensures the sufficient supply during the peak time like
holidays, new year, festivals, or other occasions, it saves time of the hotel and the cost-
effectiveness for the Travel lodge if the hotel buys stocks and linens in bulk (Matsuoka, 2021).
P8 Illustrate the importance of inter-relationships between housekeeping and other key
departments within a selected organisation to provide quality provision and services
The interdepartmental communication is very crucial aspect for keeping the information
moving in the hotel. A department should not keep all it importance to itself, it should share it
with other department for better effectiveness and coordination. This will lead to consumer
satisfaction and organisation growth. The housekeeping department in hotel keep
interrelationship with other departments like front-office, security, maintenance, marketing
department, personal department, purchase department, food and beverages department etc.
 Housekeeping inter-relationship with Front-office- The housekeeping departments
coordinates with the front-office to ensure efficient rooms for the guests, both
departments should inform each other about the room status like if occupied, vacant, in
maintenance, for better room management and guest satisfaction (Salem, and et. al.,
2021). Also there should be information about the forecasting of occupancy to the
housekeeping so that it can maintain the stock and staff requirements. The guest status is
also important to share between these department if the guest is VIP so a little extra care
should be provided.
 Housekeeping coordination with Personal department- The housekeeping needs the
trained staff to provide best customer experience, the acquisition, recruitment, selection,
should be well coordinated between these both department. It also coordinates with
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personal department for the staff training and motivation, reward, or development of the
staff.
 Inter-relationship between housekeeping and maintenance department- It is most
important for housekeeping to coordinate with the maintenance department for keeping
things in order in the room for instance faulty plugs,lights, malfunctioning air
conditioning, leakages etc. these should be reported to maintenance department to repair
or change things immediately (McCartney and McCartney, 2020).
 Housekeeping inter-relationship with Food and Beverage department- The
housekeeping must coordinate with the restaurant and dining department. These mainly
concerned for linens and proper uniforms of the staff. The manager should ensure the
changes of linens in dining area. The mini fridge within the room should be full of
refreshments or alcohol as per the hotel policies. In travel lodge hotels the housekeeping
also take measurements for pest control in the room and dining area.
P9 Examine the importance of scheduling maintenance or repair work to minimise
disruption to guests
The maintenance department is responsible for the maintenance and repair services in the
hotel and supports the business. The maintenance department performs activities like
identification, planning and scheduling the operations to maintain the standard structure and in
effective manner without disruption to the guests. It is very important for the Travel lodge hotel
to perform and manage these actions without disruption of the guests and ensure smooth
operation (Nurmatov, Lopez and Millan, 2021).
Importance of the scheduling maintenance or repair work: Scheduling of
maintenance in hotel is very crucial in order to maintain the standard of the hotel. This
department ensures the safety of the guests as well as for the staff in the hotel. The department
maintains the integrity of the hotel structure and ensures the customer satisfaction on exterior and
interior. Now a days hotels are operating on green energy or trying to switch to it, the
maintenance department is driving these by taking energy efficient changes and saving the cost
of the hotel. The Travel Lodge hotel ensures the maintenance and repair work should be
completed within the given or setted deadline to ensure maximum occupancy.
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P10 Discuss the importance of security within a selected organisation
In the hotel the security measurements are very crucial to protect the guests, staff,
resources and assets of the hotel. Assets includes equipments, guest belongings, cars, appliances,
hotel building, and grounds of the hotel etc. The security measurements are important to protect
and prevent the damage (Palacios-Marqués, Gallego-Nicholls and Guijarro-García, 2021). In the
context of The Travel Lodge hotel it has taken different measures to protect and secure these. It
has provided training to the staff for events of emergency like excavation, terror attack, fire and
other safety equipments uses. Travel Lodge hotel also created security checkpoints within the
hotel to ensure the safety of the guests. Also the hotel matches the registration details with the
identification documents to reduce the potential threats. The Travel Lodge hotels has hired
professional and trained security staff for the security of the guests and staff. Also it has installed
CCTV cameras in the public areas and hallways to avoid complexities in the hotel premises. The
Travel Lodge hotel is also concerned with the safety of luggage of the customer it provides
luggage trolleys and ensures to reduce any kind of damage or loss.
CONCLUSION
By the above study it has been concluded that the accommodation services are divided on
different basis. A accommodation providing business can choose different size and scale to
operate. There are different forms in ownership to choose and operate like franchise, privately
owned, leased and managed. Some had control and autonomy of decision and some had the
brand tag for growth. The grading and classification helps hotel to show its quality and assurance
of service. The front office in different accommodation services had performed actions according
to the accommodation type. The front office in the company has divided into different assigned
management for better functionality. Housekeeping also plays a crucial role in the organization
for the consumer satisfaction and providing comfort. Forecasting of stock helps the company to
save time and cost. The housekeeping of the company maintained the standard of the hotel. The
inter-relationship between departments helped company to keep the information moving for
better functionality. The company operated the maintenance work without disrupting the guests.
Also the company is also concerned with the safety of the guests and had taken measures to
provide maximum security.
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