Managing Accommodation Services - Assignment

Managing Accommodation
Services

TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................3
P1 Scale and size of accommodation services in hospitality industry.........................................3
P2 Different forms of hotel ownership available.........................................................................4
P3 Role of grading, classification systems and online review sites.............................................4
P4 Organisation of front office functions within the variety of accommodation services..........5
P5 Key roles of front office department of Travelodge...............................................................6
P6 Key roles found in Housekeeping department........................................................................6
P7 Importance of forecasting linen stock and other supplies to meet the demand......................7
P8 Importance of interrelationship between housekeeping and other key departments..............8
P9 Importance of scheduling maintenance..................................................................................8
P10 Importance of security in Travelodge...................................................................................9
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................9
REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................11

INTRODUCTION
Accommodation services may be defined as something which is supplied for convenience
in order to satisfy a need which may include food, lodging or travelling related services. It can
also be defined as commercial establishments which provide meals, lodging and various guest
related service to the customers within the hotel (Killaspy, 2016). Accommodation services are
the facilities as well as quality of accommodation provided by a particular hotel to their
customers. In this report Travelodge Hotel is taken as an organisation, it is a privately owned
company operating in hospitality industry across UK. Present report discusses the size and scale
of accommodation services and different forms of ownership available to accommodation
services. This report also incudes the function of Travelodge's front office and the key roles
within the front office department. It also includes then housing department key roles,
importance of forecasting linen stock and other guest supplies and what is the importance of
scheduling maintenance and importance of security of Travelodge.
P1 Scale and size of accommodation services in hospitality industry
There are various accommodation service offered by a hotel and to manage these
accommodation services is quite a difficult job in order to meet the needs and purposes of
customers. The scale of services which offered by Travelodge includes lodging, travel,
maintenance, security etc in order to ensure that customer gets proper comfort, care, security in
order to satisfy them. Size of accommodations of the hotel depends upon the size as well location
of the hotel, but Travelodge servers over 500 locations in UK and there are more than 11,000
employees working in the hotel, so the size of accommodation is very large. The size of
accommodation also depends on the nature of products and service which are offered by
Travelodge which includes food and beverages, other additional services in order to delight the
customer like concierge service, free WI-Fi etc.
The scope of various accommodation services which are offered within the industry are
as follows:
Hotels: It is commercial establishment which provides the travellers a paid accommodation and
various guest services which depends on the size and locations and different amenities provided
by the hotel (Hannah, 2017). Hotels are normally rated from one star to five star which predicts
the range of services offered by a hotel.

Motels: It usually includes a studio, one or two bedrooms, it may also include the cooking
facilities like tea or coffee. Such type of accommodations are affordable for budget conscious
travellers who prefer to stay at these accommodations.
Apartments: Apartments is good option for a customer when they are staying at major cities or
towns by staying in apartments they can cook food for themselves, do personal laundries and can
enjoy the stay (Pereira-Moliner and et.al ., 2016).
Farm stays: These are unique accommodating options for the customer who wants to enjoy the
farm life and it is quite similar to bread and breakfast with extra options and facilities.
P2 Different forms of hotel ownership available
Hotel ownership can be divided into 4 major categories of hotel ownership and
management which may include:
Franchise Model: Franchise hotels are privately-owned and in this model a fee is paid to
national or regional chain in order to use logo, the name and management protocols. One of the
major advantage of this type of ownership is that traveller will seek Travelodge's name as they
will have the expectation about the quality as well as facilities which a brand will offer.
Leased Hotel: Such type of hotels are privately owned but the physical building of the hotel
belongs to some one else. In this ownership lessee is responsible for all types of finances related
to the hotel. Such type of arrangement are normally made for the long term leases. It may also
include a risk of loss if the hotel performs poorly less money will be received or one may receive
a share of revenue after expenses made.
Managed hotels: Another type of hotel ownership is Managed hotel, if an individual wants to
invest in the hotel property but has got no or limited experience of the industry, he/she can
decide to hire the management company to run operations of the hotel (Peng, Zhao and Mattila,
2015). Owner of the hotel has only manage the financial obligations of day to day operations like
maintenance, salaries etc but has no role in decision makings.
Privately-owned Hotels: In this type of ownership, owner is the king and has got the freedom to
take decisions and manage the hotel and is responsible for its growth or loss.
P3 Role of grading, classification systems and online review sites
Hotel grading system, classification and online reviews plays an important role for
choosing a particular hotel. There is a strong relationship between the rating and performance of
the hotel. If the hotel is performing well and offers a quality services to customers it gets a

proper grading and online reviews from the customers. These gradings, classifications and online
reviews are being considered by the customers before booking a hotel. For example Travelodge
receives a positive reviews form the customer the reviews are taken into consideration by a
customer before booking a hotel. A customer can book hotel through hotel booking apps where it
can get advice or read the previous comments of the customers, this can influence a customer to
choose or reject the hotel. It has been argued by Molina-Azorín and et.al., (2015) guest reviews
into official star rating system is extremely valuable for the customers in choosing a particular
hotel. Inclusion of guests review data within the classification process reflects the post purchase
satisfaction as well as degree of expectations met by the hotel. This is the main reason that 2 star
hotel less reviews than 5 star hotel. Negative reviews or low grades of any hotel can put a wrong
impression on the potential customer which can result in the loss of image and profits. If a
customer is choosing a 5 star hotel, he or she will go through various grading systems, reviews,
comments for the previous customers as he or she is willing to pay more in order to get effective
and best accommodation services within the hotel. So, it can be said that grading, classification
systems and online review site play and important role which suggest or influence a potential
customer to choose a particular hotel.
P4 Organisation of front office functions within the variety of accommodation services
For any hotel company like Travelodge front office department is key functional area of
the hotel. Front office play an important role managing the guest and offering effective services
to the customer in order to satisfy them. Some front office functions within the variety of
accommodation services of Travelodge can be explained as below:
Receptionist: Receptionist is the first person to whom a guest come in contact with at the time
of arrival. Basic function of receptionist are:
 Greeting the customer at the time of arrival.
 Conforming the details of guests for confirmed reservation.
 Completing the reservation formalities
 Assigning the room to customer and call the bell boy to escort the guests to their rooms.
Reservation Assistant: He or She is responsible for processing reservation requests which can
reach to Travelodge from any mode (Ryan, 2015). He or she should possess a great salesmanship
in suggesting high room categories and selling various hotel services to the customers like
restaurant service, spas etc. Reservation section of Travelodge is also responsible for generating

huge revenue for the hotel. So, reservation assistant should be able to anticipate, understand as
well as influence the behaviour in order to maximise the profits for Travelodge.
Front Office manager: He or she is in charge of entire front office department who is also
responsible for allocating available resources like money, men, materials and machines to
various operational are of the hotel in order to achieve the common goal.
Information Assistant: He/She provides the information to the customers related to the products
and services which are offered by Travelodge like food and beverages outlets near to the
customer, places and tourist destinations within the area to travel etc.
P5 Key roles of front office department of Travelodge
Travelodge's front office plays an important role in their business as it is considered as a
face of the hotel business. Front office department is plays an important role in creating a first-
hand impression on the customers related to the level of facilities and services offered by
Travelodge. Front office department is responsible for answering the important quires of the
customers for this communication skills and personal appearance is very important. Front office
department has to manage and make proper coordination with other departments of the hotel in
order to meet needs of the customers in an effective way (Rahimi, 2017). Front office also plays
an important role in managing good and sweet relationship with the customers which help in
retention of the customers for the long term (Front Office Department, 2019). Front office
department also plays an important role in scheduling and shifting of employees within the hotel
and also monitors the sales and help in formulating the policies and setting of prices for various
accommodation services. Front office also plays an important role in tracking customers and
understanding the needs and wants of the customers so that they are satisfied with the services
offered by Travelodge. So, this department also helps in achieving the common goals of the hotel
and play an important for achieving huge profits for Travelodge. Front office handles the
transactions between guests and hotel by receiving the guests, handling their requests as well as
striking their first-hand impression about the hotel within their minds. So, the department also
plays an important role in building a strong brand image on the customers.
P6 Key roles found in Housekeeping department
Travelodge's housekeeping department plays huge role keeping the hotel neat and clean
and is also responsible for providing a clean and comfortable stay to the guests within the hotel.
This department may not be considered as income generating positions within the hotel but it

plays an important role in keeping the Travelodge's hotel business running effectively. It is the
general role of housekeeping department to keep the Travelodge hotel's building neat and clean
(Nieves and Quintana, 2018). They sweep, dust, vacuum and clean the bathrooms. It is the role
of housekeeping department to inspect and maintain the rooms of guests and other areas of the
hotel in order to ensure that quality of service is properly maintained. One of the major role of
housekeeping department is that its has to supply basic amenities to the customers like fresh
towels, soaps, making of beds supplying and changing bedsheets and replacing used toiletries
etc. So, housekeeping department play an important role in maintaining the image of the hotel
and maintaining its status. As Travelodge is renowned for its cleanliness and tidiness in which
housekeeping department play an important role. It is very important for Travelodge to keep the
rooms and surroundings very neat and clean which is done by housekeeping department and they
provide training to staff related to use of chemicals, how to provide effective housekeeping
services to customers like laundry making of bed etc.
P7 Importance of forecasting linen stock and other supplies to meet the demand
Forecasting is considered as imperfect science but is most important necessity for any
business particularly when it comes to supply chain management of the hotels. It is essential for
Travelodge Hotel to make proper use of their capital as improper use of capital may result in the
loss of the hotel (Melián-González and Bulchand-Gidumal, 2016). Proper stock should be
maintained within the hotel as there should neither surplus nor shortage of linen stock and other
guest supplies within the hotel. Keeping the surplus storage of products may result in the damage
to products and even over supply may result in the theft or misuse of hotel linen uniform which
may result in the spoilage of Travelodge's investment. So it is important to maintain the proper
stock of linen and other guest supplies within the hotel. Proper forecasting of linen uniforms and
other guest supplies may help in saving of money and help in maintaining the proper stock
within the hotel. Maintaining the par stock of linen and other supplies results in stability and
prevents from misuse of resources within the hotel. It is important for Hotel Manager to forecast
the total linen required for the uniforms i.e. demand of linen and should supply similar amount
of linen within the organisation. Also, Manager of Travelodge should forecast the demand of
guest supplies and make the supplies accordingly available within the hotel so demand is
accurately met. Due to proper forecasting, manager can improve the efficiency of the hotel and
help in maintaining the budget of Travelodge.

P8 Importance of interrelationship between housekeeping and other key departments
It is important for housekeeping departments and other department to maintain the proper
coordination and relationship in order to proper accommodation services to the guests.
Importance of interrelationship between housekeeping and other departments in Travelodge can
be explained as:
Coordination with front office: Interrelationship with front office can increase the efficiency of
the hotel as both housekeeping and front office inform each other for any changes which are to
be made and also ensure that there is proper flow of information so that proper housekeeping
services are offered to the customers (Radojevic, Stanisic and Stanic, 2015).
HR. department: Housekeeping department coordinates with Travelodge's HR. department if
there is any requirement of new staff member or if any staff member requires training in a
particular field of housekeeping.
Engineering department: Housekeeping department totally depends on maintenance in order to
keep things in order so, it has to maintain the coordination with engineering department to
providing the effective maintenance service which a room attendants registers while servicing
the guest room.
Laundry department: Housekeeping department's interrelationship with laundry department
help in providing proper dry clean services, supplying laundries to housekeeping department in a
minimum possible time. It also helps in providing on time laundry service to the guest with high
quality.
Food and beverage department: This department deals with kitchen as well as staff services
their interrelationship help Travelodge in meeting the demand of customers related to food and
beverages. It also helps in supplying food and beverages to the guests room in one call only
which decreases the waiting period of the guest.
P9 Importance of scheduling maintenance
Scheduling maintenance is really important for providing the quality services to the
customers without any disruptions and it is effective for providing the effective accommodation
service to customers. Scheduling maintenance in Travelodge is often responsible for managing
services and processes of the hotel which support the core business of the hotel (Xu and Li,
2016). Scheduling maintenance help in protecting the integrity and image of the hotel and also
provides an opportunity for the hotel manager to minimise the errors. It is important for

Travelodge to register every corrective maintenance which help in minimising the risk of
failures. Recording of these intervention will help the hotel in improving their operational
procedures in order to identify excessive or improper use of stock or equipments in order to
avoid this in the future. Scheduling maintenance help the Travelodge in organising the corrective
maintenance strategy to provide proper and effective accommodation service to the customers
without any disruptions. Scheduling maintenance is very important for the hotel as it plays an
important role in maintaining the brand image of hotel as it helps in providing an effective
hospitality services to the customers (Kimes, 2017). Also, it scheduling maintenance help
Travelodge in providing uninterrupted services to the guests which can result in the high level of
satisfaction among the customers and thus plays an important role in the retention of the
customer. Sometimes scheduling maintenance can also help the hotel from preventing a bigger
loss if maintenance department successfully identifies the issue well on time which can help
Travelodge to provide non-disruptive services ro their customers.
P10 Importance of security in Travelodge
Emergency management plays an important role in the hospitality industry, by providing
high level of security to customers acts as good marketing for Travelodge as it helps in
preventing accidents and other losses. Every customer comes to hotel within an understanding
that his or her life and belongings are safe and it is the duty of Travelodge to provide such type
of facility to the customer (Tussyadiah, 2016). It is not always about the security of customers to
be maintained but security also includes that hotel's staff and assets are protected as well. So,
with effective security planning it is possible to increase the level of security of the hotel. In
current scenario it has become important for Travelodge to provide proper security to guest as
well as for their staff and has to reviews their security plans regularly. Security of hotel is
important because customer only chooses those hotels which provide high level of security or is
equipped with high security appliances (Chang and Ma, 2015). It is the right of a customer that it
gets proper security from hotel and it is duty of a hotel to provide security to customer as well as
to staff and this is really important for smooth functioning of Travelodge Hotel in present
competitive world.
CONCLUSION
It can be concluded from the report that providing accommodation services to guests is
not an easy task for hotel but it really important to provide efficient service to the customers in

order to satisfy them. Present report concludes that accommodation services has got huge size
and scope and also there are different forms of ownerships available to accommodation services.
Grading, online reviews and classification system of hotel plays and important role in
influencing the customer is choosing a particular hotel also, front office department of hotel
plays a key role in providing accommodation services to their customers. It can also be
concluded from the above report that housekeeping department also plays a key role within the
hotel and it is important for it to maintain the interrelationship with other departments in order to
maintain the smooth functioning of the business. Present report also concludes that it is
important for any hotel to have scheduling maintenance in order to minimise disruptions in guest
service and it is also important for hotel to provide security to guests as well as to their staff.

REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Chang, H. P. and Ma, C. C., 2015. Managing the service brand value of the hotel industry in an
emerging market. International Journal of Hospitality Management. 47. pp.1-13.
Killaspy, H and et.al., 2016. Quality of life, autonomy, satisfaction, and costs associated with
mental health supported accommodation services in England: a national survey. The
Lancet Psychiatry. 3(12). pp.1129-1137.
Kimes, S. E., 2017. The future of hotel revenue management.
Melián-González, S. and Bulchand-Gidumal, J., 2016. A model that connects information
technology and hotel performance. Tourism Management. 53. pp.30-37.
Molina-Azorín, J. F and et.al., 2015. The effects of quality and environmental management on
competitive advantage: A mixed methods study in the hotel industry. Tourism
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Nieves, J. and Quintana, A., 2018. Human resource practices and innovation in the hotel
industry: The mediating role of human capital. Tourism and Hospitality Research.
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Peng, J., Zhao, X. and Mattila, A. S., 2015. Improving service management in budget
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Pereira-Moliner, J and et.al ., 2016. Organizational design, quality management and competitive
advantage in hotels. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management.
28(4). pp.762-784.
Radojevic, T., Stanisic, N. and Stanic, N., 2015. Ensuring positive feedback: Factors that
influence customer satisfaction in the contemporary hospitality industry. Tourism
Management. 51 pp.13-21.
Rahimi, R., 2017. Customer relationship management (people, process and technology) and
organisational culture in hotels: Which traits matter?. International Journal of
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Ryan, C., 2015. Trends in hospitality management research: a personal reflection. International
Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management. 27(3). pp.340-361.
Tussyadiah, I. P., 2016. Factors of satisfaction and intention to use peer-to-peer
accommodation. International Journal of Hospitality Management. 55. pp.70-80.
Xu, X. and Li, Y., 2016. The antecedents of customer satisfaction and dissatisfaction toward
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Online
Front Office Department. 2019 [Online]. Available through :
<https://www.kullabs.com/classes/subjects/units/lessons/notes/note-detail/6873>.
Hannah, W., 2017. Types of Hotel Ownership. [Online]. Available through :
<https://bizfluent.com/about-5598328-types-hotel-ownership.html>.