Managing Accommodation Services in The Scotsman Hotel

This report explores the roles and importance of the front office and housekeeping departments in The Scotsman Hotel. It discusses the functions of the front office, the role of the front office in The Scotsman Hotel, and the importance of forecasting linen stock. It also examines the relationship between housekeeping and other departments, the importance of scheduling maintenance and repair work, and the significance of security in The Scotsman Hotel.

MANAGING
ACCOMMODATION
SERVICES

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................3
MAIN BODY...................................................................................................................................3
Front office and its functions.......................................................................................................3
Role of front office in The Scotsman Hotel.................................................................................4
Role of housekeeping department in The Scotsman Hotel..........................................................5
Importance of forecasting linen stock..........................................................................................5
Relationship between housekeeping and other departments.......................................................6
Importance of scheduling maintenance and repair work.............................................................7
Importance of security in The Scotsman Hotel............................................................................8
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................8
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................1

INTRODUCTION
Accommodation can be defined as any room or place which is used to serve individual or
guest where they can stay or live some pleasant time. It exists in variety of modes with different
scale. Hospitality being an important sector of UK's economy plays an important role in meeting
guests need and demand. It comprises varieties of hotel and their different departments.
The Scotsman Hotel is one of the luxurious hotel of UK which is famous for providing
and creating an immense and luxurious experience for its guest. It provides a combination of
services in the form of proving services from ancient time with a modern touch to serve best
experience to its guest. This report will study about the concept of front office department,
housekeeping departments along with its roles, functions and importance in hotels. This report
also highlight the concept of importance of maintenance and repair along with forecasting of
linen and relationship between different departments.
MAIN BODY
Front office and its functions
Front office:
It is one of the important department of every hotel. It is the representative of hotel. It is
that department which directly deals with customer either at the time of arrival or the time
departure. This department deals with all those translations which take place between hotel and
guest. Being a face of hotel it is also responsible for building image of hotel. It takes and answer
or solves every query of customer (Sayin and Karaman, 2019). It basically includes, desk, data
entry operator, customer relation executive, cashier and telephone or website operator.
Functions:
It plays different functions in different modes which means it exists in different form is
different type of accommodation. In Bed and Breakfast mode of accommodation the role of front
office is very small and informal in comparison to big hotels including The Scotsman Hotel
where front office plays a vital role right from booking till managing hotel's image. Bed and
Breakfast are the small form of accommodation, in-fact they are some private homes which
provide this facility. While on the other hand in case of big hotels they play various functions
including selling of hotel's room, reservation and allocation of rooms to guest, maintaining guest
information along with maintenance of records and many more (Shin, Perdue and Kang, 2019).

However, in case of guest house the role of front office is somewhat wider than B&B. In case of
guest house, front office plays its role in the form of greeting and welcoming guests, answering
phones and guest's queries along with ensuring that guest will have a comfortable stay.
Challenges:
One of the biggest challenge that front office usually face is handling overbooking. It
usually occurs at the time of season. Apart from overbooking one more challenge regarding this
department is to handle and resolve customer's issue. In such situation it is the duty of front
office to deal with customer in a pleasant without affecting hotel's image.
Role of front office in The Scotsman Hotel
Front office plays an important role in Scotsman hotel. In-fact they work as a symbolic
representation of the hotel. Right from booking rooms or making reservation for guest till
handling and dealing customer's issues or complaints all are done by front office of Scotsman
hotel. Front office of Scotsman hotel is divided into different parts and every part has significant
and important role towards the hotel. Out of those parts some important part includes:
Front office manager:
The main role that the front office manager of Scotsman Hotel plays is to supervise the
entire functioning of the desk and reservation. It also plays a role of providing of training to
junior or other front office employee. Apart from that preparing reports, complying rules and
regulations is also included in his role.
Representative:
The representative of Scotsman Hotel is usually performed his role in the form of making
reservation for guest, providing information to guest regarding hotel services and offers. Handles
websites or calls, assignment of rooms, maintaining details about guest along with registering
and resolving guest complaints are all such functions which is being performed by front office of
Scotsman hotel.
Cashier:
Cashier of hotel The Scotsman is solely responsible for handling all cash and monetary
translations. He maintains every detail regarding customer's service and its value. It is also the
duty of cashier to prepare bill of all those services which are being taken by guest.

Role of housekeeping department in The Scotsman Hotel
Housekeeping department:
It is one of the important department of every hotel which solely deals with maintaining
and availing clean and best hygiene rooms to guests. It is one of the operational department of
hotel which is responsible for maintenance, cleanliness not only of the rooms but the entire hotel.
Role in Scotsman Hotel:
Housekeeping plays a crucial and significant role in Scotsman hotel. Right from
maintaining the hotel till ensuring cleanlinesses in every part of hotel is all included under its
role. It is all due to the role and efforts of housekeeping department that Scotsman Hotel looks
attractive and welcoming to guests in addition to maintain its freshness and pleasantness. They
add value to guest's comfort along with putting a first and positive impression towards them
(Bhatnagar and Dheeraj, 2019). They act as a backbone of hotel which in addition to maintaining
infrastructure, also helps in raising guest's experience and comfortableness. It also plays a
significant role in building and raising hotel's image.
They also play a role with regard to making the availability of clean and fresh linen to
rooms, restaurants. Availing and safekeeping lost item is also a small but important role-played
by them. Executive housekeeper is also an essential element of housekeeping department whose
duties include supervising the entire department and its associated employees, complying rules
and regulations of the hotel, managing budget which is being allocated to it and various other
(Ihsan and Alshibani, 2018).
Thus, executive housekeeper along with entire housekeeping department of Scotsman
Hotel plays a significant role in keeping the property clean, fresh, attractive, along with
maintaining it adequately so that it will always remain customer's welcoming.
Importance of forecasting linen stock
Like other role it is also a major role of housekeeping department to make forecasting
regarding inventory for the hotel. An inventory would broadly include goods that are in stock,
hotel's necessary component and various other item that are very necessary to be kept with hotel.
Linen is one of the most important, most usable and recyclable element in the hotel (Linen Room,
2017). It is very essential to establish a set of policies and rules regarding linen in order to ensure
its availability or presence in the hotel.

It is also to be noted that it is also the duty of housekeeping department to ensure its
availability throughout the hotel. It deals in various form with linen including bedding, bathing
towels, table clothes and various others. It is on of the highly demanded item of guest which
means that every guest wants that this has to be clean or always available in the hotel (Kadry,
Bagdasaryan and Kadhum, 2017). Thus, it is very essential to establish controlling and
measuring methods regarding linen. It is always to be ensured that there will be no shortage of
linen within the hotel.
Being a small element but it plays an important role in the form of maintaining and
raising customer's satisfaction along with raising sales and revenue for the hotel due to high
customer's share and attraction. Any shortage of linen in the hotel will have a direct and adverse
impact over the hotel as well its revenues, hence it is necessary to have a proper stock of it.
Relationship between housekeeping and other departments
Since, no department of hotel will work alone. This means that every department is
dependent on each other. Likewise, housekeeping is said to be a central and important
department which share its relationship with various other departments including security, front
office, sales and various other. Out of them some are:
Relationship with front office:
Since, housekeeping is concerned with maintaining of rooms in good condition which is
again related with front office because as front office is directly deals with customers and it
shares the demand of customers with housekeeping. It would be right to said that both
departments share direct and dependent relation with each other. As when guest make enquiry
regarding availability of rooms or making the rooms as per specific themes then this information
is being shared with housekeeping department. As per received information housekeeping
department will make arrangement as per guest request or share and convey information
regarding current availability of rooms. Hence, both department share relationship and co-
ordination with each other.
Relationship with purchase department:
Housekeeping department also share a direct relation with purchase department. As, it
makes avails purchase department regarding the necessity of various items which is being

required in the operation of the hotel (Wood, 2017). It also helps and share information regarding
the current status of the available items and the required demand of items.
Relationship with human resource:
It also shares its relationship with human resource department in the form of sharing
information regarding the requirement of personnel or employees in the management of the
company. It shares about the performance of current employees with the human resource. It also
gives suggestion in the form of what efficient moves can be taken in order to make the
environment more pleasant and good or what are the customer's requirements and how company
can meet those requirements.
Importance of scheduling maintenance and repair work
Maintenance engineer:
They are those individuals who are responsible to check, maintain and repair hotel's
equipments or infrastructure. They make the hotel's equipment in well maintained and managed
condition. They perform their work on a routine and systematic basis in order to raise the life of
assets. Maintenance engineer diagnose fault, taking corrective actions along with working within
the assigned budget.
Hotel maintenance:
It refers to that work which is being undertaken in order to keep, restore and raise the
value of asset or part of the hotel. It may be concerned with anything related to hotel including,
plumbing, electrical equipments, or any other (Mutlu Öztürk and Öztürk, 2019).
It can be performed in varied form including scheduling, routine and various other. When
it will be done on regular basis like daily or weekly then it will be considered as regular
maintenance. On the other hand scheduled maintenance is performed as per the formal order or
formal documents. It is usually being issued as per communication between housekeeping and
engineer.
Importance:
It is very important for every hotel including The Scotsman Hotel to schedule its
maintenance work which will helps it in safeguarding it from big loss. It also helps it in raising
its property and asset values (Chahal, 2019). Maintenance work will also act as saving cost tool
which means that if all equipments of hotel or elements of hotel are well maintained then it will

help in smooth running at the time of seasons and rush. Its main role is to maintaining and
keeping the equipment in well position so that smooth operation of the hotel will take place.
Repair work and its importance:
It refers to reconstructing or reorganizing and re-correcting the wrong and damaged
work. It is also an important part which also leads to raising the life of assets along with keeping
in good and working condition (Chauhan, Shukla and Negi, 2018). It also deals with correction
of damaged item by which hotels can save big cost at an initial level.
Importance of security in The Scotsman Hotel
Security is one of the important aspect concerned with hospitality industry. It is a very
crucial term for Scotsman hotel to provide a safe and secure environment to its guest. Any
guest's first priority and importance is to get secured and safe environment in the hotel. Security
can be understood in any terms which may includes security in the form of personal information
which means that it is the duty of the hotel not to share personal details of their guest with
anyone (Panai, 2018). Likewise, guest also expect security in the form safekeeping their luggage
and life.
Since luggage of every guest is very important for him which he is not supposed to get defaulted
at any cost. Thus, Scotsman hotel also plays an important role in meeting this demand of the
customers in the form of providing security with regard to their luggage or personal security in
terms of not sharing personal details.
For ensuring security and maintaining secured environment Scotsman hotel take various
steps in the form of appointing security guards, installation of security devices, installing security
in hotel's software so that private data will never be misused by anyone (Ambardar and Raheja,
2017). Setting up of strong rules and regulation regarding security along with associating heavy
fines and penality and punishments regarding maintaining security are some strong measures
taken by Scotsman Hotel so that its policy regarding security will be maintained and never be
violated.

CONCLUSION
From the above report it is concluded that every department of the hotel plays an
important and crucial role while serving its guest as well as meeting hotel's objective. It is being
understood that as front-office is the face of the hotel with has direct interaction with guest in the
same way housekeeping department of hotel also plays an important role in maintaining and
keeping the hotel presentable and attractive. Likewise, security department has its own
importance in the form of providing securing environment to the guest along with taking care of
personal security regarding guest and maintaining hotel's image.

REFERENCES
Books and journals
Ambardar, A. and Raheja, K., 2017. Occupational Safety and Health of Hotel Housekeeping
Employees: A Comparative Study. International Journal of Hospitality & Tourism
Systems.10(2).
Bhatnagar, E. and Dheeraj, N., 2019. Impact of Housekeeping Services and Practices on
Customer Satisfaction and Repeat Business. Prabandhan: Indian Journal of
Management.12(8). pp.46-57.
Chahal, H.S., 2019. The Behavioural Factors of Co-workers’ Perception: An Empirical Study of
Hospitality Sector.
Chauhan, A., Shukla, A. and Negi, P., 2018. Safety and security measures adopted by the hotels
and their impact on customer relationship management. International Journal of
Research-Granthaalayah.6(1). pp.118-125.
Ihsan, B. and Alshibani, A., 2018. Factors affecting operation and maintenance cost of
hotels. Property Management.
Kadry, S., Bagdasaryan, A. and Kadhum, M., 2017, April. Simulation and analysis of staff
scheduling in hospitality management. In 2017 7th International Conference on
Modeling, Simulation, and Applied Optimization (ICMSAO) (pp. 1-6). IEEE.
Mutlu Öztürk, H. and Öztürk, H.K., 2019. Maintenance and maintenance management systems
in accommodation. Journal of Achievements in Materials and Manufacturing
Engineering.96(2).
Panai, E., 2018. A Cyber security framework for independent hotels. Proceedings 4th EATSA-
FRANCE 2018, Challenges of tourism development, pp.145-152.
Sayin, O.G.K. and Karaman, A., 2019. Communication and Productivity with Guests at Front
Office; A Qualitative Study on Hotels. Journal of International Management and Social
Researches.6(11). pp.186-196.
Shin, H., Perdue, R.R. and Kang, J., 2019. Front desk technology innovation in hotels: A
managerial perspective. Tourism Management.74. pp.310-318.
Wood, R.C., 2017. 6 Housekeeping and. Hotel Accommodation Management, p.70.
Online references
Linen Room, 2017. [Online]. Available through <http://kubershah.blogspot.com/2017/05/linen-
room.html>
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