Detailed Report: Managing Accommodation Services and Hospitality

This report provides a comprehensive overview of accommodation services within the hospitality industry. It begins with an introduction to the industry and the significant contribution of accommodation services. The report then evaluates different types of accommodation, distinguishing between commercial and non-commercial businesses, and explores various forms of ownership. It discusses grading and classification systems, assessing their role in booking accommodation and analyzing the impact of online review sites. The report also explains the functions of the Front Office across different accommodation types and analyzes its key roles in meeting business objectives. Part B of the report examines key roles within the housekeeping department, the interrelationships between housekeeping and other departments, and the importance of forecasting linen stock and other guest supplies. Finally, the report evaluates the significance of maintenance, security, and communication within the context of accommodation services.

Managing
Accommodation

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................1
PART A...........................................................................................................................................1
Introduction to hospitality industry and contribution of accommodation sector in the industry 1
Evaluation of different types of accommodation services and distinguish between commercial
and non-commercial businesses.............................................................................................2
Different forms of ownership applicable to accommodation services...................................3
Discuss grading and classification systems together with evaluation of the role in booking of
accommodation service..........................................................................................................4
Assess the role played by online review sites........................................................................4
Explain the function of Front Office with reference to three different types of accommodation
provider...................................................................................................................................5
Analyse the key roles of the Front Office in meeting organization's business objectives.....6
Conclusion..............................................................................................................................7
PART B............................................................................................................................................7
Examination of at least 4 different key roles within housekeeping department in selected
organization followed by interrelationships between housekeeping and other departments. 7
Evaluate the role of forecasting linen stock and other guest supplies in order to maintain
business efficiency..................................................................................................................8
Explain and evaluate the importance of maintenance and security........................................9
Conclusion by critically evaluating importance of communication.......................................9
CONCLUSION..............................................................................................................................10
REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................11

INTRODUCTION
Hospitality industry is divided into two categories viz. Accommodation services to
provide play to stay who are are travelling from one place to another and restaurants for offering
foods to eat (Brotherton, ed., 2012). This report talks about accommodation services provided by
variety of hotels which should be managed for higher customer satisfaction. Guests consider
different factors for selecting the best accommodation services as they want to have absolute
pleasure and comfort. This report explains introduction to hospitality industry and contribution
of accommodation services to it, its different types along with variety of different forms of
ownership. Along with this, grading and classification systems together with evaluation of its
role in attracting customers, role of online review, function of Front Office in the context of
types of accommodation provider and role of Front Office in meeting objectives of business have
been discussed. Furthermore, key roles of housekeeping department, role of forecasting linen
stock and other supplies, explanation and evaluation of significance of maintenance and security
and critical evaluation of importance of communication between housekeeping and facilities
department.
PART A
Introduction to hospitality industry and contribution of accommodation sector in the industry
Hospitality industry comprises of number of organizations providing the services of
accommodations, food and beverage and travel and tourism to the customers. This industry
provides services and there is no exchanging of any products. UK hospitality industry is growing
at a fast paced and contributing to the economy at a huge extent. The business of the
organizations in this sector grows with the time of vacation and large number of tourists have
visited various cities in UK. The number of companies in this sector is above 700 and provides
employment to 3.2 million people, that is 10% of the whole UK economy. Furthermore,
businesses and GDP are represented at 6% and 5% respectively. The growth rate in previous five
years was 6% which has been steady and nothing affected it (Overview of UK Hospitality
Industry, 2019).
The contribution of accommodation in this industry is huge which as the number of
hotels has increased in last few years. It is estimated that almost 9700 hotels have been added in
the list. Also, the data disclosed by the survey provides that 91% people have done booking for
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multiple times which has contributed to more profit and revenue. The revenue generated by
hotels through accommodation services in UK is 17.4billion British pounds as per the report
disclosed in the year 2015. It is an attractive part of UK hospitality industry where people can
make huge investment as the business opportunities are huge. It is growing very rapidly by
including innovation, different system of classification and grading, considering leisure facilities
and many other things. All these made a part for improving the services in order to provide high
satisfaction to customer. This is the way through which hospitality industry can generate more
revenue.
Evaluation of different types of accommodation services and distinguish between commercial
and non-commercial businesses
Accommodation services can be of multiple types by comprising of different features.
These have been discussed below:
 Hotels- The size of this type of accommodation is large as compared to any other
accommodation form. These are usually located in highly populated areas and offer
accommodation services to a great number of individuals (Ekiz, Khoo-Lattimore and
Memarzadeh, 2012). A hotel room includes basic to added amenities to make the stay
pleasurable and comfortable. It can range from one star to five star levels depending on
the quality of facilities provided to the customers.
 Guest houses- These are cheap and the established by local furnishing. The touch given
to it is very homely. However, none of the facility is exclusive to single room and these
may be available in shared form.
 Apartments- The motive behind constructing apartments is to let the guests stay for a
longer time by having own space and cooking area. These are generally fully or semi
equipped and furnished with many facilities to fulfil the needs of every kind. Airbnb is a
great example for the same (Portolan, 2013).
 Resorts- This accommodation service comes with facilities that are suitable for families.
The main target of resorts is to give services to large number of customers. These are
usually located in central places which have easy accessibility to local towns or these
may even be situated in rural areas which are isolated.
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 Holiday homes- It is a different kind of accommodation service which can be booked by
paying rent for privately-owned holiday home. These can differ from simple cottages to
modern or luxurious lodges in various locations. Motels- The rooms in this accommodation type is of studio size which can be one or two
bedroom set. The prices charged for the facilities are very economical which can fit into a
low budget. The amenities are very limited as compared to hotels and the quality is also
below the expectations of the customers.
Difference between commercial and non-commercial business
Commercial business refers to the one which has motive of making profits and pays taxes
on them by selling goods or services to customers or other businesses. On the other hand, non-
commercial business are focused into making reserves instead of profit and the taxes paid by it is
employment taxes only.
Different forms of ownership applicable to accommodation services
Ownership is the right to have possession on goods or property and it should be lawful. It
is required to have exclusive rights and control over the property whose title has been transferred
to the owner. There are more than one type for creating ownership. The same are as follows:
 Partnership- It is an association created by two or more than two members for the
purpose of carrying business with a motive of making profit (Corwin and Ciampi, 2019).
A partnership deed is formed by partners by including terms and conditions which will
govern the business. Every person involved in the firm is expected to act according to the
deed. The advantages are easy formation with low costs, easy dissolution etc. For
example, two friends can come together to form a motel as it is easy to establish and
manage.
 Corporation- It is an artificial judicial person established by members having separate
legal identity, common seal and perpetual succession. It can be limited by shares or
limited by guarantee and in some case unlimited company can also be seen. It holds
individual rights to own properties, open bank account, sue or be sued etc. Some of the
pros are limited liability of members, perpetual succession and so on. For example, hotels
like J.W. Marriot, IBIS, Hilton etc. have been incorporated in the form of company only.
 Sole proprietorship- The business is owned and handled by a single person who is
responsible for making all the decisions that are going to be implemented in the
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organization. It is simple to administer as the level of complexities are low. Reduced
formalities, easy dissolution. For instance, a hotel can be started off as sole proprietorship
(Segal and Choi, 2016).
Discuss grading and classification systems together with evaluation of the role in booking of
accommodation service
Grading and classification are important for fixing the standards of the services offered
by hotels. Both of these are useful in making the customer aware about the quality that is being
provided in different facilities and services. These are represented by ratings given by the
association responsible for judging and authenticating the services. It helps in defining a class of
the hotels on the basis their standards and quality. It is directly linked with keeping the loyalty of
guests availing the services of accommodation. The stars granted to hotels is what considered as
grading and classification (Tefera and Govender, 2015).
These play a huge role in influencing the perception of customers when it comes to
booking the accommodation services. People look for the stars of the hotels in order to decide
the quality of the services provided by the hotels so that bookings can be done accordingly. For
example, one star represent that accommodation and other services are provided in limited
amount and there is lack of hygiene. Similarly, three stars have swimming pool, gym, sauna, and
many other amenities which means it can fulfil more expectations of the customers.
Therefore, guests consider prices of the services and compare it with the ratings allotted
so as to make the final decision. It can provide benefits to tourists in finding the hotel that can be
equal or above the standard they are expecting. It is the perception of clients that hotels having
higher ratings are the best and equipped with increased number of facilities which can be
expensive. But tend to provide higher satisfaction. Even if a person has low budget, then also
grading and classification is important.
Assess the role played by online review sites
Review is the opinions of the customers about the services availed by them. Earlier, these
were given in register maintained by the receptionist of the hotel but now the business has shifted
to online. There are various online review sites where customers can leave their comments about
the quality, experience, services, etc. which can be visible to other people.
The main role played by reviews on such sites is marketing the services of the hotels
which can influence the decisions of the customers. People consider the opinions of others for
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making reservations of the rooms and other services. Earlier, the hotels recommended by friends
and family members were taken into account for choosing the hotels (Melián-González,
Bulchand-Gidumal and González López-Valcárcel, 2013). But now tourists rely on the reviews
left by the users of the services. For this purpose, different sites such as TripAdvisor ave been
created for guiding the tourists in selecting the accommodation services. People also give ratings
on the basis of their experience. Many surveys have been conducted which shown the results that
approx 90% customers read online reviews before making any bookings in a hotel. It makes the
search easy as customers are not required to make any calls to the reception for inquiring about
the facilities along with their prices. All these information can be obtained from the such sites.
Furthermore, it can change the adverse decision into positive one by impacting the opinions of
customers.
It also helps in creating a brand name of the organization providing services. The good
reviews are always appreciated by potential tourists therefore, hotels and similar entities provide
services which can bring higher satisfaction to customers. Sites like TripAdvisor also exercise
monitoring if any negative or bad comments are given by the customers. They contact directly to
the concerned organization for correcting it and help it improving the services.
Explain the function of Front Office with reference to three different types of accommodation
provider
Accommodation providers can be of different types offering different services according
to their quality for which prices are charged from the tourists. With regard to three different
kinds of accommodation provider, the function of Front Office has been provided below:
Hotels- These are the establishments which provides variety of services and facilities. Its
management is huge comprising different departments carrying their own roles and
responsibilities. Front Office is there in every hotel which is treated as the most significant part
of the whole entity (Andrews, 2013). The role played by front office is to entertain the guests on
their arrival, make them complete the formalities, allotting rooms along with key, leading them
to their rooms etc. It is important in making an impression on the minds of the customers as
Front office is what a guest come across for the first time after visiting the hotel.
Guest house- This accommodation provider has a small front office which has huge
activities. Front office in a guest-house has to make entries in the register such as date of arrival,
time, room number, date of departure etc. However, it has to play some other roles as well which
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may not pertain to the front office only. As it does not make huge investment in making the front
office look good or the staff to be well behaved.
Apartments- There is no physical front office for welcoming the guests. The activities
are carried online for taking care of the bookings and rents paid by the customers. It is called
Virtual Reception Desk that look after all the requirements. Since, it is a privately-owned
property, there is no direct contact with any of the staff of front office. All the requests or
inquires have to be made online. This helps it taking actions in an prompt manner.
Analyse the key roles of the Front Office in meeting organization's business objectives
In this question, Hilton has been chosen which is a successful hotel having number of
objectives to meet. All departments are important for it but Front office holds various significant
roles in meeting the objectives which have been explained below: Creating guest database- This role is associated with entering details of customers who
have paid for the services. It is important for the purpose of safety and security of the
guests staying in Hilton (Klein and Gilbert, AT&T Intellectual Property I LP, 2018). The
information so collected helps it in sending packages and other offers to its clients.
Furthermore, it is also useful in persuading them to make bookings on repetitive mode. Handling guest accounts- The payment for bookings is deposited at the front desk after
then only rooms are allotted and other facilities are provided. These are all looked and
managed by Front office. Furthermore, the role of charging additional payment for extra
services or any damages is also undertaken with this unit. Along with this, the bills of
breakfast, lunch or dinner. Co-ordinating guest service- Guests are the most important asset for Hilton as they pay
for availing the services. There may be additional facilities or services requested by
guests for making their stay even more pleasure hence, the Front Office should forward
the information to respective departments in order to provide them without any delay. Trying to sell service- This department of Hilton send mails, make calls to existing as
well as the people whose number has been referred in the form to encourage them to buy
the services. In provides the details such as quotation, services included in the bundle,
any discount, benefits etc. for selling the services (Cvelbar, Grün and Dolnicar, 2017). Ensuring guest satisfaction- Front office of Hilton takes feedback of the customers to
know about their honest opinions and any complaints in order to help the management
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improve the services. This is usually taken at the time of departure. Also, suggestions are
asked from them which can be included in existing business practice.
 Handling in-house communication- Front office is the focal point which is connected
with all other departments. It received the information from every unit which is then
communicated to the concerned department. Hence, any announcement is made by Front
Office to all the departments and help in managing the exchange of data.
Conclusion
The above matter has been analysed which provides a conclusion that accommodation
services are the one by which most of the revenue is generated. Hotels, lodges, motels etc. are
the form which provides such facilities to the tourists travelling from one place to another and
need a place to take rest which is also comfortable. People often look for such places which are
hygienic and have the amenities as per the expectations of the customers. Hotels are given
ratings on the basis of all the services among which accommodation being the prime to judge and
allot the stars. If the entities make good quality of these services then there are high chances that
clients are positively motivated to book services on repetitive basis leading to increased profit.
This helps it getting positive reviews on the register which is available in physical form as well
as online on the popular sites such as Tripadvisor. By considering these, improvements can be
made for increasing guest satisfaction. Front Office has a vital role to play and is actually the
main point which helps in communicating the information from one department to another. It
take care of the requirements of the guests staying in the hotel, motel, guest-house etc. and try to
fulfil them without making any delay. Furthermore, they listen to the queries of guests and solve
them with appropriate solution which can make them satisfied. In this way, guest satisfaction,
profitability and positive reviews can be achieve which are going to provide benfits for a long
term.
PART B
Examination of at least 4 different key roles within housekeeping department in selected
organization followed by interrelationships between housekeeping and other departments
Housekeeping department in a hotel has the responsibility of maintaining the premises by
keeping it clean, hygiene and comfortable for the guests. Its contribution is huge as it helps
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leaving positive impression about the property in the minds of guests. Therefore, some of its key
roles have been discussed below:
 To take of care of the guests by maintaining their comfort as well as increase the
efficiency within the department. People look for accommodation services that are
willing to provide desired comfort (Andrews, 2013).
 To create an attractive and welcoming environment by showing courtesy, and make the
staff of other departments provide reliable services. The behaviour and manners shown
by the staff helps in better co-operation with the guests.
 To maintain the highest standard of cleanliness and general upkeep in all areas for which
the department is responsible. Hygiene is the factor which should be made the preference
among all other activities. It is a major element by taking into account, guests leave
positive reviews.
 To oversee the availability of stocks like linen in bedrooms, restaurants, banquet halls,
conference hall, health club etc. Maintaining of required stock should not be avoided or
delayed as this can result in variety of disadvantages.
 To decorate the floor with flowers and maintain the landscaped areas of the hotel. Every
individual like floral decorations and its bring positivity inside the premises. Hence, fresh
flowers should be used by changing them accordingly.
 To co-ordination with purchase department for the procurement of great supplies,
cleaning agents, equipments, fabrics, carpets and other items used in the hotel.
 To take the responsibility of washing the clothes of the guests as well as fabrics, linens
etc. used in the hotels. It involved laundry.
Evaluate the role of forecasting linen stock and other guest supplies in order to maintain business
efficiency
Forecasting is an activity which is associated with estimation of the availability of stock
available in the hotel premises. Linen stock and other supplies such as towels, soaps, doormats
etc. are the basic necessities which are significant for a pleasant stay of guests. These should be
present in adequate quantity along with some additional stock to avoid any deficiency of the
same. Forecasting starts with calculating the existing stock in different categories such as linen,
towels and so on. Then, the purchase department is contacted to buy the required items which are
necessary for making the guests comfortable. There may arise events when large number of
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guests may visit and book their rooms in bulk, and if the hotel does not have sufficient stock then
it may leave a negative impact on them (Karthik, 2015).
The role of forecasting is also vital for saving costs that the hotel may have to pay for not
making the right provisions. If there is stock available in expected quantity then it may reduce
the chances of inconvenience to guests staying in the hotel. This helps in creating a positive
brand name and goodwill leading to positive reviews of those availing the services. In nutshell, it
can be said that forecasting helps in maintaining all the orders for increasing the efficiency as the
staff can focus on something important rather than just making purchases of the stock.
Explain and evaluate the importance of maintenance and security
Maintenance and security are two individual departments which have their own
responsibilities of ensuring the safety of the guests staying in the hotel. The premises may have
some technical problems which are entirely resolved by maintenance department. Furthermore,
security department monitors the activities of visitors for identifying something dangerous so as
to prevent it. The combined efforts of these units can save a lot of costs which can be utilised in
some other areas which have the potential of making profits (Hyndman and Athanasopoulos,
2018).
Maintenance department take frequent checks on current condition of the building where
the tourists are staying so as to improve it. This helps in making them more comfortable and
influence them to stay for a longer time. On the other hand, people prefer hotels and other
accommodation service providers who are safe and provide adequate security to the guests and
their belongings. People usually carry valuable things with them for which they want sufficient
safety and security. Hence, it is one of the key factors which help making the clients book the
services and continue to do that on repetitive mode.
In addition to this, extra costs can be saved by managing these activities on timely
manner. These two are the prime components in helping the guests have higher satisfaction. The
reason behind this is that guests consider the factor of security and how well the premises is
maintained for making ease for the people to stay. Hence, every hotel and other accommodation
service provider should not avoid the activities of these units.
Conclusion by critically evaluating importance of communication
Communication is the exchange of information or any other data from one place to
another which can be used in making decisions. There are different units working in an
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organization by forming co-ordination with each other. Housekeeping and facilities departments
should be connected with each other by exchanging information with each other which can be
help in working together for meeting the overall objectives i.e. guest satisfaction. Furthermore,
with proper communication, the chances of miscommunication can be reduced which leads to
increased quality of the services. Also, this assist the management to collect the information at
one place for making decisions for ensuring higher satisfaction to customer. The disputes and
conflicts also get limited with proper exchanging of information from one department to another.
CONCLUSION
From the above report, it has been concluded that accommodation services are the
revenue generating activities which are provided by different entities such as hotels, guest-house,
apartments and many more. The main motive is to provide an experience to the guests which
they can never forget in the lifetime. It is directly associated with the quality maintained in
everything and the satisfaction level that is provided through these services. Furthermore, there
are various departments which should form a communication channel through which information
can be exchanged and actions can be completed without any delay. Apart from this, there should
be co-ordination among all the units in order to increase the efficiency and achieve the overall
goals.
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REFERENCES
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Portolan, A., 2013. Impact of the attributes of private tourist accommodation facilities onto
prices: A hedonic price approach. European Journal of Tourism Research. 6(1). p.74.
Corwin, L.D. and Ciampi, A.J., 2019. Law Firm Partnership Agreements. Law Journal Press.
Segal, S.P. and Choi, J.S., 2016. Ownership form and quality of care in sheltered care facilities:
Chain-affiliated business vs. sole proprietorship.
Tefera, O. and Govender, K., 2015. Hotel grading, service quality, satisfaction and loyalty–
Proposing a theoretical model and relationship. African journal of hospitality, tourism
and leisure. 4. pp.1-17.
Melián-González, S., Bulchand-Gidumal, J. and González López-Valcárcel, B., 2013. Online
customer reviews of hotels: As participation increases, better evaluation is
obtained. Cornell Hospitality Quarterly. 54(3). pp.274-283.
Andrews, S., 2013. Hotel front office: A training manual. Tata McGraw-Hill Education.
Klein, R. and Gilbert, M.E., AT&T Intellectual Property I LP, 2018. Customer care database
creation system and method. U.S. Patent Application 15/860,098.
Cvelbar, L.K., Grün, B. and Dolnicar, S., 2017. Which hotel guest segments reuse towels?
Selling sustainable tourism services through target marketing. Journal of Sustainable
Tourism. 25(7). pp.921-934.
Andrews, S., 2013. Hotel housekeeping: A training manual. Tata McGraw-Hill Education.
Karthik, M., 2015. A New Trend in Hotel Housekeeping Practices and Challenges. International
Journal of Innovative Research in Science, Engineering and Technology. 4(6). pp.4169-
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Hyndman, R.J. and Athanasopoulos, G., 2018. Forecasting: principles and practice. Otexts.
Kaplan, G., Menkes, A. and Raphaeli, D., Zebra Enterprise Solutions Corp, 2012. Virtual group
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Online:
Overview of UK Hospitality Industry. 2019. [Online]. Available through
:<https://www.ukhospitality.org.uk/>.
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