Managing Accommodation Services: Front Office & Housekeeping at Hilton

This report provides an in-depth analysis of accommodation services, specifically focusing on the operational aspects of the front office and housekeeping departments within Hilton Hotel. The report begins with an introduction to accommodation services, defining their significance in the hospitality industry and setting the context for the study. Part 1, which is covered in a PPT, likely provides an overview of the scale, size, and ownership forms within the accommodation sector. Part 2 delves into the core functions of the front office, highlighting its crucial role in guest interaction, reservation management, and information provision across various accommodation types such as hotels, guesthouses, and bed and breakfasts. The report then examines the specific roles of the front office within Hilton Hotel, including room reservations, guest communication, and handling emergencies. Furthermore, the report analyzes how front office operations align with Hilton's business objectives. The report also discusses the roles and responsibilities of the housekeeping department, including maintaining cleanliness, managing linen and supplies, and ensuring a hygienic environment. It emphasizes the importance of forecasting linen stock and other supplies to meet demand and the significance of interdepartmental relationships, particularly between housekeeping and the front desk, and the purchasing department. The report evaluates the interrelationship between housekeeping and other departments within Hilton to provide effective accommodation services, and it concludes by summarizing the key findings and implications for efficient hotel management.

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION
PART 1
Covered in PPT
PART 2
The function of the front office in various accommodation provider
Role of front office department in Hilton Hotel
Analyze the way in which operation of front office department meet business objectives within selected
organization
Roles of housekeeping department in organization
Discuss the significance of forecasting linen stock and other supplies for meeting with demand
Discuss the importance of the relationship between housekeeping and other departments
Evaluate the relationship between housekeeping and other departments of the selected organization to
provide effective accommodation services
Significance of scheduling maintenance & repair work for minimizing guest disruption
Importance of security and safety within organization
Assess the role of maintenance in accommodation services
CONCLUSION
REFERENCES
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Managing Accommodation Services
Introduction
Accommodation service refers to the services under which living facilities are provided
to visitors. It is the most common service which is offered by hotels, guest house, clubs and other
organization of the hospitality sector. There is a requirement to maintain a standard hygienic and
clean environment within a hospitality organization(Sthapit and Jimenez-Barreto, 2018). The
present report is based on Hilton hotel, which is a renowned company and offers varieties of
services such as accommodation, spa, food and beverages and more.
The report is classified into two parts in which first part is related to the scale and size of
accommodation services along with different forms of ownership within the accommodation
sector. The second part covers the role and function of the front office and housekeeping
department and the significance of the interrelationship of housekeeping and other departments.
It also comprises the value of maintenance work for providing better services to the guest.
PART 1
Covered in PPT
PART 2
The function of the front office in various accommodation provider
The front office is a crucial part of the hospitality industry as these people directly
interact with the guest while they visit the hotel. Front office people put the first impression over
guest as they are responsible for handling visitors while they are coming to visit the organization.
So, it is important for them to be calm, polite and humble for dealing with visitors in an effective
manner. The main work of front office people is to perform the daily operation, resolve the
queries of customers and provide the best possible services(Park and et. al., 2017). In addition to
this, they also keep track of check-in and checkout of the guest. It is the responsibility of front
desk people to manage the requirements of guest in an efficient manner. In this regard, functions
of the front office in different accommodation provider organizations are mentioned as under:
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Hotel:There are a lot of hotels having different grades starting from 1 to 5. Here, guest
can also make pre reservations before visiting the place. In prestigious hotel, they often recruit
people to sot at the reception desk. These individuals are hired based on personality,
interpersonal skills and other such skills which are required to handle visitors effectively. Here, it
is imperative for the receptionist to have detailed information about the hotel and its amenities,
which allow them to make good relationship with visitors for enhancing the probability of visit
in the future period of time. It is different from other accommodation services as hotels are likely
to appoint efficient and highly qualifies front desk people in order to maintain better
relationships with guest
Guesthouse:In the guest house, there is a separate department present for making and
answering the calls to clear out all the doubts of customers. While a guest visit to the guest
house, it is the duty of these people to take care about their requirement, preferences etc. It is
small in size and generally open at highways and near to railway stations, bus stops. Also, guest
houses do not have enough funds to hire highly qualfified and competent front desk people. . In
addition to this, front office people in the guest house need to look after the arrival of customers
and also need to ensure higher convenience during the stay (Ferrari and Guala, 2017).
Bed and breakfast:These are small in size and likely to provide facilities for overnight
stay and food. These facilities are offered by a family including 5 to 10 people. They also hire a
night auditor who works as a front desk people by keeping a check on the arrival and departure
of the guest. The main function of the front desk in this kind of accommodation service is to
facilitate smooth check-in of guest, greeting them, ensuring timely payment while guest leaves
the place. In addition to this, it is also their duty to provide the best possible solution to guest if
they have any complaints regarding service. It is analyzed that, it is differ from other
accommodation provider in terms of size and has staff members who are efficient enough to
perform different task at a time.
Role of front office department in Hilton Hotel
The front office is the most important part of the interaction of the hotel with guest; rather, it
is also called the face of the hotel. Also, front desk people are the first to communicate, interact
with guest, so they put a direct impression on visitors(Fox and Whittlesea, 2017). It is the
responsibility of them to ensure a better impression on the guest by managing their queries and
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doubts in an effective manner. Apart from this, front desk people also make and receive calls for
answering the doubts of potential visitors. For this, certain major roles of front office within the
Hilton hotel are mentioned as under:
 The main role of the front office within Hilton hotel is to reserve the rooms and
accommodation as per request raise by customers. Here, they analyze the requirements of
the guest and arrange rooms accordingly for gaining a higher level of customer
satisfaction.
 It is the duty of front desk people of respective hotel to provide appropriate information
to guest and also handle the calls and messages of guest for resolving their complaints
effectively.
 It is stated that front desk people of Hilton needs to maintain proper data regarding arrival
and departure of guest in proper way(Brochado and Pereira, 2017).
 If any kind of accidents takes place in the hotel, then it is the duty of front desk
individuals to take charge of the situation and evacuated guest safely.
 Front desk agent of Hilton hotel is responsible for providing easy check in and checkout
facilities to guests. In addition to this, greeting guests, resolving their queries, making
reservations, answering phone calls are also considered as the crucial role of front desk
agent of respective hotel.
Analyze the way in which operation of the front office department meet business objectives
within the selected organization
It is stated that front office people are the first point of contact for a visitor, so they put a
crucial role in building the image of the hotel in front of the guest. They are likely to interact
with guest, greet them, ensure smooth arrival and departure of guest from the hotel. These all
activities are part of the daily operation of font office people and play a crucial role in attaining
predefined objectives of the organization.
Roles of housekeeping department in the organization
Housekeeping is responsible for maintaining a clean and hygienic environment within the
premises of the hotel. There are ample people work within the housekeeping department of the
hotel, having different roles and responsibilities. They all ensure effective, clean and quality
services to the guest. In this regards, the role of the housekeeping department is given below:
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 Wipe and clean dryers on a weekly basis so that visitors get clean & hygienic types of
equipment.
 Clean warehouse, storerooms on a daily basis and mop each and every area of the hotel at
least two times within a day.
 Clean the room, linen on a regular basis and also take care of sanitization for the safety
and security of guest(Holloway, 2017).
 To maintain a welcoming, clean atmosphere for staff and guest and ensure a higher level
of cleanliness within hotel premises.
 To arrange uniforms for all staff members and also maintain a proper stock of the same.
Executive Housekeeper: Executive housekeeper of Hilton is responsible to maintain
coordination between housekeeping crews and supervisor. It is the role of executive
hosusekeeper is to supervise the work of housekeeping staff in order to ensure that they meet
with predefine standards of work.
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Floor supervisor: It is the duty of floor supervisor to ensure that all the necessary functions
which have been assigned to floor are carried out in systematic manner. In addition to this, they
are responsible to keep a check on the activities of floor staff and also supervise room attendants.
Room Attendants: These people of Hilton hotel are required to take care requirements of
guests. They need to provide the services sought by guests in timely manner. Apart from this,
they also need to look after for cleanliness and hygiene in room.
Discuss the significance of forecasting linen stock and other supplies for meeting demand
It is analyzed that linen such as towels, bedsheets, curtain, napkin and other such guest
supplies are essential in order to meet with daily requirements of the hotel. The need for these
products is highly influenced by the number of visitors, market trend and more. It is required to
make a forecast about such products in order to maintain an adequate amount of stock in the
hotel for meeting future requirements in an effective manner. For this purpose, forecasting
information is given below:
FLOOR HAND TOWEL BATH
TOWEL
SOAP SHAMPOO SANITARY
KIT
1 5 8 7 6 6
2 5 7 8 8 9
3 10 5 10 9 10
TOTAL 20 20 25 23 25
PRODUCT DEPARTMENT FREQUENCY
Desserts Food and Beverages Daily
Bathrobe Housekeeping Daily
PRODUCT DEPARTMENT FREQUENCY
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Pamphlets Marketing Quarterly
Hoardings Marketing Annually
With the help of linen forecasting, hotel can easily meet with needs and requirements of guests.
It helps hotel in order to manage sufficient stock for meeting with fluctuation in demand in
market place. In addition to this, linen forecasting also plays a crucial role in maintaining
sufficient level of inventory for meeting with future uncertainties in an efficient manner.
Discuss the importance of the relationship between housekeeping and other departments
It is analyzed that each and every department of a hotel is interrelated with each other, so
is housekeeping department also has a significant association with other departments. This
interrelationship is highly important in order to maintain coordination and provide better services
to the guest. For this, the interrelationship of housekeeping and other department is mentioned as
under
Housekeeping and front desk: Front desk and housekeeping are the foundation of the
hotel, so it is vital to maintain proper coordination in both departments. The housekeeping
department needs to interact with the front desk on a regular basis for meeting with requirements
of guest effectively (Bigné and Decrop, 2019). In Hilton, front office people give rooms to the
guest, so there is a requirement to pass the necessary information to the housekeeping
department about the arrival and leaving of the guest.
Housekeeping and purchase department: Purchase department buy necessary material
such as curtains, bedsheets, pillows and more for which they need to get specification from the
housekeeping department. Here, the housekeeping division of the hotel keeps control over
inventory and inform the purchasing department for maintaining an adequate level of stock
within the hotel. Effective coordination between both the departments is important in order to
meet with requirements of guest in an effective manner.
Evaluate the relationship between housekeeping and other departments of the selected
organization to provide effective accommodation services
There are a lot of key departments in Hilton such as purchase, front desk, security and
more. It is stated that the housekeeping department has an effective association with all the other
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departments. The front office provides them information about guest arrival and departure so that
they can do their activities without disturbing guest. The purchase department assists
housekeeping by ensuring the timely availability of necessary resources for meeting
requirements effectively. Apart from this, the security department of the hotel also ensures a safe
and protective environment for guest.
Significance of scheduling maintenance & repair work for minimizing guest disruption
In a competitive environment, it has become significant for hotels to maintain their
premises in such an attractive manner by which they can provide valuable experience to visitors.
It is also helpful in building a positive image of the hotel among potential guest and also increase
the number of loyal customers(Kim and Lee, 2016). For this purpose, it is required to keep a
check on assets, furniture, types of equipment and other such resources for maintaining them in
good condition. If any defect is detected in equipment, then it is required to get it to repair as
soon as possible. Effective maintenance practice is helpful to provide better and effective
services to the guest. It is the responsibility of maintenance department to maintain all the types
of equipment in better condition so that guest does not face any kind of difficulties during the
stay. It is analyzed that proper maintenance is helpful in keeping guest highly satisfied. For this
purpose, different types of maintenance are mentioned as under:
Plumbing system maintenance: It is important to ensure that all the pipes of hotel are in
good condition and there is no blockage, crack and leaks in pipes as it might cause
inconvenience to guests.
Electricity system maintenance: Power disruption might become a reason of great
inconvenience to guests. For this purpose, maintenance department of Hilton hotel needs to
maintain electricity system in proper condition and also need to arrange power back up for an
emergency condition.
Importance of security and safety within the organization
The safety department is responsible for ensuring well being of guest within the hotel. It
is important for the protection of staff and guest in an effective manner. The significance of
security & safety within Hilton hotel is elaborated below:
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Visitors: In Hilton respective hotel, there are necessary security arrangements for
safeguarding guest from any sort of physical harm from a staff member and any other external
source. In addition to this, they also provide 24 * 7 medical assistance for dealing with any
health issues of guest(Laukkanen and Tura, 2020).
Employees: Higher authorities of Hilton hotel ensure a safe and secure work environment
for staff members and also have medical, health insurance and other perquisites. In addition to
this, appropriate training programs are also arranged by the hotel security department for
preparing staff for mishappenings and accidents.
Visitor’s luggage: For this purpose, the hotel has a safe and secure way to transport and
restore luggage as per requirement. They also make sure that luggage is hand over to guest in a
safe and secure manner.
Fire alarm: Foe keeping safety of guests and staff in mind Hilton Hotel has installed
highly efficient fire alarm system which is enable with technology at each and every floor of
hotel. Main aim of this action is to minimize the probability of any mishappeening and accidents
within premises.
Assess the role of maintenance in accommodation services
For providing better and effective accommodation services to guest, it is important to
have a maintenance department. This department plays a vital role in keeping all the resources
and types of equipment within a hotel in good condition, so it is easy & convenient for guest to
stay in a hotel for a longer duration(Gerard and Weber, 2019). Maintenance is helpful in
attracting more visitors by keeping the infrastructure attractive by timely renovation. They are
also responsible for finding the defects in assessments, resources, and types of equipment and
arrange timely repairing so that guests do not face any kind of inconvenience. So, the
maintenance department plays an imperative role in accommodation services which is important
in enhancing sales & profit margin in a significant manner.
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CONCLUSION
It is assessed with the above-mentioned paragraphs that accommodation services play a
crucial role within the hospitality industry. It is analyzed that there are different departments
work in accommodation services such as front office, housekeeping and more. The front office
department put the first impression on visitors while the housekeeping department is responsible
for maintaining a clean and hygienic environment. The discussion has been carried out about
linen and other guest supplies, along with the interrelationship of housekeeping and other
departments. Further, maintenance, security department also play a crucial role in ensuring better
services to the guest within a hospitality organization.
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