Unit 7: Managing Accommodation Services: The Berkeley Hotel Analysis

This report provides a comprehensive analysis of managing accommodation services, focusing on the front office and housekeeping departments within The Berkeley Hotel. It explores the functions of the front office, including reservation, concierge, and event management, highlighting their roles in customer satisfaction and brand image. The report also examines the key roles and responsibilities of the housekeeping department, emphasizing the importance of forecasting linen stock and guest supplies. Furthermore, it discusses the interrelationships between housekeeping and other departments, such as front office and food & beverage, and the significance of scheduling maintenance and repair work for equipment efficiency and guest satisfaction. The report concludes by emphasizing the importance of security within the hotel environment.

UNIT-7 MANAGING
ACCOMODATION SERVICES

TABLE OF CONTENTS
LO-1.................................................................................................................................................1
LO-2 ................................................................................................................................................1
P4: Front office functions within a variety of accommodation services.....................................1
P5: Front office department and their key roles in The Berkeley................................................1
M4................................................................................................................................................2
LO-3.................................................................................................................................................3
P6: Key roles in the housekeeping department of The Berkeley.................................................3
P7: Importance of forecasting linen stock and other guest supplies in Berkeley .......................3
P8: Importance of interrelationships between housekeeping and other key departments of The
Berkeley.......................................................................................................................................4
LO-4.................................................................................................................................................5
P9: Importance of scheduling maintenance and repair work.......................................................5
P10:Importance of security in Berkeley......................................................................................6
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................6
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................8

INTRODUCTION
The accommodation service is provided by the hotels in which they provide a shelter and
fulfils several other needs and expectations of the customer in relation to food, entertainment and
other housekeeping services. The project shall be highlighting the various functions and key
roles that are played by the front office department of the hotel. It shall be reflecting the
importance of the housekeeping and how it is centrally linked with all other departments. It
further elaborates that proper scheduling of the maintenance works shall be boosting the
experience of the guests.
LO-1
(Covered in the power point presentation)
LO-2
P4: Front office functions within a variety of accommodation services
The front office department of any organization stands the most important as it has direct
contact with the guests of an organization. It can be referred as the nerve centre of any hotel
which is established in the lobby of the hospitality area. It plays a crucial role in ensuring guest
satisfaction by maintaining their database and providing efficient services. The major functions
of front office are reservation service, check in, check out, cashiering, foreign exchange and
other types of guest services. The organization of the front service is determined by the types of
accommodation services that are provided by the hotel. Front Desk Manager- The front desk manager of is the one who supervises and manages
all the operations of front office. They stay responsible for scheduling the staff so as to
maintain the 24/7 service at the front desk. They are also responsible for administering
and implementation of the policy decisions in the department. Reservations Clerk- The reservation clerk is the one who interacts with the guests over
telephone or internet and shall be responsible scheduling their accommodation and shall
also document the additional requirements that are mentioned by the guest. Reception Desk- The major function at the reception desk shall be of checking in and out
the guests, allotting the rooms, answering to the queries and managing the usual services
that are to be provided to the guest.
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 Concierge Service- They are the front offi9ce professionals who are responsible for the
entertainment purpose of the visitors at the hotel. It can be related to the destinations
nearby, shopping centres or the entertainment facilities within the hotel.
 Porter or Bellhop Service- This accommodation service is also provided by the front
office individuals to guide the visitors to their room by carrying their luggage and also
checks the lighting and ventilation of the room and explains the basic facilities like the
television, air conditioning etc.
P5: Front office department and their key roles in The Berkeley
The Berkeley hotel in London offers 5 star luxury accommodation services to its guests.
The front office department that it has plays key roles in building customer satisfaction and
developing a positive brand image in the minds of the potential tourists to the place. It offers
variety of accommodation services to its customers amongst which major services are
coordinated by the front office department of The Berkeley. Reservation- The reservation department of the front office is important as all the
bookings are done prior to the arrival of the guests by filling an online form. The guests
has to inform about the kind of room that is required like luxury room, premier room,
family room etc., dining facilities, additional services as required by the guests etc. Concierge services- The concierge services regarding the entertainment facilities that are
available at the hotel like swimming pool, fitness gym, business centre, theme based
dining, bars etc. Apart from that they also arrange for the nearby visiting places for the
guests at The Berkeley. Event management- They also manage to arrange for the events that are mentioned by
the guests like wedding ceremonies, corporate social events etc. Prior hand information is
taken from the guest and accordingly the arrangements are made.
 Room service- Timely and efficient services are provided by the room service employees
of the front office like breakfast in the room, cleaning and maintenance and catering
services 24/7 in the hotel. They also engage in attending the queries of the guests in the
hotel.
M4
The front office department of The Berkeley has been timely and efficient in delivering
the various accommodation services to its guest. The effectiveness of this department has been
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successful in the fulfilment of the goals and objectives of the hotel. Some of the key objectives
that are achieved by the functions performed by the front office are:- Customer loyalty through enhanced guest satisfaction- By avoiding unnecessary delays,
providing quality services, best deals and offers and meeting their expectations can lead
to enhancement in the satisfaction as derived by the guests. This shall ultimately lead to
building customer loyalty. Positive positioning of the brand- The delivering of the satisfactory services shall be
helping in positively placing the brand in the minds of the guests. It can also attract newer
customers by positive word of mouth, positive reviews, brand awareness etc.
 Revenue generation- The profit maximization is the main objective of The Berkeley
which can be attained by boosting the revenues through targeting wider customer groups
and managing the customer loyalty of the existing ones. By proper management of the
additional facilities by the front office shall also be creating revenues for the hotel.
LO-3
P6: Key roles in the housekeeping department of The Berkeley
Housekeeping department is an important function of the hospitality industry. It works
hard to maintain the cleanliness and utmost standard of the business. It focuses on providing the
guest with good experience. It targets to offer the guest with a pleasant, welcoming and hygienic
surrounding and offering value for money. Housekeeping department is responsible for the
cleanliness of the hotel and its rooms, the public area, back area and the overall surrounding.
There are few key roles of housekeeping department of Berkeley such are mentioned below:
 The housekeeping department of Berkeley provide a healthy clean surrounding. It
provides and maintain the floral decoration within the hotel and the landscaped areas.
 It ensures proper training programmes for the housekeeping staff working in Berkeley.
The department controls and supervise the performance of the staff members.
 Housekeeping department also ensures that safety and security regulations of Berkeley
are known well by the staff member and are implemented properly.
 The housekeeping department of Berkeley maintains and establish good relationship with
other departments of the hotel in order to maintain proper flow in the organizational
functions (5 Roles Of Housekeeping, 2020.). It assists care and comfort to the guest of
Berkeley.
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 The department provide uniforms to all the staff members and it keeps adequate
inventory for the same.
 Housekeeping department of Berkeley has a responsibility to deal with the lost and found
items and articles within the premises.
P7: Importance of forecasting linen stock and other guest supplies in Berkeley
Berkeley aims to provide its guest a good stay experience for such it forecast linen stock
and guest supplies in proper way to ensure sufficient supplies to meet guest’s demands. It is the
job of the housekeeping department to prepare the guest room and provide various necessary
supplies to the guest to make them feel comfortable such includes, furniture such as chair, tables
etc., bedsheets, mattress, telephone device, list of number of reception, restaurants etc., bathrobe,
coffee table covers, mini bar supplies such as personal refrigerators, towels, soaps, slippers, hair
dryers etc. Importance of linen stock and guest supplies in Berkeley are as follows:
 Forecasting hotel inventory helps to carry out various hotel operations successfully.
Berkeley delivers quality products and services to satisfy the guests demands. The hotel
provides branded amenities such as soaps, face-wash, shampoo etc. in order to satisfy the
guest experience.
 Berkeley provides best and quality services including linens, pillow covers, bathroom
amenities which enhance guest experience and leads to customer satisfaction (Wiyasha
and Sudiksa, 2018).
 Adequate hotel supplies has brought fruitfulness to Berkeley's management activities.
Proper forecasting helps in ensuring the enough supply according to customers demands.
A flow of sufficient supplies of linen stock and guest supplies have helped in smoothing
up the overall hotel process and guest experience.
 Keeping a check on linen stock is at high priority of Berkeley, as it can affect the hotel
reputation. Lack of supplies can lead to customer dissatisfaction.
P8: Importance of interrelationships between housekeeping and other key departments of The
Berkeley
The housekeeping department is in the centre of all the operations in The Berkeley. This
department has to maintain close and efficient contact with the other key departments of the
hotel like the front office, food & beverage, cleaning and maintenance and the purchase
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department. This interrelationship is very essential to maintain the quality of accommodation
services that are provided to the guests of the hotel. Front Office- The front office and the housekeeping department stays in close
coordination in The Berkeley hotel so that delays can be avoided and the satisfaction
level of the guests can be boosted. The housekeeping has to prepare the room pre check
ins and post check outs. So the front office keeps it well informed about data of check in
and out of rooms. Food and Beverage- The cooperation and coordination is equally required between the
F&B and housekeeping department of The Berkeley. The restaurants, banquets halls etc.
need the washed table cloths, uniforms for the staff, napkins and these stuff are regularly
provided by the housekeeping department. For maintaining the quality of the
accommodation services and to improve the experience of the visitors it is essential to
foster contact between the departments.
 Purchase- The purchase and stores department places the order of the various guest
supplies as required by the housekeeping department. The communication must be proper
so that inventory management could be achieved by timely supply of the goods. Various
room stationeries, linen stock, cleaning agents are required by the housekeeping.
LO-4
P9: Importance of scheduling maintenance and repair work
Scheduling maintenance and repair work includes regular cleaning, checking equipment
efficiency, repair work and other related work. It ensures the equipment are in ready and reliable
condition. A schedule maintenance and repair work controls disruption of guest and also have
various importance such are mentioned below:
 Improve equipment efficiency: Regular cleaning and maintain of equipment such as
fryers, HVAC systems etc. is very beneficial. A clean and maintained system work better.
In context with Berkeley it ensures efficiency of equipment and have also minimized
disruption to guests.
 Save money: With schedule maintenance and repairing it is easy to tackle problems at
smaller level thus, it reduces bigger breakdowns and also help in saving money (Longart,
2020). Berkeley with regular maintenance and repair work is able to detect problems that
further help in minimizing guest disruption and also benefits it in saving money.
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 Keeping good records: Scheduling maintenance and repair work helps to maintain
records of the equipment and provides the worker with necessary information to asses to
the root problem when such arises.
 Longevity of equipment: In Berkeley the regular maintenance and repair work has helped
in improving the lifespan of the equipment and it has reduced the need of replacement of
the equipment. Such course of action has ensured the longevity of appliances and have
reduced disruption to guest.
 Business continuity: A schedule maintenance and repair work is also benefits with
choosing the right time for repair work (Ghazi, 2016). Such as night hours or weekends
etc. when it can reduce disturbance to guest. Also, the flow of work in Berkeley is easily
carried out. Such help the business to function smoothly and normally.
P10:Importance of security in Berkeley
Security in hotels or hospitality industry is very important because it ensures the
protection of staff, guest, physical resources and other asserts. Physical assets include guest
belongings, equipment, building, appliances, parking zone etc. Berkeley's security protects the
guest and the staff as the security guard is prioritized with protection of people and property. It
has young and strong security guards that are highly alert and active with the activities taking
place within the organization (Choi and Na, 2016). The security system of Berkeley controls the
traffic in the parking area. The parking security guards ensures the proper management and
spacing of the vehicles and provide the guest with seamless experience during their stay. It also
has CCTV camera within the premises that continuously monitors the staff entries and other
people in order to make the hotel theft proof. It monitors keenly so that can protect itself for
criminal activities (Cró and Martins, 2017).
M4
Regular maintenance ensures the cleaning of the area and it also detects the problems of
repairing and other. Maintenance management is important to carry out hotel operations
smoothly. In order to satisfy the customers Berkeley uses modern technologies and new trends of
the market to provide the customer with better experience. The organisation work in the direction
to meets governmental acts such as safety regulations and disability acts in order to satisfy
customer.
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CONCLUSION
It can be summarized from the above project that managing the quality of the
accommodation services is very important in the hospitality industry as this helps in improving
the experience and building satisfaction among the guests. There are variety of accommodation
services based on its size, scale and ownership and these services preferred by the visitors based
on their reviews. The front office department plays prominent role in accommodating the guests
as per their requirements, timely and efficiently. The roles and duties of the housekeeping
department are also very essential for generating positive reviews from the customers. They
work in sync with the various other key departments in the hotel so that inefficiencies could be
avoided and the objectives of the hotel can be fulfilled smoothly. The security and maintenance
department's responsibility is to schedule the repair work in the time when no disruptions are
caused to the visitors.
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REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Choi, W. C. and Na, J. Y., 2016. Relative importance for security systems of crime-zero zone
based on spatial information. Spatial Information Research. 24(1). p.4.
Cró, S. and Martins, A. M., 2017. The importance of security for hostel price premiums:
European empirical evidence. Tourism Management. 60. pp.159-165.
Ghazi, K. M., 2016. Hotel maintenance management practices. Journal of Hotel and Business
Management. 5(1). p.1000136.
Longart, P., 2020. Understanding Hotel Maintenance Management. Journal of Quality
Assurance in Hospitality & Tourism. 21(3). pp.267-296.
Mate, M. J., Trupp, A. and Pratt, S., 2019. Managing negative online accommodation reviews:
evidence from the Cook Islands. Journal of Travel & Tourism Marketing. 36(5). pp.627-
644.
Pavia, N. and Floričić, T., 2017. Innovative Accommodation Facilities in Tourism and
Hospitality Industry–Integrated Hotels. TOSSe-Tourism in Southern and Eastern
Europe. 4. pp.437-450.
Radwan, H. R. I., 2017. Managing hotels during economic challenges: A case study on hotels in
Sharm El-Sheikh and Hurghada, Egypt. Journal of Tourism and Hospitality
Management. 5(2). pp.84-100.
Rogerson, C. M. and Rogerson, J. M., 2019. Tourism and accommodation services in South
Africa: A spatial perspective. In The Geography of South Africa (pp. 213-220). Springer,
Cham.
Wiyasha, I .B. M. and Sudiksa, I.N., 2018, March. Guest Supplies Pressures to Environment: a
Hotel Case Study. In 15th International Symposium on Management (INSYMA 2018)
(pp. 224-227). Atlantis Press.
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