Report on Accommodation Services Management at Hotel Indigo Manchester

This report provides a comprehensive analysis of accommodation services at Hotel Indigo Manchester, a hotel situated near the Victorian Station in Manchester, UK. The report begins with an introduction to the hospitality industry and the importance of managing accommodations to ensure guest satisfaction. Task 1 examines the scale and size of accommodation services within the hospitality industry, including a comparison of hotel numbers across different countries and star ratings in the UK and Manchester. It also explores different forms of ownership in accommodation services, such as privately owned, leased, managed, and franchised hotels. Furthermore, the report discusses the role of grading, classification systems, and online reviews in influencing guest bookings and decision-making. Task 2 focuses on the front office functions, including key roles within the front office department, such as reception, reservations, and cashiering, emphasizing their importance in guest interactions and satisfaction. Task 3 delves into the key roles of the housekeeping department, the importance of forecasting linen stock, and the interrelationships between housekeeping and other departments. Task 4 highlights the significance of scheduling maintenance and repair work to minimize guest disruption and the importance of security in hotels. The report concludes with an evaluation of how accommodation services contribute to overall guest satisfaction, emphasizing the critical role of communication and coordination between various departments.

Managing
Accommodation

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................3
TASK 1............................................................................................................................................3
P1 Scale and size of accommodation services within hospitality industry.................................3
P2 Different forms of ownership in accommodation services....................................................6
P3 Role of grading, classification system and online site review while making bookings........7
M1 Evaluation of accommodation services, grading and reviews upon decision making of
guests...........................................................................................................................................8
D1 Critical evaluation of how accommodation services help in guest satisfaction....................8
TASK 2............................................................................................................................................9
P4 Front office functions in accommodation services................................................................9
P5 Key roles within the front office department in hotels........................................................10
M2 Operations of the front office department helps to meet business mission and objectives 11
TASK 3..........................................................................................................................................11
P6 Key roles of housekeeping department in hotels.................................................................11
P7 Importance of forecasting linen stock and other guest supplies..........................................12
P8 Importance of interrelationships between housekeeping and other key departments..........13
M3 Evaluation of interrelationship between housekeeping and other departments..................14
TASK 4..........................................................................................................................................14
P9 Importance of scheduling maintenance or repair work to minimise disruption to guests...14
P10 Importance of security in hotel..........................................................................................15
M4 Role of maintenance in accommodation services to ensure overall guest satisfaction......15
D2 Critical evaluation of the importance of communication between housekeeping and
facilities department..................................................................................................................16
CONCLUSION..............................................................................................................................16
REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................17

INTRODUCTION
Hospitality management is the study of hospitality industry which is a part of service
industry and include accommodating travellers who come from different locations from all
across the world and giving them facilities of lodging, dining, theme parks, casinos, cruising etc.
This industry depends on the availability of leisure time with the travellers and their disposable
income which they can use to purchase the facilities provided by hotels. Hospitality industry
forms an important part of British economy (Ahmad, Jabeen and Khan, 2014). In UK it
contributes to 10% of employment, 6% of total businesses and 5% of GDP which forms a
significant part of UK economy. Managing of accommodations is important so as to ensure
pleasant stay of guests by formulating strategies and policies that can provide fast and better
services to them. This report is based on Hotel Indigo Manchester which is situated next to
Victorian Station, Manchester, UK and will cover types of accommodation services, different
forms of ownership and classification systems. Functions and roles of front office and
housekeeping in accommodation services will also be covered.
TASK 1
P1 Scale and size of accommodation services within hospitality industry
The accommodation services is defined as the provisions for a payment of sheltered all-
night accommodation properly in fully equipped rooms including the basic and essential
services. Whereas, hospitality industry is a broad category of areas within the service industries
which are provided to the potential customers (Barlow and et. al., 2013). This will facilitates the
friendly treatment with the guest or visitors for look and book hotels.
UK hotel development index shows that it is the best investment country in hotel
industry. This forecasts further growth in 2019 is 1.2% and the overall occupancy is recorded
high at 76%.

 Number of hotels in UK and other major countries:
UK
USA
Australia
Malaysia
0
10000
20000
30000
40000
50000
60000
Country
Figure 1
Interpretation: Malaysia has the highest number of hotels because it is a beauteous place to stay
and also very inexpensive as compared to other countries as shown in the graphical record
(Buhalis and Amaranggana, 2015). The other countries have little hotels due to the reason of
traveller have another locations as their preferable choice.
 Quantity of one, two, three, four and five star hotels in UK:
1 2 3 4 5
0
10000
20000
30000
40000
50000
60000
Star
Number of hotels
Figure 2
Interpretation: The highest number of hotels in UK belongs to five start category. The reason is
that UK is known for its head of state history and rule of Queen in the country. Also, it has a mix
of modern and traditional, which pull people to stay in the country (Burton and Kellaway, 2018).
And since, the service of 5 star hotels are great, they have increase popularity.

 Quantity of one, two, three, four, and five star hotels in London
1 2 3 4 5
0
5000
10000
15000
20000
25000
30000
35000
Star
Number of hotels
Figure 3
Interpretation: The number of one and two star hotels do not have much fluctuation and are in
fact, adjacent. But the number of five star hotels is highest and London has one of the highest
number of hotels as compared to other cities in UK.
 Quantity of one, two, three, four and five star hotels in Manchester
1 2 3 4 5
0
5000
10000
15000
20000
25000
Star
Number of hotels
Figure 4
Interpretation: There is not much difference in illustration in the number of hotels according to
the star. However, three star hotels are lowest among all due to the reason that Manchester.

P2 Different forms of ownership in accommodation services
For accommodation facilities there are available several forms of ownerships which are
classified below along with the advantages and disadvantages as well (Common and et. al.,
2016).
 Privately owned hotels: This kind of hotels ownership spreading freedom to its owner but
also have a high risks. They are free to make all decisions related to their staff,
operational activity, structure as well as growth. It has several advantages as well as
disadvantages that are as follows:
Advantages Disadvantages
The main advantage of privately owned hotels
is that an owner have autonomy in the decision
making for effective management and have full
control over the business transactions so, they
do not have to provide any financial
information to public or governments
(Common, Flynn and Mellon, 2016).
Private limited companies are restricted legally
from issuing their shares by IPO (initial public
offers) as well as cannot trade on a stock
exchange as well as limited life span to owner's
experience.
 Leased hotels: These hotels are also termed as a privately owned but the physical
assistance is of any third parry, lessor and lessee both are agreed upon the long-term lease
contract.
Advantages Disadvantages
The company can choose lease option rather
then invest in purchasing it that assists in better
usage of capital or funds investment decision
as well as helpful in tax benefits by deduction
in taxes.
Lease decisions are related to the long term so,
a company bound to pay for a long time and
the several years expenses are fixed. Although,
if property is not in use after some time then
lease payment become a burden.
 Managed hotels: If someone wants to invest in the hotel industry but they have less
knowledge in this field then they decide to hire a management company which takes over
the responsibility of making management decisions (Jamieson and Jamieson, 2014).

Advantages Disadvantages
This helps in saving time, cost as well as
resources for managing the activities and
facilitates the experts and professionals for
decision making.
The biggest disadvantage is the loss of control
over the functions which results in the interest
conflicts and damage of business reputations.
 Franchises: It means a large businesses provide franchise to other party for executing
their operations at different location with the same brand value and image.
Advantages Disadvantages
Franchise allows to explore a new career as
well as work in a new industry. It also secure
the investment at a lower risks.
On-going fees and initial investment cost is
very high so it is expensive as well as it is
inflexible in nature because it is bound for a
long time period.
P3 Role of grading, classification system and online site review while making bookings
Grading is a system which helps in deciding the service standards that are provided by
the Hotels indigo Manchester, to their customers (Lovelock and Patterson, 2015). In addition, it
also assists for doing the comparison between two or more organizations which have similar
services. Classification system are required in every organization which allows their users to
recognise quality, price, facilities etc. which is offered by the Hotels indigo Manchester to their
guests. This system helps visitors to choose the best place for stay. Online review sites includes
Google, Agoda etc. are identified by visitors before booking hotels and helps in knowing the
reviews about the hotels and their services. These reviews are written by visitors who have
visited the place before.
Grade, classification as well as online reviews sites plays an important role at a time of
look and book accommodation services of Hotels indigo Manchester for their guests (Odunlade,
2012). This will helps in essential and basic facilities such as rooms, parking services, security,
food, water, cleanliness etc. In addition, they provide Wi-Fi facility, swimming pool and laundry

as well. The reviews assist in improving in company's services for more and attractive bookings
of hotels.
M1 Evaluation of accommodation services, grading and reviews upon decision making of guests
Customers decisions regarding the looking and booking hotels are influenced by the
grades, classifications as well as online reviews which are provided by the visitors who use this
services and visit that place before. This will helpful for the company as well as guest because
company able to know their drawbacks and negative feedbacks and try to improve in that area
for better treatment and services to their potential customers. Whereas, guest also know the
company's services and compared between many hotels and choose best for themselves.
D1 Critical evaluation of how accommodation services help in guest satisfaction
The hotels are concerned with providing accommodations to the travellers who come
from different destinations for various purposes (Rose, 2014). Apart from accommodation
services, other related services are also given to them so as to ensure a comfortable stay of guests
in the hotels. Restaurants, bars, spa, health centres, recreation centres are other facilities that are
given to enhance customer satisfaction which in turn increases the profitability of hotels by
attracting more guests to avail these services. Quality delivery of services is an important factor
to meet the expectations of customers. Front office plays a significant role in getting positive
reviews regarding the facilities that are provided in the hotel and attracting more customers.
TASK 2
P4 Front office functions in accommodation services
The front office or reception in a hotel is the most important and visible area where
visitors make their first contact with the staff. Front office serves as a link between the customers
and hotel where well trained receptionists collects guests and provides them with information
about the facilities that are available in the hotel. Huge sums are invested by hotel owners to
make front desks look attractive and luxurious so as to build a positive image about the hotel.
Front desks are responsible for making reservations, allotting rooms to the guests based on their
preferences and availability of rooms, addressing to all the enquiries and providing solutions for
any problems that are faced by the guests (Tiddand Bessant, 2018). Other functions of front
desks are printing, typing, sorting emails, receiving feedbacks from the customers, sending

attendants for room service facilities as and when required etc. Training the staff at front office is
very important as they are responsible for making contacts with customers and creating first
impression on them. The activities may vary in every hotel.
Illustration 1: Hotel entrance, lobby layout; front office. 2018
Source : Hotel entrance, lobby layout; front office, 2018
Basis Description
Telephone Receptionist is responsible to attend calls and give information about
queries of guests about availability of rooms on specific dates, prices, offers,
discounts, transportation or other facilities that are made available to the
guests with detailed pricing lists so as to avoid confusions.
Printer To print the bill receipts, making reservations, itinerary etc.
Safety lockers It is important to keep safe the belongings of guests and front desk are the
first contact point in case of safety issues and are answerable.
Reservation Making reservations based on customer specification about rooms.
Cashier Receiving cash from guests and ensuring safety of the cash so collected.

They play an important part in managing cash flows of hotels.
P5 Key roles within the front office department in hotels
The functions of front office represents the hotel as a whole by greeting guests and
checking them in. They provide assistance to guests during their stay, helping with their luggage,
transportation, giving informations regarding hotel and the places for sightseeing in the city etc.
The front office department comprises of reception, guest service office, bell services,
reservations, operators, executive club, health and recreation centre etc. The front office is
responsible for ensuring that all the policies and procedures are followed with highest standards
so that guests can be satisfied in the best possible manner (Wirtzand Lovelock, 2016). Reviewing
room availability status regularly, meeting the demands of guests on a regular basis, maintaining
cleanliness in the rooms on a daily basis, handling and reviewing guest complaints, ensuring
consistency in quality services to the guests, supervising operational activities at the front desk
etc. are some of the key functions that are to be performed on a daily basis.
The front office of Hotel Indigo Manchester helps it in giving best services to its guests
and making their stay pleasant and memorable. The guests can enjoy the restaurant and cocktail
bar facilities or relax in the guest lounge. The functions of front office collectively ensure that
best customer experience can be given so that they can be made loyal and can also help in
increasing the goodwill of the hotel through word of mouth publicity done by the guests.
M2 Operations of the front office department helps to meet business mission and objectives
The front office department plays a vital role in creating a first hand impression on the
guests and providing them all the necessary information through string communication skills.
The front officer manager is responsible in supervising the subordinates, hiring and training them
so that desirable services can be provided to the guests and their complaints can be addressed on
time so as to achieve customer satisfaction. Maintaining customer relations is an important
aspect along with coordinating all the departments to ensure smooth functioning and running of
business so that the ultimate goal of the organization can be achieved.

TASK 3
P6 Key roles of housekeeping department in hotels
Housekeeping is an operational department in hotel and is responsible to maintain
cleanliness, orderliness and aesthetic upkeep of the hotel premises. This helps in maintaining a
desirable ambience in the hotel that will help in attracting customers and increasing sales of
rooms thereby contributing towards increasing the revenue of the hotel (Wirtzand Lovelock,
2016). Housekeeping services includes cleaning of rooms and linens regularly, maintaining the
furniture and fittings so that they can remain in a good state, pest control in garden area so as to
avoid mosquitoes and flies, maintaining hygiene in the restaurants by ensuring the use of fresh
and good quality vegetables, meat etc. in food preparation and maintaining overall hygiene in the
hotel area.
Employing and training housekeeping personnel so that they can work hard towards
meeting the standard hygiene requirement of the hotel is important to attract a large number of
travellers from across the world to make bookings in their hotel. Hotel Indigo Manchester
ensures daily housekeeping facilities, ironing service, dry cleaning, daily change of linen and
cleaning of rooms using vacuum cleaners so that a fresh, warm and comforting ambience can be
maintained in the hotel premises. A hotel survives on the sale of rooms, dining services, laundry
service, health club, spa etc. and maintaining a clean environment in these areas can help in
boosting the sales of hotel services, thus contributing in its operational profits. Other functions
are mentioned below :
 To achieve maximum efficiency in providing comfort to guests by giving them a warm
and welcoming atmosphere.
 To cater to laundering requirements of hotel linen, staff uniform, guest clothing.
 To renovate and refurnish the property of hotel by consulting the hotel managers and
interior designers.
 To maintain decorations and fragrances of the hotel so that a peaceful ambience can be
maintained.

Illustration 2: Housekeeping Department Organization Chart.
2019
Source: Housekeeping Department Organization Chart, 2019
P7 Importance of forecasting linen stock and other guest supplies
Forecasting the stock of linen and other guest supplies that needs to be maintained in the
hotel helps in ensuring smooth operations of hotel on a daily basis. This helps in proper
utilization of capital and maintaining a standard level of stick so that no discomfort is faced by
the guests due to shortage of clean linens in their rooms (UK Hotel Market Statistics. 2018).
Other guest supplies include furniture, bedding, bedside supplies, clothing and clothing care,
mini bar supplies, bathroom attachments, towels, soaps, mirror, slippers, hospitality tray etc.
which are to be maintained in sufficient amount so that there is no shortage of these stocks at the
time of peak seasons. These stocks should also not be maintained in excess as it only increases
the cost of storing and maintaining them which increases the operational cost of hotels. Hotel
Indigo Manchester ensures a continuous supply of all the necessities to the guests so that its
goodwill can be maintained and customer feedbacks can be minimized. For this forecasting of
demand or the number footfalls of guests is essential. This can be done by observing previous
year trends which will help in estimating the peak seasons when country has maximum number
of tourists. Also bookings need to be regularly checked so that if there are pre-bookings of
guests, then the desired stock of linen and guest supplies can be maintained. The managers

should stay updated with the trends in tourism sectors and fiscal policies of a country so that the
number of tourists can be forecasted and accordingly stocks can be managed.
Therefore, for efficiently meeting the demands of guests and ensuring customer
satisfaction it is important to appropriately forecast the demands that may arise. Hospitality is
basically related to friendly, warm and generous reception of guests and entertaining their needs
and wants so that their stay can be made pleasant and good customer relations can be maintained
and repetitive business can be ensured.
P8 Importance of interrelationships between housekeeping and other key departments
All the departments of a hotel needs to coordinate and cooperate so that the business can
be run smoothly and efficaciously by utilizing the resources in such a way so as to provide
customer satisfaction and increase the profitability of the hotel. Interrelation between
housekeeping and other key departments is important so that quality services can be provided
which can be seen from following points : Coordination with front office : Front office is mainly concerned with providing rooms
to the guests whereas housekeeping is concerned with maintaining and cleaning them.
For this both needs to coordinate in a way like front office must give information to
housekeepers about the status of each room. List of guests that are expected to arrive or
depart must be given to them so that cleaning can be finished in time and front office is
not allowed to assign the rooms unless they are cleaned and inspected by the
housekeepers. Coordination with maintenance department : This department provides engineering
facilities that ensure comfort of guests and increases efficiency of staff. Housekeeping
depends on maintenance department to keep things in order like repairs in faulty
electrical or bathroom fittings, malfunctioning air conditioners etc. so that urgent repairs
can be done. Coordination with security department : Housekeeping must immediately report to the
security department if there are any suspicious activities noticed by them about any
guests. Alertness of housekeeping is important so that no illegal activities can be
conducted by guests by taking advantage of their privacy.

 Coordination with personal department : Housekeeping coordinates with this
department for recruitment of HR staff managing their salaries and wages, addressing
indiscipline, issuing id cards to employees etc.
M3 Evaluation of interrelationship between housekeeping and other departments
Interrelationship between housekeeping and other departments is a crucial part in
efficiently managing and running the hotel business. All these departments work together in
harmony to ensure provision of quality services to guests which makes their stay in the hotel a
good experience. Housekeeping depends on all the departments to ensure cleanliness in the hotel
premises and maintaining a welcoming atmosphere to attract customers towards their services.
Customers demand clean, hygienic, safe and secure hotel rooms so that their stay is comfortable
when they are away from their homes.
TASK 4
P9 Importance of scheduling maintenance or repair work to minimise disruption to guests
The scheduling of maintenance and repairs is important so as to avoid unexpected
failures and breakdown of assets and resources. Regular maintenance needs to be done as
emergency repairs are not every time possible to be made. Regular cleaning, lubrications, check-
ups etc. of the assets must be done so that prevention of problems due their failures can be
minimized and the expected life of the resources can be increased. Safety of the guests and staff
is important in the hotels for which regular check-ups of electricity lines, bathroom fittings,
furniture and fixtures should be done so that no discomfort is caused to guests due to their non-
functioning. For example if the taps of a bathroom are leaking, then immediate repair must be
done so that the running water does not exhaust the water availability in the hotel causing
discomfort to the guests. Another example can be repairing of air conditioners ion case they have
stopped cooling. However these repair and maintenance should be done before any guests
checks-in that room so that the work of repair do not steal privacy of guests hence causing
problems for them. All the facilities should be given in a working condition as it may irritate the
guests if they are not provided with the facilities they are paying for. This will increase negative
feedbacks from customers and affect the goodwill of the company. Therefore, repair and
maintenance work should be scheduled in an appropriate manner to provide quality in services to
the guests making their stay pleasant and enjoyable.

P10 Importance of security in hotel
For the successful running of a hotel business, it is important for the hotel management
in securing the premises of hotels so as to protect the interests of customers, visitors, staff and
the property. Guests come from various parts of the world in hotels when they are away from
their homes and regular check-ins and check-outs keep on occurring in the hotels during all
hours which makes hotel premises vulnerable towards security issues. Hence it is important to
have a proper safety and security system in the hotel to protect staff, guests, assets, building etc.
from theft, burglary or any other illegal activities from occurring. If there are intruders or threats
in the hotel premises it brings negative impact on the image of the hotel and makes guests doubt
on the security and safety systems of the hotel and prevent them from making reservations in that
hotel. This decreases sales of rooms and adversely affects the profitability of the hotel. Also the
informations provided by the guests at the time of bookings must be uploaded on a secure
network systems so as to prevent misuse of such informations. The privacy to information is the
basic right of the guests which must not be violated as it may bring legal procedures against the
hotel and might lead to the failure of business. Hotel Indigo Manchester uses highly secure
networks to store data about information of staff, guests, visitors etc. they also have CCTV
installed everywhere in the premises to ensure security.
M4 Role of maintenance in accommodation services to ensure overall guest satisfaction
Regular maintenance of accommodation services helps in ensuring guest satisfaction as
better quality of services can be provided to them. Housekeeping plays an important role in
regularly checking all the facilities that are available in the hotel premises and informing the
maintenance and repair department if there is a requirement of repairing them. The services if
given to the guests in a good state enhances their experience and makes their stay comfortable in
a place that is away from home. All the guests supplies, linen stocks, furnitures and fixtures,
gardens, electric appliances etc. must be regularly checked to ensure safety and security of the
guests with providing them with better services and gaining a competitive advantage in the
hospitality industry.
D2 Critical evaluation of the importance of communication between housekeeping and facilities
department
Communication between all the departments is important so as to convey about the
necessary changes that are to be made in any area which will ensure in giving customer

satisfaction by providing them quality services. All the departments are inter-linked and their
coordination and cooperation is important to meet the demands of the guests on time. Proper
channel of communication must be adopted in the organisation so that housekeeping can
effectively interact with various departments so that to inform them about the defects in their
process and the changes that can be made to ensure timely management of these deficiencies.
CONCLUSION
From this report it can be concluded that guests are the most crucial aspects in the hotel
industry and the main focus is given on their satisfaction which will lead either to the success or
failure to the hotel industry. It can also be seen that front office plays an important role in
creating a first impression on the guests whereas housekeeping department ensures that they are
provided with high quality services so that customer satisfaction can be achieved. Further, the
management of accommodation services is important so that sales of rooms can be increased
thereby increasing the organisational profitability.

REFERENCES
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<https://www.ons.gov.uk/aboutus/transparencyandgovernance/freedomofinformationfoi
/ukhotelmarket>
Hotel entrance, lobby layout; front office. 2018. [Online]. Available through:
<https://www.slideshare.net/Praveen11771/hotel-entrance-lobby-layout-front-office>
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<https://setupmyhotel.com/train-my-hotel-staff/hk/255-hk-dep-chart.html>