Sheraton Hotel: Rooms Division Operations Management Analysis

This report provides an analysis of rooms division operations management within a hotel chain, specifically focusing on Sheraton, a hotel chain owned by Marriott International. The report details the various services provided by the rooms division, including front office and housekeeping functions such as guest registration, reservation, guest services, finance, foreign exchange, cleaning, laundry, and lost & found. It also demonstrates an understanding of the roles and responsibilities of key positions like the front office manager and housekeeping manager, highlighting their duties in personnel selection, training, scheduling, and supervision. Furthermore, the report analyzes key legal and statutory regulations impacting the hotel, such as food safety laws, employee health and safety laws, fire safety laws, and minimum wage laws. Finally, it critically evaluates yield management and revenue management strategies, emphasizing the importance of selling the right room to the right customer at the right time and price to maximize revenue.

Rooms Division
Operations Management

Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................1
MAIN BODY ..................................................................................................................................1
Research about services provided by room division operation management in a hotel chain . . .1
Demonstration of knowledge and understanding of roles and responsibilities of two room
division position ..........................................................................................................................3
Analysation of key legal and statutory regulation in selected hotel chain ..................................4
Critical analysation about yield management or revenue management ......................................5
CONCLUSION ...............................................................................................................................7
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................8

INTRODUCTION
Room division operation management can be described as management of operation for
different department like front office, housekeeping responsibilities, room reservation and related
service (Bandi and Gupta, 2020). It is important process in order to manage process of working
of a hotel. This project report includes analysation of Sheraton which is a hotel chain owned by
Marriott International hotels. It was established in the year 1937 by Ernest Henderson and Robert
Moore in US. It is a large organisation as it is operating at international level and has around
145000 employees in their organisation. This project report includes research about different
types of services provide by room division operation management in a hotel chain. It also
includes knowledge and understanding for roles and responsibilities for two room division
positions. It also includes analysation of legal and statutory regulation in a hotel. Moreover, it
also analyse yield management along with explanation of elements of yield management.
MAIN BODY
Research about services provided by room division operation management in a hotel chain
Front office department: Front office department considered as an important department in a
hotel and needs to make direct contact with guests arrived in hotel. Main services of front office
department is related to reservation, check in, check out, finance and cashiering, Inquiry, guests
service, telephone, foreign exchange (Choong and Islam, 2020). It is a department that also solve
various problem faced by guests and also maintain good relationship with guest. This department
also maintain data base information of guests and also ensure satisfaction of guests in an
organisation. Some of services provided by front office department are mentioned below:
Guests registration and reservation: Front office department needs to all activities
related to registration like room assignment, welcoming, check in and check out, room rate and
others. This department needs to ensure that Sheraton has availability of room for their guest.
They also ensure that is proper management of guests reservation of room. It allow them to
provide and update right status of room like check-in, check out. Reservation is an important
activities that allow this department in Sheraton to ensure proper management of room and
ensure that rooms are utilised effectively for convenience of guest.
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Guests service: It is another service provide by front office department in which it fulfil
all activities related to guests service. It is important in order to enhance experience of customers
and also for their satisfaction with Sheraton.
Guests history and records: it is responsible of front of department to develop as well
as maintain profit of guest. It allow them to make history of likes and dislikes of guest, their
feedback for service of company and others (Deo and Jain, 2019). It allow Sheraton to develop
and maintain database related to guests information in company.
Finance and foreign exchange: It is a service that is linked with accounting department.
This department is collecting funds from guests for their service and also provide foreign
exchange facilities to foreign tourist. It is to be done for convenience of guests as foreign tourist
face difficulty in order to get foreign exchange.
Inquiry: Front office department is also answering to question and enquiries of guest. As
guests is new to country or state and due to this, there are various problem faced by them. Front
office department of Sheraton answer all these queries of guests that is important for satisfaction
of guest.
House keeping department: Housekeeping can be described as provision of clean, comfortable,
aesthetically appealing, safe environment. It is a operational department in hotel that is
responsible for maintenance, cleanliness of room, back areas and public areas (Fraser, 2020). It is
a department that ensure cleanliness, in hotel and also maintaining hotel as fresh and attractive
property. There are various services provided by this department in Sheraton which are
mentioned below:
Cleaning and vacuum services: It is important for a hotel to maintain cleanliness as it
provide them comfortable and welcoming services that is important for them to happen.
Housekeeping department in Sheraton needs to carry out various task like washing dishes,
cleaning of bathroom, vacuum of carpeted as well as wooden floor.
Laundry and ironing: Laundry and ironing are the services offered by Sheraton for
purpose of enhancing experience of customers. These services are provided by housekeeping
department of hotel to customers in order to enhance their experience. This service contribute for
cleanness and frying of guests clothes, employee uniform and others things.
Lost and found: Housekeeping department is also providing this service to their guests
as in this, if guests leave their things in hotel, then this department keep their things in lost and
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found section of hotel. Guests can came to hotel for this lost and found and can pick their things
from there.
Demonstration of knowledge and understanding of roles and responsibilities of two room
division position
Roles and responsibilities of front office manager:
Front office manager can be described as a person who is responsible for making various
supervisory decision in context of front desk of hotel or other hospitality establishment. There
are various roles and responsibility of this position in Sheraton hotel which are mentioned below:
Participate in selection of front office personnel: Front office manager are responsible
for recruitment and selection of front office personnel. There are various applicant came in
Sheraton hotel for vacant position in front office department and it is responsibility of front
office manager to ensure selection of front office personnel (Ivanov and Webster, 2019). In this,
they needs to ensure that candidate selected in organisation suits to their requirement and can be
adjust in working environment of company.
Trains, cross trains and retains front office personnel: It is also a responsibility of
front office manager to provide proper training and development opportunity to front office
personnel that allow them to adjust in environment of company and also helps them to
understand their work. It is also responsibility of them to retain personnel in company that is
essential for them to maintain work of company as hiring of new employee can be costly affair
of Sheraton.
Schedule front office staff: Front office manager also needs to schedule task and other
responsibility for staff members. They needs to make staff of front office department to
understand their work. It is also important for them to monitor work of staff members and correct
them.
Roles and responsibilities of Housekeeping manager:
Housekeeping manager is a person who is responsible for laundering, cleaning rooms,
maintaining furnishings, bed linen as well as other equipment in hotel (Johnston, Diamant and
Quereshy, 2019). Thee are variolous roles and responsibilities of executive housekeeper in an
organisation which is context of Sheraton are mentioned below:
Supervision of housekeeping employees: It is responsibility of executive housekeeper
of Sheraton to supervises work of housekeeping employees. They also needs to hire new
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employees when required in organisation, discharge employees when there is requirement of
employees. This person is also responsible for purpose of writing warning notices to employees.
Housekeeping executive also needs to evaluate employees and also needs to upgrade them at
time when opportunity arise.
Plan of work of housekeeping department: Executive housekeeper of Sheraton also
needs to ensure planning for work of different housekeeping department and needs to distribute
assignment accordingly (Kesgin, Hsieh and Alqusayer, 2020). It is also important for them to
assign housemen, linen room attendants in order to manage regular duties as well as some special
assignment that is require to complete. It is also important for organisation to schedule
employees as well as assignment extra days off as per occupancy forecast made by time.
Inform new employees about regulation: It is also responsibility of executive
housekeeper of Sheraton to provide information to new employees about rules and regulation of
employees. For this, they needs to provide training and development to new employees and also
assign them under experienced staff. Executive staff member also needs to check and observe
work of employees.
Analysation of key legal and statutory regulation in selected hotel chain
There are different laws and regulation are followed by business who are operating in hospitality
industry. These laws and regulation can be related to food hygiene, fire regulation, employee
heath and safety laws. It is important for business of Sheraton to consider these regulation in
business as it impact over image of company. Implementing these regulatory and statutory
requirement in business helps them to avoid interference of regulatory authorities in business.
Explanation of these regulation in context of Sheraton is mentioned below:
Food safety laws: It is also a legal duty for hotel like Sheraton to ensure hygiene in order
to cook food. According to this law, it is important for companies to provide proper safety to
guest. There are various types of training provided in Sheraton to kitchen department for
maintaining food hygiene in order to ensure safety of guest. Poor hygiene can results into food
poisoning of guest and can results in threat in business (Lee, Pan and Park, 2019). Food
poisoning cause diseases as well illness that can be spread in human. For this gloves are used by
chef and also they cover their hair in order to maintain hygiene. Any case in business related to
food poisoning can create negative impact over image of company.
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Employee health and safety law: It is a law that is important in order to ensure safety of
employees by organisation. For this, Sheraton is following Health and Safety at Work Act
1974 law. For this, business needs to ensure availability of proper safety equipment for
employees that helps them to avoid situation like accident at workplace. For instance, employees
should be provided with proper protective clothing material in order to handle harmful
substances.
Fire safety laws: It is a law that is followed in organisation of Sheraton in order to
ensure safety of guest. Furniture and Furnishings (Fire) (Safety) Regulations 1988 is a law
that is followed for this purpose. Fire an be occur in an organization for various reason but it is
responsibility of hotel to ensure proper safety of their guest. For this, they needs to ensure
availability of fire safety equipment that helps to control fire at time of emergency (Lewis,
2019). This fire can be a kitchen fire of electrical appliance overheating fire, guest casing
accident fire. But safety precaution are important for any time of fire and for this, hotel needs to
ensure installation of fire extinguishers, fire drills, fire exit signs, fire checking exists.
Minimum wages laws: Minimum wages act is another important law that is followed in
organisation of Sheraton. According to this law, it is important for business to provide minimum
wages to employees which is decided by government of UK. It is important for protecting
business from interference of legal authorities. It also create positive impact over image of
company and attract new employees towards organisation.
Critical analysation about yield management or revenue management
Revenue management can be described as selling of right room to right customers at right
time and at right place for purpose of maximisation of revenue of hotel business. Room can be
single or double and should be allocated that suits to requirement of customers (Meng, Batt and
Terwiesch, 2021). Right customers is a term that includes business guest, leisure guest, a group
and individual. Right prices should be selected in hotel that depend on demand in that city and
right time is one at which customer come in organisation.
Revenue management can be described as system in hotel for owner that helps them to
maximise profitability of business through senior management in hotel, identification of
profitability in market segment, setting prices, developing values creating discounts,
displacement of rules for advance reservation process as well as monitoring effectiveness of
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rules and its implementation. There are various elements of revenue management which can be
adopted in organisation of Sheraton and these elements are mentioned below:
Occupancy percentage: It is one of performance measure that can be adopted in hotel
industry. It can be expresses with proportion of room that can be sold to total room. Formula for
calculating this is mentioned below:
Average daily rate/ ADR: It is another measure for performance that express average
room rate that realise from sales of room in a specific period (Musalem, Olivares and Schilkrut,
2021). It can be calculated on daily, weekly as well as monthly basis. Formula for calculating
this is mentioned below:
Revenue per availability room/ RevPAR: It is another elements for analysation of
management success in which potential for business can be realised for a specific period of time
(Svensson and Hedman, 2018). It is one of popular measure for purpose of measuring room
revenue performance. It can be calculated with following formula which is mentioned below:
Gross operating profit per available room/ GOPPAR: it is a element for revenue
management that defined as total operating profit for single room and where GOP is considered
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as equal to total revenue less total departmental and operating expenses. For calculating
GOPPAR, formula of this is mentioned below:
There are different types of demand tactics which can be applied by managers of
Sheraton. These tactics helps managers of Sheraton to increase occupancy rate in organisation.
Explanation of these tactics in context of Sheraton is mentioned below:
 Close or restrict discounts will helps an organisation to increase profit of company and
also allow them to saves money of company that is offered to customer in form of
discounts (Yin, 2019).
 Managers of company can also apply minimum length of stay restriction. It is important
in order to increase number of guest in hotel and increase their occupancy rte. It will
provide opportunity to managers of Sheraton to increase profitability of company.
 Reduce group allocation is another tactics that helps company to sell more room to
customers. Group of people stay in less number of room but reducing group allocation
allow company to sell maximum numbers of room. It allow them to earn more profit as
company with helps of this tactics will be able to sell more rooms.
CONCLUSION
From above mentioned project report, it can be concluded that hospitality industry is one
of important industry in an economy. There are various important task and function are perform
in this industry in market in order to satisfy needs and requirement of customers. There are
various services provided by different room division in an organisation including front office
department and housekeeping department. There are also different roles and responsibilities
performed by different room division position. Different types of laws and statutory requirement
are also made in context of hospitality industry which is important for an hospitality organisation
to follow these rules and regulation. Business carry out various important activity for purpose of
earning profit for this, managers can adopt different tactics.
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REFERENCES
Books and Journals:
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Service Operations Management, 22(5), pp.958-974.
Choong, K.K. and Islam, S.M., 2020. A new approach to performance measurement using
standards: a case of translating strategy to operations. Operations Management
Research, 13(3), pp.137-170.
Deo, S. and Jain, A., 2019. Slow first, fast later: Temporal speed‐up in service episodes of finite
duration. Production and operations management, 28(5), pp.1061-1081.
Fraser, B., 2020. From hospitality classrooms to successful careers: A current appraisal of
Australian international hotel requirements. Journal of Hospitality & Tourism
Education, 32(4), pp.234-254.
Ivanov, S. and Webster, C., 2019. Economic fundamentals of the use of robots, artificial
intelligence, and service automation in travel, tourism, and hospitality. In Robots,
artificial intelligence, and service automation in travel, tourism and hospitality.
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Johnston, D., Diamant, A. and Quereshy, F., 2019. Why do surgeons schedule their own
surgeries?. Journal of Operations Management, 65(3), pp.262-281.
Kesgin, M., Hsieh, Y.C. and Alqusayer, A., 2020. What motivates and satisfies lodging
employees in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia?. Journal of Human Resources in Hospitality &
Tourism, 19(3), pp.388-415.
Lee, S., Pan, B. and Park, S., 2019. RevPAR vs. GOPPAR: Property-and firm-level
analysis. Annals of Tourism Research, 76, pp.180-190.
Lewis, M.A., 2019. Operations management: a research overview.
Meng, L., Batt, R.J. and Terwiesch, C., 2021. The impact of facility layout on service worker
behavior: An empirical study of nurses in the emergency department. Manufacturing &
Service Operations Management, 23(4), pp.819-834.
Musalem, A., Olivares, M. and Schilkrut, A., 2021. Retail in high definition: Monitoring
customer assistance through video analytics. Manufacturing & Service Operations
Management, 23(5), pp.1025-1042.
Svensson, A. and Hedman, E., 2018, September. Knowledge management for operations
management within health care. In European Conference on Knowledge
Management (pp. 847-XXVI). Academic Conferences International Limited.
Yin, Y., 2019. Three Essays on Learning and Collaboration in Operations
Management (Doctoral dissertation, Northwestern University).
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