This notes is prepared by Respected. Anju Bhujel (Lecturer). “Thank you ma’am for being an important part of my story”.
1.1. Introduction
A hotel can be generally defined as the establishment which provides food, lodging and other services for the travelers with certain amount of payment. The main motive of hotel is to provide accommodation and food and beverages facilities to those who are away from home.
A hotel industry is a service business which help to the economic development of a country. Hotel industry is also a part of hospitality industry. Hotel industry associates many types of industry such as, tourism industry, transportation and food serving industry. This industry significantly increases the source of income to the people by generating employment opportunities.
The government as well as public sectors need to cooperate each others to promote these industry to generate revenue for the country’s economic development. Moreover, booming tourism industry is enhancing people to invest in such business.
1.2. Definition of Hotel
- According to Hotel Law, 1935, Hotel refers to all places constitute to receive the payment from travelers or people who quest for lodging or temporary stay.
- According to Encyclopedia, Hotel is a building that provides lodging, meals and others services to the travelling public on commercial basis.
- The word ‘Hotel’ in the Longman Dictionary of American English (1983:335) gave a definition of “a building where people can stay, in return for payment”. This refers to a place where people can stay through payment
1.3. Classifications of Hotel
Hotels are classified according to the hotel size, location, target market, level of service, facilities provided, number of rooms, ownership and affiliation, etc.
A. On the Basis of Location
1. Downtown hotel
It is located in the center or heart of the city or within a short distance from business center, shopping areas, theaters, public offices, etc. The center of the city may not necessarily be the geographical center, but it refers to an area that is considered to be the commercial hub of the city. They are also known as “city hotels” which focuses on business clients (clientele) as they find it convenient to stay closer to the place of their business activities for following considerable reasons:
a) Central Location
b) No or low need of transport
c) Save time
d) Simple & easy for other people to reach
e) Often downtown hotels are top notch in service
2. Sub-urban Hotel
As the land cost in the city center is higher and the space is limited. Some of the entrepreneurs build their hotels near the outskirts of the city. Such hotels are ideal for the people who prefer to stay away from the hustle and bustle of city. The duration of the guest stay in these hotels may be longer than at a hotel located in the city. The room rates in such hotels are moderate and may attract the budget travelers. #quieter surrounding.
Examples: Hotel Hyatt, Kathmandu
3. Airport Hotel
They are situated in the vicinity of airport and other ports of entry. Offering all the services of a commercial hotel, these hotels are generally for the guest who stays less than one day or have to catch their flights, bus, train, etc. within some hours. Rates are charged according to the hour the guest stays in a hotel. Rates are not high and facilities are limited. They are also known as “Transit or Transient hotel” as they are usually located in transient location such as an airport, railway, harbors, ports, etc.
4. Resort Hotel
They are eco-friendly commercial hotel, basically designed for long stay for the guest and usually situated in the calm and natural ambience (atmosphere). These hotels are mostly far from cities and have recreational mostly far from cities and have recreational facilities, scenery, golf, tennis, skiing, swimming, rock climbing, etc. The occupancy in resorts is normally higher during vacation time and weekends when guest want to take a break from their weekly schedule/routine.
Examples: Godawari village resort in the Godawari, Gokarna golf resort and Spa in Gokarna.
5. Motels
The word motel is formed by merging two words “motel” and “hotel” from America. They are located primarily on highways and provide modest lodging to highway travelers. A motels offers facilities such as accommodations, food and drinks, garage facilities, a parking lot, and refueling for vehicles. These types of hotels are preferred by the guests who goes on a long drive and usually need accommodation for one day.
6. Inns
7. Flotels
Flotels are type of lodging properties that float on the surface of water. This category consist of all lodgings properties that are built on the top of rats or semi-submersible platforms, and includes cruise liners and houseboats. Some of them provide luxurious accommodation, along with food and beverage facilities to guest.
8. Rotels
The hotels which rotate on wheel are called Rotels. It is also called ‘Motels on wheels’. The best example of rotel in India is Palace on Wheels. It is a luxurious train, fully air conditioned and well-furnished, with attached restaurant and bar.
B. On the Basis of Number of Rooms
1. Small Hotels
25 rooms or less
2. Medium Hotels
26-100 rooms
3. Large Hotels
101-300 guest rooms
4. Very Large Hotels
More than 300 guest room
Eg: Shangri-La Hotel, New Delhi
C. On the Basis of Length of Stay
1. Transit Hotels
Transit/ Transient hotels cater to the needs of people who are on the move and needs a stopover in route of their journey. Located in the close proximity of ports of entry, such as sea ports, airports, and major railways station and highways, these hotels are normally patronized by transit travelers. Guest usually stay for short time.
2. Residential Hotels
As the name (Residential) suggest, residential hotels provide accommodation for longer duration. These hotels are generally preferred by people who have or are on a temporary official deputation to a city where they do not have their own residential accommodation. Guest stay for a minimum period of one month and up to years. The services offered are modest.
1.4. Meaning of Housekeeping Department
Housekeeping is defined as the ‘provision of clean, comfortable, aesthetically appealing and safe environment’.
In another way, Housekeeping is an operational department in a hotel, which is responsible for cleanliness, maintenance, aesthetic upkeep of rooms, public areas, back areas and the surroundings as well.
Housekeeping is considered as the backbone of the hotel industry. Housekeeping department is the department of a hotel charged with cleaning and maintaining rooms and public areas. It plays a very important role in the reputation of the hotel. Housekeeping department through its service ensure the guests to be happy during their stay. Housekeeping department in a hotel is responsible for creating ‘a home away from home’ environment to the guests. It helps to achieve maximum profit by providing comforts to the guest during their stay.
This department is responsible for entire hotel cleaning and report for any maintenance required. In general, housekeeping staff is responsible for the daily cleaning of public areas( lobbies, corridors, meeting rooms) and private areas such as guests room, executive offices etc.
In addition, this departments is responsible for laundering of linens and some instances, guests laundry as well. Housekeeping also performs a minor security function by providing a ‘ first alert’ to potential guest problems while staff undertake daily guest bedroom cleaning.
1.5. Role of Housekeeping Departments
Housekeeping plays a very important role in hospitality industry such as
- To achieve the maximum possible efficiency in ensuring the care and comfort of guest and in the smooth running of the department.
- To establish a welcoming atmosphere and ensure courteous, reliable service from all staff of the department.
- To ensure a high standard of cleanliness and general upkeep in all areas for which the departments is responsible.
- To provide linen in rooms, restaurants, banquet hall, conference venues, health clubs, and so on as well as maintain an inventory for the same.
- To provide uniform for all the staff and maintain adequate inventories for the same.
- To cater to the laundering requirements of the hotel linen, staff uniforms and guest clothing.
- To provide and maintain the floral decorations and maintain the landscaped areas of the hotel.
- To coordinate renovation and refurnishing of the property and when in consultation with the management and with interior designers.
- To deal with lost and found articles.
- To ensure training, control and supervision of all staff attached to the department.
- To established a good working relationship with other departments
- To ensure that safety and security regulations are made known to all staff of the department.
1.6. Importance of Housekeeping Department
- The housekeeping department in a hotel is responsible for cleaning.
- It is responsible for the maintenance and aesthetic upkeep of the hotel.
- It helps to keep clean, comfortable and safe house.
- It provides laundry facilities to the guest.
- It provides amenities to the guest.
- It provides linen to the guest.
- It provides uniform to the staff.
- It is an important and integral part of the guest satisfaction.
- It also takes care of the maintenance of the decorative items in the company in a perfect condition.
- It assist in purchasing of the items required for the company and also help the sales team.
1.7. Functions of Housekeeping
The basic functions of housekeeping department are explained briefly below:
1. Cleanliness
There are different surfaces in a large commercial organization like a hotel that possesses a challenge for the housekeeper. Cleaning is not just having a duster cloth in a hand and wiping a surface. It requires a comprehensive understanding of different surfaces and the best tools and solutions to clean them to preserve a long life of these surfaces. The housekeeper most know how to manage different degrees of stains and the soil because all the surfaces required independent, understanding of their uses and their properties.
Apart from cleaning the guest rooms, housekeeping department is also responsible for cleaning floor, terraces, elevators, elevator lobbies, corridors of guest floors, floor linen closets, mop and janitor’s closets, service lobbies and service stairways, function rooms, shopping arcade, cabanas, bars, dining rooms, offices, uniform rooms, tailor rooms, upholstery, shops, store rooms and swimming pools. To be concise, the housekeeping department is responsible for the total cleanliness of a hotel.
2. Maintenance
Housekeeping has access to all parts of facilities and they are the right people to locate deficiency and report them to the engineering for rectification. Engineering supports comes in the way of electrical, mechanical, civil, carpentry, plumbing work.
The housekeeping staff for e.g.:- Will identify the corridors light they are not working. Bathroom tap are leaking, lobby chairs that wobble or meeting room walls that shows water see peg.
3. Aesthetic Upkeep
Aesthetic upkeep are those measures which are use to beautify the property. This includes landscaping around the premises as well as providing the flowers arrangement as decoration in internal public areas and offices.
To do this the housekeeper has the knowledge of horticulture including the maintenance of nursery and green houses. The interior plan the layout of facility so, that it serve the guest as well as those that provides service to them and housekeeper must maintain the facility concerned by exterior designer.
4. Pest Control
Pest Control is another major job of the Housekeeping Department. No matter how clean one keeps the surroundings, one cannot avoid the “uninvited guests” – the pests. It is not only embarrassing but also speaks badly of a hotel where one sees rats, cockroaches, and lizards running around. Therefore, pest control is one of the primary responsibilities of the housekeeping department.
5. Key Control
Key control is one of the major jobs of the housekeeping department. The room keys have to be handled efficiently and safely before and after letting the room.
6. Bed Making
A guest requires a comfortable bed to take rest, relax and enjoy. A bed that is well- made will provide the required comfort. Bed making is a skill that requires to be developed by the housekeeper, as it not only provides comfort to the guest, but also adds to the pleasant ambience of a guest’s room. Guests should not be able to tell if anyone has slept in the room, so a clean environment and perfect bed making is major consideration of this department.
7. Safety and Security
The Housekeeping Department is responsible for maintaining a peaceful atmosphere in the hotel. If the guests and staff always fear for their safety and the safety of their belongings, the atmosphere will be very tense. Hence the housekeeping department staff should be aware of ways to protect himself and others, especially the guests around him and the property of the hotel from accidents and theft. Several accidents could occur at the place of work. These include fire accidents, falls, wounds, injuries, negligence in handling electrical equipment e t c . It is important for all housekeeping personnel to know about first aid as they could be the first ones on the spot to give immediate attention to a guest and also an employee in trouble.
8. Linen Management
One of the important jobs of the Housekeeping Department is clothes and linen management. This involves all functions from purchase of linen to laundering, storage, supplies and to condemnation. In a hotel different types of clothes and linen are used such as the bed sheets, pillow covers, napkins, towels, hand towels, table covers, curtains, cushion covers etc. All of these require regular maintenance.