Understanding the Layout of the Housekeeping Department in Hotel Management
Housekeeping is one of the most important departments or divisions of a hotel. The responsibilities of the personnel performing duties in this department include keeping the hotel always in the pink of the condition through standard operating procedures of cleaning, taking care of housekeeping equipment, guest supplies, and laundry management, etc. The department simply stands for a single motto’ Creating a home away from home. Students studying hotel management in the Best Hotel Management College in Bijnor often choose to specialize in this particular stream of the hotel industry.
Objectives/Golden Rules of the Housekeeping Department
Some of the primary objectives and golden rules that are taught to students during their degree course in the Top Hotel Management College in Bijnor include the following:
- Achieving maximum efficiency to ensure the comfort and a pleasant overall stay of the guests as per their expectations.
- Creating a mind-soothing atmosphere for the guests through spick-and-span cleanliness and the maintenance of hygiene of the highest order.
- Ensuring that all the guests are getting reliable and courteous services even from other key departments of the hotel
- Honoring the basic idea of hospitality – the guest is a god and he/she deserves the best of services.
- Having a unique sense of pride in being a host to the guests while making them feel welcomed and invited each moment during their stay in the hotel.
- Making sure that all the security measures and safety guidelines are met makes a guest worry-free.
- Offering the best of linens to the guests while maintaining the inventory for the same.
- Meeting all the laundry related needs of the guests and maintaining a first-class décor and aesthetics of the room.
- Staying alert for all the renovation and refurbishing related needs of the entire hotel property and take action accordingly when needed.
- Always establishing good relations with staffers across departments to make sure guests are entertained well in each respect and regard.
This way, the housekeeping department acts as a core of all the crucial operations of the hotel and can make a big difference in determining its overall image. During the degree or diploma course in Top Hotel Management College in Bijnor, a special emphasis is given to the housekeeping module so that students can get a better understanding of it.
Before understanding the expanse or scope of housekeeping in a hotel, first, it would be better to have a look at a hotel’s different divisions-
Divisions of a Hotel
As also taught in the Top Hotel Management College in Bijnor, a hotel generally has the following divisions or departments-
Front Office
The front office in a hotel is responsible for-
- Guest check-in and check-out
- Mail and information services
- Concierge services that include different types of bookings such as tour booking, reserving theatre, airport and taxi services, etc.
Food and Beverage
The Food and Beverage department takes care of matters such as food menus, food inventory management. The personnel deployed in the department are responsible for food right from preparation to serving in the room.
Uniformed Service Department
This department includes people who perform their duties as door and bell attendants, porters, drivers, and those who take care of parking inside the hotel premises.
Housekeeping
The personnel in the housekeeping department are responsible for keeping the hotel neat and clean, tidy, hygienic, welcoming, and inviting. They also take care of aspects like decoration and aesthetics.
Sales and Marketing
All hotels have a dedicated team of professionals in the sales and marketing department who take care of all aspects such as online and offline promotions and public relations. Some students pursuing a degree or diploma in the Best Hotel Management College in Bijnor often choose sales and marketing as their preferred area of specialization.
Security
In the contemporary scenario, security occupies a prominent role in any hotel. The security department in a hotel has a dedicated security manager along with supporting staff by his side who takes care of all security-related concerns of a hotel.
Accounts
All financial activities are taken care of by the accounts department. Be it receiving payments, producing bills, making salaries of the employees, or looking into any other overheads, the personnel in the accounting department look after them.
Maintenance
This department takes care of the proper maintenance of the hotel property. Some of the main jobs include timely repair of furniture and fixtures, taking care of the area that needs painting and coloring, and adding something new if required. Some hotels prefer to hand over this job to any third party whereas some have their team within the hotel premises.
Engineering and Technology
The people in this department are responsible for the proper and timely maintenance of telephones, internet, and upgrading and updating hotel management software, and implementing any new change if required.
Housekeeping Department Layout in Hotel
As described in the curriculum of the Best Hotel Management College in Bijnor, the layout of the housekeeping department in a hotel to a large extent depends upon its magnitude and scale. What mainly determines the layout is the total number of rooms, outlets, and the people performing their duties.
Given below are some of the most prominent areas that make the layout of the housekeeping department in a hotel-
Office of the Executive Housekeeper
All administrative activities take place here in this office.
Housekeeping Control Desk
The housekeeping control desk is operational round the clock in any hotel, and due to this reason, a shift system is followed here. This area has-
- Notice boards
- Storage shelves
- Registers
- Lost and found cupboard, and
- Key-hanger matrix.
Laundry Area
In the laundry area, the washing, cleaning, ironing, folding of clothing of both staff as well as guests are carried out.
Linen Room
A linen room is a place in a hotel wherein pillowcases, bed-sheets, curtains, and pillows are stored and taken to different guest rooms as and when needed.
There is a dedicated module on the Housekeeping Department Layout in the course taught in the Best Hotel Management College in Bijnorwhere students learn about this department in detail. Right from the very beginning of the course, this is one of the most focused areas for both students as well as teachers.
Concluding Remarks
Thus, the housekeeping department always remains at the core of all crucial hotel operations. More than 50% of the total revenue comes from the sales and services of the room. And it is the housekeeping department that takes care of all aspects related to rooms of a hotel. Most students aspiring for a bright career in the field of hotel management choose to specialize in housekeeping while pursuing their degree course in the Best Hotel Management College in Bijnor.
