193 Credit over List Check Credit facilities can be valid credit cards, cash deposit, foreign cash deposit, travelers cheques or pre-approved local cheques. It is the responsibility of the Guest Services Officer who checked in the guest to obtain such form of deposit. The afternoon Team Leader it required to print an Approved Limit Exceeded sometime in the early evening to carefully review the report. The Team Leader should look out for zero approval amounts and the billing instructions. Rooms with exceeded amount are to be highlighted when found. The “pay for”, “pay by” when stated in the billing request must be re-checked for accurate information input. The zero approval code must be rectified immediately by processing through the BMP. A message to ask guest to contact the Front Desk must be written should the deposit fails to match with the current or projected expenses throughout the stay. The Team Leader must follow up and monitor the entire process until the deposit is collected duly. After completion, this report must be filed in our Black Ring File daily in case reference is required in the future date. The Team Leader who performed the task has to print and signed the name on the list. At some point, the GSO is required to deactivate the keycard access for guest should the hotel fails to contact with the guests. This will enable the hotel to pursue payment politely with the guest when they return to the reception to seek for assistance.
194 Cashier Float 1. The FO float is drawn by the FOM for the operations of the entire Front Office. 2. The AM is responsible to ensure the float is balanced daily when passing over the shift. 3. The FO Float key must be safely kept by the AM when passing over shifts. 4. Only the AM or FOM will collect the due backs from the General Cashier. 5. Only the AM or FOM will change due back for the cashiers 6. The Night Manager does not has the right to open the FO float unless during emergencies 7. All individual cashiers must balance their floats prior to the beginning of the shifts and after ending the shifts 8. The balancing of the floats must be done in the presence of a Supervisor or the previous cashier to serve as a witness. 9. All due back must be entered neatly and clearly. 10. Shift cashiers must change their due backs with the AM before going home to ensure the next shift will have the exact amount when starting shift. 11. The cash drawer should never be left unattended, even for a short period of time, unless it is locked first. 12. The Guest Services Officers must keep the keys to their cash drawers at all time. 13. Cash should never be left lying around outside of the cash drawer. Loose cash is always a great temptation to passers by. 14. When cash is on the counter for any reason, Guest Services Officers should not let anything (for example, answering the phone) distract their attention until it is kept away safely.
195 Allocation of Rooms 1. Check VIP status, standard requests, special requests, suites, arrival time by the guest arrival list. 2. Must assign the room number to; - Reservation with VIP status - Reservation with special request - Reservation for early arrivals 3. Check the departure time of current guest to ensure adequate time for cleaning and preparation. Floor Closure Policy 1. Identify forecasted period of low occupancy. 2. Ascertain with other departments (i.e. Housekeeping, Engineering) which floor / areas would be most beneficial to close. 3. Monitor long staying guest’s room allocations two weeks prior to closing a floor. 4. Schedule staff accordingly and advise all departments concerned. 5. Close room in system as Out of Service they become vacant 1 – 2 days prior to “Closing Date” 6. Should any additional rooms be required over closure date, one or more floors may be opened and used for guests staying one night if possible. 7. No additional staff will be put on the floor while any guests are occupying rooms on the closure floor.
196 8. Whenever possible, equipment should be turned off in the pantries, and the pantries are to be locked. 9. Security should be notified about patrolling the closed floors Guest Room Key Control On Guest Request: 1. Ask for Guest’s name and room number. 2. Check the information given against the computer’s record. 3. Request that guest presents his / her passport if further identification is required. If he / she does not carry the passport, ask for any identification that has his / her picture, e.g. driving license, social security I.D., etc. No keys are to be released without proper authentication of the guest identity. 4. If no picture identification is available by the guests, the GSO must accompany the guests to the room to confirm the identity. When being challenged by our actions, we are to inform the guest: “We are doing this for your security and safety. We appreciate your understanding.” 5. Only in an emergency situation can we use the information on the guest passport number, date of birth, address given to the hotel on arrival etc. to ascertain against computer’s record. 6. When in doubt with the identity and guest refused to be escorted to room, inform the Team Leader immediately. If the Team Leader or Assistant Manager – Front Office could recognize the guest, give the duplicate key to the guest while reinforcing politely why we need to perform the identity check. 7. Check if guest requires additional key or if he has lost his previous key. 8. If guest requests additional key, program a new key with duplicate code. 9. If guest has lost his previous key, program a key with new code. 10. Present the new key to the guest
197 Keys must never be issued to persons claiming to have the guest’s permission to enter the room unless the guest has personally given his / her verbal or written authorization to the Front Office team. In such a situation, a Key Authorization Form must be filled. The staff must not be intimidated into giving keys to guests if the above is not observed. The Assistant Manager must be alerted to take over such cases. Room numbers should not be written on the keys in case keys are misplaced. A set of codes are encoded to differentiate keys being held by guests. On Staff’s request entry into occupied room: 1. Only designated operational staff is allowed access to occupied guestrooms. They are: Bellmen, Concierge, Front Desk team, Regency Club team, Housekeeping Manager, Assistant Manager – Housekeeping / Team Leader / Designated Room Attendant and Laundry Attendant, F&B – Room Service Fruits Deliverer, Service Valet. 2. Key machines should constantly be in ‘log off” mode. Access code should be known only to those designated personnel and not shared amongst other staff. 3. Cashier may hand over the checked out room key to the bellman to collect luggage and check mini-bar and safe boxes. The bellman must return the used key to the same cashier after removing the luggage from the room. “Show Room” Keys 1. On a daily basis, a set of rooms will be blocked off for viewing purposes by the Team Leader – Front Office. 2. Two sets of keys to these rooms will be programmed and placed at the Front Office Reception for site inspection purposes. 3. Staff releasing the Site Inspection keys must inform / remind the receiver to return the keys back to the Reception upon completion.
198 Guaranteed No Show 1. When a reservation is guaranteed, the hotel should undertake to hold a room for the guest, no matter how late their arrival time might be, and regardless of occupancy. 2. All reservations due to arrive should be left in the PMS so that they are by Night Audit as No Show. Under no circumstances be No Shows be checked in, as this may result in excessive rebates and inaccurate No Show statistics. 3. The Night Manager is to identify the guaranteed No Show arrivals before night audit and make sure the guest is not already in-house. 4. Check the cancellations and contact the source of booking and check the travel itinerary of the guest who was a No Show. 5. Check to see if the credit card is valid to charge for No Show. 6. Post in other No Show Rooms Revenue. 7. Do not post No Shows for Travel Agency bookings. These reservations are informed to Reservation Department to follow up. 8. Enter into Cashier Remarks as – NS Charge @ US$ XXX/FEX. 9. Enter into guest history as – 17DEC06=NS Charge @ US$ XXX/FEX 10. Checkout the No Show rooms immediately after night audit. 11. Change the room status from Vacant dirty to vacant/inspected clean 12. Night Manager to send No Show email report via lotus notes to FOM/DOR/AM/DOS/GM stating the information for No Show Charged and No Show not charged. 13. All disputes pertaining to No Show can be channelled to Front Office and Sales departments to explain. 14. Only Front Office Manager & above and Sales Manager & above are authorized to waive no show charges for various reasons of goodwill.
199 Room Amenities Management Reservations 1. All amenity codes for the on day arriving guests must be entered immediately into “Opera” prior to the guests’ arrival. 2. All amenity codes for future dates arrivals must be entered during daily check. Front Office 1. The morning shift Team Leader and Assistant Manager are to double-check all the amenity codes on the Arrivals List to ensure they are correctly entered. 2. At 09:30 hrs, the Team Leader to print the following reports: 2 x RA08 (Same Day Arrival Report) 1 x GA14 (VIP 1 & 2 only for daily replenishment) 1 x GA44 (Next Day Amenity Report) 1 x GH16 (Trace for Room Service – RMS) 1 x GA46 (Accounts Report) 1 x GI04 (Room Status Report) 3. GA.46 amenity report with rate and indicate on the report which amenities are to be charged to the respective departments who made the reservations. Pass the report to the Assistant Manager for approval and file for Cost Audit collection. 4. Every Wednesday and Saturday, at 09:30 hrs, print an additional GA10-Long Stay Guest Report for Room Service for amenities replenishment.
200 5. Every Friday, at 09:00 hrs, to print an additional GA 44 for SAT, SUN and MON for stock requisition. 6. The report must be delivered to the Room Service Department at 10:00 hrs daily. 7. At 15:00 hrs, Front Desk will send the second report to Room Service which includes Arrival List and Room Status Report. 8. Front Desk will update and write down the room numbers onto the 2nd RA08. These are the room numbers that have been either checked in or blocked for arrivals after 12:00 hrs. 9. The Team Leader will calculate an estimate number of rooms unblocked. 10. The Team Leader will then check from the “Opera” system to identify the vacant room numbers remain unblocked. These room numbers are written on an Internal Movement Form (IMF) separately. The Team Leader is to photocopy and attached to the arrival report for delivery at 15:30 hrs. 11. This report is to be sent to Room Service for the continuation of the amenities delivery. 12. All walk-ins must be informed to Team Leader to call for amenities set up. The room numbers are also added to the IMF if it was not there in the first place. 13. All rooms must be blocked when occupancy falls 50% and below, i.e. during low occupancy. When occupancy reaches 90% and above, morning report remains the same. A copy of the Departure Report - GD 10 is given to Room Service by the Night Manager. 14. This report is printed in order for Room Service to place all vacant rooms amenities set up. 15. It is the responsibility of the Room Service staff to set the amenities in the guestrooms prior to the guest's arrival. 16. Room Blocking Criteria is as follows: - Pre Blocks for Next Day - Early Arrivals before 10:00 hrs
201 - VIPs 1-3 - Executive Office Bookings - Event Organisers - Site Inspections - Non-Smoking Request - Special Set Up - All Limo Pickup Early Arrivals 1. The Night Assistant Manager is to print an Arrival List and identify on the report any early arrivals (0600 – 1200hr) and arrivals with no arrival time for the following day with the proper rooms assigned, unless no vacant clean rooms are available the night before. 2. All early arrival requests between 06:00 hrs. – 12:00 hrs will be set with fruits only by the overnight Room Service staff. All other food amenities will be set thereafter either in the early morning for special VIP or after guest arrivals due to food hygiene. Arrivals after 12:00 hrs will be delivered by Room Service in the afternoon to ensure freshness. 3. The rooms must be pre-blocked by 02:00 hrs and informed to Room Service/Cafe team. 4. Once the amenities are delivered to the guestrooms, Room Service will indicate on the report that the items are delivered and then send to Cost Audit for cost charging. No-shows 1. All rooms are checked in the morning by Housekeeping attendants. As such, it is the responsibility of the Housekeeping Attendant to remove the amenities from rooms that guests did not check in the previous night. 2. All food amenities, i.e. fruits / chocolates / pastries should be discarded. 3. All un-opened wines / champagnes should be immediately sent down to the Housekeeping office. 4. For chocolates in boxes, the chocolates are to be discarded. The silk boxes to be returned to Housekeeping office. On every Wednesday and Sunday, raise an
202 inventory movement form for the boxes and return together back to the Room Service. 5. For wine and champagnge, Housekeeping to keep the stock and raise an Inventory Movement Form on every Wednesday and Sunday. Together with the form, return all un-used bottles to Room Service. 6. Front Office – Assistant Manager is to monitor the VIP no shows to ensure amenities are not cross charged to Rooms. 7. All cutleries, glassware are to be left at the pantry for Room Service retrieval. Fruit knives and forks to be lightly rinsed to prevent attraction to rodents. On-day / Last-Minute / Special Requests 1. The Room Amenity Request Form must be used for all requests individually requested by Department or Division heads to hotel guests. These items will be cross-charged to the division accordingly. 2. For very special VIPs, the stipulated amenities in Opera might not be appropriate. As such, the FOM or DOR will consult the Chef and raise a Room Amenity Request Form to order a specialty amenity for the specific VIP. 3. On very special occasion and with valid reason, pre-packed items from the Patisserie may be used as a room amenity. This must be approved by the DOR or FOM. An Inventory Movement Form must be raised and properly authorized for Assistant Manager to collect from Patisserie and set up the said item in the room. 4. For any items not specified in the Amenity Report, the request person should then key in the amenity code “OTH”. “OTH” should then be specified via a Trace to ensure that a proper Amenity form or Inventory Movement Form is prepared by Front Office. Last minute cancellation and room changes Should an arrival be expected within one hour and the amenity need to be removed or replaced, the Front Office staff must cut a key and immediately remove or replace the amenity to ensure that guest is not kept waiting.
203 Retrieval Housekeeping will check and retrieve and discard all uneaten fruits on the third day from the guest’s arrival date. Replenishment There is no replenishment of fruits for all arrivals except for long stay guests during every Wednesday and Saturday. On exceptional basis, with the requests from department heads, replenishment of fruits can be entertained. Should there be a request; an individual Amenity request form will be raised with dates of request and cross charged to the division accordingly. Charges All rooms / reservation with normal paying rates will have amenities cost charged to ROOMS. Amenities for Complimentary or House-use rooms will be charge back to the respective Division or to Admin & General account. Special rates, i.e. TA-Awareness or discounts by the Sales & Marketing, for marketing and promotional purposes will be charged back to Sales & Marketing. Payments and Billings 1. Payment by Credit Card: - Obtain card from guest and check the expiry date and name on the card before sliding across Credit Card Authorization Machine. For local cards, please check the blacklisted card list manually. - Request for Approval of minimal floor limit just to check validity of card. For local card, please ask for cost of room nights (inclusive of taxes) plus US$20 per night. - Once approval is given, return the card to the guest. For local cards, the guest must sign on a manually imprinted charge form as
204 required by the banks as local cards are not able to make use of the signature on file to do billing. - Follow instructions as given by the Authorization Machine. In the event that a call is necessary to be made to the Authorization Center, it must be made immediately. Most time it is to detain the card or the Center wishes to speak with the guest. - Should any advice come through to detain the card, the Staff must be alerted to explain to the guest tactfully and request for another credit card. - The Approval Slip must be attached to the Registration Card. 2. Payment by Cash - Once established that the guest is paying by Cash, a deposit of the entire stay must be collected. The total amount of cash to be collected is based on: (Rate x Number of nights x 15% tax) + US$20 per night - Once the money is collected, it must be given to the cashier to be posted into guest’s account. No official receipt (Fa Pia) will be given at this point. A FO voucher should be raised by the F/O Clerk and given to the guest should the cashier not available or not free to process the deposit. - The full amount must be collected before guest receives the key. - The guest will only be given an official receipt on departure as all the charges would have been posted already. - Advise the guest that any unused deposit will be refunded at checkout. 3. Payment by Vouchers / to Company Account - The various types of vouchers are: Local & Overseas Travel Agent vouchers, Airline Transit vouchers, Gold Card certificates, Affiliated Airline discount/billing vouchers, Hotel Complimentary stay voucher/certificate etc.
205 - Read the instructions on the voucher / company letter carefully and ensure room type and services extended are as requested. - Ensure dates of accommodation are checked against voucher / letter and with guest. - Write down the voucher number / letter’s reference on the Registration card. - Should an FIT guest request for billing back to company or his room accommodation be charged against his Gold Passport account or bill to his Travel Agent, then obtain the following terms of guarantee from him : - Requesting his credit card number to get approval code and charge form. - Sign the undertaking letter to bear the cost of accommodation in the event of unsuccessful billings. - All Requests to bill back to the company must be passed to the Credit Manager to process. - Such request will only be authorised by the Credit Manager and in his absence, the Assistant Manager – Front Office, Assistant Front Office Manager and the Front Office Manager. - All such requests must be properly documented in the Logbook and the Registration card to ensure awareness and thorough follow-up. 4. Payment by third party Should a city guest approached to pay the bill of in-house guest: - Obtain permission to do so from the guest. - City guest to sign the payment authorisation form. - Obtain his credit card and get approval for estimated amount of room bill for the entire stay. For guest with local card, please ensure guest signs on the charge credit card slip. - Get a copy of his business card and check how he would like to have the bill forwarded to him. - Enter the “Pay For” and “Pay By” into both folios promptly.
206 - Upon guest’s check out, clear the amount via city guest’s credit card. 5. Credit Over List - The Credit Over list assists to highlight outstanding amount on guests’ folios for cash and credit card payments. - The Assistant Manager must clear the Credit over list nightly to ensure all credit card payment folios are within the hotel’s floor limit, otherwise he must call the bank to ask for sufficient funds to be set aside for settlement of hotel bill on guest’s departure, thus obtaining a new approval code for the additional funds. - Guest with cash deposit must also be checked to ensure their funds are sufficient, otherwise they must be approached to ask for enough to top up. - The Credit Over list form must then be filled up to update the Front Office Manager and Credit Manager on the progress of these outstanding amounts. Night Audit Distribution 1. Only print report for DOR, FOM, AM-Front Office and morning shift Team Leader. 2. Please refer to what reports to print for further details. 3. Other divisions or departments can print themselves directly from their departmental printers. Up Selling 1. All eligible front office members are given a personal Upselling Record Sheet monthly to record all upselling. (See attached Upsell Record Sheet) 2. Upon check-in the staff identifies the guest as a potential for the upsell program. He then recommends the higher room type category and explains in details - the layout, sizes, amenities available and the difference in prices of the two room types.
207 3. Once the guest agreed to pay the modifier rate for the upsold room type, the staff should update the new room rate on the registration card. The staff will require to circle the entire room rate before requesting the guest to sign beside the adjusted rate. 4. After rooming the guest, the staff must screen print the guest folio detailing the room rate change record. 5. This copy must then be attached to the Upselling Record Sheet for verification purpose. 6. All upsell's are updated in the remarks as : UPS RK US$ 1815/FRA. 7. ‘Upg’ and ‘Fix’ reasons must also be updated UPS 8. In the event when an upsell is to be settled by the guest personal account, it should be entered as Fixed Charge accordingly. 9. This Upselling Record Sheet is forwarded to the Assistant Manager – Front Office at the end of each week for checking. 10. The Assistant Manager – Front Office will counter check the upsell for validity, with the entire stay complete along with payment confirmation of the upsell rate. Only checked out folios are then entered into the Upsell Record. 11. The upsell incentive cash reward is base on X% of the upsold modifier rate on daily basis. For example, Guestroom booked at US$ 68 + 15% from 18 – 21 December (3 nights stay). Staff upsold to Lake View room at US$ 72 + 15% Staff entitled to 3% x B 200 x 3 nights = US$ 1 12. The cash earned will be banked into individual staff’s bank account. 13. The staff, however, will absorb taxes that accompanied the sales. Welcome Cards 1. In the morning, the Assistant Manager – Front Office in charge is to segregate the welcome card between hotel and Club Floors
208 2. Club welcome cards will be sent to Club office to follow up accordingly. 3. All welcome cards must be set in the assigned room prior to guest arrival. 4. Should there be a No Show, the welcome cards must be retrieved accordingly and handed over to the Rooms Divisional Secretary. 5. The Rooms Divisional Secretary will stick note pad to the envelope stating the reasons, whether it is a “No Show” or CXL - cancellation of reservation. 6. The Rooms Divisional Secretary will hand these welcome cards back to the Secretary of the General Manager promptly. System Failure Power shutdown with advance notice 1. Staff must print the following report: In-house guest name list Trial Balance of all rooms Departure list for FITs and Groups 2. Assign Team Leader to be fully in charge of the operation 3. Organize for a temporary container to receive all outlets’ unposted checks and arrange in room order for easy reference upon guest checkout. 4. When approached by a guest requesting for check out, staff must explain to the guest of the power failure. 5. Staff will check the latest Trial Balance for the outstanding amount and inform the guest. 6. In addition, staff must check the temporary slot to locate any unposted charges and manually add them together with the Trial Balance figure. 7. Inform guest and seek guest approval to send the invoice to his/her preferred fax numbers once we are back on-line. 8. Assure guest that we will mail the original copy of the guest folio should he/she prefer.
209 9. Ensure sufficient credit card approval code to sustain the amount. 10. Thank guest for his support and wish him good trip. 11. After the system is up again, ensure all charges are posted into every folio before embarking on checking out all the outstanding folio. 12. Update guest inconvenience in his Guest Profile to ensure Assistant Manager - Front Office will meet up to apologize on his next arrival. 13. Ensure mailing address is correct on the guest folio and pass those folios that need to be mailed out to the Rooms Divisional Secretary for mail processing. Remittance for Safe Drop 1. Upon closing shift and after consolidating the cashier’s report, the GSO – Front Office must use a Remittance Envelope to remit the day’s taking. 2. Remittance must be written clearly and neatly on the Remittance envelope detailing type and denomination of currency to be remitted. Collection of cheques must be noted on the envelope. 3. All Shortages and Overages for that shift must be recorded in the remittance envelope and immediately reported to the shift Team Leader and the Assistant Manager for assistance. Should there be an overage, the revenues collected will be more than in the cashier’s report and remitted. However, if there is a shortage, the cashier’s float will be less than the amount that was original started. The difference must be written on a Due Back Slip with the cashier signature. 4. Credit cards charge forms must be remitted in the credit card remittance envelope. All charge forms must be tabulated and tally with the cashier’s report prior to remittance. Security Escort on Cash Conveyance 1. Money should be contained in a strong, lockable case. The emphasis is to have monies contained discreetly so as to avoid attraction.
210 2. The escort’s job is not completed until the money is safely locked away in the safe or back to the office e.g. Cashier’s counter. 3. Times and routes should be varied whenever possible and where the choice lies between a busy route and a quite route, the busy one should be used. Routes should be changed only where there is an advantage. 4. Different routes to the Team Leader – Front Office in the basement should be taken whenever changing or reimbursing money. 5. Prior to leaving for the General Cashier in the basement or to guest rooms to change or collect money, the staff has to call for security escort. 6. As with collection from the guestroom, staff must be accompanied by Security Officer to the guestroom. A calculator and some rubber bands should be included for easy calculation of money. After collecting the money, the staff may inform the guest that the receipt will be delivered once the money collected is recorded in the folio. Foreign Exchange 1. We can ONLY perform foreign exchange with hotel in-house guests. 2. Determine if the guest is registered with the hotel by asking for his name and room number. Guest MUST provide name and room number together as there are occasions when tricksters used only room number to change counterfeit monies. 3. Explain to the guest the exchange rate and seek his approval before proceeding with the transaction. 4. The Guest Services Agent must examine the currency carefully and ensure it is of good quality and not fake. They must use the sample guidebook provided at the cashiers to help them in identifying the real money. Currency should not be torn, scotch-taped, faded, too dirty and crumpled. 5. There is a general limit of USD$200 per day per room for foreign exchange. 6. When in doubt, always check in the “Opera” system to ensure that the foreign currency about to receive is being registered with the bank for such operation.
211 7. As with Traveler’s cheque, - ensure that guest countersigns all cheques in the presence of the Guest Services Agent - Guest Service Agent must carefully compare the latest signature against the original 8. All acceptable travelers’ checks must have two identical guest signatures. 9. All acceptable travelers’ checks must be stamped at the front accordingly before submitting to accounts. 10. Three sections will be automatically printed for each transaction. 11. The top and middle section is to be presented to guest for signature. 12. This signed copy is then attached with the foreign cash for submission to accounts. 13. The bottom section, which is without the signature, is to be given to guest as receipt. 14. Should the guest request to exchange Yen into his foreign currency, we will then advise the guest to do it at the Bank of Japan at the airport . 15. When in doubt, always check with the senior to see if the currencies are accepted. 16. Do not release pen to guest for signature on Travelers checks before confirming guest is in-house guest or for that matter if the checks are acceptable. Handling Medical Emergencies The hotel emergency team members are responsible to lead in a medical emergency situation and should remain calm and in control of the situation. The hotel emergency team members consist of the Assistant Manager, Security Team Leaders or Managers, Front Office Manager, Director of Rooms, Manager on Duty and the General Manager.
212 A health emergency is defined as any situation which jeopardizes an individual's well being and / or threats to his / her life (Cardiac / Respiratory Arrest, Unconscious Individual or any Conscious Person in Acute Distress). In the event of emergencies involving guests, visitors, or employees injured at Hotel, take the following steps: Any Employees 1. Call the Operator or Assistant Manager – Front Office and describe the circumstances regarding the emergency. Clearly mention the room number or specific location of the scene. 2. Stay with the guest till the arrival of the Assistant Manager – Front Office and Security. Supply more information to the Assistant Manager – Front Office. Operator 1. Take down the caller’s name, room number or location of the scene, type of sickness or injury and inform the Assistant Manager – Front Office immediately. 2. Inform Security in Charge to rush to the scene. 3. Have the ‘Foreign Language Speaking List’ ready. 4. Upon receiving instructions from the Assistant Manager – Front Office, contact Foreign Language Speaking employee to go to the scene for assistance. 5. Wait for other instructions. Assistant Manager – Front Office 1. If being the first who received the call, inform Operator to contact Security and rush to the scene. 2. Together with Security, assess the situation if: - Foreign language speaking assistance is needed and call the Operator to assist
213 - If ambulance is needed, instruct Security to call Emergency assistance ‘120’ 3. Inform Front Office Manager, Director of Rooms and General Manager. 4. Inform Director Of Human Resources if the casualty is an employee. 5. Assist the Medical Team by providing necessary information as needed In the event of a light illness, offer common medicines, e.g., Tylenol for light fever or flu is readily available when required by in-house guests. Local hospital or international clinic are also available should a guest require further medical 6. treatment. In-house guests based on their request can be directed to these medical institutions accordingly. Security In Charge 1. Rush to the scene and meet with the Assistant Manager – Front Office. 2. When Emergency Unit assistance is needed, - Determine the access route for ambulance. - Call Emergency assistance ‘120’. - Coordinate a Security Officer to receive the ambulance. - Ensure a Security to guide the medical team to the scene. In the event the guest died prior to the arrival of the Medical Team 1. Wait for the arrival of the Medical Team. 2. Do not move the victim or anything at the scene. 3. Upon confirmation of death by the Medical Team, call the Police. 4. Security in Charge to seal the room and wait for further instructions from Local Police. Local Hospital The nearest local hospital recommended is the Kyoto Hospital about 20 minutes car distance from the Hotel. It is opened 24 hours daily. However, a hotel staff is advised to accompany the foreign guest to the hospital mainly to lead the way and also to avoid potential delay due to language barrier between the hotel nonJapanese guests and the hospitals personnel. International Clinic
214 International Medical is located at No. 59 East End Road. The contact information for International Medical is TEL: 6438098 (Clinic) and TEL: XXXXXXX (Emergency 24 Hours). There is a team of Japanese and Foreign doctors readily available at the Hospital round the clock providing medical assistance. Doctors can be summoned for in-house consultation at the guests’ request. When this is required, we will contact SOS International Clinic for assistance. • (Please see Session Plan for How to Handle Request for In-house Medical Consultation) • The following charges are, however, used as a guide should guest enquires Charges 1. The charges for doctor on call is USD$90 from MON-SAT 2. The charges for doctor on call is USD$150 for Sunday and MON-SAT from 18:00 – 09:00 hrs. 3. The above charges are for our information only and subject to changes from SOS. Please do not commit charges to guest. Let the doctor and the guest communicate to finalize on the charges. • In a serious medical emergency, the Manager on Duty acting as the leader of the medical emergency team, together with the Security Supervisor must be immediately present to access the situation. • The DM will attempt to stabilize the victim with the assistance of the Security Supervisor/Manager while the ambulance is being summoned. • Wheelchair will be placed on standby if required, and the Security Supervisor/Manager will arrange for an elevator to carry out the evacuation. Also, the ambulance will be directed to arrive either via the Employee Entrance or the North Entrance at the lobby level. • The DM will contact and report the situation to the DOR & RM immediately. In the absence of the DOR, the FOM must be informed accordingly. (Please see Session Plan on How to Handle Serious Medical Emergencies) • All medical emergencies must be logged onto the AM log accordingly. • The following information must be obtained post emergency: 1. Name of the hospital where guest is admitted; 2. Ward number / how to contact the guest in the hospital thereafter; 3. Find out how to inform the family members or local company representative in the event when the guest is staying alone, 4. Payment method while staying in the hospital must be obtained • AM must then follow up daily on the guest recovery progress and report back to DOR/GM.
215 Contact Information: Contact Hotel Extension Mobile Phone Phone Number Operator Assistant Manager Security Ambulance Deceased Handling 1. If a hotel guest / patron / employee dies in the hotel premises, the body and his/her personal belongings should not be touched by anyone. The scene must be preserved for police investigation. 2. The person who discovers the body should immediately inform the Security Office and the Assistant Manager – Front Office. 3. The Security Manager should then proceed to the scene together with the Assistant Manager - Front Office. 4. The Assistant Manager – Front Office will then inform the Front Office Manager, Director of Rooms, General Manager and Housekeeping Manager. 5. The Assistant Manager – Front Office will call the police and inform the relevant Embassy or Consulate of the deceased. 6. Hotel staff should be reminded not to make any comments on the incident. Any requests for information or enquiry by the media must be made by the Marketing Communications Manager. 7. The police will be aided by the Security Department for investigation, notification to next-of-kin and handling of all other details. 8. When the police have completed their investigation and the body is removed, an inventory of the deceased’s personal property should be made by the Security Manager and the Housekeeping Manager. They will then securely pack and store the personal belongings and record them on a DECEASED PROPERTY FORM witnessed and signed by both.
216 9. One copy of the “Deceased Property Form” will be packed with the deceased’s property, the second and third retained by Housekeeping Manager and Security Manager and the forth filed with the Assistant Manager – Front Office Log. 10. If a representative of the deceased’s inheritors calls for the property, the inventory will be reviewed in the presence of the representative, the Housekeeping and Security Staff and a receipt for the property together with and INDEMNITY FORM must be signed by the representative before the property is released to him / her. 11. If the deceased’s property has to be shipped to his / her inheritors, the inventory should be used as a packing list and appropriate Bills of Landing and Delivery Tickets are to be used. 12. If the deceased had a room with the hotel, the Front Office Manager has to liaise with Finance Department to try to collect funds for the outstanding amount from any of the inheritors. 13. The area outside the Loading Dock should be kept clear by the Security Office for the police and / or ambulance to arrive and to park their vehicles. 14. A service lift should be blocked off and Security Office should wait for the person concerned and lead them to the scene. 15. The Security Officer should record both the names of the responding paramedics and police who enter the room and a description of any property that they may have removed. 16. If informed by the police that the room is a crime scene, the room should be sealed and double locked until further notice. 17. The Security Log Book must be updated as follow: 17.1 The location. 17.2 Details of the death. 17.3 Details of the police action taken. 18. 17.4 Any other peculiar details.
217 Incoming Fax – For in-house Guest 1. Upon receiving the faxes, the Front Desk-GSO will sort the fax into the correct order of pages, and ensure that all pages have been received. If some of the pages have not been received, the sender must be informed immediately by either fax or telephone. Besides, inform the guest immediately and pass him/her the incomplete fax for reference. 2. Front Desk-GSO will ensure that fax is recorded into the Fax Log. 3. Front Desk – GSO will leave a default message into guest room informing of a fax in room. 4. Once the fax is sorted, the Front Desk-GSO will ascertain the guest name and arrival date that the name of the guest must be written clearly on the envelope with black pen. 5. All faxes are required to be placed into A4 size letterhead envelope. The envelope must be sealed with scotch-tape. 6. The said faxes will be handover to Bell-GSO that which will update the Baggage Movement Control sheet before delivery to guest room. 7. The delivering of faxes is 24 hours a day. All faxes must be placed inside the room on the working desk from 0900-2100hr from Monday to Friday. And 1100-2100hr on weekends. After these hours, the faxes must be inserted under the door. 8. Those too thick to be inserted under the door can be stored with Concierge temporally until the next morning. 9. If the guest is not in the room, a message should be left for the guest, while the fax on hold at the Concierge/Bell the next morning from 08:00 hrs onwards for normal delivery. The TL or AM of Bell/Concierge must be informed. 10. All faxes must be delivered to guest room within 20 minutes of receiving.
218 Incoming Fax– For arriving Guest 1. Upon receiving the faxes, the Front Desk – GSO will sort the fax into the correct order of pages, and ensure that all pages have been received. If some of the pages have not been received, or they are ineligible than the sender must be informed immediately by either fax or telephone. 2. Front Desk - GSO ensure that fax is recorded into the Fax Log. 3. Once the fax is sorted, the Front Desk - GSO will ascertain the guest name and arrival date that the name of the guest must be written clearly on the envelope with Hyatt pen. All faxes are required to be placed into A4 size letterhead envelope. Check and verify guest name and arrival date from “Opera”. 4. Do not indicate Room Numbers on envelope even though there is a room blocked. 5. The envelope must be sealed with scotch-tape. 6. Front Desk-GSO will leave a standardized “Opera” message saved only. The guest will be reminded by our GSO – Front Office as “Received Fax in Arr Folder-FEX” 7. The said faxes will be placed into the B1 cabinet pending daily afternoon check by the Afternoon Team Leader. Only the on day faxes are placed into the arrival cabinet by alphabetical order which will be located in the middle of the Reception counter. 8. Regency Club Faxes for next day arrivals will be given to RC-AM/TL on the afternoon shift. 9. All faxes must be hand given to the guests. 10. GSO has to pay special attention to the guest message upon check-in whether we are holding faxes or not. If the message pertains of fax collection, GSO will retrieve the said faxes and then GSO must cross check if the intended receiver’s name on the envelope is the same as the guest at the counter before present to guest upon check-in. No Shows
219 1. RC – GSO to bring all faxes together with uncheck-in RC folder to Front Desk after 2300 hrs. 2. At 0600 hrs, the No Show faxes and correspondence must be given to Assistant Manager to safe keep in a No-Show folder. 3. The No-Show folder is then placed at the Arriving RC box in case guest turn up. 4. By 1200 hrs, the Team Leader to bring the No Show folder to the Assistant Manager – Front Office to decide what to do with the faxes. 5. Managers to decide to advise sender or keep faxes for 48hrs before discarding. Outside Food Delivery 1. If any staff member finds an outsider deliverer entering the hotel lobby, stop the delivered immediately. 2. Ask for the room number of the guest who has ordered the food. 3. Call the guest to explain to him that the hotel does not allow any food to be delivered directly to the guestrooms. 4. If the guest confirmed the food ordered, politely ask him to come down personally to pick up the food. 5. However, we MUST speak to the guest professionally. Never deem to be insulting them; and advise them carefully. Unusual Guest Requests and Errands 1. Social Escorts Staff must explain to the guest that the hotel is not able to give any specific recommendation however will recommend a few reputable clubs to the guests. 2. Exchanging or purchasing of items on guest’s behalf
220 Only permissible if item is bought from a reputable company / department store with proper receipts. Exchange and purchase must also take place within the said company / department store and not in within a private compound. 3. Company Occasionally, guest might request for staff to accompany him to a function to assist in translation and guiding. This should only be done outside of staff’s working hours and with Front Office Manager’s consent. Remuneration fee is between guest and staff. Manager’s consent is important for security and safety reasons. Incident Report – Insurer Perspective 1. All incidents that potentially involved compensation or damages to the hotel property must be treated with extreme care and tactfulness. Failure or delayed in doing so will result in refusal by our Insurer to compensate the hotel 2. The hotel has paid large insurance premiums to cover unexpected incidences like water damage due to a burst of a water pipe, guest injuries within the hotel etc, and while our first priority is to take care of the guests and to resume the normal operation of the hotel equipment, the incident report should also be followed immediately, within 12 hours. 3. In an event that potentially involved compensation from the hotel, the Front Office Manager, Director of Rooms and the Director of Finance must be informed right away. Finance will inform the Insurance Company immediately and let them examine the situation, usually accompanied with on-site inspection and photo taking if the damages are significant. 4. No damaged properties are to be repaired to the original state before informing the Insurer. The Insurer has every right to deny compensation even if the incident falls under the insurance coverage. For example, during a minor car accident with damages sustained, report to the agent before going to the mechanics to have the car repaired. 5. The Assistant Manager log is documents belonging to the hotel and as such is not to be signed or given to the guests.
221 6. Do not admit liability. Use words such as “alleged”. Preface guests’ statements with “guest says”, “witness claims”. 7. Do not offer any opinions in the report writing 8. Report the facts, not ‘create’ the facts. For instance : • Ms X fell from the stairs. The report should state “Ms X said she fell down from the stairs.” • Mr Y says his watch worth US$200 was stolen from his room but you did not see it. The report should say “Mr Y said his watch which worth US$200 was missing from the room.” 9. The hotel in general does not pay for the losses. The Insurance Company does. This is provided that we adhered to the rules above. 10. It is the responsibility of the adjuster or the underwriter to determine if any compensation is to be given to the guest and the Hotel should never promise any compensation. However, the hotel may occasionally do so for the sake of goodwill especially if the loss amount is trivial. The hotel cannot expect the insurance to pay for something that is already committed by us prior to their investigation. 11. In China, only a case that is proven (i.e. judged) in the court of law to be the fault of the hotel will the hotel be held liable to compensate. 12. Since it is the Insurance Company’s responsibility to investigate the theft case, should the guest dispute about the result of the investigations conducted by the local PSB, the chances for the guest to sue us and the insurance company for mishandling the case is slim. Courtesy Card Holders 1. Pre- register all Courtesy Card Holders in the Suite – Lake View available. 2. Advise Room Service of the guest’s expected arrival time to ensure that the General Manager’s welcome letter and Food & Beverage amenities are in the room prior to the guest arrival. 3. Ensure all Courtesy Card Holders are welcomed, escorted and registered in the room by designated Executive Manager on Duty.
222 4. All Courtesy Card Holders should be extended with a late checkout till 1800 hrs when occupancy permits 5. All Courtesy Card Holders must be farewell by the Assistant Manager and above to the driveway. Important Telephone Numbers 1. All of these numbers should be input in the “Opera” “ TELEGUIDE FUNCTION” for quick reference, and the Guest Services Centre and Concierge are responsible to update these numbers regularly. 2. No one from the hotel is allowed to call Guest Services Centre to ask for internal extensions or information that is already available in the “Opera” information. ¾ MOD (Manager On Duty - Daily update basis by Guest Service Centre) ¾ Weather Forecast (Daily update basis by Concierge/Bell) ¾ Credit Cards (information to obtain from Finance for daily operations) ¾ Lost & Found (Daily update by Housekeeping) ¾ Hotel Information ¾ Hotel Promotions ¾ Hotel & Airlines Promotions ¾ Hospitals ¾ Transportation ¾ Airlines ¾ Train Station ¾ Hotels - (to be categorised by 5 and 4 stars) ¾ Embassy ¾ Country (including country and area codes) ¾ Courier (DHL/Fedex/EMS) ¾ Restaurants ¾ Bars & Disco ¾ KTV ¾ Sports ¾ Museum / Art ¾ Convention & Exhibition Centres ¾ Religions ¾ Schools
223 ¾ Beauty Salon ¾ Theatres ¾ Shops ¾ Sightseeing Spots Staff Safe Deposit Boxes 1. The float can only be accessed by the Assistant Manager – Front Office and above. 2. The Assistant Manager – Front Office will use the float to replenish the cashier cash floats daily. 3. It is the responsibility of the Assistant Manager – Front Office to ensure the float is balanced on every shift. 4. The safe box key can only be handled by the Assistant Manager – Front Office and the Front Office Manager strictly. 5. No other departments or staffs are allowed to utilize the safe boxes as they are built only for the guest usage. Assistant Manager The Assistant Managers – Front Office are the representative of the Senior Management. In their absence the Assistant Manager – Front Office provides a means of communication between the Management, guest and Employees as well as supervising and assisting in the smooth and efficient running of the hotel. The role of the Assistant Manager is fulfilled by the Assistant Managers – Front Office during the day time and overnight shift. When arriving for the Assistant Manager Shift: - Take over the allocated Master Keys and Assistant Managers’ Pager / Xiaolingtong - Read the Assistant Manager – Front Office Briefing Log Book and take over any outstanding tasks.
224 - Read the Lotus A.M. Log for any incident report that has taken place in the previous shift(s). - Read the Lotus Handover log - Read the Promotions and handover file - Read the arrivals list and identify VIPs to be greeted. - Identify the departure guests and VIPs to be met. 1. Walk through the hotel and check the functions schedule and ensure they are running smoothly 2. Ensure each area is correctly manned, operational and properly managed. Observe the overall conduct and appearance (Grooming Checks) of the employees. 3. Carry out regular property walks and report findings in the public area check list. 4. Inspect pre-assigned accommodation for VIP guests, ensuring that all room setups and amenities are prepared according to the standard. 5. Investigate all guest and employee accidents and complete an incident report form. 6. Adhered to the Hotel’s Fire and Emergency procedures in the event of a fire and other emergencies. 7. To assist Security Department in collecting the materials for the necessary investigation of guest’s lost property inquiries. 8. Handle guest inquiries and complaints at all times. Report any complaints, comments and suggestions in the Duty Logbook for discussion and follow up in the morning briefing or if not appropriate send a note to the relevant department. 9. In absence of the Sales & Marketing Department handle any show around requests. 10. Handover to the Assistant Manager – Front Office and ensure all tasks are completed.
225 Confidentiality of Guest Information If anyone asks for information, we are to state, “I am sorry Sir / Madam, we are not at liberty to pass out any information about our guests”. There may be occasion where expectation has to be made, for example if an officer of the law requires particulars of a guest, we may in such case do so. However, the Assistant Manager – Front Office and above must be asked for approval Hotel Systems Access 1. Each staff is given a personal access log-on and password to operate Opera, RESERVE and CISA. 2. Individual access log-on and password is privy to that specific staff only and not to be shared amongst the staff – for their own security. 3. Staff’s Opera, RESERVE and CISA log on and password will be noted down in their Departmental Staff Record in the event of audit checks on their ID and work. 4. Passwords will be pre-arranged by the Front Office Manager. 5. Staff would be held responsible for any work done using their access codes regardless of whether they are on duty. 6. The name and department of the sender must accompany all messages sent via RESERVE. Only the Front Office Manager and the Assistant Front Office Manager will have access to amend any bookings created by RESERVE. All Front Office Rank AND File staff will have access only to send messages to Omaha Reservations and Gold Card Centre. 1. The Log-on code will be assigned by the Information System Department for the access to Opera, RESERVE and CISA codes will be assigned by the Front Office Manager.
226 2. The Front Office Manager will then record these logs on and codes into the Departmental Staff Record. Upon resignation or termination, the assigned access is to be cancelled within 2 days of notice to the I.S. Department via Human Resources Clearance Form Limousine Bookings 1. Any requests for Hotel vehicle pick-up at time of room reservation shall be noted by Reservations on the reservation form and within the specified field in the computer. 2. All relevant information must be relayed to the Concierge, who will in turn reserve the hotel vehicle and record it in the Transportation Record File. 3. The Transportation record file must be checked daily for the next day’s arrivals. This should also be cross referenced against the arrivals list. Any discrepancy must be followed through immediately. 4. If the guest is to be billed for the service, a voucher must be completed and a charge made against the guest’s account by the Concierge. 5. For limousine pick ups, the Transportation Form shall be given to the guest for signature only at the point of check in. 6. Upon completion of the check in, the Front Desk – GSO will then submit a copy to the Concierge – GSO for filing. 7. For round trip limousine service, the charge is posted into guest account the moment the guest checked in. Should the guest cancel his return car service, a rebate will be done on the guest account accordingly. However, the charge will be reverted to a single trip. 8. For limousine drop off service request in advance for in-house guests, posting of charges will be done on the departure date by the midnight Concierge team. Basically the charge can be posted once the night audit is run.
227 VIP Check-in with arrival flight & limousine 1. After received the VIP 1st call from our Airport Representative, the Assistant Manager – Front Office will alert all the concerned departments and Management via our hotel communication system. 2. The Assistant Manager – Front Office will check the status of the VIP room and ensure that the assigned room is ready and in “Vacant Clean” status. 3. The Assistant Manager – Front Office will check the VIP leather folder which contains the Registration card, Keycard, Pen, Hotel passport with address card and breakfast card if necessary. The VIP’s Mail / Message will also be checked and attached with the VIP folder. Any fax or messages should be checked prior to arrival and placed on the desk in the guestroom. 4. VIP room will be checked-in into the “Opera” system after the first call. 5. After received the 2nd call from our driver, the Assistant Manager – Front Office will alert all the concerned department and management via the hotel’s communication system. 6. The Assistant Manager – Front Office will pick up the VIP folder and wait for the guest at the hotel main entrance. 7. The Assistant Manager – Front Office will also check the lobby’s cleanliness. 8. The Assistant Manager – Front Office will alert the staff manning the lobby door of the license plate number of the limousine to ensure luggage will be brought up to the room immediately. 9. The Assistant Manager – Front Office will inform the staff manning the lobby door of the importance of the VIP. If there are more than 1 VIP travelling in the same car, the most important VIP should get the luggage first and the Assistant Manager - Concierge is to ensure the smooth luggage delivery. 10. The Assistant Manager – Front Office will escort the VIP guest to the room directly together with any other Management staff for express check-in. 11. The Assistant Manager – Front Office will offer assistance for reservations in any F&B outlets and follow up if necessary and reconfirm with the guest.
228 12. The Assistant Manager – Front Office will confirm the following upon arrival: 1. Purpose of visit 2. Departure date 3. Limousine arrangement 4. Room rate 5. Address (collect name card) 6. Personal details 7. Special requests i.e. newspapers, fruits, iron and iron board and pressing 13. The Assistant Manager – Front Office will ensure that the guest’s luggage is delivered to the guestroom and the luggage is placed in the correct position before leaving the room. 14. Assistant Manager makes sure that guest history is updated for future reference. Club Floor Entitlements It is the policy of Hotel that Club guests are entitled to the following services and benefits:- Accommodation on the Club Floors from 6th to 8th floor. Maximum occupancy per room is two adults and two children below 12 years of age. Express check-in at the exclusive Club Lounge. Guest will be met and assisted at the airport should there be a limousine pick up request. Upon arrival at the hotel, he will be escorted from the entrance to the Club Lounge. Repeat guests will be escorted to the room and check-in procedures will be handled in the room. Welcome drink and towel will be served upon arrival. Early arrivals and late departures are flexible for Club guests. Guests have exclusive usage of the Club lounge serving complimentary
229 Continental breakfast, evening cocktail and non-alcoholic beverages throughout the day. There will be a nominal charge for invitees of guests to the Club. Food item from the lounge will not be served in the room except for Presidential Suite guests. However, in the event that guest is not able to leave his room e.g. waiting for urgent call or working or unwell, the Team Leader will have the discretion of arranging the food item requested to be sent. Club guests can checkout on the Club Lounge. For suite guests, the bill can be presented in the privacy of his / her suite. All Club guests will be escorted upon departure. Club guests are entitled to one hour complimentary usage of the boardroom which is equipped with the basic utilities. Coffee and tea breaks can be arranged at a charge. Subsequent hours will be charged at US$ 16 per hour. Handling Multiple Reservations involving Award Stay Scenario Guest stays in hotel for 3 nights. The first night is under Gold Card award complimentary rate. The other 2 nights are under hotel regular/promotion rate. The booking should be correctly handled in terms of making reservation, checkin, checkout, rate, and date changes. Reservations 1. In RESERVE, there should be 2 separate bookings under guest name with different arrival/departure date and room rate. One booking’s room rate is GP award rate. 2. The 2nd booking’s room rate is hotel paying rate. Billing instructions must be entered in both reservations to alert the Front Desk team of the arrangement. Front Office
230 1. Upon check-in, GSO should explain to guest that the first night’s rate is complimentary which is redeemed from his/her Gold Passport points, and the 2nd /3rd night’s room rate will be changed to hotel paying rate. 2. Program the room key for the entire three night stays for the guest. 3. The GSO or Team Leader should extend stay and change room rate. Check-in and check-out 2nd reservation with the same room number. This is to ensure the paying room does not run into no-show and is properly tracked. 4. Transfer the incidental charges, if any, from the first reservation to the second reservation. 5. Copy the credit card information including approval codes to the second check in folio screen and attach the credit card slip to the second check in RC.
231 HOUSE KEEPING Housekeeping is the department of a hotel responsible for cleaning and maintaining rooms and public areas. In general, the housekeeping staff is responsible for the daily cleaning of public areas (lobbies, corridors, meeting rooms), private bedrooms and public washrooms. In addition, it handles the laundering of linens and in some instances, guest laundry. Housekeeping also performs a minor security function by providing a “first alert” to potential guest problems while staff undertake daily guest bedroom cleaning. Duties of Housekeeping: 1. Cleaning Rooms and Public Areas: Housekeeping department cleans the rooms and toilets and wash basins in the room. 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. Bed Making A guest requires a comfortable bed to take rest, relax and enjoy. A bed that is wellmade 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. 3. 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
232 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. 4. Laundry Services It is the job of the Housekeeping Department to ensure clean and hygienic washing of all the linen items, and then distributing them to different areas of the hotel. The relationship between the housekeeping and laundry is significant for the smooth functioning of housekeeping services. One of the supporting roles of the laundry is to provide valet services to house guests. 5. 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. 6. Key Control Key control is one of the major jobs of the housekeeping department. The room keys has to be handled efficiently and safely before and after letting the room. 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. Interior Decoration Interior decoration is the art of creating a pleasant atmosphere in the living room with the addition of a complex of furnishings, art, and crafts, appropriately combined to
233 achieve a planned result or design. These arts and crafts have to be well maintained by the housekeeping department. Decorating flowers is a creative and stimulating art which often carries a message or theme. Flowers and indoor plants add colour and beauty to a room. 9. Room Maintenance Good housekeeping department is just as responsible for the hotel's maintenance as an engineering department. In an ideal environment, t h e housekeeping staff and managers should act as the eyes and ears of the engineering department. If damaged or broken items are not reported, they can't be fixed. Proper maintenance will make the perception of cleanliness easier to maintain and reduce guest complaints. ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE OF HOUSEKEEPING DEPARTMENT The organizational structure of the housekeeping department mainly depends on the activities and the size of the hotel. The charts below show the organizational of structure of the large and medium sized hotels. In the small hotels one or more jobs are integrated and handled by the few housekeeping personnels. 1. Executive Housekeeper Responsible and accountable for the total cleanliness, maintenance and aesthetic upkeep of the hotel. This is achieved with the resources of manpower, materials, machines, money, space and time available to him. 2. Assistant Housekeeper May be one for each shift of a large hotel. He may be the housekeeper of a small hotel or the only deputy to the Executive Housekeeper of a medium-sized hotel. He manages the resources given by the Executive Housekeeper to achieve the common objectives of cleanliness, maintenance and attractiveness in a given shift. His accountability normally ends on the completion of his shift. 3. Uniform Room Supervisor A non-management person solely responsible for providing clean serviceable uniforms to the staff of the hotel. As the hotel staff are all practically in uniforms his / her task is enormous and demanding as h e / she has to keep an inventory control on various stages of use, such as, when sorted ones are handed over, or those which are being washed or dry-cleaned in the laundry. 4. Uniform Room Attendants
234 The uniform supervisor is assisted by attendants who actually do the issue of uniforms in e x c h a n g e f o r soiled ones for onward transmission to the laundry. These attendants are in actual contact with the staff. 5. Linen Room Supervisors A non-management person solely responsible for the acquisition, storage, issue and Cleanliness of linen in its various forms. His job is a mammoth task because he keeps track of all linen as they would number in thousands. 6. Linen Room Attendant Assists the supervisor by actually issuing linen and filling such records as necessary. 7. Tailor /Seamstress Tailor or seamstress personnel are responsible for stitching and mending t h e l i n e n and upholsterys. 8. Helpers They are to be found both in Uniforms and linen Rooms and do the physical work of transporting, counting and bundling of uniforms and linen. 9. Floor Supervisor Responsible for the cleanliness, maintenance and presentability of the guest floors attached to him in a shift. His scope encompasses guest rooms, corridors, staircases and floor pantries of the allotted floor. 10. Public Area Supervisor Responsible for the cleanliness, maintenance and presentability of all public areas which include restaurants, bars, banquet halls, garden, administrative offices, shopping arcade, health club, swimming pool, main entrances and carpark areas. 11. Room Attendants Known also as chamber maids or room boys.They do the actual cleaning of guest rooms and bathrooms allotted to them. They are not responsible for the cleanliness of corridors, guest elevators or floor pantries. 12. Head Houseman
235 Supervises the work allotted to Houseman, especially those in public areas. In medium sized hotels he could be the person in charge of housekeeping on night shifts. 13. Housemen Usually handy men who do the heavy physical cleaning required in guest rooms and public areas. Their job would include vacuuming, shifting of furniture, cleaning of windows panes, mopping, braising, sweeping, etc. 14. Desk Control Supervisor Is the hub of information dissemination in housekeeping and is thus the critical person in housekeeping operations. The Housekeeping Desk must be manned 24 hours as guests and staff will contact this desk to transmit or receive information. It is the Desk Control Supervisor who co-ordinates with the front office for information on departure rooms and handing over cleared rooms. The Desk also receives complaints on maintenance from Housekeeping supervisors spread all over the hotel. 15. Runner He is a person who goes from one guest room to another collecting or delivering guest laundry. 16. Clack Room Attendants Cloak room attendants are persons responsible for the supply of clean dry towels, soaps and perfumeries, prescribed by the management for the guest rooms. 17. Night Supervisor They handle all aspect of housekeeping at night including desk control operations, issue of linen and uniform in an emergency, etc. His area of activity extends over guest rooms, public areas as also linen and uniform rooms. He is solely responsible and accountable at night for smooth housekeeping through his night brigade and has larger decision-making authority than other supervisors as he is the housekeeper for the night. 18. Horticulturist Many hotels may contract horticultural work to an outside agency. However, a large number of large hotels have professionally trained Horticulturists who maintain the gardens of the hotels as well as supply flowers from the garden for interior decorations and floral arrangements.
236 Flowers are used in banquet functions, guest rooms, restaurants, lobbies, offices, etc. The Horticulturist would have to ensure smooth supply of flowers as well as assist the Housekeeper in flower arrangements. 19. Head Gardener Supervises the brigade of gardeners in maintaining hotel garden and keeping them contemporary each season. 20. Gardeners Does the actual digging, planting, watering, etc.of gardens on a day-to-day basis. Organization Chart of House Keeping Department (Mid Sized Hotel) EXECUTIVE HOUSE KEEPER PUBLIC AREA SUPERVISOR FLOOR SUPERVISOR LINEN /UNIFORMSUPERVI SOR LAUNDRY SUPERVISOR GARDEN SUPERVISOR ROOM ATTENDENT LINEN ATTENDANT HOUSEM AN GARDENE RS LAUNDRY ATTENDANT DESK CONTROL LER
237 DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF HOUSEKEEPING STAFFS Executive Housekeeper 1. Supervise and be responsible for cleanliness, order and appearance of the hotel rooms and public areas, annexes, cottages, facilities, service corridors, linen and uniform rooms, shopping arcades and employees. 2. Schedule, recruit, train, and recommend hiring, discharging and discipline of all department employees through management and in accordance with labor regulations. 3. Prepare reports as required. 4. Participate in all department head meetings. Supervise preparation of maintenance requisitions and maintain followup file to ensure that all public areas and guest accommodations do not deteriorate from standard. 5. Train all employees to perform their best in the standard procedures as applicable to their job positions. 6. Develop and recommend standard procedures for new tasks or changed conditions. 7. Inspect personally, and supervise inspections by Assistants of all areas in a frequent and unvarying schedule. 8. Pay particular attention on inspection to the presence, of odors and pests and appropriate control measures. 9. Work closely with the General Manager on day-to-day Housekeeping requirements. 10. Supervise linen stock and recommend the maintenance of adequate quantities of cleaning equipments and cleaning supplies with due regard to delivery requirements and import restrictions on cleaning equipments. Develop and supervise the maintenance of the lost and found procedure including the disbursement of unclaimed articles to employees. 11. Prepare the annual housekeeping budget for submission to the General Manager. Identify reliable suppliers of housekeeping materials including carpets, linen, etc, and
238 Public Area Supervisor 1. Check all public areas against area check-lists and see that they meet the standards of cleanliness stipulated. 2. Remove furniture, curtains and other fixtures, which require repairs, mending, spotting, washing, etc. 3. Maintain a regular and complete advance scheduled programme for cleaning publicareas after receiving the final concurrence of the Executive Housekeeper. 4. Prepare schedule for the chandelier cleaning crew. 5. Prepare Schedule for the carpet shampoo crew. 6. Inspect staff turnout. 7. Train new recruits. 8. Submit performance appraisals of staff working under his /her control. 9. Clean safety and security systems in public areas, e.g. locks,shutters, etc. 10. Account for furniture movements, if any. 11. Initiate and follow-up maintenance orders for public areas/service areas under his / her control. 12. Check and control equipment like hovers, floor washing machines, floor polishing machine, carpet shampoo and beating machines and ensure that they are used correctly and maintained properly. recommend them to the Purchase Department. Develop Housekeeping Systems and Procedures and see that they are followed diligently. Plan, control and supervise horticultural requirements and commitments.
239 Floor Supervisor 1. Assign duties to the floor housemen and room attendants. 2. Inspect each room completed by Room Attendants according to specified room checklist and ensure that they meet the standards of the establishment in terms of cleaning, functional and aesthetic value. 3. Check par stocks of linen and guest supplies and cleaning supplies on floors and ensure timely delivery of soiled linen to laundry and requisition for fresh linen from linen room and guest supplies / cleaning supplies from the stores. 4. Train Room Attendants and Housemen for maximum productivity and standards of efficiency. 5. Submit performance appraisals periodically for each staff under his / her control. 6. Check all safety systems on the allotted floors. 7. Liaise with security on security aspects on guest floors. 8. Account for movement of linen from his / her floors. 9. Prepare housekeeping occupancy lists for front Office. 10. Check all maids’ carts to ensure it is well stocked with linen and supplies and as per standards stipulated. 11. Follow upon maintenance orders sent to Engineering.
240 Uniform / Linen Room Supervisor 1. Schedule linen / uniform room staff. 2. Check periodically the condition of uniform and hotel linen. 3. Assign daily work to tailors. 4. Devise and maintain an effective control system to issue clean linen and uniforms. 5. Co-ordinate closely with the laundry department to ensure timely supply of fresh uniforms and linen. 6. Conduct periodic inventories of linen and uniforms. 7. Ensure that all linen, uniforms needing stitching, mending is immediately attended to before being sent to the Laundry Department. 8. Ensure that the Linen Room is kept neat and clean. 9. Ensure that all linen, uniforms and materials are neatly and systematically stacked and arranged and properly labelled. 10. Train the staff to perform their duties effectively and, efficiently. 11. Maintain all relevant records in respect of material, uniforms /linen-storage and movement.
241 Room Attendant 1. Clean guest bathrooms and replenish supplies. 2. Clean guest bedroom and replenish supplies as per room checklist. 3. Report missing or broken hotel property to the Floor Supervisor. 4. Maintain a polite, dignified and helpful and pleasing attitude towards the guests. 5. Attend daily briefings and give attendance. 6. Receive allocation of floor and rooms. 7. Replenish maid cart with guest supplies, detergents and linen. 8. Count soiled linen handed over to floor linen room. 9. Hand over lost and found articles to Supervisor 10. Make physical check of rooms for preparing the house keeping occupancy list. 11. Check that all bulbs and switches are working. In case of defect or fuse, report the same to the Floor Supervisor. 12. Change the water glasses daily and fill the water flasks. 13. Turn down beds in the evening and draw the curtains.Remove and dispose off refuse and rubbish at the assigned area. 14. Return keys to the Housekeeping Department before going off duty. 15. Ensure that Housemen polish guest shoes and assist the Bell Boys in carrying guest luggage when required. 16. Prepare room checklist.
242 Uniform / Linen Room Attendant 1. Issue uniforms to all hotel employees on a one-to-one basis. 2. Count soiled uniforms / linen received and deliver the same to the laundry department. 3. Maintain records of linen and uniforms movements. 4. Store uniform and linen according to prescribed methods.Check for damages when receiving dirty uniforms. 5. Check for fitness of uniforms as per norms laid down before issuing.