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Be good to your skin.
Our skin is the largest and sensitive organ on your
body, made up of several different layers.
Stratum
corneum: The Outer Layer
The stratum corneum contains dead
skin. The
skin experiences a natural cycle every 30 days . In this, the upper layer of your skin (epidermis) sheds, generating new skin from the middle layer of your skin
(dermis). It is like a process where old skin removes and new skin
forms. It is very important and easy to remove the outer layer of dead skin
manually too. The process of removing dead skin cells is called Exfoliation. Using
facial scrubs and other home made products, will remove or thin this layer.
Removal of dead skin cells helps to generate good new skin and removal of Tan.
There are two ways for self-exfoliation ? Manual
and chemical method, which should be followed
as per the skin type. Mechanical exfoliation uses a tool, such as a brush or
sponge, or a scrub to physically remove dead skin cells. Chemical exfoliation
uses chemicals, such as alpha and beta hydroxy acids, to gently dissolve dead
skin cells.
There are five major skin types:
- Dry. Dry skin need to be moisturized regularly. To know if the skin is dry, one probably
notice that skin gets even dryer in cold, dry weather.
- Combination. Generally people have Dry ? Oily skin. It has the
symptoms of Dry and Cold skin.
- Oily. This skin type has excess sebum, the natural oils
produced by the sebaceous glands underneath the pores. This often leads to clogged pores and acne.
- Sensitive. Sensitive skin is very prone to
irritation by fragrances,
chemicals, and other synthetic materials. One can have sensitive skin which
is dry, oily, or combination.
Exfoliate can very well be done at home. There is lot of
products which helps to exfoliate the Skin. The best ones are baking soda, finely ground sugar, coffee
grounds, finely ground almonds, oatmeal, finely ground sea salt, cinnamon etc
Moreover skin glow depends on what we eat, drink, how much we are
exposed to sun, pollution, dirt, how are we taking care of it. Our skin changes throughout the year,
just like the seasons. So what works for us in the summer, often isn?t going to
be the best remedy for the winter. One can hydtare te skin in two ways. One is drinking enough water, which will likely affect the appearance of your skin. In
fact, one 2015 study found a strong link between drinking enough
water and having healthy skin. Drinking plenty of water will help boost
hydration from below skin?s surface.
And secondly, but very
important, One need a more hydrating and intense moisturizer for the
winter months, when the cold makes the skin dryer, and a lighter moisturizer
for the summer. Ideally, with an SPF to protect our skin from the harsh UV rays
of the sun.
"Beauty is in the skin! Take care
of it, oil it, clean it, scrub it, perfume it, and put on your best clothes,
even if there is no special occasion, and you'll feel like a queen."
- Fatima Mernissi.
Post updated on: Feb 13, 2022 2:01:39 AM
Guest history module plays a vital role in guest-hotel interactions. It provides quick information on the previous visits of a guest during check-in. That way, exhausted guests needn't spend a long time at the front desk for the check-in formalities. This module consists in itself the record of each guest who has stayed earlier along with a separate entry for each such guest visit.
The information displayed includes Last visit, Total visits, Preferred Room type, Revenue generated, Discounts given, and Number of days stayed. More detailed information on previous visits like Reservation number, Room number, Mode of reservation, Mode of check-in, Check-in and Check-out dates, Bill number, and Room plan are listed. Personal details such as Name, Mobile number, Email, D.O.B and Address of the guests are also available.
The history is categorized into three heads based on the type of guests as In-house guests, Checkout guests, and Reservation guests. It can be accessed by providing any one of the following as inputs. Guest name, Mobile number, Email ID, Customer ID or Reservation number.
The display of guest history during check-in is helpful in applying discounts and redeeming reward points. Moreover, details from the history database can be used to send personalized letters and e-mails. Such periodic mailing helps to increase loyalty. In addition, potential guests can also be added to the mail loop which may lead to probable conversions and increased occupancy.
The history of all the guests stored in the Guest Folio can be exported as .xls and .pdf files and be printed for reviews and audits. The front office manager who reviews the registration cards and reservation cards for group affiliations will find potential data for development of potential guests by the marketing and sales department. Follow - up by the marketing and sales department to various representatives of organizations that have stayed in the hotel may lead to the booking of future conventions and conferences.
The constant demand for meeting facilities does not just happen. Corporate clients that book facility space want to be assured that all details will be handled professionally.
Trust in a hotel begins with the hotel's establishing a good track record in handling the small details of hospitality - efficiency in processing reservations, registrations, checkout procedures, and in the maintenance of clean and attractive facilities. This trust (along with a good room rate and adequate meeting space) increases room sales to small conferences.
The guest history will also provide information about the method of advertising that helped to secure the reservation and registration. If guest histories reveal that a large number of reservations originated with a particular travel or tour agency, then the marketing and sales department will want to maintain a strong relationship with that agency and to develop relationships with other agencies within that particular point of origin as well.
FAM (familiarization) tours - complimentary visits sponsored by the lodging property that host representatives of travel organizations, bus associations, social and nonprofit organizations, and local corporate traffic managers - can produce an increase in future room revenue. During these tours, representatives can see first hand what the property has to offer.
A lodging property that has a 70 percent corporate client market might also want to review who makes the reservations for these business professionals at the corporate client's office. The administrative assistant, traffic manager, or executive secretary is probably the person who makes the reservation. If this is the case, the lodging establishment hold put in place a program that encourages these people to call it. Incentive programs that reward those who make a certain number of reservations over a specified time period are an example.
Walk - in guests can also provide valuable marketing data. If guests indicate that, the billboard on Route 777N' was the means by which they learned about your hotel, you will have an idea about the cost - effectiveness of this type of advertising. If guests are being referred by the local gasoline station or convenience store, consider providing brochures and other information to these businesses. Perhaps complimentary dinners or escape weekends for the personnel would be effective.
Data from the guest histories concerning frequency of visits will also reveal some areas for follow - up. The frequent guest, defined as a person who stays at the establishment more than a specified number of times per month or year, might be offered a free accommodation as either a business or a personal guest. This person and his or her company should be entered into the database for follow - up with advertising promotions designed to attract that market segment. The guest history is also useful in determining the types of rooms requested. Are rooms with two double beds being requested more often than rooms with one king - size bed?
Are rooms designated as nonsmoking being requested more often than rooms designated as smoking? Are suites with cooking facilities being requested by corporate clients for long - term guests? Such hard, quantifiable data are what hotel owners use to make construction and purchasing decisions.
Reviewing room rates can also assist the controller and director of marketing and sales in forecasting profit - and - loss statements. The frequency with which certain price categories of rooms are rented will indicate the price sensitivity of certain market segments. If price sensitivity is an indicator of room occupancy, then marketing programs that maximize profits in that area must be implemented.
Post updated on: Dec 4, 2021 2:55:47 AM
Group
departure is also handled in a similar fashion as of F.I.T.
guest except that a team of bell boys are engaged in bring down the baggage of group
from the floor. Here, the stress is given on co-ordination and efficiency.
Therefore, a group departure demands a careful supervision.
a. At the bell desk
1. The bell captain ensures that sufficient staff is
available in the shift during group departure.
2. He will check the baggage down time and wakeup
call from the group leader one day in advance.
3. Approximately five minutes before the baggage
down time he will allot floors and room no. to the bell boy to bring the
baggage down.
4. Generally group members are advised to keep their
baggage ready and packed at the time of baggage down time in order to avoid
time waste.
5. The baggage is collected from the guest floor and
brought down to the lobby where they are arranged at one corner and hotel
stickers are also pasted on them. It is at this stage the bell captain counts
the baggage of group and noted down on bell boy
errand card.
6. Then the bell captain obtained the baggage out
pass from the cashier after the group leader has settles the bills and with the
help of group leader he ensures that all the keys are retrieved from the group members.
7. The bell captain then requests the group leader
to count the baggage and ask his team of bell boys to load the baggage in the group
transport.
8. Only one errand card is prepared, however the
name of all the bellboys are mentioned who were engaged in the group departure.
b. At the reception
1. The receptionist
will issue the group departure notification about the group in advance to all
concerned departments.
2. On presentation of baggage out pass which is
issued by the cashier, the receptionist checks the room keys of the group and informs
the bell captain about the missing room keys and once all keys are retrieved,
the key clearance is given on the bell boy errand card.
c.
At cashier desk
1. Upon receiving the information about the
departure, the cashier takes out the group bills and checks if any voucher
remains un-posted and at the same time he also call all the POS to check for
any last minute billing.
2. He will then checks and complete the bill of
group and proceed to update the bill.
3. All the extra vouchers are separated room wise
and summary is made to facilitate settlement.
4. When the group leader comes to settle the bill,
the main bill is presented to him for his approval and then the list of all
those room numbers who has to pay extra is handed over to him. The group leader
will help the cashier in settling the extra bills of group members.
5. Once the final bill has been approved by the
group leader, he is requested to sign it and a voucher duly signed by the
travel agents is collected from him. This voucher is then stapled with the
final bill noting down the following details in appropriate column of the main
bill.
5a. Voucher no. and date
5b. Name of travel agent
5c. Travel agent reference files no.
6. Once the final bill is settled the cashier will
then issue the baggage out pass to the bell captain.
Post updated on: Dec 4, 2021 2:50:39 AM
Departure is an important and vague procedure which involves the bell desk, reception and cashier desk to operate simultaneously.
a. At Bell Desk
1 Upon receiving information about guest departure, a bell boy is deputed by the bell captain to bring down the luggage of the guest, who fill up the departure errand card and on his way to guest room informs the cashier as well as the receptionist about the departure taking place.
2. On reaching at the guest room, he will gently knock the door or ring the bell, announce the guest and wish him/her according to the time of day. He will then inquire to him about the number of pieces of baggage to be taken down (if the call is received directly at bell desk then the bell captain will check from the guest about the number of pieces of baggage to be brought down, so that in case there is more baggage, a luggage trolley can be sent along with the bell boy).
3. After checking the baggage the bell boy will ask the key from the guest and bring the baggage out in the corridor. While collecting the guest baggage, the bell boy will take a quick view of the room for any damage of hotel property and also check the drawers or cabinets for anything left behind by the guest. Then he withdraws the curtains and switch off the lights and A.C. and leaves the room by gently closing the doors behind him.
4. In the elevator he will ask the guest politely about his stay in the hotel and also inquires whether a taxi is required or not. In the lobby he will direct the guest to the cashier and proceed to bell desk with the guest baggage. Here, the hotel stickers are paste on the baggage and a baggage tag with capital 'D' is also placed on the guest baggage.
5 After this the bell boy will come back to the cashier desk and collect the 'baggage out gate pass' from cashier and proceed to deposit the room key with the information desk and collect an acknowledgement from the information assistant.
6 Then the guest is escorted to the main entrance of the hotel and asked the doorman to call a taxi after showing him the baggage out pass. He will take the guest luggage to taxi and request the guest to check his baggage.
7. Then he will note down the taxi no. in his errand card, help the guest to sit into the taxi and wish him for his journey. He will then return back to the bell desk where he will deposit his
errand card to bell captain that will make an entry in his control sheet.
b. At the Reception
The bell boy on his way to the room informs the reception about the departure taking place. Following steps are carried out by the receptionist.
1. Immediate check with the list of expected departure & access the room availability position of the day.
2. Once the room key has been deposited at the information desk, an entry is made in arrival-departure register.
3. Upon receiving the information from the cashier, the room status is updated.
4. Inform the housekeeping department so that the departure room can be attended.
5. Departure Notification slip is made and sends to the Housekeeping, Room Service and Telephone department.
c. At the Cashier Desk
1. Upon receiving the information about the departure, the cashier takes out the guest folios from the concerned room no. and checks if any voucher remains un-posted and at the same time he also call all the POS to check for any last minute billing.
2. Then he will update the bills of departure guest and check for any instruction on the guest bill.
3. When the guest arrives at the cashier desk, the guest folio along with the supportive vouchers is presented to him in a file with a pen. It is at this stage if there is any mistake on the bill can be corrected by verifying the supportive vouchers.
4. After the guest approval the bill is finalize after allowing any allowances or discount as per the authorization and instruction from the Lobby manager or the Front Office Manager.
5. Then the bill is settled by the guest. (For various ways & method of settlement refer chapter no. 9, topic- Check out & Settlement)
6. After settlement, the top copy of the bill along with the supporting vouchers are kept in an envelope and handed over to the guest.
7. Then the cashier wish the guest a pleasant and safe journey and baggage out pass is issued to the bell boy for the departing guest.
Post updated on: Dec 4, 2021 2:46:50 AM
VOUCHERS
A voucher details a transaction to be posted to a front office account. There are several types of vouchers used in front office accounting system:
- Cash Voucher - A voucher used to support a cash payment transaction at the front desk.
- Charge Voucher - A voucher used to support a charge purchase transaction that takes place somewhere other than the front office.
- Allowance Voucher - A voucher used to support an account allowance.
- Cash Advance Voucher - A voucher used to support cash flow out of the hotel, either directly to or on behalf of the guest.
- Correction Voucher - A voucher used to support the correction of a posting error which is rectified before the close of business on the day the error was made.
- Credit Card Voucher - A form designated by the credit card company to be used for imprinting the credit card and recording the amount charged.
- Paid-Out Voucher - A voucher used to support the cash disbursed by the hotel on behalf of a guest.
- Transfer Voucher - A voucher used to support a reduction in balance on one folio and an equal increase in balance on another. Transfer vouchers are used for transfers between guest accounts and for transfers from guest accounts to non-guest accounts when they are settled by credit cards.
- Travel Agency Voucher - In travel agent guaranteed reservation, the travel agent forwards a voucher to the hotel as proof of payment and guarantees that the prepaid amount will be sent to the hotel when the voucher is returned to the travel agency for payment. Here are some typical vouchers.
Petty Cash Voucher
Payment Voucher
Ledger and Types
The ledgers are a group of accounts. There are two ledgers the front office handles −- Guest ledger − A set of all guest accounts currently residing in the hotel.
- Non-guest ledger − A set of all unsettled, departed guest accounts.
There are two other types of ledgers used in the hotel. Both types of ledgers are used by back office accounting section as given −- Receivable ledger − The back office accounting staff mails the bills and statements to the guests after their departure without settling the bills and ensures the payments for services provided.
- Payable ledger − The staff handles amounts of money paid in advance on behalf of the guest to the hotel for future consumption of goods and services.
Account Settlements
There are various issues regarding account settlement −Orientation of Account Settlement
By Guest − The guest settles own account by cash/credit card/cheque.By Organization − The organization settles guest account by transferring money to the hotel account.Methods of Account Settlement
There are following popular methods of account settlement −Account Settlement in Local Currency − A guest can pay in terms of a local currency where the payment is not chargeable with conversion fees.Account Settlement in Foreign Currency − If the guest prefers to pay in foreign currency, the service of payment by the bank is chargeable for around 3% to 6% of the total payable amount.Account Settlement Using Traveler Check − Travelers? cheques, the pre-printed cheques in the denominations of major world currencies are a good option to paying by cash.Debit Card − Use of magnetic cards for payment against account is most common today. Paying by debit cards is as good as paying by cash as the amount of money is instantly transferred from the guest's bank account into the hotel's bank account.In case of credit card settlement, the accounting staff mails the charge vouchers signed by guests to the credit card company; preferably within a specified time. The credit card company then settles the guest account by transferring money against it.Credit Settlement by Organization − Many national, international, private, or public organizations send their employees or students for attending workshops, seminar, or meetings. Such organizations tie-up with the hotel for paying the bills of their employees on credit. The organizations reserve accommodations depending on the number of room nights (number of rooms, number of nights the representatives are expected to occupy). This is popularly known as account Settlement using Direct Billing.In direct billing account settlement, the front office staff verifies guest folios and transfers the guest account to non-guest or city account. The hotel's back-office accounting verifies the guest folios and is responsible to collect the direct billing amount from a direct billing agency such as embassy, university, or organizations.The accounting section also notifies the guests that if the direct billing agency fails or refuses to pay the charges then the guests need to settle the account by paying them from their pocket.Combined Account Settlement − A guest can settle account by paying partial amount in cash and remaining amount on credit. The front office staff needs to prepare the supporting document for such kind of payment and hands it over to the back-office accounts.
Post updated on: Oct 10, 2021 2:17:02 PM
MANUAL CLEANING EQUIPMENTS
The housekeeping staff needs to clean various guest rooms, guest bathrooms, and a number of public areas in the hotel. The staff needs to take the help of various cleaning equipment while trying to keep the hotel premises to the highest standard of appearance.
Advantages of Cleaning Equipment
The cleaning equipment is advantageous in multiple ways −
- Equally effective for general as well as tougher cleaning tasks.
- High cleaning capability.
- Reduce work fatigue and increase productivity.
- Save the time of hotel housekeeping staff.
- High maneuverability. They can reach any corner or height of the room, which is otherwise difficult to reach.
- Eco-friendly, widely available, and easy to operate.
- They give protection from injuries occurring while cleaning when they are handled by using proper instructions.
Classification of Cleaning Equipment
There are broadly categorized as follows −
A. Manual Cleaning Equipment: As the name suggests, they are used manually to keep the surfaces clean. Some commonly used manual equipment's are −
1. Brushes- These may be designed to remove dry or wet or ingrained dust and dirt from the hard or soft surfaces. Three main types of brushes are used in the cleaning surface. They are as follows:
- Hard Brush- Hard brushes have bristles that are fairly stiff and well spread out cleaning equipment. They are most suitable for the removal of heavy soil and litters from the carpets and for cleaning of rough surface.
- Soft brush- Soft brushes may have bristles that are fairly flexible and set close together. These are used for removal of loose soil and litter on hard smooth surfaces.
- Scrubbing brushes- Scrubbing brushes have short, coarse bristle designed for use on surface that have become stained and heavily ingrained with dirt. These brushes should only be used to remove stubborn heavy soiling small areas that are difficult for scrubbing machines to access. Cleaning equipment like Brushes are also classified on the basis of their functions:
a) Toilet brush - Used for cleaning of W.C.
b) Bottle brush - These are used for overflow vents in wash basin and tubs.
c) Flue Brush - These are used for cleaning chimney.
d) Feather brushes - These are used for light dusting.
Care and cleaning of brushes-
Brushes should be generally tapped on the hard surface to loosen the dirt and debris after the cleaning process. Frequent washing with water is avoidable. Brushes should be washed in warm and soapy water.
2. Brooms- Sweeping brooms consist of long bristles gathered together into handles. The bristles of the brooms are made of grass, corn or coconut fiber. Depending on the type brooms are used for removal of dirt and dust in the large areas. Brooms are classified into three main categories.
- Soft bristled brooms- These types of brooms are made of corn fiber or grass. This is used for smooth floor.
- Hard / coarse- bristled brooms- These types of brooms are used for hard surface especially outdoor rough areas.
- Wall broom- These are also called ceiling brooms. They have a soft head or long handle made up of canes. These brooms are used for removal of cob webs.
Care and cleaning of the brooms
- Brooms should be shaken free, of dust and fluff. Never store them standing on their bristle or the bristle will bend out of the shape.
- Soft brooms should not be use in wet surface.
3. Wet /damp mop- These mops are used in conjunction with buckets for the removal of dirt adhering to a surface. The mop heads can be made of cotton, sponge or any other fiber capable of absorbing moisture well. Wet mops can be classified into four types. They are as follows
- Do-all mops- These mops consists of stand of twisted cotton, fixed to a circular metal plate, which is in turn is fixed to a stock.
- Kentucky mops- These mops consists of cotton stand fixed to a length of cotton fabric, which is in turn instead into flat metal stock. They are available in weights ranging from 330 g to 670 g.
- Sponge mop- These consists of cellulose sponge fixed to a replaceable lever controlled head, hinged for wringing out and attached to long handle. Using sponge mop is one of the easiest ways to wash hard floor.
- Squeegee - A squeegee consist of long metallic handle and a wooden or rubber blade to remove excess water from the surface being cleaned. It is effective when followed by damp mop.
Care and cleanings of the mops and cleaning equipment ?
Take mops outdoors after use and shake well to remove excess moisture. Then these mops can be washed. Detachable heads are easier to clean and maintain. However drying is the most important part of this mop because if the mop has not been dried properly it will be easily affected by bacteria.
4. Dry mops-Dry mops are also called dust control mops, these cleaning equipment's are designed to remove the soil and debris from the floors walls and ceilings without raising. These mops generally consists of handle to which a metal frame is attached.
Care and cleaning of this mops-
Shake mops well after use in the outdoors. The mop heads should be easily detachable , so that it can be washed in hot water with detergent.
5. Clothes-Various types of clothes are used by the housekeeping staff as duster. For efficient and correct uses different colors of duster are used. Dusters can be divided into many types according to the uses. Those are as follows-
Mitts- They are used for dusting and buffing. Soft absorbent plain or checked cotton material or yellow flannelette of up to 15 sq. cm is ideal for dusters.
Swabs and wipes- These are all purpose clothes made of soft absorbent materials. They are used for wet cleaning and damp dusting of the entire surface above floor level. They are also use for cleaning sanitary fittings such as bath tubs and wash basins.
Floor cloth- Floor cloths are bigger, thicker, and made from coarser cotton material than all-purpose swabs.
Scrim-This is loosely woven linen materials cleaning equipment used for cleaning mirrors and windows.
Glass cloths- Glass clothes are made of linen tow yarns and do not leave behind lint. They are used for wiping mirror, and drinking glass.
Rags and polishing clothes- Rags are disposable clothes usually obtained from the swing room or brought by the sack by tailor. They are used for applying polish or strong cleaning agent and are disposed when dirty.
Chamois leather- Real chamois leather is the skin of chamois goat and antelope, but now various cheaper imitations are available. Chamois leather can be used for cleaning of windows, mirror when dry, it is used for polishing cloth for silver and other metals.
Dust sheet- Dust sheet are made of thin cotton material. The size is the single bed sheet size. Discarded bed sheet and curtains from the linen room is ideal dust sheet. They are used for covering floor furniture during spring cleaning.
Druggists ? They are made of coarse linen, fine canvas or clear plastic. They may be the size of a carpet square or runner. They are placed on the floor in the door way to prevent excessive dirt being trekked in or out during bad weather and during the redecoration process.
6. CONTAINERS- Work becomes much easier and efficient if the staff is given suitable containers to carry transport and to carry store supply and other items. The various types of containers used by the housekeeping staffs are as follows:
Buckets- These maybe made from plastic or galvanized iron. Plastic buckets are more popular now a day as they are lighter in weight easy to clean.
Basin and bowls- They are used to carry small amount of water, cleaning solution and powder for cleaning small areas.
Dust pan- These are used in conjunction with brooms or brush for gathering dust. They may be made of plastic or metal.
Sani bins- They are metal or plastic bins with lit. They are kept in the toilet for disposing of used toilet roll and sanitary towels. They should be lined with paper or plastic bag.
Dustbins −They are used to collect daily garbage produced in the hotel.
Spray bottles- They are light weight containers that delivers a fine mist of water or cleaning solution through a fine nozzle specially during the spray cleaning.
Hand caddies- Also called cleaners box. These are originally made of wood or metal. But now a day are made of plastic. They consist of a box with handle and a fitted tray. They are used by the room attendant for carrying cleaning supplies.
Chambermaid's Trolley/Housekeeping Trolley −This trolley is large enough to keep all the guest room and guest bathroom supplies in an organized manner. It makes the housekeeping staff to move it around and carry large number of items in one go while keeping and cleaning the guest rooms.
Janitor's trolley − It is a trolley that stores cleaning supplies such as detergents, spray bottles, dustbin, mop, and dusting cloths, all in a compact manner. It can be moved around easily. It fulfills the challenge of modern day housekeeping in hotels.
Mop Wringer trolley − A mop bucket cart (or mop trolley) is a wheeled bucket that allows its user to wring out a wet mop without getting the hands dirty. The mops are squeezed between two surfaces to remove dirty water from it.
Post updated on: Oct 10, 2021 8:07:41 AM
EQUIPMENT
AND CLEANING AGENTS
CLEANING EQUIPMENT
The housekeeping staff needs to clean various guest
rooms, guest bathrooms, and a number of
public areas in the hotel. The staff needs to take
the help of various cleaning equipment while
trying to keep the hotel premises to the highest
standard of appearance.
Advantages of Cleaning Equipment
The cleaning equipment is advantageous in multiple
ways −
1. Equally effective for general as well as
tougher cleaning tasks.
2. High cleaning capability.
3. Reduce work fatigue and increase productivity.
4. Save
the time of hotel housekeeping staff.
5. High maneuverability. They can reach any
corner or height of the room, which is otherwise difficult to reach.
6. Eco-friendly,
widely available, and easy to operate.
7. They
give protection from injuries occurring while cleaning when they are handled by
using proper instructions.
Classification
of Cleaning Equipment
There are broadly categorized as follows −
A. Manual Cleaning Equipment: As the name suggests,
they are used manually to keep the
surfaces clean. Some commonly used manual
equipments are −
1. Brushes- These may be designed to remove dry or
wet or ingrained dust and dirt from the
hard or soft surfaces. Three main types of brushes
are used in the cleaning surface. They are
as follows:
2. Hard
Brush- Hard brushes have bristles that are fairly stiff and well spread out
cleaning
equipment. They are most suitable for the removal of
heavy soil and litters from the
carpets and for cleaning of rough surface.
3. Soft brush- Soft brushes may have bristles that
are fairly flexible and set close together.
These are used for removal of loose soil and litter
on hard smooth surfaces.
4. Scrubbing brushes- Scrubbing brushes have short,
coarse bristles designed for use on
surface that have become stained and heavily
ingrained with dirt. These brushes should
only be used to remove stubborn heavy soiling small
areas that are difficult for
scrubbing machines to access. Cleaning equipment
like Brushes are also classified on the
basis of their functions:
a) Toilet brush ? Used for cleaning of W.C.
b) Bottle brush ? These are used for overflow vents
in wash basin and tubs.
c) Flue Brush ? These are used for cleaning chimney.
d) Feather brushes ? These are used for light
dusting.
Care and cleaning of brushes- Brushes should be
generally tapped on the hard surface to loosen
the dirt and debris after the cleaning process.
Frequent washing with water is avoidable.
Brushes should be washed in warm and soapy water.
2. Brooms- Sweeping brooms consist of long bristles
gathered together into handles. The
bristles of the brooms are made of grass, corn or
coconut fiber. Depending on the type
brooms are used for removal of dirt and dust in the
large areas. Brooms are classified into
three main categories.
Soft bristled brooms- These types of
brooms are made of corn fiber or grass. This is used
for smooth floor.
Hard / coarse- bristled brooms- These
types of brooms are used for hard surface
especially outdoor rough areas.
Wall broom- These are also called
ceiling brooms. They have a soft head or long handle
made up of canes. These brooms are used for removal
of cob webs.
Care
and cleaning of the brooms
? Brooms
should be shaken free, of dust and fluff. Never store them standing on their
bristle or the bristle will bend out of the shape.
? Soft
brooms should not be use in wet surface.
3. Wet /damp mop- These mops are used in conjunction
with buckets for the removal of dirt
adhering to a surface. The mop heads can be made of
cotton, sponge or any other fiber
capable of absorbing moisture well. Wet mops can be
classified into four types. They are as
follows
Do-all mops- These mops consists of
stand of twisted cotton, fixed to a circular metal
plate, which is in turn is fixed to a stock.
Kentucky mops- These mops consists of
cotton stand fixed to a length of cotton fabric,
which is in turn instead into flat metal stock. They
are available in weights ranging from
330 g to 670 g.
Sponge mop- These consist of a cellulose
sponge fixed to a replaceable lever controlled
head, hinged for wringing out, and attached to a long
handle. Using a sponge mop is one of
the easiest ways to wash the hard floor.
Squeegee ? A squeegee consists of a long
metallic handle and a wooden or rubber blade to
remove excess water from the surface being cleaned.
It is effective when followed by
a damp mop.
Care
and cleanings of the mops and cleaning equipment
Take mops outdoors after use and shake well to
remove excess moisture. Then these mops can
be washed. Detachable heads are easier to clean and
maintain. However, drying is the most
important part of this mop because if the mop has
not been dried properly it will be easily
affected by bacteria.
4. Dry mops-Dry
mops are also called dust control mops, these cleaning equipment's are
designed to remove the soil and debris from the
floors walls and ceilings without raising.
These mops generally consist of a handle to which a
metal frame is attached
Care
and cleaning of these mops-
Shake mops well after use in the outdoors. The mop
heads should be easily detachable, so that
it can be washed in hot water with detergent.
5.
Clothes-Various types of clothes are used by the
housekeeping staff as dusters. For efficient
and correct uses different colors of duster are
used. Dusters can be divided into many types
according to their uses. Those are as follows-
? Mitts-
They are used for dusting and buffing. Soft absorbent plain or checked cotton
material or yellow flannelette of up to 15 sq. cm is
ideal for dusters.
? Swabs
and wipes- These are all-purpose clothes made of soft absorbent materials. They
are
used for wet cleaning and a damp dusting of the entire
surface above floor level. They are also used for cleaning sanitary fittings such as bathtubs and washbasins.
? Floor
cloth- Floorcloths are bigger, thicker, and made from coarser cotton material
than all-
purpose swabs.
? Scrim-This
is loosely woven linen materials cleaning equipment used for cleaning mirrors
and windows.
? Glass
cloths- Glass clothes are made of linen tow yarns and do not leave behind lint.
They
are used for wiping mirrors and drinking glass.
? Rags
and polishing clothes- Rags are disposable clothes usually obtained from the
swing
room or brought by the sack by a tailor. They are used
for applying a polish or strong cleaning
agent and are disposed of when dirty.
? Chamois
leather- Real chamois leather is the skin of chamois goat and antelope, but now
various cheaper imitations are available. Chamois
leather can be used for cleaning of
windows, mirror when dry, it is used for polishing
cloth for silver and other metals.
? Dust
sheet- Dust sheets are made of thin cotton material. The size is the single bed
sheet
size. Discarded bed sheet and curtains from the
linen room is ideal dust sheet. They are
used for covering floor furniture during spring
cleaning.
? Druggists
? They are made of coarse linen, fine canvas, or clear plastic. They may be the
size
of a carpet square or runner. They are placed on the
floor in the doorway to prevent
excessive dirt from being trekked in or out during bad
weather and during the redecoration
process.
6. CONTAINERS- Work becomes much easier and
efficient if the staff is given suitable
containers to carry transport and to carry store
supply and other items. The various types of
containers used by the housekeeping staffs are as
follows:
? Buckets-
These maybe made from plastic or galvanized iron. Plastic buckets are more
popular now a day as they are lighter in weight easy
to clean.
? Basin
and bowls- They are used to carry small amount of water, cleaning solution and
powder for cleaning small areas.
? Dust
pan- These are used in conjunction with brooms or brush for gathering dust.
They may
be made of plastic or metal.
? Sani
bins- They are metal or plastic bins with lit. They are kept in the toilet for
disposing of
used toilet roll and sanitary towels. They should be
lined with paper or plastic bag.
? Dustbins
−They are used to collect daily garbage produced in the hotel.
? Spray
bottles- They are light weight containers that delivers a fine mist of water or
cleaning
solution through a fine nozzle specially during the
spray cleaning.
? Hand
caddies- Also called cleaners box. These are originally made of wood or metal.
But
now a day are made of plastic. They consist of a box
with handle and a fitted tray. They are
used by the room attendant for carrying cleaning
supplies.
? Chambermaid's
Trolley/Housekeeping Trolley −This trolley is large enough to keep all the
guest room and guest bathroom supplies in an
organized manner. It makes the
housekeeping staff to move it around and carry large
number of items in one go while
keeping and cleaning the guest rooms.
? Janitor's
trolley − It is a trolley that stores cleaning supplies such as detergents,
spray
bottles, dustbin, mop, and dusting cloths, all in a
compact manner. It can be moved around
easily. It fulfills the challenge of modern day
housekeeping in hotels.
? Mop
Wringer trolley − A mop bucket cart (or mop trolley) is a wheeled bucket that
allows its user to wring out a wet mop without getting the hands dirty. The
mops are squeezed between two surfaces to remove dirty water from it.
Post updated on: Oct 10, 2021 8:02:55 AM
CLEANING SCIENCE
Cleaning is carried out for the following reasons:-
a) Aesthetic appeal - The environment is made visually attractive and appealing
b) Hygiene - Effective, frequent cleaning controls, the growth and reproduction of pathogenic
bacteria and other germs.
c) Maintenance - Surface and articles, however good in quality will have a long and functional
life only when they are cleaned on regular basis.
d) Safety - Cleaning is done for safety against health hazards, fire hazards and slip hazards.
Types of soil:-
a) Dust- This is composed of loose particles deposited from the air. It contains both organic
(human and animal hair, dead skin cells, plants) and inorganic (sand, dry earth) matter.
b) Dirt - This implies dust held together firmly by moisture or grease on rough surfaces.
c) Tarnish - This is a discoloration or deposition on a metal or alloy surface caused by chemical
reaction with certain substances found in air, water and food stuffs. Different types of metals
get tarnished when they are exposed to air (copper gets a greenish color called 'verdigris').
d) Stain - This is discoloration caused on a hard or soft surface by a substance containing dyes,
proteins, acids or alkalis. Stains cannot be removed by routine cleaning process. It must be
removed as soon as they occurred, by using solvents to dissolve it or an acid or alkaline to
neutralize it.
e) Foreign matters -These may be dead flowers, contents of wastepaper basket and ashtrays, as
well as stains from the deposition of foreign substances (as opposed to the result of a chemical
reaction).
f) Grime: dirt ingrained on the surface of something.
Nature of soil:- All the above types of soil may be categorized under at least one of the
following heads, depending on the nature of the substance responsible.
a) Inorganic or mineral: A homogeneous chemical element or compound, solid, liquid or
gaseous substance, having a chemical composition resulting from the inorganic processes of
nature.
b) Organic: A substance that has a plant or animal origin. Organic compounds are basically
hydrocarbons i.e. they essentially contain the elements like carbon, hydrogen & oxygen.
c) Cosmological: these are substances containing either organic or inorganic matter that emit
an unpleasant odor.
d) Bacterial: some soils may contain live bacteria or their spores, which may cause diseases or
infections.
e) Entomological: These soils harbor insects, especially those that are carriers of disease &
infection.
Principles of cleaning:- These are the basic rules to follow in any kind of cleaning activity, whatever the nature of
surface or the soil.
1. All soil should be removed.
2. Soil should be removed without harming the surface being cleaned or the surrounding
surfaces.
3. The surface should be restored to its original state after the cleaning process.
4. The simplest method should be tried first using the mildest cleaning agent
5. Cleaning should proceed from high to low wherever possible
6. While wet cleaning or polishing the floor, the cleaner should walk backwards while
cleaning in front of him.
7. Suction cleaning should be preferred over sweeping wherever possible
8. Sweeping should be done before dusting and dusting before suction cleaning
9. Stains should be removed as soon as they occur
10. The cleaner should take all safety precautions while cleaning. In particular, cleaning
agents and equipment should be stacked neatly to one side.
11. The cleaner should start cleaning from the farthest end of an area working towards the
exit.
Methods of cleaning:-
MANUAL METHODS
a) Sweeping
b) Dusting
c) Damp Dusting
d) Moping
e) Scrubbing
f) Polishing
MECHANICAL METHODS
a) Suction Cleaning
b) Buffing
c) Polishing
d) Burnishing
e) Scrubbing
f) Stripping
Sweeping: This is done to collect dust when the floor surface is too rough for a dust mop
Dusting: This is fine, dry powder consisting of tiny particles of earth or waste matter lying on
the ground or on surfaces or carried in the air.
Damp dusting: This is the most preferred way of cleaning in hotels as surfaces can be wiped
as well as dusted, removing any stick or dirty mark at the same time.
A suitable lint-free cloth at the correct level of dampness should be used so as to avoid
leaving any smears.
Moping: This is the preferred way to remove dust, sand or grit from the floor
Scrubbing: This is the process to remove dirt, grime, etc. from something by hard rubbing
while washing/ cleaning.
Polishing: This process uses soft pad or brush to remove some soil and put the shine back
on the surface.
Buffing: In this process surface is rubbing with a piece of soft material in order to make it
shine.
Suction cleaning: Vacuuming with high-filtration machines to remove dry-soil form the
surface.
Burnishing: This process uses an ultra-high-speed floor machine (1500-2500 rpm) to restore
a deep gloss to the floor finish.
Stripping: This refers to completely removing old wax, soil and debris found on the surface.
Cleaning and Hygiene Principles
The housekeeper must follow the given principles while cleaning −
Carry out the cleaning procedures in sequence. Say, sweeping → Dusting →
Mopping/Suction Cleaning → disinfecting → Air Freshening.
Must take care while cleaning and polishing; not to damage various surfaces and hamper
their appearance.
Should start cleaning from extreme inner end continuing towards exit.
Should park the chambermaid's trolley such that it leaves space for corridor traffic.
Must take proper precautions while handling cleaning equipment, detergents, and guest
luggage.
Must remove hard water stains and spider webs as soon as they occur.
Must never use guest room linen for cleaning or blocking room entry.
Safety and Security Principles
The housekeeper must follow the safety rules mentioned below −
Protect their body from harmful chemicals by wearing thick gloves.
Protect their eyes by wearing masks or goggles if required.
Must use of caution sign to mark wet floors.
Clean spilled liquids immediately to reduce chances of slipping.
Handle cleaning chemicals carefully while transporting, disposing, or refilling the containers.
Mix any chemicals required in the presence of proper ventilation.
Must not open unlabeled chemical containers.
Use swivel head mops to avoid inappropriate body posture while cleaning.
Wear close toe-non slip footwear while working.
Use appropriate body postures while working to avoid cramps.
Request for peer assistance while moving heavy loads such as furniture.
Report to the supervisor in case of any accident due to mishandling of flammable liquids or
otherwise.
Frequency of Cleaning-Cleaning tasks may be divided according to the frequency of their
scheduling, which depends upon:
The level of soiling,
1. The type of surface,
2. The amount of traffic,
3. The type of hotel, and
4. The cleaning standards set.
5. The greater the amount of soiling, the greater will be frequency of cleaning carried out.
Cleaning tasks are carried out as per one of the following frequency:-
6. Daily Tasks
7. Periodic Tasks
8. Special cleaning Task
9. Spring cleaning Task
1. Daily cleaning task: These are routine operations carried out on a day-to-day basis by
the staff of the housekeeping department. These include the regular servicing of
guestrooms, cleaning of bathrooms and toilets, suction-cleaning of floors and floor
coverings, and so on.
2. Periodic cleaning task: These are carried out on a weekly, monthly, quarterly (every
three months), half-yearly or annual basis. These may include the polishing of metal
surfaces, dusting of hard-to-reach areas, and so on.
3. Special cleaning task: Spring-cleaning is a special type of periodic cleaning. Some of the
usual periodic tasks in a hotel include the shampooing of carpets, washing of walls,
cleaning of chandeliers, and stripping and polishing of floors.
The higher the standards required, the greater is the task carried out daily and greater the
amount of soiling, the greater will be frequency which is carried out.
Design Features that simplify Cleaning
1. Smooth textures; straight, neat, and smooth lines; and medium toned colors are some of
the design features in a surface that make for easier cleaning.
2. Surfaces with these features collect less dust compared to surfaces with rough textures,
intricate raised patterns, and grooves.
3. Medium-toned colors show less dirt than surfaces of darker or lighter shades.
4. Furniture should be so designed that cleaning under and behind them is easy.
5. Furniture on castor wheels and glides are easily movable, making cleaning under and
behind them easier.
6. Bed frames should not have a raised edge. Though raised edges help to keep the mattress
sunk in place, they may graze the hands of GRAs badly during bed-making.
7. With regard to carpets, the shorter the carpet pile, the easier the cleaning.
8. Upholstery too should have the minimum of decorative features such as buttons, gathers,
etc.
9. Surfaces such as solid wood are now being substituted by laminates wherever possible.
10. While solid wood requires regular buffing and polishing, laminates are low-maintenance
surfaces.
11. A regular damp-dusting is usually sufficient for laminates. The drawback of laminates is that
they lack the richness and elegance of solid wood.
12. Wood-polishes are stain-resistant and long-lasting, are a boon to housekeepers as wooden
surfaces become fairly easy to maintain with the use of these polishes.
13. Another high-maintenance surface that requires constant polishing is brass.
14. Brass becomes easily tarnished, and more so in coastal climates.
Post updated on: Oct 6, 2021 2:42:14 AM
As the name signifies, housekeeping means "up keeping of the house". The housekeeping department is responsible for cleanliness, maintenance and the aesthetic upkeep to the property. The concept of housekeeping is simplistic but when one considers maintaining a house of several rooms and numerous public areas the tasks becomes gigantic. It takes a well-organized approach and technical understanding to enable housekeeping to cope with the volume of work. This department is also responsible for every aspects of guest room i.e. to provide all the required guest supplies and materials according to the guest request during their stay.
A hotel survives on the sale of rooms, food, beverages, and other minor services such as the laundry, health club and so on. The sale of rooms constitutes a minimum of 50% of these sales. Thus, the major part of a hotel's profit comes from room sales, because a room once construct can be sold over and over again.
Functions of housekeeping: Basic functions of housekeeping department are:
1. Cleaning rooms and public area
2. Bed making
3. Linen management /laundry service
4. Pest control
5. Key control
6. Safety & Security
7. Interior decoration
8. Room maintenance
Importance of housekeeping: Housekeeping is a critical part of any hotel industry. Strict cleanliness is an expected standard that has to be met. It's easy to assume that housekeeping only involves someone coming in to change the bedding and bring fresh towels. However, a housekeeper's duty is more than that and includes checking on appliances, bringing items to guests as they need them and making sure guests are comfortable. In hotels, the major part of revenue comes from the rooms, so housekeeping keep cleaning as a top concern, with that it also concentrate on:
Comfort
Cleanliness and hygiene
Privacy
Safety & security
D'cor
With the world's focus on recycling and conservation, the hotel industry must change some of its habits. In addition, becoming more consumers focused, like offering a directory of lost and found items online, will set a hotel apart from the rest of the industry. Promoting a spirit of innovation within the housekeeping departments will assist the hotel industry in overcoming challenges and preparing it for smooth transitions to new trends and customer expectations. With the many people traveling for vacations, business or visiting family and friends, it is vital that hotels distinguish themselves from one another. Turning the hotel into a destination, rather than merely a place to stay, through exceptional housekeeping and hospitality can provide a competitive advantage in the hotel industry.
Scope: The role of a housekeeper has changed rapidly with the changing times. Apart from the cleaning, maintenance and aesthetic upkeep of the property, the housekeeping system in itself has been computerized. A majority of the staff who were earlier illiterate are now diploma/degree holders with technical qualifications, all fluent in English and working on guest floors and doing basic jobs in the hospitality industry. Housekeeping control room jobs, too, which were earlier manual, are now completely computerized.
Nowadays rooms, amenities and supplies are also modified from hotel to hotel. Modern rooms are spacious with tasteful decor and are well-equipped with many facilities, which previously were found only in the suites. Apart from the changing room scene, housekeepers today are well-versed, not only with their jobs, but also at multi-tasking. Besides the main housekeeping cleaning operations,
They also take care of
- horticulture,
- security,
- laundry operations,
- interiors,
- quality control,
- budget
- cost control,
And with the above mentioned leading roles, housekeeper also act as supporting column for
- Purchasing for exclusive items for special occasions.
- Revenue management
- HR management(recruitment and training)
Housekeeping department-working towards customer delight
- Customer satisfaction has to be on everyone's mind as they begin the work day
- Customer satisfaction is more than just a smile
- Guest satisfaction improves when you know your customer/ their needs
- Improve customer satisfaction by addressing customer calls/ complaints promptly/ quickly
- Train your staff on improving customer service (hand written notes, service messages)
- Recognize loyal/ repeat customers (know your customer)
- Respect your customer/ customer needs
- Provide personalized service
- Track, analyze and report on customer satisfaction
Responsibilities of the housekeeping department
- To achieve the maximum possible efficiency in ensuring the care and comfort of guests 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 general standard of cleanliness and general upkeep in all the areas for which the department is responsible.
- To provide linen in rooms, restaurants, banquet halls, conference venues, and health clubs and so on, as well as maintain inventory for the same.
- To provide uniforms for all the staff and maintain adequate inventories for the same.
- To cater to the laundering requirements of hotel linen, staff uniforms, and guest clothing.
- To provide and maintain the floral decorations and maintain the landscaped areas of the hotel.
- To select the right contractors and ensure that the quality of the work is maintained as at the onset of business. To coordinate the renovation and refurnishing of the property as and when, in consultation with the management and with interior designers.
- To coordinate with the purchase department for the procurement of guest supplies, cleaning agents, equipment, fabric, carpets and other items used in the hotel.
- To deal with lost and found articles.
- To ensure training, control, and supervision of all staff attached to the department.
- To establish a good working relationship with other departments.
- To ensure that safety and security regulations are made known to all staff of the department.
- To keep the general manager informed of all matters requiring attention.
Post updated on: Sep 30, 2021 9:18:17 PM
Revenue
Management is the procedure of considerate, anticipating and
influencing consumer activities in order to make the most of yield or profits
from a fixed and a perishable resource. It was Airline Industry who initiated the concept
of Revenue Management. Nowadays revenue management has taken hold widely
throughout the rest of the Travel industry as well. More or less all major
Hotel, Car Rental Agencies, Cruise Lines and Airlines have developed or are developing
revenue management systems.
Supplementary industries that appears ripe for the application
of revenue management concepts includes Golf Courses, Freight Transportation, Health
Care, Utilities, Television Broadcast, Spa Resorts, Advertising,
Telecommunications, Ticketing, Restaurants and Web Conferencing.
As we know that Airline passengers on the same
flight shell out different fares. Post departure of the aircraft, the seats
which are not sold cannot engender any revenue and thus can be said to have
perished.
Consequently Airlines industry adopts various strategies to overcome
its loss toward unsold seats. For example, airlines can proffer discounts on
low- demand flights, Saturday night packages. The contrary, selling more
expensive seats when there is excess Demand.
To be more precise, inventory-focused branch of
revenue management, yield management involves strategies in order be in command
of of inventory to sell it to the right customer at the right time for the
right price.
Most of the Hotels have a familiar problem mainly
they generate a fixed inventory of perishable products that cannot be stored if
unsold by a specific time. For example, if a hotel room is not able to sell by
the night of arrival, then that room for that night will not be able to source revenue.
Occasionally, if reserved guest did not turn up to occupy the room, the blocked
room for the guest will not generate revenue and thereby hotel has to incur
loss. Therefore hotel's management also espouses various strategies to overcome
its loss toward unsold rooms.
In order to shun the risk of cancellations and
no-shows, overbooking is very glowing way to follow in hotels. Overbooking is a
necessity for any business that accepts reservations. In hotels, the method to
put into practice of overbooking requires a fine balance between guest service,
operational procedure, and revenue optimization. In favor of hotels with
multiple room types, the complexity is multiplied.
Managers need to anticipate
and need to consider the competitive market, future events, previous year's
revenue, guaranteed reservation guests, seasonal rate, activities in the city,
business guests, Long stay guests etc. The aspiration is to identify the high yield
guest- the one who will pay the most and stay the longest, to achieve the
highest possible profit.
The front office manager must resolve what rates
will be used on a given day. Hotel rooms are sold for not to be trusted prices
which depends on the time of the booking of the room. One of the major tactics
is to organize Hurdle rate. We all recognize that Rack rate is the highest rate
to be given for a guest room, which moreover changes from day to day.
Whichever room price we offer to our clientele cannot
exceed its Rack Rate. Usually Rack rates are presented to walk in guests, other
than Front office manager must set the lowest rate for a given date based upon
the demand. This lowest rate is called as Hurdle Rate. A few rooms can be sold
at a price above than its hurdle rate. It might vary from day to day depending
upon the hotel?s desired yield and market conditions.
Post updated on: Sep 28, 2021 2:57:33 PM
Accompanying the
technological revolution of the 1990s there are many new opportunities and
challenges for the hospitality industries. Since hospitality, global industry
information is its life-blood and technology has become fundamental to the
ability of the industry to operate effectively and competitively. Poon (1993)
suggests that the whole system of information technologies is being rapidly
diffused throughout the tourism and hospitality industry and no player will
escape information technologies impacts.
Understanding the effects, both good and
bad, of innovative technology in today?s hospitality industry. Whether we
are keen on the technological gadgets introduced into the workplace or not, we
need to adapt because technology is improving and expanding daily
in an attempt to make our lives easier. In this day and age, there is a technological device or software
used by a device for every operation in the hospitality world, such as
reservation systems, security cameras, point of sale systems, property
management systems, mobile communication, meeting matrix, energy management
systems, key card encoder, etc. By incorporating the use of such devices into
the workplace, it has changed the way we conduct business while saving time and
money as it dismisses many time-consuming tasks.
The wide range of innovations will
continue to assist hotels in keeping up with their competition. Although
gadgets will bring lots of benefits to the workplace, it will bring some hotels
to an all-time low for the reason that they may not be able to keep up with
such investments and competitors. Regardless of what is brought to the table,
the whole point will always be to meet and exceed the needs of guests.
New innovative technology trends that are
currently being used in some hotels are the following:
The do-it-all remote (room
personalization) ? This allows guests to dim or turn on/off lights,
control room temperature, open/close curtains, order room service, turn on the
do not disturb sign, set wake-up calls, view TV channels and movies all on the
television with the click of a button on a remote. However, understandably,
some guests may be somewhat queasy at the thought of touching a remote that has
been in the hands of so many others, after all, it is a hotel room. There is an
easy alternative for guests who feel that way, to still take advantage of the
in-room technology from their iPhone, iPad or Android. They can just simply
download the app called Lodge net and sync their Smartphone with the TV, which
will then give access to all the functions the remote has to offer.
Self Service Concierge ? This touch
smart screen kiosk is located in the lobbies of hotels, which can help a guest
find out information(restaurants, activities, flights) without the hassle of
carrying a laptop or waiting for someone to assist them.
New hospitality technology trends will
play a key role in delivering a personalized experience and help in better
managing operations, maximizing overall performance, enhancing the
effectiveness of sales and marketing approaches, increasing efficiency and
reducing costs.
Image by workday.com
This report gives an insight into the
importance of the application of technologies and the use of the Internet in tourism
hospitality industries. This paper also aims to show how technological innovations
and information systems can be beneficial for hotel companies.
Post updated on: Sep 24, 2021 1:37:15 AM
By: Divya Thakur
Asst. professor
Banarsidas Chandiwala Institute of Hotel management
Our
guests never like to be treated by
machines or robots. They always want to see Good looking and groomed humans,
when it comes about reception of their favorite Hotel. At the same point and
time, they would never like to be away from
iPads, iPods ,smart phones and netbooks.
Technology
is at the forefront of allowing guests the freedom to do what they choose
during a hotel stay. From the minute
guests enter the lobby, it is hard not to be impressed by the hotel's striking
architecture and contemporary design. But beyond this showcase of modern
elegance, technology is hard at work.
Hospitality industry
has never changed, guests always want to be treated as they are at the top of
the world with the best possible technology i.e. error free bills, speedy
information, uninterrupted and personalized service. What has really changed is that today it
isn't about giving the guest the technology, Today it's about giving the guest
the capability of leveraging all of the technology that they're traveling
with.
To make the connectivity
process easy for the guest, hospitality
industry has started working on Guest
technical devices within the Guest room. One of the major technology has been
developed which allows guests to use their mobile phone to gain access to the
Hotel room. Which means the key-less entry to their own rented room, so they do
not have to worry about the electronic keys. Hilton Worldwide Holdings and
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide
are on the verge to implement it soon. This is known as RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) technology.
Hotels
applications are also used among the guests which are known as Smart-phone
applications. These enable the guest not only to stay connected, but also to
involve them in the hotel from checking in from the airport, to other hotel
related services. Some examples of good Hotel booking Apps are Booking.com,
Trivago, Hotels.com, Expedia, Trip advisor. The apps not only tells the booking
of the right room but also Books flights, car rental and gives it the best
price.
Hilton has Revolutionize Hotel Experience with
Digital Check-In, Room Selection and Customization, and Check-Out worldwide,
once a room is booked:
1. Room selection: At 6 a.m. the day before a booked stay, Hotel
members can sign into their account via their mobile device, tablet or computer
to check-in and choose their preferred room through floor plan maps or lists
populated from the hotel's available inventory. Photos of rooms are also
available to help with their selection. Hilton's digital lobby function is
updated in real-time, so guests no longer have to wait until they are
physically in the hotel lobby to be assigned a room.
2. Special requests: After choosing a room, guests can further
customize their stay at full-service hotels by purchasing upgrades and
requesting specific amenities to be delivered to their room before arrival.
3. Check-out: Guests can bypass the front desk upon departure as
their bill will be automatically sent to their email address.
Vo-IP services-
Vo-IP enables multiple facets of communication in the rooms. A VoIP phone or application
may have many features an analog phone doesn't support, such as e-mail-like IDs
for contacts that may be easier to remember than names or phone numbers, or
easy sharing of contact lists among multiple accounts. Generally the features
of VoIP phones follow those of Skype, Google Voice and other PC-based phone services, which have richer
feature sets but (because they rely on mainstream operating systems' IP support)
latency-related audio problems. Voice
over IP has now grown in popularity. Many guests now use Skype to conduct
business and speak to loved ones.
In-room devices
control from mobile devices. Syncing devices is key in the guest experience.
Having the ability to control the in-room temperature remotely, or putting in a
request for a late-check out are now easy. Samsung continues to raise the bar
for the hospitality market with premium entertainment experiences and
technology options that inspire hoteliers to deliver more engaging, memorable
experiences for their guests.
Post updated on: Sep 18, 2021 6:53:55 PM
The New trend in Hotel Housekeeping ?Aesthetically Clean to
Clinically Cleaning
This
COVID 19 pandemic has raised the issues related to redesigning of safety
measures and hygiene standards. The hotel industry needs to modify the
operating systems to reduce the risk of spreading contagious diseases. Also,
we know that COVID-19 pandemic will eventually subside. What will come up as
one of the major challenges for hotels will be sanitization and hygiene?
Aesthetically clean, what hotels focused on till date
will be pass? and will be replaced by clinically clean as the new normal. Earlier Luxury was the priority, but Hygiene
is now the prime focus of hotels. Would you like to go to an area where people
are not wearing masks, or would you sit on a chair which is not sanitized from
last three hours?
Service
Aspect ? New sops to ensure guest safety
1. Guest
ID details soft copy prior to arrival and Guest travel details must be received
prior to their arrival.
2. Vehicle
must be disinfected before and after pick up and drop. Also, Guest luggage
disinfection is a regular practice.
3. Temperature
checks at all entry points for guest and team members. Sanitizers for guests at
entry and all key points in the hotel.
4. Guest
room keys to be disinfected before and after use. All common areas to be
disinfected every night with viricidal including restaurant and meeting spaces.
5. Team
members wear masks and gloves in all areas of the hotel.
6. All
departure rooms are kept vacant for 48 hours and sanitized before clearing it
for the next guest.
7. Team
has been trained on COVID-19 protocols. Trainings done and alarms installed for
hand washing. Periodic medical check up of all guest area team members.
8. Reduction in guest amenities, so that reuse is
not required. Mini bar only on call to avoid reuse and cross contamination.
9. All
touch points like handles and elevator buttons disinfected every hour. New
service standards for occupied rooms ? only on call or after 2 days.
10. Sanitization
check list is maintained and recorded on a daily basis. In room stationary are
on call, extra amenities and mini bar are on call.
11. All
guest use items in room are disposed off after departure and not reused. Contact less pickup
and delivery of Laundry.
12. Highest quality of care for guest garments. Use
of hygienic and specialized cleaning reagents only.
13. Dos and doesn't for guests in room and in
common areas. Standard operating
procedures must be followed by each and every department of the hotel. Does and
Don'ts must be easily accessed by all the employees and guests.
Change is the only permanent thing in life. A crisis
helps define the moment in the journey of the brand or industry and helps to
rediscover ourselves. This pandemic will not stay for long but will help us
hoteliers to innovate some good practices that will stay for a few generations.
Post updated on: Sep 18, 2021 6:53:01 PM
Gardening for beginners.
Many of us are very enthusiastic about gardening. But we do not know how to start it or from where to start. So, I have come up with series of blogs to tell you about gardening tips. These write ups are about simple plants that you can grow on your own. Vegetables that can be grown from your grocery, Plants that can be grown from cuttings, spices that you always have in your kitchen. You do not have to go and buy seeds; all you need is the SOIL.
The right soil for plants is loamy soil which is a mixture of sand, clay, and silt. The estimated mixture is 40% sand and 40% silt and 20 % clay. Loam is the right mixture of all these three, that not only holds nutrients well and retains water but also drains properly and allows oxygen to penetrate.
Now most people don't have soil they want, but they can make improvements in it. Many homemakers complain of dense clay soil that is difficult to work with or very dry soil that has been deficient of nutrients. A layer of top soil can be brought in for new construction homes. So its always better to purchase the soil from a nearby nursery, as they have the right soil you need for your house.
The second thing to the planter is that, It is always better to use old pots, buckets, or anything but most importantly, it should have a good drainage system. For this one must make holes in the base of the planter. it allows excess water to pass off from the planter as excess water may harm the roots of plant. Clay pots are always a better choice as they provide a healthy environment for most plants. The soaking nature of clay allows air and moisture to penetrate the sides of the pot. Other gardeners who wait for the lifeless hint from their plants are better off with plastic. Plants which demand a well-drained, dry soil like cactus also prefer clay pots.
Adding water to plants: Every plant requirements are different esp. when we talk about indoor plants, as they need less water due to less exposure of sun/ evaporation. Else, for any plant, keep adding water till you see water coming out from drainage holes. Otherwise only top plant will get water and underneath roots will remain water-less. You need to understand when to water a plant. Generally it?s visible or you can touch the soil, if soil is not sticking on fingers, plants can be watered.
Apart from sunlight, temperature, right pot and waters, as a beginner one must start by choosing easy vegetables that are also productive. Let's try with tomatoes first.
Plant seeds roughly 3 times as deep as the diameter of the seed, unless otherwise directed on the package. Some seeds require light for germination. The Tomato seeds should germinate in 10 to 14 days. Cooler temperatures will result in longer germination time and warmer temperature level will make the Tomato seeds germinate faster. Once the seeds have germinated, you can take the Tomato seedlings off the heat source, but they should still be kept somewhere warm.
Post updated on: Sep 18, 2021 6:44:46 PM
Hurdle Rate: A must in Revenue Management Strategy of a Hotel -
Divya Thakur, Assistant Professor, Banarsidas Chandiwala Institute of Hotel Management
Revenue
Management is the process of understanding, anticipating and influencing
consumer behavior in order to maximize yield or profits from a fixed and
perishable resource. Also called Yield Management, Revenue Management is used
by many companies in order to maximize profits by focusing on selling the right
product to the right customer for the right price at the right time.
Initiated by the airline industry, the concept
of Revenue Management has spread across the entire travel and hospitality
industry today. Almost all major hotels, car rental agencies, cruise lines and
passenger railroad firms have developed, or are developing, Revenue Management
systems. Other industries that appear ripe for the implementation of Revenue
Management concepts are golf courses, freight transportation, healthcare,
utilities, television broadcast, spa resorts, advertising, telecommunications,
ticketing, restaurants and web conferencing.
We know that all airline passengers boarding the same flight pay different fares. Once an aircraft takes off, the unsold seats don?t generate any revenue for the airline, thus, can be said to have perished. Therefore, the airlines industry adopts various strategies to overcome the losses incurred by unsold seats. For example, airlines offer discounts on low-demand flights or create Saturday night packages. Some airlines, on the contrary, sell more expensive seats when there is excess demand.
The primary aim of Revenue Management is selling the right product to the right customer at the right time for the right price.
If we talk about the hotel industry, all hotels have a common problem?they produce a fixed inventory of perishable products that cannot be stored if unsold by a specific time. For example, if a hotel has not sold a particular room, then that room will not generate revenue. Similarly, if a guest books a room in advance but doesn?t turn up to occupy the room, the booked room will not generate revenue. In both the situations the hotel incurs a loss. Therefore, it is important that the management of the hotel adopts various strategies to overcome its loss incurred due to unsold rooms.
To avoid the risk of cancellations and no-shows, overbooking is followed in hotels. Overbooking is a must for any business that accepts reservations. In hotels, the practice of overbooking requires a fine balance between guest service, operational procedure, and revenue optimization. For hotels with multiple room types, the complexity is multiplied. Managers not only need to forecast future events, but also need to consider issues such as the competitive market, previous year's revenue, guaranteed reservation guests, seasonal rates, activities in the city, business guests, long stay guests and more. The goal is to identify the high-yield guests, the one who will pay the most and stay the longest, to achieve the highest possible profit.
The Front Office Manager must determine the rate at which the rooms will be sold on each day. Hotel rooms are sold at varying prices depending on the time of booking. One of the major tactics hotels adopt is to organize a hurdle rate. We all know that rack rate, which changes everyday, is the highest rate paid by a guest for a room. Any room cannot be sold for more than its rack rate. Generally, rack rates are offered to walk-in guests, but the Front Office Manager must also set the lowest rate for a given date based on the demand. This lowest rate is called hurdle rate. Any room can be sold at a price above its hurdle rate. It may vary from day to day depending on the hotel's desired yield and market conditions.
Hurdle as the name suggest, is the problem which need to be solved by implementing proper revenue strategies.
The Front Office Manager must determine the rate at which the rooms will be sold on each day. Hotel rooms are sold at varying prices depending on the time of booking. One of the major tactics hotels adopt is to organize a hurdle rate. We all know that rack rate, which changes everyday, is the highest rate paid by a guest for a room. Any room cannot be sold for more than its rack rate. Generally, rack rates are offered to walk-in guests, but the Front Office Manager must also set the lowest rate for a given date based on the demand. This lowest rate is called hurdle rate. Any room can be sold at a price above its hurdle rate. It may vary from day to day depending on the hotel's desired yield and market conditions.
| The primary aim of Revenue Management is selling the right product to the right customer at the right time for the right price |
Hurdle as the name suggest, is the problem which need to be solved by implementing proper revenue strategies.
Implementation of Hurdle Rate has many Benefits:
- Increases revenue
- Marks a standard
- Involves employees: motivates staff
As market conditions have changed, there is also a change in the nature of Front Office?s role, from a passive order taker to an active order generator.
Applying tactics is a part and parcel of every business. In the hospitality business, where we treat our guests as God, managers must keep in mind that the ultimate business is to meet the needs of guests. Too much focus on Revenue Management and failure to meet the needs of guests will not only produce undesired effects, but will also lead to loss of guests in future.
Too much focus on revenue management can be just as ineffective as no revenue management at all.
Discovering, developing and nurturing customers, therefore, is critical to the present and future success of most businesses. Identifying key customers is only one step of creating this profitable relationship. To maximize profits, companies must continuously collect ongoing data about these customers or groups.
Post updated on: Sep 18, 2021 1:16:13 AM
Hospitality is all about
being a good Human Being.
We
are at your service Mam/ Sir?
If
we don't recognize the value of our guests, they will leave. If we treat them
with kindness and respect, they will inspire our loyalty.
We all
know that, a good guest service is a key to repeat guest, but once we try to
define, not everyone is on the same page. For some, good customer service is as
simple as solving problems and offering solutions in an exceptional way. To
others it means being pleasant and polite. Also, few define it as when a
company is willing to give their guests anything and everything they want and go
behind them, always in a right approach, no matter how unreasonable some of
those demands may be.
There is
nothing right or a wrong, when we specifically talk about hospitality, if we
are a good human and we impart a positive energy, good humanity and the another
person wants to see us again, And I guess, this defines a Good Customer Service.
Keeping
aside the Innovations and technology, the willingness to serve the guest may
solve many problems. Always remember, things are meant to be used and people
are meant to be loved.
Lord
Krishna was a perfect host and had great hospitality skills. To uncover this
statement, everyone has heard various stories of him with his childhood friend,
Sudama, who was hungry, poor and in rags, arrived at his palace. Lord Krishna
personally washed his feet and fed him with his own hands. There are many more
stories of Lord Krishna where he has taught how to treat people, how to be good
with them.
Nobody
is perfect, even Lord Krishna. He also acted like human being in many
situations. To help mankind without any selfish motive, one can lie here and
there and can manipulate as the situation demands.
Guests
also throw tantrums and make unmanageable choices, but the point is to how to
handle the issues and how you talk to
them. To succeed in professional and personal life, one has to learn and try to
emulate how to be a good human being. There are many hotels that go out of the
way to make their guests happy. Here is a very famous example from a very
renowned chain of hotels.
A
family made a checkout and they mistakenly left a Teddy toy in the room. Every
hotel will pack and send it, but this hotel made a story and circulated this
toy all across the Bar, Kitchen and employees made a note on what happened,
when the teddy was in the hotel. Then they packed the toy with notes and
pictures and send it back to the guest.
Isn't that a incredible experience?
It's
not only about making a guest experience wonderful but also to make it
memorable. And here, where we treat Guests as our God. Instead of thinking it a financial exchange, we
must act hospitable. Because after all, hospitality is all about being a good
human being.
Post updated on: Sep 14, 2021 5:47:55 PM
Smart
surveillance in hotels :
No one can forget 2008
Mumbai attacks. Our nation, as well as the world, has seen drastic changes
after that. 26/11 extinguished the comfort and trust and replaced it with a
nervous fear.
However, the chapter
is not closed. And now it?s our call to prevent our assets and change the world
of surveillance.
When we talk about Hospitality
industry, where all sorts of folks coming and going at all times of day and
night, surveillance plays a very important role. When there is a choice,
frequent travelers will seek out a hotel property that has superior security
amenities. Initially, savvy travelers will select a property that satisfies
their criteria and balance of location, price, business facilities, and food
service. However, after visiting the property, it?s the security features that
might determine the continued loyalty of a guest.
Again by its very nature, due to
shortage of labor in the hotel industry, often leads to skip the formality of a
employee background check while joining. Like any other business most customers
and employees are honest but in this business a disproportionate percentage are
not.
A hotel in Uttar Pradesh was in
trouble for providing a room to a famous Bollywood star without establishing
his identity. Police served a notice to the owner of the hotel, seeking an
explanation for disregarding the basic rules for allotment of rooms in a hotel. Is it a security lapse?.Can the rooms be booked when the claimants did not
reveal their identity?. Prior to allotting the rooms, the hotel staff must have
checked the ID proof.
With the demand for hotel rooms, the
security of guests, hotel property and employees have become more important than
ever. A carefully considered system of security cameras can help secure hotels
and give the guests the peace of mind they deserve. CCTV monitoring system are close circuit cameras installed at most
of the public areas. The security team leader keeps a watch over all the public
areas through CCTV monitoring and looks after any suspicious people moving in
and around the property.
Few international hotels have
included facial recognition capability
so they can input a digital facial image that can send an alert related to that
individual, if picked up by the video surveillance cameras. The hotel is also using
facial recognition to monitor employee behavior and to watch for any suspicious
activities of employees.
Scanning machines kept at the bell
desk, scans the baggage's of guests to avoid any suspicious entry of baggage in
the property. It makes sure that no contraband or weapons explosives, narcotics are
carried inside the property.
Self Check in counter
helps the credit card user to check in the hotel, by avoiding the front desk
procedures. As all the formalities are recovered online. This procedure is not only
fast but also secures and identifies the guest information.
Parking is often
the most overlooked area on a hotel property. Parking lot surveillance can be
relatively inexpensive by installing video cameras, but nothing beats a highly
visible, uniformed security patrol that is capable of responding to a criminal
incident and can call for help. Besides, a hotel guest would rather see a
"live person" on the job for their welfare.
A well planned surveillance system can
overcome all the deficiencies, and makes the staff more effective and can
improve the security and safety of both premises and guests.
Post updated on: Sep 10, 2021 10:58:30 PM
Auditing
of bill statements in Hotel's Front office department.
The audit is a daily review of in house guest
transactions in the guest folio. The routine helps guarantee the accuracy,
reliability and thoroughness of front office accounting.
This audit is generally performed during
the late evening hours. The most
convenient time to perform the audit is during the late evening and early
morning hours, as most of the point of sales are closed during this time.
This helps the front office personal to work with minimal interruption.
The audit is simplified by Front office
accounting software's as there is a little chance of any error.
For example:
In the bill a night
auditor will check:
1. Reconcile all posting: The transactions of room rent, POS's,
discounts, telephone charges, etc in
guest folio have the correct amount or not.
2. Checking
the authenticity of transactions: The postings mentioned in the guest bill must
pertains to the same guest , for this there has to be the supporting voucher
enclosed.
3. Calculation
error- The auditor will check the calculations of total amount, discounts and
taxes applicable. Whereas, automated system has released the burden of
calculations from the auditor.
4. Check
on payment- Also he will audit the payment done by the guest and will
inform the front office to collect payment from the high balance guest.
Here are some of the major
functions of night audit
- Ensures
roll over from one business day to the next day
- Reconciles
all front office cash counters/accounts
- Verifies
posted entries to guest/non-guest accounts
- Resolves
room status and rate discrepancies
- Most
importantly, generates several MIS reports called night audit reports
How to do night audit in a
hotel?
Night
audit is a mandatory process for hotels of all sizes, categories and services.
The most convenient time to perform night audit is between the late evening and
early morning ? just after the business day closes. This is the time when most
revenue centers and POS outlets at a hotel are closed, making it the ideal
time to perform night audit. This helps the front office personnel, also called
night auditor to initiate and finish the night audit process with minimal
interruption.
For the night auditor, some of the steps in the night audit process are
?
Total outstanding charge posting
Hotel night auditor needs to ensure that all guest
transaction happened in a day are correctly captured, charged and posted to
guest accounts.
Reconcile room status
The night auditor must evaluate and analyze a particular
day?s occupancy report and the housekeeping room status report
to find out the correct occupancy status of a hotel.
Verify room rates
It is mandatory to compare guest registration records
with room reports to ensure rack rate and actual rates are the same.
Verify no-shows of the day
By verifying no-shows of the day in the front office
console, the night auditor ensures that the no-show bills are duly charged, and
the rooms are marked as ?available? for future dates.
Balance all departmental accounts
This process of balancing all revenue center accounts is
called ?Trial Balance? that helps in accurately posting the day?s room and tax
charges.
The night audit process can be done manually ? by pen and
paper, or by using a hotel property management system (Hotel PMS). While doing
the same by pen and paper is a time-consuming and tedious process that leads to
multiple errors, a Hotel PMS efficiently automates the whole process. Take
Hotelogix cloud-based Hotel PMS for example that helps you with an efficient
night audit so that you can establish 100% accuracy of the process while
cutting down heavily on manual intervention that may lead to errors.
Post updated on: Sep 9, 2021 10:27:45 PM
Hotel
Arrival report Or C form
According to the Registration of Foreigners? Rules,
1992, Rule 14, it is obligatory on the part of the hotel management to send
information about foreigners registered at the hotel. Any person who is not an
Indian national (i.e., a person holding a passport of any country other than
India, except Nepal and Bhutan) is known as a foreigner.
The hotel is liable to send the information in the
format of Form C to the nearest Foreigner?s
Regional Registration Office (FRRO) or to the Local Intelligence Unit (LIU) or local police station, within 24
hours of the arrival of a foreign national. In case the hotel fails to do so,
the management shall be penalized with up to 5 years of imprisonment and a fine
of Rs. 2 Lacs.
These necessities
extend across India, and be valid to all persons who provide accommodation to
foreign guests for monetary
consideration, including hotels, guest houses, lodging houses
etc. The C-Form mechanism helps the authorities locate and track foreigners in
India to enhance security and safety. C form is filled
at the time of Guest registration ( Check In) to keep a track of Foreigners in
India.
1. In case of Pakistani, Bangladeshi, and Chinese
nationals, this information should reach within 12 hours to the nearest FRRO or
LIU, and also to the local police station. It should reach the FRRO every day
by 1500 hours.
2. Form
C should be prepared in duplicate. Top copy is sent to the competent authority
and second copy is kept for permanent records for the duration as specified in
the law related to the same.
Form C may also be submitted online to FRRO
these days through website ? www.indianfrro.gov.in
3. It
is to be filled for all foreigners? nationals except for nationals of Nepal and
Bhutan.
4. Diplomats
are exempted from filling the Form C.
(A diplomat is a
person appointed by a state or an intergovernmental institution such as the United Nations or the European Union to conduct diplomacy with one or more other states or international organizations).
5. NRI?s
with ?Green card? are not required to fill up Form C while NRI?s who are holding
passport of other countries have to fill up Form C.
6. In
case of a foreigner group registering in the hotel, only one C form is filled
and signed by the group leader ( Group leader provides the Passport and Visa
details of all the group members).Hotels make a separate Rooming list which
encloses these details of the group members and it is attached with the Guest registration
Card.
But if in case group members are of
different nationalities, then separate Form c as per the number of different
nationalities shall be filled up.
Click here to find standard C form
format-
C form has the following points to
be filled ie. Name and address of Hotel, Contact details of hotel, Name of the
foreign guest, Date of Birth, permanent address of guest, nationality, Passport
number, Place of issue of passport, date of issue of passport, Validity of
passport, Visa details, Weather employed in India, purpose of Visit, Next
destination and signature of Guest and hotel authority.
Post updated on: Sep 8, 2021 10:30:19 PM
LINEN
ROOM IN HOTELS
The linen room is the center stage for the
supporting role that the Housekeeping Department plays in the hotel. Most linen
rooms are centralized and act as a storage point and distribution center for
clean linen. Although the term ?linen? originally referred to those fabrics
made from the fiber derived from the stem of the flax plant, linen in this
context means all launder able articles and often includes pillows, mattresses,
shower curtains, fabric lampshades and upholstery theater also handled by the
linen room.
ACTIVITIES OF LINEN ROOM
1. Collection of soiled linen
2. Sorting and counting of soiled linen
3. Packing and dispatching of soiled linen to
laundry
4. Receiving of fresh linen
5. Counting and storing of fresh linen
6. Distribution of fresh linen
7. Maintaining stock of linen
8. Managing discard linen
LAYOUT OF LINEN ROOM
While planning for linen room, following points
considered on prior basis
A) Architectural features (location): which may
further classify linen room as
1. Centralized- in this type of linen room all the
linen is collected and issued from one room only
2. Decentralized- in this type of linen room,
each floor maintains its par stock separately in the floor pantry and when
replenishment is required then it can replenish from the main linen room.
B) Activity areas: it can cover the following
criteria
1. Adjacent
to the laundry if on-premises, usually with an interconnecting window between
the rooms.
2. Near the
service entrance if the laundry is off-premises.
3. Near the
service elevator for easy transportation to various units.
4. Away from
the food production area to avoid a fire hazard as well as prevent linen from
absorbing food odors, smoke, soot and dampness
C) Space: Total space allocated for linen room will
depend on the size of the hotel and activities to
be carried out in the linen room. The minimum space
requirement for a linen room is 6 sq. ft.
Separate space is required for linen storage area
and linen exchange counter.
D) Entrance: A common entrance cum exit point is
ideal for security reason.
E) Floors and walls: The floors must be sturdy
enough to bear the load of heavy trolleys moving
across it. Tiles should be avoided as they tend to
chip. Walls should be of materials that can be easily cleaned frequently.
F) Lighting and ventilation: Though most of the
linen room is meant for storage, although ventilation is very much important to prevent the
growth mildew, even though the natural light may be less. The air must be free
of humidity and maintained at a temperature of 200 C
G) Storage: Linen storage shelves should be designed
for maximum utilization of space. The shelves are also need to be sturdy and
firmly fix as the weight they bear may be considerable. There should be 6
inches space between floor and lower-most shelf. Separate space should be
allocated for discard linen.
H) Linen exchange counter: this is usually a window
without any grilles to pass bundles of linen through. The area bellow this counter may be used to
park trolleys to collect the soiled linen.
I) Hygiene and Safety aspects:
1. Space for Cleaning procedures
2. Space for correct lifting techniques for heavy
linen.
Post updated on: Sep 8, 2021 10:19:16 PM
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