There are various departments of a hotel which help in the smooth and efficient operation of the hotel. All these departments work in close liaison for the hotel to operate in a good condition so as to achieve management’s pre-defined goals and objectives.
The major four departments of hotels are:
- Housekeeping Department
- Food and Beverage Service Department
- Food Production or Kitchen Department
- Front Office Department
These four departments are the operational departments of the hotel known as the Core Areas of the Hotel. But not only operational department but secondary department also plays a significant role to ensure general administration of hotel and they are:
- Sales and marketing
- Personal and human resources
- Account and finance
- Security and engineering
- Purchase and store
1. House Keeping Department
The housekeeping department is responsible for management of guest rooms and the cleanliness of all public areas of the hotel. A close liaison between housekeeping and front office is essential so that the information about guest- rooms is kept up to date. In simple words, Housekeeping means up-keeping the house.
2. Food and Beverage Service Department
Food and beverage department are one of the main service oriented and crucial department of the hotel. It renders the services of prepared food items, beverages, and tobacco in a hospitable way to the customer as per their demand.
The food and beverage department put forward the world class service of food and drink. The services that food and beverages provide may be a coffee shop, bars, lounges, speciality restaurants, banqueting, and room service etc.
3. Food Production Department
A kitchen is a well designed closed area with skilful chefs and all necessary equipment, tools and utensils liable for preparing food items as per guest orders followed by standard recipes. It is a skilled food production team which prepares food items as per the guest orders. It prepares food according to the menu and there are two types of menu.
4. Front Office Department
The front office department is the most visible department in a hotel. The focal point of activity within the front office is the reception desk. The reception desk is usually the place in which guest make the first impression of the hotel. It is also the communication centre of the hotel. Since it is the first and last point of guest contact with the hotel the hotel spends a lump sum amount of money to make it look more luxurious and beautiful. We can see in most of the hotel’s front office or the entrance point of the hotel is decorated and made luxurious in every way. It is also the communication centre for the hotel operation. Front office department plays an important role in image building of a hotel.
The reception desk includes front office cashier, information, and registration section. The other section of the front office is telephone operator, reservation and business centre. Every section of the front office has their own functions.
The functions of different front office sections are as follows:
Reservation
A request for accommodation by the guest in a hotel for any particular period is called reservation. Reservationist are the employees responsible for accepting or rejecting the reservations made by the guests from different modes such as telephone, e-mail, fax, letters, etc
Registration
This section of the front office is responsible for the warm and friendly reception of all guest. Staffs working in this section are known as a receptionist. Receptionist are the staff who have a direct contact with the guest, thus they should pose an amiable personality with high-level o grooming at all the times.
Telephone Operator
This is the separate section under front office department which is located on the back side of the hotel. They are connected to the front desk and cannot be seen by the guest. A telephone operator is an employee in this section, responsible for handling all incoming and outgoing guest call and hotel calls. Telephone operator is responsible for posting of all charges incurred by the guests and the hotel employees while making out calls.
Information Section
This is another section under front office department, which is located at the visible part of lobby separately within the lobby area or joined together with the front desk. This section is responsible for providing information related to the hotel, rooms, and facilities and about the city or towns where the hotel is located. Information centre of the front office is also responsible for handling guest mails and messages.
Front Office Cashier
This section of the front office is located at the front desk. Front office cashier, working in this section is responsible for updating guest bills, keeping up to date cash and credit transactions of the guest and get them settled before the guest departure. Front office cashier should ensure the timely collection of all guest bills from different outlets and posts them in respective folios in case if the Front Office is not computerised.
Business centre
Modern technology has changed the pace of information system. People can do their job in a home country from far countries. The role of fax, photocopying and secretarial work is deemed important t to provide these types of services to the guest. There may be demand for guest to translate and interpret services as well as the hire of laptops, computers, and portable telephones in their rooms. The responsibility of such type of services comes under business services. The arrangement of meeting rooms, conferences, is also one of the duties of business centre staff. It the hotel has many none – English speaking guests , then bilingual secretaries may be required in the business centre.