Inns of Early Times

 The first Inns go back to 3000 BC which were

established for the people on the move
spurred by the urge to travel.
 The earliest Inns were private homes of
husband and wife teams who provided large
halls, for travelers to roll out their own beds
and sleep on the floor.
 At the time of the Roman Empire in 320
B.C., inns become a commonplace, because
of the need of the Romans for political,
administrative and military travel.
 Inns of Early Times
 The BIBLE gives an account of Joseph who
found all the inns full because of a census
called by King Herod, in Bethlehem before
he took Mary to a cowshed to give birth to
Jesus.
 Inns of Early Times
 Religious travel grew strongly after the
crucifixion of Christ.
 In the first century AD, one of the important
providers of lodging Church maintained
hospices, monasteries and hostels for
pilgrims during the middle ages that offered
free doles of bread and ale.
 British Law defines a “Hotel” or “Inn” as a
“place where a bonafide traveler can receive
food and shelter, provided s/he is in a
position to pay for it and is in a fit condition
to be received.”
 By this definition, a hotel must provide
rooms and meals. The provision of
beverages is subject to customs and
practices.
 A hotel can refuse a guest accommodation if
s/he is not in a fit and orderly state.
 With the evolution of hotels and its
proliferation around the world, it is
impossible to categorize them under
one term. Here is a list of hotels usually
used in the tourism circuit, each with a
specific purpose and clientele.
Airport Hotels - as the name suggests, are located in the
precincts of an airport, usually situated a distance away
from the city. They cater mostly to transient airline
passengers who may be catching another flight to
complete their journey. They also cater to those
passengers with cancelled or delayed flights. Rather than
wait at the airport, airlines provide hotel facilities.
Bed and Breakfast – are usually small family businesses. A
family may have an extra set of rooms in their home that
they lot out to tourists. The family of the establishment
takes the responsibility of providing comfortable rooms
much in the home style with their dining rooms serving as
the breakfast venue.
Boutique Hotels – is a term originating in North America to
describe intimate, luxurious and even quirky hotel
environments. They differentiate themselves from other
branded ones by providing personalized facilities and
services. A boutique hotel is also known as “design hotel”
or “lifestyle hotel”.
Budget Hotels – are relatively a new concept that makes
travel inexpensive in a world that is getting more and more
costly. A room would have bunker beds with perhaps a sink
in the room for washing purposes. There would be common
toilets. A mini-television will be mounted on the wall to
save space. Budget hotels will have dispensers for hot and
cold foods, ice, alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages,
toiletries located at common areas on the floors or lobbies.
Business Hotels – specialize in providing business related
facilities and amenities for the business and corporate
traveller. Such facilities will include business centers that
provide meeting rooms, secretarial services and modern
telecommunication facilities including the internet.
 The business centers are equipped with modern office
automation. A business lounge allows executives to have
private meals and will have latest newspapers and perhaps
a library.
 The rooms of business hotels will be equipped with high
speed internet facilities, direct dial telecommunication link-
up globally, ergonomic writing desk chairs, mini bar, safety
lockers, multi-channel television, etc.
Services of business hotels could include limousine service to
and from the airport, concierge services, same day laundry
service, health club, access to golf courses, etc.
 Casino Hotels – serve only on purpose – to serve guests
who want to gamble. Las Vegas in Nevada, U.S.A. is the best
example of the location of casino hotels.
 The essential features of casino hotels are gaming halls,
sometimes the size of a football field, with all possible
gambling games including banks of slot machines,
Blackjack tables, Roulettes tables, etc..
 Most rooms are large and fitted with twin-queen-sized
beds with bathrooms having separate bathing, shower
and toilet area. A bathroom would perhaps be the size of
a guest room in a smaller property.
Casino Hotels
 Conference Hotels – have conference centers attached to
their main hotel to cash in on a lucrative conference
business.
 These hotels are geared for group check-ins and
introduce efficient registration and meal venues to cope
with volume conference participants.
 The conference annexes will have independent entrances
and large parking lots. Some conference hotels may also
include auditoriums that are leased out for public shows.
Conference Hotels
 Convention Hotels – are specially designed for such
purposes. They would have a large plenary hall to seat 2000
people or more, breakout meeting rooms for smaller
groups, administrative offices providing all the secretarial,
office automation facilities, ample registration lobbies and
large dining halls.
 The plenary hall and meeting rooms have state-of-the –
art projection and public communications systems
required for conventions. Most of the rooms will be twin-
bedded to be used as single and twin rooms for delegates.
Convention Hotels
 Deluxe Hotels – would
normally have a minimum
five-star rating. These
hotels are rated as deluxe
as they would have décor
and appointments of
luxury. They would have
every conceivable comfort
built into the guest
experience.
 Deluxe hotels ooze opulence and are available only to
those moneyed people who can afford to stay.
Destination Hotels – is a
lodging whose inherent
location and amenities attract
visitors regardless of the route
you need it. Hence hotels
beside the Pyramids, Taj
Mahal, Hotel Metropole,
Vienna, etc. come under this
category. This hotels give
spectacular views of the
object of interest.
 Downtown Hotels – are located at the center of the city in
busy commercial and shopping districts. Everyone likes to
stay downtown within easy reach of government and
private offices, shopping malls and entertainment centers.
 However, since the rate of the land is expensive, the rates
of the hotels are high to enable the investor to get his
return of investment.
 Usually downtown hotels will cater to guests on short
visits to a maximum of one week stay.
 Naturally these hotels will also boast of leading
restaurants, bars and night clubs.
Downtown Hotels
Family Hotels – are found mostly at resorts geared
specifically for families. Rooms will be interconnected with
perhaps a kitchenette and basic cooking facilities. There
would be common entertainment lounges equipped with
television, indoor games and children play area. Many
would have outdoor children parks and jogging paths.
Motels – are located on principle highways and road
junctions. It is a lodging facility with 15-100 rooms for the
automobile traveler. With ample parking spaces, guest can
park their cars in front of their rooms.
 Palace Hotels – are original palaces converted into hotels.
The beds in which the guests sleep are the ones where
actual royalty once slept.
 These palaces have been
equipped with modern
conveniences such as
television, mini-fridges,
air-conditioning and
telephone connections
though intruding the
original uniqueness of
the property.
Resorts – are located in natural and man-made sites. Resort
hotels will be found at hill stations, seaside resorts, ski
resorts, canyons, waterfalls, etc.
 Suburban Hotels – are located on the outskirts of a city
where land is cheaper than downtown locations. They
attract clientele that are cost-conscious, though not
necessarily budget travelers.

 Such hotels have promoted

their facilities for training
programs, conferences and
seminars.
Suite Hotels – is ideal for families who need a temporary
accommodation before moving inter permanent abode.
Professionals find it convenient to set up travelling offices
in their living area without intruding into the bedroom.
Caravans – are mobile homes that families take across the
country. Caravans are fitted with sleeping, dining, lounge
and bathroom facilities. They have tanks with fresh water
and septic tanks for refuse. Some caravans have kitchenettes
with basic heating facilities.
Camps – are located on trekking routes.
Condominiums – are another
type of accommodation.
Here the owner of a unit
rents out a room or
apartment in a complex of
several such
accommodations.
Floating Hotels – are those
found on passenger ship.
Some are permanently
docked at a port while others
are cruise liners taking
passengers on a week long
rip around famed locations
connected with water.
Ice Hotels – are temporary
hotels made up entirely of
snow and sculpted blocks of
ice with what once may
consider a novelty
architecture.
Tree house – are small houses
built among branches of
mature trees and is some
distance above the ground.
Hotels may be classified by the number of
rooms. The size of hotels directly influences
the size of the housekeeping brigade.

25 rooms and less small

26 – 100 rooms medium
101 – 300 rooms large
301 – 1000 rooms very large
Above 1000 rooms mega
Star Rating
• Is one of the most definitive standard
which guide travelers as to what to expect.
• The star ratings are organized by the State
Tourism Department who puts together a
team of representatives from the
government, hospitality educationists,
travel agents, airlines and the hotel
industry.
• They are guided by a checklist of minimum
requirements to achieve a certain star
rating.
Star Rating
• Star Ratings range from one to five stars
though there are even six and seven stars.
• A five-star hotel will have a shopping arcade
with a bank, post office, travel agency, etc.
• They must have a coffee shop and other
dining options.
• It is necessary for them to have a swimming
pool, room service, etc.
• Hotels are required to display their star
rating at the main portal of the hotel so that
guests can know what standard to expect.
A hotel is structured organizationally to
meet the following objectives:

1. To maximize revenue through efficient

room occupancy;
2. To maximize food and beverage revenue
with excellent meals;
3. To earn from other minor departments
using the synergy of activities;
4. To give safe quality service.
 Organization structure
is a framework which assigns responsibilities and
establishes channels of communication to make
decisions and set operational accountabilities. The
structure serves many purposes:
.

a. to establish the relationship of people from various

departments with each other;
b. to establish effective communication;
c. to reflect the levels of authority in the organization
hierarchy.
.

The organization structure is represented graphically in

what is called, organizational chart. An organizational
chart is therefore, a schematic depiction of
relationships between various job positions in an
organization.
LARGE INDEPENDENT HOTEL STRUCTURE

Large hotel operations require

more people to operate it
compared to smaller ones. The
amount of specializations also
increases and therefore requires
an elaborate organization
structure.
REVENUE DIVISIONS/DEPARTMENTS
A hotel has two major revenue
producing divisions:
1. Accommodations – which is responsible
for the sale of rooms, driven by Front-
Office department supported by
departments such as Housekeeping,
Laundry, Telecommunications, Health
Club and Engineering, who make rooms
saleable.
REVENUE DIVISIONS/DEPARTMENTS
A hotel has two major revenue
producing divisions:
2. Food and Beverage – which is responsible
for the sale of food and beverage,
through food outlets like restaurants,
room service, bars and banquets,
supported by the kitchen and stewarding
departments.
ACCOMMODATIONS
FRONT OFFICE
is the heart of the hotel
that makes room
reservations, registers
guests into the hotel,
provides them with
information during their
stay and maintains their
master bills.
Basic Functions of the Front Office
• To sell rooms
• To Reserve rooms for guests before their
arrival.
• To Register guests into the hotel.
• To Assign rooms
• To coordinate with other services
• To control guest room keys
• To provide in-house and external information
to guests
• To maintain accurate room status information
• To maintain guest accounts and settle their
bills.
Reservations
• The principal role of reservations is to book
rooms in advance.
• This section is the hub of the department as
it must maximize the sale of rooms.
• Requests for reservation of rooms come from
various sources such as tour operators, travel
agents, airlines, central reservation systems,
global distribution systems, referrals, etc.
• The reservation agent is an important person
who can contribute to the room revenues of
the property be adept management of rooms
and up-selling.
Reception
• The reception registers guests and assigns
rooms to them.
• The receptionists receive and welcome the
guest on behalf of the hotel.
• The main activity is to complete registration
formalities, especially the billing information,
for the cashier to process during a guest’s stay
and upon departure.
• The reception controls all room keys
meticulously and issues them and receives
them back after a guest-stay.
Telecommunications
• This department is responsible for all
communications within and external to the
hotel.
• They have a vital role of keeping the internal
and external tele-channels of communication
open.
Guest Relations Desk
• The guest relations executive ensures that all
the guests, especially the VIPs, are kept
comfortable during their stay.
• She is like the hostess in a home. She solves
their stay problems and coordinates with
different departments to give prompt and
efficient services.
Front Office Cashier
• Though a member of the accounts
department, he is a crucial team member of
the front office.
• He maintains the guest’s accounts during his
or her stay, monitors credit limits and settles
bills as per instructions.
• Being the only cash point in the lobby of the
hotel, s/he keeps a cash bank for hotel
expenses and is licensed to receive and
exchange foreign currency.
UNIFORMED SERVICES
• ‘Uniformed services’ is the collective term
for lobby services.
Lobby Manager
• coordinates all guest services from a
central point.
• oversees the bell desk, concierge,
transportation and valet services.
• a problem-solver approached buy all
guests as his/her desk which is situated
prominently in the hotel lobby.
Concierge
• provides personalized services and
information in large hotels to the guests,
during their stay and also offers mail and
messaging services.
• today’s hotels have extended his role to
providing information services of the hotel
facilities as well as the city.
• in properties that do not have a lobby
manager, he assumes responsibility of all
uniformed service including bell services,
valet parking, transportation and doormen.
Bell Desk
• coordinates the movement of guest
baggage.
• responsible for the distribution of daily
newspapers to the occupied guest rooms,
executive offices, business centers and the
coffee shop.
• keeps the firs aid kit and some essential
machines under the direction of the house
doctor in case of emergencies.
Doorman
• is a person who welcomes guests a the
hotel portal.
• helps in off-loading and loading guest
luggage, if required.
• An important duty is to see that the hotel
porch is free of traffic congestion and directs
traffic accordingly.
Valet
• is responsible to provide car parking
services.
• his challenge is to keep a track of the car
keys and return them to the rightful owner.
HOUSEKEEPING
• is responsible for the cleanliness,
maintenance and the aesthetic standard of
hotel.
• provides laundered staff uniforms, room
and restaurant linen and fresh and dried
flower arrangements.
HOUSEKEEPING
The different sections of housekeeping are:
a. Housekeeping desk – which passes
information to housekeeping staff working
at various parts of the hotel;
b. Linen and Uniform room – coordinates
with the laundry for the supply of clean
and linen and uniforms;
c. Horticulture – tends all landscape, gardens
and nurseries;
d. Flower shop – where flowers are procured
and prepared for decors in rooms, lobbies
or buffet tables and sold to customers.
HOUSEKEEPING
The different sections of housekeeping are:
e. Lost and Found section – to deposit
misplaced guest belongings
f. Guest Room cleaning – brigade who clean
and maintain all guest-rooms for sale
g. Public area – brigade who are responsible
for the cleaning of he front office, lobby,
restaurants and other areas.
LAUNDRY
• This is a critical department that launders the
volume of bed linen, restaurant linen, staff
uniforms and guest garments.
• Large hotels find it prudent to have an in-
house laundry to control the movement of
precious assets of the hotel – linen and
uniforms.
• Smaller hotels may outsource this activity to
local laundries who may or may not deliver
linen and uniforms so critical to the sale of
rooms and restaurant services on time.
ENGINEERING and Maintenance
• this department is responsible for the supply
of air-conditioning (or heating) , lighting,
mechanical, electrical, carpentry, electronic and
civil works of the hotel.
• housekeeping depends on them for climate
control, mechanical equipment and
maintenance of furniture.
HEALTH CLUB AND RECREATION
• this department is considered a minor
revenue department but with a huge impact on
a guest profile that is getting increasingly health
and physical-fitness conscious.
• the health club is a specialist function that
has an independent activity based on the
number of options available.
• provide tennis courts and squash courts.
FOOD AND BEVERAGE
RESTAURANT
• is a commercial establishment committed to
the sale of food and beverage.
• may be a licensed part of a hotel operation,
whereby the sales of the restaurant contributes
to the sales performance of the hotel, or a
franchised operation within the hotel premises,
whereby the hotel leases space and has no
share in the profits of the restaurant operations
ROOM SERVICES
• is a food service operation.
• it provides food and beverages to guest
rooms. The room service is located in the
kitchen and has an order-taker’s desk.
• guests may order their
food and beverage
orders directly from
their rooms to the room
service order-taker who
will pass on the order to
the service team.
BARS
• dispenses wines, liquor, spirits, juices,
aerated waters, cigars and cigarettes.
• restaurant food service professionals will
coordinate with the bar for a guest’s beverage
orders.
BANQUETS
• is a major revenue area with food and
beverages. They cater to various occasions in
dedicated function rooms within the hotel
premises as well as outdoor sites away from
the hotel.
KITCHENS
• is the place where food is prepared.
• while kitchens in large hotels have
independent sections to deal with various
aspects of food preparations due to the sheer
volume of activity, smaller kitchens would club
sections or have multi-skilled cooks to carry out
several roles.