Sales and marketing division

Sales and marketing responsibilities are typically divided into four functions: sales, convention services, advertising, and public relations. The primarily goal of the division is to promote the sale of hotel products and services.

Accounting division

Accounting division monitors the financial activities of the hotel.

Engineering and maintenance division is responsible for maintaining the property’s structure and grounds, as well as its electrical and mechanical equipment.

Security division

All work of this division should be concerned about the safety and security of hotel guests, visitors, and employees.

Human resources division

The basic functions of the room division remain: employment (including external recruiting and internal reassignment; training; employee relations (including quality assurance); compensation; benefits; administration (including employee policies); labor relations; and safety.

Other divisions

Many hotels staff a variety of other divisions to serve the needs of their guests. The range of possibilities reflects the diversity of hotels.

Retail outlets

Logging properties often establish gift shops, newsstands, or other retail outlets in their lobbies or public areas. These outlets generate revenue for the hotel based on a percentage of sales or a fixed space rental fee.

Recreation

Some hotels – primarily resort – staff a division providing group and individual recreational activities for guests. Some recreational divisions also undertake landscaping the grounds and maintaining the pool. Golf, tennis, bowling, sailing, walking tours, bicycle trips, horseback riding, hikes and other activities may be arranged by recreation division staff. The division may also plan and direct activities such as arts and crafts shows or children’s programs.

Casino

The casino division may offer various forms of entertainment and other attractions to draw customers into the property and its gambling facilities. For casino hotels, revenues derived from gambling are usually larger than revenues from hotel operations.

 

 

Unit 10

 

Hotel staff

 

Words and word combinations

 

Bell attendant	Коридорний
Tip (v)	Тут: давати на чай
Gratuity	Тут: грошовий подарунок
Familiarize	Ознайомити когось з чимось
Load	Вантажити, навантажувати
Door attendant	Швейцар
Hail (v)	Тут: підкликати
Escort (v)	Супроводжувати
Valet parking	Паркування машин гостей, що здійснюється робітником готелю
Van	Автофургон
To be licensed	Мати відповідні документи, що надають право на певну діяльність
To be worth	Заслуговувати
Jacket lapel	Лацкан піджака

 

The front office

It is essential for reservation department personnel to work closely with the hotel’s sales and marketing division. On a day-to-day basis reservation agents must maintain accurate reservation records and closely track room availabilities in order to avoid overbooking. Cashiers post charges and payments to guest accounts.

 

Hotel’s switchboard operators may have responsibilities of answering and distributing calls, they may also place wake-up calls, monitor automated systems, coordinate emergency communications.

 

Among the primarily positions within the uniformed service department are bell attendants, door attendants, valet parking attendants, transportation personnel, and concierges. Uniformed service staff is usually classified as “tipped employees”, since a portion of their income is derived from guests’ gratuities.

 

Bell attendants are accounted to transport guest luggage to and from guestrooms; familiarize guests with the hotel’s safety features and in room amenities; provide information on hotel services and facilities; deliver mail, packages, messages; pick up and deliver guest laundry and dry cleaning; help guests load and unload their luggage in the absence of a door attendant.

 

Door attendants duties may include opening doors and assisting guests upon arrival; hailing guests load and unload luggage from vehicles; escorting guests to the hotel registration area; controlling vehicle traffic flow and safety at the hotel entrance; hailing taxes, upon request; assisting with valet parking services.

 

Valet parking is generally available at hotels offering world-class or luxury service. Specially trained employees park guest and visitor automobiles. Valet parking attendants are also responsible for the security of vehicles.

 

 

Transportation personnel: bus or courtesy van drivers must be well trained and properly licensed to operate the vehicle. Since these drivers are sometimes the first contact the guest will have with the hotel, it is important for them to be polite, efficient, and knowledgeable about the property.

 

Duties of concierges are described in the unit above, but it is worth adding that there is an international association of concierges Les Clefs d’Or (Golden Keys), which certifies and awards the most qualified concierges by the prominent gold crossed keys displayed on their jacket lapel.

 

Unit 11

Hotel Staff (continuation)

Words and word combinations

 

Inspector	Контролер
Room attendant	Покоївка
Shift	Тут: робоча зміна
Inventory	Тут: матеріально-виробничі запаси
Supply (n)	Тут: запас
Item	Тут: предмет
Groom (v)	Тут: доглядати когось (вдягати, підстригати, зачісувати, тощо)
Executive housekeeper	Адміністратор господарчої служби/відділу
Strive	Прагнути
Monitor (v)	Контролювати радіотехнічне обладнання
Surveillance	Спостерігання
To be wary	Стерегтися
Adjust	Відрегулювати
Authorize	Уповноважувати
Guide (v)	Інструктувати
Operation (n)	Тут: управління
Report (v)	Звітувати
Supervise	Тут: керувати
Delegate	Передавати, доручати
Qualify	Тут: отримати

 

Housekeeping department include inspectors, room attendants, and laundry personnel.

 

Housekeeping personnel inspects rooms before they are available for sale, clean occupied and vacated rooms, and communicate the status of guestroom to the front office.

 

Room attendants may clean from 8 to 18 rooms per shift depending on the hotel service level, average guestroom size, and cleaning tasks.

 

Executive housekeepers are usually responsible for maintaining of two types of inventories: recycled (which include such items as linens, uniforms, such guest amenities as irons and hairdryers) and non-recycled (such as cleaning supplies, small equipment items, guest suppliers and personal grooming items).

 

The duties of food and beverage division employees are described in the text “Restaurant staff”.

 

 

As for sales and marketing department, marketing staff researches the marketplace, competing products, guest needs and expectations, and future demand. Sales staff, on the other hand, strives to create revenue trough the sale of hotel products to guests and groups.

 

 

Accounting staff at the accounting division may be responsible for making bank deposits, securing cash loans, and performing other control as required by hotel management. Other financial activities like monitoring cash, checks, credit cards, receiving cash payments, making change, etc. are performed in close cooperation and coordination with the front office.

 

The staff of engineering and maintenance division is responsible for electrical and mechanical equipment, it may also be charged with swimming pool and fountain operations: quite often, the operation of hotel’s safety equipment comes under this division as well.

 

Security staff may include in-house personnel, contact security officers, or retired police officers. Their responsibilities may include patrolling the property, monitoring surveillance equipment, and, in general, ensuring that guests, visitors, and employees are safe and secure. But all employees should be wary of suspicious activities anywhere on premises, and report such activities to a member of the security staff.

 

As for human resources division, in properties that are not large enough to justify a separate human resources office or division, the general manager often supervises the human resources functions. These functions are listed in the unit above.

 

It should be also noted that the staff of the property can perform not all works. Some works which require special skills or equipment (like calibrating building controls, testing and adjusting of building alarms, organizing recreation activities, or even removing snow from parking) may be done on the contract basis.

Part II

Unit 1