Twain Harte Hotels
The basic principles of Managing a Hotel are simple and similar, no real matter what the Star classification of the Hotel is (1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 Star Hotel (Based on the Services and Facilities they provide), or if it is a large or a small Hotel or if the hotel is operated independently (Managing the Hotel under your (Hotel Owners) Name) or element of a Hotel Chain (Managing Hotel under someone else name and paying them fees for employing their name). Greater the Hotel gets, with regards to the amount of Rooms and the amount of Restaurants and Bars, the amount of Staff increase and also the amount of Titles and Positions of the Staff working there. The principal and basic Business of any Hotel or a Resort offers Rooms, Food and Drink to Guests (Customers).
They're classified as City Hotels (which mainly cater for Business Guest), Resorts (which cater for Guests on Holiday or on Vacation in Holiday and Beach Side Destinations), Airport Hotels (which are close to Airports and mostly appeal to transit Airline Passengers and Airline Crew), Casino Hotels (Hotels which have licensed Gambling facilities), Convention Hotels (which have Convention and Meeting facilities for big amount of Guests), Motels (Mainly in the US, which appeal to Guests Traveling by road and who wish to stop over for overnight) , Bed and Breakfast (Mainly in Europe, which are small Hotels catering for Guest at reasonable pricing).
Letting out Guest Rooms, Letting out Conference Rooms for Meetings and Conferences, Letting out Ballrooms for Weddings and Functions and Sale and Service of Food and Drink in Restaurants and Bars are the principal source of Revenue on which Hotels rely.
As time passed by Twain Harte Hotels started generating Revenues from Spa (Providing Massage and Treatment Services) ,Health Club (Gym), Boutiques in the Hotel Lobby, Golf, Outside Catering, Serving Airlines through Flight Catering etc.
The principal Operational Departments of a Hotel are Front Office Department, House Keeping Department, Food and Beverage Service Department, Food Production Department (Kitchen).
Front Office and House Keeping Departments together may also be referred to as Rooms Division Department.
Front Office Department deals with Guests Reservations: for Guests who would like to stay static in the Hotel , in addition it deals with Guest Registration when Guest check in to the Hotel, through working with Guest requests and Complaints within a Guest stay static in the Hotel to finally collecting and processing Guest Payments, when Guest Finally check out from the Hotel.
In smaller Hotels Front Office Department is merely referred to as Reception.
Receptionists, Guest Service Agents, Cashiers and Front Office Manager form part of the Department.
Second Operational Department that is closely linked to Front Office Department is House Keeping Department, which deals with the cleaning of Guest Rooms and Public Areas (Restaurants, Bars, Conference Halls, Ball Rooms and Offices etc).
In medium-sized to big Twain Harte Hotels House Keeping Department also posseses an on premises Laundry for the washing of Guest Room Linen (Bed Sheets, Towels, Pillow Cases etc), Guest Clothes (for an additional Fee) and Staff Uniforms. In smaller Hotels this function is normally outsourced.
In smaller Hotels it's simply referred to as Maid Service.
Room Maids, Housemen, Laundry Supervisor and Executive House Keeper form part of the Department.
Third Operational Department is Food and Beverage Service Department, which really is a collection of all Restaurants, Bars, Conference halls and Ball rooms in the Hotel. It also contains Room Service.
Waiters, Bartenders, Restaurant Manager, Bar Manager, Room Service Manager, Banquet Manager and Food and Beverage Manager form part of the Department.
This Department deals with the Service of Food and Drink to the Guest and later for the collection of Payment from Guest.
Fourth Operational Department in a Hotel is Food Production Department or Kitchen. They cook Food for the Guests in the Restaurant, Bar, Room Service, Conferences, Functions and Weddings.
Cooks, Kitchen Stewards, Commis, Chef de Parties and Executive Chef form part of the Department.
Other compared to four main operational departments mentioned above you will find small ancillary departments that really help in the correct functioning of a Hotel.