2nd Semester, Unit 01 - Room Layout and Guest Supplies

Room Layout and Guest Supplies

Introduction

—  The guestroom is the main product of a hotel, as it contributes to more than 50 percent of the total sales, making the profit percentage from room sales very high.

—  The ‘sale’ of a room means leasing the room for occupation for 24 hours at a pre-determined cost.

—  Thus, a room sold on a particular day earns revenue for that day, and then it can be sold again, and again.

—  Rooms are sometimes referred to as ‘highly perishable commodities’ as rooms not sold for the day lose out on the revenue for that day.

—  In addition to earning revenues, guestrooms also have a role in the image building of the hotel.

—  Guests may stay in a hotel for pleasure, convenience, or from necessity.

—  Whatever the reason for the stay, they will always expect a certain standard of service and comfort.

—  It is hence essential for each and every hotel employee to understand the importance of a guestroom for a guest.

—  The housekeeping staff, in particular, have the responsibility of making the guestroom ‘a home away from home’ for the guest.

Importance of the Guestroom to a Guest

—  The most important consideration is that the staff need to understand and respect the guest’s expectation from the guestroom and the hotel staff.

—  Primarily, a neat room is the basic minimum expectation of any guest, and the staff  need to ensure this by laying out fresh linen and presenting a clean room on a daily basis.

—  The room should not only be attractive, but also comfortable and functional.

—  Hotel guests expect a high degree of cleanliness, leading to a hygienic environment to stay in.

—  The ‘basic necessities’ in a guestroom are constantly varying.

—   Nowadays these may include Internet and Wi-fi connectivity, channel music, LED interactive television, temperature control, and so on.

—  Many hotels provide mood lighting facility, self operated by the guest by clicking a button.

—  Well furnished and decorated room

—  Well designed beds and furniture, soothing flooring, and dressed windows add to the comfort and luxurious look of the guestroom.

—  The décor should be calming and help to relax the guest.

—  The interiors should be decorated in a way to spell luxury since the guests pay a lot and expect it.

—  Guests also expect that they will not be disturbed often and that the location of the rooms would be such that they have a good view.

—  Safety is a key factor with regard to guestrooms-guests would like the guestroom location to be safe and not accessible to one and all.

—  The doors of a guestroom should have a double locking system operable from inside, along with strict control measures in the hotel with regard to the handling of guestroom keys and master keys.

—  Fire-exit layouts being placed in the rooms is a necessity as well.

—  Irrespective of its location, a guestroom should also offer easy access to other guest service areas, such as restaurants, gymnasiums, swimming pools, and so on, with clear directions to and from the room or elevator being posted in corridors.

—  The guest would also expect to be able to get in touch with ancillary departments providing other services to guests from the room itself.

— The various services such as room service, restaurants, housekeeping, valet, and so on, should be clearly indicated with explanation and intercom numbers in the literature on the house rules and in the information kit placed in each guestroom.

Room Layouts

    a)    Single Room

    b)    Double Room

    c)    Twin Room

    d)    Suite Room

GUEST SUPPLIES

 —  Guest supplies include all items that are conducive to the guest’s material comfort and convenience.

 —  These are categorised as :

1)Guest amenities.

2)Guest expendables.

3)Guest essentials.

4)Guest loan items.

     1)   Guest Amenities:

Includes all the luxury items that a hotel provides to its guests at no extra cost.

These Include:

 —  Coffee Maker

 —  Quality pens

 —  Chocolates

 —  Biscuit Platters

 —  Bathrobes

 —  Flowers

 —  Free beverages in minibar

 —  Free Snacks

 —  Business Kit e.g. pins, small stapler, paper clips.

Bath Room Amenities:

 —  Bath gel, bubble bath

 —  Body lotion, body talc, body oil, deodorant, moisturizer

 —  Shower cap

 —  Shampoo, hair conditioners

 —  Grooming kit i.e. nail clipper, small scissors, comb

 —  Loofah Pads

     2)   Guest Expendables:

Includes those guest supplies that are expected to be used up or taken away by the guest on leaving the property.

These Include:

 —  Laundry bags and laundry forms

 —  Match boxes

 —  Guest stationery folder which includes scribbling pads, envelopes, postcards, airmails,  ballpoint pens, pencils

 —  Magazines

 —  Plastic utility bags

 —  Sewing kit/Dutch wife

 —  Shoe mitts

 —  Disposable slippers

 —  Tent cards

 —  Coffee sachets

Bathroom Expendable supplies:

 —  Disinfected paper strips/WC strip (to seal WC after cleaning)

 —  Toilet roll

 —  Face tissues

 —  Soap bars-bath, hand

 —  Soap flakes

 —  Sani-bags

 —  Sanitary pads

 —  Face wash

 —  Shaving kit-after shave, razors, cologne

 —  Dental Kit which includes toothbrush, toothpaste, mouthwash

    3)   Guest Essentials:

Include items that are essential to the guestroom but are not used up or expected to be taken away by guests.

These include:

 —  Cloth hangers

 —  Drinking glasses

 —  Plastic trays

 —  Ice buckets

 —  Water jugs, water bottles

 —  Ashtrays

 —  Waste baskets

 —  DND cards

 —  Breakfast knob card

 —  Room service menu card

 —  Polish my shoes card

 —  Make my room card

 —  Collect my laundry card

 —  Tent cards

 —  Service directory

 —  Guest house rules

 —  The bible or Gita or Quran

 —  Linen i.e. bed & bath linen

Bathroom guest essentials:

 —  Blade dispensers

 —  Tooth glasses

    4)   Guest Loan Items:

Include supplies that are not normally found in the guestroom, but available to the guest on request.

 —  Ironing boards

 —  Irons

 —  Hair dryers

 —  Hot-water bottles

 —  Electric shavers

 —  Alarm Clocks

 —  Cribs

CATEGORY OF VIP ROOMS WITH THEIR SUPPLIES

 —  VIPs are categorized into four different groups, according to the degree of their importance:

—  VIP 1,

—  VIP 2,

—  VIP 3, and

—  VIP 4.

—  The more important ones are termed ‘VVIP’, including such personages as the President Of India.

a)     VIP 1:

These are heads of state, ministers and celebrities.

b)    VIP 2:

These are presidents and CEOs of large companies, the management and directors of the hotel itself, well-known personalities, and other high-ranking officials.

c)     VIP 3:

These are regular repeat guests of the hotel and people known personally to the management or directors of the hotel.

d)    VIP 4:

These may be the ‘handle with care’ guests and certain groups of people known to the hotel managers.

GUEST’S SPECIAL REQUESTS

      Guests may ask for a variety of special requests, for example:

—  An iron and board.

—  Hair dryer

—  An electric razor

—  Extra blanket

—  Extra supplies

 —  If it is a small request, e.g., extra soap or such disposable items, the hotel does not record it.

 —  Other items are recorded and the floor supervisor has to ensure their return upon checkout.

Some Guest’s Special Requests:

1.     An extra blanket, pillow or towels are very normal requests.

—  One sometimes gets a guest asking for a bathrobe. (most hotels supply bathrobe only to VIP guests).

—   Sometimes, guests may ask for additional supplies, e.g. ..more shampoo. Etc.

2.     Not all requests by guests are for additional or extra items, some are for service, e.g. the room to be serviced, shoe cleaning, a sewing or mending job to be done.

3.     Hotels stock certain items, which they loan to guests, e.g., electric  shaver and hairdryer.

—  These items have to be noted in the housekeeping office and collected again, usually the same day to ensure they are not lost.

—  In some hotels they also loan heated hair curlers for ladies.

4.     Since many hotel guests are businessmen, so one gets requests for scissors, few sheets of plain paper and other such items.

5.  Occasionally, one gets requests for an item like extra furniture, e.g, a desk-lamp, an extra chair or two, a card-table.

6.     Some guests who suffer from back-pain require a bed-board, which is a piece of wood placed under the mattress to make it firm.

          7.     Equipment for babies such as baby-bath, cot, high chair are frequent requests.

      8.   Extra beds (which usually folds) and are known as rollaway are a necessary item required on demand.

—  (since many hotels charge for extra beds, housekeeping must always notify reception if the guest approached housekeeping directly).

          9.    Some guests require floral displays.

         10. Also some guests are allergic to feather pillows and ask for foam ones.

Format of Guest’s Special Requests Register

S.NO	DATE	ROOM NO.	ITEMS	DATE OF DEPARTURE	SIGNATURE OF RECEIVER	ISSUED BY
1.	11/02/2018	401	01 Hair Dryer	15/02/2018		Abhay Kumar

EXAMPLES OF GUEST’S SPECIAL REQUESTS

Self Assessment:

Q.1)  Differentiate between : 
                 a) Guest Essentials and Guest expendable.

                 b) Guest Amenities and Guest Loan Items.


Q.2) What are the amenities and giveways provided to the VIP’s?


Q.3) Elaborate in detail on Guest’s special requests.


Q.4) List at least ten guest room and ten bath room supplies.


Q.5) Draw the layout of a standard guest room.