A Discussion On ICMS Rooms Division Operations - Meriton Apartment Hotels

A discussion on whether the housekeeping operations at your designated hotel were different or similar compared to what you have learned in class.

Dicsuss about the ICMS Rooms Division Operations.

Meriton is the largest apartment developer in Australia, and it’s also a biggest residential home builder of the country, which was introduced in the year 1963. Meriton is mainly involved in selling the apartment, and it also operates as serviced apartment’s accommodation under the Meriton Suites brand mainly at Gold Coast, Sydney, and Brisbane (Ivanova, Ivanov & Magnini, 2016). In the year 2007, it was calculated that the organization was built around 1200 apartments every year. In the year 2010, this figure has enhanced to around 2000 units. It is also estimated that from last 50 years, Meriton apartment has constructed around 65000 residential apartments at Australian east coast. It also provides serviced accommodation in around 17 locations (Andrews, 2013).

The different hotels create the part of a portfolio of an organization that helps them in serving the requirements or demand of numerous travellers category (Ivanova, Ivanov & Magnini, 2016). Nonetheless, of unit diversity, that can be location or either market area under which it competes, the primary function of the hotel is to offer accommodation for the one who is away from home, and try to provide travellers with their core requirements (Andrews, 2001). Therefore, every hotel unit needs core element of the hotel products that can be divided into two main areas that are food and beverages and sleeping accommodation. In this assignment, the primary focus will be placed on particular operational department, which is Meriton Apartment hotel (Kent st) housekeeping (Andrews, 2001).

Regardless of the total size of the property or either the total capacity of bed stock, the key objective related with the housekeeping department is to offer a thorough and quick servicing of public areas and rooms as per high standard and through less inconvenience to the guest (Ivanova, Ivanov & Magnini, 2016). Therefore, until that time, there will be machines, which can make beds, replenish hotel bedrooms, service, and public areas. The department of housekeeping will stay as an important service function is a hotel (Andrews, 2001). Due to high components, housekeeping department at Mariton highly relies on the workforce for giving best outputs. Therefore, the primary resource is employees for Mariton apartments (Ivanova, Ivanov & Magnini, 2016).

Whatever I have learned in class is quite similar to the housekeeping operations of Mariton apartments. The day to day operations of the company is predominately measured on the forecasted level of business (Ivanova, Ivanov & Magnini, 2016). The job of room attendant is primarily assigned individuality by the use of management information system. It is noted that at Mariton the public area cleaners have also set the fixed work schedules that usually differ as per different shifts. In the unionized environment, it is noted that the collective agreements explain the highest level of output in the eight-hour shifts that goes with the case of room maid, and highest of 16 rooms service that is allocated (Branson & Lennox, 1965). Outputs above the quota at Mariton are produced after eight hours, which highly affect the level of cost based efficiency.  Whatever taught in the class is quite similar to the housekeeping operations conducted at Mariton apartments. There are many other parameters which encompass are total quality management viewpoint (Branson & Lennox, 1965).

The efficiency of the daily housekeeping operation for the organization of guest room cleaning.

The firm set up the systematic process of work for bedroom cleaning. This process is mainly designed in such a manner that it created the procedures of standard operations, and explains the required quality levels and also tries to promote the ergonomic practices of work (Brody, 2016). It is differentiated from the class learning that best work practices are mainly communicated by the training and supervision of the process of cleaning, and in case it’s correctly followed, then it can prevent the repetitive strain or either injury related to manual handling; attain the required level of quality, and ensures the safe material handling (Ivanova, Ivanov & Magnini, 2016). The expectations of the guest for the quality and kind of intangible services are regularly changed, which later on comes with the regular shifts in the requirement of the customer (Brody, 2016). Hence, for remaining the attractive options towards the customers and competition has gone catalyst for the diversification of department (Ivanova, Ivanov & Magnini, 2016). In the present time, the housekeeping department also tries to build coordination for dry cleaning and laundry services, along with staff uniforms, inventories, baby sitting services, floral services, as well as a seasonal display of hotel decoration (Brody, 2016).

The day to day operations of the housekeeping department conducts a similar type of tasks at the same time of the day. The daily housekeeping services of Mariton apartment are efficient for performing guest room cleaning. Rooms are usually serviced between the 0800 hours till 1700 hours (Ivanova, Ivanov & Magnini, 2016). The apartment also offers the public area service around 6 hours to around 23 hours. The complete timings are covered providing the person scheduled, which turns towards the duties, and there are massive shifts that are in demand due to the highly unexpected arrival of a group or either delay in the departure due to the cancellation of flight (Fales, 1971). The level of linen inventory is also well stocked over the three par level; therefore, offering the enough linen availability for more days. The emergency situation never arises at Mariton apartment. It might lead towards the evacuation of the hotel or either the housekeeping team member’s deployment for assisting in the process of cleaning (Ivanova, Ivanov & Magnini, 2016). For the efficiency of the housekeeping, the labour is considered as the most variable source for all the service providers (Ivanova, Ivanov & Magnini, 2016). The level and activities of the business in the hotel explains the factor as for how the staffs are needed every day. That’s why the housekeeping will make use of business forecast while conducting the working schedules for the apartment (Ivanova, Ivanov & Magnini, 2016). The highest level of output is attained within right hour day according to the largest number of rooms, which is provided to the team member.

An overview of the linen and laundry operations of the hotel and how this contributed to the efficiency or inefficiency of the daily housekeeping operation.

All the laundry process is entirely dependent on the machinery usage, such as pressing, washing, and folding machines. The laundry and linen operations of the hotel have highly contributed towards the efficiency as well as the inefficiency of the day to day operations of housekeeping (Ivanova, Ivanov & Magnini, 2016). All the outputs and inputs are entirely handled physically through the help of linen keeper. It includes the assurance that the level of par is highly maintained through preventing the stock outage, linen distribution to the quality control and room attendants (Ivanova, Ivanov & Magnini, 2016). The material required for cleaning amounts to a tiny percentage of the cost within the housekeeping department subsection (Ivanova, Ivanov & Magnini, 2016). The time required for supplying the service is highly imperative to the customers. The two service levels exist for the same day and next day service. Customers also pay directly for all the rendered services. Even customers are interested in paying the premium for attaining the express service (Ivanova, Ivanov & Magnini, 2016).

The primary union includes 100% recognition in the hotel property. It is noted that the negotiation with the management might have attained the reach at a deadlock, which slowly resulted in the issue of the union as the industrial action device to the management and even strive directive for all the members (Jones & Lockwood, 2002). That’s why during the period of persistence of industrial action, including both laundry and cleaning services are paralyzed and therefore, these functions are not needed to get outsourced towards the private contractor, until the time of meeting the conciliation (Jones, 2007).

The services related to the linen keeper are usually taken over by the  housekeeping management team members. Therefore, it ensures the control of services and inventories, which are internally monitored (Jørgensen, 1992). That’s why it doesn’t include any additional cost in the context of management grade of labor, which is not paid overtime for the extra working hours. Materials and machinery are offered by the contractor, that’s why there is little or either no effect in the context of resources. A key consideration is related to the extra cost, which is incurred for paying the contractor (Larice & Macdonald, 2013). Nevertheless, the minimization of utility consumption like electricity and water is contributed towards creating a balance between incurred additional costs (Marshall, 2014).

I have learned that forecasting is done when the hotel has low occupancy levels, floors and rooms that are closed and the rooms cleaning might be postponed until the time, the cleaning process is completed (Ivanova, Ivanov & Magnini, 2016). The present late booking trend needs to be beneficial for the management of the hotel, to counterpart along with last minute bookings through the closure of every type of room availability (Nikolaos & Ilenia, 2016). Though this measure might lead to the loss of revenue, simultaneously it might place limit over the operations burden and safeguard company’s reputation (Singh, 2011). I have learned from my experience while working in the hotel industry that workforce can only attain through proper management personnel, which could abandon the rules and highly assist in the housekeeping to maintain the services of housekeeping (Singh, 2011). I have analysed that in the worst scenario, in which industrial action is paralyzing the operations, arrangements should be made for relocating the guest in the hotel vicinity and it’s the best option available for any hotel (Ivanova, Ivanov & Magnini, 2016). I have analysed that as Mariton apartment holds its laundry for the level of the bath as well as bed linen, which is set at three. Stock evaluation is undertaken on a monthly basis for monitoring as well as through control assets as well as the level of reordering (O'Fallon & Rutherford, 2011). When the products in the stock come at the highest level then in that case requisition is submitted. Every requisition is channelled by the help of a computerized system of inventory management (Rayner-Canham & Rayner-Canham, 2008).

References

Andrews, S. (2013). Hotel Housekeeping: A Training Manual. Tata McGraw-Hill Education

Andrews. (2001). Hotel Housekeeping Training Manual. Tata McGraw-Hill Education

Branson, J. C., & Lennox, M. (1965). Hotel Housekeeping: Principles and Practice. Edward Arnold

Brody, D. (2016). Housekeeping by Design: Hotels and Labor. University of Chicago Press

Fales, J. T. (1971). Functional housekeeping in hotels and motels. ITT Educational Services

Ivanova, M., Ivanov, S., & Magnini, V. P. (2016). The Routledge Handbook of Hotel Chain Management. Routledge

Jones, P., & Lockwood, A. (2002). The Management of Hotel Operations. Cengage Learning EMEA

Jones. T. J. A. (2007). Professional Management of Housekeeping Operations. John Wiley & Sons

Jørgensen, L. B. (1992). North European Textiles Until AD 1000. Aarhus University Press

Larice, M., & Macdonald, E. (2013). The Urban Design Reader. Routledge

Marshall, D. (2014). Buying and Running a Guesthouse or Small Hotel 2nd Edition: How to build a valuable business and enjoy a great lifestyle. Hachette UK

Nikolaos, P., & Ilenia, B. (2016). Global Dynamics in Travel, Tourism, and Hospitality.     IGI Global

O'Fallon, M. J., & Rutherford, D. G. (2011). Hotel Management and Operations. John Wiley & Sons

Rayner-Canham, M. F., & Rayner-Canham, G. (2008). Chemistry was Their Life: Pioneering British Women Chemists, 1880-1949. World Scientific

Singh. (2011). HOTEL HOUSEKEEPING. Tata McGraw-Hill Education