Hotel Front Office Management, 3rd Edition

38 CHAPTER 2: HOTEL ORGANIZATION AND THE FRONT OFFICE MANAGER• General manager• Assistant general manager• Controller• Plant engineer• Executive housekeeper• Human resources manager• Recreation director• Athletics director• Marketing and sales director• Gift shop manager• Front office manager• Food and beverage director• Garage managerThe corporate owners have entrusted the financial success of this organization to thegeneral manager, who must organize departments to provide optimum service to theguest. Each department is well organized and staffed to allow the supervisor time to planand develop the major revenue-producing areas. The marketing and sales director, giftshop manager, front office manager, food and beverage director, and garage managerdevelop programs that increase sales and profits and improve cost-control methods. Thosesupervisors who do not head income-generating departments—controller, plant engineer,executive housekeeper, human resources manager, recreation director, and athletics director—provideservices to the guest, principally behind the scenes.For example, the controller develops clear and concise performance reports that reflectbudget targets. The physical plant engineer, the person responsible for the operation andmaintenance of the physical plant, establishes an effective preventive maintenance program.The executive housekeeper, the person responsible for the upkeep of the guestrooms and public areas of the lodging property as well as control of guest room inventoryitems, keeps on top of new trends in controlling costs and effective use of personnel. Thehuman resources manager, the person who assists department managers in organizingpersonnel functions and developing employees, provides leadership in attracting new hiresand maintaining a stable yet progressive approach to utilization of personnel. The recreationdirector, the person who is in charge of developing and organizing recreationalactivities for guests, and the athletics director, who is responsible for supervising physicalexercise facilities for guests, provide direct hospitality services for the guest, helping toensure a safe and interesting guest stay.Figure 2-2 outlines the organization of a somewhat smaller lodging property. Thishotel features:• 200 rooms in a commercial property• Suburban location• 65 percent occupancy• 53 percent yieldTLFeBOOK