HOTEL MANAGEMENT The Guest Room
Contents • Categorizing the guest room • Guest Room Make Up • Key Control Systems • Review
Categorizing the Guest Room • Room Types • Room Configurations • Room Designations • Room Numbering • Room Status Reconciliation
Room Types • Room types are based on the intended number of occupants • Standard type is based on one occupant – this is called single occupancy • Often single occupancy rooms have a lower rate than those with two guests in a room,called double occupancy rooms • Triple and quad occupancy rooms are for three and four guests respectively
Types of Hotel Room • Adjacent Room • Adjoining Room • Parlour Room • Studio Room • Cabana • Suite • Duplex • Efficiency Room • Hospitality Room • Penthouse • Lanai • Single Room • Double Room • Twin Room • Hollywood Twin Room • Triple Room • Quad Room • Double-double Room • King Room • Queen Room • Interconnecting Room
Single Room • A single room has a single bed for single occupancy. It is a standard room having a dressing-cum-writing table.
Double Room • It is a room with one double bed meant for two people. It is a standard room having a dressing-cum-writing table.
Twin Room • A room with two single beds meant for two people having only one bedside table between the two beds.
Hollywood Twin Room • It is a room with two single beds and one single headboard meant for two people. When need arises, the two beds can be bridged together to make it appear as a double room.
Triple Room • A room with the capacity to accommodate three persons, generally three single beds. This type of room is suitable for groups and delegates of meetings and conferences
Quad Room • A hotel quad room is a room that can accommodate four people with four single beds.
Double-double Room • A room with two double (or perhaps queen) beds. It may be occupied by four persons in the same room.
King Room • A room with a king-size bed. It may be occupied by one or more people (Size: 6 feet x 6 feet).
Queen Room • A room with a queen sized bed. May be occupied by one or more people. (Size: 5 feet x 6 feet)
Interconnecting Room • Two rooms adjacent to each other having an interconnecting door allowing entry from one room to another, without having to go through the corridor. These type of rooms are ideal for families.
Adjacent Room • Adjacent Rooms close to each other but does not share a common wall with it, perhaps across the hall. Rooms 1 & 12, 3 & 14 are adjacent rooms
Adjoining Room • Rooms with a common wall but no connecting door.
Parlour Room • A parlour is a room equipped and furnished for a special function or business. It is generally a lavishly decorated room with more facilities like bar, pantry, massage. Usually the room is sold on hourly basis.
Studio Room • A room with a studio bed- a couch which can be converted into a bed. May also have an additional bed.
Cabana • A cabana room in a hotel is a separate small room that is independent of the hotel , these rooms are complete with small sitting room, bathroom and sometimes even a kitchenette.
Suite • A parlour or living room connected with to one or more bedrooms.
Duplex • An duplex suite having two rooms on different floors connected by an inner staircase.
Efficiency Room • An efficiency has a kitchen area for the guests preferring longer duration of stay. An efficiency will have a sink, microwave, refrigerator and either a stove top or full oven.
Hospitality Room • A room in a hotel set aside as a place for socializing especially for business purposes for the guests who would want to entertain their own guests out side their allotted room.
Penthouse • A penthouse is generally located on the topmost floor of hotels and has an attached open terrace or open sky space. It has very opulent décor and furnishings.
Lanai • A Lanai room has a veranda or roofed patio and often furnished and used as a living room. The room is located in a serene environment with a view of garden or sea beach and can be found in resort hotels.
Room Configurations • Room configurations characterise the physical make up of a guest room, therefore looking at differences in guest rooms within a particular hotel • Room configurations are an important aspect of how a hotel will determine the sleeping room rate • Offering guests an upgrade allows the hotel the potential for increased room revenue
Standard Configuration • The standard configuration is defined as the room configuration that makes up the majority of the sleeping rooms at a particular hotel • Some hotels refer to their standard configuration as the run of house (ROH) • The run of house rooms are understood to be the greatest number of available rooms • A new trend has standard rooms being referred to as “deluxe” or “superior” rooms which can be perceived as added value
Enhanced Configuration • The enhanced configuration is the next level up from the standard configuration • It is understood to include more amenities and services than the standard configuration • Sometimes called a “concierge” or “business level” room, these rooms carry a higher room rate than the standard configuration
Enhanced Configuration (Cont.) • The rooms offer everything the standard room do plus extra services/ amenities which may include • Upgraded soft goods • Upgraded hard goods • Upgraded amenities • Items targeted to the business traveller • Access to a private lounge
Suite Configuration • The suite configuration involves larger rooms (in terms of square footage) • By definition the suite must only be larger than the standard and may not include greater levels of service or amenities • Varying sizes of suites allow the hotel to charge higher rates for bigger rooms
Suite Configuration (Cont…) • Suites are identified by their size in relation to the standard configuration and the names may differ from hotel to hotel • An example of how the suite names may change respective to the room size is as follows • Jnr Suite • Corner Suite • Bi-level Suite • Hospitality Suite • Presidential Suite
Room Configurations and Target Markets • Room configurations remain constant amongst all hotel target markets • The standard configuration is the category of guest room that is the most prevalent at a specific hotel • All suite hotels have enhanced configurations and larger suites as well • Extended stay target market also uses the same philosophy
Disabled Access Configuration • Disabled access configurations include rooms that are equipped to make the overnight stay of the disabled guest more pleasant and may include: • Raised beds • Wider doorways • Telecommunication Devices • Voice activated dialing • Clocks with larger, brighter numbers • Closed caption televisions • Elevated toilets
Disabled Access Configuration (Cont…) • Disabled configuration equipment continued.. • Bathrooms equipped with metal handrails • Roll in showers • Visual alert smoke detectors, door knocks, telephones and alarm clocks
Room Designations • The final remaining identifier for room categories is the room designation which identifies whether it is a smoking or nonsmoking room • In the early 1980’s hotels began to convert a portion of their sleeping rooms to permanently nonsmoking rooms • Many hotels particularly in North America are now 100% non smoking
Room Preferences • Room type, configuration and designation all come together to create the specific room a hotel guest may seek Single Double Triple Quad Room Type + Room Configuration + Room Designation = Guestroom Preferences Standard Enhanced Suite Disables Access Smoking Nonsmoking
Room Numbering • Assigning guest room numbers is the identification method hotels have used for most of history • Typically, odd numbers are on one side of the floor, even numbers on the other • Whatever pattern is begun with the initial guest rooms floor, it is carried on throughout the remainder of the floors
Sequential Room Numbering 101 103 105 107 109 1st Floor Guest Room Corridor 102 104 106 108 110
Room Status Reconciliation • Room status reconciliation is defined as ensuring that rooms are properly designated by their current status and assigned a new status as it changes • Both housekeeping and the front desk maintain room status • Rooms status categories/designations are groups by the guest room’s • State of Occupancy • State of cleanliness • State of exception
State of Occupancy • Occupied – applies to a room that has been assigned to a guest and that guest has checked in • Vacant – the guest has checked out of the room • Ready – the room is available for new occupancy
State of Cleanliness & Exception • State of Cleanliness has two categories: Dirty – room has not been cleaned by housekeeping Clean – room has been cleaned but not yet verified as clean • State of Exception – room was removed from inventory for a specific reason (e.g. repairs or renovation)
Room Status Codes Room Status Cycle Figure 4-13
Guest Room Makeup • The product for sale is a place to sleep, so all guest rooms have a bed of some kind and the other universal items in a guest room are phone, television and a bath • Hotels are given industry ratings based in part on the makeup of their guest rooms and what is inside them • The standard configuration of every hotel room always contains the universal items
Standard Configuration Items • In-room work stations • Pull out sofa beds or Murphy beds • One or more night stands • Vanity areas • Coffee makers • Irons and ironing boards • In-room safes • Closet/dresser • Blackout drapes • Clock radio or alarm • Hotel collateral • Selection of local directories • Phones with message lights • Several chains offer retrieval of written messages on a CCTV channel • In-room movies • Video games may be available • Data ports • Glasses and ice bucket • Mini bar • Complimentary newspapers
Key Control Systems • Key control systems are used to ensure guest safety by changing the access to a guest room between guests • Key control systems evolved into systems that were easy to replace with key cards • These key cards are reprogrammed for each new guest and if the card is lost it can be erased easily • Lost key cards pose no security risk as there is no room number printed on them
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