WEEK-1 ORIGINS OF HOSPITALITY AND

HOUSEKEEPING Hospitality is the cordial and generous

reception and entertainment of guests , either socially or commercially.

Regardless of the reasons people go to a place away from home, they will need care. They need a clean& comfortable place to sleep and rest, food service, area for meeting other people, access to stores and shops and secure surroundings.

In the early 1700s travellers stayed in roadhouses, missions, inns or private homes and Housekeeping may have included only a bed of straw that was changed weekly.

Just as the traveller of earlier times had a choice, there is a wide choice for travellers today and that creates compitition between hotels.

From that point of view, we can say that professional housekeeping requires a staff with a sense of pride.

HOUSEKEEPING AND MANAGEMENT THEORIES

Housekeeping as the largest department in terms of people is managed by the Executive Housekeeper or Director of Housekeeping.

Cleanliness is the key to success of this depertment. Between the duties of Executive Housekeeper there are:

Leadership of people, equipment and supplies Ensuring the cleanliness and servicing the guest rooms

and public areas Operating the department according to financial

guidelines Keeping records

There are several different management theories,for example:

Administrative Mngm. Theory (H.Fayol) Scientific Mngm. (F. Taylor)Participative Management (R. Likert) and

other theories....

Most common fuctions of management are as follows:PlanningOrganizingStaffingDirectingControlling

Now,our question is, “ How can the Executive Housekeeper apply these diverse theories to the job at hand, that is the managing of HK. Department?

In order to more effectively manage housekeeping employees, we must understand their demographic characteristics.

Diversity among housekeeping employees is a very common situation in most hotels.

Following characteristics can be found in many housekeeping departments:

a- Cultural diversity( people of different cultures)

b- Variety of languages ( accents,pronouncing of languages)

c- Little education

d- Lower socioeconomic backgrounds

e- Emotional or economic problems, sometimes a dependency problem

Having such normative characteristics among housekeeping employees, in order to create proper attitudes, motivation and productivity, the Director of Housekeeping should apply all of the management theories .

Each of them is appropriate at different times, this is called Situational Leadership or the Contingency Approach.

“ There is no -one best- way to manage! Flexibility is the key to succesfull

management!” “Different problems require different

solutions!”

Interview Assignment Papers

Interviews with the Executive Housekeepers of 4 starred hotels should be written on a paper, including other documents and pictures if you have. Those papers shoul be delivered before 23 April 2013.

Term papers

All groups should deliver the term papers (homework files) on the predetermined day : 10. April 2013 Tuesday!

Homework files should contain: Word documents

(Times new roman- font 12)A cover page with information of the writers’

names and title of the homework.References will be listed at the end.

At last page there should be minimum 7 multiple choice questions, and answers.