Hospitality Facilities Management Quiz

Hospitality Facilities Management

• Hospitality facilities management encompasses a variety of tasks, including operation and maintenance (POM)
• A significant portion of the POM budget is allocated to maintenance and repair demands
• Maintenance activities focus on preserving functionality and preventing decline, while repair restores damaged or broken parts
• A balanced approach using both maintenance and repair methods keeps repair costs minimized
• Different types of maintenance include routine, preventive, guestroom, scheduled, reactive, and contract maintenance

Types of Maintenance

• Routine maintenance is the everyday upkeep of the property, requiring minimal skill and training. Examples include landscaping, cleaning, and minor repairs.
• Preventive maintenance involves inspections, lubrication, minor repairs, and work order initiation. This often relies on manufacturer's guidelines and aims to prevent larger issues.
• Guestroom maintenance is a form of preventive maintenance focused on guestrooms. It includes inspecting equipment and making minor repairs.
• Scheduled maintenance requires advance planning and specialized tools. It's performed periodically to maintain equipment's functionality and efficiency. Examples include replacing parts or addressing seasonal changes.
• Reactive (emergency/breakdown) maintenance addresses immediate issues and is often costly. It can involve overtime pay and bypassing usual purchasing processes. These repairs usually have an immediate negative revenue impact. Examples include issues such as leaking pipes or a malfunctioning HVAC system.
• Contract maintenance involves outsourcing maintenance tasks to outside contractors. This is done when in-house staff have insufficient skills or resources.

Routine Maintenance

• Routine maintenance is essential for property upkeep.
• Activities like grass cutting, leaf raking, snow removal, and carpet cleaning are routine maintenance tasks and happen regularly.

Preventive Maintenance

• Preventive maintenance is characterized by inspections, lubrication, minor repairs, and work order initiation
• It follows manufacturer's recommendations or addresses issues identified during inspections
• It's aimed at preventing more extensive or costly repairs

Guestroom Maintenance

• Guestroom maintenance is a type of preventive maintenance that keeps guestrooms in good condition. It includes inspecting and repairing items within the room such as HVAC and other equipment.

Scheduled Maintenance

• Scheduled maintenance involves significant planning, specialized equipment, and coordination.
• It focuses on preparing equipment for seasonal changes and keeping it operational.

Predictive Maintenance

• Predictive maintenance uses sophisticated technology to anticipate and prevent equipment failures.
• It replaces fixed-time-interval-based maintenance with diagnostic-based planning.

Reactive Maintenance

• Reactive maintenance is the most disruptive type of maintenance.
• It addresses problems that have significant negative effects on revenue, such as guest rooms going out of service.

Contract Maintenance

• Contract maintenance outsources maintenance tasks.
• This happens for a variety of reasons including minimizing in-house staff, special tools, temporary staffing shortages, or tasks too complex for in-house personnel. Examples include elevator maintenance, trash hauling, cleaning, or HVAC calibration.

Maintenance Management Systems

• Managers need a maintenance management system to effectively handle maintenance tasks.
• The goals of a maintenance management system include managing maintenance needs, recording information, establishing performance standards, and providing feedback.
• Forms/documents typically used in a maintenance management system include work orders, equipment data cards, maintenance logs, room data cards, inventory records, and maintenance schedules/instructions

Contract Services and Outsourcing

• Contract maintenance services are frequently used in hospitality properties to provide various services.
• Managing contract services begins before the contract is finalized, with key provisions like insurance, contract term, cancellation, specifications, and contract fee outlined in the agreement.
• Properties often benefit from short-term contracts, which provide flexibility.

Computerized and Internet-Based Facilities Management

• Computerized maintenance management systems (CMMSs) control HVAC, building comfort, fire protection, security, and electrical systems.
• These systems frequently involve preventive, scheduled, and guestroom maintenance, and work orders.
• CMMSs connect the housekeeping and maintenance departments improving communication.

Budgeting for POM and Utilities

• Facility operation and maintenance (POM) costs, including utilities, typically account for 8-9% of a property's revenue.
• Salaries, wages, and employee benefits usually constitute a significant portion (40-50%) of the POM budget.
• Contract maintenance costs are another considerable component.
• Utility costs cover energy (fuel, electricity), water, and sewer charges.

Contract Services, Responsibility Accounting, and Facilities Costs

• Contract service costs should be assigned to the relevant departments, not the POM department.
• This correct cost allocation provides clearer information on the actual performance of each department.
• Capital expenditure (CapEx) tracking is used to account for capital expenditure and is commonly the responsibility of the owner, general manager, or asset manager in the context of large properties. Identifying near-term and long-term needs and using a systematic approach for cost estimations are key elements in managing such resources.

Capital Expenditure (CapEx) Management

• Managing capital expenditures is a critical task.
• At smaller properties, the owner/general manager is often heavily involved. Larger properties might also have a more significant role for a facilities manager.

Facilities Benchmarking

• Using numerical standards to compare a facility's performance against itself and other similar facilities is benchmarking.
• Benchmarking aims at effective cost control and better services. The comparison is generally done on a per-square-foot basis.

Personnel Management in Facilities

• Key aspects include personnel qualifications, on-the-job training, and employee productivity.
• Facilities managers in smaller properties often have to be skilled in various tasks due to fewer staff member's.

Training and Certification

• Providing training for facilities employees is possible, but requires resources.
• Institutes offer appropriate certification and training.

Building Certification

• There is increasing interest in "green" building standards and certification programs like BREEAM (in Europe) and LEED (in the US), which assess buildings on aspects like sustainability

Test your knowledge on hospitality facilities management, focusing on maintenance and repair strategies. Explore types of maintenance, including routine, preventive, and guestroom maintenance, and understand their roles in preserving functionality. This quiz will help reinforce the concepts necessary for effective facility management in the hospitality industry.