Hotel Design: Front & Back of House

• A hotel's primary function remains consistent, accommodating varying sizes (100-3,000 rooms) and types, such as in-city, resort, convention, or family-style.
• Hotels are divided into the "front of the house" for guest interaction and the "back of the house" for services.
• Guests should not be aware of "back of the house" activities.

Front of the House Services

• There should be careful site considerations and landscape planning for high-rise condo hotels.
• Entrances should dramatically display the hotel's name to excite guests and have a clear drop-off area for tourist buses.
• Parking should accommodate one guest car per 10 rooms, plus short-term bus parking.
• Ensure pedestrian access is visible, friendly, and comfortable.
• Keep separate service parking near back-of-house facilities.

Recreational Amenities

• You can include: Swimming pools, gyms, and fine dining.
• Other amenities includes business centers and concessionaires.
• Capitalize on distant scenic views like natural or cityscapes.

Guest Registration

• The registration desk must be visible in the lobby, sized according to hotel capacity:
  • 2,000 rooms require 4-6 clerks
  • 100-200 rooms require 1-2 clerks
• Consider implementing reservation and guest control systems, such as advance reservation files and computerized room occupancy records.

Advance Reservations

• Hotels rely on systems similar to airline reservations:
  • Reservations are electronic, telephone-based, or wire-based
  • The reservation office needs to be near the front desk.

Mail and Keys

• The front desk is responsible for holding room keys, with access limited to registered guests.
• Key racks should be positioned behind the desk.
• Front desk handles mail, with mail slots often integrated with key slots.

Cashier Services

• The cashier counter is located next to the registration desk to prevent congestion.
• In smaller hotels, the cashier may also handle bookkeeping tasks.
• In larger hotels, the cashier collaborates with a bookkeeping department for billing inquiries.
• Vaults and safety deposit boxes are sometimes available for money storage.

Administrative Area

• The size of administrative operations is proportional to the hotel size:
  • Small hotels have one manager's office with a secretary close to the lobby and front desk.
  • Medium-sized hotels have a manager, an assistant manager, and a reception office.

Restaurant Facilities

• Coffee shops offer quick service.
• Formal restaurants cater to more expensive dining.
• Cocktail lounges are situated near the dining area.
• Some hotels feature rooftop restaurants with city views.
• Convention hotels will often have bars near meeting spaces.

Hotel Lobbies

• Every hotel needs a public lobby, with size based on guest volume and hotel type:
  • Resort hotels benefit from large lobbies for guest congregation.
  • Convention hotels require spacious lobbies for event attendees.
• Lobby design should consider furnishings, color schemes, finishing materials, and lighting and decor.

Elevators & Guest Floor Corridors

• Elevators should be placed where they are visible from entrances or check-in counters.
• Guest corridors should include elevator foyers to reduce noise.
• They should be furnished with benches and trash receptacles.
• Corridor length should be 30-60m, with changes in lighting or direction.

Guest Rooms

• Twin-bedded rooms are the most common.
• Standard bed sizes include:
  • Single (36" x 75")
  • Twin (38" x 75")
  • Twin XL (38" x 80")
  • Full (54" x 75")
  • Queen (60" x 80")
  • King (76" x 80")
  • California King (72" x 84")
• A room should have a minimum width of 3.85m but ideally 4.00m.
• They should have bathroom essentials (tub/shower, lavatory, water closet)
• Closet sizes vary by hotel type and resort hotels should have larger closets for luggage.

Banqueting Facilities

• Hotels generally offer meeting and banquet facilities, ranging from small meeting rooms to convention centers.
• Movable walls enable flexible room sizes.
• Large banquet halls can accommodate 1,000 guests and be sub-divided.

Back of the House Services

Laundry

• Large hotels will have onsite laundries.
• Outsourced laundries will only require smaller items and towels cleaned in house.

Housekeeping

• Operation is managed by the Chief Housekeeper.
• Cluster units will have 12-15 rooms per maid.

Food & Beverage Services

Storage & Preparation

• Three areas for refrigerated storage:
  • Vegetables
  • Dairy
  • Fish, chicken, and meat.

Cooking & Serving

• Rough cooking: Soups, stews, and bulk foods.
• Finished cooking involves: Broiling, frying, and final meal preparation.
• Serving tables: Bains-marie maintain food warmth.
• Garde Manger: Cold dishes, salads, and seafood.

Washing & Checking

• Keep dishwashing isolated away cooking areas.
• Have a checker to check the orders before serving
• Have service bar to prepare drinks

Architectural Considerations

• Kitchen floors & walls easily cleanable e.g. ceramic tiles.
• Acoustic-treated ceilings reduce noise.
• Kitchen toilets & washrooms need to be near staff

Mechanical Spaces

• Boiler room & mechanical areas house heating, cooling, and power systems.
• House engineer's office & mechanical repair shop should be available.
• Addition storage rooms should be there for storing spare parts and cleaning materials.