Hotel Engineering And Security Department PDF

TH2404 THE ENGINEERING AND SECURITY DEPARTMENT The Engineering Department The engineering department is responsible for hotel maintenance activities that are critical to a safe, comfortable, and successful guest stay. Maintenance is the upkeep of all furniture, fittings, and equi...

TH2404 THE ENGINEERING AND SECURITY DEPARTMENT The Engineering Department The engineering department is responsible for hotel maintenance activities that are critical to a safe, comfortable, and successful guest stay. Maintenance is the upkeep of all furniture, fittings, and equipment to a standard within a property so that all areas look consistently new and pristine. The organization of this department varies depending on the size of a hotel and the extent and sophistication of the needed engineering functions. The following engineering personnel who perform maintenance and repair activities are most common in hotels (Rutherford & O'Fallon, M. J., 2011): o Manager of Engineering Function – Also called the chief engineer, director of building operations, or building superintendent, this person is responsible for managing the building systems in a hotel and their maintenance, repair, and upkeep. o Other Departmental Staff – This covers administrative functions such as secretarial, clerical, purchasing, inventory, preventive maintenance, scheduling, and records. Depending on the size of a hotel and the extent of its engineering functions, the chief engineer may enjoy the services of a staff of administrators, including an assistant manager and secretarial support. o Technical Specialists – This includes building system functions such as heating, ventilation, air conditioning (HVAC), plumbing, electricity, refrigeration, food protection equipment, computer systems, and elevators. The typical building functions of the engineering department are as follows: ▪ HVAC is concerned with supplying all areas of a hotel with a clean, controlled, and comfortable environment. ▪ The plumbing system is concerned with the delivery of high-quality water service to guestrooms and hot and cold water to kitchen areas, housekeeping and laundry areas, and food service areas. ▪ The electrical system of a hotel must be designed and maintained to meet the needs of individual departments and guests. ▪ Refrigeration, food production equipment, and computer systems are other building system functions for which the engineering department is responsible for repairing, maintaining, and managing. ▪ Though the manufacturer provides elevator systems installation and service, it is the engineering department that closely monitors its operation. ▪ A few craftsmen with specialized skills, such as carpenters, cabinetmakers, upholsterers, painters, and groundskeepers, may be employed by a hotel depending on its size and services. These services can also be contracted from outside agencies. Maintaining Work Areas and Physical Assets Maintenance tasks are prioritized and classified based on urgency, which are as follows: Urgent Maintenance It involves maintenance tasks that must be attended to immediately. It may involve small problems that may become larger problems when not attended to. For example, a tap that is allowed to drip may lead to a room or area being flooded; a malfunctioning fridge, when not immediately fixed, may lead to wastage of supplies; and a hole in the carpet may cause trips and falls and may further lead to financial claims against the hotel. Preventive Maintenance It involves maintenance activities that are designed to prevent breakdowns and complaints in a hotel. The activities it involves are included in a hotel’s everyday operations. Some examples include cleaning the air 06 Handout 1 *Property of STI Page 1 of 7  TH2404 conditioning filter and exhaust fans, oiling machinery, tightening screws, checking gutters and downpipes for leakages, and checking the roof for loose or missing tiles. Planned Maintenance This maintenance is carried out during quiet periods, overnight, or when areas are closed. Activities for this maintenance include replacing carpets, beds, or furniture, re-upholstering chairs, window cleaning, re- grouting of bathroom tiles, dry cleaning of curtains, cleaning of high areas, and painting walls. Since it is planned, all relevant staff are notified. Once tasks have been identified, these must be promptly attended to. All maintenance requests should be prioritized in order of urgency and assigned to relevant personnel. Reporting Maintenance All staff within an establishment should report maintenance issues as these may affect guest services. Reporting maintenance issues can be done by the following: Telephone – It involves calling the maintenance person directly. All requests should be recorded in a logbook or similar for reference later. Written Request – This involves writing a maintenance request form for a task and sending it to the maintenance department. Two (2) copies of this form are sent to the maintenance department, and another copy is retained by the department where the problem is. Once the task is completed, a copy is returned to the originating department, and the maintenance department retains a copy for record purposes at a later stage. Computer – Large hotels have a computerized system interfaced with their different departments where maintenance requests can be made directly. Once the task is completed, a note is inputted on the computer and the reporting department can see the status of its request. Responding to Maintenance Requests In performing maintenance tasks, only qualified employees should be allowed to carry out certain activities. For instance, electrical works should only be performed by a qualified electrician, similar to plumbing and carpentry tasks. Employees who perform tasks that they are not qualified for may cause injuries to themselves and/or to other people. The following are important considerations in responding to maintenance requests: Using correct equipment and tools. Some tasks require the use of specific equipment, tools, and materials, such as: o Ladders – Use a ladder with the correct height, with complete rungs, and on flat ground to complete tasks at hand. o Mobile scaffolding – This may be used when changing ceiling lights in very high areas or painting ceilings. An employee may be required to wear a safety harness in case of slippage. o Signage – When working overhead, there is a possibility of debris falling. Hence, signage or barrier—or both—should be placed to isolate the area below. This will prevent people from entering the area. o Welding equipment – Proper protective gear (gloves, apron, and face mask) should be worn when using welding equipment. Welding should take place when there is nobody in the vicinity, as it can be dangerous to others. o Carpentry power tools – An employee should be trained before using electrical power tools (miter saw, power wrench, nail gun, etc.) used in carpentry. o Paint sprayers – Paint spraying of furniture must be undertaken inside an airless booth. If not, dust will be laid down with the paint. Paint fumes will then be transported via the air-conditioning 06 Handout 1 *Property of STI Page 2 of 7  TH2404 of a building, which can be irritating to guests. When doing this task, an employee should wear a protective suit and a respirator. Maintaining work equipment. Some pieces of equipment, such as fridges, ovens, air conditioners, and washing machines have instructional manuals that may help maintenance employees solve small problems before calling in outside professionals. Wearing protective equipment and clothing. It is important always to wear the correct protective clothing when completing a specific task. Protective Clothing When to Wear It Purpose Represents the image of the company Uniform At all times and is designed for the job a department performs Metal-capped toe boots Performing welding or heavy lifting Protects the feet Heavy duty gloves Performing welding Protects the hands Heavy duty apron Performing welding Protects inner clothing Full-face welder’s mask Performing welding Protects the eyes and skin Working in construction areas or Protects the head from debris and in case Hard hats high-level work of bumps or falls Performing noisy work (e.g., drilling Ear plugs Protects hearing or sanding) Disposable paper suit Paint spraying Protects inner clothing Respirator Spray painting or using rust removers Helps breathing Working overhead, on roadways, or High visibility vests Ensures that a person can be seen in low-visibility areas Table 1. Types of protective clothing Source: Clean and Maintain Industrial Work Area and Equipment, 2012. p. 84 The Security Department Large hotels usually hire security personnel, while smaller properties either outsource this function or rely on local law enforcement officials. Nevertheless, every hotel employee should be responsible for the security of guests, co-employees, and the entire property. Organization of a Security Department The head of this department is the Director of Security (also called Safety and Security Manager or Director of Loss Prevention), who is responsible for maintaining a safe environment for guests and employees. The number of people required to staff this department depends on the size of the hotel. An Assistant Director of Security may be employed who will act in the absence of the director and assist in the administrative and supervisory functions of the department. The Director of Security reports to and works with the General Manager and interacts with each department director. Each shift in a hotel is staffed with shift supervisors and security guards who patrol the premises to watch the activities of guests and employees and check on the safety and security of equipment (Bardi, 2007). Aspects of Protection The following are the aspects of protection necessary in a hotel operation (Abbott & Lewry, 2008): Protecting the Guest – There are various possible threats to a guest’s comfort and well-being, but the most serious is any threat to their physical safety. Threats may come from internal or external sources. Internal threats – Fire is a major risk that puts everyone in a hotel in danger. Ensuring that fire risks are adequately guarded is the responsibility of the management as a whole, acting on the advice of local fire officers who issue a fire certificate when their requirements are met. A hotel must consider 06 Handout 1 *Property of STI Page 3 of 7  TH2404 these areas: fire detection systems (smoke, heat, or flame detectors), escape procedures (clear escape instructions in case of an emergency), and firefighting equipment (fire extinguishers that are serviced regularly—with staff who are trained on how to use them). Terrorist threats – Hotels, especially those catering to Very Important Persons (VIPs), need to take bomb threats and other forms of terrorism seriously. Such hotels should closely liaise with local police forces, who will advise them regarding security precautions and take over when necessary. Employees are also expected to report anything suspicious in a hotel. Staff who are liable for taking telephoned bomb warnings should also be trained in how to handle these properly. Privacy threats—Hotel staff members should not be allowed to accept bribes in exchange for sharing a guest’s information. Threats to guests’ property – Hotel guests carry considerable amounts of money or other valuables with them, making them targets of crooked characters. Threats come from a variety of sources, such as muggers (persons who attack and rob a guest) and sneak thieves (pickpockets and bag snatchers who may work the bars, lobby, or pools in a hotel). The following are several lines of defense for a hotel to avoid these threats (Abbott & Lewry, 2008): o Ensure that trespassers do not obtain access to the hotel’s public areas. o Put con men (people who cheat or trick someone by gaining their trust) and “gentleman thieves” (people who plunder the rooms of guests) on the hotel’s blacklist and refuse any booking from them. o Install discreet surveillance equipment in public areas to reduce theft. o The guestrooms must be made as secure as possible. Wide-angle viewing lenses can be built into bedroom doors. o The guests’ property must be safeguarded. This can be done by providing a safekeeping facility or installing in-room safes in guestrooms. Other threats to guests’ enjoyment – The main problem is likely to be the drunken, quarrelsome, or noisy behavior of other guests. What guests do is their business as long as they do not damage the property or cause inconvenience to other guests. If they persist in their misbehavior, then they should be dealt with or, as a last resort, asked to leave. Protecting the Hotel Threats to the hotel’s property – This refers to the problem of guests who steal things. The answer is to have the housekeeping staff inspect the room as quickly as possible before a guest checks out. Expensive pieces of equipment can be protected by fixing them to the furniture or walls. Walk-outs, skippers, or runners – These are guests who leave without paying. The following are some security measures that can reduce walkouts in hotels: o Credit status checks – It is possible to confirm a guest’s credit status from their registration information by checking with a commercial credit agency. o Payment in advance – Demanding payment in advance is possible when a hotel doubts the reliability of a guest. o Luggage passes – This is common when guests carry large amounts of baggage. It is where the baggage is taken down to a luggage room on the day of departure and not released until the cashier issues a luggage pass confirming that the guest’s bill has been paid. o Lien – It is the activity of retaining possession of a guest until they have paid their bill. 06 Handout 1 *Property of STI Page 4 of 7  TH2404 Cash frauds – Hotel guests may sometimes practice different kinds of cash frauds, such as: o Credit card or traveler’s check fraud – It is an incident wherein a stolen card or check is presented as payment by a guest. Cashiers should follow normal security verifications. o Confusion cash fraud – In this case, the fraudster offers a variety of notes of different denominations, then changes their mind, offers a different combination, and ends up confusing the cashier that they have handed over more money in change than the fraudster started with. Cashiers should be knowledgeable about such tricks and be observant of guests’ activity. o Foreign currency fraud – It is when a fraudster obtains some out-of-date foreign notes and passes these off to an unsuspecting cashier in a small hotel. In this regard, a cashier should be equipped with a display showing all the current foreign currency notes accepted by the hotel. Bad debts refer to bills that a hotel has transferred to its ledger in good faith but which do not get paid for one (1) reason or another. In short, these are a hotel's uncollected receivables. The responsibility for controlling bad debts lies with the accountant, who must keep a wary eye on the current financial situation of a hotel’s major clients. Death – The death of a guest does not constitute a threat in the usual sense; however, it may spoil the enjoyment of the remaining guests, and some may be too affected that they leave the hotel early, while other customers may cancel their reservations. If a body is discovered in a room, the management should call a doctor who is the best person to decide whether there is any suspicious circumstance. In most cases, when death is due to natural causes, the body will be discreetly removed via a service lift. Providing for the Safety of VIPs VIP stands for “Very Important Person” and can be a male or female, local or foreign, and may be on their own or accompanied by other VIPs or an entourage. An entourage is a group of people—often consisting of personal staff, third-party providers, or contractors—accompanying a VIP and providing services like security and driving. Personal staff who are likely to be part of a VIP entourage include a personal assistant, media liaison and public relations, cook/chef, bodyguard, and valet. Examples of VIPs include royalties (kings and queens, princes and princesses, and counts and viscounts), politicians (presidents and prime ministers), entertainers (pop stars and actors/actresses), sporting stars, and those who have special honors such as knights, medal holders, and people who have been given certain awards. Nature of Visit VIPs can visit for various reasons, such as: A stopover on the way to another destination To perform in a professional capacity, which may involve the following: o Play sport o Present entertainment o Attend a meeting o Open an event or building For holiday purposes – rest and relaxation. Details to Identify and Record for VIP Visits Aside from the nature of the visit, the following information should be identified for every VIP visit: Date of the visit (including the day of the week to verify the date) Time and duration of the visit in relation to: 06 Handout 1 *Property of STI Page 5 of 7  TH2404 o Date and time of arrival in the country, where applicable o Date and time of arrival at the venue o Dates and times of trips from the venue and return to the venue during the stay o Date and time of final departure from the venue o Date and time of departure from the country, where applicable Entourage details addressing the following: o Number of people in the entourage o Their names o Their positions and responsibilities Special requests, such as: o Arrangements to be observed upon arrival at the venue: - Do they want a discreet arrival? - Do they want media attendance? - Do they need food and beverages? o Preferences and requirements in relation to: - Security - Accommodation - Service provision - Transportation Communicating a VIP Visit to Relevant People When preparing for a VIP visit, there will always be a need to communicate with relevant people. They are the following. VIP Managers and Handlers - Most VIPs travel with managers and handlers. These people are responsible for arranging and organizing the visit. They will regularly communicate with the hotel to provide directions and verify arrangements. Local Authorities - Local politicians, council members, and managers of authorities and agencies often want to be informed and included when a VIP visits to provide acknowledgment, offer assistance, and promote the local area. Local police will also be notified to do the following: o Assist with security o Provide crowd control o Facilitate traffic movement o Provide relevant intelligence about the visit and the VIP. Staff and Entourage of the VIP - They may communicate with the hotel for their individual needs, pass on amendments to previous communications or agreements, or seek knowledge about the local area and venue and the facilities and services available. Security Staff - Communication with security staff is important to: o Identify security arrangements o Integrate services with those provided by the venue o Determine security systems, equipment, resources, and facilities that exist in the venue o Provide details about previous security arrangements and threats o Perform pre-arrival inspections and sweeps o Prepare security rosters for patrol, static guard, and close escort duties o Screen staff who will be working with the VIP. 06 Handout 1 *Property of STI Page 6 of 7  TH2404 Government/Embassy Staff - Traditionally, government and embassy staff are only involved when a VIP is a royalty or a very senior government official (local or foreign). Communication will address the development of the program for the visit, protocols to be used for the visit, and security support. Factors Impacting the Safety of VIPs It is the responsibility of a hotel to perform the following: Identify and address safety and security factors within the venue and its grounds. Other parties (police or private security) should deal with issues outside the venue's boundaries. Liaise with external personnel and assist in providing optimum safety and security within the venue and adjacent to the venue as VIPs arrive and depart. The following factors should be addressed since these impact the safety of VIPs: Crowd control - Threats or issues that a crowd may pose include blocking of access (vehicles and foot traffic), the risk of injury to the public (mobbing and crushing problems), assault on the VIP (physical or verbal), and delays to the scheduled program for the VIP. Routes to be taken - The following issues should be addressed along the routes to be taken by the VIP: o Physical hazards like slippery floors o Doors, windows, and similar along the route that need to be cleared and locked o Possible hiding places of assailants o Shortest possible routes from Point A to Point B – these are usually the safest o Visual lines-of-sight and considerations relating to coverage by cameras, snipers, and shooters. Media coverage - The VIP's orientation to the media should be identified and planned. Other VIPs will shun and avoid contact with the media, while others are prepared to give interviews. In the latter case, security should be able to identify how many there will be, where they will be from, and instruct them regarding privacy and confidentiality issues. Intoxication – Whether drugs or alcohol causes the intoxication of a VIP, responses should be developed. The usual response is to keep things “in-house,” which may mean: o Not notifying local authorities o Not advising or speaking to the media about the situation. Safety plans must be prepared for every VIP visit. These plans protect VIPs against threats and problems and minimize the potential adverse effect on others who may be impacted by the visit, such as other guests in the venue and members of the public in general. It is also important to communicate safety plans to all concerned departments and individuals. References: Abbott, P., & Lewry, S. (2008). Front office. Elsevier. Bardi, J. A. (2011). Hotel front office management (5th Ed.). John Wiley & Sons. Rutherford, D. G., & O'Fallon, M. J. (5th Ed.). (2011). Hotel management and operations. John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). (2012). Toolbox Development for Priority Tourism Labor Division: Clean and maintain industrial work area and equipment. William Angliss Institute of TAFE Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). (2013). Toolbox Development for Front Office, Food and Beverage Services, and Food Production Divisions: Provide for the safety of VIPs. William Angliss Institute of TAFE 06 Handout 1 *Property of STI Page 7 of 7