Table of Contents
The organizational structure of a hotel is a comprehensive plan of the hotel owner to define departmental activities and responsibilities. This structure puts order in all aspects of the establishment’s operation, from reception and room service to the human resources department. Organizational structures for a hotel are necessary to ensure maximum profitability from each room, restaurant and bar on a daily basis. Your hotel can function efficiently by creating a structure that is easy to understand.
Goals
A hotel organizational structure is useless without an initial list of organizational goals. These objectives address internal and external issues for the hotel so that the goals they set can be achieved by the appropriate staff. One of the internal objectives of a hotel may be to have weekly meetings between department heads to communicate operational problems. External objectives within a hotel organizational structure can include recruiting goals for seasonal staff and variable prices for weekdays and weekends. You can work with a hotel consulting company like HVS Hotel Management to set short-term and long-term goals early on.
Scope of control
The term “scope of control” is used to describe the chain of authority in a hotel organizational structure. One that uses a broad scope of control requires each department to report directly to the CEO. Hotels with narrow scopes of control delegate management authority to deputy directors, department heads, and supervisors for day-to-day issues. A small hotel is likely to use a wide range of control because the CEO can be on site every day. National and international chains use narrow stretches of control to address hotel issues immediately as owners or general managers are not able to cover every hotel.
Definition of department responsibilities
The five departments displayed in a hotel organizational structure are rooms, food and beverage, human resources, marketing, and accounting. The rooms department handles customer service, including laundry, housekeeping, and reservations. Food and Beverage is responsible for managing room service, bar, and restaurant operations. The human resources department handles recruitment, training and employee benefits and accounting oversees the hotel registration. The marketing department is responsible for the sale of advertising space in hotels and for promotions.
Organization flow chart
The size of your hotel will determine the size and nature of your organizational flow chart. A small hotel with a handful of employees may present a two-level diagram with the owner at the top and lines connecting to maintenance, reservations, and housekeeping. A chain hotel must insert additional layers of management, including an executive committee and regional directors, which expands the flow chart to at least four layers. An organizational flow chart can be as general as a simple departmental view or focused on position-by-position relationships throughout the hotel.
Definition of work and responsibilities
The hotel must define each job title carefully after completing its organizational chart. Each job should be in alphabetical order in each department and include a brief summary of job responsibilities. A complete list of job responsibilities for each position title should be included in an organizational structure. This list is used by HR managers for hiring announcements and employee reviews within your hotel. Your hotel employees understand what they have to do each day if they have access to strictly defined job responsibilities.