HOTEL GUESTROOMS

Introduction

The guestroom is the main product of a hotel, as it contributes to more than 50 per cent of the total sales, making the profit percentage from room sales very high. The ‘sale’ of a room means leasing the room for occupation for 24 hours at a pre-determined cost. Thus, a room sold on a particular day earns revenue for that day, and then it can be sold again, and again. Rooms are sometimes referred to as ‘highly perishable commodities’ as rooms not sold for the day lose out on the revenue for that day. In addition to earning revenues, guestrooms also have a role in the image-building of the hotel.

Guests may stay in a hotel for pleasure, convenience, or from necessity. Whatever the reason for the stay, the will always expect a certain standard of service and comfort. It is hence essential for each and every hotel employee to understand the importance of a guestroom for a guest. The housekeeping staff, in particular, has the responsibility of making the guestroom ‘a home away from home’ for the guest.


Importance of the guestrooms to a guest

It is extremely important to understand the expectations of a guest when he/she pays to stay in a room. People nowadays travel a lot more than they did earlier, and the expectations from hotels are constantly on the rise. In such a scenario, continuous analysis of guest expectations becomes necessary. Given that a hotel is often referred to as ‘a home away from home’, there would be similarities in a guest’s expectations from a hotel and from a home. These similarities would dictate that the guestrooms be neat, hygienic, comfortable, private, and above all, safe. The most important consideration here is staff needs to understand and respect the guest’s expectations from the guestroom and the hotel staff.

Primarily, a neat room is the basic minimum expectation of any guest, and the staff needs to ensure this by laying out fresh linen and presenting a clean room on a daily basis. The room should not only be attractive, but also comfortable and functional. Hotel guests expect a high degree of cleanliness, leading to a hygienic environment to stay in. For instance, guest that the hotel has provided them a sanitized toilet when they see a disinfected paper strip on the toilet seat.

The ‘basic necessities’ in a guestroom are constantly varying. Nowadays these may include Internet and Wi-Fi connectivity, channel music, television, temperature control, and so on. Guests also expect that they will not be disturbed often and that the location of the rooms would be such that they have a good view. Safety, as we have already mentioned, is a key factor with regard to guestrooms - guest would like the guestroom location to be safe and not accessible to one and all. The doors of a guestroom should have a double locking system operable from inside, along with strict control measures in the hotel with regard to the handling of guestroom keys and master keys. Fire-exit layouts being placed in the rooms is a necessity as well.

Irrespective of its location, a guestroom should also offer easy access to other guest service areas, such as restaurants, gymnasiums, swimming pools, and so on, with clear directions to and from the room or elevator being posted in corridors.

The guest would also expect to be able to get in touch with ancillary departments providing other services to guests from the room itself. The various services- such as room service, restaurants, housekeeping, valet, and so on- should be clearly indicated with explanation and intercom numbers in the literature on the house rules and in the information kits placed in each guestroom.



TYPES OF GUESTROOMS

It used to e customary in many hotels to have rooms of more or less the same standard throughout a property, but the trend is changing now. Guests are now being offered a choice of more expensive rooms with upgraded facilities, as well as the establishment’s standard options. Hotels now offer a wide variety of rooms catering to the needs of different types of travelers. They are as following:

Single room- A room assigned to one person, having one bed.

Twin room- A room with two beds meant for one person each.

Hollywood twin room- A with two twin beds but a common headboard, meant for two people. If so desired, the beds can be bridged together to make it appear single bed.

Double room- A room with a double bed for two persons.

Triple room- A room assigned to three people, which may have two or more beds.

Quad room- A room assigned to four people, which may have two or more beds.

Queen room- A room with a queen-size bed.

King room- A room with a king-size bed.

Double double room/Twin double family room- A room with two double beds, meant for four people.

Studio room/Extension room- A room with a studio bed.

Sico room- A room which has a Murphy or Sico bed or similar (a pull-out or convertible or foldaway bed)

Mini suite/Junior suite- A single large room with a bed and a sitting area.

Suite room- A combination of one or more bedrooms and a parlour. It may also contain a bar, a small kitchenette, and other facilities.

Connecting rooms- Rooms with individual entrance doors from the outside and a connecting door between, so that the guests can move between rooms without going through the hallway.

Adjoining rooms- Rooms with a common wall but no connecting door.

Adjacent rooms- Rooms close to each other, but not necessarily adjoining- perhaps across the hall or corridor from each other.

Cabana- A room adjacent to the pool area, with or without sleeping facilities, but with provision for relaxing in a sofa. These re mainly used for changing.

Duplex/Bi-level suite- A two-storey suite, with parlour and bedrooms connected by a stairway.

Efficiency room- A room containing some kitchen facilities.

Hospitality suite- A parlour with a connecting bedroom, to be used by guests to entertain his own guests or for companies offering cocktails during conventions, entertaining, and trade shows. A hospitality room usually contains a bar and occasional tables as well. This type of room is let out and charged on an hourly basis.

Lanai- A room overlooking a landscaped area, a scenic view, a waterbody, or a garden. It may have a balcony, a patio, or both. This type of room is commonly found in resorts.

Parlour/Saloon- A living or sitting room; a room not used as a bedroom.

Sample Room- A display room that is used for showing merchandise. It may or may not be provided with sleeping facilities.

Family room- A room with two double beds, meant for two, three or four persons.

Penthouse- A room that opens onto the roof and may be accompanied by a swimming pool, patio, a tennis court, and other facilities and amenities.

Executive room- A room that has a large bedroom with a sitting area provided with chairs and usually a sofa and coffee table. This type of room typically has a workstation/lounge near the window. This is really a combination bedroom-cum-sitting room.