Chapter 2

Organizational
Structure

AL
RI
TE
CHAPTER Overview of Organizational Design
OUTLINE Job Specialization
The Organization of a Lodging Establishment

MA
Rooms Department
Food and Beverage Department
Marketing and Sales Department
D
Human Resources Department
Accounting Department
TE

General Manager
Resident Manager
GH

Patterns of Authority
Span of Control
The Pros and Cons of Functional Organization Design
RI

Meetings and Committees

The Future Organization of Hotels
PY

The Hotel Staffing System

Career Paths and Opportunities
CO

27
28 Chapter 2 Organizational Structure

OVERVIEW OF ORGANIZATIONAL DESIGN

Organizing, the process of structuring human and physical resources
in order to accomplish organizational objectives, involves dividing tasks
into jobs, specifying the appropriate department for each job, deter-
mining the optimum number of jobs in each department, and dele-
gating authority within and among departments. One of the most crit-
ical challenges facing lodging managers today is the development of
a responsive organizational structure that is committed to quality.1
The framework of jobs and departments that make up any organ-
ization must be directed toward achieving the organization’s objec-
tives. In other words, the structure of a lodging business must be con-
sistent with its strategy.2
Managers give structure to a hotel and lodging through job spe-
cialization, organization, and establishment of patterns of authority
and span of control.3

JOB SPECIALIZATION
There are as many degrees of job specialization within the lodging in-
dustry as there are types of organizations—and, as you learned in chap-
ter 1, there are many types of organizations. One extreme is the case
of a hotel where the owner/operator is responsible for checking in
the guests, servicing their needs, taking care of the housekeeping for
the guest rooms, maintaining the building and grounds, and check-
ing out the guests. There is, to be sure, much to recommend this
method of work. It is rewarding to have total control over a project
from beginning to end, and many people find it motivating to see the
results of their efforts. However, as the demand for additional prod-
ucts or services increases (i.e., if additional rooms are added or an-
other hotel is purchased), it becomes more and more difficult for an
individual to do his or her job well. One benefit of the increased work-
load is increased revenue, which would enable the individual hotel op-
erator to add housekeeping staff, one or more front desk agents to
check in and check out the additional guests, and engineering and
maintenance personnel to care for the building and grounds.
As a general rule, specialization increases worker productivity and
efficiency. On the other hand, delegating jobs increases the need for
managerial control and coordination. Someone has to make sure that
housekeeping staff come in after the painters have repainted a room
(and that the paint is dry), not before! A crucial element of hotel and
 The Organization of a Lodging Establishment 29

lodging management is coordinating the many specialized functions

within hotels so that the organization runs smoothly.
Specialization has its own set of problems; it can result in workers
performing the same tasks over and over again. A point can be reached
where the degree of specialization so narrows a job’s scope that the
worker finds little joy or satisfaction in it. Signs of overspecialization
include workers’ loss of interest, lowered morale, increasing error rate,
and reduction in service and product quality.
One solution to this problem is to modify jobs so that teams can
perform them. Instead of a single guest room attendant being assigned
to a group of rooms, a work team in a hotel housekeeping department
might clean all of the rooms on a particular floor. Some establishments
use teams regularly throughout the organization; others use teams
more selectively. Teams can be directed by a manager or can be self-
managed. The idea behind self-managed work teams is for workers to
become their own managers, which increases their self-reliance as well
as develops a talent pool.
A concept called the quality circle is based on the belief that the
people who actually do the work, rather than their managers, are the
ones who are best able to identify, analyze, and correct problems they
encounter. The idea originated in Japan in 1962. The quality circle is
a group of employees, usually fewer than ten, who perform similar jobs
and meet once per week to discuss their work, identify problems, and
present possible solutions to those problems. For example, a quality
circle might be formed among front desk agents. The group forwards
its findings and proposals to management for evaluation and action.
Quality circles are most successful when they are part of an organiza-
tion-wide improvement effort. American business picked up on the
quality circle concept in the mid-1970s.4

THE ORGANIZATION OF A LODGING ESTABLISHMENT

As their facilities grow in size, lodging managers are faced with the
need to group certain jobs in order to ensure efficient coordination
and control of activities. These job groupings are usually called de-
partments. In general, departments might be grouped as front of the
house (those departments in which employees have guest contact, such
as front desk), and back of the house (where employees have little
guest contact, such as accounting). However, separating departments
by function is the most common method of organizing a hotel or a
lodging business. Figure 2–1 outlines the departmental structures of a
30 Chapter 2 Organizational Structure

limited-service hotel, a full-service hotel with under 500 rooms, and a

full-service hotel with over 500 rooms. There may be as few as 2 or as
many as 50 employees in a particular department.
In a very small lodging business, such as a bed-and-breakfast, the
owner can supervise each department. However, as the lodging busi-
ness increases in size (i.e., above 20 rooms), it is most effective to cre-
ate managerial positions within departments.

ROOMS Typically, the rooms department (called the front desk department in
DEPARTMENT a limited-service facility) includes reservations, the front office, house-
keeping, and telephone or PBX. In smaller full-service hotels, security
and engineering might also be included in the rooms department. Re-
sponsibilities of the rooms department include reservations, guest re-
ception, room assignment, tracking the status of rooms (available or
occupied), prompt forwarding of mail and phone messages, security,
housekeeping of guest rooms and public spaces such as lobbies, and
answering guests’ questions. To perform these many duties effectively,
the rooms department may be divided into a number of specialized
subunits. To complicate matters, in many instances these subunits are
also referred to as departments. For example, the laundry department

General Manager

Audit Front Desk Housekeeping Maintenance Sales

(a)

General Manager

Rooms Food & Beverage Human Resources Marketing & Sales Accounting
-Reservations -Food Production -Employee -Sales Managers -Assistant Controllers
-Front Office -Food Services Recruitment -Finance Operations
-Housekeeping -Room Service -Benefits Manager -Purchasing
-Laundry -Beverage Manager -Training -Storeroom
-Security -Convention & -Food & Beverage
-Engineering Catering Controller
-PBX -Stewarding -Credit Systems
(b)

Figure 2–1 Department Structure in the Hotel and Lodging Industry: (a) Departments of a
Limited-Service Hotel; (b) Departments of a Full-Service Hotel (under 500 rooms)
 The Organization of a Lodging Establishment 31

General Manager

Assistant General Manager

Resident Manager

Director Front Chief

Chief Director Director Director Director
of Office Telecom-
Human Food & Controller
House- Manager munication Engineer Security Sales
Resources Beverage
keeping Operator

-Recruit-
Assistant Assistant ment
Telecom- Assistant Super- -Benefits Assistant Sales
Executive Front Assistant
munication Chief visors -Payroll F/B Manager
House- Office Controller
Operator Engineer -Training Director
keeper Manager
-Labor
-Security Relations -Account
Officers Executives
Super- Assistant Supervisor Executive F/B
visors Energy Convention
Managers Chef Controller
Management Coordinator

-HVAC -Sous -Purchasing

-Electric Chef Convention Agent
Guest Front -Water -Kitchen Services -Storeroom
Room Desk Staff Manager Staff
Attendants Agents Supervisor
Executive General
Administration
-Steward Cashiers
Director of
-Inventory Catering -Front Office
Restaurant
Valet -Work Orders Cashiers
Managers
Parking -Purchasing -Banquet -Restaurant
-Utilities -Service -Captains Cashiers
-Tools Staff -Timekeeper
Supervisor Beverage
Preventative Director
Maintenance -Bartenders
-Plumbing
-Electric
-Carpentry
-HVAC
-Painting
-Masonry
-Grounds
-Television
-Upholstery
-Pool
(c)

Figure 2–1 (Continued) (c) Departments of a Full-Service Hotel (over 500 rooms)
32 Chapter 2 Organizational Structure

shown in Figure 2–1b is responsible for cleaning and pressing all the
hotel’s linens and employee uniforms as well as guest laundry. Because
of its specialized function, little of the knowledge and skills required
to manage a laundry operation is transferable to other areas of hotel
operations.
The front office is one of the most important departments in a ho-
tel, as it often offers the only contact between guests and staff. A ho-
tel’s front office is where guests are greeted when they arrive, where
they are registered and assigned to a room, and where they check out.
Usually, the telephone operator, other guest communications func-
tions, and the bell staff or those employees responsible for delivering
luggage and messages and attending to special guest requests also fall
under the front office umbrella. The reservations department takes
and tracks the hotel’s future bookings. The housekeeping department
is responsible for cleaning guest rooms and public spaces. Because of
their specialized nature, the security and engineering departments are
discussed in separate sections.
A great deal of interdependence exists among the subunits of the
rooms department. For example, reservations must inform the front
office of the number of presold rooms each day to ensure that a cur-
rent inventory of salable rooms is always available. On the other hand,
the front office must let reservations know whenever walk-in guests
(those who do not have reservations) register. A similar level of coop-
eration is required between the front office and housekeeping. When
a guest checks out, the front office must inform housekeeping so that
the room may be cleaned. Once a room is cleaned, housekeeping must
inform the front office so that the room may be sold. Certain tasks
within the rooms department must occur in a specific order. For ex-
ample, housekeeping cannot properly provision a guest room if the laun-
dry does not supply enough clean towels or bed sheets. Engineering can-
not replace a defective light switch in a guest room if housekeeping does
not report the problem. Effective management of this busy department
calls for standardized plans, procedures, schedules, and deadlines, as
well as frequent direct communication between the executives who man-
age the key operating units of the rooms department.

Security. The hotel and lodging business is vulnerable to security and safety
problems. Problems can be created by guests, employees, or intruders.
Security breaches can result in embezzlement, theft, arson, robbery,
and even terrorism. Depending on the size of a hotel or a lodging es-
tablishment, the security function may be handled by a fully staffed
department on site, contracted to an outside security company, or as-
signed to designated staff members or on-premises supervisory per-
 The Organization of a Lodging Establishment 33

sonnel in the rooms department. In a larger, full-service hotel, the di-

rector of security may report directly to the general manager. In smaller
hotels, the security function might become a task of the rooms de-
partment (see Figure 2–1b).

Engineering. Typically, the engineering department’s responsibilities in-

clude preventive maintenance; repair; replacement; improvement and
modification to furniture, fixtures, and equipment (FFE); and ensur-
ing uninterrupted provision of utilities (gas, electricity, water).5 Pre-
ventive maintenance involves routine checks and inspection of the key
components of all equipment. Maintenance of recreational facilities
may be part of the engineering department’s responsibilities. In par-
ticular, swimming pools require extensive maintenance to ensure
proper filtration and to prevent the accumulation of algae and other
conditions unsuitable for swimming.
Prompt repair minimizes loss of productivity in other hotel oper-
ating departments and inconvenience to hotel guests. When a partic-
ular FFE has reached the end of its useful life and repair is no longer
cost-effective, replacement is indicated. Improvement projects en-
hance the existing operation or reduce operating costs of the facility.
Modification projects alter the existing operation to accommodate one
or more new functions.
One hotel might have a large engineering staff that includes
plumbers, carpenters, painters, electricians, and other technicians. An-
other might have maintenance personnel who have general knowledge
and understanding of the hotel’s operations but rely on outside con-
tractors for specialized jobs. In larger, full-service hotels, engineering
may be a separate department, with a director who reports directly to
the resident manager (see Figure 2–1c).

FOOD AND BEVERAGE The primary function of the food and beverage department is to pro-
DEPARTMENT vide food and drink to a hotel’s guests. In earlier times, when an inn
had a single dining room that could hold a limited number of guests,
this was a fairly simple task. Today, however, providing food and drink
is much more complicated. A large hotel might well have a coffee shop,
a gourmet restaurant, a poolside snack bar, room service, two banquet
halls, and ten function rooms where food and beverages are served. It
might also have a lounge, a nightclub, and a lobby bar. On a busy day
(or night), it’s quite likely that functions will be booked in many out-
lets at the same time. In addition, some outlets may have multiple events
scheduled for a single day. As you can see, there is great diversity in the
types of activities performed by a food and beverage department, re-
quiring a significant variety of skills on the part of its workers.
34 Chapter 2 Organizational Structure

Because of the diversity of services provided, the food and bever-

age department is typically split into subunits. The executive chef, a
person of considerable importance and authority in any full-service ho-
tel, runs the food production, or kitchen, department. A variety of culi-
nary specialists who are responsible for different aspects of food prepa-
ration report to the executive chef.
The actual serving of food in a large hotel’s restaurants is usually
the responsibility of a separate department, headed by the assistant
food and beverage director. The food service department is composed
of the individual restaurant and outlet managers, maitre d’s, waiters,
waitresses, and bus help.
Because of their special duties and concerns, many large hotels
have a separate subunit that is responsible only for room service. Be-
cause of the high value and profit margins associated with the sale of
alcoholic beverages, some hotels have a separate department that as-
sumes responsibility for all outlets where alcoholic beverages are sold.
The person responsible for this department is the beverage manager.
Most full-service hotels also do a considerable convention and
catering business. The typical convention uses small function rooms
for meetings and larger rooms for general sessions, trade shows, ex-
hibits, and banquets. As a hotel or lodging business increases the use
of its facilities for conventions and meetings, it may form a separate
convention services department. The convention services department
and its personnel are introduced to the client, a meeting planner, or
an association executive by the marketing and sales department. The
convention services department then handles all of the client’s meet-
ing and catering requirements. Individually catered events include par-
ties, wedding receptions, business meetings, and other functions held
by groups. To provide for the unique needs of these types of customers,
hotels often organize separate catering and convention departments.
Depending on the size of the hotel, the job of cleaning the food
and beverage outlets themselves as well as of washing pots and pans,
dishes, glasses, and utensils is often delegated to a subunit known as
the stewarding department.
It is only through continuous cooperation and coordination that a
hotel’s food service function can be carried out effectively. A guest who
is dining in a hotel restaurant requires the joint efforts of the kitchen,
food service, beverage, and stewarding departments. A convention ban-
quet cannot be held without the efforts of the convention and cater-
ing department along with the food production, beverage, and stew-
arding departments. The sequence of events and cooperation required
among the food and beverage staff is even more important than in the
rooms department, thus increasing the importance of communication
 The Organization of a Lodging Establishment 35

between managers and employees alike. Another challenge faced by

management is the diversity of the employees in the food and bever-
age department; the dishwasher in the stewarding department is at a
dramatically different level than the sous chef in the kitchen.

MARKETING AND Coordination is not as important an issue in the marketing and sales de-
SALES DEPARTMENT partment, which is generally much smaller than the food and beverage
department. The primary responsibility of the sales managers who make
up the marketing and sales department is sales, or the selling of the ho-
tel facilities and services to individuals and groups. Sales managers sell
rooms, food, and beverages to potential clients through advertising, at-
tendance at association and conference meetings, and direct contacts.
The marketing and sales department is also removed from most of the
day-to-day operational problems faced by other departments. The divi-
sion of work among the sales managers is based on the type of customers
a hotel is attempting to attract. Individual sales managers often special-
ize in corporate accounts, conventions, or tour and travel markets. Sales
managers’ accounts are sometimes subdivided along geographical lines
into regional or national accounts. The sales staff of the largest full-serv-
ice hotels usually does not exceed a dozen or so. These sales managers
work more or less independently in their particular market segments.

HUMAN RESOURCES The human resources department serves no customers, books no busi-
DEPARTMENT ness, and prepares no meals, yet it plays a vital role in a hotel’s effi-
cient operation. As shown in Figure 2–1b, the three functions of the
human resources department are employee recruitment, benefits ad-
ministration, and training. The director of human resources is also ex-
pected to be an expert on federal and state labor laws and to advise
managers in other departments on these topics. The human resources
department’s major challenge is in its interactions with other hotel de-
partments. Although the human resources department recruits, inter-
views, and screens prospective employees, the final hiring decision rests
within the department in which the potential employee will be work-
ing. The same is true of promotion and disciplinary decisions; the hu-
man resources department’s input is, in most cases, limited to advice
and interpretation of legal questions. The human resources depart-
ment’s effectiveness depends on its manager’s ability to form effective
working relationships with managers of other departments.

ACCOUNTING In many hotels, the accounting department combines staff functions

DEPARTMENT and line functions, or those functions directly responsible for servic-
ing guests. The accounting department’s traditional role is recording
financial transactions, preparing and interpreting financial statements,
36 Chapter 2 Organizational Structure

and providing the managers of other departments with timely reports

of operating results (line functions). Other responsibilities, carried out
by the assistant controller for finance, include payroll preparation, ac-
counts receivable, and accounts payable (staff functions).
Another dimension of the accounting department’s responsibili-
ties deals with various aspects of hotel operations, cost accounting, and
cost control throughout the hotel. The two areas of central concern
to the accounting department are rooms and food and beverage. The
accounting department’s front office cashier is responsible for track-
ing all charges to guest accounts. At the close of each business day,
which varies by hotel but typically occurs at midnight or after the bulk
of guests’ transactions have been completed (i.e., check-in, restaurant
charges, retail charges, etc.), the night auditor is responsible for rec-
onciling all guest bills with the charges from the various hotel de-
partments. Although the front office cashier and the night auditor
physically work at the front desk and, in the case of the cashier, have
direct contact with guests, they are members of the accounting de-
partment and report to the assistant controller of operations.
The food and beverage department may be responsible for food
preparation and service, but the accounting department is responsi-
ble for collecting revenues. The food and beverage controller and the
food and beverage cashiers keep track of both the revenues and ex-
penses of the food and beverage department. The food and beverage
controller’s job is to verify the accuracy and reasonableness of all food
and beverage revenues.
In addition to tracking and preparing daily reports on the costs of
the food and beverages used in the hotel, in many cases the account-
ing department is also responsible for purchasing and storeroom op-
erations. Finally, the director of systems is responsible for designing
the accounting and control systems used throughout the hotel. As you
can see, the accounting department is anything but a passive staff unit
contending with routine recordkeeping. The accounting department
is also responsible for collecting and reporting most of a hotel’s op-
erational and financial statistics, which provide important data for de-
cision making and budget preparation purposes. The head of the ac-
counting department may report not only to the hotel’s general
manager but also to the hotel chain’s financial vice president or to the
hotel’s owner. The reason for this dual responsibility and reporting re-
lationship is to afford the hotel corporation an independent verifica-
tion of the financial and operating results of the hotel.

GENERAL In addition to being in charge of overseeing all of the departments

MANAGER that we have discussed, the hotel’s general manager (GM) is responsi-
 Patterns of Authority 37

ble for defining and interpreting the policies established by top man-
agement. The general manager serves as a liaison to the hotel’s owner
or corporate parent, sets (or communicates) the overall strategic
course of the hotel, sets hotel-wide goals, coordinates activities between
departments, and arbitrates interdepartmental disputes. It is common
practice in a large, full-service hotel for a director of public relations
to report directly to the GM. The GM also has corporate-level re-
sponsibilities, participates on civic boards and committees, and engages
in industry-related activities such as serving on the local tourism com-
mission or hotel-motel association.
In addition to possessing a high level of technical skill (i.e., a thor-
ough understanding of each operating department in the hotel), the
general manager must also be decisive, analytical, and skilled with both
computers and people. He or she must be able to see the big picture
and how all of the parts of the hotel fit into the overall organization.

RESIDENT An executive may be promoted to relieve the general manager of some

MANAGER operational duties. This is often accomplished by elevating the duties
and responsibilities of one particular department head without reliev-
ing that person of regular departmental duties. The title of this posi-
tion is usually resident manager. It is quite common (and logical) for
the general manager to select the manager of the rooms department
to be resident manager. Responsibilities of the resident manager in-
clude serving as acting GM in the GM’s absence, representing the GM
on interdepartmental hotel committees, and taking responsibility for
important special projects such as major hotel renovations, VIP guests,
and operating reports that require in-depth analysis for the regional
or corporate offices.

PATTERNS OF AUTHORITY
The delegation of authority creates a chain of command, the formal
channel that defines the lines of authority from the top to the bottom
of an organization. As shown in Figure 2–2, the chain of command
consists of a series of relationships from the highest position in the or-
ganization to the lowest. The chain of command specifies a clear re-
porting relationship for each person in the organization and should
be followed in both downward and upward communication. Following
the chain of command enables each new employee, no matter what
his or her position, to know exactly for whom and to whom he or she
is responsible.
38 Chapter 2 Organizational Structure

Board of Directors

General Manager

Resident Manager

Rooms Division Manager

Front Office Manager

Front Desk Bell Courtesy

Concierge Doorman Auto Valet
Agent Captain Van Driver

Figure 2–2 Chain of Command

When designing an organizational structure, managers must con-

sider the distribution of authority. Defined simply, authority is the or-
ganizationally sanctioned right to make a decision. Authority can be
distributed throughout an organization or held in the hands of a few
select employees. Decentralization is the process of distributing au-
thority throughout an organization. In a decentralized organization,
an organization member has the right to make a decision without ob-
taining approval from a higher-level manager. Centralization is the re-
tention of decision-making authority by a high-level manager.
Traditionally, hotel and lodging management has been very cen-
tralized, probably due to its roots in small, owner-operated lodging. In
recent years, as the hotel and lodging industry has expanded, decen-
tralization has become a more frequent style of operation.
Decentralization has several advantages. Managers are encouraged
to develop decision-making skills, which help them advance in their
careers. The autonomy afforded by this style of operation also increases
job satisfaction and motivation. When employees are encouraged to
perform well, the profitability of the organization increases.
Many hotel and lodging organizations have begun to empower em-
ployees and supervisors to make decisions that typically have been
made by managers. One example that we have already discussed is the
use of the quality circle. For example, if a front desk agent determines
that a guest’s bill is incorrect, in a decentralized organization the agent
has the power to make the correction immediately. If that same front
desk agent determines that a guest’s stay has been unsatisfactory, he
or she has the power to reduce the guest’s bill by an amount previ-
 Span of Control 39

ously specified by management. Additional challenges, control of the

process, and quality assessment become part of everyone’s job, and
each employee is given the authority to take positive actions that will
lead to high quality and improved performance.6

SPAN OF CONTROL
Span of control refers to the number of people who report to one
manager or supervisor. A wide span of control results in a flat organ-
ization—that is, a large number of employees reporting to one super-
visor (see Figure 2–3a). A narrow span of control results in a tall or-
ganization, in which a small number of employees report to a
supervisor, necessitating a larger number of supervisors (see Figure
2–3b). (Note that the organizations represented in Figures 2–3a and
2–3b have the same number of employees.) No formula exists for de-
termining the ideal span of control. The following factors determine
the most appropriate span of control: task similarity, training and pro-
fessionalism, task certainty, frequency of interaction, task integration,
and physical dispersion.
When a large number of employees perform similar tasks, the span
of control can be increased. When the employees perform very dif-
ferent tasks, the supervisor must give each subordinate more individ-
ual attention in order to keep in touch with the different types of tasks;
this requires a narrower span of control. For example, the rooms de-
partment manager might easily manage the front desk agents and
housekeepers until the brand standards for check-in or checkout of a
guest increase in complexity and the standards for the various types of
rooms and their cleaning procedure increase in detail. At this time,
the rooms department manager’s span of control must be narrowed.
The better trained and more skilled a subordinate is, the less su-
pervision is required. For example, a front desk agent might require
a higher level of training and skill than a room service waiter. Thus, a
front desk supervisor can supervise more employees (wider span of
control) than the room service supervisor (narrower span of control).
Task certainty refers to the predictability of a task. Routine tasks
allow management to devise standard procedures for subordinates to
follow, minimizing questions about the job and widening the span of
control. On the other hand, close supervision is called for when tasks
are ambiguous and uncertainty is great. For example, the task of check-
ing a guest in or out of the hotel can be documented and standard
procedures can be created, so the front desk manager can have a rel-
40 Chapter 2 Organizational Structure

(a)

(b)

Figure 2–3 Span of Control: (a) Wide Span of Control (flat organization); (b) Narrow Span of
Control (tall organization)

atively wide span of control over the front desk agents. However, be-
cause of the diversity of customers the sales manager encounters, the
tasks of a hotel sales manager are less certain. The director of sales is
responsible for coaching the sales managers, observing sales calls, and
ensuring deal closings; these tasks require a hands-on approach that
limits the number of employees the director of sales can handle, nar-
rowing the span of control.
If the supervisor-subordinate relationship requires frequent inter-
action, the span of control must be narrow. If interaction is infrequent,
the span of control can be wide. For example, the hotel controller
must review regularly the status of collections and payments with staff.
 The Pros and Cons of Functional Organization Design 41

In contrast, the frequency of interaction between the chief engineer

and his or her subordinates is directed by written work orders in most
circumstances and thus requires less direct communication, enabling
a wider span of control.
If the supervisor must integrate and coordinate the tasks of sub-
ordinates, the span of control narrows. For example, in the produc-
tion of a meal for one table of four guests with different appetizers,
salads, and entrées, the chef must have a narrow span of control to en-
sure that each component of the meal is assembled correctly and de-
livered to service personnel on a timely basis. The span of control of
the executive housekeeper can be much wider because the procedure
for cleaning and preparing each guest room is similar, if not exactly
the same, for every room.
Physical dispersion refers to the distribution of employees within
the lodging establishment. For example, if the executive housekeeper
has guest room attendants on 20 floors in two buildings and the front
desk manager has all front desk agents located in one place, the span
of control would narrow for the executive housekeeper and widen for
the front desk manager.
The ideal number of people that one person can supervise de-
pends on a variety of factors. Consistent with trends in organizational
structure such as teams, quality circles, and employee empowerment,
many hotel and lodging organizations are widening their span of con-
trol. The objective behind these trends is to develop a flatter, more re-
sponsive organizational structure in which employees can make deci-
sions without going through several levels of management.7

THE PROS AND CONS OF FUNCTIONAL ORGANIZATION DESIGN

The most important strength of a functional organizational design is
efficiency. The performance of common tasks allows for work special-
ization, which increases overall productivity. Workers develop special-
ized skills and knowledge more rapidly. Training is easier because of
the similarity of tasks and the resulting opportunities for inexperienced
workers to learn from experienced workers. This helps new employ-
ees quickly learn the kinds of behavior that lead to success and pro-
motion. Coordination of activities within functional departments is eas-
ier than in more broadly based organizations.
A functional organization fosters efficiency, teamwork, and coor-
dination of activities within individual units. However, the functional
organization’s most important strength is also the source of its great-
42 Chapter 2 Organizational Structure

est shortcoming. The success of a hotel as a business is measured by

its overall performance and not by the performance of any one de-
partment. A hotel with spotless guest rooms will not be successful if
guests’ front desk experiences are not up to par. Even if guests’ din-
ing experiences are superb, the hotel will fall flat on its face if its rooms
are dismal. It is sometimes difficult for each department to fully ap-
preciate its role in the overall success of the organization. It is vital
that each department keep in mind the hotel-wide goals of customer
service and profitability rather than focus narrowly on its own con-
cerns. Some means must be found to coordinate the activities of func-
tional departments and to set hotel-wide strategies and goals. A hotel’s
functional organization demands strong leadership.
New initiatives in hotels often require cooperation and coordina-
tion between functional departments. New ideas tend to be stillborn
if department heads lack a hotel-wide perspective or have difficulty co-
ordinating their activities. The tendency to concentrate on doing
things right often overshadows the organization’s ability to do the right
thing.8
The GM, as the chief executive of the hotel, emerges as the single
person capable of providing the overall organizational direction, de-
cision making, coordination, and arbitration needed to make a hotel’s
functional departments work together effectively. A hotel simply can-
not run itself from the departmental level. Thus, the GM must be a
strong leader to be effective.

MEETINGS AND COMMITTEES

An organizational chart, such as those depicted in Figure 2–1, is use-
ful in identifying the formal reporting and authority relationships of
a hotel or a lodging enterprise. However, it is not of much help in co-
ordinating administrative units at the department and subdepartment
level.
Consider this scenario. If the director of sales increases group book-
ings without consulting other hotel departments, a disaster is in the
making. If the reservations department is not consulted, the sales de-
partment might guarantee more rooms to a group than are actually
available at a price lower than the reservations department’s quarterly
goal. If the convention services manager is not consulted, necessary
meeting rooms might not be available. If the food and beverage de-
partment is not consulted, the group might be sold a banquet that ex-
ceeds the hotel’s capabilities. If the accounting department is not con-
 Meetings and Committees 43

sulted, credit terms might be extended that violate the credit man-
ager’s policies. If the front office is not consulted, the group might ex-
perience lengthy delays at check-in (groups are usually preassigned
rooms and keys).
The executive operating committee (EOC) of a hotel, made up of
the general manager and senior executives from each department, is
designed to increase the level of coordination between departments.
There is no standard membership for this committee, but it usually
comprises those executives who report directly to the general man-
ager. The EOC is also responsible for a hotel’s major budgetary units,
such as the food and beverage and housekeeping units. EOC functions
depend on how the hotel GM chooses to use the group, the GM’s style,
and the structure of other management meetings in the hotel. Typi-
cally, the EOC meets weekly, focusing on matters ranging from day-to-
day operational issues (daily function schedules and labor and food
cost control) to comparing budgets with actual operating results.
Many hotels increase communications through an elaborate struc-
ture of additional committees and meetings, including some or all of
the following: operations, staff, sales forecast and marketing, depart-
mental, subdepartmental, credit, safety, energy conservation, and em-
ployee meetings.
The operations committee comprises the general manager, de-
partment heads, front office manager, manager on duty, and repre-
sentatives from housekeeping, security, engineering, and food and bev-
erage. This committee might meet four or five times per week for 15
to 20 minutes to review upcoming activities and assess the results of
previous activities.
The staff committee might include the GM, department heads, and
all subdepartment heads who report to the department heads. This
committee, which might meet weekly for one or two hours, reviews the
prior week’s performance, the current week’s activities, the next week’s
plans, and special projects. The staff committee also presents per-
formance awards to employees.
The concept of forecasting, pioneered by Conrad Hilton (see Box
2–1), was introduced in chapter 1. The sales forecast and marketing
committee might meet one to four times per month for several hours
so the GM and department heads can review room demand for the
coming 90 days and devise strategies to increase room nights (and thus
bring in more revenue) and to increase average daily rates by up-sell-
ing potential guests to higher-rated rooms with perhaps more ameni-
ties or services.
The departmental committee consists of the department head and
his or her subdepartment heads, managers, and supervisors. Meeting
44 Chapter 2 Organizational Structure

BOX 2–1
Conrad N. Hilton

onrad N. Hilton (1897–1979), the son of a Norwegian immigrant fa-

C ther and a German-American mother, had a strong belief in the Amer-

ican dream. He derived his strength from his faith in God, his belief
in the brotherhood of man, his patriotic confidence in the United States of
America, and his conviction that a natural law obliges all mankind to help
relieve the suffering, the distressed, and the destitute.
Conrad Hilton was educated at St. Michael’s College in Santa Fe, New
Mexico, and the New Mexico School of Mines. He entered the hotel busi-
ness by buying the Mobley Hotel in Cisco, Texas, in 1919. The first hotel he
built, the Dallas Hilton, opened on August 2, 1925. While the Dallas Hilton
was under construction, he married Mary Barron. Conrad and Mary had
three children: Conrad N. Jr., William Barron, and Eric Michael. Conrad later
divorced Mary and had a fourth child, Francesca, with his second wife, ac-
tress Zsa Zsa Gabor.
Hilton maintained operations during the Great Depression of the 1930s
by giving up many of his hotels and by learning to operate with econ-
omy—one of the keys to his future success. This enabled him to expand his
empire by purchasing hotels throughout the United States, including the
Sir Francis Drake in San Francisco, the Plaza and the Waldorf-Astoria in New
York City, and the Palmer and the Stevens in Chicago (the latter currently
is known as the Chicago Hilton & Towers). He developed his business in the
international arena by building hotels in such exotic locales as San Juan,
Puerto Rico; Madrid, Spain; Istanbul, Turkey; Havana, Cuba; Berlin, Ger-
Conrad Hilton. Courtesy of the Hospitality Industry Archives and many; and Cairo, Egypt.
Library, University of Houston, Texas. The expansion of his international business cemented Hilton’s belief in
world peace and global economic stability. He vigorously opposed the spread
of communism and used corporate advertising to promote world peace through international trade and travel.
His concern for the public was expressed in the formation of the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation in 1944, which con-
tinues to carry forward its founder’s vision by providing resources to organizations that focus on social issues,
health issues, and education. The Conrad N. Hilton College at the University of Houston, Texas, is a designated re-
cipient of foundation resources because of Conrad Hilton’s belief that tourism and travel help promote global un-
derstanding and world peace.
Conrad Hilton’s vision for Hilton Hotels Corporation was carried on by two of his sons, William and Eric.

Source: “Conrad N. Hilton,” Cathleen Baird, Hospitality Industry Hall of Honor Archives, Conrad N. Hilton College, University of Hous-
ton, Texas, 1996.
 The Future Organization of Hotels 45

once or twice per month for an hour or so, the group reviews de-
partmental issues. Similarly, subdepartment committees meet monthly
for about an hour so the subdepartment head, managers, and super-
visors can address issues unique to their subdepartment, such as the
selection of a new type of floor cleaner by the housekeeping de-
partment or a more energy-efficient light bulb by the engineering
department.
The credit committee includes the general manager, the con-
troller, sales, the front office, reservations, catering, and the credit
manager. Meeting monthly for an hour, the committee reviews those
guests and clients of the hotel who were granted credit but have not
settled their account.
The safety committee typically comprises representatives from hu-
man resources, food and beverage, housekeeping, and engineering.
Meeting monthly for an hour or so, the committee reviews safety pro-
grams and safety records, addresses problems, and discusses the im-
plementation of new safety regulations.
In some full-service hotels, an energy conservation committee in-
cludes the chief engineer, resident manager, food and beverage staff,
human resource representatives, rooms staff, and housekeeping rep-
resentatives. The committee typically meets monthly for an hour to
discuss strategies and programs for controlling energy costs.
Most full-service hotels convene a monthly meeting or at least an
annual meeting of all hotel management and employees to review per-
formance and to distribute awards. This event ranges from an hour-
long meeting to a company-wide celebration lasting several hours.

THE FUTURE ORGANIZATION OF HOTELS

As new business practices are evolving as fast as our technologies, re-
sistance to change has become a primary cause of business failure. The
future success of a hotel will be driven in large part by the ability to
foresee and capitalize on change. As we go through global transitions,
the successful hotel will examine the key factors that will not only de-
fine success but also the ability to survive in coming years. These key
organizational trends must be acknowledged by the successful hotel
organization: visionary leadership, globalization, diversity, flexibility,
flat structure, customer focus, zero defects, network orientation, and
being in the information fast lane.
The organization must be able to respond to increasingly globalized
sales, the movement to maintaining sales offices in many countries and
46 Chapter 2 Organizational Structure

hotel properties across the globe, and an increasingly globalized labor

market. Intercontinental Hotels Group recently introduced a new
organization structure to more efficiently use regional and global
resources to drive higher levels of innovation, customer focus, and
revenues.
Diversity means the organization must respond to a workforce that
is heterogeneous sexually, racially, and chronologically; innovation and
conflict/communication issues; and different styles of interaction,
dress, presentation, and physical appearance.
Flexibility in the modern hotel organization means assuring that
systems, processes, and people can respond differently to different sit-
uations; fewer detailed rules and procedures; greater autonomy and
encouragement of initiative; customizing employment relationships to
include telecommuting and job-sharing; and lifetime employability
rather than lifetime employment.
The trend toward flatness in hotel organizations means fewer lev-
els of management, workers empowered to make decisions, and fewer
differences in responsibility. The organization’s employees need to be-
lieve in a sense of entrepreneurship that reacts proactively to market
diversity. Traditional organizations that follow well-documented rules
must give way to leaders who can balance a sense of discipline with
one of flexibility.
If the customer is king or queen in the 21st century, hotel orga-
nizaions will be best served by focusing less on their hotel assets as
measures of success and more on their customers. This involves a fun-
damental shift from viewing the real estate asset as the wealth creator
to seeing the customer as the key to building shareholder wealth. A
customer focus must reflect business decisions at all levels of develop-
ing and operating a hotel organization. Pursuing such a course will in-
evitably impact shareholder wealth.
The Japanese concept of zero defects in products and services can
yield tremendous benefits for a hotel business organization. In practi-
cal terms, the hotel industry finds it extremely difficult to meet the
standard of zero defects in service. Hotel services are based primarily
on people, not on computers or other equipment. Twenty years ago,
a business executive did not expect a consistent and predictable level
of service wherever he or she traveled. Today that is the standard, not
the exception, as is the expectation of sophisticated technology in ho-
tel rooms to support business needs. With customer discrimination so
acute, it is not surprising that brand loyalty is a diminishing commodity
in the hotel industry.
Today’s hotel organization must recognize the need for visionary
leadership. The old command-and-control model of leadership is giv-
 The Hotel Staffing System 47

ing way to a focus on leadership in ideas, information, inspiration, vi-

sion, and teamwork. A failing hotel organization is overmanaged and
underled.
The networked hotel organization can facilitate direct communica-
tion across unit and property boundaries, ignoring the chain of command;
cross-unit team structures; outsourcing and downsizing; strategic alliances
with competitors and others; customization; and decentralization.
Being in the information fast lane is critical. The traditional role
of information technology as a back office support for accounting and
bookkeeping has clearly moved to front and center stage. Information
technology today influences all aspects of business from corporate
strategies to organizational structure. Technology was once viewed as
a way to reduce costs by replacing people. That attitude has been firmly
supplanted by the idea of seeking information technology support for
the creative work all organizations must pursue. Information technol-
ogy must enable organizations to react more speedily to market needs
and, of course, produce the fulfillment of customer demands both
quickly and accurately. To do this it must operate on a decentralized
basis. Information technology delivers, but it has to deliver the right
information to the right people at the right time.

THE HOTEL STAFFING SYSTEM

Staffing, which is one of a hotel’s most important management func-
tions, is an ongoing challenge because of the high rate of employee
and manager turnover. Full-service hotels can experience annual
turnover rates in excess of 100 percent in certain employee classifica-
tions. Some managers consider an annual employee turnover rate of
33 percent low. (In other words, in a single year, one-third of a hotel’s
employees must be replaced.) At this rate, the entire hotel must be
completely restaffed every three years. The higher the turnover rate,
the larger the number of employees who must be replaced. For ex-
ample, if a hotel with 450 employees has a 75 percent annual turnover
rate, it will be completely restaffed every 16 months. Staffing is the re-
sponsibility of the human resources department, which is considered
in more detail in chapter 5.
In an attempt to reduce employee turnover, hotel and lodging busi-
nesses are giving increasing attention to job design, seeking to enhance
those job characteristics that give the employee the greatest satisfac-
tion and motivation. Good job design must take into account the needs
of employees as well as the demands of the job. Well-thought-out job
48 Chapter 2 Organizational Structure

design begins when management conducts a job analysis—that is, a

thorough evaluation of the specific tasks performed for a particular
job and the time required to perform them. Job analysis is an ongo-
ing process, as many jobs change with improvements in technology
and pressure to improve product quality.
The job analysis is the basis for the job description and job specifi-
cation. A job description includes the job title, pay, a brief statement of
duties and procedures, working conditions, and hours. The job specifi-
cation is an outline of the qualifications necessary for a particular job.
In response to the limits of specialization, organizations can re-
design jobs to improve coordination, productivity, and product qual-
ity while responding to an employee’s needs for learning, challenge,
variety, increased responsibility, and achievement. Such job redesign
often involves job rotation, the systematic movement of employees
from one job to another; job enlargement, an increase in the number
of tasks an employee will do in the job; job enrichment, the attempt
to give the employee more control over job-related activities; and flex-
time, a flexible work schedule that permits employee input in estab-
lishing work schedules. In team-driven job redesign, a concept similar
to job rotation, employees can transfer back and forth among teams
that provide different services or products.
Hotels recruit employees from a variety of sources. Newspapers and
employee referrals are used to recruit nonskilled hourly employees. Su-
pervisory and management employees generally are recruited through
colleges and universities, promotions from within, professional associ-
ations, and management recruiters. Hotels that take more time in mak-
ing their selections are more successful in retaining employees.
Discussions of employee training and development often concen-
trate on training techniques without giving a full explanation of what
a hotel is trying to accomplish. As training and development impart
job skills and educate employees, supervisors, and managers, they also
improve current and future employee performance, which affects the
bottom line. Effective training includes problem solving, problem
analysis, quality measurement and feedback, and team building.
Performance evaluation, also called performance appraisal, is the
systematic review of the strengths and weaknesses of an employee’s
performance. The major difficulty in a performance appraisal is quan-
tifying those strengths and weaknesses. The performance of some jobs
is easy to quantify, while for others it is more difficult. An important
part of the appraisal process is a well-established job description, so
that the employee and the supervisor have similar expectations.
Compensation includes the monetary and nonmonetary rewards
that managers, supervisors, and employees receive for performing their
 Career Paths and Opportunities 49

jobs. In order to set compensation levels, the human resources de-

partment must periodically conduct job evaluations, which determine
the value of the job to the hotel. Knowledge of the value of the job to
the organization and of wage rates for each job classification allows
the hotel to establish a fair compensation policy.

CAREER PATHS AND OPPORTUNITIES

If you complete your course of study and graduate with a bachelor of
science degree in hotel management, most likely you will enter the
business at the managerial level. Along the way you will have learned
that a successful manager provides clear direction, encourages open
communication, coaches and supports people, provides objective
recognition, establishes ongoing controls, follows up and gives subor-
dinates feedback, selects the right people to staff the organization, un-
derstands the financial implications of decisions, encourages innova-
tion and new ideas, gives subordinates clear-cut decisions when
needed, and consistently demonstrates a high level of integrity.9
There are three levels of management careers in the hotel or lodg-
ing business: first-line, middle, and top. First-line refers to those who
have day-to-day contact with the guests and clients of a lodging busi-
ness. The first-line manager oversees the work of the supervisors and
line employees. In a hotel or lodging business, first-line positions may
include assistant manager of housekeeping, assistant front office man-
ager, and assistant restaurant manager. First-line managers are respon-
sible for a hotel’s basic work, such as checking guests in and out, mak-
ing up the guests’ rooms, and preparing and serving the meals. First-line
managers are in daily or near-daily contact with line employees.
Middle management of most hotel or lodging businesses includes
the department manager, general manager, and any position between
those levels. Depending on the size of the hotel, the regional manager
(who supervises the general managers of the hotels in his or her region)
can also fall into this category. Unlike first-line managers, those in mid-
dle management plan, organize, lead, and control other managers’ ac-
tivities and are responsible for the performance of their departments.
Top management comprises a small group of managers such as
the chief executive officer, president, or vice president. Top manage-
ment is responsible for the performance of the entire hotel business
as well as for supervision of the middle managers. The top manager is
accountable to the owners of the financial resources used by the or-
ganization, such as the stockholders or executive board.
50 Chapter 2 Organizational Structure

As you have already seen, there are numerous attractive careers in

the hotel and lodging business. The following is one of the many paths
your career might follow:
1. Assistant manager of the reservations department
2. Reservations department manager
3. Rooms department manager
4. Resident manager
5. General manager
6. Regional manager
In a full-service hotel or lodging business, the movement from entry-level
position to general manager might encompass 15 years. Career ad-
vancement in a limited-service hotel or lodging business can occur more
rapidly. A career in a limited-service hotel or lodging establishment might
commence at the assistant general manager level, with movement to gen-
eral manager within three years and to district or regional manager within
five to eight years. This accelerated pace is due in large part to the more
restricted range of services the manager must master before advancing.

SUMMARY
The four basic components of organizational structure include job spe-
cialization, departmentalization, patterns of authority, and span of con-
trol. Job specialization includes increased worker productivity and ef-
ficiency, but it increases the need for managerial control and
coordination. Work teams can be used to alleviate the routine caused
by job specialization. A similar concept, the quality circle, can also en-
hance employee productivity.
The departments of a full-service hotel and lodging establishment
include rooms, food and beverage, marketing and sales, human re-
sources, and accounting. These departments report directly to the
general manager or to a resident manager who is responsible to the
general manager. In smaller hotel or lodging businesses, the audit,
front desk, housekeeping, maintenance, and sales departments all
might report directly to the general manager.
While patterns of authority remain centralized in many hotel or lodg-
ing businesses, increasingly employees have become empowered to make
decisions that typically have been made by managers. Decentralization is
the distribution of authority throughout an organization. Centralization
is the retention of decision-making authority by a high-level manager.
Span of control refers to the number of people who report to one
manager or supervisor. In a narrow span of control, fewer subordinates
 Review Questions 51

report to each supervisor, resulting in a tall organization. In a wide

span of control, a larger number of subordinates report to each su-
pervisor, resulting in a flat organization.
The level of coordination and communication between depart-
ments can be increased by the activities of committees. The executive
operating committee includes the general manager and designated de-
partment heads. Other committees include operations, staff, sales fore-
casting and marketing, departmental, subdepartmental, credit, safety,
and energy conservation. Larger organizations conduct an annual
meeting for all employees of the organization, to discuss company per-
formance and to distribute awards.
Staffing is an ongoing challenge in the hotel and lodging industry
because of the high percentage of employee turnover. Successful staffing
depends on providing adequate job descriptions, including job specifi-
cations, as well as realizing that job descriptions must be flexible. In some
cases, it becomes necessary to redesign jobs; this can involve job rota-
tion, job enlargement, job enrichment, and flextime. Employees must
be properly trained; effective training includes problem solving, prob-
lem analysis, quality measurement, feedback, and team building.
Successful managers enjoy certain common characteristics includ-
ing providing clear direction, feedback, and recognition; encouraging
open communication and innovation; and establishing ongoing con-
trols. The management of a hotel or a lodging business falls into one
of three categories: first-line, middle, or top.

REVIEW QUESTIONS
1. What is the difference between work teams and quality circles?
2. Compare centralization and decentralization.
3. Which span of control results in a tall organization? A flat organi-
zation?
4. Should a first-line manager delegate more or less responsibility than
a top manager? Explain your answer.
5. List the principal functions of each major department of a full-
service hotel.
6. A customer notifies the front desk that a table in her room has a
broken leg and that when she set her room service tray on it, it
tipped over and scattered the food on the floor. List the depart-
ments to which this information must be conveyed and the actions
they must take.
52 Chapter 2 Organizational Structure

ACTIVITIES
1. Diagram the organizational structure of a local limited-service ho-
tel and of a local full-service hotel. Compare them with illustrations
in this chapter.
2. If you were able to reorganize the limited-service or full-service ho-
tel you diagrammed, how would you do so?
3. Interview an assistant department manager, a department manager,
and a general manager from a limited-service or a full-service ho-
tel. Determine the functions of management in which he or she is
actively involved.

REFERENCES
1. John M. Ivancevich, Peter Lorenzi, and Steven J. Skinner, with Philip
B. Crosby, Management: Quality and Competitiveness (Boston: Richard
D. Irwin, 1996), 254.
2. Raymond J. Aldag and Timothy M. Stearns, Management (Cincin-
nati: Southwestern, 1987).
3. Frank Shippes and Charles C. Manz, “Employee Self-Management
Without Formally Designated Teams: An Alternative Road to Em-
powerment,” Organizational Dynamics (Winter 1992): 48–61.
4. Tom Peters, Thriving on Chaos (New York: Knopf, 1988).
5. Frank D. Borsenik and Alan T. Stutts, The Management of Mainte-
nance and Engineering Systems in the Hospitality Industry, 4th ed. (New
York: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 1997).
6. Robert D. Dewar and Donald P. Simet, “A Level-Specific Prediction
of Spans of Control Examining the Effects of Size, Technology, and
Specialization,” Academy of Management Journal (March 1981): 5.
7. J. Barton Cunningham and Ted Eberle, “A Guide to Job Enrich-
ment and Redesign,” Personnel (February 1990): 56–61.
8. D. Dann and Timothy Hornsey, “Towards a Theory of Interdepart-
mental Conflict in Hotels,” International Journal of Hospitality Man-
agement, 5 (1986): 23.
9. Brian Dumaine, “The New Non-Managers,” Fortune, February 22,
1993, pp. 80–84; and “A Checklist of Qualities That Make a Good
Boss,” Nation’s Business (November 1984): 100.