Question

Every hotel need good maintenance culture to stay in business. As a second year
hospitality student of the OXFORD COLLEGE , identify and
explain five (5) main categories of Maintenance activities available to a hotels
housekeeping department.

Answer 1

Maintenance Activities – Hotel Housekeeping departments:

                For Hotel industry, housekeeping department act vital role and they are main players. Maintenance functions are ultimately responsible by Housekeeping departments. Housekeeping department is full in charge for hotel facilities, where they should maintain all things in order and prepare schedule work for long run. This maintenance are categorized by below 5 types.

· Routine Maintenance

· Preventive Maintenance

· Schedule Maintenance

· Emergency Maintenance

· Breakdown Maintenance

Routine Maintenance:

                This maintenance related to general upkeep process. It is regular day to day process and resources are allocated accordingly. For this maintenance, unable to follow any records to filling works since it was routine process. Below mention points are followed in this maintenance.

· Polishing Furniture

· Replacement of bulbs

· Cleaning windows

· Cleaning floors

· Washroom cleaning

· Sweeping carpets

· Cutting Grass

· Washing floors

· Cleaning all rooms

Minimal training skills are required for this maintenance.

Preventive Maintenance:

                It is a systematic approach, and it is a continuous process in regular basis. In this maintenance, below processes are conducted in periodic.

· Inspection Service

· Minor corrections

· Schedule and initiate work order

Inspection:

                Housekeeping persons should inspect most areas in hotel rooms, pipes, electrical, Parking and etc. They need to react immediately once they found any issues.

Minor Corrections:

                While inception, minor corrections will be rectified immediately. That is repair minor problems; replace defecting parts and so on. It happens, if only communication between department in hotel.

Schedule and Initiate work order:

                In this case, team should think beyond the regular process. That is, they need to forecasting the upcoming events in hotel, and initiate the work accordingly. If team follows proper work order system, then it will be succeed.

                Preventive maintenance considers the following:

· Work should be well framed and properly scheduled.

· Required more skills and training.

· Ability handles small problems/corrections.

· Work should be performed according to guidelines

· Maintain facility in good condition

· Known all hotel facilities and designs

· Try to increase goodwill of hotel.

Schedule Maintenance:

                This maintenance performs based on work order. It also systematic approach and it reacts immediately. That is, if housekeeping person found any faults, then he suddenly react and communicate to maintenance team and chief housekeeper. After the job was competed, the chief housekeeper checks and provide acknowledgement.

                Currently this processes are performed as computerized that is using software such as CMMS (Computerized Maintenance Management System). It will help to record all activities and help to housekeeping team.

Emergency Maintenance:

                In this maintenance requires in the emergency time that is if the system or equipment was not working properly and in critical conditions. Where housekeeper need to check whether the equipment stability and conditions and provide statement about repairs or replacement. Where regular checking process was not efficient this will happen.

                This Maintenance is somewhat expensive and it interrupts scheduled maintenance. House keeper required problem solving abilities to handle the situation.

Breakdown Maintenance:

                In the Emergency maintenance, housekeeper states that, the equipment was completely damage and we need to replace, then breakdown maintenance required. In breakdown maintenance, defect equipment should repair immediately or replace immediately otherwise it makes bad opinion.

                This maintenance is most expensive and chance to leads to loss of business.

Advantages of Maintenance:

· Reduce Labour cost

· Adopt latest techniques

· Saves time

· Flexibility to handle emergency

· No need to train new employees

Disadvantages:

· Human error may persists

· Chance to miscommunication

· Depending employees

These maintenance processes vary from hotel standards.

Hope it is fine.