Policy

                          Policy

This policy is to regulate the purchasing system of the hotel. The purchasing process starts with the initiation of demand lists by the concerned departments and is completed with the goods are received in the hotel. The demand lists are made on monthly basis and these are not valid for the next month. The demand list should duly be signed and approved by the general manager and financial controller and should be within the allocated budget:-

 Hotel purchases can be segregated into following categories:-

1. General purchases
2. Engineering purchases
3. Food, beverage & grocery purchases
4. Operation department’s purchases
5. Capital purchases
6. Misc. purchases (purchases other than store items)
7. Fuel & maintenance of vehicles

Procedure for initiating demands

Demand for general store items will be initiated by the store supervisor. A minimum and maximum par stock of each item should be set, since items of printing and manufacturing takes time therefore, for setting the par of these items coordination with purchasing department is encouraged. In this regard assistance from purchasing department may be requested.

Demand list for store items based on the closing stock should reach the purchasing department by the 3rd of every month duly signed by financial controller (who will verify it with the allocated budget).

Purchasing department is responsible to compile the demand lists as soon as possible and get these approved by the general manager.

For items other than stores, the concerning department is responsible for initiating the demand. These demand lists should also reach the purchasing department by the 3rd of every month duly signed by FC (who will verify it with allocated budgets). To regulate this procedure cost office is responsible to compile the lists in a file and present it to the purchase department. The format for presenting the demand lists is as follows:

 Department should seek assistance from purchase department regarding the unit price to be mentioned in the demand lists. This should be done before the start of the month and lists should be presented to the purchase department duly signed by FC by the 3rd of every month. The information regarding the exact quality and specification of the items should also be passed on the purchase department.

The general store is responsible for following stores:-

General store

Beverage store

Perishable and non perishable food and grocery store

Store supervisor is responsible for keeping close watch on the store items. As the supply of certain items is received in lots, storekeeper should inform purchasing department well before reaching the minimum par level of items. Moreover he should closely coordinate with purchase department by regularly issuing reminders.

In case of emergency or for items omitted from demand lists an additional demand list or purchase request should be presented duly signed by Gm and FC.

Purchase department will not entertain any request not approved by General Manager and financial controller. Purchase department is not authorized to purchase anything without proper approval

General Purchases

General purchases include printing. Stationary, guest supplies and cleaning supplies. Store supervisor is responsible for maintaining par and determining par for new items in coordination with the concerned departments.

Engineering purchases

The demand for engineering items rests entirely with chief engineer. The engineering stored keeper is responsible for initiating the demand for the engineering items in coordination with R&M engineer. Par stock would also be advised by the chief engineer for regular items to be kept and maintained in engineering store.

Food & grocery Purchases

F&B department is responsible for initiating demand for food and grocery purchases in the recommendation of Executive Chef. Food purchases are divided as follows:-

Meat & Fish

Fruits & Vegetable

Dairy Products

Spices & Cereals

Tin packed products

Items 1 to 3 are categorized as perishable items and the Executive Chef on the daily market list Performa according to upcoming requirements orders these on the daily basis. Other items, these are categorized as grocery or non-perishable items and these are kept in general store and their par stocks must be set in coordination with executive chef and store.

Daily market list should reach at purchasing department before 3 PM

Beverage purchases

Beverage includes soft drinks and tin packed drinks. Store is responsible to initiate the demand of beverages based on future requirements.

Since the supply of soft drinks is monopolized by the manufacturer, it is recommended to regulate it, that F&B and cost office should coordinate for the extra supply of soft drinks in case of banquets or parties and inform the purchase department a day before such event. Otherwise the supplier will only fill up the available empty bottles.

Operating Department’s Purchases

Operating departments include:-

Laundry

House keeping

Stewarding

For operating the above mentioned department’s demand lists should be made based on the current requirements and par set. After having purchased the times (crockery, cutlery, lined, glassware, silverware, towels and bed sheets) through capital budget the shortfall of these items should be filled through monthly demand list, which should be within the allocated budget.

Executive housekeeper is responsible to initiate demand for housekeeping and laundry related items.

F&B manager is responsible for stewarding related items.

Misc. Purchases

Items purchases directly (other than store and operating) are categorized as Misc. purchases and include demand for following departments.

Front office

Recreation floor

Men’s saloon (Barber shop)

Accounts

Purchase

Security

Human resources

Computer maintenance

The concerning departments should initiate demand lists

Fuel & maintenance of Vehicles

Demand of fuel for vehicles is on and when required basis but should remain within the allocated quantity for each vehicle. Demand list based on the allocated budget should be made on monthly basis and approved by General Manager.

Promotional and Advertising

Sales and marketing manager is responsible to initiate the demand for promotional and advertising. Any designing or developing of a new promotional material will be conducted by the sales manager with the coordination of purchasing department demand list based on the allocated budget should be made on monthly basis and approved by General Manager.

Capital Purchases

Capital purchases includes replacement and procurement of furniture and fixtures, machinery, equipment, machine parts and some new projects for improvement of facilities and items and projects not considered as part of hotel’s normal operations.

Capital purchases will be regulated by corporate office. The concerned department heads are responsible for initiating capital demands.

Annual budgets will be prepared by corporate office based on the capital item lists provided by the departments. For pricing the capital purchases lists assistance should be sort from purchase department. Detailed information as of quality and specifications of particular item should be provided by the concerned department to purchasing department.

a) Chief engineer is responsible to initiate demand for any civil work and replacement of any machinery & equipment or machine part.

b) F&B manager is responsible to initiate the demand for Crockery, cutlery, china ware, glassware, silverware and any kind of kitchen equipment and banquet related items.

c)                  Executive housekeeper is responsible to initiate demand for linen, bed sheets, towels, uniforms and items concerning room decor.

The concerning department head should discuss the capital items with general manager and executive director. The concerning department head is responsible for the follow up of ordered capital items with the help of purchase department.

Action by purchasing department

On receipt of demand lists from departments, the purchasing department would segregate these into the following categories:-

1. General store demand list
2. Grocery store demand list
3. Engineering store demand list
4. Beverage store demand list
5. Housekeeping demand list
6. Laundry demand list
7. Stewarding demand list
8. Sales & Marketing demand list
9. Fuel & Maintenance demand list
10. Miscellaneous demand list

Purchase department is now responsible for calling at least three quotations each item or verifies rates from at least three parties. Except of those items like regular printing and items whose agreements are made. A comparison would be made for each item and the party giving the lowest would be considered for further negotiations. Past records of purchases should also be kept in mind.

Before taking quotations the parties should be informed of any specifications and exact quality required of items and also of the terms of credit. Cash purchases should be maintained at lowest level. After the formalities of quotations and negotiation a demand lists should be made on the following format. (Specimen No. 02 attached)

This format should be present to General Manager for approval. After getting it approved and signed by the GM, Purchase department can now issue purchase orders.

Purchase department is supposed to make frequent market surveys especially the survey of Fruit & vegetable should be conducted on the monthly basis before the start of each month.

Agreements/contracts for the supply of fruits & vegetable, chicken, mutton, beef and dairy products may be made on monthly or yearly basis which ever is favorable for hotel.

Agreements done for food items should confirm the laws governing the “PURE FOOD ACT”. Any loss suffered to hotel due to lack of standard of food items should be bear by the supplier. It should also be cleared to the supplier that in case items are short supplied or not supplied according to purchase order or agreement for any reason, the hotel has the right to purchase the same from the market and the difference would be charged to the supplier.

Purchase department should keep on looking for new suppliers and better products. At least one alternate supplier should be kept for items specially used for guest services.

Guarantees, warranties and assurances whenever are necessary should be taken by the purchasing department from the suppliers.

Receiving of Goods.

All the items purchased are required to be delivered at hotel’s receiving area. The receiving supervisor acting as an agent of the hotel will receive the Goods and do the documentation.

Receiving supervisor must ensure that:-

1.     Goods are accompanied by the supplier’s invoice.

2.     The quality and quantity of goods are according to the purchase order.

3.     For food items chef should approve the quality.

4.     For printing and items concerning to a particular department a representative from that department not less than a supervisor should check the quality.

5.     Engineering items will be accepted on chief engineer’s recommendation.

6.     If items are found with any discrepancy at the time of receiving it should be returned to the supplier and the matter should be solved on the spot.

7.     Purchase department should be informed of the reason as of why are the goods rejected. So, that they can make arrangements for the better one.

8.     In case of any disputes or confusion purchasing department’s help should be sought to clear the matter.

Payment to vendors

Vendors are to be paid on the basis of their monthly supply by the 15^th of every month. Vendors should be informed at the time of payments of any deductions made for any reason.

Administrative responsibilities of purchase manager

Purchase manage is responsible for overall activities of purchasing department.

PM should:-

1. Ensure that procedure of calling of quotations and making of comparisons is applied.
2. Make & conduct frequent market surverys, to check the rates of different items.
3. Ensure the maintenance and upkeep of purchase vehicle should keep a check that purchase vehicle is inspected for oil and water daily by the purchase driver. PM should also regularly inspect the log book maintain of the purchase vehicle and ensure that every trip of the vehicle is noted for the reason of journey and total distance in KM.
4. Ensure that the proper filing system is adopted and the document like purchase orders, agreements and demand lists should be filed in such a manner that they are handy for reference at anytime.

staff roster

How to make your staff roster work for you

Efficient, fair and flexible rosters are a powerful way to attract and keep good staff, no matter what size your business.

The inefficiency of pen and paper or spreadsheets can be a thing of the past with some smart automation. Whatever your method, there are important principles to keep managers, accountants and employees happy.

1. First design the roster without individual names. Once you've worked out the allocation of hours, cost it according to the hourly wage rates. Then you add the names of suitable people for different days and shifts. This is 'position rostering' rather than the traditional method that often builds a roster around the requests of individuals and their busy lives. Position rostering puts the business first.
2. Costing rosters should be linked to writing rosters. Traditionally, the functions have been separate, and the bad news on costs is only revealed on pay day. Modern services reveal costs as the roster is written, allowing accurate forecasting and budget control. If you want managers to be accountable for labour cost, give them the tools to track it before the roster is posted. Modern online roster systems like Deputy allow real-time costing in advance and not the 'rear view mirror'.
3. Set a wage budget and work backwards. If the head chef or manager is responsible for their roster, don't stop at having the hours covered. They're also responsible for keeping to a budget, for example you're expecting sales for the week of $15,000, so their roster costs cannot exceed $5,000. They soon learn how to move shifts between busy days and quiet ones - this is extremely important. Meeting and exceeding the wage budget is a good reason for a bonus.
4. Busy shifts need the best staff. Sometimes experienced staff or managers gravitate to an easier, day-time schedule - maybe because they write the roster! It may also be because management rewards are not connected to the performance of busy shifts, eg when managers are cut out of tip sharing. All staff should know how the business works during days, nights, weekends and week days.
5. A good roster shares the best shifts. For waiters and bar staff, some days offer much better tips. For other staff, some shifts are easier, and late shifts or busy days can be extra hard work. Staff will handle this if the rewards and burdens are shared fairly and favouritism is avoided.
6. Flexibility is great, but business come first. This is where automated rostering systems have such an advantage, so shift requests and availability can be handled on the spot. If you repeatedly deny requests for time off or shift changes, staff are likely to call in 'sick' or eventually move elsewhere.
7. Allow staff to check their roster without calling in. Modern online services allow rostering to be done entirely online - you can prepare the roster, notify shifts by SMS or email and allow staff to accept shifts or request changes automatically. Online rosters are more likely to be read because they affect a person directly, and it's an important part of shifting your communication and management away from paper.
8. Save hours for the best selling days. Typically, rosters are written Monday to Sunday, from the quietest to the busiest days. But if the week is slow and by Wednesday you decide to start trimming hours, chances are they'll be taken from the weekend, when you need to be fully staffed to make money. So any hours that can be 'saved' at the beginning of the week will be available for busy shifts on Friday and Saturday. Another option is to start the roster week on a Thursday, to overcome the 'end of week' psychological slump happening on the weekend. The payroll days can still match the calendar or accounting week, but rostering is about resource allocation.
9. Extra people means you have just enough. When you have slightly more staff hours available than you need, you can cover requests for time off or sudden illness without expecting others to work excessive hours. Casual or hourly workers are in a constant flux - these are the people you trim or add according to the work available.
10. Everyone needs two days off. There will be times when you need someone to do a double shifts or work extra days. But regular rostering for more than five days per week leads to loss of performance and burn-out. If you have someone insisting on constant long hours, they may have financial problems that are being put ahead of the interests of the business - avoid this shortcut even if it seems convenient.
11. Allow staff to plan their lives. There are legal requirements for how far in advance rosters must be displayed. But more importantly, a roster that's displayed at least four weeks in advance allows staff to plan their lives and achieve more of the 'work-life' balance that's discussed in most industries except hospitality. One reason for poor retention (and roster turmoil) is because good staff don't stay long in businesses that treat them this way. And once you automate the request and shift-change system, you'll find this doesn't need to be an endless drama involving erasers and white-out.

SAFETY AWARENESS & BASIC ACCIDENT PREVENTION

SAFETY AWARENESS & BASIC ACCIDENT PREVENTION

Safety awareness is the on going programs at all the establishment. The management of all establishment should be aware of laws, concerning safe work environment & should be concerned about the safety of employee. Periodic training should be given to all staff in order to raise awareness about safety. All the H.O.D. must ensure that the employee follow safe job procedure, correct unsafe condition immediately & take enough time to do the job, so that accident are not caused due to haste. The Executive house-keeper should develop comprehensive list of safety rules to be followed by all the house-keeping employee. This can be the part of house-keeping safety manual.

BUILD efficiency and productivity.

REDUCE workplace injuries.

SAVE workers comp cost.

GAIN confidence in safety and compliance.

BASIC GUIDELINE FOR THE PREVENTION OF ACCIDENT -“SAFETY DOESN’T HAPPEN BY ACCIDENT..”

1. Always follow instruction when using cleaning mechanical equipments.
2. Replace caps on cleaning chemicals immediately & securely after dispensing.
3. Label cleaning agents clearly.
4. Keep floor clean & dry use Signs while cleaning.
5. Dispose of rubbish carefully, use protective clothing and proper garbage bag.
6. Clean away broken glass carefully.
7. Never place cigarette bud or sharp object, in the trash bag or room attendants cart. Never place ashtray at the bedside table.
8. Use ladder carefully.
9. Lift heavy items carefully without a bent down posture.
10. Never mix more than one cleaning agents without prior knowledge. [ex. chlorine bleach and oxygen bleach]

THEFT In most hotels there is the possibility that dishonest staff will remove all hotel property, be it food, bed, linen, towel, etc. for their own use. The security of these hotel properties has the responsibility of each departmental head. A frequent stock taking and spot checks are essential not only to establish quantities of items in stock, but also to monitor unusual loses which might point to staff theft. In most hotels there is a staff entrance to the premises and a clock in system were by each staff is required to punch a card upon arrival and departure from his or her work showing the time of duty. The timekeeper will also act as a watchman to see that nothing expect the staffs personal property is removed. From the hotel and may have the right to check workers bag and basket to open parcels carried out of the hotel and to call the manager or security officer if necessary. Where it is possible to minimize theft from the hotel by the staff 'souvenir hunting' by when guest recognize to practice most hotel budget for the lose of such items as cloth hangers, ashtrays, bed sheets, towels, toothpick stand, flower vase, etc. But loss of the towel, bed sheet, table lamp, pictures, flowers and any other movable objects become costly to the hotel. It is not possible to institute a search of each department guest luggage. But upon entering a vacated room a chambermaid will know immediately that such items are missing and security staff or the management can be alerted, often before guest leaves the hotels. Some hotels may accept the loss of less expensive items of good will especially in their hotels where such theft is minimal. When most guests challenged will usually relinquish those objects, which have been packed in their luggage, often claiming it was a careless use on their behalf. Police action is not advisable. The hotel staff approaches the situation with tact and firmness the matter can be resolved

BOMB THREATS  It is an unfortunate fact that no hotel regarding of its size and situation emerge from the frightening advent of the 'Bomb scare'. Most bomb threats are made by telephone and it is generally the telephone operator or receptionist who receives them. The operator should be trained how to bear with such situation. He should write down the exact words, spoken by the caller and rate the sense and any accent, which by notice, able. Any background noises to the call might assist the police in training its place of origin. The operator should calmly tell the calls that the hotel is occupied and detonation of a bomb would cause death or injury to innocent people. A fellow member of staff should be alerted to listen in to the call, in case the operator might miss something or important The general manager or the duty manager and the security officer should be notified immediately. Under expert guidance or search for the device will commence. It must be left for experts to move and defuse. In case of serious bomb it is necessary to evacuate all guest and staff from hotels. Once the building has been cleared of all staff, guest and visitors no one should be allowed to re-enter until the all clear signs is given by the authorities

FIRE IN THE HOTEL As soon as the fire is detected and intimated to the front desk, the first thing to do is to inform the telephone department. In most hotels the telephone department plays the vital role of alarming the hotel. In, smaller hotels, which have the telephone function, merged with the front office operations the procedure would be to call the fire department in the city for help. The front office should alert all guest and inform them to use the staircase and not the elevator. The telephone exchange should always be manned during the fire to felicitate communications from one point to another. If the front office staff has to get actively involved in the fire procedures then they should search each room thoroughly, especially under beds or in closets or bathrooms to ensure that no guests are left behind. They must guide the guest through the staircase, and help in extinguishing the fire by the use of appropriate fire extinguishers (foam for electrical fires and oil fires, water for general fires, and so on)

DEATH In case of death, the front office should inform the general manager, the security officer and call for the hotel doctor of that locality. The general manager may decide to call the police, the body must be removed by the staff entrance and the room scaled till all police formalities are ones. People known to the discard are contacted through address entered on the registration card.

ACCIDENTS The house doctor should call immediately on phone and informed to the nature of the accident and the condition of the guest. The doctor‟s instruction must be followed immediately. Swabbing wounds with cotton wool and applying a coagulant such as iodine, alcohol, spirit or just plain mates or after-shave lotion must stop bleeding. If a fracture is suspected the guest is not moved till the doctor arrives. Burns are to be treated with creams meant for the purpose

VANDALISM The front office staff must call the hotel security and order the main door to be locked. If the things get out of hand the police must be called. Damage to property by resident guest The front office cashier is instructed to raise charge for the value of damages to property. A responsible guest will never argue but if the object he must be referred to the general manager

DRUNKEN GUEST It is time that a drunken guest should never be argued with. He must be politely led away from the public areas either in to an office or his room. If he is boisterous or behave unusually the hotel security must be called

Budgeting

What is a Budgeting?

· Budgeting is the process of:

1. Preparing a plan that defines the goal managers want their organization, division, or department to achieve and to specify how this goal is to be achieved. This step is referred to as the planning procedure
2. Exercising a leadership role in translating the plan into action. This step is called leadership procedure
3. Establish procedures for verifying whether or not, and to what extent, the planned goal was achieved. This step is referred to as the control procedure

· Budgeting sometimes might be called a profit plan that addresses all revenue sources and expenditure items. Moreover, a budget represents standards against which management can evaluate the actual results of the operations (i.e. Control Procedure). Lastly, budgets are prepared to cope with the uncertainty factor, and to utilize effectively the limited resources or factors of production a company has.

· Budgets are usually prepared on an annual basis then divided into semi-annual, quarterly, and/or monthly plans. The main reason for that is to give management more check-points to stop at, compare the actual with the planned figures and take necessary actions when needed which might mean even revising the budget

How a budget is prepared?

· Rooms Division Department budget shall be prepared, the Rooms Division manager shall only estimate next period’s room revenue, and direct expenses. Putting it in other words, the Rooms Division Manager shall not care about estimating capital expenses (i.e. Indirect Expenses) since in responsibility accounting; a manager is responsible and liable only for his department!

· The Rooms Division Manager shall first forecast demand for rooms for the next period in question, and then might use historical averages, industry average… to estimate Room Revenue and Room Direct Expenses

1. Estimating Room Revenue:

· By using an appropriate forecasting method, the Rooms Division Manager can forecast demand measured in room nights. Later, the Rooms Division Manager shall multiply the total room nights by the Average Room Rate (ARR), either using hotel historical or industry averages, to come up with the estimated Room Revenue.

·         Later, according to hotel historical figures, the Rooms Division Manager shall estimate the room allowances figure and subtract it from the estimated total room revenue to come up with the net room revenue.

2. Estimating direct expenses:

·         Direct Expenses (i.e. Variable Costs) in the Rooms Division Department can be divided into 4 categories:

1. Wage Expenses (Hourly Wage * Estimated Total Labor Hours needed)
2. Frills (i.e. Free of Charge Replenished Room Items)
3. Material (i.e. Cleaning Supplies, Utensils…)
4. Laundry & Linen Expenses (Cost of pressing, cleaning, pressing, storing…)

· The Rooms Division Manager might consider country averages, and or historical averages, along with current hotel / labor union collective bargaining contracts for the coming period, suppliers’ price increase intentions, the relative change of local currency against some major foreign currencies, to estimate department direct expenses

Refining Budget Plans:

·         If the actual operating figures and budgeted figures are distant from each other, then this suggests a refining or revision of our budget (i.e. revision of room demand, estimated room revenue, and rooms direct expenses).

A stain

A stain is defined as a discoloration brought about by contact with a foreign substance which is difficult to remove. Like first-aid in an accident, the treatment of stains requires immediate action which includes blotting, grease absorbent, salt absorbent and often a cold water rinse. There are two major factors which are responsible for ensuring correct stain removal. One is the stain removal agent and the other is the method of stain removal. It is important to select the right stain removal agents which are friendly Many fresh stains, e.g. tea, coffee, grease etc. will be removed from cotton and linen articles during the normal washing process. Protein stains, e.g. egg, blood, glue, perspiration etc. are more easily removed by pre-soaking in lukewarm water with a detergent containing enzymes which digest the protein. (Note Enzymes are inactive in hot water above 400-500 C). All stains should be dealt with as soon as they occur or as soon after as possible

STAIN REMOVAL AGENTS If old or heavy, stains require special treatment with stain removal agents. The use of these stain removal agents requires care as they can cause weakening of the fibers, bleeding of dyes, damage to special fabric finishes and some are inflammable while others are poisonous. There are five main stain removal agents: organic solvents, acids, alkalis, bleaches and enzymes.

Organic solvents For example: a. Benzene b. Carbon tetrachloride acetone perchlorethylene amyl acetate trichlorethylene methylated spirit white spirit (Turpentine substitute)

Acids Acids include oxalic acid, potassium and oxalate (salts of lemon), and various rust removers sold under trade names. (All these are poisonous). Fibers vary in their susceptibility to damage by acids. Dilute acids can be used on most white fabrics but many colored are affected by acids. It is always better to use a weak solution several times than use a stronger solution at first

Alkalis Alkalis such as soda and borax, remove old and heavy vegetable stains, e.g. tea, coffee, wine etc. from white linen or cotton fabrics. Animal fibers and dyes may be adversely affected.

Bleaches The process of changing a colored substance in to a colorless one is known as bleaching, i.e. Bleaches whiten. Bleaches also weaken fibers so extreme care is needed in their use. Bleaches are of two types: Oxidizing reducing E.g. sodium hypochlorite e.g. sodium hydrosulphite Hydrogen peroxide, Sodium perborate Specific stains For the more usual stains on white and fast-colored fabrics;

the following stain-removal agents are suggested:

Ball-point ink: methylated spirit or carbon tetrachloride.

Blood- new: soak in cool or warm detergent solution, old: treat as iron mould.

Chewing gum: rub with ice-cube and scrape.

Dyes: bleach (not chlorine bleaches on animal fibers). Grass: eucalyptus oil or glycerin, follow with spirit or washing

Ink: if not removed by washing treat as for iron mould.

Ink (red): often not removable, except when very fresh, but some may respond to washing or sodium or sodium hydrosulphite.

Iron mould: rust remover, oxalic acid, potassium acid oxalate (salts of lemon), sodium hydrosulphite or Rustasol. Lacquer and nail varnish: amyl acetate, acetone (not on rayon acetate) or a cellulose thinner.

Lipstick: carbon tetrachloride and /or sodium hydrosulphite.

Mildew: hot weak potassium permanganate solution followed by a weak acid or hydrogen peroxide.

Paint (oil): if fresh, white spirit, or a proprietary pant remover followed by a solvent Paint (Cellulose): amyl acetate, acetone (not on rayon acetate) or commercial cellulose thinner.

Paint emulsion): wash immediately, as once dried it is almost irremovable.

 Perspiration: treat as for mildew or protein stains. Protein stains, e.g. egg, meat, perspiration:

protein digesting enzyme contained in biological detergents or as powdered pepsin.

 Tar: carbon tetrachloride or white spirit, scraping first.

 Vegetable stains, e.g. tea, coffee, etc: alkali or bleach (not chlorine bleaches on animal fibers).

Vomit: scrape, soak and wash. If not washable, sponge with ward water containing a few drops of ammonia. Blot dry.

Carpets and upholstery (care must be taken not to wet the backing or padding)

Candle grease: scrape, use hot iron and absorbent paper. Follow if necessary with a grease solvent.

Ink: mop up as quickly as possible to prevent spreading. Wash with warm water and synthetic detergent or use a weak acid, and rinse.

Mud: leave to dry, then brush off.

Shoe polish: scrape off if possible and then apply a grease solvent.

Urine: sponge with salt water, followed by a weak solution of ammonia and rinse well or a squirt from a soda water siphon.

Polished wood Ink: mop up as quickly as possible. Rub with fine dry steel wool or glass paper, or dab with a hot solution of weak acid and rinse. In both cases color and polish will be removed, so rub with linseed oil or shoe polish to darken and later apply polish, and buff wel

Spills, slight heat and burn marks: rub with a rag moistened with a drop or two of liquid metal polish or methylated spirit and then re-polish, or rub with a very fine abrasive, e.g. cigarette ash or very fine steel wool and re-polish.

Scratch marks: if newly scratched cover with iodine, potassium permanganate solution or shoe polish according to the color of the wood. If necessary remove polish first with a mild abrasive.

Alcohol: (a) wipe up, rub with finger dipped in silver polish, linseed oil or cigarette ash. Re-polish. (b) Wipe up, put few drops of ammonia on damp cloth and rub. Immediately re-polish.

Wood with oil finish Small burns and heat marks: rub with emery cloth or fine sandpaper, followed by boiled linseed oil. Marble, terrazzo Ink: apply a poultice of sodium perborate, precipitated whiting and water. Leave it to dry.

Rust: apply a poultice of sodium citrate crystals, glycerin, precipitated whiting and water.

 POINTS TO REMEMBER When removing stains, it is worth remembering the following:

1. Treat stains as soon as possible. 2. Consider the fibers of which the fabric is made. 3. If a colored articles, check effect of remover on an unimportant part if possible. 4. Use the weakest methods first. 5. Use a weak solution several times, rather than one strong one. 6. When using a chemical always place the stained area over an absorbent pad of clean cloth. 7. To avoid a „ring‟ always treat from an area round the stain and work towards the centre. 8. After using a chemical, neutralize or rinse wel

In-house/own linen

In-house/own linen

● Choose your own quality

● You will not pay high rental costs

● Cost savings on purchasing and washing

● You have to do your own stock takes

● You have to replace damaged linen yourself with a cost implication

● Staff may take more care of your own linen

● Good quality linen can be sold to guests, extending the hotel experience

Outsourced/hired linen

● Quality/choice may not be up to your expectations

● High rental charges

● You do not have to do your own stock takes

● Reject linen is replaced, depending on service level agreement

● Linen replacement not always guaranteed by supplier

● Abused linen stock is charged for

● Damaged stock can also be charged for

● Staff may be less careful with the linen as it doesn’t belong to the hotel

Hotel Laundry Operation and Laundry Flow chart

The laundry department has a basic cycle of operation with the below steps:-

1. Collecting Soiled Linen.

House maid and room boy should strip linens from beds and areas and put them on to the linen chute or on to the soiled linen carts stored on each floor pantry. Staff should never use any guest linen for any cleaning purpose.

The house boys should go for frequent rounds on each floors to collect the soiled linen from the linen chute or on to each floor pantry.

Supervisors should make sure that the soiled linens doesn't pileup on floor pantry which may cause further soil or damage as there are chances that people may walk on them.

2. Transport Soiled Linen to Laundry department.

The linens form the Laundry chutes and floor pantry are carried to the laundry department by trolley. The housemen should make sure that the laundry items are not dragged on the floor this may further damage or soil the laundry.

3. Sorting of Linen and Uniforms.

The laundry sorting area of the hotel should be large enough to buffer one day worth of laundry and these sorting of laundry should not cause interfere with other laundry activities.

Sort linen and uniforms according to their stains, size, type, color etc.

4. Washing and Dry cleaning.

After the linens and uniforms are sorted properly the laundry staff collects the batches of laundry and load them to the washers. It is also a good process to always weigh the laundry items before loading them to the washers, this will ensure that the washers are not overloaded and help to run them in the optimum operation condition.

If required the soiled linens are treated to remove stains before the washing process. To reduce operational cost nowadays hotels uses chemicals ( bleaches, detergents, softeners etc.) while washing process to remove stains instead of treating laundry items separately before washing.

5. Drying.

After the washing cycle is completed the washed items are dried on the dryer. The drying times and temperature vary considerable according to the type type of linen / cloths.

Also always the drying should be followed by a gradual cool down process to prevent the hot linens from being damaged or wrinkled by rapid cooling and healing process.

6. Folding of Linen and Uniforms.

Even though a lot of flooding of linens are now automated, the hotels still do a lot of folding by hand. While folding the linens the laundry attendants should also look for any damages occurred to them while the laundry process.

The folded items are then stored and stacked properly according to batches. The finished laundry items should latest rest for 24hrs. as this will increase their life.

Laundry detergent, or washing powder, is a type of detergent (cleaning agent) that is added for cleaning laundry, commonly mixtures of chemical compounds including alkylbenzenesulfonates, which are similar to soap but are less affected by hard water

Chemistry of detergents

Many kinds of molecules and ions can serve as high-efficiency surfactants. They are often classified according to the charge of the molecule or ion, the three main classes being anionic, neutral, and cationic detergents. Anionic detergents are most commonly encountered for domestic laundry detergents. Detergents are ions or molecules that contain both polar and nonpolar components. The polar component allows the detergent to dissolve in the water, whereas the nonpolar portion solubilizes greasy ("hydrophobic") materials that are the usual target of the cleaning process. An estimated 6 billion kilograms of detergents are produced annually for domestic markets

Components

Builders

Builders are water softeners. The calcium and magnesium ions present in hard water can cause many detergents to form soap scum, which is ineffective for cleaning. These ions are removed by builders either through chelation or ion exchange. One of the earliest builders was sodium carbonate (washing soda), however this also raises the pH of the wash-water which can inhibit any cleaning enzymes present. Sodium triphosphate was a popular replacement but is now know to have serious environmental consequences. Modern builders include chelators (also called complexation or sequestering agents) such as citric acid, gluconic acid and EDTA; or ion exchange agents like zeolites.

Bleaches

The main targets of bleaches are oxidisible organic stains; which are usually of vegetable origin (e.g. chlorophyll, anthocyanin dyes, tannins, humic acids, and carotenoid pigments). Despite the name, modern beaching agents do not include household bleach (sodium hypochlorite). Laundry bleaches are typically stable adducts of hydrogen peroxide, such as sodium perborate and sodium percarbonate, these are inactive as solids but will react with water to release hydrogen peroxide which performs the bleaching action. "Bleach activators" such as tetraacetylethylenediamine (TAED) may also be used, these react with hydrogen peroxide to produce peracetic acid, which is an even more effective bleach.

Enzymes

The amounts of enzyme can be up to about 2% by weight of the product. These agents are required to degrade recalcitrant stains composed of proteins, fats, or carbohydrates. Each type of stain requires a different type of enzyme, i.e., protease for proteins, lipases for greases, and amylases for carbohydrates.

Other ingredients

Many other ingredients are added depending on the specific application. Such additives modify the foaming properties of the product by either stabilizing or counteracting foam. Other ingredients increase or decrease the viscosity of the solution, or solubilize other ingredients. Corrosion inhibitors counteract damage to washing equipment. "Dye transfer inhibitors" prevent dyes from one article from colouring other items. "Antiredeposition agents" are used to prevent fine soil particles from reattaching to the product being cleaned. Carboxymethyl cellulose is used for this purpose