Essentially, a Rooms Division manager holds a very senior position in that they are responsible for overseeing both the Front Office and Housekeeping Operations of a hotel or resort. The Front Office department includes reception, switchboard, reservations, concierge and night auditor. The Housekeeping department includes the laundry, linen and the cleaning of bedrooms and all public areas. A Room’s Division Manager must to be able to oversee, monitor, manage and report on both of these very large and essential departments within a hotel. They need to ensure that standards and quality are maintained and that guest’s complaints or concerns are dealt with. They are responsible for the comfort and safety of all the guests who visit the hotel they work at.

 

 

Main responsibilities

• Welcomes, meets and make guests feel important when they arrive at the hotel.
• Handles guest queries and complaints politely and professionally.
• Supervises various front office and housekeeping departments in respect of budgets, asset management, stock / stock rotation; purchasing.
• Manages staff and staffing functions for the teams of staff that fall under this role (in conjunction with the HR department). This also includes scheduling staff rosters, performance appraisals and more.
• Manages revenue from reservations and helps to set room rates and budget forecasts for the front office and housekeeping departments (amongst other budgets).
• Strategizes on room pricing policies to increase or maximise sales or revenues.
• Audits and oversees cash, credit card and other financial tasks carried out in the front office department, as well as working closely with the accounts department on debtors and creditors queries.
• Analyses shortfalls in forecasts and financial reports and endeavours to correct them.
• Motivates and leads teams, supervisors and managers reporting into this role. 

Reporting structures

Most Room’s Division Managers report only to the General Manager since their role is a senior one and can sometimes double as an Assistant General Manager role. All front office and housekeeping supervisors and managers report in to the Room’s Division Manager. In very large organisations, sometimes the maintenance and security personnel also report into the Room’s Division Manager.

Qualifications and desired skills

A solid grounding in hospitality is the best way to start your career in Room’s Division. A Diploma in Hospitality Management from International Hotel School allows students to learn the management skills needed to get started in Front Office or Housekeeping. The practical work integrated component ensures that students have the opportunity to apply these skills in real life situations at hotels where they are placed at for practical guidance and training – when they begin their careers, they are job ready.
Moving up the career ladder into a Rooms Division role will depend very much on how dedicated, determined and driven graduates are. Strong leadership skills are a must, good manners, excellent communications skills and the ability to work well under pressure are all essential skills needed to carry out this role effectively. A strong financial acumen is also advised in order to compile budgets and be able to offer financial reporting for each department that falls under this role. It is not enough to possess basic IT skills – this role demands proficiency in various IT software packages from Microsoft to Opera to various accounting and social media management tools. Proficiency in more than one language is also advantageous.

Salary and prospects

Room’s Division managers are sought after in large hotels and resorts the world over. With a recent boost in tourism figures both in South Africa and abroad, now is the time to get your hospitality career started. According to the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC), the industry is promising more growth and a powerful economic influence in the next decade over and above the 260 Million jobs worldwide already created by the industry. Salaries definitely range depending on location and size of the property. Smaller properties have starting salaries starting at around R13 000 per month, whilst larger properties pay upwards of R30 000 per month and more.