33 STANDARD GUEST ROOM SUPPLIES

PL. Sridevi Sivakami

1. Introduction:

It is the most important duty of the housekeeping staff to prepare the guest room and the other places in the hotel so that the guest feel more comfortable. Due to this, the housekeeping staff places some necessary supplies in the guest rooms and guest bathrooms. The bathroom supplies and other guest room amenities may satisfy the hotel guests in many ways. The idea behind is, the guest need not pack and carry each and every essential article while travelling.

When preparing to take a trip during which guest will be staying in a hotel, they always make sure that the basic materials are provided by the hotels in their rooms. One can find their trip more enjoyable when they arrive with everything they need but have not packed unnecessary items that have already been provided by the hotel. In one way it enhances the journey of the guests. At the outset it is like putting the ‘wow’ into the guest experience. The housekeeping staff needs to ensure that those supplies are kept in appropriate numbers and condition while preparing room for guest check-in. As per the hotel policy, category, size and the standard of the room, the lists of these supplies may change. A luxury hotel is expected to offer world class facilities and amenities

2. Objectives

After reading this module you will be able to understand

Ø  list the standard contents of guestrooms

Ø  enumerate the various kinds of beds, furniture ,mattresses and fixtures and fittings

Ø  outline the ideal placement of various guest supplies in the guestrooms

3.  Standard Supplies for Guest Room.

The housekeeping staff places the following standard supplies in the guest room:

a. Furniture: It includes bed, bedside table, chairs, wardrobe with locker facility, writing table, dressing table, center table, and a magazine holder.

b. Bedding: It includes mattress, bed sheet, bed cover, quilt, quilt cover, pillows, and pillow cases.

c. Bedside Supplies: They include non-slip mats on the either sides of the bed.

d.Bedside Table Supplies: They involve a telephone device, and a printed compiled list of important intercom numbers such as reception, restaurant, and laundry of the hotel. The housekeeping staff also provides a copy of Bible, Geeta, or Quran, depending upon the prior knowledge of the guest’s religious orientation. The maps provided usually focus on the area around the hotel.

e.Center Table Supplies: It includes room service, laundry service, and spa and health club rate cards. It also has an ash tray and a small decorative center piece.

 f.  Clothing and Clothing Care: It involves bathrobe, coffee table cover, rocking chair cover, and hangers for clothes and ties.

 g. Hospitality Tray: It is a small tray with compartments that holds sachets of coffee, tea, cocoa powder, creamer, and sugar. Some hotels also offer the sachets of condiments like black and white pepper powder, and salt. They also keep an electric kettle, a couple of cups, saucers, spoons, and water bottle so that the guest can make the beverage of his choice once in a day.

h. Mini Bar Supplies: It includes a small personal refrigerator filled with a couple of soft drinks, alcoholic drinks, soda, and ice cubes. It also involves a couple of personal servings of salted peanuts, cashew nuts, or chips.

i. Writing Desk Supplies: A writing pad, a pencil, an eraser, promotional brochures, La carte menu, and the short list of places of historical and commercial importance in the city for guest’s reference. Aesthetics can be what makes the difference between a great hotel room and a plain hotel room. So décor / furniture also come under standard supplies ,some of the items are decorative lamps, pictures, a matching color scheme, tasteful linen colors, decorative rug, bathroom rug, desk, chair and a small coffee table. Privacy also comes under guest supplies , which is a basic need of the guest that needs to be respected in every hotel room.To make sure the room is safe, has blinds or curtains, shower curtains, and a lock on the front door and bathroom.

j. Kitchen Facilities: Some hotels that provide lodging, offer kitchen facilities to enable guests to cook \store food. In some other hotels, this may be in the form of a kitchenette style. It may be equipped with a full-size or half-size refrigerator, an oven, a stove, and possibly some cabinets, table, etc. This is very common in extended stay hotels. Other places may include just a refrigerator (often half-sized) \ a microwave oven. When both are provided, it is often marketed as a “Micro Chill” or “micro fridge.” Nowadays we are able to see Coffeemakers are also found in many guest rooms. Hotels that offer no kitchen facilities in guest rooms sometimes provide them in the lobby for all guests to use.

k. Television: A television set is a common item provided in most of the hotel rooms. In the past, coin-operated pay TVs existed. Currently, standard TV channels are free to watch, but some lodging facilities charge extra for cable or satellite TV services that are offered by the cable TV operators connected to the hotels. With the advent of portable vide +through mobile and tablet devices, hotels have had harder time generating revenue with their room televisions.

l. Internet access: Most places for lodging currently offer internet access in some form. The most common form is wi-fi, which can be used by guests who bring their own computers or laptops to their rooms. In most hotels, this is free, though some charge a fee Some hotels offer hard-wired internet service requiring the use of a cable for the hook-up. Some hotels also provide computers in the lobby for all guests to use, or more rarely, in each guest room. Recently, more hotels are offering room tablet computers for guests to use.

m. Guest Room Soundproofing: In order to maintain soundproofing in our guest rooms, the dividing walls between guest rooms should maintain a sound-blocking level of D-50 (the greater the D value, the greater the soundproofing), and the entrance door should also contain soundproofing, including a tight automatic closing mechanism for the gap below the door.

n.  Temperature  regulation  system: In all-season  digital  temperature regulation system that allows the guest to switch from heating mode to cooling mode for their desired room temperature, whether in summer or winter.

o. Mini bar: In some hotels they provide Japanese tea and coffee as relaxation as soon as guests arrive at the hotel. In some rooms the minibar is located at the corner of the room itself. It may provide beers, sodas, soft drinks, and some hard liquor too. The items kept in the mini fridge are a complime to the guest by the hotel.

p. Safe With Electrical Outlet: There is an electrical outlet inside the safe, so that guest can recharge their personal computer or other equipment while storing them. All the electrical supplies are branded such as switches, fans, air conditioners, refrigerators, etc.

q. Guest Room Refrigerator: Free mineral water is provided in all guest room refrigerators. For other drinks, the guest should contact the room service except for the mini bar facility in the room.

r. Rental Items: Fax machine, Blu-ray compatible DVD player (rental), humidifier, iron box, desk lamp, personal computer (rental), CD player, baby bed, bed guard, children’s pajamas (rental), buckwheat husk pillows Temper foam pillows, non-slip bath mat, bathroom chair, and wheelchair.

4.  Guest Supplies Provided to Guest Outside the Room

a.Dining: Various styles of dinings are offered in various areas of lodging.Most of the hotels offer a continental breakfast that is often a compliment to the guests. The often served breakfast includes cereal, pastries, waffles, sausage, fruits, and both cold and hot beverages. Some hotels have on-site restaurants. In most cases, the meals must be paid for. In some hotels, room service is available to guests.Some resorts are all inclusive, allowing guests to access food at little or no charge, at all times of the day throughout their visit. Now a day’shotel treats its guests by providing a free complementary fruit basket everyday.

b. Vending machines: These machines usually sell soft drinks, snacks, and other items which are commonly sold in vending machines. Ice dispensers are also standard. While in some hotels, the ice may be complimentary, there may be a fee to obtain ice in others.

c.Fitness Centers : A recent trend at some upscale properties has seen some of the exercise and fitness programs held outdoors.

d.Recreation: Many resorts offer various recreational activities, such as golf, tennis, and other popular sports.

e. Swimming pools: Some hotels offer swimming pools to their guests. Outdoor pools may be open seasonally in temperate climates. Indoor poolsmay be open in any climate and it is open to all guests who stay in the hotel. Rooms located near the swimming pool (cabana) area are also availed to the guests if required.(The tariff may differ from others).

5.  Bathroom accessories: Bathrooms have spacious 1,600 mm by 2,400 mm bath units, with bright color schemes and light fixtures to provide an airy, cleaner-feeling and more comfortable bath environment.Furthermore, by using a glass shower screen instead of an unsanitary shower curtain, To create a stylish space that does not give a closed-in feeling while showering.These are also considered as guest essentials. The guests are expected to use these supplies or take them away on departure. Depending upon the type of room, the list of supplies for guest bathroom are:

5.1. Bathroom Attachments: Bath area with shower and handheld shower attachments, a bath tub with hot-cold water mixer and handheld shower attachment, soap dispenser, toilet paper attachment, towel holder, and a basin with hot-cold water mixer attachment.

a. Towels: The couple of pairs of a large and a small towels each for the guests to be used according to their requirement.

b. Dustbin: A small dustbin with lid, which can be often, opened by the foot and lined with a plastic bag from inside.

c.  Non-slip Foot-mat: It is often, kept near the bathtub.

d. Slippers: Flat non-slip slippers for the guest.

e.  Mirror: A large mirror is often, fit on the wall above the basin.

f.  Hair Dryer: A wall m ounted fixed hair dryer for the guest is kept in the bathrooms.

g.  Vanity Tray: It contains small bottles of shower gel, shampoo, and conditioner. Some hotels also provide moisturizer, shower cap, hand and foot cream, ear buds, and a small manicure kit. It may also contain a couple of empty glasses, disposable toothbrushes, and a small bottle of mouthwash.

6.  Items Provided the guest on Request are

    o   Alarm clock

o    Comb

o    Crib or Cradle

o    Disposable Diapers

o    Disposable razor

o    Electric blanket

o    Electric fan

o    Extra blankets

o    First aid medical kit

o    Handheld shower attachment

o    Hearing equipment

o    Hot water bag

o    Iron

o    Ironing board

o    Pillow

o    Potty Ring for toilet

o    Raised toilet seat

o    Sanitary napkins

o    Sewing kit

o    Stationery items

o    Tampons Wipes

These are the items provided on request are given to the guests when they ask for them. These are the supplies apart from regular supplies required by some guests. These are often provided as the guest expendables.

7.    Standard Supplies provided in the Executive Guest Rooms are

• Towel
• Bath towel
• Body towel
• Slippers
• Toothbrush
• Shaving razor
• Hair Brush
• Hair band
• Cotton swab
• Negative ion hairdryer
• Sleepwear
• Bathrobe

(Shampoo, conditioner, body soap, and hand soap bottles are also available.)

• Incase of Men’s toiletries includes hair tonic, hair liquid, shaving lotion
•  Whereas in Women’s toiletries includes face cleanser, face lotion, moisturizer
•  Sewing set
• Shampoo
• Conditioner
• Shower gel
• Soap

8.  Standard Supplies offered in the Guest Rooms

•   Towel
•   Bath towel
•  Slippers
•   Toothbrush
•   Shaving razor
•   Hair Brush
•   Hair band
•   Cotton swab
•  Negative ion hairdryer
•   Sleepwear

(Shampoo, conditioner, body soap, and hand soap bottles are also available.)

9.  Other Amenities Included As Standard Supplies

a. Clothing Care: Most hotels have luggage racks, a few clothes hangers, plastic laundry bags, dressers or wardrobes and an iron box with ironing board. Vacation plans include multiple outings that will require guest to store dirty clothes, the small plastic bag provided by the hotel probably will not be sufficient, so bring along your own bag for storing clothes.

b. Beverages (Hot and Cold): Hotels usually have a hospitality tray, where you will find an ice bucket and a coffee or tea maker with the supplies needed to make and serve enough of the beverage once per day for each of the guests in the room. This may be coffee, tea, condiment packets that include creamer and sugar and sometimes powdered cocoa.

c.Bathroom: Hotel bathrooms contain enough towels for the number of guests in the room for one or two days, toilet paper, facial tissue and basic bath supplies (shampoo, conditioner, lotion, body soap and facial soap). Dental hygiene kits and shaving kits may be available upon request from the hotel concierge or housekeeping. The main priority when it comes to stocking a hotel guest room is comfort. It is essential to equip it with items ranging from bed sheets to toothbrushes.

1. Electronic Items: In the digital age, it is almost impossible to go through a day without going online or watching television. Electronics help keep your guests entertained and connected. Items should include a television, Ethernet cable, telephone and alarm clock.

10. Conclusion: Due to stiff competition in the industry and the advent of foreign hotel chains in India, many innovative trends, contents and supplies are being introduced in hotels. So students therefore, need to keep abreast of the latest development with regards to the contents of the guestroom. Accessories are often left out in discussions on the contents of the guestroom. However their importance should be emphasized and they should be used full advantage to bring out various moods and themes in guestrooms. This module conclude with the common pattern placement of guest supplies in hotel guestrooms. The exact placement may differ from hotel to hotel.

Web links

• purchasing.umn.edu/purchasing-methods-procedures.html
• https://eli.ctas.tennessee.edu/reference/purchasing-principles-and-techniques https://www.purchasing-procurement-center.com/purchasing-strategies.html
• https://www.maastrichtuniversity.nl/sites/default/files/2013/batoev.pdf
• www.mymarketresearchmethods.com/new-market-research-methods-techniques/
• www.groningerhomes.com/services/consult/purchasing-cost-control