Hotel services management
Hotel services managers are a vital part of the hospital team, ensuring the smooth running of the range of hotel services so that our patients' stay is as comfortable and enjoyable as possible.
Working life
You’ll typically work as part of a team including staff responsible for domestic services, catering and linen as well as clinical staff. Your work involves:
- supervising all aspects of hotel services
- ensuring that staff carry out their duties appropriately
- liaising with other senior members of staff and making decisions about the resources including finance and staffing levels.
You need:
- to be interested in the effective running of the service as a business and maintaining a high level of service
- to sometimes deal with complaints from patients and disagreements between staff
- some experience in the hospitality sector.
In some services, you may also be involved in discussions and decisions about conference facilities.
Who would I work with?
You’d typically be working as part of a team with housekeepers [1], domestic services staff [2], catering staff [3], linen services staff [4]and clinical staff, such as dietitians. [5]
Roles in hotel services management
Responsibilities and job titles will vary depending on the role. Here are some examples of roles in hotel services management:
In this example, working in a large acute NHS, you’d be responsible for:
- overseeing the self-monitoring of external facilities contracts (particularly those related to hotel services and integrated car-parking and security management contracts
- the monitoring of standards for support services such as the provision of linen, waste services, pest control and window cleaning.
- liaising with service providers to agree and undertake a programme of joint audits and monitoring activities across the various services (i.e. cleaning/housekeeping, portering, catering, car-parking, grounds and gardens etc) to monitor the standards of service being achieved
- following up failed audits to ensure the rechecks are conducted in the required timescales and the required standards are met
- doing spot-checks on all facilities led services outside of the formal audit programmes
- attending infection prevention & control incident meetings
- providing information relating to issues and audit results to Matrons, Ward & Department Managers and other stakeholders
- monitoring the volume and quality of clean linen being delivered to the trust by the laundry provider and maintaining electronic records of linen usage.
- supervising and supporting the linen room service in the absence of the facilities support manager
- deputising for the facilities support manager and providing administrative assistance to the service lead – hotel services
- You’d work with site services managers, hotel services contractors, the car parking and security contractor, site services contractors, matrons/ward managers/heads of departments, the infection prevention & control team and nursing staff.
Working in a NHS and social care partnership, in this example supervisory role, you’d:
- have line management responsibility of porters and housekeeping staff
- assist in ensuring all hotel services staff complete the daily shift plan in the agreed time scale and hygiene standards are met
- assist in the overseeing of hotel services on site to ensure the hygiene codes of practice are followed and report any difficulties
- participate in the Cleanliness in Hospitals Programme
- assist in carrying out food wastage surveys and report any discrepancies in food quantity or quality
- be briefed by a senior nurse on in-patient activity.
- assist in the co-ordination of deliveries and order cleaning and ward provisions in conjunction with the Trust’s standing financial instructions.
- assist in drawing up rotas and to allocate annual leave ensuring that adequate cover is provided.
- assist in ‘on the job’ training to an agreed format for all new and existing staff.
- ensure waste is disposed of in accordance with the Trust waste disposal policy, assuring Health and Safety standards are adhered to
- ensure all hotel services staff wear the correct uniform and maintain a clean and tidy appearance
- co-operate with managers and other employees to achieve a healthy and safe environment.
Want to learn more?
- Find out more about the entry requirements, skills and interests required to enter a career in hotel services management [6]
- Find out more about the training you’ll receive for a career in hotel services management [7]