6th Sem | Accommodation Management | Solved Papers| 2013-14

Q.1. “Key control is the first step towards preventing theft”. Discuss.

The control of guest room keys is one of the cornerstones of hotel security that guests have a right to expect under common law. Key control is the process of reducing guest property theft and other security-related incidents by carefully monitoring and tracking the use of keys in the hospitality operation. If there is no key card lock system the following precautions should be considered for key control:

Coding

A few precautions to take while coding is as follows:

1. Room keys must not have any form of tag that identifies the hotel
2. Keys must not have the room number on them.

Issuing keys

Apart from the basic precautions for all keys, there is more stringent security for keys with higher access.

Guestroom key: These are the keys with minimum access, unlocking just the one room. When keys are given to guests upon registrations it should not be spoken aloud if there are others within hearing range.

Custody of keys

There are precautions to be taken while the key is with a guest or employee after being issued as per the correct procedure:

1. Employees should not be allowed to loan the keys.
2. Employees should hand over the keys whenever they leave the property.
3. Individuals who have been issued master or sub-master keys should be spot-checked from time to time.

• Changing locks and keys

Whenever a new key is made or a new lock is fitted, certain precautions are necessary.

1. A proper record of how many keys are made and when they are made.
2. A log must be kept of all lock swaps and re-keyings.

Loss of keys

In case any of the keys are lost proper vigilance must be exercised.

A particular section a room or the entire property can be rekeyed depending upon the circumstances.

Electronic locks

These are precautions in themselves. Its main function is increased guest security and since its introduction hotel security has been virtually transformed.

Smart cards

The future of security, however, lies in smart cards. A smart card is a generic form for a card size the thickness of a credit card or debit card embedded with a microprocessor chip. These powerful computing capabilities make smart cards more secure than the other types of cards presently in use.

OR
(a) What is an accident?

Accident: In general, an unplanned, unexpected, and undesigned event which occurs suddenly and causes injury or loss, a decrease in value of the resources, or an increase in liabilities. As a technical term ‘accident’ does not have a clearly defined legal meaning. In insurance terminology, an accident is an event which is not deliberately caused, and which is not inevitable. For example, if a driver (who is covered under personal automobile insurance for injury and losses due to negligence) willfully drives the vehicle into a tree, the resulting injury or loss is not insured.

(b) What are your responsibilities as an employee to ensure safety in the workplace?

Prevention is better than cure. If we prevent accidents to happen, then it becomes easy for us to provide the maximum efficiency during work.

Following guidelines should be following in order to ensure safety in the workplace:

1. Always follow instructions while using any cleaning equipment.
2. Replace the cap on cleaning chemicals immediately and securely after dispensing.
3. Label cleaning agents clearly.
4. Keep floors clean and dry.
5. Place warning signs around the area while cleaning.
6. Always dry hand before touching any electrical equipment or wiring.
7. Clean away broken glass carefully.
8. Mark faulty equipment as ‘OOO’ ( Out Of Order )
9. Dispose off rubbish carefully.
10. Never place sharp objects or cigarette butts in trash bags.

Q.2. What factors would you keep in mind while selecting carpets for the banquet hall of a 5-star hotel?

Factors to keep in mind while selecting carpets for banquet hall of a 5-star hotel:

Size: On the basis of size the carpets can be classified as follows.

• Body/strip carpeting: best suited for close fitted or wall-to-wall carpeting. Width is either 27 inches or 36 inches.
• Broadloom carpeting: body width is wider than above. Widths available are 9ft , 12ft & 15ft. tufted carpets are available in width of 9ft 101/2 or 13 ft101/2.
• Carpet squares— usually 6ft 9 in x 4ft, 12ft squares or 9ft x 12ft rectangles.
• Carpet tiles: range from 9 in square to 20 in a square.
• Rugs & mats: can be used in areas of heavy use to save wear & tear of carpets.

Aesthetic:
This refers primarily to the color, texture, and pattern of the carpet. A spacious lobby should have a larger bold pattern than those of smaller areas.

Pile Density & Weight:
How well a carpet will perform is mainly a matter of density of pile which in turn is a function of many characteristics— the gauge, the pitch, pile height stitches per inch, pile weight, yarn size & so on.

Average pile density is the weight of pile yarn in a cubic yard of carpet.

Average pile density = 36 x face weight / pile height

The density of carpet face fibers is the best indicator of durability. In general, the greater the density, the better the grade of carpet. It keeps stain & dirt at the top of fibers, preventing deeply embedded soiling.

Pile Fibre:
Wool is the dominant fiber for carpet pile. Wool is soft and resilient, resist abrasion and soiling, has natural flame retardant properties, feels warm; retains its appearance well if maintained properly. Though wool is expensive and suffers a high static generation. Presently many man-made fibers, blends have become popular. The blends used are – Wool and nylon- 80/20 Polypropylene and acrylic-50/50.

Resilience:
It refers to the ability of the pile to recover its original appearance and thickness after being walked upon. In a guest room, warmth and comfort are important for the guests walking on bare feet or light slippers.

Dyeing:
Carpet colors must last in strong sunlight or heavy wear, solution dying is, of course, the most likely to succeed. if more than 600sq. yd, of carpet in the same one area is needed, beware of piece dying because there may be a slight variation in color between different batches.

Q.3. What are the classic color schemes? Explain with the help of a color wheel.

Color Harmony & Schemes

Color harmony means a pleasing, effective, congruent and balanced combination of two or more colors or shades. It does not imply a random mixing of colors but a purposeful selection of a number of colors to get the desired effect. It is usually achieved by combining related or contrasting colors.

Related Color Harmony

1. Monochromatic harmony is otherwise referred to as one-mode or one hue harmony. It combines different intensities or values – lightness and darkness or brightness and dullness – of one color only. Examples are blue, light blue, dark blue.
2. Analogous harmony means a combination of two or more neighboring colors in the color chart. An example is a yellow dress, with a yellow-green collar, and ruffles with green buttons and laces.

Contrasting Color Harmony

1. Complementary harmony is achieved by a combination of any opposite colors in the color wheel. Blue and violet, for instance, are complementary colors.
2. Double complementary harmony is the combination of two directly adjacent colors and their complements in the color chart. For example, yellow and yellow-orange when combined with violet and blue-violet may achieve harmony.
3. Split complementary harmony is made by combining a primary or an intermediate color in the chart with colors on each side of its complement. This is a scheme of colors placed in the chart as to describe the letter Y.
4. Triad harmony: In this combination, the three colors are placed in the chart as to mark out the three points of an equilateral triangle.
5. Tetrad color scheme: The rectangle or tetrad color scheme uses four colors arranged into two complementary pairs. This rich color scheme offers plenty of possibilities for variation. The tetrad color scheme works best if you let one color be dominant.

Neutral-And-A-Color Harmony is a combination of color and black, white or gray.

Color Wheel:

• This system was developed by David Brewster and is probably the best-known color system.
• The color wheel is a spectrum of all colors. It has 3 primary colors- Red, Blue, and Yellow, they are called Primary Colours.
• The color wheel indicates that the combination of any two primary colors produces secondary Colour.
• Mixing of a primary and a secondary color produces Tertiary/Intermediate Colours.
• The six colors- Yellow, Green, Blue, Purple, Red, and Orange are called Standard Colours.

Q4. Describe any five types of window treatments.

Window Treatments

Also known as a decorative treatment. The ultimate purpose of any window treatment is to make the window function and to make it attractive from both the outside and the inside. In most rooms control of the amounts of light and air that enter is important. At times it may be desirable for sunshine to flood the room and at other times it may be appropriate to block out odd sunlight. Also at times, privacy may be particularly important.

Exterior Window Treatments:

They are usually not emphasized or decorative in nature. Some of these treatments are:

Awnings:
Which protects the window from rain, sun, and wind.

Outside Shutters:
These are seldom used. They are popular in Mediterranean countries to temper light, heat and cold.

Grills:
These may be made of wood, plastic, aluminum or steel and help in controlling privacy, sun, and wind.

Overhanging Roofs:
Are exterior shading devices that do not control privacy but offer some protection from the sun.

Hard Indoor Window Treatments:
These combine function with beauty and are available in a wide variety of styles and colors. Any one of them can provide a complete window treatment or can be used with draperies, curtains, valances, and cornices. How they are to be used in a room depends on the style of furnishing and the amount of money available.

Blinds:
Also called Venetian blinds. These actually originated in China and are available in a variety of styles and materials. Blinds are popular for their light filtering and room darkening qualities as well as for providing privacy and controlling air. They are mostly made of metal, wood or plastic.

Lambrequins:
They provide a decorative frame for a window. They are usually made of wood and covered with fabric or adhesive paper. They are available in interesting shapes.

Shoji Screens:
Are paper screens serving as wall partitions or sliding windows? They are used in many oriental homes.

Panel Track:
It is a sliding fabric panel that looks like a shoji screen. It is ideal to be used with contemporary or oriental furnishings

OR
Explain the different types of lighting.

Types Of Lighting

Direct Lighting:

In the case of direct lighting, the fittings throw the light onto the surface below producing over bright areas and hand shadows resulting in glare. E.g. down lighting-a direct light is hung pointing down to become a downlight used to highlight.

Direct lighting does not require elaborate electric wiring and may be used to throw light on an empty textured wall. This process is called wall washing. It can also be used to spotlight a collection of pictures.

Indirect Lighting:

It is produced by a light source that is hidden. The light is directed to the ceiling or another surface from which it is reflected back into the room. Indirect lighting creates no shadows when used next to the ceiling. Indirect lighting reflected down from the ceiling tends to raise the ceiling height. E.g. up lighting-canister shapes are used in a variety of locations on the floors, in corners of rooms, at either side of the sofa or behind plants.

Diffused Lighting:

When fittings are completely closed or concealed, the light is diffused as it passes through the cover.

Direct/Indirect Lighting:

It is distributed evenly in all directions. Here some light is diffused through the bowl and some light is reflecting from the ceiling.

Semi-Direct:

In semi-direct fixtures, 60% of light is directed down to the work surface and remaining amount is directed upwards.

Semi-Indirect:

It is converse of semi-direct. Here 60%-90% of light is directed to the ceiling and the other 10%-40% is directed towards the work surface.

Q5. What are the principles of design? Explain with reference to a hotel guest room.

Following are the Principles Of Design:

1. Rhythm
2. Proportion
3. Emphasis
4. Balance
5. Unity

Rhythm:

Rhythm is also a part of the things you see. It allows the eye to move from one part of a design to another part.

Rhythm can be created by:

• Repeating a color, shape, texture, line, or space when designing.
• Varying the size of objects, shapes, or lines in sequence (small to large).
• Using a progression of colors from tints to shades (light blue to dark blue).
• Shifting from one hue to a neighboring hue (yellow to yellow-orange to orange to red-orange to red.

Proportion:

Proportion refers to the relationship between one part of a design and another part or to the whole design. It is a comparison of sizes, shapes, and quantities. For example, the relationship between the vertical and horizontal measurements of a wall hanging may be pleasing because the unequal lengths produce an interesting contrast.

Emphasis:

Emphasis is the quality that draws your attention to a certain part of a design first. There are several ways to create emphasis:

• Use a contrasting color.
• Use a different or unusual line.
• Make a shape very large or very small.

Balance:

Balance gives a feeling of stability. There are three types of balance.

1. Symmetrical
2. Radial
3. Asymmetrical

Symmetrical, or formal balance, is the simplest kind. An item that is symmetrically balanced is the same on both sides. Our bodies are an example of formal balance. If you draw an imaginary line from your head to your toes dividing your body in half, you will be pretty much the same on both sides.

Designs that have a radial balance have a center point. A tire, pizza, and a daisy flower are all examples of design with a radial balance. When you look through a kaleidoscope, everything you see has a radial balance.

Asymmetrical balance creates a feeling of equal weight on both sides, even though the sides do not look the same.

Unity:

When things look right together, you have created unity or harmony. Lines and shapes that repeat each other show unity (curved lines with curved shapes). Colors that have a common hue are harmonious. Textures that have a similar feel add to unity.

Q6. What is refurbishment? What is the role of the housekeeping department during refurbishment?

Refurbishing And Refurnishing

Both always involve redecoration. Refurnishing is just changing the upholstery of furniture whereas refurbishing involves everything in the room, i.e. curtains, carpets, furniture, etc. and bathrooms completely gutted and renewed.

Refurnishing also can be partial or complete. If it is partial it may not involve carpets or may not involve all furniture, e.g. – only beds may be replaced or only certain items of furniture replaced. Refurbishing always includes new curtains, bedspreads, upholstery, etc. Full planning is to be made before refurbishing or refurbishing an area. It is done in the slackest season.

1. Strip the room of the linen, including curtains and send them to the linen room.
2. Remove all supplies.
3. Usually, hotels sell all the items, often they do room by room and a buyer must buy the whole room.
4. The furniture and the carpets are removed and the buyer usually has to collect it the same day as storage is a problem. Otherwise, another room is emptied and use for storage.
5. Next, all the bathroom fittings are removed and the bathroom completed gutted and renewed, then redecoration takes place.
6. Next, the electrical work is completed replacing plugs and sockets, etc.
7. The carpet is laid or re-laid.
8. The new furniture is installed including the upholstery and all wirings completed. E.g. – bedside console, the TV, bedside lamps, etc.
9. New lamps and accessories are installed.
10. The HK comes to clean starting with the bathroom, balcony, windows, and furniture cleaning.
11. After this, the curtains are hung.
12. Beds are made.
13. All supplies are replaced.
14. Vacuum cleaning the room completes the work.
15. The room when ready is returned to the reception for re-letting. Generally, this is done when the whole floor is ready.

If the work is delayed in any way this makes pressure on HK and may require overtime in the evening or night to prepare the rooms. This takes place generally after 5-7 years. Some hotels do it rather gradually. E.g. – bathrooms and carpets – one year and furniture another year etc.

Much depends on how busy the hotel is and the type of client etc. it is a major capital investment.

Q7. List all the tasks that the Executive Housekeeper needs to do for an upcoming property opening in three months.

Countdown Responsibilities Three Months Before The Opening:

• Check the blueprint for the HK dept.
• Check out the layout of the linen and uniform room.
• Check the layout of the laundry.
• Check the location and layout of the floor pantries.
• Check the layout of different types of guestrooms.
• Check the communication system
• Check the key system and the security of the master key etc.
• Appoint a horticulturist in coordination with the personnel department and initiate the setting up of a plant nursery and greenhouse. Look into the purchasing of saplings and seeds.
• Consider the space allocation for all these areas in accordance with the total front-of-the-house area.
• Evaluate the function and maintenance of furniture and other hard surfaces.
• Work in coordination with the interior designers and architects to plan the indoor spaces.
• Undertake a market survey to identify the best equipment, cleaning supplies, linen, and guest supplies available and work out the costs. Evaluate the quality and quantity required, and then contact the suppliers of each item or product to get specification.
• Coordinate the purchase of equipment, cleaning supplies, linen, and guest supplies with the purchasing department, keeping in mind the lead time available for the delivery of the goods.
• Manpower planning needs to be initiated in coordination with the other departments.
• Discuss uniform requirements and design with the various departmental heads

Q.8 Write short notes on any two of the following:

(a) Incandescent lamps

Here, the light produced by heating any material usually metals to a temperature at which it glows. Typically incandescent bulbs have a tungsten filament in a sealed glass container. The advantage of this type of light is that the fixture and bulb cost is very low. Many gas-filled varieties of incandescent bulbs are now available. Among them are GLS (general lighting service) lamps.GLS argent (with milky coating for the glare-free diffused lighting). Halogen lamps are another source of incandescent light. These are filled with a halogen mixed gas filling. This prevents the tungsten particles given off by the incandescent filament from condensing on the wall of the bulb. Halogen lamps are mainly used for floor lighting and as a light source in projectors etc.

(b) Texture

Texture is usually described as smooth or rough, soft or hard, coarse of fine, matt or glossy, and etc. Textures might be divided into two categories, namely, tactile and visual textures. Tactile textures refer to the immediate tangible feel of a surface. Visual textures refer to the visual impression that textures produce to human observers, which are related to local spatial variations of simple stimuli like color, orientation and intensity in an image. This thesis focuses only on visual textures, so the term `texture’ thereafter is exclusively referred to visual texture’ unless mentioned otherwise.

(c) Accessories

Accessories lend personality, charm, and individuality to a room. Each person’s selection and arrangement will reflect his/her own interest and sensitivity to good design. But the accessories should follow the theme of the room. Accessories must contribute towards the unity of the room.

Some will have specific functions, others will be purely decorative. The functional group may include ashtrays, clocks, and lamps, decorative accessories might include pictures, sculpture, mirrors, flower arrangements, etc. In the functional category, accessories should first of all be useful. Lamps should provide adequate light where it is needed. Clocks must keep time and have faces that are easy to read. In all cases, the shape, color, and texture should harmonize with the spirit of the room.

(d) Dealing with a Bomb Threat

Remain calm. Without letting the caller know, try to alert another staff member that this is a bomb threat so this person can notify the security officer and request a phone trace. Attempt to keep the caller on the line as long as possible using the following techniques.

Ask or note the following:

• When is the bomb going off?
• Where is the bomb located?
• What does the bomb look like?
• What kind of bomb is it?
• Did the caller place the bomb?
• Why was the bomb placed?
• Who is the caller (man, woman, child)?
• The exact wording of the bomb threat.
• Was there an accent, background noise, etc.?
• Time the call was received.

If you believe there is an immediate threat of a bomb explosion, pull the fire alarm, evacuate the facility and contact the security dept.

Share your information with the security officer.

Return to the building only after being given the “all-clear” sign by the officer.

Q9. Differentiate between (any five):

(a) Lux and lumen

(b) Direct light and diffused light

(c) Tufted carpets and woven carpets

(d) Value and intensity (of color)

(e) Bay windows and bow windows

(f) Venetian blinds and vertical blinds

(g) Swags and valances

(h) Terrazzo and granolithic floorings

(i) Smoke detectors and fire sprinklers

(a) Lux and lumen

Lumen: It is a unit for measuring the quantity of light emitted at the source.

Lux: It is the measure of illumination level at or on the surface being illuminated.

(b) Direct light and diffused light

Direct Lighting: In case of direct lighting the fittings throw the light onto the surface below producing over bright areas and hand shadows resulting in glare. E.g. down lighting-a direct light is hung pointing down to become a downlight used to highlight. Direct lighting does not require elaborate electric wiring and may be used to throw light on an empty textured wall. This process is called wall washing. It can also be used to spotlight a collection of pictures.

Diffused Lighting: When fittings are completely closed or concealed, the light is diffused as it passes through the cover.

(c) Tufted carpets and woven carpets

Tufted: In these thousands of needles, threaded with pile yarns & extending 12 to 15 feet across the machine, is forced through the backing material to form loops or tufts. The backing may be woven fabric such as jute & the loops anchored under the jute backing(Hessian) with a hot layer of latex compound. The pile yarn is inserted into a pre-woven backing by a long row of needles and loops are formed. This may be left cut or an uncut mixture of high and low piles cut and looped areas may be found in the same carpet. The pile is firmly held to the backing material by the needle as well as by an application of natural or synthetic rubber adhesive. Its main limitation is that intricate, precise, multicolored patterns cannot be produced except for printing, on tufted carpets.

Woven Carpet: Some of the highest quality carpets are made by the weaving method. The pile and the backing are woven together here so that the pile is locked into position. The weave consists of warp and weft yarns interwoven to form the face pile and backing at the same time. The pile may be cut or uncut. Woven carpets may be of three types – Wilton, Axminster, and Oriental. Wilton and Axminster are the name of the loom on which these types of carpets are woven. The main difference is that the Axminster loom allows any 5 number of colors as the threads are cut off and reintroduced according to the pattern/design.

(d) Value and intensity (of color)

Value: Value refers to the lightness or darkness of a color. It is often related to a grayscale where white is the lightest value followed by a series of grays to black, the darkest value. The hues are located somewhere in between the extremes of white and black in value. A color value scale is a hue mixed with white to form tints and with black to form shades of that hue. Red plus white make pink. Pink is a tint or light value of the hue red. Red plus black makes brown. Brown is a shade or dark value of the hue red.

Intensity/Chroma: Intensity refers to the purity or impurity of a hue. The more pure hue a given color contains, the more intense it is. Opposing terms used to describe this contrast are intense vs. gray, saturated vs. desaturated or bright vs. dull. When a color is too bright and its intensity needs to be reduced, we will often say,” Gray that color.” The most typical ways to gray color are to add gray (black and white) or by adding some of the complementary colors. The complement of a hue is the hue opposite it on the color circle. Red and green, orange and blue, and yellow and violet are examples of complementary colors.

(e) Bay windows and bow windows

Bay Window: A composite of three or more windows, usually made up of a large center unit and two flanking units. The angles most commonly used on the inside corners of the bay are 90, 135 and 150 degrees.

Bow Window: A composite of four or more window units in a radial or bow formation.

(g) Swags and valances

Swag: Swag is a draped section of fabric at the top of the window. This is usually accompanied by short pieces of fabrics at sides to form cascades. They are suitable for formal window treatment. They are suitable when the depth of the swag is about half of the drapery length.

Valence: Is a decorative finish at the top of a window. This may be a pleated or gathered flounce or fabric. The width of valence is approximately 1/7th of the overall length of the drapery.

(h) Terrazzo and granolithic floorings

Terrazzo:-Is flooring that can be cast on-site to form panels of up to 1 sq. meter or can be pressed into tiles off-site. The appearance of terrazzo depends upon the aggregate chippings used. The chippings may be made of marble, pebbles, stones set in a matrix or mortar of cement. It is then machine grounded to make a smooth surface. The matrix is 5 often referred to as grout. Like most porous surfaces, terrazzo floors must be sealed for durability. Terrazzo is used in foyers, cloakrooms, and kitchens.

Granolithic Concrete: This is plain concrete structural flooring on which a surface of granite chippings and cement is cast on site. The final surface is hard-wearing and its appearance is improved if the surface is polished to expose the aggregate in the concrete. It is used for basement corridors, storerooms, stairways and laundry. It is usually laid in tile form.

Q10. Match the following:

(a) Face weight               (i) Wooden flooring

(b) Pinch pleats               (ii) Steam bath

(c) LED                            (iii) Value

(d) Credenza                   (iv) Rectangle

(e) Atrium                       (v) On site

(f) Sauna                         (vi) Lobby

(g) Parquet                     (vii) Lighting

(h) Tint                            (viii) Curtains

(i) In-situ                          (ix) Pile

(j) Greek oblong              (x) Sideboard

 

(a) Face weight   :   Pile

(b) Pinch pleats    :  Curtains

(c) LED               :    Lighting

(d) Credenza      :    Sideboard

(e) Atrium            :   Lobby

(f) Sauna             :   Steam bath

(g) Parquet          :   Wooden Flooring

(h) Tint                 :   Value

(i) In-situ               :  On site

(j) Greek oblong   :  Rectangle