Introduction to Hotel Engineering Department (Revision-1)

UNIT- 1

INTRODUCTION TO HOTEL ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT

Maintenance is a combination of actions carried out to retain any item/machine/equipment/system/ plant in order to restore it to an acceptable working condition.
The purpose of maintenance is to increase the system availability. The term maintenance covers the
following aspects:
a) Inspection of the item /plant/ equipment/ machine/ system
b) Repair of the defects if any
c) Minor modification in order to reduce maintenance efforts

The terms maintenance and engineering have different meanings to different people. In some hotels in recent years, the terms have combined under the heading of facilities management or facilities
engineering. The maintenance and engineering department has been treated as a catch-all department,
which literally means that if a problem is not related to food, marketing or sales, housekeeping or
accounting, then it must be a maintenance and engineering responsibility.

Introduction and Scope in Hotels
• Works almost behind the scenes
• Fulfills tremendously important function of providing the atmosphere & comforts demanded by the
guests
• Requires the principles of management & their application for efficient operations
• Care & operation of physical plant is the responsibility of engineering or maintenance department.
• Lodging establishments are in constant quest for better guest service & edge in the market place, with the help of various technological innovations. As the lodging facilities have grown in size, they have also grown in their complexity of design, systems & services viz. HVAC, hot & cold water system, storm & sanitary sewer, lighting, telephone. Refrigeration, cable TV, Fire protection, vertical
transportation like elevators & escalators, PCs in guest rooms etc Each bring with them new demands
on facility designers & on engineering & maintenance division. They require qualified engineers & the individuals with specialized skills for their operation. Out of the basic services viz. Water, sewer, fuel, electricity, communication, & refuse removal purchased from a reliable local vendor, many locations & properties need to supply their own electricity, dispose their own waters & operate other systems.
• Either directly or indirectly affects the operations of other departments--- as the departments depend
upon the efficient, updated physical plant like grounds, building structure, building systems, interior
finishes viz. Paints carpeting, wall paper etc, & FFE I.e. furniture, fixtures & equipments. However,
other parts of the physical plant viz. the structural steel, plumbing & the guest seldom see large amount of HVAC i.e. heating, ventilation & AC system. The elements of physical plant consume a significant fraction of maintenance & energy cost incurred over the building’s lifetime.

Why Hotel Engineering

Hotel is dependent on sophisticated engineering equipments. Examples: Air conditioning system,
Ventilation, Water treatment plant, Sewage treatment plant, Sensors, Detectors, Fire fighting system
and a lot more As a Hospitality professional, you need to have basic knowledge of these equipments.

Importance of the Maintenance Department
 Keeping engineering facilities in optimal operating conditions is vital for the business of a
hotel.
 Non – availability of a facility reduces the revenue and loss of future business potential
 The maintenance department aims at keeping all the engineering facilities in the best operating
condition.
 The department also helps in the up gradation of technology.

Role of the Maintenance Department
 Headed by the Chief Engineer
 It comprises of a Civil Engineer, Mechanical Engineer, Electrical Engineer and a Stores
Officer.
 Repair and construction of buildings and roads, plumbing, sanitation etc
 Repair, maintenance and operation of boilers, gen sets, refrigeration etc.
 Repair, maintenance and installation of electrical equipments
 Maintenance and control of Inventory of spare parts and consumables
 Equipment Replacement and purchase of new equipment is through proper tendering.
 Vendor development for supply of spare parts, equipment's and contract maintenance
 Maintenance of an engineering office for administrative work
 Negotiation with employees union
 Look after the recruitment, training, and proper placement of human power.
 Coordination with other departments of the hotel

WORK PROFILE OF MAINTENANCE DEPARTMENT

A. BUILDING & SYSTEM’S OPERATION

• Continuous attention is required for operating the buildings effectively.
• Building & installed systems require basic maintenance, repair or replacement of failed parts,
calibration of controls & equipment, attention to the factors posing safety problems & inevitably a
major renovation or rehabilitation. Failure to pay attention to these needs leads to poor operating
performance of the building, ultimately affecting the guest’s perception of Quality, employees &
profitability of the operation. Failure of systems to work property, viz. AC that is maintaining the types of indoor conditions that result in guest comfort draws unnecessary attention & creates managerial nightmares, which should be almost invisible to the guest.

B. BUILDING MAINTENANCE

• A large number of basic activities should be considered if the building is to preserve its initial
appearance & function.
• Approximately 5% of the POM budget is spent on non-labour aspects of the building maintenance.
• Involves taking care of the deterioration of the building surfaces, pitting & erosion of the exterior
surfaces + cleaning of the exterior surfaces without worsening & damaging them + protective
treatments to retard corrosion & repel the attack of moisture –entrained pollutants + Repair of roofing
leakages, reproofing the entire building, roofing system maintenance also are important concerns -As a failure of any type generates problems elsewhere. It is highly visible to the guest & the employees.

C. MAINTENANCE OF GUESTROOMS, FURNISHINGS & FIXTURES

• These very visible features contribute to the overall experience either positively or negatively.
• Proper maintenance of these is the direct responsibility of the department’s staff.
• Because of lot of use, these are replaced within first 10 years by the department itself or under
supervision of the outside contractors.
• About 2-3% of total POM budget is spends on the furniture, & 2.5-4.5% on painting & decorating.
The labour component of the POM budget for these items is somewhat larger than on the non – labour amount. Activities viz. painting are labour intensive. Many establishments include a portion of guest room maintenance in the preventive maintenance schedule, including various aspects viz. inspection & checking that contribute to the estimated high labour cost component of the maintenance.

D. EQUIPMENT MAINTENANCE & REPAIR

• Astounding amount of equipment representing 30-40% of the initial investment in the property is
installed in a modern hotel or motel in the guest room, public spaces, pools, kitchen, laundry etc.
• Repair & maintenance of these is the responsibility of the engineering department i.e. to keep in an
existing state or to preserve from failure or decline as failure to operate them effectively affects the
customer satisfaction, energy expenditure due to reduced efficiency, significant safety problems
endangering the guests, employees or both & the ability of other departments to operate effectively.
• Repair expenses especially from a breakdown have significant effect on the cost of maintenance.
Approximately 12% of the average POM budget is expended directly for maintenance of electrical &
mechanical equipment.

E. BUDGETING & COST CONTROL

• As approximately 11% of the total property budget is the responsibility of the engineering department, there is need for accurate budgeting & cost control.
• Unfortunately, development & control of this budget is not approached with the level of care &
analysis required.

F. SECURITY OR SAFETY MAINTENANCE

• Security concerns involve physical assets of the property, employees & guests. Safety concerns
involve the potential for personal injury to both employees & guests.
• In smaller establishments, it is largely the responsibility of engineering manager.
• Specific concerns with the engineering area are --- key control, lock rotation & maintenance, control
of tools & supplies, emergency response to fires & other potentially dangerous situation, safe operation of tools & equipment, interacting with outside contractors etc.

G. CONTRACTUAL & REGULATORY COMPLIANCE

• The requirements of legal nature imposed on the property is either directly or indirectly by the
national, state & local authorities, trade unions or contractors are the responsibility of engineering
department.
• Examples of requirements posed by the government are --- Elevator inspection & certification, Fire
code compliance, health / sanitary code compliance, environmental protection agency compliance,
occupational safety & health act compliance.
• Contractual responsibilities pertain to the contracts issued as the part of maintenance department’s
budget for the work to be performed by the outside vendor’s viz. Water treatment, Trash removal,
charging fire extinguishers, cleaning & painting of kitchen Duct work, maintenance of major pieces of HVAC equipment, periodic calibration of control, fire alarms & communication systems, major work to renovate or repair building etc.

H. PARTS INVENTORY & CONTROL

• Immediate access may be required to the unique parts & supplies that require long lead-time when
they are ordered to operate portions of the facility safely & comfortably to effect repairs.
• For this purpose ---an adequate parts & supplies inventory & control over purchases & storage of
these items are very important.

I. RENOVATION ADDITIONS & RESTORATIONS

• Need to redecorate & renovate because of wear & tear caused by use, changing needs for space, & to support a new concept is very common.
• Expenditures in these areas are greater each year than on new properties.
• Work performed in some of these tasks may be the responsibility of the maintenance department in
the form of actual performance of the work or supervising outside contractors as they perform the
necessary tasks.
• Construction of an addition by an outside contractor is common for a successful property.
Maintenance department is involved during the design & start up of this addition. Information
regarding location of various services ,shutting down the portion of operation to effect interconnections, maintenance concern in design, equipment selection, safety during construction & many other issues.
• During massive restoration, it may become necessary to remove a property for some time from service or to go for adaptive reuse by modifying the property that was not originally built for the lodging purpose. The responsibilities are similar to those for an addition. Involving the person who will become the building engineer can give greater understanding of the building & can enhance the ability to maintain it, once the work is finished.

J. SPECIAL PROJECTS

• Engineering department is called upon to perform many special projects with introduction of new
technologies & needs of customers for special services.
• Examples installing or supervising installation of property owned telephone systems, energy
conservation equipment, dedicated electric lines for computerization, additional electrical or HVAC
systems, and special floor coverings modifications to work spaces.
• Construction of display stands protective barriers & kiosks for special events. Additional electrical
services, phone services & special lighting for trade shows etc. require the input of engineering in
negotiating stages of the contract for the event to ensure that costs are recovered & necessary services
are ready when the customers arrive.

K. TRAINING OF STAFF

• People hired viz electricians, painters & carpenters already possess specific skills or abilities.
• Although some responsibility exists to maintain the skill levels, primary focus of training is to inform
employees about the standards & specific requirements of the property at which they are employed.
• Training may be grouped as general, departmental & job- specific training.