Ever wonder what goes on behind the scenes after the customer checks out? Ever wonder what happens after a banquet diner for 5000 people?
We the public arrive and check in to a clean, made up room. We rarely even think about what it took to get that room ready for the guest. We arrive at a large banquet diner where the tables and room are on display, and everything is just right, center pieces and a beautiful display of table setting. It does not cross our mind as to how all of this was done. Stop to think what is required to do this spectacular setting.
Rooms
After the room guest checks out, housekeeping is informed that the room is ready to be cleaned for the next guest. Have in mind that most hotels only have a very limited time in which to turn the room around. The room attended arrives at the designated room, she has her cart with all of the necessary supplies to make that room clean and ready. Soiled linen must be removed, bathrooms washed down and new supplies installed. Beds to make up, furniture to be cleaned and floors vacuumed, and all paper goods replenished and check that all electronic devices work. All of this in about 17 minutes. Let me ask you, can you clean your guest room in 17 minutes? This of course is only one room. The guestroom attendant will usually clean 13 or so room depending on the room type and hotel. Suites take longer to clean and prepare due to their size and detail necessary to get them ready. Imagine you are the guest room attendant and you walk into one of your assigned rooms and discover the furniture rearranged, and pizza stuck on the ceiling. The bathroom is a total disaster – rolls of toilet paper in the commode. Don't laugh, this actually happens more often than you think. Someone has to clean it up, right? Now when you check into your room, remember a person cleaned it up just for you and it is customary to leave a tip for that person. I do – I understand what they go through to get that room ready for you. The housekeepers do their jobs very well and they are proud of the work that they do. Remember that it would be almost impossible to run a hotel without them.
Food Service
Let's talk about the backbone of the food service team. Since we are dealing with a banquet for 5000 people, the executive steward will need to make sure that the banquet manager has the necessary supplies to set up the room. Assuming that the table setting will consist of the following: 3 forks 2 spoons and I knife. You get the picture of the amount of silver is needed. That's not counting the diner plates, salad plates, coffee cups, and dessert plates. The real heroes are in the background, because when the party is over and the room is cleared you have the cleanup crew going to work. They are your kitchen workers, garbage men, and stewards. All of the silver that was used to set up the room now must be counted and returned to its place. Guess what? There will be a lot of that silver missing. Why? Because it ends up in the wet garbage. Now usually the garbage goes to the garbage room down in the lower part of the hotel. There the garbage is sorted and washed in order to retrieve all items that were mixed in with the trash. Believe me when I tell you the amount of money that you can save on kitchen equipment when you have a sanitation worker sorting all trash. It is quite common to retrieve hundreds of pieces of silver settings. Today, the recycling programs that hotels have minimize the loss of items. It is a fascinating thing to see a banquet room being set up for 5000 people, and how everyone works in tandem to ensure that everything goes according to plan. Chefs, cooks, servers, banquet waiters and the lot. Ask yourself how long does it take to serve 5000 people? Next time you are lucky to be sitting down at a banquet, whether it is 200, or 5000, remember what it takes to make sure that you have an excellent time.
About the Author
Alan Campbell has been in Las Vegas for over 30 years and has worked for the major strip hotels. He has spent some time in California, Los Angeles where he worked for the Radisson and Sheraton hotels. Alan considers the hospitality industry the best job in the world – it is the only place that both king's and Paupers will visit you.
The Hotel Guy
