Chapter 2: Hospitality Facilities Management Tools, Technique and Trends

1. Describe several types of maintenance (pp. 38–40)

• Routine Maintenance

o General up keep of the property, recurs on a regular basis

and requires relatively minimal skill or training to perform

o Such as Grass cutting, leaf raking and snow removal

• Preventive Maintenance (PM)

o Several elements: Inspection, Lubrication, Minor Repairs or

Adjustments and Work order initiation action

o Performed to comply with code requirements, corporate

requirements, and insurance standards. As well as in response to
the overall usage of the equipment and the impacts of the
equipment operating environment

o May result from test and inspection activities

• Guest Room Maintenance (a form of PM)

o Inspection of a number of items in the guest room: filter changes

in ac units, minor lubrication of doors and other equipment,
repair of obvious small problems and when needed the initiation
of work order for more substantial problems or needs

• Scheduled Maintenance

o Preparing equipment for changes in the seasons (draining

cooling towers) and other activities that are periodically required
to keep equipment operating at an efficient level (de-scaling
boilers and water heaters)

o Involve more than inspection, simple cleaning and lubrication as

their primary activities – making them different than many PM
actions

o Although they MAY RESULT from PM inspections

• Predictive Maintenance (wasn’t included in the outline...but was in the
book~ sooo  )

o Generally relies on and uses more sophisticated technological

methods to increase operational life and target pre-emptive
corrective actions

o Replaces older rule of thumb or fixed time interval based

maintenance planning with diagnostic-based maintenance
planning

• Reactive or Emergency / Breakdown Maintenance

o Most costly and disruptive form – it is unscheduled and

(generally) unavoidable

o The emergency or breakdown forms of maintenance are those

that either have an immediate revenue effect or are likely to
have a revenue effect if allowed to continue.

o This form is particularly costly because...

... they are usually solved only with the application of premium
pay(overtime)

... they often bypass the traditional parts or supplies purchasing

system, leading to premium parts cost

...they often have other costs associated with their solution (a

leaking pipe may also damage walls and ceilings)

• Contract Maintenance

o Elevator maintenance

o Trash haulage

o Window cleaning, kitchen duct cleaning, yard work...etc...

o Larger hospitality firms will often negotiate national contracts for

some of these services to reduce cost and standardize services

2. State the goals of maintenance management systems. (p. 40)

• Handle maintenance needs effectively
• record essential information (concerning systems and equipments)
• establish standards for the performance of the maintenance workers
• provide the feedback to management (in order to assess the
performance of the maintenance department and the status of work in
the department)

3. Identify and explain the function of several important forms

and documents typically used in a maintenance management
system (pp. 40–45)

• Work or Repair is one of the most commonly used maintenance

management forms. It is used to initiate requests for maintenance
services. This simple document (usually a sequentially numbered form)
provides basic information concerning the needed repair, place for
name of the individual assigned to the task, and some area for
individual to respond when the task is completed

• Work order logs: Some small properties consolidate all work orders in a
log at the front desk, while others maintain separate logs in several
areas of the hotel. They can be used to identify the overall activity in
maintenance, the promptness of response, and the size of any backlog

• Equipment Data Cards are used for all major pieces of equipment to
record facts and information of importance for maintenance purposes.
When a property is opened or a piece of equipment is purchased, the
equipment data card is completed using information from the
equipment specifications, nameplates and other sources. It provides
staff with a summary of key facts and specifications that will assist
them in making repairs and in determining correct operation of the
equipment.

• Maintenance Log Cards: can be helpful in determining if the equipment

is nearing (or has exceeded) its useful or design life. This information is
especially helpful when making repair or replace decisions for a piece
of equipment

• Room Data Card is used to record information concerning an individual

guestroom. This card contains information about the basic physical
characteristics of the guest room and data on all major elements of the
room, whether fixed or movable.
 • Inventory Record kept by maintenance. A large number of items go
into the physical plant of a hospitality facility. The choice of what to put
into the maintenance inventory and how much of the item to stock
affects the responsiveness of maintenance, the storage space needed
for maintenance supplies, and the overall investment in the inventory

4. Describe the role played by maintenance schedules and

detailed instructions in a preventive maintenance program.
(pp. 45–54)

• Schedules and instructions are backbone of PM program

• PM covers critical elements of building – some elements require

PM on a weekly basis. This is likely to consist largely of an inspection
or the performance of some repetitive task. Other equipment may
require monthly, quarterly or even less frequently.

• Inspection, cleaning and lubrication

• Schedules smooth the workload – activites are not “bunched into

the first week of the month but rather staggered throughout the
months to allow for productive use of labour

• PM instructions are derived from several sources...

o Equipment suppliers often suggest maintenance activities and

frequencies in their equipment manuals

o For FF&E, building features and building grounds are generated

through a combination of experience, input from vendors and
suppliers and information from various professional and technical
organizations.

o PM instructions may also contain a listing of specialized parts or

equipment required to perform the PM task.
• Rooms Checklist
o Used for guest room maintenance
o Lists all the items in the guestroom and provide a brief
explanation of the type of inspection, lubrication or cleaning
activity to be performed
o Goal is to keep guestroom in proper operating order, completing
the checklist also involves some repair and replacement
activities
 o To handle guestrm maintenance activities efficiently and with
minimal downtown for the room, the guestrm maintenance
person is usually given a guestrm maintenance cart.
o The cart contains basic tools and supplies necessary to deal with
problems or needs typically encountered
• Materials safety Data Sheets (MSDS)
o Serve to inform employees about potentially hazardous materials used
in the workplace, how to work safely with these chemicals and what to
do in case of an accident.
o In the US, OSHA requires vendors and suppliers of hazardous materials
to provide an MSDS for each product
o The operation must then maintain these forms and make them
available to employees

5. Outline the various types of plans and specifications that may

be needed for equipment repair and building renovation. (p. 54)

• Equipment Specification and Manuals

o Necessary to have on hand to perform equipment repains

o Supplied by the manufacturer with the equipment

o The same items that often contain the PM recommendations and

contain troubleshooting lists that can help greatly in diagnosing
the problem and deciding upon a solution

• Control Schematic

o Shows the relays, timers, fuses, switches and basic wiring of

controls within electrical equipment

• Building plans and specifications

o When maintenance staff must deal with renovations, the building

itself and equipment installed as part of the building, the plans
and specifications for the building are key

o Structural Plans: allow the maintenance staff to determine

locations of key building structural elements, a most important
piece of information for certain proposed modifications

o Mechanical Plans: identify flow patterns for air and water, control
schemes, equipment and system interconnections and basic
operating parameters
 o Electrical Plans: provides information about circuit capacities,
wire sizes, circuit connections and routing and emergency power
circuits

o Speciality Plans: services such as laundry, telecommunications,

lighting, and sound systems assist the maintenance staff or
outside contractors in repairing or updating these systems

6. List several tactics that could help during maintenance

emergencies. (pp. 54–55)

• Keep a current listing of all telephone numbers for maintenance

staff. This list should be available to maintenance manager and the GM

• Train the appropriate night staff concerning procedures to be

followed in the event of the more common emergencies. In the
context or maintenance emergencies, this would include knowing the
location of key water valves and electrical shutoffs

• Maintain some ongoing relationship with contract maintenance

and cleaning firms. Know their telephone numbers. Adequate man
power and equipment during maintenance emergency (such as a
windstorm that damages a roof) can make a major difference in the
extent of damage that might follow and the cost of repairs

• Consider appropriate backup systems for use during

emergencies. This could include using multiple pieces of equipment for
key system components (for example, two pumps on the building’s
chilled or hot water circulation systems, so that a back up exists) or
stocking replacement items for key system components (one pump on
the system and a spare in stock)

7. Describe elements to consider when hiring contract

maintenance services. (pp. 55–58)

• Insurance: the contract should require that the contractor have

adequate insurance coverage and specify bothe the type and
limits of coverage. The property owner and management
company should be a named insured on the contractor’s
insurance policy
 • Term: the contract should be for a specific term with no
automatic renewal provision

• Cancellation: the property manager should have the right to

cancel the agreement on short notice for lack of performance
and either party should be able to cancel the contract in 30 days
for no cause. Penalties for non-performance may also be
included.

• Contractor not an employee or agent: the agreement should

state that the contractor is not an employee or agent of the
property owner or management company

• No Assignment of Contract: the contractor should be prohibited

from assigning the contract ( Non-assignable)

• Specifications: the contract should include very detailed

specifications of the work to be performed and the frequency
of each task. Also included is the fee schedule

• Contract fee: the contract should be specific on the fees for the
services named and address fees for extra services

8. Describe computerized and Internet-based facilities

management. (pp. 58–59)

• Computerized facilities management systems/computerized

maintenance management systems (CFMS/CMMS) – used for
variety of reasons

o Systems Control – larger operations often control

primary building systems by computer. The most
sophisticated not only controls equipment operation and
building but also fire protection interfaces, security and
electric power management

o Paperwork and Dispatch Management – is also

increasingly being handled by computerized systems.
Preventive, scheduled, and guestrm maintenance and work
orders can all be established on computerized systems.
These systems can also direct this work to the appropriate
 staff account for the time and materials used on the task
and establish a record of the work

o Interdepartmental Coordination – CFMS / CMMS have

provided a way to help bridge the gap that sometimes
exists between departments. And facilities. Maintenance
management packages can provide multilingual precoded
information for housekeeping that allows housekeepers to
have information in their native language via pre-recorded
messages and other information.

o Parts and inventory control – can also keep track of

what was used in a room ( for example a housekeeping
staff replaced a light bulb, the system would take that into
account)

o Data collection for decision – provide the basis for

more knowledgeable and well advised decisions up and
down the chain of operation.

o Computer systems integration enabling space

management, planning, and control

o Internet residency of CFMS/CMMS provides in-house

and vendor access and facilities efficient systems
management – able to see and solve problem without
being physically at the location

9. Explain basic elements of budgeting for POM and utility costs.

(pp. 59–64)

• Salaries, wages and employee benefits constitute approx. 40 –

50% of the POM expenditure

• Contract expenditures may be found in several areas of POM

accounts

• Contract maintenance constitutes 25% or more of the non-labour

element of the POM budget

• Rubbish removal is a quickly growing cost for many operations

• Utilities costs include not only energy but also water

 • Actual expenses are what is incurred – realistic impact of various
factors on facility needs

• Budget is forecasted – use data from several sources

• For POM, the labour portion should be approached as it would be

for any department – using expected staffing levels, projected
hourly wages and estimated benefit costs

• Problem with non-labour budget: adding a %age to the precious

year’s amount. This is because the year before may have
involved extraordinary expenditures.

• Budgeting the utility portion is best handled by dealing with the

actual units of energy purchased and attempting to secure price
estimates for these fuels for the coming year.

• Compare department expenses with property revenue – the

department income of a revenue department is computed by
charging against revenues only a limited number of expenses
that are traceable to the department

10.Describe the role of the maintenance department in capital

projects and renovations, and explain facilities benchmarking.
(pp. 64–70)
• Maintenance department role varies in relation to size of property.
• Small properties—replace equipment, supervise/coordinate installation;
corporate-owned small properties—contact corporate headquarters.
• Large properties—department may perform projects, act as general
contractor.
• Establishing standards of quality based on internal comparisons of similar
periods in previous years and external comparisons with operations of similar
size, scope, and nature.

11. Outline several considerations involved in managing personnel

issues in the maintenance department. (pp. 70–72)

• Key concerns in the management of maintenance department

personnel include job qualifications, on the job supervision and
employee productivity.
• Depending on the size of the property and the complexity of the
equipment, the way in which the departmental organization is
structured will vary, as will the needs for management