Chapter 11

Facility Engineering & Maintenance

 Role of E&M Department
Goals of E&M department
Protecting and enhancing financial value of building and grounds for
hotels owners
Supporting efforts of all other hotel departments through timely
attention to their E&M needs
Controlling maintenance and repair costs
Controlling energy usage
Increasing pride & morale of hotel staff
Ensuring safety of those working and visiting the hotel

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 Role of E&M Department: Engineering

Engineering: Designing and operating the building to ensure

safe and comfortable atmosphere

Goals of E&M department

Underpowered (or overpowered) equipment

Increased building deterioration
Excessive energy usage
Higher-than-necessary operating costs

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 Role of E&M Department: Maintenance
Maintenance: activities required to keep a building
(physical property) & its contents in good repair.

Effective hotel maintenance must be:

Planned

Implemented

Recorded
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 Role of E&M Department:
Design & Renovation

Buildings Quality of Finishes and

original design, construction used equipment specified
size and facilities in building for installation

Affect

Property Operation & Maintenance (POM) related costs

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 Role of E&M Department:
Design & Renovation (continued.)
Building age Building characteristics and requirements

1-3 years Low maintenance costs incurred

3-6 years Maintenance costs increase
6-8 years Refurbishment required; average maintenance costs incurred
8-15 years Minor renovation and refurbishment required
15-22 years Major renovation as well as refurbishment required
22+ years Restoration required; high-maintenance costs incurred

Renovation and refurbishment normally one via establishment of

an FF&E reserve Facility Engineering & Maintenance

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 Role of E&M Department:
Design & Renovation (continued.)
Restoration: returning a hotel to its original (or better than original) condition

Facts:
Refurbishment and minor renovation is ongoing process in
most hotels
Major renovation should occur every six to ten years
Restoration every 25 to 50 years, typically
If restoration is not undertaken when needed, the hotels
revenue-producing potential will likely decline
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 Staffing the Department

Chief engineer

Head of E&M
In smaller hotels, hands-on role in the maintenance effort
In larger hotels, more administrative role

Maintenance Assistants

Individuals with varying degrees of skills in:

engineering / mechanics / plumbing / electricity / carpentry
/ water treatment / landscaping / grounds maintenance

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 Managing Maintenance:
Routine Maintenance

Day-to-day upkeep of both exterior and interior of buildings

Lawn care, landscaping, leaf and snow removal,

window cleaning, and painting
Exterior
Maintaining hotels exterior impacts curb appeal,
operating costs, & ultimately the buildings value

Indoor plants, interior window washing, floor

Interior and carpet cleaning
Guestroom and public space related items

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 Managing Maintenance:
Routine Maintenance (continued.)
Two ways for implementation

Replacement plan that delays until the original part

Replace as fails or is near failure
needed
e.g., maintenance of refrigeration compressors

Replacement is based on a predetermined

Systematic
schedule
total
replacement e.g., maintenance of light bulbs in high-rise
exterior highway signs
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 Managing Maintenance:
Routine Maintenance (continued.)
Work order
Waldo Hotel Work Order
Work Order Number: ____(Preassigned)___ Initiated By: _______________
Date: ______________Time: ____________ Room or Location: __________
Problem Observed: ______________________________________________
Received On: ____________________ Assigned To: ___________________
Date Corrected: ___________________ Time Spent: ___________________
E&M Employee Comments: _______________________________________
Chief Engineer Comments: ________________________________________
In a well-managed hotel,
any staff seeing an area of concern can initiate a work order
chief engineer keeps a room-by-room record of replacements
or repairs made
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 Managing Maintenance:
Preventative Maintenance
Effective preventative maintenance can reduce:
Long-term repair costs by prolonging equipment life
Replacement parts costs because purchases of these can be
planned
Labor costs by allowing PM to be performed in otherwise slow
periods
Dollar amount of refunds and charge-backs due to guest
dissatisfaction
Costs of emergency repairs by minimizing their occurrence

PM is not a repair program!

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Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458
 Managing Maintenance:
Preventative Maintenance (continued.)
Sample PM task list for laundry area dryer
Clean lint trap
Daily Wipe down inside chamber with mild detergent
Clean and wipe dry the outside dryer shell
Vacuum the inside of dryer (upper and lower chambers)
Tighten, if needed, the bolts holding dryer to floor
Monthly Check all electrical connections
Check fan belt for wear, replace if needed
Lubricate moving parts
Check pulley alignment
Daily Adjust rotating basket if needed
Lubricate motor bearings
Lubricate drum bearings if needed
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 Managing Maintenance:
Preventative Maintenance (continued.)

Public space

Windows, HVAC units, furniture, lights, elevators, carpets

Carpet care is one of the most challenging PM areas

Guest room
Most important and most extensive areas for PM
Critical to sales effort, to retain guests, and to maintain the
assets monetary value

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 Managing Maintenance:
Preventative Maintenance (continued.)
Food Service
Back-of-house equipment
- ovens, ranges, griddles, fryers, other production equipment
Dining space used by guests
- chairs and booths, self-serve salad or buffet areas, lighting fixtures,
guest check processing equipment
Meeting and conference rooms and equipment
Landry
Washers, dryers, folding equipment, water supply lines, drains, lighting
fixtures, temperature control units
Chemical dispenser maintenance should be an important part of the
laundry PM program.

Other equipment
Pools and spas, front desk equipment, electronic locks, exterior door
locks, motor vehicles, and in-hotel transportation equipment
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 Managing Maintenance:
Emergency Maintenance
Emergency maintenance
is unexpected
threaten to negatively impact hotel revenue
require immediate attention to minimize damage
require labor and parts that may need to be
purchased at a premium

The stronger the routine and PM programs, the fewer

dollars spent on emergency repairs!

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 Managing Utilities

80% of total utility costs for hotel are actually fixed

Energy costs present 3 - 10% of total operational costs,

depending on hotels location

E&M department should be concerned with conserving

energy and controlling utility costs

Energy management: specific policies and engineering,

maintenance, and facility design activities intended to
control and reduce energy usage.
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 Managing Utilities: Electricity
Electricity is most common and usually most expensive
form of energy used in hotels.
Lighting
Light levels measured in foot-candle
-The more foot-candles, the greater the illumination
In candescent lights
-Inefficient, short-life, but easy to replace
Electric discharge lights
-Longer lives, higher efficiency and low operating costs

Lighting maintenance (lamp repair, bulb change, and

fixture cleansing) must be an integral part in PM program.
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 Managing Utilities: Electricity (continued.)
Heating, ventilation, & air conditioning (HVAC)
Heating components
-Electricity is not cost-effective in cold climates
-Use natural gas, LPG, steam, or fuel oil
Cooling components
Effectiveness of cooling system dependent on
Original air temperature & humidity of room to be
cooled
Temperature & humidity of chilled air entering room from
HVAC
Quantity of chilled air entering room
Operational efficiency of air-conditioning equipment
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 Managing Utilities:Natural Gas

Usages of natural gas

Heating water for guest rooms
Powering laundry area clothes dryers
Powering plants to provide heat to guest rooms and public
space
Cooking (rapid heat production and great degree of
temperature control)

Managed properly, natural gas is an extremely safe source of

energy!

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 Managing Utilities: Water / Waste

Conserving water:
Reduces the number of gallon of water purchased
Reduces the amount the hotel will pay for sewage
In the case of hot water, reduces water-heating costs
because less hot water must be produced
Waste
Hotels encourage manufacturers to practice source reduction
& to implement creative programs to reduce solid waste
Reduce waste disposal costs by: recycling minimizing waste
generation & wise purchasing
Hotel Operations Management, 1/e 2004 Pearson Education
Hayes/Ninemeier Pearson Prentice Hall
Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458