This document discusses the responsibilities of a resort's heart-of-the-house management, which includes engineering and maintenance, plant operations, grounds keeping, energy management, accounting, and procurement. It addresses the organization and objectives of these departments, as well as their key functions and best practices. The document is divided into sections that each explain an aspect of heart-of-the-house management through descriptive text, lists, and diagrams.

1. Chapter 10
Heart-of-the-House
Management II: Plant, Grounds,
Energy, Accounting, and
Procurement
World of Resorts: From Development to Management
Third Edition
(424TXT or 424CIN)
© 2010, Educational Institute

2. Competencies for
Heart-of-the-House Management II
1. Describe the purpose and organization of the
engineering and maintenance department.
2. Identify and describe the many elements and concerns
of plant maintenance, including electrical, plumbing,
HVAC, and refrigeration systems; vehicle and
equipment maintenance; and working with contractors.
3. Discuss the importance and objectives of preventive
maintenance and explain the elements needed to
implement a preventive maintenance program
effectively.
© 2010, Educational Institute (continued) 2

3. Competencies for
Heart-of-the-House Management II
(continued)
1. Identify and describe the areas and issues that grounds
maintenance and landscaping must address.
2. Identify tools, procedures, programs, and systems that
contribute to energy conservation and cost control.
3. Describe the responsibilities, tools, and organization
of a resort’s accounting department.
4. Outline the critical role and responsibilities of a
resort’s procurement department and the control
procedures needed to protect purchased goods.
© 2010, Educational Institute 3

4. Engineering vs. Maintenance
• Engineering deals with the planning, design,
construction, and management of a resort’s
physical structures and energy/mechanical systems
• Maintenance keeps a resort’s engineering system
in peak condition and its facilities in good repair
© 2010, Educational Institute 4

5. Physical Plant Organization
• Electrical—heat, light, and power
• Plumbing
• Ventilation and air conditioning
• Refrigeration
• General repairs and maintenance
• Grounds, roads, and pathways
• Recreational facilities
• Mechanical power, vehicles, and equipment
• Construction and renovation
© 2010, Educational Institute 5

6. Tasks Commonly Assigned to
Repair and Maintenance Personnel
• Handling routine work orders from housekeeping
and other units
• Maintaining and cleaning buildings
• Painting exteriors and interiors
• Repairing and refinishing walls, ceilings, and floors
• Refurbishing and repairing furniture and fixtures
• Setting up exhibits for meetings and conventions
• Handling minor interior/exterior construction
• Repairing equipment
• Installing furnishings
• Maintaining grounds
© 2010, Educational Institute 6

7. Three Basic Objectives
of Preventive Maintenance
• Capital returns
• System reliability
• Operating efficiency
© 2010, Educational Institute 7

8. Preventive Maintenance
Recordkeeping
• Equipment inventory records
• Maintenance schedules
• Maintenance logs
• Departmental reports
© 2010, Educational Institute 8

9. Resort Areas Typically Covered
by a Resort’s Grounds
Maintenance Program
• Approach areas
• Vehicular and pedestrian traffic routes
• Service areas
• Outdoor recreational areas
• Natural scenic areas
• Artificial scenic attractions
© 2010, Educational Institute 9

10. Objectives of Resort Grounds
Maintenance
1. To maintain the attractiveness of a green
environment surrounding buildings and
recreational facilities
2. To ensure that the resort’s grounds remain safe,
secure, and accessible to all users
© 2010, Educational Institute 10

11. Grounds Maintenance Functions
• Maintaining trees, shrubs, flowers, lawns, etc.
• Maintaining driveways and interior roadways
• Maintaining ornamental water features
• Maintaining outdoor activity areas
• Upgrading irrigation systems and replacing
greenery when needed
• Maintaining an on-premises nursery
• Operating/overseeing pest control programs
© 2010, Educational Institute (continued) 11

12. Grounds Maintenance Functions
(continued)
• Maintaining recreational areas
• Maintaining fountains and water displays
• Organizing nature activities
• Policing trails, beaches, scenic spots, and other
outdoor areas near the resort
• Participating in community environmental
planning and programs
• Monitoring grounds-related news
© 2010, Educational Institute 12

13. Factors to Consider When
Choosing Surface Materials for
Roads, Walkways, Etc.
• Prevailing weather conditions
• Level and patterns of traffic
• Commercial vehicles
• Maintenance
• Widths of passageways
© 2010, Educational Institute 13

14. Approaches to
Controlling/Reducing Energy Costs
• Utility audits
• Energy audits
• Energy conservation/cost control management
© 2010, Educational Institute 14

15. Energy Conservation/Cost Control
Program Activities
• Data collection
• Analysis
• Training
• Operational review
• Monitoring
• Management review
• Capital analysis
© 2010, Educational Institute 15

16. Green Energy Systems
• Heat recovery systems
• Cogeneration/trigeneration systems
• Wind energy
• Solar energy
© 2010, Educational Institute 16

17. Accounting Records
• Guest ledger
• City ledger
• Special journals
• General ledger
• Financial statements
• Information reports
© 2010, Educational Institute 17

18. Computer Applications for Resort
Accounting
• Payroll
• Inventory
• Accounts payable and exception reporting
• General ledger
© 2010, Educational Institute 18

19. Internal Control Procedures
• Separate purchasing activities from receiving
activities
• Keep inventories under lock with strict key control
• Issue only upon receipt of authorized requisitions
• Perform surprise audits of inventory and inventory
records
• Establish a code of ethics
• Impose penalties for breach of purchasing code
• Qualify employees and vendors involved with
procurement
© 2010, Educational Institute (continued) 19

20. Internal Control Procedures
(continued)
• Obtain competitive bids when possible
• Pay periodic visits to vendors to check
quality/price
• Require operating departments to evaluate
products in use and report products that don’t
conform to specifications/requirements
© 2010, Educational Institute 20