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Simulation · Minimal Organization · Mid-sized firms and services

Hotel

A city and conference hotel as a walkable model: how a room gets from check-out at 11 to check-in at 3 pm and where cleaning, inspection or front desk run out of time.

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Trailer

All data are fictional, including room count and occupancy. Adapted to your hotel's real data, the model shows what is nowhere visible in one place today – for example the actual room status from your hotel software, or arrivals and departures per hour.

This hotel housekeeping process plays out in the fictional HOTEL ORVELIA, a city and conference hotel with a room tower, as a race between departure and arrival. Between 11 am and 3 pm every room must be cleaned and inspected – while a congress meets in the hall and the kitchen prepares the banquet.

The main process follows one room: the previous guest checks out by 11, a room attendant cleans, the housekeeping supervisor inspects against a checklist and, if something is broken, maintenance comes in. Then the supervisor releases the room in the system and the new guest can check in. Model target: ready within two hours of departure. 420 rooms at about 70 per cent average occupancy are model assumptions.

A meeting with banquet, orders in the restaurant and to the rooms, and fault reports run at the same time, across six buildings and 18 departments. The page speaks to general managers and owners, rooms division and housekeeping managers, front office, banqueting, HR and training.

A guest arrives – the room must be ready first

  1. 01

    Front desk: check-out and check-in: The previous guest leaves: bill, key card, minibar – check-out by 11 am.

  2. 02

    Clean departure room: A room attendant cleans the departure room: fresh beds, bathroom, dusting, restocking.

  3. 03

    Supervisor inspects the room: The supervisor checks every departure room against a checklist.

  4. 04

    Technician in the room: Maintenance repairs before the room is sold.

  5. 05

    Release room in the system: The supervisor marks the room as ready in the system.

  6. 06

    The new guest arrives: The new guest arrives by train, taxi or car – most in the afternoon.

  7. 07

    Again: Front desk: check-out and check-in: Check-in: find the booking, code the key card, registration form for foreign guests.

  8. 08

    Rooms occupied: The guest stays in the room, on average just under two nights.

  9. 09

    The guest is in the room.

A site at work

01

A site at work

6 buildings, 18 departments, about 240 staff: in the evening light golden arcs show who reports to whom.

Every floor opened up

02

Every floor opened up

Every building can be opened, floor by floor – right into single rooms such as ‘Food & beverage management’, with workplaces and people at work.

What is shown – why – for whom

What is shown Why For whom
‘Year, week, day’ diagram: departure at 11, arrival at 3 pm WhyShows the cleaning window. For whomGeneral manager, housekeeping supervisor
‘Where it gets tight’ diagram: cleaning, inspection, front desk WhyShows the limit during a trade fair. For whomGeneral manager, reception
‘What each control does’ diagram: room attendants, stay-over rooms, inspection, front desk WhyRanks levers for rooms ready on time. For whomGeneral manager, owner
‘Where people work’ diagram WhyShows floors, kitchen and conference areas. For whomWorkforce planning, training
‘How a case flows’ diagram: cleaning, inspection, maintenance, release WhyShows the path of a room. For whomHousekeeping, onboarding
Process ‘A meeting with banquet is sold and held’ WhyShows the way from sale to banquet. For whomBanquet sales, kitchen
Room tower with 23 floors, opened up WhyShows where the attendants are working right now. For whomHousekeeping supervisor
Who works with whom

03

Who works with whom

‘Front office: desk, concierge, night audit’ with all 7 relations: Housekeeping management (supervisors), Reservations and revenue management, Maintenance, Quality and hygiene (HACCP), Finance and controlling and IT and systems – and outside City centre, main station and trade fair.

A guest arrives – the room must be ready first

04

A guest arrives – the room must be ready first

A single case can be followed – step by step, with the waiting time at every station. Target: room ready within 2 hours of departure – so it is ready by check-in at 3 pm at the latest (model assumption).

Films from the model

  • The tower opens up

    Just before sunset the floors drift apart – ‘Room tower’ opens up as the camera rises and circles the building until night falls.

  • Who reports to whom, who works with whom

    Blue hour above the site: first the golden arcs of the structure, then the collaboration of the most connected department, finally the whole building.

  • A day in time-lapse

    From ten in the morning to midnight in 26 seconds: the sun moves, the windows light up, at night the data lines glow.

  • Surge and system outage

    In time-lapse: ‘Congress checks out at once’ brings more work, then ‘Hotel software fails’ – the data arcs turn red. The control ‘Room attendants per shift’ set to ‘23 with temps’ brings recovery.

  • Seven diagrams

    Calculated live from the model: ‘Who works with whom’, ‘Year, week, day’, ‘Management levels as a staircase’, ‘How a case flows’, ‘What each control does’, ‘What the work depends on’, ‘Where it gets tight’.

  • Using the software

    With the full interface: open a building, a department’s relations, ‘Congress checks out at once’, a control, diagrams with their panel, one case.

Departments in the model

  • General manager

    Runs the hotel, answers to the owner for revenue, guests and staff.

  • Rooms division

    Leads everything around the room: front desk, reservations, housekeeping.

  • Front office: desk, concierge, night audit

    Check-in and check-out around the clock, guest requests, the daily closing of all accounts at night.

  • Reservations and revenue management

    Sells rooms through all channels and sets prices daily according to demand.

  • Housekeeping management (supervisors)

    Assigns rooms, inspects every departure room and releases it.

  • Room attendants

    Cleans departure and stay-over rooms – under time pressure between 11 am and 3 pm.

  • Food & beverage management

    Leads kitchen, restaurant, banqueting and room service.

  • Kitchen

    Breakfast, restaurant, room service and banquets from one brigade.

  • Restaurant and bar

    Serves hotel guests and outside guests.

  • Room service

    Brings food and drinks to the rooms, at night too.

  • Banqueting (set-up and service)

    Re-arranges halls, sets tables, serves congresses and galas.

  • Sales and events

    Wins corporate clients, writes offers, plans every event with a function sheet.

  • Maintenance

    Repairs rooms, kitchen and halls, looks after energy, lifts and fire alarm system.

  • Purchasing and stores

    Orders food, drinks, spare parts and manages the rental linen.

  • HR and training

    Rosters, temps, training of hotel and kitchen apprentices.

  • Finance and controlling

    Invoices, receivables, monthly report to the owner.

  • IT and systems

    Keeps hotel software, tills, key cards and Wi-Fi running.

  • Quality and hygiene (HACCP)

    Independently checks hygiene, guest reviews and complaints – reports directly to the general manager.

Hotel software fails

05

Hotel software fails

The data arcs turn red and work stalls – the simulation shows where cases pile up and how long recovery takes.

06

A day in 26 seconds

From ten in the morning to midnight in time-lapse: commuters, moving light, windows switching on – and at night the data lines.

All processes in the model

A guest arrives – the room must be ready first

  1. 01Front desk: check-out and check-in: The previous guest leaves: bill, key card, minibar – check-out by 11 am.
  2. 02Clean departure room: A room attendant cleans the departure room: fresh beds, bathroom, dusting, restocking.
  3. 03Supervisor inspects the room: The supervisor checks every departure room against a checklist.
  4. 04Technician in the room: Maintenance repairs before the room is sold.
  5. 05Release room in the system: The supervisor marks the room as ready in the system.
  6. 06The new guest arrives: The new guest arrives by train, taxi or car – most in the afternoon.
  7. 07Again: Front desk: check-out and check-in: Check-in: find the booking, code the key card, registration form for foreign guests.
  8. 08Rooms occupied: The guest stays in the room, on average just under two nights.
  9. 09The guest is in the room.

A meeting with banquet is sold and held

  1. 01Company sends an enquiry: A company enquires: 120 people, two days, dinner, 60 rooms.
  2. 02Offer with room and room block: The events office checks halls and room block and writes an offer.
  3. 03Client considers the option: Hall and rooms are held for a few days (option).
  4. 04The client declines.
  5. 05Contract and deposit: Contract, cancellation terms and deposit.
  6. 06Until the date: attendees and room pick-up: Weeks until the date: attendee list, menu, room pick-up.
  7. 07Function sheet to all departments: A function sheet goes to kitchen, banqueting, technology and front desk.
  8. 08Hall, kitchen and technology prepare in parallel.
  9. 09Set up and clear the hall: Banqueting sets up tables, stage and chairs per plan.
  10. 10Supplier delivers the goods: Suppliers bring meat, vegetables and drinks for the banquet.
  11. 11Goods in: check temperature and quantity: Goods in: measure temperature, check quantity, into the cold store.
  12. 12Banqueting kitchen cooks: The banqueting kitchen prepares coffee breaks, lunch and the dinner menu.
  13. 13Set up event technology: Projectors, microphones, lighting and streaming are set up.
  14. 14Everything is ready.
  15. 15The event is on: The meeting is on: talks, coffee breaks, the banquet in the ballroom in the evening.
  16. 16Again: Set up and clear the hall: Clearing – the hall is re-arranged for the next event.
  17. 17Invoice per banquet event order: Invoice per banquet event order: hall hire, packages, drinks by consumption; the deposit is offset.
  18. 18Event invoiced.

A guest orders in the restaurant or to the room

  1. 01Order in the till system: The order lands in the till system – from a restaurant table or the room phone.
  2. 02Kitchen: à la carte: The kitchen cooks à la carte.
  3. 03Waiter brings the food to the table: The waiter brings the food to the table.
  4. 04Again: Order in the till system: The guest pays or charges it to the room.
  5. 05Again: Kitchen: à la carte: The same kitchen cooks for room service.
  6. 06Room service waiter brings the tray: The room service waiter takes the tray up by lift.
  7. 07Post to the room bill: The amount goes on the room bill.
  8. 08Eaten.
  9. 09Delivered to the room.

A guest reports a fault in the room

  1. 01Guest service takes the report: The guest calls: the air conditioning hums, the shower stays cold, the TV does not work.
  2. 02Front desk: check-out and check-in: The front desk gives the guest another room.
  3. 03Ticket to maintenance: A ticket in the maintenance system; maintenance gets it on the phone.
  4. 04Technician in the room: A technician comes to the room – the target is measured here.
  5. 05Specialist contractor comes: A contractor comes, e.g. for cooling or the lift.
  6. 06Order spare part: Purchasing orders the spare part.
  7. 07Supplier delivers the goods: The supplier brings the part.
  8. 08Goods in: check temperature and quantity: The part comes over the loading bay.
  9. 09Again: Technician in the room: Maintenance fits the part.
  10. 10Supervisor inspects the room: The supervisor checks and releases the room again.
  11. 11Quality evaluates the complaint: Quality evaluates the complaint and decides on a credit.
  12. 12Fixed.

How a hotel can use the model

  • Internal communication

    Main building, 23-storey room tower, restaurant, congress centre, service building and staff house in a single view. The collaboration view shows how front desk, floors, maintenance and kitchen connect.

    For whomGeneral manager, heads of department, morning briefing

  • Onboarding

    New room attendants and front desk staff see a room's path from departure to the next guest – and why the release in the system matters.

    For whomNew staff in housekeeping and front office

  • Training

    Hotel and kitchen apprentices abolish room inspections or let a whole congress check out at once and see where things get tight first.

    For whomTraining, hotel and kitchen apprentices

  • Explaining to guests and event clients

    Why is the room only ready at 3 pm? The model shows guests and meeting clients what happens between departure and arrival, and how a meeting runs from offer to banquet.

    For whomFront desk, sales and events, guests

  • Strategic overview

    Room attendants, stay-over rooms, inspections, front desk counters: the model shows which lever readies rooms sooner and at what cost – without inspections, for instance, more fault reports.

    For whomGeneral manager, property owner

Diagrams from the model

07

Diagrams from the model

‘Who works with whom’ as a dome of arcs – one of 14 diagrams calculated live from the same data.

The whole software

08

The whole software

Situation, key figure, time-lapse, six views, controls and disruptions: one click on a department shows its task, location and all relations.

What you can change

Controls

  • Occupancy: How many guests leave and arrive each day. During a trade fair the hotel is full: more departures and at the same time more stay-over rooms costing the attendants time (model assumption).
  • Room attendants per shift: How many rooms are cleaned at the same time.
  • Clean stay-over rooms only on request: Guests staying longer have their room cleaned only on request – attendants have more time for departure rooms (model assumption: 15 % faster).
  • Room inspection by the supervisor: Without inspection the room is free sooner – but the guest then finds defects and faults (model assumption: 25 % more fault reports).
  • Front desk counters: How many guests can check in and out at the same time – otherwise the lobby fills up.

Disruptions

  • Hotel software fails: Three hours without the system: no check-in, no check-out, no room status – the lobby fills up.
  • Sickness wave among room attendants: For two days a quarter of the room attendants are missing.
  • Laundry delivers late: For one day fresh linen is missing in the morning: every room takes longer.
  • Congress checks out at once: A day with 50 % more departures: front desk and floors can hardly keep up.

The benefit for a hotel

  • 01

    Open up the room tower

    23 floors drift apart, and you see where the attendants are cleaning right now and which rooms are still waiting.

  • 02

    The time window made visible

    The event simulation runs room turnovers, meetings, orders and faults at the same time. Between 11 and 3 it shows where rooms wait and guests stand in the lobby.

  • 03

    Weigh speed against inspection

    Five controls and four disruptions, from a trade fair in town to late laundry. Where things snag, a tip names the right control.

  • 04

    Diagrams for the general manager

    14 diagrams in four groups are calculated live, including ‘Where people work’ for floors, kitchen and conference areas.

  • 05

    For lobby, training and owners

    In the browser or projected large in your own conference room. On the first visit, a guided tour in eight steps shows how to begin.

  • 06

    With its own signature

    Designed by an artist and developer. An airport, a hospital, a housing company and 32 more organisations share the same overview.

  • HOTEL ORVELIA in the morning – low sun, long shadows, the first commuters on their way in.
    HOTEL ORVELIA in the morning – low sun, long shadows, the first commuters on their way in.
  • 6 buildings, 18 departments, about 240 staff: in the evening light golden arcs show who reports to whom.
    Room tower in evening light – golden arcs show who reports to whom.
  • Just before eight – people stream from the car park and the street into the buildings.
    Just before eight – people stream from the car park and the street into the buildings.
  • Blue hour – the windows of HOTEL ORVELIA light up.
    Blue hour – the windows of HOTEL ORVELIA light up.
  • At night from above – Room tower opened up, data lines glowing across the site.
    At night from above – Room tower opened up, data lines glowing across the site.
  • Room tower opened up – every floor with workplaces and people.
    Room tower opened up – every floor with workplaces and people.
  • Dusk, performance view – rings of light show how busy each department is.
    Dusk, performance view – rings of light show how busy each department is.
  • Looking into the floor of Front office – desk, concierge, night audit: rows of desks, the floors above as outlines of light.
    Looking into the floor of Front office – desk, concierge, night audit: rows of desks, the floors above as outlines of light.
  • Every building can be opened, floor by floor – right into single rooms such as ‘Food & beverage management’, with workplaces and people at work.
    A room of its own – Food & beverage management.
  • Main building with lobby opened up – every floor with workplaces and people.
    Main building with lobby opened up – every floor with workplaces and people.
  • Conference and congress centre – all floors at once, performance view.
    Conference and congress centre – all floors at once, performance view.
  • Structure at dusk – golden arcs from every floor to the buildings reporting to it.
    Structure at dusk – golden arcs from every floor to the buildings reporting to it.
  • ‘Front office: desk, concierge, night audit’ with all 7 relations: Housekeeping management (supervisors), Reservations and revenue management, Maintenance, Quality and hygiene (HACCP), Finance and controlling and IT and systems – and outside City centre, main station and trade fair.
    Collaboration – Front office: desk, concierge, night audit with all 7 relations – to departments, buildings and partners.
  • Data flows at night – systems and users linked by glowing lines.
    Data flows at night – systems and users linked by glowing lines.
  • Data flows at dusk – which department uses which system.
    Data flows at dusk – which department uses which system.
  • Structure across the whole site – reporting lines between the buildings.
    Structure across the whole site – reporting lines between the buildings.
  • The whole network at night – collaboration inside and far beyond.
    The whole network at night – collaboration inside and far beyond.
  • A single case can be followed – step by step, with the waiting time at every station. Target: room ready within 2 hours of departure – so it is ready by check-in at 3 pm at the latest (model assumption).
    Every step labelled – name, how many are waiting, utilisation.
  • Following one case – ‘A guest arrives – the room must be ready first’ – step by step through the building.
    Following one case – ‘A guest arrives – the room must be ready first’ – step by step through the building.
  • Congress checks out at once – resources view, the backlog grows floor by floor.
    Congress checks out at once – resources view, the backlog grows floor by floor.
  • The data arcs turn red and work stalls – the simulation shows where cases pile up and how long recovery takes.
    Hotel software fails – the data arcs turn red, work stalls.
  • The lever – Room attendants per shift set to ‘23 with temps’ – a flash shows where it acts.
    The lever – Room attendants per shift set to ‘23 with temps’ – a flash shows where it acts.
  • Spring at HOTEL ORVELIA – Room tower opened up, rings show the workload.
    Spring at HOTEL ORVELIA – Room tower opened up, rings show the workload.
  • Summer evening – warm light, long shadows, golden arcs above the square.
    Summer evening – warm light, long shadows, golden arcs above the square.
  • Autumn – leaves on the paths, performance view.
    Autumn – leaves on the paths, performance view.
  • Winter evening – snow on the site, Room tower open and lit, collaboration glowing.
    Winter evening – snow on the site, Room tower open and lit, collaboration glowing.
  • ‘Who works with whom’ as a dome of arcs – one of 14 diagrams calculated live from the same data.
    Diagram ‘Who works with whom’, calculated live from the model.
  • Diagram ‘Year, week, day’, calculated live from the model.
    Diagram ‘Year, week, day’, calculated live from the model.
  • Diagram ‘Management levels as a staircase’, calculated live from the model.
    Diagram ‘Management levels as a staircase’, calculated live from the model.
  • Diagram ‘How a case flows’, calculated live from the model.
    Diagram ‘How a case flows’, calculated live from the model.
  • Diagram ‘What each control does’, calculated live from the model.
    Diagram ‘What each control does’, calculated live from the model.
  • Diagram ‘What the work depends on’, calculated live from the model.
    Diagram ‘What the work depends on’, calculated live from the model.
  • Diagram ‘Where it gets tight’, calculated live from the model.
    Diagram ‘Where it gets tight’, calculated live from the model.
  • Diagram ‘Who leads whom’, calculated live from the model.
    Diagram ‘Who leads whom’, calculated live from the model.
  • The whole software – situation, key figure, time, views and the controls below.
    The whole software – situation, key figure, time, views and the controls below.
  • Room tower selected – floor list on the right, the floors drift apart.
    Room tower selected – floor list on the right, the floors drift apart.
  • Situation, key figure, time-lapse, six views, controls and disruptions: one click on a department shows its task, location and all relations.
    Front office – desk, concierge, night audit: card with task, location and all relations.
  • Congress checks out at once triggered – timeline, key figure and bottleneck react.
    Congress checks out at once triggered – timeline, key figure and bottleneck react.
  • Countering – Room attendants per shift increased – the tile shows the effect since the change.
    Countering – Room attendants per shift increased – the tile shows the effect since the change.
  • Diagram ‘How a case flows’ with its panel – findings in sentences.
    Diagram ‘How a case flows’ with its panel – findings in sentences.
  • Diagram ‘Who works with whom’ with its panel.
    Diagram ‘Who works with whom’ with its panel.
  • Follow a case – step, waiting time and target on the card.
    Follow a case – step, waiting time and target on the card.
  • The tour leads through the software in eight steps.
    The tour leads through the software in eight steps.
  • 36 organisations to choose from, each with its own picture.
    36 organisations to choose from, each with its own picture.

Your hotel as a model

Would you like to see your hotel with its own rooms, floors and routines? Write to us or call. We will discuss which data from your hotel software are useful. The password that lets you explore the simulation yourself is available on request.

Start with password

Request the password if you are interested →

Ask about this

Minimal Organization: Hotel

What you enter goes to this site alone and serves only to answer you.

Basis and limits

Fictional hotel · model based on researched industry structures · no statement about real hotels or hotel chains

1 case = 1 room turnover, 1 meeting, 1 order or 1 fault · 1 figure ≈ 4 employees

All volumes, durations, rates and capacities are model assumptions, not values of a real hotel.

420 rooms, on average about 70 % occupied, about 155 departures a day, mean stay 1.9 nights; cleaning a departure room takes 25 to 60 minutes (trade articles give 25 to 45 minutes).

Stay-over rooms are included in the attendants' capacity; the target of 2 hours after departure is a simplification of "ready for check-in at 3 pm".

Documented: registration form only for foreign guests (since 2025), HACCP in the kitchen, option and contract for events.

Public sources the model is based on:

  • Destatis: Gastgewerbe und Tourismus (Beherbergungsstatistik)
  • DEHOGA Bundesverband: Zahlen und Fakten
  • Bundesmeldegesetz §§ 29, 30 (Meldeschein); Viertes Bürokratieentlastungsgesetz
  • Verordnung (EG) Nr. 852/2004 über Lebensmittelhygiene
  • Function Sheet und Bankettablauf (Fachbeitrag)
  • Hotelverband Deutschland (IHA)
  • Housekeeping-Richtwerte (Fachbeitrag)

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All data are fictional, including room count and occupancy. Adapted to your hotel's real data, the model shows what is nowhere visible in one place today – for example the actual room status from your hotel software, or arrivals and departures per hour.