Role Of A Hotels Front Office Tourism Essay

The front office is the place where the customers or the hotel guest come in first contact with the hotel. This is the departments which handles room reservations, receives the guest and assign them rooms. The front office not only deals with the above functions but also sees to guest relations and guest comforts. The front office also deals with the check out formalities required before the hotel guest finally vacates the hotel room and departs from the hotel.

Classification of Hotels:

Hotel is defined by British Law as a place where a prospective guest can receive food and shelter provided he is in position to pay for it and is in condition to be received.

Hotels may be classified according:

Location

Number of rooms

Types of plan

Types of client

Length of guest stay

Facilities

Location:

Down Town

Suburban

Resort

Motel

Airport

Down Town:

It is located in the heart of the city, within a short distance of the business centre, shopping arcade, theatres, public building, etc. Rate sin the hotels are normally high. Normally business client prefer such hotels.

Suburban:

Located in the suburbs, it has the advantage of quieter surroundings. Rates are moderate to low. Such hotels are ideal for budget traveler and also organizations who find the quite setting ideal for conferences, seminars, educational programs etc.

Resort:

This type of hotel is located in the hill stations or at beaches. It is mainly patronized by vacationers. Basic facilities are provided and the rates offered are often on American plan.

Motels:

It is located on highways. They provide modest boarding and lodging to highway travelers. The length of guest stay is usually overnight. Rates are on European plan.

Airport:

These hotels are situated at airport and ideal for transit passengers who have only a few hours in the city making, it is impossible for them to stay in a down town hotels. Rates are on European plan.

Categorization by number of rooms:

Small hotels

Medium hotels

Large hotels

Very large hotels

Small hotels:

Hotels with 25 rooms and less may be termed as small hotels.

Medium hotels:

Those with 26 to 100 rooms may be termed as medium hotels.

Large hotels:

Those with 101 to 300 rooms are called as large hotels.

Very large hotels:

Hotels with above 300 rooms may be termed as very large.

Types of plan:

American plan

Modified American plan

Continental plan

European plan

Bermuda plan

American plan: Room Rent + Break fast + Lunch + Dinner

Modified American plan: Room Rent + Break fast + Lunch / Dinner

Continental plan: Room Rent + Continental Break fast

European plan: Room Rent only

Bermuda plan: Room Rent + Early Morning Tea / Coffee

Types of clients:

Group hotels

Commercial hotels

Family hotels

Group hotels:

Group hotels cater to groups and their rates would be on American plan.

Commercial hotels:

Cater mostly businessmen and are on European plan.

Family hotels:

A family hotel would be on American plan, such hotels are normally situated in resorts.

Length of guest stay:

Transient hotels

Residential hotels

Semi – Residential hotels

Transient hotels:

Hotels where a guest can register for a day or even less.

Residential hotels:

Hotels where guest stay for a minimum period of one month. The hotel signs a detailed list with the customer.

Semi – Residential hotels:

Hotels which are incorporate the features of both the transient and residential hotels.

Facilities:

Facilities provided by the hotel play a major role in the classification or grading of hotels. Different facilities provided in the hotels are as follows

Rooms

Restaurants / Bar

Shopping complex

Health club

Beauty parlor

Car parking

Laundry

Tour packages

Swimming pool

Travel agency

Coffee shop

Banquet hall

House doctor

Sports facilities

Pastry shop

Telephone

Postal facilities

Foreign exchange

Recreation facilities

Organization chart of Front Office Dept:

FRONT OFFICE MANAGER

ASST. FRONT OFFICE MANAGER

LOBBY MANAGER DUTY MANAGER GUEST RELATION TELEPHONE MANAGER MANAGER

SENIOR SENIOR RESERVATIONIST SENIOR RECEOTIONIST INFORMATIONIST TELEPHONE

OPERATOR

ASST. ASST. ASST. ASST.

RECEPTIONIST INFORMATIONIST RESERVATIONIST TELEPHONE OPERATOR

TRAINEES TRAINEES TRAINEES TRAINEES

SENIOR BELL CAPTAIN

ASST. BELL CAPTAIN

BELL BOYS PAGE BOYS DOOR MAN

Duties and responsibilities of Front Office staff

Front Office Manager:

Front manager has a wide range of responsibilities

He must maintain high level of efficiency among the front office staff

He should make effective decision regarding reservation polices and room assignment

Handle guest complaints and problems with courtesy

Maintain an open communication with other depts.

Assign duty to staff members, prepare weekly work schedule and shift arrangement

Holds regular staff meeting to ensure the hotel facilities and operating procedure

Responsible for new employees and reviewing the performance of each staff member.

During peak period the manager may be required to assist the front office representatives in the performance of the duties.

Manager is responsible for setting polices regarding no-show, early arrival and over booking.

Work closely with sales and marketing dept. regarding group reservation, billing arrangements and general forecast.

He should maintain close communication with house keeping dept. about room status and accounting dept. for information about special billing requirements.

He should submit regular written report on the activities of front office.

Asst. Front Office Manager:

Responsible for co-ordination of front desk operation

Monitoring guest accounts and payments

Authorizing and check special credit procedure

Assist front desk representatives during peak period

Prepare daily room occupancy report

Reviewing reservation for current date

Front Office Supervisor:

Prepare budget and monthly outlook report

Ensure that all the staff report on the time with proper uniform and properly groomed

Check statistical data’s on the day of preceding a regard to room revenue and occupancy

Brief staff to ensure maximum efficiency

Check if any repeat guest or vip has checked in as a walk in and see that proper status is given and ensure personalized service

Check and sign the log book and take follow up actions

Check reservation for the day with corresponding to ensure proper instructions on slips such as rates, billing, special request, etc.

Ensure that no keys are missing to prevent security risk

Meet and greet all guests on arrival and ensure proper rooming

Reception / Registration Assistant:

Having be informed on daily room status

Check up vip’s reservations and issue vip amenities

Handle group registrations as well as free individual travelers

Prepare all records connected with pre-registration of vip, invalids and old people

Handle group registration as well as free individual traveler

Maintain satisfactory part of all registration on stationery

Open out guest folio without delay and transmit it to front office cashier

Work closely with information assistant

Give all departure rooms to house keeping depts.

Take all clear rooms promptly from house keeping

Sell higher priced rooms and other hotel facilities to trained salesmanship

Handle scanty baggage with care and effort

Known color codes used in reception

Known room history namely location, rate, theme and the view of each rooms

Information Assistant:

Distribute room keys to registered guest in the hotel when arrival errand card is presented

Answer incoming call for guest and report all messages

Handle all guest mail, parcels, information’s, telegrams as per laid down procedures

Keep information aids like time table, road maps, hotel guides, etc.

Maintain guest racks alphabetically

Sell hotel facilities through trained salesmanship

Sign lobby departure errand card in acknowledgement of room key from a departing guest

Receptionist:

The receptionist primary duty is to receive the guest, enquire his/her requirements and room him/her

Welcoming is the guest is the duty of the receptionist

Registering the guest

Allocate the rooms

Room the guest by handling over the key to the bell boy to accompany the guest

Notify the concern dept. of the arrival, departures and moves

Passing on message to the guest

Giving information to the guest

Handling the mail and key to the guest

In smaller hotels the receptionist is required to do other duties in the front office. Those includes:

Reservation and reservation enquires

Recording the guest bill, post the vouchers, etc.

Receive the money in settlement of bills

Handling the telephones and messages

Reservation Clerk:

Prepare the room status for several day ahead

Reservation clerk attend to the reservation enquires, personal, post-card, cables, telex, telephone and gives proper information

Book the rooms in advance

Conform the booking arranges

Prepare the arrival list and informs the receptionist

Senior Bell Captain:

Supervise the lobby attendants

Take attendance and prepare staff schedules

Attend to guest complaints and handle telephone calls

Handle left luggage formalities and maintain the baggage check room

Train lobby attendants to maximize the departmental efficiency

Organize and supervise check in, check out baggage formalities of groups, crews, etc.

Control the sale of postage stamps and stationery to guests

Maintain record of all guest with “scanty baggage” and inform Asst. Manager

Conduct daily briefly of lobby attendant

Co-ordinate and control the distribution of morning news papers

Supervise the storage of essential medicine prescribed by the house doctor and be accountable of the issue made

Keep lobby clean at all times

Keep baggage neatly and in an orderly fashion at the specified places

Bell Boy:

Take the baggage from the in the porch or gate to the room

Escort the guest to the room on arrival

Place the baggage in the room on the luggage rack

Explain the operation of light, switches, air conditioning control to the guest and switch them on

Handle departure of guest

Check the room to ensure the guest has left no articles in the room by mistake

Switch off all lights and air-conditioning

Ensure collection of keys from guest at the time of check out and obtain clearance from information section

Check for mail, messages for departure guest and if available mail or messages is collected and give to departing guest

Take the baggage and place it in the car

Handle baggage of guest when they are shifting to another room

Distribute newspapers to guest rooms

Track unwanted guest in the hotel

Attend to instruction of supervisor

Deliver guest messages to guest rooms

Doorman / Linkman:

Another member of uniform staff. His place of duty is outside the main entrance of the hotel

He is responsible for cleanliness and good order of the front entrance of the hotel and area around it

He opens the car and taxi doors

When a car or taxi arrives he signals to the bell desk to send a bell boy and then opens the door of the car and helps the guest incoming out of the car and at the same time the bell boy handles the luggage of the guest

He keeps the unwanted visitors away from the hotel

Lift Operator:

In some hotels the lift are not automatically operated and are attended by an operator

Even if the lift are automatic it is advisable to have an attendant available

Responsible for the cleanliness of his lift

He must never permit any unauthorized person to operate his lift

He should take care that the lift is not overloaded

Telephone Supervisor:

Schedule staff to ensure smooth operation

Debit correct phone charges to guest and inform the front office cashier promptly

Check telephone for efficiency on a periodic basis

Maintain performance records of telephone operators and advise regarding increments and promotions

Brief staff at the beginning of the shift

Keep a close check on wake-up calls

Telephone Operator:

Extend a warm and courteous telephone service to guest or management and employees of the hotel

Handle wake-up call and ensure prompt service

Responsible for proper and accurate accounting of calls made by hotel officials or guest

Use proper pronunciation

Maintain speed and accuracy when connecting all incoming and outgoing calls

Brief the next shift operator regarding all pending works to be done

Avoid interruptions ( Break the continuity)

Night Auditor:

To ensure that any outstanding transactions have been entered

To verify that all the bills and other accounts are correct

To verify that front office guest in residence records are up to date and accurate

To prepare a management report summarizing the trading activities

Layout of Front Office Department

SAFETY DEPOSIT LOCKER

LEFT LUGGAGE CENTRE

BELL DESK

TRAVEL COUNTER

GUEST RELATION EXECUTIVE

LOBBY MANAGER

HOUSE TELEPHONE

PUBLIC TELEPHONE

INFORMATION

RECEPTION

REGISTRATION

CASHIER

COUNTER

BACK AREA

ENTRANCE

LOBBY

Functions of Front Office Department

Registration of rooms

Reservation of rooms

Greeting of guests

Giving information

Handling of mails and telegrams and register parcels

Handling of message

Allotment of rooms to the guest

Dealing with guest luggage’s

Providing safety locker facilities to guest

Dealing with guest complaints

Handling of keys

Providing security to the guest

Handling credit cards and guest accounting

Providing data’s to the management

Maintaining guest history card

Dealing with scanty baggage and skipper

Working closely with sales and marketing department regarding sale of room

Providing warm welcome and customer service to the guest

Qualities of Front Office Staff

As the Front Office is a critical department in a hotel in view of its revenue generating capacity and influence in image building, the staff working in it assumes a special importance.

Great care is taken in the selection of front office staff as they play a key role as:

Salesmen:

They motivate the guest to spend on the various hotel facilities

Problem Solvers:

Guest invariably approach the front office for help incase they have a problem or complaint. The staffs have to be diplomatic and resourceful to solve the problem at the shortest possible time.

A reference Point:

Guest who want information or want to pass on information use them for this purpose

Coordinators:

Since they are a reference point, the front office staffs are required to coordinate with other departments, airlines, travel agencies and city tour offices to give the guest personalized service.

Image Builders:

As an extension to their salesman role, front office staff can certainly generate a good image for the establishment in their manner of dress, communication, personal conduct and efficiency.

Essential Attributes:

A High Sense of Personal Grooming:

Uniforms must be clean and neatly pressed. Hair should be groomed well. Nails should be manicured. A soft similar scented is preferable. Jewelers should be restricted to one ring and a necklace for ladies.

Persona Hygiene:

This is imperative to front office personnel. As they are constantly exposed to hotel guests, a clean appearance helps to project a good image not only of themselves but of the establishment as well.

Self Confidence:

This is necessary as front office personnel meets guest of different countries, status and cultures. They should be comfortable and feel easy in dealing with these people.

Communication must be correct and clear:

It is preferable that front office staff know more than one language. It helps in communicating with guest who cannot speak English or local language.

Diplomacy is the greatest attribute required:

Very often there are situations when a guest is irate (angry) over something; a diplomatic dealing helps in diffusing the explosive moment. It is quite common for a busy hotel to have no room to offer a guest who has come with a confirmed booking. A diplomatic approach is the only way by which the guest can be pacified.

Calmness to take the busy demands of a front office operations:

The front office staff should have a high degree of tolerance for pressure of work and be calm and composed at all times.

Ability to remember names and faces

Good manners

Ready Smile

Physical Fitness:

Front office operations require the staff to stand for long hours. The staff must be sturdy and active.

Quick decision making Ability:

Front office staff must be able to decide quickly a course of action that satisfies the guest.

Department that the front office co-ordinates with other departments

F&B

ROOM SERVICE

ENGINEERING

HOUSE KEEPING

STORE

FRONT OFFICE

ACCOUNTS

SALES

KITCHEN

Lobby:

Arrival:

The bell boy escorts guest from the main door with their luggage to the front office. After the guest has been registered, the front office informs the bell boy of the room number so that the guest may be escorted to his luggage place in the room.

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Departure:

In most hotels a guest wishing to check out of the hotel, calls the bell desk for a porter to carry his luggage down. The bell desk informs the front office of the intentions of the guest so that the cashier can prepare his bill. It is only after the front office is satisfied regarding the payment of bills and retrieval of room key will they allow the bell boy to remove the luggage outside the premise of the hotel.

Shifting:

Often a guest requests the front office for a change of room. The front office intimates the bell desk to send bell boys to help in the shifting of luggage.

Scanty Baggage:

“Skippers” are those guests who leave the hotel without paying their bills. This is made possible because the “skippers” comes with little luggage to avoid bringing the attention of the bell boys to his secret checkout. The bell boys have to be alert to notify the front office about guests with scanty baggage so that a necessary advance is taken from them and a close watch is kept on them.

Message:

The information section of front office alerts the bell boys to deliver messages received by them for guest in the hotel.

Paging:

“Paging” is the system of displaying the name of a guest on a small board with a long handle. The small board is held above the head of the bell boy and has small bells which are rung to draw the attention of customers to the board. When a phone call is received for a guest in a specified location this paging system is used to contact guest. The bell boy does the paging in most public areas especially the lobby.

House Keeping:

House Keeping Room Report:

To keep a tight control on rooms, the house keeping and front office have to closely coordinate. One way is through the room report where by the house keeping staff checks each room on every floor and advises their status through a report.

Room Clearance Arrangement:

When a guest checks out, the front office has to inform immediately the house keeping desk or the floor, to clean the rooms so that it is ready for sale again. This information is controlled on a departure intimation control sheet. House keeping in return would have to inform the front office immediately after a room has been cleared and prepared for sale to a guest.

Occupancy statistics:

After reconciling the “Room Rack” with the house keeping Room Report the front office reception compile data’s on the “occupancy” position of the hotel for the day in the form of a report for the purpose of management information.

Special arrangements for groups and VIP’s:

The front office informs house keeping to be alert to attend to rooms occupied by groups or VIP’s. Service has to be quicker and efficient. House keeping provides flowers for VIP’s in the room on receipt of the amenities voucher issued by the front desk.

Accounts:

Front office cashier:

The front office cashier receives payment for guests stay in the hotel. This is the point where all the charge vouchers generated by the guest are received to be included in the overall bill. The bell captain must inform the cashier about the intended checkout of a guest so that the guest bills are updated and kept ready for presentation. Also, the cashier is inform of a new arrival by the reception by opening and forwarding a new folio in the guest name giving room numbers and time of check in.

Night Auditor:

The night auditor audits all guest bills received by the front officer cashier and prepares and proves for the calendar day.

Room Service:

Arrivals and Departures:

The room service is kept closely intimated on arrivals and departures of guest. It is this department that provides food and beverage services to the room and must be informed as to the occupant in order to raise bills accordingly.

VIP Procedures:

The front office informs room service through the amenities voucher and a list of the VIPs expected to arrive in the hotel, so that special service provides a complimentary basket of fruit, liquor, cakes and pastries or what ever the establishment wishes to extend to a VIP as per the policy.

Telephones:

Arrivals and Departures:

This is another department that is informed immediately of the arrival and departure of a guest. So that where calls come for a particular guest it is fully knowledgeable about his/her presence in the hotel. So that call may be connected to him/her. Also calls made by the guest are recorded or metered

Engineering:

The engineering department is responsible for any maintenance of furniture, fixtures and equipments and for rectifying faults in the services provided like air conditioning, plumbing, etc.

Stores:

The stores are responsible for supplies of relevant forms, formats and stationery.

Sales:

There is very close co ordination between the front office and sales especially in improving of room sales on lean occupancy days. The front office also informs sales whenever important guests, who influence the business of the hotel ‘check in’, so that special attention can be given to him/her. Sales keeps the front office updated with the new agreements made with travel agents and airline crews.

Reservation

The reservation section in the front office is the nerve centre of the department where all requests of reservation are received and processed.

Modes of Reservation:

Reservation may come by various modes. They are:

Letters

Telex

Telegrams

Cables

Telephones

Personally

Source of Reservation:

Air lines

Whole sale tour operators

Travel agents – Local and Foreign

Free Individual Traveler (Any person who makes a booking directly with a hotel and not through a travel agent)

Companies and Commercial business houses

Consulates and Institutions

Reservation Form

SURNAME FIRST NAME ADDRESS/ COMPANY

SURNAME FIRST NAME ADDRESS / COMPANY

HOUR/

FLIGHT

WILLARRIVE:

DAY

DEPARTURE

DATE & TIME

DATE

DEPARTURE

DATE & TIME

HOUR

FLIGHT

DATE

WILL ARRIVE:

DAY

ACCOMMODATION AND RATE DESIRED

SINGLE DOUBLE TWIN SUITE

ACCOMMODATION AND RATE DESIRED

SINGLE DOUBLE TWIN SUITE

REMARKS AND BILLING INSTRUCTIONS

CREDIT NO. PHONE NO. VERBAL BY

REMARKS AND BILLING INSTRUCTIONS

CREDIT NO. PHONE NO. VERBAL BY

REQUESTED BY

RECEIVED BY

DATE

Reservation Chart

Sep. 2007 Date of Month

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

101

102

103

104

105

Reservation Chart is used for the control of reservation system. The horizontal column represents each day of the month while the vertical column represents each room in a hotel.

If a particular guest requests for a single room on the 7th, 8th, 9th of the month the corresponding blocks of any single room number is colored off. Thus a reservation assistant gets a pictorial view of occupancy and booking in a particular month.

There might be different colors of reservation slips for easy identification on the reservation rack of the source of booking.

WHITE : I NDIVIDUAL

YELLOW : GROUPS AND CREWS

GREEN : VIPS

PINK : THROUGH TRAVEL AGENT

PURPLE : CONVENTIONS (CONFRENCE, PARTIES)

Group Reservation:

A group is a body of 15 persons or more. Because it involves volume business, management offers a special discount. The discount is given to tour operators who sell a total tourism package to customers which include airfares, hotel accommodation, fees for sight seeing, etc. The discount depends on the volume of groups sent and the frequency of visits organized by the tour operator. In addition to the group discounts there are special facilities for the tour leader.

Groups of 15-30 – One complimentary room for their tour leader

31-45 – Two complimentary rooms

Group reservation and correspondence assume importance and must be dealt with quickly and accurately because

Groups from a major part of business

The travel agent or tour operators arrangements are depend upon confirmation of accommodation

Group reservation demands blocking of a large number of rooms; thus the hotel could suffer if the group is cancelled at the last minute

A final confirmation of group booking takes longer to materialize (to be fulfilled)

Instant Reservation:

Instant reservation is a facility offered by large hotels or chain hotels operations where by a customer anywhere may easily make a reservation at locations far away from the hotel itself. Basically, hotels feed information on room availability. So that the reservation can confirm the booking immediately.

Reservation Procedure:

Step – I: As soon as the guest ask for room on certain date look at the room status board which will indicate the status of the room on those days under any one of the three categories (i.e.) On Request or Free Sale or Sold Out.

Step – II: If the date indicates “Sold Out” informs the guest politely that the dates required are sold out. If the date indicates in “Request” inform the guest that the date requested by you are wait listed. If the date indicates “Free Sale” informs the guest that the rooms are available and they are pleased to ensure a room for you.

Step – III: Take down the particulars in the reservation form.

Step – IV: It is important to ask the party to send a written confirmation of reservation request. Billing instructions specially are never accepted verbally. Sometimes, a doubtful party may be asked to give a deposit in advance which may be a certain part of the room rent the reservation period.

Step – V: Type out a reservation slip in two copies. One goes to the reservation rack while the other is clipped with the reservation form.

Whitney Rack / Reservation Rack:

The reservation racks are stored on the wall of the reservation office in full view of reservation clerk. This system is same as the reservation diary. Instead of entering in the diary the details are entered in the slip. This slip is arranged on the Whitney rack in alphabetical order against the date of arrival. This system is designed by a person named Whitney. Any special information is also recorded on the Whitney Slip.

Over Booking:

This is the practice of accepting more reservation than the actual room available. The purpose of over booking is to assist the hotel in obtaining ma