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.
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
