This document provides information on office documents, equipment, and procedures related to front office operations in hotels. It describes common internal documents like diaries, request sheets, and financial records. It also discusses external documents like correspondence and invoices. The document outlines equipment needs like computers, fax machines, and photocopiers. It provides guidance on filing, mail services, and professional telephone etiquette to support front office functions.

1. SITXADM001A
TAFE (2009)

2. Learning outcomes
On completion of this lesson, you will be able to:
Process a range of office documents.
Identify and use office equipment.
Manage equipment malfunctions.
Produce a range of office documents
Maintain correct filing and storage systems for front
office by following the hotel security procedures.

3. Office documents
Office documents are:
Customer Records
Incoming and outgoing correspondence
Financial control documents
Telephone messages
Policies and procedures
Memos
Reports
Meeting agendas and minutes

4. Documents used in accommodation services
Internal use documents: Those documents used
within the organisation.
Front office diary: All front office operations use a
diary, (log book )
To facilitate communication between staff.
To record information about the daily activities in the
hotel.
To pass on information from one shift to another or
between working colleagues.
It is a standard practice for all the staff to read the diary
at the start of the shift.

5. Internal documents continued
Daily running sheet : A form of checklist for, reminder
about the duties to be completed on a particular shift in
the front office.
Guest request Sheets: The request sheet will detail:
The guest’s name and room number
Time the request was made
What the request is
Name of the person who look after the request.( the
requests usually includes, bags to be collected, iron or iron
board, ice bucket, newspaper etc.)

6. continued
Guest mail
Reservation slip
Registration Card
Guest Profiles
Financial control documentation
Wake up calls sheet
Telephone message pads
Department policy and procedures
Memorandums
Reports and minutes

7. Continued
Policy- A statement about the venue’s position on
an issue.
Example: Theft by employees is a dismissible
offence.
Procedures: is a step by step guide to performing a
task.
Memo/Memorandums: Internal use document for
communicating a brief message to many staff at
once.

8. Continued
Minutes: The record of the meeting.
Agenda: the list of the points or topics to be
discussed at a meeting.
Vouchers: It is a form of currency. The
voucher entitles the holder to the goods, or
services.
Accommodation Voucher
Gift Voucher
Service Voucher

9. External use documents
Correspondence
1.Request for confirmation of reservation
2. Sales letter from suppliers
3. Request for information
4. Letter of complaints
5. Job application
6. Confirmation of reservations
7. Guest’s account
8. Responding to letters of complaints

10. continued
Invoices: a request for payment for the services or
goods supplied.
It provides a detailed account of actual goods or
services bought, date supplied, cost per unit and
settlement details.
Receipts: Receipts are issued in exchange for a
payment.

11. Business equipments
Describe the type of business equipment required to
operate a Front Office facility.
Paper Shredder
Fax
Computer
Printer
Stapler
Credit card machine
Photocopier
Franking Machine
puncher

12. Switchboard /PABX
Private automated branch exchange
Switchboard is a piece of equipment a hotel to manage
several telephone lines and multiple extensions.
Switchboard is capable of:
Receiving several calls at once
Making several calls at once
Interfacing with hotel’s property management system (PMS)
to record calls made and automatically charge the charges.
Place many calls on hold or transfer calls

13. Photocopier
A Photocopier, similar to a fax machine, will produce
an exact copy of a document. It enables to reproduce
documents without the need to retype or reprint them.
Rapidly copying several one or two sided pages
Stapling collated documents.
Reducing or increasing the size of the copied
documents
Reproducing in colour or back and white.

14. Photocopy machine
 Avoid Inhaling the toner dust
as it can damage your lungs.
 Looking directly at the light
while the photocopier is in
operation as it is not good for
your eyes.
 Touching the hot rollers or
elements of the photocopier as
they will burn you.
 Misusing electrical equipment.
For example, keep dry and
ventilated to avoid electric
shock.

15. Facsimile
The word facsimile means an exact copy.
A fax machine reproduces written documents received from
or sent to external locations by electronically scanning and
transmitting the document via a telephone line.
Fax machine process only one single-sided page.
Fax machine sends or receives the documents within
minutes of transmission.

16. Fax machine
 note that once you have sent
the message to a wrong number
there is no way of " retrieving "
it.
 You may not even be aware that
you have sent the message to
the wrong person.
 This can present huge problems
to you and your organisation if
confidential information is
accidentally sent to a wrong
number!

17. Franking Machine
Franking machine can stamp hundreds of envelopes
quickly and efficiently by printing the correct amount of
postage required and date on the envelope according to
the envelope’s weight and size.
The franking machine records the totals of all stamps
issued.
At the agreed time, the amount of postage used is paid
to the supplier along with a lease fee for the product.

18. Cont .
These are utilised mainly by large businesses and are
rented from registered suppliers. They are used to
process out-going bulk mail.
Franking machines are programmed by the supplier
to have a certain amount of value placed for pre-
programmed credit on a meter.
When this value is reached the machine ceases to
operate until more money is paid and the meter is
reset.

20. Paper Shredder
Paper shredders
Sometimes, your organisation will want to destroy
letters or documents that are confidential or contain
records that are useful to competitors.
 Shredders cut paper into very thin strips so that they
are very difficult to reassemble and read.

22. Hazards in office
Both employees and employers are responsible for
managing these hazards.
Poor layout and design of furniture and equipment
Physical hazards
Mechanical Hazards
Chemical Hazards
Psychological hazards

23. If a piece of equipment malfunction
We should:-
Stop using the equipment
Place a sign on it and to say it is out of order
Report the problem to a supervisor
Follow up

24. Mails
Internal mail and external mail
Guest’s incoming mail
Incoming Mail (Staff)
Future Guest’s Mail
Guest’s outgoing mail
Checked out – guest’s Mail
Routing Mail
Forwarding Mail

25. Available Mail Services
Registered Mail
Bulk Mail
Express Mail
Overseas/International mail and parcel post
Courier service mail
Electronic Mail (email)

26. Post Office Boxes
Most post offices have built-in lockable letter boxes of
various sizes which can be hired by individuals or
companies from Australia Post, for a relatively small
amount per year or other suitable periods.
Some post office boxes have also appeared at petrol
stations and supermarkets for convenience. Each post box
has a number displayed on the outside of the box.
Because they are locked, only authorised persons can have
access to the mail and be given a key to collect the mail.
 Instead of an address, the post office box number should
be clearly displayed on envelopes, letterheads and other
stationery.

27. Locked Bags
Locked Bags.
Larger organisations, with a lot of bulk mail to collect
daily, may find post offices boxes too small for their
needs.
In this case they may require a locked bag which is
substantially larger and has the added advantage of
being transportable.
 As the name indicates, a locked bag is a large
mailbag with a lock at the top which can only be
opened by an authorised person with a key.

28. Courier Services.
Courier Services.
Both Australia Post and private organisations provide
courier services for mail and parcels to be delivered
door-to-door.
They are commonly used by businesses when there is
an urgent item to be delivered. Courier services are
convenient and many have a guarantee that an item
will be delivered to any capital city in Australia within
24 hours.
Smaller towns and rural areas are also linked by
courier services but it usually takes a little longer to
deliver items to these localities.

29. The structure of effective letters
• Four key features of effective letters:
• 1. person – Who are you writing to?
• 2. Issue - What kind of a letter are you writing?
• 3. Purpose- What is the connection between the
person you are writing to and the issue.
• 4. Action- What kind of action do you want the
person to take?

30. Parts of a letter
Virtually all business letters have the following sections:
•The letterhead Consisting of the name of the organisation /
establishment, the address, telephone number, fax number, e-mail
number, web-site number etc
•The date With the month written out in letters rather than in numbers.
•
The name and address of the recipient of the letter For filing
purposes.
•A greeting or salutation Usually " Dear Sir / Madam " or if you know
the person's name " Dear Mrs. McWilliam-Smythe"
•An Introduction Usually stating why you are writing.

31. Parts of the letter
1/ Venue’s name and address
2/ The name, title and address of the recipient of the
letter. (inside address)
3/Today’s date
4/ Greeting
5/ Body of the letter
6/ Close
7/Signature
8/Writer’s name and title
9/ Enclosure ( attachment)

32. Cont.
A Body of the letter Which indicates how you
propose to deal with a given situation or set of
situations.
A Conclusion If you know the person's name use "
Yours sincerely ". If you don't know the person's name
and have used " Dear Sir / Madam " in your
salutation, use " Yours faithfully " in your
complimentary close.
A Complimentary Close Which indicates what
action will take place in the follow-up of the situation
or set of situations.
Your signature and job title This is particularly
important if your signature is difficult to read.

33. A few rules of good writing
Keep it simple
Don’t use slang or jargon
Use simple words
Be clear
Use the right tone
Be accurate
Be logical
Check spelling and grammar
Check sentence structure
Proofread the documents

34. Filing
The orderly arrangement of records and documents for
storage and retrieval.
 There are different filing systems such as:
1. Subject filing system
2. Alphabetical filing system
3. Numeric filing
4. Geographic filing system
5. Chronological filing system

35. Filing alphabetically
Documents filed alphabetically are filed according the
first, and subsequent letter.
Eg. File by guest name
Numerically: Documents are filed numerically,
according to the numbers such as room numbers,
invoice numbers

36. Cont.
Chronologically: Documents are filed according to date or time
order.
Geographically: the basis of geographic tourist regions,
for development of data bases and client services.
Documents are filed by location or designated area, eg.
Victoria, WA
Subject: documents cannot be filed any other way except
by their subject matter. E.g complaints, training. subjects
could include headings such as:
housekeeping
restaurants
conventions & functions

37. Bar code filing
Bar codes and electronic filing systems.
 These are increasingly used in the Tourism and
Hospitality Industry to maintain data and documents
on file.
 Confidentiality and security are often easier to
maintain if access to information is via electronic
codes and data systems.

38. File preparation
Before filing any documents, there a number of task to
be completed:-
Collecting all the relevant documents
Inspecting the quality of the documents
Cross-referencing the files
Coding the files
Sorting the files and filing the documents
(active documents) Documents in current use. Inactive
documents: documents not in current use.

40. continued
Archiving: the practice of removing a file of record
from everyday use and storing it in another location.

41. TELEPHONE ANSWERING
TAFE (2009)

42. Telephones
Guest room telephones have several features:-
Message light
Voice mail
Direct dial
The hotel reception is the communications centre of
the hotel.
 The staff working at the reception direct and collect
information to and from all other departments as well as
from the guests.

43. Professionalism on the Telephones
The first personal contact a guest has with the hotel is at the
reception desk. The guests register or check in at the front
desk as well as seek answers to their inquiries and solutions
to their problems.
Be Clear
Concise
Courteous
And control the call
Be Clear
Speak clearly
Avoid jargon
Make sure you understand and are understood.

44. Continued
Be concise
Set objective for each call
Know who you want to speak to
Know what you want to say
Know who you are speaking with
Have any information by you about your property and
facilities.

45. continued
Be courteous/polite
Always be polite
Use personal names when appropriate
Try not to sound abrupt. No matter how busy you are.
When you pick up the telephone you are committed to
the call, and must give it your full attention.
Smile
Listen to the other person’s tone of voice
Control the call by practising assertiveness skills.

46. Receiving calls
Smile when you answer the telephone.
Greet the caller
Use the exact form of greeting : “Good morning/Good
afternoon/Good evening, Front office : this
is…………….how may I help you?
Identify the department/yourself and offer assistance.
Use of names,( if you know the name)

47. Transferring calls
Get to know switchboard system so that you can
transfer calls quickly and efficiently.
Explain to the caller what you are doing:
Check with the recipient before putting the call through
whether or not they can help.
If there is a delay, return to the caller to explain and ask
if he/she wish to continue holding
If you could not transfer the line, ask if you can have
the caller rung back when you have found someone to
help.

48. Examples
Good morning/ Holiday Inn, this is Vincent, how may
I help you?
“I’d like to make a reservation please”
Certainly Madam, I’m transferring you to reservation
now”
#2
Good afternoon, the Park Hyatt, this is Sue , how may I
help you?
Could you please put me through to Eliza in Banquets
please”
Unfortunately, her extension is busy, would you mind
to hold:

49. Receiving the message
Always write messages down as soon as possible.
Try to keep a proper/separate pad just for messages
rather than scraps of paper and used envelopes.
Use specially printed message pads.
Do not hesitate to ask for the message to be repeated
or for unfamiliar words to be spelt out.
Read back the message to check that it is correct.

50. Taking the message
Listen attentively and write down the message
including:
Time
Date
Caller’s name and contact details
The guest’s name and room number or staff member’s
name and department
The actual message
Read back the message and enter the message into
computer.

51. Tips for telephone operators
Answer the call as quickly as possible- after three rings is
ideal.
Answer the call in a clear, friendly voice.
Identify yourself and your organisation.
Announce the call clearly and give the recipient time to
respond before putting it through.

52. continued
If the line is busy, you need to ask the call if they want to
hold or call back.. Wait for the answer.
Don’t leave them holding for too long and explain what you
are doing
Every call needs to be dealt with courteously and efficiently.

53. Features of telephone systems
Paging
Pagers are small radio receivers which receive messages via
radio waves.
Voice Messaging systems
These resemble networks of answering machines. Recorded
messages can be sent from, and receive or listen the message
by dialling a code number from any tone telephone.

54. Teleconferencing
Teleconferencing enables you to hold meetings and
conferences by phone, video link or TV over any
distance.
Three way calling: this enables three persons to talk
together at the same time.
Collect call: The recipient pay the call charge.
(STD) Long distance call,
(IDD) International calls

55. Avoid slang and clichés.
“Bye-Bye” “Good-bye”
“See ya” “Thank you for calling”
“Uh-uh/Yeah” “Yes Sir/Madam”
“Be right up” “We will send it to your room
immediately”
“Just a second” “One moment please”
“I don’t know” “I am not quite sure, but I will find
out for you”
“Hold on” “Could you hold for one moment,
please?”

56. Handling guest’s message
1. A message in the computer system will
indicate to Reception that all messages, mail, fax, for
incoming hotel guests are to be passed onto the
guest at time of check in.
2. A message in the computer system will
indicate to Reception that all packages and large
items are to be delivered to the guest room after
check in.
3. All messages, mail, facsimiles, packages for in
house guests are to be delivered and or collected
within the same day.

57. Procedures
1. All mail received is to be time and date stamped.
2. Check all names against the computer system,
thoroughly.
3. Write the guestroom number on the envelope and
place in alphabetical order, in the Mail Box. Activate
the guestroom telephone message light by entering a
message into the computer system and send the
printed message to the room at the next batch of
sending.

58. continued
4. Photocopy the front of the envelope and
stamp the “Mail Notice” on the back of the
photocopy and fill in the column for date/time
received, location held and initials of receiver, then
file in the “Received Items File”.

59. Procedure (continued)
5. If the guest name cannot be located in the in
house guest list, check arrivals for the next seven
days, and check outs for past five days.
6. If mail received for a future arrival, enter a
comment in the guest’s reservation marked “Mail
HFA” (Mail Hold for Arrival).
7. If the guest to whom the mail is addressed
cannot be located, check the name against the Mail
Forward Book and redirect mail according any
instructions.
8 Any remaining should be placed in the Hold Mail
Box are to be checked daily for the next two weeks.

60. HANDLING SPECIAL DELIVERY,INSURED MAIL
1. Before any special delivery of mail may be
accepted, staff must check whether the guest is
registered with the Hotel, is an expected arrival or may
have left forwarding instructions (check Mail
Forwarding File) with the hotel.
2. If guest has left a forwarding address, staff should
not accept the letter but instead give the delivery man
the forwarding address.
3. If a guest is yet to arrive, enter a comment in the
message field of guest reservation, and a description of
the item received.
Time and date stamp the mail once it is accepted.

61. continued
5. Photocopy the front of the item and stamp the
“Mail Notice” on the back of the photocopy and fill in
the column date/time received, location and receivers
initials. File in the “Received Items File” for future
reference.
6. The item is then placed into the Mail Box in
alphabetical order, (or other designated storage area)
7

62. continued
 Call the guest in their room and offer to deliver the
item to the guest room. Have the Porter take up the
mail as per guest request then have the guest sign on
the “Mail Notice”. The photocopy will then be time
stamped and filed appropriately.
8.If the guest is not in their room, staff member to
leave a text message in the system and send a copy to
the guest room.

63. CONTINUED
9. Any Special Delivery Mail is to be kept for two weeks
after which it is to be returned to the addressee list on the
article.
10. Registered or insured mail which has not been
collected within two weeks should be returned to the
original sender in the same condition in which it was
delivered. Any return receipt should be attached and filed
in the record file.

64. Handling text message
1. Messages taken over the telephone, either by
the Hotel Operator or by Reception Staff are to be
keyed into the system accurately, then printed out.
2. The printed copy of these messages will be
collected at half hourly intervals then slipped under
the door for guest.
Sealed or handwritten messages are not to be
opened by staff but are to be treated as regular mail

65. Handling voice massage
1. Calls connected to the guestroom will be
prompted to either have the call reverted to the operator
or to the voicemail message system if not answered
within eight rings.
2. When the guest checks for messages at the
Reception Desk, staff are to check in the computer
system, the system will display text messages accordingly.

66. Handling Incoming Faxes
1.Any incoming fax received through the Business
Centre will be recorded on the Business Centre
Incoming fax record.
2. If the guest is not in, staff will leave a message in the
system and print a copy to send to the guestroom during
the next pick up.
3. The fax copy will be placed in an envelope, time
stamped also stamped “Incoming Fax”on the envelope
and sent to the guestroom during next batch pick up.

67. Standard style (continued)
Never response the guest in a rushed or hurried
manner.
“Good Morning/Afternoon/Evening, How may I
help you?
“May I ask you to hold for a moment, please?”
“Thank you for holding, Sir/Madam” (Use name if
known).
“Thank you for holding, this is _______, how may I
help you.”

68. continued
Always use “Please”, “Thank you”, and “You are welcome”,
as appropriate.
At the end of each conversation, thank the caller by using
his/her name and identify yourself, if appropriate.

69. BUSINESS LETTER WRITING
TAFE (2009)

70. Letter writing
The Start
Dear Human Resources Director,
Dear Sir or Madam: (use if you don't know
who you are writing to)
Dear Dr, Mr, Mrs, Miss or Ms Smith: (use if
you know who you are writing to, and have a
formal relationship with - VERY IMPORTANT
use Ms for women unless asked to use Mrs or
Miss)
Dear Frank: (use if the person is a close
business contact or friend)

71. continued
The Reference
With reference to your advertisement in today
newspaper,
your letter of 23 rd March,
your phone call today,
Thank you for your letter of March 5 th .

72. continued
I would be delighted to
Giving Bad News
Unfortunately
I am afraid that
Enclosing Documents
I am enclosing
Please find enclosed
Enclosed you will find

73. continued
Closing Remarks
Thank you for your help, Please contact us again
if we can help in any way.
there are any problems.
you have any questions.

74. continued
Reference to Future Contact
I look forward to ...
hearing from you soon.
meeting you next Tuesday.
seeing you next Thursday.

75. continued
The Finish
Yours faithfully, (If you don't know the name of
the person you're writing to)
Yours sincerely, (If you know the name of the
person you're writing to)
Best wishes,
Best regards, (If the person is a close business
contact or friend)

77. Business letter format
1. Return address of the letter writer.
1600 Main Street
Sydney, NSW 2001

2. The date of the letter.
This is usually typed in one of two ways:
(Begin with the day, no comma) 15 January
2006
 or
(Begin with the month; use a comma)
December 1, 2006

78. continued
3. Complete name, title, and address of the
recipient.
Use "Mr." for a male recipient. If you do not
know how a female recipient prefers to be
addressed, it is best to use "Ms."
Ms. Anna Brown, Chair
Department of Hospitality Management
Right State University
1415 University Drive
Sydney NSW 2010

79. continued
 4. Salutation with a colon.
 Dear Ms. Brown,
 5. Body of the letter.
It is best to keep an initial business letter short. Business
people are busy and do not have time to read long letters!
In a one-page letter, you will usually only need three or
four paragraphs, single spaced. Use a double space in
between paragraphs. See examples that follow.
6. Closing.
The most common closing is "Sincerely." Follow this with
a comma. Skip four single lines after the closing and type
your name. Sign your name in the space above your
name.
Sincerely,

80. continued
7. Enclosure.
If you are enclosing additional information with your
letter such as a resume or a curriculum vitae, skip two
single lines after your typed name and type
"Enclosure" or "Enclosures." If you use the plural, you
have the option of stating the number of enclosures in
parentheses.
Block Format
Type every line flush with the left margin

81. continued
Indented Format: Example 1
Indent your return address, the closing, your typed
name, and the optional enclosure
to the approximate center of the page (position 4.25"
to 4.5").

82. continued
Make sure you put the date on the letter.
Always include your address so they know where to send
the reply.
Address your letter to Dear Sir/Madam if you don't have a
contact name, because you don't know if they are male or
female.
Keep your letter clear, simple and to the point.
Make sure you spell all words correctly. Check a dictionary
to make sure.
'Yours faithfully' is a polite way of finishing a letter to
someone you don't know.
Otherwise 'Yours sincerely' is the conclusion to use.
Always keep a copy of the letter as a record of having sent
it.

83. Purpose of a Cover Letter
A cover letter is a summary of the reasons why
you are the best candidate for the position.
Its purpose is to make the reader want to
read more about you in your resume and to
get you an interview.