The document discusses communications and guest services in hotel front office operations. It covers front office procedures for communicating with guests and handling various requests, including taking telephone messages, maintaining transaction files of guest issues, providing directories with area information, displaying daily schedules and group information on reader boards, and handling mail, packages, faxes and other deliveries for guests. Proper telephone etiquette and use of technologies like voice mail and group broadcast messages are also addressed.

1. Chapter 6: Communications and Guest Services
Competencies for Communications and Guest Services
1. Describe front office procedures for communicating
with guests, and describe communications between
the front office and other hotel areas.
2. Identify typical service requests that guests make at
the front desk, and describe general approaches to
handling guest complaints.
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2. Chapter 6: Communications and Guest Services
Front Office Communications
• Guest communications
• Transaction file
• Information directory
• Reader board
• Group résumé book/file
• Mail and package handling
• Telecommunications services
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3. Chapter 6: Communications and Guest Services
Guest Communications
• No communication is more important in a hotel than the
communication between front office staff members and guests.
• The hotel must present a professional, positive image to guests in
all of its communications.
• When answering the telephone, staff members should provide a
warm and informative greeting to callers, not neglecting to
introduce themselves and asking how they can be of help.
• In face-to-face communication, staff members must include
appropriate body language and eye contact along with their use of
professional language, tone of voice, and demeanor.
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4. Chapter 6: Communications and Guest Services
Transaction File
• To have a record of important events and decisions during
previous work shifts, front desk agents maintain an
automated transaction file (or non-automated log book).
• A transaction file is a chronological journal that lists unusual
events, guest complaints or requests, and other relevant
information.
• Entries may be made to the transaction file throughout a work
shift.
• Before beginning a shift, front desk personnel should review
the transaction file, noting any current activities, situations
that require follow-up, or potential problems.
Continued
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5. Chapter 6: Communications and Guest Services
Transaction File Continued from previous slide…
• Entries should detail what happened, why, and when, as well
as who is making the entry (in case questions arise).
• Once a guest request or problem has been handled, an entry
should be made detailing how the situation was resolved.
• Transaction files help managers understand the activity of the
front desk staff and presents a documented record of issues
that may reveal patterns that, after careful analysis, can lead
to solutions.
• Rapid response software can help staff members record,
track, and complete guest service requests.
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6. Chapter 6: Communications and Guest Services
Information Directory
• An information directory typically contains the following
information:
• Area maps
• Taxi telephone numbers
• Airline telephone numbers
• Bank locations
• Theater locations
Continued
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7. Chapter 6: Communications and Guest Services
Information Directory Continued from previous slide…
• Church locations
• Shopping locations
• Restaurant locations/menus
• Special events schedules
• Some hotels have installed automated information terminals
or kiosks in their lobbies and other public areas, for guests to
directly access the types of information found in information
directories
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8. Chapter 6: Communications and Guest Services
Reader Board
• Reader boards provide a schedule of daily events at the hotel
• Today, this information may be found on display screens or in-room
televisions rather than traditional reader boards
• Information on a reader board usually includes:
• The names of the groups staying at the hotel
• The groups’ meeting rooms, agendas, and meeting times
• Digital reader boards may be placed near the front desk, in
elevators, in the lobby, and in the meeting room section of the
hotel
• At some hotels, the electronic reader board system is interfaced
with the sales/catering system, so that information may be updated
by the sales/catering staff as well as the front desk staff
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9. Chapter 6: Communications and Guest Services
Group Résumé Book/File
• Common in convention hotels, group résumé books or files contain
information for each group staying in the hotel, such as group
activities, billing instructions, key attendees, recreational
arrangements, arrival and departure patterns, and other important
information
• Many hotels make the group résumé book/file required reading for
front desk and uniformed staff at the beginning of each work shift
• Front desk staff members should use the group résumé/file to
become familiar with all incoming groups
• The group résumé book/file should be kept current and be easily
accessible to front desk staff
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10. Chapter 6: Communications and Guest Services
Mail and Package Handling
• Guests rely on the front office to relay delivered mail and packages
quickly and efficiently.
• Hotel policies for handling mail and packages are usually based on
the policies and regulations supplied by the U.S. Postal Service.
• Typically, front office staff members are expected to time-stamp all
guest mail when it arrives.
• When mail and packages arrive for guests, front desk records
should be checked to verify that those guests are currently
registered, are due to check in, or have checked out. There are
different mail/package handling procedures for each of these three
circumstances. Continued
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11. Chapter 6: Communications and Guest Services
Mail and Package Handling Continued from previous slide…
• Registered guests: Mail/packages for registered guests should be
time-stamped and held at the front office in a secure area; these
guests should be promptly notified.
• Guests due to check in: Mail/packages for guests due to check in
should be time-stamped and held until the guests check in, with a
notation made on each guest’s reservation record.
• Guests who have checked out: Mail/packages should be time-stamped
and returned to their senders, or to a forwarding address
if the guest left one with the hotel.
• Mail/packages requiring a signature upon delivery: Some hotels
allow front desk personnel to sign for such items on behalf of
guests; sometimes only the guest can sign for an item, in which
case the guest must be contacted and, if not found, notified that a
delivery attempt was made.
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12. Chapter 6: Communications and Guest Services
Telecommunications Services
• In-room local and long-distance telephone service
• Telephone messages
• Voice mailboxes
• Broadcast messages for groups
• Facsimiles
• Wake-up services
• E-mail and data services
• TDDs
• Call broadcast
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13. Chapter 6: Communications and Guest Services
In-Room Local and Long-Distance Telephone Service
• Historically, hotels have provided in-room local and long-distance
telephone service twenty-four hours a day.
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14. Chapter 6: Communications and Guest Services
Telephone Messages
• Telephone messages taken by front desk staff should be time-stamped
and relayed to the guestroom phone or maintained
at the front desk for arriving guests.
• If guestroom phones are equipped with a message indicator
light, the front desk agent should switch on this light to alert
guests that a message is waiting for pickup.
• The hotel’s telephone system may be programmed to
automatically turn on the guestroom message light when it
receives a voice mail message.
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15. Chapter 6: Communications and Guest Services
Voice Mailboxes
• Devices that can record spoken messages for guests.
• Callers wishing to leave a voice mail message simply speak into the
phone when prompted; the message is recorded by the voice
mailbox system.
• To retrieve a message, the guest typically presses a designated
telephone key or enters an access code; the recorded message is
then played.
• A major advantage of voice mail is that the message is captured in
the caller’s voice.
• Voice mail offers improved confidentiality of messages.
• If a hotel has a voice mail system, front desk agents or hotel
telephone operators do not have to try to interpret unclear
messages left with them by callers.
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16. Chapter 6: Communications and Guest Services
Broadcast Messages for Groups
• A hotel telephone system with a group broadcast feature
makes it possible for guestrooms associated with a specific
group to automatically receive the same special message
simultaneously.
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17. Chapter 6: Communications and Guest Services
Facsimiles
• Facsimiles or faxes are usually treated like mail, but with
special care, as guests are often waiting for faxes.
• If a fax has special delivery instructions, such as “deliver
immediately to Meeting Room X,” those instructions should
be followed.
• If no special delivery instructions are provided, the front desk
staff may store the fax and turn on the message light in the
guestroom or otherwise notify the guest of the fax.
• Faxes are automatically time-stamped and do not come in an
envelope (the hotel may have a policy of putting faxes in
envelopes before delivery to guests).
Continued
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18. Chapter 6: Communications and Guest Services
Facsimiles Continued from previous slide…
• Faxes should be treated as confidential; hotel staff should
never read a fax.
• Front desk agents should record when the guest was notified
of the fax and when the guest picked up the fax.
• If a fax is undeliverable, the hotel should immediately notify
the sender.
• Most hotels charge guests to send faxes, since there are
telecommunication costs involved.
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19. Chapter 6: Communications and Guest Services
Wake-Up Services
• Front desk agents must pay special attention to wake-up call
requests.
• Front office mechanical or automated systems can remind
front desk agents to place wake-up calls, or an automated
system may be programmed to place the calls and play a
recorded wake-up message.
Continued
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20. Chapter 6: Communications and Guest Services
Wake-Up Services Continued from previous slide…
• Despite advances in technology, some hotels may prefer that
front desk agents or telephone operators make wake-up calls,
to provide a more personal touch.
• Typically, the clock relied upon for wake-up-call purposes is
the hotel clock; therefore, this clock should be checked
regularly to ensure that it is correct.
• In some hotels, guests can dial a special telephone extension
from the guestroom phone and follow the instructions
provided by the system to request an automated wake-up call.
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21. Chapter 6: Communications and Guest Services
E-Mail and Data Services
• Most hotel guests have business and personal e-mail accounts
or company data files that they need to access while traveling.
• Guests with a laptop, notebook, or mobile device can use the
hotel’s high-speed Internet access in their guestrooms or the
hotel’s public areas to connect to the web, if the hotel offers
that service.
• Guests may use a guestroom telephone line as a data port.
• Hotels may provide e-mail/data services for free or may
charge a fee.
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22. Chapter 6: Communications and Guest Services
TDDs
• A TDD (telecommunications device for the deaf) is a specially
designed piece of equipment for placing and conducting
telephone calls.
• The Americans with Disabilities Act requires that hotels make
available, upon request, a TDD for use by guests who request
one.
• The front desk should have a TDD device to handle in-house
calls from hearing- or speech-impaired guests.
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23. Chapter 6: Communications and Guest Services
Call Broadcast
• A call broadcast feature allows the hotel’s telephone system
to place calls to all occupied guestrooms simultaneously, or to
a designated group of rooms.
• In emergencies, a call broadcast capability allows
management to place calls to all occupied guestrooms
simultaneously to alert guests.
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24. Chapter 6: Communications and Guest Services
Interdepartmental Communications
• Many services in a hotel require coordination between the
front office staff and staff in other hotel areas. Typically, the
front desk staff communicates the most with:
• Housekeeping
• Engineering and maintenance
• Revenue centers
• Marketing and public relations
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25. Chapter 6: Communications and Guest Services
Housekeeping
• The housekeeping staff and front office staff must keep each
other informed of changes in guestroom status.
• The more familiar the front office staff is with housekeeping
procedures, and vice versa, the smoother the relationship will
be between the two departments.
• Housekeeping personnel must know the status of every room,
along with any guest requests.
Continued
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26. Chapter 6: Communications and Guest Services
Housekeeping Continued from previous slide…
• Most hotels have property management systems that can
communicate room status through workstations and mobile
devices used by housekeeping staff.
• Front desk agents usually telephone housekeeping staff
members when they receive special guest requests.
• The front office manager and housekeeping manager should
meet frequently to review upcoming hotel activities and
coordinate their guest service efforts.
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27. Chapter 6: Communications and Guest Services
Engineering and Maintenance
• In many hotels, engineering and maintenance personnel begin each
shift by examining the front office log book or specialty software for
repair work orders.
• Hotels may use a multiple-part work order form or a real-time data
entry system to report maintenance problems.
• When work is completed, the engineering and maintenance staff
informs the department that filed the work request order.
• If a maintenance problem renders a room unsalable, housekeeping
staff must be informed immediately when the problem is resolved
so the room can be readied for sale and placed back in the rooms
inventory.
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28. Chapter 6: Communications and Guest Services
Revenue Centers
• Dining rooms, snack bars, and specialty restaurants
• Bars, lounges, and nightclubs
• Room service operations
• Business centers
• Dry cleaning/valet service
• Vending machines
• Gift shops, barbershops, and newsstands
• Banquet, meeting, and catering facilities
Continued
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29. Chapter 6: Communications and Guest Services
Revenue Centers Continued from previous slide…
• Local and long-distance telephone service
• Health clubs, golf courses, and exercise rooms
• Car rentals, limousine services, and tours
• Casinos and gaming activities
• Pay-per-view television movies
• In-room entertainment (video games, web TV)
• Valet parking and parking garages
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30. Chapter 6: Communications and Guest Services
Marketing and Public Relations
• Front office staff should be among the first to know about
events the hotel schedules for publicity.
• In many ways, the effectiveness of a hotel’s marketing and
public relations efforts depends on the participation and
enthusiasm of front office staff.
• Front office staff members may contribute to hotel
newsletters, guest history files, and customized registration
and check-out processes that can greatly help personalize
services for returning guests.
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31. Chapter 6: Communications and Guest Services
Guest Services
• The front desk is responsible for coordinating guest services.
• Typical guest services involve providing information, providing special
equipment and supplies, and responding to other special requests.
• Requests that fall outside the front office’s responsibility should be
quickly referred to the appropriate person or department.
• A growing number of hotels employ a concierge or other designated
staff member to handle guest requests.
• Some hotels have centralized guest service centers; guests dial a
designated number or press a button on their guestroom telephone to
place requests that the service center staff then handles.
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32. Chapter 6: Communications and Guest Services
Equipment and Supplies
• Guests may request special equipment and/or supplies while
making a reservation, at the time of registration, or during
occupancy.
• Reservations agents should have a reliable method for recording
special requests, to ensure that they are properly met.
• After registration, a guest who needs special equipment or
supplies will almost always contact the front desk, which in turn
contacts the appropriate service center or department.
Continued
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33. Chapter 6: Communications and Guest Services
Equipment and Supplies Continued from previous slide…
• Front desk agents should have alternate ways of meeting
guest requests when the department that normally handles
the request is closed or inaccessible (i.e., agents may be given
access to housekeeping supplies during late-night hours).
• Equipment and supplies commonly requested by guests
include: rollaway beds/cribs, additional linens/pillows, irons
and ironing boards, additional clothes hangers, audiovisual
and office equipment, high-speed Internet connectors, and
special equipment for guests with disabilities.
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34. Chapter 6: Communications and Guest Services
Special Procedures
• Guests may ask for special considerations when making a
reservation or at any point during their stay.
• Reservations and front desk agents must have a reliable
method of recording special guest requests.
• Meeting some guest requests may call for exceptions to
standard front office procedures.
• Special guest requests may include requesting a split folio or a
master folio.
• Some hotels assign a concierge to handle special requests, or
may have a centralized guest service center.
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35. Chapter 6: Communications and Guest Services
Guest Relations
• Despite front office efficiency and attentiveness, guests will occasionally
be disappointed or find fault with something or someone in the front
office.
• The high visibility of front office staff members means that they are
usually the first to learn of guest complaints.
• Front office staff should be especially attentive to guests with
complaints and seek a timely and satisfactory resolution.
• When guests find it easy to express their opinions, both the front office
staff and the guests benefit: the front office staff learns of potential or
actual problems and has the opportunity to resolve them quickly and
keep guests happy; the guests receive attentive service and enjoy the
satisfaction of seeing their complaints resolved.
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36. Chapter 6: Communications and Guest Services
Categories of Guest Complaints
• Mechanical
• Attitudinal
• Service-related
• Unusual
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37. Chapter 6: Communications and Guest Services
Mechanical Complaints
• Involve hotel equipment malfunctions.
• Typically include problems with guestroom climate controls,
lighting, electricity, furnishings, ice and vending machines,
door keys, plumbing, TVs, and elevators.
• Using a work order system can help reduce the frequency of
mechanical complaints.
• It is essential that staff members with the right skills be
dispatched as quickly as possible with the proper tools to
correct mechanical problems.
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38. Chapter 6: Communications and Guest Services
Attitudinal Complaints
• Guests may make attitudinal complaints when they feel they
have been poorly treated by hotel staff members or overhear
inappropriate staff conversations.
• Guests should not be exposed to employees arguing, or
become sounding boards for employee problems; hotel
managers, not guests, should listen and attend to employee
complaints and problems.
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39. Chapter 6: Communications and Guest Services
Service-Related Complaints
• Guests make service-related complaints when they
experience a problem with hotel service.
• Service-related complaints can be wide-ranging and can
include complaints about long lines, lack of assistance from
staff, untidy guestrooms, missed wake-up calls, ill-prepared
food, and so on.
• Staff members typically receive more service-related requests
when the hotel is operating at or near capacity.
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40. Chapter 6: Communications and Guest Services
Unusual Complaints
• Staff members may receive unusual complaints about
circumstances over which they have little or no control.
• Unusual guest complaints include complaints about the lack
of a hotel swimming pool, lack of public transportation in the
local community, bad weather, etc.
• Staff members should be trained to listen patiently to unusual
requests and respond with appropriate guest-relations
techniques (i.e., remain patient, friendly, and sympathetic).
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41. Chapter 6: Communications and Guest Services
Identifying Complaints
• Complaints may be identified by reviewing a properly kept
front office transaction file.
• Guest comment cards, online surveys, and questionnaires
may also help managers identify guest complaints.
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42. Chapter 6: Communications and Guest Services
Handling Complaints
• Listen
• Isolate the guest from other guests
• Stay calm
• Preserve the guest’s self-esteem
• Give undivided attention to the guest
• Take notes
• Tell guest what can be done
• Set a timeline for action
• Monitor progress
• Follow up
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