This document provides an overview of the front office department in the hospitality industry. It describes the front office as the most important department that acts as the interface between the hotel and its guests. The summary explains that the front office is responsible for communication, accounting, and fulfilling various guest needs. It also includes organizational charts showing the structure and positions within the front office department, along with descriptions of the main duties for each front office role.

1. Introduction to front
office department
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2. CHAPTER FOCUS POINT
 Describe the significant of front office
in tourism and hospitality business
 Construct front office organizational
chart line within a hotel or any tourism
and hospitality business
 Explain personnel job specification,
responsibilities among position,
departments and division within a
hotel
 Describe the activities in each guest
cycle stage of a hotel 2

3. INTRODUCTION
OF FRONT
OFFICE
DEPARTMENT
3

4.  Most important department in the
hotel
- nerve for hotel operation
- Interface between a hotel and its
guest
 Guest makes first contact with FO
department
 First place that can makes guest
develop an impression about the
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FRONT OFFICE DEPARTMENT

5. FRONT OFFICE DEPARTMENT
 Communication and Accounting
are the most important functions
of the front desk operation.
 Accounting procedure involve
- settlement of the guest bills
- accepted advance booking of
hotel rooms
- settle bills at the time of check-
out 5

6. FRONT OFFICE DEPARTMENT
 Effective Communication with
- guest
* processing the guest reservation
* handling the guest reception
* fulfill the guest inquiry usage in the
hotel
such as internet facilities, safe deposit
* check-in and check out the guest
- other departments of the hotel etc.
* maintaining the room status 6

7. Front office department
 FO department operates 24 hours a
day
 Three main shifts in FO department
Morning – day shift
7.00 a.m – 3.00 p.m
Day – evening shift
3.00 p.m – 11.00 p.m
Night shift
11.00 p.m – 7.00 p.m 7

8. FRONT OFFICE
ORGANIZATIONA
L CHART
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9. Organizational chart
 Organization structure of FO department
varies
 It is depends on the size and style of
operation of the hotel
 It can be categorized into
- Small sized hotel
- Medium sized hotel
- Large sized hotel
( Refer to the Figure 1.1, 1.2 and 1.3 for
organizational structure of FO
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10. DUTIES OF FRONT
OFFICE
PERSONNEL
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11. Duties of front office
personnel
FRONT OFFICE
PERSONNEL
CASHIER
RESERVATIONS
AGENT
NIGHT
AUDITOR
TELEPHONE
OPERATOR
CONCIERGE
RECEPTIONIST
FRONT OFFICE
MANAGER
BELL BOY
DOOR
ATTENDANT
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1
2
3
4 5
6
7
8
9

12. Duties of front office
personnel
 FRONT OFFICE MANAGER
- Direct and coordinate the activities of the front office
department
- Perform the function of a link between the
management and front office employees
- responsible for hiring, training, supervising and
disciplinary all front desk, reservation, and guest
services staff members in order to maintain the
desired standard of service
- prepared the budget for the front office department
- evaluate the job performance of each front office
employee
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13. Duties of front office
personnel
 BELL BOY
- Handling guest luggage at the time of
arrival
and departure
- Escorting guests to their rooms on arrival
- Familiarizing guests about safety features
and
in-room facilities
- Locating a guest in a specified area of the
hotel
- Posting guests mails
13

14. Duties of front office
personnel
 CASHIER
* Receiving payment
* Balancing guest account
* Opening and maintaining the guest
folios
* Recording all credit charges in guest
folios
* Preparing bills at the time of check-out
* Handling credits/debit/charge cards for
the
settlement of a guest account
* Administer the safe deposit system
* Handling foreign currency 14

15. Duties of front office
personnel
 DOOR ATTENDANT
* Open the doors of guests’ vehicles
on their
arrival in the hotel portico
* Help bell boys in lifting luggage
* Open the hotels’ entrance door for
guests
* Coordinate with parking attendants
for parking guests’ vehicles in the
hotels’ parking area. 15

16. Duties of front office
personnel
 NIGHT AUDIT
* Preparing the night audit report
* Check-in and check-out guest who
arrive or
depart after 11.00p.m
* processing the reservations
* performing the duties of security guard
* monitoring fire safety system
* Act as cashier for banquet function
* performing the duties of manager on
duty 16

17. Duties of front office
personnel
 RECEPTIONIST
* greeting guest
* handling special request
* handling check-in and check-
out
* providing information to guest
* assigning rooms and
dispensing guest room keys
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18. Duties of front office
personnel
 CONCIERGE
* Making reservations for dining in famous
restaurant
* Arranging tours, limousine, and
entertainment
ticket
* Maintaining good relationship with
hospitality
industry
* Personal helper to VIP
* Obtaining tickets for theatres, musicals etc
* Provide latest information of events
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19. Duties of front office
personnel
 RESERVATION AGENT
* Handling guaranteed and non-guaranteed
reservation
* up sell accommodation
* Prepared the expected arrival list and the
expected
departure list every day
* Prepared a guest folder and to keep the
mails and messages of guest with
reservation doc
* Providing management information to other
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20. Duties of front office
personnel
TELEPHONE OPERATOR
* processing all incoming and outgoing
calls
* log all wake-up call on the system
* Answer questions about the hotel’s
services
and product
* taking message
* operating hotel paying system
* direct incoming calls to the desired
extension
* provide paging services for guest and
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21. 21
GUEST CYCLE
STAGE

22. GUEST CYCLE STAGE
GUEST CYCLE
STAGE
PRE-ARRIVAL
ARRIVAL
IN-HOUSE
DEPARTURE
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23. GUEST CYCLE STAGE
 PRE-ARRIVAL
* Reservations
 ARRIVAL
* Registration
* Room assignment
* Issuance of room key
* Baggage handling
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24. GUEST CYCLE STAGE
 IN-HOUSE
* Mail and message handling
* Maintenance of guest account
* Paging and travel assistance
* Safe deposit, currency exchange
 DEPARTURE
* Preparing the guest bill
* Settlement of guest account
* Transportation
* Future reservation
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25. THANK YOU
!!
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