The document outlines the structure and functioning of the front office in a hotel, detailing its organization, personnel roles, and key operations like guest registration and reservations. It also describes various front office systems, including non-automated and semi-automated methods, as well as the responsibilities of the rooms division manager and front office staff. Additionally, it provides an overview of the guest cycle, room types, and operational procedures within the front office environment.

1. FRONT OFFICE

2. Course Outline – Learning Objectives
 Front Office Organization Structure
 Rooms Division
 Front Office Personnel

3. The Front Office
The front office of a hotel generally performs
the following basic activities:
 Processing advance reservations
 Registering guests- check in
 Rooming guests
 Handling guests’ luggage
 Issuing room keys
 Providing information

4. The Front Office
 Handling guests’ mail and parcel
 Administering telephone service
 Accounting (making payments and billing)
 Checking out guests

5. 5
Non-Automated Front Office
Systems
 Handwritten forms
 Reservation index cards
 Density board blocked reserved rooms
 Registration cards—multiple copies
 Time stamp
 Room rack: housekeeping status of each room
 Vouchers received from point-of-sale areas
 Charges handwritten to folios
 Adding machine tape attached at check-out
 Night audit cross-checked folio charges to
vouchers and verified settlement

6. 6
Semi-Automated Front Office
Systems
 Handwritten and machine-produced forms
 National reservation networks
 Pre-registration activities
 Density board blocked reserved rooms
 Registration cards—preprinted and multiple copies
 Room rack: housekeeping status of each room
 Vouchers received from point-of-sale areas
 Posting machines recorded charges to guest folios
 Night audit cross-checked folio charges to
vouchers and verified settlement

7. 7
Property Management Systems
 Reservations
 Rooms management
 Guest account management
 General management
 Point-of-sale (POS) system
 Magnetic strip readers
 Credit cards
 Debit cards
 Smart cards

8. The Guest Cycle
 Pre-arrival
 Arrival
 Occupancy
 Departure

9. Organizational Chart
Front Office Manager
Chief
Concierge
Assistant
Front Office Manager
Reception
Supervisor
Reservations
Manager
Telephone
Supervisor
Secretary
Assistant
Manager
Assistant
Chief ConciergeAirport
Supervisor
Airport
Representative
Guest Relations Officer
Concierge
Bell Boy
Valet
Parking
attendant
Assistant
Reception
Supervisor
Senior Reception
Reception
Reservations
Supervisor
Reservations
Clerk
Assistant
Telephone
Supervisor
Telephone
Operator

10. Rooms Division
The structure of the rooms division will vary
from hotel to hotel.
These variations can be caused by
differences in the size of hotels, the types
and level of services, and the organization
preferences of management.

11. Rooms Division
The major departments in the rooms division
are front office and housekeeping. A few
hotel may also include security.
These departments come under the control of
the Rooms Division Manager or Director of
rooms.

12. 12
Room Status Terms
 Occupied
 Complimentary
 Stay over
 On-change
 Do not disturb
 Sleep-out
 Skipper
 Sleeper
(continued)

13. Room Status Terms
 Vacant and ready
 Out-of-order
 Due out
 Check-out
 Late check-out

14. 14
Room Types
 Single
 Double
 Triple
 Quad
 Queen
 King
 Twin
 Double-double
 Studio
 Mini-suite or junior suite
 Suite
 Connecting rooms
 Adjoining rooms
 Adjacent rooms

15. Front Office Personnel
The front office is the nerve centre of hotel
operations
Hotel personnel are there to serve guests
An important aspect of this is providing a
good first impression of the establishment to
guests

16. Front Office Personnel
People are involved in serving guests are :
 Reception (Front Desk Clerk, Front Office
Agent, Receptionist)
 Reservations Clerk
 Concierge
 Bell (Porter)
 Airport Representative
 Telephone Operator

17. Rooms Division Manager
A rooms division manager has the following duties:
 Responsible for the supervision of employees
engaged in the operation of the front areas of the
hotel
 Coordinates with other departments in the hotel and
maintains open communications with them to find
better ways to serve the guests
 Maintains responsibility for staffing, purchasing, and
budgeting
 Supervises the rooms division payroll, availability
controls, and monthly plans

18. Rooms Division Manager
 Creates plans to maximize the average daily
rate and percentage of occupancy
 Handles customer complaints and
suggestions
 Stays up to date with events taking place in
the market, in market segments, and in the
competition

19. Rooms Division Manager
Rooms division manager’s knowledge
required includes a complete understanding of
hotel operations, specifically those operations
involving the front office, housekeeping and
basic accounting procedures.

20. Front Office Manager
 It is the basic function of the front office
manager to directly supervise the front desk,
reservations, concierge and PABX.
 He/she is also assists the rooms division
manager in compiling information for reports.

21. Front Office Manager
Other duties of the front office manager include
the following:
 Assists in the training and cross-training of
front office employees
 Prepares monthly reports
 Assists the rooms division manager in
formulation and implementation of front office
policies and procedures

22. Front Office Manager
 Reviews and approves all room moves and
room rate changes to ensure they were
necessary
 Handles guest complaints and follows them
up to reduce future complaints
 Assists the rooms division manager in
forecasting room availability to ensure that
the optimal level of occupancy is attained

23. Front Office Manager
 Is available to work in the front office area
where there may be a shortage of staff
 Maintains the necessary stock of supplies in
all front office areas, while controlling costs in
these areas

24. Front Desk Supervisor
It is the front desk supervisor’s basic function
to directly supervise the front desk procedures
that include check-in and check-out.
The front desk supervisor performs the
following duties:
 Trains and cross-trains front desk personnel in
the tasks of registration, mail handling,
information services, and check-in and check-
out procedures

25. Front Desk Supervisor
 Regulates the service given in the front desk
 Acts as a liaison between the guests and
management, particularly with regard to
problem-solving activities
 Is responsible for seeing that daily and hourly
computer reports are run and distributed
 Assigns VIP rooms to ensure guest
satisfaction
 Resolves room discrepancy report

26. Front Desk Supervisor
 Prepares the weekly/monthly schedule of
employees
 Assist the group coordinator with all group
arrivals, either directly or through the
delegation of this duty to other front desk staff

27. Reception (Front Desk Agent)
The reception provides the first initial contact
a guest has with the hotel.
After this contact, guests feel that the
reception is the place to call or go when they
have a question or problem.

28. Reception (Front Desk Agent)
The basic functions performed by the
reception are the registering process and the
assisting of guests with any requests they
make.
The reception’s duties include the following:
 Handles the guest registration process and
adheres to all hotel credit policies in the
process
 Handles guest check-out procedure

29. Reception (Front Desk Agent)
 Always answers the front desk phone with
three rings or less
 Attempts to sellup guest rooms, and informs
and sells the guest on all hotel services and
facilities
 Is aware of all daily events in the hotel and
local area
 Handles guest mail and reservations when
the reservations department is closed

30. Reception (Front Desk Agent)
 Coordinates room status updates with
housekeeping department
 Ensure completion of guest registration card
 Identifies guests’ length of stay requirement
 Coordinates maintenance work with the
engineering and maintenance division
 Maintains guestroom key storage

31. Reservations Manager
The reservations manager’s basic functions
are to supervise and oversee all the
operations of the reservations area.
He or she must assure that all reservations,
both group and individual, are recorded and
followed up on as necessary.

32. Reservations Manager
Other duties of reservations manager is to
perform the following:
 Making sure proper telephone etiquette is
used and correct information is being given to
potential guests
 Being sure that personal service is stressed
and that sales techniques are being used
appropriately

33. Reservations Manager
 Following up on tentative booking, watching
cut-off dates, and monitoring group tour
business accounts blocks for productivity
 Training reservation agents and setting up
cross-training programs
 Reviewing all VIP reservations and working
with the rooms division manager and the front
office manager on assignments

34. Reservations Manager
 Preparing and distributing reports to
concerned departments a weekly, monthly
reservations and revenue forecast
 Handling requests for reservation information
and room rates
 Developing and maintaining a solid working
relationship with the central reservations
office and travel agents

35. Reservations Clerk
The reservations clerk is responsible for
taking reservations and for providing future
guests with information about the facilities of
the hotel.
Duties performed by reservations clerk includes:
Giving friendly and courteous service to
future guests while involved in telephone
sales

36. Reservations Clerk
 Answering all reservation phone calls, taking
reservations, and dealing with reservations
correspondence
 Dealing with group bookings such as
cancellations, changes, and rooming lists
 Checking to see that all equipment is working
properly and that the needed amount of
supplies is on hand

37. Reservations Clerk
 Conducting telemarketing under the direction
of the director of sales and marketing

38. Concierge
Concierge services are common in European
hotels and available for over a century.
Today, most full-service hotels in America
and Asian Countries are also available.
The basic task of a concierge is to serve as
the guest’s liaison with both hotel and non-
hotel services.

39. Concierge
In a sense, the function of a concierge is an
extension of the function of a front desk agent
A concierge must be resourceful and
knowledgeable about the hotel and the
surrounding community. Regardless of
whether concern in-hotel or off-premises
attractions, facilities, services, or activities, a
concierge specializes in providing assistance
to guests.

40. Concierge
Typical guest requests handled by a concierge include:
 Providing directions and information
 Making airplane, theater, train ticket
 Reservations for dining
 Arranging for secretarial services
 Handling mail and parcel services
 Arranging sightseeing tours
 Transportation arrangement
 Limousine services

41. Concierge
Airport representatives
 Greet hotel guests at airport
 Arrange taxis from airport
 Take hotel bookings
 Assist departing

42. Telephone Operator
 PABX stands for private automatic branch
exchange. This area is commonly referred to
as the switchboard and is staffed by
switchboard / telephone operators.
 Most large hotels have room-to-room dialing
by which guests in one room can dial directly
to another room

43. Telephone Operator
The greatest duty of a telephone operator is
that of transferring calls from outside the
hotel to the appropriate guest room.
For security measurement, operators must do
this without giving out the room number of a
hotel guest.

44. Telephone Operator
The telephone operator may seldom be face-
to-face with guests of the hotel, but plays an
important role in representing the hotel to the
guest. For this position, a friendly and
courteous tone of voice is all-important.
The duties of the telephone operator include:
 Answers incoming calls
 Directs calls to guestrooms through the
switchboard / PABX system

45. Telephone Operator
 Provides information on guest services
 Processes guest wake-up calls
 Answers inquiries about hotel facilities and
events

46. Guest Relations Officers (GRO)
 Make guests feel welcome
 Provide personal services
 Handle guests problems and complaints
 Take care for VIPs and frequent guests,
escorting them on arrival

47. Front Office cashier
 Prepare and settle of guests accounts
 Administer the safe deposit boxes
 Provide a foreign currency exchange service

48. Business centre
 Fax, photocopying and secretarial service
 Translation,
 Hire of equipment (e.g. lap-top computer &
mobile phone)
 Meeting-room rental

49. Night Auditor
 Checking and completion of guest and hotel
accounts, audit revenue and payments
 Producing statistics, room tax posted and
summaries of revenue , reports record, track
occupancy percentage

50. Front Office work shifts
 Morning shift
 07:00 to 16:00 hours
 Evening shift
 15:00 to 00:00 hours
 Overnight shift
 22:00 to 07:00 hours
 Middle shift
 11:00 to 19:00 hours
Panzer Shift – 18:00 to 03:00hrs

51. THANK YOU
Saurabh Bharti – Hospitality Professional