The front office department has three main responsibilities: 1) coordinating guest services from reservation to check-out, 2) centralizing operating information in property management systems (PMS) reports, and 3) facilitating the work of other hotel staff. PMS reports containing data on reservations, occupancy rates, and other metrics are used by managers across departments to make decisions, develop work plans, schedule staff, and maximize room sales and revenue. As the primary guest contact point and centralizer of key operational data, the front office effectively serves as the "hub" that coordinates services for guests and drives planning and scheduling in all other hotel departments.

1. Integrated Operation in Front Office
Session 10
Front Office Operations

2. How information from FO Department
will assist all departments.

3. The responsibilities of the
front office department are
threefold
1. Coordination of guest services
2. Centralization of operating information
3. Facilitation of work of hotelstaff

4. Coordination of guest services. Front oHice personnel
assist guests as they make hotel reservations and register
at the hotel. Service continues as guests’ needs are
addressed during their visit and when they check out at
the end of their stay. From the perspective of guests, the
front office is the primary point of contact to obtain
assistance of almost any type. Front office personnel
represent their peers as they deliver service that reflects
the attitude of hospitality that guests desire and deserve.
Coordination of guest
services

5. Centralization of operating
information
FOMs, the property’s general manager, and staff in all
departments need accurate and timely information to
make decisions. Much of the data required for short and
long-term decision making is collected by the FOM and his
or her team and is distributed to decision makers in PMS
reports. Most of the hotel’s revenue is generated from
room sales, which are affected by interactions among the
'FOM, general manager, and director of sales and
marketing. Using information in PMS reports, they develop
tactics to maximize the sale of rooms to transient guests
and to groups.

6. Facilitation of work of
hotelstaff
Facilitation of work of hotel staff Department heads use
PMS reports by the front office department to develop
work plans, to schedule staff members, and to make work
assignments. Much of this effort is focused on having
guestrooms available that meet the property’s quality
standards and on providing guests the services they want.

7. Front Office: the hub that
coordinates services of all Hotel
departments to guests.

8. Every department and every staff member management and
non-management contribute value to the organization. The front
office staff serves guests and assists their peers as they work to
make each guests visit as enjoyable as possible. In this way the
FOM and his or her staff contribute to the hotel’s profitability,
because if guests are satisfied, the hotel can compete
successfully with other properties marketing to the same
travelers.
The important task of anticipating and addressing guests’ needs
begins with an attitude of hospitality and genuine concern for
doing so. Technology helps managers and staff to deal with the
volume of business, but the hospitality “delivered” by the hotel’s
staff, including those in the front office, remains the critical factor
in making the hotel successful.
Integrated Front Office Operation

9. Department Directly Indirectly Comment
General
Manager
√ Managers with property wide
responsibility are on site during
times of high business volume.
Marketing &
Sales
√ Managers and account
representatives must be
available to assist groups.
F&B √ Front Office forecasts drive
operation planning.
Accounting √ Managers with property wide
responsibility are on site during
times of high business volume.
Front Office: Hub of the Hotel
Front Office Information Drives Scheduling

10. Department Directly Indirectly Comment
Housekeeping √ Front Office
forecasts drive
operation planning.
Security √ Front Office
forecasts drive
operation planning.
Maintenance
& Engineering
√ Front Office
forecasts drive
operation planning.
Front Office: Hub of the Hotel

11. All or most managers in all departments are likely to be on-site
during times of high business volume. These times are known
because of information from front office reports. The general
manager and his or her staff. and the controller and accounting
department, can assist with control and coordination activities.
Marketing and sales manager will want to be available when there is
significant within-hotel business, especially when it is from groups
that they have attracted to the property and that require their
personal services to "deliver" what the contract specifies.
Managers in the food and beverage, housekeeping, security, and
maintenance and engineering departments will likely see their work
volume directly affected by the occupancy rates forecasted by the
front office. Because labor and labor-related expenses are their
largest category of operating costs, these departments need
accurate forecasts of business volume so that labor can be
scheduled at a level allowing service standards to be met cost
effectively.
Front Office: Hub of the Hotel

12. Department Examples
General Manager Data used for daily, weekly and longer term decision
making.
Marketing & Sales Data used to determine whether group business for
specific dates is profitable and to set rates for transient
guests.
F&B Data used to plan business volume for a la carte
dining, room service, and banquet operations.
Accounting Account receivable data generated as guest folios are
closed, revenue data used to generate financial report,
and direct billing activities result from front office
sales.
Housekeeping Data used to plan business volume for meeting space
setup, guestroom cleaning, and guest service requests.
Front Office information used by all
departments for purposes other than
scheduling.

13. Security Data used to plan for special
security needs because of
increased or special business
volume.
Maintenance &
Engineering
Data used to plan when extensive
maintenance can be done and
when additional assistance may
be needed to minimize out of
order rooms.
Front Office information used by all
departments for purposes other
than scheduling.
Department Examples

14. References
• Robert H. Woods ... [et al.].. 2007. Professional front office
management. 1STBL. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey.
ISBN:0131700693 (Chapter 9).

15. Thank You
HAVE A GOOD DAY