Understanding the front office department in a hotel
The front desk, which has direct interaction with visitors, is a crucial aspect of the hotel.
Reservation, guest service, check-in, check-out, telephone, finance & cashiering, foreign
exchange, room assignment, inquiry, etc. are some of this department's primary responsibilities.
The center of a hotel is sometimes referred to as the front desk. It is a front of the housing
department that is situated near the foyer and lobby of a lodging establishment. They are
collectively referred to as "Front Office" since they are situated close to the hotel lobby and are
open to guests, clients, and outsiders.
Three tips to run your front office department smoothly.
1. Bring local knowledge to your guests.
Visitors to hotels are frequently in an unfamiliar location when they arrive. Guidebooks
and tourist information may be useful, but they cannot replace actual local expertise.
Every team member in the front desk division should be knowledgeable enough about
the area to help visitors who have inquiries about the area. They should be able to
recommend restaurants, the best shopping, how to find local attractions and events, and
what leisure activities are available. Creating a unique tourist guide for your guests is a
good way to pass along suggestions. Hotels can also offer coupons and discounts, and
offer to handle bookings for their guests.
2. Make sure you train your staff continuously.
Training and development for employees ought to be ongoing. Staff members will need
to be equipped for a variety of contingencies, which frequent training will provide. Staff
members who receive ongoing training and assistance become empowered individuals
with the knowledge and assurance to react professionally and successfully to all
situations. To train your personnel on both their core competencies and supplementary
skills, such communication and time management, you will need a clearly defined
training plan. An operations document that describes duties and best practices should
be available at the front desk.
3. Know your guests plan for their wishes.
It’s useful to know if they have a specific room they prefer or small details such as
wanting an extra blanket or a pillow. It can also be helpful to learn small facts about the
guests themselves, such as their profession and names of family or pets. A hotel PMS
(property management system) allows you to store detailed information on each guest
and offer a welcome with a personal touch.
The front office department performs the following activities:
·Processing advance reservation
·Registering guests
·Rooming guests
·Handling guests’ luggage
·Issuing room keys
·Providing information
·Handling guest mail and parcel
·Administering telephone service
·Accounting (making Parment and billing)
Checking out guest
Front office hierarchy/Organizational Chart (Large Hotel)
Front Office Manager directly supervises all front office personnel and ensures proper
completion of all front office duties. Assistant Front Office Managers was responsible to assist
the Front office manager in his day to operations and also take charge when FOM is not
available. In bitween the FOM and AFOM was the Reservation Manager and night auditor, the
Reservation manager was responsible for all the quest relation related activities in the motel
with reservation supervisor and reservation agents. And the night auditor was responsible for
controling the job of the account receivable clerk prepared daily reports with senior cashier and
cashier who is incharge in maintaining and setteling quest payment and properly check out
guest. And under AFOM we have Lobby/Duty Manager who is incharge in directly supervises
the Reception, Concierge, Telephone, Travel Desk and the Bell desk. In bitween the AFOM and
Lobby Manager we have guest relations managaer/supervisor witch is responsible for all
reservation related tasks with his guest relations executive. Under the duty manager we have
front office supervisor that is responsible for registering guest and maintains room availability.
Under the Front office supervisor, we have 4 sub concent witch is concierge supervisor, senior
receptionist, telephone supervisor and bell captain. In concierge they are responsible in
information desk that assists guests for transportation, booking of events outside the hotel.
With the help of concierge assistant while the senior receptionist respontible for greeting
visitors, helping them navigate through an office, and supplying them with refreshments as they
wait. With receptionist. The Telephone supervisor was in charge in manages the switchboard
and coordinates Wake-up Calls. And lastly the Bell captain who is in charge in dealings with
personalized guest services.
