Front Office Organisation

[1st Semester Front Office Operations | UNIT 5 BHM113 | IHM Notes]

Function areas under the Front Office Organization

Reception/Registration Section

This section is located in the lobby. It also allocates the room and established the rates for different types of guests. The person of the section is called Receptionist. GSA (Guest Service Officer) has direct contact guests. The functions of this section are:-

1. Warmly received all arrival guests.

2. Complete registration formalities and perform guest check-in. Perform pre-registration formalities for a group, VIPs, and disable guests.

3. Co-ordinate closely with the house-keeping department for clearance of department room, room change, and UR (Under Repaired) rooms.

4. Issue VIP amenities voucher to the food and beverage service.

5. Co-ordinate closely with the bell desk for luggage handling and room keys.

Information

It is located at a front desk and responsible for handling mail and messages with room keys. It also provides information regarding outside and inside of the hotel’s rules and regulations, facilities, services. It also handles the e-mail, fax, xerox machine, cable through the business center.

Cashier

It is also located at the front desk and handle by the front cashier. The main functions of a cashier are as follows:-

1. The secure payment from the guest’s arrival.

2. To change foreign currency as per rules and regulation of the hotel,

3. To manage the safety deposit locker.

4. To settle the guest accounts while check-out.

5. To balance cash at the close of shift.

6. To complete the guest check-out procedure.

Reservation

The term reservation means booking in advance. It basically blocks/reserve the room as per the requester specifies data. The main functions are as follows:-

1. Handle all cancellations and revisit as a reservation made by the guest from different sources and modes.

2. Keep out reservation correspondence complete and systematic.

3. Process and confirm the reservation request.

4. Forecast future room reservation status.

5. Update the room availability chart.

Telephone Section

This section is handled by telephone operators and it is located at the back of the office. Its main function is to handle incoming and outgoing calls. It is also responsible for managing wake up calls as requested by the guest and preparation of telephone bills made by guests and staff.

Lobby

It is an area which is located at the entrance of a hotel building with a sitting arrangement for guest’s visitors to meet and wait. It is synonymous with the word “Foyer” which means a wide passage or large hall just inside the entrance of a public building. The dimension and design of this area rely upon the size and design of the building. Basically lobby area must be furnished with all the necessary things. Example:- Lobby desk, Bell desk, GRE/GRO, Reception desk, Cash counter, Restroom, Business center, Safety lockers, etc

Bell Desk

It is located at either side of the lobby entrance headed by the bell captain and followed by bell boys. This desk is responsible for handling the guest luggage during arrival and departure. The bell desk section also handles the paying, deliver guest mail and messages to the concerned guest room.

Business Center

The person who handles the business center is known as Business Centre attended and the main function of this section is to provide communication facilities and services like STD, ISD, E-mail, internet, fax, xerox, etc.

Travel Desk

This section of the front office is responsible for arranging the packages, tickets, etc for the guest as per their request.

Front Office Department

​The front office or reception is an area where visitors arrive and first encounter a staff at a place of business. Front office staff will deal with whatever question the visitor has and put them in contact with a relevant person at the company.

The staff of this department is very visible to the guests. The front office staff handles the transactions between the hotel and its guests. Receives the guests, handles their requests, and strikes the first impression about the hotel into their minds.

Front Office Operations

There are two categories of Front Office Operations:

1. Front-House Operations

These operations are visible to the guests of the hotel. The guests can interact and see these operations, hence, the name Front-House operations.

Few of these operations include:

• Interacting with the guests to handle the accommodation requests.

• Checking accommodation availability and assigning it to the guest.

• Guest registration and collecting required information.

• Creating a guest’s account with the FO accounting system.

• Issuing accommodation keys to the guest.

• Settling guest payment at the time of check-out.

2. Back-House Operations

Front Office staff conducts these operations in the absence of the guests or when the guest’s involvement is not required.

These operations involve activities:

• Determining the type of guest (fresh/repeat) by checking the database.

• Ensuring the preferences of the guest to give a personal touch to the service.

• Maintaining guest’s account with the accounting system.

• Preparing the guest’s bill.

• Collecting the balance amount of guest bills.

• Auditing and generating reports.

Front Office Hierarchy

The number of staff working under the front office manager. The structure of the front office department depends on the size of the hotel business, the physical size of the hotel, and the hotel management policies.

Following is the general structure of the front office department:

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Overview of responsibilities of the different staff of front office department:

Front Office Manager

1. All administrative tasks

2. Hiring staff

3. Training

4. Giving appraisals

5. Ensure smooth functioning of the department

6. Make departments budget

7. Forecast sales

8. Monitor reservation systems to maximize occupancy, sales, and revenue

9. Conduct department meetings

10. Check arrivals, departures, and review all reports of the FO department.

Assistant Front Office Manager

1. Supervise and coordinate day to day activities

2. Assign duties

3. Check daily reports, arrival lists, departure lists, VIP arrival, group arrivals

4. Update FO manager about the happenings

5. Coordinating with other departments like HK, sales, F&B

Lobby Manager

1. To ensure smooth check-in and check-out

2. Handle guest complaints

3. Coordinating with travel counter and airlines

4. Coordinates with the security department and ensure the safety and security of the hotel

5. Ensure smooth functioning of the lobby

6. Handle keys

Guest Relation Executive

1. Take feedback from guests

2. Maintain guest feedback forms

3. Maintain guest comment cards

4. Handle VIP arrivals

5. Ensure that guests leave with a positive image of the hotel

6. Check any complaints and inform the department

Reservation Assistants

1. Receive and process reservation inquiry of guests

2. Maintain the reservation records

3. Share the information with other departments like sales F&B

4. To prepare the expected arrival list, departure list for the day

5. To fill registration cards, guest history card

6. To give the information to the receptionist

7. To prepare guest folder having reservation documents, emails and messages

Receptionist

1. Greet the guests on arrival

2. Confirm the identity of guests

3. Fill the registration form

4. Assign room

5. Prepare room status report and check discrepancy with housekeeping

6. Process request for check out

7. Inform late checkout, early check out to HK department

8. Give information about the hotel, facilities and the city to the guest

Cashier

1. Prepare guests’ bills

2. Update guest transactions daily

3. Exchange foreign currency

4. Make closing balance account at end of shift

5. Maintain house bank

Telephone Operator

1. Answer the calls directly

2. Direct incoming calls to the extension number, department, etc

3. Answer the queries about the hotel and its services

4. Log all wake-up calls

5. Handling guest messages

6. Handling outgoing calls

7. Handling calls from the rooms/guests

Bell Boys

1. Handle guest luggage

2. Transport the luggage to the room on arrival/guest check-in

3. Put luggage tag on bags and luggage on arrival

4. Escort guest to the room and tell them about the room, service directory and function of equipment in the room

5. Deliver mail, message and package to the rooms

Front Office Responsibilities

• Directs and coordinates the activities of the FO department.

• Ensuring guests’ satisfaction.

• Creating guests’ database.

• Perform the function of a link between the management and front office employees.

• Perform budgeting function.

• Planning present and future needs for the resources.

• Schedule the tasks of the front office employees.

• Resolve guest problems quickly, efficiently, and courteously.

• Reviews all the reports generated by all the sections include night auditors report.

• Coordinate with the sales and marketing team to ensure maximum sales and profit.

• The front office staff handles the transactions between the hotel and its guests.

• Creating a great first impression in guests’ minds.

Qualities Of Front Office Staff

• Pleasing personality

• Smiling face

• Positive attitude

• Punctual

• Hard-working

• Good Personal hygiene

• Honest

• Good communication skills

• Calm, courteous

• Salesmanship

• Good memory

Duties & Responsibility of Front Office Staff

Personality Traits: 

​The most common answer to the question “Why did you decide to become a receptionist?” is, because you wanted to meet people.

Now, to be successful in any human relationship you must reflect these characteristics: –

• A warm personality, and smart appearances.

• A keen interest in people, and polite and courteous nature

• Poise under pressure, keeping his cool and problem solver.

• A desire to be helpful, but also diplomatic and tactful.

• The ability to listen, hard-working, and punctual.

• A willingness to reflect management policy should be able to make quick decisions, The ability to get along with co-workers, and a pleasant approach and a good motivator and coordinator.

• A desire to be liked, with good public relation qualities.

• The ability to help another employee without resenting it or showing imitation. You should be confident, analytical, intelligent and a good salesman.

• Neat personal habits.

• Good memory (should be able to remember names of regular guests)

• Knowledge of languages.

• Numerical ability.

• Reference point.

• Image Builder.

Standing behind the front desk and meeting any of the dozens of problems that arise in a hotel requires a reserve of energy.

Keep your reserve built up by common-sense rules of living:

• Get plenty of sleep.

• Don’t drink. If you must, be moderate.

• Don’t smoke, at least not on the job.

• Be positive.

• As a Front Office Personnel, you will be the first person who meets the guest in a hotel. The first impression forms a lasting impression. So make sure that the guest gets a positive impression from the moment he walks in.

Some points to remember :

• Avoid all controversial questions. You can afford to win arguments, but not in the hotel business.

• Be oblivious to guests’ mistakes. Say “I’m sorry, I didn’t make it clear”. Don’t say. “You are wrong” or “You misunderstood me”. Instead say, “Sorry sir, I could not make myself clear.”

• Do not criticize competing hotels. This never helps anyone, including yourself.

• Cancel all “Yeahs”, “Okays” and “Noes” from your vocabulary, i.e. don’t use slangs.

• Speak positively. Every negative reply can be rephrased: “One moment. muse” is a great improvement over “Wait a minute”.

• Refer to men guests as gentlemen, females as ladies.

• Immediate attention to the traveler is a form of respect to which he is entitled.

• Last but not least the sincere smile is and has been a tradition of the hotel business.

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