Front Office

FRONT OFFICE SERVICES
Did you know that…. Within the first 3 seconds of a new encounter, you are being evaluated…?! Even if
it is just a glance.
Essential Characteristics of a Front Office Professional
 The ability to communicate effectively with a wide range of people

 Excellent communication skills
 Ability to deal effectively with telephone calls
 Good keyboard skills
 Ability to work with diversity
 Understand the necessity for confidentiality
 Understand the teamwork in providing quality service
Why Front Office is so vital?

- First point of interaction; the receptionist and front office space
- Each of these provides the opportunity to leave a positive imprint on the minds of the
customers.
Unprofessional , cold reception….

Consequences…..
- Expected processes not meet
- Visitors not greeted with warmth
- Phone calls not routed properly
- Visitors not directed properly
- Poor response to inquiries
- Appointments messed up
- Unsorted mails, unsent messages
- Process owners under pressure from the organization
Results in;
A cold, unprofessional FO,: sending a wrong message of the philosophy of the company as well
as lowering the efficiency of the entire organization.
Hence , FO Executive would….

 Greet visitors
 Handle phone calls
 Route phone calls
 Respond to inquiries
 Monitor visit access
 Take messages
 Book/ cancel appointments
 Sort mails
 Make fax transmittals
 Handle deliveries
Front Office Personnel
1. Front Office Manager

- Direct and coordinate activities of FO department
- Responsible for hiring, training and supervising all front desk.
- Evaluate each job performance of each front office employee.
2. Bellboy
- Handling guest luggage at the time of the arrival and departure
- Escorting guests to their rooms on arrival
- Locating a guest in a specified area of the hotel
3. Cashier
- receiving payment and recording all credit charges in guest folios
- preparing bills at the time of check-out and balancing guest account
- handling foreign currency
4. Door Attendant
- Open the door of guest’s vehicle on their arrival in the hotel.
- Coordinate with parking attendants for parking guest’s vehicles in the hotel’s parking area.
5. Night Audit
- Check-in and check-out guest who arrive or depart after 11:00 PM
- Act as cashier for banquet function
- Performing the duties of Manager on duty at night
6. Receptionist
- assigning rooms and dispensing guest room keys
- Greeting and providing information to guest
- Handling special request
7. Concierge
- Personal helper to VIP
- Making reservation in a famous restaurants
- Arranging tours, limousines and entertainment ticket
8. Reservation Agent
- Handling guaranteed and non-guaranteed reservation
- Up sell accommodation
9. Telephone operator
- Processing all incoming and outgoing calls
- Provide paging services for guest and employee
Front Office Department
 Most important department in the hotel
- Nerve for hotel operation
- Interface between a hotel and its guest
 Guest makes first contact with FO dept.
 First place that can make guest develop an impression about the level of service standard
facilities
 Communication and Accounting are the most important functions of the FO operation.
 Accounting procedure involve
- Settlement of the guest bills
- Accepted advance booking of hotel rooms
- Settle bills at the time of check-out
 Effective communication of the guest
- Processing the guest reservation
- Handling the guest reception
- Fulfill the guest inquiry usage in the hotel such as internet, safe deposit
- Check in and check out of the guest
- Other department of the hotel etc.
- Maintaining the room status
 FO department operates 24 hours a day
 Three main shift in FO department
- Morning day-shift 7:00 a.m - 3:00 p.m
- Evening shift 3:00 pm - 11:00 p.m
- Night shift 11:00 pm - 7:00 am
Major problems faced by FO department of Hotel;

1. Check-in and check-out
 FO should be brisk in performing quick check-in/check-out of guests and groups. Moreover
constant walk-ins during busy days can pose a major problem too. Any inconvenience in arrivals
and departures can create displeasure among the guests.
Solution : An efficient hotel management software which lets you perform quick check-in and check-out
of group as well. Also, a hotel software which provides the guest portal to let the guest do self-check-in
is beneficial.
2. Housekeeping
 Sometimes it may happen that, housekeeping department missed to clean a room after check-
out and when another guest check-in, the room is dirty and the complaints are received at front
desk. Hence to maintain a transparency between the front desk and housekeeping is also
difficult for the Front Desk.
Solution : Capable Property Management software like eZee FrontDesk automatically marks the
room as dirty once the guest checks-out. Also, you can schedule housekeeping tasks, set reminders
for the same and can get it done easily.
3. Queries regarding bills
 Many of the guests might have queries regarding their bills which they raise t Front Desk.
Imagine this scenario during a busy weekend at a hotel. It can be very challenging.
Solution : A HMS which produces a well-explained bill that reduces such queries can be helpful in setting
the front desk available.
4. Complaint Resolution
 FO being the primary point of contact for the guest, it becomes very important to resolve their
each and every complaint. The person at the front desk should be able to answer all questions
of the guests and also should be able to understand guests emotions and deal with them
accordingly.
5. Responding to phone calls
Usually, the FO receives different calls asking for the availability of the rooms, the room rates,
the meal plans and likewise. In the middle of several and important o perations, becomes very
difficult for the front office to entertain all the calls.
ROOM DIVISION
The Room Division is composed of department of functions which play essential roles in
providing a service guests expect during a hotel stay.
 Front Office
 Housekeeping
 Security
FO Career Path
1. Telephone Operator ( 0-6 mos)
2. FO Reception (1-3 years)
3. Shift Leader (2-4 years )
4. Assistant FO Manager ( 4-7 years)
5. FO Manager ( 5-8 years
Housekeeping Career Path

1. Room attendant (0-1 year)
2. Floor Supervisor (1-3 years)
3. Assistant Housekeeper (4-7 years)
4. Executive Housekeeper (7-10 years)
Management Training Program

 The program leads to a management position in frontline operations
 Intensive training in room division
 Opportunity to perform team leading tasks and first management assignments
 Leadership Training Session
Career Path in Lodging Management
1. Management Trainee
2. Assistant Department Head
3. Department Head
4. Room Division Manager/ Director
5. General Manager
Management Trainee Expectations

 A passion for working in a hotel
 Good Overall Performance in the college
 The willingness to learn and drive to further develop personal and professional skills
 Flexible and extrovert nature with a Command over Language
 Well groomed personality
 Hard working and willing to take risks

Front Office

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FRONT OFFICE SERVICES

Essential Characteristics of a Front Office Professional

 The ability to communicate effectively with a wide range of people

Why Front Office is so vital?

Unprofessional , cold reception….

Hence , FO Executive would….

Front Office Personnel

1. Front Office Manager

Major problems faced by FO department of Hotel;

Housekeeping Career Path

Management Training Program

Management Trainee Expectations

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