JOHN B. LACSON FOUNDATION MARITIME UNIVERSITY-MOLO, INC.

COLLEGE OF BUSINESS
Bachelor of Science in Cruise Ship Management

LEARNING MODULE
FRONT OFFICE
OPERATION

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AUthored by:
CHONA G. TACAISAN, DDM-ET
FEBE ROSE L. TORRES, MHM
MA. MAE VILLANUEVA, MBA
Introduction to Front Office Operation

The Front Office is the nerve

center of the hotel as it is the key
source of information pertaining to
guests’ services. Also, it acts as the
absorber a it serves as sounding board
for guest complaints. It is the one of
the many departments of the hotel
business which directly interacts with
the customers when they first arrive at
the
hotel. The staff of this department is very visible to the guests. Front office staff handles the
transactions between the hotel and its guests. The staff receives the guests, handles their
requests, and strikes the first impression about the hotel into their minds.
From the hotel’s perspective, the front office is the liaison between the management
and the coordination of all guest services. It is the department that connects guest services
with the back of the house operations. Serves as the main channel of communication and
information dissemination for the hotel and is the core point of the hotel department’s
business activities. The way the front office operates has become a yardstick by which the
organization is measured.
Front Office Mission, Roles and Functions
Mission of Front Office Department
 Create a positive first impression of the hotel to the guest
 Represent all forms of guest services
 Plan hotel rooms utilization towards profit maximization
 Serve as center of communication for all the other hotel departments.

Front Office Roles

 Guest Services
 Room Sales
 Record Keeping
 Cost Control
 Verbal Skills
 Effective Selling Skills
 Problem Solving Skills
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 Good Appearance

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 Functions of Front Office for Hotel Operation
 Entertain hotel queries and room reservation
 Assist the guest during the registration process
 Room the guest based on their needs and preferences
 Provide guest information about the hotel and the local community
 Coordinate guest required services to the corresponding hotel department
 Handle guest communications
 Promote other service of the hotel
 Perform concierge function of the guest
 Handle accounting by updating guest folios
 Conclude positive service during guest check-out
 Creating guest database
 Handling guest accounts
 Ensuring guest satisfaction

Front Office Sub-Units

Front Desk – looks after the registration of the hotel guest and serves as
communication and information center.
Reservation Section – handles reservations for room bookings either through
the telephone or direct personal contact.
Bell Service – escorting the guests during check-in and check-out, attending
their luggage and doing errands for the Front desk.
Telephone Exchange – handles telephone communication system
Front Office Cashiering – responsible for the settlement of guest bill.
Concierge/Guest Relation Assistance – attends to any kind of guest
assistance like tours and travel, direction of point of interest, confirmation
of tickets and other services of this kind.
Airport/Transport Assistance – handles the transport of guest to and from
airport or other transport terminal.
Business Center - handles all transactions in the business center.

ervicing more than 100 rooms there is a separate section handling each area of operations. In small hotelservicing less than 100 room

very good job. Always remember that in everything that you do, and you did it with PERSEVERANCE, success will get inside you
Front Office Personality
 Positive Attitude
 Attentive Service
 Positive Body Language
 Intellectual
 Physically Fit
 Professional

Uniform – wear very corporate outfit with clean and net cut hairdo
Name Plate – help to converse in more personal manner
Look – wear complete day make-up (female), clear skin (male)
Personal Hygiene – practice proper hygiene at all times
Accessories – use generic accessories and always wear a SMILE

Basic Activities of Front Office Department

Guest Activities Front Office Activities
Inquiry Sell Guest Rooms
Reservations Offer Accommodation
Confirm Confirm Offer
Arrival Bell Service
Registration/Check-in Receive and Welcome Guest
Provide Information on Guest Services
Go to Room Direct or Take Luggage
In House Coordinate Guest Services
Maintain Guest Accounts Posting Transactions
Settlement of Guest Accounts Finalize Account
Departure/Check-out Finalize Account
Construct Guest History File

Code of Ethics, Standard and Policies

In very organization, an affiliate will be expected to develop a certain form of
behavior and follow the guidelines for him to cope with the demands of the operation.
Standards are criteria which need to be overcome to ensure that the hotel image set
by the management is met by following series of procedure being imposed. Code of
ethics and policies are principles, practices, and manner of behavior which an
employee needs to adopt in order to perform properly within the bounds set by the
organization to impose control within the group.
 Front Office Performance Standards
 Positively create the feeling of warm hospitality and accommodation
all throughout the guest stay.
 Effectively coordinate guest services to other departments
 Deliberately promote other hotel services to the guest during their stay
 Accurately forecast room inventory and accounting of room occupancy
 Consistently provide hotel, community and general information relevant to the guest.

Work Ethics
 Hospitable
Take Note: Other work ethics may apply as you dedicate your commitment to your job and to all the element
 Compassionate
 Cooperation
 Reliability
 Integrity
 Confidentiality
 Diplomacy

Front Office Operation

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 request for an accommodation.
 Checking accommodation availability and assigning it to the guest.
 Collecting detail information while guest registration.
 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.

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 such as:
 Determining the type of guest (fresh/repeat) by checking the database.
 Ensuring 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.
 Generating Reports
 Please hit the link below for videos and tutorials.
https://www.youtube

Instructor Notes

Amazing! You did well in our first unit.

Don’t forget to bear in mind that the Front office department is one
of the most vital department in the hospitality industry. It is
considered as the heart or nerve center of the hotel that can be
found at the lobby, which is very accessible to the guest for catering
their needs during their stay. Being a FO staff, you need to posses’
positive attitude, know your duties and responsibilities, likewise, have
good communication skills and being healthy both mind and body.
Cooperation and teamwork among department is very important in
the front office department and operation of the establishments as it
affects the flow and quality of service.

“Learning never exhausts the mind” – Leonardo da Vinci

id it good! Indeed! Having positive attitude and strong moral can bring you good things in life. Remember always to work and l
References and Online Resources
Books:
Roldan, Amelia S., “Introduction to Hotel and Front Office Operations”; revised edition,
2014
Lago, Elpedia M., “Front Office System and Procedures’;2010
Salamat, Laarni SJ., Front Office Services”, 2017
Larsen & Kelelr;Hart, Laura., “ Front Desk Management “, 2017

Online Resources
1. https://www.tutorialspoint.com/front_office_management/front_office_manageme
nt_introduction.htm
2. https://www.wisdomjobs.com/e-university/hotel-front-office-management-tutorial-
369/front-office-interaction-with-other-departments-in-the-ho-13038.html
3. https://youtu.be/1FkpFIBPmPc
4. https://youtu.be/PATTxngJJPg
5. https://www.shutterstock.com/image-vector/hotel-receptionist -lobby-
front-desk-woman-1331846948