REVIEWER

CHAPTER 1
HOSTICE – Taking care of the travelers
HISTORY OF LODGING INDUSTRY
• In old times, locals used to let travelers on kitchen floors or other extra spaces during their
journey or travel.
• There were no purpose-built facilities for tourist until monasteries decided to build one and this
gave birth to lodging services.
• 1700s, Inns came into being
• Inns were nothing but a shelter by the road where traveler can stop to rest and get some food.
(They were also taking care of traveler’s horses)
• Early 1800s “Inns” were the only lodging facility available for tourist, but it was not just about
bedding and resting facility anymore. They started providing food and drinks to the travelers.
• 1829 is considered as a landmark in the timeline of American Hospitality Industry, Architect
Isaiah Rogers designed and constructed the first luxury hotel “Tremont Hotel” in Boston,
Massachusetts.
• Tremont Hotel was the first hotel with private attached bathroom and lock on the doors.
• Late 19th century, hotels started to have bars, and soon the bars became an important selling
point for the Hotels. (The trend for well decorated ceilings and beautiful crystal chandeliers
were also started.)
• 20th Century Hospitality emerged as a huge business opportunity, some people saw the
opportunity and jumped into the Hotel Business.
• Early to Mid-20th Century a lot of giant hotel chains started doing their business. The industry
had become more competitive than ever.
• 1991 Conrad Hilton opened his first Hotel in Texas and 1954 he bought the Ellsworth
Statler’s Chain of Hotel.
• 1927 established Marriot
• 1937 established Sheraton
• 1957 established Hyatt
• Kemmon Wilson – started Holiday Inns Series of Hotels and Inns. His Main focus is to build a
Family-friendly Hotels.
• 1968 Holiday Group went on to build its 1000th Holiday Inn
• Mid-20th Century car became extremely popular and this factor favored the growth of Motels.
• 21st Century some of the tallest hotels were built and technological advancement in the
Engineering Design Services made it all possible.
Example: Hotel Fairmont Makkah and Burj al Arab

TYPES OF ACCOMMODATION FACILITIES

• HOTEL
• HOSTEL
• MOTEL
• BOUTIQUE HOTEL
• RESORT
• APARTMENT
• BED AND BREAKFAST
 • INN
HOTEL CLASSIFICATION BY LOCATION

• Downtown Hotels / City Center

• Suburban Hotels
• Highway / Interstate Hotels
• Airport Hotels
HOTEL CLASSIFICATION BASED ON SIZE

• SMALL – less than 25 guest rooms

• MEDIUM – 25 to 99 guest rooms
• LARGE – 100 to 299 guest rooms
• MEGA – more than 299 guest rooms
CLASSIFICATION OF HOTELS IN THE PHILIPPINES AND ACCREDITATION REQUIREMENTS
• Hotel classification is done through the process of Accreditation
• (DOT) DEPARTMENT OF TOURISM – agency conducting/processing the accreditation of the
hotels in the Philippines
• National Accommodation Standards DOT required standards for hotel operations.
• A certificate will be issued as a proof that the property was able to meet the minimum
standards and recognized by the DOT.
CLASSIFICATIONS ARE GRADED ACCORDING TO THE EXISTENCE OF:

• Location
• Bedroom Facilities and Furnishing
• Front Office
• Reception
• Housekeeping
• Food and Beverage
• Recreational Facilities
• Entertainment
• Engineering and Maintenance
• General Facilities
• Service and Staff
• Special Facilities
RATING SYSTEM AND STAR GRADING

• ONE STAR 251 – 400 points

• TWO STAR 401 – 550 points
• THREE STAR 551 – 700 points
• FOUR STAR 701 – 850 points
• FIVE STAR 851 – 1000 points
LECTURE 2
HOTEL ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE

• Is a description of the level of position and flow of leadership in a hotel

 • It also shows the relationship of the responsibilities between each section and department in
the hotel.
• Is made to facilitate the operation of a hotel, by dividing the duties and responsibilities of each
employee according to the level and position they have.
• Is very important to support and operate a hotel
• Is not the same in each hotel , because it is influenced by the size of the hotel
IT IS DIVIDED INTO THREE:

• Large Hotel Organizational Structure

• Medium Hotel Organizational Structure
• Small Hotel Organizational Structure
HEADS / DEPARTMENTS IN THE HOTEL

• General Manager
• Assistant General Manager
• Front Office
• Housekeeping
• Food Production
• Food and Beverage Service
• Engineering
• Human Resources / Personnel
• Accounting
• Sales and Marketing
• Purchasing
• Security

FACILITIES IN THE HOTELS

• Reception / Front Desk
• Lounge / Lobby
• Restaurant
• Café / Coffee Shop
• Spa
• Fitness Center / Gym
• Kids Room
• Guest Rooms
• Meeting Room
• Function Hall / Events Room
CVSU CCAT HOSTEL FACILITIES

• Front desk
• Lobby
• 2nd floor lounge
• Function room
• Guest rooms
THE FRONT OFFICE STAFF INTERACTS WITH ALL DEPARTMENTS IN THE HOTEL
INCLUDING:
MARKETING AND SALES
• Relies on the Front Office to provide data on guest histories or details concerning each guest
visit
• Guest history is a valuable resource for marketing and sales, they are using it to target
campaigns, develop promotions, prepare mailing labels and select advertising media.
• Request for service at meetings, seminars, banquets and the like are often made at the Front
Office.
HOUSEKEEPING

• Communicate about housekeeping room status, the report on the availability of the rooms for
immediate guest’s occupancy.
• Alsco communicate on the details of potential house count and request for amenities.

FOOD AND BEVERAGE

• Relies on the Prepared House Count Reports of the Front Office to schedule their employees.
 Ex. Scheduling how many servers will be on duty for breakfast
• Communicate in the room charges of the guest
 Ex. Food ordered in the restaurant and guest request to charge it in the room it
must be coordinated to the Front Desk
BANQUET

• Relay information to guest about scheduled events and Bill Payment

• Majority of the Banquet guests may not be registered guests in the hotel, the FO is the logical
communication center.
• Banquet guests who is unfamiliar in the hotel property will ask at the front desk for directions
• Bills for the event will also be settled in the Front Desk
CONTROLLER
• Relies on the Front Office to provide a daily summary on financial transactions through a well-
prepared night audit.
• The information produced by the FO is necessary first step in the process of the factual guest
accounting process and the financial assemble of data for the controller
• Without accurate daily entry by the FO and Production of Night Audit, the controller does not
have the figures to produce reports for the owner, General Manager and others.
MAINTENANCE/ENGINEERING
• Communicate on Room Status and request for maintenance service
• Maintenance staff must know the occupancy status of a room before attending to the guest
requests, plumbing, air-conditioning problems and others.
SECURITY

• Work together closely with FO in maintaining guests security

• FO Team must be on alert for people who do not belong in the lobby and report
inconsistencies with the security Department
HUMAN RESOURCE

Rely on the FO to act as an initial point of contact for potential employees in all departments.

HOUSEKEEPING TERMS

• Available Clean / Ready

• Occupied
• Stay Over
• Dirty
• Out of Order Room
LECTURE 3
FRONT OFFICE DEPARTMENT
• Is the major department in a hotel which is situated at the front part of the hotel and is
responsible for the sale of the hotel’s room through the systematic method of reservation,
followed by registration and assigning rooms to the guest.
• It is the backbone as well as the Nerve Center of a hotel from where all the information and
messages are communicated to the different department or personnel.
• The team that keeps the hotel operating and profitable.
• The busy department working before a guest arrives, while the guest is there, and even after
the guest has checked out.
DIVIDED INTO:

• Reception
• Information
• Cashier
• Reservation
• Switchboard Operator
• Bell Desk Section
THE MAIN FUNCTION OF THE HOTEL FRONT OFFICE DEPARTMENT;

• Reserve
• Receive
• Register
• Allocate rooms to the guests
• Act as a continuous source of information to the guests
OTHER MAJOR FUNCTIONS OF FRONT OFFICE DEPARTMENT;
• Settlement of guest account
• Providing guests services
• Preparation of guest history card
 • Luggage handling
• Airport pick-up
FRONT OFFICE DEPARTMENT TWO OTHER IMPORTANT FUNCTIONS OF A FRONT DESK
OPERATION;

• Communication
• Accounting
EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION
• with guests, employees, and other departments of the hotel are paramount in projecting a
hospitable image.
• Answering guest inquiries about the hotel services and other guests, marketing and sales
department request for information on guest room availability, and housekeeping department
inquiries concerning guest reservation are but a few of the routine tasks performed almost
constantly by a hotel front desk in its role as a communication hub.
ACCOUNTING PROCEDURES

• Involving charges to registered and non-registered hotel guest accounts, are also very
important in the hospitality.
• Itemized charges are necessary to show a breakdown of charges if a guest questions a bill.
THE PRIMARY ACTIVITIES OF THE HOTEL FRONT OFFICE DEPARTMENT ARE AS FOLLOW:

• Deals with room reservation

• Check-in arriving guests
• Prepare guests arrival and departure list
• Receive guests and help them to complete registration formalities
• Help in marketing and selling promotion process
• Deal with the various inquiries and information of in-house and outside activities
• Deal with mail, messages and paging of the guests
• Deal with deposit for the safe custody
• Produce daily report and statistics
• Deal with accident and unusual events
SECTIONS OF THE HOTEL FRONT OFFICE DEPARTMENT

RECEPTION/REGISTRATION
• Located in the lobby
• The person of the section is called Receptionist
• Has direct contact with the guest
RESERVATION

• Basically blocks/reserve the room as per the request or specified data.

• Does not come in contact with the guest and is ideally situated behind the reception counter for
effective and smooth functioning.
• It is headed by the Reservation Manager with its people called the Reservationist or
Reservation Agent.
INFORMATION
• Located at the front desk and responsible for handling mail and messages with room keys.
• Provides information regarding outside and inside of hotel’s rules and regulation, facilities and
services.
• It also handles the email, fax, copier machine, cable through the business center.
TELEPHONE EXCHANGE/ TELEPHONE OPERATOR
• handles call from internal and external guests
• it is located at the back of the office
CASHIER
• Located at the front desk
• Handled by the Front Office Cashier
BELL SERVICE
• Located at either side of the lobby needed by bell captain and followed by bell boys
• Responsible for handling the guest luggage during arrival and departure
CONCIERGE/GUEST RELATIONS ASSISTANCE

headed by the Chief Concierge who is responsible in making sure the over-all operation of the
section is running smoothly and evaluates for more development of the team. In some hotels,
it is called as Guest Service Officer.
AIRPORT/ TRANSPORT ASSISTANCE
• Handle the transport of guest to and from the airport and other transport terminals.
• The Airport Representative is responsible in welcoming guests at the airport, offer assistance
with their luggage and transportation.
BUSINESS CENTER
• Responsible in receiving delivered mails and parcels from courier service before endorsing it to
bell service for its proper distribution.
• Handles all the transactions including computer services, fax, email, Xerox, etc.
• Offers secretarial assistance to the guests

THE HOTEL FRONT OFFICE DEPARTMENT ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE

The organizational structure of the hotel front office department varies on the hotel property. It is also
depending on the size and style of operation of the hotel and it can be categorized into the following;

• Small sized hotel

• Medium sized hotel
• Large sized hotel
SPECIFIC DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE HOTEL FRONT OFFICE PERSONNEL
FRONT OFFICE MANAGER
to directly supervise all front office personnel and ensure proper completion of all front office
duties.
DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:
• Participate in the selection of front office personnel
• Train, cross-train, and retain all front office personnel Schedule the front office staff
Supervise workloads during shifts.
• Evaluate the job performance of each front office employee
• Maintain working relationships and communicate with all departments
• Verify that accurate room status information is maintained and properly communicated
Resolve guest problems quickly, efficiently, and prepare group requirements.
• Relay to appropriate personnel
• Review and complete credit limit report
• Work within the allotted budget for the front office
• Receive information from previous shift-manager and pass on pertinent details to the incoming
manager
• Check cashiers in and out and verify banks and deposits at the end of each shift
• Enforce all cash-handling, cash-cashing, and credit policies
• Conduct regularly scheduled meetings of front office personnel
• Wear the proper uniform at all times; require all front office employees to wear proper uniforms
at all times.
• Uphold the hotel’s commitment to hospitality.
NIGHT AUDITOR
to ensure the accuracy and balance of front office accounting records and prepares summaries
of financial data on a daily basis.
DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:
• Post room charges and taxes to guest accounts
• Process guest charge vouchers and credit vouchers
• Post guest charge purchase transactions not posted by the front office cashier
• Transfer charges and deposits to master accounts
• Verify all account posting and balances
• Monitor the current status of coupon, discount, and other promotional programs Track room
revenues, occupancy percentages, and other front office statistics.
• Prepare a summary of cash, check, and credit card activities.
• Summarize results of operations for management.
• Understand principles of auditing, balancing, and closing out accounts.
• Know how to operate posting machines, typewriters, and other front office equipment and
computers.
• Understand and know how to perform check-in and check-out procedures.
FRONT DESK AGENT

To assist guests in all front office-related functions in an efficient, courteous, and professional
manner that maintains high standards of service and hospitality.
DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
• Register guests and assign rooms; accommodate special requests whenever possible
• Assist in pre-registration and blocking of rooms for reservation
 • Thoroughly understand and adhere to proper credit, check cashing, and cash-handling policies
and procedures
• Understand room status and room status tracking
• Know room locations, type of rooms available, and room rates.
• Use suggestive selling techniques to sell rooms and to promote other services of the hotel
• Coordinate room status updates with the housekeeping department by notifying housekeeping
of all check-outs, late check-outs, early check-ins, special requests and part-day rooms.
• Possess a working knowledge of the reservation section take same day reservation and future
reservations when necessary. Know cancellation procedures.
• File room keys
• Know how to use front office equipment
• Process guest check-outs
• Post and file all charges to guest, master, and city ledger accounts.
• Follow procedures for issuing and closing safe deposit boxes used by the guests.
• Use proper telephone etiquette
• Use proper mail, package, and message handling procedure
• Read and initial the pass-on log and bulletin board daily. Be aware of daily activities and
meetings taking place in the hotel.
• Attend department meetings
• Coordinate guestroom maintenance work with the engineering and maintenance division.
• Report any unusual occurrences or requests to manager or designated manager.
• Know all safety and emergency procedures. Be aware of incident prevention policies.
• Maintain the cleanliness and neatness of the front desk
• Understand that business demands sometimes that make it necessary to move employees
from their accustomed shift to other shifts.
• Be aware that bending, stopping, and lifting items weighing 30 pounds or more may be
required.
RESERVATIONS AGENT
to handle all future reservations, matching the needs of the guests with the hotel.
DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:
• Process reservations by mail, telephone, telex, fact or central reservation system referral.
• Process reservations from the sales office, other hotel departments, and travel agents.
• Know the types of rooms available as well as their locations and layout.
• Know the selling status, rates, and benefits of all package plans.
• Create and maintain reservation records by dates of arrival and alphabetical listing.
• Process cancellation and modifications. Promptly relay this information to the front desk.
• Understand the hotel’s policy on guaranteed reservation and no shows.
• Process advance deposits on reservations
• Tract future room availabilities on the basis of reservations
• Help develop room revenue and occupancy forecast
• Prepare expected arrival lists for front office use
• Assist in pre-registration activities when appropriate
• Monitor advance deposit requirements
• Handle daily correspondence; respond to inquiries and make reservations as needed. Make
sure that files are kept up to date
• Maintain a clean and neat appearance at all times in your dress and in your work area
 • Promote good will by being courteous, friendly, and helpful to guests, managers, and fellow
employees.
SWITCHBOARD OPERATOR
Receives and directs incoming calls to individual guests, staff, or departments.
DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:
• Answer incoming calls and place outgoing calls
• Direct calls to guestrooms, staff or departments through the switchboard or PBX System.
• Receive telephone charges from the telephone company and forward charges to the front desk
for posting
• Take and distribute messages for guests
• Log all wake-up call requests and perform wake-up call services.
• Provide information about guest services to guests
• Answer questions about hotel events and activities
• Understand PBX switchboard operations
• Provide paging services for hotel guests and employees
• Know what section to take when an emergency call is requested to receive.
• Monitor automated systems, including fire alarm and telephone equipment, when the
engineering and maintenance department is closed.
FRONT OFFICE CASHIER

To perform tasks relating to guest check-in and check-out and sending guest accounts.
DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:
• Operate office posting equipment
• Obtain the house bank and keep it balanced
• Complete cashier pre-shift supply checklist
• Take departmental readings at the beginning of the shift complete guest check-in
procedures.
• Post charges to guest accounts
• Handle paid outs
• Transfer guest check balances to other accounts as required
• Cash guest checks
• Complete guest check-out procedure
• Settle guest accounts
• Handle cash, traveler’s checks, personal checks, credit cards, and direct billing request
properly.
• Post non-guest ledger payments
• Make account adjustments
• Disperse guest records upon check-outs
• Transfer folios paid by credit card to each credit cards master file
• Transfer folios charged to the non-guest ledger to each company’s master file
• Balance department totals at the close of the shift
• Manage safe deposit boxes
UNIFORMED BELL SERVICE
To work closely with the front desk staff, room service employees, and other hotel personnel in
providing guest assistance with luggage, transportation, and miscellaneous need.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• Maintain a good personal appearance at all times. Wear the standard uniform and name tag
• Escort guests to and from their rooms if requested
• Deliver arriving baggage and remove departing baggage promptly, per guest request.
• Work closely with the front office in carrying out all guest requests.
• Obtain telephone messages from the front desk and promptly deliver them to guestrooms.
• Keep the lobby directory up to date
• Watch for any unusual persons or activities and report them to management
• Transport hotel guests to and from the airport on request, obeying all traffic laws and forms of
courtesy
• Keep limousines, vans, and other hotel vehicles clean and in top running condition. Immediate
report all items that require repair.
• Maintain an orderly, secure checkroom for guests.
• Perform any other duties and responsibilities as requested.
CONCIERGE
to serve as the guest liaison with both hotel and non-hotel attractions, facilities, services, and
activities
DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• Develop a strong knowledge of the hotel’s facilities and services and of the surrounding
community
• Provide guests with directions to attractions or facilities in or outside the property
• Provide guests with information about attractions, facilities, services and activities in or outside
the property.
• Make guest reservations for air or other forms of transportation when requested; obtain
necessary itinerary and tickets.
• Make guest reservations the theatre and other forms of entertainment when requested:
Obtain necessary tickets and provide directions to facilities.
• Organize special function as directed by management
• Arrange secretariat and other office services
• Coordinate guest requests for special services or equipment with the appropriate department
• Checked in with roomed guests periodically to ascertain any special needs.
• Handle guest complaints.