Front Office

Organization
Objectives

This topic aims to enable the learners to describe the

front office organization and explain the duties and
responsibilities of the Front Office staff.
 Front Office
Organization

Lesson Proper
Introduction
To provide client satisfaction, one of the
most important considerations is to have
the right staff for the size of an
establishment.
Depending on the size of the hotels, the
various sections in the front office
organization may vary. Each staff has
important duties and responsibilities to
maintain a high standard of service and
hospitality at all times.
Sections of the Front
Office
Reservation Section
•Responsible for receiving and processing
reservation queries.
•It is headed by a Reservation Manager, who is
assisted by a reservation supervisor and a team
of reservation clerks or assistants.
•It is also responsible for booking of rooms in
advance and receiving of the room requests,
reservation analyzing, and documentation of the
room request received.
Sections of the Front
Office
Front Desk Section
•Responsible for receiving and registering
the guest, assigning of room, and
distributing room keys and remote controls
for television and air conditioners.
Sections of the Front
Office
Bell Desk Section
•It is located very close to the main entrance of the
hotel and is headed by a Bell Captain, who leads a
team of bellpersons or hellhops.
•This is responsible for handling the guest luggage
from the guest vehicle to the lobby and guest room
and vice-versa at the time of arrival and departure
respectively.
•Escorts guest to the room and familiarize them
with hotel facilities. Safety features as well as in-
room facilities.
Sections of the Front
Office
Tavel Desk Section
•It handles the transportation facility of
the hotel guest and assists in the booking
of air tickets, car rental, and other
transportation facilities.

•Arranges/organizes city tours, sightseeing

tours to the guests on request
Sections of the Front
Office
Business Center Section
•This is the latest addition in the large and
medium-sized hotels

•It serves the guests with laptops, internet,

mobiles, facsimile, LCD projectors, and
photocopier and also on request
secretarial facilities
Sections of the Front
Office
Concierge Section
•Provides information about the hotel, its
services, and amenities, city, town,
country, travel, and transport, banks, etc.
• It deals with any request a guest may
have, relying on an extensive list of
personal contacts with various merchants
and service providers.
Sections of the Front
Office
Cashiering Section
•Records all the monetary transactions of
guests.

•It is responsible for maintaining and recording

gust accounts and bills and folio of guests and
either cash or credit settlement of guest folios
at the time of departure.
Sections of the Front
Office
Communication and
Telephone Section
•This section maintains the communication
network of the hotel which is generally quite
complex.
•It handles the guest's telephone and
messages, both incoming and outgoing of the
guest.
 Front Office
Organizational Structure
The front office organizational chart is designed
according to functions. In a large hotel, the
department is headed by the Front Office Director
who is assisted by the respective Reservation
Manager, Front desk Manager, and the Revenue
Manager. The organizational structure of the
hotel's front office varies depending upon the size
of the hotel.
 Front Office
Organizational Structure
 Medium-
sized Hotel
Large-sized
Hotel
Duties and Responsibilities
of Front Office Staff
Front Office Manager
• Supervises all front office
personnel and ensure proper
completion of all front office duties
•Evaluates and decides the need for
personnel in the department and
maintains master key control.
Duties and Responsibilities
of Front Office Staff

Front Office Manager

•Trains and updates staff skills and
evaluates the job performance of
each front office employee.
Duties and Responsibilities
of Front Office Staff
Front Desk Agent
• Also known as the Receptionist or
Front Office Assistant in some
hotels.
•Registers and assigns rooms and
accommodates special guest
requests, if possible.
Duties and Responsibilities
of Front Office Staff
Front Desk Agent
•Assists in pre-registration and blocking
of rooms for reservations and knows
room status, location, types, and rates.
•Coordinates room status with the
housekeeping department and with
the engineering and maintenance
division for guest room maintenance.
Duties and Responsibilities
of Front Office Staff
Reservation Manager
•Maintains close liaison with secretaries of
major companies that do business with the
hotel
•Responsible for accurate and effective
handling of reservation tally sheet.
•Advises and informs the front office
manager of significant increases or
decreases of reservation tally which could
affect the hotel’s open or close status.
Duties and Responsibilities
of Front Office Staff
Reservation Agent
• Processes reservations by mail,
telephone, telex, cable, fax, or
central reservation system referral.

• Maintains reservation records by

date and time of arrival and
processes cancellations and
modifications.
Duties and Responsibilities
of Front Office Staff

Reservation Agent
• Prepares expected arrival lists and
communicates reservation
information for the front office.
• Prepares letter of confirmation and
communicates to the prospective
guests/representatives and processes
advance deposits on reservations.
Duties and Responsibilities
of Front Office Staff

Lobby Manager
•Schedules the duty roster and
determines justification for
complaint, and ensures that the
front office has good relations
with all departments.
Duties and Responsibilities
of Front Office Staff

Lobby Manager
•Handle the guest complaints and
ensures that the front office has a
good relationship with all
departments.
•Takes constant rounds at night of
all operating areas to ensure
smooth functioning.
Duties and Responsibilities
of Front Office Staff
Guest Services Executive
•Responsible for guest services such as help desk,
concierge desk, and guest transportation and ensures the
smooth running of these areas.
•Keeps information folder updated and keeps the GR. cards
and room keys of pre-registered guests ready.
•Ensures that amenities are sent in time to the VIP rooms
before their arrival. Meets and escorts VIP to their room at
check-in.
Duties and Responsibilities
of Front Office Staff
Crew Coordinator
•Responsible for keeping the crew lounge clean and
ensures that all services are planned and
he/she is in constant touch with the crew to answer their
queries
•It also ensures that the ‘crew rooms’ are blocked before
their arrival and am ready on time. Keeps liaison with crew
members and responsible for the necessary equipment in
the crew lounge.
Duties and Responsibilities
of Front Office Staff

Switchboard Operator
• Directs calls to guestrooms, staff,
or departments through the
switchboard or PBX system.
•Answers incoming calls and places
outgoing calls.
Duties and Responsibilities
of Front Office Staff

Switchboard Operator
•Logs all wake-up call requests and
performs wake-up call services.
•Receives telephone charges from the
telephone company and forwards
charges to the front desk for posting.
Duties and Responsibilities
of Front Office Staff

Front Office Cashier

•Operates front office posting
equipment/system and posts charges
to guest accounts.
•Settles guest accounts on cash,
credit card, and company account by
transferring balances to the respective
ledgers.
Duties and Responsibilities
of Front Office Staff

Front Office Cashier

•Receives payment from guests at
check-out.
•Balances departmental totals and
cash at the close of shift
 Duties and Responsibilities
of Front Office Staff
Concierge
•Develops a strong knowledge of the
hotel’s facilities and services and the
surrounding community.
• Provides guest with
directions/information to attractions
or facilities in or outside the property.
Duties and Responsibilities
of Front Office Staff
Concierge
•Makes reservations for air or other
forms of transportation and
entertainment, when requested.
•Arranges secretarial and other office
services.
•Coordinates guest requests for
special services or equipment with
the appropriate department.
Duties and Responsibilities
of Front Office Staff

Night Auditor
•Tracks room revenues, occupancy
percentages, and other front office
operating statistics and prepares a
summary of the financial
performance for the day.
Duties and Responsibilities
of Front Office Staff
Night Auditor
•Posts guest charge purchase
transactions not posted by the front
office cashier.
•Prepares a summary of cash, cheques,
credit card activities, and a summary of
the results of operations for
management.
Duties and Responsibilities
of Front Office Staff
Bell Captain
•Organizes supervises and controls all
lobby services to guest satisfaction in a
shift.
•Maintain a record of all guests with
“scanty baggage” and inform assistant
manager lobby and front office.
Duties and Responsibilities
of Front Office Staff
Bell Captain
•Supervises the storage of essential
medicine prescribed by the house
doctor and be accountable for the
issues made.
•Keeps baggage neatly and orderly at
the specified places.
Duties and Responsibilities
of Front Office Staff
Bellperson
•Takes the baggage from the car in the
porch/gate to the room and escorts the
guest to the room on arrival.
•Explain the operation and control of
light switches/air-conditioning etc. to
the guests and switch them on.
Duties and Responsibilities
of Front Office Staff
Bellperson
•Checks for mail, messages for
departure guests, and, if available,
collect and give mail or messages to
departing guests.
•Handles errands requested by guests
and front office staff.
Duties and Responsibilities
of Front Office Staff
Doorperson
•Greets guests upon arrival and welcomes
them and bids farewell upon departure
and thank all the guests.
•Opens doors of arrival cars and taxis and
greets and welcomes guests with a smile.
•Ensures smooth traffic flow in the porch
and ensures that the porch is always clear.
 Duties and Responsibilities
of Front Office Staff
Doorperson
•Responsible for the cleanliness and
orderliness of the front area of the
hotel and around it.
•Checks the luggage out pass before
allowing the bell boy to load the
luggage in a car or taxi at the time of
departure and maintains a car register.
 Duties and Responsibilities
of Front Office Staff

Airport Representative
•Facilitation of guests at the airport and assists in the
check-in coordinates with airline staff in case of
lost/mishandled baggage.
•Confirms flight timings, recheck in of guest.
•Acts as a sale representative for the hotel at the airport
•Updates airline schedules.
Qualities of the Front
Office Staff

Front office staff must possess good

personality traits as they play an
important role in revenue earning on
the sale of rooms.
Qualities of the Front
Office Staff
1. Physical ability
2. Confidence
3. Honesty
4. Punctuality
5. Memorizing Skill
6. Etiquette and Manners
Qualities of the Front
Office Staff
7. A high sense of personal
grooming
8. Personal hygiene
9. Positive attitude
10. Good communication skills
11. Team work
12. Patience
13. Calmness
 References
Bartley, Kevin (n.d.). What Is a PBX Phone System?. Retrieved from https://www.onsip.com/voip-
resources/voip-fundamentals/what-is-pbx-phone-system
Canity (2018). Front Office Skills Training - Listening & Interpersonal Skills. Retrieved from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PAAd3VAYywQ
Central Board of Secondary Education (2016). Front Office Operations. The Secretary, Central Board of
Secondary Education, Shiksha Kendra, 2, Community Centre, Preet Vihar, Delhi – 110092
Kumar, Prince (2020). Duties and Responsibilities: Front Office Organisation. Retrieved from
https://hmhub.me/duties-and-responsibilities-front-office/
Mrantinkovic, Aleksandar, et.al. (2018). Theory, Practice, and Techniques in Front Office Management. New
York, NY 10008, United States of America.
Prabhat, S. (2018). Difference Between Duties and Responsibilities. Retrieved from
http://www.differencebetween.net/miscellaneous/difference-between-duties-and-
responsibilities/
Yuvraj (2017). Front Office Organization. Retrieved from
https://www.ihmbbs.org/upload/5)%20Front%20Office%20organisation.pd
Thank you for Listening
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