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B.SC., (H&HA) 1st Sem

By E.T. Sathish Kumar., MBA,
sathishkumar.et@gmail.com
+91 8608 90 3137
FOUNDATION COURSE IN FRONT OFFICE OPERATIONS I
Units

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Soft Skill - 60 Nos

Syllabus - 1 No
ET Important Questions - 10 Nos
Previous year Question paper - 51 Nos
Key terms
- 152 Nos

6. Unit 1 Introduction To Tourism, Hospitality & Hotel Industry

7. Unit 2 Classification Of Hotels, Time Share & Vacation Ownership
8. Unit 3 Types Of Rooms
9. Unit 4 Front Office Organization
10. Unit 5 French
11. Resume model - 1 No
12. Technical - 150 Nos

Top 60 soft skills

The Workforce Profile defined about 60 "soft skills", which employers seek. They
are applicable to any field of work, according to the study, and are the "personal traits and skills
that employers state are the most important when selecting employees for jobs of any type."
1. Math.
2. Safety.
3. Courtesy.
4. Honesty.
5. Grammar.
6. Reliability.
7. Flexibility.
8. Team skills.
9. Eye contact.
10. Cooperation.
11. Adaptability.
12. Follow rules.
13. Self-directed.
14 Good attitude.
15. Writing skills.

16. Driver's license.

17. Dependability.
18. Advanced math.
19. Self-supervising.
20. Good references.
21. Being drug free.
22. Good attendance.
23. Personal energy.
24. Work experience.
25. Ability to measure.
26. Personal integrity.
27. Good work history.
28. Positive work ethic.
29. Interpersonal skills.
30. Motivational skills

31. Valuing education.

32. Personal chemistry.
51. Willingness to work second and third shifts.
33. Willingness to learn.
52. Caring about seeing the company succeed.
34. Common sense.
53. Understanding what the world is all about.
35. Critical thinking skills.
54. Ability to listen and document what you have heard.
36. Knowledge of fractions.
55. Commitment to continued training and learning.
37. Reporting to work on time.
56. Willingness to take instruction and responsibility.
38. Use of rulers and calculators.
57. Ability to relate to co-workers in a close
39. Good personal appearance.
environment.
40. Wanting to do a good job.
58. Not expecting to become a supervisor in the first six
41. Basic spelling and grammar.
months.
42. Reading and comprehension.
59. Willingness to be a good worker and go beyond the
43. Ability to follow regulations.
traditional eight-hour day.
44. Willingness to be accountable.
60. Communication skills with public, fellow
45. Ability to fill out a job application
employees, supervisors, and customers.
46. Ability to make production quotas.
47. Basic manufacturing skills training.
How many soft skills do you possess?
48. Awareness of how business works.
49. Staying on the job until it is finished.
50. Ability to read and follow instructions.
3

SYLLABUS : FOUNDATION COURSE IN FRONT OFFICE OPERATIONS I

01Introduction To Tourism, Hospitality & Hotel
Industry
1.1Tourism And Its Importance
1.2 Hospitality And Its Origin
1.3 Hotels, Their Evolution And Growth
02classification Of Hotels
2.1 Size
2.2 Star
2.3 Location & Clientele
2.4 Ownership Basis
2.5 Independent Hotels
2.6 Management Contracted Hotel
2.7 Chains
2.8 Franchise/Affiliated
2.9 Supplementary Accommodation
2.10 Time Shares And Condominium
Time Share & Vacation Ownership
2.11 What Is Time Share? Referral Chains &
Condominiums
2.12 How Is It Different From Hotel Business?
2.13 Classification Of Timeshares
2.14 Types Of Accommodation And Their Size

03 Types Of Rooms
3.1 Single, Double, Twin
3.2 Suits
04 Front Office Organization
4.1 Brief Introduction To Hotel Core Area With A
Special Reference To Front Office.
4.2 Function Areas
4.3 Front Office Hierarchy
4.4 Duties And Responsibilities
4.5 Personality Traits
4.6 Layout
4.7 Front Office Equipment (Non Automated, Semi
Automated And Automated)
4.8 Functions
4.9 Procedures And Records
05 French: To Be Taught By A Professional French
Language Teacher.
5.1 Understanding And Uses Of Accents,
Orthographic Signs & Punctuation
5.2 Knowledge Of Cardinaux & Ordinaux (Ordinal
& Cardinal)
5.3 Days, Dates, Time, Months And Seasons
4

Important ?
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.

Tourism & its Importance

Classification of hotels Location, clientele
Types of rooms
Front office Hierarchy
Personality traits
Layout
Brief Introduction To Hotel Core Area With A Special Reference To Front
Office
8. Duties & Responsibilities FOM, Receptionist, Bell Boy, Reservationist
9. Functions of front office
10. Front office Equipments

PREVIOUS QUESTION PAPER?

1. Give point wise job description and job specification of a concierge
2. Explain the hotel and guest mail handling procedure with the help of a flow chart
3. Give the front office organizational chart of a large and small hotel.
4. Explain the duties and responsibilities of a Front office Manger.
5. Explain the classification of hotel on the best of
a) Size b) Star c) Location d) Clientele e) Service
6. Pen down the important land marks in the growth of hotel industry
7. What is time share and condominium? How is it different from hotel business?
8. Define and explain important of lobby Give a neat sketch of Front office layout
9. List down different types of hotel rooms available in star hotels and briefly describe.
10. Define hotel Mention different departments of a hotel. Explain Front office and its importance.
11. Write short notes on the following
a) Supplementary accommodation b) Importance of tourism
c) Paging
d) Rooming a guest
e) J.R.D Tata
12. Explain left luggage procedure followed at Bell Desk
13. a) Write the following Cardinaux in French i. 9 ii.4 iii.20
iv. 8v.12
b) Write the following days in French i. Wednesday ii. Sunday
iii. Monday
iv. Thursday v. Friday

14. a) State True or False

i) The hospitality industry includes not only lodging establishments but food and beverage operations.
ii) Hotel Industry is one of the most important foreign exchange earning industry in India.
iii) 5 star hotels are required to have parking facility
iv) Front office communications involve only verbal communication
v) Rooms are not a perishable product sold by a hotel.
b) Match the following
i) Small hotels in Switzerland are called a) Star System
ii) In India hotels are classified
- b) Front Office
iii) An area of hotel which normally does not come in contact with guest- c) Chalet
iv) A hotels most visible section
- d)Food production
v) Larder is a part of
- e) No revenue centre

c) State True or False

a) Light shows are part of tourism industry
b) Another name of American plan is Bonjour
c) Casino hotels are located in the heart of city
d) Concierge is not a part of FO
e) Doorman is also called as chauffer
f) Many times guest complaints are beneficial to the hotel
g) A quad room contains double-double bed
h) Key & mail rack should be in clear view of guest
i) SPATT means uniform staff
j) Key card & welcome card are same things

15. Write short notes (any two).

a) Types of rooms b) Message handling c) Time share
d) Chain hotels
16. Effective listening is an important part in telephone handling.
As a front office staff list the various measures taken while handling guest calls.
17. Draw and explain any five automated equipment used in modern budget hotel.
18. Give the check in procedure for a guest holding guaranteed reservation.
19. Give step by step procedure for baggage handling on FIT arrival.
Support your answer with any one document used during the process.
20. Draw the organization chart of front office department and write the duties & responsibility
of a front desk agent.(receptionist)
21. Draw the layout of front office department and indicate the location of various
sections of front office department.
22. Define the term bell desk and give step by step procedure for left luggage handling.
23. Explain the various functions of bell desk area (any ten)
24. Trace the history of hotel industry enlist the name year of foundation parent company and
product of five Indian and five international hotel chains.
25. Define the term hotel and classify it on different basis. Also give the single and double room
sizes of star categorized hotels.
26. Define the term inn give any eight examples of supplementary accommodation and explain
each briefly.
27. Define the term movement list and give step by step procedure for check in of a guest.
28. Briefly explain any ten personality traits of front line staff

29. Differentiate between timeshare and condominium

30. Define the term timeshare hotel. Classify the different types of timeshare
31. Write short notes on any five
a) Errand card b) Commissionaire c) Chalet
d) Inn
e) Referral f) Suite room
g) Tavern
32. Enlist the various equipment used in automated, semi automated
and non automated front office department
33. Differentiate between any five
a) Adjoining and adjacent room
b) Chain hotel and referral hotel groups
c) Cabana and lanai room
d) Skipper and sleeper
e) FIT and GIT
f) Front office and reception
g) Bell hop and concierge
34. Give the French equivalent of following
a) Monday
e) White
b) January
f) Hundred
c) Summer
g) Good morning
d) One hour
h) Black
i) Saturday
j) Winter

35. State True or False

a) Sarai is an example of alternative accommodation
b) Concierge is part of uniformed service
c) Quad room has four double beds
d) Function of key card is different from card key
e) Trade fairs are part of tourism industries
f) Pre registration can be done for walk in guest
g) Guest folio is prepared by the receptionist
h) American plan include room with one major meal
i) Reservationist is responsible for guest welcoming
j) Cabana is not a let able room
36. Match the following
a) 1903, December i) Cashier
b) Overbooking
ii) Let table room
c) VPO
iii) Sir
d) Bonsoir
iv) Good Morning
e) Lanai
v) Reservation
f) Time share
vi) Reception
g) Motel
vii) Taj Mahal Palace
h) Monsieur
viii) Good evening
i) Bonjour
ix) Highway hotels
j) Room allotment x) Vacation ownership

2015 QP
37. First impression is the last impression which is created by FO depart. Justify this statement

38.
39.
40.
41.
42.
43.
44.
45.
46.

Define hotel. Explain the classification of hotel

Explain the evolution & growth of hotel.
Explain various functions of Bell desk of 4 star hotel & draw one related format.
Explain various types of rooms available in a hotel.
Hierarchy of the FO Depart of 5* hotel. List 10 duties of FO Supervisor.
10 Essential personality traits of a FO Staff.
Messages Handling Procedure with help of flow chart
Layout of lobby & design a layout if multi system FO counters
FO Equipment automated, semi-automated & non-automated

47. Give step-by-step procedure for baggage handling on FIT arrival. Draw one document

48.
49.
50.
51.

Signification of tourism
Timeshare & condominium
Hospitality & its origin
Left luggage procedure followed by bell desk.

ishkumar.et@gmail.com E.T. SATHISH KUMAR., MBA +91 8608 90 313

2 Marks
1.
2.

Hotel: House Of Taxable Endless Luxury

Hotel/Inn :A place where a bonafied traveller can receive food & shelter, provide he
is a position to pay for it & is in a fit condition to be received. By British Law.
3. Caravan: A group of people, vehicle or supervised animals that are travelling
together for security. (caravanserai)
4. Motel: A hotel for people who are travelling by car, with space for parking cars near
the rooms.
5. Tourism: Movement of people from their normal place of residence to another place
(with the intention to return ) for a minimum period of twenty four hours to maximum
of six months for the sole purpose of leisure & pleasure.
6. Domestic tourism: The Tourism activity of people within their own country.
7. Outbound tourist : This refers to tourists travelling abroad for business or leisure.
8. Inbound tourist: This refers to tourist entering a particular country.
9. Hospitality is also known as the act of generously providing care and kindness to
whoever is in need.
10. Itinerary: A plan for a journey, listing different places in the order in which they are
to be visited.
Note: 2 Mark Write With Own Examples , To Get Full Marks.

12

11. Chain: a group of hotels that are owned or managed by one company
12. Timeshare: It is a hotel that is jointly owned by people who use it at different
times.
13. Franchise: An arrangement in which a private investor runs a hotel under a hotel
chain on having signed a contract with the letter.
14. Condominium: A hotel owned by a single owner who might use it for some part of
the year & rent it out for the remainder of the year.
15. Management Contract Companies: Companies having the expertise to manage
hotels, operating on the basis of management free or a percentage of gross revenue.
16. Proprietary ownership: It is the direct ownership of one or more hotels by a
person or company.
17. Commercial Hotel/ Downtown Hotel: A hotel situated in the heart of city centre
or business centre, catering to the business traveller.
18. Sub-urban Hotel: These are the hotels located in sub-urban areas, away from the
city centers, & have a advantage of quieter surroundings.
19. Resort: these are the hotels that are located at destinations of tourist attractions
like hill stations, sea beaches, & country side.
20. Motel: a hotel located on a highway, providing moderated lodgings to highway
travellers.
13

21. B& B Hotel: It is generally a large family residence where the owner lives on the
premises & is responsible for serving breakfast to guests.
22. Airport Hotel: A hotel situated in the near of airport & other ports of entry.
23. Casino Hotel: A hotel that provides gambling facilities.
24. Convention Hotel: A hotel with a convention centre & large number of rooms to
accommodate all participants of a convention.
25. Transient Hotel: These hotels cater to the needs of people who are on the move &
need a stop over en route their journey.
26. Extended Stay Hotel: A hotel where people, mainly business executives, stay for
extended periods of time, providing facilities like kitchens with dishes &
kitchenware, washing area, & grocery shopping services.
27. Residential Hotel / Apartment Hotel: This type of hotel caters to people who
stay for a duration of one month to two years.
28. Semi Residential Hotel: A hotel catering to people in transit to another place,
incorporating features of both transient & residential hotels.
29. Heritage hotel: A hotel set in a fort, place, or haveli.
30. Floatel: a hotel that floats on water, like cruise liners & houseboats.

14

31. Single Room: This type of room has one single bed for single occupancy.
32. Twin Room: this type of room has two single beds for double occupancy.
33. Hollywood Twin Room: This type of room has two single beds with a common
head board.
34. Triple Room: A room with three single beds to accommodated three people.
35. Quad Room: A room with four separated single beds to accommodate four
people.
36. Double Room: This type of room has one double bed for double occupancy.
37. Double-double Room: It is a room with two double beds to accommodated four
people.
38. King Room: A room with a king size bed (6 by 6 feet)
39. Queen Room: A room with a queen size bed (5by 6 feet)
40. Duplex: This type of suite has two rooms which are situated on two different
floors & are connected by an internal staircase.
41. Parlour Room: A living room without a bed. a room not use as a bed room.
42. Penthouse: Suite located to on the topmost floor of the hotel. A part of the room
can be open to the sky or with a glass roof. Very expensive and exclusive suite.
15

43. Adjacent Room: It is a room that is very close to another room but does not share
a common wall with the it. (across hall)
44. Adjoining Room: It is a room that shares a wall with another hotel room but is
not connected by a door.
45. Interconnecting Room: Rooms with two individual door from outside. And a
connecting a door in between. These are rooms with a common wall & a door that
connects the rooms. This allows guests to access rooms without using corridor.
46. Suite: This type of room has a living room separated form bedroom area.
47. Studio Room: A room with a bed & sofa-cum-bed, generally used a living room.
48. Cabana Room: It is a room situated away from the main hotel building, near a
swimming pool or sea beach, & mostly used as a changing room.
49. Lanai Room: A room which oversees a scenic beauty e.g Garden, swimming
pool.
50. Efficiency room: A room with an attached kitchenette for guests staying for a
long duration.
51. Hospitality Room: A room outside a guest room where the guest may entertain
16
their visitors.

52. Concierge : A hotel employee who provides information & personalized services like
dinner reservation, tour & travel arrangements.
53. Lobby: It is an area just inside a large building, where people can meet & wait.
54. Reservation section: This section of the front office department receives & process
reservation quires.
55. Reservationist: Process the reservation requests that reach the hotel by any mode
telephonic, written, or online.
56. Reception: This is the front desk of the hotel, which greets guests & answers their
quires on their arrival.
57. Receptionist: The first person to come in contact with guests at the time of arrival
58. Walk-in Guests: Guests who arrive at a hotel without prior reservation.
59. Information Desk : To provide information to the Guest.
60. Travel desk: Take care of travel arrangements of guest, like air-ticketing, railway
reservations, sightseeing tours, airport or railway station pick up or drop, etc.
61. Telephone Operators: Who answer incoming calls, protect the guests` privacy &
direct to the concern person.
62. Bell boy: He carries guest baggage during check in & check out in the hotel.
63. Door Man: Who opens the door of the guests vehicles on their arrival in the hotel
portico. He greets the guests & opens the hotels main entrance for them.
64. Valet Parking Attendant:A person who provide parking service for guest car
17
65. Paging: Locating Guests within the hotel by a public address system.

66.
67.
68.
69.
70.

Goal: It is a short- term, Measurable end result.

Objective; The end result that a hotel wants to achieve over varying periods of time.
Mission: The Reason or purpose for the existence of a hotel.
Vision: A statement that concretely describes how a hotel sees itself in the future.
Word of Mouth: Oral or written recommendation of the services of a hotel by a satisfied customer
to prospective customers.
71. Front office: The department which takes care of reservation, reception, registration, & final
settlement of guests bills.
72. Kitchen: This department prepares the food for sales in all food outlets in the hotel.
73. Food & Beverage Service: This department of the hotel is responsible for serving food & drinks
to guests.
74. Housekeeping: This department is responsible for the proper upkeep & maintenance of the hotel
75. Accounts: To monitors, records, & verifies all the monetary transactions of the hotel
76.
76.
77.
78.
79.
80.
81.
82.
83.

PBX- Private Branch Exchange

PABX - Private Automatic Branch Exchange
UNWTO: United Nations World Tourism Organization
WTTC: The World Travel & Tourism Council
ETC : European Tourism Organization
WTO :World Tourism Organization
PATA: Pacific Asia Travel Association
ICOTT: International Congress Of Official Tourist Traffic Associations
GDP: Gross Domestic Product

18

84. ITC: Indian Tobacco Company

85. FHRAI : The Federation Of Hotels & Restaurants In India
86. UNIDO: United Nations Industrial Development Organisation
87. UNICEF: United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund
88. ITDC: India Tourism Development Corporation
89. TTDC: Tamil Nadu Tourism Development Corporation
90. FEE : Foreign Exchange Earnings
91. FERA: Foreign Exchange Regulation Act
92. HRACC: Hotel Restaurant Approval & Classification Committee
93. HAI: Hotel Association Of India
94. TAAI: Travel Agents Association Of India
95. IHM: Institute Of Hotel Management Catering Technology & Applied Nutrition
96. IHHA: Indian Heritage Hotel Association
97. RCI: Resorts & Condominiums & Inns
98. SMERF: Social, Military, Educational, Religious & Fraternal
99. MICE: Meeting, Incentives, Conference, & Exhibition
100. WHO: World Health Organisation.
101. AHMA: American Hotel & Motel Association.
19
102. AHLEI : American Hotel Lodging & Educational Institute
*****et *****

102.
103.
104.
105.
106.
107.
108.
109.
110.
111.
112.
113.
114.
115.
116.
117.
118.
119.

PBX: Private Branch Exchange (Telephone switch)

EAPBX: Electronic Automatic Private Branch Exchange
CAS: Call Accounting System
PMS: Property Management System
Invention:
GDS: Global Distribution System
1850 - Sewing machine
CRS: Central Reservation System
1873 - Typewriter
1876 - Telephone
POS: Point-of-sale
1879 - Electric Light
ELS: Electronic Locking System
Bulb
EMS: Energy Management System
1885 - Automobile
1895 - Radio
NCR: National Cash Register
1903 - Airplane
PIA: Paid In Advance
STD: Subscriber trunk dialing (also known as subscriber toll dialing)
ISD: International Subscriber Dialling ( also known as International Direct Dialing)
UPS: Uninterruptible Power Supply
DDD: Direct Distance Dialing
TDD: Telecommunications device for the deaf
HOBIC : Hotel Billing Information Centre
VOIP: Voice Over Internet Protocol
20

2 Marks
120.Occupied: A guest is currently registered to the room
121.Complimentary: The room is occupied, but the guest is assessed no charge for its use
122.Under stay: a guest who checks out before his or her stated departure date.
123.Stay over: Guest is not expected to check out today & will remain at least one more night
124.Overstay: a guest who stays after his or her stated departure date.
125.On-charge: Guest has departed, but the room has not yet been cleaned & readied for resale
126.Sleep-out: A guest is registered to the room, but the bed has not been used
127.Skipper: a guest who has left a hotel & has intentionally not settled their account.
128.Sleeper: The guest has settled his or her account & left the hotel, but the FO staff has
failed to properly update the rooms status.
129.Vacant & Ready: Room has been cleaned & inspected & is ready for an arriving guest.
130.Lock-out: The room has been locked so that the guest cannot re-enter until he or she is
cleared by a hotel official (bill)
131.DNCO Did Not Check Out: The guest made arrangements to settle his or her
account(thus is not a skipper), but has left without informing the FO
132.Check-out: Guest has settled his or her account, returned the room keys & left hotel
133.Due outs: Guests expected to check out on a given day who have not yet done so.
21

134.Back of the house: the functional areas of a hotel in which staff have little or no
direct guest contact, such as the engineering, accounting, & HR divisions
135.Front of the house: the functional areas of a hotel in which staff have extensive
guest contact, such as the F&B facilities & the front office
136.Walk-in: a person who arrives at a hotel without a reservation & requests a room.
137.Walking: turning away a guest who has a reservation because of a lack of rooms.
138.Guest Cycle: a division of the flow of business through a hotel that identifies the
physical contacts & financial exchanges between guests & hotel employees
139.Posting: the process of recording transactions on a guest folio.
140.Folio (bill) : a statement of all transactions affecting the balance of a single
account.
141.Guest folio: a from (paper or electronic) used to chart transactions on an account
assigned to an individual person or guestroom
142.House limit: a credit limit established by the hotel
143.Floor Limit: a limit assigned to hotels by credit card companies.
144.Bank limit: the amount of cash contained in the cashier bank when it is issued at
the beginning of the shift.
145.Reservation file: a collection of reservation records
146. Block: an agreed-upon number of rooms set aside for members of a group planning to stay at a hotel

147.Book: To sell or reserve rooms ahead of time.

22

148.CRS- Central Reservation System: a network for communicating reservations in

which each participating property is represented in a computer system database & is
required to provide room availability data to the central reservation center on a
timely basis.
149.FIT- Free independent Traveller: a traveller who is not a part of a group.
150.No-show: a guests who made a room reservation but did not register or cancel.
151.Overbooking: accepting more reservations than there are available rooms.
152.upselling: a sales technique whereby a guest is offered a more expensive room than
what he or she reserved or originally requested, & then persuaded to rent the room
based on the rooms features, benefits, & his or her needs.
153.Wash factor: the deletion of unnecessary group rooms from a group block.
154.Log book: a journal in which important front office events & decisions are recorded
for reference during subsequent shifts.
155.Reader board: a posting or closed-circuit broadcast of daily events at a hotel.
156.DND: Did Not Disturb the guest has requested not to be disturbed
157.OOO- Out of Order The room cannot be assigned to a guest. A room may be Out-oforder for a variety of reasons, including the need for maintenance, refurbishing, & extensive
cleaning

158.Forecast: a projection of estimated business volume.

159.Forecasting: the process of predicting events & trends in business; typical forecasts
developed for the rooms division include room availability & 23
occupancy.

1.1 Tourism and its Importance

Synopsis:
Introduction:
Meaning Of Tourism
Purpose Of Journey
Define
Resources
Reasons For Travel
Push Factor & Pull Factor
Tourist Activity Preference
International Tourism Organisation
Components & 5 As Of Tourism
Tourist Types
Overview Of Tourism
Tourism Importance
Conclusion
24

1.1 Tourism and its Importance

Introduction:
Tour is a Latin word, it means a tool for making a circle.

ICOTT - International Congress of Official Tourist Traffic Associations 1925

UNWTO United Nation World Tourism Organization -1970
156 countries member, HQ- Madrid Spain
WTTC - World Travel and Tourism Council - 1997
21st century economy dominated by three industries
Telecommuni
cation
Information
technology

UNWTO
headquarters
Madrid, Spain.

Tourism
Meaning :
The practice of touring or travelling for pleasure or recreation
The guidance or management of tourists as a business.
25

Purpose of Journey: The purpose of journey can be classified by

Leisure: Recreation, holiday, health, study, religion and sports
Business , family mission , meeting .
Define
The movement of people from their normal place of residence to another place
(with the intention to return) for a minimum period of twenty-four hours to a
maximum of six months for the sole purpose of leisure and pleasure.

Resources:

Country natural
beauty

Climate

Resource
s

Culture and the

people

History

26

Push & Pull Factors of Tourism

Internal (push) factors:

External (Pull) factors:

Health

Culture

Sports

History

Religion

Geography

Pleasure

Wildlife
Architecture

Reason for Travel

Shopping

47 % of guests are on vocation

23% are attending a conference
17% are transient business travelers
9% are staying for personal reasons or family
3% are on government or military business
1% are involved in a job or residence move.

27

Tourist Activity Preferences:

Shopping
Dining Out
Sampling the local food
Taking Pictures
Touring
Sight seeing
Contact with nature &
The out-of-doors.

International Tourism Organization

UNWTO - United Nations World Tourism

Organization
ETC European Tourism Organization
WTO World Tourism Organization
PATA Pacific Asia Travel Association
ICOTT- International Congress of Official
Tourist Traffic Associations
WTTC - World Travel and Tourism Council

5 As of Tourism:
i. Accessibility
ii. Accommodation
iii. Amenities
iv. Attractions
v. Activities

28

3 Components of tourism products:

Tourist types:
Domestic tourist : Designates any person who travels within the country.
International tourist : A foreign tourist is a person visiting India on a foreign
passport, staying at least twenty four hours in India.

29

Overview of Tourism Industry

ACCOMODATION

TRANSPORTATION

Hotel

Trains

Restaurant
s

Shopping
malls

Seasonal
Festivals

Motel

Passenger
Ships

Bars

Gift Shops

Trade Fairs

Time
share

Airlines

Pubs

Art & Craft

Shops

Road shows

Resort

Buses

Dhabas

Handicraft

Exhibitions

Holiday
village

Cars

Vendor

Handloom

Sports
Events

Dak
Bungalow

Bikes

Take Away

Emporium

Study Trips

Sarai

Limousines

Snakes bar

Antique
Shops

Excursions

Casino

Ferries

FOOD &
BEVERAGE

Retail

REATIL STORES

ACTIVITIES

Cultural

30

Importance of Tourism

31

Importance of Tourism

Conclusion:
Without any doubt tourism plays a major role in the development of industries
which in turn contributes to the countrys GDP (Gross domestic product ) as
well as the employment Generation. These are tourism and its importance in
hospitality industry.
32

1.2 Hospitality and its Origin

Synopsis:
Introduction
Hospitality - Define
Hospitality Means
Hospitality sectors/Jobs opportunity
Three basic needs
Steps in
Origin and Growth
Neolithic Age Innovations
Journey on animals before the wheel is invented
Lodging houses / inns
Different names throughout the world for houses or inns
Earliest inns.

33

1.2 Hospitality And Its Origin

Introduction :
Hhospitality industry is the oldest commercial activities in the world.
An integral part of the larger business enterprise known as travel and tourism.
Hospice a medieval house of rest for travelers and pilgrims.
Earlier called as nursing home and hospital .

Define : Hospitality is also known as the act of generously

providing care and kindness to whoever is in need.
Hospitality :
To fulfill the needs of the guest by means of proper service.
To serve the guests by providing shelter , food or both.
To provide a wide range of travel related services. Modes such as
i. Old Travel,
ii. Accommodation,
iii. Food And Drinks,
iv. Recreational Activities, And
v. Other Facilities Etc.

34

Hospitality Sectors / Division / Departments ( Job Opportunities)

.Three Basic Needs:

Steps In:
Thus, two of this three basic needs food and shelter are not taken care of, When
he/she is travelling
This is where the hospitality industry is steps in.

Origin and Growth:

The origin and development of the hospitality industry
Is a direct outcome of travel and tourism.
Neolithic Age Innovations:
Sailing Vessels
Domestication of animals
Invention of the wheel
Journey On Animals Before The Wheel Is Invented:
The people undertook journeys on animals such us horse, camels & elephants.
However there was a limit to the distance they, could cover in a day.
Lodging Houses / inns
The primitive lodging houses or inns originated
Essentially to cater to these needs of the travelers.
36

India Dharamshala, sarai

Different
Names
Throughout The World For Houses Or Inns
Japan
Ryokans
Spain Paradors
Portugal - poussadas
America coffee house
France cabarets & hostelries
Switzerland Mansiois hospitia
Greece Phatnal
China Relay houses
EarliestEurope
inns : - Taverns & Inns

It generally run by families or husband & wife teams

Who provide large halls to travelers
To make their own beds, cook for themselves and sleeps on the floor.
Entertainment and Recreation were also provided on a modest scale.
Gradually, the inns started providing beds to travelers.
Typically, an inn would have a large hall with many beds.

1.3 Hotels , Their Evolution And Growth

Synopsis
Introduction
Define Hotel
ERA Ancient Era, Grand Era, Modern Era.
Ancient Era
3rd century
Industrial Revolution
Grand Era
Travel Motivation
French Revolution
Entrepreneurs Raise
Thomas cook
Modern Era
Improvisations
World War
Automotive Industry
Conclusion.
38

1.3 Hotels , Their Evolution And Growth

Introduction:
The invention of currency and the wheel sometime in the 5th century BC
The main two factors that led to the emergence of inn-keeping
To begin the hospitality as a commercial activity.

Era:

39

Ancient Era:

The earliest recorded evidence of the hospitality facilities was in Europe around 500 BC
Ancient cities (Corinth in Greece) offered food, drink & bed to travelers.
Travelers used to stay in a large hall.
Privacy and personal sanitation were non- existent.

3rd century AD:

In 3rd century AD, numerous lodging premises mushroomed.
To develop the network , roads where laid throughout Europe and Asia.
Lodging houses were known as mansionis.
These conditions prevailed (existed) for several hundred years.
Industrial revolution:
The industrial revolution brought shift in travel, business, education & society.
The lead in organized hotel keeping was in Europe, especially Switzerland.
Between 1750 and 1825, inns in Britain gained the reputation of being the finest
hospitality establishments.
40

Grand Tour:
1.Culture
2. Health
3.Pleasure 4.Curiosity 5.Science
6.Career
education 7.Art
8.Scenery
French Revolution
The French Revolution (1789-99) is referred as the golden era of travel.
The Grand tour became popular & gave big push to the hotel industry.
Wealthy families from Europe and Britain enjoyed the facilities(tours).
This tour often lasted several years.
Good Business Opportunity
Good business opportunity for people in the prominent (famous) cities.
Like France, Italy, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and Ireland
To establish lodging, transportation, and recreation facilities.
Entrepreneurs Raise

Entrepreneurs who smelt money rose and developed the hospitality industry.

Famous hotels emerged in Zurich and Geneva.

Thomas cook
Thomas cook organized a rail tour from Leicester to loughborough.
He immortalized (elevated) himself as the worlds first tour operator.
41

Modern Era
Improvisation:
The improvisation in modes of transport made journeys safer, easier, and faster.
Enabling (allow) economical, as well as frequent mass movement.
The introduction of Funiculars (the ropeway) lead to growth to many hotels.
World War:
The world war (1939-45) took massive destruction resulting economic depression.
In 1950s witnessed slow and steady growth of travel in the European continent.

1st city hotel in New York in 1794 with 73 rooms.

19th century, hoteliers continued to build better , larger, and most luxurious hotels
1980 - 1st Business Hotel, the Statler hotel in Buffalo.
Automotive Industry Rise:
1950s increase in automotive industry gave rise to motor hotels with free
parking facilities. This served as rest houses for people travelling between two
cities or tourist destination.

Conclusion:
The following decades saw the growth of motels on a large scale.
Gradually, the hotels rose into countrywide & international chains.

42

Introduction And Growth Of The Hotel Industry In India

Introduction:
Evidence of its presence even during the Indus Valley Civilization & Vedic era.
Olden days people travelled for pilgrimage and trade.
Char-dham (visiting religious places located in the four corners of India)
Ancient India was well known for its silk, spices, gold, and gemstones.
The origin and evolution of the hotel industry in the country can be broadly
categorized in the following three periods:
1. Ancient and medieval era 2. Colonial era 3. Modern Era
Synopsis:
Introduction:
Ancient And Medieval Era (From Indus Valley Civilization To AD 1600)
Colonial Era (AD 1601 To AD 1947)
Modern Era (1947 On Wards)
Conclusion
43

Ancient And Medieval Era (From Indus Valley Civilization To AD 1600

The beginning of the hospitality sector in India, stand rooted in the Hindu
Philosophy of atithi devo bhava means- Guest is the status of god.

The lodging houses during those times were known as dharamshalas.

(Dharma

in Sanskrit means religion and shala School).

Originally village chaupals , served as a meeting ground for villagers to plan and
discuss various social welfare and development measures.

Famous Chinese scholars Fa Hien (AD 399-414)and Huein Tsang (AD 629-643),
who came during the reigns of Chandragupta Vikramiditya and
Harshvardhnana respectively, have mentioned the existence of shelters for
travelers.

Nalanda University, a famous seat for learning - here an arrangement of food for
10,000 students was made.
44

Colonial Era (1601-1947)

Hotel industry in India started taking the shape during Colonial Period.
Early hotels were mostly operated by people of foreign origin
A racial discrimination incident wherein, an Indian was refused entry in to
Watsons Hotel for Being Indian.
The two world wars brought in, a fresh lot of hotels to Mumbai.
The Ritz, The Ambassador, West End, & Airlines were opened during these years.

Famous Properties :
Victoria hotel
1840 - British hotel by Pallanjee Pestonjee
1871- Esplanade Hotel
Watsons, - Exclusively for Europeans
1841 - Auckland Hotel in Kolkata

1903 -Taj Mahal Palace & Tower hotel by Jamshetji Nusserwanji Tata in Mumbai.
(I st hotel in India by Taj group after the a racial discrimination incident)
45

Modern Era (1947 onwards)

After independence, there were big leaps (high) in the hotel trade in our country.
The Oberoi Group of Hotels was founded by Rai Bahadur Mohan Singh Oberoi.
The Taj Group of hotels took over several British Properties, maintain high standards of
service and quality and expanded their business to overseas.
The ITC (Indian Tobacco Company) welcome group later decade (10 years) joined in
the hotel industry
The year 1949 saw the organization of four regional hotels and restaurants associations, with
head offices in Delhi, Mumbai, Calcutta and Chennai. The four association were linked in
FHRAI Federation of hotel restaurant association of India
The Ashok Hotel in Delhis the first luxury hotel built by the government ; it was founded
in 1956, to host independent Indias first ever international event.
UNIDO - United Nations Industrial Development Organization
1966- ITDC Indian Tourism Development Corporation.
In few decades, various well known international chains have came to India.
Hyatt, Intercontinental, Marriot, Hilton, Best Western, Shangri-La, Four Seasons,
Carlson, and Aman.
Conclusion: These are growth of hotel industry in India.

46

UNIT 2
02 Classification of Hotels
2.1 Size
2.2 Star
2.3.1 Location
2.3.2 Clientele
2.4 Ownership Basis
2.5 Independent Hotels
2.6 Management Contracted Hotel
2.7 Chains
2.8 Franchise/Affiliated
2.9 Supplementary Accommodation
2.10 Time Shares And Condominium
47

UNIT 2 : CLASSIFICATION OF HOTELS

48

Hotel Classification
Size
Star Rating
Type of Clientele
Level of Services
Heritage
Location
Duration of Guest Stay

Ownership
49

2.1 Classification of Hotels on The Basis of Size:

Size

Small

Medium

Large

Very Large

India

25 Rooms

26 To 100
Rooms

101 To 300
Rooms

More Than
300 Rooms

European &
US (Or)
Developed
Nations

Less Than 100

Rooms

Up To 300
Rooms

400 To 600
Rooms

600 To 1000
Rooms
50

2.2 Classification Of Hotels By Star Rating/

Hotel Classification by the Government Committee
Star Rating
One Star
Three
Star

Two Star

Heritage
Hotels
Heritage
Classic
Heritage

Four Star

Five Star
Five Star
Deluxe

Heritage
Grand

52

2.2 Classification Of Hotels By Star Rating

One Star Hotels:
To be these properties are generally small
To be Independently owned & provide a family atmosphere
To be limited range of facilities & the meals may be fairly simple.
Two Star Hotels:
To be typically small medium sized
To offer more extensive facilities
To guest can expect comfortable well equipped overnight accommodation
Three Star Hotels:
To be all bed rooms with have an en suite bath and shower
To offer a good standard of comfort & equipment.
Four Star Hotels:
To be well designed with coordinated furnishings and decor.
To be a high staff to guest ration.
To provide 24- hours room service, laundry, porter services.
The restaurant will demonstrate a serious approach to its cuisine.
53

Five Star Hotels:

To offer space & luxury.
To maintain the best International standards.
Elegance interior design, to impress with its quality.
The furnishing should be immaculate (extremely clean, neat & tidy).
The services to be a formal.
The staff will be knowledgeable, helpful, customer care with courtesy.
Heritage Hotels This category covers hotels in residences, havelis, hunting lodges,
castles, or forts and palaces

Heritage:

Heritage Classic

Heritage Grand:

Built between 1935 & 1950

Built prior to 1935 but after 1920

Built prior to 1920

Heritage: Built between 1935 & 1950

Heritage Classic: Built prior to 1935 but after 1920
Heritage Grand: Built prior to 1920
54

2.3.1 CLASSIFICATION OF HOTELS BY LOCATION

Sub Urban Hotel

Downtown Hotel

Resort Hotel

Airport Hotel

Floatel

Motel

Others
-

Inns
SKI Hotels
Boatel
Roatel
Loatels
Pilgrimage Hotel

55

Downtown Hotel :
Located in the heart of the city
Within a short distance from the
business centre, shopping areas, theatres, and public offices etc.,
Eg: Hotel Intercontinental , New Delhi
Sub Urban Hotel:
Hotel near the outskirts of the city. ( out of the city)
The advantage of quieter surroundings.
Prefer to stay away from the hustle and bustle of a city.
The room rates are moderate & may attract the budget travelers.
Eg: Trident Hotel, Gurgaon.
Resort:
Located at tourist destinations.
Like hill stations, sea beaches, and country side.
It have very calm & natural ambience
The occupancy will be higher on vacation time and weekend days.
Eg: Wildflower Hall in the Himalayas

56

Airport Hotel:
The hotels situated near by the airport.
It offering all the services of a commercial hotels.
Eg: Radission New Delhi & Centaur Mumbai.
Motel: - 1950s the concept is emerged
The motel is formed by two words Motor & Hotel
They are located primarily on highways.
Motel offers facilities such as
i.
A parking lot
iii Re-fueling for vehicles
ii. Garage facilities
iv Food & accommodation
Eg: Aamby Valley City, Durgapur
Floatel:
Hotels on ships giving the facilities & conveniences of a luxury hotel.
It float on the surface of water.
It includes cruise-liners & house boats.
It provide luxury accommodation along with food & beverage facilities to the
guest
Eg: The houseboats of Dal Lake in Srinagar.
57
Kerala are some examples of floatels in India.

Others :
Inns: Small hotel, provide food & accommodation.
Guest will receive a normal service & the rate will be very low.
Ideal for budget people.
Ski Hotel:
It especially in ski resorts.
It provide accommodation for holiday makers.
Boatel:
Hotel provide accommodation on the flowing river or on a lake.
This hotel is a tourist delight.
Eg: Kashmir.
Roatels:
These hotels are on wheels
A limited number of rooms or cabins are available special for couples.
Loatels:
It refers to 5-star deluxe properties.
Facilities of helicopter landing on the terrace.

58

Length (Duration) of Stay

Hotel Classification On The Basis Of Duration Of
Stay
Transi
ent

Commerc Extended Semi ial

Stay
Residential

Residential
/
Apartment

A Day
Or
Even
Less

Days To
Week

Months To
Years

Days To
Weeks To
Week
Months
(Fortnight)

Classification on the basis of Duration of Guest Stay:

Transient Hotel :The duration of stay at transient hotels is very short, a day or even less
generally patronized by transient travelers.
Commercial Hotel: The duration of guest stay in these hotels is short, ranging from a few
days to a week
Extended stay Hotels: These hotels are for those guests who wish to stay for a long period
(from few days to weeks)
Semi-Residential Hotel : The duration of stay may range from few weeks to some months.
Residential /Apartment Hotel: As the name suggests, residential hotels provide
accommodation for long duration. The duration of stay may range from months to few
years.

Classification On The Basis Level Of Services

Economy

Budget

MidMarket

Upscale

Luxury

Limited
Service
Full
Service
World
Class
Service/ Up Market/Luxury
Hotels:
To emphasis on excellence & class
To target on top business executives
To offer world class products with personalized services of the highest
standards
To offer several food & beverage outlets
To give top-end recreational facilities
To stress on personalized guest services
To maintain high ratio of staff members & guests
To employee multilingual concierge
Eg:
1. The Oberai Udaivilas-Udaipur
2. ITC Hotel Grand Maratha Sheraton Towers & towers- Mumbai 60

Mid Range Service

To offer Mid-range services
Often modest but sufficient
Rates are lower than a world class / first class hotels
To focus on largest segment of the travelling public
Staffing level is adequate
For business people, individual travellers & families
Eg: 1. Tag Residency- Lucknow 2. Trident Hotel - jaipur
Economy / Limited Service/ Budget Hotels
The growing segment in hospitality industry
To focus on meeting the most basic need of guests
To provide clean, comfortable & inexpensive rooms
Primarily for budget minded travellers
It usually does not offer room services, laundry banquet & elaborate
amenities
One star & two star hotels may come in this type.

61

2.3.2 Classification on The Basis of Clientele

Business/Commercial/
Downtown Hotel
Transient Hotel
Suite Hotel
Residential Hotel
Casino Hotel
Bed & Breakfast Hotel
Convention Hotel
Conference Centre

62

Business or Commercial or Downtown Hotel:

Designed to business traveller & Duration of hotels is generally very shortage.
Generally situated in the heart of the city centre.
The occupancy level is higher during the weekdays & slightly lower during weekends.

Hotel provides like

i. High standard Rooms iv. High speed Internet Connectivity.
ii. Amenities ( Guest )
v. Secretarial Services
iii. Business Centers vi . Conference Halls.

Eg: 1. The Park in New Delhi 2. Hotel Inter continental in New Delhi.
Transient Hotel or Airport Hotel:
Located close to sea port, airport, & major railway station.
They have round-the-clock operational like room service & coffee shop.
Eg: Hotel Centaur& Radission In New Delhi.
Residential Hotel:
To provide accommodation for a longer duration, its generally for people who
are temporary official deputation in a city.
Guest stay for minimum period of one month & up to two years.
The hotel signature on lease with the guest and
Rent is paid either monthly or quarterly.
63

Suite Hotel:
It generally for tourists who are fond of luxury.
To provide highest level of personalized services to guests.
This type of room has a living room separated from the bedroom area.
The guest rooms generally comprises of :
i. A living area
iv A microwave
ii. A compact kitchenette
v A complete with a refrigerator
iii. A bed room attach with a bathroom.
The facilities are highly customized & may include:
i. Valet services
iii Personalized Guest stationary
ii. High speed internet connection
iv In-room safety locker facility.
Eg: 1. Burj Al Arab- Bubai 2. The lait Goa Resort.
Bed & Breakfast Hotel: ( B& B )
An European concept
It generally operated in large family residence.
The Owner usually lives on the premises responsible for serving Break Fast.
The Tariff (Rate) is generally lower than a full-service hotel.
It suitable for budget travelers.
64

Casino Hotel:
It provides mainly gambling facilities.
Along with facilities like
i. Specialty restaurants
ii. Bar
iii. Round the clock-room service
iv. Well appointed & Furnished rooms for its guests.
Eg: The casinos of Las Vegas, USA - The most famous casino hotel in the world.
Conference Centers:
The place to meet for people with a common interest.
It charges for packages ( accommodation & meeting facilities ).
A conference hall with the desired seating configuration for the meeting.
To provide food & beverage requirements during and after the conference.
And other requirements such as:
i.
ii.
iii.
iv.

Overhead projector
v VCR/ VCD / DVD player
Flip chart
vi LCD Projector with screen
White board with markers vii Computer
Television
viii Public address System.
65

Convention Hotels:
A convention hotel has a greater number of rooms to host large number of
attendees, as compared to conference centers..
These hotels may have more than 2000 guest rooms.
To provide
i. Best audio
ii. Visual equipments &
iii. Seating configuration.

Eg: 1. Hotel Taj palace New Delhi

2. Hotel jaypee Palace Agra.

66

2.4 Classification of Hotels on The Basis of Ownership

Franchise

Proprietary Ownership

Time share
Management contract
Condominium
Franchise:
It is the authorization given by a company to another company or individual,
to sell its unique products/services and use its trademark according to the
guidelines given by the former, for a specified time, and at a specified place.
Time share:
It is a hotel that is jointly owned by people.
Who use it at different times.
67

Proprietary Ownership:
The direct ownership of one or more properties by a person or company.
Large properties that are owned by major international hotel companies such as
Marriott, Hilton.
Management Contract:
Companies having the expertise to manage hotels.
Operating on the basis of a management fee or
A percentage of the gross revenue.
Condominium:
A hotel owned by a single owner.
Who might use it for some part of the year &
Rent it out for the remainder of the year.
Note: Condominium hotels are similar to time-share hotels, except that condominium
hotels have a single owner instead of multiple owners sharing the hotel.

ishkumar.et@gmail.com E.T. SATHISH KUMAR., MBA +91 8608 90 313

68

2.5 INDEPENDENT HOTELS

No Identifiable Ownership.
No Relationship To Other Hotels Policies, Procedures, & Financial
Obligations .
The unique advantage is autonomy (self rule).
It offer level of services towards attracting a specific target market.
Organisations are more flexibility often allows to quick adopt to changing market
conditions.
Eg: 1. The Breakers in Palm Beach Florida (US), 2. The Catysle Hotel in New York.
3. A Typical example is family owned and operated hotels .
2.6 MANAGEMENT CONTRACTED HOTEL
Contract between Owner of the property & Hotel Operations - is management
Contract.
Owner employs the operator as an agent.
It would be signed by the developers & the management company.
It provides the management expertise.
It might be hired to run a hotel.
Eg: -Hilton - Sheraton - Best western
- Hyatt
- Choice Hospitality
- Renaissance
- Stouffer etc..
69

2.7 International Chains

Chain: a group of hotels that are owned or managed by one company

Chain ownerships usually impose certain minimum standards, rules, policies &
procedures to restrict affiliate activities.
In general, the more centralized the organization, stronger control over the
individual property.
Several different structures exist for chain of hotels
May own affiliated properties or not.
May have strong control over the Architecture, Standard & Management.
A chain is usually classified as operating under as:
1) Management contract
2) Franchise
3) Referral Group.
Eg: List Of Major Chain Hotels In The World:
- Taj
- Oberai
- Hilton
- Marriott
- Accor
- Shangri la
- Kempinski - Meriden
- Nikko
- Radission - Sheraton - Westin.
70

International Hotel Chains:

1. Accor-pullman
2. Choice International
3. Golden Tulip
4. Hyatt Hotels
5. Mandarin Oriental
6. Pena Hotels
7. SAS International Hotels
8. Club Mediterranean
9. Forte Hotels
10. Hilton International
11. Intercontinental
12. Marriott Hotels
13. Nikko Hotels
14. Radisson Hotels
15. Best Western,
16. Shangri-la,
17. Four Seasons
18. Carlson

International & Domestic Hotel Chains

Domestic Hotel Chains:

19. Ashok Group
20. Ginger Hotels
21. ITC Hotels
22. Lemon Tree Hotels
23. The Leela Places, Hotels & Resorts
24. Peppermint Hotels
25. The Residency Group Of Hotels
26. Royal Orchid Hotels
27. SRM hotels

Management Companies Of The World:

28. Starwood Hotels & Resorts

29. Westmont Hospitality

30. Moa Hospitality
31. Prime Hospitality
32. Boykin Hospitality
33. Lane Hospitality
34. Wyndham International
35. Meristar Hotel & Resorts
36. Interstate Hotels & Resorts

71

2.8 Franchise / Affiliated

Franchising: is simply a method of distribution where by one entry that has

developed a particular pattern or format for doing business.
Franchisor: - (Gives ) Grants to other entities.
- Provides a license privilege to do the business.
Franchisees : (Receives) company / individual right to do business under its name as
per the terms & conditions agreed upon.
To developing parent company ( franchisor owned ) hotels.
A strong brand name .
Some Franchisors (Giver ) also provide :
- National / International Central Reservation System -CRS
- National Advertising Campaigns - NAC
- Management Training Programs - MTP
- Central Purchasing Services CPS
- Architectural Consulting Services ACS (outside of hotel)
- Constructions Consulting Services - CCS
- Interior Design Consulting Services IDCS (Inside of hotel)
Eg: 1. Holiday inn 2.Ramada 3.Days 4.Quality Hotels & Inns.
72

Advantages Of Franchise
1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
6)
7)
8)
9)

Site Selection
Easier Credit
Construction Expertise
Fixtures & Equipment Assistance
Good Training
Opening Support
Promotional Assistance
Economies Of Scale
Ongoing Support

Dis Advantages Of Franchise

1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
6)

Restrictions
Unwanted Products Or Procedures
Unwanted Advertising
Unprotected Territories
Cancellation
Inadequate Training

Consistency In Successful
Franchise Operations

Business Format Franchise:

) Product
) Operating & Service Standards
) Trademarks
) Marketing & Strategic Planning
) Quality Control
) Communication System

) Quality
) Service
) Cleanliness
) Value
73

2.9 Supplementary Accommodation / Intermediary Alternative

Introduction :
All forms of rented accommodation (HK)
Provide bed and breakfast
Some basic service at a reasonable price.

Alternative Accommodation
Sarai / Dharamshala

Dak Bungalow / Circuit

House/Inspection
Bungalow /Forest Lodge

Lodge / Boarding House

Youth Hostel
Yatri Niwas
Railway / Airport
Retiring Room

Camping Ground /
Tourist Camp

Paying Guest
Accommodation

74

Sarai / Dharmshala:
It is for pilgrims & founded by welfare trusts.
It provides basic security.
Sleeping facilities for a nominal fee.
Dak Bungalow/ Circuit House / Inspection Bungalow / Forest Lodge:
A legacy of British Raj.
Built as a rest house for colonial officials across the country.
Properties have an ageless charm (beauty).
Owned by various state governments.
Lodge / Boarding House:
Situated away from the centre of the city.
It offers standard facilities Rooms, food & Other basic services.
It usually provides meals & accommodation for a specified period of time.
Yatri Niwas:
It usually charges low cost.
It is self service accommodation to domestic tourists in cities.
It located at historical, cultural and natural sites.
75

Youth Hostel:
They are in rural & urban areas.
It generally provides low-cost dormitory accommodation.
It usually provides common bathing and self cafeteria facilities.
Travel for various reason Education, Adventure& Recreation.
Camping Grounds / Tourist camps:
Located at open spaces and it may be set up by municipalities.
The camp must follow certain regulations regarding the qualities of services &
costs.
Railways / Airport Retiring Rooms:
It is situated at major railway stations and domestic & international airports.
It is convenient for transit (change of trains or flights).
It provides resting place for passenger with confirmed & current tickets.
The retiring rooms are available at reasonable rates.
Paying Guest Accommodation:
Is an non institutional accommodation.
It is offered by individual households at various destinations.
76
The guest normally pays for accommodation, may be for food & beverage services.

2.10 Timeshare / Vocation Ownership / Holiday Ownership

In the1960s in Europe ( UK ) this was initiated.

Catchy advertisement slogan Do not rent the room by the hotel, its cheaper.
1974, 1st time America (US) start Caribbean International Corporation at Florida.
It is a hotel that is jointly owned by people, who use it at different times
vacation license rather than ownership.
They have to make one-time payment for a time and an yearly fee to cover the
maintenance costs and related expenses.
Same room 52 times (weeks) to 52 different owners.
It usually a week / 7days in a year rented.
Example: 1.Club Mahindra Holidays. 2. Sterling Resorts.
TIMES SHARE: Methods of Use: Owners can:
Use their usage time
Rent out their owned usage
Give it as a gift
Sell
Exchange internally within the same resort or resort group
Exchange externally into thousands of other resorts
Save or move points from one year to another. (7*3 =21 days)
77

2.11 Condominium Hotels

RCI (Resort Condominiums International)

A condominium, or condo, is the form of housing tenure (French: co-proprit divise)
Is a division of the firm WyndhamWorldwide (previously Cendant.
Founded in 1974 by Jon and Christel DeHaan,
It has grown to become one of the larger brokers of timeshare trades.
RCI has over 4,000 affiliated resorts in over 100 countries around the world.
Its membership base is approximately 3.6 million members worldwide.
RCI operates two main exchange programs - RCI Weeks and RCI Points.
A hotel is owned by a single owner who might use it for some part of the year &

rent it out for the remainder of the year.

It involves joint ownership of a complex,

Condominium hotels are similar to time-share hotels except that condominium hotels have a
single owner instead of multiple owners sharing a hotel.
Example: 1. Singapore is most popular
2. RCI Resort & Condominiums & Inns.

2.11 Referral Chains / Groups Hotels

A group of independent hotels that have banded together for their common good.
Hotels within the group refer their departing guests..
Hotel within the group refers their guests to other affiliated properties.
Example : Best Western International.
78

2.12 How Timeshare Is Different Form Hotel Industry

Hotel

Dimension

Timeshare

Luxury

Service

Moderate to Low

Expensive

Ideal

Budget

Hotelier

Ownership

Individual ( Guest )

Any day in a year

Period

7 days in a year

Business oriented

Nature

Family Oriented

Week days

Peak time

Vocation & Weekends

Taj Coromandel

2.13 Classification of Timeshare

Example

Club Mahindra
Color codes: - Seasonality Interval International
Holidays
Color codes
Demand
Red - Red

High Demand

Yellow - White

Medium Demand

Green - Blue

Low Demand

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2.14 Type of Accommodation & Their Size

These properties tend to be apartment - style units

Ranging in size from studio unit (with room for two) to three & four bedroom
units.
These larger units can comfortably house large families.
Units normally include fully equipped kitchens with a dining area, dishwasher,
televisions, DVD player and more.
Kitchens are equipped to the size of the unit, so that a unit that sleeps four should
have at least four glasses, plates, forks, knives, spoons, and bowls so that all four
guests can sit and eat at once.
Units are usually listed by how many the unit will sleep.
Sleeps 2/2 would normally be a one bedroom or studio.
Sleeps 6/4 would normally be a two bedroom with a sleeper sofa.
These resorts tend to be strict on the number of guests per unit (room).
Unit size can affect demand at a given resort where, a two-bedroom unit may be
in higher demand than a one-bedroom unit at the same resort.
An example of this may be a one bedroom at a great beach resort compared to a
two bedroom unit at a resort located inland from the same beach.
******et sathish kumar ****all the best ******
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3. Types (Kinds/Classification) of Rooms

Introduction:
The product knowledge is very important for every salesman.
Room is a perishable commodity.
If not sold a room on a day looses its opportunity to earn revenue for that day.
Front desk staff should know various types of rooms, location, and situation.
To know the features like extra bed, television, Minibar, bed side lamp in room.
To know the knowledge of room rates (tariffs) & meal plans.

Synopsis:
Introduction
Types of rooms
a)

Ordinary rooms

b)

Suite Rooms

c)

Special category rooms /Other types of rooms

Conclusion.

81

Types of Rooms

Ordinary Rooms

Single room
Twin room
Triple room
Quad room
Double room
Double-double room
Hollywood twin
room
Queen room
King room

Special Category Rooms/

Other Types Of Rooms

Suite Rooms

Suite room
Junior suite
Single suite
Double suite
Duplex suite
Penthouse suite
Deluxe room / Suite
Cottages suite
Hospitality Suite

Studio room
Cabana room
Parlor rooms
Lanai room
Corner room
Conference room
Banquet halls/room
Inter-connecting room
Adjacent room
Adjoining room
Secretarial room /
business centre
Efficiency Room 82

Single
Room -1

Double Room
-2

Triple
Room - 3

Quad Room
-4

83

Twin Room

Cabana
Room

Hollywood Twin
Room

Parlor
Room

84

Swimming Pool
View
LANAI

Garden
View

Room

Living
Room

Bed Room
SUITE
Room

85

Penthouse

Efficiency Room

Hospitality
Room

Duplex
Room

86

Ordinary
Rooms
Single room:
A room assigned to one person.
Its for single occupancy.
A bed size approximately 3 feet by 6 feet.
Twin room:
A room has two single beds
Its for double occupancy.
The bed size is normally 3 feet by 6 feet.
Its suitable for sharing accommodation among delegates of a meeting.
Triple room:
A room has three separate single beds.
It can be occupied by three guests, for Triple occupancy.
Its suitable for groups & conference guests.
87

Quad Room:
A room has for separate four single beds.
It can accommodated by 4 persons together in the one room.
Double Room:
It has one double bed.
Its for double occupancy.
The size of bed is generally 4.5 feet by 6 feet.
Double Double Room:
It has two double beds.
It can accommodate four persons together.
It normally preferred by a family or group.
Hollywood Twin Room:
A room has two single beds with a common head board attached.
It generally occupied by two persons or guests.
88

Queen Room:
A queen room has a queen size bed.
The size of the bed is 5 feet by 6 feet.
Extra bed is available on request.
King Room:
A king room has a king size bed.
The size of the bed is 6 feet by 6 feet.
An extra bed may be added to this room on request & charged accordingly.
Suite Rooms
Suite :
A suite comprise more than one room.
A room has separated living room & bed room area.
A parlor or living room connected to one or more bedrooms.
The dcor & color scheme used gives its name.
A room made of adjoining rooms (two separated).
Aim to please the affluent (rich) guest.
For who can afford the high tariff (rate) of the room category.
89

Junior Suite / Mini Suite:

It is smaller size of suite room.
A single room with a bed & a sitting area.
The sleeping area may be in a bedroom or separated from the parlor or living room
Single Suite:
A room meant for single occupancy.
A room with a bedroom & a sitting room.
Double Suite:
A room meant for double occupancy
It have a sitting room.
Duplex Suite:
This type of suite has two rooms.
Which are situated on two different floors
It connected by an internal staircase
90

Penthouse:
A room with a terrace or open sky space.
It located on the topmost floor of a hotel.
It is very opulent (lavish / luxury) dcor & furnishings.
It among the costliest rooms in the hotel.
It preferred by celebrities & major personalities.
Deluxe room / Deluxe Suite
A room has good view in the hotel.
It offer a high level of comfort and bigger space.
It is not a suite room but it got bedroom & a small living room.
Cottages:
An independent set of rooms located away from main hotel building.
Each house has balcony, living area, bedroom with attached bathroom.
It may have dinning area with an attached kitchen.
It commonly found in resort hotels.
Hospitality Suite:
It is generally a banquet room.
A room hired by a guest on hourly basis to entertain his guest.
91

Special category
Rooms/
Other types of
rooms

Studio Room:
Generally used as a living room.
A room with a bed & convey in to sofa cum bed.
Cabana Room:
A room located near by swimming pool or beach.
Mostly used as a changing room but not a bed room.
Parlour Room:
A living room without bed.
It may have sofa & chairs for sitting.
Lanai Room:
It generally has a view of garden or sea beach.
A veranda or roofed patio, furnished & used as a living room.
92

Corner Room:
A room located at the corner of the hotel building.
It have generally a two exposures (view) .
Conference Room:
A room as different size having different capacity to accommodate .
For conference, meeting etc.,
Banquet Rooms / Halls:
Its used to entertain banquet (function) guest.
Specially for parties, receptions, and wedding etc.,
Inter Connecting Room:
A room with individual entrance door from outside.
A connectivity door is in-between the rooms.
Guest can move between the rooms without going through the corridor.
It can be sold as two separate rooms during demand / peak time.
.

93

Adjacent Room:
It is a room that is very close to another room perhaps across the hall.
They do not share a common wall.
Adjoining Room:
Two or more rooms side by side without connecting door between them.
Secretarial Room / Business Centre:
It usually found in 5 star hotels.
It specially meant for business people.
This room provide the services like Typing, Photocopying, Fax & Steno services.
Efficiency Room:
A sort of complete self-sufficient unit itself .
It usually found in hill stations and beaches.
This room contains a bedroom,
a) Living Room,
b) Dinning Room,
c) A Small Kitchen &
d) Bathroom.
Conclusion:
These are the various types of rooms selling to the guest in the hotel industry.

94

Unit 4

Front office organisation

04 Front Office Organization

4.1 Brief Introduction To Hotel Core Area With A Special Reference To Front Office.
4.2 Function Areas
4.3 Front Office Hierarchy
4.4 Duties And Responsibilities
4.5 Personality Traits
4.6 Layout
4.7 Front Office Equipment (Non Automated, Semi Automated And Automated)
4.8 Functions
4.9 Procedures And Records

ishkumar.et@gmail.com E.T. SATHISH KUMAR., MBA +91 8608 90 313

95

4.1 Brief Introduction To Hotel Core Areas With Special Reference To Front
Synopsis :
Office
Introduction : Define Hotel

The core areas of hotel

Operational Department
Room Division
Front office
House keeping
Food and Beverage Department
F& B Service
Kitchen
Non Operational Department
Marketing And Sales
Human Resources
Security
Financial Control
Purchase And Stores
System (IT Information And Technology)
96

Introduction : Define Hotel: (2mark)

A place where a Bonafide traveler can receive food and shelter, provided he is in
a position to pay for it and is in a fit condition to be received. By British Law.
General Manager
Assistant General
Manager
Operational
Department
Front Office
House keeping
Food Production
Food & Beverage
Service
Engineering &
Maintenance

Non Operational
Department
Human Resource
Sales &
Marketing
Purchase &
Store
Accounting &
Financial
Management
Purchase &
Stores
97
IT (Systems)

Operational Department :
Front Office Department (Front Office Manager (Or) Room Division Manager):
It is an operational department.
Responsible for welcoming guests, allotting rooms, and helping guests check out.
Uniformed services like concierge, bell desk, & operators are part of department.
Housekeeping Department (Executive Housekeeper):
To be responsible for cleanliness.
To appear as fresh and aesthetically appealing as on the first day.
Up keeping of the front of the house areas, as well as back of the house areas.
Food And Beverage (Food And Beverage Manager):
It is an art.
There are different styles of service like waiter, self-service & vending.
It can be given in the best possible way.
Food Production (Executive Chef)
Food can be produced in good quality, in numbers of ways.
Varying with the policy, size and type of catering establishment.
Engineering And Maintenance (Chief Engineer):

The department is responsible for all kinds of maintenance, repair, machines, & fittings .
98

Non - Operational Department (Or) Supportive Department :

Marketing And Sales Department ( Sales And Marketing Manager):
The function of the department in Five fold sales, personal relations,
advertising, getting MICE (Meeting , Incentive, Conference, and Exhibition)
The common goal of selling the product of the hotel Rooms, food etc.
Human Resource Department ( HR Manager ):
Used to be called Personnel department earlier.
Responsible for Training, Recruitments, orientation, employee welfare,
compensation, labor laws, and safety norms.
Security Department (Chief Security Officer):
Responsible for safeguarding the assets, guests, and employees of the hotel.
To conduct fire drills, monitoring surveillance equipment.
Financial Control Department ( Financial Controller ):
Responsible for ratifying all the inventory items of operations.
Inventory control.
To finalize the budget prepared by the HOD along with the GM.
To maintain accounting activities like make payments, billing, collecting
payments, generating statements, bank transactions, employee pay role & hotel
99
financial statement.

Purchase Department (Purchase Manager):

To report to the financial controller.
Procurement of all departmental inventories.
In most hotels, the central stores are part of the purchase department.
System (IT- Computer ) System Manger:
To maintain all computer related works in the hotel.
To be confidential.
To work for both guest as well as employee.
Core Areas Of A Hotel: An Overview :
Operational Department (Or ) Revenue Earning Department :
Sell service or products to guests, thus, directly generating revenue for the hotel.
These department includes Front office, Food and Beverage,&Hotel-operated
shops.
Non Operational Department (Or) Support Departments:
One which helps to generate revenue indirectly by playing a supporting role to
the hotels revenue earning department.
These include human resource, maintenance, purchase, housekeeping, and so on.
100

Special Reference To Front Office Department:

Front Desk Agent:

Who registers guests.

To maintain rooms availability information.

Reservation Agent/Assistant:

Who responds to reservation requests.

To create reservation records.

Reception Assistant:

These people register guest name & assign the room.

To calculate the room availability position & to advise / communicate to reservation.

Bell Captain:

To brief all the bell boys.

To ensure bell boy in their allotted shift.

Bell Boy: (handle guest baggage)

He carries guest baggage during check -in & check -out at the hotel.

Valet Parking Attendant:

Who parks the guest cars / automobiles.

Door Man / Link Man

Dedicated to welcome the guest to the hotel, open hotel door, assist guest upon arrival.
101

Mail & Information Clerk:

One who takes message, provides directions to guests and maintains mail.
Information Assistant:
To provide up- to- date information of the hotel and city to the guest.
To receive guest mails and forward them correctly.
Lift Operator:
To help the guest at stated floor, to maintain cleanliness, & right number / weight.
Telephone Operator:
Who manages the telephone switch board.
Coordinates wake up calls..
Cashier:
Who handles money, post charges.
Over-sees guest account settlement.
Travel Agent
A person who looks for transaction of guest from place to place.
To provide necessary reservation of the hotels.
To assist the traveling facility available in other city.
Book tickets on behalf of guest airlines, railways, steamship, & taxies on
102
commission basis.

Front Office Manager: (FOM)

Head for the front office department.

He is responsible for room sales & quality service to the guest.
He has to report to (GM) General Manager of the hotel.

Assistant FOM:

Assistant to the FOM work.

He will be acting when FOM is absence.
He is responsible for proper function of the (FO) front office operation.

Lobby Manager / Duty Manager:

He controls the team of lobby supervisors & lobby attendants.

He should ensure that the lobby desk is running smoothly.

(GRE) Guest Relation Executive:

She is responsible for receiving the (VIP) very important person.

Concentrate mainly on maintaining relation to the guest.
Responsible to solve the problems of unsatisfied guest.

Night Auditor:

To post room charges & taxes to guest accounts.

To verify all accounts postings & balance.
To prepare a summary of cash, check, & credit card activities.

Conclusion:

These are the brief introduction to hotel core areas & departments with special reference to103
front
office in the hotel industry.

4.2 Functions of FO
Guest Services
Reservation

Guest Accounting
Establishment of Credit

Registration
Charge postings
Occupancy Services
Night audit
Check out & History

Settlement

Functions (areas):
To sell guest rooms, register guests, & assign guest rooms.
To co-ordinate guest services.
To provide information about the hotel,
The surrounding community and
Any attractions or events of interest to guests.
To maintain accurate room status information & room key inventories.
To maintain guest accounts statement & complete proper financial settlement.

104

4.3 Front Office Hierarchy / Organizational chart / FO core areas in a hotel

Front Office Organization Of a 3/4 Star Hotel

105

4.4.1
4.4.2
4.4.3
4.4.4
4.4.5

4.4 Duties & Responsibilities

Content :
Receptionist
Reservations agent
Information Assistant
Front office Manager
Bell boy / Bell captain

4.4.6 Concierge
4.4.7 Front office cashier
4.4.8 Hotel switch board operator / Telephone operator
4.4.9 Night auditor
4.4.10
Valet (Car) parking attendant
4.4.11 Door man
106

4.4 Duties & Responsibilities

4.4.1

Position Title : Receptionist

Reports to :
Front office Manager

Position Summary:
These people register guest name & Assign the room.
To calculate the room availability position .

Duties And Responsibilities :

Greet the guests on their arrival.

Politely confirm the details of guest with confirmed reservation.
Complete the registration formalities.
Check the room availability in case of walk-in guest.
Assign the rooms & Call the bell boy to escort guest to their guest to their rooms.
Use up selling
Coordinate room status, updated with the house (HK) keeping department.

Inform to HK of all check-outs, late check-outs, early check-ins & special requests.

Process guest check-out requests.

Post all the credit charges to the guest folios.
Process requests for safe deposit boxes according to the hotel policy.
Process reservation requests of guests, if directed by reservation section.

107

Position Title : Reservation Agent / Reservation Assistant

Reports to : Front Office Manager

4.4.2

Position Summary: Who is responsible for all aspects of reservation processing.

Duties & Responsibilities:
To process reservation
by mail, telephone, fax, CRS, referral, travel agents, sales office etc.,
To know the credit policy of the hotel.
To prepare letters of confirmation.
To communicate to front desk.
To process all modification & cancellation.
To understand the hotels policy on guaranteed reservation & No-shows.
To process advance deposits on reservation.
To track future room availability on the basis of reservation.
To help in develop room revenue & occupancy forecast.
To prepare expected arrival list..
To handle daily correspondence, responds to inquires.
To promote good will - helpful to guests, managers, & fellow employees.
108

Position Title : Information Assistant

Reports to :
Front office Manager

Position Summary:
To provide up to date information of the hotel & city to the guest.
To receive guest mails & forward them correctly.
Duties & Responsibilities
Coordinate guest services
To provide desired information to guests.
To update the guest rack after every arrival & departure.
To maintain information rack.
To handle guest mails & messages.
To assist in guest paging.
Provide information
i. About the hotel,
ii. Surrounding community
iii. Any attractions
iv. Cultural events
v.
local points of interest
vi. Travel assistance

4.4.3

109

Position Title : Front Office Manager

Reports to :
General Manager

4.4.4

Position Summary:

Be in-charge, supervise & ensure smooth operation FO department.

To allocate available resources (Men, machine, materials, & money)

Duties & Responsibilities:

To direct & coordinate the activities the Front office department.

To plan the present & future need of resources.
Responsible for hiring, training, supervising, motivating, appraisal & promoting the staff.
To schedule tasks & re-arrange work for Front office employee.
To maintain, develop & follow the standard of service (SOP)- standard operating procedure.
To prepare the budget for the front office department.
To ensure proper image, grooming, & uniform standards of the FO staff.
To prepare all necessary forecast maximum occupancy revenue, special guest & group.
To review all reports generated by all the section of the department.
To keep up new trends.
To resolve guest problem quickly, efficiently & courteously.
To hold regular departmental meetings.
To attend regular departments head meetings & contribute ideas to improve the hotel.
110

Position Title : Concierge

Reports to :
Front office Manager / General Manager

a)
b)
c)
d)

4.4.5

Position Summary:
A hotel employee who provides information & personalized services like
Dinner,
Reservations,
Tour &
Travel Arrangements.

Duties & Responsibilities:

) To provide guest with direction to attractions or facilities in or outside the property.
) To give information about service.
) To make reservations for airlines & other from of transportation.
) To obtain necessary itinerary & tickets.
) To make guest reservation for the theater & other form of entertainment when guest
requests.
) To arrange secretarial & other office services.
) To handle guest complaints & solve problems to the degree possible.
111

Bell boy

112

Position Title : Bell Captain / Bell Boy/ Bellhops / Bell attendants / Porter
Reports To : Lobby Manager / FOM

4.4.6

Position Summary:
He carries guest baggage during check in
& check out in the hotel.
Duties & Responsibilities
To maintain bell boys.
To put luggage tag at the time of arrival of guest.
To escort the guest to the rooms & familiarize them.
like TV, A/C, telephone directory, & functions of all other equipment installed in the room.

To keep records of the left luggage rooms.

To inform to front desk about the scanty baggage guest at the time of guest check-in.

To deliver mail, packages, & messages to guests in their rooms.

To help in locating guests in a specified area within the hotel premises is paging.
To perform sundry guest services: like postage of guest mails, making purchase
from outside the hotel premises like flowers, etc..
113

Position Title : Front Office Cashier

Reports to :
Front Office Manager / Head Cashier

4.4.7

Position Summary:
Who handles money, post charges.
To over-sees guest account settlement.

Duties & Responsibilities

To completes cashier pre-shift supply check-list.
To post charges to guest accounts.
To handle paid outs.
To settle guest accounts.
To manage safe deposit boxes
To balance departmental total at the close of the shift.
To takes departmental machine readings at the beginning of the shift.
To handle cash, travelers checks, Personal checks, Credit Cards, (BTC) Bill to
company.
114

Position Title : Hotel Switch Board Operator / Telephone Operator

Reports To :
Front Office Manager

4.4.8

Position Summary:
Who manages the switch board.
To coordinate wake up calls.

Duties & Responsibilities

To answer all incoming calls.
To direct calls- guest, staff, & department etc.
To take & distribute message for guests.
To perform wake-up call services.
To provide information about guest services to guest.
To help for outgoing calls.
To provide paging services to guest & employee.
To answer question about hotel events & activities.
To understand (PBX) Private Branch Exchange - switch board operation.
To knows what action to take when an emergency call is requested / received.
115

Position Title : Night Auditor

Reports To :
Front Office Manager / Accounts Department

4.4.9

Position Summary:
Who handles money & posting charges.
To over-sees guest account settlement.

Duties & Responsibilities

To post room charges & taxes to guest accounts.
To process guest charge vouchers & credit card vouchers.
To posts guest charge & purchase transactions.
To transfer charges & deposits to master accounts.
To verify all account postings & balances.
To monitor the current status coupon, discount & other promotional programs.
To prepare a summary of cash, check & credit card activities.
To track room revenues.
To summarize results of operations for management.
116

Position Title : Valet Parking Attendant / Car Parking Attendant

Reports to :
Lobby Manager

4.4.1
Position Summary:
0
A person who provide parking service for guest automobiles (car)
Duties & Responsibilities
Valet Parking is generally available at hotels offering world-class or 5 Star services.
Specially trained employees should park guest and visitors cars.
Personal attention and security of valet parking service .
Guests do not have to worry about finding a parking space,
Responsible for the security of vehicles being moved to and from the hotel entrance.
On the hotel portion of ticket the attendant should note the existing damages of the vehicles.
Attendants should not take a car into their care without issuing a receipt to the guest.
It is usually in the form of a ticket or a tag.
Vehicles keys must be kept in a secure area, and only issued by qualified personal.
Cars should be only returned to the guests when they return the receipt.
Reports & information to the front desk each night.
So that parking charges can be posted to guest accounts.

117

Position title: Door Attendant/Link man / Door man /Commissionaire

Reports to: Lobby Manager

Summary:
Door attendants/ Link man / Door man /commissionaire
They are dedicated in welcoming the guests to the hotel.
The persons who provide curb-side baggage service.

4.4.1
1

Duties And Responsibilities Of The Door Attendants Are: Opening hotel doors and assisting guests upon arrival.
Helping guests and unload luggage from vehicles.
Escorting guests to the hotel registration area.
Controlling vehicle traffic flow and safety at the hotel entrance.
Hailing taxis, upon request.
Assisting with valet parking services.
Performing light housekeeping services in the lobby and entry area.

118

4.5 Personality Traits / Attributes / Qualities Of FO Personnel /Staff

Well Groomed Appearance

Diplomacy
Loyalty

Personal Hygiene
Honesty
Physical Fitness
Helpful Attitude
Punctuality
Good Memory
Flexibility
Communication Skills

Salesmanship
Calmness

119

Well Groomed Appearance:

To dress appropriately,
To meets property standards for wear & care of uniform, jewelry, & personal
grooming.
Personal Hygiene:
The staff should follow the highest standards of personal hygiene.
They are in direct contact with guest throughout the day.
Physical Fitness:
It is important for staff specially peak business time / shortage of staff.
They may have to work at long stretches.
Punctuality:
To be punctual in reporting for the shifts.
It reflects their commitment to their work.
Flexibility:
To be willing & able to accept a different work shift if necessary.
To work with guests & hotel staff; be a team player.
Communication Skills:
FO staff should be confident, polite, clear & precise in their communication.
120
The knowledge of a foreign language is an added advantage.

Diplomacy
To be diplomatic while attending to any problem without upsetting or offending the
guest. Eg: 1. Non-availability of rooms. 2. over booking.
Loyalty:
FO staff should be loyal to their job as well as to the management & organization.
Honesty
FO employee should be honesty & trustworthy.
Honest staffs are asset to the company & it leave a good impression in the guest mind.
Helpful Attitude:
To be sensitive to the guest needs.
To responds & speaks intelligently.
Good Memory:
Ability to remember the guests name & faces and like & dislikes. Eg: Quite floor.
It gives a personalized touch & establishes a lasting relationship with the guest.
Salesmanship
To have complete knowledge about the hotel facilities, & happening in the city.
To do up selling to Suggest the guest to book a higher rate category
Calmness
FO staff should be remain clam & patience in high pressure situations.
121
Help to diffuse the tension, resolve the problem & win the guest faith & loyalty.

4.6 LAYOUT OF THE FRONT OFFICE DEPARTMENT

Synopsis
Introduction
Door man
Valet parking Attendant
Bell boy
Travel desk
Safety lockers
Lobby manager
Information
Telephone & Telex operator
Reservation
Registration
Reception / Front desk
Cashier
Front office Manager
General Manager.
Conclusion.
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Left
Luggage
Room
Jewellery
Shop
Guest
Relation
Executive
Desk
Counter
for
Groups
Arrival
Public
Phone

Door Man

Bell
Desk

Security

Entranc
e

Valet parking
AttendantSouvenir
Shop

Travel
Desk

Beauty
parlor

Lobby
Manager
Desk

LOBBY
Concierge

Reception
Cahier

House
Phone
Gents
Toilet
et

Ladies
Toilet

Reservation
Office
Telephone
Operator
Safety

Back Area

Deposit
locker

Information

Layout of Lobby

(5

Front Office
Manager
Sales &
Marketing
Office

EXIT
123

LAYOUT /AREAS / LOBBY / OF FRONT OFFICE DEPARTMENT:

Introduction
Every hotel have their own lobby layout structures as per their needs.
Here we find the most common seen layout in the hotel.
Door Man / Link Man / Door Attendants / Commissionaire
To dedicated to welcome the guest to the hotel,
To open hotel door, assisting guest upon arrival.
Valet Parking Attendant / Car Parking Attendants
Who parks the guest cars / automobiles.
Bell Boy / Bell Hops / Bell Attendants / Porter (handle guest baggage)
He carries guest baggage during check in & check out at the hotel.
Persons who provide baggage service between the lobby area & the guest room.
Travel Desk
A person who looks for transaction of guest from place to place.
Book tickets on behalf of guest airlines, railways, steamship, & taxies on
commission basis.
124

Safety Lockers:
Where the guest avail on request.
The guest can place their valuable things in the safety lockers.
Lobby Manager / Duty Manager:
He controls the team of lobby supervisors & lobby attendants.
He should ensure that the lobby desk is running smoothly.
(GRE) Guest Relation Executive:
She is responsible for receiving the (VIP) very important person.
Concentrate mainly on maintaining good relation to the guest.
Responsible to solve the problems of unsatisfied guest.
Information Assistant:
To provide up to date information of the hotel & city to the guest.
To receive guest mails & forward them correctly.
Telephone Operator:
Who manages the switch board.
To coordinates wake up calls..
125

Reservation
Who responds to reservation requests.
To create and maintain reservation records.
Reception Assistant
These people register guest name & Assign the room.
To calculate the room availability position.
Cashier:
Who handles money, post charges.
To over-sees guest account settlement.
Front Office Manager: (FOM)
He is responsible for room sales & quality service to the guest.
He has to report to (GM) General Manager of the hotel.
General Manager:
The most powerful and more responsible person in the hotel.
Who directs all department HOD- head of the departments in the organisation.
Conclusion:
These are the basic layout of front office department in the hotel industry.
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4.7 Front Office Equipment (Non Automated, Semi Automated And Automated)
Synopsis:
Introduction
Front Office Equipment - Facts
List Of Front Of Equipment
Non Automated
Semi Automated
Fully Automated
Introduction:
Conclusion.
To help in record keeping in the system.
To combine elements in each approach.
To produce effective & comprehensive system everything need / relevant.
Front Office Equipment Facts:

Time

FO
Operations
Equipments

years

Past

Non Automated

Before 1920s

Present

Semi - Automated ElectricalMechanical

Manuel

During 1970s
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Non Automated:
It relies fully on handwritten forms.
Some small hotels still use it.
Semi-Automated:
It relies upon both handwritten & machine produced forms.
Merit: better than no-automated, easy to read.
De-merit: complexities of operating & controlling devices maintenance problems.
Full-Automated:
It used in fully automated hotels.
FO used for record keeping in computer based.
1970s 1st introduce in hospitality industry.
It attract the largest properties.
1980s Computer equipment less expensive
More compact
Easier to use
User friendly software packages
Not require sophisticated technical training as demand earlier.
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List Of Front Office Equipment:

Non- Automated / Manuel
Room Rack
Information Rack
Mail & Message Rack
Key Rack
Semi- Automated:
Account Posting Machine
Cash Register
Wake-up Device
Credit Card Imprinter
Fully Automated:
Credit Card Validator
Time Stamping Machine
Fax Machine
Call Accounting System
Computer.

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Non- Automated / Manuel

Room Rack:

It is a piece of FO equipment.
It is traditionally considered the most important.

It contains a summary of information about the current status of all rooms in the hotel.

Room rack slip: Information about guest information, room types, features, & rates.
Front desk staff normally use this information to match the available rooms with
guest requests during the registration process.
Note: in fully automated property, the need of room rack may be eliminated.
Information Rack:

It composed of two index listing- one is guest last name & one by assigned room number

It normally consists of aluminum slots, it hold guest information slips.

The slot can be easily arranged & re-arranged as fit immediate need of the hotel.
Mail & Message &
Key Rack:
To arrange in room number wise.
To minimize space combined all mail, message & key rack.
To master console of an electronic locking system.
Note : To record voice of the caller full automated.
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Semi- Automated:
Account Posting Machine:
It commonly used in hospitality industries during 1950s, 1960s, & 1970s.
A posting machine normally provides: A standardized means of recording transactions.
A legible (clear) guest account statement.
A basis for cash & deferred payment management.
An analysis of departmental sales activity.
An audit trail of charge purchase transaction.
Cash Register:
Front desk cashier used to record at cash transaction & maintain cash balance
It may used to : Record the amount of a transaction.
Record the purpose of the transaction.
Record the affected departments.
Record the type of transaction.
Record the identity of the cashier.
Record the amount tendered.
Record the method of payment.

131

Wake-up Device:
Many hotels use automated software to provide wake up calls. In this, all the wake up
request from the guests are fed into this system, which includes the date, time, room
no., name of guest and the telephone of that particular room automatically rings at the
mentioned time thus waking up the guest.

Credit Card Imprinter:

This device is mostly used by the Front Office cashier at the time of arrival, when the
guest presents this credit card to the cashier as the mode of payment of his hotel bills.
All the details of the credit card is imprinted on the paper with the help of the device.

FULLY AUTOMATED EQUIPMENTS:

Credit Card Validator: This is automated front office equipment, used by the Front
office cashier to check the validity of the credit card presented by the guest as a mode
of payment at the time of departure. This equipment is linked to a credit card data bank,
which holds information concerning the validity of the C.C. of the guest. This
equipment helps the hotel to know the validity as well as the balance of the credit card,
which is, offends by the guest thus reducing the chances of loss to the hotel.
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Time-stamping Machine: This is an electronic device, which is used extensively by

the Front Office of a hotel. The machine imprints the details of a guest on a piece of
paper like check in and out time, any message etc. This equipment is very helpful to the
hotel as it ease out the operations of the Front office department to maintain the records
and other data pertaining to the guests.

Fax Machines: The full form of the Fax is Facsimile Automated Xerox machine and
is important electronic equipment used in the Front desk for the purpose of
communication. This equipment operates through telephonic lines and is used
extensively to receive or send official documents, which are important from the point of
view of guest and also the hotel.
Call Accounting System: The call accounting system is called PABX (Private
Automated Branch Exchange) is used in Telephone exchange section of the front
office department to automatically trace and bill the outgoing calls made by the guests
during their stay in the hotel.
Computer: Almost all the hotels of the world is using computer these dates for the
successful operations of the hotel. A computer is very essential equipment where one
can feed various data and information .
133

4.8 Importance of Front Office Department

Importance / Functions (areas):

Greeting the Guests
Managing the Rooms
Handling the Complaints.
To Generate Room Revenue
To Focal point of activity
First & most lasting impressions in a hotel.
To Sell the guest rooms.
To (3R) Reserve, Receive, Register, & assign rooms to guests
To Continuous Service of information throughout the guest stay.
To Co-ordinate guest services.
To provide Information about the hotel,
The surrounding community and
Any attractions or events of interest to guests.
To maintain accurate room status information &
To maintain Room key inventories.
To Maintain guest accounts statement & complete proper financial settlement.
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4.9 Procedures & Records

(FO - Cards, Forms, Register, Sheet)

Procedures :
Procedure For Mail Handling
Procedure Of Guest Paging
Procedure For Allotment &
Surrender Of Guest Deposit
Locker
Procedure For Room Change
Procedure For Left Luggage
Procedure For Express-check-out

Procedures :

Pre Registration Process

Registration Process
Night Audit Process
FO Accounting Cycle
Handling Of Message

Check-in Of Guest With Confirmed

Reservation
Check-in For Walk In Guest
Check-in For VIP Guest
Check-in Procedure
Check-in Of Scanty Baggage Guest
Check-in Of Foreign Guests
Check-in Procedure At Self Service
Terminals
135

Records - (AHMA)
Reservation Form
Reservation By Fax
Group Reservation Card
Reservation Wall Cart- By Dallet Jones
Daily Arrival, Stay Over & Departure
Report

Computerized Confirmation Letter

Cancellation Number Log
Expected Arrival List
Recording Daily Occupancy Data
Registration Card
HK Status Report
Log Book

Maintenance Work Order Form

Guest Questionnaire
Guest Loss Report Form
A/C Correction
A/C Allowance Voucher

FO Cash Sheet
Internal Control Inspection Checklist
Express Check-out Form
Aged Accounts Receivable
Guest History Card / Record
Daily Transcript (Non-automated)
Revenue Report
Room Revenue Report
High Balance Report Guest Ledger
Guest Ledger Report

Activity Report
Distribute Report-(night Auditor-depart
Heads)
Ten-day Forecast Form Occupancy
Three-day Forecast Form Occupancy
Daily Operation Report
Monthly Room Division Budget Report
Pay Roll Analysis Form
Discount Grid
136
Lead Time / Booking Pace.

Records: (oxford)
Reservation:
Confirmation Letter
Reservation Request By Letter
Hotel Booking Diary
Whitney Slip (Reservation)
Bed Room Journal
Conventional Chart
Standard Density Chart
Reservation Form
Registration:
Guest Registration Card
Form C
Hotel Register
Arrival List
Arrival Errand Card
Lobby Control Sheet
Rooming List

Mail Log Book (Signature)

Mail Forwarding Address Slip
Miscellaneous Charge Voucher
Outgoing Mail Register
Location Form

Message Slip
Key Card
Key Control Sheet
Safe Deposit Locker Register / Record
Left Luggage Register / Card

Wake-up Call Register / Card

Luggage Out Pass
Guest Folio / Bill
Guarantee Policy
Cancellation Policy.
137

Records

Guest History Card

Foreign Currency Control Sheet
Foreign Currency Exchange / Encashment Certificate
Travel Agent Voucher
Express Check-out Form
Visitors Paid-out Voucher
Mini Bar Check

Guest Folio
Horizontal Tabular Ledger
Visitor / Vertical Tabular Ledger
Guest Ledger High Balance Report
Accident Report Form

Bomb Threat Form

Crime Report Form.
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***et Sathish Kumar *** violet.sathish@gmail.com *** +91 96299 37357 *** All The Best***

Unit 5
5.1 Understanding And Uses Of Accents, Orthographic Signs & Punctuation
French
5.2 Knowledge Of Cardinaux & Ordinaux (Ordinal & Cardinal)
5.3 Days, Dates, Time, Months And Seasons
5.1 Understanding And Uses Of Accents, Orthographic Signs & Punctuation
LES ACCENTS ( The accents)
Apart from the alphabet, there are accents in French which functions almost like
vowels. There are mainly three kinds of accents and they are
1.
2.
3.

( )-> L`ACCENT AIGU (Acute accent)

(` ) -> L`ACCENT GRAVE (Grave accent)
(^) ->L`ACCENT CIRCONFLEXE (Circumflex accent)

The acute accent () is put only on E [ eg, L T the summer]

The grave accent () is put only on the pure vowels A,E and U.[ eg, CRME- cream ]
The circumflex accent can be put on all the pure vowels i.e. A,E,I,O and U.
[ eg, PTE paste, FORT- forest, LE island]
139

 LES Signs DE Ponctuation.The Punctuation Marks

1. (.)
2. (,)
3. (;)
4. (:)
5. (?)
6. (-)
7. (_)
8. ( )
9. [( )]
10. (!)
11.()

-> LE POINT
(Full stop)
-> LA VIRGULE
(The comma)
-> LE POINT-VIRGULE
(The semi-colonel)
->LES DEUX POINTS
(The colon)
->LES POINT D`INTERRROGATION (The question mark)
->LE TRAIT D`UNION
(The hyphen)
-> LE TIRET
(The dash)
-> LES GUILLEMETS
(Inverted comma)
-> LA PARENTSE
( The brackets)
-> LE POINT D`EXCLAMATION
(The exclamation mark)
->LA CDILLE
(The cedilla)

NOTE:
The sign is put only under the alphabet c when followed by A,O and
U, gives us the pronunciation of KA,KO and KU but when the cedilla is
put under c ,then the changes TU SA, SU and SU. C followed by
E and I sounds like SE and SI.
140

5.2 Knowledge Of Cardinaux & Ordinaux (Ordinal &

Cardinal)
LES NUMBRES CARDINAUX (Cardinal Number)
1.UN
-> One
2.DEUX
-> Two
3.TROIS
-> Three
4.QUATRE
-> Four
5.CINQ
-> Five
6.SIX
-> Six
7.SEPT
-> Seven
8.HUIT
-> Eight
9.Neuf
-> Nine
10.DIX
-> Ten
11.ONZE
-> Eleven
12.DOUZE
-> Twelve
13.TREIZE
-> Thirteen
14.QUATORZE -> Fourteen
15.QUINZE
-> Fifteen
16.SEIZE
-> Sixteen
141

LES NUMBRES Ordinaux

(The Ordinal Number)
1.UNIME
->First
2.DEUXIME ->Second
3.TROISIME ->Third
4.QUATRIME ->Fourth
5.CINQUIME ->Fifth
6.SIXIME
->Sixth
7.SEPTIME
->Seventh
8.HUITIME
->Eighth
9.NEUVIME
->Ninth
10.DIXIME
-> Tenth
11.ONZIME
->Eleventh
12.DOUXIME ->Twelfth
13.TREIZIME
-> Thirteenth
14.QUATORZIME ->Fourteenth
15.QUINZIME ->Fifteenth
16.SEIZIME
->Sixteenth
17.DIX-SEPTIME ->Seventeenth
18.DIX-HUITIME ->Eighteenth
142

5.3 Days, Dates, Time, Months And Seasons

LES MOIS DE L`ANNE
( The Month Of The Year)
1. JANVIER
-> January
2. FVRIER
-> February
3. MARS
-> March
4. AVRIL
-> April
5. MAI
-> May
6. JUIN
-> June
7. JUILLET
-> July
8. AOT
-> August
9. SEPTEMBRE -> September
10. OCTOBRE -> October
11. NOVEMBRE-> November
12. DCEMBRE-> December
143

The Time Heure

What time is it? Quelle heure est il?

Express the time in french exprimez lheure en francais

Eg: 1. o clock il est une heure

2. oclock il est deux heures

Noon il est midi

Midnight il est minuit
00.00(hrs) il est zro heure (or) midnight
A.M / In the morning Du Matin
P.M / In the evening Du Soir
15 Minutes Quinze Minutes (or) et quart
30 Minutes Trente Minutes (or) et deme
45 Minutes Quarente Cinq Minutes (or) et trois quart
144

Eg:
1. 6:15 AM il est six heures wuinze du matin (or) il est six heure et wuart du matin
2. 21:45 il est vingt une heures wuarante cinq
(or) il est vingt une heures et trois quart (21 )
(or) il est neuf heures quarante cinq du soir ( Nine Forty Five P.M)
(or) il est neuf heures et trois wuart du soir ( 9 in the evening)
Forty Five Minutes past nine in the evening / P.M

Days:
To day
Au joudhu
Yesterday
Hier
Tomorrow
Demain
The Day After Tomorrow Lendemain / Aprs Demain
The Day Befire Yesterday Avant hier
Before
Avant
After
Aprs
Next
Prochaine

T SATHISH KUMAR., MBA

145

Mail
Handlin
g
Procedu
re

Mails received at front office

Stamp with date & time, Enter the received mails in
the mail log book
Sort Mails & Arrange in alphabets
order
Hotel Mails

Guest Mails
Send to the information
desk,
Which will further sort the
nails.
Resident
Departed
Guest
Guest
If guest
in room,
send a
bell boy
to deliver
th e mail,
if
registered
mail take
signature
in the mail

If guest
not in
room,
place a
mails in
key rack
& deliver
when the
guest
comes
collect

If guest left
a mail
forwarding
address,
redirect
the mail to
that
address, if
not, send
back to the
sender

Official
Mails
Send to respective
offices
Future
Guest
Send the
mail to the
reservatio
n section,
where it will
attach with
the GRC &
deliver to
guest at the
time of

Employee
mail
Send
to time
office.

Place in the
mail rack
from where
employees
can collect
their mails
146

Procedure for Left Luggage Handling

Hotels normally follow the following procedure while accepting the luggage to be
stored in the left luggage room:
The agent makes sure that the guest wishing to keep his luggage in the left
luggage room has cleared his bills.
The luggage tag is filled and tied to each luggage.
The details of the luggage are entered in the left luggage register
The counterfoil of the luggage tag is torn and handed over to the guest. The
guest is required to present the same for the collection of his luggage.
The luggage is kept in the left luggage room.
While delivering the luggage to the guest, the following procedure is followed:
The front office agent requests the guest is to show the luggage tag
counterfoil.
The front office agent tallies the counterfoil with the tag attached to the
baggage.
The front office agent makes an entry in the left luggage register and
requests the guest to sign for the delivery of the luggage.
147
The front office agent hands over the luggage to the guest.

e
A telephone call / visitor for a guest
Handlin
Check whether the guest in his room
g
Procedu
The guest is not in
The guest is in the
re
the room
room
If the guest has left
a location form,
locate the guest &
inform about the
same
Resident Guest
Note the message on
a message slip in
duplicate. Keep the
original copy along
with the room key &
ask the bell boy to
slip the duplicate
copy through the
door of the guest

If the guest has not left a

location form, note the
message on a message
slip.
Departed guest

Check if the
guest has left
any mail &
message
forwarding
details & act
accordingly

Connect the
call to the guest
room or inform
the guest about
the visitor

Future Guest

Note the message on a

message slip & send to the
reservation section, where
it will attach to the GRC,
where it can be delivered to
the guest at the time of 148

149

FO Coordinating with other

departments in a hotel

Follow
us
et
ihm

All the best

A man has done a job, Because he has mind to do it.

ishkumar.et@gmail.com E.T. SATHISH KUMAR., MBA +91 8608 90 313

150