CHAPTER ONE

Definitions and Terminologies- Front Office

• Front Office is a very important
department in the hotel, making direct
contact with guests.

• The main function of this department is 

Reservation, Guest service, Check-in, 
Check-out, Telephone, Finance &
Cashiering, Foreign Exchange, Room
Assignment, Inquiry etc.

• The Front Office is also called the

nerve centre of a hotel. 

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 CHAPTER ONE
Definitions and Terminologies- Front Office
• It is a centre of all communication within
and outside world

• It is the face of any hotel as it is the first

and the last point of interaction for the
guest.

• Unlike many others, front desk/ front

office is a very important department in
the hotel which is making direct contact
with guests

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 CHAPTER ONE
Definitions and Terminologies- Front Office
• Reservation: An agreement between the service provider and a guest for the services

• Booking: Making a confirmed sale

• CRS: Computer reservation system

• Check in: arrival of the guest who has registered his name

• Rack rate: normal room rate (without discount)

• Inclusive rate: A single rate/ price that includes all charges.

• Discounted rate: discount of rack rate for regular clients

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 CHAPTER ONE
Definitions and Terminologies- Front Office
• Rack Rate - The published tariff for each room type/category in a hotel.

• Log Book - Located at reception containing information/ happenings/handover of the day to know of.

• Walk-in - A guest who arrives at a hotel without a reservation.

• Overbooking - accepting more reservations than there are available rooms.

• Check-out: The procedures for a guest's departure and the settling of his or her account.

• Adjoining Room: guest rooms located side by side without a connecting door between them

• Affiliated Hotel: A hotel that is a member of a chain, franchise, or referral system.

• Commercial Travel: Travel for business purposes, not for pleasure.

• Folio – A guest’s record of charges and payment.

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• Half day rate: A special rate that typically includes 1-4 hours (but not overnight) use of the room

• Check out: departure of guests after setting the bills

• Registration: record of guests information on his agreement

• Complimentary room: Forming or serving as compliment

• Concierge: a hotel employee whose job is to assist guests providing information on entertainment,
sports, transportation,, church services, babysitting etc…in a particular city or town.

• Guest folio: The detailed list of a hotel guest's room charges, as well as other charges

• Concierge: Information desk that assists guests for transportation, booking of events outside the hotel.

• GRC: Guest Registration Card, which guest needs to fill in with personal formation at the time of
registration.

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 1.2. FRONT OFFICE OPERATIONS

Two categories of Front Office Operations

1. Front-House Operations
These operations are visible to the guests of the hotel.
The guests can interact and see these operations, hence, the name Front-House
operations few of these operations
include:
• Interacting with the guests to handle request for an accommodation.
• Checking accommodation availability and assigning it to the guest.

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 1.2. FRONT OFFICE OPERATIONS

• Collecting detail
information while guest
registration.
• Creating a guest’s account
with the FO accounting
system.
• Issuing accommodation
keys to the guest.
• Settling guest payment at
the time of check-out.

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 1.2. BACK OFFICE OPERATIONS

Back office operations

 Front Office staff conducts these operations in the absence of the guests or when the
guest’s involvement is not required. These operations involve activities such as:

• Preparing the guest’s bill,

• Collecting the balance amount of guest bills.

• Generating reports.

• Maintaining guest’s account with the accounting system.

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 1.3 FRONT OFFICE SYSTEM

• Before the 1920s - no technology in the front office - manual operations .

• The semi-automated operations - early 1970s -automated operations in the

late 1970s.

• Many properties combine elements of each approach to produce an

effective and comprehensive system.

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• Keep record solely by handwritten forms.
N
O
1
.A
N
U
-T
O
MAT
E
S
DY
ST
E
M

• It is system characterized by the sole usage of hands. In fact, all formats, procedures,
and different kinds of calculations are done manually.

• Reservation, registration are done manually.

• Reservation requests should be introduced in a loose-leaf notebook.

• Guests shall sign a page in the registration book or fill manually a registration record.

• It is applicable in small and some times in medium size hotels

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 2. SEMI-AUTOMATED SYSTEM

• This system gets use of some Electro-mechanical equipment.

• Each department might have its own computer system under which it handles all its
operations - but they are not interconnected in network.

• Less common in small and middle size hotels

• Equipment's are subject to frequent maintenance problems.

• All reports done in computer but they are not inter connected

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 3. FULLY AUTOMATED [COMPUTER BASED] SYSTEMS

• That's the best system ever used in the hotel industry.

• In fact, it is characterized by the excessive use of departmental software package

programs integrated and connected to a main frame or terminal situated at the front
office department.

• The reservation department is equipped with a software package.

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1.4. FRONT OFFICE PROCESSES

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 • 1.4. FRONT OFFICE PROCESSES

• The front office relies on various forms to monitor the guest’s stay. The guest is the
most important person for the hotel. A guest’s stay at the hotel determines the flow of
business within the hotel.

• This section discusses front office documents employed in the four stages of the
traditional guest cycle.

• Pre-arrival
• The guest chooses a hotel during this stage. The guest’s choice can be affected by
many factors including previous experiences with the hotel, advertisements,
recommendations from he travel agents, friends or business associates.

• At this first stage, capturing and maintaining reservation data is critical to effective
front office operations.

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• The guest may be offered system generated letter of confirmation to verify that a
reservation has been made and that its specifications are accurate.

• The confirmation process permits errors in communication to be corrected before the

guest arrives and verifies the guest’s correct mailing address for future
correspondence.

• A recent development is the use of email to provide the confirmation instead of a

printed document.

• The advantages of email are a lower cost to the hotel and immediate response to the
guest.

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• Arrival
• The arrival stage of the guest cycle includes registration and rooming functions..
• When the guest arrives at the hotel, the front office may use a paper-based system-
generated registration to check in guests

• Registration cards contain guest personal data, including length of stay and method
of settlement.

• Registration cards may also contain printed statements relating to the availability of
safe storage for guest valuables and responsibility of the guest for payment of all
charges.

• Additionally, registration cards indicate the room rate, allowing the guest to confirm
it. This reduces questions about the price of the room at check-out.

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• Occupancy
• Once the guest registered, the front office system creates an electronic guest folio to
capture charges and credits incurred by the guest.

• While folio information is comparable across front office recordkeeping systems,

folio formats tend to vary.

• In nearly all electronic systems, information from the guest registration card is used
to create folio.

• This is an example of the flow of electronic records. When printed, a minimum of

two folio copies is normally generated.

• One copy of the guest folio is used by the front office as a record of the guest’s stay,
and one copy is given to the guest during check-out as account documentation.

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• Automated front office systems replace traditional information racks with a terminal,
thereby eliminating the need for information racks and rack slips.

• These terminals can be used to quickly access the guest records and to display
comprehensive information.

• Because they can be electronically connected to other electronic equipment such as

point-of-sale, electronic key, call accounting, and other management systems

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Departure

• Guest folios are kept current throughout occupancy to ensure an accurate account
balance for settlement at departure.

• In addition to the guest folio, other documents may be required for account
settlement.

• A credit card voucher, for example, may be needed if the guest elects to pay by credit
card.

• In some hotels, a cash voucher is used to document a cash settlement.

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 DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

1. WHAT ARE THE MAIN FUNCTIONS

OF FRONT OFFICE DEPARTMENT?

2. DISCUSS THE ADVANTAGES OF

AUTOMATED SYSTEM OVER NON-
AUTOMATED ?

3. LIST THE ACTIVITIES OF FRONT

OFFICE AS COMPARED TO BACK
HOUSE

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 1.5 Guest Cycle
• The guest cycle is the complete
experience that a guest goes through in a
hotel: from making the booking to
departure and the interaction with the
hotel even after departure.
• The guest cycle is an overview of the
physical contacts and financial exchanges
between the hotel and its guests.
• This flow of business can be divided into
a four-stage guest cycle :
• Pre arrival- reservation
• Arrival- registration
• Occupancy- occupancy service

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• Departure- check out and history
 1. Pre-arrival
• The interaction between a guest and a hotel before the guest
arrives at the hotel forms the pre-arrival phase of guest cycle.

• Reservation is the most important pre-arrival activity.

• During this phase, the guest first selects a hotel for stay. The
guest’s choice about a particular hotel is affected by factors like
advertisements, recommendations from family and friends,
previous experience with the hotel, reputation, location, etc.

• Once a hotel has been chosen, the guest or a person designated by

him, on behalf of the guest contacts the selected hotel through
telephone, e-mail, or fax for reserving room/s for a future period.

• Before confirming a reservation, the hotel may ask for a credit

card guarantee or an advance payment/ deposit from the guest.

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 1. Pre-arrival
• This stage, as mentioned earlier, is the first point of contact between the
hotel and the guest.
• Thus, the activities/ functions of the front office at this stage is
important to influence the guests decision.
• The pre-arrival phase include
A. Request about the types, availabilities and rates of the rooms in
the hotel
B. Processing the reservation request of the guest.
C. Creation of guest folio (in case the hotel has received any advance
payment).
D. Booking of room by the guest.
E. Making special arrangements for the guest (if required).
F. Payment guarantee or an advance deposit may be requested by the

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hotel
 2. Arrival
• The arrival stage activities are carried out at
a time when guest physically arrives in the
hotel.

• This is a very important stage as guests form

an image/ opinion about the standards and
services that the hotel can provide to them.

• Guests have their face-to-face interaction

with the hotel staff on their arrival at the
hotel.

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2. Arrival
• During this phase guest is welcomed by a formal greeting and his requirement is
identified. The signing of GRC by the guest is known as registration of the guest.

• The functions of Front Office on the arrival of a guest includes

a) Reception and welcome of the guest.

b) Registration of the guest
c) Room rate and room assignment to the guest
d) Handing over the room key to the guest
e) Luggage handling of the guest by bell desk
f) Delivering the mails and messages the hotel has received on behalf of the guest.

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 TWO BASIC INFORMATION DURING
REGISTRATION OF ARRIVAL STAGE
1. Personal information
• Name and Surname of the guest along with
billing address, telephone number, and any other
coordinates
• Passport number, birth certificate, and/or driving
license number (whatever applicable)
• Any special needs or requests
• Guest Signature
2. Financial information
• Date of arrival
• Length of stay
• Arrival date, room number, method of payment

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 3. Occupancy
• This stage begins when the guest arrives at the room
• At this stage coordinating guest services is important
• Provide information and supplies
• A concierge may be on staff to provide special guest services
• Respond to requests in a timely and accurate way
• Consumption of hotel products and services.
• Security is the primary concern of front office at this stage.
• This might be ensured through guest key control, property surveillance, and safe deposit
boxes, and well designed emergency panels and exits…

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 3. Occupancy
• As said previously, during this stage, the guest gets a first-
hand experience of the facilities and services offered by the
hotel.

• These services and facilities are the most important part of a

guest’s overall experience at a hotel.

• The stay phase is the most important phase in the guest cycle
for the hotel,

• because the guest’s comfortable and pleasant stay at the

hotel would bring repeat business and positive feedback
from the guest. …

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• 4. Departure
• During the departure stage, guest settles their account by making payment
through a pre-established mode (like cash/card/travelers cheque/voucher etc).

• The hotel should take great care to present all unpaid bills for payment and carry
out the whole procedure efficiently.

• The activities at the time of departure may be listed as below:

• (a) Taking the room key from the guest
• (b) Presenting a copy of the folio to the guest for verification and approval
by the guest. This copy is known as information printout of the folio.
• (c) Checking for mini bar consumption or any last minute charges.

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• (d) Processing the guest payment as per the mode of settlement desired by him.
• (e) Handing over the settlement folio, known as zero balance folio, to the guest
along with vouchers and payment receipt or credit card charge slip.
• (f) Requesting the guest for a filling up feedback-form/guest comment card for
the hotel to review its performance.

• (g) Luggage handling activity by bell desk

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 TRUE/ FALSE QUESTIONS
1. THE FRONT OFFICE MANAGER'S MAIN FUNCTION IS TO ENSURE THAT THE HOUSEKEEPING
DEPARTMENT MAINTAINS THE HIGH QUALITY OF CLEANED ROOMS.

2. REQUESTING THE GUEST FOR A FILLING UP FEEDBACK-FORM/GUEST COMMENT CARD FOR THE
HOTEL IS IMMORAL

3. THE OCCUPANCY PHASE IS THE MOST IMPORTANT PHASE IN THE GUEST CYCLE FOR THE HOTEL,
TO BRING REPEAT BUSINESS AND POSITIVE FEEDBACK FROM THE GUEST.

4. THE INTERACTION BETWEEN A GUEST AND A HOTEL BEFORE THE GUEST ARRIVES AT THE HOTEL
FORMS THE PRE-ARRIVAL PHASE OF GUEST CYCLE.

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 DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

1. WHY IS FRONT OFFICE

IS AN IMPORTANT
DEPARTMENT?

2. WHAT ARE THE

RESPONSIBILITIES OF
THE FRONT OFFICE
PROFESSIONAL IN
HOTEL ?

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 T
U H

O A

Y N
K

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 CHAPTER TWO
FRONT OFFICE STRUCTURE

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 DIVISION OF STRUCTURE OF THE
FRONT OFFICE

The structure of any front office department can be divided into

two categories-

• Physical Setup of the front office

• Operational Structure of the Front office

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 PHYSICAL SETUP OF FRONT OFFICE

• The physical setup includes key-hanging boards, bell desk and guest-mail handling
register.

• The front desk is equipped with various compartments, the computerized property
management system, and an in-house communication system.

• Positioning the Front Desk

• The front desk is where the guests temporarily await to find an accommodation or to
clear their bill. Hence, In most of the hotels, the front desk is placed near the main
entrance ofthe hotel.

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 PHYSICAL SETUP OF FRONT OFFICE

• When a guest enters in a hotel, first of all he interacts with the front office staff, and
when he leave the hotel he also establishes his last communication with the hotel,

• therefore the front desk is always positioned near the entrance of the hotel. Being a
prime interface of the hotel, it creates a first and last impression on the customers.

• Various functions of the front office is divided in to certain departmental sections.

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• Hence, it needs to be positioned appropriately such that the staff and the guests
can use them conveniently.

• The following guideline must be followed to determine the position of the front
desk-

1.Positioned at an adequate height and reach.

2. An adequately lit-up area.
3. Aesthetically furnished.
4.Preferably near the sitting area.
5.Equipped with Information technology tools
6.Near the main entrance of the hotel and lift
7. Wide enough to make the staff member communicate with guests across the

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desk.
 OPERATIONAL STRUCTURE OF FRONT OFFICE

• Operational Structure of Front Office- There are lot of staff working under front
office manager.

• The structure of the front office department changes according to the size of the hotel
business, physical size of the hotel, and the hotel management policies.

• There could be a Front office Manager in the upper hierarchy of the front office
department, a front office manager directs and control a large group of subordinate
employees.

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 OPERATIONAL STRUCTURE OF FRONT OFFICE

• The departmental structure of the front office may vary from one
hotel to another hotel,

• therefore, there is not any universally acceptable structure of

hierarchy.

• Following is the general structure of the front office department:

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• Hence, it needs to be positioned appropriately such that the staff and the guests
can use them conveniently.

• The front desk needs to be:

1. Positioned at an adequate height and reach.
2. An adequately lit-up area.
3. Aesthetically furnished.
4. Preferably near the hotel lobby and lift.
5. Preferably near the sitting area.
6. Wide enough to make the staff member communicate with the guests
across the desk.

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Hotel Front Office Sections
• Front office department manager heads the team of staff working on various activities
and responsibilities in the front office department.
• Few prominent activities that the front office staff is involved in are:

• Reservation: It includes handling request of customers for reserving

accommodations.

• Reception: It includes receiving the guests according to the highest standards and
registering them appropriately. It also includes welcoming the guests with generous
and friendly behaviour and assisting them during the registration process.

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• Guest Services: are also termed as unformed services, it includes the following
services-
•Baggage handling of the guests
•Supply of the newspapers and magazines in the guest rooms
•Handling the mails of the guests
•Ensuring the availability of the guests in the hotel (Paging).
•Ensuring medical aid in case of any medical emergency

• Accounts: Accounts section takes care of all the financial transactions of the hotel,
done with guests and the suppliers.

• The front office cashier and a Night Auditor are the two important positions of this
section.

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• The cashier takes care of the guest transactions and ensures the payment for the same
and reports the same to the account manager. Then the account manager reports to
the front office manager.

• The night auditor takes care of the reception desk and the account transactions of the
night shift, he reports to the heads of both departments, front office, and accounting.

• Communication- It includes both in-house and external communication. It involves

handling communication among various other departments and guests of the hotel.

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