FRONT OFFICE

DEPARTMENT

Prepared by : Roi Amurao

Learning Objectives

• Review the organizational structure of the FO team

• Discuss the key activities of the front office;
• Discuss the importance of the reservation process;
• Explain guaranteed and non-guaranteed reservations;
• Discuss the forms of settlement;
• Simulate a telephone reservation;
• Simulate the welcoming, registering, and escorting of the guest
• Perform a showroom;
• Demonstrate a check-out process;
 FRONT OFFICE DEPARTMENT

• One of the most important departments in the hotel.

• It provides the first impression to the guests.
• They have the direct first and the last contact to the guest.
• The staff serves as the liaisons between housekeeping and
guest request.
FRONT OFFICE DEPARTMENT

Reception Area of Burj Al Arab

FRONT OFFICE DEPARTMENT

Reception area of One&Only Royal Mirage Dubai

FRONT OFFICE DEPARTMENT
FRONT OFFICE DEPARTMENT

PALM ATLANTIS, DUBAI

FRONT OFFICE DEPARTMENT

THE PALM ATLANTIS, DUBAI

 FRONT OFFICE DEPARTMENT
ROOMS DEPARTMENT

FRONT OFFICE

UNIFORMED REVENUE
RESERVATIONS PBX FRONT DESK
SERVICES MANAGEMENT

BELL DESK

VALET

TRANSPORTATION

CONCIERGE

DOOR
GREETERS
 Reservation Agent
FRONT OFFICE DEPARTMENTUniform Services
Includes concierge, transportation, and the valet, and
Sub Brief Description doorCycle
Hotel attendants
Divison Senior Section Supervisor Rank and File
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EncompassesHead Manager
the whole Manager
operating y
cycle, although
Reservations Responsible for all Pre-arrival stage
hotel bookings
emphasis isRooms Director
FOM
on the arrival Reservations Reservation Reservation
and departure
Manager s
phases Agent
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Uniform Includes FOM the Rooms
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and the valet, Uniform Service Supervisor
emphasis is on eter, Valet
and door the arrival and Parkers,
attendants Concierge
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Transportation Drivers, Bell Staff Drivers, Bell
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Front Desk Comprised of Comprised
Encompasses of cashiers
the Rooms FOMand front
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FO Front desk
cashiers and front whole operating Director Supervisor cashiers
desk agents Encompasses
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desk
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phase is given Agents
emphasis by the Night Auditors
check
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are Rooms
the ones to Director Center Agent
check out the
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from the hotel Front desk Agents

Revenue In charge of Night Auditors
Encompasses the Rooms FOM Revenue Revenue
management ensuring optimum whole operating Director Manager Management
revenue for the
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cycle Agents
 KEY CONCEPTS, STANDARDS AND
PRACTICES
RESERVATIONS MANAGEMENT

• The first contact of the guests is through the reservations

department.
• Nowadays, different channels are tapped into by hotels to gain
wider share. E.g websites, e-mails, regional sales office, and
distribution channels.
• They are the point department for increasing hotel’s profit.
 KEY CONCEPTS, STANDARDS AND
PRACTICES

CONCIERGE (GUEST SERVICES, FRONT DESK STAFF, AND

UNIFORMED SERVICES)
• Is a French word “Officers of the royal palace guard” whose job is to
protect the king in his palace.
• They were the holders of the keys in the royal households, with access
to all the important rooms.
• In the mid-20th century that the concierge became a part of North
American hotels serving high profile guest and delivering personalized
services.
KEY CONCEPTS, STANDARDS AND
PRACTICES
NIGHT AUDIT
• This activity is primarily done at the end of the day,
usually on the graveyard shift.
• The front office personnel validates the accuracy of
revenue through the daily review of guest and non-guest
accounts against records and transaction information.
 KEY CONCEPTS, STANDARDS AND
PRACTICES
MANAGE PROPERTY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM(PMS)
• Is the databank of collected revenue generating and non-revenue
generating activities of hotel guests.
• One major component of the PMS is the front office computer
system, which manages reservations data and usage of rooms;
determines revenue in a daily, weekly, monthly or annual basis;
maintains and hotel records and accounts.
• some basic objectives such as coordinating the operational
functions of front office, sales and planning etc.
• Hotel property management systems may interface with central
reservation systems and revenue or yield management systems,
front office, back office, point of sale, door-locking, pay-TV, energy
management, payment card authorization and channel
management systems.
• OPERA system is an example of PMS.
 KEY CONCEPTS, STANDARDS AND
PRACTICES
REVENUE MANAGEMENT
• Part of the front office work is managing the number of
occupied rooms through the proper mix of hotel guests.
 KEY CONCEPTS, STANDARDS AND
PRACTICES

GUEST SERVICES MANAGEMENT

• The front office team takes care of guests from check in
to check out.
• The team is challenged to give utmost customer
satisfaction through flawless service.
• The attainment of competitive advantage from other
hotels and resorts is only through exceptional service.
 KEY CONCEPTS, STANDARDS AND
PRACTICES
AN EXCEPTIONAL CUSTOMER SERVICE
You'd expect a luxury hotel to have excellent customer service, but
this goes well above the expected.

"One family staying at the Ritz-Carlton, Bali, had carried specialized

eggs and milk for their son who suffered from food allergies. Upon
arrival, they saw that the eggs had broken and the milk had soured.
The Ritz-Carlton manager and dining staff searched the town but
could not find the appropriate items. But the executive chef at this
particular resort remembered a store in Singapore that sold them.
He contacted his mother-in-law, and asked that she buy the
products and fly to Bali to deliver them, which she agreed to do."
 KEY CONCEPTS, STANDARDS AND
PRACTICES
My favorite customer service experience was a stay at the Four
Seasons Scottsdale- yes you are spending a certain amount for the
service but the point learned was it was the most amazing feeling
to be treated like gold! The unexpected extras, no one being a “no
person” and smiles on the staff’s faces every time I turned around.
Not only do I take that feeling and try to relay it in my everyday
work life, but I talk to myself and keep reminding myself how much
I want to go back and REPEAT the vacation and that is what a
customer needs to be a REPEAT CUSTOMER- it worked on me so I’ll
channel it for my business!

-Jill Mikols Etesse of SmartyShortz LLC

 KEY CONCEPTS, STANDARDS AND
PRACTICES
When I worked at the Four Seasons Hong Kong this summer a guest
approached our guest services counter and asked us to check with our
hotel’s French restaurant if they had seats for two at that time. My
manager immediately helped the guest and as he was making a call to the
restaurant, he noticed that the guest was not wearing proper attire to
match the dress code of the restaurant (the guest was wearing shorts
while the restaurant does not have spare pants). The manager
immediately apologized to the guest and offered to call another
restaurant that does not require a specific dress code in our hotel to
check with their availability.
Maybe it was just my lack of experience working in a hotel or front of the
house but I think that it was good service because my manager was not
only helping the guest with his request but he was also taking a step
forward to make sure his experience in the hotel is smooth and satisfying.
I think that was a personal attention, which may potentially leads to
customer loyalty.
 KEY CONCEPTS, STANDARDS AND
PRACTICES
• This summer I worked at the Mondrian SoHo Hotel and I must say,
great customer service is in every one of their employee’s nature. I
have heard many different stories about excellent customer
service but one that particularly stood out to me was about the
Director of Front Office. When a guest had mistakenly left his
luggage at the property and took off for a flight back home, the
staff notified the DFO. He knew that this guest would need his
luggage the next day due to a business meeting so he thought of
the fastest way to get him this luggage. He ended up driving the
guest’s luggage all the way to Boston to deliver it personally. This
showed the DOF’s dedication to great service and left the guest
have a memorable experience with the Mondrian SoHo Hotel.
KEY CONCEPTS, STANDARDS
AND PRACTICES
• I think the best customer experience I had was when I was in Japan.
My parents and I were at an On Sen (Japansese Hot Springs Resort),
and the service there was phenomenal. In Japan, the staff take a
different approach in customer service in that they tend to have very
subtle interactions with you, which is very different in Western
hospitality practices. Even though the interactions were short and
very faint, the impact was big. For example, when we were having
dinner, I offhandedly mentioned to my mom that I was afraid that our
room might be too cold (it was Winter when we were visiting) while
the server was setting down our tableware. I suspect she must have
heard it and informed housekeeping. When we returned to our room,
two sets of extra blankets were sitting in our room with a delicate,
simple flower on top. I was very impressed with their observation
skills and ability to anticipate what the guests’ needs without explicit
instructions. It just shows that the firm/staff truly care.
 KEY CONCEPTS, STANDARDS AND
PRACTICES

• General Data Management

The front office team is tasked to update guest records,
in the system specifically guest needs and requests, so
they can be easily identified and addressed for future
uses.
 PRE- ARRIVAL PHASE :
RESERVATIONS
Reservations come in all forms and channels.
However, majority of the bookings come from travel
agencies and corporate accounts. These establishments
secure a credit line from hotels and are given special
rates and amenities.
PRE- ARRIVAL PHASE :
RESERVATIONS

Before, reservations
can be through the
telephone. Today, it
can be done through
e-mail, websites, and
regional sales office,
internet, hotels’ PMS.
Guaranteed and Non-Guaranteed
Reservations
• Guaranteed Reservations – accepts prepayment from
the guest and holds the room whether the guest arrives
at the hotel or not. Cancellation depends on the
hotel’s policy and as agreed upon by the guest and the
hotel.
• Non-Guaranteed Reservations- the hotel holds the
room for a specified time. After the given time has
expired, the hotel can give the room to another guest.
 Forms of Settlement

• Prepayments – are payments made in advance through mail,

walk-in and other methods in guests can pay in advance or
prior to their stay.
• Advance deposits – are partial payments made by the guest
for his/her entire stay. These are usually priced similarly as
the occupied room’s one-day rate.
• Credit cards – are pre-authorized payments enabling the
hotel to block a certain amount in the credit card to be
used as the guest’s payment.
• Send bill arrangements – are settled by travel agencies who
make the deposit as a third party in the agreement. These
can also be paid through corporate accounts between a
company and a hotel.
 TELEPHONE RESERVATION PROCESS

• Guest calls hotel for hotel reservation.

• Reservation agent gets personal, arrival, and departure
details.
• Reservation agent checks room availability on arrival date.
• Reservation agent secures payment method
• Reservation agent confirms reservation booking.
• Reservation agent upsells and offers best room rate.
• Reservation agent repeats booking details.
• Reservation agent asks for other guest requests.
• Reservation agent reminds the guest about cancellation
policies and waits for guest to put down the phone first.
 ARRIVAL PHASE:
WELCOMING AND REGISTERING GUESTS

• Registering a guest provides the perfect opportunity to exceed

guest expectations. A fast efficient registration will surely be
appreciated by tired guests. The registration is important since
this will confirm all the necessary details needed by the hotel to
build their guest database.
 ARRIVAL PHASE:
WELCOMING AND REGISTERING GUESTS
• Provide personal greeting.
• Determine if the guest has reservations.
• Confirm reservation information. Confirm for rates.
• Use upselling tactics.
• Check for message and packages.
• Determine method of payment.
• Provide general hotel information.
• Assess whether assistance is needed.
• Present room key.
• Call for the bell services assistance.
• Provide guestroom information.
• Follow up on special requests if any.
• Place a follow-up call to the guest’s room.
 ESCORTING GUESTS

• After registration, the guests are brought to their room

by the bell service. This is the chance for the bellman
to acquaint the new guest with the facilities and the
services offered by the hotel.
 ESCORTING GUESTS
• Front desk agent introduce bellman to guest.
• Bellman handles and carries luggage according to safety
standards.
• Bellman escorts and familiarizes guest on hotel’s
facilities and services.
• Bellman opens door, unloads luggage, and checks room
condition and functionality.
• Bellman explains room features and inquiries about any
guest needs.
• Bellman leaves the guest’s room and bids guest goodbye.
 Showroom

• The front office team usually performs a showroom.

This allows the guest to view the room and its
amenities. Showroom is usually in coordination with the
sales and marketing and housekeeping teams.
 Showroom
• Hotel staff has impeccable product knowledge.
• Hotel staff coordinates with departments about the
showroom.
• Hotel staff prepares sales kit and other brochures for
showroom guests.
• Hotel staff ensures that key card is properly
programmed.
• Hotel staff applies time and motion by starting from
highest floor to lowest floor.
• Hotel staff maintains professionalism in escorting guests.
• Hotel staff answers all guest inquiries and perform
upselling techniques.
• Hotel staff escorts guest back to the lobby and thanks
them.
DEPARTURE PHASE: GUEST DEPARTURE
• Guest requests check out.
• Desk clerk inquires about hotel stay.
• Guest returns room keys to desk clerk.
• Desk clerk retrieves hard copy of electronic folio.
• Desk clerk reviews folio for completeness.
• Guest reviews charges and payments.
• Guest determines method of payment.
• Guest makes payment.
• Desk clerk inquires about additional reservations.
• Bid guest farewell.
• Report to the shift supervisor if any negative comments from
the guest concerning his/her stay.
• Process future reservation,
• Desk clerk files folio related documents for night audit.
• Desk clerk communicates guest departure to housekeeping and
other departments in the hotel if necessary.
*End*