DAOHOG: HMPE4 (HM3-G1) MODULE 2 Page 1 of 6

INITAO COLLEGE Course Code: HMPE4

Jampason, Initao, Misamis Oriental Course Title: Front Office Operations
1st Semester, S.Y. 2021 - 2022 Unit: 3 (Lecture)
Instructor: Subject Schedule: MTH 2:30-4:00pm
JULIANNE MIDNIGHT C. DAOHOG
Mobile Number: Facebook Group Page: HMPE4 (HM3)
0935-824-1727/0912-732-2100
Messenger Group Chat: BSHM3 G1
e-mail address:
[email protected]
Contact Schedule:
MONDAY-FRIDAY: 8:00AM-5:00PM
MODULE 2
Topic: Hotel Organization and the Front Office Manager Desired Learning Outcomes:
• Recognize the organization of lodging properties and
Duration: 3 hrs the front office department.
• Specify the functions of the front office manager.

SPECIFIC INSTRUCTION FOR SUBMISSIONS:

Keep this module clean, stain-free and, crumple-free. Answer your assessment found at the last page of this learning
module.
ANALYSIS

Organization of Lodging Properties

The objective of most hospitality establishments is to produce a profit. To meet this goal, factors such as current economic
conditions, marketing plans, competition, and staff size and ability are constantly reviewed. The general manager, the person
in charge of directing and leading the hotel staff in carrying out its financial, environmental, and community responsibilities,
develops organization charts that fit his or her plan to meet the goals of the company. The organization charts—schematic
drawings that list management positions in an organization—included in this chapter are offered as instructional examples only.
An organization chart represents the span of control for the general manager.

Organization Charts

Every hotel, whether it’s big or small, needs an organizational structure to carry out its daily operations. It is used to help divide
tasks, specify the job for each department, and delegate authority within and among departments. Effective job specifications
will increase work productivity and efficiency. Each hotel organizes the workforce in different ways. Here shows a medium size
hotel organizational structure. It was basically segmented into six divisions: finance, front office, human resources, food and
beverage, sales, and logistics as the following organizational chart:
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Financial

The financial department’s role is to record financial transactions, prepare and interpret financial statements, and deal with cost
accounting and cost control.

Front Office

The front office (room management) department handles customer service including front desk service, reservation, laundry,
concierge, telephone, and housekeeping service. A hotel’s front office is where guests are greeted when they arrive, where
they get registered and assigned to a room, and where they check out. It’s almost the most important department as it often
offers contact with customers.

Human Resources

The human resources department is given the responsibility to handle employee recruitment, arrange staff training, make
promotion and disciplinary decisions, and check staff attendance.

Food & Beverage

The food and beverage department are responsible for all the dining rooms, restaurants, bars, kitchen, clean up services, etc.
Here we basically divide F/B department into two parts: kitchen and restaurant. Kitchen department is responsible for food
preparation including main food, dessert, side food, and beverage. Restaurant department ‘s role is to provide dining room
operation, waiter service, food runner, and clean up service.

Sales

The responsibility for the sales department is to sell the hotel facilities and services to individuals and groups. They sell rooms,
food, beverage, or special services such as massage and laundry to potential customers through advertising or direct contacts.
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Logistics

The logistics department is responsible for tracking for daily supplies, purchasing appliances, and keeping security.

Typical Job Responsibilities of Department Managers

As you begin your career in the lodging industry, you will undoubtedly encounter hotel department managers.

General Manager

The general manager orchestrates the department directors in their efforts to meet the financial goals of the organization
through their employees. The general manager is required to use the full range of managerial skills— planning, decision making,
organizing, staffing, controlling, directing, and communicating—to develop a competent staff. Performance is judged according
to how effectively supervisors are directed to meet the goals of the organization. Efficiency depends not on how well tasks are
performed but on how well employees are motivated and instructed to meet the goals and objectives of the plans the general
manager and staff have formulated. The general manager of a hotel is responsible for orchestrating the efforts of managers
and employees to produce a financially successful establishment.

Assistant General Manager

The assistant general manager of a lodging property has a major responsibility for developing and executing plans developed
by the corporate owners, the general manager, and other members of the management staff. The relationship between the
general manager and the assistant general manager must be founded on trust, skill, and excellent communication. The
assistant general manager works with department directors to meet their respective goals and objectives through efficient
operations. Often, he or she is the liaison between management and operations.

Food and Beverage Director

The food and beverage director is responsible for the efficient operation of the kitchen, dining rooms, banquet service, room
service, and lounge. This includes managing a multitude of details with the supervisors of these outlets. Such details include
food quality, sanitation, inventory, cost control, training, room setup, cash control, and guest service, to name a few. The food
and beverage director keeps a keen eye on trends in food and beverage merchandising, cost-control factors in food and
beverage preparation, and kitchen utilities. The food and beverage director works closely with the assistant food and beverage
director, a highly skilled executive chef, a dining room supervisor, a banquet manager, and a bar manager.

Physical Plant Engineer

The plant engineer is important in the overall delivery of service to the guest. This person oversees a team of electricians,
plumbers, heating, ventilating, and air-conditioning contractors, and general repair personnel to provide behind-the-scenes
DAOHOG: HMPE4 (HM3-G1) MODULE 2 Page 4 of 6

services to the guests and employees of the lodging property.

Executive Housekeeper

The executive housekeeper is responsible for the upkeep of the guest rooms and public areas of the lodging property. This
person must work through other people to get the job done. Each room attendant must be thoroughly trained in cleaning
techniques. Each floor inspector, a person who supervises the housekeeping function on a floor of a hotel, and each
housekeeping employee must be trained in standard inspection techniques.

Human Resource Manager

In a full-service lodging property, the luxury of employing a human resources manager is beneficial for everyone. This person
is responsible for administering federal, state, and local employment laws as well as advertising for and screening job
candidates and interviewing, selecting, orienting, training, and evaluating employees.

Marketing and Sales Director

In this job title, the marketing function is emphasized. The person in this position plays an essential role in all departments of
the hotel. An effective director of marketing and sales not only attracts external sales such as conventions, small business
conferences, wedding receptions, and dining room and lounge business but also provides direction for promoting in-house
sales to guests.

Front Office Manager

The major responsibilities of the front office manager include reviewing the final draft of the night audit, a daily review of the
financial accounting procedures at the front desk and other guest service areas during the previous 24-hour period and an
analysis of operating results; operating and monitoring the reservation system; developing and operating an effective
communication system with front office staff and other department directors; supervising daily registrations and checkouts;
overseeing and developing employees; establishing in-house sales programs at the front desk; preparing budgets and cost-
control systems; forecasting room sales; and maintaining business relationships with regular corporate and community leaders.

Controller

The controller is the internal accountant of a hotel. He or she is responsible for the actual and effective administration of financial
data produced daily in the hotel.

Director of Security

The director of security works with department directors to develop cost-control procedures that help ensure employee honesty
and guest safety. This person supervises an ongoing training program in cooperation with department directors to instruct
employees in fire, job, and environmental safety procedures.

Parking Garage Manager

The responsibility for ensuring a safe environment for guests’ vehicles falls to the parking garage manager. This person
supervises the work of garage attendants and maintains the security of guests and cars in the parking garage.

Organization of the Front Office Department

Typical Front Office Organization

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The responsibilities of the front office staff are quite varied. The position of the desk clerk can encompass many duties, which
typically include verifying guest reservations, registering guests, assigning rooms, distributing keys, communicating with the
housekeeping staff, answering telephones, providing information about and directions to local attractions, accepting cash and
giving change, and acting as liaison between the lodging establishment and the guest as well as the community. The position
of cashier includes processing guest checkouts and guest legal tender and providing change for guests.

The reservations manager is a position that can be found in many of the larger lodging establishments. This person is
responsible for taking incoming requests for rooms and noting special requests for service. The reservations manager is
responsible for keeping an accurate room inventory by using a reservation module of a property management system.
The night auditor balances the daily financial transactions. This person may also serve as desk clerk for the night shift (11:00
p.m. to 7:00 a.m.). He or she must have a good grasp of accounting principles and the ability to resolve financial discrepancies.

The telephone operator has a very important job in the lodging establishment. This person must be able to locate the
registered guests and management staff at a moment’s notice. He or she is also expected to be able to deal with crises such
as life - threatening emergencies.

The bell captain, with the entourage of bellhops and door attendants, is a mainstay in the lodging establishment. The bell
staff starts where the computerized property management system stops. They are the people who lift and tote the baggage,
familiarize the guest with his or her new surroundings, run errands, deliver supplies, and provide the guest with information on
in - house marketing efforts and local attractions.

The key clerk can be found in very large, full - service hotels that do not have electronic key systems. This clerk is responsible
for issuing keys to registered guests and for related security measures. The elevator operator, a person who manually
operates the mechanical controls of the elevator, is almost an extinct species in the lodging establishment. This person has
been replaced by self - operated elevators and escalators. Some of these people have been relocated to serve as traffic
managers, who direct hotel guests to available elevators in the lobby. In large, full - service hotels, the traffic manager can be
a welcome sight; often the confusion of check - ins and checkouts can be lessened when he or she is on duty.

The concierge provides extensive information on entertainment, sports, amusements, transportation, tours, church services,
and baby - sitting in the area. He or she must know the area intimately and must be able to meet the individual needs of each
guest.

Function of the Front Office Manager

A front office manager, sometimes known as a receptionist or clerk, fills many roles. This customer-facing position, typically
found in the hospitality industry, serves to both interface with customers and carry out front-office business duties.

1. Customer Interface Function - Front office managers frequently interface with customers, often greeting them as they enter
the establishment, answering inquiries and generating sales. Front office manager responsibilities might include receiving
and processing payments from customers and provide receipts as needed.
2. Office Management Role - Front office manager responsibilities can include ensuring the front office of the business
continues to operate in an efficient manner. Managing the office can involve analysis of expenditures to minimize cost, and
some managers review daily logbooks to maintain an awareness of business activities. Front office managers should be
familiar with typical office applications like spreadsheets and word processors.
3. Manage Customer Experience - Employees in a front office manager position have considerable responsibility for ensuring
customers and guests receive exemplary service. In addition to simply interacting with customers and addressing security
issues, front office managers also act as a single point of contact for customer complaints and escalated issues. Front
office managers might approve promotional rates in response to customer negotiations, and some front office managers
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have the authority to grant discounts, service credits or complimentary service to unsatisfied guests.
4. Staff Supervision and Planning - Depending on the organization, front office managers might be responsible for
supervising members of the hotel staff. Supervisory duties can include scheduling of personnel to meet customer demand,
planning and assigning work, and developing employee communications.

REFERENCES:
Hotel Front Office Management (James A. Bardi) – eBook
https://www.orgcharting.com/hotel-organizational-chart/
https://www.wisdomjobs.com/e-university/hotel-front-office-management-tutorial-369/organization-of-the-front-office-
department-12997.html
https://bizfluent.com/list-6397029-basic-functions-front-office-manager.html