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.
• The HEART of 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
 FRONT OFFICE DEPARTMENT
Sub Brief Description Hotel Cycle Divison Senior Section Supervisory Rank and File
Departments Head Manager Manager

Reservations Responsible for all Pre-arrival stage Rooms FOM Reservations Reservations Reservation
hotel bookings Director Manager Supervisor Agent

Uniform Services Includes concierge, Encompasses the Rooms FOM AFOM Uniform Concierge staff,
transportation, and whole operating Director Service Door
the valet, and door cycle, although Supervisor Attendant/greete
attendants emphasis is on the r, Valet Parkers,
arrival and Transportation
departure phases Drivers, Bell
Staff

Front Desk Comprised of Encompasses the Rooms FOM AFOM FO Front desk
cashiers and front whole operating Director Supervisor cashiers
desk agents cycle; departure Front desk
phase is given Agents
emphasis by the Night Auditors
cashiers as they are Business Center
the ones to check Agent
out the guests

PBX Receives and Emphasis of this Rooms FOM AFOM PBX PBX Agents/
connects incoming department will be Director Supervisor Telephone
and outgoing calls on the in-stay operators
from the hotel phase
 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.
CRS : Central Reservations System
In house Reservation
 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.
• 10 pm – 7 am
• 3:00 am end of the day

• 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
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.
(FULLY PAID – FULL AMOUNT) 3000/ night for 10 nights
• 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.
• 3000/night for 10 nights
• 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. (ON HOLD)
• 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. (3RD
PARTY PAYMENTS)
TELEPHONE RESERVATION PROCESS
• Guest calls hotel for hotel reservation.
• Reservation agent gets personal (name), arrival, and departure details.
• Reservation agent ask for how many adults and children will be
checking in.
• Reservation agent checks room availability on arrival date.
• Reservation agent upsells and offers best room rate.
• Reservation agent asks for other guest requests.
• Reservation agent secures payment method
• Phone number/ email address
• Reservation agent confirms reservation booking.
• Reservation agent repeats booking details.
• Reservation agent reminds the guest about cancellation policies and
waits for guest to put down the phone first.
• When getting a card payment
> card number number
> expirations date
• >name on the card
• > cvv code at the back of the card
 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*