FRONT OFFICE – INTRODUCTION
FRONT OFFICE – TERMINOLOGY
FRONT OFFICE – STRUCTURE
FRONT OFFICE – RANKS AND RESPONSIBILITIES
Completing or assisting guests with registration cards for guests with reserved accommodation. Review of current front desk service standards and procedures and implementation of new practices as necessary. As part of the service industry, front office staff must have the following attributes and competencies.
They understand their roles and responsibilities in the hotel and reception as an operation. 16 Reservation of hotel accommodation is one of the important tasks of the front office department. The potential guest contacts the hotel for the availability of the desired type of accommodation and all related services offered by the hotel.
The reservation procedure varies depending on the size and brand of the hotel and the reservation system used. Bedroom diary recording daily guest stay with date, guest name, room type and room number.
FRONT OFFICE – RESERVATION
In this system, since the guest data and reservation data are stored on the storage disks of the computers, they can be accessed at will. The guests of the hotel can access rate cards, availability of accommodation, check-in and check-out time, details about the restaurants, etc., at their own convenience. Direct request from guests: The prospective guests can approach the hotel individually for booking accommodation mostly when they are single travelers or family travelers.
Request from Travel Agent: They can approach the hotel for reservation of accommodation for group travelers. Reservation of an accommodation is accepted if the desired type of accommodation is available for sale in the hotel. All accommodation in hotel booked: In such a case, the booking staff politely declines the booking and suggests an alternative hotel in the same area or different property of the same owner in a nearby area.
Finally, the front office reservations section prepares the reservation list for the day and sends it to the front desk. The list also contains vital information such as whether the guest is new or repeat, guest preferences for room location or decor. The staff member must also convey any cancellation fees the guest must pay when canceling the reservation.
Registration is mandatory for both; a guest with reserved accommodation as well as a walk-in guest. During registration, the guest must enter important information in the GRC, such as the guest's name, contact number, purpose of stay at the hotel, and passport and visa information in the case of a foreign guest. It is the responsibility of the reception staff not to disclose guest information to unauthorized persons.
In case of new walk-in guest, pre-registration is absent as there is no prior interaction between the guest and the hotel. The staff member then requests to show a photo ID such as a driver's license or a valid identity card from a known organization where the guest works. The true copies of the passport or ID card are made to verify the guest's identity and to prepare guest database.
FRONT OFFICE – GUEST REGISTRATION
When making a reservation, the reception staff asks guests to enter their personal information in the GRC. When guests arrive at the hotel, the front desk staff hands over the GRC to the guest to complete. In the case of VIPs, the staff enters the information on the card and receives the guest's signature.
The staff then creates a registration record of the guest, signs it, adds the certified copies of the passport or other identity cards and stores this set in the guest history file. The guests must select one of the payment options at the time of registration. The front office staff will not assign the guest accommodation until registration is complete.
After the accommodation is assigned, the front office staff gives away the keys or the computerized secret code keys for access to the accommodation. It is a common practice not to speak aloud anything about the room number or the computerized key while handing it to the guest. The bellmen then assist the guest with luggage handling to the accommodation and explain the accommodation features.
The attendant then hands over the keys to the guest, wishes for the best stay and leaves the accommodation by closing the door. If the guest is not satisfied with the accommodation due to unsatisfactory or unpleasant reasons, the bellman can inform the reception staff. In addition, if the guest has special requests, such as a baby cradle or hot water or shaving accessories, etc., the reception staff is obliged to fulfill the request in a timely manner.
26 Accounting department of any business or organization tracks, records and manages the financial transactions of the business with its clients and customers. It is a systematic process in which front office accounting personnel identify, record, measure, classify, verify, summarize, interpret, organize and communicate financial information for a hotel business. In the domain of front office accounting, the charges are entered on the left side of the.
FRONT OFFICE – ACCOUNTING
It records financial dues not paid or partially paid by the guests at the time of check-out from the front office to the back office. The front office staff records all transactions between the guest and the hotel on the folio. Vouchers are used to notify reception of the guest's purchase or use of any service at the hotel.
When settling a direct bill account, the front office staff verifies the guests' folios and transfers the guest's account to a non-guest or city account. Hotel back office accounting verifies guest information and is responsible for collecting direct billing amount from direct billing agency such as embassy, university or organizations. The personnel in the regulation must prepare proof of such payment and submit it to the back accounts.
The reception's communication with other departments can worsen or interrupt the guests' stay in the hotel. As the front office is responsible for the sale of hotel accommodation, it is the main driver of revenue generation. Therefore, communication within and outside the front office must be lively and positive.
The front office department is responsible for communication with all other departments in the hotel as well as with different sections within the department. To successfully perform front office and front office jobs, front office staff members must communicate with their peers, as well as with peers and subordinates. Within the department, front office staff communicate with each other to provide the best possible guest services, such as accommodation reservations, guest registration, guest account management, guest mail handling, and guest services. personalized for guests.
Front office interacts with various departments as the guest inquires about reservation throughout the entire guest cycle up to the guest's departure. Communication with Human Resources: Front Office department engages with the HR department to conduct interviews, help them shortlist and select the most suitable employees. Communication with accounts: Since the front office department handles guest accounts with full responsibility, the staff must communicate regularly with the accounting colleagues in the back office regarding payment settlements or membership fees of guests or non-guests, discount offers and coupon settlement.
FRONT OFFICE – COMMUNICATION
Communication with Food and Beverage Department: Since the front office department is the one where the guests talk about their food and beverage requirements during booking, the front office should communicate with the food and beverage departments regularly. Communication with Marketing and Sales Department: Sales and Marketing Department relies heavily on input from the front office about the guests. The guest history compiled by the front office department is an excellent source for segmenting the customers, preparing customer oriented packages and planning and executing the campaigns.
The front office staff contacts the marketing and sales department if there is a need to prepare electronic tents or notice boards for campaigns. Timely distribution of the home sale helps the household manager to plan employees' personal leave and vacations. An important link between the potential guests and the hotel itself is the switching operator who represents the hotel.
Using knowledge of the portfolio, tone of voice and command of language, the switchboard operator can handle the influx of calls. The operator represents the competence of the hotel in the market while talking to the customers. Some experts say that they should be visible and some expert advice to allocate a separate secluded place for them in the hotel.
Do not talk to colleagues if it is not related to the company during working hours. Front office communication includes not only verbal or textual communication, but also the body language of the staff. Accurate accounting of transactions on the guest folios starts at the front office, which is then passed on to the back-office accounting department.
Experts recommend that the hotel management team go through the nightly audit reports daily to get an overview of the hotel's occupancy and finances. It is the auditing process where the night auditor examines all the hotel's financial activities that have taken place in one day. The audit process for the day is generally carried out at the end of the day during the following night, hence the name 'Night Audit'.
FRONT OFFICE – NIGHT AUDIT
Work with the other front office staff to find the property number assigned to the guest.
FRONT OFFICE – SOPS
FRONT OFFICE – INFORMATION SYSTEM
On-premises PMS: Have large technical requirements such as workstation, computer/workstation, data server, terminal servers, operating system, network cards and removable security systems.
