Front Office Department Introduction, Operations, and Key Functions

Introductions To The HotelA Hotel or Inn may be defined as an establishment whose primary business is providing lodging facili... Front Office DepartmentFront Office is the most important department in the hotel; making direct contact with guests. The m...

The Front Desk is a very important department in the hotel, making direct contact with guests. The main functions of this department are ReservationThe department that receives; documents and processes reservation requests., GuestDefinition of Guest in Hospitality Industry: A guest is the most important person in any business. A... service, Check-inCheck-in means Guest arrives and registers in., Check-outCheck-out:� A room from which the guest has already departed/vacated/ checked out.�, Telephone, Finance & Cashiering, Foreign Exchange, Room Assignment, InquiryGuest inquiry relatest to�answer questions and inquiries of guests. Therefore; the staff responsib..., etc.

The Front Office is also called the nerve center of a hotel. It can be defined as the front of the housing department located around the foyer and the lobby area of a hospitality property. As this department is located around the foyer area of the hotel and is visible to the guests, patrons, and visitors, they are collectively called “Front Office”.

Should guests have any problems or require to appreciate or comment, they would normally go directly to the Front Office, because it is convenient to contact and converse with other departments. Therefore, this department is the direct delegate to link the work and report the consequences to other departments.

This department is one of the major operational and revenue-producing departments of the hotel which generates two-thirds of the revenue earned by a hotel from the sale of the guest rooms. It involves providing valuable services to the guests during the entire guest cycle consisting of Pre-arrival, ArrivalThe time that an. guest registers into the hotel., OccupancyThe number of rooms sold to the total., and DepartureThe time when the in-house/resident guest leaves the hotel..

Importance of Front Office Department:

Traditional Front Office functions include reservation, registration, room and rate assignment, guest services, room status, maintenance and settlement of the guest account, and creation of guest history records.

The Front Office develops and maintains a comprehensive database of guest information, coordinates guest services, and ensures guest satisfaction. These functions are accomplished by personnel in diverse areas of the Front Office Department.

The front office is also known as the face of the hotel. It is the first guest contact area and also the nerve center of the hotel. All the activities and areas of the front office are geared toward supporting guest transactions and services.

The operational function of the Front Office Department:

Guest RegistrationThe formality at arrival of the guest.: Does all guest registration-related activities like Check-in, room assignment, welcoming, room rate, etc.

Guest Service: Fulfils any Guest Services-related activities.

Guest History and Records: Creates and maintains a guest profile, history, likes and dislikes, collects feedback, etc.

Guest Database: Develops & maintains a Comprehensive Database of Guest Information

Updates Room StatusInformation about current and future availability of guest rooms in a lodging property. Current avai...: responsible for updating the correct room status like CI, CO, DNCODNCO (Did Not Check-Out): The guest made arrangements to settle his or her account (and thus is not ..., DNDDND Card: A do not disturb card is hung outside the room to inform hotel staff or visitor that the o..., etc.

Reservation: This section is responsible for registering the room reservation from various sources, with recordings, filing of reservation records, and revising at the appropriate time to make sure that guests have their rooms upon entering the hotel.

Postage and Parcels: This section is to facilitate guests about the posting of letters, telegrams, and parcels.

Telephone: This section is to inform guests about the telephone both internally and externally, and to wake guests up in the morning upon request.

Finance and Foreign Exchange: This section relates to the Accounting Department, through the collection from guests through their services, and also gives the foreign exchange service.

Inquiry: This section is to answer questions and inquiries of guests. Therefore, this section would have to be alert to all the movements of the hotel.

Bell DeskDesk in the hotel lobby where bell boys are positioned and may be contacted for their services. and ConciergeConcierges - Person who assist guests by making restaurant reservations; arranging for transportatio...: Provide all services related to Bell Desk and Concierge.

Staffing the Front Office Department:

To carry out its mission, goals, and objectives, every company shall build a formal structure depicting different hierarchies of management, supervision, and employee (staff) levels. This very structure is referred to as an organization chart.

Moreover, the organization chart shows reporting relationships, the span of management, and staff/line functions. The organization chart for the front office department differs as per the size of the hotel. View here 

Typical Staff positions under the Rooms DivisionThe largest; and usually most profitable; division in a hotel. It typically consists of four departm... Department:

Front Desk AgentA hotel employee whose responsibilities centre on the registration process; but also typically inclu...: Registers guests, and maintains room availability information.

CashierCashier is a person who processes guest checkouts and guest legal tender and makes change for guests...: Maintains and settles guest folios, and properly checks out guests.

Night Auditor: Controls the job of the Accounts Receivable Clerk, and prepares daily reports to management (ex: Occupancy ReportA report prepared each night by a front desk agent that lists rooms occupied that night and also lis... and Revenue Report).

Mail & Information Clerk: Takes Messages, provides Directions to Guests, and maintains Mail.

Telephone Operator: Manages the Switchboard and coordinates Wake-up Calls.

Reservation Agent: Responds to Reservation Requests and creates Reservation Records.

Uniformed ServiceThe uniformed service department is to provide service to guests from the first second of arrival th... Agent: Handles Guest Luggage, escorts Guests to their Rooms, and assists guests with any bit of information requested.

Also, check the front office organization chart as per the type and size of the hotel.