Front Office Operations - TOUR 111

Front Office Operations

Engr. Val Patrick F. Fabregas

Module Objectives Summarize front office operations

during the four stages of the guest cycle

Explain the evolution of front office record- keeping systems and describe front office documents

Module Objectives Describe the front desk and its

support devices, and describe the services and equipment of a hotel’s telecommunications area

Identify and describe property management systems used by the front office

Front Office defined is a business term that refers to a

company's departments that come in contact with clients, including the marketing, sales, and service departments.

In the hotel industry, the front office welcomes guests to the accommodation section: meeting and greeting them, taking and organizing reservations, allocating check in and out of rooms, organizing porter service, issuing keys and other security arrangements, passing on messages to customers and settling the accounts.

The Guest Cycle Pre-arrival Arrival Occupancy Departure

The Guest Cycle Pre-arrival

At the pre-arrival stage, the hotel must create for every potential guest a reservation Record. Doing this initiates the hotel guest cycle.

Moreover, reservation records help personalize guest services and appropriately schedule needed staff and facilities

The Guest Cycle Arrival

At the arrival stage, registration and rooming functions takes place and the hotel establishes a business relationship with the guest.

Pop Quiz If a guest arrives without a pre-arrival

notification, what will front office needs to consider?

The Guest Cycle Occupancy

At the occupancy stage, the front office department shall coordinate guest services in a timely and accurate manner.

Moreover, front office clerks should encourage repeat guests by paying a great attention to guest complaints.

The Guest Cycle Departure

At the departure stage, the guest shall be walked out of the hotel. Moreover, front office clerks shall create guest history record.

Pop Quiz: After your guest departs, what are the

things that the Front Office requires to do next?

Time Travel (Front Office Systems) Non-automated [manual] systems

(1960’s) Semi-automated [Electro-mechanical]

systems (late 1970’s) Fully automated [computer based]

systems (5-star hotels)

Front Office Systems Non-automated systems:

Pre-arrivalAt the pre-arrival stage, reservation

requests should be introduced in a loose-leaf notebook or index card

ArrivalAt the arrival stage, guests shall either

sign a page in the registration book or fill manually a registration record.

Front Office Systems Non-automated systems:

OccupancyUnder the occupancy activities,

registration records shall be prepared with multi-copies

DepartureAt departure stage, cashiers should settle

each guest account's outstanding balance and get room keys back from guests.

SUMMARY: ALL IS MANUAL!!!

Front Office Systems Semi-automated systems

Pre-arrivalAt this very stage, guests can either call

a national reservation network or directly contact the hotel

ArrivalAt this very stage, already reserved

guests shall verify their pre-registration forms and have only to sign it

Front Office Systems Semi-automated systems :

OccupancyAt the occupancy stage, in order to track

the different guest charge expenditures and all other possible guest transactions, hotels get an intensive use of various kinds of vouchers

DepartureAt this very stage, cashiers shall relay

room status information to the housekeeping department.

Front Office Systems Fully automated systems :

Pre-arrival Under this stage, the reservation

department is equipped with a software package, which is interfaced and connected with one or more central reservation office(s)

Arrival Moreover, hotels might be equipped with an

on-line credit authorization terminals for timely Credit Card Approval, self check-in / check-out terminals. Lastly, all guest charges and payments are saved in electronic guest folios.

Front Office Systems Fully automated systems :

OccupancyUnder this very stage, guest purchases at

different revenue outlets are electronically transferred and posted to appropriate guest accounts

DepartureAt this very stage, cashiers can

automatically produce bills to be sent to various guests with direct billing privileges and create electronic guest history records.

Front Office Forms Pre-arrival activities

1. Reservation record or a reservation file2. Letter of confirmation3. Reservation rack and reservation rack slips

Arrival activities1. Registration card (or record) or registration

file2. Room rack and room rack slips

Front Office Forms Occupancy activities

1. Guest folio: shall be of duplicate forms and pre-numbered for cross-indexing control purposes

2. Vouchers: support documents detailing facts of a transaction, but does not replace the source document (i.e. the invoice). Examples of vouchers might include charge vouchers, allowance vouchers, paid-out voucher, and correction vouchers…

3. Information rack slips

Front Office Forms Departure activities

1. Credit card vouchers2. Cash vouchers3. Personal check vouchers4. Transfer vouchers5. Guest history records

The Front Desk

The Front Desk Circular or semi-circular structure

this very structure provides an effective service to more guests and appears more modern and innovative but since guests will approach the Front Desk from all angles, more staff is needed

The Front Desk

The Front Desk Traditional straight desk

Under this very design, fewer staff is needed, but fewer guests can be served at the same time

The Front Desk Deskless environment

Under this design, there is no Front Desk at all. This is usually replaced by a hostess, or steward welcoming the guest, seating him or her on a chair/sofa, and conduct registration activities there while, for example, having a cocktail or a drink

Front Office Equipment Room rack Mail, message, and key racks Reservation racks Information racks Folio trays or folio buckets Account posting machine Voucher racks Cash registers Telephone equipment

Property Management Systems Modules

Reservations Rooms management Guest account management General management

Point-of-sale (POS) system (aka cash registers)

Magnetic strip readers Credit cards Debit cards Smart cards

Front Office Software Packages Reservations management Rooms management Guest account management General management

Reservations Management Availability/forecasting Reservation records Reservation confirmations Room pricing Revenue management

Rooms Management Room status Registration Room assignments Room rate information

Guest Account Management Folio management Credit monitoring Transaction tracking

General Management Revenue analysis Operating statistics Financial analysis Guest history

System Interfaces (Add-on) Non-Guest-Operated Interfaces

Point-of-sale system Call accounting system Electronic locking system Energy management system

System Interfaces (Add-on) Guest-Operated Interfaces

In-room folio review and check-out In-room entertainment system In-room vending machines In-room fax machine In-room Internet access

Module Objectives Summarize front office operations during

the four stages of the guest cycle Explain the evolution of front office record-

keeping systems and describe front office documents

Describe the front desk and its support devices, and describe the services and equipment of a hotel’s telecommunications area

Identify and describe property management systems used by the front office

PRELIMS REQUIREMENTS

1. Nicenet registration2. Submission of online requirement

(check nicenet)3. Quiz (check nicenet for details)4. Prelims (next meeting)