A Guide To Front Office Department Functions In Hotel Training Ppt

Slide 2

This slide contains information about the definition and roles of front office in hotel which are coordinating guest service, ensuring guest satisfaction, handling guest accounts, and creating a guest database.

Slide 3

This slide highlights the sections and the functions of front office, which are reservations, reception, bell desk, concierge, communication, cash and bills and travel desk.

Instructor’s Notes:

The functions of front office departments in a hotel are:

• Reservations: The reservation section books rooms for guests in advance. It performs the functions of receiving guests’ requests from sources like email, websites, and telephone and then processing those requests. It also maintains and updates the guests’ records to provide timely and accurate information 
• Reception: Reception is located at the façade of hotel and is responsible for receiving and welcoming guests as soon as they arrive. It also completes the registration formality and assigns rooms to the guests
• Bell Desk: This section performs the function of handling guests' luggage during arrival and departure and making general purchases like medicines for them
• Concierge: Concierge section provides personalized services to guests like making reservations in restaurants, arranging special transport, and procurement of tickets to special events
• Communication: Answering incoming calls, charging outgoing calls to guest accounts, and directing calls to guest rooms are the key functions of the communication section of a hotel
• Cash and Bills: The cash and bills section records financial details of the guest. Maintaining guest accounts, preparing bills during  checkout, handling payments through debit and credit cards, and organizing foreign currency exchange are the main functions of this section
• Travel Desk: Arranging pick and drop services for guests, organizing sightseeing activities and arranging guides and translators are key roles of the travel desk 

Slide 4

This slide showcases how telephone handling has to be done in the hotel. It has to be done in a polite, slow, and clear manner so that the guest can understand everything properly and a notepad could be kept to note down important information.

Slide 5

This slide contains information about message handling in hotel. Here, the front desk staff takes the message for guests and delivers it to them once they return.

Slide 6

This slide highlights the luggage handling by front office in the hotel at the time of arrival and during departure by bell boy in the hotel.

Slide 7

This slide showcases how the front office staff should handle the situation if there is a theft, fire, death or a bomb threat at the hotel.

Instructor’s Notes: 

Here are the best-practices/responses for each of these situations:

• Theft: It is important that security features such as automatic closing doors, peepholes, etc. are present. Information about the guest's room number or handing over the keys of guests' rooms to any unauthorized person must be avoided at all costs. Professional hotel security staff could be employed who would be extra vigilant
• Fire: The critical first response is to inform the fire fighting department by giving exact details about the location and size of the hotel. Then, all guests should be quickly and safely evacuated while prioritizing the safety of old and disabled guests
• Death: After receiving information about a guest's death, the front office staff should inform the general manager and call the hotel doctor and the police. The hotel staff should seal the room till all police formalities are over, and the kin of the deceased should be contacted
• Bomb Threat: Raise immediate alarm and call security. Then, announcements should be made and evacuation of the hotel has to be carried out

Slide 8

This slide contains information about the sections under front office which could be reservation, reception, guest services, accounts, communication and travel desk.