Managing Front Office &

Housekeeping – Chapter 1
 Accommodation
▪ The accommodation is seldom the main objective of the traveller.
▪ The quality of the accommodation will enhance the enjoyment of the visit.
▪ There is a big choice in quality and range of accommodation available in many areas.
▪ Sometimes accommodation is part of the overall tourism infrastructure.
▪ Accommodation also plays an important role in the overall economic contribution.
▪ Estimates indicate that about 33% of total trip expenditure is allocated to this sector.
 Hotels
Operating models of hotels are:
▪ Own and operate
▪ Franchise
▪ Property Management
▪ Chain
 The Nature of Accommodation
▪ Intangibility
▪ Inseparability
▪ Perishability
 Classification of Hotel by Size
▪ Small
▪ Medium
▪ Large
▪ Very large
 Classification by Service
▪?
▪ Luxury
▪ Mid-market
▪ Economy
▪?
Division Chart
General
Manager

Sales and
Assistant GM Marketing
Director

Rooms Division
F & B Director
Director

Controller Plant Manager

HR Director
Chart of Rooms Division
Rooms Division
Director

Front Office Manager of Executive

Front Desk Housekeeping

Reservations Laundry
Manager Manager

Guest Services
Manager
Small Hotel
Medium Hotel
Large Hotel
 What is Front Office Department?
• It is the one of the many departments of the hotel business which directly
interacts with the customers when they first arrive at the hotel. The staff
of this department is very visible to the guests.
• Front office staff handles the transactions between the hotel and its
guests. The staff receives the guests, handles their requests, and strikes
the first impression about the hotel into their minds.
 What is Front Office Department?
• Front office department includes:
▪ Front Desk
▪ Uniformed services
▪ Concierges
▪ Front Office Accounting System
▪ Private Branch Exchange (PBX), a private telephone network used within
an organization
 Front Office Operations
• Front-House Operations - These operations are visible to the guests of
the hotel. The guests can interact and see these operations, hence, the
name Front-House operations. Few of these operations include:
▪ Interacting with the guests to handle request for an accommodation.
▪ Checking accommodation availability and assigning it to the guest.
▪ Collecting detail information while guest registration.
 Front Office Operations
▪ Creating a guest’s account with the FO accounting system.
▪ Issuing accommodation keys to the guest.
▪ Settling guest payment at the time of check-out.
 Front Office Operations
▪ Back-House Operations - Front Office staff conducts these operations in
the absence of the guests or when the guest’s involvement is not required.
These operations involve activities such as:
▪ Determining the type of guest (fresh/repeat) by checking the database.
▪ Ensuring preferences of the guest to give a personal touch to the service.
▪ Maintaining guest’s account with the accounting system.
 Front Office Operations
▪ Preparing the guest’s bill.
▪ Collecting the balance amount of guest bills.
▪ Generating reports.
Front Office Management - Structure
 Hotel Front Office Sections
• Front office department manager heads the team of staff working on
various activities and responsibilities in the front office department. Few
prominent activities that the front office staff is involved in are:
• Reservation − It includes handling request of customers for reserving
accommodations.
• Reception − It includes receiving the guests according to the highest
standards and registering them appropriately. It also includes bidding the
guests off.
 Hotel Front Office Sections
• Guest Services − They are also known as Uniformed Services. It includes
personalized guest services such as:
▪ Handling guest luggage.
▪ Handling guest mail.
▪ Delivering newspapers in accommodations.
▪ Paging the guest inside the hotel (locating the guest in the hotel).
▪ Arranging for a doctor in emergency.
 Hotel Front Office Sections
▪ Parking guest’s automobiles.
▪ Arranging for reservations at the places of entertainment outside the hotel.
 Hotel Front Office Sections
• Accounts − It mainly includes a front office cashier and a Night Auditor.
The cashier is responsible for handling guest payments. He typically
reports to the accounts manager rather than the front office manager.
 The night auditor performs the duties of front desk reception as well as
accounting partly during the night shift. He needs to report to the heads of
both departments, front office, and accounting.
• Communication − It involves handling communication among various
other departments and guests of the hotel.
The End