Front office

1. HOTEL A hotel is an establishment that provides lodging paid on a short-term basis. The provision of basic accommodation, in times past, consisting only of a room with a bed, a cupboard, a small table and a washstand has largely been replaced by rooms with modern facilities, including bathrooms and air conditioning or climate control.

2. Cont…….. Additional common features found in hotel rooms are a telephone, an alarm clock, a television, a safe, a mini-bar with snack foods and drinks, and facilities for making tea and coffee. Luxury features include bathrobes and slippers, a pillow menu, twin-sink vanities, and Jacuzzi bathtubs. Larger hotels may provide additional guest facilities such as a swimming pool, fitness center, business center, childcare, conference facilities and social function services.

3. Introduction The FRONT OFFICE is the nerve center of a hotel. Members of the front-office staff welcome the guests, carry their luggage, help them register, give them their room keys and mail, answer questions about the activities in the hotel and surrounding area, and finally check them out. In fact, the only direct contact most guests have with hotel employees, other than in the restaurants, is with members of the front-office staff.

4. Front Office Sell guestrooms; register guests and design guestrooms Coordinate guest services Provide information Maintain accurate room statistics, and room key inventories Maintain guest account statements and complete proper financial settlements  

5. CONT….. The front office functions can be divided into five general areas: 1. Reception 2. Bell service 3. Mail and information 4. Concierge 5. Cashiers and night auditors

6. Front Office Terminologies All-suite – A level of service provided by a hotel for a guest who will desire an at home atmosphere. Amenities – Personal toiletry items such as shampoo, toothpaste, mouthwash and electrical equipment. American plan – A room rate that includes meals, usually breakfast and evening meal as well as room rental in the room rate. Average Daily Rate ( ADR ) – A measure of the hotel staff’s ability to sell available room rates. Arrival – time that an guest registers in to the hotel.

7. Cont……. Banquet sheet – a listing of the details of an event at which food and beverage are served. Blocking on the horizon – Reserving guest rooms in the distant future. Blocking procedure – Process of reserving a room on a specific day. Bell desk – desk in the hotel lobby where all boys are positioned and may be contacted.

8. Cont.. Check in -arrival of a guest who has registered at the reception. Check out – departure of a guest who has settled his bills. Concierge – A person who provides an endless array of information on entertainment, sports, amusement, transportation, tours, church services and babysitting in a particular city or town.

9. Cont…… Daily blocking – assigning guests to their particular rooms on a daily basis. Daily sales report – A financial activity report produced by a department in a hotel that reflects daily sales activities with accompanying cash register tapes or point-of-sales audit tapes. Departure – time when resident leaves the hotel

10. Cont…. FIT - Free Individual Traveler Folio – A guest’s record of charges and payment. Guest rack – whitney rack at information where guest names are racked alphabetically

11. Cont… Guest Folio – A form imprinted with the hotel’s logo and control number and allowing space for room number, guest identification, date in and date out, and room rate in the upper left-hand corner; it allows for guest charges to be imprinted with PMS and is filed in room number sequence. Guest supplies – Commonly referred to as guest amenities or personal toiletries; care items such as small bottles of shampoo, hair conditioner, lotion, soap, mouthwash, shoeshine cloth, mending kit etc.

12. Cont… Lettable rooms – rooms available for sale. Left laggage Lobby : Common lounge for all resident and non resident guests. Lost and Found Occupancy – number of rooms sold to the total Pax – persons Paging

13. Cont… Registration – formality at arrival of guest Scanty baggage Skipper Walk in Wake call