Front Office Operations

Diploma Course Written Assignment

Submitted by:

Tina Ho
Ardy Tristianto

Diploma in International Hotel and Tourism Management

Table of Contents
 FRONT OFFICE OPERATIONS WRITTEN ASSIGNMENT

Cover Page
Table of Contents.........................................................................................................1
Introduction.................................................................................................................2
Front Office Department Organizational Structure in 300 Rooms Resort...........................2
Function of a Front Office Manager...............................................................................3
Factors Affecting the Arrangement of a Front Desk.........................................................3
Evolving Role of Computers in the Hotel Industry...........................................................3
The Importance of Guest’s First Contact........................................................................4
Conclusion...................................................................................................................4
References...................................................................................................................5

Introduction

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 FRONT OFFICE OPERATIONS WRITTEN ASSIGNMENT

In hospitality industry, the front office department is believed as the core of a hotel,
where the guest cycles occurred, encompassing from pre-arrival, arrival, occupancy until
departure. Moreover, the front office department, specifically the reception desk, is
considered a vital unit in generating guest’s first impression towards the hotel itself (Baker
et al. 2000). A well-organized front office department is important due to the fact that this
particular department is known as the largest source of hotel room revenue (Kasavana
and Brooks 2009). This paper will analyze the front office department and the key factor
affecting it in the actual operation.

Front Office Department Organizational Structure in 300 Rooms Resort

Organizing the front office department focus on the practice of the human and physical
resources supervision deliberately to adhere to the business’ goals, which strongly related
to the interaction built between each staff as well as the one created towards guests
(Dubrin 2009). In compliance with the case of Radisson Blu Resorts in United Arab
Emirates, which provides 300 guest rooms, the front office department organizational
chart can be reckoned on the number of rooms and level of service being provided
(Radisson Hotels undated). This can be define as follow:

General
Manager

Room Division
Manager

Front Office Executive

Manager Housekeeper

Front Office Night

Supervisors Auditors

Front Desk Bell Services

Van Drivers Concierge
Agents Attendants

(Woods et al. 2007, p.99)

According to the figure, each member is liable for certain roles associated with another
staff as well with another departments apart from front office. Initially, all the members
are expected to work together responsibly in order to ensure the guest satisfaction from

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 FRONT OFFICE OPERATIONS WRITTEN ASSIGNMENT

the time they interact with the hotel until the time they leave, also creating a good
impression and memorable experience, which generates loyalty from that particular guest.

Function of a Front Office Manager

In order to achieve the satisfaction of the guest, a high-qualified front office manager is
required. Kasavana and Brooks (2009) insist that the front office manager is in command
of various crucial tasks and he/she is required to sustain all the resources available to
achieve the department’s goals. A front office manager must possess influential power
and encourage their staff, which affiliated with training and development of his/her
subordinates as well as becoming a role model to follow through technical and
interpersonal skills. Likewise, it is important that he/she also participate in the work
passionately and motivates the staffs in order to do so. Additionally, technical knowledge,
co-ordinating and supervising skills are essential in providing a quality guest service
(Andrews 2007). Furthermore, ability to delegate tasks and co-operate with another
departments is a vital part in formulating the hotel policies into action, which is designed
for attaining the guest satisfaction.

Factors Affecting the Arrangement of a Front Desk

Most of the hotel’s ventures are executed in the front office department, means that an
appropriate layout of a front desk is obligatory. Initially, the layout of a front desk must
be appealing to the guest as this is the first place where the guest makes direct contact
with the hotel. However, it must not forfeit the factor of efficiency and accessibility. The
setup is established to provide staff the convenience in serving the guest with by having
facile access to the equipments during the operation. Not only for the staffs, this must
consider the convenience of the guests too. On top of that, the arrangements need to
take the disabled people into consideration. Additionally, the implementation of
technology plays an important part in it. Fully automated and paperless front desk system
will be totally different from a traditional front desk, related to the structures, dimension
and design. Altogether, it principally depends on the scale of the hotel itself as well as the
level of service being provided in that particular hotel (Kasavana and Brooks 2009).

Evolving Role of Computers in the Hotel Industry

Computer utilization in hotel industry is progressively evolving, intentionally to enhance
the guest experience. It ranges from the management aspects, such as the
implementation in marketing and financial features, until the operational aspects, such as
the property management system (PMS). Firstly, the synergy of computer information

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 FRONT OFFICE OPERATIONS WRITTEN ASSIGNMENT

with tourism is an integral part to take on the global competition (Sheldon 1997). The
simplicity of modern computer interface and practicable in the hospitality field is the
reasons behind fast-paced evolution in computer implementation in hotel industry and not
to forget the environmental issue behind it by using less paper in the operation.
Moreover, the efficiency of work with the assistance of computer is unquestionably more
effective, for instance, the PMS in front office department. By having a guest profile saved
in database, this can assist the staff in providing the service as well as helping them
manage the administration matters in shorter period of time. Furthermore, the
introduction of mobile technology in hotel industry also brings innovation and changes in
how the relation being built between the consumer and the service provider (Nyheim et
al. 2005).

The Importance of Guest’s First Contact

“. . . “First impressions are lasting impressions” seems equally true among tourism and
hospitality facilities.” (Wuest 2001, p.59). As it is stated, the approach in creating guest’s
first impressions towards a hotel is important. Guest percept an extensive various aspect
of the hotel just by experiencing the first contact provided by the hotel (ibid). This is not
only limited to the direct contact made between the staff and the guest, but also the way
the staff perform and behave into the smallest detail, for instance, a guest coming at the
same time with a big group of people. When entering the hotel, he built an expectation,
assuming that the hotel is doing a great business as so many people coming there.
However, due to a peak time, throughout the first few minutes he received neither warm-
welcome from the staff nor assistance, until he go directly to the front desk. This leave a
feeling of not being prioritized, consequently leads to a negative impressions throughout
his stay even though he still receive the 5-star-level of service later on. This example
shows how important it is creating a good first contact with the guest to ensure a strong
base of satisfaction for the guest, which lead to a memorable stay right from the
beginning until the end of the guest cycle.

Conclusion
In conclusion, the front office department is a vital department in a hotel as it is the first
place for the guest to make a contact with the hotel. In order to provide quality guest
service, highly qualified front office manager and ideal arrangement of the equipments
and staffing is indisputably crucial.

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References

Andrews, S. 2008. Textbook of Front Office Management & Operations. 3rd ed. [online
book]. New Delhi: Tata McGraw-Hill. Available from: http://books.google.com/books?
id=zbcYNe8ckVIC [Accessed October 15 2010].

Baker, S., Huyton, J., Bradley, P. 2000. Principles of Hotel Front Office Operations . 2nd ed.
Canada: Pat Bond.

Dubrin, A. 2009. Essential of Management. 8th ed. USA: South-Western Cengage Learning.

Kasavana, M.L., Brooks, R.M. 2009. Managing Front Office Operations. 8th ed. Michigan:
American Hotel and Lodging Educational Institute.

Nyheim, P.D., McFadden, F.M., Connolly, D.J. 2005. Technology Strategies for the
Hospitality Industry. New Jersey: Pearson Prentice Hall.

Radisson Blu Hotels & Resorts. undated. Rooms. [online] Available from:
http://www.radissonblu.com/resort-sharjah/rooms [Accessed October 17 2010].

Sheldon, P.J. 1997. Tourism Information Technology. Oxon: CABI Publishing.

Woods, R.H., Ninemeier, J.D., Hayes, D.K., Austin, M.A. 2007. Professional Front Office
Management. New Jersey: Pearson Prentice Hall.

Wuest, B.S. 2001. Service Quality Concepts and Dimensions Pertinent to Tourism,
Hospitality, and Leisure Services. In: Kandampully, J., Mok, C., Sparks, B. ed. Service
Quality Management in Hospitality, Tourism, and Leisure. [online book] New York:
Haworth Hospitality Press, pp. 51-64. Available from: http://books.google.com/books?
id=XsqhxXjKJ2IC [Accessed October 13 2010].

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