UNIT OF COMPETENCY:

WORK IN A TEAM ENVIRONMENT

Learning Outcome:
1. Identify the role and responsibilities of front office personnel.
2. Implement effective interdepartmental communication
-ORGANIZATION OF THE FRONT OFFICE DEPARTMENT-
-Front Office Personnel and Job Responsibilities-
-Job Analysis and Job Description-

A job analysis, a detailed listing of the tasks of a

job, provides the basis for a sound job
description.
A job description is a listing of required duties
to be performed by an employee in a particular
position. Although almost nothing is typical in
the lodging industry, certain daily tasks must be
performed.
The future professional will find this management
tool helpful in preparing orientation and training
programs for employees. It also helps the human
resources department ensure each new hire is
given every opportunity to succeed.
Front Office Manager
Responsible for performing the functions of
management/administrative process (P.O.S.D.Co.R.B.) -
Planning, Organizing, Staffing, Directing, Coordinating,
Reporting and Budgeting.

The main responsibilities of the Front Office Manager fall into 12

categories.

1. Front desk operations

2. Budget administration
3. Personnel Administration
4. Guest relations
5. Training
6. Communications
7. Loss/Accident prevention
8. Planning & Organizing
9. Legal
10. Technical Knowledge
11. Interdepartmental Responsibilities
12. Personal Development
▪ Reservation Manager
▪ Front Office Clerk / Front
Desk Associates
▪ Cashier
▪ Night Auditor
▪ Telephone Operator
▪ Bell Captain
▪ Elevator Operator
▪ Concierge
Reservation Manager - can be found in
many of the larger lodging establishments.
This person is responsible for taking
incoming requests for rooms and noting
special requests for service. The particulars
of this position are endless, aimed at
providing the guest with requested
information and services as well as
accurate confirmation of these items. The
reservations manager is responsible for
keeping an accurate room inventory by
using the reservation module of a property
management system. This person must
communicate effectively with the marketing
and sales department. Peak as well as
slow periods of sales must be addressed
with adequate planning.
Front Office Clerk / Front Desk Associates -
The responsibilities of the front office staff
are quite varied. The position of the desk
clerk can encompass many duties, which
typically include verifying guest
reservations, registering guests, assigning
rooms, distributing keys, communicating
with the housekeeping staff, answering
telephones, providing information about
and directions to local attractions,
accepting cash and giving change, and
acting as liaison between the lodging
establishment and the guest as well as the
community.
Cashier - include processing guest
checkouts and guest legal tender
and providing change for guests.
This position is found in a number of
lodging establishments, and it helps
make the front desk workload
manageable when a full house—a
hotel that has all of its entire guest
rooms occupied (sometimes referred
to as 100 percent occupancy)—is
checking out.
Night Auditor - balances the daily
financial transactions. This person
may also serve as desk clerk for the
night shift (11:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m.).
He or she must have a good grasp of
accounting principles and the ability
to resolve financial discrepancies.
This position requires experience as
a desk clerk and good
communications with the controller
Telephone Operator - has a very important
job in the lodging establishment. This
person must be able to locate both
registered guests and management staff at
a moment’s notice. He or she also must be
able to deal with crises up to and including
life-threatening emergencies. With the
introduction of call accounting, a computer
technology application that tracks guest
phone calls and posts billing charges to
lodging establishments, the telephone
operator’s job has been simplified, as the
tracking of telephone charges to registered
guests can now be done with ease. This
person may also assist the desk clerk and
cashier when necessary
Bell Captain - with a staff of bellhops and
door attendants, is a mainstay in the
lodging establishment. The bell staff starts
where the computerized property
management system stops. They are the
people who lift and tote baggage,
familiarize guests with their new
surroundings, run errands, deliver supplies,
and provide guests with information on in-
house marketing efforts and local
attractions. These people also act as the
hospitality link between the lodging
establishment and guests. They are an
asset to a well-run lodging establishment.
Elevator Operator - a person who manually
operates the mechanical controls of the
elevator, is almost extinct in the lodging
establishment, replaced by self-operated
elevators and escalators. Some elevator
operators now serve as traffic managers,
who direct hotel guests to available
elevators in the lobby. In large full-service
hotels, the traffic manager can be a
welcome sight; the confusion of check-ins
and checkouts can be lessened when he or
she is on duty.
Concierge - provides guests with extensive
information on entertainment, sports,
amusements, transportation, tours, church
services, and babysitting in the area. He or
she must know the area intimately and be
able to meet the individual needs of each
guest. This person also obtains theater
tickets and makes reservations in
restaurants. In most cases, the concierge is
stationed at a desk in the lobby of the
lodging property
-WORKING HOURS-
Hotels never close. The legal definition of a hotel
requires that they do not. Work schedules at the desk
must accommodate that requirement. But only a few of
the other departments schedule around the clock.

Model follows that of other industries

Day shift 7:30a.m. – 3:30 Pm

Swing shift 3:30 pm – 11:30 pm
Graveyard shift 11:30pm – 7:30 am

Day shift – preferred by most employees.

Swing shift- bell person opt for this.
Graveyard shift- least guest activity
 EFFECTIVE Role of the
INTERDEPARTMENTAL Front Office in
COMMUNICATIONS Interdepartmental
Communications
the front office serves as a clearing house for communication activities
was developed by W. Edwards
Deming, a management
theorist, in the early 1950s. It is
a management tool that
encourages
interdepartmental
cooperation and
communication. This
management technique
focuses on ways everyone
can work together to discuss
issues and problems and
resolve them as a team. This
method produces the best
products and services for the
guest.
Interdepartmental
Communication
– communication between
departments Effective
Interdepartmental
Intradepartmental
Communications
Communication
– communication inside a
department
the front office serves as a clearing house for communication activities
▪ Marketing and Sale Department
- The marketing and sales department relies on the front office to provide data on guest histories, or
details concerning each guest’s visit. Some of the information gathered is based on ZIP code, frequency
of visits, corporate affiliation, special needs, reservations for sleeping rooms, and social media such as
postings on Facebook, messages from Twitter, and visits to websites or YouTube. It is also the front
office’s job to make a good first impression on the public, to relay messages, and to meet the requests of
guests who are using the hotel for meetings, seminars, and banquets.

- The marketing and sales department relies on the front office to provide data on guest history , details
concerning each guest visit. The guest history is valuable resource for marketing and sales, which use
the guest registration information to target marketing campaigns, develop promotions, prepare mailing
label and select appropriate advertising media. The front office staff must make every effort to keep this
database current and accurate.

- Messages for the marketing and sales department must be relayed completely, accurately and quickly,
the switchboard operator is a vital link in the communication between the prospective client and
a sales person in the marketing and sale department
▪ Housekeeping Department

- Housekeeping and the Front Office communicate with each other about housekeeping room
status, (report on the availability of the room’s immediate guest occupancy).

Housekeeping room status can be described in the following communication terms:

o Available Clean / Ready – room is ready to be occupied
o Occupied – guest(s) are already occupying a room
o Stay over – guest will not be checking out of a room on the current day
o Dirty or On-Change – guest has checked out of the room, but the housekeeping staff has not
released the room for occupancy
o Out-of-Order – room is not available for occupancy because of mechanical malfunction

- They also communicate on the details of potential house count (a report of the number of guests
registered in the hotel), security concerns, and request for amenities (personal toiletry items such as
shampoo, toothpaste etc.)

- The housekeeper relies also on the room sales projection (a weekly report prepared and
distributed by the front office manager that indicates the number of departures, arrivals, walk-ins, stay-
over and no shows) to schedule employees.
 Food and Beverage Department

- Communication between the food and beverage department and the front office is also
essential. Some of this communication is conveyed by relaying messages and providing
accurate information on transfers, which are forms used to communicate a charge to a guest
count. Communication activities also include predicted house counts, (an estimate of the
number of guests expected to register base on the previous occupancy activities) and
processing request for paid-outs (forms used to indicate the amount of money paid out of the
cashier’s drawer on behalf of a guest or an employee of the hotel). These vital services help
an overworked food and beverage manager, restaurant manager or banquet captain meet the
demands of the public.

- In a hotel that has point-of-sale terminals, computerized cash registers that

interface with a property management system, information on guest charges is
automatically posted to guest’s folio made the night auditors job made easier.
▪ Banquet Department

- The banquet department, which often combines the function of a marketing and sales
department and a food and beverage departments, require the front office to relay information to
guest about scheduled events and bill payment.
The front desk staff may also provide labor to prepare the daily announcement board
(an inside listing of the daily activities of the hotel), and marquee (the curbside message board).
The banquet guest who is unfamiliar with the hotel property will ask at the front office for
directions. This service might seem minor in the overall delivery of service, but it is essential to
the lost or confused guest. The front office staff must know both how to direct guests to
particular meeting rooms or reception areas which functions is being held in which rooms.
The person responsible for paying the bills for a special event will also find his or her
way to the front office to settle the city ledger accounts. If the banquet captain is not able to
present the bill for the function, the front desk clerk should be informed about the specifics of
food and beverage charges, gratuities, rental charges, method of payment and the like.
▪ Controller

- The controller relies on the front office staff to provide a

daily summary of financial transactions through a well-prepared
night audit. This information is also used to measure management
ability to meet budget targets. Since the front office provides the
controller with financial data for billing and maintenance of credit-
card ledgers, these two departments must relay payments and
charges through the posting machine or property management
system.
▪ Maintenance or Engineering Department

- The maintenance department and front office communicate

on room status on room status and requests for maintenance
service. Maintenance employees must know the occupancy status
of a room before attending to plumbing, heating or air-conditioning
problems. Likewise, the requests from guests for the repair of
heating, ventilation and air-conditioning units, plumbing, television
and other room furnishing are directed to the front desk. These
requests are then communicated to the maintenance department
▪ Security Department

- Communication between the security department and the

front office are very important in providing hospitality to the guest.
These departments work together very closely in maintaining guest
security. Fire safety measures and emergency communication
system as well as procedures for routine investigation of guest
security concerns require the cooperation of these departments.
▪ Human Resource Management Department

- The human resource management department may rely on the front

office staff to act as an initial point of contact for potential employees in all
departments. It, may even ask the front office to screen job candidates. If so,
guidelines for and training in screening methods must be provided.
Some directors of human resource management depend on the front
office to distribute application forms and other personnel-related information to
job applicants.
UNIT OF COMPETENCY:
WORK IN A TEAM ENVIRONMENT
Learning Outcome:
1. Identify the role and responsibilities of front office personnel.
2. Implement effective interdepartmental communication