Name: Chu Ha Giang

MSV: 11201060
Class: IHME 62

Front Office Operations Management

Individual assignment 1
1. What activities are involved in the four stages of the traditional guest cycle?
Why have some properties replaced the traditional cycle with a three-stage
sequence?

The 4 activities:
1. Pre-Arrival
● When a customer visits a hotel, he or she has already completed one of the
stages of the guest cycle. The stage at which a hotel guest selects a hotel is
known as pre-arrival. Reservations are the only step associated with this level.
The factors that influence a guest's decision are numerous.
● Consider your own personal experiences. What factors do you consider while
booking a hotel? Many guests are concerned with pricing, while others are
concerned with location, experience, recommendations, and amenities. Your
personal pre-arrival stage reflects that of the average person.
● On the guest services side, the hotel is responsible for making and verifying a
reservation according to a guest's requests. After the reservation is accepted,
the hotel creates a record, which is truly the start of the customer/hotel
relationship. Especially with online booking, hotels collect guest information
like those related to demographics, room deposits, and requests for specific
rooms. Some hotels pre-assign rooms far in advance, especially when a guest
requests a specific room.
2. Arrival
● The arrival stage of the guest cycle includes registration and room assignment
process. After the guest arrives, he or she establishes a business relationship
with the hotel through the front office. It is the front office staff responsibility
to clarify any query of the guest, especially the details of room rate of packages
he/she is booked on.
● Front office staff should determine the guest's reservation status before
beginning the check-in/registration process. Guest with reservation and guest
without reservation commonly known as walk-ins also provide an opportunity
for business for front desk staff.
 ● The registration process is complete once a method of payment and the guest's
departure date have been confirmed and duly signed by the guest. The guest
may be given a room key and direction to the room or escorted by the guest
service associate or guest service manager.
● When the guest checks-in to the room the occupancy stage of the guest cycle
begins.
3. Occupancy
● During the occupancy stage, the way the front desk staff represents the hotel is
important.
● The front office, as the hotel's main contact point, is in charge of coordinating
guest demands. Among those in charge of offering information and supplies to
visitors.
● The front desk should take special precautions to react to guests quickly and
accurately. The front desk staff's major goal is to forecast the needs of the
guests and to meet or exceed their expectations. The guest will be more likely
to return to the hotel as a result of this.
● During the guest's stay, security is also a major consideration. Issues like
protection of funds and valuables are among those. The front desk should also
follow the hotel standard operating procedure for handling the hotel and guest
keys, property surveillance, safe deposit boxes, guests personal property, and
emergencies are also important.
● During the occupation stage, a range of charges, such as restaurant charges,
telephone, internet, travel desk, and so on, have an impact on guest and hotel
accounts. According to front office posting processes, the majority of these
costs will be posted to the guest account.
4. Departure
● Guest services and guest accounting aspects of the guest cycle are completed
during the cycle's fourth and final phase departure.
● At Departure, the guest vacates the room, receives the accurate statement of the
settled accounts, returns the room keys and leaves the hotel. Once the guest has
checked out, the front office updates the room's availability status and notifies
the housekeeping department.
● At this stage the front office also collects the feedback of the guest experience
in the hotels by handing over the guest feedback form.

Some hotels have changed the traditional cycle to Pre-sale, Point-of-sale, and
Post-sale events. Pre-sale as a service from a hotel allows the operations teams to
focus on what they do best, without distraction by pre-sales activities. Sales Managers
can focus on leads and opportunities, not finding a technical resource to design a
solution, or scheduling surveys. The pre-sale professional thus understands what the
customer needs, develops an initial view of the solution the customer needs, then
tailors the product or service of hotel to meet what the customer needs, explains (or
helps sell) this solution to the customer, helps close the deal or sale and often stays on
to ensure that the delivery team or product specialists that follow him provide the
intended solution. Besides, about the point-of-sale, customize your hotel restaurant's
point-of-sale system to make your guests feel right at home. Also, with POS systems,
you can easily customize and create a new menu for each location or use a different
menu for dine-in or room service. Moreover, post-sale events interaction helps to
build relationships between hotels and their customers. It can be said that for
automated properties, this revised sequence significantly improves coordination
between the departments.
2. How does the departure of the guest cycle conclude both guest services and
guest accounting activities? How can the front office use data about the guest
stay?

The departure of the guest cycle conclude both guest services and guest accounting
activities:
● Guest services and guest accounting aspects of the guest cycle are completed
during the cycle’s fourth phase: departure. Effective front office monitoring
includes processing the guest out of the hotel and creating a guest history file.
The final element of guest accounting is settlement of the guest’s account (by
bringing the account to a zero balance).
● Once the guest has checked out, the front office updates the room’s availability
status and notifies the housekeeping department. (For hotels using Property
management software the status of the room is updated automatically).
● At this stage the guests account is settled (payment for services rendered) and
the hotel garner's feedback as to how good said services were. Details can
include guest spending patterns and preferences in regard to room types and
amenities.
● Most property management systems use registration records to automatically
construct a guest history file when a guest checks out. A guest history file is a
collection of guest history records. Information in a guest history file allows the
hotel to better understand its customers and provides a solid base for strategic
marketing.
The front office use data about the guest stay:
● The front office can create a guest history file so that the hotel knows what to
expect from this guest. They also get feedback from the guest and settle the
guests account depending on how the guest saied they were going to play.
● Once the guest has checked out, the front office can analyze data related to the
guest’s stay. System-generated reports can be used to review operations, isolate
 problem areas, indicate where corrective action may be necessary, and
highlight business trends.
● Over the last couple of decades everything has become completely automated.
Technology is becoming popular. Now they use analytical metrics, revenue
management, online purchasing programs, and e-commerce solutions. To be
more specific, with guest accounting management software, it can increase the
hotel’s control over guests accounts and significantly modifies the front office
audit routine. For example, a credit manager in a large convention hotel can
automatically monitor the credit limits of all guests and receive a
system-generated report for all accounts approaching or exeeding credit limits.
3. How have front office recordkeeping systems evolved over the years?
In an automatic properties management system (PMS), front office recordkeeping is
primarily the outcome of pre-programmed procedures. These early systems were
typically pricey, making them mainly appealing to the larger hotel establishments.
However, everything has gotten entirely mechanized over the previous few decades.
Technology is now within reach. Analytical analytics, revenue management, online
purchasing systems, and e-commerce solutions are being used by them.
There are three main stages of front office recordkeeping that evolved throughout the
years:

● Non-automated system: A system of front office recordkeeping characterized

by the exclusive use of handwritten forms. The elements of non – automated
systems determined the structure of many front office processes in even the
most advanced automated facilities. This is the beginning of front office
recordkeeping systems.
● Semi-automated system: Also called electro – mechanical, this is the front
office system that uses both handwritten and machine-produced forms. The
main benefit of using this system is that a computer or device can automatically
generate – and easy-to-read documents that detail the steps of a transaction.
The drawback of this system would be equipment might take time to learn for
employees, complex in operation and require maintenance. This is probably the
most popular one in recent times as it is the combination of the previous and
the next system. Therefore, it is very flexible and has all the advantages that
both systems have while removing some of the disadvantages of them.
● Fully-automated system: A computer-based system of front office
recordkeeping that eliminates the need for many handwritten and
machine-produced forms common in non – automated and semi – automated
systems.
4. What are some of the organizational concerns of front desk design? What
criteria determine the appropriateness of a design?
Some of the organizational concerns of front desk design:
● Front desk design must focus on a variety of organizational concerns, including
efficiency, aesthetics, and adaptability. Guests expect the front desk to be
visually appealing right away. It's critical to have a well-organized front desk so
that tasks may be completed quickly.
● Evidently, efficiency is a major concern in front office design. Front desk
design might be improved if front office personnel have to turn their backs on
customers, leave them unattended, or take too long to finish a transaction. In
addition, accessibility is an important consideration in the overall design of a
hotel, particularly the front desk area.
Criteria determine the appropriateness of a design:
● Criteria determining the appropriateness of a design depends upon the size of
the operation, branding, and how many functions the front desk clerk may
perform.
● The environment product is going to be used and must be considered when
designing a product. A responsible designer looks at what the end user needs
and designs a product to accomplish these needs, while being as
environmentally friendly as possible. This could include choosing materials,
limiting the wastage of energy when manufacturing, and reducing waste.
● A responsible designer chooses decorative techniques that relate to the end
purpose of the design. Decorative designs must not distract from the functional
aspects of the design. The decorative technique must be safe.
● The designer must take into consideration whether the design is achievable
with consideration of economics. This can include cost of materials, costs of
manufacturing and designing costs. The resources the designer choices will
directly affect the costing of the product once it is on the market.
● Sustainability is also a crucial factor. Responsible designers think about their
impact on the build and natural environments and try to minimize the damage
they leave on the environment, e.g. using natural dyes instead of toxic ones.
● Designers must adhere to safety standards and procedures when designing their
products. This means they must manufacture their product safely.

5. What are some common telecommunications equipment items used in

hotels? How do they work?
The F.O department requires a mix of many types of telecommunication equipment to
serve the guests effectively and satisfactorily. The following are some of the most
commonly used telecommunications devices in the hospitality industry:
● Telephone switchboard (PBX or PABX system): is private branch exchange
or private automatic branch exchange is line private for the hotel where the
inbound call is routed to the hotel telephone operator’s console and it connects
 to the front desk, guest room, administrative office, hotel department and other
areas. Now they also connect with the internet to make VoIP calls.
● Call Accounting System (CAS): is a collection of software applications that
start the routing, rating, and recording of calls from guest rooms and
administrative offices. The CAS interfaces with a hotel’s property have a
least-cost-routing component that routes a dialed call to the type of line that can
carry the call at the lowest cost to the hotel.
● Guestroom phone: increase the sophistication and capability. Now with a
portable device the guest is provided with an input jack or port connectivity.
For example, guests can connect a personal computer or other compatible
portable device into a guest room phone supporting an input jack or port for
connectivity. Other features found on some guest room phones include:
conference calling, caller ID, speed dialing, hold buttons,...
● Pagers and cell phones: some hotels will offer their guests pager and cell
phone when check-in and the hotel will bill them for the number of minutes in
the recorded use. Calls placed through cell phones may not go through the
hotel’s CAS and therefore are priced outside the system and may require
manual posting to the appropriate guest folios.
● Related technology: is used to maximize the effectiveness with the lowest cost
such as automatic dispensing call system, telephone/room status system,
high-speed internet access and call detection software. A hotel may also rely on
call dection software, a component of the hotel’s call accounting system, to
sense when a placed call is answered. Call dection equipment can pinpoint the
exact moment a telephone call is connected.
6. What are the four most common front office software modules? How do
they streamline front office recordkeeping? How does a general
management module depend on the other three modules?

The four most common front office software module are:

● Reservation management software: An in-house reservation management
software module enables a hotel to rapidly process room requests and generate
timely and accurate room availability, room revenue, and reservation
forecasting reports.
● Rooms management sofware: maintains current information on the status of
overnight guest rooms, provides information on room rates, assits in room
assignments, and helps front office personnel coordinate guest services.
● Guest accounting management software: increases the hotel’s control over
guest accounts and significantly modifies the front office audit routine. Guest
accounts are maintained electronically, thereby eliminating the need for folio
cards, folio trays, and account posting machines.
 ● General management software: General management applications tend to be
report-generating packages that depend on data collected through reservations
management, rooms management, and guest accounting management software
modules.
The reservation management, rooms management guest and accounting
management work together to collect data:
Reservation management:
+ Availability and forecasting
+ Reservation record
+ Reservation confirmation
+ Revenue management
Rooms management:
+ Room status monitoring
+ Registration management
+ Room assignment
+ Room rate information
Guest accounting management:
+ Folio management
+ Credit monitoring
+ Transaction tracking
+ Transaction reconciliation
Then the general management put all of these data into records:
+ Revenue analysis
+ Operating statistic
+ Financial analysis
+ Guest history
=> The four most common front office software modules take care of all
recordkeeping needs and can support a variety of activities in front office and back
office areas. The general management sofware cannot operate independently of other
front office sofware packages. They are report-generated and depend on data collected
through the other three modules.
7. How are newer technologies helping hotels offer more services?
● Technology advances day by day, bringing new services and making
recordkeeping and other duties easier and convenient. A large number of
automated machines are also assisting in the process.
● Technology nowadays enhances everything people do and can improve
anyone's quality of life. Hotels can promote both their own services and those
of their partner hotels in the chain. If a guest is interested in a certain hotel or
restaurant, the system can direct them to the company's website, a navigation
 app, or a reservation app, for example. High-speed Internet access (HSIA) has
evolved from an upgrade feature to a "must-have" for most hotels.
● Apps are improving the tourist experience in order to keep up with the
Information Age. People can now book room service from their iPhones,
submit TripAdvisor reviews, watch HDTVs that interact with a variety of hotel
services, and stream movies in their hotel rooms via HSIA. Many hotels now
have business centers with amenities including airline check-in, faxing,
photocopiers, conference phones, and Internet access. The use of the business
center's equipment and software, as well as the network connection, may be
subject to charges.
● To be more specific, automatic call dispensing allows guests to place their own
wake up requests. At the scheduled time, a telephone call is automatically
placed to the guest’s room. Once the guest answers the call, the system may
activate a synthesized voice that gives a greeting along with the current time,
temperature, and weather conditions. Automatic call dispensing also provides
emergency calls or calls that remind guests of their meeting, event,...
● Rooms management software maintains current information on the status of
overnight guest rooms, provides information on room rates, assists in room
assignments, provides rapid access to room availability data during the
reservation process, feature maintenance and special request dispatch
capability. For example, a room with an air conditioning problem or needing
extra towels can be registered and monitored to fulfill the request.
● System interfaces:

Non-Guest-Operated interfaces:
❖ A point-of-sale system allows guest account transactions to be quickly
transmitted for automatic posting to electronic folios.
❖ A call accounting system directs, prices, and tracks guest room telephone use
for pricing and automatic posting to electronic folios.
❖ An electronic locking system typically interfaces with the rooms management
module to provide enhanced security and service.
❖ An energy management system can be applied to automatically control the
temperature, humidity, and air movement in public spaces and guestrooms.

Guest-Operated Interfaces:
❖ Hotels can provide automated conveniences and services by installing a variety
of guest-operated devices. Connecting a printer to an information terminal
enables guests to print desired information.
❖ Through connected devices, guests can review their folios and complete the
check-out process from remote locations as well as their guestrooms. In-room
televisions or other communication devices interfaced with a guest accounting
 module enable guests to simultaneously access folio data and to approve and
settle their accounts. In-room specialty devices linked to external information
services allow guests to access e-mail, websites, transportation schedules, …
❖ In-room entertainment systems allow guests to access various forms of
entertainment through the guestroom television or other connected device.

Automated guest service

❖ Provide local information through guestroom software browsers, satellite
television and radios, hand-held mapping devices, and mobile devices. Guests
can locate restaurants, museums, shops, and other points of interest through
access to websites, virtual shopping malls, e-mail, and other online resources
and services. If a guest is interested in a particular hotel or restaurant, for
example, the system can automatically connect to the business site,
way-finding application, or reservation application.
8. Why do hospitality managers turn to mobile technologies and services?
● Today, hospitality managers are increasingly likely to turn to mobile
technologies due to the enhanced guest engagement, improved customer
satisfaction, and increased consumer spending.
● Hospitality operators use mobile technologies and services for a variety of
reasons. To begin, hoteliers are looking to mobile technology and services to
increase tourist engagement and satisfaction. Mobile commerce (m-commerce)
can improve guest service, increase hotel engagement with visitors, advertise
and sell goods and services, and make it easier to collect customer feedback on
their hotel experiences. Mobile services include digital couponing, marketing
activities motivated by the location of the mobile device user, and point-of-sale
settlement. A major use of m-commerce is mobile payment technology, which
includes contactless and cashless payment systems, as well as credit card and
debit card payments via smartphones.
● Additionally, several hotel guests use their mobile devices to research a hotel's
location, amenities, services, and other travel-related information. Furthermore,
because almost all mobile devices can receive multimedia messages in addition
to plain text messages, hospitality businesses can send tourists complicated
marketing messages.
● Popular mobile technologies/applications include mobile websites, mobile
marketing, mobile location, mobile couponing, and mobile POS:
Mobile website:
Hotels often design websites specifically for mobile devices, websites that are
simplified and more streamlined for easier viewing and navigating.
Mobile marketing:
The main advantages of mobile marketing revolve around the personalization,
portability, and connectedness of the mobile network. Mobile marketing is uniquely
effective in reaching guests and can play a prominent role in the marketing efforts of
hospitality businesses.
Mobile location services:
Mobile-device marketing programs and coupons that are location- or time-dependent
are made possible by the location services. Location awareness is a highly important
advantage possessed by advanced mobile marketing applications.
Mobile couponing:
Digital discount displays, QR codes, bar codes, and an array of other types of
electronic coupons can be used to create m-commerce deals and rewards. A mobile
coupon features a live-link which leads to other information. There is an opportunity
for interactivity and attention-grabbing alerts and promotions via a mobile device.
Mobile POS:
A cash-less, card-less transaction can greatly increase convenience for customers, they
can avoid lines and pay for hotel products and services via one of the hotel's mobile
POS devices.