FRONT OFFICE

SERVICES NC II
MODULE: Receive and
Process
Reservatio
Introductory Message
For the facilitator:

Welcome to the Technology and Livelihood Education 9 Front Office Services

Alternative Delivery Mode (ADM) Module on Receive and Process
Reservations (RR): Front Office Operations!

This module was collaboratively designed, developed and reviewed by

educators both from public and private institutions to assist you, the
teacher or facilitator in helping the learners meet the standards set by the K
to 12 Curriculum while overcoming their personal, social, and economic
constraints in schooling.

This learning resource hopes to engage the learners into guided and
independent learning activities at their own pace and time. Furthermore,
this also aims to help learners acquire the needed 21st century skills while
taking into consideration their needs and circumstances.

In addition to the material in the main text, you will also see this box in the
body of the module:

Notes to the Teacher

This contains helpful tips or strategiesthat
will help you in guiding thelearners.

As a facilitator, you are expected to orient the learners on how to use this
module. You also need to keep track of the learners' progress while allowing
them to manage their own learning. Furthermore, you are expected to
encourage and assist the learners as they do the tasks included in the
module.

For the learner:

Welcome to the Technical Vocational & Livelihood Front Office Services

Alternative Delivery Mode (ADM) Module on Receive and Process
Reservations (RR): Front Office Operations!

This module was designed to provide you with fun and meaningful
opportunities for guided and independent learning at your own pace and
time. You will be enabled to process the contents of the learning resource
while being an active learner.

ii
This module has the following parts and corresponding icons:
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the module.
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lesson to take. If you get all the answers
correct (100%), you may decide to skip this
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the current lesson with the previous one.

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introduced to you in various ways; a story, a
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More
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Answer Key

iii
At the end of this module you will also find:

References This is a list of all sources used in

developing this module.

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We hope that through this material, you will experience meaningful

learning and gain deep understanding of the relevant competencies. You
can do it!

iv
What I Need to Know

This module was designed and written with you in mind. It is here to help
you master the nature of Front Office Services. The scope of this module
permits it to be used in many different learning situations. The language
used recognizes the diverse vocabulary level of students. The lessons are
arranged to follow the standard sequence of the course. But the order in
which you read them can be changed to correspond with the textbook you
are now using.

After going through this module, you are expected to:

1. identify front office terminologies;

2. describe front office operations; and

3. appreciate the importance of how to acknowledge customers in

making reservations.
What I Know

Let us determine how much you already know about the use of tools and
equipment. Take this test.

A. Direction: Fill in the blank (s) with the correct word/phrases.

1. ______________ is a computerized reservation system that reduces paperwork
and can handle large amount of reservation data effortlessly.

2. ______________ was developed in 1940 by Whitney Paper Corporation from New

York and is a conventional manual reservation system the hotels used to follow
during precomputer days in the hotels. It

3. Guest can communicate their reservation inquiries in _______, ________, _______,

through facsimile, telex, email.

4. During occupancy, a __________ is responsible for tracking guest charges against

his/her purchases from the hotel restaurants, room service, bar, or any outgoing
telephone calls made via the hotel’s communication systems

5. ______________ is the stage when the customer is planning to avail an

accommodation in the hotel.

B. Enumeration

a. List down the features of a cluster reservation office

1.

4
5

b. Write down the things you need to remember when you acknowledge a customer
who is making a reservation
1.

4
 5

Lesson RECEIVE AND PROCESS

RESERVATIONS (RR)
2 FRONT OFFICE OPERATIONS

Reservation of the hotel accommodation is one of the important responsibilities of

the front office department. A potential guest contacts a hotel for availability of the
desired type of accommodation and any allied services that the hotel offers. The
front office department needs to react to the enquiry of the guests. A reservation is a
booking in advance for space for a specified period.

For a guest, reservation increases the chances of a better deal for assured
accommodation on arrival. For a hotel, reservation can enable a better management
of guest experience during usual as well as peak seasons. Reservation procedure
varies depending on the size and brand of the hotel and the reservation system
employed.

In this lesson, you will know the details how the front office handles reservations.

What’s In

Direction: As a review of the previous lesson, enumerate the lodging industry

challenges by completing the web cluster below. Do this activity on your notebook.
What is It

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.

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
Basic Responsibilities of Front Office Department
Following are the most basic responsibilities a front office can handle.
Creating guest database
Handling guest accounts
Coordinating guest service
Trying to sell a service
Ensuring guest satisfaction
Handling in-house communication through PBX

Front Office Operations

There are two categories of 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.
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.

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.
Preparing the guest’s bill.
Collecting the balance amount of guest bills.
Generating reports

Guest Cycle in Hotel

Generally, a guest’s interaction with the hotel is divided into the following four
sequential phases:
Pre-arrival
It is the stage when the customer is planning to avail an accommodation in the
hotel. In this first stage, the customer or the prospective guest enquires about the
availability of the desired type of accommodation and its amenities via telephonic
call or an e-mail. The customer also tries to find out more information about the
hotel by visiting its website.

At the hotel end, the front office accounting system captures the guest’s information
such as name, age, contact numbers, probable duration of stay for room reservation
and so on.

Arrival
The front office reception staff receives the guest in the reception. The porters bring
in the guest luggage. For the guest with confirmed reservation, the front office clerk
hands over a Guest Registration Card (GRC) to the guest and requests the guest to
fill in personal information regarding the stay in the hotel. The clerk then registers
the guest in the database thereby creating a guest record and a guest account along
with it. Later, the clerk hands over a welcome kit and keys of the accommodation.
After the procedure of registration, the guest can start occupying the
accommodation.

Occupancy
During occupancy, a front office accounting system is responsible for tracking guest
charges against his/her purchases from the hotel restaurants, room service, bar, or
any outgoing telephone calls made via the hotel’s communication systems. The front
office staff is responsible to manage and issue the right keys of the accommodations
to the right guests. On guests’ request, the staff also makes arrangement for
transportation, babysitting, or local touring while the guest is staying in the hotel.

Departure
During guest departure, the front office accounting system ensures payment for
goods and services provided. If a guest’s bill is not completely paid, the balance is
transferred from guest to non-guest records. When this occurs, collection becomes
the responsibility of the back-office accounting division.
At the time of guest departure, the front office staff thanks the guest for giving an
opportunity to serve and arrange for handling luggage. In addition, if the guest
requires airport or other drop service, the front office bell desk fulfils it.
Respond to reservation request

Acknowledge the customer making a reservation:

• Use appropriate greeting

• Never leave a guest waiting for attention.
• Follow the establishment’s policies and procedures
• Maintain eye contact – where applicable
• Communication etiquette – no jargon
• Be aware of cultural needs.

Identify required reservation details:

• Dates – arrival and departure dates

• Ask the right questions like hiring a car – where do you want to go? Car size,
number of passengers, luggage? Do you have a valid license?
• Type of booking accommodation, transport or tours.
• Guest name
• Contact details
• Special requirements – baby facilities, handicapped needs, religious
requirement
• Cost

Advise customer of availability of requested booking:

• Check availability
 • Know the reservation systems
• Be familiar with airlines, hotels and events.
• Terms and conditions of booking request – restrictions, minimum numbers,
method of payment
• Product knowledge – leads to selling techniques.

Offer alternative if requested booking is unavailable:

• Advise of waitlist options or standby – know policies and procedures for
overbooking
• Offer alternate times, dates, type etc.
• Recommend suitable alternatives that means:
a. seasonal influences
b. local attractions
c. tourist developments
d. natural heritage sites
e. local markets
f. museums
g. spot events
h. theatre

Offer advice and information about available products, service and facilities:

• Apply selling techniques

• Know your market
• Know your product:
a. advise customers of the features and benefits of your product

Front Office – Terminology

Following are some common terms used in relation to the front office department:

Term Meaning

The amount of money an organization has the right to receive

Account
within some specified period (say 30 days) against the delivery of
receivables
products/services.

An extension of front desk that deals with personalized guest

Bell desk
services.
They are the charges borne by the guest on cancellation of a
Cancellation
confirmed reservation or for not showing-up on confirmed
charges
reservation.
 Information desk that assists guests for transportation, booking of
Concierge
events outside the hotel

Guest Registration Card, which the guest needs to fill in with

GRC
personal formation at the time of registration.
Guest Customer of the hotel business being served.
Internet Protocol Private Branch Exchange, where internet
IP-PBX
protocol is used for call transmission.
MICE Acronym for Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions.

Non-guest Customer of a hotel business not being served at the moment.

No-show A guest who has reserved an accommodation neither turns up nor
cancels it.

OHMS Online Hotel Management System, a software system to manage

all back-office operations of a hotel.

PBX Private Branch Exchange, a private network of telephones within

an organization.

POS Acronym for Point of Sale. It is the revenue generating place in the
hotel where retail transactions are carried out.

Rack rate The price at which the hotel rooms are sold before applying
discount.
SMERF Acronym for Social, Military, Educational, Religious, and
Fraternal.

It is a report of accounts that represents ending balance of each

Trial balance account in the list. It is prepared at the end of an accounting
period.

Uniformed services Personalized services provided to the guests.

Valet A male attendant to park and clean the car.
Whitney System An old reservation system for hotel accommodations

A variable pricing strategy, based on understanding, anticipating

Yield Management and influencing consumer behavior in order to maximize revenue
from a fixed, perishable resource.

Different Types of Reservations:

Guaranteed Reservation:
It ensures that the hotel will hold a room for the guest until a specific time of
guest’s scheduled arrival date.
 • the guest must provide a method of payment;
• if the guest does not show up or cancel properly, the guest will be charged for
one night accommodation;
• if the hotel then fails to provide the room for a guaranteed reservation. Legal
penalties can be applied if the guest files a complaint; and
• in order to guarantee a reservation, guests can choose one of the following
methods: prepayment, credit card, advance deposit, travel agent
voucher/miscellaneous charge order (MCO) and corporate (direct billing
account)

Non-guaranteed Reservation: ensures that the hotel agrees to hold a room for
the guest until a stated reservation cancellation hour (usually 6pm) on the day of
arrival.

• It is common for hotels planning on full occupancy or nearing full occupancy

to accept only guaranteed reservation once a specified number of expected
arrivals is achieved.

Reservations Inquiries:
• Guest can communicate their reservation inquiries in person, over the phone,
via email, through facsimile, telex, email.
• While getting a reservation inquiry, the reservation staff shall obtain the
following guest-related information and create a reservation record.
- guest’s name, address and telephone number
- company or travel agency name
- date of arrival and departure
- type and number of rooms requested
- desired room rate
- number of people in the group, if applicable
- method of payment and/or guarantee
- any other special requests
Types of Hotel Reservation Systems:
An efficient and effective reservation system is what adds to the hotel’s profitability.
Following are the most popular reservation systems:

Whitney System of Reservation:

It was developed in 1940 by Whitney Paper Corporation from New York, hence the
name. This is a conventional manual reservation system the hotels used to follow
during precomputer days in the hotels. It contains the following setup for reservation:
• Slip for request of accommodation reservation
• Whitney slip that records guest name, accommodation type, number, and
duration of stay
• Temporary/Permanent arrival slip
• Guest bill
• Guest registration card
 • Correspondence file
• Bedroom journal that records daily occupancy of the guest with date, guest
name, room type, and room number.

Let us see how a Whitney slip and the bedroom journal looks like:

Though this system proved efficient, it generated a lot of paperwork with occasional
scope for errors. The drawbacks were overcome by the central reservation system.

Central Reservation System (CRS):It is a computerized reservation system that

reduces paperwork and can handle large amount of reservation data effortlessly. In
this system, since the guest data and reservation data are stored on the storage
disks of the computers, it can be accessed at wish. It is stored in the form of a
database of collection of records which can enable searching, adding, removing, or
updating any guest related data. The computerized reservation system not only
helps to make guest reservations but also helps to forecast how many
accommodations can be reserved in an upcoming time period. It is a central (or
computerized) reservation system that controls and maintains the reservations for
several hotels in one location, and automatically redirects the reservation to the
required hotel.

This is how a CRS typically works:

The guests of hotel sales agents call for checking room availability. It is forwarded to
the front office reservation staff. The staff finds out details about the requirement
and checks the availability of desired accommodation in the database. According to
the reservation policies and procedures, the reservation staff member then notifies
or suggests the reception about the accommodation availability and takes further
appropriate action.

Distribution Channels:

Property Direct Reservation System:

Even though many of the five-star hotels rely heavily on central reservations offices
and intersell agencies, some potential guests still find it convenient and personal to
directly call the hotel to communicate a reservation inquiry. These are made in
several ways: Telephone, Mail, property to property, FAX, and email.

Cluster Reservations Office:

• Serves several hotels in geographic area.

• Operates similarly to a hotel chain central reservation system, except that it
serves one specific destination and area instead of an entire hotel company.
• Eliminates the need to have separate reservations departments in each of the
participating hotels.
 • Advantages: labor, cost are reduced, cross-selling opportunities are created,
room rates and availabilities can be coordinated. • Disadvantages:
communication and coordination challenges.

Global Distribution Systems (GDS):

Computerized system by which reservation-related information is stored and retrieved
for multiple organizations.

• This system includes several central reservation offices connected to each

other.
• It distributes hotel reservation information worldwide and provide a platform
for selling hotel reservations worldwide.
• Selling hotel rooms is accomplished by connecting the hotel reservation system
with the GDS system.
• GDS have become a powerful force in hotel reservation. It directly link the
reservation systems of hotels, airlines, car rental agencies and travel agencies.
• Examples of GDS: SABRE, Galileo International, Amadeus and Worldspan.

Intersell Agencies:

• Businesses that contract to handle reservations for more than one product
line.
• Intersell agencies typically handle reservations services for airline companies,
car rental companies and lodging properties.
• Its typically channel room reservation requests to a hotel central reservations
system, but they may also contact a destination hotel directly.

Internet Distribution System:

The Internet has brought a momentum in the hospitality business as well. It
facilitates seamless management of a hotel’s offices located at various places and
their various departments. The hotel businesses are actively working on the Internet
24 hours a day, seven days a week. The Internet has simplified complex system of
reservations. It enables Online Hotel Management Systems (OHMS) such as
Hotelogix to help guests reserve accommodation of their choice fast and
conveniently. The guests of the hotel can access rate charts, accommodation
availability, check-in and check-out timings, details about the restaurants, and so
on, at their own convenience.

• Internet distribution system (IDs) enable travelers from many different market
segments to use desktop and mobile services to reserve hotel rooms, book
flights and select rental cars.
• Individual hotel websites commonly feature user-friendly and secure
procedures for making and paying for reservations.
 • Hotel websites also feature marketing tools such as links to hotel products and
services and photographs and virtual tours of the property.

Group Reservations
Group reservations can involve a variety of contacts: guests, meeting planners,
convention and visitors’ bureaus, tour operators and travel agents.

• Group reservations typically involve intermediary agents and require special

handling.
• A group’s representative deals with the hotel’s sales or reservations
department.
• If enough rooms are available for the group, an agreed-upon number of
guestrooms, called a block, is set aside for the group’s members.

What’s More

Direction: Answer the following questions on your notebook.

1. What is a Front Office Department?

2. How the two (2) categories in Front office operations work?
3. Identify the different types of reservations.

What I Have Learned

Direction: Write an essay about your learning on this lesson using the guide
phrases below.

I have learned that

 ___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________

I have realized that

___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________

I will apply

___________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________

RUBRIC

Areas of
Assessment 10 points 7 points 4 points 1 point
Presents ideas Presents ideas
in an original in a consistent Ideas are too Ideas are
Ideas manner manner general vague or
unclear
Organization Strong and Organized Some No
organized beg/mid/end organization; organization;
beg/mid/end attempt at a lack
beg/mid/end beg/mid/end
Understanding Writing shows Writing shows Writing shows Writing shows
strong a clear adequate little
understanding understanding understanding understanding
Mechanics Few (if any) Few errors Several errors Numerous
errors errors

TOTAL
POINTS /40 POINTS

What I Can Do
 Direction: Guess the word based on the given definition in each number. Write the
missing letters to form the word below the definition.

The one who directly interacts with the customers when they first arrive at the
hotel.

F r_ _ _ O f _ _ _ _ S t _ _ _

This category of reservation includes interacting with the guests to handle request
for an accommodation.

Fr___-H____

A computerized type of reservation that reduces paperwork and can handle large
amount of reservation data effortlessly.

C_____lR_________nS____m

Assessment

Direction: Write T if the statement is correct and F if the statement is incorrect. Write
your answer on your notebook.

_____1. The Front Office staff handles the transaction within the hotel and receive
guest request and strikes the first impression about the hotel into their minds.

______2. It is in pre-arrival stage where the front office accounting system captures
the guest’s information such as name, age, contact numbers, probable duration of
stay for room reservation and so on.

______3. During occupancy stage, the front office staff thanked the guest for giving an
opportunity to serve and arrange for handling luggage.

______4. the first step in responding to reservation request is to advise the customer
of availability of requested booking.
_______5. In guaranteed reservation, the hotel agrees to hold a room for the guest
until a stated reservation cancellation hour (usually 6pm) on the day of arrival.

Additional
Activities

Direction: Complete the table below. Do this activity on your notebook.

Term Meaning

Account
receivables

An extension of front desk that deals with personalized guest

services.
They are the charges borne by the guest on cancellation of a
confirmed reservation or for not showing-up on confirmed
reservation.

Concierge

GRC

Internet Protocol Private Branch Exchange, where internet

protocol is used for call transmission.
Acronym for Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions.
Customer of a hotel business not being served at the moment.
No-show

A a private network of telephones within an

organization.

It is the revenue generating place in the hotel

where retail transactions are carried out.
The price at which the hotel rooms are sold before applying
discount.

Trial balance
 Answer
Key
cultural Be aware 6
Communication
no needs. – of 5
.
where etiquette
jargon Maintain
– eye .
4
Follow the establishment’s policies and
applicable contact 3
.
procedures Never leave a guest waiting for .
2
attention. Use appropriate 1
.
Acknowledge the customer greetingmaking a . b
reservation: challenge .
Disadvantages: communication and s. •
coordination be
opportunities are created, room rates and coordinated.
Advantages:
availabilities can sellin - labor, cost are reduced, •
cross
g
departments in each of the participating
eparate
hotels. Eliminates the need to •
reservations
area insteadhave ofsan entire hotel
system, except company.
that it serves one specific
destination
Operates and
similarly to a hotel chain central •
reservation Serves several hotels in geographic •
area. Cluster Reservations a
Office: .
B.
arriv. Pre
Enumeration - 5
front office accounting
al . 4
. in person,
system over the phone,
3 via
email . Whitney System of 2
) . Central Reservation System
Reservation 1
(CRS
A. Fill in the blank
(s)
What I
Know

Output may
vary
What’s
New
What’s In
References

https://www.tutorialspoint.com/front_office_management/front_office_managemen
t_tutorial.pdf