Front Office week2 fos fos fos week 2 week 2 week 2

PRE TEST
Write TRUE if the statement is correct FALSE if not.

____1. Check-out is the process where individuals arrive formally register their
presence at the front desk.
____2. A key card typically contains a microchip or magnetic strip and is used for
identity verification during the registration process.
____3. Queue management involves the disorganized handling of people waiting in line for
registration to create a sense of urgency.
____4. A reservation confirmation is a document provided to individuals confirming the acceptance
of their reservation and specifying the details of their booking.
____5. Waiver forms are signed by individuals to hold an organization liable for any injuries or
incidents that may occur during their visit or participation in an event.

• All Inclusive
A billing arrangement under which room charges include the guest room, meals,
beverages and activities.
• Authorization Code
A code generated by an online payment card verification service, indicating that the
requested transaction has been approved.
• Denial Code
A code generated by an online payment card verification service, indicating that the
requested transaction has not been approved.
• Direct Billing
A credit arrangement, normally established through correspondence between a guest
or a company and the hotel, in which the hotel agrees to bill the guest or the company
for charges incurred.
• Due Outs
Guests expected to check out on a given day who have not yet done so

• Floor Limit
A limit assigned to hotels by payment card companies indicating the maximum amount
payment in card charges the hotel is permitted to accept from a card member without
special authorization.
• Housekeeping Status Report
A report prepared by the housekeeping department indicating the current
housekeeping status of each room, based on a physical check.
• Incidental Charges
Charges made to a guest account other than the charges and tax for the guestroom
• Occupancy Report
A report prepared each night a by front desk agent that lists the rooms occupied that
night and indicates those guests expected to check out the following day.
• PIA (Paid-in-advance)
A guest who pays his or her room charges in cash during registration, PIA guests are
often denied in house credit.

• Rack Rate
The standard rate established by a hotel for a particular category of rooms.
• Registration Forms
A document used to help formulate a registration record, in many states, the guest’s
signature on registration form is required by law.
• Registration Records
A collection of important guests information created by the front desk agent following
the guest’s arrival; includes the guests name, address, telephone number, and
company affiliation, method of payment and date of departure.
• Reservation Status
An indicator of a room’s long term availability for assignment.
• Room Status Discrepancies
A situation in which housekeeping department’s description of a room status differs
from the room status information that guides front desk employees in assigning room
to guests.

• Run of the House
Room assignment based on room availability at the time of check in.
• Self Registration
A computerized system that automatically registers a guest and dispenses a
guestroom key, based on the guest’s reservation and payment card information.
• Sleeper
An occupied guestroom wrongly shown as occupied on the property management
system.
• Walking
Turning away a guest who has a reservation, due to a lack rooms

Pre-registering guests for
Operational Excellence

Pre-registering guests in hotels has several advantages for both the hotel and the guests.
Firstly, it saves time and reduces waiting time for guests when they arrive at the hotel. By
pre-registering, guests can simply collect their keys and head straight to their rooms
without having to go through the check-in process.
Secondly, pre-registering guests allows the hotel to better manage their resources, such
as staffing levels. The hotel can anticipate the number of guests who will be arriving and
ensure that they have enough staff to handle check-ins and other guest needs.
Thirdly, pre-registering guests can help improve the overall guest experience. It allows the hotel to
personalize the guest experience by having their room ready with any special requests they may have
made ahead of time. This can include things like extra pillows or specific room locations.
Finally, pre-registering guests can help hotels to better manage their room inventory. By having a better
understanding of which rooms will be occupied, the hotel can better plan for future reservations and
allocate its resources more effectively.

Advantages of pre-
registering guests

•Helps to accelerate the guest registration or check-in process.
•Almost completed / pre-populated registration cards can be generated from the system.
•Guests only need to verify the information instead of writing down them at the time of
check-in.
•Special requirements from guests can be met in advance and kept ready at the time of
arrival.
•In-room check-in can be provided for all pre-registered guests.
•Rooms are assigned as per the guest’s room preference at the time of booking eg: Away from the
elevator, Pool facing, etc.
•Guest-preferred amenities can be kept in the pre-assigned room.
•Lesser or no complaint on the room assigned.
•If the booked room type is not available then an alternate room or upgrade can be provided in
advance.
•Rooms blocked for VVIPs and VIPs can be communicated to other departments like
Housekeeping or Room service in prior.

•VIP amenities can be placed in advance by Housekeeping and Room Service.
•In the case of Groups and Conference guests Mini Bar ban be either locked or
removed in advance.
• Amenity: A service or item offered to guests or placed in guest rooms for convenience
and comfort; a... vouchers are sent in advance to the housekeeping and the room
service department to make flower bouquets, and place fruit and cookie baskets room
before the arrival of the guest.
•Duty managers or Guest service managers cross-check the VVIP rooms if all amenities are placed
before arrival ensuring a great arrival experience.
• For groups all Keys and rooming list is kept ready in advance for a smooth check-in experience.
• If group members’ bags are reached in advance then the same can be placed in the room before
check-in.
• Pre-prepared Wi-Fi access coupons and meal coupons can be easily handed over to guests at
the time of check-in.
• The guest relations team can be ready to provide a traditional welcome to VVIP guests. Eg.
Flower Garland, Spice Garland, etc

Interdepartmental
Communication

Front office interacts with various departments since the guest inquire about reservation
through the entire guest cycle up to the guest’s departure.
Here is how front office needs to communicate with the other departments −
• Communication with Human Resources − Front Office department is engaged
with the HR department to interview, help shortlist them, and select the most eligible
employees. It also contacts the HR department for employee training and induction
programs, salaries, leaves, dues, and appraisals.
•Communication with Accounts − As front office department handles guest accounts with a
complete responsibility, the staff needs to often interact with the back-office accounting
colleagues regarding payment settlements or dues of guests or non-guests, discount offers, and
coupons settlement. It also needs to sort out and get actual status of night auditing with
accounts.

• Communication with Food and Beverage Department − Since front office
department is the one where the guests speak about their food and beverage
requirements during reservation, the front office needs to communicate with the food
and beverage sections frequently.
•It also keeps the track of guest’s purchases from the restaurant, the bar, or
coffee shops in the hotel.
•It conveys special requests of the guest regarding food and beverage to the
F&B department.
•It deals, accepts, and reserves banquet inquiries and coordinates them with
the respective departments.
•Communication with Marketing and Sales Department − Sales and Marketing department
highly relies upon front office inputs about the guests. The guest history compiled by the front office
department is an excellent source for segmenting the customers, prepare customer-oriented
packages, and plan and execute the campaigns. The front office staff contacts marketing and sales
department in case there is a need to prepare electronic marquees or message boards for
promotions.

•Communication with Housekeeping − The front office staff needs to interact with the
housekeeping department on the concerns such as −
• Readiness of vacated accommodation for selling.
• Security of the accommodation.
• Guest’s complaints and requirements about any amenities is initiated at the front
desk.
• Guest’s requirement of removing soiled dishes or linen from the accommodation.
• In addition, the housekeeping department relies upon front office staff for the
number of accommodations sold, departures, walk-ins, stay-over guests, and no-
shows. Timely distribution of the accommodation sales helps the housekeeping
manager to plan employee personal leaves and vacations.
•Communication with Banqueting − The front office and banqueting department needs to interact
with each other on the concerns such as −
• Expected number of guests to attend the banquet.
• Showing directions of the venue to the unfamiliar banquet guests.
• Posting of daily messages on felt board regarding venue, occasion, hosts and guests.
• Settling of the city account against the banquet service for the guest.

Do's and Don'ts of Hotel
Communication
Communication necessarily is about verbal language as
well as body language. Here are some common Do’s and
Don’ts the front office staff follows while communicating −

Do’s of Hotel Communication
•Always present yourself with a warm smile.
•Always stand and walk erect which reflects your confidence.
•Get hold on to your domain subject. Try to know more about your portfolio. This saves you from
embarrassing situations when you are expected to answer the guests.
•Speak in an audible voice.
•Use simple and correct language.
•Speak only if it is going to be useful to the guests and colleagues. Always speak by maintaining
eye contact with the listener.
•In case your conversation is interrupted, continue it with a short recap of what has been
already discussed.
•Ask politely if you have missed hearing any point the guest or the colleague is putting forward.

Don’ts of Hotel Communication
•Do not use jargon or words such as “hmm-hmm”, “yep”, and alike. Instead, use “perfect”,
“absolutely”, and similar words.
•Do not speak too fast, too slow, or in too low or high voice.
•Do not interrupt the speaker.
•Do not speak with colleagues, if it is not related to the business during working hours.
•Do not speak under assumptions.
•Do not hastily arrive at the conclusion unless you know.
•Do not run around the area of work.
•Do not appear harsh with your subordinates.
•Do not appear untidy on work.

Front Office week2 fos fos fos week 2 week 2 week 2

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