Front Office Management By: Dr. Dino Leonandri, MM, CHA

Front Office Management
by :
Dr. Dino Leonandri, MM, CHA
Hotel Categories
• With the evolution of hotels and its proliferation around the world it is
impossible to categories them under one term. It classify them as
given under:
a. Location
b. Number of Rooms
c. Ownership
d. Pricing Plan
e. Type of Clientele
f. Length of Guest Stay
g. Facilities Offered
Hotel Categories
1. Location
Hotels are classified by their location as follows:
a. Downtown
b. Suburban
c. Resort
d. Airport
e. Motel
f. Camps
Hotel Categories
2. Number of Rooms
Hotels may be classified by the number of rooms they have:
a. 25 and less small
b. 26–100 medium
c. 101–300 large
d. 300–1,000 very large
e. Above 1,000 mega
Hotel Categories
3. Ownership
There are different types of organisations based on their ownership:
• Sole Proprietor
• Partnerships
• Public Limited Companies (PLC)
• Private Limited Companies
Hotel Categories
4. Pricing Plans
Pricing Plans are another way to classify hotels. The various pricing
plans as shown below are discussed in
• European Plan Room charges only
• American Plan Room + all meals
• Modified American Room + Breakfast Plan +
Lunch or Dinner
• Continental Plan Room + Continental Breakfast
• Bed and Breakfast Room + English Breakfast
Organisation of the Front Office
The Front Office is a prime revenue generating department of a hotel as it sells rooms. In
large hotels, it is part of a larger division called ‘Accommodations Division’ or ‘Rooms
Division’ headed by a Director. Currently, the job function at the F.O Staff has undergone
changes where the Front Desk Associate does the telephone operator, reservation (only
for walk-in guests) and cashiering.
Role of the Front Office
The Front Office as the name suggests is the fi rst and last point of contact in
a hotel for a guest. Its unique role is to:
1. Book hotel rooms through systematic methods of reservation.
2. Sell guest rooms as their revenues contribute to as much as fi fty per cent
or more to a hotel’s profi t. In many cases, such as motels and airport hotels,
rooms are the main source of revenue.
3. Control guest room keys.
4. Register guests into the hotel and assign rooms to them.
5. Provide 24 X 7 information to guests.
6. Have a proactive role in creating the image of the property.
7. Provide communication and coordination between departments.
8. Maintain guest accounts and settle bills at the end of their stay.
9. Contribute high profit margins as the cost of room sales is relatively low as
the only variable costs are the consumable guest supplies and amenities.
The principle role of reservations is to:
1. Book rooms in advance.

2. Maximise the sale of rooms as they are ‘perishable’ as room space is linked with time. The
potential revenue from a time period not sold is lost forever. The challenge is to ensure that these
time slots are fully sold. One way to do it is by overbooking. Over-booking is a fi ne art of
maximizing room sales. It counters reservations that are cancelled at the last minute. This art is
developed with experience and historical patterns of the hotel reservations. Yield Management is
another modern unique practice of variable pricing to maximise revenue.
3. Process, document, store and retrieve reservation information from various sources to ensure
a guest gets the room at the time of arrival.
4. Upsell rooms to get the extra dollar.
5. Work closely with the sales and marketing division to ensure that room
sales are maximized. Many reservation databases are networked with the sales
division to ensure total coordination in room availability and sale.
Guest Relations Desk
The Guest Relations Executive (GRE) is the representative of the
management that ensures the comfort and convenience of all guests. She is
normally a well groomed and personable woman.
Her principal tasks are to:
1. Attend to the comfort of VIPs and other guests.
2. Provide internal PR to enhance the perception of the hotel in the guest’s
eyes.
3. Maintain guest history cards either manually or electronically and
respond to the guest needs and behaviour to a high level of personalization.
4. Coordinate well with the concierge in procuring city services like tickets,
table reservations, etc.
Front Office Cashier Function
Is a member of the accounts department deputed as a crucial team
member of the Front Office.
The main tasks are to:
1. Maintain the guest’s accounts during his or her stay,
2. Monitor credit limits
3. Settles cash and credit bills as per instructions.
4. Maintain a cash bank
5. Provide petty cash for hotel expenses
6. Exchange foreign currency.
Duty Manager/Lobby Manager’s main tasks are to:
1. Coordinate all guest services from a central point.
2. Handle all guest complaints and disputes.
3. Interpret and safeguard house policies with guests.
4. Evict undesirable guests from the premises.
5. Ensure proper baggage handling services.
6. Ensure effi cient transportation services to guests.
7. Maintain order in the lobby.
8. Be the sole representative of management at night.
The Bell Desks main tasks are to:
1. Coordinate the movement of guest baggage. This is a real
challenge as the volume of baggage during a single day is very
large for a busy hotel. The movement of guest baggage is an
integral part of check-in and check-out formalities.
2.Carry out errands for the guest and management within and
outside the hotel precincts.
3.Distribute daily newspapers to occupied guest rooms, executive
offices,business centre and coffee shop.
4.Sell postage stamps.
5.Maintain fi rst-aid kit and some essential medicines under the
direction of the house doctor in case of emergencies.
6. Be responsible for the left-luggage procedures.
QUIZ
Question : Write short notes on the following:
1. Role of a Front Offi ce Agent
2. Role of Guest Relations
3. Role of Lobby Manager
Please answer the questions above and email to:

dinoleonandri@stptrisakti.ac.id
by email no later than 1 week ahead.

In the email subject, write the name of the campus,
course and class
example :
1. Poltekpar Plb/DIK 6A/Hospitality Business
2. STPT/Class A/Revenue Management
3. Poltek Intl Jkt/AJ/Hotel Management

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