Module – 02: Registration of other

aspects
1.Plan Shift handover & and takeover
2.Discrepancy report, calculation room position,
plus & minus position, overbooking, turn away,
farm out
3.Handling group & and crew arrivals,
4.Room moves process, room status control, inter-
departmental communication.
 Plan Shift Handovers And
Takeovers
• A shift handover is a process of transferring
information and responsibilities from one
shift to another.
• It is important to ensure continuity of
service, safety, and guest satisfaction.
• It involves communicating relevant
information, verifying data, checking
equipment, and resolving any pending
issues
 IT SHOULD INCLUDE
• Detailed information on the day-to-day
activities & Tasks,
• Priorities of the role
• An outline of the key points and expectations
of the role
• A list of any essential files that will be handed
over
• And any other information that may help the
successor perform the role effectively
 TAKEOVER
•A shift takeover is a process of
receiving information and
responsibilities from the
previous shift.
• It is important to understand
the current status of the
department, the pending tasks,
and the expected challenges.
• Three shifts: morning, afternoon, and night.
• Each shift has to hand over and take over from the previous and
next shift respectively.
• Systematic and orderly manner.
• Following the guidelines and procedures of the hotel.
• Should be done face-to-face whenever possible, as this allows for
better clarification and feedback.
• The outgoing and incoming staff should review the document
together, discuss any important issues, and sign off on it.
 DISCREPANCY REPORT
• A discrepancy report is a form that records the differences
between the room status reported by the housekeeping
department and the front office department.
• It is used to ensure accuracy, safety, and quality in hotel
operations.
• It’s prepared by the Front office desk staff.
• Example: Showing in list occupied by Front office but
Housekeeping mark Vaccant or vice versa
 A DISCREPANCY REPORT SHOULD INCLUDE THE
FOLLOWING INFORMATION:

The reason for the

The room status as per discrepancy, such as
The room number and
housekeeping and as guest extension, early
the room type
per front office check-in, late check-
out, etc.

The action taken to

resolve the The name and
discrepancy, such as signature of the staff
contacting guests, who prepared and
changing room status, verified the report
etc.
 ROOM POSITION CALCULATION

IT IS IMPORTANT
NUMBER OF
FOR MANAGING
ROOMS AVAILABLE
OCCUPANCY, FORMULA FOR
FOR SALE IN A
REVENUE, AND CALCULATION :
HOTEL AT ANY
GUEST
GIVEN TIME.
SATISFACTION.

RPC = EXPECTED
DEPARTURES +
VACANT ROOMS -
EXPECTED
ARRIVALS
 OCCUPANCY CALCULATION

ROOM POSITION CAN ALSO BE THIS IS CALLED OCCUPANCY IT IS CALCULATED BY

EXPRESSED AS A PERCENTAGE PERCENTAGE OR OCCUPANCY DIVIDING THE NUMBER OF
OF THE TOTAL NUMBER OF RATIO. ROOMS OCCUPIED BY THE
ROOMS IN THE HOTEL. TOTAL NUMBER OF ROOMS
AVAILABLE FOR SALE,
MULTIPLIED BY 100
 Terms used to describe the
PLUS availability of rooms in a hotel at
any given time.
&
They indicate whether the hotel has
MINUS more rooms than guests expected
(plus position) or more guests
POSITION expected than rooms available
(minus position).

They help the hotel to plan ahead,

adjust rates, and allocate resources
accordingly
 FORMULA FOR
PLUS/MINUS
PLUS/MINUS POSITION =
E X P E C T E D D E PA RT U R E S + VA C A N T
R O O M S - E X P E C T E D A R R I VA L S .
 OVER BOOKING
Practice accepting more reservations than
the actual number of rooms available in a
hotel.
It is done to anticipate cancellations and no-
shows and to maximize occupancy and
revenue.
It also involves risks and challenges “ If there are no
cancellations or no-shows, the hotel may have to relocate
some guests to other hotels, which can affect guest
satisfaction and Loyalty.
 The hotel also needs to have a
To implement an overbooking contingency plan for relocating
strategy, the hotel needs to estimate guests, such as having
the expected number of agreements with nearby hotels,
cancellations and no-shows based providing transportation and
on historical data, market compensation, and training
conditions, and other factors. front desk staff on how to handle
overbooking situations
Situation when a hotel
cannot accommodate a guest
It is also known as walking
who arrives with or without
away or denial.
a reservation due to lack of
room availability.

Turnaway can have negative

It can also damage the hotel’s
impacts on guest satisfaction,
reputation and image.
loyalty, and revenue.

Therefore, hotels should try

to avoid or minimize
TURN AWAY
turnaways as much as possible
 TO PREVENT OR REDUCE TURN AWAY, HOTELS
CAN USE VARIOUS STRATEGIES
Such as: Forecasting demand and occupancy accurately.
• Managing reservations efficiently and ensuring that all reservation
records are updated and accurate.
• Communicating with guests prior to arrival and confirming their
reservation details and preferences.
• Monitoring room availability and status throughout the day and
coordinating with housekeeping and maintenance departments to ensure
timely room readiness
 FARM OUT
•Farm out is a term used to describe the process of
outsourcing some of the front office functions to a third-
party service provider, such as a reservation service, a call
centre, or a travel agency.

•Thiscan help the hotel to reduce costs, increase efficiency,

and improve customer satisfaction.

•However, some challenges and risks are involved in farming

out, such as loss of control, quality issues, and security
concerns.

•Therefore, the hotel should carefully evaluate the benefits and

drawbacks of farming out before deciding to implement it.
 STEPS TO BE FOLLOWED
Offer alternative solutions, such
Apologize sincerely as relocating the guest to another
to the guest and hotel of similar or higher
explain the reason for 1 standard, providing transportation
and compensation, or reserving a
the turn away. room for the guest for the next
available date.

2
Thank the guest for their
Record the turn-
understanding and away incident and
cooperation and assure them report it to the
that the hotel will do its best 3 management for
to accommodate them in the analysis and
future.
improvement
HANDLING GROUP & AND CREW ARRIVALS

• Handling group and crew

arrivals is an important task
for the front office staff in a
hotel.

• It requires careful planning,

coordination, and
communication to ensure a
smooth and efficient check-
in process for the guests.
● Pre-arrival: The front office should prepare a rooming list, block rooms on
the same floor if possible, print keys and put them in envelopes with room
numbers, pre-fill registration cards, arrange for welcome drinks and cold towels,
and communicate with housekeeping, room service, engineering, and guest services
about any special needs or requests for the group or crew.

● Arrival: The front office should greet the group or crew leader, collect the
vouchers or payment details, verify the number of guests and rooms, distribute the
keys and registration cards, inform the guests about the hotel facilities and services,
and escort them to their rooms or assign a bellboy to do so. The front office should
also handle any luggage or baggage of the group or crew members.
● During stay: The front office should maintain contact with the group or crew
leader, provide any assistance or information they may need, handle any complaints
or requests promptly, and coordinate with other departments to ensure guest
satisfaction.

● Departure: The front office should prepare the bills and invoices for the group
or crew, collect any feedback or comments from them, thank them for their stay,
and wish them a safe journey. The front office should also update the room status
and inventory after the group or crew leaves.
ROOM MOVES PROCESS
• Room moves or room shifts are when a
guest is physically moved to another room
for various reasons, such as
dissatisfaction, defects, requests, or
upselling.
• Room moves require careful planning,
coordination, and communication among
the front office staff and other departments
to ensure a smooth and efficient process
for the guest and the hotel.
 Room moves
involve Preparing a rooming
Blocking rooms,
Printing keys and
several steps, list, registration cards,

such as

Informing the guests

Collecting vouchers or Verifying the number Distributing the keys
about the hotel
payment details, of guests and rooms, and registration cards,
facilities and services,

Maintaining contact with the guest leader,

providing any assistance or information
Escorting them to their they may need, handling any complaints or
rooms or assigning a requests promptly, preparing the bills and
bellboy to do so, invoices, collecting any feedback or
comments, thanking them for their stay, and
updating the room status and inventory
Room moves Room service
“Room Change Form”
should be department, cashier,
and distributed to the
recorded on bellman, and
front desk room move
a five-part housekeeping.
file,

The room change information should also be updated on the property

management system to affect the front office operations like incoming
mail and telephone calls, voice mails and also to ensure proper billing
at check-out.
• Room moves can have different impacts on the room rate
depending on whether it is an upgrade or an upsell.

• An upgrade is when a guest is moved to a higher category

room at no additional cost, while an upsell is when a guest is
moved to a higher category room at a higher rate.

• The cashier is responsible for recording the new information

on the guest folio and placing supporting guest bills from the
old room rack to the new room rack
ROOM STATUS CONTROL
Room status control is the process of ensuring that rooms are properly
designated by their current status, and assigned new status as it changes.

Room status control involves close coordination and communication

between the front office and the housekeeping department to maximize
room sales and revenue while avoiding missed assignments or guest
dissatisfaction.

Room status control follows a particular order that can be thought of as

the “life cycle” of a guest room. The status of a guest room is determined
by its “readiness” for new occupancy.
• Room status control uses different codes or terminology to
indicate the state of occupancy and cleanliness of a guest
room. Some of the common codes are

VD - Vacant and Dirty:

VC - Vacant and
OCC - Occupied: A A guest has checked
Clean: The room has
guest is currently out, but the room has
been cleaned, but not
occupying the room not yet been cleaned
yet inspected
and ready for sale

VR - Vacant and OOS - Out of Service: OOO - Out of Order:

Ready: The room has The room is The room is
been cleaned and temporarily blocked permanently blocked
inspected and is ready for minor maintenance for major maintenance
for an arriving guest issues or refurbishing issues.
 DNCO - Did Not CO - Check Out:
Check Out: The guest DO - Due Out: The The guest has
has settled his or her
account, but has left
guest is expected checked out and
without informing the to check out today returned the room
front desk keys

DND - Do Not Disturb: LO - Lock Out: The SO - Sleep Out:

room has been locked The guest is
The guest has requested
so that the guest cannot
not to be disturbed by
re-enter until he or she
registered to the
housekeeping or other room, but the bed
is cleared by a hotel
staff.
official has not been used
INTER-DEPARTMENTAL COMMUNICATION.
In order to maintain the desired level of service, the front office department
communicates with the following departments of the hotel –

4.
3. Food and
1. Sales and 2. Maintenance
Beverage
Marketing Housekeeping or Engineering
department
department

8. Human
5. Security 6. Banquet 7. Finance
Resources
department department Controller
department
CO-ORDINATION WITH SALES AND
MARKETING DEPARTMENT
These two
departments
coordinate with each information • Guest histories
other for the
following

•Current Room •Group,

Room Reservation
Availability corporate and
Records
Status travel bookings

•Setting the •The front office must make every effort to

keep the room information on Room
transient and Availability Status and Guest Histories
bulk room sales current & and accurate
FRONT OFFICE CO-ORDINATION
WITH HOUSEKEEPING DEPARTMENT
Find sleepers (a
room from which as occupied in
Update room
the guest has front office room
status
checked out but it status records).
is showing

Charge the guest if

Know the exact an extra person Coordinate in
house count. has occupied the guest room change
room.
 SECURITY CONCERNS:

The Housekeeping staff should inform the front

office about any unusual circumstances that may
indicate a violation of security for the hotel guests.

The front office personnel will in turn inform in-

house authorities to ensure safety and security of
guests
 SPECIAL ARRANGEMENTS:

• Guests may request additional or special amenities during their stay, like an
• extra blanket,
• towel,
• soap,
• shampoo,
• iron and ironing board, etc
• When such requests are received at the front desk, they should be either
immediately informed by the HK Control Desk, or such calls may be
forwarded to the control desk.
FRONT OFFICE COORDINATION WITH THE F&B
DEPARTMENT
These departments coordinate with each other for the following
information –
• Specialarrangements • In-houseand
• Arrival and • Setting up of
like cookies, fruit expected VIPs
departure of bar in VIP
baskets and assorted and corporate
guest rooms
dry fruits. guests

• In-house • Information about Scanty baggage

• In-house and guests: All Point of Sales (POS) are • Groups and
and notified about In-house Scanty guests with
expected
expected baggage guests to receive all booking of specific
crews payments in cash from them and no meal-plans
groups credit is given to them.
 FRONT OFFICE COORDINATION WITH
FINANCE CONTROLLER

THE FRONT DESK PROVIDES A DAILY THE INFORMATION PROVIDED THE FRONT OFFICE PROVIDES
SUMMARY OF THE FINANCIAL BY THE FRONT DESK HELPS THE CONTROLLER WITH THE
TRANSACTIONS AFTER NIGHT AUDITING TO THE FINANCE CONTROLLER FINANCIAL DATA FOR
THE FINANCE CONTROLLER. TO MAKE BUDGETS AND BILLING AND MAINTENANCE
ALLOCATE RESOURCES FOR OF CREDIT CARD LEDGERS.
THE CURRENT FINANCIAL
PERIOD.
 FRONT OFFICE COORDINATION WITH
ENGINEERING AND MAINTENANCE
• These departments coordinate with each other for the following
information-
• Proper upkeep of the equipment and systems installed in the hotel
• Front office informs about any repair work required to be done
• In case of an occupied room in which occurs an extensive
maintenance problem, the front office requests the guest for
his/her room change.
 FRONT OFFICE WITH HUMAN
RESOURCES DEPARTMENT
Front office with Human Resources Department Close coordination and communication
between the front desk and the human resource (HR) department helps in the growth
and development of front office employees.
• The front office informs the HR department about its requirements for new staff,
training requirements for the new staff, refresher training courses for existing staff,
and cross-training requirements.
The HR department works in close coordination with the front office department to
procure quality personnel for the front desk and to impart training to the employees to
keep them up to date with the latest happenings in the hotel industry
 EXERCISE QUESTIONS:
1). List and explain the different status of
guestrooms in a hotel.
2). Explain the examples of consequences of not
having coordination with the housekeeping
department.
3). Explain the importance of staff management
in the front office.
4). What role does the front office play in
communication between the guest and
maintenance department