Hotel Front Office Department: Importance, Functions, Duties

What is the Hotel Front Office Department?

The front office is the main department in the hotel industry. It’s also called the nerve center of a hotel. It is situated in the lobby area. This department is located around the main entrance of the hotel and is easily visible to guests, patrons, and visitors.

Importance of Front Office Department in Hotel

The front office is the most important department in the hotel industry. The staff of this department is very active in looking out for the guests. In this department, the staff handles all the transactions between the hotel and its guests.

If guests face any issues, they would normally go to this front office department for solutions. This department is a major operational and revenue-producing department in the hotel.

This department is always involved in providing valuable services to guests. For example, Check-in, check-out, Reservation, registration, Pre-arrival, Arrival, Occupancy, Departure, and many other services.

It has been said that 75% of a guest’s total satisfaction with a hotel is determined during all the front-office processes. A successful hotel must do whatever it can to ensure that the guest is satisfied with every aspect of registration.

The first hotel employees who come into contact with most guests when they arrive are members of the uniformed services division of the front office.

The front office department is arguably the most important part of the hotel experience for a guest. It is during this time that lasting impressions are made.

Duties and Responsibilities of Hotel Front Office Manager

The front office manager is one of the vital designations in the front office department. The entire front office department is run under the guidance of a front office manager.

List of duties and responsibilities of the hotel front desk manager:

1. The front office manager checks whether the front desk is clean or not.

2. The front office manager makes the duty roaster for employees.

3. Check whether all employees are correctly communicating with the guests or not.

4. A front office manager checks the employee’s grooming standards. This means whether all employees who are working in the front office are maintaining their grooming standards or not.

5. Check the guest’s services. Follow each, and everything is perfect or not.

6. They monitor and update records and files.

7. They maintain the front office logbook.

8. Check the guest’s feedback.

9. They prepare and manage outgoing mail.

10. They motivate and train all the employees in the front office department.

11. They check the night auditing reports.

12. They manage or solve guests’ problems or issues immediately.

13. They send employee working reports to the HR department.

14. The front office manager attends morning meetings with the hotel general manager.

15. They deal with the arrival and departure of the guests.

16. Ensuring professional greeting of clients, visitors, and guests

17. Check the VIP functions and events taking place in the hotel.

18. Check whether all the software that is used in the front office is updated or not.

19. They update and back up databases regularly.

20. Make arrangements with the housekeeping department for room cleaning.

Functions of the Front Office Department in Hotel Industry

This front office is the main area of the hotel where guests interact with the hotel for the first time. The main functions of a front office department are to take care of Reservation, Registration, Check-in, Check-out, Settlement of the bill, Night auditing, Maintaining guest history records, Maintaining the front office database, Coordinating guest services, guest satisfaction, etc.

These are the functions of the hotel front office department:

1. Guest Registration: This department is responsible for registration-related works like Check-ins, check-outs, Room assignments, Welcoming, Room rates, etc.

2. Guest Service: This department is responsible for guest service.

3. Guest history: The front office always maintains the guest’s history and records. Like Maintaining a guest profile, Maintaining feedback and Guest history, etc.

4. Updates room status: This department is responsible for room status updates.

5. Bell Desk and Concierge: The front office is responsible for Bell Desk and Concierge services.

6. Foreign exchange report: The front office department is also responsible for Foreign exchange reports.

Hotel Front Office Manager Job Description

In this front office department, operations are visible to the guests of the hotel. Also, the front office manager is responsible for answering all the guest’s questions and handling all the guest’s complaints. The front office is the only department that is responsible for Guests’ Check-in, check-out, Reservation, Registration, Arrival, Pre-arrival, etc.

An analysis of the registration process begins with a look at the arrival chronology. Arrival chronology is the term used to categorize the stages a transient or group guest goes through upon arrival at a hotel. The arrival chronology allows for analysis of the front office departments that come into contact with the hotel guest.

The front office person greets every hotel guest. The first impression is very important. So, they always keep an eye on total guest satisfaction. The initial greeting begins the process of establishing a favorable impression of the hotel.

The most widely recognized job role within the industry is that of the bell person or bell boy, who is responsible for assisting guests to their rooms and explaining the hotel and hotel features to each and every guest.

Once a guest has arrived and made it to the front desk, the registration process begins. It is at this point that most guests have begun to create an impression of the hotel in their minds.

The front office department must continue to focus on guest satisfaction. Hotels that create a warm and inviting atmosphere around the front office area ensure that the registration process goes smoothly.

Getting people into guest rooms quickly, efficiently, and accurately is the primary responsibility of the front desk. Checking guests entails processing individual reservations, assigning the proper guest rooms by ensuring that room preferences are maintained, and obtaining the method of payment.

The front office department has the opportunity to make an impression on the guest’s stay. Sometimes they have more of an impact than any other employee with whom they come into contact at the hotel. The front office person is the first person they meet as guests arrive and one of the last people they say goodbye to as they depart.

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Dipayan Mondal
Dipayan Mondal

Dipayan is the author of this blog. He completed his hotel management degree from GNIHM, Kolkata. And he is very passionate about the hospitality industry. And right now, he is working as a successful hotelier in a 5-star hotel.