Skills for Reception in Front Office

There is no more important task facing a hotel and motel than guest relations.A property’s reputation ,the volune of its repeat business, indeed, its financial success can all be dependent on the quality of its guest service efforts .One way of thinking about guest service is the degree to which your guests feel at home. Unfortunately, it is not possible to provide your guests with the exact comforts and furnishings that they are familiar with at their home .So we must provide the personal attention that guests need to feel comfortable and welcome in an unfamiliar place.

Customer satifation is basic to any successful business Customer satifation is basic to any successful business. Guest service is regarded as one of the most importants concerns fa-cing the lodging industry today .With increasing competition and heighened customer sensitivity to the type of service they receive , quality guest relation is more important now than ever .The primary staff capable of providing good service are the people in the front office .The front desk is the one sure point of contact between guests and the property’ s personnel. Basically ,there are three levels of srevices any hotel and motel can provide :professional services ,a range of services that could be classified as adequate and intolerable service. Intolerable service forces guests to take action .They may write a complaining lettler or regis-ter the complaint in person or they may simply tell a friend about in.

A: Hi, welcome back, Kare .How was your trip? B: The trip was fine ,but that hotel is a joke. A: Oh, that’s too bad. Guest talked to their friends and colleageues about their trips and the information they give can be positive or negative, The end of the result in this case is that the guest and their friend will not be staying at the hotel in the future. As bad an intolerable condition may be considered adequate. Clearly ,being adequate is inadequate in a lodging operation that prides itself on its guest relations .Professional is the kind of services any company wants to be known for .Whenever service rises to the professional level , your guests are going tolet you know about it . They will feel almost compelled to fill out the guest comment cards .Perhaps they will write a positive letter to management ,say somethingto your supervisor ,or experss their pleasure to you in person .Better yet ,they’ll spread the word your good srevices when they get home.

A:Hi, welcome, Karen. And how was your trip? B:The tirp was fine and that hotel is something else! They real –ly know how to make you feel at home . A:Where did you stay ? B:At the------ Positive word of mouth advertising comes only from satisfied guests .Guests’ satisfied guests .Guests’ satisfaction should be the goal of all hotel employ-ees .But since front office professionals have the first and last con- tact with guests ,quality guest relations begins and ends at the front desk .

“I think some hotels are in the assembly line production “I think some hotels are in the assembly line production .We sometimes plug guests into what we think they want or try to give them the experience that we like .If you make a little extra time and try to understand the guests ,you can give them an expericence that they would really want and they really like.” Front offices professionals agree that the ability to look at things from the guest’s perspectives is an important step toward quality guest relations .So let’s look at an encounter from the guest’s point of view .Our guest is in an unfamiliar place far from home and it’s the end of a long day of travel or business meetings .As he enters the hotel , he has to rely on one nidividual ,the front office person, for all the information he needs in order to register , check on mes-sages , get to a room and just about anything else. Now as our weary traveler approaches ,let’s see how an encounter reacts from other side of the desk.

A:How long have you been gone anyway/ B:Two weeks .It seems like I like left, kind of hard to get back to the routine after being on vacation. A:Listen . We are going for a drink later .Want to join us? Can you? B:Oh no, midnight .(To the guest) Hi ,how are you doing? Can I help you? Guest(G for short):Ah yes .I have a reservation. B:Name? G:Scott,Philip B:Ok ,oh, boy. There things take so long sometimes .Oh, Mr .Philip, there isnt’t anything there. You ‘re sure you made a reservation? G: No, no, you don’t understand. My first name is Philip ,last name Scott. B:Oh well ,why didn’t you say so? All right. There you are OK.OK. Mr .Scott ,right? OK ,you fill out your card here. Here is your key .It’s room250 .That’s on the north side of the building, and the bellman is over there .He can help you oith your luggage.

G:Ah,I have an 8 o’clock anything. This place is really quiet G:Ah,I have an 8 o’clock anything .This place is really quiet .You’ll get a grear night’ s sleep. G: Well,I was going to ask for a 7 a.m. wake-up call. B:Oh, ahm, you have to call the hotel operator for that in your room. G:Very well. Are there any messages under the name of Scott? B:Oh, ah ,wait asecond. Yeah, there is a message for you from your office ;they said to give them a call. G:Great.

In the lodging profession ,courtesy and service are essential and these were the very two factors totally missing from this guest encounter .Even though the guest was registered, he was surely left with the feeling that he wasn’t treated quite right. Indeed, the guest may have felt like he was doing all the eork and nothing was done to help him feel an home. Professional service starts with you and the way you look .Don’t present an unprofessional appearance, look neat and well groomed .This tells the that you care about what you are doing and that you consider yourself to be a professional. Never ignore a guest .If you’ re busy ,at least acknowledge the guest’s persent .But if at all possible ,greet the guest immediately and give your undivided attention. A:Listen, we are going for a drink later .Want to join us ? Can you? B:Oh,what time do you get off? A:Ten.Can you? B:Oh,------Midnight.

Don’t show a lack of pride in your property Don’t show a lack of pride in your property. It is not uncom- mon for employees to look forward to the time when they will get off work .But nothing else will so quickly make you guests feel that you don’t care about them , your property in front of both your fellow employees and your guests. B:Hi, how are you doing? Don’t make the guest feel unwelcome. Instead, greed the guests warmly and with smile that shows on your face and in your eyes. B:Well, Mr.Philip, there isn’t anything there.You are sure you made a resevation? G:Oh well.Why didn’t you say say ? Don’t do or say anything that will make the guests feel uncom-fortable or foolish. Instead, remain courteous throughout and always show respect. Your manner can help relieve any of the insecurities or uneasiness your guests may have. Don’t be distracted from your guests .This relates back to the idea of giving the guests your undenide attention. It’s important to actively listen to your guest .You can’t do that if you initiate a dis-traction.

“I am going to get asnack. Do you want anything?’ If you allow yourself to be distracted by someone else, any dis-traction can cause you to lose eye contact with your guest,so can the paper work or computer you use when registering a guest. Main-tain eye contact ,it helps the communication process and it shows your guests you are giving them your full attention.In additiong, use the guest’s name during the encounter. People are pleased when you use their names because it makes them feel important and it personalizes the service they receives. “Here is your key. It’s room 250” Don’t loudly announce the guest’s room number .It could jeop-ardize your guest’s privacy and srcurity .Instead , follow your prop-erty’s procedures when preenting the room key. “The bellman is over there and he can help with your lug- gage.” Don’t dismissthe guest. Before your guests walk away, don’t forget to check for any message and ask if there is anything else that can be done on their behalf , such as leaving a wake- up call.

The two ways of wake-up call offered by a hotel to the guests are personal wake-up service and computer wake-up service. Some expensive hotels can offer the automatic wake-up call service because their telephone switchboard has its function. The concrete steps are as follows: Receive guests’ reservation for wake-up call. Fill out the registration form. Input it into the computer by clerk or overnight operator. Check the input information by form. Check the printed record. Use personal way to call guest again if there is no answer. Make sure if there is something wrong with the equipment. Notice the lobby manager on duty or housekeeping depart- ment to find out reasons if there is no answer again. Guest may also tell their needs for wake-up call to the floor clerk ot the receptionist of front desk

The service is such a vital task that we must be carefue and cautious when receiving it .If we forget to call guest becauese of the neglect, the results may be very serious .Some hotels ask an operator to tell guests the weather con- dition, the temperature while making the wake-up call service and also inquiry guests if they want room service, which especially make guests feel very well, even though they are far away from home .When we make the tape for wake-up call ,we should pay more at-tention to the choice of words and the kindness of tone and intona-tion.

G: I have an 8 o’clock appointment tomorrow morning and I was wondering----- A: Don’t worry about anything .This place is really quiet. You’ll get a great night’s sleep. G: Well, I was going to asl for a 7a.m .wake –up call. Don’t interrupt your guest .As we’ve said before , actively lis-ten,which means both listening closely and allowing the guest to finish before you respond. “You have to call the hotel operator for that in your room .” Don’t give orders .Unless it’s an emergency situation ,never tell guests what they have to do .After all, they are the guests and they don’t have to do anything. If possible, take care of your guests’needs yourself. Otherwise, pleasantly suggest your guests what they could do. These positive techniques can be used in almost every guests contact situation and their’ll go a long way toward making your guest feel important , at home and well treated.

A: Good evening, welcome to Mayfield Hotel. G: Hello. I have a resrvation .Name’s Scott ,Philip. A: Last name Scott? G: Yes. A: How are you doing today? G: Oh, fine, and a long day . I was here some time ageo. You have made some changes, haven’t you? A: Oh, yes, we have a brand new view and we’ve remodeled the loddy ,even more beautiful than before. Ok, Mr. Scott,how woulld you like to handle your account? G: On my credit card , please. A: Thank you. I’ll check to see if you have any messages and then we’ll be all set. There is one message for you. G: I have an 8o’clock apointment tomorrow morning and I’d like to leave a wake-up call with you or whomeverI’m sup- posed to. A: Certainly, I can take care of that for you. What time would you like to be called?

G: 7a.m A: 7a.m Mr .Scott, this id George. George: Good evening ,Mr Scott. G: Hello. A: George will help with your luggage and show you to your room . G: Fine, thank you very much. A: You’re welcome .If there’s anything else we can do for you, please let us know. G: Ok ,I’ll do that. B: Have a pleasant stay. G: Thank you. B: Thank you. Notice how our front office prefessional put the guests at ease and made him comfortable and welcome.