Woods et al., Professional Front Office Management © 2007 Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ All Rights Reserved. 1 Overview of the Front Office Department

Woods et al., Professional Front Office Management © 2007 Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ All Rights Reserved. 2 Front Office Functions and Responsibilities Coordinating guest services Specific activities help deliver guest services: –Revenue management –Reservation management –Guest services –Night audit

Woods et al., Professional Front Office Management © 2007 Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ All Rights Reserved. 3 Front Office Functions and Responsibilities Night Audit: The process of reviewing for accuracy and completeness the accounting transactions from one day to conclude or “close” that day’s sales information in preparation for posting the transactions of the next day.

Woods et al., Professional Front Office Management © 2007 Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ All Rights Reserved. 4 Front Office Functions and Responsibilities Front office responsibilities: –Managing the Property Management System (PMS): The PMS consists of the computer hardware and programs utilized to record guest reservations and requests and to manage the prices charged for rooms and other services. The system also records and stores hotel sales data and other historical information useful in decision making for effective hotel management.

Woods et al., Professional Front Office Management © 2007 Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ All Rights Reserved. 5 Front Office Functions and Responsibilities Front office responsibilities: –Revenue and reservations management –Management of guest services –Guest accounting –General data management

Woods et al., Professional Front Office Management © 2007 Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ All Rights Reserved. 6 Front Office Organization Organizational structure depends upon the size of the property: –Small hotels –Large hotels –Mega hotels

Woods et al., Professional Front Office Management © 2007 Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ All Rights Reserved. 7 Front Office Organization Career Ladder: A plan that projects successively more responsible professional positions within an organization or industry; career ladders also allow one to plan and schedule developmental activities judged necessary to assume these higher-level positions.

Woods et al., Professional Front Office Management © 2007 Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ All Rights Reserved. 8 Front Office Positions Management positions Entry-level positions

Woods et al., Professional Front Office Management © 2007 Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ All Rights Reserved. 9 Front Office Positions Management positions: –Responsibilities –Activities –Skills Universal Process of Management: The concept that, at their most basic level, the principles of planning, organizing, coordinating, staffing, controlling, and evaluating are the same (or similar) in any type of business or organization.

Woods et al., Professional Front Office Management © 2007 Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ All Rights Reserved. 10 Front Office Positions Common front office management positions: –Resident manager –Front office manager –PBX manager –Reservations manager –Assistant front office manager –Front desk manager –Uniformed services manager –Supervisor, bell services

Woods et al., Professional Front Office Management © 2007 Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ All Rights Reserved. 11 Front Office Positions Flat (Organization Chart): The collapse/combination of positions within an organization to reduce the number of management layers in efforts to improve communication, increase operating efficiencies, and reduce costs.

Woods et al., Professional Front Office Management © 2007 Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ All Rights Reserved. 12 Front Office Positions Non-management positions: –Responsibilities –Skills

Woods et al., Professional Front Office Management © 2007 Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ All Rights Reserved. 13 Front Office Positions Common non-management positions: –Night auditor –PBX operator –Reservations agent –Front desk cashier –Front desk agent –Bell services attendant –Concierge –Door attendant –Parking lot attendant –Van driver

Woods et al., Professional Front Office Management © 2007 Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ All Rights Reserved. 14 Human Resources Management Turnover Rate: A measure of the proportion of a work force that is replaced during a designated time period. # Employees Separated = Employee Turnover Rate # Employees in the Workforce

Woods et al., Professional Front Office Management © 2007 Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ All Rights Reserved. 15 Human Resources Management Internal Recruiting: Tactics to identify and attract currently employed staff members for job vacancies that represent promotions or lateral transfers to similar positions in the same organization. External Recruiting: Tactics designed to attract persons who are not current hotel employees for vacant positions within the organization.

Woods et al., Professional Front Office Management © 2007 Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ All Rights Reserved. 16 Human Resources Management Warm Body Syndrome: An often-used but ineffective selection technique that involves hiring (almost) anyone who applies without regard to qualifications for the vacant position.

Woods et al., Professional Front Office Management © 2007 Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ All Rights Reserved. 17 Human Resources Management Tools for screening applicants: –Review application form –Employment interviews –Employment tests –Reference checks –Review of other requirements –Drug screening

Woods et al., Professional Front Office Management © 2007 Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ All Rights Reserved. 18 Human Resources Management Bond(ing): Purchasing an insurance policy against the possibility that an employee will steal. Employer-of-Choice: The concept that the hospitality operation is a preferred place of employment within the community by those who have alternative employment opportunities.

Woods et al., Professional Front Office Management © 2007 Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ All Rights Reserved. 19 Human Resources Management Orientation: The process of providing basic information about the hotel that should be known by all of its employees. –Employee Handbook: Written policies and procedures related to employment at a hotel. Induction: The process of informing new employees about matters related to the department in which they will work.

Woods et al., Professional Front Office Management © 2007 Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ All Rights Reserved. 20 Human Resources Management Steps for effective training: –Plan the training: 1.Define tasks for which training is needed. 2.Determine how each task should be done.

Woods et al., Professional Front Office Management © 2007 Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ All Rights Reserved. 21 Human Resources Management Steps for effective training: –Prepare for training: 1.Learn how to train. “Off-the-Shelf”: A term relating to a generic product (such as a training resource) that is developed for general industry use rather than specifically developed for a unique property. 2. Prepare for training.

Woods et al., Professional Front Office Management © 2007 Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ All Rights Reserved. 22 Human Resources Management Steps for effective training: –Deliver the training: 1.Conduct the training. 2.Allow trainee to practice (learn).

Woods et al., Professional Front Office Management © 2007 Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ All Rights Reserved. 23 Human Resources Management Steps for effective training: –Follow-up after training: 1.Coach the trainee to reinforce correct methods. 2.Evaluate the trainer and the training.

Woods et al., Professional Front Office Management © 2007 Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ All Rights Reserved. 24 Human Resources Management Motivate: The process of appealing to a person’s inner drive to attain a goal.

Woods et al., Professional Front Office Management © 2007 Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ All Rights Reserved. 25 Human Resources Management Tactics to motivate front office employees: –Follow sound management advice –Provide effective orientation –Train correctly –Manage a professional hotel –Supervise like you want to be supervised –Encourage effective communication –Manage a friendly hotel –Help your employees succeed

Woods et al., Professional Front Office Management © 2007 Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ All Rights Reserved. 26 Human Resources Management Leadership Styles: The mix of attitudes and/or behaviors that a supervisor can use to direct the work of employees. –Autocratic manager –Bureaucratic manager –Democratic manager –Laissez-faire manager

Woods et al., Professional Front Office Management © 2007 Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ All Rights Reserved. 27 Human Resources Management Factors influencing leadership style used: –Manager’s personal background –Characteristics of employees –Relationship between manager and employees –The job situation itself

Woods et al., Professional Front Office Management © 2007 Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ All Rights Reserved. 28 Human Resources Management Staffing and scheduling –Variable Labor Position: A position that must be staffed according to the volume of business. –Fixed Labor Position: A position that involves work tasks not directly tied to the level of business volume.

Woods et al., Professional Front Office Management © 2007 Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ All Rights Reserved. 29 Human Resources Management Factors to be considered in staffing: –Number of guest arrivals/departures –Occupancy rate –Each employee’s interest and history of work shifts –Employees’ expenses and training –Employee requests –Legal factors –Other factors