1. Layout and Sections of Front Office

2. Function Areas
The front office personnel perform the following functions:
Sell hotel rooms to guests
Accept advance booking of hotel rooms
Receive and register guests when they arrive at the hotel and assign them rooms
Maintain accurate room status information.
Maintain guest accounts and monitor credit
Handle guests’ demands and complaints.
Prepare account statements of guests.
Settle bills at the time of check-out.
Coordinate guest services like mails and messages, safety deposit lockers, handling of room keys, making sundry payments on behalf of guests
Provide information about the hotel’s facilities and services

3. Function Areas Selling of Rooms Settling of Bills
Receive & Register Guest
Information
Front Office Functions
Maintai n Room Status
Guest Services
Create Folio
Maintain the Guest Folios
Handling Guest Complaints

4. Sections of Front Office

5. Sections of Front Office
Reservation
Reception
Information Desk
Cash and Bills
Travel Desk
Communication Section
Uniformed Services
Bell Desk
Concierge

7. Reservation
The reservation section of the front office department of a hotel is responsible for receiving and processing reservation queries. Through
Telephones
Mails
Letters
Fax

8. Layout of the Reservation Section

9. Reception
Functions of Reception : The following functions are performed by the reception section of a hotel:
Receiving and welcoming guests.
Completing the registration formalities.
Assigning the room.
Sending arrival notification slips to the concerned departments.

10. In a hotel
Guest
Desk Clerk
Front Desk
Suitcase

12. Information Desk Functions of Information Desk :
Some of the functions of the information desk are as under:
Maintaining resident guest rack.
Handling guest room keys.
Co-ordinating guest mails, fax, couriers, parcels, etc.
Providing information to guests regarding hotel facilities and services, city information, etc.
Handling guests messages.
Paging

14. Cash and Bills
Functions of the Cash and Bills Section :This section performs the following tasks:
Opening and maintaining of guest folios.
Posting room charges in guest folios.
Recording all credit charges in guest folios.
Maintaining a record of the cash received from guests.
Preparing bills at the time of check-out.
Receiving cash/TC/demand draft for account settlement.
Handling credit/debit/charge cards for the settlement of a guest account.
Organizing foreign currency exchange for the settlement of a guest account.

16. Travel Desk
Functions of Travel Desk :The travel desk performs the following tasks:
Arranging pick-up and drop services for guests at the time of their arrival and departure.
Providing vehicles on request to guests at pre-determined rates
Making travel arrangements like railway reservation/air-tickets
Organizing half-day or full-day sightseeing
Arranging for guides who can communicate in the guest’s language

18. Communication Section
Functions of Communication Desk : The duties of the telephone operator include:
Answering incoming calls.
Directing calls to guest rooms through the switchboard/EPABX
Providing information on guest services
Processing guest wake-up calls
Answering inquiries about hotel facilities and events
Protecting guests’ privacy
Coordinating emergency communication

20. Uniformed Services The uniformed services in the hotel include :
Bell Desk
Concierge

21. Bell Desk
The bell desk is located very close to the main entrance of the hotel. This section is headed by a bell captain, who leads a team of bell boys and page boys.
Functions of bell desk :The bell desk is responsible for the following tasks:
Handling guest luggage at the time of arrival and departure
Escorting guests to their rooms on arrival.
Familiarizing guests about safety features and in-room facilities.
Making sundry purchases for the guest.
At request keeps guest luggage in the left luggage room

23. Concierge
Functions of concierge : The concierge provides the following services to guests:
Making reservations for dining in famous restaurants.
Obtaining tickets for theatres, musicals, sporting events
Arranging for transportation by limousine, car, coaches, buses, airplanes, or trains.
Providing information on cultural and social events like photo exhibitions, art shows etc.

25. FRONT OFFICE AND THE LOBBY
LAYOUT OF THE
FRONT OFFICE AND THE LOBBY

26. Layout of Front Office

27. HOTEL PORTICO

28. THE FRONT DESK
This is where the guests register, request information and service, relate complaints, settle their accounts, and check out.

29. Front Desk Design Prominently located in the hotel lobby
Counter design should match the design of lobby, E.g. ‘L’ shape, straight shape, curve shape (semicircular or circular) etc.
A typical front desk surface is a counter approximately three-and-a-half feet high and two- and-a-half feet deep

31. Front Office Equipment

32. FRONT OFFICE COUNTER OR DESK.
BELL DESK OR CONCIERGE DESK.
LOBBY DESK.
TRAVEL COUNTER OR DESK.
KEY & MAIL RACK {SEMI-AUTOMATIC & NON-AUTOMATIC SYSTEM}.
MAIL SORTING RACK {NON-AUTOMATIC & SEMI-AUTOMATIC SYSTEM}.
GUEST HISTORY FILING CABINET {SEMI-AUTOMATIC & NON-AUTOMATIC SYSTEM}.
RESERVATION FILING CABINET {SEMI-AUTOMATIC & NON-AUTOMATIC SYSTEM}.
PAGE BOARD {ALL SYSTEMS}.
SAFE DEPOSIT LOCKERS {ALL SYSTEMS}.
GUEST REGISTRATION CARD HOLDERS - FOLIO TRAYS OR FOLIO BUCKETS {ALL SYSTEMS}.
TYPE WRITER {SEMI-AUTOMATIC & NON-AUTOMATIC SYSTEM}.

33. BULLETIN BOARD {ALL SYSTEMS}.
PHOTOCOPY MACHINE.
CASHIER WELL & BUCKET {SEMI-AUTOMATIC & NON-AUTOMATIC SYSTEM}.
TELEPHONES {ALL SYSTEMS}.
BILLING MACHINE & POSTING MACHINE {SEMI-AUTOMATIC & NON-AUTOMATIC SYSTEM}.
DATE & TIME PUNCHING MACHINE {SEMI-AUTOMATIC & NON-AUTOMATIC SYSTEM}.
FAX MACHINES {ALL SYSTEMS}.
BAGGAGE X-RAY SCANNING MACHINE
POSTAL WEIGHING SCALE.
LUGGAGE TROLLEY OR BELL HOP TROLLEYS.
COMPUTER SYSTEM HARDWARE.
VOUCHER RACK.
Credit card/ Debit card MAGNETIC STRIP READER
KEY CARD MACHINES.

35. Interdepartmental Communication
Housekeeping
Food and Beverage Department
Sales and Marketing Department
Engineering and Maintenance
Security
Finance Controller
Human Resource
Banquets

36. Interdepartmental Communication