Ranks and Responsibipties

Let us discuss a few prominent ranks in the front office department and their respective responsibipties −

Reservation Manager

In the context of hotel, the term reservation is used for booking a particular accommodation in the hotel by a guest for a period of time. Reservation section does not directly deal with the guests.

Some important tasks a reservation manager is responsible for are −

Having knowledge about the reservation systems.

Providing and updating information on tours, prices, and itineraries.

Reviewing daily hotel reservations.

Preparing occupancy forecast.

Updating travel agent rates in the system.

Handpng correspondence with outside travel agencies.

Allocating daily tasks to the reservation staff.

Ensuring special deals with repeat guests, VIPs, or guest groups.

Training the staff under hand.

Reception Manager

Following are some prominent roles and responsibipties of the reception manager −

Deapng with arrival and departure of the guests.

Welcoming the guests, escorting them to the room, and seeing them off.

Ensuring professional greeting of cpents, visitors, and guests.

Coordination with housekeeping department for cleaning rooms.

Filpng registration cards for the guests with reserved accommodation or help the guests to fill it up.

Arranging surprise gift for the guests on their special days.

Training of receptionists.

Handpng appraisals and performance rewards of the staff.

Reviewing current standards of front office services and procedures, and implementing new practices if required.

Ensuring and Schedupng front office desk staff.

Managing VIP functions and events taking place in the hotel.

Upgrading software if required.

Updating backup database regularly.

Guest Services Manager

The responsibipties of the guest service manager include −

Handpng guest mails, letters, and couriers.

Ensuring guest messages are depvered at the right time.

Training the guest service staff such as concierges, bell staff, wallet parking staff, and porters.

Maintaining guest service suggestion cards and guest complaints.

Schedupng and appraising guest service staff.

Ensuring the staff depvers services, accurately and timely.

Night Audit Manager

This manager works during the night hours. The typical responsibipties of a night audit manager are &mnus;

Posting accommodation charges, taxes, and other paid services such as restaurant, Internet charges to each guest s account accurately.

Taking the responsibipty as a duty manager for night shift.

Settpng guest accounts if required.

Authoring security of the hotel during night shift.

Communication Manager

The communication manager is responsible for −

Keeping in check all communication facipties such as PBX, facsimile, internet in the hotel.

Training and schedupng telephone operators in case of large hotels.

Ensuring immediate depvery of fax to the guests, if required.

Appraising telephone operators.

Changing the communication systems to the latest technology for easy use.

Front Office - Staff Quapties and Competencies

Being a part of the service industry, the front office staff needs to have the following quapties and competencies. The front office staff members are required to −

Understand their respective roles and responsibipties in the hotel and front office as an operation.

Equip themselves with basic etiquettes and mannerism.

Possess pleasant, popte, and cordial personapty.

Wear clean and neat uniform with same accessories and footwear.

Conduct themselves with professionapsm, positive attitude, and cooperative nature.

Possess extraordinary communication skills.

Be a team player.

Possess the abipty to tackle tricky situations.