3. Front Office Communications
Guest communications
Transaction file
Information directory
Reader board
Group résumé book/file
Mail and package handling
Telecommunications services
4. Guest Communications
Communication between front
office staff members & guests
most important in hotel
Hotel must present professional,
positive image to guests in all
communications
Answering telephone, staff should
be warm & informative greeting to
callers, not neglecting to introduce
themselves & asking how they can
be of help
In face-to-face communication,
staff must include appropriate
body language & eye contact with
their use of professional language,
tone of voice, & behavior
5. Transaction File
Record of events & decisions during previous shifts, front desk maintain automated file or log book
Chronological journal that lists unusual events, guest complaints or requests, & other relevant information
Entries may be made to transaction file throughout work shift
Before beginning shift, front desk personnel should review transaction file, noting any current activities, situations that require follow-up, or potential problems
Entries should detail what happened, why, when, who is making entry
Once guest request or problem handled, entry should be made detailing how it was resolved
Help managers understand activity of front desk staff & presents documented record that may reveal patterns, after analysis, can lead to solutions
Rapid response software can help staff members record, track, complete guest service requests
7. Reader Board
Schedule of daily events at hotel
May be found on display screens or in-room televisions
Information on usually includes:
• Groups staying at hotel
• Groups’ meeting rooms, agendas, times etc.
• Digital screens near front desk, elevators, lobby, meeting room
• Interfaced with sales/catering system as well as front desk staff
8. Group Résumé Book/File
Information for groups staying,
group activities, billing
instructions, key attendees,
recreational, arrival & departure,
& other information
Hotels make group résumé
book/file required reading for
front desk & uniformed staff at
beginning of each work shift
Front desk staff members should
use group résumé/file to become
familiar with incoming groups
Group résumé book/file should
be kept current & be easily
accessible to front desk staff
9. Mail and Package Handling
Policies for handling mail & packages usually based on policies & regulations supplied by
U.S. Postal Service
When mail & packages arrive, front desk should check & verify guests are currently
registered, due to check in, or checked out
Mail/packages for registered guests should be time-stamped & held at front office
Guests due to check in should be time-stamped & held until check in, with notation on
reservation record
Guests who have checked out Mail/packages should be time-stamped & returned to their
senders, or to forwarding address if guest left one with hotel
10. Telecommunications Services
In-room local & long-
distance telephone service
Telephone messages Voice mailboxes Broadcast messages for
groups
Facsimiles
Wake-up services E-mail & data services TDDs Call broadcast
11. In-Room Local & Long-Distance Telephone Service
• Historically, hotels have provided in-room local & long-distance telephone
service twenty-four hours a day
Telephone Messages
• Messages taken by front desk staff should be time-stamped & relayed to
guestroom phone or maintained at front desk for arriving guests
• If guestroom phones are equipped with message indicator light, front desk
agent should switch on this light to alert guests that message is waiting for
pickup
• Hotel’s telephone system may be programmed to automatically turn on
guestroom message light when it receives voice mail message
12. Voice Mailboxes
• Devices that can record spoken messages for guests
• Callers leave voice message by simply speaking
• To retrieve, guest presses designated telephone key
• Advantage of voice mail is message is in caller’s voice
• Voice mail offers improved confidentiality of messages
Broadcast Messages for Groups
• Hotel telephone system with group broadcast feature makes it possible
for rooms associated with specific group to automatically receive
message simultaneously
13. Facsimiles
• Facsimiles or faxes are usually treated like mail
• Fax has special delivery instructions should be followed
• Front desk staff store fax & turn on message light in guestroom
• Faxes are time-stamped
• Faxes should be treated as confidential
• Front desk agents should record when guest was notified
• Fax undeliverable, hotel should immediately notify sender
• Hotels charge guests to send faxes, since costs involved
14. Wake-Up Services
• Pay special attention to wake-up call requests
• Front office mechanical or automated systems can remind front desk
agents to place wake-up calls
• Automated system may be programmed to place calls & play recorded
wake-up message
• Hotels may prefer make wake-up calls, to provide more personal touch
• Clock relied upon for wake-up-call purposes is hotel clock
• Guests can dial follow instructions provided to request automated wake-
up call
15. E-Mail & Data Services
• Guests have business & personal e-mail accounts needed to access while traveling
• Guests with laptop, notebook, or mobile device can use hotel’s high-speed Internet
• Guests may use guestroom telephone line as data port
• Hotels may provide e-mail/data services for free or may charge fee
TDDs (telecommunications device for the deaf)
• Designed piece of equipment for placing & conducting telephone calls
• ADA requires that hotels make available, upon request
Call Broadcast
• Telephone system to place calls to all occupied guestrooms simultaneously, or to designated group
• In emergencies, management place calls to all occupied guestrooms simultaneously to alert guests
16. Interdepartmental Communications
Front desk staff communicates most with:
Housekeeping
Engineering &
maintenance
Revenue centers
Marketing & public
relations
Services in hotel require coordination between front office staff
& staff in other hotel areas
17. Housekeeping
HSKP & front office staff must keep each other informed of changes in room status
More familiar front office staff is with HSKP procedures, & vice versa, smoother relationship will be between
two
HSKP personnel must know status of every room, along with guest requests
PMS can communicate room status through workstations & mobile devices used by housekeeping staff
Front desk telephone housekeeping when receive special requests
FOM & Exe. HSKPR meet frequently to review upcoming activities & coordinate their efforts
18. Engineering and Maintenance
Engineering &
maintenance
begin shift by
examining front
office log book or
specialty software
for repair work
orders
Hotels use work
order form or
system to report
maintenance
When work is
completed, staff
informs
department that
filed request
Problem renders
room unsaleable,
housekeeping
must be informed
immediately
When problem is
resolved room can
be readied for
sale
19. Revenue Centers
Dining rooms, snack
bars, specialty
restaurants
Bars, lounges,
nightclubs
Room service
operations
Business centers
Dry cleaning/valet
service
Vending machines
Gift shops,
barbershops,
newsstands
Banquet, meeting,
catering facilities
Local & long-
distance telephone
service
Health clubs, golf
courses, exercise
rooms
Car rentals,
limousine services,
& tours
Casinos & gaming
activities
Pay-per-view
television movies
In-room
entertainment
Valet parking &
parking garages
20. Marketing and Public Relations
Front office staff should be among first to know about events hotel schedules
for publicity
Effectiveness of a hotel’s marketing & public relations efforts depends on
participation & enthusiasm of front office staff
Front office staff members may contribute to hotel newsletters, guest history
files, & customized registration & check-out processes that can greatly help
personalize services for returning guests
21. Guest Services
Front desk is responsible for
coordinating guest services
Services involve providing
information, special
equipment & supplies, &
responding to other requests
Requests that fall outside front
office’s responsibility should
be referred to appropriate
department
Hotels employ concierge or
other designated staff to
handle guest requests
Hotels have centralized guest
service centers
22. Equipment and Supplies
Guests request equipment or supplies while making
reservation, at time of registration, or during occupancy
Reservations agents have reliable method for recording
requests, to ensure they are properly met
After registration, guest who needs equipment or supplies
will almost always contact front desk
Alternate ways of meeting guest requests when
department that normally handles request is closed or
inaccessible
Commonly request items
Rollaway beds/cribs
Additional linens/pillows
Irons & boards
Additional hangers
Audiovisual & office equipment
High-speed Internet connectors
Equipment for disable guests
23. Special Procedures
Guests may ask for special considerations when making reservation or at any point during their stay
Special guest requests may include
• Split account
• Master folio
• Wake-up calls
• Transportation arrangements
• Child-care services
Hotels assign concierge, guest relations or services to handle special requests, or may have
centralized guest service center
24. Guest Relations
Guests occasionally get disappointed or find fault with something or someone
High visibility of front office staff means that they are first to learn of guest complaints
Front office should be attentive to guests with complaints & seek timely & satisfactory resolution
When guests find it easy to express their opinions, both front office staff & guests benefit
• Front office staff learns of potential or actual problem & has opportunity to resolve them & keep guests happy
• Guests receive attentive service & enjoy satisfaction of seeing their complaints resolved
25. Categories of Guest Complaints
Mechanical Attitudinal Service-related Unusual
26. Guest Complaints
Mechanical Complaints
• Involve hotel equipment malfunctions
• Problems with climate controls, lighting, electricity, furnishings, ice & vending machines, door keys,
plumbing, TVs, & elevators
• Work order system can reduce frequency of mechanical complaints
• Staff with right skills be dispatched to correct problems
Attitudinal Complaints
• Guests may feel they have been poorly treated by hotel or overhear inappropriate staff conversation
• Guests should not be exposed to employees arguing, or problems
• Managers should listen & attend to employee complaints & problems
27. Guest Complaints
• Complaints can be wide-ranging including; long
lines, lack of assistance from staff, untidy
guestrooms, missed wake-up calls, ill-prepared
food, so on
• Staff receive more service-related requests when
hotel is operating at or near high occupancy
Service-Related
Complaints
• Complaints about circumstances over which
they have little or no control
• Complaints about the lack of a hotel swimming
pool, lack of public transportation, bad weather,
etc.
• Staff trained to listen patiently to unusual
requests & respond with appropriate guest-
relations techniques (i.e., remain patient,
friendly, & sympathetic)
Unusual
Complaints
28. Identifying Complaints
Complaints may be identified by reviewing properly
kept front office transaction file
Guest comment cards, online surveys, &
questionnaires may also help managers identify
guest complaints
Handling Complaints
Listen
Isolate guest from other guests
Stay calm
Preserve guest’s self-esteem
Give undivided attention
Take notes
Tell guest what can be done
Set timeline for action
Monitor progress
Follow up
