Importance of Front Office Operations in a Hotel

This report discusses the importance of front office operations in a hotel and how it impacts customer satisfaction and loyalty. It explores the roles of the front office manager and night auditor in ensuring smooth operations and resolving guest issues. The report emphasizes the need for effective communication, professionalism, and adherence to hotel policies in the front office. The findings highlight the significance of the front office in creating a positive impression of the hotel brand and attracting repeat customers.

REPORT

Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................3
1. Importance of front office operations in a hotel......................................................................3
2. Roles of the front office manager and night auditor................................................................4
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................6
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................7
Books and Journals......................................................................................................................7

INTRODUCTION
Hilton is American based international company, a chain of hotels and resorts. In 2018,
the company had 586 hotels and resorts under them with 215,623 rooms and they are spread
across 85 countries. The company does provide a lot of services to the customers so that they can
keep the customers happy and satisfied. The company provides its customers with the best of
services and leaves them satisfied and with no complains and even if they have any actions are
taken immediately and the customers feel even more comfortable with the hotel.
The front office is an area where the customers or visitors have there first encounter with
the staff of the place they have come to. The front office must deal with all the enquiries the
customers or the visitors have regarding anything. The enquiries can be related to the place they
are staying in or about the surrounding. The front office can add revenue to the organization or
reduce the revenue of the company. The interactions of the front office and the customers need a
skill of communication and that is very important for the company to have such skilled people in
the front office.
1. Importance of front office operations in a hotel.
The importance of front office is high in a hotel industry for any of the hotel companies in the
world. The first encounter of the customer in the hotel is the front office staff which makes the
first impression on the guest. The skills of communication play the most important role in the
front office staff because they must be able to talk to the guest and make them feel comfortable
with the environment of the hotel (Rahat and Kabir, 2018). The front office staff of Hilton must
know multiple languages so that the guests can speak their mother tongue and the staff will be
able to understand and speak to make them more comfortable in the hotel. When the guests feel
comfortable with the hotel the guests want to come again and again to the hotel brand they just
went in because their way of thinking about the hotel brand changes.
The hotel staff must make sure that they know everything about the city they are working in
because if the guests come to them and ask them anything related to the city they must know
(Chalmin-Pui and et.al., 2019). That is also a way they can attract customers. The front office
staff of Hilton must know how to solve problems related to the customers and the staff of the
hotel or anything which is upsetting the guest. Since, the front office staff is the first one to
interact with the customers which means they need to be professional in their appearance and
neat because that shows the standards of the hotel.

There is a lot of pressure on the front office staff of Hilton because they are following the hotel
rules, policies and regulations that is why they can not do most of the things they wish to for the
guests but they try being as helpful to the customers as much as possible by being professional
(Gholami, Aminifar and Shahidehpour, 2016). The front office tries to make the customers
comfortable with the environment of the hotel, but they are being professional which is not
letting the guests get too friendly, but they feel comfortable enough to stay there in peace.
Due to all that pressure on the front office staff they must also know how to remain clam.
Sometimes the guests can be a trouble, or the hotel is being a trouble for them but the front office
staff must be calm and try to make the situation calm so that the other guests do not get disturbed
nor the guest having troubles say much. The hotel must remain organised and oriented because
that is what the guests look forward for in a hotel. There is a lot of paperwork which happens at
the front office, but the staff must be organised to handle both the responsibilities otherwise that
could lead to a big mismanage of the hotel (Dinh, 2018).
The working hours of the front office staff is very flexible, and it is impossible to find people
who are willing to be so flexible with there work. Hotel Hilton is very good with its staff
members and are very considerate with the flexibility of work hours of the guests. Without the
front office the hotel is impossible for it to work for long term because the interaction of the
guests is directly with the front office regarding any enquiries. The front office staff reflects the
interpersonal skills of the hotel brand to the customers (Thompson, 2019). The company which
wants to have loyal customers and guests to come again and again to the same brand of hotel
they must have a good front office staff so that the guests feel good about the brand. Hotel Hilton
has appointed good front office staff always and therefore they are not having trouble with the
fact of the customers coming in the hotel.
2. Roles of the front office manager and night auditor.
Roles of front office manager-
 The schedules of all the staff members working in the front office are done by the
manager of the front office (Szende and Reddy, 2017).
 When there is workload in the hotel the manager must supervise the employees so that
the work is done right.

 The guest’s problems and issues are mostly solved by the manager of the front office
because they have more experience in the field and are more trained for such kind of
situations.
 Can conduct meetings of all the staff members of the hotel so that the manager is aware
of what is happening in the department.
 The evaluation of each employees of the front office is done by the manager of the front
office (Truong and Li, 2017).
 The manager makes sure that the front office team is working as a team and the work
which everyone has been allocated is fine with it and are doing their jobs right.
 There must be a monitoring on the V.I.P guests in the hotel which are also supposed to be
done by the manager of the front office. The manager must go to the V.I.P guests and ask
them how their stay is and if they are having any trouble with the hotel.
 The manager must make sure that the entire team under them are following the rules and
policies of the hotel because it’s the work of the manager so make sure of that factor.
Roles of a night auditor-
 There is a administer on the restaurant revenue and then it is compiled daily by the night
auditor and the data report is made with an audit performance on service journal.
 From the front office computer system and service of point there is a monitor of the night
auditor on journals and reports.
 As per existing procedures there is a performance of the night audit of the outlets and
hotels for a good revenue and this is held by the night auditor.
 Every day the night auditor must settle down the accounts and prepare a balance sheet so
that the details for reference can be put.
 The night auditors can attend any guests calls and ensure if they are comfortable with the
hotel and have any complain regarding the hotel so that they can make changes in the
hotel accordingly.
 To have a superior quest services for all the guests present in the hotel the night auditor
must develop goals based on average rate to offer and occupancy of the hotel.
 To get the most from the operations happening in the hotel the night auditor must develop
and make new methods which can be applied to get the best.

 To give the maximum level of comfort to the guests the night auditor must identify and
solve the issues which they are having. This is done by the night auditor if the manager of
the front desk is not being able to help (Ferrari and Pastorelli, 2016).
 Ensuring that the credit and accounting procedures which are followed by the hotel are
well maintained by the night auditor.
CONCLUSION
The report has made us understand that without the front office a hotel can not work
efficiently. The company which wants loyal customers or customers who visit the same hotel
again and again it can be possible with the help of the front office staff. The first interaction, the
last interaction and till they are in the hotel the interaction is with the front office most of the
customers so the communication, manners, neatness, carrying themselves well, etc are very
important for them. The rules and regulations must be followed by the front office the most
because they are setting a standard of the hotel in the eyes of the customers. Therefore, the want
of the front office is very important, and the hotel chosen proved that how important the front
office is in a hotel.

REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Chalmin-Pui, L.S and et.al., 2019. Bringing Fronts Back: A Research Agenda to Investigate the
Health and Well-Being Impacts of Front Gardens. Challenges. 10(2). p.37.
Dinh, T., 2018. Front Desk Development Hanoi Hilton Opera House.
Ferrari, S. and Pastorelli, S. eds., 2016. Religion in public spaces: a European perspective.
Routledge.
Gholami, A., Aminifar, F. and Shahidehpour, M., 2016. Front lines against the darkness:
Enhancing the resilience of the electricity grid through microgrid facilities. IEEE
Electrification Magazine. 4(1). pp.18-24.
Rahat, M. and Kabir, S., 2018. Role of Night Audit on the Perspective of Hotel Bengal
Blueberry.
Szende, P. and Reddy, P., 2017. A Fragment of the Past: The System of Hotel Front Office
Racks. Boston Hospitality Review. 5(2). pp.1-13.
Thompson, G., 2019. THE INN FORMER. Management. 31(1).
Truong, K. and Li, Y., 2017. Leadership Audit for Hilton Garden Inn San Diego Del Mar.