Functions of a Hotel

Lodging accommodations
Revenue centers
Cost centers
Serve and enrich society
Profit for the owners

Director of Rooms Division

Reservation, registration, room & rate assignment
Fulfills guest services and updates room status
Maintains & settles guest accounts
Creates guest history records
Develops & maintains a comprehensive database of guest information
Coordinates Guest Services
The sole priority of the Rooms Division Department shall be ensuring Guest Satisfaction, which
happens when, guest expectations match what the hotel provides.

The Rooms Division Department is typically composed of different departments:

a) Front Office
b) Reservation
c) Housekeeping
d) Uniformed Services/Guest Services/Concierge
e) Telephone/Communication
f) Security

a) Front Office:

-The front office is the most visible department in a hotel. Guests come to the front desk to register; to
receive room assignments; to inquire about available services, facilities, and the city or surrounding area;
and to check out.
-Other functions include receiving and distributing mail, messages, and facsimiles, as well as guest
cashiering.
-Cashiers post charges and payments to guest accounts, all of which are later during an account auditing
procedure (often called night audit).
The functions of the front office are to:
-Sell guestroom, register guests, and assign guestrooms.
-Process future room reservations, when there is no reservation department or when the
reservation dept. is closed.
-Coordinate guest services.
-Provide information about the hotel, the surrounding community, and any attractions or events of
interest to guests.
-Maintain accurate room status information.
-Maintain guest accounts and monitor credit limits.
 -Produce guest account statements and complete proper financial settlement.
Typical functions and positions under the Front Office Department
1. Rooms Division Manager
Rooms division managers knowledge required includes a complete understanding of hotel operations,
specifically those operations involving the front office, housekeeping and basic accounting procedures.
-Responsible for the supervision of employees engaged in the operation of the front areas of the
hotel
-Coordinates with other departments in the hotel and maintains open communications with them
to find better ways to serve the guests
-Maintains responsibility for staffing, purchasing, and budgeting
-Supervises the rooms division payroll, availability controls, and monthly plans
-Creates plans to maximize the average daily rate and percentage of occupancy
-Handles customer complaints and suggestions
-Stays up to date with events taking place in the market, in market segments, and in the
competition
2. Front Office Manager
-It is the basic function of the front office manager to directly supervise the front desk,
reservations, concierge and PBX.
-He is also assists the rooms division manager in compiling information for reports.
-Assists in the training and cross-training of front office employees
-Prepares monthly reports
-Assists the rooms division manager in formulation and implementation of front office policies and
procedures
-Reviews and approves all room moves and room rate changes to ensure they were necessary
-Handles guest complaints and follows them up to reduce future complaints
-Assists the rooms division manager in forecasting room availability to ensure that the optimal
level of occupancy is attained
-Is available to work in the front office area where there may be a shortage of staff
-Maintains the necessary stock of supplies in all front office areas, while controlling costs in these
areas
3. Front Desk Supervisor
-It is the front desk supervisors basic function to directly supervise the front desk procedures that
include check-in and check-out.
The front desk supervisor performs the following duties:
-Trains and cross-trains front desk personnel in the tasks of registration, mail handling,
information services, and check-in and check-out procedures
-Regulates the service given in the front desk
-Acts as a liaison between the guests and management, particularly with regard to problem-solving
activities
-Is responsible for seeing that daily and hourly computer reports are run and distributed
-Assigns VIP rooms to ensure guest satisfaction
-Resolves room discrepancy report
-Prepares the weekly/monthly schedule of employees
 -Assist the group coordinator with all group arrivals, either directly or through the delegation of
this duty to other front desk staff
4. Reception (Front Desk Agent)
-The reception provides the first initial contact a guest has with the hotel.
-After this contact, guests feel that the reception is the place to call or go when they have a
question or problem.
-The basic functions performed by the reception are the registration process and the assisting of
guests with any requests they make.
The receptions duties include the following:
-Handles the guest registration process and adheres to all hotel credit policies in the process
-Handles guest check-out procedure
-Always answers the front desk phone with three rings or less
-Attempts to sellup guest rooms, and informs and sells the guest on all hotel services and facilities
-Is aware of all daily events in the hotel and local area
-Handles guest mail and reservations when the reservations department is closed
-Coordinates room status updates with housekeeping department
-Ensure completion of guest registration card
-Identifies guests length of stay requirement
-Coordinates maintenance work with the engineering and maintenance division
-Maintains guestroom key storage
5. Front Office cashier
-Prepare and settle of guests accounts
-Administer the safe deposit boxes
-Provide a foreign currency exchange service
6. Night Auditor
-Checking and completion of guest and hotel accounts
-Producing statistics and summaries of revenue

b) Reservation
- The reservations department is responsible for receiving and processing reservation requests for future
overnight accommodations.
-These individuals arrange for hotel accommodations through such means as toll-free telephone numbers;
direct telephone lines; hotel sales representatives; travel agencies; property-to-property networks; postal
delivery; telex and fax; e-mail; and other communications services.
-Reservation agents should convey the desirability, features, and benefits of staying at the hotel, rather
than simply taking an order. It is no longer satisfactory for a reservations agent to say that the front desk
will determine the room rate at check-in.
-Reservation agents should confirm the rate over the telephone at the time the guest makes reservation.
The agent should also tell the guest why the room is such a good value information to avoid overbooking.
It is essential for reservations department personnel to work closely with the hotels sales and marketing
division.
-First area of guest contact
-A sales position
 -Telephone skills
-Central Reservations System (CRS)
DEFINITIONS:
1.Confirmed reservation- A reservation made by a guest, which is confirmed by the hotel for those dates
they plan on staying.
2. Guaranteed reservation- If rooms are available on guest demand, the hotel guarantees the guest rooms
on those days.
3.Advance deposit/advance payment
4. No show- guest who have a reservation but for whatever reasons did not arrive
5. 6 pm reservation- A reservation must be cancelled by 6PM local hotel time on the day of arrival. If a
reservation is cancelled after 6PM on the arrival day the 1st nights stay, at the quoted rate plus tax, will
be charged to the credit card holding the reservation.

Positions under Reservation Department

1. Reservations Manager
-The reservations managers basic functions are to supervise and oversee all the operations of the
reservations area.
-He or she must assure that all reservations, both group and individual, are recorded and followed up on
as necessary.
Other duties of reservations manager is to perform the following:
-Making sure proper telephone etiquette is used and correct information is being given to potential
guests
-Being sure that personal service is stressed and that sales techniques are being used
appropriately
-Following up on tentative booking, watching cut-off dates, and monitoring group tour business
accounts blocks for productivity
-Training reservation agents and setting up cross-training programs
-Reviewing all VIP reservations and working with the rooms division manager and the front office
manager on assignments
-Preparing and distributing to concerned departments a weekly, monthly reservations and revenue
forecast
-Handling requests for reservation information and room rates
-Developing and maintaining a solid working relationship with the central reservations office and
travel agents
2. Reservations Clerk
-The reservations clerk is responsible for taking reservations and for providing future guests with
information about the facilities of the hotel.
Duties performed by reservations clerk includes:
-Giving friendly and courteous service to future guests while involved in telephone sales
-Answering all reservation phone calls, taking reservations, and dealing with reservations
correspondence
-Dealing with group bookings such as cancellations, changes, and rooming lists
-Checking to see that all equipment is working properly and that the needed amount of supplies is
on hand
 -Conducting telemarketing under the direction of the director of sales and marketing

c) Uniformed Services/Guest Services/Concierge

-Concierge services are common in European hotels and available for over a century
-The basic task of a concierge is to serve as the guests liaison 9connection) with both hotel and non-hotel
services.
-In a sense, the function of a concierge is an extension of the function of a front desk agent
-A concierge must be resourceful and knowledgeable about the hotel and the surrounding community.
Regardless of whether concern in-hotel or off-premises attractions, facilities, services, or activities, a
concierge specializes in providing assistance to guests.
Typical guest requests handled by a concierge include:
-Providing directions and information
-Making airplane, theater, train ticket
-Reservations for dining
-Arranging for secretarial services
-Handling mail and parcel services
-Arranging sightseeing tours
-Transportation arrangement
-Limousine services
1.Guest Relations Officers (GRO)
-Make guests feel welcome
-Provide personal services
-Handle guests problems and complaints
-Take care for VIPs and frequent guests, escorting them on arrival
2.Bell Attendants provide baggage service between the lobby area and the guestroom.
-Should have strong oral communication skills and display genuine interest in each guest.
Depending on the size and complexity of the hotel, bell attendants may be counted on to:
-Transport guest luggage to and from guestrooms.
-Familiarize guests with the hotels facilities and services, safety features, as well as the guestroom
and any in-room amenities.
-Provide a secure area for guests requiring temporary luggage storage.
-Provide information on hotel services and facilities.
-Deliver mail, packages, messages, and special amenities to guestrooms.
-Pick up and deliver guest laundry and dry cleaning.
-Perform light housekeeping services in lobby and entry areas.
-Help guests load and unload their luggage in the absence of a door attendant.
3.Door Attendants
-Welcome the guest to the hotel.
-Open hotel doors and assisting guests upon arrival.
-Help guests load and unload luggage from vehicles.
-Escort guests to the hotel registration area.
-Control vehicle traffic flow and safety at the hotel entrance.
-Hail taxis, upon request.
-Assist with valet parking services.
 -Perform light housekeeping services in the lobby and entry areas.
4.Concierges
-Concierges may provide custom services to hotel guests.
-Duties include making reservations for dining, securing tickets for theater and sporting events,
arranging transportation, and providing information on cultural events and local attractions.
Concierges are known for their resourcefulness.
d)Telephone/Communication
-The telephone department may also be referred to as a private branch exchange or PBX.
-Hotel switchboard or PBX operators may have responsibilities that extend beyond answering and
distributing calls to the appropriate extension.
-When long distance calls are routed and priced through the switchboard, charges must be relayed
to a front office cashier for posting to the proper guest account.
-Switchboard operators may also place wake-up calls, monitor-automated systems, and coordinate
emergency communications.
-Operators also protect guests privacy, and thereby contribute to the hotels security program by
not divulging guestroom numbers.
1. Telephone Operator
-PABX stands for private automatic branch exchange. This area is commonly referred to as the
switchboard and is staffed by switchboard / telephone operators.
-Most large hotels have room-to-room dialing by which guests in one room can dial directly to another
room.
-The greatest duty of a telephone operator is that of transferring calls from outside the hotel to the
appropriate guest room.
-For security measurement, operators must do this without giving out the room number of a hotel
guest.
-The telephone operator may seldom be face-to-face with guests of the hotel, but plays an important
role in representing the hotel to the guest. For this position, a friendly and courteous tone of voice is
all-important.
The duties of the telephone operator include:
-Answers incoming calls
-Directs calls to guestrooms through the switchboard
-Provides information on guest services
-Processes guest wake-up calls
-Answers inquiries about hotel facilities and events