FRONT OFFICE SERVICES

I. Guest Contact
Close relationship – long, informal, and personal
Guest relationship – short, formal, and professional

If guest relation is short, we only have so much time to delight the guest. So we must do our
best in that short time.
If guest relation is formal, we must convey the genuine warmth and care in spite of the
formal manner of our conduct.
If guest relation is professional, we must always show a professional pride in serving the guest.

II. Grooming Standards

a. hair
1. men
 hair should not fall on forehead
 should not touch ears or collars
 permed cut in a conservative hairstyle
 should be neatly combed
2. women
for short hair
 should not sweep the shoulders
 neatly pinned and kept away from face
for long hair
 tied up at the center of the nape or bun secured at the back of the head or
above the nape
b. face
1. men
Moustache and beards should be clean shaved.
Sideburns must be cut straight and should not exceed half the length of the earlobe.
2. women
Make-up
 Use foundation to avoid oily look
 Use prescribed colors of lipstick
 Use subtle eye liner & eye shadow
 Use thin and neat mascara
c. fingernails and toenails (men and women)
 Neatly cut, shaped,
 clean & dirt free
 No excessively long nails
 (for girls) Only neutral colored nail polish
d. tattoo and body piercing (men and women)
 Visible body piercing and tattoo are not permitted.
e. ornaments and jewelries
1. earrings
a. men – earrings are not allowed
b. women – only one set of earrings is allowed (not dangling, flashy, and large)
2. ring
a. men – only one simple ring at any hand
b. women – one simple ring on each hand
3. bracelet
Men and women are not allowed to wear bracelets except for religious purposes.
4. watch
Men and women should wear conservative, not flashy and not too large watch.
Leather (black and brown) and metal strap (silver and gold) are allowed
f. belt
men - not cracked or dull, simple, not flashy and the buckle is not more than 1.5” wide
g. socks (men) and stockings (women)
Socks should not have patterns.
Stockings should not have tears or holes.
h. shoes (men and women)
 well maintained
 well polished
 in good repair
 only Uniform shoes
i. uniform (men and women)
 well-ironed
 appear fresh & not faded,
 perfectly fitted
 No loose threads or broken buttons
 cuffs and collars are clean
k. name plate (men and women)
 should be shining and visible
 Why grooming is important?
Grooming is the combination of style and discipline. Our appearance is a statement of who we are.
It is to project an image of organization’s culture and ethics to our esteemed costumers which is our
guests. Grooming enhances the personality of employee, character of an organization and value of the
company.

III. Etiquette and Manners

A. while talking to the guests
1. facial expression
 Always smile
 Always maintain and interested and helpful expression
 Maintain Eye Contact
2. distance
 Maintain 2 feet distance while talking to the guests
3. speech and language
 speak softly and clearly
 do not use abusive or slang language
4. gestures
 avoid unnecessary movements of hands and facial gestures
 be aware of the offensive habits
5. In general,
 Do not grumble.
 Do not speak poorly about other guest, staff or department
 Do not hint or solicit tips
B. while standing
1. hands
 keep hands on the sides or behind your back
 do not keep hands in pockets or on the hips
 do not cross arms across the chest
 do not lean against the counter
2. posture
 stand Erect at ease
 weight balanced on both feet
 shoulders Straight
 chest out/ Stomach in
 3. no guests around
 maintain the same finesse
 do not huddle together in groups
C. while walking
1. pace
 walk at even pace in guest areas without sound of footsteps
 do not run even when in hurry
2. in corridor
 when guests are approaching, get aside and give them first right of way
 when near a door, open the door for the guest to pass through
 if accompanying a guest, walk on his/her right
 be aware of your conversation with your co-workers
D. while talking on the phone
 never shout
 do not have long conversation when guests are waiting
 do not entertain personal calls
E. Courteous behavior
 open the door for the guest
 hand him/her a pen
 reach out for his bag
 do not get familiar with the guest, even if he treats you like a friend
 handle equipment without banging or making noise
F. when not on shift
 don’t hang around in guest areas
 don’t come to guest areas when not in uniform

Why having a good manner is important?

It only shows that you are showing those around you that you are considerate to their
feelings and you respect them.

IV. The Travel and Tourism Industry

a. The Transport Operations - means of movement from one’s locality towards the place of
destination and services
eg.: car rentals, buses, local transport (jeepneys, kalesa), cruise ships, airlines
b. Food and Beverage Services - provide meals offering all types of food & beverages
eg.: fast food, bar, restaurants
 c. Lodging Facilities - establishments that provide temporary accommodation for the
travelers ensuring comfortable stay
d. Travel Services - private and government agencies that work to promote tourism
destinations
eg.: Department of Tourism, travel agencies
e. Events or Attractions - a place of interest which may feature various attractions
eg.: natural attractions, sports activities, cultural heritage, historical landmark,
recreational activities, festivals

V. Departments of a hotel
1. Human Resources
2. Sales and Marketing
3. Finance
4. Food and Beverage
5. Engineering
6. Security
7. Room Division – Front Office and Housekeeping

VI. Front Office Department

Front Office department is the nerve of hotel operation because it directly interacts with the
customers when they first arrive at the hotel. The staff of this department is very visible to the guests.
The front desk is where the guests temporarily await to find an accommodation or to clear their bill.
Hence, it needs to be positioned appropriately such that the staff and the guests can use them
conveniently.
The physical setup includes key hanging boards, bell desk and guest-mail handling
register. The front desk is equipped with various compartments, the computerized property
management system, and an in-house communication system.

The front desk needs to be:

 Positioned at an adequate height and reach.
 Aesthetically furnished.
 Preferably near the sitting area and lift
 Wide enough to make the staff member communicate with the guests across the desk
VII. Front Office Personnel
A. Front Office Manager – direct and coordinate the activities of the front office department
The Front Office Manager should always ensure that:
 his staffs deliver warm hospitality towards the guests
 staffs always promote the hotel services
 there’s a provision of effective communication
 his staff had attended trainings and/or seminar to improve their skills
B. Bellboy – he assists the guests by carrying their luggage upon check-in from the hotel lobby up to
the room and check-out from the room up to the lobby
C. Door Attendant - exhibits hotel warm services to guest upon their arrival
- assists in opening of the car and hotel door
- helps in collecting luggage from the car
- endorses the need for valet
D. Concierge – arranges non-hotel services
E. Receptionist - entertains guests’ inquiries and accommodation needs at the time of the arrival up
to the time of departure
F. Cashier - assists guest on financial transactions and settlement
- administering safe deposit system
- handling foreign currency exchange
G. Night Auditor -performs night duties
- checks accounting records
- balancing of guest accounts and other charges
- monitors room avenue
H. Reservation Agent - receives and processes rooms reservation from different channels of
distribution
- prepares the daily expected arrival and departure list
I. Telephone Operator - processes all incoming and outgoing calls
- transfers calls to desired departments or guests
- assists guest on charged telephone long distance calls

VIII. Types of Hotels

A. Downtown or Commercial Hotel – located in business / commercial areas
B. Transit Hotel – located near the port of entry (airport, seaport, railways)
C. Motor Hotel – located on highways
D. Resort Hotel – resorts or baches
E. Residential Hotel -located in the city
F. Casino Hotel – focuses on gambling and casino
 G. Dormitories – a type of hotel wherein many people can stay together in a big room
H. Floatels – located on the surface of water

IX. Types of Bed

 Single bed
 Double bed
 Queen bed
 King bed
 Roll-away bed

X. Types of Room
A. According to number of bed
1. Single room – guest room that has one single bed and good for one person only
2. Twin room - guest room that has two single beds and good for two persons
3. Triple room - guest room that has three single beds and good for three persons
4. Quadruple room - guest room that has four single beds and good for four persons
5. Double room - guest room that has one double bed and good for one to two persons
6. Double-Double room - guest room that has two double beds and good for two to
four persons
7. King room - guest room that has one king bed and good for one to two persons
B. According to price, layout and facilities
1. Economy room – guest room designated for an economical rate
2. Standard room – guest room that is sold at moderate rate
3. Deluxe room – guest room that is more spacious and luxurious than standard room
4. studio room – guest room that has small dining area and seating area
5. Connecting room – two guest rooms that are adjacent to each other
6. Suite room – guest room that has a parlor or living area

XI. Types of Keys

A. Guest room key
The hotel guest room key is normally issued to open only one room for which it was intended
and it is an individualized key for each room.
B. Master Key
A master key is designed to open a set of several locks. A master key opens all guestrooms that
are not double locked. Depending upon the need, the master key may be further established as
a housekeeping staff master key, a floor supervisor master key, and a grand master key for
management purpose.
 C. Emergency Key
The emergency key opens all guestroom doors, even when they are double locked. The
emergency key should be highly protected and its use strictly controlled and recorded; it should
never leave the property.

XII. Common Terminologies used in Front Office

A. FOOD PLANS
 European Plan (EP) – the guest is offered only accommodation
 Continental Plan ( CP) - the guest is offered accommodation with Continental breakfast
Continental Breakfast consists of:
Fruit Juice, bread (served with butter and/or preserves like jam, honey), tea or coffee
 Bermuda Plan (BP) - the guest is offered accommodation with American breakfast
American Breakfast consists of:
Fruit Juice, cereals, bread (served with butter and/or preserves like jam, honey), eggs, tea or coffee
 American Plan ( AP) - the guest is offered accommodation with 2 major meals and 2 minor meals
 Modified American Plan (MAP) - the guest is offered accommodation with 1 major meal and 1
minor meal
B. ROOM STATUS
 Occupied ( OCC ) – guest is currently occupying the room
 Stay Over – guest is not expected to check out today and will remain at least one more night
 On-Change – guest has departed, but the room has not yet been cleaned and ready for sale
 Do Not Disturb ( DND ) – guest has requested not to be disturbed
 Cleaning in Progress – room attendant is currently cleaning the room
 On-Queue – guest has arrived but the room is not yet ready, if a room is on queue the housekeeper
must prioritize this first
 Vacant Dirty – rooms that are unoccupied and needs to be cleaned
 Lock Out – room has been locked so that the guest cannot re-enter until a hotel official clears him
 Out: of Service ( OOS ) – rooms that are temporarily blocked because of small maintenance issue
 Out of Order ( OOO ) – rooms that are not salable and deducted from hotel’s industry. A room may
need of maintenance or extensive cleaning
 Sleep-Out ( SO ) – guest is registered to the room, but the bed has not been used
 Skipper – guest has left the hotel without making arrangements to settle his or her account
 Sleeper – guest has settled his or her account and left the hotel, but the front office staff as failed to
properly update the room’s status
 Did Not Check Out ( DNCO ) – guest made arrangements to settle his or her account but has left
without informing the front office
  Room Status Discrepancy – a situation wherein housekeeping department’s description of room
status differs from the front office
 Back to back – describes a heavy rate of check outs and check ins on the same day, as soon as
the room is made up, a new guest will check in
 Very Important Person – a well renowned guest like executive or high ranking who wants special
treatment
 Very Very Important Person – a highly renowned person who deserves extra special treatment like
ambassadors
 Free Independent Traveler (FIT) – refers to a tourist who is travelling alone or is not with any tour group
 Joiner – a person joining another guest in the same room
C. RESERVATION
 Regular/ ordinary Reservation – an arrangement where the hotel holds the room until a stated cut
off time. If the guest does not arrive by the time, the room may be
given to another guest.
 Confirmed Reservation – the terms are verified. If the guest fails to arrive, the reservation will be
cancelled.
 Guaranteed Reservation – this agreement in which the hotel holds the room from the guest arrival
to departure time. In return, the guest assures payment.

XIII. Guest Cycle Stage

1. Pre-arrival
 Inquiry
 Reservations
 Pick up Service
2. Arrival
 Registration
 Room assignment
 Issuance of room key and Welcome Kit (if any)
 Baggage handling
3. In-house / Occupancy
 Mail and message handling
 Maintenance of guest account
 Paging and travel assistance
 Safe deposit, currency exchange
4. Departure
 Check Out Procedure
 Preparing the guest bill
 Settlement of guest account
 Transportation
 Future reservation