G.Ms MANAGEMENT AND SUPERVISION SKILLS TOWARDS FRONT OFFICE

G.Ms usually depends on the performance of an outstanding front office to help meet guest service and profitability. The front office and its managers assist in or are responsible for, a variety of important hotel functions.

Because the rooms sold by the hotel are extremely perishable ( a guest room left unsold on a given night can never again be sold on that night). It is very important that hotels do the best job possible in matching guest room availability with guest room demand. Also, since it is not possible to change the number of guest room available to sell up or down on daily basis (because the hotel was constructed with a fixed number of rooms), an important responsibility of the front office is the sale of rooms at a rate that management feels will maximize Revenue Par. Aggressive management and talented front office will do this well.

The making of guest reservations is often the first thing that comes to mind when considering the major functions of the front office, and this is indeed an important and often complex aspect of the front office's role. In addition to reservation, however, it falls upon the front office to actually assign arriving guests to specific guest rooms and respond to their needs and expectation during their stay. These needs and requirements can include anything from transportation and information to medical assistance, the unwavering role of the front office is to make the guest's stay as comfortable and as welcoming as possible.

An essential aspect of the front office is its responsibilities for collecting the revenue charged to guests for their rooms, restaurant meals, telephone calls, and host of other services. This means that the front office manager, working with the G.M and finance controller, must devise and administer a revenue management system that ensures guests are properly charged for the services they use and that the hotel fully collects all monies it has earned.

When forecasting room demand, accomodating guest, and collecting monies for the services rendered, the front office generates a large amount of data, much of which are critical for management decision making. It is the role of the front office to collect, sort, and present these data in a way that assists in management decision making. G.M's task can be made much easier by the support of an effective front office.

Overview of the Front Office

Responsibilities of the front office include:

• The PMS and its management
• Revenue and reservation Management
• Forecasting guest demand for the rooms
• Practicing Yield Management
• Managing occupancy
• Management of guest services
• Accounting for Guests
• Data Management

Managing Guest Reservations

• by the revenue type
• By delivery method
• GDS
• Franchise toll-free numbers
• Internet
• Hotel direct
• Walk-in

Managing Guest Services

• Front desk arrival
• Prearrival
• Bell station
• Valet Services
• Registration
• Concierge

Front Desk Guest Privacy

• Guest information
• Room information
• Front desk: stay and departure
• Guest satisfaction issues
• The Walked guest

Accounting for Guests

• Rooms management assignment
• Front desk check-in
• self-check-in
• Billing the folio
• Bucket check
• Night Audit
• Checkouts

Data Management

• Credit cards
• Locking/Security System
• Telephone
• Call Accounting
• Wake-up calls
• Voice mail
• Message on hold
• Point of Sale (POS)

In-room Service

• Movies
• Games
• in-room minibars
• Safes
• Internet connection
• Back office system

Overview of the Front Office

Even though front office some time refers to as front desk, the front office controls much more than the activities occurring at the front desk. In a small, limited-service hotel, the front office may consist, physically, of only that area reserved for the guest registration. In a large property, the front office may include several staff members, each responsible for the portion of the office's management of the operation.

Regardless of its size, the front office must be organized to manage its key tasks and area of responsibility. In a typical 350 plus rooms hotels, The organization of the front office department is as follows:

The front office manager is assisted by the Revenue manager, reservations staff, guest service staff, night audit, desk staff, concierge, and bell/van driver staff.

Generally, Front Office Manager (FOM) reports directly to General Manager.

Reporting to the FOM would be the individuals responsible for:

• Establishing room rates (revenue manager).
• Managing the reservation process (reservation manager)
• Providing for guest services (guest service manager) including services related to guest registration (desk Staff), guest information (Concierge), and guest assistance (bell staff).
• Managing the front office related accounting and data collection process (night audit)

In a smaller hotel, these duties will overlap. In fact, in a small limited-service property, one person may perform all of these tasks and more.

The Responsibilities of the Front Office

Responsibilities of the front office are all the points mentioned above and more. But as a G.M, one must know what can be expected of an effectively managed front office and just as important, how you can determine if the front office is, in fact, being well managed. This task is made difficult today because technology has developed so quickly in the area that G.Ms who have not kept up with these technological advances, especially those in the area of the property management system (PMS), can quickly find their knowledge base inadequate for the decision making required. While it may vary somewhat based on the organizational structure of a specific size hotel, essentially the functional area of the front office can be summarised as follows:

• The PMS and its management.
• Revenue and reservation management.
• Management of guest services.
• Accounting for guests.
• Data Management.

The PMS and Its Management

The PMS is the computerized system used by the hotel to manage its room's revenue, room rates, reservations, and room assignments, guest histories, and accounting information, as well as other selected guest services and management information functions. A simple system will have limited features, while more extensive (and expensive) systems offer a wide range of management information features.

Often, the specific PMS system used in a hotel is mandated by the franchisor. There are, however many generic PMS on the market. The PMS, sold under the name "Guest Tracker" has features typical of those offered for sale today.

Essentially, the PMS records, who are coming to the hotel, what they spend when they were there, and their form of payment upon departure. As a G.M, it is critical that you know all of the features that exist on your PMS. Often the PMS includes features that should be used, but are not currently in use by the front office. One's role as G.M includes ensuring that the PMS used to operate one's hotel is utilized to its maximum effectiveness.

It is important to remember that the PMS, like any other piece of equipment, requires its own care and maintenance. Imagine, for example, the difficulty that would ensue if, one hour before check-in time on a sold-out night, the PMS responsible for informing the front desk staff about who was coming to the hotel, the room type these guest requested, and the room rates they were to pay for their room"crashed". It happens. In many cases, it can be avoided.

A PMS consists essentially of the hardware and software components. Management of the hardware requires that the front desk staff keep the computer equipment clean and free of dust. Cables connecting PC workstations to the main computer should be examined periodically and replaced as needed. The source power to the system should be managed and surge-protected so that unanticipated power surge do not affect the continued operation of the system. Any installed backup system hardware related to the PMS should be inspected and tested on regular basis.

Although hardware problems can sometimes occur, most frequently it is software-related problems that cause difficulties. Often, because the PMS is connected by the modem to the PMS software support organization, repair can be achieved simply by calling PMS software support. In fact, one of the primary features separating an outstanding PMS system from less effective ones is the system's level and availability of software support. Software support from PMS vendor is not typically free, thus securing service on the system's software at an affordable price is an important consideration when selecting a PMS vendor.

In relation to the management of PMS, it is reasonable to expect that an effective FOM will provide the G.M with:

• Proof that the hotel utilizes all appropriate PMS systems.
• Evidence of a regularly scheduled hardware maintenance program.
• Evidence of the ability to rapidly secure software support if needed.

Truly, the PMS can be considered the heart of the hotel. As such, its care and maintenance are critical to the successful operation of the front desk, as well as the entire hotel.

Revenue and Reservation Management

One of the most important roles played by the front office is that of maximizing the hotel revenue per available room (RevPar). The RevPar is computed as:

Occupancy % X Average Daily Rate = RevPar

In a hotel with an annual occupancy of 70% and ADR of Rs 15000, RevPar would be

(70%) X (15000) = 10,500

Put another way each of the hotel rooms generates, on average Rs 10,500 per day

Obviously, to improve RevPar, the goal must be to either increase the occupancy percentage and/or Average Daily Rate (ADR).

It is the job of FOM to achieve one or both of these goals. To do so, the FOM must implement a three-step process designed to:

• Estimate (forecast) guest demand for rooms.
• Practice yield management.
• Control occupancy

Forecasting Guest Demand for rooms

The daily demand for a hotel room, even within the same geographic area, varies greatly. This is the reality, and challenges faced by many hotel managers. Image, for example, the difference in demand for hotel rooms in Islamabad, a day before the major event in the capital. a sell-out period for the entire Islamabad area, compared with a day before long Eid holidays, traditionally a very slow day for the business travelers of all types in the city. The point to remember is that the FOM must know when there is strong demand for the hotel's rooms. That is, what special events, group activities, holidays, or other factors will impact room demand. Recall that to maximize RevPar, the hotel management staff must attempt to drive (increase) ADR, when demand for rooms is high. and attempt to increase occupancy (by offing lower rates) when demand is low. Both these strategies, if successfully implemented will have the effect of increasing RevPar, and both depends on the ability of the management team to forecast room demand.

To illustrate the importance of increased demand imagine a hotel near Sports complex Islamabad. If there is an international yearly sport event, naturally this event will cause all area hotels to sell out at high ADR. The importance of knowing the dates of this sports competition as far into the future as possible so that sale-related staff will not inadvertently sell rooms on those dates for a low rate is evident.

On a less obvious scale, many hotels find that the demand for their room varies on a weekly basis, regardless of the special event that may be held in the area. Those hotels that service primarily business travelers, for example, will generally find that on mid of the weekdays' demand for their rooms is greatest. Those hotels that service weekend travelers or are in a tourist resort area, finds that weekend generate the most business. Forecasting demand effectively requires that the front office:

• Keep an accurate historical record to understand past demand.
• Know about special events or circumstances that will impact future room demand.

In all cases, the front office must be able to forecast the demand for rooms well enough to allow the hotel to practice the concept of yield management.

Practicing Yield Management

Yield management is the concept that originated in the airline industry but it is used today by car rental, hotels, and lodging industry to sell the commodity, like a room, that can not be carried over in inventory if it goes unsold on a given day. The methods utilized by FOMs, revenue managers, and automated PMS system to use demand forecast and thus establish yield management strategies are many and are as varied as the individuals operating their respective hotels. G.M must understand how they work.

To illustrate the yield management concept, assume a hotel sells its standard room for Rs 15000/- at rack rate.

It is appropriate to sell a room at the "rack" rate when the hotel is confident that the demand for hotel rooms will be greater than the supply (rooms available). That is, when it is forecast that all, or nearly all rooms will be sold, it is not necessary to discount the rooms to help ensure their sale. When the demand for rooms is less than supply, discounts are typically offered.

Assume also that the hotel routinely offers discounts plan of 10 percent, 20 percent, and 30 percent, off the rack based on forecasted demand. That is, when demand is very light, discounts as high as 30 percent off the rack are offered to maximize the occupancy. When demand is stronger, the hotel offers the only discount of 20 percent, 10 percent, or, as in the case where the demand for rooms equals or exceeds supply, no discounts are offered at all.

In a high demand period, guests requesting reservation with 30 percent discounts would be told that such discounts are not available, and the hotel would not accept their reservation request. On another, lower demand date, however, that same request for a reservation at the 30 percent discount rate would indeed be accepted. The opening and closing of the discount rates is the core activity of yield management and a good revenue manager is effective in this task.

Yield Management Strategy Based on Room Demand

• 90-100% occupancy Offer no discount
• 70-90% occupancy Offer discount up to 10%
• 50-70% occupancy Offer discount up to 20%
• less than 20% occupancy Offer discount up to 30%

Sophisticated FOMs are likely to use highly advanced and often complex methods of managing yield. It is the function of the G.M to approve such methods if they are in keeping with the long term goals of the hotel.

Managing Occupancy

Just as it is important to use effective yield management strategy to maximize RevPar. It is also important that the front office do a good job managing occupancy.

A few examples will help to illustrate why this is the case. Assume that the hotel with 300 rooms faces the situation below and that the weekend illustrated below is one month in the future.

Forecasted Room Demand

Rooms left to sell on Friday 120, on Saturday 25, and on Sunday 250.

In this case, the demand for rooms is very strong on Saturday, but weaker on Friday and much weaker on Sunday. With a goal of maximizing RevPar, but confronting this situation, an effective FOM is likely to identify Saturday as a day that is CTA (Closed to Arrival) or that has a MILOS (Minimum Length of Stay) attached to it.

Identifying Saturday as a day that is CTA is logical if FOM realizes that the demand for Saturday night reservation is likely to far exceed the hotel's number of available rooms for that night. Thus, it makes sense to deny a reservation for a guest requesting only a Saturday stay in favor of guests who request both a Friday and Saturday stay. By denying guests the opportunity to arrive on Saturday, the FOM hopes to maximize total weekend occupancy.

Alternatively, the FOM might identify Saturday as a day that has an MLOS (Minimum Length of Stay) of two days attached to it. in this case, only reservation from guests requesting arrival on Saturday with intention of staying for two or more days are accepted. Those guests requesting only one night stay with arrival on Saturday are declined. By managing the length of stay required on Saturday, the FOM again hopes to maximize total weekend occupancy.

Perhaps the most well know, but least understood method of managing occupancy is the practice of "overbooking" the hotel rooms. Any discussion on overbooking must begin with a simple truth. That truth is:

"No experienced hotel FOM would ever knowingly take a reservation for a room that is not going to be available for the guest upon arrival".

There are at least two reasons that is true. first, in an overbooked situation, a guest with a confirmed reservation who arrives to find out that the hotel has no room available is, inevitably and rightly so, angry. No FOM seeks to create angry guests! Secondly, from a financial point of view, the guest will be expensive to relocate. This is true because in most cases, the hotel that has walked a guest must pay for, at least:

• Transportation to/from the alternative property.
• Telephone calls made by the guests to inform those that need to know about the alternative lodging accommodations.
• The cost of the first night's room charges at the alternative hotel.

Why then do hotel overbook? Sometimes it is a mistake on the part of the hotel. This would be true, for example, if a guest reservation was made, but mistakenly not recorded. Sometimes, however, an experienced FOM intentionally accepts more reservations, than the rooms available because the FOM wants to fill the hotel and anticipate some of the reservations for rooms will no-show.

For example. in a 100 rooms hotel that experiences a typical 5 percent no-show rate, the sale of 101 rooms on a given night, while technically overbooking the hotel, is not likely to result in a guest being "walked". walked means guest with confirmed reservation is relocated at other hotels. This is true because the number of a no-show (5 percent) will, on average, exceed the size of the reservation oversell (1 room).

No-shows are not unique to the hotel business. Restaurants, airlines, and hotels are just a few of the businesses that must also manage their reservations while knowing that a certain percentage of those reserving will simply not show up to claim their product or service. If the hotel's total management program is too conservative (i.e does not factor in no-shows) rooms will likely go unsold even on sell-out nights. If it is too aggressive (i.e factors in an excessively large number of no-shows), too many guests will, inevitably, need to be walked and will inevitably upset! It is G.Ms job to make sure that the hotel's front office has implemented the reservation policies and occupancy management strategies that G.M believes are appropriate for the property.

Management of Guest Service

The front office is responsible for a variety of guest services. These include the welcome of guests receives at check-in, as well as services related to the stay. Some of these are:

• Airport transportation
• Parking cars
• Handling luggage
• Providing directions to attractions within the local area
• Making restaurant reservation
• Taking guest messages
• Routing mail
• Newspaper delivery
• Management of safety deposit boxes
• Supplying direction for an area within the hotel
• Setting wake-up calls
• Providing for guest security via the careful dissemination of guest-related information
• handling guest's concern, complains and dispute

Depending on the location of the hotel and the services it offers, the guest service function may be attended to simply by those individuals employes as front desk agents. In a large property with more activity, guest services may be a separate area within the front office employing a rather large staff.

Accounting for Guests

The front office is the department charged with the major responsibility of performing the accounting tasks related to the guest's stay. While billing of guests for the night's lodging would appear to be fairly straightforward, the intricacies of the financial transactions that must be recorded by the front office can be quite complex. For example, assume that four men traveling to a hotel to attend the main sports event share a room for two nights. Upon departure, each wants to pay their share of the folio's balance, One man wishes to pay with cash, one with a check, one with a credit card, and another with debit card. As can be seen, even the simplest of the transaction can get complex, but it is the job of the front office and its management staff to ensure that all guest folios are properly processed and recorded.

additional accounting related tasks that must be completed by the front office include maintaining an accurate list, by room number, of guest room occupancy, verifying accuracy in the room rates charged to guests, and the confirmation of check-out dates.

Data Management

An extremely important front office function is that of data management. Some of these data relate to guests, and some relate to the effective management of the hotel. The amount of data processed in a hotel is large and growing larger each year.

An ineffective FOM in a hotel in the precomputer era would, very like;y, have kept a record of a specific guest's preference for rooms, food, and the like. This information would have been written down by hand and referred to when that specific guest reserved a room or checked into the hotel. Today's FOM would have such information and much more available to them through the features of the PMS. The FOM would likely know, at the very least:

• The data of the guest's last stay
• The guest's address, telephone number, and credit card information
• The room rate paid and room type occupied by the guest
• A history of guest's prior folio charges
• The form of payment used by the guest to settle his or her account with the hotel
• The guest's membership in groups receiving a discount from the hotel
• Gust's company affiliation
• Guest's room type preference

Depending on the sophistication of the PMS, even more, data may be secured by the desk staff and maintained on an individual guest.

It is important to note, however, most hotel chains guarantee the availability of guest's room, not room type when the reservation is made.

In addition to maintaining data on individual guests, the front office collects and evaluates information related to the hotel's operation. Some guest-related examples include the tracking of guest telephone calls, including both those that are free to guests and those for which hotels impose a charge. Usually, local ones are free whereas international calls are charged. The viewing of in-house movies (nowadays those on cable are free), and clean and dirty status of the rooms (necessary to ensure that a guest checking into a hotel is checked into a room that has, in fact, been cleaned). Other data management tasks include monitoring the use of electronic or hard keys, maintaining safety-related data ( such as daily safety inspections for hotel operated vehicles), and the recording of reservation-related information. As can be seen, the front office and management staff's ability to provide good data is critical to the operation of the front office and to the success of the G.M.

Managing Guest Reservations

The effective management of guest reservations is, not surprisingly one of the most complex tasks that must be achieved in a successful hotel. Because the hotel's revenue is dependent, in large measure, on the front office's ability to effectively forecast demand, establish rates, and manage occupancy, a G.M needs a thorough understanding of the challenges faced in this area. For purpose of examing how a hotel receives its guest reservations, reservations may be segmented by type and by delivery method.

By Reservation Type

Perhaps the most important distinction that must be made in the area of reservation is that of transient sales versus group sales. many people who do not understand the hotel industry believe that the great majority of rooms sold in the hotel are sold to individual travelers. This is true in some hotels, but in others, such as convention site hotel, the greatest number of rooms are sold to those traveling as a group or attending a group function.

Transient Sales means rooms and services sold primarily through the efforts of the front office and its staff, whereas group sales mean rooms and services sold primarily the efforts of the hotel's sales and marketing department, and given to the front office for recording and servicing.

Depending on the size of the hotel, the minimum number of rooms to be sold before the reservation will be considered a group sale might be as few as five, or as many as twenty. Regardless of when a group room sale is large enough to be serviced by the hotel's designated sales department, it is important for the G.M to remember that an extremely effective sales department may mask the efforts of an effective front office sales efforts. Nowadays the groups and companies that are on the panel or want to be on the panel and avail corporate rate usually make reservations through the sales and marketing department, mainly because of two reasons. Firstly they want to hold their conferences, seminars and/or workshop in the same hotel, secondly because they are holding so many activities in the same hotel, they want special discounts and exceptional services of the hotel. Some times it happens that the front office is selling 40% of the total rooms whereas, sales and marketing is selling 60% of the rooms or vis versa. It is the G.Ms job to make sure that one department does not overshadow the performance of other departments, and both these departments excel in their efforts to sell rooms. It is for these reasons the G.M must maintain standards levels for effectiveness through all the varied delivery methods affecting sales at the front desk.

By Delivery Method

The number of ways a hotel actually receive the reservations are varied and often not well understood. The most common form of hotel reservation delivery today is through the use of Global Distribution System or GDS.

Global Distribution Services referred to as GDS for short, this system connects travel professionals worldwide who reserve rooms with hotels offering room for sale.

GDS

The GDS is the system whereby a travel agent in, for example, in America uses the computer to access the room rates and availability of the hotel in Pakistan. without such a system, the travel agent would need to:

• Find the list of hotels in Pakistan
• Shortlist those which are according to the required standard to agents client
• Compare room rates and amenities offered among the various hotels
• identify those hotels with vacancies for the night needed by the agent's client
• Select the hotel and confirm the reservation

These activities if done by telephone, would require a great deal of time and expense on the part of travel agent. Instead, the agent, as a GDS user, can log-in to the GDS and complete these tasks in a matter of minutes. Information flows from travel agent to hotel and back depending on the communication being delivered.

To make reservation

• GDS Users (travel agent) to GDSes (Worldspan, Amadeus, Sabre, or Galileo) to Switches (Pegasus or WizCom) to Hotel reservation system

To Confirm Reservation

• Hotel's reservation system to Pegasus or WizCom to GDses ( Worldspan, Amadeus, Sabre or Galileo to GDS user (travel agent)

Essentially the process begins when the hotel delivers its room rates and availability to one of the switches. The switches than deliver rate and availability to all four GDS sites. Travel agents as well as the others with access use GDS sites to review room rates and availability and to make their reservation selection. The GDS sites deliver reservation requests to the hotel's central reservation system through the switches, and in turn, hotel, use the system to confirm the reservation to the travel agent.

Clearly it is an important role of the FOM to make sure that all hotel information used by the GDS sites is current and accurate. On at least a quarterly basis, the GM should review the hotel's GDS information for accuracy.

Franchise Toll-Free Number

Typically, another significant source of transient room reservation is the toll-free number operated by the hotel's franchisor. In most cases, the franchisor distributes a print and/or e-directory of affiliated hotels, and then staffs one or more reservation centers with individuals who answer calls and act as reservation agents for the individual hotel within the franchisee network. Potential guest simply dials toll-free number, make reservation request known to the individual answering the telephone, receive information on the desired hotel (s) rate and availability, and finish their call having completed the reservation process with a confirmation number, or if they are canceling a reservation, their cancellation number. In some cases, group rooms are also sold via the toll-free number, these sales usually account for a fairly small amount of the total room nights sold.

An effective toll-free number will deliver between 5 and 40 percent of a hotel's total transient room night sold, depending on the location of the hotel. A transient hotel near the city may receive only 10 to 20 percent of its volume from the franchisor, but a resort location will be much higher. Generally, the better known the franchisor, the larger the contribution of the room nights sold by the toll-free number. Just as important, the better-known franchisors typically deliver reservations sold at the rates higher than those achieved by the hotel's own front office reservation.

Because the reservation agent accepting telephone calls in a national reservation toll-free call center is not likely to be familiar with each specific hotel in the franchise system, it is critical that the information available to the agent about the hotel is 100 percent accurate. In general, a toll-free number call center will request hotel as much information as possible on the variety of topics including:

• Room availability
• Blackout dates (special days in which hotel is sold-out or not taking reservation)
• Room rates
• Seasonality of rates
• Room types
• Distance to local attraction
• Hotel amenities and service offered
• Direction to the property
• Rating and ranking information

Technically a toll-free number call center is part of the GDS, and just as the information in all GDS components must be accurate, the information reported to the toll-free number must also be accurate too.

It is a good idea for G.M.s to occasionally make test calls to their franchisor-operated call center to verify the accuracy of the information used by the center. If the information about the hotel is not accurate, the G.M working with FOM must see that it is correct.

Internet

Increasingly the internet has become a popular way for individual travels to serve as their own travel agent and book rooms with the hotel without having to call the hotel directly. Hotel companies like individual consumers use the internet for making reservations because, unlike travel agents, these individual travelers do not charge hotel a fee for making the reservation.

As more consumers use the internet and as more hotel companies see the internet as a significant marketing tool, this source of the transient reservation is likely to continue to grow from its current, industry-wide, single-digit percentage of room nights sold to much larger proportions of total room sales.

In addition to Web sites operated by the hotel franchise companies, many independent hotels, as well as those hotels affiliated with chains, have developed their own Web sites. Often these technologically savvy hotels link their sites with those of local area attractions, businesses, nonprofit organizations, and others who are likely to need transient rooms on a regular basis.

Increasingly special internet sites are developed by third parties simply to make the reservation process easier for potential guests. For example, a couple wishing to visit any city in December for any reason may not know the name of the hotel they wish to use. Thus, they are not likely to access the site of a specific hotel company or individual hotel. By accessing a designated travel site, the travelers can enter the dates a room is needed and ten view pricing and amenity alternatives, as well as make reservation on the web site. While the use by the hotel of such a system is primarily a marketing decision, the accuracy of the information contained on any web site is a matter generally monitored by the front office. This is true because the rate and availability of the room posted on the web must coordinate with the data in the PMS. As with the toll-free number reservation center information, it is important that any information on a hotel's web site be accurate, and the G.M should periodically check to ensure that it is.

Hotel Direct

In many cases, the guest prefers to place a telephone call directly to the hotel when they want a transient or even group reservation. The manner in which these calls are handled by the front office staff can make a tremendous difference in the success of the hotel. Usually, the detail one where the telephone operator starts off with greetings, and mention the hotel name and his or her name and ask for how he or she can be helpful, makes a long-lasting impression on the guest.

To check the effectiveness of the telephone sales efforts, some hotels use outside parties to "shop" the hotel. These individuals call the hotel for the purpose of making a reservation. How the hotel handles the reservation request and later the cancellation process is critiqued in detail with the written summary provided to the hotel's management. These critiques can then be used to identify the area of improvement in the sales effort.

The art of selling rooms via telephone is highly developed, and there are excellent tools available to FOMs who wish to improve the effectiveness of their own staff. Critical areas that should be examed for improvement via training tools include:

• Telephone etiquette
• Qualifying the guest
• Describing the property
• Presenting the rate
• Overcoming price resistance
• Upselling
• Closing the sale
• Recapping the sale

The G.M should know whether the individuals answering the telephone and selling the rooms via telephone are effective in that task. If they are not, the sale will suffer until staff training improves. Meanwhile, the reputation of the hotel will also be on stake, and complaints might also come forward if telephone operators are mishandling guest calls. A periodic review of the front office telephone skills and training methods, by the G.M, is imperative if this important area is to get the attention it deserves.

Walk-In

In nearly all hotels, walk-in occur on regular basis. There are many travelers who, for one reason or another, find themselves in need of a hotel room but without an advance reservation. Some travelers whose plans are variable may not, in fact, know where they will be at the end of the day. Other travelers find their plans change during the day, and still, others simply prefer not to make advance reservations. Regardless of the reason, walk-in can very positively affect the overall profitability of the hotel. In some hotels, particularly those near highway locations, walk-in accounts for as much as 30 percent or more of total room night sold. Excellent curb appeal, as well as a friendly initial greeting from the front desk staff, help ensure that walk-ins are converted to guests. Curb appeal means to indicate the visual impression of the hotel parking area, grounds, and external building aesthetics created for an arriving guest.

As you can see the sources from which a guest reservation is generated vary greatly. However, in all cases, the FOM, working with the G.M and marketing and sales personnel, must ultimately ensure the hotel secures those reservations in a manner that maximizes guest satisfaction and minimizes any potential misunderstanding that may exist when the guest actually arrives at the hotel. As a G.M, one can help make sure this is the case by periodically monitoring and assisting the FOM in improving the management of all reservation sources.

While the front office is not, by itself, responsible for the entire hotel guest's experience, it is an area that is especially visible to guests and, because of its responsibilities for providing a large number of guest services, it is important that the front office be properly staffed, trained and managed.

Front Desk: Arrival

?When a guest arrives at a hotel, it is the responsibility of the front office staff to greet the guest and complete the registration process as quickly and efficiently as possible. This process, however more complex than it may seem. Each time guests interact with hotel staff, the hotel makes an impression on that guest, be it a positive or negative one. To illustrate how the front office management staff must influence the entire guest service encounter, we will examine the hypothetical experience of Mr. and Mrs. Smith, two guests with an advance reservation, as they arrive, register, stay and then depart from their chosen hotel.

Prearrival

Guest Services at the front desk actually begins at the time the guest makes an advance registration. This is true because, on the night before the guest's arrival date, the front desk staff will request, as part of their night work, that the PMS print (or hold in memory) a registration (reg) card for all guests scheduled to arrive the next day.

The reg card is important because it forms the basis for the legal contract that exists between the hotel and the guest. In this contract, the hotel agrees to supply the room and the guest agrees to pay for that room. While the procedure of the hotel and the features of the hotel's PMS dictate some of the information contained on the reg card, all such cards should accurately contain:

• Guest name
• Guest address
• Guest telephone number
• E-mail address
• Arrival date
• Departure date
• Number of adults in the room
• Rate to be paid
• Room type requested
• Form of payment used to reserve the room.

When a guest arrives at the hotel, an accurate reg card should await. If it does not, the hotel's front desk staff is most likely not securing complete information at the time of reservation or, if the reservation was made by a third party, at the time the reservation was entered in the PMS. In either case, an effective FOM will ensure that the front desk has generated an appropriate reg card for all known arriving guests. In the older PMS system, the reg cards may be preprinted and held for the guest's arrival, with any changes to the reg card initialed by the guest at check-in. In a modern system, the PMS simply holds the reg card information in the memory. It is revised as needed upon guest check-in, and a corrected copy is printed (if requested) for the guest.

Returning to our hypothetical guests, when Mr. and Mrs. Smith arrive, the hotel should, first and foremost, know that they are arriving! When they present themselves at the front desk and announce that they have a reservation and would like to check-in, the desk agent should be able to quickly retrieve a hard copy of their reg card. Travelers arriving at a hotel to find that their reservation has been "lost" are likely to be very upset, especially if the hotel is sold out and has no alternative available for the guest. In a similar manner, a reg card that contains a misspelled name, erroneous room rate, or incorrect room type will create a negative first impression for the guest.

Effective G.M.s will periodically, observe the guest registration process directly. From the first greeting, a guest receives upon entering the hotel to the accuracy of reg cards, the prearrival/arrival; activities of the front desk make a tremendous impression on the guest. G.M.s who put themselves in a position to observe these initial impressions are in an excellent position to work with the FOM to improve the services offered by the hotel.

Bell Station

Depending on the size and service level of the hotel, Mr. and Mrs. Smith may, upon arrival, have been greeted and offered assistance by the member of the bell station staff. Bell staff, originally prevalent in nearly all hotels but now limited primarily to upper-market, full-service hotels, assist guests in getting baggage into the hotel and their rooms, as well as sometimes explaining hotel services and guest room features to guests. These staff members should be friendly, knowledgable, well-groomed, and always properly in uniform.

Valet

If Mr. and Mrs. Smith arrived by car and if the hotel they have chosen is upscale or located in the downtown area of a larger city, it is likely that they will take advantage of Valet parking, provided by the hotel either free or for a charge. This service, if offered, may be contracted to an outside company. If the hotel controls it, however, the front office manager typically manages it. As with the bell staff, if valets are employed, they should be friendly, well-groomed, properly uniformed, and respectful of the guest property entrusted to them.

Registration

Perhaps the most important guest service function that can be provided by a front desk agent is that of properly registering guests. This is a five-step process that consists of:

1. Greeting the guest. when Mr. and Mrs. Smith arrive at the front desk, a professional dressed, a well-trained staff member should greet them in a friendly way. Because most hotel guests arrive in the evening and check-in time can be very busy, it may not always be possible to avoid guests having to wait in the line for registration. Proper staffing, however, should minimize the wait. When it is their turn to be registered, guests should, above all else, be made to feel welcome. Some hotels offer welcome drinks to guests who end up waiting in lobby for room registration.
2. Confirming the information on the registration card. It is imperative that all the information on the reg card be accurate. This includes the spelling of the guest's name, their arrival date, departure date, and room rate (both of which should be initialed by the guest) and any other information related to that specific guest. Since the reg card will serve to be the record of the guest's stay, it must be complete and precise. In addition, misunderstanding regarding room rate (one of the most frequent causes of guest dissatisfaction ) can be minimized if the room rate is clearly communicated and understood by both the hotel and the guest prior to room assignment. It is critical that all information on the reg card be accurate and complete.
3. Securing a form of payment. In most hotels, guests must either pay for the room in advance or provide a valid alternate source of credit at registration time. While many hotels accept personal checks, the most prevalent source of credit provided by guests is that of a credit or debit card. These cards must be legitimate, however, before they represent an acceptable form of payment. To establish the card's legitimacy, the desk agent should authorize the card at the time of registration. To authorize credit cards, hotels use a verification service, Typically by telephone modem and keypad or magnetic swipe, a desk agent enters the information from the card such as account number and expiration date, as well as the rupees amount to be authorized. If the card is not stolen and is, in fact valid, the verification service issue an authorization code number that lets the hotel know it can accept the card for payment. Effective front desk staff always authorize the credit cards they accept as a promise of guest payment. In fact, one objective measure of how well a front office is managed is the desk's consistency in securing and authorizing valid cards.
4. Room assignment. Once a guest's registration information has been confirmed and an acceptable form of payment has been offered, the guest should be assigned to a specific guest room without further delay. In some small hotels, all the rooms are identical, and room assignment is of little consequence. In other hotels, the room type may vary greatly in perceived quality and/or rate based primarily on the room's:

• Location
• View
• Bed type
• Amenities

Whenever possible, of course, the guest's preference should be accommodated. Thus, Mr. and Mrs. Smith prefer a nonsmoking room with a king-size bed, on a lower floor, facing the hotel's courtyard, this is precisely the room they should be assigned, if possible.

5. Issuance of keys, The final step in the Mr and Mrs smith registration process is the issuance of their room keys, The actual number of keys to be issued is the matter of hotel policy and guest preference. It is important, however, that the issuance of room keys should be tightly controlled because of the theft, loss, or unauthorized duplication of keys could seriously threaten the safety of the guest.

Concierge

In large, upscale, full-service hotels the concierge is an extremely important position to hotel guests. If Mr. and Mrs. Smith find that they need assistance beyond the services typically found in their hotel, they would go to the concierge. traditionally, the concierge in full-service hotels responsible for assisting guests in:

• Making dining reservations
• Securing tickets for theater, sports events, or confirming their airline ticket status.
• Arranging transportation
• Providing information on local attractions
• Language translation
• Providing hotel specific information.

In a hotel without the concierge staff, it is important to remember that guest will still desire these services. those hotels that can provide all or some of these services are in a better position to gain guest loyalty and repeat business. For that reason. the G.M should be aware (as should all the guests) of the services that are provided by the front office staff.

Front Desk: Guest Privacy

Once the guests have been registered for a room they should feel safe and secure. Most countries have laws that say that these guests have same rights of privacy as they would have if they were living in their homes. It is not simply a legal thing to do, but it is a proper thing to do, to protect the rights of the guests to privacy.

Guest Information

A professional managed front office is one in which guests are confident that their privacy is maintained by all staff members. This includes maintaining guest anonymity. To that end, Desk agent should:

• Never confirm or deny that a guest is in fact registered in the hotel without the guest's express permission.
• Never give out information related to a guest's stay (arrival, departure, rate, etc) to any third party without guest's express permission
• Always be vigilant in informing the guest of any unusual third party information request regarding their stay.

Room Information

Just as guests expect their privacy to be maintained, they should also feel confident that information regarding their actual room is kept confidential. This is both a safety and a privacy issue. To that end, the front desk agent should:

• Never get out a guest's room number to any third party without the permission of the guest.
• Never perform registration tasks in such a way to allow guest room information to be overheard by others in the front office area.
• Never mark room number directly onto keys.
• Never issue duplicate room key to anyone without the positive identification of that person as room properly registered guest.

The Mr. and Mrs. Smith and other guests upon check-in should be confident that personal details of their stay will remain confidential: that information the hotel may have about them, including their address, telephone number, and credit card is secure: and that no unauthorized person can gain access to their room. An effective front office can perform no more important task than ensuring guest privacy, and it is the FOMs job to make certain this is the case.

Front Desk: Stay And Departure

During their stay, including the point at which they check-out, guests will constantly interact with the front office. its staff may be called upon to supply a variety of services or information at any time during the guest's stay.

Guest Satisfaction Issues

One of the most challenging aspects of providing guest service at the front desk relates to ensuring that guests are satisfied during their stay. When guests experience difficulties in the hotel, they will most likely turn to the front desk and its staff for assistance. There are a variety of reasons guests may have special needs or experience dissatisfaction during their stay. During their stay and at times of their check-out, guests are likely to bring up any issue they find that detracted from their experience. Routine items such as requesting room repair, additional in-room amenities, or information can if handled professionally, actually enhance the guest's experience. As a G.M it is a good idea to monitor the efforts of the front desk staff to ensure that guests, especially those who have legitimate complaints, are treated courteously and with empathy.

The walked Guest

One of the most difficult situations that can be confronted by the front desk agent is that of walking a guest. A guest who must be walked is the one that has confirmed reservation but cannot be accommodated by the hotel. When this occurs, it is imperative that the front desk agent carefully follow the hotel established policies for walking a guest. It is the responsibility of the G.M of that hotel to work with FOM to establish those policies and see that they are properly implemented when needed. In all case, when confronted with the task of walking a guest, the front office staff should be observed to:

• Apologize to the guest for the inconvenience
• Clearly explain the hotel's walk policy to the guest.
• Offer any reasonable assistance possible to the guest to minimize the difficulty of the situation.

Accounting For Guests

Accounting for guests, while less visible than providing guest services, is another critical responsibility of the front office. During their stay, Mr. and Mrs. Smith are likely to have purchased a variety of hotel goods and services in addition to having rented their room. Accounting for guests simply means that all charges incurred by the guest's use of the hotel are charged for properly. Depending on the services and amenities offered by the hotel, the sources of guests' charges can be numerous. The following product and services list is not inclusive, but does represent some of the many possible charges that must be accurately collected and posted to the guest folio:

• Guest room charges including appropriate taxes.
• In-room minibar
• Pay-per-view movies /games (if not free)
• Internet access charges (if not free)
• Restaurants charges
• Room service charges
• Telephone call (especially international calls)
• Gift shop purchase
• Laundry charges
• Valet parking charges (if not free)
• Meeting and conference room charges
• Audiovisual equipment rental
• Banquet charges
• Service charges

Rooms Management/ Assignment

Perhaps no job performed by the front office is more important than the seemingly straightforward task of assigning guests to the right room, at the right rate, with the right required form of payment. In reality, this process, despite the use of a sophisticated PMS, can be quite complex. Essentially, there are two methods employed for the registration of guests. These are front desk check-ins and self-check-in.

Front Desk Check-in

Guests arriving at a hotel to check-in want to be quickly assigned to a room. In the typical case, guests present themselves at the front desk area to begin the registration process. Depending on the level of service provided and the priority of the guest, a special check-in area can be established within the hotel. regardless, however, of where the check-in area is, it is important that the front desk agent confirm the status of the selected room prior to room assignment. Clearly a guest should not be assigned a room that has not been cleaned or that is occupied by another guest or the previous guest has not been left yet. While each hotel may use its own abbreviations, typically, a vacant room is identified in the PMS system as "V" and "O" for the occupied room. Further, the room must be designated as "C" for cleaned and ready to rent. As can be seen, it is important that those individuals responsible for cleaning and inspecting rooms are in close contact with the front desk so the status of guest rooms can be uploaded continuously throughout the day.

Self Chek-in

While automated self-checkout system are currently in greater use than self check-in system, the technology exists to create a kiosk that allows guests to enter personal information such as that found on their credit card or smart card, choose from a display of available rooms, and receive a key to the selected room. There are, perhaps, two reasons why this self check-in option has not been widely adopted, despite the advantage of speeding up the process. The first is the lack of personal contact. The second is the obvious legal liability that could exist for the hotel should a malfunction of the self-operated system allow a guest to check-in to an already occupied room.

In either check-in situations, it is important that FOM has system s in place that allows the front desk staff to;

• Verify and document personal information positively identifying the guest to whom the room is rented.
• Assign guests, whenever possible, to the room type they have requested
• Assure the status of the room assigned to the guest is "Clean and vacant"
• Confirm that the rate to be paid by the guest prior to the issuance of the room keys
• Confirm the guest departure date prior to the issuance of room keys
• Secure an acceptable form of payment from the guest.

The G.M wishing to minimize accounting difficulties resulting from guest misunderstanding and billing error will work with the controller and FOM to confirm that system are in place to achieve the above objectives.

Bucket Check

Errors in recording the information related to a guest's stay make the hotel accounting system inaccurate. In addition, room rates adjustment made at checkout are both annoying and time consuming to guests. To help eliminate these problems, professional FOMs develop and implement an effective bucket check program for all front desk shifts. The "bucket" is the industry term for the location of the actual registration cards signed by a guest at check-in. The bucket check is simply a manual procedure for assuring the accuracy of the information related to the guest's actual room assignment, rate to be paid, departure date, form of payment, and any other accounting-related information deemed important by the FOM.

When performing the bucket check, the desk agent physically verifies that the information on the guest's registration card is complete and matches with that in the PMS.

When an appropriate bucket check is performed at each shift, the number of errors related to billing guests' folio is greatly reduced. If G.Ms detect excessive room rate adjustments, numerous guest complaints due to erroneous billing, or uncollectable guest charges due to insufficient documentation of form of payment, the FOM is likely not enforcing bucket check procedure.

Billing the Folio

Busy hotels process hundreds of guest related billing transactions daily. Depending on the type of PMS in use, some of these charges will be posted automatically by the PMS in use, while others must be posted manually, In all cases, the controller's office will want to verify the accuracy of the charge and to have a transactional trail for each charge. That is, the front desk should be able to produce independent supporting documentation for each charge posted to a guest's folio. It is the responsibility of each shift of the front desk to ensure that all appropriate guest charges incurred are posted to the appropriate guest folio and that the documentation supporting such charges has been thoroughly reviewed prior to posting. The night auditor depends on appropriate documentation provided by each shift of the front desk to support the charge that will be finalized and posted to the guest's folio during the night audit.

Night Audit

Because hotels are open seven days a week, twenty-four hours day, an interesting accounting issue arises. When does one day's hotel sale end and an other's begin?

To illustrate the issue, assume that, on a winter night, due to inclement weather, a hotel in Islamabad checks-in, the different guests into the hotel at the following times: 11:00 PM, Midnight, 1:00 PM, 2:00 PM, 3:00 PM and so on.

At what point these guests considered Monday night guests, and at what point should they be considered Tuesday night guests.

Traditionally the end of the day and beginning of the next day is not a fixed time period at all in hotels but rather is designated at time at which the night auditor (closes) the night audit. Even though the night audit could, theoretically, be performed at any time during the day or night, traditionally it has been performed in the late evening/ early morning hours when the hotel's overall activity is at its slowest because most guests have that point, checked in for the night.

The night audit function is important for many departments in the hotel. Essentially, completing it consists of the following eight key points:

1. Posting the appropriate room and tax rates to the folio of the guests currently in a hotel
2. Verification of an accurate room status (in the PMS) of all rooms
3. Posting any necessary adjustment or allowance to the guest folio
4. Verification that all legitimate, non-room charges have been posted
5. Monitoring guest account balance to determine whether any are over the guest's credit limit
6. Balancing and reconciling the front desk's cash bank
7. Updating and backing up the electronic data maintained by the front office
8. Producing, duplicating, and distributing all management mandated reports, such as those related to ADR, occupancy percentage, source of business, in-house guest room list, and like.

with a computerized PMS, some of the above tasks may be completed automatically. In most hotels, the night auditor completes the audit between 1:00 Am and 4:00 Am. It is important that this task is completed correctly and on time because some guests will begin to check-out of the hotel very early in the morning and their folio must be as up-to-date as possible at that time.

Checkout

Increasingly, hotels provide guests the option of using the express or self-checkout systems. when they conclude their stay. These are popular and appropriate for some guests. In a normal case, however, when guests check out, the front desk should perform two important tasks.

The first, of course, is the settlement of the guest's bill. This consist of serval step process, including:

• Confirmation of the guest identity
• Checking for, and giving to the guest, any late faxes, or guest messages that have not been delivered
• Inquiring about and returning any guest belonging in the hotel's safety deposit boxes
• Posting of any final charges
• Producing a copy of the folio for the guest's inspection
• Processing the guest's payment
• Revising the room's status in the PMS to designate the room as vacant

In most cases, guest checkout is a relatively straightforward process. This is especially true if the guest's form of payment has been confirmed at the time of check-in and if bucket check has been performed throughout the guest stay to verify that the appropriate room rate and other service charges have been charged.

In some cases, the guest will have experienced difficulty with their stay, and adjustment of their bill may be in order. it is important that FOM and each desk agent know their limits to their authority to make an adjustment. That is, the desk agent may be authorized by the FOM to make folio adjustment up to a predetermined rupees amount, but only the supervisor or managers could authorize adjustment exceeding that amount. In a like manner, the FOM may be authorized to make adjustments subject to the level of authority delegated by the hotel's G.M.

The second essential task that can be accomplished by the desk agent when guests check out is the rebooking of the guest for a future stay. If the guest's stay has been a positive one, it is proper, as well as good front office management, to ask the guest if future reservation can be made for them at the hotel, or if appropriate, at other hotels within the chain. This is often overlooked selling opportunity. In addition, a G.M can frequently determine the selling focus of a FOM by the presence or absence of this front office activity.

Data Management

The front office is the center of the hotel's data management system. As the front office, the PMS as well as other accounting systems, maintain the financial and operational record of the hotel. In most cases, these systems are extensive as well as complex. Their management requires a talented and technologically savvy FOM because an increasing number of important data generating systems are, or should be, interfaced with the hotel's PMS.

The process of interfacing two data management systems can be challenging because, in most cases, different companies manufacture the system. For example, the company that produces the hotel's PMS system will not be the same as the company that provides the hotel with an electronic guest room door lock system. Clearly, however, it is ideal that the guest, who is checked in to room 101 by the PMS system, automatically issues a key for from 101 not 102 by the electronic locking system. When the PMS and lock system are interfaced this happens automatically. When they are not, the key maker must produce the key separately, which introduces the possibility of error.

To complicate the matter further, in many cases multiple system interfaces are required, not all of which are completely under the control of the hotel. For example, a hotel that wishes to upgrade its call accounting system will find that a new system must be interface with the existing telephone system, the local telephone call providing system, and the international call providing system, and the hotel's PMS. The challenges of implement such an integrated system are many and fall primarily to FOM.

Credit Cards

Credit cards are the most common form of payment used in most of the hotels. Properly processing credit cards and/or debit cards is the important responsibility of the front office. Accuracy and the commitment to the security when processing guest credit card are two characteristics every G.M should seek from the FOM. Today, credit cards are issued with three-dimensional designs, magnetic strips, encoded numbers, smart chips, and other features to reduce consumer fraud. In addition, the electronic credit card verification systems are fast, accurate, and designed to reduce loss. While these verifications systems., which are currently in use in most hotels, cut down on number of processing errors, security and fraud prevention remain significant consideration. An effective FOM implements system to minimize credit card fraud while, at the same time, protecting the security of the guest's credit card number and the integrity of the hotel's credit card database.

In some cases, hotels face the challenge of credit cardholders who pay the full bill with their credit card but later protest all or part of that bill. Unless the dispute can be settled between the hotel and the guest, the FOM may have to defend the hotel's card processing procedures. Each major credit card issuers has its own preferred procedures, and FOMs should be familiar with those required by the cards they accept.

G.M should monitor the credit card processing procedure used at the front desk. Credit card acceptance and processing guidelines that should exist in written form for ease in training front desk agents include:

• Confirmation procedures ensure that the name on the card is the same as that of the individual presenting the card for payment. Some times ID card for identification is required.
• Examination of the card for an obvious sign of alteration.
• Confirmation that the card has not expired.
• Comparison of the signature on the card with the one made by the guest paying with the card.
• Documentation (usually by initialing) of the employee who processed the charge.
• The balancing and reconciling of the credit charges at the conclusion of each front office shift

Locking/Security System

Although the locking/security system comes under the security department, nevertheless because the front office is responsible for issuing guest room keys, it is appropriate to examine the FOM's role in maintaining the data and the security system related to the issuing of room keys.

Modern hotels increasingly utilize a recodable locking system to ensure guest safety. It is an expensive locking system . Weather the keys are lost, stolen, or thrown away, the challenge for the G.M becomes how to cost-effectively protect the guest, his or her property, and hotel cost. Recodable locking system helps hotels do just that.

Recodable locking system is that when a hotel guest inserts their ''Key" (typically an electromagnetic card) into the guest room lock for the first time, the lock is immediately recoded, canceling entry authorization for the previous guests key and thus enhancing guest safety.

Most recodable lock systems in use today are independent and stand-alone. That is, no wire back to a central computer or PMS is required. Except in life-threatening emergencies, only standard magnetic strip cards issued to the hotel staff as well as a guest open lock. This means that the hotel's entire room security system is controlled by software programmed into the individual locks, activated by the cards coded on a card-issuing computer. Key cards are time-sensitive and can be issued up to twelve months in advance, meaning that individuals or groups can be sent room keys when reservations are confirmed to speed registration.

The advantages of recoded locks are so great that no hotelier would seriously consider building a hotel today without including such a system.

The data management challenge for the FOM managing a recoded lock system is to ensure that front desk agents do not issue key to individuals not properly registered in the guest room. For example, assume the very common situation when a guest approached the front desk and states, "I have misplaced my room key" Clearly the staff members must:

• Be trained to issue duplicate key only to the confirmed registered guest.
• Maintain an accurate data system that actually identifies registered guests and their assigned room numbers.

The advantage of an interfaced recoded locking system and PMS are clear in this case. G.M must ensure that the required security training is in place to handle the above situation. As well as data system must be maintained well enough to avoid issuing guest room keys to unauthorized individuals.

Telephone

One of the most complex data and equipment management area within the hotel is that of telephone and telephone-related services. Even the smallest of the hotel is large enough to have its own private branch exchange or PBX.

Today's hotel PBX is highly automated, as it must be because of the tremendous use made of the telephone within the typical hotel. The PBX is typically maintained by the front office. Therefore the FOM is responsible for the proper operation of the following area.

Call Accounting

Usually, most of the local calls made by guest from the hotel are free, Nevertheless, when a guest makes telephone calls outside the hotel, it is in the best interest of the hotel to route and monitor those calls in a way that minimize the hotel's cost. For example, if a guest makes an international call from his or her room, it is the hotel that will actually be billed for that call. Of course, the hotel would want its cost of providing the call to be as low as possible while still assuring that guests have a quality long-distance service. The hotel will be depending on the distance and length of the long-distance call, add a charge to the guest's folio to offset the cost of the call. Nowadays the use of mobile phones has greatly reduced the load on PBX for long-distance international calls.

The call accounting system records the time, length, and number called of each telephone call made within each guest room as well as those made from different offices of the hotel. These call records must be accurate if guests are to be expected to pay for the call they have initiated. The hotel management determines which these calls are to be billed to guests and which ones are free. Some hotels use the call accounting system to charge guests for local calls as well as long-distance ones. whereas other hotels routinely allow guests to make free local calls. The call accounting system when interfaced with the PMS, posts these charges directly to the guest folio. It is important to note that even local calls are not free to the hotel. Proper operation of call accounting system is important because telephone calls, for many hotels, are significant source of revenue. Telephone revenue, as percentage of total hotel revenue, has been declining in recent years due to the increased use of cell phones and pagers, however, a properly managed call accounting system is still a vital part of any effective front office operation because telephone revenue that goes uncollected due to an improperly managed system is damaging to the hotel bottom line.

Wake-up Calls

traditionally guests who wish to wake up at a given time have called the front desk to request a "wake-up" call. A member of the front office staff would then call the guest at the requested time. Today's telephone systems automate these calls, and they can be programmed into PBX either by guests in their own room or by staff at the front desk.

Voice Mail

Voice mail is the feature that may be interfaced with the PBX but is, in fact, a separate telephone component. A properly operating voice mail system is nearly mandatory for those hotels seeking to attract business travelers, and hotels increasingly provide this service to guests. In a modern PBX system interfaced with voice mail, the voice mailbox for the guest is activated by the PMS at check-in and then deactivated by the PMS when the guest checks out. Voice mail is also critical for administrative staff that must have telephone contact with a guest or potential guests. This is especially true of the sales and marketing department.

Message on Hold

This telephone feature allows the hotel to play a "message" on the line when a caller is on hold. For example, a caller attempting to make a reservation may be placed on hold for a short period of time until the next reservation is available. During this time, the hotel may play a recorded message that can include features of the hotel, unique service offered, and a general "apology" for placing the caller on hold, while at the same time, ensuring the caller will be answered shortly. Typically a message on hold apparatus interfaces the PBX with a combination of pleasant music and well-written marketing script.

Additional use of hotel telephone includes those calls made by guests to other guests within the hotel (room-to-room), call made to the front desk from house phones; emergency phone such as those located in elevators, at the pool, or fitness areas, and the hotel staff's own interoffice calls.

The telephone system in a hotel is a critical service to the guest, as well as an effective management tool. Its uninterrupted operation is important, and it is the FOM in conjunction with effective departments that must ensure its smooth operation.

Point of Sales (POS)

In most cases, the hotel's PMS will be interfaced with one or more point of sale systems. Any sales recording system not located at the front desk is technically considered to be a POS system. In large hotels, there are multiple POS systems in operation, Some example includes:

• Restaurants
• Room service
• Lounges
• Laundry
• valet
• Shops
• Fitness center
• Business center

It is the role of the front desk to ensure that all legitimate purchases made at a POS and charged to an account are posted to the proper guest or nonguest folio.

In-Room Service

Increasingly, guests can use the telephones, television, and /or hotel-provided keyboard in their room to access products and services provided by the hotel. As the traveling public becomes, even more, computer sophisticated, look for this trend to continue and expand. Currently, some of the most popular products and services guests can access from their room include movies, games, minibar, safes, and internet connections.

Pay-per-view movies systems have long been a popular feature offered to hotel guests. basically these systems offer guests the opportunities to view most recent ones and or the ones that have just recently been shown on theaters. The cable network is also the most complimentary feature in most hotels but Netflix and other entertainment channels are available on the net with nominal charges. DVD player with movies available list can also be provided to guests on demand. A good FOM has a system in place that distinguishes between those guest who truly has had a problem with their movie quality while at the same time minimizing the number of guests who might attempt to defraud the hotel. As a G.M it is important to monitor the number of movies viewed per month versus the number of movies actually billed to guests. If the difference between the two is excessive, a review of front office policy in this area is needed.

Originally devised as video tape-based system, today's in-room movie service are more likely to be delivered by satellite and to include enhanced features that allow guest to review their folio on their television screens, even to check out of the hotel using a PMS interfaced pay-per-view system.

Games

Guests are increasingly offered the chance to play "video" games on the television screen in their room. The games are typically accessed in the same manner as pay-per-view movies. While these games services are very similar to pay-per-view movie (they are pay-per-play), the significant difference is the requirement for in-room joysticks, or keyboard to actually play then game. This means that the hotel must provide these electronic devices and keep them secure in the room. The logistics and difficulty of doing so have made some G.M.s reluctant to actively offer games as in-room amenities. The FOM is not responsible for the security of the in-room devices but is responsible for maintaining an effective interface so that all games played are, in fact, charged to the proper guest folio.

In-room Minibar

Hotels have long provided in-room minibar that allowed guests the convenience of selecting beverages, snack bars, candies from the in-room storage unit (minibar). Only recently, however, have advances in bar-coding technology created a situation in which in-room minibar can be interfaced with the PMS so that, as guest removes an item from the minibar, the time of the transaction, as well as the selling price of the item removed, is automatically posted to the guest folio.

Safes

Recently more hotels have begun offering in-room safes for guests use. These safes are electronic and can be opened by the guest and the hotel's own staff. Charges, if any for the use are typically posted to the guest's folio. Ther are legal implications involve when you provide the safe in the room for the guest. Because in-room safe is not a bank and the chances of the theft by the hotel staff are also there. That is why it is advisable to consider all factors and consider legal complications before providing this facility to the hotel guests, and whatever the policy it should be clearly explained to the room guests to avoid future misunderstanding.

Internet Connection

Certainly, the use of the internet has exploded. In many ways (e,g the marketing of the hotel properties, and the ability of guests to make a reservation directly using the internet), the impact of the internet on hotels has been very positive. In the beginning, some hotels use to charge this facility but now a day so many unlimited packages have been launched by different networks that even small cafes or restaurants offer free internet just to attract their guests. Hotels especially large properties do not charge for this facility nowadays.

Providing high-speed internet or fiber internet connection with speed up to at least 250 Mbps and connecting internet with smart LED and other devices is considered a special feature, and is advertised in rooms of upscale hotels.

Back Office System

The financial data of the PMS must ultimately be transferred to the Controller's office or accounts department. The back-office system used by the accounts department to prepare the hotel's financial documents will get a large portion of the data from the PMS, therefore, it is important that the data in the PMS be accurate.

It is somewhat surprising that few makers of PMS develop their products with the capability of interfacing directly with the most popular back-office systems on the market today. As the result, the data collected and maintained by the FOM are sometimes inconsistent with that needed by the accounting department. The advantages of the integration are many and, when the software required for such integration is fully developed and functional, will be anxiously awaited by G.M.s as well as Finance controller and FOM. New ones are coming up with this feature.

The most common PMS system used by Marriott is Micro Opera and Sheraton hotel started using Light speed formally known as Galaxy.

Although it is not mandatory that the back office system used by the hotel is computerized, few hotels today would attempt to operate a back-office system that does not rely on the most advanced accounting software available. assuming that back-office system is not interfaced directly to the PMS or manufactured by the PMS maker, G.M will find that the FOM and Finance controller will co-exist best when the back office accounting system selected for the use in the hotel offers:

• A good underlying technology
• A strong company behind the product, including good leadership
• Compatibility with popular hardware products
• A sizeable customer base
• Good customization capabilities
• Expandability
• Ease of use by nontechnology-based employees
• Excellent support via telephone
• Excellent on-line support
• The potential for PMS interface

In the future, most PMS developers will likely include a back-office accounting system as part of their package. It is also probable that the call accounting and POS systems will soon make their way to become part of the standard PMS from which G.M.s can choose.

The FOM is often the hotel guest service expert and, increasingly, the hotel's technological leader. Few other hotel departments have been, nor likely will be, as impacted by the changing capabilities of the equipment and of guest expectations. For a G.M need for talented front office staff that can maximize revenue, provide outstanding guest service, and records the data needed for the smooth operation of the property is unquestionable.