Ranks and Responsibilities



Let us discuss a few prominent ranks in the front office department and their respective responsibilities −

Reservation Manager

In the context of hotel, the term reservation is used for booking a particular accommodation in the hotel by a guest for a period of time. Reservation section does not directly deal with the guests.

Reservation Manager

Some important tasks a reservation manager is responsible for are −

  • Having knowledge about the reservation systems.
  • Providing and updating information on tours, prices, and itineraries.
  • Reviewing daily hotel reservations.
  • Preparing occupancy forecast.
  • Updating travel agent rates in the system.
  • Handling correspondence with outside travel agencies.
  • Allocating daily tasks to the reservation staff.
  • Ensuring special deals with repeat guests, VIPs, or guest groups.
  • Training the staff under hand.

Reception Manager

Following are some prominent roles and responsibilities of the reception manager −

  • Dealing with arrival and departure of the guests.

  • Welcoming the guests, escorting them to the room, and seeing them off.

  • Ensuring professional greeting of clients, visitors, and guests.

  • Coordination with housekeeping department for cleaning rooms.

  • Filling registration cards for the guests with reserved accommodation or help the guests to fill it up.

  • Arranging surprise gift for the guests on their special days.

  • Training of receptionists.

  • Handling appraisals and performance rewards of the staff.

  • Reviewing current standards of front office services and procedures, and implementing new practices if required.

  • Ensuring and Scheduling front office desk staff.

  • Managing VIP functions and events taking place in the hotel.

  • Upgrading software if required.

  • Updating backup database regularly.

Reception Manager

Guest Services Manager

The responsibilities of the guest service manager include −

  • Handling guest mails, letters, and couriers.
  • Ensuring guest messages are delivered at the right time.
  • Training the guest service staff such as concierges, bell staff, wallet parking staff, and porters.
  • Maintaining guest service suggestion cards and guest complaints.
  • Scheduling and appraising guest service staff.
  • Ensuring the staff delivers services, accurately and timely.
Guest Services Manager

Night Audit Manager

This manager works during the night hours. The typical responsibilities of a night audit manager are &mnus;

  • Posting accommodation charges, taxes, and other paid services such as restaurant, Internet charges to each guest's account accurately.

  • Taking the responsibility as a duty manager for night shift.

  • Settling guest accounts if required.

  • Authoring security of the hotel during night shift.

Night Audit Manager

Communication Manager

The communication manager is responsible for −

  • Keeping in check all communication facilities such as PBX, facsimile, internet in the hotel.
  • Training and scheduling telephone operators in case of large hotels.
  • Ensuring immediate delivery of fax to the guests, if required.
  • Appraising telephone operators.
  • Changing the communication systems to the latest technology for easy use.
Communication Manager

Front Office - Staff Qualities and Competencies

Being a part of the service industry, the front office staff needs to have the following qualities and competencies. The front office staff members are required to −

  • Understand their respective roles and responsibilities in the hotel and front office as an operation.
  • Equip themselves with basic etiquettes and mannerism.
  • Possess pleasant, polite, and cordial personality.
  • Wear clean and neat uniform with same accessories and footwear.
  • Conduct themselves with professionalism, positive attitude, and cooperative nature.
  • Possess extraordinary communication skills.
  • Be a team player.
  • Possess the ability to tackle tricky situations.
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