(Tiểu luận) hotel front office management group 1 assignment

HOTEL FRONT OFFICE MANAGEMENT GROUP ASSIGNMENT n CHAPTER & CHAPTER Group Members: Chu Thi Bang An Nguyen Lam Anh Pham Thuy Linh Ngo Van Khanh Phung Thi Hong Nhung Hanoi, 2022 Contents A I II B I II End of Chapter Questions Chapter 2: Hotel Organisation and the Front Office Manager Chapter 3: Effective Interdepartmental Communications 15 Case Study 23 Case Study 201 23 Case Study 301 27 n This is a preview Do you want full access? Go Premium and unlock all 32 pages Access to all documents Get Unlimited Downloads Improve your grades Upload Share your documents to unlock Free Trial n Get 30 days of free Premium Already Premium? Log in A End of Chapter Questions Question 1: If you are employed in the hotel industry, sketch the organisation chart of the property where you work Have you seen this hierarchy change since you have been employed there? If so, what you think caused this change? n The hierarchy has not changed since I worked here In my opinion, it is a very effective and complete system Every department and position are closely connected and cooperating smoothly This organisation helps divide responsibility among teams, which makes it easier for rewards and punishments It also maintains and enhances quality of service with supervision from colleagues and superior Competitiveness is also created with this form of management Question 2: Compare the organisation of a full-service hotel and a limitedservice hotel How can a limited-service property operate with such a seemingly minimal staff? Above is a typical organisation chart of a limited-service hotel This type of hotel usually has minimal staffing only with a much less complex organisation compared to a full-service hotel There are significantly less departments and less positions Therefore, one position or one department will oversee more fields Meanwhile, a full-service hotel has a lot of departments and positions Each department will oversee its own aspect of the hotel To efficiently operate with minimal staff, each department and position will be supervising more fields and also working in many positions For example, the front office manager will work regular shifts to provide coverage along with the night n auditor and desk clerks Question 3: If you are employed in the hotel industry, describe the tasks your general manager performs on a daily basis Describe the tasks your department director performs on a daily basis What relationship both of these departments have to the overall success of the hotel? Daily tasks of the general manager: - Make sure all guests receive a high quality of service - Plan marketing campaigns - Plan budgets, set sales targets and manage accounts - Analyse sales figures and produce reports - Recruit, train and supervise staff - Meet and greet guests - Deal with customers’ complaints and other problems - Organise building maintenance - Make sure that the hotel meets health, safety and security regulations and licence laws My department director is the Front Office Manager Her daily tasks are: - Reviewing the final draft of the night audit, a daily review of the financial accounting procedures at the front desk and other guest service areas during the previous 24-hour period and an analysis of operating results - Operating and monitoring the reservation system - Developing and operating an effective communication system with front - Supervising daily registrations and checkouts - Overseeing and developing employees - Establishing in-house sales programs at the front desk - Preparing budgets and cost-control systems - Forecasting room sales - Maintaining business relationships with regular corporate and community office staff and other department directors leaders The front office is a pivotal point in communication among in-house sales, delivery of service to the guest, and financial operations n Question 4: How are the positions in a front office organised? Describe the positions found at a front office in a full-service hotel Which positions are most crucial to providing guest service? This is a preview Do you want full access? Go Premium and unlock all 32 pages Access to all documents Get Unlimited Downloads Improve your grades Upload Share your documents to unlock Free Trial n Get 30 days of free Premium Already Premium? Log in Typical Staff positions of Front Office in a Large or Full-Service Hotel: - Front Office Manager/Director Of Rooms: Directly supervises all front office personnel and ensures proper completion of all front office duties - Assistant Front Office Managers: Responsible for assisting the Front office manager in his day to operations and also take charge when FOM is not available - Duty Manager: Directly supervises the Reception, Concierge, Telephone, Travel Desk and the Bell desk - Guest Relations Manager: Responsible for all the guest relations related - Reservation Manager: Responsible for all reservations related tasks - Revenue Manager: Responsible for managing the hotels online inventory, activities in the hotel website, Online Travel Agents… - Front Desk Agent: Registers guests, and maintains room availability - Cashier: Maintains and settles guest folios, and properly checks out guests - Night Auditor: Controls the job of the Accounts Receivable Clerk, and information prepares daily reports to management such as Occupancy Report and n Revenue Report - Mail & Information Clerk: Takes messages, provides Directions to Guests, and maintains Mail In my opinion, the Front Office manager is the most important person in providing guest service A successful front office manager conveys the spirit of a particular lodging property to the customer By applying management principles, he or she works through the front office staff to communicate feelings of warmth, caring, safety, and efficiency to each guest Question 5: If you have ever worked in a front office in a lodging property, summarise what you think the front office manager does If you have not worked in a front office of a hotel, you might want to visit with a front office manager and ask for insight into this position The front office manager in a hotel oversees staff, scheduling, and office-related duties while simultaneously managing the specific requirements of the hospitality industry As the front office manager in a hotel, he is responsible for dealing directly with guests and ensuring quality customer service with every staff interaction He maintains your staff’s ability to provide courteous and helpful assistance to customers regardless of tense or trying circumstances Question 6: What are the resources available to the front office manager? Rank the importance of these resources in providing service to guests and supervising employees The resources available to the Front Office Manager are: - Employees - Equipment - Inventory (rooms to be sold) - A budget - Sales opportunities The FO manager is responsible for coordinating these basic elements to achieve the profit goals of the lodging property Rank the importance of these above resources in providing service to guests and supervising employees: n I found these challenging to rank because it is a combination of all of these resources that promote successful practices With that being said, I believe employees should be ranked first The front office staff is the face of the property Their attitude and competency directly reflects the hotel Second, the equipment provides the front office manager and staff an efficient overview of the hotel's reservations, budgets, and guest information This is a vital resource in keeping information organised and easily accessible to hotel staff Next would be sales opportunities The lodging facilities financial status is determined by the ability to secure guests This resource requires efforts from multiple departments Proper marketing techniques partnered with well-trained front desk agents will reduce unsold guest rooms Lastly comes the budget This can vary depending on the financial status of the property The front desk manager carries much of the financial burden They are in direct control of financial decisions It is important to follow the budget guidelines when staffing, booking reservations and ordering supplies for the property The front office staff must be trained properly to function within the guidelines and policies of the lodging establishment The front office manager cannot assume that an employee knows how to certain tasks Every employee needs instructions and guidance on how to provide hospitality; front office employees’ attitudes are of utmost importance to the industry To ensure that the proper attitude prevails, the atmosphere in which employees work must motivate them to excel and nurture morale and teamwork Next, the equipment available to the front office manager is varied With the advent of computers, the property management system has provided the front office manager with an unlimited opportunity for managerial control He or she can now easily track information such as zip codes of visitors, frequency of visits by corporate guests, and amount of revenue a particular conference generated and pass this information on to the marketing and sales department An unsold guest room is a sales opportunity lost forever This is one of the major challenges of the front office manager Cooperation between the marketing and sales department and the front office is necessary to develop profitable advertising and point of sale strategies The subsequent training of front office personnel to seize every opportunity to sell vacant rooms helps to ensure that the n financial goals of the lodging property are met Budgetary guidelines must be developed by the front office manager and the general manager, since the front office manager does have a large dollar volume under his or her control The budgeting of money for payroll and supplies, the opportunity for daily sales, and accurate recording of guest charges require the front office manager to apply managerial skills Coordination between departments in a hotel helps to sell rooms Question 7: How does the front office manager relate to other members of the hotel management staff? Give examples The foremost concept that characterises a front office manager is “team player” The front office manager does not labour alone to meet the profit goals of the lodging property The general manager sets the goals, objectives, and standards for all departments to follow The assistant manager offers the various department heads additional insight into meeting the operational needs of the establishment The controller supplies valuable accounting information to the front office manager as feedback on current performance and meeting budgetary goals The food and beverage manager, housekeeper, and plant engineer provide Ana has taken those comments to heart and feels she can justify her shortcomings and those of her staff She knows the schedules are to be posted by Tuesday morning of each week, but several of her employees give her lastminute requests for days off Her payroll forms are usually delayed because she wants to spend time with the guests who are registering or checking out The front desk clerks have made some major errors in checking guests into rooms that are not ready, but she offers, “It must be that the computer system gives them the wrong information.” The elevator issue wasn’t the front desk clerk’s fault It was his third night on the job, and no one had thought to explain what constitutes an emergency call to the executive engineer She wants her front desk clerks to distribute those food and beverage coupons, but they just don’t get excited about it And Lorraine DeSantes’s messages are always given to her; “She just makes no attempt to look in her mailbox.” She also remembered when Margaret Chu, general manager of The Times Hotel, asked her to visit in her office She let Ana know that her six-month probationary period would be over in one month and it was time to discuss Ana’s progress before a decision could be made on whether to continue Ana in the role of front office manager Ana was very uneasy knowing that her colleagues had reported major n errors on her behalf However, Margaret Chu took an approach that was very different from that of other general managers with whom Ana had worked Margaret asked her to prepare a list of strategies that she could use in working toward improvement in the following areas: ● Employee motivation ● Personnel training ● Effective scheduling of employees ● Communication ● Empowerment ● Ms Chu has asked you to assist Ana in developing strategies to use for improving her ability in the art of supervising employees What would you suggest? Ana Chavarria is a Front Office Manager who manages the front desk clerk Ana Chavarria was obviously overwhelmed with stress and unhappy about all of the troubles she had during her short months at the Hotel, as indicated in the Case Scenario Ana was chastised by her coworkers for her flaws, despite the fact 24 This is a preview Do you want full access? Go Premium and unlock all 32 pages Access to all documents Get Unlimited Downloads Improve your grades Upload Share your documents to unlock Free Trial n Get 30 days of free Premium Already Premium? Log in that they misinterpreted her actions since they, too, had flaws in their job However, as the years went, Ana Chavarria was able to bear with all of the criticism and continue working as the Hotel's Front Desk Manager If Ms Chu asked me to assist Ana to develop her strategies to improve herself more, I would like to suggest this strategy that can help Ana to excel and can probably solve every situation she may face Ms Ana was stressed so I suggest that give herself a minute to calm down because as a person everyone gets tired, and like what I said she is stressed she cannot think properly if she is stressed After she calms down, think professionally that can improve the employee motivation, personnel training, effective scheduling of employees, communication, and empowerment I also recommend that she can some planning to have time management in every aspect of working As an assistant to Ms Ana I respect her and also I respect every department of the hotel I will formulate the strategy: - Communication Strategy: Because they are having difficulty communicating, they are having misunderstandings of what is going on at the hotel, so I propose that they talk about all of the priorities in the hotel task and arrange it in order to resolve the problem, because it is critical that all of the personnel have proper communication so that they can work n effectively and interact with the staff as well as the guests If you respect others they also respect you - Employee Motivation: I've observed that Ana is unmotivated in her work due to her colleague's complaints about her work at the front desk In order to resolve this other employees should not pressure their fellow employees, but they should work together and lift up to complete a task It is the most essential strategy in a workplace because it helps us to be more productive, if Ana possibly applies this to herself this will help her to change her way of thinking and the way she behaves, she will be more motivated to improve her performance in work, but it would be better if other employees could also apply it to themselves for a better workplace Managers should also motivate and boost their employees' mood and this will help them to change their way of thinking and the way she behaves, she will be more motivated to improve their performance at work, but it would be better if other employees could also apply it to themselves for a better workplace Managers should also motivate and boost their employees' performance so they feel motivated and be productive at all costs because without the manager's help it will be difficult to work with people who are 25 This is a preview Do you want full access? 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Log in full of negativity It will make the employee uneasy and unmotivated In case the front desk clerks are not doing the right thing, I suggest giving them a punishment, not to harm them but motivate and correct them and give them a lesson to not it again - Personnel Training: According to the case, all of the employees were not properly trained on their assigned department, and they blame all of their work on the front desk, which is incorrect because they each have their own work that is not the responsibility of the front desk, which is why they are having difficulty performing their jobs All the departments that have been mentioned in the article were at fault for blaming the Front Desk for their own problem As a worker, we should be responsible for our respective work so as not to be inconvenient to others, because the ones we are blaming are also doing their own work To resolve this all management should train all the employees well, for them to take action and they can know how to solve every situation they may face, because they already had the knowledge to it, before we complain to other departments, let's see first if we can solve the problem and if we can it, if not then let's ask for help But never blame others for not being able to resolve the task n because in the first place it is your responsibility they're just helping I suggest also giving out the best of every employee and what are the abilities of every employee, like giving them the training to know how the employees are productive and abilities because every employee gives them an opportunity to stand out in every aspect in every department of the hotel - Effective scheduling of employees: In the case stated there is conflict in a schedule where employees give their last-minute requests for days off, so the schedule that must be posted was always delayed, to develop this strategy, all the employees should inform the front desk for early leave or day-off, so that it is not difficult for those who arrange the schedule and the final schedule will be posted on time, because it is difficult when there is a day-off at the same time with other employees and there will be a conflict for the last minute change of schedules It is important to have a consistent work schedule so that the employees can work efficiently and effectively without worrying about their schedule because scheduling helps us to know what specific tasks must be done on time and how we will use our schedule to focus Effective scheduling of employees gives you time 26 This is a preview Do you want full access? 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Log in management to be a good manager There was so much work because as a manager they give that title to you because they trust you that you can it and also if you are a manager be a good leader in the department - Empowerment: We need to provide our employees the opportunity to better themselves in order to build this plan, especially if they are new to their jobs With the manager's guidance, the employee will be able to make their own decisions, and this employee will be easily motivated and excel in his or her experience For example, if Ana Chavarria receives a customer complaint, she will be able to handle it and make a decision on her own because she understands that she is empowered to make decisions that will benefit the guests And the Manager is there to guide them, to excel in their abilities and capabilities when it comes to working, because without the Managers motivation, support, and is a great leader, it will be difficult for the employee to cope with all the situations he/she may face in the industry As a manager, you have a lot of obligations, so train yourself to handle them If you're a manager, make excellent decisions, use your brains, and your best with your heart n II Case Study 301 It is Thursday morning at The Times Hotel The reservations manager has printed the list of reservations for the day The front office staff has prepared 252 packets for guests who have preregistered for the Pet Owners of the Americas Conference The Times Hotel has been designated the headquarters for the cat owners, while The Sebastian Hotel, located two blocks away, has been designated the headquarters for the dog owners The participants in the Pet Owners of the Americas Conference are supposed to start arriving at noon The Times Hotel had a full house on Wednesday night A planning group (179 rooms) for the Biology Researchers Conference was in the hotel They held a meeting in the early hours of Thursday morning Several of the guests posted not disturb signs on their doors Yoon-Whan Li, the executive engineer, has noticed the air-conditioning going on and off on the fifth and sixth floors Yoon-Whan investigated the problem and estimates it will require about 12 hours of repair time Yoon-Whan gets on the phone to the front office to report the problem, but the desk clerks are busy and fail to answer the phone Meanwhile, another repair call comes in, and Yoon27 This is a preview Do you want full access? 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Log in Whan is off again The air-conditioning situation is never reported to the front office The chef is busy preparing vendor orders for the day He is also planning the food production worksheets for the Pet Owners of the Americas The chef has left word with one of the suppliers to return his call early in the afternoon to clarify an order for the banquet tonight The organiser for the Pet Owners of the Americas wants a special Swiss chocolate ice cream cake roll The sales office has also included an order for two ice sculptures—one cat and one dog The banquet manager and several of his crew are scheduled to arrive about three hours prior to the banquet to begin setting up furniture and tabletops The servers will arrive about one hour before the banquet begins It is now 11:00 am, and a group of the conferees has arrived to register They have brought along their cats and want to know where they can house them The front desk clerk does not know where the cats are to be housed He calls the sales department and asks for directions The sales department says that the person who organised this conference specifically told the participants that they were to leave their pets at home This was not to be a pet show, only a business/seminar conference n The housekeeping staff is unable to get into the rooms (checkout time is noon) The Biology Researchers Conference attendees have not risen because of the late planning meeting Also, two of the room attendants did not report to work this morning It is now 1:30 pm, and the majority of the Pet Owners are in the lobby, with their pets, waiting to get into the rooms With the air-conditioning out of order, the lobby is bedlam The odour and noise are beyond description Housekeeping calls down and says that it will need about two more hours before the first 75 rooms can be released The switchboard has been bombarded with telephone calls for the Pet Owners The chef is anticipating his call from the vendor for the Swiss chocolate ice cream cake roll He finally calls the supplier and finds out that she has been trying to call him to let him know that the supplier is out of this product, but no one answered the phone at the front desk The chef is beside himself and runs out of the kitchen into the lobby area He finds the switchboard operator and verbally rips him apart The front office manager is up to her ears in kitty litter and responds likewise to the chef It is not the best of situations Just when it seems that nothing else can go wrong, a group of ten Pet Owners of the Americas arrives 28 This is a preview Do you want full access? 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Log in in the lobby with guaranteed reservations The hotel is completely booked, and these additional reservations represent an overbooked situation The reservationist forgot to ask if these guests were cat or dog owners You guessed it—they all brought along Fido The clamour in the lobby is now unbearable—dogs are barking at cats, cats are hissing at dogs, and guests are complaining loudly The banquet manager and his crew have finished setting up the room for the banquet One of the crew turns on the air-conditioning; there is a dull roar, and blue smoke pours from the vents Thinking this is only a temporary condition, he does not report it to the banquet manager Later on, the banquet manager instructs the setup crew to take the ice sculptures from the freezer and set them in front of the podium and head table The banquet servers will be arriving within an hour to start the preparations for the banquet If you were the front office manager, what would you to solve the immediate problems at hand? After the commotion had settled down, how would you analyse the situation? List the opportunities for improving communications between the front office and other departments n If I was the front office manager, I would try my best to have the service run smoothly and keep the guests happy Everything that could go wrong, did on a Thursday at The Times Hotel I listed the problems into three categories to keep structure in how I would manage each problem, but that is not in the perfect order The hotel had to deal with problems in the kitchen, with pets, and with housekeeping As a front office manager I would deal with the problems in the order that they come The Times Hotel was designated for the cat owner headquarters When the guests arrive early, they should be instructed to wait outside until the Pet Owners of America leaders arrive to give them a place to go The rooms are still being cleaned, so that will give a little more time for the rooms to be ready for the guest I would inform the guest that the latest they can get into their room would be 2:00 pm, if they keep asking I would suggest a local pet store in the town to help pass the time As paticipants of Pet Owners of America Conference check in, I would remind them that The Sebastian Hotel was the recommended place for dog owners to check in and offer them a discounted price next time they come to the Time Hotel to stay the night If they not care and want to stay the night, I would then explain to them that the hotel made a mistake and over 29 This is a preview Do you want full access? 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Log in booked the rooms I would then talk to the person who confirmed the reservation and explain to them what they did wrong, keeping a watchful eye on that employee in the future When odours from the animals start affecting the lobby, I would instruct one of the front office workers to place a floor fan near the door to air out the pet odour and ask someone from housekeeping to spray the area to clean the air Housekeeping has to deal with people sleeping too late in the hotel beds I would call security at 12:15 pm to let the housekeeping staff in the rooms of the Biology Researchers Conference men and women and inform them that they could only stay until noon and will be charged a stay-over fee if they not start leaving the room by 12:30 pm If the absent employees still did not show up, I would call those missing staff members If they not answer or say they cannot come in, I would call other off-duty staff and offer them time and a half for coming in to help clean and maintain the hotel for the day I would tell the maintenance manager to communicate with guests on the fifth and sixth floor explaining the situation and setting up an appointment time that is best for them to test on the air conditioning units in the rooms Then the whole n staff would be informed that the air conditioning unit is broken, and should not be turned on for the rest of the day unless otherwise instructed, avoiding the possibility of someone creating blue smoke from accidentally turning on the air conditioner The chef in the kitchen at the hotel is stressed with the conference food I would instruct the controller to call the food vendor and verify the order If then I find out the swirl cake will not be in, I would call the banquet manager and ask if he or she would like another kind of cake and explain the situation with sympathy The switchboard manager would then not be yelled out by the chef because the chef only had to communicate to the controller or front desk manager If the chef still gets upset and leaves the hotel, I would call him and tell him to come back to work I would also tell the assistant chef to take over and finish the service successfully, and he or she will be rewarded in the future if the chef does not return Because the ice sculptures could melt remaining in a room temperature area, I would remind the banquet manager that there is still an hour before waiters and waitresses show up to start preparation, and the ice sculptures might melt before service After everything was settled, I would have human resources call upon 30 This is a preview Do you want full access? 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Log in anyone who complained and ask what they would like to improve their stay If the guest is still unhappy, I would have the customer service give them a discounted room or another free night I would write a report and call a staff meeting to identify new ways to make communication easier within the hotel The front office manager has to communicate with all employees If I was the manager, I would try to deal with each problem as they present themselves, and try to prevent more problems from happening The most important part of being in a position of power is to remain calm because if the staff thinks you are in control, it will calm them down I would make sure I, or customer service, talked to every guest who was disappointed with the service and made their night a better stay at the hotel I would set new regulations so it would be easier to communicate with my employees to create a higher quality service at The Times Hotel n 31