HRM 333: Rooms Division Management and Control System

Chapter 3: Rooms Division Area 1: The Front Office Section Group 1 BSHRM 3A Chapter 3: Rooms Division Area 1: The Front Office Section FRONT OFFICE OVERVIEW This section is the most visible of all, since it is responsible for the incoming and outgoing guest. Front office has two sections the FRONT DESK and the UNIFORM SERVICE, who directly report to the front office managers. THE REGISTRATION PROCESS GREETING STAGE TRANSITION STAGE REGISTRATION STAGE COMPLETION STAGE GREETING STAGE where the valet person, doorperson greeting and assisting arriving guest. TRANSITION STAGE where bell person assisting guest from the lobby to the front desk to register. REGISTRASTION STAGE the guest will register to the Front Desk. COMPLETION STAGE the bell person escort the guests to their room.

GREETING STAGE - under this stage is the uniformed services division of the front office section of the hotel. Theyre also the first personnel who greet the arriving guest. In bigger facilities the parking attendant is the first to greet guest arriving at the hotel. - The second person to greet and deal with the guest is the doorperson. The doorperson has responsibility to assist guest as they come in the hotels lobby area. TRANSITION STAGE - next stage is to assist guest from the door to the front desk. They will be assisted by the bell person (bellman, bellhop or bell boy) is responsible also in rooming the guest. FUNCTIONS OF BELLSTAFF - assist guest from the door to the front desk and from front desk to their rooms. - assist other department when needed. - deliver messages, faxes and room gifts. REGISTRATION STAGE - it begins once the guest has arrived and has made it to the front desk as assisted by the bell person, they start creating an impression about the hotel and staff. The registration process is run smoothly and one thing to do this by creating a warm and inviting atmosphere around the front office area. COMPLETION STAGE after the registration process the bell person shall escort them to the room and explain its features as well as the hotel features. Front Office Management and Control System Front Office Duties are very significant to the hotels success. Management and control system are in place to ensure smooth hotel daily operations.

HRM 333: Rooms Division Management and Control System

Chapter 3: Rooms Division Area 1: The Front Office Section Group 1 BSHRM 3A 1. On Operations Administration Front office Managers should: Good Communicators first and foremost Staff adequately the division Perform his job efficiently Know how to do labor forecast Need to use checklist

Front Office Manager Duties/Responsibilities: Employee and Guest Relations Guest loss/theft reporting Accidents and illnesses assistance Management of guest complaint Procedure for lost and found Management of liability and insurance Monitoring of employee attendance and performances

Scheduling and Staffing Adequate staffing Hiring and termination procedure Staffs proper imaging/dress code Policies on Credit Delinquent guest-account management Procedures for check-cashing Management of paid outs, petty cash, and credit card cash advance Document management Disciplinary Guidelines Mentoring procedures Coaching guidelines Disciplinary procedures for employees

Emergency Procedures Notification to senior management Emergency contact information Management of reserve power and water supplies Police, fire, and ambulance

Management on Communications Forecast Arrivals Departures Out of order rooms/facilities Pass on log

HRM 333: Rooms Division Management and Control System

Chapter 3: Rooms Division Area 1: The Front Office Section Group 1 BSHRM 3A Guest preferences Security Employee conduct management Fraud management Theft management Trespassing management

2. On Staffing Managing staff and deploying Well-manned

Typical Hotel Scheduling AM Shift 5:00 am to 7:00 am First shift who relieve the night audit shift PM Shift Second shift, starts before the hotel standard check in time 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm They stay until relieved by the night audit team Night Shift 9:00 pm to 11:00 pm Relieving the night shifters Swing Shift Needed at any point in a day depending on the hotel size and projected arrivals/departures Needed to facilitate group arrival or fill up staffs when some are given breaks 3. Implementation of the 10x10 Rule Guest perception is instilled in the first 10min. upon arrival. home away-from home Front desk should greet the guest with a smile 10ft. before he/she approaches the front desk. 4. Use of Pass on Log Used by Front Office to input the most important data that an oncoming staff should know. Vital to communicate within the department. Large book where outgoing managers can write notes to the incoming managers. Documents daily activities and other issue.

PROPERTY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM (PMS), a generic term for applications of computer hardware and software used to manage a hotel. Used of Property Management System (PMS): Used to facilitate operational control such as on planning and decision making processes.

HRM 333: Rooms Division Management and Control System

Chapter 3: Rooms Division Area 1: The Front Office Section Group 1 BSHRM 3A Provide adequate and timely information as guide or aid in the coordination of commercial accommodation daily transaction and activities.

Selecting a Property Management System (PMS) Importance of a Needs Analysis- a need analysis indicates the flow of the information and services of a specific property to determine whether the new equipment (computers)- can improve the flow. Procedure for Performing a Needs Analysis: 1. Select a team to analyze needs. should include employees at both the management and staff level to see all aspects of the operation; management can provide input on the overall objectives, while the staff is more aware of the day-to-day needs. 2. Analyze the flow of guests through lodging property. Reservations Checkout Registration Guest accounting Night audit Guest history

3. Analyze the flow of information from other departments to the front office. lines of communication throughout the hotel. 4. Analyze the administrative paperwork produced in other departments. administrative paperwork produced in the hotel that is necessary to assist management. 5. Review the information gathered in steps 2, 3, and 4. 6. Evaluate the needs that have been identified. (Control reports, communications, and administrative paperwork produced in other departments) in terms of importance. Choosing Software and Hardware: Softwarecomputer programs or applications that process data such as guest information and aid in financial transactions and report generation. Hardwareactual computer equipment (central processing units, keyboards, monitors, and printers) Other PMS Considerations: Vendor Claims asking questions to current users of the system. Hardware Installation Plans including all the methods required to get all the departments of the property online (indicating that a computer is operational and connected with a central computer) to help departments adapt and interact using online operations. Computer Training Programs the staff that will use the computer must be thoroughly trained if the equipment is to be put to its best use. Backup Power Source Battery-powered temporary units are used when power is lost or cut to ensure that operational data are not lost. Maintenance Agreement cost of repair and replacement of hardware and software. Financial Considerations Purchasing or leasing a PMS for a hotel use is a major financial decision. Hotel operations that match computer applications with needs by going through

HRM 333: Rooms Division Management and Control System

Chapter 3: Rooms Division Area 1: The Front Office Section Group 1 BSHRM 3A the needs analysis will achieve most realistic assessment of costs versus benefits when adopting computers. PMS APPLICATIONS FIGURE 4-6 Main menu of a property management system 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. Reservations Yield Management Registration Room Status Posting Call Accounting Checkout Night Audit Inquiries/Reports 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. Back Office Housekeeping Food and Beverage Maintenance Security Marketing and Sales Personnel Electronic Mail Time Clock

1. Reservations FIGURE 4-7 Reservation module. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Guest Data Room Inventory Deposits Special Requests Blocking Arrivals 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. Departures VIP Projected Occupancy Travel Agents Guest Messages Reports

2. Revenue Management a process of planning to achieve maximum room rates and profitable guests encourages front office managers, general managers, and marketing and sales directors to target sales periods and develop sales programs that will maximize profit for the hotel. FIGURE 4-8 Revenue management module. 1. 2. 3. 4. Master Rate Table Per-Person Increments Guest Type Increments Revenue Management

3. Registration FIGURE 4-9 Registration module. 1. 2. 3. 4. Reservations Guest Data/Registration Room Inventory Room Status 5. 6. 7. 8. Security Reports Self-Check-in Intranet

HRM 333: Rooms Division Management and Control System

Chapter 3: Rooms Division Area 1: The Front Office Section Group 1 BSHRM 3A 4. Room Status information on availability of entry to a guest room. FIGURE 4-10 Room status module. 1. 2. 3. 4. Room Inventory Availability Reports Intranet

5. Posting immediate posting of charges incurred by the guest (accuracy is ensured). FIGURE 4-11 Posting module. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Point-of-sale Room Tax Transfer Adjustment 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. Paid-out Miscellaneous charges Phone Display Folio Reports

6. Call Accounting a system that automatically posts telephone charges and a predetermined mark-up to a guests folio. FIGURE 4-12 Call accounting module. 1. Guest Information 2. Employee Information 3. Post Charge 4. Messages 5. Wake-up Calls 6. Reports

7. Checkout In-room guest checkout a feature of the PMS allowing the guest to use a guest room television to checkout of the hotel. FIGURE 4-13 Checkout module. 1. Folio 2. Adjustments 3. Cashier 4. Back Office Transfer 5. Reports 6. Guest History

8. Night Audit FIGURE 4-14 Night audit module. 1. 2. 3. 4. Guest Charges Department Totals City Ledger Cashier 5. Financial Reports 6. Housekeeping 7. Intranet

HRM 333: Rooms Division Management and Control System

Chapter 3: Rooms Division Area 1: The Front Office Section Group 1 BSHRM 3A 9. Inquiries/Reports allows management to retrieve operating or financial information at any time. FIGURE 4-15 Inquiries/Reports module. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Reservations Registrations Checkouts Housekeeping Credit Balances

10. Back Office assists in the overall financial management of the hotel. FIGURE 4-16 Back Office module. 1. Accounts Payable 2. Accounts Receivable 3. Payroll 4. Budgets 11. Housekeeping FIGURE 4-17 Housekeeping module. 1. 2. 3. 4. Room Availability Personnel Assignment Analysis Housekeepers Report 5. Equipment/Supplies Inventory 6. Maintenance Requests 7. Intranet 5. General Ledger 6. Reports 7. Intranet

12. Food and Beverage FIGURE 4-18 Food and beverage module. 1. 2. 3. 4. Point-of-sale Posting Cashier Reports Food/Beverage Inventory 5. 6. 7. 8. Recipes Sales Control Sales Production Analysis Labor Analysis

13. Maintenance FIGURE 4-19 Maintenance module. 1. 2. 3. 4. Review Work Order Room Status Cost/Labor Analysis Inventory 5. Repair Cost Analysis 6. Energy Usage Analysis 7. Guest Room Power Start

HRM 333: Rooms Division Management and Control System

Chapter 3: Rooms Division Area 1: The Front Office Section Group 1 BSHRM 3A 14. Security FIGURE 4-20 Security module. 1. 2. 3. 4. Keys Fire Alarm Burglar Alarm Security Code Transactions

15. Marketing and Sales ability to produce direct mail letters letters sent to individual targeted market group. Function Sheets, listing of daily events in a hotel such as meeting, banquets, and receptions. FIGURE 4-21 Marketing and sales module. 1. 2. 3. 4. Guest History Word Processing Client Files Banquet Files 5. 6. 7. 8. Desktop Publishing Reports Travel Agencies Room StatusMeeting Rooms

16. Personnel FIGURE 4-22 Personnel module. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Employee File Job Control List Word Processing Analysis Reports

17. Electronic Mail (Email) FIGURE 4-23 Electronic mail module. 1. 2. 3. 4. Security Codes Mail Hard copy Intranet

18. Time Clock FIGURE 4-24 Time Clock module. 1. Security Codes 2. Personnel Identification Number 3. Time In 4. Time Out 5. Analysis 6. Reports

HRM 333: Rooms Division Management and Control System

Chapter 3: Rooms Division Area 1: The Front Office Section Group 1 BSHRM 3A TYPES OF PMS: Manual Systems a written form of guest activities using a calculator to compute for guests account upon checkout. Booking diaries and conventional charts used to keep track of reservations. Color codedroom racks used to keep track on room types, room status, and room occupancy or availability. Tabular Ledgers used for recording financial transactions. Semiautomated Systems processing much data manually with some automation (accounting area of the F.O.) example: using cash register, point of sale or POS and calculator. Fully Automated Systems computerized system to manage guest bookings, online reservations, point-of-sale, telephone and other amenities Computerized PMS can perform all tasks undertaken by a manual system and semi-automated system. Function of Fully Automated Systems: Register guests Record guests reservations Maintain guests reservations Develop and monitor or maintain guest profiles. Manage maintenance issues General hotel reports Collate statistical data