Front Office Operations I Syllabus - BHM (TU)

Course Objectives

This course aims to make students understand both the theoretical knowledge and practical skill in front office operation basically in reservation and registration of guest in hotel industry.

Course Description

Introduction to hotel industry (nationally and internationally) and its organization; front office organization, it units, staffing and functions; guest cycle; room reservation and its procedure; guest registration and its procedure; types of rooms, room tariff and key control system; handling different procedures in the department; hotel safety and security; front office terminologies.

Course Details

Unit 1: Introduction to the hospitality industry                                                                                                                                     LH 8 Introduction, Definition of hotel, Development of hotel industry (internationally and nationally), International chain associations, Star rating criteria of Nepal

Classification of hotel, Types of hotel, Hotel organization chart, Organizations of hotel - operating/non-operating, revenue/non-revenue producing departments of hotel

Attributes of hospitality professional.

Unit 2: Front office organization                                                                                                                                              LH 8

Introduction, Function, Organization chart, Duties and responsibilities of front office staff, Attributes of front office staff, Interdepartmental coordination; Front office terminologies; Communication system (process, method and barriers).

Unit 3: Rooms                                                                                                                                              LH 5

Types of rooms, Room symbols, Room history card, Guest history card, Room rate and its types, Discount and allowance, Room key and key control.

Unit 4: The guest cycle                                                                                                                                              LH 2

Pre-arrival, arrival, occupancy, departure

Unit 5: Reservation                                                                                                                                              LH 8

Introduction, importance and its purpose, Types of reservation, Modes of reservation, Source of reservation, Reservation procedure, Understanding special requirements, Different system of processing reservation, Reservation charts, Cancellation and amendments, Reservation confirmations, regrets and overbooking.

Unit 6: Reception                                                                                                                                              LH 6

Preparation for guest arrival, Standard check-in procedure - pre-registration activities; creating the registration record ( guests with reservations and walk-in guest), (types of hotel register, guest registration card and its’ importance, C-form); room assignment and determination of room rate; establishing the method of payment; issuing the room key; fulfilling special request (arrival procedure for FITs), Group arrival procedure. Methods of room assignment, Room change process, Self-registration, Express registration.

Unit 7: Other guest related services                                                                                                                                              LH 7

Guest relation, Handling guest complaints, Handling VIPs, Handling mail and messages, Telephone handling, Dealing with safe deposit, Up selling, Scanty baggage procedure, Left luggage procedure.

Unit 8: Hotel safety and security                                                                                                                                              LH 2

Procedure regarding safety and security.

Unit 9: Departure                                                                                                                                              LH 2

Departure procedure for FITs, Group departure procedure, Late check-out, Express check-out, Self check-out.

Practical

Preparing forms and formats used by front office department. Practice in making reservation, registering and departure of the different types of the guest. Practice telephone etiquettes, making wake-up calls and preparing wake-up call chart.

References:

Andrews, S. (2013), Hotel Front Office, A Training Manual, New Delhi: McGraw Hill

Tewari, J. R. (2012), Hotel Front Office Operations and Management, New Delhi: Oxford University Press

Negi, J. (2013), Hospitality Reception and Front Office Procedures and Systems, New Delhi: S. Chand & Company

Kasavana, M. (2005), Front Office Management, AHLA

Bhakta, A. (2012), Professional Hotel Front Office Management: New Delhi: McGraw Hill Devendra, A. (2015), Soft Skills for Hospitality, New Delhi: Oxford University Press