TASK 2:

AN ARTICLE FOR THE JOURNAL OF HOTEL, CATERING AND

INSTITUTIONAL MANAGEMENT.

`THE INVESTIGATION OF FACTORS THAT CONTRIBUTE TO

THE EFFECTIVE MANAGEMENT AND BUSINESS

PERFORMANCE IN FRONT OF HOUSE &

ACCOMMODATION`.

What is 'front of house'?

This covers all the areas generally connected with the theatre as a venue rather than the actual
performance or play. It refers to a range of departments including the box office, theatre management
and finance departments as well as cleaners, catering, ushers and van drivers.
Front of House Manager

This is the member of staff in the theatre who has overall responsibility for the audience and FoH
facilities, such as the bars, programmes, and ticket sales via the box office. They are required to be on
duty every evening in the foyer to oversee the people attending that night's performance and make sure
all the theatre facilities are running smoothly. As for training, the House Manager may have done an
arts administration course, after having first acquired some theatre experience.

An Introduction on the background of the

Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management.

This is one of the most valuable journals within this industry which can help

managers to keep pace with research on consumers attitudes and

innovations in technology and service. Many articles communicate the latest

developments and thinking on the management of hospitality operations

worldwide. Many journals related to hotels issues cover the operations,

marketing, finance, personnel and customer satisfaction. This journal focuses

in three main areas, Hotel, Catering and Institutional Management.

Key journal audiences are

• Managers working across a wide range of divisions in the hotel and

catering industry.

• Managers working in the related industries of food, liesure and tourism.

• Researchers and educators working in the field of hospitality

Hotel/Catering:

The catering segment of the hotel industry has expanded for the
effective and efficient management of hotels services departments in
hospitals. Services in catering contributes towards gaining better value
for money as it focuses on the hygiene of foodstuffs better service and
leisure to the customers. The catering segment has expanded rapidly
during the past decade, but yet some researchers acknowledge the size,
scope and market position in the catering sector.
Institutional Management:

Hospitality management involves the planning, organising, directing and

controlling of human and material resources within the lodging,restaurant,

travel and tourism, recreation management and meeting and convention in

institutional management. All of these separate yet related segments of the

hospitality industry are interrelated to deliver kind and generous services to

guests. It also covers the organizational behavior within the hotels between

the staff of the hotels so that they could provide better facilities to guests
The importance of Front of House

Typical structure of the Rooms Department

General Manager General Manager

Room division manager

(Responsible for front of house)

Front office manager Yield manager Executive housekeeper

Reception Guest relation Night Reservation Manager Asst. Housekeeper

Manager Manager Manager

Receptionisst Night Auditor Reservationist Floor Housekeeper

Concierge Linen / Porter

Bell staff Room Attendant

Each department has a role to fulfil to ensure the smooth running of the hotel

and the effectiveness of the business. These departments must all work in

unison and perform to the highest level for optimal revenue.

The Front of House is broken into different sections each with distinct roles.

According to Kasavana, and Brooks (2001) these sections are:

RESERVATIONS;

Most of the guests reserve their rooms in advance i.e., a few hours to several

days/weeks or months before they actually arrive at the hotel. The mode of

reservation is in person, by telephone, telegram, telex, by mail through travel

agents or through cultural reservation system. The reservation of hotel

services creates a contractual relationship between the hotel and its guest.

Andrews (2007) proposes that the main records of the room sales in the front

office are:

 Reservation Form/Card

 Reservation Diary/Daily Arrival Lists

 Reservation Chart

 Hotel Register

 Reception Room Status Board • Guest Index.

There are basically two systems of recording room sales:

 Selling by specific number: In this method rooms are sold and recorded by

individual numbers. Allocate a specific room number, say 307, at the time

the booking is made, even if it is a month or more in advance.

 Selling by quantity: In this case rooms are sold from the density charge.

Delete a room from the list of total rooms available in the required

category. Mark off a specific room from the total of 50 left to sell.

The second system is most flexible and is practically used by most hotels.

Provision of accommodation facilities is one of the important activities of a

hotel.

Front Office Functions with Other

Positions
Revenue manager
Esta
blish
in g roo
m rates
Reservation manager
Managin
g the re
servatio
n proce
ss Front Office
Desk staff
Guest registration Manager

Concierge rmatio n
Guest info
d
st an ce r e late rocess
t ass i fice np
Bell staff Gues n t Of llectio
Fr o co
g the d data
a gin n
ga
Night auditor Man untin
o
acc

Reservations: The principal role of reservations is to book rooms in advance.

This section is the hub of the department as it must maximize the sale of
rooms. Requests for reservation of rooms come from various sources such as
tour operators, travel agents, airlines, central reservation systems, global
distribution systems, referrals, etc. and the information is processed, properly
documented, stored and retrieved at the appropriate time, to ensure a guest
gets the room at the time of arrival.

FRONT OFFICE:

Reception: The reception registers guests and assigns rooms to them. The
receptionists receive and welcome the guests on behalf of the hotel. The
main activity is to complete registration formalities, especially the billing
information, for the cashier to process during a guest's stay and upon
departure.

Telecommunications: This department is responsible for all communications

within and external to the hotel. They have a vital role of keeping the internal
and external tele-channels of communication open.

Guest Relations Desk: The guest relations executive ensures that all the
guests, especially the VIPs, are kept comfortable during their stay. She is like
the hostess in a home.

Front Office Cashier: Though a member of accounts department, he is a

crucial team member of the front office. The cashier maintains the guest's
accounts during his or her stay, monitors credit limits and settles bills as per
instructions. Being the only cash point in the lobby of the hotel, keeps cash
bank for hotel expenses and is licensed to receive and exchange foreign
currency.

Uniformed Services

'Uniformed services' is the collective term for lobby services. The porter
service is the main service of uniformed services. When one considers the
volume of baggage that is handled in a day, one recognizes how busy the
bellboys in their shift .

Concierge: Provides personalized services and information in large hotels to

the guests, during their stay and also offers mail and messaging services.
Traditionally, the concierge was a castle doorkeeper who was responsible to
ensure that all guests were properly roomed for the night.

Bell Desk: The desk coordinates the movement of guest baggage. This is a
real challenge as the volume of baggage during a single day is very large for
a busy hotel. They also carry out errands for the guest and the management
within the hotel precincts.

Doorman: He is person who welcomes guests at the hotel portal. He also

helps in off-loading and loading guest luggage, if required. An important duty
is to see that the hotel porch is free of traffic congestion and directs traffic
accordingly.

Valet: He is responsible to provide car parking services. His challenge is to

keep a track of the car keys and return them to the rightful owner. This
becomes critical during busy events in the hotel.

Transportation is that section that manages a fleet of hotel transport to serve

several objectives. It is headed by a transport supervisor. The prime
responsibility is to provide free courtesy coach service to pick and drop
guests at the airport which usually are some distance away from the city. The
section also plies limousines for VIPs...

Lobby Interior Design

The lobby is an interesting place of any industrial building. Lobby is required to satisfy many purposes
as it is a transitory space.

This area has ultimate importance as it the area that is between the outside area that is open for all
and the inner area that is strictly for employees and particular guests only and that too with prior
permission.
It is the place where guests are screened for business reasons before entering, the hosts are called
and interviewed, paperwork is done, and even for a small discussion, lobby is used.

As there are so many things taking place in a lobby, the lobby interior design should be to the best.

The very first place is the lobby that comes into notice, so lobby interior design is essential.

There are many such rooms in an office such as meeting rooms, visitors room, conference room, rest
room, and many more rooms.

Lobby

• Hospitality, warm welcome, clean, with space and clear

signage, high discreet security

• Often provide first and last impression - the guest will

remember and wish to return

• Stylish, open plan, comfortable seating, reception desk

unobtrusive and customer friendly. Accessible to the guest –
no barriers

Accommodation and Rooms:

Hotels must have a good room mix to enable the hotel to maximise on
revenue. The most commonly sold and requested rooms are single.
Twins and doubles therefore these rooms must make up to at least
50% of the room mix. The remainder will comprise suites, penthouses,
triple rooms – and these are not as often requested as they are of
course more expensive.

Selections of rooms and amenities are as follows:

SINGLE ROOMS;
Single room is the main high standard as the double room.It starts from £60
per night. It has one single bed room , toilet shower and many more facilities.
DOUBLE ROOMS:
It starts from £65 per night in the cheaper hotels .It is same as the single

room facilities

TWIN ROOMS;
In this room they had two fantastic beds. Rooms offers a great value for
money for those who are happy to share, providing a great facility and a
comfortable stay.

Deluxe & Luxury Rooms

Classical décor and refined ambience make these rooms an ideal
choice for the business traveler. All rooms have been
Include all the superior room guest amenities.

TAJ CLUB ROOMS:

Spread over 305 sq ft, Luxriously appointed with central
air conditioning, large working table, electronic safes, extra-spacious
bathrooms with individual shower and large bath tubs with a glass
wall allowing a view into the room. All rooms enjoy data port facilities,
plasma TV, direct dial telephone, tea and coffee maker, stocked mini bar
and a hair dryer.

EXECUTIVE SUITE:
Spread over 604 sq ft, (1 bedroom + 1 living room + 1 bathroom)
,spacious. Appointed with central air conditioning, electronic safes and
bathrooms with individual shower .All rooms enjoy data port facilities,
LCD / Plasma Tv’s, direct dial telephone, tea and coffee maker,
stocked mini bar, a hair dryer and a fax machine. Rates include
complimentary airport transfer, buffet breakfast in the lounge, shared
butler service, evening cocktail, bottle of wine and usage of
boardroom/club business center.

GRANDLUXURY SUITES:
Spread over 1,250 sq ft (2 bedroom + 1 drawing room + 1 dining room + 2
bathrooms), spacious. Appointed with central air conditioning and
electronic safes. All rooms enjoy data port facilities, 2 LCD / Plasma
screens, direct dial telephone, tea and coffee maker, stocked mini bar, a
hair dryer and a fax machine in the rooms. evening cocktail, bottle of
wine.

GRAND PRESIDENTIAL SUITES:

Spread over 1,740 sq ft (2 bedroom + 1 drawing room + 1 dining room + 2

bathrooms + pantry + breakfast room), spacious. Luxuriously appointed
with central air conditioning and electronic safes. All rooms enjoy data
port facilities, 3 colour Tvs, direct dial telephone, tea and coffee maker,
stocked mini bar, a hair dryer and a fax machine. Rates include
complimentary airport transfer, buffet breakfast in the lounge, full
butler service, evening cocktail, bottle of French wine and usage of
boardroom/club business center .

Key operational issues affecting the effective

management of the business:

a. Property Management Systems for the effective

management of Front of House.

Property management systems have greatly enhanced a hotel's ability to

increase revenue and efficiency. In fact without these systems in place the
hotel would not be able to compete in the market and would lose an infinite
amount of revenue. There are four main property management systems:
Rerservations; Room Management; Revenue Management; and record and
accounting. The systems also accept, store, and retrieve guest reservations,
guest history, requests, and billing arrangements. The reservations part of the
property management system also provides the reservations associates with
information on types of rooms available, features, views, and room rates.
A property management system contains a set of computer software
packages capable of supporting a variety of activities in from and back office
areas. The four most common front office software package, are designed to
assistant office employees in performing functions related to the following
tasks:

• Reservations management
• Rooms management
• Guest account management
• General management

The reservations management component allows the reservations

department to quickly accept reservations and generate confirmations and
occupancy forecasts for reservations taken by the hotel directly and by the
CRS. Most chain-operated or affiliated hotels have a 1-800 number to allow
guests to call, without charge, to make reservations anywhere in the United
States and, in some cases, overseas. Travel agents also have direct
computer access to the central reservations numbers. More than 100 PMS
vendors offer various features, hardware platforms, and operating systems.
The various software packages handle some or all of the following:

• Reservations
• Front desk
• Group billing
• Guest history
• Report writer
• Travel agent billing
• Tour operations
• Housekeeping
• Yield management
• Package plans
 • Wholesaler blocks
• Call accounting interface

Medium- to large-sized hotels typically have a minicomputer with front

a~ back office (accounting control, purchasing) applications. In
addition, other hardware platforms may exist within the property, and
applications may include back office, point-of-sale, and conference or
catering scheduling.

Marriott hotels have based their property management system on the IBM
173 RISC system/6000. The worldwide installation includes 250 hotels. The
goal was to set up a single architecture with one integrated database for
sales, catering, human resources, tack office, accounting, and front office
operations.

Planning for Operations is a joint effort between operations and planning that
encompasses the important institutional underpinnings needed for effective Regional
Transportation Systems Management and Operations. Planning for Operations includes
three important aspects:

1. Regional transportation operations collaboration and coordination activity

that facilitates Regional Transportation Systems Management and Operations,

2. Management and operations considerations within the context of the

ongoing regional transportation planning and investment process, and

3. The opportunities for linkage between regional operations collaboration

and regional planning.

While aspects of Planning for Operations are already occurring to some extent in many
metropolitan areas and States, it is the intent of this program area to instill greater
importance, innovation, creativity, and sustainability into how these activities take
place.

Planning and management of operations

Once the vision and mission have been determined, organizations set goals
in order to meet the mission. The goals are set for each of the key operating
areas mentioned earlier. No one can work effectively without specific goals
and monthly evaluation reports to gauge whether the effort is moving toward
goal accomplishment, or whether adjustments must be made to change
course. McCarthy (2000) found some examples of the goals and information
a sales department should record and analyze each month follow:

Group Room Nights

• Booked this month and year-to-date by market segment and

salesperson
• Actual consumed room nights this month and year to-date by month,
by market segment, and on the books for months to come
• Actual average group room rates by month, year-to-date and on the
books for months to come

Individual Room Nights

• Actual consumed room nights by month and ye u-to-date by market

segment
• Local corporate clients-actual consumed individual and group room
nights by month and year-to-date
• Occupancy-actual by month and year-to-date
• REV PAR-actual by month and year-to-date Packages-number sold for
each type by month, year-to-date, and zip code origin

b. Staffing & Security

Staff must be professional, uniformed and fully trained. Staffing levels

must always be in line with occupancy – if occupancy is high, staffing
levels will be programmed to be high and vice versa to ensure financial
control is tight and budgets are controlled but also to ensure enough staff
are on duty during busy times.
 Security is essential in hotels especially those over 350 rooms and a guest
safety is of paramount concerned. Guests are more likely to return if they
are assured of safety

Skills Identification
The key step here is the identification of roles and responsibilities. Identification of
security roles and responsibilities is probably one of the most important fundamental
aspects to a successful security program. Although, writing sample roles and
responsibilities or breaking out each of the above steps is not the focus of this topic, it
is important when defining the core security staff’s training to build on the role
definitions by creating a skills identification table. A skills identification table will
work for most organizations because it provides a quick profile of each security
professional. To create a skills identification use excel or a similar program and setup
a structure similar to the one shown in the table below.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Walker J.R. (2004), Introduction to Hospitality Management, Pearson

Education

Cousins, J and Bosket, D. (1995), Food and Beverage Management,

Longman, England.

Andrews S. (2007), Introduction to Tourism & Hospitality Industry, McGraw

Hills
Durocher J.F. and Nyman N.B. (1991), Automated Guest Relations that

generate Hotel Reservations, Information Strategy: The Executives Journal,

pp. 22-31

Kasavana, Michael L. and Brooks, Richard M., Managing front office

operations, 6th ed., Printed in U.S.A. 2001.

McCarthy, Tom (2000), Good Reporting is a marketing must, Lodging

hospitality, 56, pp. 12-24

Websites

• www.fhrai.com

• www.hotelinteractive.com

• www.thomsonlearning.co.uk

• www.hcima.com

• www.ehotelier.com

• www.hotelier&caterer.com

• http://ezinearticles.com

• http://www.hostsindia.in

• http://www.hospitalitynet.org/news