LAB MANUAL

FRONT OFFICE

BY- Yadwinder Kaur

POINTS TO BE CHECKED

S.no

Points to be checked

Timings

Make sure the every student is inside

the Lab at 9:00 am
For Males
1.Shaved Properly/Properly Tied
Beard(for Sikhs)
2. Clean and Ironed Uniform
3.Polished Shoes
4. Trimmed Nails
5.Properly Trimmed Hairs
6. No Ornaments

Grooming

b. For Females
1. Clean and Ironed

Uniform

2. Polished Shoes
3. Hairs should be tied in Bun
4. Trimmed Nails
5. No Ornaments
Briefing

Briefing should be done till 9:20

Duty allotted

Students are to be sent to the

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respective work areas in fully

discipline manner

Equipments

Make sure that all the Equipments

are to be in proper working
conditions

PRACTICAL1.

Introduction to Hotel Industry

To Define Target Market & explain intangibility of service and potential
Advantages & Disadvantages of different types of Hotel Ownerships &
Affiliations to describe the Introduction of Automation of Hotels
To define mission and create organization charts
Classify the Hotels functional areas and discuss
The nature and uses of Job Description/Specification
Classification of Hotels
To Describe the various F.O Dept and describe how the organization is
likely to differ in large and small hotels
Types of Rooms
Tariff Structure & plans
Sections of F.O and their Importance.

PRACTICAL 2

IDENTIFICATION OF VARIOUS VOUCHERS

The students will have to draw one or two of the following vouchers and
according to the question (case study) fill up the vouchers (desk work)
Registration Card
Reservation Form
Amendment Slip
Cancellation Slip
Arrival/departure notification slip
VIP amenities voucher
Miscellaneous charge voucher
Allowance voucher
Paid out voucher
Message slip Telephone etiquettes and manners. Front desk grooming and
other essentials body language, speech modulation which includes
articulation, variation control of pitch and tonal quality.

Yield Management Ratio of actual revenue generated to the potential

revenue that could be generated by a hotel during a particular period.
b) Factors to be considered for the above and the importance of forecasting.
c) To be explained by illustration of actual example on the basis of- Potential
Average Rate, Potential average double rate, multiple occupancy percentage,
rate spread, potential average rate, room rate achiever, yield percentage.
2. Role Play Front office assistant, reservation assistant, information
assistant- their duties & operations at the front office, horizontal & vertical
line of control at the front office, their coordination and guest services.

b) GRE- Attributes, functions & importance, welcome services, preregistration for VIP guests, groups, FAM, coordination with authorities like
classification committee, fire safety and health committee and municipal
authorities. Intra departmental coordination with florist, concierge, front
office, business centre, F&B department, Housekeeping and health club,
complaint handling and developing guest history system.
c) Lobby Manager- Job description and relationship with uniform services
staff.
d) Bell Captain- Job Summary, Duties & Responsibilities and coordination
with upward & downward line of control.
e) Bell Boys- attributes, duties, job summary and their coordination with the
bell captain.
f) Concierge-Role & Importance in front office operations, job description,
handling mail & messages, paging, all information of hotel, city & social
functions, maintenance of guest rack, arrival & departure status and
transport services.
g) Car Valet- What is valet service, how they operate & functions and their
importance.
3. a) Sales letters- Official and D.O. letters with reference to parts of a letter
and its formats, language skills and writing skills.

b) Brochures- Definition, content, format, spacemen, room tariff content,

room rate designation, meal plans and tariff fixation.
4. Computer Applications- Property Management system and its applications
in front office and operational module like- Reservation Module, Front Desk
module, Rooms Module, Cashier Module, Night audit module, setup
module, reporting module and back office module. Introduction to different
PMS- Micro, Micro Fidelio, Amadeus PMS, IDS Fortune and Showman.

PRACTICAL 3

SOP How to control guest room keys in Front Office

Purpose: It is the duty and responsibility of the front desk staff to ensure the
right guest is given the key to his room and his safety and security pertaining
to issuance of key is not compromised or violated during his stay in the
hotel.
Front Desk Agent should never give keys, room numbers, messages, parcels
or mails to any person without first requiring appropriate identification.
For Security reason hotels uses at least three types of keys, Emergency Key,
Master key and guest room keys. Types of keys used may vary hotel by hotel
but the process of handling them remains pretty much the same.
When Guest Request for room key:
1. Request for Guests last name and room number.
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2. Cross check the information given against by guest against the reservation
details on the hotel software (PMS).
3. If there any mismatch is the details provided then request for any valid
photo identification like passport, Driving license, government ID cards etc.
Do not handover the room keys without proper authentication of the guest
identity.
4. If no picture identification is available by the guests, the Front office
assistant must accompany the guests to the room to confirm the identity.
When being challenged by our actions, we are to inform the guest:
We are doing this for your security and safety. We appreciate your
understanding.
5. Only in an emergency situation can we use the information on the guest
passport number, date of birth, address given to the hotel on arrival etc. to
ascertain against computers record.
6. When in doubt with the identity and guest refused to be escorted to room,
inform the Front office manager immediately.
If the Team Leader or Assistant Manager Front Office could recognize the
guest, give the duplicate key to the guest while reinforcing politely why we
need to perform the identity check.
7. Check if guest requires additional key or if he has lost his previous key.
8. If guest requests additional key, program a new key with duplicate code.
9. If guest has lost his previous key, program a key with new code.
10. Present the new key to the guest
Keys must never be issued to persons claiming to have the guests
permission to enter the room unless the guest has personally given his /her
verbal or written authorization to the Front Office team.
Room numbers should not be written on the keys in case keys are misplaced.
A set of codes are encoded to differentiate keys being held by guests.

I) On Staffs request entry into occupied room:

1. Only designated operational staff is allowed access to occupied guest
rooms.
They are:
Bellboys, Concierge, Front Desk agents, Housekeeping Manager, Assistant
Manager Housekeeping / Team Leader / Designated Room Attendant and
Laundry Attendant, Mini Bar, F&B Room Service Fruits Deliverer.
2. Key machines should constantly be in log off mode.
Access code should be known only to those designated personnel and not
shared amongst other staff.
3. Cashier may hand over the checked out room key to the bellman to collect
luggage and check mini-bar and safe boxes. The bellman must return the
used key to the same cashier after removing the luggage from the room.
II) Show Room / Sales mockup rooms Keys
1. On a daily basis, a set of rooms will be blocked off for viewing purposes
by the Duty Manager Front Office.
2. Two sets of keys to these rooms will be programmed and placed at the
Front Office Reception for site visit purposes.
3. Staff releasing the site visit keys must inform the receiver to return the
keys back to the Reception upon completion.

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PRACTICAL 4

Cash Control Procedure

To control the revenue of a unit, particular attention must be paid to the
major factors which can have an influence on the profitability. Therefore it is
essential to control the main factors which can affect the revenue of a
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business, such as the menu-beverage list, the total volume of food and
beverage sales, the sales mix, the average spend of customers in each selling
outlet at different times of the day, the number of covers served and the
gross profit margins.
It is important to note, particularly in commercial operations that somewhere
in the total control system there is a need for the account ability of what has
been served to the customer and the payment for what has been issued from
the kitchen or the bar.
The payment for food and beverage may be made in many forms such as
cash, foreign currency, credit cards, cheques, travellers' cheques, luncheon
type vouchers and signed bills.
All staff handling cash should be adequately trained in the respective
company's methods. It it a common practice for a cashier's or waiter's
handbook/manual to be produced so that an established procedure may be
followed with the specific aim of ensuring that cash security is efficiently
carried out at all times.
A typical handbook /manual would contain information on the standard
procedure to be followed for such things as:
1) Opening procedure-instructions here would include procedures about
checking the float, having a float of specific denominations, checking the till
roll, recording waiters' bill pad numbers, etc.
2) Working procedure- instructions on how to accept payment and the
procedure to follow.
3) Closing procedure- instructions on any documentation and recordings to
be completed, cashing up, recording of credit cards, cheques, etc.
4) Procedure for accepting foreign currency - what currency is to be
accepted, how to obtain the current exchange rates, how this is to be
recorded, etc.
5)Procedure for accepting credit cards - which credit cards are to be
accepted, how they are to be checked, method of processing credit cards for
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payment, recording of credit vouchers, etc.

6)Procedures for accepting vouchers such as luncheon vouchers - which
vouchers are acceptable, how this is to be recorded.
7)Procedure for accepting cheques - how cheques are to be made out,
customers to produce a valid cheque guarantee card, checking that
signatures correspond, etc.
8)Procedure for accepting travellers' cheques - what travellers cheques are
acceptable, what currencies are acceptable, witnessing and checking
signatures, how this is to be recorded.
9) Procedure for a complimentary or signed bill -check against current list of
authorized persons and their signature, how this is to be recorded.
There are two basic approaches too recording and controlling food and
beverage sales.
1) A manual system, which is commonly used in small and in exclusive type
catering units.
2)An automated system, which is commonly used in units with several
outlets, in units with a very high volume of business and in up-to-date
companies with many units.

Manual systems
a) Sales checks
One of the simplest steps to take when attempting to establish sales control
procedures is to require that each item ordered and its selling price are
recorded on a waiter's sales check. Using some form of a check system
serves the following functions:
1) To remind the waiting staff of the order they have taken.

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2) To give a record of sales so that portion sales and sales mixes and sales
histories can be compiled.
3)To assist the cashier and facilitate easy checking of prices charged.
4)To show the customer a detailed list of charges made.
An additional aid is to use numbered checks and control these tightly,
recording all cancelled and missing checks.
It is more common to find duplicate or triplicate checks being used as an aid
to control for the following reasons:

1) They provide the kitchen, buffet, or bar with a written record of what has
been ordered and issued.
2) They authorize the kitchen, buffet, or bar to issue the food and/or
beverage.
3) They provide the opportunity to compare the top copy of the check with
the duplicate to ensure that all that has been issued has been charged and
paid for.

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PRACTICAL 5

The Cashiers Role

In addition to following precisely the unit's procedure for the handling of all
revenue transactions within the restaurant or bars, it is normal practice for
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the cashier working a manual system to be required to complete the

following:
1) To issue check pads to the waiting staff prior to a meal period, to record
the numbers of the checks issued in each pad, and obtain the waiting staff's
signature for them; and on the completion of the meal period to receive from
the waiting staff their respective unused check pads, record the numbers, and
sign for the receipt of those returned. This information to be recorded on the
check number issue control sheet.
2) To check the pricing, extensions and subtotals of all checks and to add
any government tax charges and to enter the total amount due.
3 To receive and check money, credit or, when applicable, an approved
signature in payment for the total amount due for each check.
3) To complete the missing check list for each meal period. This is an aid to
the cashier in controlling what checks are used. The respective check
numbers on the list are crossed out when payment is made. When a missing
check is identified, investigation to be carried out to find the reason for this,
and if no satisfactory explanation is forthcoming, to inform a member of
management on duty. Missing checks to be marked on the missing check
list.
4) To complete the restaurant sales control sheet for each meal period. This
form requires that all revenue received (or its equivalent) is recorded under
specific headings, such as cash, cheques, credit card transactions, etc. From
this control sheet basic data -such as the number of covers served or the
average spend per customer on food and beverages - is quickly obtained.
5) To complete the necessary paying in of all cash, etc. in accordance with
the unit's established practice. This could be direct to a bank whether a small
independent unit, or a unit of a large company, or to the head cashier's office
if a large unit with many outlets.
Problems of the manual system
In brief, the basic problems of controlling any food and beverage operation
are:
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1) The time span between purchasing, receiving, storing, processing, selling

the product, and obtaining the cash or credit for the product, is sometimes
only a few hours.
2) The number of items (food and beverage) held in stock at any time is
high.
3)A large number of finished items are produced from a combination of the
large number of items held in stock.
4) The number of transactions taking place on an hourly basis in some
operations can be very high.
5)To be able to control the operation efficiently, management ideally
requires control in formation of many types to be available quickly and to be
presented in a meaningful way.
The full manual control of a food and beverage operation would be costly,
time consuming and data produced would frequently be far too late for
meaningful management action to take place. Certain aspects of control such
as regularly up-dating the costings of standard recipes,calculating gross
profit potentials, and providing detailed sales analysis would seldom be done
because of the time and labour involved.
A manual system providing a restricted count of basic data is still widely
used in all- and medium-sized units although they are likely to be replaced
in the near future by machine or electronic systems.
The day-to-day operational problems of a manual system are many and
include such common problems as:
1 Poor handwriting by waiting staff resulting in:
(a) Incorrect order given to the kitchen or dispense bar.
(b) Wrong food being offered to the customer.
(c) Incorrect prices being charged to the customer.

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(d) Poorly presented bill for the customer, etc.

2) Human error can produce such mistakes as:
(a) Incorrect prices charged to items on a bill
(b) Incorrect additions to a customer's bill
(c) Incorrect service charge made
(d) Incorrect government tax (for example VAT) charge made.

3)The communication between departments such as the restaurant, dispense

bar; kitchen and cashiers has to be done physically by the waiting staff going
to the various departments. This is not only time consuming but inefficient.
4)Manual systems do not provide any quick management information data,
any data produced at best being normally 24-48 hours old, as well as being
costly to produce.
5) Manual systems have to be restricted to the bare essentials because of the
high cost of labour that would be involved in providing detailed up to date
information.

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PRATICAL 6
Source Reservation
Front Office Reservation Source Reservation
The source reservation differs from the company reservation through the fact
that the reservation is done by via a source (reservation agent). This way
occupancy and revenue data can be exactly analyzed and the search for
reservations is easier.
A source is a reservation agent, such as for example HRS in Cologne.
At reservation of a company, travel agency or source the invoice B with
the company, TA, source address is automatically created in advance.
The menu item Source reservation lets you enter the data for the profile
search and proceed as described in chapter Reservation search and
reservation creation.
If you enter the reservation directly via the room plan or the room type plan
and hereby just enter the field Source, a source reservation is automatically
created.
Sharer Reservation
Front Office Reservation Sharer Reservation
A "Sharer represents a reservation in which different guests are reserved for
one room. This can be

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the case if for example two colleagues share a room, both addresses need to
be taken under account
and individual invoices need to be issued. There may also be differences in
arrival & departure dates, rate code and rate etc.
A sharer reservation can be created in two different ways; either at
reservation creation on the reservation dialogue or for existing reservations
via the navigator menu, by using the button Create Sharer.
For a sharer reservation, protel creates an individual reservation. For that
reason it possible that all data are different. In the reports such as Arrival,
Departure, Reservation etc. those reservation appear as individual
reservations, therefore it is even possible to search for a guest name.
For company reservations the company is automatically assigned to the
sharer reservations. You may have until six sharers per room. The sharer
functionality is not available for reservations with move.
The sharer rooms appear on the housekeeping report as often as sharer
reservations were created.
The hotel status counts the rooms and persons even if arrival or departure
dates differ.
1 Creating Sharers via the Reservation screen
At creation of a reservation the button Sharer appears in the reservation
dialogue. Clicking this button opens the window "Sharer for .... Enter the
additional guest name in here.
It is sufficient to enter the first letter. Then press the TAB key or the button
Search.... This opens the known window Search result. Select the name
with a double click or just highlight it and click on protel Front Office User
Manual Reservation .

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PRACTICAL 7

Electronic cash registers (ECRs)

These are very high speed machines which were developed mainly for
operations such as supermarkets and were further adapted for use in high
volume catering operations.
The particular advantages of these machines are that they will

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1) Price customers' checks through pre-set or by price look-ups.

2 )Print checks, including the printing of previously entered items.
3) Have an additional special key so that the preset price can be changed
during promotional periods such as a 'happy hour' in a bar.
4 )Provide an analysis of sales made by type of product and if required by
hour (or other similar period) of trading.
5) Provide an analysis of sales by waiter per hour or per shift period.
6 )Analyses sales by method of payment for example cash, cheque, type of
credit card/ etc, .
7 )Complete automatic tax calculations and cover and service charges.
8) Provide some limited stock control.
9 )Provide waiter checking-in and checking out facilities.
10) Provide facilities for operator training to take place on the machine
without disrupting any information already in the ECR.
11) Restrict access to the ECR and the till drawer by the key or code for each
operator.
12 )Have rotating turret displays of prices charged to individual customer
transactions. This is of particular value in self-service and counter
operations.
13 )Eliminate the need for a cashier, by requiring each waiter to be
responsible for taking payment from the customers and paying in the exact
amount as recorded by the ECR at the end of each shift.
Electronic cash registers are not without their problems and it is important to
consider the following prior to selecting an ECR for purchase
1) Is it suitable for the type and size of operation it is to be used in?

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2) Cost- how does this compare with other models of similar capacity?
3) Is it an up-to-date model or is it about to be superseded?
4) What on-site training will be offered if this model is purchased?
5) Can this ECR be linked to similar ECRs as part of a network or directly to
a micro computer?
6) Maintenance. How foolproof is this machine? What level of maintenance
is normally expected? Can simple maintenance be done by staff for example,
changing of the printing ribbon etc.
7 )what safeguards (for example, battery override) are standard or optional
to the
model when power failures occur? (The memory of the day's business could
be lost in a power failure causing a serious loss of control.)
8 )What built-in security features are included so as to restrict access to
commands, re-setting, and disclosure of information to authorized
personnel?
9 )Will this particular model of ECR function perfectly when near to other
powerful electrical equipment?
10) Does this model of ECR have a seal-in keyboard to restrict dust and
moisture, which could result in the keys of the ECR operating
intermittently?
In addition to following precisely the unit's procedure for the handling of all
revenue transactions within the restaurant or bars, it is normal practice for
the cashier working a manual system to be required to complete the
following:
1) To issue check pads to the waiting staff prior to a meal period, to record
the numbers of the checks issued in each pad, and obtain the waiting staff's
signature for them; and on the completion of the meal period to receive from
the waiting staff their respective unused check pads, record the numbers, and

23

sign for the receipt of those returned. This information to be recorded on the
check number issue control sheet.
2) To check the pricing, extensions and subtotals of all checks and to add
any government tax charges and to enter the total amount due.
3 To receive and check money, credit or, when applicable, an approved
signature in payment for the total amount due for each check.
3) To complete the missing check list for each meal period. This is an aid to
the cashier in controlling what checks are used.

PRACTICAL 8

Point-of-sale control systems

At a basic level a point-of-sale control system is no more than a modern
ECR with the additional feature of one or several printers at such locations
as the kitchen (or sections of the kitchen) or dispense bar. Some systems
replace the ECR with a 'server terminal' (also called 'waiter communication'
systems), which may be placed at several locations within a restaurant, and
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is a modification of an ECR in that the cash features are eliminated making

the terminal relatively small and inconspicuous. The objectives for having
printers are:
1) To provide an instant and separate clear and printed order to the kitchen or
bar, of what is required and by and for whom.
2) To speed up the process of giving the order to the kitchen or bar.
3 )To aid control, in that items can only be ordered when they hive been
entered into the ECR or terminal by an identifiable member of the waiting
staff and printed.
4) To reduce the time taken by the waiter in walking to the kitchen or bar to
place an order and, as frequently happens, to check if an order is ready for
collection.
5) To afford more time, if required, for customer contact.
Printers are at times replaced by VDU units
Server terminals are part of a computer-based point of sale system. These
special terminals are linked to other server terminals in the restaurants and
bars within one system and, if required to, also interface with other systems
so that, for example, the transfer of restaurant and bar charges may be made
via the front office computer system. The advantage of a computerized
point-of-sale system is that it is capable of processing data as activities
occur, which makes it possible to obtain up-to-the minute reports for
management who can be better informed and able to take immediate and
accurate corrective action if necessary.
This type of point-of-sale control system has been taken one step further
with the introduction of hand-held terminals. Remanco's electronic server
pad (ESP), for example, is a palm-size unit which uses radio frequencies to
communicate from the guest's table direct to the kitchen and bar preparation
areas. The use of such a terminal offers a number of advantages: food and
beverage orders are delivered faster and more efficiently to preparation sites;
waiters in turn can attend more tables; with a two way communication
service staff can be notified if an item is out of stock; all food and beverage
items ordered are immediately charged to the guest's bill, which is accurate
and easy to read; finally operations can reassess their labour utilization and
efficiency, certain members of the service staff, for example, can take the
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simple orders, while others can spend more time with customers to increase
food and beverage sales.
The ESP is a completely noiseless terminal with orders being entered
alphabetically, numerically or by using pre-set codes. When not being used
and the unit is closed, its design resembles a conventional order pad,
compact and light in weight that can easily be carried around by service
staff. It is currently being utilized in a variety of situations, including
restaurants coffee shops (for example, the Tower Hotel.

National cash Register

National Cash Register is a Company which improved the typical cash

register by adding a paper roll to record sales transactions, thereby creating
the receipt. The original purpose of the receipt was enhanced fraud
protection. The business owner could read the receipts to ensure that
cashiers charged customers the correct amount for each transaction and did
not pilfer the cash drawer.
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In 1906, while working at the National Cash Register company, inventor

Charles F. Kettering designed a cash register with an electric motor.
Microcomputers
Before the invention of the microprocessor only a few large organizations
were able to justify the high cost of a computer system. In the hotel and
catering industry these systems were mainly applied to areas such as the
front office, and reservations in particular, as well as for many aspects of the
accounting function. The very complex area of food and beverage
management including purchasing, storing, stock control, standard recipes,
menu planning, pricing, sales analysis, etc. received scant attention from
computer firms.
The information required by food and beverage management, to be efficient,
is demanding in terms of computer programming, storage and retrieval of
data. The move from manual systems, to systems aided by mechanical cash
registers, to systems aided by the many types of ECRs, has led to the
evolution of totally computer-aided control systems.
The equipment required is of two kinds:
1 Hardware. The physical unit comprising the computer unit itself, plus
VDU, printers and hard disk drives.
2 Software. The computer programs designed and written to fulfil a specific
purpose.
From the user's perspective, software is seen as being in two major
categories:
1 Packages - software that is bought in from a computer firm and is already
pre-programmed to perform a specific function, for example payroll, stock
control, etc.
2 User-developed programs - software which is designed by the food and
beverage management staff or by company staff with or without the
assistance of computer programming expertise.
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In addition, computer firms are marketing turnkey systems which are preprogrammed software packages designed to serve a particular sector of the
industry or to perform a particular function; they may also come with the
necessary hardware. The basis of this marketing approach is that it would be
far too expensive to purchase
computer hardware

1) Checkout and Settlement Check out and settlement are part of the final
stages of the guest cycle. It is the final phase of the guest cycle and examines
the various activities involved in checkout and settlement. Check out
involves the front desk as also other departments such as housekeeping, bell
desk, cashiers desk, Point of sales etc. Main areas for a checkout are the bell
desk and the cashier.
The FO performs at least 3 important functions during the checkout and
settlement process.
It resolves outstanding guest account balances.
It updates room status information
It creates guest history records.
Guest account settlement depends on effective FO accounting system that
maintains accurate guest folios, verifies and authorizes a method of
settlement and resolves discrepancies in account balances. Hotels find it
most effective to settle a guest account while the guest is still in the hotel.
Guest can settle the bill by paying cash, charging the balance to a credit
card, deferring payment to an approved direct billing entity or using a
combination of payment methods. Most hotels require a guest to specify

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during registration an eventual method of settlement. FO should verify or

confirm guest credit card or direct billing information before he/she arrives
at the desk for check out. Pre settlement verification activities ensure that the
hotel will be paid for accommodation and services.

PRACTICAL 9

DEPARTURE ACTIVITIES AT VARIOUS DESKS:

1) At the Bell Desk: During checkout a luggage out pass has to be obtained
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from the cashier stating that the guest has settled his account and returned
the room key. Once this is received a departure errand card is made and
filled out by the bell boy and will got to the guest room to bring down the
luggage. The bell captain will also make an entry regarding this in the bell
captains control sheet.
2) On reaching the guest room the bell boy will announce himself, knock on
the door enter the room on gaining permission. The bellboy will also ensure
the following:
1. Collect room keys from the guest
2. Check the room for any possible damage to the property.
3. Draws the curtains, locks the balcony.
4. Checks bathroom and fittings.
5. The guest is escorted by him to the front desk
6. He puts a room to be cleaned tag card on the door after switching of the
lights and air conditioner. The departure room is then inspected by a
housekeeping supervisor/ Room attendant to ensure that nothing is left
behind by the guest. The housekeeping/ In room dining department will also
check the minibar for anything consumed by the guest to be charged to the
bill. At the lobby the bell boy will: Keep the guests luggage at the bell desk
Put hotel stickers and mark the luggage with D indicating departure
luggage. Collect the luggage out clearance slip from the reception and loads
the luggage in the car/taxi. Return the errand card to the bell captain which
will then be entered onto the bell captains control sheet. 2) At the Reception
desk: The Front desk receptionist checks the list of expected checkouts for
the day and will confirm with the guest his date and time of checkout.
Departure notification slips are printed to inform the other departments of
the guests checkout. In a manual system the room racks are updated. The
departure register is also updated. Checking for the mail messages and faxes.
Checking for safe deposit box or in room safe keys. 3) At the cashiers desk:
1. Verifying account information.
2. Posting any remaining charges to the guests folio.
3. Presenting the guest folio.
4. Verifying the method of payment.
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5. Processing the account payment.

6. Securing the room key.
7. Updating the room status.
8. The procedures used will vary among Front Offices depending upon
hotels level of service and degree of automation. Some Front Offices offer
automated or express check out. Traditionally at check out guest is presented
a final copy of his/her account folio for review and settlement. FOA should
confirm how the guest intends to settle the account. Guest may establish
credit by presenting a credit card but may choose to settle his bill by cash or
travelers cheques. VIP or special guests or corporate accounts should not be
asked for settlement if their account is marked that all charges are to be
Direct Billed. FOA should bring the guest account balance to zero, called
zeroing out. When guest pays by cash or credit card, hotels assume that the
payment is full and close the folio. If the account is to be paid through Direct
Billing by the hotel, however the account is not brought to a zero balance
because it must be transferred to the city ledger and billed through the
account receivable system.
METHODS OF SETTLEMENT :-A guest account can be brought to a
zero balance in several ways. Methods of settlement include cash payment,
credit card or Direct Billing transfer or combined settlement method.
I. CASH PAYMENT IN FULL :- Cash payment in full at check out will
bring a guest account balance to zero. A cash receipt has to be issued to the
guest by the cashier. The cashier should mark the folio paid. If the guest has
produced a credit card at check in, the cashier should destroy the guest credit
card voucher imprinted at registration when the guest pays the account in
full with cash. Guests paying in foreign currency should convert their money
to local currency (some international currencies like $ are accepted). Hotels
often charge a fee to convert currencies as banks charge the fee from the
hotels. Currency conversion rates are displayed at the Cashiers counter or it
can also be taken from business sections of newspapers. Guests can also use
travelers cheques to settle their bills. Travelers cheques are issued by banks
and avoid the risk of carrying cash. At the time of settlement the cashier
should confirm the identity of the guest from the safety and security point of
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view. Also there is no danger of them being stolen as they can be encashed
only when the signature of the holder tallies with the signature signed at the
time of issue. A foreign travelers cheque 4 should be treated as foreign
currency and the necessary records, statements and certificates must be
maintained like in the case of foreign currency and should be sent to the
Reserve Bank of India. Difference between an ordinary cheque and a
travelers cheque Ordinary cheque Travelers cheque
1. For issuing a person should have a bank account (either current or saving).
2. No need of any bank account for purchasing and encashing of travelers
cheque.
3. Any amount can be filled in the cheque as they are blank.
4. Have a fixed amount printed on its face and available in different
denominations.
5. Only one signature is needed of the holder.
6. Two signatures are required (one in the presence of the issuing authority
and second in the presence of encashing authority).
7. Ordinary cheques are valid only for 3-6 months.
8. Valid for indefinite period of time unless dated.
9. These cheques can be crossed for account payee.
10. No such provision.
11. No slip/list of lost, damaged or stolen cheques is issued by the bank.
12. Many banks issue a stop list for stolen and damaged cheques.
13. Cheque may bounce as the balance in the account may be less than the
cheque
14. No such possibility as the amount is already printed on the face of the
cheque
15. Not safe as someone might force the owner to sign the cheque.
16. Quite safe because the second signature have to be put in front of the en
cashing authority. Procedure for accepting foreign currency: Request guest
passport and determine the credentials such as name and photo identification
place of issue and date of expiry of the passport. Confirm that the guest is a
resident of the hotel by asking his room no. If the guest is a non-resident the
permission of the lobby manager is obtained who will extend this facility to
VIPs and regular guests. Receive the cash or travelers cheque in foreign
currency.
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 Calculate the total amount of local currency to be paid by multiplying the

foreign currency by the exchange rate displayed. Fill in details of the
foreign currency encashment certificate.
Request the guest to sign the foreign currency encashment
certificate and compare the signature with the passport.
Request the guest to sign the travelers cheque if it is
an instrument
of exchange. Give the total amount of local currency with the encashment
certificate to the guest Second copy of the certificate is attached to the notes
or travelers cheques received Third copy remains in the encashment
certificate book.
Fill in details in the record of foreign currency transactions.
II. CREDIT CARD TRANSFER:- Even though credit card transfer
settlement brings a guest account to zero, the amount of the charge must be
tracked until payment is actually received from the credit card Co. Credit
card settlement creates a transfer of credit on the guest folio and moves an
account balance from the guest ledger to a credit card account in the city
ledger (non- guest ledger). (Procedure). Guest signature completes this
transaction. In some hotels computer system sends the settlement
transactions directly to the credit card Co. guest only signs on the voucher
present at FO. There is no need to sign on imprinted voucher. When foreign
guests pay by credit card, credit card Co. payment is in local currency.
III. DIRECT BILLING TRANSFER:- Like credit card settlement, direct
billing transfers a guest account balance from the guest ledger to the city
ledger. Unlike credit card settlement responsibility for billing and collecting
a direct billing lies with the hotel rather than an outside agency. Billing
should be arranged and approved by hotels credit department. Guest signs
the folio and accepts the responsibility to pay the bill should direct billing
account not pay the bill.
IV. COMBINED SETTLEMENT METHOD :-A guest may elect to use
more than one settlement method to bring the folio balance to zero. E.g.,
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guest may make partial cash payment and charge the reminder of the
account balance to an acceptable credit card. FOA must accurately record
the combined settlement methods and take care that all required paper work
is properly completed. Once the guest has settled the account the FOA
should provide the guest with a copy of the folio. Good evaluation and
follow up should be there as it is the last chance to make an impression.
V. LATE CHECK OUTS:- Guests do not always check out by the hotels
posted check out time. To minimise late check outs, the front office should
post check out time notices in conspicuous places such as back of the guest
room door, FO, in departure material etc. some hotels charge late check out
fee. Explain to the guest why the fee is charged (management policy, HK
can prepare room for other guests arriving that day).

PRACTICAL 10

CHECK OUT OPTIONS Advance in technology with special guest service

to expedite departure activities.
1. Express check out:- Guests may encounter line at front desk when
checking out during the peak hours (e.g., between 7.30 and 9.30 am).
To ease front desk volume, some FO initiate check out activity before
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the guest is actually ready to leave. A common pre departure activity

involves producing and distributing guest folios to guests expected to
check out. FO, HK or Security staff can quietly slip the folio into the
guestroom, while they go for their rounds. By completing such a form,
guest authorizes the front office to transfer his or her outstanding folio
to the credit card voucher created during registration. Procedure for
express check-out: The receptionist should inform the guest about the
express check out facility in the hotel If the guest wishes to use this
facility obtain his card during check in Take the impression of the card
on a charge slip and on the express check out slip. The charge slip is
signed by the guest. One copy of the express check out slip is given to
the guest. Explain to the guest that he needs to wrap his room key in
the copy and drop it in the express check out drop box located in the
lobby at the time of his departure. Attach a copy of the charge slip and
express check out sip to the registration card The lobby manager/duty
manager files his copy of express check out slip as per the check out
date. A day prior to the guests check out the copy of the guest bill is
sent to the room with an ECO sticker attached An ECO rooms list
should be printed every morning which is necessary for monitoring
the entire system. The second copy of this list is given to the bell desk.
This system is available only for credit card paying guests and is a
facility given to those guests who avoid going physically to the
cashiers desk at the time of check out for considerable time saving. 2.
Self check out In some hotels guests can check themselves out of the
hotel by accessing self check out terminals in the lobby or in room
system interfaced with front office computer intended to reduce check
out time and front desk traffic. Some resemble automatic bank teller
machines while others posses video and audio capability. Credit card
has to be used (number or magnetic strip). Check out is complete
when the guests balance is transferred to a credit card account and an
itemized account statement is printed and dispersed to the guest. This
system sends an updated room status to front office computer. In room
folio review and check out usually relies on an in room television or
guestroom telephone access via an in room TV. Guests can pick up a
printed folio at the front desk on his way out. In room self check out
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automatically updates room status and creates Guest History records.

Another advantage is guests can look at their folios at any time during
their stay.
UNPAID ACCOUNT BALANCES :-No matter how carefully the front
office monitors guests stay there is always possibility that the guest will
leave without settling his account. Guest may forget to check out or front
office may discover late charges for a guest who has already checked out.
After departure charges or outstanding balances represent unpaid account
balances.
LATE CHARGES:-May be a major concern in guest account settlement.
Restaurant, telephone, room service charges etc are the examples of some
potential late charges. Sometimes additional cost of postage, stationary,
labor, etc is more than the late charge itself. It is important in maximizing
the profitability.
FOLLOWING STEPS CAN BE TAKEN TO REDUCE LATE
CHARGES:
In automated and semi automated system front office can- Post
transactional vouchers as soon as they arrive at the front desk.
Survey front office equipment and voucher and folio racks for unposted
charges. E.g., local telephone, in room movie charge meters may posses
information not recorded in a voucher.
Ask departing guests whether they have incurred any charge purchase
or long distance calls that do not appear on the folio. Front may
appoint runners to collect vouchers or get information on phone at
peak hours. Front office computer system that interfaces with revenue
center outlets is often the most effective means of reducing or even
eliminating late charges. Room key deposits at reception counter help
in reducing unpaid balances.
ACCOUNT COLLECTION:- Late charges that are billed to departed
guests should not be classified as un- collectible until the front office has

36

exhausted all billing and collection procedures. A registration card should

contain guest address, phone number etc. Procedures for collection of late
charges will be different for cash and credit card depending on company
policy for late charges. Guest account not settled at check out regardless of
the credit established or prepayments processed during registration are
transferred from the guest ledger to the city ledger, from front office to
hotels accounting division.

TYPICAL CITY LEDGER ACCOUNT INCLUDE:

1. Credit card billing- to authorized credit card billing.
2. Direct billingto approved company and individual account.
3. Travel agency account- for authorized tours and groups.
4. Bad cheque account- resulting from departed guests whose personal
cheques were returned unpaid.
5. Skipper account- guests who left the hotel without settling their account.
6. Disputed bills account- for guests who refuse to settle their account (in
part or in full) because of a discrepancy.
7. Guaranteed reservation account- for billing and tracing no show guests.
8. Late charges account- for guests who checked out before some charges
were posted to their account.
9. House accounts- for non-guest business and promotional activities. To be
effective, the front office must establish a policy for billing departed guests
with overdue account.
Account receivable billing include determining:

37

1. When outstanding account balances are payable.

2. The number of days between billing.
3. How to control departed guests whose accounts are overdue. Collection
schedules can range from aggressive (short cycle) to lenient (long cycle)
depending on the hotels financial needs, clientele profile, history of
collection patterns and so on. Firm in any encounters involving deferred
payment. Documented procedure for collecting overdoes. Credit for tour
group to be established well before they arrive. Uncollectible accounts to
be sent back to the departments that originally accepted the uncollectible
charge.
FRONT OFFICE RECORDS:Front office usually makes two copies of each guest account folio.
1 copy guest receipt
2 copy hotels permanent record Front office that uses three part folio, file
the third copy with credit card voucher or direct billing statement in case the
guest later needs a summary of charges. Registration cards are filed
alphabetically whereas guest folios are filed numerically.
GUEST HISTORIES:- Front office management can better understand its
clientele and determine guest trends when it develops and maintains a guest
history file. It contains personal and financial data of the guest hence it is
confidential and proprietary. It is the last step in check out and account
settlement. Many hotels build guest history cards from expired registration
cards. It has information about the guests spouse, family etc. the
information may help develop ads that appeal to the types of clientele the
hotel is attempting to attract. Guest histories may also point out the need for
new, supplementary or enhanced services.

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MARKETING FOLLOW THROUGH :-Hotels marketing department

may rely in part on guest history files to develop new marketing strategies.
Also, a property-marketing programme may depend on the front office
performance and follow through at check out. E.g., marketing department
creates a program to reward frequent guests with a free stay. Front office
may be responsible for tracking the number of stays. Frequent travelers
clubs are designed to encourage brand loyalty. Here airlines work as co
marketers.
GROUP DEPARTURE: At the Bell desk: Sufficient number of bell boys
are arranged to handle luggage of the group. Baggage down time and wake
up calls times are important and must be checked and followed strictly.
Allocate floors and rooms to bell boys to bring down the luggage down to
the lobby. If on the day of departure the guests are not in the room the bell
boys go to each group members rooms and pull each group members
baggage out of the room and bring it down to the lobby until the group is
ready to leave. This process is called as bag pull Baggage is brought down
to the lobby and counted. Bell captain obtains a baggage outpass. Room
keys are handed to reception After clearance from the cashier and reception
Finally the baggage is loaded onto the vehicle by the bellboys. 11 At the
reception: Departure notification sips are issued half an hour prior to actual
departure by the receptionist to telephones, housekeeping, room service, and
food and beverage etc. to avoid any late charges. At the cashier: Cashier
prints out the master folio and individual folios . Makes a room wise

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40

Dos and Donts in Front Office

1) Establish Eye contact while speaking to guest.
2) Greet everybody you meet and see, with a smile.
3) Address guests and team mates by name at all possible opportunity.
4) When guest ask for direction always guide the way.
5) Never tell a guest that you are tired, working long hours or want go home.
6) Maintain your work area -keep it clean.
7) Pick up any debris.
8) Do a follow up on anything you do for a guest by contacting them
personally.
9) Listen to guest complaints / requests carefully if required pen down the
details but never contradict or interrupt.
10) Never discriminate against any people, regardless of nationality, race,
religion, color, sex or appearance, Give equal treatment for all.
11) Do NOT insult the guest.
12) Do NOT make promises that exceed your authority.
13) Don't Argue with the guest
14) Always stay calm.
15) Avoid responding with hostility and defensiveness.
16) Don't promise the impossible, instead offer
alternate choice.
17) Do report incidents on Log book or to superiors this will help to do any
service recovery if needed.
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