Front desk

The Front Desk or Front Office is a core department in a hotel or similar lodging establishment. Employees of the Front Desk may be known as Front Desk Agents, Guest Service Agents, Guest Service Representatives, or Front Desk Cashiers. The duties and workload of a hotel Front Desk vary from hotel to hotel, larger hotels may have a large staff with multiple departments and positions within the Front Office department while a smaller hotel may have a single employee operating the entire Front Desk department at a given point in time.
Function
Common duties of a hotel Front Desk usually include the following:
*Check-in/Check-out Process
*Taking Payments
*Handling Guest Billing Inquiries
*Handling Guest Issues and Complaints
*Dispatching Housekeeping and Engineering Requests
*Printing and Filing Reports (administrative function)
*Answering Inhouse Calls and Phone Operator Duties (PBX function)
*Answering Outside Calls (larger hotels may have phone operators)
*Sending and Receiving Faxes
*Setting Wake-up Calls in phone system (PBX function)
*Providing Area Information (concierge function)
*Contacting Transportation Services for Guests (concierge function)
*Function as Liasion between Guest, Management, and Other Departments
Front Desk Position
Employees of the hotel Front Desk are often hourly employees. The Front Desk is often a fast-paced work environment that may be stressfull and requires the ability to multi-task during busy periods while maintaing a high level of guest service and professionalism. A Front Desk employee who works an overnight shift (usually 11pm to 6am) may be known as a night auditor.
Common job qualifications for a Front Desk Agent may include the following:
*Excellent Customer Service Skills
*Excellent Communication skills both verbally and written
*High School Diploma
*Basic Computer Skills
*Prior front-line customer service experience
Exact qualifications vary from hotel to hotel.
Management
Depending on hotel size, some hotels may have multiple managers and supervisors within the Front Desk department while smaller hotels may have a single manager responsible for the entire department. The department head often known as the Front Office Manager, Front Desk Manager, or Room Operations Manager usually reports directly to the General Manager and is member of the executive management team of the hotel, responsible for departmental budgeting and the overall Front Office operation. Larger hotels often have multiple Front Desk Managers to oversee the 24 hour Front Desk operation alongside Front Desk Supervisors and other support staff.
Further reading
Michael L. Kasavana and ichard M. Brooks, Managing Front Office Operations, Seventh Edition ISBN 978-86612-265-8 American Hotel & Lodging Educational Institute 2005

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