Increase front office efficiency and help sales grow with the knowledge and skills gained from this course. Topics include revenue management and the latest technology applications. This course shows how front office activities and functions affect other departments and focuses on how to manage the front office to ensure your property’s goals are met. Case studies and real-world examples present a practical industry focus.
Syllabus
Prerequisites: None
Course Description: This course presents a systematic approach to front office procedures by detailing the flow of business through a hotel, from the reservations process to check-out and account settlement. The course also examines the various elements of effective front office management, paying particular attention to the planning and evaluation of front office operations and to human resources management. Front office procedures and management are placed within the context of the overall operation of a hotel.
Objectives: At the completion of this course, students should be able to:
1. Classify hotels in terms of their ownership, affiliation, and levels of service.
2. Describe how hotels are organized and explain how functional areas within hotels are classified.
3. Summarize front office operations during the four stages of the guest cycle.
4. Discuss the sales dimension of the reservations process and identify the tools managers use to track and control reservations.
5. List the seven steps of the registration process and discuss creative registration options.
6. Identify typical service requests that guests make at the front desk.
7. Explain important issues in developing and managing a security program.
8. Describe the process of creating and maintaining front office accounts.
9. Identify functions and procedures related to the check-out and account settlement process.
10. Discuss typical cleaning responsibilities of the housekeeping department.
11. Summarize the steps in the front office audit process.
12. Apply the ratios and formulas managers use to forecast room availability.
13. Explain the concept of revenue management and discuss how managers can maximize revenue by using forecast information in capacity management, discount allocation, and duration control.
14. Identify the steps in effective hiring and orientation.
Group Teaching Guidelines: This course is designed with fourteen chapter sessions that can be combined or broken down to meet a variety of scheduling needs. Class activities are included in the Instructor’s Guide.
Evaluation: The student must complete a comprehensive final examination.
Learning Resource: Managing Front Office Operations, Ninth Edition, by Michael L. Kasavana, Ph.D.