The Fifth Edition of Hotel Front Office Management is one of the leading texts in addressing the demands for instructing future leaders of the hotel industry. Educators who are preparing professionals for roles as front office managers and general managers in hotels are required to meet the challenges of operations, technology, training, empowerment, and international applications. This latest edition of Hotel Front Office Management continues to encourage students to take an active role in applying these concepts to the exciting world of hotel operations. The emphasis on management continues to play a central role in Hotel Front Office Management, Fifth Edition. The text's structure will assist students as they prepare for positions as entry-level managers. The logical presentation of chapters in order of operations - overview of Lodging Hospitality; tour of the Front Office, review of the Guest Cycle, and analysis of Guest Services - allows students to gain insight into a front office manager's role in the hotel.
Preface xi
Acknowledgments xvii
Chapter 1 Introduction to Hotel Management 1
Founders of the Hotel Industry 2
Historical Developments 5
Overview of the Hotel Industry 12
Types of Lodging Facilities 14
Market Orientation 17
Sales Indicators 17
Levels of Service 20
Business Affiliations 21
Trends That Foster Growth 27
Career Development 31
Solution to Opening Dilemma 35
Chapter Recap 35
End-of-Chapter Questions 36
Notes 38
Key Words 40
Chapter 2 Hotel Organization and the Front Office Manager 41
Organization of Lodging Properties 42
Organization Charts 43
Typical Job Responsibilities of Department Managers 50
Organization of the Front Office Department 59
Function of the Front Office Manager 62
Staffing the Front Office 69
Solution to Opening Dilemma 72
Chapter Recap 73
End-of-Chapter Questions 73
Key Words 76
Chapter 3 Effective Interdepartmental Communications 78
Role of the Front Office in Interdepartmental Communications 79
Front Office Interaction with Other Departments in the Hotel 79
Analyzing the Lines of Communications 88
Solution to Opening Dilemma 94
Chapter Recap 94
End-of-Chapter Questions 94
Key Words 99
Chapter 4 Property Management Systems 100
Physical Structure and Positioning of the Front Desk 102
Selecting a Property Management System 104
Procedure for Performing a Needs Analysis 105
Other PMS Selection Considerations 113
Financial Considerations 115
PMS Applications 116
Solution to Opening Dilemma 130
Chapter Recap 130
End-of-Chapter Questions 131
Notes 133
Key Words 133
Chapter 5 Systemwide Reservations 135
Importance of a Reservation System 136
Overview of the Reservation System 137
Types of Reservation Systems 142
Sources of Reservations 143
Forecasting Reservations 148
Overbooking (Occupancy Management) 150
Revenue Management 153
Processing Guest Reservations 154
Process of Completing Reservations through a PMS 158
Solution to Opening Dilemma 167
Chapter Recap 168
End-of-Chapter Questions 168
Notes 171
Key Words 172
Chapter 6 Revenue Management 173
Occupancy Percentage 174
History of Yield Management 177
Use of Yield Management 177
Components of Revenue Management 181
Applications of Revenue Management 188
Solution to Opening Dilemma 189
Chapter Recap 189
End-of-Chapter Questions 189
Notes 192
Key Words 193
Chapter 7 Guest Registration 194
Importance of the First Guest Contact 195
Components of the Registration Process 196
Registration with a PMS 216
Solution to Opening Dilemma 228
Chapter Recap 228
End-of-Chapter Questions 228
Notes 230
Key Words 230
Chapter 8 Managing the Financials 232
Common Bookkeeping Practices 233
Forms Used to Process Guest Charges and Payments 234
Account Ledgers 235
Posting Guest Charges and Payments 237
Transferring Guest and City Ledgers to Accounts Receivable 241
Importance of Standard Operating Procedures for Posting and the Night Audit 243
Solution to Opening Dilemma 243
Chapter Recap 243
End-of-Chapter Questions 244
Key Words 246
Chapter 9 Guest Checkout 247
Organizing Late Charges to Ensure Accuracy 248
Guest Checkout Procedure 249
Determining Method of Payment and Collection 252
Assisting the Guest with Method of Payment 256
Obtaining Future Reservations 258
Filing Documents 259
Relaying Guest Departures to Other Departments 259
Removing Guest Information from the System 260
Transfer of Guest Accounts to the Back Office 260
Checkout Reports Available with a Property Management System 260
Guest Histories 262
Last Impressions of the Hotel 265
Solution to Opening Dilemma 266
Chapter Recap 266
End-of-Chapter Questions 267
Notes 269
Key Words 269
Chapter 10 Preparation and Review of the Night Audit 270
Importance of the Night Audit 270
The Night Auditor 271
The Night Audit Process 272
Goal of Preparing the Night Audit Report 278
Preparing the Night Audit Report 278
Reading the Flash Report 293
Reading the Night Audit 293
Solution to Opening Dilemma 296
Chapter Recap 296
End-of-Chapter Questions 297
Key Words 316
Chapter 11 Managing Hospitality 317
Importance of Hospitality 318
Managing the Delivery of Hospitality 320
Total Quality Management Applications 327
Developing a Service Management Program 328
Customer Relationship Management 338
Solution to Opening Dilemma 339
Chapter Recap 339
End-of-Chapter Questions 340
Notes 342
Key Words 343
Chapter 12 Training for Hospitality 344
Determining Employee Hospitality Qualities 345
Screening for Hospitality Qualities 346
Developing an Orientation Program 347
Policy and Procedure Manual 351
Administering the Orientation Program 352
Developing a Training Program 354
Steps in the Training Process 356
Administering a Training Program 361
Cross-training 362
Developing a Trainer 362
Training for Empowerment 364
Americans with Disabilities Act 365
Solution to Opening Dilemma 367
Chapter Recap 367
End-of-Chapter Questions 368
Notes 370
Key Words 371
Chapter 13 Promoting In-House Sales 372
The Role of the Front Office in Marketing and Sales 373
Planning a Point-of-sale Front Office 375
Theories of Motivation 380
Applying Motivation Theories 381
Training Programs for a Point-of-sale Front Office 382
Budgeting for a Point-of-sale Front Office 384
Feedback 384
Planning a Point-of-sale Front Office-An Example 386
Solution to Opening Dilemma 388
Chapter Recap 388
End-of-Chapter Questions 389
Notes 391
Key Words 391
Chapter 14 Security 392
Importance of a Security Department 393
Organization of a Security Department 395
Job Analysis of the Director of Security 395
In-House Security Departments versus Contracted Security 398
Room Key Security 401
Fire Safety 404
Emergency Communication 411
Employee Safety Programs 415
Safety Training Programs 418
Solution to Opening Dilemma 418
Chapter Recap 418
End-of-Chapter Questions 419
Notes 421
Key Words 422
Chapter 15 Executive Housekeeping 423
Importance of the Housekeeping Department 423
Role of Chief Engineer in a Lodging Property 446
The Greening of the Lodging Industry 450
Solution to Opening Dilemma 453
Chapter Recap 454
End-of-Chapter Questions 455
Notes 457
Key Words 459
Glossary 460
Index 475
