Front Office Operations - Assignment Help

CONTACT: PRAKASH

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Email: smu.assignment@gmail.com

FRONT OFFICE OPERATIONS

Section A:

Part One:

Multiple Choices:

1. To create a professional image and to make guest comfortable about the staff members is a factor of:

e. Personal presentation

f. An attentive manner

g. Social skills

h. Use of guest’s names

2 A small booklet which has the guest’s name, room number and room rate is:

e. Credit card

f. Key card

g. Bedroom book

h. Room status board

3. Clear is a sign of:

e. Room left

f. Room occupied

g. Room vacant and ready

h. Room vacant but not ready

4. Which of the following is not a part of ‘Property Management System’?

e. General ledger

f. Registration

g. Night audit

h. Computer terminal

5. Arrange the following as procedure for payment by credit card:

i. Ask the client to sign the audit roll (retain the card)

ii. Obtain the card from the client

iii. Check that the signatures on the card and the voucher agree.

iv. Swipe the card through the machine.

e. i, ii, iii, iv

f. ii, iv, i, iii

g. ii, iii ,i, iv

h. iv, ii, iii, i

6. When the interest and desire is converted into booking or enquiry it is a result of:

e. Interest

f. Attention

g. Action

h. Desire

7. Providing an individual ‘PIN’ number to the customer by the hotel authority is a feature of:

e. Voice mail

f. Message waiting facility

g. Fax

h. Access to hotel services

8. ......................... Cheques help in controlling frauds in the hotels.

e. Crossing cheques

f. Cheque authorization

g. Foreign cheques

h. Blank cheques

9. Which of the following is not included in the task performed mainly at the reception?

e. Filing

f. Duplicating

g. Word processing

h. Reservation

10. .................................... Chart is very time consuming to be up-dated and its errors results in lower occupancy.

e. Density chart

f. Density reservation chart

g. Stop-go chart

h. Conventional chart

Part Two:

1. Differentiate between the organizational structure of ‘Small and Medium sized hotels’.

2. State the main ways in which fire can be prevented in a hotel.

3. List the main methods of ‘Non-verbal communication’.

4. Write a short note on ‘Inside Availability’.

Section B: Caselets

Caselet 1

The Benson Hotel, a mid-sized independent property required new leadership. Mike Schwartz, Vice-president of Operations, pondered his next move as he reviewed last month’s financial statements. The Benson was an eighty-five-room three-star property with a full-service restaurant, lounge, and banquet and health club facilities. The rapidly changing marketplace and new competition from well-established franchises had made Mike’s job and the Benson’s position more tenuous. Mike decided to commission a consultant’s report on the property. He called up his longtime friend Jim Burke, who had worked for major chains across the country and was now a hospitality consultant.

            “Jim, how are you old buddy?” Mike asked.

            “I’m doing very well Mike. This consulting work has run me off my feet. What can I do for you?” Jim asked.

            “Well Jim, I need an independent review of the Benson. We’re holding our own but these franchise guys with their management contracts are really getting aggressive,” Mike said.

            “Yes, I know what you mean Mike. I have just completed a marketing study for a new building across. These guys have some great programs. You have to try and stay ahead of them,” said Jim.

            Mike asked, “Do you think you could visit the property and have some lunch next week? I would like to start with an employee survey and some site work. You’ll be working alongside my general manager, Sean Waters. Sean’s been with us for about two years. Jim, I have some concerns about this guy and I’d like to have a fresh set of eyes look at what’s going on at the Benson. Okay?” Jim hesitated, “Okay Mike. How about next Thursday 10.00a.m.? I’ll meet you in the lobby.”

            “Wonderful, Jim. We’ll see you then.”

            Sean Waters had been recruited by Mike as a rising star. Sean’s background led Mike to believe he possessed a true spirit for hospitality, especially in the food service area. Sean had worked his way up in reputable full-service properties and restaurants while completing an undergraduate degree in hospitality. So, what had gone so wrong at the Benson for mike to feel he needed to bring in a consultant to figure it out? Three months later Mike had an interim report on his desk.

Physical Plant Priorities

The following is a review of specific areas of the Benson Hotel that requires attention.

Sales office: Located just off the lobby, this space is open to the public and is well below the standards for this level of property. The property has worked hard to attract the corporate market. A well – renovated business center shared with a working sales area would enhance this area greatly.

Banquet Servery: Located on the lower level from the main kitchen, this area seems more of a storage area; in fact this could serve as a limited holding area for banquet service. There is no counterspace and no secure shelving to store dishes, glassware or cutlery. Floors and walls are in need of refinishing. Guests have gained access to this area on occasion.

Exterior Garbage Area: The main compactor located in the rear parking lot of the hotel should be enclosed. It is unsightly to guests and can be viewed from the road by surrounding residences. A possible solution would be to pour a concrete slab allowing for drainage and build an enclosure on three sides to ensure access for pick up.

Access for persons with disability: Presently, the Benson has no access or rooms for guests with disabilities. At least two units should be converted for this purpose. The main reconfigurations are the bathrooms and doorways. On a few occasions guests with disabilities were observed leaving the hotel for other properties in the area that had such facilities. It is a good marketing initiative and may become necessary to maintain the rating of the property.

Lobby: The lobby chairs and broadloom should be upgraded to reflect the marketplace and reputation of the property.

Back Office Computer: There is presently no stand alone back office computer. The computers on the property are dated and solely devoted to a property management system that is not Windows based. The following functions could be served with a back office computer:

·         Inventory analysis

·         Database marketing

·         Effective and professional word processing

Parking Lot: The rear parking lot is of particular concern; it does not reflect a three – star property.

Human Resources

The Benson Hotel, like many others before it, had over the years placed people in positions of authority with little or no training to support their efforts. This was true in the following revenue centers.

Dining Room: During high season the dining room enjoys record covers on many nights. However, there was one very stressful situation observed. The staffing was mixed with senior staff followed by poorly trained “warm bodies”. The situation was made worse by the supervisor. Rachel was perceived by the staff as unfair, unapproachable and often playing favorites with her friends and family. Rachel, in all fairness, has had no training and was clearly not the person for the job. She repeatedly showed disrespect for her fellow workers and kitchen staff. Unfairness was clearly displayed in the allotment of high-gratuity-paying work such as banquets and bus tours. Rachel played favorites. She would schedule herself and friends to serve high-gratuity events. If you were not her favorite, you were relegated to breakfast shifts or similar low gratuity work. An example is the new girl, Donna, who Rachel hired this summer. Rachel is already giving preferential shifts to Donna over Isabel, who has been at the Benson for more than five years. Rachel based her decision on Isabel’s poor performance, which Rachel said other employees would agree with. This was not the case when fellow workers were asked. Rachel had also threatened to lay off Isabel in the slow months instead of Donna or Rachel’s daughter Lucy. This was clearly an old management style and unacceptable in any operation. Rachel is also resentful that the kitchen receives 25% of group meal gratuities. In her opinion they do not deserve it. This feeling has permeated among her allies, instilling an “us against them” animosity between the kitchen and service staff.

Kitchen Operation: The kitchen staff is competent, but leadership is seriously lacking in this area. James, the interim kitchen supervisor, has difficulty coping with the restricted responsibilities placed on him and often projects these feelings onto fellow staff. This attitude also has a further negative effect on Rachel and her staff in the dining room. Chef Wilhelm left three months ago and provided little incentive for James to perform his duties as sous-chef. James is somewhat adrift, constantly complaining that he is doing a chef’s job and receiving cook’s pay.

Management controls and reporting such as inventory are inaccurate at best., with related reports poorly presented (see section concerning the back office computer). Production and food handling require improvement from a quality and sanitation point of view. It seems that many foods taken out for preparation or serving then are left out in a hot kitchen to deteriorate or go to waste. Scheduling of kitchen employees does not seem to relate to business peaks and valleys. This has resulted in calling in casual kitchen staff on short notice, resulting in paid-outs over the counter. One such employee is Gerald, the dishwasher, who is Lucy’s boyfriend. Rachel on occasion has taken it upon herself to all Gerald in for dishwashing duty when clearly it is James’s responsibility to make the call. This situation provides an opportunity for Rachel to extend her influence beyond the realm of her authority and has led to increased friction between Rachel and James.

Employee Audit

This part of Jim’s report was a detailed employee audit interviewing employees on issues from the parking lot all the way up to the general manager. It provided Mike with some food for thought. Jim’s opening comments was: “If I had to make only one general statement about the relationship between the employer and employees at this time, I would have to say that it is limping along at a slow, steady pace. Most of the employees appear satisfied with the type of work they are doing and they speak well for the company.” Under the section “Lack of Credibility on the Part of the General Manager,” Mike’s worst fears were confirmed. Jim’s report continued, “As far as remainder of the employees are concerned, they do what they have to and then ignore the general manager. His level of credibility with these employees is zero. One employee was very philosophical about it when she said, “At leads we know what we have to deal with, and we are learning how to deal with him. If they get rid of him we could get someone worse.” Supporting comments from employees included:

·         The general manager is always right.

·         The morale of the employees varies with the moods of the general manager.

·         The general manager intimidates some employees

·         The general manager tries to impress the upper management by pitching in to help when they are here, but when they are not here he doesn’t lift a finger.

Jim summed up this section of his report to Mike like this: ‘This is a case of employees working well in spite of the general manager rather than because of him. The main problem with this situation is that a reputable company such as the Benson Hotel cannot support the actions of a general manager with this type of comportment and still maintain a workable relationship with its employees. My opinion at this point this is that something has to change.

Questions

1. Do you feel it was necessary for Mike to commission a consultant’s report on the Benson? Why or why not? How would you have approached the situation?

2. Identify and propose solutions for the supervisory challenges in the kitchen and dining areas of the Benson Hotel.

Caselet 2

The Rainbow Golf Resort had something to celebrate. The 120 – unit golf resort consisting of villas and condominiums had recently been “re-branded” from a franchise to an independent property. The new owner, Ken Okura, was reviewing the present organizational structure of the Rainbow along with the files of key personnel presently running the operation. During the transition period Ken had recruited his own team including a Vice-president of Operations, Director of Sales and Marketing and Director of Food and Beverage to restructure the organization; however, he still had a few key areas to fill in. In the past, each member of the resort’s management team had staked out his or her own turf with little internal communication. As a case in point, Ken often noticed Shirley, the accountant, regularly directing the front desk on policies and procedures. All this happened under the watch of Jeremy, the resort’s Room Division Manager, who didn’t seem to take notice of such actions. Ken thought that this overlap of authority surely must confuse the front desk staff.

The transition period had provided Ken with a window of opportunity to evaluate the line and supervisory staff. Ken had retained Ted Barrow, a human resources consultant; his report’s findings were quite a surprise to Ken. Ted’s report began with the following staff concerns:

·         The management does not work together. There is no teamwork, only “flexing” for power. Managers are out to protect their turf. Their attitude pervades the resort.

·         There is no apparent overall direction for the resort. If there is, it is not being communicated throughout the organization.

·         There is no general manager to controller on site. The feeling is that if these people were around, conflict among the department heads could be avoided.

·         There is insufficient training. Employees are thrown into their jobs without being ready to perform them properly. They should have proper preparation before they have to deal with guests.

·         Some departments (front desk in particular) are terribly understaffed. This causes service problems as well as high staff turnover.

·         The staff morale is low. Employees work in separate departments and get caught in a rut. There is no overall team spirit. Its more like “every man for himself”

·         There is little or no awareness of how other departments operate. This knowledge is necessary to help us understand how we impact each other.

·         Many people are currently unhappy. The labor pool is small and if they leave it will be tough to replace them. Management should work to keep the staff happy.

·         There seems to be a consensus that staff members want to be able to provide food service, but too many constraints are placed on them to be able to do so.

·         It is difficult to know who to go to if someone has a problem with his or her manager. There should be someone designated, as the resort manager so that employees have someone to communicate with should the need to arise to do so arise.

Ken assembled his new team to map out strategies to address the operational challenges and employee concerns.

Questions

1. Identify and describe four short-term operational strategies Ken should implement immediately at the Rainbow Golf Resort.

2. Which form of top-down communication would be most suitable for the Rainbow Golf Resort to achieve its objectives?

Section C: Applied Theory

1. Explain how the hotel receptionist can contribute to customer satisfaction?

2. Discuss the methods of payments in a hotel.

3. Discuss about the main principles of “Hotel Billing”.

CONTACT: PRAKASH

Mob: +919741410271 / +918722788493

Email: smu.assignment@gmail.com