Front_Office_Operations

Chapter 7– Security and safety responsibilities

Summary

Safety checklist

- First aid

- Health and safety at Work Act 1974

Fire

- Prevention

- Policy

- Procedures

- Evacuation

- certificate

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Duty of care:

- Guests

-Employees

-Property

-Premises

-data

Security and

Safety

Responsibilities

Safe custody

- keys: card, electronic

-Hotel safe

-Safety deposit boxes

-in-room safes

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Security

-Risk assessment

-Risk management

Data and privacy protection:

-Guest information

-Guest belongings

-Data protection Act 1998

Chapters

1.Introduction to front office operations

2.Reservation procedures

3.Check-in procedures

4.Check-out procedures

5.Guest accounting

6.Yield management, statistics and reports

7.Security and safety responsibilities

8.Guest services and communications

9.Interpersonal and selling skills

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Chapter 8– Guest services and communications

Objectives

In this chapter you will learn to :-

●Communication systems used in and by hotels

●How to manage a hotel switchboard and take guest messages

●How to handle incoming and out-going mail for guests

●What facilities are required to attract business guests

●Facilities offered in a guest business centre

●How to offer communication assistance for foreign guests

●How to respond to guest information requests

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Chapter 8– Guest services and communications

Hotel communication systems

1.Hotel communication systems

1.1Communication in hotels

1.2Telephone systems

1.3Facsimile transfer (fax)

1.4Internet and e-mail

1.5Paper-based written communication

1.6Face-to-face communication

1.7Communications service for guests

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Chapter 8– Guest services and communications

Hotel communication systems

1.1 Communication in hotels

Communication is one of the key tasks of Front Office staff - and one of the key skill sets that needs to develop, in order to work successfully in the field.

A wide range of written and verbal (person-to-person Or telephone) messages have already considered which needs to 'flow' between Front Office and management; Front Office and other departments; and between Front Office and guests.

What we haven’t yet considered is the flow of communication between guests and other guests, and between guests and the 'outside world' beyond the hotel. Access to such communication facilities is part of the service offered by the hotel, and for some customers (such as business travellers) it may be an important and valuable one.

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Chapter 8– Guest services and communications

Hotel communication systems

1.2 Telephone systems

The telephone is now the most common system for most immediate communication applications, both within the hotel and with the outside world. The telephone is fast, interactive (allowing for convenient exchange of information and question-and-answer) and personal. It allows direct person-to-person contact and the use of social s skills (which makes it particularly good for customer service, selling and the handling of awkward situations like complaints or giving bad news). At the same time, it allows remote communication whether from office to office or room to room, or across the world.

A wide range of telephone equipment, and related services and facilities, is now available to cater for different sized establishments with communication needs of varying complexity. Because of the need to control calls, a hotel would typically operate on a switchboard system, either routing all calls through a central operator, or handling incoming external calls only, in which case individual extensions will be a dial each other and connect to outside lines.

The most common system is a private automatic branch exchange (PABX) system. This allows direct dialling between internal extensions (i.e. from department to department and room to room); direct dialling out from extensions; and access to the switchboard operator or telephonist if required.

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Chapter 8– Guest services and communications

Hotel communication systems

1.2 Telephone systems

A large PABX system would have a centralised switchboard with one or more operators. The system can also be computerised, or linked into the Hotel Management System, for automatic facilities such as: taking voice mail messages; programming in automated early morning alarm calls; logging of guest telephone calls and call charges etc.

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Chapter 8– Guest services and communications

Hotel communication systems

In addition, a range of other telecommunications facilities may be used in a hotel, such as:

Mobile telecommunications: cordless phones, mobile telephones, 'walky-talkies' and pagers, so that staff members can keep in contact with each other while 'on the move' or contact 'mobile' staff (such as housekeepers, porters and drivers). Guests' in-room phones may also be cordless, so that they can move around the room while making or taking a call.

Answering and messaging services: e.g.. answer machines, voice mail, SMS messaging and mobile e- mail may be used to take enquiries, pass on messages for guests, or send quick requests and reminders to mobile staff.

Telephone conferencing: from basic 'speaker phones' to multiple-party calls, allowing virtual telephone 'meetings' between different departments or offices, when required.

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Chapter 8– Guest services and communications

Hotel communication systems

1.3 Facsimile transfer (fax)

A fax machine is like a cross between a scanner and a telephone. You feed documents into the machine, which scans them, transmits the data down the telecommunications link, and reproduces them on a similar machine at the other end. Faxes can also be sent from computer terminals.

Fax is very useful in business settings, because it enables you to send hard-copy written or printed documents more or less instantly to remote locations - where before you might have had to send them by mail. (e.g.. can be used to send urgent booking forms, confirmation letters, maps and other information to guests). Similarly, prospective guests and agencies will often use fax to send booking confirmations and rooming lists to a hotel swiftly.

Basically, you prepare the documents (with a fax cover/header sheet); dial the recipient's fax number on the 'phone' part of machine, wait for a connection, and then feed the pages in the machine (which should mark them in some way, or otherwise notify the user that the page has 'gone through' machine will generally then print out a report showing date/time, duration of call and number of pages successfully (or an error report)

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Chapter 8– Guest services and communications

Hotel communication systems

1.4 Internet and e-mail

Many hotels will create a 'virtual' communications hub on the Internet by having their own website. The site may be used simply to advertise the hotel - although this can be done In very creative ways e.g.. by allowing 'virtual tours' of the hotel. It may also allow prospective guests and enquirers to download brochures and forms; to send e-mails to the hotel; and perhaps also to access the Hotel Reservations System, to check room availability and make reservations.

E-mail has replaced letters, memos, faxes and even telephone calls as the swiftest, cheapest, most flexible and convenient method of communication both within hotels and between hotels and the outside world - at least in countries where the Internet is available. E-mail messages are typed into the sender's computer, using special software programmes, and are then sent to the recipients e-mail address' where they await collection in a electronic mail box or 'in box':

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