Revised 2/2012

HRI 265 - Hotel Front Office Operations (3 CR.)

Course Description

Analysis of hotel front office operations including procedures involved in reservation, registration, accounting for and checking out guests, and principles and practices of night audit. Covers the complete guest operation in both traditional and computerized operations.

General Course Purpose

The general goal is to prepare the student to assume a supervisory or managerial role in the front office of a hotel. To attain this goal, the student will demonstrate his ability and understanding of the following:

  • To analyze all aspects of the rooming process, including the human aspect, physical plant and paper procedures
  • To solve complex problems of the front office operation with poise and confidence
  • To understand how to generate the appropriate front office reports and comprehend their importance to the hotel
  • To apply the principles of a hotel’s transcript
  • To develop an adequate professional vocabulary

Hotel Front Office Operations is a one semester, three-credit course. It is required of all students pursuing the Hotel Management Specialization for both the Associate Science Degree and Certificate in Hospitality Management.

Course Prerequisites/Corequisites

None.

Course Objectives

Upon completion of this course, students should be able to:

  • Explain how a hotel’s front office is organized
  • Trace the progress of the guest through the guest cycle and explain how the front office supports each phase of the cycle
  • Identify types of reservations, how reservations are made and how reservations are confirmed and maintained
  • Explain the various components of revenue management
  • List the tasks involved in the registration function
  • Outline front office responsibilities, focusing on communication, guest services, guest relations, and security functions
  • Describe accounting fundamentals and analyze basic financial statements
  • Summarize the procedures involved in checking a guest out and settling his or her account
  • Explain how the night audit works and what function it serves
  • Identify basic management functions and how they affect the front office when setting rates, forecasting room availability, budgeting and evaluating operations

Major Topics to Be Included

  • Forecasting availability
  • Revenue Management
  • ADR, RevPar and occupancy
  • Room blocks
  • Reservations
  • Room rates
  • Guest arrival
  • Managing guest services
  • Billing the guest folio
  • Credit and city ledger
  • Reconcile a guest ledger and city ledger
  • Night audit