Hotel Front Office Management, 3rd Edition

ORGANIZATION OF THE FRONT OFFICE DEPARTMENT 53Figure 2-6. The concierge provides information on tourist attractions and entertainment inthe area to hotel guests. (Photo courtesy of Lincoln Plaza Hotel & Conference Center,Reading, Pennsylvania.)guest. This person also obtains theater tickets and makes reservations in restaurants. Inmost cases, the concierge is stationed at a desk in the lobby of the lodging property.The organization chart in Figure 2-7 portrays a much more simplified workforce thanseen with a full-service property. The desk clerks perform multiple duties such as reservationsand registrations, and they act as cashiers, telephone operators, and so forth.Whatever guest need is presented, the front desk clerk is called on to provide hospitalitywith efficiency and professionalism. In limited-service properties, the general managermay also assist, when needed, to process reservation requests, check guests in upon arrival,and check guests out upon departure.The night auditor’s role in a limited-service property is very different from that of hisor her counterpart in a full-service hotel. Because there are usually no departmental transactionsfrom restaurants, banquets, lounges, gift shops, or spas, the night auditor is mainlyconcerned with posting room and tax charges and preparing statistics for the hotel. Withthe utilization of computer technology, the completion of the night audit has been reducedto a minimum of time. As previously mentioned, this task may be performed early in themorning prior to guest checkouts.TLFeBOOK