CASE STUDY 1: HOTEL GRAND VIEW
Hotel Grand View is a renowned hotel located in the heart of the city. With 17 floors and 320
rooms providing admirable boarding and lodging facilities, it offers deluxe suites, superior
single and double rooms along with services like coffee shop, restaurants, saloon, health club,
shopping arcades and convention halls. It is one of the most sought-after hotels in the city as
reflected by the fact that 1, 20,000 guests stayed at the hotel in the financial year 2009-10.
The functional responsibilities of the hotel are divided into various departments, which are
shown in Exhibit 1.
The front office of the hotel occupies a very important position in ensuring loyal clients for the
hotel. The job of the front office is to interact with every outsider who steps in the hotel. The
front desk takes care of all the needs of the guests. The most important job of the front office
includes making all reservations, handling check-ins and check-outs. In short, the front office or
the front desk is the interface between the hotel and the outside world. Behind the scene a
large number of people who perform a wide variety of functions to keep the front office running
efficiently.
From the very moment a guest begins his stay in the hotel, the front office comes into the
picture and interacts with the guest on a daily basis till he/she leaves the hotel. The guests can
be individuals or corporate guests. In case of corporate guest, the bill is sent to the organisation
sponsoring the stay. The front office comes into contact with the traveller in the following ways Answering queries about reservations/cancellations modifications regarding the stay.
 Making reservations for the traveller. The traveller can also book the room by paying in
advance.
 Receiving the traveller on his/her arrival. The guest fills in the detailed personal
information form, which includes his identity, estimated duration of stay, room
preferences, etc.
 Making room allotments. Actual room as per the guest choice is allotted, provided it is
notified as ready, by the housekeeping department.
 Handling guest demands or grievances during the stay.
 Making arrangements for departure of the traveller. Return tickets, taxi, payment
clearance, etc., are arranged by the front office.
At Grand View, the basic operations of the front desk are performed by a team of three Front
Office Assistants (FOAs), two cashiers per shift (of 8 hours) and a hierarchy that goes up to the
FOM. The front office also interacts with:
 Accounts: Daily-reporting of transaction details.
 Housekeeping: Informing about the requirements of the room, e.g. additional beds,
cleaning, etc.
 Management: Statistical data about the guest, e.g. socio-economic profile, nationality,
etc.
QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION
[1]. Identify the data involved and possible information generated by these data in
the organisational activities mentioned in the case.
[2]. Identify the information shared by various levels of management in the
organisation.
[3]. Discuss the possible benefits that the hotel may add if it decides to implement
a suitable IS?
Exhibit 1