Maui Community College
Course Outline
1. Alpha
HOST Number
152
Course Title
Front Office Operations
Credits
3
Department
Business/Hospitality
Date of Outline
9/15/09 Effective Date 8/01/10
2. Course Description:
Author Lorelle Peros
5-year Review Date Fall 2015
Studies the philosophy, theory, equipment, and current operating procedures of
a hotel front office. Concentrates on the human relation skills necessary
for effective guest and employee relations and the technical skills
necessary to operate a manual, mechanical, or computerized front office
operation.
Cross-list
Contact Hours/Type
3. Pre-requisites
3
HOST 101 (or concurrent), and ENG 19 with grade C or better or placement at
least ENG 22 or 55; or consent.
Pre-requisite may be waived by consent
Co-requisites
AS Program
AAS Program
BAS Program
no
N/A
Recommended Preparation
4. Function/Designation
yes
BUSN 121
AA LE - Elective
Category
Category
Category
Developmental/Remedial
Additional Category
List Additional Programs and Category:
List Additional Programs and Category:
List Additional Programs and Category:
Other/Additional: Explain:
______________________________________________________
______________________
Chancellor
Approval Date
Revised 6/28/2016
Course Outline, page 1
2
See Curriculum Action Request (CAR) form for the college-wide general education student learning
outcomes (SLOs) and/or the program learning outcomes (PLOs) this course supports.
This course outline is standardized and/or the result of a community college or system-wide agreement.
Responsible committee: HOST Program Coordinating Council
5. Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs): List one to four inclusive SLOs.
For assessment, link these to #7 Recommended Course Content, and #9 Recommended Course
Requirements & Evaluation. Use roman numerals (I., II., III.) to designate SLOs
On successful completion of this course, students will be able to:
I. Interpret statistical information that affects lodging operations.
II. Distinguish and connect the various classifications of lodging operations to work effectively in a
front office environment.
III. Perform each of the major front office functions following industry regulations to facilitate transition
into a lodging front office environment.
IV.
6. Competencies/Concepts/Issues/Skills
For assessment, link these to #7 Recommended Course Content, and #9 Recommended Course
Requirements & Evaluation. Use lower case letters (a., b.…zz. )to designate competencies/skills/issues
On successful completion of this course, students will be able to:
a. Calculate lodging operation statistics and ratios (ADR, Occ %, RevPar, Yield Statistics, etc.).
b. Analyze lodging operating statistics and ratios.
c. Develop a rooms division budget and analyze actual operational variances.
d. Analyze data in order to effectively apply relevant revenue management approaches and strategies.
e. Describe the characteristics of various categories of hotels and disinguish the unique operational
challenges related to the front office operation.
f. Create organization charts depicting lines of responsibility among positions, departments, and
divisions within a hotel.
g. Connect the three major Front Office functions of reservations, registation, and accounting using a
matrix that identifies equipment, forms, procedures, etc.
h. Describe the various technologies utilized within the hotel.
i. Describe the different types of reservations and identify the information sought during a reservation
inquiry and contained in a reservation record.
j. Use proper techniques to handle challenging situations and guests.
k. Connect the functions of management to Front Office operations.
l. Discuss the various functions and processes of Human Resources.
7. Suggested Course Content and Approximate Time Spent on Each Topic
Linked to #5. Student Learning Outcomes and # 6 Competencies/Skills/Issues
To meet the objectives of the course, the following areas of course content would be included in a class:
1 class session Introduction (I, II, III), (a-l)
Icebreaker/get acquainted activity
Introduction to the course syllabus including a discussion of course
materials, assignments, projects and site visitations
Revised 6/28/2016
course outline
3
1 – 2 weeks
An Overview (II), (e, f, g, h, k, l)
Lodging classifications
Brand management
Travel markets
Types of guests/diversity
Front Office/Rooms structure
Front Office Operations (history)
Goals of Front Office
Hospitality/guest service in the Front Office
Front office and interdepartmental relationships
1 - 2 weeks
Reservation Systems (I, III), (a, b, c, d, e, g, h, i, j, k)
Types of reservation centers
The Reservation Department functions
Originators and types of reservations
Reservation rorms
Reservation cancellations and overbooking
Legal issues and common reservation problems
1 week
Technology in the Rooms Division (III), (e, g, h, k)
Property Management Systems
Main software modules
1 -2 weeks
Room Rates (I), (a, b, c, d, h, i, k)
Definition and types of room rates
Rate discounting
Methods of establishing room rates
The concept of yield management
1 -2 weeks
Registering the Guest (II, III), (e, g, h, j, k)
Types of accommodation plans
Types of guest arrivals
Front Office equipment and communication aids
The registration process and creative options
Legal issues in selling rooms
FOH verbiage
Guest services
1 -2 weeks
The Front Office Accounting System (I, III), (a, b, c, d, g, h, k)
Objectives of Front Office Accounting
Accounting basics for recording sales
Guest account maintenance
Front Office accounting forms
The basic Front Office accounting formula for posting
Basic lodging performance ratios
Revised 6/28/2016
course outline
4
1 week
The Night Audit (I, III), (a, b, c, dg, h, l, k, l)
The night auditor
Objectives of the night audit
Then night audit process
The end of day procedure
1 week
Safety and Security of Guests and Employees (II), (e, f, h, j, k, l)
Hospitality laws regarding safety and security
1 - 2 weeks
Check-Out and Collections (III), (g, h, j, l)
Objectives of the check-out process
Methods of checking out and forms of payment
Communicating check-out information and late charges
Guest history and comment cards
The collection process
Legal issues
1 week
Front Office Training (III), (f, g, h, i, j, k, l)
Determining training needs
Training objectives
The basic training process
Guest service training
General desired qualities and skills of employees
1 -2 weeks
Staffing & Budgeting in the Rooms Division (I, III), (a, b, c, d, e, g, h, k, l)
The budget process and types of budgets
Advantages and disadvantages of budgets
Expense budgeting and key budget formulas
Assessing results
Measures of guest satisfaction
Role of Rooms Division and Front Office Management
Labor productivity and scheduling
8. Text and Materials, Reference Materials, and Auxiliary Materials
Appropriate text(s) and materials will be chosen at the time the course is offered from those currently
available in the field. Examples include: Textbooks: Brooks, Richard & Kasavana, Michael. Managing
Front Office Operations. American Hotel & Lodging Association; Vallen, Gary and Vallen, Jerome.
Check-in Check-out; Kline, Sheryl and Sullivan, William. Hotel Front Office Simulation: A Workbook
and Software Package.
Appropriate reference materials will be chosen at the time the course is offered from those currently
available in the field. Examples include: Newspapers, magazines, journal articles, internet resources.
Appropriate auxiliary materials will be chosen at the time the course is offered from those currently
available in the field. Examples include: Industry magazine features, newspaper articles, videos/dvds
9. Suggested Course Requirements and Evaluation
Linked to #5. Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs) and #6 Competencies/Skills/Issues
Revised 6/28/2016
course outline
5
Specific course requirements are at the discretion of the instructor at the time the course is being offered.
Suggested requirements might include, but are not limited to:
Attendance and participation (I, II, III, a, b, c, d, e, f, g, h, i, j, k, l)
0 – 5%
Homework assignments (I, II, III, a, b, c, d, e, f, g, h, i, j, k, l)
10 – 30%
Quizzes (I, II, a, b, d, e, f, g, h, i, k, l)
0 – 5%
Tests and Exams (I, II, III, a, b, c, d, e, f, g, h, i, l)
20 – 40%
Presentations, demonstrations, group work, exercises, and projects
(I, II, III, a, b, c, d, e, f, g, h, i, j, k, l)
30 – 50%
10. Methods of Instruction
Instructional methods will vary considerably by instructor. Specific methods are at the discretion of the
instructor teaching the course and might include, but are not limited to:
11. Assessment of Intended Student Learning Outcomes Standards Grid attached
12. Additional Information:
Revised 6/28/2016
course outline