CHAYfER:Z
THEORETICALBACKGROUNDOFTHEL
GUAGEOFFRONTOFnCE
fu conducting the .research, it is necessary for the analysis ro h3ve appropriate
and power.ful groundwork to keep it on the right path. This ch!lpter will provide some
related stnilies which 'ill support the analysis in the next chapter.
Thmry of From i()f'riDe
The following information
am studies
will cover areas armmd the
from
office.
This section is provided to support the analysis since the discussion cooceros with the
from office
especislly the language used lt consists of the definilioo, the llmguages
used. am the process oflanguage used in a front office area.
2.:1.1 Dd"mitios of Front Office
Before discussingfront ojj'ice, first, the meaning of the word Front Office will be
definOO.. According to Agusnawar (2002), the word of from uffice means
"deg part in the !1ootl1obby of a hotel in order to be easy for gues!S to
look
am find. Here, guests will be welcomed with greeting in
their coming (cheek- m)
and wi.ll be greeted goodbye when the guests are leav:illg(check-oot).» (p.3)
Agusoowar {2004:31) also mentiollS the similar terms of from office, mch as
front desk agent, front ile. 'k clerk (front line), guest service agenl, guest room service,
and receptimlist.All of these terms have the same me!llling as also explained by Martin
(1991:45) in AgusnaV -'lli (2004:31) that:
7
The ftmtt office desk of a hotel ex morel is usually the priiiwy rwms between
gileS!: !l!ld hotel ex morel. The pasoo workiug the iioot desk, wllatever the job
title - front desk clerk, omsl; guest service agent - is a person wi!o
registers and chds the guest ill and om, keeps records by band ex
relates to tho housekeeping and the other deparlnwnts, and gerumdly operlil:es an
infommtioo mdn:cord center.
important, advanced or responsible position; while jront-offu:e means the pmt of a
Further explanation from Martin (1991:45) about receptimlist1desk derk in
Desir clerks in hoo:ils or morelsare Qftm the first:f"'''Ple to gJeelt inooming guest
They register tho guest, assign a room to !hem, issue !he room key, and often
provide infol'III.llliooaboot services available in the hole1and in the ccmmwil;y.
As we know, the beginning of a hote1 serfl:ice is mainly taken by front office
stafl!'S that mostly get in· touch with the guests. Here, front office has an important
in:flnenre to make a rum step of giving service for the guests..
Abbott & l.eWJy (1999) identifies the meaning ofjhmt office as
re.rm used
receptioo, billing and payments." (p.3)
As a matter of fact, front office is the nerve of the ootel, the management, and the
nerve of all of the sta."fs who work in the hotel. The first impression '111"-ill also affi::ct the
guests' first sight concerning the hotel 1n enjoy the visit or stay in the hotel. As·we can
see fuat hotel's guests ooi.i.ld be sel"\\ed fustly by
11. doomum
or a bellboy, bllt mostly lhe
guests are connected to the Desk Clerk, as we can find this explarmtion from Reimer
(1981:114) as cited in Ag-dl>'!lllwar (2004:33):
The first comact wilh the hotel persom1el :!lllly be a doorman O£ bdlmm:l, 001:
mo;;t likey, it will
a Desk clerk. He is lhe pJ:iJI!e mpresentati:lre of the hotel,
ilie t and all olher employees working fur i.l 1.1ie filst impression
will make all !he differeace in !low the guests will view the hotel and
subsequently enjoy their stay;will ilien make ilie esl.llblisl!moot.
Kasavana (1989:120) in Agnsnawar (2004:5) also explained about from office
that fumt office is always the most important fuci!S point Front office is a place that
the frrst direct coooection "-1t11 a hotel (check-in)
as guests recognized te Front Desk, so the From Desk has always to pay attention to the
stayillg in the hotel.
In addition, Andrews (1982:115) as
in Agusmnvar (2004:1) also put
fOIW<mi that
The fumt office ill a hotcl is the ble for l.!ie sale of bore!
rooms through systemmic metbods of
n, followed by regis!rnlion and
assigned rooms to cnstomer. The fu:mt office
a 0011:1 holds prime importmce
in ""iew of the basic nl!lure of business of a hotel. Revellll!e collilctOO ftom the
sale of rooms co:mibll:!es ftom more than :50 peroeillt of total hotel sales. The
profite :from. sales of image l.mildill.g, wllicll is the first and last point of
coomct of every sales.
This is the hotel organization chart where from office const:i.l.utes as one of the
pa:rt;; in a hotel. 'The chart embe seen ow:
9
General Manager
C1urri 1.Hotd{NgClurrittrlu:l<jimmAMJon & Lev<q (199!1:5)
"The first contact most would be guests have with its telephone switd!OOwd"
(Abbort & ILewry,!999:3). &roch (19%) adds, ''The main function oftbe from office
o mion of the front office department is largely determined by the type and number of
transactions which take place during the different slages of a guest's slay."(p-44).
Baroch (1996:44) also identifies that a typical hotel stay can be divided into fum-
{4) d:istim:t pbases, mmliely:
1.
3.
4. Depmtme
pbases oonstitute the guest cycle, as shown in Chart 2. The Guest Cycle. In
phases of tbe cycle there are certain s!andard mmsactions occur between the guest
front office slaff.s.
I
I
Gtl6t
mmsa m!""""i"""'
I
I
I
I
I
i
I
I
I
i
I
Telepoone calls
I
I
1
I
Issuing ofkeys
T :
I
C1um 2 De GMe>t Cycle teJ:ea.fmm &m;cB (l'W6:#)
As we can see from the chart above, all of the services and tnmsactioo are handled by
According to Cyssoo (2003:1) hls book Practical English for Hotel & Resta:urartt
Services, !here are some activities which support front office doing transaction with
guests, such as: reservation, check in, handling telephooe (giving infumlation, wake up
call.), guest's complaint, conference service, and check out In check in, there are some
activitieS occm:ring. such as greetings, registmtion, room assignment and issuing of
11
keys; while
check othere are settling gtreSt's hills and arrmging trnnspomilioo for
a guest with a reservation based oo Barocll (1996:118}, the process of
registmtion and room allocation occurs immediately on arrival The receptionist will ask
the guest to oompiete and sigu a registration form and will check these details agaillst the
deta!1s held at reception. Should there be any discrepancies, these need to be clarified at
Conccming this resmv!lfion, Grny!Li!,'lrori (1980) add as follow (p.J 04):
As the guests come to the n:gi.stmlioo
each sbmdd be'pJeasootly g eeted
and asked if he or has a reseJ1iffllioo. If sire IDSWers yes, the clerk room should
cllecl< the rc:sen<ltioll m;:;k,. remmre the slip, and
the guest a n:gistml:iom to
:fill om. If iliere is no slip in the mck and the pernoo camwt presmt a writtoo
oonf.imlmion, the cled< slrenld inquire how and wbem the :resen-..tiOI!l was made.
O.ftm, it will have been made <nW !he telephone; possibly oolhe same day.
Another definition of reserwtion :fimn Smite (2000:52) is
first section (pre
arrival) might be cailed by tlte guest before entering to the hotel to stay_ He also suggests
some steps to be oondm::ted in reserwtions, such as greeting/welcoming the guests to
give a pleasant service. Regis!rntion includes asking if the guest has made reservation
before, also askiilg the guest's name or initial, address, phone number, flight number,
arrival time, or how the gnest would like to settle his/her acrotmt. The examples of the
speecltes are as follows, "Have you made a reservation before?" (Agusnawar, 2004:75);
"May I !UIVe your name and address, please?" (Cyssoo, 2003:10):. "Do you have the
flight number and arrival time for Mr. and Mrs. Carter?'' (Baroch, 1996:78).
11
1.2
2.2.2 Cheek in
the process of check-in, there are some activities involving the front office
staffs with the guests, si!Ch as greetings, registration, room assignment for the guest,
until baggage handliog - sending the guests to the room by bellboy. There are some
qualif'IC!ltiollS that a from office staff has to put into hls!her personality to be qualified
during check-in (Sihlre, 2000:96):'
1. Sm le- it could make the guests feel "welcome"and interested By "Smile with your
fuce and eyes= appearance.
2. Selfeoofidence
3. Commwrication -try to speak clearly, make sure that each of the speech can be
a'lderstood by the guests, do not pretePto understand what the guest Wlllnts.
4. Diplomacy
undersiand of what should be said and not to be said
5. Good.M:an..ners
act politely, "Do oot he rude or too fumiliar".
6. Good Memory
Chart 3. Guest's Checki-m Pl"OCeSS in the Hotel below based on AgusnaWl!lr
(2002:105) taken from the book "Principle
which cm
Of Front Offrce Opemtions"
(l998:l30)
a oompass in handling check-in procedure when a guest arrives in a hotel
Based on the fuel:, procedure of handling a guest \men the guest arrives in a hotel,
"'nether by reservation or not (walk-in), there are muy some differences.
l3
Prepare for tire guest arrival
Check:
Roam status tmd m;ailo!Jility
Erpecled arrivals and
Special requesis
i Importarlt
g;test
Are
YoaJ'Jtl<
available?
?
Assig;t room
tmd mom :mle
'
y
I
I
I
Check :metieod if payment
I
lSSlle room hy
I
t
Escort gm>.<fl in room
I
Based on Sihite (2002:97), there are some steps to
carried out in doing a good
14
1. Accept the guests with fumiliar manner and give them full auention so that the
guesls do not feel Ul'lweloome.
2. Imroduce your hotel so that the gues1s feel welcomed and can adapt with your
environment
3. Give the guest all the information available to catch their attention and show them
that they are king wliD deserve fuU service.
4. Explain the kinds of rooms and also the location of tire restaurant. bar, swimming
pool and so on.
5. V:lt the guesls choose as they vrnm, but help them everytime they ask a question or
feel hesitant
6. Handle arrival procedure well
A receptionist has to show good attimdes and smiles ""iren receivi.ng and
speakir;g to g11esl.s. This is to show that a receptionist is ready to help a guest
(1\g>.lsmwru;. 2004:59), for instance
"Good morning (afiemoonleveningj, Afr.
{lvhdam}....., welcome to Narwazi Grand Hotel, how may l help you."; while
in
bl.mdling clients, a rerep!:ionist can use such simple greetings lil---e "Good morning,
qfienwon, evenhzg, ,\Jr. Agu.<. Welcome hack to ow hotel. Glad to see you again."
2.2.2.1 tnltion
Bl!Sed on Lattin 0977:75), the rooming cr registration area is the hem of the
front office. l'1 this area, the guest is asked 1n register and the moms are rotd and
assigned. While, Bm:och(1996) adds, '!be purpose of registration is to record a guest's
arrival and confirm their personal detruls"' (p.I I 7). The following extm details must be
reco:rded: passport number and place
af issue, next destination (if known), and date (1[
15
departure. Agusnawar (2004:60) reports that registration is a process of a guest's
registration when doing the check in time in a hotel and the gUest has decided to stay in
hotel.
regimatio11, there a.-e some speeches or questions tbat llSWllly occt r, smting
from asking guesfs name, guiding the guest to fill in the regimation card, asking ID
cards such as 'passport, asking the next destination the guest Vt<ill go, and the date "'ben
the guest will leave. They are as fullows, "May I bww your full 110me, please?",
"Please fill in this regia/ration C(jj'd. Sir" (Cyssoo, 2003). Another dialog from Stott
{1982:113}, such as "lfyou'd like to fill in this registration card.", "Ami can you tell me
your m:xt destination?", What date are you !em>ing?"
2..2.2.3 Room Assiglilment & ls!nlmli<l:e of Keys
Guest's room assignment and issuing keys are the l1Clct step of a :front office
actio!! after helpig the guest maki11g registration. In these actions,. there are two parts
which are done by reservation and the other one is oot However, the action to handling
tbese assiguments are quite tile same. Barocb (1996) reports "The fiont desk elm must
inform the guest of tile room rate. When the guest accepts the room at that
mre, a
contract is made between the hntel and the guest"(p.l36). As tile receptionist assigns the
guest's room, at the same time, a :room key will be transferred to the guest as tbis dialog
from Stott (!982:113) which is by reservation "That's fine lvlr.Jenkins. J'vep!IIJ:OU in
Room 310. It:v on the third floor." And the other one without reservation, "That's fme.
Here's the key-Room 217. on the second floor. (p.60)
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2.2.2.4 Baggage Hllndting
Tbe last step of check-in is h!md!ing tbe guest's baggage and esrortiag 1he guest
to ilie room. Handling baggage according to Siliite (2000:f2) is the activity of serving
the g'<lest's baggage from the car to the mom and check out time through the guest car in
a OOII'.plere condition.
The.ore are the speeches of the front office staffs wbf!.'l handling the guest's
baggage: "The porter will store yow bag;_for you.", "Now, let me call a bellba}• lo
et;cort you to your roam." (Ban:x:h, 1996:133), "I'll call a hotel
{J'Jrter
to bring your
luggages and shaw you to your room."(Cyssoo, 2003).
1.2.3 Td fumne Hlmdling
In a hoteL telephone opemror section which is sometimes called communications
secrion is the section inthe front office depamnent which lm a duty to give a pbooe call
service lliend!y, inslmltly, and behave ro tbe gue1>'ts, whether from inside or outside of
!he ootcl. This section is the important part of the hotel service that handling aU calls,
such as 'Wake up calls, giving inforn: ation call a11d other imporlm!t calls (Agmmwac,
2002:153).
A.gusnawac (2002) reports, "'Handling phone call is not only fur reception, but
also tOr- all the staffs of the hotcl in order to give a corporate image professionally and
behave."(p.l54).He also adds tllllt the staff should avoid the word "Hallo", but directly
starting with the name of the hotel, for example: "Hotel Nawarzi Beach. good
morning/afternoon/evening. what con f he? you Sir/Mam. as \veil as when bang off tbe
phone should be ended by expression of thanks as fuUows. "Thank you SirlMl::m1, and
good momtng/afternoon!evening."
17
2•.2.3.1Gmlng mfoJrmation
Based on Abbott & Le'IITy (1999), one of the receptiomst's most import!lnt duties
is the p!Ovision of information about the ho!cl and fue locality. It goes without saying
tlurt she ought to know evezythlng aboot the hotel itself, including details of any special
functions which might interest guests (p.45).
Aooti:-er opinion
from
Gray/Liguori (1980:110)
is that
the
infmmation
responsibilities of the mail and infmmation derl::s are usually limited to answering
questioo regarding the guest rooms and other fu.cilities of the ho!cl.
ffi:re are some conversations of the front desk clerk when giving infu n:
1. When
informing
hotel's fucrlities,
aoc.ording to Cyssco
(2003:2):
·'Jakarta
Intercontinental Hotel is a four star lwtel and is located exactly in the middle of tire
city."."All the roams are ve1y qlliet and air conditioned, of CO'IIT:$'e."
2. Informing room rates when the guests aslred': "$100 a night for a single room.. 'l'hat
indudes continental brea/ifasL "{Stott, 1982:111).
:1.2..3.1Wake ap Call
Early meming il>ake- up caJis used to be oo imporlllllt front affiee function, but
has become much less impommt with the spread of persooal alarms and al.ltomsted hotel
wake - up systems. fn the rooming the reeeptiorust (or swirehboard operator} ""'urked
from left to right, ticking off each alann call as it was answered (Abbott & Lewry,
1999:45)Anofuer similar explallation from Agusnawar (2002:165) about wake up call
service is that generally when a guest requests a wake up call. he/she will call the
:receptionist
Oi
directly, to the phone
Opt.'l"ator
!IIld the
Staff will
write OOWD the wake up
18
call request to the morning call sheet The wake up call program !bat bas been made will
ring automatically with this information to the guest, "Good morning, Mr. Jahn. This is
yourmomtng calL Have a nice day."
mentioned, very oftm requires
guest
Clm
gF.A t
tact and diplomacy. The emotional mood of the
affect the way the member of the fi:oot desk team who blmd!e the oomplaint
(Barach, 1996:248).
B!iroch (1996) also adds the following guidelines which !Ire applicable to most
2. De not interrupt the guest
3. Apologize, even if the hotel is not at flmlt, such as .,1 am sarry you have lJeen
At this part, Sulastiyooo (2002:H4) also advice the speech to express apology,
"...Hwe understand Sir/Mam's feeli:rigs... ", "I will foel the same
if .. "
4. Do not excuse the flml:l. by blaming someone else.
5. 'Th!mk the guest for bringing the problem to your atrention; V>'itb socb speech,
"Thank you jar pointing out this problem.!will investigate immediately."
19
20
Sulastiyooo (2000) in llddition define the speech of solving expression as :fullm'IS,
"...alright Sir/}vfam, there are t,:ome alternatives that we can do for solving this
7. Give insl.roctiol!S to other staff regarding the agreed action.
8. Record the complaim and action taken in the front office log book., md reput the
9. Speak to the goes!: later to el!SI.lre that appropriate action has been satisfuctocy mken.
Occasionally, poople will organize a conference oot ouly in outside place, but
also make a reservation inthe hotel. Here, the hotel also confers this kind of service. The
conversation that we can. fioo is for example, "Right, Sir.
lf l may !now,
whuJ size of
cort:ference room you hm;ein mind." (Cysseo,2003:96).
:2.2.6 Cheek
Oll.t
C'neck mrt is tlle time vmen tlle guest are Jeaving the hote.t Some questions are
importlmt to be asked accocding to Agumawar (2002:Hl?), for example if !be guest
takes some fucilities of
me hotel, such
as tov.-els or using !be mini bar facility befure
leaving the hotel. This is also clarified by- Dllkas (1979:40) based on his book, Hotel
Front Ojjrce Managemmt and Operation in Agosnawar (2002:107) tiJat:
When the HOiiSekeeping Depl!l1ment or llouse of filter suspecis that the guest us
leaving "'ith hotel property, the mom clerk may ask the guest in ched<ing oot 'if
he has inadvemmly taken ;my hotel property' sometimes this questioos: is
ffi.OUgh. Usually it is D.Otc Then the Clerk, FO Manager, !.rot prefembly the Hotel
Manager, has a toogh decisioo to rmllre. If lie is :fuirly certain the guest is guilty
lie requests to open his bags. It is d.mgerous to insist in this mless the hotel has
20
evidence to suppmt lhe request· An 1111icle missing from a room oo. IWeT:y visit
by a guest is re!!SOI1 to ask for such a illSpedio >..
On tile other rumd, Baroch (1996:175) adds the basic procedure tl!at bas ro be
Here is a list of guidelines from
check-out procedure chart above:
L Greet guest. Always greet guests w:ith a smile and S!IY, 'Good morning'
OT
'Good
2. Coofum guest details (i.e. name and room number) against the guest's l!CCOOllt
3. Check departure dare. If the guest is leaving earlier than expected, other dqm!ments
will need to be inforn:if:d
4. C'neck whether late check-om ch&ges should be applied. If the guest is leaving after
the 12 noon check-om time, and Is not a fiequent guest, add the relevant late check-
5. Check for the late charges. Exm:nine currem elll:ries on a guest's account, and in
partie lar check out any mini-bar, breakfast or telephone charges.
6. Give the guest the master and/or guest folios
checking
20
21
7. Guest settlement of acrounts
8. Provide front office services upon guest departure such as receiving the guest's key
and checking ifthey have used a safe deposit box which now needs to be emptied.
9. Offer the assistance of the bell staff to collect the luggJlge
I(); See if the guest would like to make a future reservation, or an onward reservation in
another hotel within the chain.
11. \Jpdate front office records.
2.2.6.1Settlirng Guest's Bills
Not all check-out time is always on time by the hotel's guests. Some of them can
occasionally do late check-out, whether they report themselves or reminded by the front
office staffs when they are doing check out. This is also explained by Sugianto &
Hm-yadi (2002:71) that sometimes if the guest's business has not f!nished yet or because
oft.'Ie other reason that cause the guest stay over the check-out time that has been made.
In t'Jis case, the guest will be fined for an additional charge.
Baroch (f996:176) defmed the meaning of late charge is a charge for a service
or facility which is sent to the cashier too late to be added to a guest's acwunt for
settlement.·
The process of hlk'ldling guest's bill based on Agusnawar (2002:185) is the last
part of the guest's transaction in the hotel. When the guest is leaving, it is when the last
time for the front office staffs to give the last impression for th.e guest.
According to Bakar (1998:i78) in Agusnawar (2002:189), said that there are two
main types of account settlement: cash and credit." At this point, usually the staff will
ask the guest first, how the guest would like to pay, such as this speech according to
22
Stott (1982:116), "Haw are you paying? Credit card" or based on Baroch (1996:133) as
follo\\"8 ·How do yau wish ta settle your account, !vfr: Brothers?"
2.2.6.2 Arranging Transpoliatiolll for Guests
Usually a hotel also provides transportation service for the guest, such as taxi. At
the same time, this is the last part of the hotel service after settling guest's bill for the
guest. Uris is a speech happens in this condition base on Stott (1982:115), "Just have a
word with the concierge, Sir. He'll argamze transport far you, Look
there; on the lift, next to the entrance."
his office is over