Front Office Operations

Front 1

the standard rate established for each room type

Back 1

rack rate

Front 2

a price for a guest room that is high enough to cover costs, yet low enough to attract clientele.

Back 2

proper room rate

Front 3

a number of services (room, food, entertainment, transportation, etc.) that are normally purchases separately but put together and marketed at a reduced rate.

Back 3

package

Front 4

a living or sitting room not used as a bedroom.

Back 4

parlor

Front 5

the switchboard

Back 5

PBX (private branch exchange)

Front 6

a room needing light cleaning

Back 6

pick up

Front 7

the front office employee responsible for posting charges recieved by the front office during the daytime shift.

Back 7

posting clerk

Front 8

a room that has been altered as to not allow the guest to enter. used when a gues (in house) has bad credit or needs to speak to the manager before entering the room.

Back 8

pin out/ lock out

Front 9

this important procedure is done mid-point during second shift. the process is to verify room status by comparing room rack/computer information to the in house bucket. guest credit information is ensured, number of room occupants confirmed and room rate verified.

Back 9

PM bucket check

Front 10

hotel executive responsible for the front of the house, including front office, housekeeping, and uniformed services; sometimes called hotel manager or house manager

Back 10

resident manager

Front 11

the front office employee responsible for room sales, processing and maintaining all reservation records and inventory control.

Back 11

reservationist

Front 12

a guest who checks in to the hotel when there are no rooms available for occupancy. these people will be given the very first rooms that become available. the guest can also be referred to as a "waited guest"

Back 12

registered not assigned

Front 13

a form completed by the guest at the time of arrival giving name, address, method of payment, arrival and departure date, requires guest signature and sometimes business affiliation.

Back 13

registration card

Front 14

the completion of the check-in procedure which obtains complete guest data and room requirements.

Back 14

registration

Front 15

qualified lead on group business.

Back 15

referral

Front 16

a room which has been prepared and inspected by Housekeeping and has been deemed available for occupancy.

Back 16

ready room

Front 17

the distribution of prices for one specific room, or the room type, depending on its number of occupants, its services and funishings, and location in the facility.

Back 17

rate range

Front 18

the portion of the folio that goes with the room rack card to show that the room is occupied. it has guest name, room rate, C/I and C/O dates, market codes.

Back 18

rack slip

Front 19

availability of room accommodations.

Back 19

room status

Front 20

the revenues collected by the hotel for its rented rooms.

Back 20

room sales

Front 21

the price charged for the use of a hotel's guest room, may or may not include some food, entertainment, and/or transportation.

Back 21

room rate

Front 22

used by the Sales Department to define a room that is occupied for one night.

Back 22

room night

Front 23

the list of names furnished by a group in advance of arrival and used by the hotel to preregister and pre-assign rooms to the party.

Back 23

rooming list

Front 24

to bring an account balance to zero by having debits and credits offset one another.

Back 24

zero out

Front 25

phone calls placed by the hotel operator to wake the guest at his/ her requested tim.

Back 25

wake-up calls

Front 26

a guest who arrives at the hotel without a reservation

Back 26

walk-in

Front 27

a guest holding a reservation which the hotel is unable to honor due to an oversold situation. the hotel will pay for the person's stay at a comparable hotel and provide transportation to and from the other hotel

Back 27

walk

Front 28

a written communication between one set of accounts or departments and another.

Back 28

voucher

Front 29

reservations or guests who warrant special attention and handling.

Back 29

V.I.P.'s

Front 30

a person who renders personal service to a guest

Back 30

valet

Front 31

to convince the arriving guest to take a higher priced room than he/ she had planned or reserved.

Back 31

up-sell

Front 32

to move to better accommodation or class of service.

Back 32

upgrade

Front 33

a guest who checks out before the expiration of the anticipated stay.

Back 33

understay

Front 34

a check made out by one person or company to a party other than the hotel. these checks are not accepted by the hotel. exceptions to this policy can only be made by the hotel's Controller.

Back 34

two party check

Front 35

to refuse walk-in business because no rooms are available; the guest is refused.

Back 35

turn away

Front 36

short-term guest, booked by front office

Back 36

transient guest

Front 37

to move either a credit or debit from one folio or account to another.

Back 37

transfer

Front 38

organized procedures by which people learn knowledge and/or skills for a definate purpose.

Back 38

training

Front 39

a residential property in which an investor buys a living unit and leases or rents it out when it is unoccupied by the owner.

Back 39

time-shared hotel

Front 40

where there is a temporary hold on space for specific dates awaiting confirmation from the customer.

Back 40

tentative

Front 41

a colored card or heavy paper with code designations for the room rack pocet and used when a room is inaccessible to the front desk clerk. used in manual systems.

Back 41

stock card

Front 42

an anticipated check-out who remains beyond the stated date of departure; any guest who remains overnight.

Back 42

stayover

Front 43

a set of policies, procedures and guidelines for operations as prepared, updated, and approved by corporate headquarters/top management. the purpose of this is to ensure standardization.

Back 43

standard operating procedures (SOP)

Front 44

reservations that are held until 6pm, if these reservations have not arrived, they will be canceled and room made available for sale.

Back 44

six PM hold

Front 45

indicates a rate other than the standard "rack rate"

Back 45

special rate

Front 46

the status of the hotel when no rooms are available.

Back 46

sold out

Front 47

a room that appears to be occupied, although it is vacant, due to an error in room status reporting.

Back 47

sleeper

Front 48

a room to be occupied by one person.

Back 48

single

Front 49

a display room for showing merchandise; with/without sleeping facilities.

Back 49

sample

Front 50

guest who reserves a room and arrives on the same day.

Back 50

same day

Front 51

individual sections of the vault available to guests for the storage of valuables.

Back 51

safe deposit boxes

Front 52

the portion of the registration card/folio which is given to the guest when he or she checks in. it shows the room number, rate, and check-out date. it also explains certain benefits available to the guest, i.e., safety deposit box availability.

Back 52

rooming slip

Front 53

usually a room in which there had been a guest who had been given express check-out. however, it can be from a guest that has left the hotel without paying his or her bill. see skipper.

Back 53

room found vacant (RFV)

Front 54

a hotel guest that leaves with out paying or checking out.

Back 54

skipper

Front 55

the number of occupied rooms.

Back 55

room count

Front 56

a portable bed; a cot.

Back 56

roll away

Front 57

an operating department that generates revenues.

Back 57

revenue center