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Front Office Manager Essay

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Hotel Organization and the Front Office Manager

O P E N I N G

D I L E M M A

CHAPTER FOCUS POINTS
■ Organization of lodging

At a recent staff meeting, the general manager of The Times Hotel asked if anyone wanted to address the group. The director of housekeeping indicated he was at a loss in trying to work with the front desk clerks. He had repeatedly called the desk clerks last Tuesday to let them know that general housecleaning would be performed on the seventh and eighth floors on Wednesday morning and that they should not assign rooms on those floors to guests on Tuesday night. When the cleaning crew came to work on Wednesday morning, they were faced with 14 occupied rooms on the …show more content…

Flexibility is the key to hospitality organization. At the operations level, familiarity with the staff’s strengths and weaknesses is essential to meeting the demands of the situation. When the property experiences an expected slow period, regrouping may be necessary to maintain full-time positions. The front office manager may have to assist the marketing and sales office in advertising or hosting tour directors for a specific weekend. The food and beverage director might have to spend some time in the controller’s office completing reports and developing budgets. This interdepartmental cooperation provides the backdrop for a smooth-running organization. Such flexibility prevents departmental

ORGANIZATION CHARTS

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jealousies and territoriality from becoming roadblocks to communication. The general manager receives additional operational support from the director of security, the person who takes a proactive role in establishing and maintaining a safe environment for guests and employees. Because of the precautions necessary in delivering hospitality, the director of security is vital to the operation of the lodging property.

Organization Charts
The major positions found in a large, full-service hotel or resort are presented in Figure 2-1. This lodging property features:
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