FRONT
OFFICE
A receptionist works in
the "front office" - situated e.g. in the front hall or the
lobby of a hotel. The staff working there has either direct personal or
telephone contact with the guests.
The hotel receptionists
are the ones who welcome guests. They reflect the atmosphere of a hotel.
They register the guests, sometimes
they deal with inquiries or are responsible for book-keeping.
In general you can say
that at the front office different tasks are carried out: There
is
a receptionist
a cashier
a reservation clerk
a concierge
An "advance
reservations clerk" deals with reservation inquiries and with the
booking and allocation of accommodation. The reservation requests are
done in different ways: by letter, by fax, by phone, by mail ..... .
Telephone bookings are quick, it is possible to get full information
from the customer. Nevertheless written and signed confirmation is
always necessary.
Many hotels own a
reservation system, so the reservation can easily be done via Internet
by the individual customer.
If you would like to be
employed in this area, you need to
- be friendly and
patient
- speak different languages
- cope with different situations very quickly
- have a pleasant appearance
- be good at calculating
