Module 3
Large hotels never close and operate a 24-hour service, 365 days a year. Te reception desk is usually staffed by a brigade of receptionists working on a rotation system of 3 shiſts to ensure 24- hour coverage: for example 8 am to 3 pm; 3 pm to 11 pm and 11 pm to 8 am. On the late shiſt the reception desk and switchboard is usually covered by skeleton staff or a night porter.
Most hotels have periods of high activity and low activity and therefore it is quite common practice to organise the duty roster for certain members of staff on ‘split duty’ basis. Tis simply means that the normal 8-hour duty shiſt is split; for example four hours on duty, two hours off duty, then four hours on duty or 4 hours in the morning and four hours in the evening or whatever combination lends itself to the efficient running of the hotel.
Te busiest time and peak hours of the reception office will depend on the type of hotel. At hotels near airports and in major cities, visitors arrive and depart at all times with peak periods being the morning departures and arrivals building up during late aſternoon and early evening. In residential or seasonal holiday resorts, where guests stay for a week or more, the busiest time for the reception office is usually Friday, Saturday or Sunday with the peak periods for arrivals and departures being Saturday.
Te head receptionist is usually responsible for planning the roster to ensure that the reception desk is adequately staffed for peak periods throughout the week. Weekends, Christmas, Easter and other public holidays or long weekends are normal working periods for hotels. However, most people who join the industry feel that the interesting nature of the work and career opportunities more than compensate for the unusual hours they are expected to work.
4.1 The basic reception duties that have to be carried out
A large percentage of the hotel industry consists of small or medium-sized hotels where manual systems are still operated. In these hotels the receptionist duties are many and varied. Apart from receiving and registering guests, making reservations, dealing with enquiries and maintaining records, the following tasks have to be dealt with:
On the morning shiſt (08:00 – 15:00) • Check the night shiſt log book for any messages or matters to be dealt with.
• Messages have to be sorted, and e-mail correspondence and any other matters requiring attention dealt with and distributed to the appropriate department.
• Cash floats are the set sums of money handed out to the restaurants and bars in order to provide them with change to start the day’s business, and need to be checked and ready for collection by the departmental heads.
• Any late night arrivals must be entered onto the reservation charts/system.
• Any postings for charges (early morning teas, newspapers, etc.) must be placed on guest accounts.
• All bills for departing guests must be prepared and double checked to ensure that all charges have been posted to them.
• Correspondence relating to reservations and arrivals is checked. • In smaller establishments, the receptionist might have to print menus.
• If there is not a separate cashier in the hotel, the receptionist must count the cash and prepare it for paying it into the bank.
• During the morning checks should be made on guests scheduled for a late departure who have not settled their accounts.
• Any lunches, lounge drinks and room service charges are posted onto the guest account.
• Before the shiſt ends, receptionists must ensure that all work has been processed as far as possible and that any messages or matters to be dealt with are brought to the attention of the evening shiſt.
• Update the incident book (log book) with any unusual happenings during the course of the day. 52 FutureManagers
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