Duration: 4 to 5 months completion online
(340 Hours)
Course Description
The Hotel Management curriculum is designed to introduce students desiring to enter this profession of Front Office Operations with emphasis on guest relations and accommodations through proper registering, account settlement and a well-rounded understanding and administration diversified duties through forecasting, occupancy statistics, revenue management and audit procedures. It is ideal for providing formal training to individuals currently working in the industry who wish to advance their career opportunities.
Course Outline
Defines the term Hotel and classifies hotels in terms of major target markets, hotel size, levels of service they provide for guests. This section describes characteristics of the business, leisure and group travel markets, hotel ownership and affiliation as well as factors that influence traveler's buying decisions and what hotels can do to reward loyal guests.
Part 2- HOTEL ORGANIZATION
Learn to create organization charts indicating the numerous lines of responsibilities among the departments and divisions within the hotel, goals, strategies and tactics used to accomplish a hotel's mission. Distinguish front-of-the-house areas from back-of-the house areas and revenue centers from support centers.
In this section the student will become familiar with the most popular terms used to define and identify the status of the guest-rooms throughout the day, the major features of different types of guest-rooms, describe the service and equipment of hotel's telecommunications area, be able to identify the functions of common front office forms and related equipment.
Learn to describe the different types of reservations and typical activities performed with the reservation process and their major sources and the process for taking group reservations. Identify the tools managers use to track and control reservations availability. Non-guaranteed and guaranteed reservations procedures are discussed, including causes why reservation agents are becoming more sales-oriented in the hotel industry.
THE GUEST CYCLE
It begins with the explanation of the six steps of the registration process from the viewpoint of the front desk agent, the function of pre-registration activity, registration records and registration cards. In addition students will identify factors that influence room and rate assignments during the registration process and procedures for establishing the guest's method of payment at registration, describe the front desk agent's role in addressing special requests from guests and techniques used to up-sell guests during registration.
Outline Front office steps for responding to guest information requests, issues and procedures related to the Front Office security functions, the nature of communication between the Front Desk and other department divisions; the student learns to identify typical service requests that guests make at the front desk and describe general approaches to handling guest's complaints.
The function and different types of accounting systems are summarized including the transient folios used in the front office. The distinction between guest folio and the city ledger folio is explained; also the necessary process for creating and maintaining accounts, internal control procedures and account settlement.
Part 2- CHECK-OUT AND SETTLEMENT
Methods and steps settling out guest accounts, procedures for express check-out and self check-out are considered and the reasons why hotels may charge late check-out fees and steps taken to minimize late charges and unpaid account balances and the necessary action for billing and collection.
The student learns to identify the five functions of the night audit and the role and duties of the night auditor. A practical description of the tools used by the night auditor to balance the day's transactions, the goal of daily and supplemental transcripts. Apply the rations and formulas managers use to forecast room availability, comparison of the night audit process is described for non-automated, semi-automated and fully automated properties.
Describe the management process in terms of the functions front office managers perform to achieve organizational objectives; also explain how managers establish room rates and identify special room rate categories a well as how F/O managers forecast rooms revenues and estimate expenses when budgeting for operations. Finally, managers use various reports and rations to evaluate F/O operations.
Yield Management is a method for profitability managing hotel capacity. Most hotels practice some sort of revenue management and there is a shortage of qualified personnel. The intent of this course is to teach how to effectively implement commonly used yield techniques, information technology, discount allocation, yield statistic, achievement factor, revpar, equivalent occupancy, etc. We will be showing how yield management decisions are influenced by: group room sales, transient room sales, food and beverage activity, conventions, and special events.
Describe the mission of the human resources division, responsibilities in relation to recruiting and selection processes, responsibilities in relation to wage, salary, benefits administration, training and career development programs.
FOOD AND BEVERAGE OPERATIONS
Be able to identify two basic segments of the food service industry, and three basic types of commercial food service operations. Describe the origins of hotel restaurants, institutional food service and the role of management companies in institutional food service operations.
Part 2- ORGANIZATION OF FOOD AND BEVERAGE OPERATIONS
Describe a typical layout of a large restaurant and identify a multi-level organization with a flat organization for a small restaurant and then describe a typical organization of food and beverage operations for a mid-size hotel as well as how someone can get started in the food service industry.
The evolution of computer systems from mainframes to portable computers. A description of the data processing cycle and the advantages of electronic data processing stand-alone computer systems that may be interface with a hotel property management system as well as basic features of Front Office applications common to hotel management systems.
FRONT OFFICE SIMULATION SOFTWARE
This is a generic application software with exercises covering all the
units previously studied; in addition major features of word processing and data base
management are contemplated and their suitable application in the hospitality operations.