Friday, March 13, 2009

How to Make a Reservation at the Front of the House

Those that manage the front of the house reservation must always be alert and on their toes. This individual needs to be able to multi-task, be detail-oriented and very organized. They also must have excellent customer service abilities and able to communicate clearly with both customers and staff. The front of the house is one of the first presentations of your business and you want to make a good impression form the start.

The front of the house will handle room bookings, dinner reservations, special requests and more, basically anything that deals with reservations. The front of the house will hold packages, obtain and pass on messages and even be able to obtain concert tickets if you desire. This position is often time confused with the concierge though the positions are similar.

The main concern for the front of the house is to ensure that the quests are enjoying themselves. They can find transportation to and from their facilities, take care of any complaints, and make sure that all quests are having a pleasant stay. The front of the house is all about service so having a front of the house staff that stays cool under fire is important. They should be able to deal with anything that may arise and if not know who to contact to solve the problem.

Those that have experience in service and sales may do well in the front of the house. You may have to convince a potential guest why a more expensive room or service is better if what they want is not available. Those that have sales experience will find it easier to provide accommodations for those whose first choice is taken as being a successful salesman takes time, and the more practice you have the better you will be at selling.

The front of the house deals with all complaints so you will have to be able to deal with guests at their worst. Many guests will take out their frustrations to the front of the house even if the problem had nothing to so with your business. Travel delays are always frustrating and you need to be skilled at calming down your customers and soothing and feelings that may have been upset. The front of the house is very demanding but if you are a people person then you will enjoy all the challenges it brings as well as the constant interaction with people.