Front Office Manager

The purpose of the job is to ensure the well-organized flow of all functions at the reception and to achieve maximum occupancy at the best possible average price in accordance with internal guidelines. The job holder has to lead his/her employees in accordance with the existing TUI BLUE guidelines and motivate them to use their own initiative and ideas for the benefit of TUI BLUE. He/she should be familiar with Protel PMS System, maximizing the usage to the benefit of the hotel. Overall in charge of Reservations, in close collaboration with the Revenue Manager and Director of Sales.

MAIN AREA OF RESPONSIBILITIES:

General Tasks:

• Ensures good and effective cooperation with the housekeeping department and other hotel departments

• Ensures optimal front office, reservation and telephone services in compliance with TUI BLUE standards, promoting guest satisfaction and cost-effectiveness

• Ensures proper accounting and cash management in collaboration with the accounting department

• Monitors the order and cleanliness in the reception area

Individual Tasks:

Daily Routine Tasks:

• Ensures daily implementation of all product and service standards defined by TUI BLUE head office and the hotel.

• Assumes responsibility for checking the functionality of the facilities in the lobby area, e.g. music systems, lighting, cleanliness and tidiness, making sure the main lobby is at all times presentable.

• Assumes responsibility for the proper archiving of the necessary documents.

• Checks the daily closing of financial activities for correctness.

• Controls the generation of occupancy and nationality statistics.

• Prepares the daily check-in at least 5 days in advance in accordance with EN Daily arrivals check

• Assumes joint responsibility for correct cash management and the security of the cash registers

• Assume joint responsibility for material, energy, VIP and personnel costs.

• In coordination with sales, prepares well in advance special events/arrivals and make appropriate room pre-blocks.

• Oversees optimal room allocation in a timely fashion

• Continuously study and become familiar with hotel clientele, using guest names wherever possible.

• Keeps constant tabs on daily MICE business, with regard to groups and meeting rooms.

• Checks the VIP list for completeness and its distribution to the departments concerned.

• Checks all rooms for repeater, regular, corporate and special guests prior arrival, coordinating closely with housekeeping

• If the hotel is full, review and make decisions regarding VIP and regular guest enquiries

• Decides on and implement necessary measures if the hotel is fully booked.

• Regularly seeks opportunities that serve to improve general service quality and efficiency.

• Identifies service deficiencies and develop measures to remedy them.

• Decides on granting credit within the framework of the credit Guidelines by accounts.

• Keep tabs on booking status by checking occupancy preview and implement suitable measures

• Monitors daily all city ledger and PM accounts, making sure no pending payments parked at front office

• Checks the bed nights situation and memories numbers.

• Reviews cancellations/no shows from the previous day

• Assumes responsibility for compliance with the credit guidelines for employees

• At shift change, maintain presence at the reception and monitor the proper flow of information.

• Ensures the functionality of the PMS and reservation system, that employee entries are made to the set standards, that system errors are reported according to type either to the IT representative at TUI BLUE head office or the software manufacturer and that solutions are implemented accordingly

• Ensures proper condition of his /her work area and that cleanliness, safety order, maintenance of the equipment and the service material as well as their care are in line with relevant trade association standards, guidelines etc

• Checks and sign all purchasing and merchandise requisition requests for his/her area of work, taking into account cost effectiveness (business volume, par levels, etc.)

• Performs monthly analysis and commentary of the departmental reports on sales and costs, and propose improvements to the General Manager, EAM and controller for increasing sales and reducing costs for his/her area

• Prepares forecasts, budgets (including entering the accommodation budget in the PMS) and statistics for his/her area

• Ensures the well-groomed appearance of his/her employees, including hair, hygiene and uniforms.

Guest Relations in General:

• In guest interactions the front office manager is a role model for his/her employees.

• Always be polite, courteous and helpful to guests.

• Greets guests according to the time of day (Good morning/Good day/Good evening)

• Endeavours to characterise the hotel guests and welcomes them with last name (Good morning/Good day/Good evening Mr/Ms XXX).

• Embodies the hospitality concept philosophy of TUI BLUE and acts as brand ambassador.

• During the main arrival and departure times, the front office manager will stay in the lobby area, greet and say goodbye to the guests, keeping his staff under close surveillance.

• Handles complaints, initiate action and inform senior management immediately. The Front Office Manager is constantly available during scheduled hours and therefore always carries a mobile phone

Human Resources

• Prepares the duty roster in advance to match needs in line with the expected guest volume.

• Prepares the vacation schedules with the aim of avoiding staff shortages and using times with low occupancy to reduce holiday leave backlog.

• Ensures efficient planning that avoids or minimises the build-up of leave days and overtime, and if they occur, rapidly reduce any vacation time backlog.

• Assesses the front office staff and evaluate the results with HR.

• Identify employee training needs and introduce suitable measures, conduct trainings or, in cooperation with the management and the Quality & Training Manager, organise suitable training programmes.

• Conducts regular performance reviews, document them and ensure follow-up of the measures discussed to deliver the further development of the employee (in consultation with the Quality & Training Manager).

• Actively participates in the recruitment and selection process for the department, ensuring optimal training of new employees.

• Promotes teamwork within his/her department and with other departments in the hotel.

• Monitors learning content and the achievement of the learning objectives.

• Prepares the duty roster in advance, taking into account the expected number of guests.

• Draws up vacation schedule with the aim of avoiding staff shortages and using times with low occupancy to reduce overstaffing. (including requirements for external companies).

• Ensures, through efficient planning, that a build-up of days good, vacation days and overtime is avoided as far as possible or that these are reduced promptly if they arise.

• Assesses employees in Housekeeping and evaluate the results with the HR department.

• Identify the training needs of Housekeeping employees and introduce measures. Organise training courses or provide suitable training programmes in cooperation with the management and the Quality & Training Manager.

• Performs regular performance reviews, document these and ensure follow-up of the discussed measures which serve the further development of the employee (in consultation with the Quality & Training Manager).

• Participates actively in the recruitment and selection process for the department, and ensure optimal induction of new employees.

• Fosters teamwork within the department and with other hotel departments.

• Monitors learning content and ensure that learning objectives are achieved.

Sales & Reservations:

• Monitors all verbal, phone and written enquiries or reservations handled by employees.

• Monitors the occupancy figures and inform the Reservations department about booked-out, critical dates and, if necessary, forward close dates to TUI and other booking offices.

• Ensures that employees command and use appropriate sales techniques (upselling, etc.)

• Produces or monitor all correspondence including offers, confirmations, guest correspondence, etc. at the reception and in the reservation department.

• Checks the weekly occupancy preview and its distribution to F&B, Housekeeping, laundry, etc.

• Checks VIP guest profiles and ensure data quality in the PMS.

• Maintains contacts and cooperate with important hotel customers.

• Ensures that employees have full and complete knowledge of and information about the hotel offerings.

Competences:

• The job holder has the authority to instruct the reception/front office staff.

• Collaborates in recruitment and promotion of employees as well as in the termination of employment.

• Decides on discounts and rebates.

• Collaborates in pricing, planning marketing campaigns and budgeting.

• Participates in heads of department meetings and convening such departmental meetings.

• Performs hotel-specific tasks depending on the operational requirements, including MOD.

• Stays updated and fully cognizant of the fire alarm system and safety measures.

• Stays fully updated at all times and in detail on responses in any exceptional situations (such as fire, accident, death, robbery, theft, illness, bar brawls, bomb threats, storm warnings, etc.) and to keep staff fully informed on an ongoing basis.

Miscellaneous:

• Updates the top management daily or as quickly as possible about all important events.

• Seeks the approval of the top management before giving information or communicating to third parties, in particular representatives of the press.

• Plans own further training accordingly. He/she is obliged to participate in scheduled training.

• At all times stay well informed about responses and activities in exceptional situations and emergencies as well as about the in-house accident prevention arrangements. Ensure that employees know them as well and respond accordingly

• If the job holder does not have AEVO and Train the Trainer certification, he/she shall undertake to qualify for AEVO and Train the Trainer certification in consultation with the hotel management or in consultation with the Quality & Training Manager.

• Be willing to cooperate and collaborate wherever needed at short notice in the reception area.

• This job description covers only an excerpt of the scope of duties, which can be extended as needed.

• Performs tasks at the instruction of the Supervisor.