The lobby department is the first direct contact with the hotel guests, involving the hotel to provide guest services to the contents of the hotel is the beginning of the hotel's guest services and the final completion of the place. First of all, the front office is usually located at the main entrance of the hotel, which is the main place for guests to get information after checking in. Secondly, for the hotel, the front office department is the department that organizes the source of guests, sells rooms, organizes the reception and coordinates the guest services, and provides various comprehensive services for the guests. Finally, the front office department is like the front of the hotel, from each guest arrives at the hotel to the final departure, the services they enjoy are closely related to the work of the front office department, are directly related to the guests of the hotel's first impression and service satisfaction. Hotel service quality is directly related to the survival and development of the hotel, the front office department plays a vital role in this, the front office department of the service quality and management decision-making level will directly affect the hotel's market image and industry competitiveness, thus affecting the hotel's economic benefits. Therefore, the front office is the key to modern hotel management in the operation of various departments, the role is very important.

Second, the modern hotel front office in the operation of the Department of the problems

1. Front office of the organizational structure of the process redundant

Most of the modern hotel front office department organizational structure is hierarchical hierarchical management, from the manager, lobby, supervisor, foreman to the staff in the transmission of information on the bias and misunderstanding, time-consuming is also more. Such hierarchical management process in today's increasingly fast-paced society is redundant. Reducing organizational hierarchy and realizing flat organizational structure is the development trend of modern hotel management, which can make the information transmission more fluent. If the receptionist's requesting process gradually exhausts the patience of the guest waiting, it can easily lead to complaints. This is a common problem in the front desk work.

2. Front office staff sales room skills need to be further improved

One of the main tasks of the front office department is the sale of rooms, and the front desk is closely related to the sale of rooms are mainly the following situations: booking sales, hospitality sales, reasonable room scheduling and price control. (1) in the booking sales, guests often take the phone or walk directly to the front desk to book, in the process of a single active sense of marketing is far from enough, whether the success of the booking is also subject to the receptionist marketing skills, proficiency, familiarity with the hotel products and other subjective aspects of the impact. (2) in the reception of sales, for the guests who have booked the room, the receptionist to show a strong sense of service, but also focus on the hotel's other services and facilities of the sales promotion, but in practice this link is very weak. (3) the receptionist due to their own lack of knowledge and unfamiliarity with the rate variation, often show a lack of flexibility, limited to the actual situation according to the booking for check-in, report the rate of the day, no flexibility to combine the hotel price policy, preferential policies to actively promote.

3. Front desk staff turnover, serious brain drain

According to information, Beijing, Shanghai, Guangdong and other cities in the hotel staff turnover rate of about 30% on average, and some hotels are even as high as 45%, and in the various departments of the hotel, the front office staff turnover accounted for more than 80% of the entire hotel, an employee at least 3 months to 6 months of training and work practice! To be able to meet the requirements of the front office position, and a large number of hotel information and the special requirements of the front desk staff, so that the front office staff turnover cost is much higher than other departments. Employee turnover will not only affect the quality of service of the hotel, but also to the hotel to increase the cost of training, employee turnover will also work in the hotel to work on other employees have an adverse impact on the mood of the work, to a certain extent, affecting other people's mood and work morale.

4. Front Office Department and other departments to further strengthen the communication

Front Office Department in the normal and efficient operation of the hotel occupies a very important position, but the hotel service work is the result of the various departments of each position *** with the results of the efforts of other departments need to work closely with other departments in order to better carry out the service to the guests, strengthen communication and coordination to ensure that the hotel departments of each link of the efficient operation of the hotel. In the actual operation of modern hotels, a large part of the cause of guest complaints is the lack of communication between departments. For example: has booked a good room guests in the check-in procedures are often told by the receptionist to wait to stay, the reason is that the waiter in the cleaning rooms, then the guests will certainly produce dissatisfaction, the reason for this is because the Department of the front office and the Department of Rooms did not do a good job of checking the communication of the room information.

Third, the modern hotel front office department construction countermeasures research

1. Improve the front office receptionist sales room skills

First, the use of different methods to skillfully negotiate prices with guests. Usually there are three methods to choose from: (1) Chatting method. Receptionist to chat to understand the characteristics and preferences of the guests, analyze their psychology, patiently introduce the product, negotiate prices with the guests, should make the guests feel that the hotel sales of the product is value for money, in the sales process recommended is the value of the hotel rather than the price. (2) Optional method. This technique is the front desk clerk first to provide guests with several alternative prices, and then seek the views of guests. (3) Penetration method. In this method, guests who accept the first request implicitly show that they can afford to accept it. As a result, they may accept a larger request. Next, understand and grasp the characteristics of different guests. Guests staying in the hotel have different nationalities, occupations, genders, ages, and purposes of staying overnight, so the front office attendants can grasp the characteristics of the guests and market them flexibly. Finally, timely introduction of hotel-related products. Most of the guests need to be based on the receptionist's services and introduction to decide how to consume, the front office department attendants should be familiar with the hotel's sales policy and price changes, while the receptionist also need to understand the situation of the same industry, to help guests to compare and analyze the advantages and features of the hotel to highlight the advantages of the hotel, to help guests to make a choice.

2. Front office department of the organizational structure to implement flat

Modern hotel front office department of the organizational structure to implement flat, strengthen the authorization of grass-roots waiters, so that the receptionist within a certain range do not have to report, so that each employee can independently and autonomously solve some of the problems, so that the quality of the service will reduce the complaints.4. For the receptionist, the full and proper authorization can For the receptionist, full and proper authorization can arouse the staff's sense of responsibility, creativity and active and sincere service to the customer, the staff this self-responsibility, the guests of the dedicated service, but also for the hotel will bring a good reputation and credibility, so that the hotel is more competitive.

3. Implementation of the "people-oriented" management, retention of talent

The loss of hotel front desk staff will bring certain losses to the hotel, affecting the quality of hotel services. To fundamentally change this situation, from the following aspects: (1) to improve staff salaries and benefits. The hotel should pay attention to the dedication of the front desk staff to sacrifice personal time for overtime, to provide salary to the staff at the same time, give overtime and appropriate incentives to effectively curb the brain drain, but also to attract external talented people to join. (2) to implement the "people-oriented" management. Hotel products sold to guests is ultimately a service, and the quality of service products depends on the front desk of each employee's service skills and service enthusiasm, the hotel should respect each employee, maintain the rights and interests of the front desk staff, enhance their self-confidence, stimulate their enthusiasm for work, and improve employee satisfaction and loyalty to the hotel. (3) Develop a personal career development program. The hotel develops a personal development plan for employees and assists them in learning. Through learning, so that each employee on their existing ability to measure their own strengths and development direction in line with the changing needs of the hotel, through this continuous personal development, to help employees adapt to the hotel's multi-faceted work and future development needs, to promote the individual and the hotel's **** with the development of the lower turnover rate.

4. Strengthen communication and cooperation between departments

First of all, one of the first departments closely related to the front office is the Department of Rooms. To guests to check in to the departure process, for example: guests in the check-in procedures directly into the guest room, if the front office department did not check with the guest room department in a timely manner the status of the room information, it is very likely that the guests have to wait. After the guests check in, the front desk customer service center should strengthen the communication with the guest room department between the articulation, try to meet the reasonable requirements of the guests, temporarily unable to meet the reasonable explanation must be made. Secondly, the front office department and the sales department, the public relations department should also strengthen communication. Front Office Department in the guest room sales work needs to work closely with the Sales Department, participate in the development of guest room sales strategy. In addition, the Front Office Department and the Finance Department should also communicate in a timely manner to ensure that the accounts are clear. The front office department should also do a good job of communication with the catering department. Front desk receptionist to grasp the catering department's service items, service characteristics, to assist in promotions. Front office department also need to do a good job communicating with the Ministry of Personnel, to facilitate the hiring of new employees and on-the-job training and so on.

5. Cultivate the receptionist's service perception

First of all, the cultivation of service perception must correct the receptionist's service attitude. It is necessary to create a good team atmosphere at the front desk and establish the sense of ownership of the grassroots staff. Let the staff actively provide services, rather than the service as a "task"; Secondly, practice makes perfect, a lot of work experience is necessary to develop the receptionist's service perception. Incorrect service perceptions are slowly eliminated and correct service perceptions are retained. This will be in the training of work experience and theory combined more closely; Finally, to find a new service mode of thinking, rather than just confined to a set service procedures, to be personalized on the basis of this service, which is the embodiment of service perception, if the receptionist is able to perceive the needs of the guests from a look, a gesture and action, and to put themselves in the shoes of the guests to provide every detail of the service.