This course introduces the skills and responsibilities of a supervisor in the hospitality industry through the lens of the front office department, the first impression of a guest. Participants will learn essential supervisory skills, including leadership, communication, team management, and customer service. They will also learn about some of the processes in various departments through practical applications for a better understanding to function in any job they may enter in the hospitality industry, from guest reservations and property management systems, financial and night audit processes, security, and housekeeping.

Upon completion of this course, participants will have the skills and confidence to supervise teams and operations within various sectors of the hospitality industry.

• Introduction to Hotel Management
• Hotel organization and the front office manager
• Interdepartmental Communications
• Property Management systems
• Guest Registration
• Managing the financials
• Guest Checkouts (Night Audits)
• Front Office sales
• Hotel Security, Safety and Employee Programs

Upon successful completion of the course, students will be able to:

• Describe the roles of front office staff and the responsibilities of other departments to be able to draft a training plan for a supervisor.
• Interact with front office staff and other departments and analyse those lines of communication.
• Determine the needs of a property management system for a hotel and select the relevant modules for different types of accommodation.
• Describe the concepts and needs of a systemwide reservations system and be able to prepare a rooms forecast.
• Identify the components of the registration process and process guest reservations with attention to the importance of that first contact.
• Describe common bookkeeping practices and process guest charges and payments, account ledgers, and posting.
• Identify the stages of the night audit process and prepare a night audit report.
• Explain the importance of safety and security in a hotel, its departments and responsibilities, to the point of creating a fire safety plan and procedure for a guest room.
• Describe the importance of the executive housekeeping department, understand and perform the roles of room attendants, including the practice of completing inventory and room cleaning checklists.

• Lecture/presentation
• Discussions
• Case studies
• Individual assignments
• Slide presentations and visual representations
• Facilitated group work
• Field trips and/or guest speakers
• Demonstration of technology, software and internet