What Does a Front Desk Manager Do?
- Written By: B. Miller
- Edited By: Andrew Jones
-
Copyright Protected:
2003-2013 Conjecture Corporation
A front desk manager works in the hospitality industry, in an establishment such as a hotel, resort, or inn. The day to day responsibilities of a front desk manager may vary depending on the size of the establishment and the number of other employees that work there, but it is a challenging job that requires one to possess excellent customer service skills as well as the ability to work well with others. There are a few different ways to enter into a management position within the hospitality industry.
A front desk manager will generally always need a high school education. In addition, many pursue college degrees in hospitality management or business in order to gain valuable knowledge. A college degree is not a requirement, however, and many front desk managers have years of experience in lieu of formal education. It generally takes at least three to five years of working on the front desk before becoming a manager, and promotions into supervisory roles are common before becoming an actual manager.
Many front desk managers begin as front desk clerks or guest services agents. It is important for a front desk manager to know virtually everything there is to know about the hotel, in order to answer customers' questions accurately, and this can typically only come from experience. Once one becomes a front desk manager, one may actually spend less time working at the front desk, and will instead spend more time behind the scenes.
A front desk manager may be responsible for creating schedules for other employees to work the front desk, as well as to make sure that company policies are always being followed. This may be in relation to time off or working schedule, as well as policies regarding dress code and workplace practices. A front desk manager will likely need to have frequent meetings with other managers in the hotel, in order to discuss things such as sales goals, productivity, and ideas for improving the business.
If a customer is having a problem and needs additional help, the front desk manager may be the one who is called in to help. It is important for anyone in a management position to be able to deal with difficult customers, and to remain polite and respectful. A manager may also be responsible for keeping track of the cash flow through the front desk, or for setting up new reservations. These are just a few of the many varied responsibilities of front desk managers.
Related Videos
Discuss this Article
|
Perdido
Post 7 |
@OeKc05 - That is funny, because the customer relations part of the work was what I enjoyed more than the computer-based part. That is just my personality, though. I love taking charge and making things happen, and I also love keeping bad things from happening.
If you are leery of dealing with the public, then I would recommend you seek another career. There is just to much customer service involved to suit someone who doesn't enjoy it. |
|
OeKc05
Post 6 |
@Perdido - Did you enjoy your job? I like computer work, and I think that handling reservations and assigning rooms would be fun. It's the part about dealing with customers that makes me question whether to pursue a career as a front desk manager. Do the bad times outweigh the good in your experience, or would you advise me to look elsewhere for a career? |
|
Perdido
Post 5 |
I worked as a front desk manager for a hotel. In addition to the duties listed in this article, I also was responsible for assigning rooms and handling reservations. If someone canceled their reservation, I had to update that information. It involved a lot of computer work, since a large number of people make or cancel reservations online these days. |
|
lighth0se33
Post 4 |
Though front desk managers must strive to be polite and please the customers, they also must know when to step in and cease dangerous or ridiculous behavior. They must seize control of situations before they escalate.
I worked at a hotel desk, answering phones and checking in guests. We had an unruly guest once who actually threatened to do bodily harm to me. He claimed that he could not sleep all night because the guy in the room next to him snored too loudly, so he thought that we should refund him because we refused to wake the snoring man.
The front desk manager stepped in and told the man to calm down. She firmly yet politely explained that the sleeping habits of our guests were not our responsibility, and since he had stayed the entire night, we could not give him a refund. When he continued to make threats, she phoned in security. |
|
sunshined
Post 3 |
When someone walks into a hotel, the people who sit at the front desk are the first employees they usually see, and first impressions are lasting ones. This position represents the establishment for every person who calls on the phone or walks in the front door.
Deciding who will represent the hotel with the front desk manager job is very important, and they must be friendly and have good customer relation skills in order to be successful. |
|
julies
Post 2 |
A person who works in any front desk position must have excellent customer service skills and know how to deal calmly and professionally with many different situations.
There are a wide variety of front desk manager duties that can be challenging and being able to perform several duties at once can be helpful.
If you happen to work the night shift in this position, that can be even more challenging because you are usually the only person there and don't have other staff members to rely on for help. |
|
LisaLou
Post 1 |
Working as a Front Desk Manager is not always as easy as it may look to some people. Having worked as one for several years, you never know what kind of situation is going to come up that you have to be prepared for.
Many times people who have a front desk job position for a few years can work in to a management position. The experience they receive in this role is invaluable to the manager position as they will have already experienced many different problems and situations that have arisen and have a good idea of the best way to handle them. |
