Knowledge category · 20 articles

Front Office

Hotel front-office operations, arrivals, departures, room moves, lobby and queue management, reservations, accounts, room status, and guest support.

ReservationsArrivals and DeparturesGuest AccountsEnd-of-Day OperationsGuest Accounts and PaymentsRoom Status and InventoryGuest Stay ManagementGuest RelocationFront Desk SalesShift OperationsReservations OperationsCall-Center OperationsInventory ControlsReservation DocumentationRoom MovesEarly ArrivalsLate CheckoutsLobby OperationsQueue Management

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What Is Hotel Queue Management?

Hotel queue management is the process of monitoring, organizing, reducing, and communicating guest waits across physical and virtual service lines.

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Subcategory

Arrivals and Departures

2 articles

Front Office · Arrivals and Departures

How Hotel Check-In Works

Hotel check-in is the controlled arrival process that verifies a reservation and guest, confirms stay details and required payment or authorization, assigns an eligible room, records required information, and changes the reservation to an in-house status.

How-It-WorksFoundational3 min read

Front Office · Arrivals and Departures

How Hotel Check-Out Works

Hotel check-out is the departure process that reviews and settles the guest account, confirms departure, updates the reservation and room status, provides the appropriate folio, and communicates information needed for room turnover and follow-up.

How-It-WorksFoundational3 min read

Subcategory

Call-Center Operations

1 articles

Front Office · Call-Center Operations

What Is a Hotel Call Center?

A hotel call center is a centralized team that handles guest or customer contacts by telephone and, in some models, additional communication channels.

Department GuideFoundational3 min read

Subcategory

Early Arrivals

1 articles

Front Office · Early Arrivals

What Is an Early Arrival at a Hotel?

An early arrival occurs when a guest reaches the hotel before the standard check-in time or before the assigned room is ready.

Hotel Front Office GuideFoundational3 min read

Subcategory

End-of-Day Operations

1 articles

Front Office · End-of-Day Operations

What Is Night Audit?

Night audit is the hotel’s end-of-day process for reviewing and finalizing the business day in the property management system. It commonly verifies reservation and folio status, posts scheduled charges such as room and tax, produces reports, resolves exceptions, and advances the hotel’s business date.

How-It-WorksFoundational3 min read

Subcategory

Front Desk Sales

1 articles

Front Office · Front Desk Sales

What Is Front Desk Upselling?

Front desk upselling is the practice of offering an arriving or in-house guest a relevant paid enhancement—such as a room upgrade, feature, package, or service—when suitable inventory and transparent terms are available.

Front Office GuideFoundational3 min read

Subcategory

Guest Accounts and Payments

2 articles

Front Office · Guest Accounts and Payments

What Is a Guest Folio?

A guest folio is the itemized account record showing charges, credits, payments, transfers, adjustments, and balance associated with a guest stay or reservation account.

Concept GuideFoundational3 min read

Front Office · Guest Accounts and Payments

What Is a Hotel Incidental Hold?

A hotel incidental hold is a temporary card authorization or other approved deposit used to establish funds for estimated room charges and possible incidentals during a stay; it is not necessarily a completed charge.

Front Office GuideFoundational3 min read

Subcategory

Guest Relocation

1 articles

Front Office · Guest Relocation

What Is a Walked Guest?

A walked guest is a guest with a valid reservation whom a hotel cannot accommodate and must relocate to another property under the hotel’s applicable policy, contract, brand standard, and legal obligations.

Front Office GuideFoundational3 min read

Subcategory

Guest Stay Management

2 articles

Front Office · Guest Stay Management

Hotel Room Moves: Front Office Fundamentals

A hotel room move is the controlled transfer of an in-house guest from one assigned room to another, with the guest, keys, folio routing, room statuses, requests, and department notifications updated together.

Front Office GuideFoundational3 min read

Front Office · Guest Stay Management

What Is a No-Show?

A hotel no-show is a reservation for which the guest does not arrive by the hotel’s applicable cutoff or end-of-day process and has not completed a recognized cancellation or approved change.

Concept GuideFoundational3 min read

Subcategory

Inventory Controls

1 articles

Front Office · Inventory Controls

What Is Hotel Overbooking?

Hotel overbooking is the controlled practice of accepting reservations beyond expected available inventory based on forecasted cancellations, no-shows, stay changes, and operational risk.

Reservations and Inventory GuideIntermediate3 min read

Subcategory

Late Checkouts

1 articles

Front Office · Late Checkouts

What Is a Late Checkout?

A late checkout is authorized guest use of a room beyond the hotel’s standard checkout time without extending the reservation through another full night.

Hotel Front Office GuideFoundational3 min read

Subcategory

Lobby Operations

1 articles

Front Office · Lobby Operations

What Is Hotel Lobby Management?

Hotel lobby management is the coordinated oversight of guest flow, welcome, information, appearance, cleanliness, accessibility, service recovery, and safe escalation in the hotel’s main public arrival space.

Hotel Front Office GuideFoundational3 min read

Subcategory

Queue Management

1 articles

Front Office · Queue Management

What Is Hotel Queue Management?

Hotel queue management is the process of monitoring, organizing, reducing, and communicating guest waits across physical and virtual service lines.

Hotel Front Office GuideFoundational3 min read

Subcategory

Reservation Documentation

1 articles

Front Office · Reservation Documentation

What Is a Hotel Reservation Confirmation?

A hotel reservation confirmation is a record or message confirming the booking details held by the hotel or booking source at the time it is issued.

Reservation Documentation GuideFoundational3 min read

Subcategory

Reservations Operations

1 articles

Front Office · Reservations Operations

What Is a Hotel Reservations Department?

A hotel reservations department is the function responsible for creating, changing, canceling, documenting, and communicating reservations in accordance with approved inventory, rate, policy, and guest-service procedures.

Department GuideFoundational3 min read

Subcategory

Room Moves

1 articles

Front Office · Room Moves

What Is a Hotel Room Move?

A hotel room move is the controlled transfer of an in-house guest from one assigned room to another, with coordinated keys, room status, belongings, folio continuity, privacy, and follow-up.

Hotel Front Office GuideFoundational3 min read

Subcategory

Room Status and Inventory

1 articles

Front Office · Room Status and Inventory

What Is Hotel Room Status?

Hotel room status is the operational condition assigned to a guestroom so teams can understand whether it is occupied, vacant, clean, dirty, inspected, blocked, out of order, or otherwise available for assignment.

Front Office GuideFoundational3 min read

Subcategory

Shift Operations

1 articles

Front Office · Shift Operations

What Is a Hotel Shift Handover?

A hotel shift handover is the controlled transfer of current operating information, unresolved work, accountable items, and decision ownership from one employee or team to the next shift.

Front Office GuideFoundational3 min read

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