Hospitality industry mainly survives on public relations. People in public relations department act as an anchor to get ahead in the business. The front office plays an important and crucial role in any hotel business. The front office is the first impression of the business, and it always has to function perfectly.  Most of the front office desks are computerized and the hotels use software packages to run their daily tasks.

A front office assistant or executive has to make bookings and see that the guests are welcomed properly into the hotel. This is their primary responsibility; however, the additional responsibility is to maintain logs of all the activities using the software provided for that. Candidates who are interested in applying for this job should have a degree in hotel management, and should also have basic computer skills. The hotel management course is essential to get into the hospitality industry.

The hospitality industry is expanding its business spectrum and offering many kinds of services to people in various industries. They have services for the business people and companies; they have services for the medical industry and of course the tourism industry. The job opportunities within the industry have increased tremendously and constantly needs people in various roles. Even the growth opportunities have become plenty.

Education

A person who wants to get into the hospitality industry should be a graduate from a hotel management institute, or should do a PR course with computer skills. All these are essential for venturing out into the hotel industry. Most of the jobs in the hospitality industry need good PR skills and marketing abilities. Even a marketing degree or an MBA is suitable for certain roles in the industry.

However, the front office job specifically needs the candidates to have a degree in hotel management because the students learn the functions of a front office in the course, and they will also learn about the kind of logs a hotel maintains. By having this knowledge, the front office executives can perform their roles better, and most of them do not require any training by the hotel to handle their job.

There is much less training that takes place in the industry, because the course covers most of the information that one needs to know. A degree in PR skills is also helpful, because the job needs the person in the front office to interact with people all the time, and by doing a PR course, they are taught many things about presenting themselves, improving their communication skills and also their body language. All this helps the candidate make a positive impression while on their jobs, and also these are desired skills in the industry.

Education required

Degree in Hotel Management
PR course

Skills

The front office jobs require good public relation skills and etiquette to talk to people, as this gives the first impression of the entire organization to the people. Any hospitality organization spends a lot of money on their front office in the form of the décor or the staff they choose, and setting up the most efficient networks to handle all the tasks efficiently. A front office assistant’s role is very important as far as the hotel industry goes.

The person should be good with computers and communication, and should be able to use the Microsoft office tools efficiently. They should be able to get the guest comfortable immediately by providing all the information instantly. This largely depends on the efficiency of the person, and a good network in the front office.

Also, one has to keep in mind that they would be expected to work in the night shift which is very common in this industry. Because front office services should be available to the people round the clock, the front office assistants should be able to work extended hours.

Expected Salary:

The salary by and large depends on the place where the hotel is located, and the business class the hotel belongs to. For example, a five star hotel pays much more than a three star hotel, and location also plays a very important role. For example, a hotel in Beverly Hills, Hollywood and Las Vegas pay much better than the others.
Beginners: $ 2500- $3000
Mid Level: $3000- $4000
Experts: Not Available