Job description

A guest service agent provides reception services for guests to contribute to an overall exceptional experience from check-in through check-out and complete audits, as required.

What will I be doing?

As guest service agent, you will serve on the front office team to provide services for guests to contribute to an overall exceptional experience from check-in through check-out and complete audits, as required. A guest service agent truly influences the first impressions of our guests and, therefore, is responsible for performing the following tasks to the highest standards:

• Achieve positive outcomes from guest queries in a timely and efficient manner.
• Ensure an efficient reception experience for guests, including check-in/out, and complete audit procedures, as required.
• Ensure that the guest service manager is kept fully aware of any relevant feedback from guests and/or other departments.
• Demonstrate a high level of customer service at all times.
• Attend appropriate training courses, when required, and assist with the night team's training and development efforts.
• Demonstrate knowledge of hotel room categories, room rates, packages, promotions, and other general product knowledge necessary to perform daily duties.
• Maximize room occupancy and use up-selling techniques to promote hotel services and facilities.
• Use the correct procedures regarding the acceptance of foreign currencies, credit cards, and cash in accordance with the hotel credit policy.
• Comply with hotel security, fire regulations, and all health and safety legislation.
• Act in accordance with policies and procedures when working with front of house equipment and property management systems.
• Follow company brand standards.
• Assist other departments as necessary.

What are we looking for?

Summary of position

Responsible for providing friendly, efficient, and professional service to the guests for all aspects related to front office. To be a touch point for the guests at arrival, departure, and throughout their stay. To anticipate guest needs, efficiently handle cash transactions, and provide guests with the highest level of service while adhering to Hilton Worldwide standards.

Reporting line: Front Desk Supervisor > Reception Manager > Guest Operations Manager

Summary of responsibilities:

Responsibilities and essential job functions include but are not limited to the following:

• Execute duties as assigned by the management, FOM, or the GS Supervisor FO.
• Ensure proper grooming standards are being followed with proper body posture and a natural smile, being ready to serve our guests.
• Ensure all FO areas (front desk, luggage room & lobby area) are clean and tidy.
• Ensure working area is properly stocked with operational stationery and request additional whenever required.
• Monitor the FO stocks and take action accordingly.
• Ensure the shop is properly stocked with goods and communicate with F&D if further action is required.
• Be a reliable member of the guest service FO team and a collaborative colleague whose passion for hosting can be observed every day.
• Work, maintain & exceed departmental targets as well as individual targets of HH enrollments, upselling (rooms & meals), stay experience, KIPSU & guest preferences (CRM).
• Be an ambassador of the front office and the hotel, in and outside the workplace.
• Respect, promote, and follow “Welcome guest, serve the guest, answer phone calls, provide information, flawless standardized check-in & out experience as well as handling guest complaints & guest requests.”
• Assist guests in all possible ways (hotel information, city information & sightseeing, arranging transportation, locations, city facilities, luggage assistance, escorting to the hotel facilities, serving from the shop, order taking or any other help the guest might require).
• Ensure all guest complaints are recorded and tracked properly to avoid recurrence in the future.
• Offer a warm welcome to all guests and ensure that they enjoy their stay and are offered the finest personal service.
• Personally greet and escort guests rather than pointing out directions whenever possible.
• Be aware of all VIPs visiting or staying in the hotel as well as those arriving.
• Be aware of all hotel offers, pricing, hotel events, internal events, global changes, city vibes and share the information accordingly.
• Maintain accurate guest history & profiles ensuring all profiles are correctly updated and merged to avoid duplicate profiles along with guest preferences.
• Check arrival lists and block all rooms according to guest requests and needs and upgrade whenever required, especially for VIPs.
• Ensure the hotel rooms inventory is properly balanced.
• Properly follow all local government requirements concerning hotel guests and files.
• Handle guest files and folios, ensuring that all immigration, financial, and audit procedures are fully respected with all proper backups as well as issuing manual invoices whenever required without delay.
• Follow up on internal communications and any actions to be taken by FO to be responded to immediately.
• Ensure all daily tasks are completed in a timely manner including reservations, method of payment, VCC, CC & direct bills and notify the concerned department whenever required.
• Follow up on high balance guests and ensure proper action and follow-up is in place.
• Communicate with concerned departments regarding guest preferences, special occasions, disabilities, or any suspicious behavior.
• Be aware of forged currency and travelers checks and respect all financial and audit procedures.
• Check departure lists and ensure check-out times are respected.
• Monitor room status and discrepancies.
• Ensure correct information has been collected from the guest while processing additional keys, room payment, additional guests or visitors and communicate to concerned departments accordingly.
• Call the manager and explain the situation properly with full information for advice in serious cases or if approval is required.
• Share daily activity highlights with the manager including internal and external guest opportunities.
• Ensure posting all no show & late cancellations communicated by reservations team to ensure proper revenue is tracked without fail.
• Be aware of and report all guest comments or complaints.
• Follow the checklists and participate in their daily completion.
• Participate in all front office briefings, monthly meetings, and any other activities announced by management.
• Be fully knowledgeable on the different tasks required for each shift, be it morning, evening, or night.
• Handle all cash, credit card, paid out, bank cheque, payment link & direct bill transactions with the utmost care and efficiency, strictly adhering to the finance policies in place.
• All financial transactions should be printed on the spot and handed over to the guest or sent on the spot via email.
• Have full ownership of the cash float always provided by the hotel and be responsible for it, strictly following brand standards.
• Ensure house fund is counted along with security witness and dropped to the assigned safe box.
• Respect the privacy of the guests and the confidentiality of the information at hand.
• Strictly respect the room keys and section keys handover procedures.
• Respect schedules, terms, and deadlines as agreed with management.
• Be aware of all hotel facilities operating timings and promote the internal activities and events of the hotel.
• Liaise closely with sales and reservations on rate management.
• Ensure uncompromising levels of cleanliness and maintenance of the workplace through own responsibility.
• Be flexible and extend job duties to carry out any other reasonable duties and responsibilities within job capability as assigned, including redeployment to alternative departments/areas if required to meet business demands and guest service needs.
• Report for duty punctually wearing the correct uniform and name tag.
• Maintain a high standard of personal appearance and hygiene and adhere to hotel and department appearance standards.
• Maintain good working relationships with all colleagues.
• Read and understand the hotel’s employee handbook and adhere to the hotel’s rules and regulations and policies and procedures relating to fire, hygiene, health, and safety.
• Know the Hilton values and always abide by them when in the workplace.
• Do a proper cashier closure and submit it to senior or manager for review and approval.
• Do a proper handover between shifts including high balance, payments, emails, KIPSU follow-ups, guest follow-ups, courtesy calls follow-ups with all team members’ signatures on it as an acknowledgment.

General duties

Health and safety:

• Ensure that all potential and real hazards are reported immediately and rectified.
• Be fully conversant with all departmental fire, emergency, and bomb procedures.
• Ensure that all emergency procedures are rehearsed, implemented, and enforced to provide for the security and safety of guests and employees.
• Ensure the safety of persons and property within the premises by fairly applying hotel regulations by strict adherence to existing laws, statutes, etc.
• Ensure all staff within the department work in a manner which is safe and unlikely to give risk of harm or injury to selves or others.
• Use safe manual handling techniques and practice safe work habits following Accor health, safety, and environment policies; maintain procedures to minimize our impact on the environment and prevent pollution.
• All guests with disabilities, special cases, or diseases must be communicated immediately with management and security.

Confidentiality:

• Ensure confidentiality and secure storage of all intellectual property and databases, both hard copy and electronic. Adhere to Hilton policies.
• Ensure hotel, customer, and staff information or transactions are kept confidential during or after employment with the company.
• Do not share any information of any guest in-house to anyone from outside the property and never confirm if the guest is staying with us or not.
• Never allow any accompanying or visitor without scanning legal documents and permission of the guest.
• It is prohibited to share any numbers of team members with guests without permission.
• It is prohibited to share the rates of guests or disclose them verbally while other guests are present and any type of preferences, disease, or disabilities.
• Never write guest credit card numbers on paper; it should be recorded immediately on the system and never disclosed.

To be fully conversant with:

• Hotel fire procedures.
• Hotel security procedures.
• Hotel health and safety policy and procedures.
• Hotel facilities and attractions.
• Hotel standards of operation and departmental procedures.
• All HR memos and guidance.
• Hilton grooming and appearance guidelines.
• Hilton values and its corresponding strategies.
• Methods of accepted payment of the company.
• Short- and long-term company marketing promotions.
• Carry out additional tasks from time to time, by request of senior team members which may not be directly related to the job role but necessary for smooth operation of the hotel.

Qualifications:

• Preferably previous experience in a similar function from a hotel or resort.
• Fluent in English, local or other major foreign language.
• Excellent interpersonal skills.
• Has a sense of initiative and open-mindedness.

Physical aspects of position:

Physical aspects of the position include but are not limited to the following:

• Assist with set up or movement of equipment to ensure availability for special events.
• Frequently standing up behind the desk and front office areas.
• Handling objects, products, and computer equipment.

Acknowledgement:

I have received, reviewed, and fully understand the job description of front desk agent. I further understand that I am responsible for the satisfactory execution of the essential functions described therein, under all conditions as described.