BILKENT UNIVERSITY

Vocational School of Tourism and Hotel Services (THS)

School of Applied Technology & Management (SATM)

THS 148 Front Office Operations

Fall 2005 - 2006

Instructor: Jamel Chafra

Office  : RA 120

Office Hours: Tuesday 10:40 – 11:40, Friday 10:40 – 11:40

Course Description: The course is mainly based on the procedures and methods for the successful operation of hotel front offices. Throughout the course, students can learn the techniques and skills they need in order to function efficiently in front office positions. The course will start with an introduction to the hotel industry's mission statement, strategies, tactics, goals, departments and sub-departments of hotels, and front office record keeping systems. Furthermore, such topics as front office equipment, communication, dealing with the hotel guest, statistics and common operational problems of the front office (i.e. Overbooking, Late Charge, Lost Luggage, Skippers...) will be analyzed and discussed.

Lecture, demonstration, role-playing, case study, and examples from existing hotels will be used during the sessions of the course.

Textbook: Kasavana Michael L. & Richard M. Brooks, Managing Front Office Operations, Sixth Edition, AHLA, Educational Institute of the American Hotel & Lodging Association, Michigan, 2001.

Grading           :

  • In-Class Attendance                 : 5 %   
  • In-Class Participation                : 5 %
  • Assignments & presentations     : 10 %
  • Homework                               : 20 %
  • Mid Term Examination  : 25 %
  • Final Exam                               : 35 %

 

 

Course Requirements:

·         Failing to attend less than 75 % of the whole lessons will automatically mean that a student will not permitted to be seated at the Midterm examination, Final examination or both exams!

·         Prior to any class session, students are supposed to read the topics that will be taught by the instructor. Failing to do so will cost you some points out of the participation, if not all the points.

·         Students are supposed to read the various case studies in the textbook, even if they are not a member of the group responsible for the case.

·         You are to choose members of the case study. Once chosen, you commit yourself to the group, and no changes would be made on the group members, or on the topic chosen, whatsoever the reason.

·         The choice of the case study is on the First Come First Serve basis.

·         No late homework or case study is accepted. A Zero (0) would be attributed to late work.