Following are some common terms used in relation to the front office department −
| S. No. |
Term & Meaning |
| 1 |
Account receivables
The amount of money an organization has the right to receive within some specified period (say 30 days) against the delivery of products/services. |
| 2 |
Bell desk
An extension of front desk that deals with personalized guest services. |
| 3 |
Cancellation charges
They are the charges borne by the guest on cancellation of a confirmed reservation or for not showing-up on confirmed reservation. |
| 4 |
Concierge
Information desk that assists guests for transportation, booking of events outside the hotel. |
| 5 |
GRC
Guest Registration Card, which the guest needs to fill in with personal formation at the time of registration. |
| 6 |
Guest
Customer of the hotel business being served. |
| 7 |
IP-PBX
Internet Protocol Private Branch Exchange, where internet protocol is used for call transmission. |
| 8 |
MICE
Acronym for Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions. |
| 9 |
Non-guest
Customer of a hotel business not being served at the moment. |
| 10 |
No-show
A guest who has reserved an accommodation neither turns up nor cancels it. |
| 11 |
OHMS
Online Hotel Management System, a software system to manage all back-office operations of a hotel. |
| 12 |
PBX
Private Branch Exchange, a private network of telephones within an organization. |
| 13 |
POS
Acronym for Point of Sale. It is the revenue generating place in the hotel where retail transactions are carried out. |
| 14 |
Rack rate
The price at which the hotel rooms are sold before applying discount. |
| 15 |
SMERF
Acronym for Social, Military, Educational, Religious, and Fraternal. |
| 16 |
Trial balance
It is a report of accounts that represents ending balance of each account in the list. It is prepared at the end of an accounting period. |
| 17 |
Uniformed services
Personalized services provided to the guests. |
| 18 |
Valet
A male attendant to park and clean the car. |
| 19 |
Whitney System
An old reservation system for hotel accommodations. |
| 20 |
Yield Management
A variable pricing strategy, based on understanding, anticipating and influencing consumer behavior in order to maximize revenue from a fixed, perishable resource. |
