About Taj Group of Hotels

Indian Hotels Company Ltd. was incorporated in 1902 and it opened its first hotel, The Taj Mahal Palace & Tower, Mumbai, in 1903. The Company then undertook major expansion of The Taj Mahal Palace & Tower, Mumbai by constructing an adjacent tower block and increasing the number of rooms from 225 to 565 rooms. With the completion of its initial public offering in the early 1970s, the Company began a long term programme of geographic expansion and development of new tourist destinations in India which led to its emergence as a leading hotel chain in India. From the 1970s to the present day, the Taj Group has played an important role in launching several of India's key tourist destinations, working in close association with the Indian Government. The Taj Group has a philosophy of service excellence which entails providing consistently high levels of personalized service and innovative means of improving service quality. 

The Taj Group has been active in converting former royal palaces in India into world class luxury hotels such as the Taj Lake Palace in Udaipur, the Rambagh Palace in Jaipur and Umaid Bhawan Palace in Jodhpur. In 1974, the Taj Group opened India's first international five star deluxe beach resort, the Vivanta by Taj - Fort Aguada, Goa. The Taj Group also began its business in metropolitan hotels in the 1970s, opening the five-star deluxe hotel Taj Coromandel in Chennai in 1974, acquiring an equity interest and operating contract for theVivanta by Taj - President, a business hotel in Mumbai, in 1977, and opening the Taj Mahal Hotel in Delhi in 1978. 

In 1980, the Taj Group took its first step internationally by opening its first hotel outside India, the Taj Sheba Hotel in Sana'a, Yemen and in the late 1980s, acquired interests in the Crown Plaza, London, St. James Court, Londonand 51 Buckingham Gate Luxury Suites and Apartments in London. 

In 1984, the Taj Group acquired under a license agreement each of The Taj West End, Bangalore, Vivanta by Taj - Connemara, Chennai and Savoy Hotel, Ooty, with which the Taj Group made its foray into Bangalore. 

With the opening of the five star deluxe hotel Taj Bengal in Kolkata in 1989; the Taj Group became the only hotel chain with a presence in the five major metropolitan cities of Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkatta, Bangalore and Chennai. Concurrently with the expansion of its luxury hotel chain in the major metropolitan cities, the Taj Group also expanded its business hotels division in the major metropolitan and large secondary cities in India. 

During the 1990s, the Taj Group continued to expand its geographic and market coverage in India. It developed specialized operations (such as wildlife lodges) and consolidated its position in established markets through the upgrading of existing properties and development of new properties. Taj Kerala Hotels & Resorts Limited was set up in the early 1990s along with the Kerala Tourism Development Corporation. In 1998 the Taj Group opened the Vivanta by Taj - Bentota which strengthened the Taj Group's market position in Sri Lanka. In 2000, the launch of the 56 acre Taj Exotica, Goa and the Vivanta by Taj - Hari Mahal,

Jodhpur were completed. 

In 2000, the Taj Group entered into a partnership with the GVK Reddy Group to set up Taj GVK Hotels and Resorts Limited and thereby obtained a prominent position in the market in the southern business city of Hyderabad, holding three hotels and a major share of the market. In 2001, the Taj Group took on the management contract of Taj Palace Hotel, Dubai, and has established itself as an up-market hotel in the Middle East region. The Taj Exotica Resort & Spa, Maldives launched the Taj Group into the premium luxury hotel market and since its opening in July 2002, has won several international awards. The Taj Group also obtained licenses to manage and operate two leisure hotels; theRawal-Kot, Jaisalmer and Usha Kiran Palace, Gwalior in October 2002. 

In September 2002, the Taj Group acquired an equity interest in the former Regent Hotel in Bandra which gave the Taj Group access to the midtown and North Mumbai market. The hotel has since been renamed as the Taj Lands End, Mumbai. 

In 2003, the Company celebrated the centenary of the opening of its Flagship hotel, the Taj Mahal Palace & Tower, Mumbai. 

In 2004 the Taj Group opened Wellington Mews, its first luxury serviced apartment in Mumbai. In the same year, the Taj Group also launched the first of its "value-for-money" hotels in Bangalore branded 'Ginger', which division has 11 hotels in various locations in India and is owned through its wholly owned subsidiary. 

In 2005 the Company acquired on lease The Pierre, a renowned hotel in

New York City, to enter the luxury end of the developed hotel markets internationally. The Company entered into a management contract for Taj Exotica in Palm Island Jumeirah in Dubai to expand its existing presence in the United Arab Emirates. 

The Company enhanced its position as an operator of converted palaces by entering into a management contract for Umaid Bhawan Palace, Jodhpur in the princely state of Rajasthan in India. The Company, through a subsidiary, acquired the erstwhile ‘W’ hotel in Sydney, Australia in February 2006 and renamed it as ‘Blue, Woolloomooloo Bay’. To expand its presence in the US market, the Company acquired in early 2007 Ritz Carlton in Boston and Taj Campton Place in San Francisco. 

Hotels operated by the Taj Group internationally are located in US, Australia, Dubai, Maldives, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, the United Kingdom, Yemen and Zambia.

About Taj Lands End

Address

Taj Lands EndBand Stand, 

Bandra (West), Mumbai 400 050, 

IndiaTel No. : (91-22) 6668 1234 

Fax : ((91-22) 6699 4488Email:landsend.mumbai@tajhotels.com

Nestling in Bandra, an elite suburb of Mumbai, in the heart of the emerging business district of Mumbai, Taj Lands End boasts the city’s finest restaurants, conferencing, banqueting, and business centre facilities. It’s unique location makes the Taj Lands End an ideal choice for the traveler offering the best of both the worlds – business as well as pleasure. 

Strategically located close to the Bandra-Kurla, Andheri and Worli business districts, this hotel provides the ultimate in modern facilities and convenience. The hotel is situated 12 kms from the international and 8 kms from the domestic airport.

Location : 12 km from international airport and 8 km from domestic airport overlooks the Arabian Sea at Lands End.

Accommodation : An 18-storey hotel, with a dramatic 3-storey marble atrium has 300 rooms and suites, each of which offers a panoramic view of the Arabian Sea.

A standard feature in all rooms is the five fixture marble bathroom, including a separate shower cubicle.

Front Office

Front office is a business term that refers to a company's departments that come in contact with clients, including the marketing, sales, and service departments. 

In the hotel industry, the front office welcomes guests to the accommodation section: meeting and greeting them, taking and organizing reservations, allocating check in and out of rooms, organizing porter service, issuing keys and other security arrangements, passing on messages to customers and settling the accounts.

In American professional sports, the term refers to upper management of a club, especially player personnel decision-makers.

Sub-departments in Front Office

Front Desk Concierge Travel Desk Cashier Bell Desk Reservation Business Centre

Duties & Responsibilities

Front Office Manager

1. Manage operation of the Front desk including Cashier. Ensure that policies and procedures are complied with the highest standard of service and guest satisfaction.

2.  Review room availability status, room blockage and special requests on a daily basis through working closely with Reservations Manager and liase on all groups and FIT movements.

3.  Monitor open and close on day status to maximize room revenue and demonstrate the concept of yield management.

4.  Ensure that budget and cost effectiveness at the Front Desk are achieved.

5.  Work with Housekeeping and Engineering on daily operations regards to guestroom status.

6.   Handle guest complaints and review compliments.

7.   Review Front Desk Logbook daily to monitor all activities.

8.   Review all VIP room blocking.

9.   Supervise and train all Front Desk staff to ensure that the best guest experience is provided.

10. Familiarize with Front Office policies and procedures and special rate & programs.

11. Participate morning briefing, or organize afternoon hand-over briefing daily and disseminate information to Reception team as soon as possible.

12. Greet guests as time permits at lobby and assists Receptionist during busy period.

13. Chair monthly Reception meeting to review performance & discuss existing problems for improvement.

14. Approve duty roster prepared by Chief Receptionist and revise if necessary.

15. Always conduct your job with concern for the environment and its resources. Where practical and possible, REDUCE use of items, RE-USE whenever possible, and RECYCLE those items that can be. Perform all duties, other than the above as requested by the hotel policies and/or his/her direct supervisor.

JOB SUMMARY:

To manage front of the house operations of the hotel ensuring that the highest standard of service and the best possible guest experience is maintained. Be responsible of establishing and maintaining professional relationship with hotel guests and patrons.

Assistant Front Office Manager

1. Assist in the day-to-day operation of the hotel front office.2. Supervise the operational activities of the hotel front desk within hotel guidelines to provide the highest standard of courteous service while permitting acceptable profit levels.3. Assign, coordinate, and supervise work activities of Front Desk Agents.4. Ensure work is completed to include, shift closings, room deposits, refunds and rebates.5. Train and develop Front Desk Agents. Prepare staffing schedules, complete payroll, and monitor labor costs to budget figures.6. Prepare and conduct Front Desk meetings and resolve issues.7. Perform house counts and review daily arrivals, identify potential problems with rooms’ activity and take appropriate action.8. Provide information and direction to staff to achieve 100% occupancy.9. Review and resolve dispute accounts and Housekeeping discrepancies.10. Prepare a shift briefing to communicate activities, short take training, and any problems and/or special information to the next shift.11. Perform check-in and out procedures.12. Take personal responsibility for correcting customer service problems.

Duty Manager

A hotel duty manager is in charge of a hotel's daily operations. He is required to guarantee optimum guest relations concurrent with managing and supervising departmental managers and staff members. His job is to create a warm and welcoming atmosphere that encourages guests to return and to recommend the lodging facilities to others.

Skill Requirements

This position requires exemplary motivational, supervisory and customer service skills. A hotel duty manager must inspire her staff to always put customers' needs first and consistently display a professional and friendly attitude. Organizational skills are necessary to prioritize and delegate jobs to maintain smooth daily operations. Proficiency in conflict resolution is needed to resolve guest issues. Public relations abilities are helpful in promoting the business to the community.

Job Duties

Providing the highest quality guest accommodations and services is the main job of a hotel duty manager. She accomplishes this by hiring, training and supervising quality personnel to work in all departments, including front desk operations, reservations, guest relations and housekeeping. Her job also requires her to develop promotional and marketing plans to increase business and create a favorable image in the community. She must also prepare budgets and revenue projections for upper management review and feedback.

Working Conditions

A hotel duty manager normally reports to a general manager who is frequently also the hotel owner in the case of privately held properties. She is required to dress sharply and professionally to present the best image of the hotel to the public. Her work hours are normally long and often include evenings and weekends. Most of her time is usually spent exploring different areas of the hotel to ensure quality standards are being met, with the remainder of her workday spent on administrative tasks

Hotel Receptionists

The hotel receptionist is very often the first and last member of staff hotel guests will see. They have to reflect the hotel’s atmosphere and convey a sincere welcome to all customers.

In the larger hotels, the front office job is often split into three - that of receptionist, cashier and reservations clerk. In smaller hotels, however, the receptionist could be performing the duties of all three.

Duties

Receptionist

The front desk receptionist, has to play a very important role vis-a-vis the clients in not only selling rooms and services but also the image of the hotel as well.

When checking in guests, you should perform these tasks:-

assign rooms and issue room keys;

check with the housekeeping departments that rooms are ready for occupation;

liaise with the bell desk to deliver luggage to the rooms;

note requests for wake-up calls, transport arrangements and other general enquiries;

settle guests’ complaints with tack and diplomacy;

communicate with other departments regarding group and VIP check-ins.

Reservations Clerk

The reservations clerk has to handle and process reservation requests and maintain reservation records.

Main duties:-

keep a record of guests’ arrivals, day and time of check-in, length of stay, and their special needs and preferences;

liaise with other departments such as housekeeping, restaurants and security, regarding VIP and group check-ins;

manage the booking of rooms.

Cashier

The  cashier has to maintain accurate account balances for hotel expenses and collect payment from guests. Hotel expenses include room charges,overseas telephone calls, meals and laundry.

You should be able to:-

transact foreign exchange, for example, converting foreign currencies and travellers cheques into local currency;

settle bill payments and expenses quickly and accurately for guests who are checking out;

maintain safe deposit boxes.

 

Skills Learnt at Front Office

Reservations:

Room types & rates FIT & Company profiles Reconfirmation & Cancellations Special rates & discounts Filing Methods Special requests Reports generated

Reception & Information:

Pre Registration FIT & Group check-in Room allotment Key handling procedures Reports maintained

Business Centre:

Sections of the department Message handling Equipment used Amenities & services provided Telecommunication & information systems

Concierge:

City Guide

Events in the city Booking for any show Guest help desk

Bell Desk:

Baggage handling Parcel delivery Courier service Help in Packing

Travel Desk:

Booking of car/cab Transport service Pick-up & drop

My Experience

My training at the Taj Lands End, Mumbai commenced from 2nd May 2009. For first 15 days I went through a induction which helped me to know about the company TATA, IHCL and many other Taj Hotels.

Since my area of interest is Front Office, I was fortunate enough that Mr. Prakash Arahana the Learning & Development Manager allowed me to specialize in front office for 6 months.

During this schedule of 6 months in front office, I was placed in many other sub-departments. Starting from Telephones, Reservations, Front Desk, Cashiers, Business Centre.

Telephones

Telephone department is the nerve center of the hotel. I spent 15 days in this department. It is here that all the guest calls and in-house calls keeps ringing for different queries, connect, enquiries, information, complaints, etc.

Few things that I personally learnt from here is to answer all phone calls within 3 rings, to sound polite, get warmth in voice, listen to whatever the speaker before talking.

Reservations

Here I learnt that how to take reservations, bookings, cancellations, amendment in bookings, group bookings. However, Taj has its own call center for making reservations hence, the amount of bookings handled were very less. I spent 15 days in this department.

Front Desk

This is the face of the hotel. I spent 4 months at the reception. Since this is where I want to be in my future, I was very excited and was just waiting for it. For first 15 days, I was told to observe and not get into much of interaction with guest as I was new to the department and hotel as well. In those 15 days, I made sure that I get all the information about the hotel, its telephone extensions, working hours of all restaurants and last but not the least hotel rooms category and their prices.

This was just the beginning. After 15 days, Mr. Puneet Sharma the Front Office Manager asked me all the FAQ’s by guest at reception and I was able to answer them very well which helped me in getting at the desk and take next step of learning check-in procedure and room allotment. It took me almost 5-6 days to learn that and later I was allowed to start escorting guest up to their room where I described all the facilities available for guest also use to carry out room orientation.

After 2 weeks, I was allowed to take check-in where I went through all the check-in procedures of taking guests business card, photo id and mode of payment. These 3 are very important things while taking a check-in.

Later I was seasoned in taking check-ins which boosted my confidence and made me learn much more then the theory part of it.

Cashier Desk

Here I spent one week at Cashiers desk. It is here where the guest comes for their check-out. Since I was a trainee, I was not allowed to handle cash but I observed many things happening at cashier desk and I’ll say that cashiering is a real big responsibility.

Business Centre

This was my last week where I had to be with Business Center who caters guests needs of stationary, internet, meeting rooms, conferences,etc.

My training got over on 31st Oct 2009 and I had completed 6 months with The Taj Lands End, Mumbai and that too in Front Office Department. I learnt many things related to my area of interest which will help me in my future.