Front desk

A hotel front desk (or front office) is the reception area near the hotel entrance, where guests can check in, check out, get information, and request various services.

The exact range of duties varies across hotels, but typically, front desk staff or receptionists are responsible for 

• greeting and welcoming guests upon arrival,
• managing reservations, 
• settling payments, 
• solving guest issues and answering questions, 
• communicating with other departments in the hotel, 
• answering (and redirecting if needed) incoming phone calls and emails, and so on.

Smaller properties manage front desk operations with pen and paper or spreadsheets, while bigger ones often implement front desk software to automate and streamline these activities.