Bellboy or Bellman-Duties & Responsibilities

A bellboy is a very important member in front office department of a hotel. Bellboy is also called as Bellman or Bellhop or Bell AttendantĀ or Hotel porter. Generally bellboy or bellhop is north American term whereas porter is used mostly in UK and other English spoken countries. The prime duty of a bellboy is to work closely with front desk staffs, always remain attentive and present to provide required assistance to guests with mainly luggage and transportation.

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Duties and Responsibilities of a Bell Boy

Today, we will elaborately discuss few major duties and responsibilities of a bell boy.

Uploading and Loading the Luggage

Unloading Luggage

  • Assist guests with any luggage.
  • Carefully unload the luggage from the car. Do not throw luggage on the floor.
  • Confirm the total number of pieces with the guest and write the number and the guestā€™s name on the Luggage tag. Make sure no luggage has been left in the car.
  • In case of any damage observed on the luggage; mark it in order to inform the guest and log it in the handover log book
  • Tag luggage and hand over the second part of the luggage tag to the Guest

Loading Luggage

  • Load the guest luggage in the buggy carefully and gently. Do not throw the luggage on the floor.
  • Ensure luggage is kept clean and in good condition.
  • Never leave luggage unattended.
  • Block the luggage in the buggy so that it does not move.
  • Load heavy things at the bottom so that it does not damage the lighter luggage.
  • Take extra care for fragile luggage.

Handling Guest Luggage on Arrival and Departure

Handling guestā€™s luggage on arrival

  • Bellmen/Bell Captain should be standing at the door at all times to welcome the guest.
  • Upon receiving a call from GSA for luggage delivery, identify the guest luggage.
  • Check the room number and guest name in Opera to reconfirm.
  • Room should be reached within maximum 10 minutes of the check in.
  • Unload the trolley before entering the Room.
  • Knock the door lightly.
  • Seek permission from the guest to enter the room by using the guest name.
  • Put the luggage on the luggage bench.
  • Offer to hang the suit carrier/coat.
  • Reconfirm the number of baggage.
  • Always maintain eye contact with the guest.
  • Ask the guest if there is anything else he can help with.
  • Wish the guest a pleasant stay.
  • Walk few steps backward before turning and leaving the room.
  • Close the door gently.
  • Log the details in the appropriate format.

Ā Handling guestā€™s luggage on departure

  • Upon receiving a call from GSA for luggage collection, take a check out tag and proceed to the room.
  • Luggage should be collected from the guest within 10 minutes of the guest telephone request if there is any delay, the guest should be informed about the delay and the new collection time.
  • Greet the guest if possible with the name and smiling face.
  • Confirm the number of pieces with the guest.
  • If the guest is not in the room take a final round of the room and check all the drawers/cabinets to see if any belonging to the guest is left out.
  • Report any damages in the room to the GSA.
  • Take the luggage to the lobby.
  • After the guest settled his bill, request the guest to identify and reconfirm the number of baggage.
  • Assist the guest with loading the luggage to the car & reconfirm the number of pieces loaded.
  • Offer storage assistance and issue tag if required.
  • Offer car door assistance.
  • Thank always with smile and by using the guest name for staying with the GMH and wish him a good trip.
  • Record the departure details in the appropriate format.

Entering and Leaving Guest’s Room

Obtain permission from the Guest:

  • Make sure the DND sign is not on.

  • Use the villa entry phone to call the guest.

  • Ring 3 times and then wait.

  • If no response is heard within 30 second, ring second time. Still if there is no response within 30 seconds, ring thrice.

Entering the Room:

If the guest respond:

  • Greet the guest with a warm smile.

  • Use the guest name.

  • Announce your name, department.

  • The purpose of your visit.

  • Seek permission whether to enter the room or come back again.

  • If the guest permits, open the door. Smile while approaching the guest and speak clearly asking any necessary questions while completing the task.

  • If guest requests to come back later, apologize for the inconvenience and check with the guest so as to when you can come back again.

If the guest doesnā€™t respond:

If guest is not in the room

  • Open the door.

  • Announce yourself while entering the Room.

  • Before entering the rooms announce your name once again to seek permission.

  • Complete your task.

  • Close the door gently behind you.

If guest in the room

  • Open the door.

  • Announce yourself while entering the room.

  • Greet the guest and apologies for the inconvenience.

  • Complete your task.

  • Close the door gently behind you.

Leaving the Room

  • Before leaving, ask for any further assistance.

  • Wish the guest and walk few steps backward before turning to leave the room.

  • Close the door gently behind you.

Escorting and Directing Guest

Within the Hotel

  • Be aware of the exact location of the facilities in the Hotel.
  • Explain in a clear and simple way.
  • Always escort the guest or have him/her escorted by another member of staff.
  • NEVER GIVE JUST DIRECTIONS.

Outside the Hotel

  • Give clear directions.
  • Offer to arrange transportation.
  • Give guest a realistic timing.
  • Give the guest a realistic pricing if traveling by taxi.
  • Consult with your colleagues if any doubts.

Rooming the Guest

Escorting Guest to Room on arrival

  • Associates will engage in polite and un obstructive conversation.Ā 
  • Should point out different outlets with full explanation about the operating hours, type of cuisine, etc.
  • Should always smile and use the guest name while interacting with him.
  • Open the room door and show the guest how to use the proximity reader and also the newspaper box.
  • Always allow the guest to enter the room first.
  • Seek permission from the guest to do the rooming for the guest

Room rooming

  • Block Room;

While leaving the room

  • Ask the guest for any further assistance
  • Wish the guest a pleasant stay by using his name.
  • Walk few steps backward before turning and leave the room.
  • Close the door gently.

Arranging Transportation

Gather relevant information

  • PrintĀ  arrival and departure transportation report on daily basis for tomorrow and the day after,Ā 
  • Double check in OPERA the guest profile and traces.
  • Read emails, double check and update accordingly.

Open transportation sheet

  • Open share drive, front office, bell desk, Ttransportation, daily limousine sheet.
  • Trainers note: Inform the associates that they will have a short cut on every desk top, where in it is easy to excess.

Updating the transportation sheet

  • Updating arrival/departure
  • Fill in the Limo company differentiate between— (Airport Pick up/Drop Off), Previa (own transport), Normal Taxi.
  • Fill in the guest name, room number, number of pax,
  • Fill in the flight details
  • Fill in the pickup time for Airport Drop Off
  • Fill in destination
  • Fill in type of payment, e.g.: cash, complimentary, inclusive etc.
  • Fill in the person who update the Daily Limousine Movement
  • Fill in the remarks for any information.
  • Updating other transportation.

For all transportation it has to be with a correspondence, an email, or trace in OPERA.

  • Trainers note: Updating for daily basis and for the next day. The entire request has to be with email from other Front Office section

Send the email and call to the Limousine Company:

  • Prepare the mail with correct details of transportation, double check and send it
  • Trainers note: The email has to be sent with attachment or copy paste/print screen of the updated transportation request.

Issuing Miscellaneous Form

  • Prepare Miscellaneous Form for all transportation requests.
  • Double check the price based on the destination.
  • Hand over to GSA or Senior GSA.
  • Trainers note: the transportation price will be different for the guest. For the guest, the hotel’s price list is to use instead of Limousine Company.

Delivering Message, Mail or Parcel to the Guestā€™s Room

Upon receiving items for the guest

  • When the message received either from Receptionist/Guest Services or any other department in the hotel or even an outside source, the items need to be delivered to a guest within few minutes.
  • Parcel received from Courier Companyā€™s for guests expected, in house must be recorded in the logbook mentioning by whom it was received as well as date and time, name of the Courier Company and description of the item
  • Check the name on the envelope/parcel and confirm in the Opera system, if the room number is correct. If not, note down the correct room number.
  • All items received for guests expected, in house must be recorded in the logbook mentioning by whom it was received as well as date and time, name of the Courier Company and description of the item.

Delivering guestā€™s item to the room

  • While delivering the message/parcel, follow the standard of ā€œEntering and leaving the guestā€™s roomā€.
  • Log in the room number and the time that Message/parcel has been delivered to in the Message/Parcel delivery log book.
  • If we have received a message/parcel for a guest who is due to arrive, we need to locate the reservation and leave a trace for GSA stating that Bell Desk is holding a mail, package or a fax for the guest.
  • All Message/Parcel for guest whose name is not featuring in the Opera or any unknown names should not be accepted.
  • Parcels of suspicious nature should not be accepted and security should be notified immediately.

Handling Lost and Found Items

Upon finding an unattended item

  • Put a Lost & Found Tag, and write the item name, date, time and location where the unattended item had been found.
  • Inform the guest immediately once the associate recognized that the belonging is belongs to the guest.
  • If associate does not recognize the belonging is belongs to which guests, it has to be reported to Housekeeping.

Deposit a lost and found item

  • Associate has to forward the left belongings immediately to Housekeeping
  • If the unattended items are money, credit card, precious jewellery, or any other valuable object, Duty Manager & Front Office Manager & Security Manager need to be involved

Claim a lost and found item

  • When guest claims an item, the information needs to be collected precisely from the guests, which is: type, color, size, amount, brand etc.
  • Retrieve the item from Housekeeping to make sure the item is the correct one.
  • If the item is slightly different from what guest mentioned, hotel staff has to reconfirm with the guest (either by email or phone).

Deliver the guest belongings when they are already checked-out from the hotel

  • Inform the guest that the delivery service is chargeable based on the weight and the location.
  • Check the delivery rate to the reliable delivery company.
  • When the guests agree to settle the rate mentioned for delivery, then attach blank Credit Card Authorization Form for the guest to fill up and sign either by email or fax.
  • Request for the guestā€™s credit card copy on the front and back side.
  • After guest send all the important data hotel needed, and the guest agrees to pay for delivery, then send the item to the reliable delivery company.
  • After wrap the belonging nicely, guestā€™s data has to be put on the packaging nicely, which is: guestā€™s complete name, home address, and phone number.
  • In addition, Your Hotel’s telephone number has to be put on the packaging as well

That’s all for today. Don’t forget to collect our premium training guides from here: https://hospitality-school.com/training-manuals

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