front-of-house
The areas and staff of a hotel or restaurant that deal directly with guests.
Example: She moved from the kitchen to a front-of-house role.
B114 words · Intermediate
Hospitality & Tourism vocabulary — B1
Hospitality vocabulary for hotel and restaurant work, including front-of-house staff, a no-show or walk-in guest, the concierge and booking a reservation for room service.
14 questions
Words in this set
14back-of-house
The areas and staff of a hotel or restaurant that guests do not usually see, such as the kitchen.
Example:
Deliveries are handled entirely back-of-house.
no-show
/ˈnoʊˌʃoʊ/A guest or customer who books but does not arrive and does not cancel.
Example:
The restaurant lost money because of three no-shows on Friday.
walk-in
/ˈwɔˌkɪn/A guest who arrives without a reservation.
Example:
The hotel had one room left for a walk-in.
covers
/ˈkʌvərz/The number of meals or guests a restaurant serves in one sitting or day.
Example:
The restaurant served two hundred covers on Saturday night.
turndown service
An evening routine in which hotel staff prepare a guest's room for the night, such as folding back the bedcovers.
Example:
Turndown service left a chocolate on every pillow.
valet
/væˈleɪ/A hotel or restaurant employee who parks guests' cars for them.
Example:
The valet parked our car right outside the entrance.
itinerary
/aɪˈtɪnərˌɛri/A planned list of places to visit and things to do on a trip.
Example:
Our tour guide handed out a printed itinerary for the week.
concierge
/ˌkɑnsiˈɛrʒ/A hotel employee who helps guests with bookings, directions and requests.
Example:
The concierge arranged theatre tickets for the couple in room 502.
reservation
/ˌrɛzərˈveɪʃən/An arrangement to have a table, room or seat kept for you in advance.
Example:
We made a dinner reservation for eight o'clock.
check-in
The process of arriving and registering at a hotel.
Example:
Check-in is at three and nobody is ever ready before four.
room service
Food and drink brought to a guest's room.
Example:
Room service stops at eleven and the kitchen closes at ten.
guest list
The list of people expected at an event or hotel.
Example:
The guest list was printed twice and neither copy matched.
gratuity
/ɡrəˈtuɪti/Money added to a bill for the person serving you.
Example:
A gratuity is added automatically to tables of six or more.
