Front Office Services-Hotel Reservation in Hotel

Front Office Services-Hotel Reservation

1. RESERVATIONS www.indianchefrecipe.com

2. RESERVATION FORM www.indianchefrecipe.com

3. Defining Reservations Reservation in the hotel industry is defined as ‘blocking a particular type of guest room (e.g., single room, double room, deluxe room, executive room, suite, etc.), for a definite duration of time (i.e., number of days of stay), for a particular guest’. www.indianchefrecipe.com

4. Importance of Reservation Importance of Reservation for the Hotel : Gives the first impression of the hotel to guests. Sells the main product of a hotel (accommodation). Generates customers for other departments. Provides important management information to other departments. Importance of Reservation for the Guest : Assurance about accommodation: Choice in the type of accommodation Type of room or suite As per the guest’s Preference of floor, view, and personal choice or low-floor room; sea view/pool view/garden view/monument view room; smoking/non-smoking room; etc. Receive correspondence at the hotel address www.indianchefrecipe.com

5. TYPES OF RESERVATIONS www.indianchefrecipe.com

6. TENTATIVE RESERVATION It is a reservation request that a prospective guest makes on a tentative basis for particular stay dates. The hotel holds the room for the guest till a cut off date, by which the guest should confirm the reservation. Upon confirmation from the guest the hotel changes the tentative reservation to a confirmed reservation, otherwise it cancels the tentative reservation, and updates its records accordingly. www.indianchefrecipe.com

7. WAITLISTED RESERVATION A reservation is waitlisted when the requested category of room is not available for the requested dates. The waitlisted reservation is confirmed when the hotel receives a cancellation request for a room of the same category. This way the hotel ensures that its rooms will not remain vacant in case of cancellations. The hotel does not guarantee a room for waitlisted reservations; it is understood that the guest will be assigned a room only in the case of a cancellation or a no show. www.indianchefrecipe.com

8. CONFIRMED RESERVATION Once a guest confirms a reservation request, the hotel blocks a room for specified stay dates and sends a written confirmation of the same to the guest. A confirmed reservation can be of the following two types: Guaranteed reservation Non-guaranteed reservation www.indianchefrecipe.com

9. GUARANTEED RESERVATION A guaranteed reservation is a confirmation that the hotel will hold the reserved room for the guest and not release it to any other guest even if the guest doesn’t arrive on time. This requires the guest to make an advance payment (part or full, depending on the hotel policy and the hotel occupancy for the requested stay dates), irrespective of whether the guest avails the reservation or not, unless the reservation is cancelled according to the hotel’s cancellation procedures. The guaranteed reservation can be obtained through one of the following ways: Pre-payment Contractual agreement Allotment www.indianchefrecipe.com

10. PRE-PAYMENT A guaranteed reservation requires the payment of the room rent or a specified amount in advance, known as pre-payment. As the hotel holds the room for the guest even after the cancellation hours, pre-payment protects the hotel from any loss of revenue in case of a last moment cancellation or a no-show. Pre-payment can be made by sending demand draft or depositing cash at the hotel. Cash deposit is the most preferred mode of accepting guaranteed reservation www.indianchefrecipe.com

11. CONTRACTUAL AGREEMENT guaranteed reservations. According to such a contract, the hotel confirms the reservation for the individual or a person referred by the company on a guaranteed basis, and the person or the company agrees to pay for the reservation, even in the case of a no-show. Hotels may have contractual agreement with the following: Travel agencies/Tour operators Corporate houses Travel Agencies/Tour Operators : Travel agencies and tour operators make bulk purchases of rooms at a relatively low contracted price. They guarantee the hotel a minimum number of room nights in a particular period and agree to pay the room charges even if they are unable to fill the number of rooms as per their agreement with the hotel. Corporate Houses : In this case, a company or a corporate body may enter into a contract with a hotel, whereby the company guarantees payment for its employees or sponsored guests and accepts the financial responsibilities for any no-shows. www.indianchefrecipe.com

12. ALLOTMENT It is set of rooms blocked for a particular period of time for a company or a group. this type of reservation is made for conferences and conventions and private parties it is controlled by reservation manager or reservation co-coordinator on their operational checks or daily basis www.indianchefrecipe.com

13. NON-GUARANTEED RESERVATION When a guest confirms her reservation at a hotel but does not guarantee it with an advance deposit, it is treated as a non-guaranteed reservation. In this type of reservation, the hotel agrees to hold the room for the guest till the cancellation hour, unless the guest informs the hotel about her late arrival. The cancellation hour is the time fixed by a hotel after which a non-guaranteed reservation stands cancelled and the room is released to a walk-in guest—it is generally 6 p.m. www.indianchefrecipe.com

14. Modes of Reservation www.indianchefrecipe.com

15. Modes of Reservation Inquiry The process of reservation begins with an inquiry. A guest may contact a hotel for reservation either through: Written Mode Verbal Mode www.indianchefrecipe.com

16. Written Mode When a reservation request reaches the hotel in writing, the mode is classified as a written mode of reservation . The advantages of the written mode of reservations are that they are clear, unambiguous, and provide a written record for the hotel, which can be referred to in case of any miscommunication or confusion. The correspondence with the guest is filed for future reference. The various written mode for reservation request are as under: Letter Fax Telex E-mail www.indianchefrecipe.com

17. Written Mode-letter www.indianchefrecipe.com

18. Written Mode-letter www.indianchefrecipe.com

19. Written Mode-fax

20. Written Mode-Telex

21. Written Mode-Email www.indianchefrecipe.com

22. Verbal Mode Reservation requests may also be made through oral communication known as verbal mode of reservation request The advantage of oral communication is that it is fast, convenient, and generates immediate response or feedback; and one can get the complete information and clear any doubts through oral communication. The disadvantage is that it does not provide a permanent record. The various modes of verbal reservation request are as under: Telephone In person www.indianchefrecipe.com

23. Sources of Reservation Sources of Reservation Direct Intersell Agency Agency Central Reservation System Global Distribution Corporate Bodies Companies Non- govt orgization Institution Airlines Tour Operator Travel Agent Government Bodies Hotel websites

24. Sources of Reservation A hotel receives reservation requests from different sources like: Direct reservation Central reservation system Inter-sell agencies Global distribution system Corporate bodies Government sector Hotel websites www.indianchefrecipe.com

25. Direct Reservation A reservation request that a hotel receives directly from an individual or a group without a mediator is known as a direct reservation. The direct reservation request is processed by the reservation manger and his team of reservation assistant in large hotel. In case of a small hotel the same may be processed even by receptionist www.indianchefrecipe.com

26. Central Reservation System Central reservation system (CRS) is a computer-based reservation system, which enables guests to make reservations in any of the participating lodging properties at any destination in a single call. The central reservation office typically deals with direct guests, travel agents, corporate bookers, etc. by means of toll-free telephone numbers. The CRS is of two types: Affiliated system : In affiliated reservation systems, all the participating hotel units belong to the same chain or group, like Welcome net by Welcome group of Hotels, Holidex by Holiday Inn Hotels, Image by Hyatt Hotels, and ITT by Sheraton Hotels. Non-affiliated system : Non-affiliated system is a subscription-based system, designed to connect independent or non chain properties, like the Leading Hotels of the World (LHW), Small Luxury Hotels of the World (SLH). This enables non-chain properties to enjoy the benefits of CRS. www.indianchefrecipe.com

27. INTERSELL AGENCIES Intersell agencies : An intersell agency is an agency that deals with many products such as hotel reservations, car rentals, travel arrangements, tour operations, airline reservations, railway bookings, etc. EG : make my trip, travel guru www.indianchefrecipe.com

28. Global Distribution System Global distribution system (GDS) is a worldwide computerized reservation network, which is used as a single point of access for reserving hotel rooms, airline seats, rental cars, and other travel-related items by travel agents, online reservation sites, and large corporations. GDS provides a bundle of products and services to the prospective user across geographical boundaries. Some examples of GDS are: Amadeus IT Galileo CRS SABRE Worldspan www.indianchefrecipe.com

29. Global Distribution System Amadeus IT : it is owned by amadeus IT group and it formed in 1987 and used hotel booking, airlines, cruiselines,travel agencies Galileo CRS : it was found in 1971, introduced by the apollo computer reservation system ,booking and tracking and it is used by travel and tourisim people and it allows a single record be created for multiple airline bookings SABRE : full form is semi automated business research environment, it is used by airlines,hotels,travel agents,railways and it found in 1960 Worldspan : it is used by travel agents and tour operators and hotels and it created in 1990 by delta airlines www.indianchefrecipe.com

30. SOURCES OF RESV Corporate bodies : Hotels also receive bookings from companies (FMCGs, pharmaceutical, etc.), non-governmental organizations (such as Care, Oxfam, Red Cross, WHO, etc.), and institutions (which may be educational, financial, banking, etc.). Government sector : Hotels receive bookings from government sectors such as public sector undertakings, embassies, and consulates. Hotel websites : A hotel’s website is another potential source for receiving reservations. The website contains a link for reservation requests. By clicking the link, guests can make a hotel reservation as per their requirements from the comforts of their house/office/cyber cafe. www.indianchefrecipe.com

31. Systems of Reservation SYSTEM OF RESV MANUAL SYSTEM DAIRY SYSTEM WHITNEY SYSTEM AUTOMATIC SYSTEM www.indianchefrecipe.com

32. Systems of Reservation Depending on the needs of the hotel and the volume of business, a hotel may adopt either: Manual System : In a manual system, all the reservation records are maintained manually. This old system of reservation is suitable for a small property, where the number of rooms is less and the volume of reservation requests is also low. Automatic System : Automated reservation systems are computerized reservation systems that are used to store and retrieve room status information and conduct transactions. The information stored in the automatic system is the same as in a manual system. However, the processing of reservation request does not require manual study of bed room journals, density charts, or conventional charts. The reservation assistant can check the availability of rooms by clicking on a link on the computer. In this system, the reservation information is keyed into the electronic format of the reservation form, and this information is transferred to the central server where the room status is updated automatically. www.indianchefrecipe.com

33. Manual System of Reservation The hotel may use one of the following systems of manual reservation: Diary System of Reservation Whitney system of reservation Diary system of reservation : As the name suggests, in this system a daily diary is kept, in which the reservation agent lists all arrivals due on a particular day. It is usually kept on a loose-leaf basis. The top page represents arrivals on the current date; this is removed and sent to the front desk for receiving the guests. The hotel booking diary may be hard bound also. The diary system of reservation is only suitable for very small properties. The tools used in diary system of reservation are as under: Booking diary Room status board/ reservation journal Expected arrival list/ Movement list Cancellation register Black list www.indianchefrecipe.com

34. Diary system of reservation                           s.no Date of booking Name of the Guest No.of Pax Address and Tel ETA Type and no.of rooms Room rate Date of Departure Booked by and tel Billing inst Remarks Signature of clerk                               1 10.02.02 Mr.James 1   8.00 AM Single EP / 800/- 13.04.02 TCI Bill to TCI Late arrival                                 2 15.02.02 Mr&Mrs Kamal 2   10.00AM Double AP/1500/- 16.04.02 Direct Direct Facing pool side                                 3 18.02.02 Mr&Mrs.Sunil 2   1.00 AM Double MAP/ 1400/- 21.4.02 SITA Direct Quiet Room                                 4 1903.02 Mr.Balu 1   2:00 PM Single CP/700/- 21.4.02 Caltex India  Direct Car at Airport                                                             www.indianchefrecipe.com

35. Whitney system of reservation: This system of room reservation, developed by the American Whitney Duplicating Check Company, is suitable for small and medium properties–with up to 150 rooms. It is based on the use of standard size slips, known as Whitney slips or Shannon slips, which can be held on a metallic carrier on Whitney racks. The advantages of using Whitney system are as under: Bookings can be kept in order of the date of arrival. Booking records may be arranged in alphabetical order. The racks and carriers can be used over and over again. The running expense is only of the slips. The Whitney racks are placed vertically, saving storage space www.indianchefrecipe.com

36. Whitney SLIP DATE OF ARRIVAL NAME OF THE GUEST ROOM TYPE RATE DATE OF DEPARTURE MODE OF RESERVATION RESERVED BY DATE RECEIVED AGENCY IF ANY BILLING INSTRUCTIONS CONFIRMATION DATE www.indianchefrecipe.com

37. ROOM AVAILABILITY CHECKS ON MANUALLY ROOM AVAILABILITY BED ROOM JOUNAL CONVENTIONAL CHART DENSITY CHART www.indianchefrecipe.com

38. BED ROOM JOURNAL It is similar to the reservation diary It is tiled with date-wise squence Ecah page of journal contains the occupancy of the room Eg : if the guest has made a reservation from 10 th -14 th nov . then his/her name and roomno will be entered in 4 pages www.indianchefrecipe.com

39. BED ROOM JOURNAL DATE :10/11/14 NAME OF THE GUEST ROOM NO PARTICULAR Mr.Surnader 316 DATE : 11/11/14 NAME OF THE GUEST ROOM NO PARTICULARS MR.Surander 316

40. CONVENTIONAL CHART It is also known as advance letting chart It is improved version of bed room journal The chart is prepared for every month hence we required 12 charts in a year Name of the guest is written between days of their stay indicating by symbols < …..> Disadvantages : 1.There is problem in case of long staying guest and short stays 2.Chart becomes untidy in case cancellations or amendments 3.It used for medium hotels only 4.Counting of rooms is difficult 5.No overbooking can be taken www.indianchefrecipe.com

41. CONVENTIONAL CHART MONTH : APRIL TYPE& NO.OF THE ROOMS 1 2 2 4 26 27 28 29 30 DOUBLE 201 < - - -> SINGLE 103 DELUXE405 < - - -> LUX 605 CLUB 706 <- - - - - - > CABANA905 www.indianchefrecipe.com

42. DENSITY CHART It is developed to over come the problemsof conventional chart It has rooms catergory for the duration one month Vertical coloum indicates date and horizontal coloum indicates individual rooms It is indicated by (/) for indicating reservations It can take over bookings ADVANTAGES: 1.short stay problems are solved 2.large hotels will use this system 3.counting or rooms will be easy www.indianchefrecipe.com

43. DENSITY CHART MONTH : JAN. 2010 TYPE OF ROOM SINGLE DATE NO.OF ROOMS 1 1 2 3 4 5 6 29 30 31 2 / / / / / / 3 / / / / 4 / / / / 31 / / www.indianchefrecipe.com

44. AUTOMATIC SYSTEM It is computerized system All data is stored and no manual work is done Here reserv assist can check hotel position directly system , he/she no need to check book journal , conventional chart or density chart If request is updated in system it will automatically block the room Accept ,amend and cancellation can be done without dirty of pages Nowdays CRS and GDS are used in hotels www.indianchefrecipe.com

45. Processing Reservation Every hotel has its own standard operating procedure (SOP) to deal with a reservation request from a guest. The standard procedure of responding to a guest’s reservation request is first receiving the reservation inquiries, then determining room availability, and then accepting or denying the request for reservation. Receiving Reservation: The request for a room reservation may reach a hotel from any one of the various modes discussed earlier. Determining Room: The following information will help to determine the availability of the room requested by the guest: Date and time of arrival. Date and time of departure. Number and type of rooms required. Number of persons in the party. Accepting or Denying Reservation: Once the reservation agent has established the availability of the room for the guest, she will either accept or deny the reservation request and conclude the processing of reservation request. www.indianchefrecipe.com

46. Processing Reservation Amending Reservation : When guests with confirmed reservations change their travel plans, they convey the same to the hotel. This change–in the type of reservation (guaranteed or non-guaranteed), date of arrival, duration of stay, type of room, etc.–is termed as amendment. In case of amendments, the hotel has to check the availability of rooms again as per the fresh details given by the guest. The changes are recorded in a specialized form known as the reservation cancellation/amendment form Cancellation of Reservation : The cancellation of a reservation occurs when a guest with a confirmed reservation informs the hotel about her intention to cancel the reservation. As cancellation might lead to the loss of room revenue, hotels discourage cancellations by imposing retention charges www.indianchefrecipe.com

47. GUEST HISTORY CARD Guest history records:  Guest history records are collections of personal & financial data about guests who have stayed at the hotel. Maintaining guest history records helps the hotel better understand its clientele and determine guest trends when they develop. Moreover, these very records might serve as a source of mailing list or to identify guest characteristics that are important to strategic marketing. In addition, they serve as to develop and place advertisements that appeal to the types of clientele the hotel attempts to attract. Finally guest history records points out the need for a new, supplementary, or enhanced services.  Moreover, even though guest history records are stored in the front office department, they are handed to marketing department, whenever needed. In fact, marketing department might get use of guest history records as to create a program to reward frequent guests with a free stay after a certain number of visits, or as an indicator to watch out for future repeat guest reservations in order to increase the hotel’s repeat business market share.  Guests tend to remember the friendliness, convenience, and special services that distinguish one property from another. This is called competitive advantage. www.indianchefrecipe.com

48. GUEST HISTORY CARD S.NO C/I ROOM NO RATE C/O AMT SP.INST REMARKS 1 26/11/2009 509 3450 30/11/09 25000 ROOM FACING POOL NON SMOOKING ZONE 2 21/12/09 610 6420 29/12/09 31000 UPSET WITH ROOM 3 15/01/10 509 3450 02/02/10 65000 HAPPY STAY Name Of The Guest : Mr.Solman Company : Citi bank Designation : AVP Address : Hitec city Credit : Allowed Date Of Birth: 03/11/1981_____ Marriage Anniversary :23/11/2009 www.indianchefrecipe.com

49. Pre-registration The activities that are carried out by the front desk agents before the arrival of guests, which help accelerate the process of guest registration, are termed as preregistration activities. Pre-registration activities includes: Preparation of arrival and departure list Amenity vouchers are prepared for arriving guest and sent to concerned department Pre-filling of guest registration card base on the information gathered from reservation form and guest history card Staffing at front desk to cater the need of rush at peak arrival and departure time Arrangement for welcoming guest ( Aarti , Tilak and Garlanding) Arrangement for welcome drink for the group and VIP Arranging all required arrangements for the guest Room and rate assignment and the creation of guest folios in case advance payment has been received by the hotel. www.indianchefrecipe.com

50. GUEST ARRIVAL LIST www.indianchefrecipe.com

51. DEPARTURE LIST www.indianchefrecipe.com

52. BLOCKING ROOMS www.indianchefrecipe.com

53. AMENITIES VOUCHER Hotel WESTIN HYDERABAD   From front office Date…………… To: Room service/House keeping/Pantry Please supply Fruit Basket-Single-Double-Special Flowers Soft Drinks To………………………………………………….Room No…………………………………at……………………………………………. (Name of the Guest) (Time) Authorized by…………………………………. Card to be attached………………………… Signature…………………………………     Copies : Room Service/House keeping/Pantry/ P & B controls/File

54. ARRIVAL NOTIFICATION SLIP Department : H/ k,F&B oulets Reception This is to inform that following guest has checked in to the hotel Name of the guest : Mr.Surender Room no : 706 Date of Arrical : 29/05/14 Rime :9.30am Authorized signature www.indianchefrecipe.com

55. D.N.S Department : H/ k,F&B oulets Cashier This is to inform that following guest is departing from the hotel, kindly rush the credit charges to the front desk Name of the guest : Mr.Surender Room no : 706 Date of Departure: 29/05/14 Time :9.30am Authorized signature www.indianchefrecipe.com

56. WELCOME LETTER www.indianchefrecipe.com

57. WELCOME LETTER www.indianchefrecipe.com

58. www.indianchefrecipe.com