Front Office Operations (Reservations)

1. Front Office Operations(Reservations) MRS ANUJA P.LAGHATE

2. Course Outline • Types of Reservations • Reservation Inquiry • Reservation Availability • Central Reservations Office MRS ANUJA P.LAGHATE

3. Learning Objective • Able to identify the major types of reservations • Able to formulate a reservation inquiry • Able to identify the potential reservations problems • Understand the main purpose of a confirmation letter or telephone call • Handle reservations properly MRS ANUJA P.LAGHATE

4. Types of Reservations There are two basic types of reservations • Guaranteed Reservations • Non-Guaranteed Reservations MRS ANUJA P.LAGHATE

5. Guaranteed Reservations A room will be held for the guest until check-out time of the day following the day of arrival. In return, the guest guarantees payment for the room, even if it is not used, unless the reservation is cancelled in accordance with the hotel’s cancellation procedure. MRS ANUJA P.LAGHATE

6. Guaranteed Reservations Variations of guaranteed reservations include: • Prepayment • Credit Card • Advance Deposit • Travel Agent • Corporate MRS ANUJA P.LAGHATE

7. Non-Guaranteed Reservations The hotel agrees to hold a room for the guest until a stated reservation cancellation hour, usually 1800 hours, or three hours after the flight has landed on the day of arrival. If the guest does not arrive by the cancellation hour, the hotel is free to release the room for other use. Hotel nearing full occupancy may choose to begin accepting only guaranteed reservations. MRS ANUJA P.LAGHATE

8. Reservation Inquiry A reservation request can be received by the following • In person • Telephone • Mail • E-mail • Fax • Internet • Central Reservation System MRS ANUJA P.LAGHATE

9. Reservation Inquiry The inquiry typically collects the following information about the guest’s proposed stay: • Name of the guest • Number of persons in party • Date of arrival, arrival flight • Date of departure (length of stay), departure flight • Type and number of rooms request • Name of the company, if any • Contact person and telephone number • Special request MRS ANUJA P.LAGHATE

10. Potential Reservation Problems Errors in the reservation record. For example: • A reservations agent records the wrong arrival or departure date • Misspells the guest’s name • Mistakenly reverses first and last name (e.g. Troy Thomas might be recorded as Thomas Troy) • A caller making a reservation for another person is mistaken for the guest and the caller’s name is entered on the reservation record, or the caller inadvertently gives his or her own name. MRS ANUJA P.LAGHATE

11. Sample Reservations Form Reservations /Amendment /Cancellation Confirmation No: __________________ Name of the guest : ____________________________________________________ (Surname) (First name) Number of guest : ________________________ Room requirement : _______________________ Room rate : __________________ Date of arrival : ____________________ Arrival flight :_______________________ Date of departure : _________________ Departure flight :_____________________ Guaranteed by : __________________________________Expiry date :___________ Special request : _______________________________________________________ Set up : ______________________________________________________________ Transportation : ________________________________________________________ Caller’s name : _________________________________________________________ Company name : _______________________________________________________ Contact telephone number : ______________________________________________ Fax number : __________________________________________________________ E-mail : _______________________________________________________________ Confirmed by : _______________________ Date : ___________________________ MRS ANUJA P.LAGHATE

12. Sources of Reservations There are various reservation market sources within the hospitality industry. • Central Reservations Systems (affiliate or non-affiliate reservation networks) • Property Direct (telephone, e-mail, internet) • Travel Agencies • Corporate • Airlines • Government MRS ANUJA P.LAGHATE

13. Reservation Availability Once inquiry data are received, they are compared to previously processed reservations to determine the availability of remaining accommodations. Processing a reservation request results in one of several responses. These responses include: • Acceptance of the reservation as requested • Suggestions of alternative room types and rates MRS ANUJA P.LAGHATE

14. Reservation Confirmation A reservation confirmation allows the hotel to verify a guest’s room request and personal information by letter, e-mail or fax. A written confirmation, which the guest is expected to produce at registration, states the intent of both parties and confirms important points of agreement : date, rate, room type, and number of guests. Confirmed reservations may be either guaranteed or non-guaranteed. MRS ANUJA P.LAGHATE

15. Reservation Cancellation Policy and Procedures Reservation cancellation informs the hotel that a previously reserved room has become available to others, and helps the front office update its planning. To best serve the guest and protect the hotel, it is necessary to have a cancellation policy in place. The policy should be made known to the guest when the reservation is made. MRS ANUJA P.LAGHATE

16. Reservation Cancellation Policy and Procedures Hotels may require more than the 24 hours or even 72 hours cancellation notice depending on the seasonality. The procedure to follow when a guest calls to cancel a reservation is as follows: • Obtain the guest’s name and date of arrival • Locate the reservation and mark on it ‘cancelled’, and name of the person cancelling the reservation. MRS ANUJA P.LAGHATE

17. Reservation Cancellation Procedures • Ask the guest if you can make another reservation for him/her at this time • Refile the reservation and cancellation so there will be a record of it in the event a question arises later • Update computer’s record MRS ANUJA P.LAGHATE

18. Overbooking Overbooking is refer to the act of accepting more reservations than a given hotel has rooms to accommodate. The main reason for overbooking is to ensure that the hotel will achieve 100 percent occupancy. Because of no-shows on non-guaranteed reservations, cancellations, and early departure, many hotels find it necessary to involve themselves in overbooking. MRS ANUJA P.LAGHATE

19. Waiting List Occasionally, a reservation request must be denied because the hotel is fully booked. However, if there is enough lead time before the proposed date of arrival, interested guests may be put on a waiting list. MRS ANUJA P.LAGHATE

20. Waiting List A waiting list might be developed and used according to guidelines similar to the following: • Advise the guest that no rooms are available for the requested date • Offer to take the guest’s name and telephone number • Accommodate the guest immediately if a room becomes available due to a cancellation Developing waiting lists is good business practice and helps create an atmosphere of good service. MRS ANUJA P.LAGHATE

21. Reservation Reports An effective reservation system helps maximize room sales by accurately monitoring room availabilities and forecasting rooms revenue. Common management reports include: • Reservation transactions report • Revenue forecast report MRS ANUJA P.LAGHATE

22. Reservation Transactions Report This report summarizes daily reservations activity in terms of record creation, modifications, and cancellation. Specialized summaries such as cancellation reports, blocked room reports, and no-show report. MRS ANUJA P.LAGHATE

23. Revenue Forecast Report This report projects future revenue by multiplying predicted occupancies by current room rates. This information can be especially important for long-range planning and cash management strategies. MRS ANUJA P.LAGHATE

24. Expected Arrival and Departure Lists Expected arrival and departure lists are generated from the computer daily to indicate the number and names of guests expected to arrive and depart as well as the number of stayover guests. MRS ANUJA P.LAGHATE

25. Reservations History By analyzing reservation information, front office management can develop an understanding of the hotel’s reservation patterns. The hotel’s sales and marketing department can use these data to identify the new trends, review product mixes, and assess the impact of its marketing strategies. MRS ANUJA P.LAGHATE

26. Reservations Histories Reservations histories include statistics on all aspects of the reservations process, including • The number of guests • Occupied rooms • Reservations (by source) • No-shows • Walk-ins • Overstays (people staying after their stated departure date) • Early departure (people who checked out before their stated departure date) MRS ANUJA P.LAGHATE

27. Room Rates The average room rate in a hotel is achieved by charging a variety of different types of rates. These include: • Rack rate • Corporate rate • Package rate • Group rate • Long-staying rate • Airline’s crew rate • Discounted rate MRS ANUJA P.LAGHATE

28. Central Reservations Office In a chain-operated hotel, the central reservation office services the entire chain through one or more reservation centres. In America, a person making a reservation can access the reservation centre through a toll-free 800 number. MRS ANUJA P.LAGHATE