前台工作手册之三2.docx

1、前台工作手册之三2原版引进：Front Office Operations前台工作手册之三2前厅客房 2007-12-06 19:22:47 阅读35 评论0 字号：大中小订阅 Reservation AvailabilityWhen a property receives a reservation inquiry, it is important to compare the data with previously processed reservations. Processing a reservation request results in one of several resp

2、onses. A property can: Accept the reservation as requested. Suggest alternative room types, dates, and/or rates. Suggest an alternative hotel. In any reservation system, it is necessary to closely monitor the number of reservations in order to control overbooking. A hotel should use care when accept

3、ing reservations beyond the point where its rooms are expected to be occupied. Some states have laws concerning guests with guaranteed reservations who do not receive rooms when they arrive at a hotel. Reservation systems can be programmed to closely monitor overbooking. Comparing historical reserva

4、tion volumes against actual arrivals can produce an overbooking factor to serve as a booking guideline. Depending on the propertys no-show reservation history, management may allow the reservations system to overbook. Overbooking is a strategy aimed at helping the hotel to achieve 100 percent occupa

5、ncy by hedging against no-shows, cancellations, and unexpected early departures. Based on historical data and the experience of knowledgeable managers, reservation system, such as competitive pressures, weather, and other issues. When booking a hotel slightly beyond its available room capacity, the

6、system attempts to ensure that as many rooms as possible are occupied.Overbooking should be approached cautiously. If a reservation system is allowed to book too many rooms, guests with confirmed reservations may have to be turned away. This creates poor guest relations and discourages repeat busine

7、ss. To properly control overbooking, managers must monitor reservation system activity room availability by controlling booking, blocking, and cancellation information.Reservation SystemsAn in-house reservation system can keep close track of reservations. Systems can tightly control room availabilit

8、y data and automatically generate many reservation-related reports. Exhibit 6, for example, presents a daily expected arrival, stay-over, and departure report. It shows that for January 19, 19 arrivals, 83 stay-over and four departures are expected. In addition, this report projects estimated room r

9、evenue based on reported reservation information. Automated systems can also generate reports summarizing reservations by room type, guest profile, and many other characteristics. The biggest advantage of a reservation system is the improved accuracy of room availability and rate information. As res

10、ervations agents input reservations and reservation modifications or cancellations into the system, the inventory of available rooms is immediately updated. In addition, front desk transactions involving no-shows, early departures, or walk-ins will immediately update the computer system is linked to

11、 the reservation system. In these hotels, the room availability is automatically sent to the sales system every time there is a change. Sales managers can review group and transient availability without having to call the reservations department for assistance. In more advanced hotels, may provide s

12、ales managers with guidelines on what rates to sell in order to achieve their revenue objectives.Exhibit 7shows a guestroom control log from a hotel sales software package, for each day of the week, the screen shows a guestroom control log from a hotel sales software package. For each day of the wee

13、k, the screen shows the total number of rooms still available for sale, as well as the number of rooms protected for front office sales to transient business. Room sales are coordinated in real time as salespeople, reservation agents, and the front office manager have instant access to the most curr

14、ent information.Once all rooms in a specific category are sold, the reservation system can be programmed to refuse any further reservations in that category. When checking availability in a closed category, a reservations agent may receive a message such as the following displayed on the screen: The

15、 category of rooms requested is not available. Some reservation systems are programmed to automatically suggest alternative room types or rates, or even other nearby hotel properties. Systems can be programmed to itemize room availability for future periods and may display open, closed, and special

16、event dates for an extended periods and may display open, closed, and special event dates for an extended period of time. Open dates refer to available room days, while closed dates depict full-house forecasts. Special event dates can be programmed to alert reservations agents that a convention or l

17、arge group is expected to occupy the hotel either before, during, or immediately following a callers requested day of arrival. In addition, many reservation systems have a management override feature which enables overbooking. This override provision should be exercised with extreme care.Reservation

18、 systems store reservation records electronically, thereby allowing the creation of waiting lists for high-demand periods. This feature contributes to the processing of group reservations and the implementation of revenue management strategies. The future time frame for tracking reservations is call

19、ed the reservation horizon and most automated systems have horizons of two to five years.The Reservation RecordReservation records identify guests and their occupancy needs before the guests arrival. These records enable the hotel to personalize and/ or customize guest service and more accurately sc

20、hedule staff. Reservation records also contain a variety of data that can be used to generate several important management reports. Reservations agents or online forms can create reservation records based on interactions with guests only after determining that a request for a reservation can be met.

21、 These electronic records initiate the guest cycle. To create a reservation record, the reservations system typically captures such guest data as: Guest name (and group name, if applicable) Guests home or billing addressGuests telephone number, including area codeName, address, and telephone number

22、of the guests company, if appropriateName of and pertinent information about the person making the reservation, if not the guestNumber of people in the party, and perhaps the ages of any childrenArrival date and timeNumber of nights required or expected departure date, depending on how the system is

23、 designedReservation type (guaranteed, non-guaranteed)Special requirements (infant, disabled guest, or no-smoking accommodations)Additional information as needed (method of transportation, late arrival, flight number, room preference, email address, and so forth)If a guest plans to arrive after the

24、hotels normal reservation cancellation hour, the guest should be informed of the propertys policy for non-guaranteed reservations. Once the necessary information confirmation number. Confirmation number assignment provides both the guest and the reservations department with a unique reference to the

25、 reservation record.In the case of a guaranteed reservation, additional information is generally needed for the reservation record. Depending on the guests method of guarantee the following information may be required:Credit card information: This information consists of the credit card type, number

26、, expiration date, and the cardholders name. Online reservation systems may be connected to a transaction processing service that allows for automatic verification of credit card information.Prepayment or deposit information: This information comes in the form of an agreement from the guest to submi

27、t a required deposit to the hotel before a specified date. A proposed advance deposit or prepayment guarantee should be closely monitored to ensure the correct amount is paid by the designated date; if it is not, the reservation may need to be canceled or reclassified as non-guaranteed. If the hotel

28、s policy is to collect the deposit at the time of reservation, the guest should be notified. If a credit card is provided at the time the reservation is made, the transaction processing services will post the deposit to the hotel immediately.Corporate or travel agency account information: This infor

29、mation includes the name and address of the booking company, the name of the person making the reservation, and the clients corporate or travel agency direct billing account number (if previously assigned by the hotel). For efficiency, the hotel may preload an approved list of corporate and travel a

30、gency account numbers to expedite the verification process. Even if the corporation or travel agency does not require billing, a tracking account is usually set up in the reservation system to monitor the business they provide to the hotel. In his way the sales office will have the information neces

31、sary to negotiate or renegotiate contracts with these companies.Reservations systems should disclose important aspects of guaranteeing a reservation. Guests must be aware that their accommodations will be held until a specific time following their scheduled arrival. Guests must also know that if the

32、y fail to cancel the reservation before a specified time, they may forfeit the deposit or the hotel may levy a charge against the guarantee.Individual properties and chains may differ with respect to quoting and confirming room rates during the creation of a reservation record. Although published rates may be subject to change without notice, a rate quoted and confirmed during the reservations process must be honored. Reservation systems must be capable of modifying rates based on such factors as:Supplementary charges for extra services