LODGEOP - MODULE 5

• Rooms division


  Manages the core products of a hotel, which are the rooms. It comprises two major departments: front office and housekeeping
• Sub-units under the rooms division

  • Reservations
  • Telephone/private branch exchange (PBX)
  • Uniformed services
• Combining the front office and housekeeping departments facilitates easy management of operations
• Director of Rooms


  Responsible to the General Manager (GM) for the effective leadership and smooth operation of all departments that make up the rooms division
• Front office


  The face of a hotel, the first and the last point of contact of a guest with a hotel
• Areas included in the front office department

  • Front Desk
  • Uniformed Services
  • Front Office Accounting/Night Audit
  • Concierge
  • Private Branch Exchange (PBX)
• The guest cycle


  1. Pre-arrival

  2. Arrival

  3. Occupancy

  4. Departure

  5. Post-Departure

  
• Pre-arrival


  The stage where a guest makes a room reservation at a hotel
• Reservation information flow


  1. Hotel Group Sales

  2. Hotel Apps

  3. Hotel Reservation Office

  4. Online Travel Agencies

  5. Central Reservation Office

  6. Global Distribution System

  7. Hotel Website

  8. Reservation System

  9. Hotel Property Management System/ Front Desk

  10. Reservation System

  11. Reservation Inventory

  12. Revenue Management

  13. Loyalty System
• Reservation process


  1. Telephone

  2. Snail Mail

  3. In-Person

  4. E-mail

  5. Fax

  6. Online

  7. Reservation Request Form

  8. Blacklisted?

  9. Room?

  10. Date?

  11. Hotel?

  12. Guest Accepts

  13. Offer alternative

  14. Offer to guest

  15. Confirm Booking?

  16. Make Arrangements

  17. Documents Saved/Filed

  18. End of Inquiry

  19. Room Free?

  20. Make no offer
• Blacklist


  A record of people which a hotel does not wish to accept as guests
• Availability


  A hotel normally accepts a reservation request as it is if there is an available room. If none, alternatives are offered
• Guaranteed reservations


  A guaranteed booking is one in which a hotel receives payment, whether a guest arrives or not
• Computerized reservations


  Most hotels use the property management system (PMS) technology, which enables hoteliers to integrate and deliver services that impact seamless guest experience
• Computerized reservation process


  1. Enter the reservations part of the program

  2. Proceed to the room availability display for the period requested

  3. Enter the booking section, which is a computerized version of the reservation form

  4. Reserve specific room/s

  5. The room count is adjusted to reduce the number of rooms available

  6. A list of expected arrivals is prepared for each future date

  7. The system can provide up-to-date details of expected occupancies
• Arrival


  The point when a guest arrives at a hotel
• Arrivals list


  A list of the arrivals expected on a specific date and is usually prepared 24 hours before the guest's arrival
• Room status report


  Tracks the current status of each room so that a hotel can tell if occupied, by whom, for how long, and for how much, or if unoccupied, whether it is available for selling, or not yet ready, or unavailable because it has been taken out of service for repairs or redecoration
• Walk-in


  A guest without a prior reservation in a hotel
• Registration


  Asking a guest to register means requesting him/her to provide certain information (for walk-ins) or validate information and sign on a registration card (for guests with reservations)
• Room assignment


  Matching arriving guests with the proper accommodation
• Blocking the room


  Hotels block specific rooms against arriving parties whenever the room count is tight (or approaching full house)
• Upgrades


  Rooming guests in better accommodations than their rates allow
• Establishing credit identity


  Guests with reservations have already established a preliminary level of credit and identification
• Rooming guests


  Assisting a guest to his/her room and explaining its features
• Rooming slips


  Used by the front desk to communicate with bell staff
• Occupancy


  The period wherein a guest stays in a hotel
• Services provided to guests during occupancy

  • Room changes
  • Key control
  • Mail
  • Currency exchanges
  • Incoming and outgoing telephone calls
  • Safe custody
  • Early morning wake up calls
• Departure


  The point when a guest checks out and leaves a hotel
• Confirming departures


  A hotel knows when a guest is going to leave, although, sometimes, guests change their plans and expect to be able to stay over without giving any notice
• Wake Up Calls used to be an important function of the front office but has become less important with the spread of personal alarms and automated wake up systems
• Other guest charges regarding services, such as room service, extra amenities, purchases from a gift shop, and the use of health and recreational facilities, may be integrated into a hotel's PMS (for hotels using the technology)
• In this case, the information will be made available to all departments integrated into the system
• Departure


  1. Guest checks out and leaves a hotel

  2. Vacating the room usually depends upon the hotel's check out time

  3. Generally, guests must check-out at 12:00 (noon)

  
• Confirming Departures


  1. A hotel knows when a guest is going to leave

  2. Sometimes, guests change their plans and expect to be able to stay over without giving any notice

  3. It is a good practice to confirm departures the night before

  
• Calling the Housekeeping Department for Room Check


  1. To ensure that minibar consumptions of guests are relayed and posted

  2. To check for any damages and losses in the room which will be charged to the guest
• Additional Services


  1. A guest may ask for a newspaper, assistance with luggage, and help with onward travel

  2. These are part of the service package, and a hotel should anticipate such need
• Departure Notifications


  1. Other hotel departments need information about departures

  2. This is communicated through a departure list (a list of all guests who are due to depart from a hotel on a specific date)

  
• Guest History Records


  1. Includes information on guests' dates of stay, rooms used, total bills, and any special likes or dislikes

  2. A computerized system can prepare and update guest histories automatically
• The engineering department is responsible for the maintenance activities in hotels that are critical to a safe, comfortable, and successful guest stay