MIDTERM

• Front Office


  The face of the property, the central repository of issues that our guests may encounter during their tenure in the hotel
• Proper course of action


  Diffuse, salvage, and recover the relationship. Guests who often leave dissatisfied may never return, and worse take their business elsewhere
• 4 categories of guest complaints

  • Mechanical
  • Attitudinal
  • Service-related
  • Unusual
• Mechanical complaints


  • Involve hotel malfunctions, typically includes problems with guestroom climate controls, using a work order system can help reduce the frequency
• Attitudinal complaints


  • Guests may make when they feel like they have been poorly treated by hotel staff members or overhear inappropriate staff conversations, guests should not be exposed to employees arguing
• Service-related complaints


  • Guests make when they experience a problem with hotel service, can be wide-ranging and include lack of assistance from staff, untidy guestrooms, staff members typically receive more when hotel is operating at or near capacity
• Unusual complaints


  • Staff members may receive about circumstances over which they have little or no control, include complaints about lack of hotel swimming pool, bad weather, staff should be trained to listen patiently and respond with appropriate guest-relations techniques
• Empowerment


  The ability and authority to satisfy guest complaints and or requests within preset parameters, one is able to take necessary action from the first point of contact from the guest, efficiently moving forward and appropriately solving the problem
• Isolating the guest


  • If the guest appears to be inclined to be boisterous or too graphically vocal, it is a good idea to take the discussion to a place that it will not draw attention from the other guests
• Staying calm


  • Avoid responding with hostility or defensiveness, an escalation will not help either one of you at this point, be prepared to back down, if necessary, to preserve the peace
• Complaint handling techniques

  • Listening to gain an objective overview
  • Empathizing with the customer
  • Apologizing and 'owning' the problem
  • Taking action to resolve the complaint
  • Tell them what you can do, not what you can't do
  • Follow up the complaint to ensure satisfaction
• Building customer loyalty

  • Asking customers if they are satisfied
  • Providing technique customer comment numbers
  • Regular questionnaires designed to gauge customer satisfaction
  • Random telephone survey on customers' satisfaction
  • Regularly reviewing approaches to dealing with customer problems
• Registration


  The procedure by which an incoming guest signifies his or her intent to stay in the hotel by completing and signing a registration card, once the guest has registered the management has liability and responsibility for that guest's stay and safety
• Check-in


  The process of registering guests arriving at a hotel, usually takes place at hotel reception, during this process the receptionist checks the data, the hotel voucher if it is the case, and guests are assigned to a hotel room and given a room key or access card
• Types of guests

  • With reservation
  • Walk-in
  • With non-guaranteed reservations
  • Skipper
  • No-show
• When guests cannot be accommodated (with reservation)


  • Hotels have no obligation to accommodate when no rooms are available for the night, suggest and direct to alternative hotels nearby to assist the guest
• When guests cannot be accommodated (with non-guaranteed reservations)


  • The hotels have no obligation to accommodate if the guest arrive after cancelling hour (1800H), FO must be extremely tactful when informing the guest, blame should not be placed on either party since the lack of accommodation is neither the guests nor the hotel's fault
• Stages of reservation

  • Pre-registration
  • Creating the registration card
  • Assigning the room and determining the rate
  • Establishing the method of payment
  • Issuing the room key
  • Fulfilling special guest request
• Forms used in registration

  • Reservation Form
  • Registration Card
  • Rooming List
• Hotel room rates

  • Standard rate / Rack rate
  • Family Rate
  • Corporate Rate
  • Complementary Rate
  • Group Rate
• Other types of hotel room rates

  • B.A.R: Best Available Rate
  • Dynamic Rate
  • Early Booking Rate
  • Half-day Rate
  • Promotional Rate
  • Last-minute rate / Walk-in rate
  • Package Deal Rate
• What to prepare for group arrival

  • Designate a Group Coordinator from the Front Desk prior to arrival
  • Liaise constantly with the sales Group Coordinator for information
  • Check that the Arrival Registration Cards have been prepared for the group along with the rooming list for signature
  • Check all relevant correspondence has been read and briefed during the staff briefing
  • Check Group Billing instructions and cross check the billing instructions entered on the PMS
  • Once priority group rooms have been allocated, cut room keys for arrival
  • If group is arriving at one time, then all rooms must be allocated, and all keys cut
  • The number of keys per room must match with the occupancy of the room
  • Insert key card into key card jacket and place on the tray along with the rooming list
  • Print traces report for Front Office and read the instructions given
  • Choose an appropriate group check in area according to the size of the group, bloc / with the group is staying, transport to the hotel, time of check in
• Modern Hospitality Industry

  Product of the modern guest, technology made it that way, where influence is no longer individually unique or demographically localized
• Hotel guest


  Person whose name and address is registered on the registry maintained by the hotel, who is bona fide occupant of a room of the hotel, a person registering solely for the purpose of obtaining liquor is NOT considered a hotel guest
• Types of guests

  • Segregated
  • Business Traveler
  • Leisure Traveler
  • Green Traveler
  • Bleisure Traveler
  • The Gen Z Traveler
  • The wellness Traveler
  • Luxury Traveler
  • Solo Traveler
  • Group Traveler
• Segregated guests


  Based on the demography of the population, social demography or population studies is the study that analyses the relationship between economic, social, cultural, and biological processes influencing a population
• Business traveler


  • Very first in our list, a High Valued Client (HVC), less sensitive to the price and place more value in convenience and efficiency, revenue centers, business center, transportation, may look for a hotel where they can hold a conference or meeting, solo, part of convention or an enterprise
• Leisure traveler


  • Travelers who appreciate life and getting in touch with one's inner self, to have an adventure or a means to refresh or escape, operates in the Vacationer Guest Persona (VGP), they spend about 10% - 15% of their disposable income, come in large group as evident in large tourist groups coming from countries, prefer established hotel brands but may opt for independent or boutique hotels
• Population Studies

  Study that analyses the relationship between economic, social, cultural, and biological processes influencing a population
• Demo


  Greek; demos; "the people"
• Graphy


  Greek; grapho; "writing, description, measurement"
• Business Traveler


  • Very first in our list; a High Valued Client (HVC)
  • Less sensitive to the price and place more value in convenience and efficiency
  • Revenue centers, business center, transportation
  • A person travelling on business may look for a hotel where they can hold a conference or meeting
  • Solo, part of convention or an enterprise
• Leisure Traveler


  • Travelers who appreciate life and getting in touch with one's inner self
  • To have an adventure or a means to refresh or escape
  • Operates in the Vacationer Guest Persona (VGP)
  • They spend about 10% - 15% of their disposable income
  • Come in large group as evident in large tourist groups coming from countries
  • Prefer established hotel brands but may opt for independent or boutique hotels
• Green Traveler


  • Eco-conscious travelers who opt for major sustainable brands
• Bleisure Traveler


  • Trend of combining hotels and hostels to offer communal spaces and private rooms
• Digital Nomads


  • More price-sensitive and can be attracted by offering designated workspaces in rooms or common areas
• The Gen Z Traveler


  • Prefers affordable options like hostels or small hotels. They need transparency and visibility. Offer practical tips such as safety and transportation advice
• The Wellness Traveler


  • Must understand their health and wellness preferences and expectations for their therapeutic stay
• Luxury Traveler


  • Stunning, well-located accommodations that offer unmatched guest experience
• Solo Traveler


  • Attracted to affordable hotel packages with local discounts. Loves local tips