MODULE 3 (2) Flashcards
What are 6 ways to confirm a reservation?
*KNOW a brief description of each.
Standard letters (template letter)
Deposit
No confirmation
Reply-paid postcards
NOT in South Africa.
Cancellation
Filing Reservations.
Which items will form part of the fine print of a confirmation letter? (4)
- Arrival times
*Cancellation - Rates
- Deposit Cancellation requirements
Discuss the following terms in relation to how the guests are registered:
6pm release
T or P
Guaranteed Arrival
VIP or CIP
Commissionable Booking
Back-to-back reservation
Airline or travel agents
6 pm release
The most common release time for reservations.
This means that a booked room is ‘re-leased’ from reservation if the client does not arrive by 6pm (WITHOUT previously making the hotel aware). This allows the hotel to fill rooms in-case of a no-show
T or P
Take or place.
If a guest tries to reserve at short notice, the hotel will either ‘take’ them in the case of an available room, or ‘place’ them in an affiliated or comparable hotel. (This retains customer loyalty and maximises occupancy)
Guaranteed arrival
A pre-payment to the hotel to hold the room for a guest past 6pm to guarantee late arrival. The payment is guaranteed regardless of whether the guest arrives or not.
VIP or CIP
(Reservations for Very Important Persons or Commercially Important Persons)
Normally carried out by the senior reser-vations clerk or manager to ensure the best service.
Commissionable booking
Reservations made by travel agents and hotel booking agents are normally subject to a commission payment to the agent on the room rate only.
Back-to-back reservation
The term used for reservations for groups that means that as one group of guests depart, the other group ar-rives at the hotel.
Airline and travel agents guaranteed res-ervations
Airlines and travel agents enter into agreements (contract) with hotels. The airline or agency will guarantee a certain amount of business if the hotel provides a discounted rate. This is usually for short notice stays, nd the airline pays for the rooms regardless of whether they are used
What are the Advantages and Disadvantages of a register (compared to a registration card)?
Traditional register (1:5)
A large book with columns that guests fill out on arrival
Advantages
PERMANENCE It provides a permanent record of guests staying in an accommodation establishment.
Disadvantages
TIME It is very time-consuming as only one guest at a time can complete the register.
TIME(2) The receptionist has to wait until the guest has completed the register be-fore continuing processing the reservation.
The guest may make mistakes.
NEATNESS: It can be untidy as handwriting is not always neat.
PRIVACY: Personal information can be seen by other guests.
What are the Advantages and Disadvantages of a Registration card (compared to a traditional register)?
Registration forms/cards (5:1)
Separate sheets or forms that each guest can fill
Advantages
NEATNESS: They are neat, legible, easy to handle and can be filed in chronological order.
PRIVACY The information on them is confidential and therefore it ensures that guests only see their own forms.
TIME multiple guests can complete them at one time
International hotels can produce the registration card in several languages
The registration forms can easily be checked against the original reservation.
Disadvantages
PERMANENCE Cards can easily be lost.
What is the Procedure of check-in for
Guests with reservations
(10)
- On arrival the guests are assisted with the luggage by the porter, who will escort them to the reception counter.
- The receptionist welcomes the guests and asks them to complete the registration form or sign the ho-tel register.
- The registration is checked to see if it has been correctly completed.
- The key and any messages that may be waiting for the guests are handed to them. IF there is a porter they will take the key (see step 6-7). For a group, envelopes with keys for each room are given to the leader for dis-tribution
- The receptionist should make the guests aware of any important in-formation they should know
- If possible, the porter or receptionist will escort the guest to their room offering to carry any hand luggage and walking ahead to open any doors.
- The escort should precede the guests into the room, making a check to ensure that the room is in order, and then hand the key to the guests.
- Any electrical appliances should be pointed out to the guests with in-structions of use if necessary. The escort should then enquire if he/she can be of any further service.
- The number of pieces of heavy lug-gage the guest has on arrival should be entered into the luggage book, which is usually kept at the porter’s desk.
- The room number should be ticked off on the arrivals and departures list (should a manual system be used) and the guest bill started.
What is the Procedure of check-in for
Chance guests?
(first time booking)
NOT a step-by-step: just pointers (5)
Guests that have never booked with the hotel before. Unknown guests. LUGGAGE vs NO LUGGAGE
- The receptionist has less information about the potential guest and his/her creditworthiness. so special procedures are adopted.
- Chance arrivals with lot of luggage are unlikely to leave the hotel with-out paying, as it will be noticed by staff.
- Carrying a small amount of luggage means the guest may be able to leave unnoticed.
- In registering the guest, the receptionist first checks whether he/she has any luggage, if he/she does, then the registration is processed in the normal way and the registration card (or form) is marked ‘chance’.
- If there is little or no luggage, the receptionist has to ensure that the guest won’t leave without settling their bill.
- This can be done by either (1) taking a cash deposit from the guest, or (2) taking an imprint of a credit card that the guest may have.
- The details on the credit card should be corroborated with those on the registration card.
- The receptionist must not suggest to the guest that the hotel thinks they might be dishonest.
- Chance guests are often asked to pay for all purchases upfront (in-stead of a bill) or, staff will make sure the guest bill doesn’t exceed a certain amount before paying. By doing this, potential loss from chance guests are minimised.
What is the Procedure of check-in for No trace reservations
NOT a step-by-step: just pointers (4)
When guests arrive for check in but the reservation is NOT on the system
This must be done as discreetly as possible
The reservation may have been listed under the company name, or the name of the person who made the booking.
The guest made two bookings at once, and one may have been overlooked, or not been cross-referenced.
After the correspondence has been checked and an exhaustive search made, normal arrival procedures should be adopted.
If the client is unknown, the booking should be treated as if it were chance
What statuses can a room have on a room status system?
(4)
A room can have 1 of four statuses:
- Let
- Vacant and NOT ready
- Vacant and ready
- Closed for repairs or decoration
Explain how the following room status system works?
Room Allocation
VIPs have pre-allocated rooms.
Rooms are allocated from best to worst. Long staying guests usually have the best rooms.
The last let is usually the most unsatisfactory room
Explain how the following room status system works?
Bedroom book
The most basic room status system
Is manual
A diary with a page for each day
A guest staying for 14 nights will be on 14 pages
Symbols are used to indicate room status
See example Pg. 8
Explain how the following room status system works?
Bed sheet
A development of the bedroom book
Sheets are pre-printed with room numbers and types on the LEFT margin
The sheet is divided into 3 sections: STAYING, ARRIVING, and DEPART-ING.
Guests are entered depending on their status
One sheet per day
Receptionist can see availability
