HOTEL RESERVATIONS

ORGANISATIONAL STRUCTURE OF A HOTEL HOTEL FUNCTIONAL GROUPS Front desk services Housekeeping Food and Beverage services Concierge ADMINISTRATIVE GROUPS H & R Sales & Accounting Marketin Engineering & Maintenance WB p. 59

FRONT OFFICE THE MOST COMMON DUTIES OF THE FRONT OFFICE: ANSWER CHECK DEAL WITH MONITOR FAQs guests in overbookings (frequently cancellations asked requests for customer satisfaction Questions) guests out foreign exchange common problems

TAKEUPDATE bookings messages for guests incoming phone callsguest histories final payment WB p

HOW TO BOOK A HOTEL Via - The Internet Benefits or drawbacks? TB p

HOW TO BOOK A HOTEL By phone Benefits or drawbacks?

FRONT OFFICE PROCEDURES RESERVATIONS They can be made in advance (as a part of a tour, through a tour operator) or at the moment of arrival at the hotel (chance guests or walk-in guests) Corporate guests – if a company is making a booking for its employees They are often repeat guests – special rates can be negotiated for them (these rates will be on the computer for Reservations and the Front Office to access)

Put the following procedure steps in order: 1Guest’s address 2Room type 3Number of adults and children 4Number of nights 5Room number 6Arrival date 7Guest’s surname and first name 8Room type 9Return guest 10Credit card number 11Method of payment 12Extras TB, p. 61 CHECK the procedure steps

RESERVATIONS by telephone WB, p Read the following dialogue and underline all useful phrases that the receptionist uses. WB, p Try to complete the script of the telephone hotel reservation. Then listen to the conversation, check your guesses and complete the rest of the missing information. making-a-hotel-reservation/ –Listen to the speaker and do task 7.2 Workbook p

CHECKING IN A HOTEL 3lg 3lg

WB, Task 8/p.68 Task 9/p.69 Pair work - PRACTICE – task 10/p. 69

HOMEWORK: WB/ p

DEALING WITH COMPLAINTS “ The customer is always right”  Make a list of possible complaints. “Finding a new customer to replace the one you have lost can be five times more expensive than retaining the one you have already had.” It is worth dealing with complaints effectively.

How can customers complain?  Verbal ( made face-to-face to an employee or representative of the company that the complaint is addressed to)  Formal written complaints (to the company)

The range of f_____ and s_______ The quality of f_______ and s_______ The presentation of f___ and b______ Environmental services such as l______, h_______ and air- c______ Advertised facilities or services that are not a_____ or are not as described in marketing materials Opening and closing times of f______ or the times when services are available Pric_____s Equipment not w_________ Inaccurate r_______, b________, bills or invoices Mis_____kes D_______ys or queues Stand____s not meeting expectations Health, s_____y and food hygiene The behaviour of em_________s The behaviour of other c________s

DEALING WITH VERBAL COMPLAINTS Important: Stay calm and in control of the situation Let your customers have their say and handle the situation diplomatically, politely and professionally DON’TS Don’t take them personally, you are not responsible for the problem, you are representative of your company Don’t immediately start defending yourself or the organisation Don’t deny anything about the complaint Avoid blaming someone else Never raise your voice, got angry or agressive

Types of customer complaints:  Immediate complaints (usually verbal)  Belated complaints (usually written)

DEALING WITH VERBAL COMPLAINTS When you get a verbal complaint: LISTEN APOLOGISE ACT

BE IMPERSONAL (someone else will do it, not you) CAUSATIVE GET Complaint: “I can’t seem to get the shower to work.” Apology: I’m awfully sorry. Act: I’ll get someone to fix it. I’ll get someone to have a look at it. Complaint: “Our sheets haven’t been changed.” Apology: I’m terribly sorry. Action: I’ll get them changed.

CAUSATIVE HAVE Complaint: “I’m sorry to trouble you, but I don’t seem to have any towels.” Apology: I’m terribly sorry. Action: I’ll have the chambermaid bring some up. Complaint: “We cannot connect to the Internet.” Apology: I’m really sorry. Action: I’ll have it checked.

DEALING WITH TELEPHONE COMPLAINTS EAR method Empathize with the caller Apologize andacknowledge the problem Accept Responsibility (You’ll do something)

DEALING WITH WRITTEN COMPLAINTS CUSTOMER FEEDBACK ONLINE SERVICES LETTER FAX

Deal them with as a matter of urgency If you need the time to investigate the problem – send an acknowledgement and say when a full response will be supplied The 6-stage process works in this case as well: LISTEN - APOLOGISE - SYMPATHISE - FIX THE PROBLEM - REPORT BACK - FOLLOW UP

TIPS FOR RESPONDING IN WRITING Personalise the response - the human touch Use “I” not “we” Send an acknowledgement immediately In the acknowledgement you need to show interest and apologise (the customer will realise the time is needed to investigate the problem) The acknowledgement should be quick The acknowledgement is not a full reponse Pay attention to your grammar and spelling (it’s important for the image of the company & the confidence in it) Do not misspell the customer’s name Having completed the investigation, inform the customer of the findings and ensure any deadlines promised in the acknowledgement

ELEMENTS OF A COMPLAINT LETTER Background Problem-cause and effect Solution Warning (optional) Closing

Background Describes the situation, gives reasons for writing such as exact details of holiday Problem-cause effect Details of the problem are provided Solution The person who is complaining suggests a possible action to be taken Warning (optional) The person warns the company they are complaining to about possible actions they might take Closing ( finish the letter) read TB, p

REPLY TO A LETTER OF COMPLAINT Acknowledgement of a receipt of a complaint letter Apology for the error or fault Accepting the complaint A short explanation of the fault Proposal to settle the difficulty An offer to take goods back, make a replacemnt, give a discount Regret at dissatisfaction Rejecting responsibility for the problem leading to the complaint Reasons for the rejection If a third party is to blame direct the complainer to that party A concluding paragraph aiming at retaining the goodwill of the customer TB, p

OBTAINING CUSTOMER FEEDBACK SATISFACTION SURVEY Provides valuable information needed to improve your operations Identifying potential guest issues, improving quality of experience, and building customer reality Making strategic business decisions based on articulated guests needs Receiving guest feedback needed to fine tune new programs and product offerings Learning how your organisation compares to the competition Developing repeat business needed to maximize sales and profits

METHODS FOR OBTAINING CUSTOMER FEEDBACK Talking informally to customers Asking customers how their experience could be improved Recording all complaints and other feedback Guest or visitor questionnaires Feedback forms Market research survey WB exercises