1. Front Office Operations (Reservations)
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2. Course Outline Types of Reservations Reservation Inquiry
Reservation Availability
Central Reservations Office
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3. Learning Objective Able to identify the major types of reservations
Able to formulate a reservation inquiry
Able to identify the potential reservations problems
Understand the main purpose of a confirmation letter or telephone call
Handle reservations properly
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4. Types of Reservations There are two basic types of reservations
Guaranteed Reservations
Non-Guaranteed Reservations
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5. Guaranteed Reservations
A room will be held for the guest until check-out time of the day following the day of arrival.
In return, the guest guarantees payment for the room, even if it is not used, unless the reservation is cancelled in accordance with the hotel’s cancellation procedure.
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6. Guaranteed Reservations
Variations of guaranteed reservations include:
Prepayment
Credit Card
Advance Deposit
Travel Agent
Corporate
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7. Non-Guaranteed Reservations
The hotel agrees to hold a room for the guest until a stated reservation cancellation hour, usually 1800 hours, or three hours after the flight has landed on the day of arrival.
If the guest does not arrive by the cancellation hour, the hotel is free to release the room for other use.
Hotel nearing full occupancy may choose to begin accepting only guaranteed reservations.
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8. Reservation Inquiry
A reservation request can be received by the following
In person
Telephone
Mail
Fax
Internet
Central Reservation System
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9. Reservation Inquiry
The inquiry typically collects the following information about the guest’s proposed stay:
Name of the guest
Number of persons in party
Date of arrival, arrival flight
Date of departure (length of stay), departure flight
Type and number of rooms request
Name of the company, if any
Contact person and telephone number
Special request
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10. Potential Reservation Problems
Errors in the reservation record. For example:
A reservations agent records the wrong arrival or departure date
Misspells the guest’s name
Mistakenly reverses first and last name (e.g. Troy Thomas might be recorded as Thomas Troy)
A caller making a reservation for another person is mistaken for the guest and the caller’s name is entered on the reservation record, or the caller inadvertently gives his or her own name.
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11. Sample Reservations Form
Reservations /Amendment /Cancellation
Confirmation No: __________________
Name of the guest : ____________________________________________________
(Surname) (First name)
Number of guest : ________________________
Room requirement : _______________________ Room rate : __________________
Date of arrival : ____________________ Arrival flight :_______________________
Date of departure : _________________ Departure flight :_____________________
Guaranteed by : __________________________________Expiry date :___________
Special request : _______________________________________________________
Set up : ______________________________________________________________
Transportation : ________________________________________________________
Caller’s name : _________________________________________________________
Company name : _______________________________________________________
Contact telephone number : ______________________________________________
Fax number : __________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
Confirmed by : _______________________ Date : ___________________________
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12. Sources of Reservations
There are various reservation market sources within the hospitality industry.
Central Reservations Systems (affiliate or non-affiliate reservation networks)
Property Direct (telephone, , internet)
Travel Agencies
Corporate
Airlines
Government
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13. Reservation Availability
Once inquiry data are received, they are compared to previously processed reservations to determine the availability of remaining accommodations. Processing a reservation request results in one of several responses. These responses include:
Acceptance of the reservation as requested
Suggestions of alternative room types and rates
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14. Reservation Confirmation
A reservation confirmation allows the hotel to verify a guest’s room request and personal information by letter, or fax.
A written confirmation, which the guest is expected to produce at registration, states the intent of both parties and confirms important points of agreement : date, rate, room type, and number of guests. Confirmed reservations may be either guaranteed or non-guaranteed.
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15. Reservation Cancellation Policy and Procedures
Reservation cancellation informs the hotel that a previously reserved room has become available to others, and helps the front office update its planning.
To best serve the guest and protect the hotel, it is necessary to have a cancellation policy in place. The policy should be made known to the guest when the reservation is made.
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16. Reservation Cancellation Policy and Procedures
Hotels may require more than the 24 hours or even 72 hours cancellation notice depending on the seasonality.
The procedure to follow when a guest calls to cancel a reservation is as follows:
Obtain the guest’s name and date of arrival
Locate the reservation and mark on it ‘cancelled’, and name of the person cancelling the reservation.
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17. Reservation Cancellation Procedures
Ask the guest if you can make another reservation for him/her at this time
Refile the reservation and cancellation so there will be a record of it in the event a question arises later
Update computer’s record
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18. Overbooking
Overbooking is refer to the act of accepting more reservations than a given hotel has rooms to accommodate. The main reason for overbooking is to ensure that the hotel will achieve 100 percent occupancy.
Because of no-shows on non-guaranteed reservations, cancellations, and early departure, many hotels find it necessary to involve themselves in overbooking.
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19. Waiting List
Occasionally, a reservation request must be denied because the hotel is fully booked. However, if there is enough lead time before the proposed date of arrival, interested guests may be put on a waiting list.
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20. Waiting List
A waiting list might be developed and used according to guidelines similar to the following:
Advise the guest that no rooms are available for the requested date
Offer to take the guest’s name and telephone number
Accommodate the guest immediately if a room becomes available due to a cancellation
Developing waiting lists is good business practice and helps create an atmosphere of good service.
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21. Reservation Reports
An effective reservation system helps maximize room sales by accurately monitoring room availabilities and forecasting rooms revenue.
Common management reports include:
Reservation transactions report
Revenue forecast report
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22. Reservation Transactions Report
This report summarizes daily reservations activity in terms of record creation, modifications, and cancellation. Specialized summaries such as cancellation reports, blocked room reports, and no-show report.
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23. Revenue Forecast Report
This report projects future revenue by multiplying predicted occupancies by current room rates.
This information can be especially important for long-range planning and cash management strategies.
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24. Expected Arrival and Departure Lists
Expected arrival and departure lists are generated from the computer daily to indicate the number and names of guests expected to arrive and depart as well as the number of stayover guests.
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25. Reservations History
By analyzing reservation information, front office management can develop an understanding of the hotel’s reservation patterns.
The hotel’s sales and marketing department can use these data to identify the new trends, review product mixes, and assess the impact of its marketing strategies.
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26. Reservations Histories
Reservations histories include statistics on all aspects of the reservations process, including
The number of guests
Occupied rooms
Reservations (by source)
No-shows
Walk-ins
Overstays (people staying after their stated departure date)
Early departure (people who checked out before their stated departure date)
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27. Room Rates
The average room rate in a hotel is achieved by charging a variety of different types of rates. These include:
Rack rate
Corporate rate
Package rate
Group rate
Long-staying rate
Airline’s crew rate
Discounted rate
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28. Central Reservations Office
In a chain-operated hotel, the central reservation office services the entire chain through one or more reservation centres. In America, a person making a reservation can access the reservation centre through a toll-free 800 number.
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