1. Copyright © 2007 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved Chapter 7 Guest Registration

2. Copyright © 2007 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved Chapter Focus Points  Importance of the first guest contact  Capturing guest data  Guest registration procedures  Registration with a property management system

3. Copyright © 2007 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved Importance of the First Guest Contact  Tone which is set at registration  What constitutes warm hospitality?  Recent experiences during registration at a hotel

4. Copyright © 2007 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved Components of the Registration Process  Capturing Guest Data –Importance of capturing this data for guest messages, guest requests for service from other departments, and credit verification

5. Copyright © 2007 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved Guest Registration Procedures (p.187)  Discuss ways to project a feeling of hospitality oeye contact owarm smile oan inquiry about travel experience or weather oan offer for assistance with the luggage  Discuss ways to retrieve guest reservations - via PMS

6. Copyright © 2007 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved Guest Registration Procedures (cont’d.)  Review completeness of registration card (refer to Fig. 7-1; p. 189 ) from the PMS or electronic folio –Handwriting: –Spelling of names, addresses, zip code, license plate identification

7. Copyright © 2007 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved Guest Registration Procedures (cont’d.) –Correctness of phone numbers, anticipated departure date, number of people in the room, room rate, and method of payment –Note any blank areas for possible “fraud” – example: no credit card because it is in the lost suit case

8. Copyright © 2007 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved Guest Credit Credit card types Bank cards (VISA, MasterCard, or JCB) Commercial cards (Diners Club) Private label cards (J.C. Penney) Intersell cards (Ramada)

9. Copyright © 2007 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved Guest Credit (cont’d.)  Discount rate – a percentage of the total sale that is charged by the credit card agency to the commercial enterprise for the convenience of accepting the credit card.  Rate depends upon volume of sales transactions, amount of individual sales transaction, expediency with which vouchers are turned into cash, etc.

10. Copyright © 2007 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved  Related economic impact upon the profit and loss statement (refer to math model in text book) p. 190 Guest Credit (cont’d.)

11. Copyright © 2007 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved Guest Credit (cont’d.)  Credit Card Processing –Use of credit card imprinter and credit card validater –This step establishes credit limit for the guest stay

12. Copyright © 2007 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved  Proof of identification  Outline the importance of this step: – valid driver’s license with a photo Guest Credit (cont’d.)

13. Copyright © 2007 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved  Process of using a Bill-To-Account –Personal extension of pre-approved credit with the hotel; the hotel processes the bill after the sale –Advantages and disadvantages to the guest and the hotel Guest perceives bill-to-account as prestigious Hotel saves discounting of guest bill Hotel must act as billing and collection agency Guest Credit (cont’d.)

14. Copyright © 2007 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved Components of Registration Process cont’d.  Room selection concepts –Blocking procedure – process of placing rooms from inventory into various reservation status. –Review of confirmed and guaranteed reservations –Review of expected check outs for a particular day –pp. 192-193 – blocking process

15. Copyright © 2007 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved Meeting Guest Requests  Special accommodations (bed requirements) - K, Q, D, T  Location – views, “away from,” levels  Layout and décor – suites, Murphy bed,  Ancillary equipment – business meetings  Special needs – hearing-impaired, ramps, visual devices  Availability – special request  Price – as a primary concern

16. Copyright © 2007 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved The Components of a Well-Organized Room Inventory Reservation Status - Open - Confirmed 4 P.M. - Confirmed 6 P.M. - Guaranteed - Repair Housekeeping Status –Available, Clean, or Ready –Occupied –Stayover –Dirty or On Change –Out of Order Sleeper – a room that is thought to be occupied but in fact is vacant.

17. Copyright © 2007 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved Communication system between the front desk and other departments (Housekeeping, maintenance, and reservation staff)  Scheduled times for releasing rooms by housekeeping rooms requires a system whereby the individual room attendants report the cleaned rooms to the floor supervisor on a timely basis.

18. Copyright © 2007 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved Room Rate Establishment  Room rates pivotal in providing income for administrative, overhead, and utility expenses.  Commentary on p. 196 – “Clearly, room rates involve many factors …” – manipulation of projected sales and related expenses – market competition – marketing and sales efforts – operations – price sensitivity – tax investment opportunities – seasonality – tourism

19. Copyright © 2007 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved  Figure 7-3 as it relates to the projection of a hotel’s income (p.198)  General Rule-of-Thumb Method that stipulates that the room rate should be two dollars for every thousand dollars of construction costs  Hubbart formula (p. 199 math example) takes into consideration such factors as operating expenses, desired return on investment, income from various departments in the hotel and room income –Figure 7-4 (p. 199) Room Rate Survey as a method of maintaining current on the room rates of competitors Room Rate Establishment (cont’d.)

20. Copyright © 2007 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved Types of Room Rates  Rack rate – highest rate charged by the hotel  Corporate rate – offered to business persons of a corporation who are frequent visitors  Commercial rate – rate offered to infrequent business persons  Military/Educator rate – rates offered to a price sensitive market yet attractive for a large volume of repeat business  Group rate – offered to travelers who attend en masse  Family rate – rate which is price sensitive yet attractive for many families

21. Copyright © 2007 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved Types of room rates (cont.d)  Package rate – rates used to lure guests into a hotel during low sales periods –American Plan (AP) – includes meals with room rate quote –Modified American Plan (MAP) – includes one meal with room rate quote –European plan (EAP)– room rate and food and beverage sales are kept separate –Half-day rate – room rate for half-day rental –Complimentary rate – no charge to the guest

22. Copyright © 2007 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved Maximizing room rates - presenting various room rates in a manner that reflect the positive features of the product  Developing a pre-planned sales pitch based on product knowledge –Room furnishings, special features, layout, and rate ranges –Desk clerk training in use of descriptive words needed –Desk clerk practice sessions in salespersonship techniques

23. Copyright © 2007 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved Maximizing Room Rates (cont’d.)  Coaching the Shy Employee in Sales Skills –Desk clerk training in picking up on subtle cues from guests –Incentive programs for desk clerk motivation –Bottom-up and top-down sales methods

24. Copyright © 2007 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved Maximizing room rates (cont’d.)  Sales opportunities –hotel services –additional reservations during the registration process  Management’s plan to sell additional room reservations –salesperson skills –incentive programs –complementary in-house advertising from other departments

25. Copyright © 2007 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved Components of Registration Process cont’d.  Room Key Assignment –Need for accuracy –Need for discretion for security in issuing key –Maintenance of security of keys (refer to figures 7-5 and 7-6) p. 206 area for holding keys hard key – proof of guest identification required electronic – new combination for each new guest request for proof of registration for duplicate key requests

26. Copyright © 2007 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved Registration with a PMS (p. 205)  Retrieval of completed version of guest data Reservation on a PMS (Figure 7-7) p. 207  Advance Registration Form (Figure 7-8) p. 207  Retrieval of reservation  Group registration (Figures 7-9 and 7-10 p. 209 )  Checking of room inventory options for guests who have a reservation but the room has not been blocked

27. Copyright © 2007 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved Registration with a PMS (cont’d.)  Room Inventory Screen (Figure 7-11 p. 210 )  Room Inventory Housekeeping Status (Figure 7- 12 p. 211 )  Walk-in Registration (Figure 7-13 p. 212 )  Walking a guest when a reservation can not be honored  Verifying room rate with guest  Issuing electronic key (Figure 7-14 p. 213 )

28. Copyright © 2007 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved  Various reports that assist in PMS registration –Registered Guests (Figure 7-15 p. 214 ) –Guest arrival Report (Figure 7-16 p. 214 ) –Group arrival Report (Figure 7-17 p.215 ) –Vacant room Report (Figure 7-18 p.215 ) –Room status Report (Figure 7-19 p. 216 ) Registration with a PMS (cont’d.)

29. Copyright © 2007 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved Self-check in  Reasons for consideration of offering self- check in –Capital expenditures –Decreased labor costs –Increased speed of registration –Delivery of hospitality –Opportunity for selling additional hotel services within the hotel

30. Copyright © 2007 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved Self-check in (cont’d.) –Procedure a guest would use (Figure 7-20 p. 217) Use of personal credit or debit card Registration by a wireless communications –Hiltons OnQ ™ Technology Remote, web-based check-in 24 hrs. prior to arrival Electronic folio access Check-in kiosks (100) within 45 Hilton Family Hotels in metro and airport markets High-Speed Internet Access available