4. The guest room payment

There are three ways a guest room can be paid for. The first, and most common, is by credit card. The credit card is obtained at the time of booking and is used as a guarantee for some forms of reservations. Most hotel com­puter systems can check to ensure that each card is valid and that a sufficient amount of credit is available on the card. This is called obtaining a card approval. Based on the number of nights needed on the reservation and the rate that it was booked at, the computer can calculate the approval based simply on the anticipated revenue.

The second method of payment is cash. Guests choosing not to use a credit card may provide a cash deposit prior to or at the time of check-in. Cash payments should be collected prior to assigning the guest room. For security and fraud concerns, the hotel will require the full room rate, taxes, and what is referred to as anticipated usage amount. This usage amount is the cash deposit required to cover estimated use of hotel facilities and servic­es (e.g., in-room phones, in-room movies, room service, etc.). Guests wish­ing to "sign" these and other services to their room must provide additional cash. Guests choosing not to do this may face their phones and movies being turned off, room service will require a payment at the time of delivery, and so on.

Checks, which are simply a form of cash payment, can be verified in a man­ner similar to credit cards. Funds to cover personal checks can be verified through the issuing banks. Traveler's checks and certified checks do not need approvals because they are issued in exchange for payment at the time of issuance.

The third method of payment is less reliant on the front desk, but is a valid method of payment. Direct billing allows an individual or group to pay for goods/services incurred during a stay or function at a later date. Within a hotel, guests and groups are routinely extended credit. Each time a guest checks in with a credit card as a method of payment, the hotel provides goods/services under the assumption that the credit card company will reim­burse it at a later date.

Groups with direct billing privileges may have their attendees' room charges included on their bill. This may be in addition to planned banquet or outlet/ancillary charges. The individual with direct billing may only be billed their outstanding guest account. Extending direct billing privileges requires that the hotel impose proper credit guidelines. The credit approval process must be strictly adhered to in order to ensure that no credit is extended to an individual or organization unable to pay, called a credit risk.

Part II unit IV. The Front Office Read and Learn

Read the text; find in it the English equivalents of the following topical words and phrases

Род занятий в гостиничной сфере; службы непосредственного обслуживания клиента; технические и административные службы; регистрация прибытия; бухгалтерия; отдел продаж и рекламы; уборка номерного фонда; служба, занимающаяся чисткой и утюжкой; техническое обслуживание; обозначать; сдавать на хранение ценные вещи; стойка администратора/портье; горничная; дать проход к; холл; огромное пространство; брать ключи; стеллаж с «кармашками» для информации; касса; обменивать иностранную валюту; заниматься бронированием; коммутатор/щит бронирования; разбирать жалобы; гладко/бесперебойно; выбытие из отеля.