Read and Translate Registration

Once a guest has arrived and has made it to the front desk, the registration process begins. It is at this point where most guests have begun to create an impression of the hotel in their minds. The front desk personnel must continue to focus on guest satisfaction. Hotels that create a warm and inviting atmosphere around the front office area ensure that the registration process goes smoothly. Getting people into guest rooms quickly, efficiently, and accurately is the pri­mary responsibility of the front desk. The mechanics of checking guests in is fairly self-explanatory. In summary, checking guests in entails processing indi­vidual reservations, assigning the proper guest rooms by ensuring that room preferences are maintained, and obtaining a method of payment.

Each day, based on the arrivals report that is generated, the front desk knows how many guests are due to check in. Each individual reservation is known in advance, so the front desk should be able to manage what rooms are available. Coordinating the available rooms with each guest's room pref­erences is an important task. Room preferences, as reviewed earlier, are defined as the individual guest's choice in room type.

The process of matching room preferences to available rooms is called blocking. Blocking is a process where a specific room is reserved for a specif­ic guest. Blocking a room to match an arriving guest's room preferences con­tributes greatly to guest satisfaction levels. The process of blocking these rooms each day may fall to a front office employee called a room’s controller. The rooms controller uses the arrivals report and compares it to the hotel's room inventory. The rooms controller must factor in room preferences as well as projected arrival times. Special requests such as cribs and rollaway beds are also blocked in advance as needed. The blocking of rooms applies to transient and group guests.

Most hotels assign a priority level to which rooms are blocked first. Guests who are members of a hotel's guest loyalty program, VIPs as designated by management, and those who are paying premium rates are usually given top priority. Communication with the housekeeping depart­ment ensures that all arriving guests are blocked into rooms that achieve a Vacant/Ready status prior to their arrival.

Unexpected early arrivals or incorrect documentation of room prefer­ences may require the rooms controller to change the existing blocks. This process, called "blowing the block" can create problems. The rooms controller must ensure that one block isn't created at the detriment of another arriving guest. It is for this reason that the rooms controller works closely with the front desk, housekeeping, and reservations department.

As the guest approaches the front desk, he/she should be greeted warmly, further emphasizing guest satisfaction. This is accomplished by implementing the 10x10 rule, which has two parts. The first part states that a guest's perception of an entire stay is, in large measure, instilled in the first 10 minutes upon arrival. The other part states that the front desk must greet a guest feet before he/she approaches the desk. An employee who begins a conversation with a guest at least 10 feet away creates a favorable impression. This makes the guest feel welcome by encouraging his/her approach.

Notes

guest satisfaction – удовлетворенность потребителя (зд. гостя)

smoothly – ровно, гладко

primary responsibility – первостепенная обязанность

check in – регистрировать

entail – влечет за собой

assign – отводить, предназначать

obtain – получать

in advance – заблаговременно, заранее

be due to – быть должным (зд. должны)

available – имеющийся в распоряжении

specific ( room) – конкретная

reserve – бронировать

room controller – инспектор по бронированию

hotel’s room inventory – реестр комнат гостиницы

factor – факторизовать, разлагать на

projected arrival times – планируемые прибытия

crib – коляска

rollaway bed – раскладушка

transient guest – транзитный (случайный) гость

group guest – гость с предварительным бронированием

guest loyalty program – программам поддержки постоянного гостя

premium rates – премиальная ставка, дополнительный тариф

housekeeping department – административно-хозяйственная служба

Vacant/Ready status – статус комнаты готовой к обслуживанию

blocking – объединение

“blowing the block” – сгорание блока

create problems – создавать проблемы

at the detriment – в ущерб, во вред

instill – вселять, формировать

guest’s perception – впечатление (восприятие) гостя