Unit y reservations

More than half of all hotel guests make reservations. These individuals arrange for hotel accommodations through such means as toll‑free telephone numbers; direct telephone lines; hotel sales representatives; travel agencies; property‑to‑property networks; postal delivery; telex and fax; e‑mail; Internet; and other communications services.

Every lodging property has its own way of monitoring and managing its reservations function. The reservations department is responsible for receiving and processing reservation requests for future overnight accommodations. Although procedures may differ from hotel to hotel with regard to reservations handling, maintenance, processing, and confirmation, the purpose is still the same: to accommodate guest requests in a manner that maximizes hotel occupancy and room revenue.

In the past, the reservations department basically captured reservations data. Potential guests contacted the hotel, and reservations were accepted or denied based upon room availability.

Reservation systems can be programmed to provide reservations agents with information on the types of rooms available (including room rate, view, furnishings, amenities, and bed size) for a given day. Some computer systems can even provide agents with the exact room number if necessary. Such technology shifts responsibility for room sales from the front desk to the reservations department. More recent technology even alerts the reservation agent automatically when the caller is a returning guest. Reservation systems provide agents with a great deal of information on the hotel, some of which should be provided to the guest on request.

Advanced technology has helped transform reservations agents into salespeople. Reservations agents should convey the desirability, features, and benefits of staying at the hotel, rather than simply processing an accommodation request. It is no longer satisfactory for a reservations agent to defer to the front desk to determine a room's rate at registration. This shift in responsibility away from the front desk to the reservations department is important because it allows management to accurately forecast not only occupancy but revenue as well. Whenever possible, reservations agents should confirm the rate at the time the guest makes the reservation. In fact, most guests requesting a reservation will not book a room without receiving a confirmed rate. The reservation system should reinforce the guest's decision to stay at the property and provide sufficient information to satisfy guest inquiries.

It is essential for reservations department personnel to work closely with the hotel's sales and marketing division when group reservations are being solicited or processed. In fact, some hotel companies now place the reservations functions in the sales department instead of the front office. In any case, sales department representatives must be kept informed of room availability to ensure they know how many rooms are available in the reservation system on any given day. On a day‑today basis, reservation managers must review reservation system reports and room availabilities in order to avoid overbooking. Overbooking can create bad feelings and contribute to lost business in the future. The management of reservations is further complicated by the fact that several states have enacted legislation prohibiting overbooking.

The Reservation department in the rooms division often has the first contact with the guest. To maintain profitability and guest satisfaction, the hotel must have effective procedures and systems in place to handle guest reservations efficiently.

Every property has its own method of processing reservations—taking reservations, filing them, placing them in the racks, assigning rooms, and completing folios. Although the procedures may differ, the purpose is still the same—to satisfy guests, so that the hotel maintains a good reputation and achieves maximum occupancy.

There are different types of reservations:

Guaranteed Reservations. The hotel assures the guest that a room will be held until the guest's arrival or until check-out time the next day—whichever occurs first. In return, the guest guarantees payment for the room, even if it is not used, unless the guest cancels the reservation in accordance with the hotel's required cancellation procedures. A person with a reservation who does not use a room or cancel the reservation is called a no-show. Some of the types of guaranteed reservations are:

• Credit card—Major credit card companies have developed systems by which participating properties can be guaranteed payment for reserved rooms that were left empty by no-shows.

• Advance deposit—An advance deposit guarantee (or partial prepayment) requires the guest to remit to the property a specified amount prior to the guest's stay. The prepayment may be for one night's lodging, plus taxes, or for the entire stay.

• Travel agent—It is now used less frequently by smaller travel agencies because they prefer to use the credit card or advance deposit guarantee whenever possible.

Larger or international travel agencies, on the other hand, often make reservation agreements with chains or very large properties located in major cities,

• Corporate—Under a corporate guarantee, a corporation or business agrees to accept financial responsibility for any no-shows. This procedure is often set up in advance when the corporation signs a contract with the hotel.

• In-house voucher—This method can best be described as a special in-house promotion designed to attract return guests or new business.

Non-Guaranteed Reservations. The hotel agrees to hold a room for the guest until a stated cutoff time. If the guest does not arrive by that time, the hotel may sell the room to a walk-in guest (a guest arriving without a reservation) if additional space is not available. Of course, if the guest arrives after the cutoff hour and rooms are still available, the hotel will accommodate the guest.

Confirmed Reservations. The confirmed reservation details the intent of both parties and includes the material points of the agreement—i.e., dates, rate, type of accommodations, number of guests. If it is made early enough, the property may mail the guest a written confirmation, which the guest is expected to produce at registration. An oral confirmation that includes the material points is also a binding agreement between both parties. Confirmed reservations may be either guaranteed or non-guaranteed.

Hotel-Specific Reservations. Hotels may also establish other types of reservations for their own use, based on criteria such as type of guest or source of reservation. Examples include VIP reservations, convention delegate reservations, travel agent reservations, and paid-in-advance reservations.

The Front Office Department

The importance of the front office cannot be overemphasized. This department represents the single largest profit center for the hotel, which is room sales. During the guest’s stay, the front office is the focus of requests for information and services. Check-in and check-out activities are usually the guest’s first and last impressions of the property, its staff, and its philosophy of guest service.

Self-Registration

A relatively new concept in front office registration is self-registration. Self-registration terminals are usually located in the lobbies of fully automated hotels. These terminals can vary in design: some resemble automated bank teller machines (ATM), while others possess both video and audio capability. Recent technological advances allow hotels to place self-registration terminals at off-premises locations such as airports and car rental agencies. Regardless of which kind of guest-operated device is used, self-registration terminals can significantly reduce front office and guest registration time.

To use an advanced self-registration terminal, a guest generally must have made a reservation which led to the creation of a reservation record. At the time of self-registration, the guest may need to enter a reservation confirmation number or insert a valid credit card into the machine. The terminal reads the magnetic strip on the back of the credit card and passes the name and credit card number to the hotel computer, which attempts to locate the reservation record. The terminal then prompts the guest to enter additional registration data using the terminal's keypad. Most terminals are interfaced with a computerized rooms management system, thereby enabling automatic room and rate assignment. Some terminals print out registration forms and request the guest to sign and deposit it into a drop box. Customized greetings or messages about special events or promotions can be added to system-generated forms or displayed on the terminal's screen. Some terminals then direct the guest to a guestroom key pickup area. In some cases, the terminal itself may dispense a guestroom key as a result of being interfaced with an electronic guestroom locking system.

Room types

Room Type	Description
Single	A room assigned to one person
Double	A room assigned to two people. The bed is big enough for two. (Size: 54X76 inches)
Triple	A room assigned to three people. May have two or more beds
Quad	A room assigned to four people. May have two or more beds.
Queen	A room with a queen-size bed. May be occupied by one or two persons (Size: 60X80 inches)
King	A room with a king-size bed. May be occupied by one or two people. (Size: 78X80 inches)
Twin	A room with a pair of twin beds. May be occupied by one or two people. (Size: 39 or 42X76 inches)
Double-double	A room with two doubles (or perhaps queens). May be occupied by one or two people.
Studio	A room with a convertible bed. May also have an additional bed.
Mini/junior suite	A single room with a bed and a sitting area. Sometimes it has one bedroom and a separate living room.
Suite	A living room connected to one or more bedrooms.
Connecting room	Rooms with individual entrances and a connecting door in-between. Guests do not have to cross the hallway to go to the other room.
Adjoining room	Rooms which, share a wall, but do not connect through a door.
Adjacent room	Rooms in front of/close to each other positioned across the hallway.

Room status

Room status	Description
Occupied	A guest is currently registered in the room.
Complimentary	An occupied but free-of-charge room.
Stay-over	A room with a guest who will not check out for at least one more night.
On-change	A room that its guest has checked out but it has not been cleaned yet.
Do not disturb	A room with a ‘Do not disturb’ sign on the door.
Sleep-out	An occupied room, guest of which sleeps out of the room tonight.
Skipper	A room, guest of which has left the hotel without settling his account.
Sleeper	A room, guest of which has settled and left the hotel but the front office staff failed to update its status.
Vacant & ready	A room ready for sale. (Clean and inspected)
Out-of-order	A room that cannot be assigned due to maintenance reasons.
Lock-out	A room that is locked until the guest clear with some hotel official.
DNCO	Abbreviation for ‘did not check out’. A room, guest of which has made arrangements to settle but left the property without doing it. (Notice the difference with the skipper)
Due out	A room that is expected to be vacant after the next check-out time.
Check-out	A room, guest of which has settled, delivered keys, and left the property.
Late check-out	A room, guest of which has requested for a late check-out. (Later than the normal hotel check-out time)

Rate categories

Rate categories	Description
Corporate	For guests from a company with rate agreements with the hotel, Some travel agency guests
Complimentary	Free-of charge, often needs endorsement from the general manager
Group	For pre-determined number of guests booked all at a time
Family	For parents sharing room with children
Day	For a day rest only
Package (All-inclusive)	Rates including more items than room and breakfast sold as a package
Frequent guest	For loyal hotel guests
Frequent travellers	For frequent airline frequent flyers, only selected airlines