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Chapter 03 Managing Front Office Operations HOT 333
- 1. Managing Front Office SQA IHOT 333
- 2. Front Office Operations TheGuest Cycle Front Office Systems Front Office Documents The Front Desk Telecommunications Property Management Systems
- 3. The Guest Cycle Pre-arrivalArrival Occupancy Departure
- 4. Pre-Arrival When guest makesreservation, reservation record is created, which initiates the guest cycle Guests choose their hotels during this stage of guest cycle Hotel choice is affected by • Type of travel business or pleasure • Previous experiences with hotel • Advertisements & promotions • Company travel policy • Recommendations from travel agents, friends, or business associates • Hotel’s location & reputation • Frequent traveler rewards programs • Preconceptions based on hotel’s name or chain affiliation • Ease of making reservations • Hotel’s reservations agent or website
- 5. Arrival Includes registration &rooming functions Establishes business & legal relationship with hotel In world-class, upscale, convention, casino, & resort hotels, uniformed staff greet guests at property’s entrance Front desk agent should determine guest’s reservation status before starting registration process Guests without reservations (walk-ins) present sales opportunity Guest presents form of identification & payment card during check-in, proof of intent to establish legal relationship Gathering guest information helps hotel satisfy guest needs Agents must be sensitive to accessibility issues when checking in guests with disabilities Registration is complete when guest has established method of payment & departure date Guest is then issued room key & allowed to proceed to room
- 6. Room Status • Occupied •Complimentary • Stay over • Do not disturb • Sleep-out • Skipper • Vacant and ready • Out-of-order • Lock-out • Due out • Check-out • Late check-out Terms
- 7. Room •Single •Double •Triple •Quad •Queen •King •Twin •Studio •Mini-suite or juniorsuite •Suite •Connecting rooms •Adjoining rooms •Adjacent rooms Types
- 8. Occupancy Front desk isresponsible for coordinating services for guests Objective, to serve guests so well that they will want to come back to hotel Guest complaints should be resolved as quickly as possible Security is of concern throughout especially during occupancy stage Hotel goods & services are purchased by guests Front desk accounting records for guests must be periodically reviewed for accuracy
- 9. Departure Final stage ofguest cycle Guest services & accounting aspects are completed At check-out, guest vacates room, receives account receipt, returns key(s)& leaves Once guest checks out, system automatically updates room’s availability status & closes account Guests should be asked during check-out how they enjoyed their stays During check-out process, guest history file is automatically created or added Late charges occur if charges are not posted to guest account until after guest checks out
- 10. Front Office Systems Semi-automatedfront office systems began to be seen in hotels in early 1970s Fully automated systems arrived in 1980s, comprehensive automated systems in 1990s In twenty-first century, automation has become affordable, with portable & wireless applications Automated systems are now cost-effective for hotels of all sizes
- 11. Pre-Arrival Activities Reservations softwareusually interfaces with central reservations system or other distribution network Reservations software may automatically generate e-mail confirmations, produce requests for guest deposits, handle pre- registration activities, & establish credit status of traveler Reservations software may also generate expected arrivals list, occupancy & revenue forecast reports, & others
- 12. Arrival Activities Guest informationcollected during reservation process automatically transferred as record to PMS’s front office software Front desk agents may give guests registration card for verification & signature Online payment authorization terminals enable front desk agents to receive timely payment card approval for guests Registration data stored electronically can be retrieved whenever necessary Some properties offer self check- in/check-out terminals Some hotel companies allow guests to pre-register via computer, PDA, or smart phone
- 13. Occupancy Activities Guests occupyinghotel may interact with front office & property management systems via point-of-sale terminals in revenue outlets Employees may use data workstations, smart identification tags, handheld units, pagers, & other automated devices to serve guests during their stays
- 14. Departure Activities During departurestage of guest cycle, electronic or printed folios are presented to guests at or near check-out time Front office system may automatically post guest transactions to back office accounts, depending on guest’s method of settlement For third-party billing, system can produce bill to be sent to guest’s sponsor or credit-granting agency Once guest’s account is settled, departed-guest information may be used to create or add to electronic record in hotel’s guest history file
- 15. Front Office Documents •Reservationfiles •Reservation confirmations Pre-Arrival Documents •Registration records •Credit verification/authorization Arrival Documents •Guest folios •Vouchers (charge, allowance, transfer, paid-out) Occupancy Documents •Guest folios •Payment card vouchers, cash vouchers, transfer vouchers •Guest history files Departure documents
- 16. The Front Desk Mostfront office functions are performed at front desk Guests register, request information & services, relate complaints, settle accounts, & check out at front desk Prominently located in hotel lobby Front desk design should provide front desk agents with easy access to equipment, forms, & supplies necessary to efficiently serve guests There are straight-line, circular, & semicircular front desk designs Some hotels have experimented with no-front-desk & lobby arrangement At least portion of front desk must be accessible to guests with disabilities In some hotels, front desk features items for purchase that guests may need while traveling Support devices at front desk may include computers, point-of- sale terminals, electronic payment readers, & security monitors
- 17. Types of TelephoneCalls Local Direct-dial long- distance Calling card Credit card Collect Billed-to-room International Toll-free 900 or premium-price
- 18. Telecommunications Equipment Telephone switchboards(PBX systems, PABX systems) Call accounting systems Guestroom phones Pay phones Pagers/cell phones Automatic call dispensing systems Telephone/room status systems Internet access Call detection
- 19. Telephone Switchboards Private branchexchange (PBX) or Private automated branch exchange (PABX) Routes inbound calls to hotel telephone operator’s console; operator then connects these calls to extensions Allow hotel to have a large number of telephones share limited number of telephone lines Outbound calls are usually placed without hotel operator’s help, although they often go through the same equipment Some PBX/PABX systems can handle data as well as voice transmissions Some hotels have implemented voice over Internet protocol (VoIP), which bypasses the hotel’s PBX/PABX equipment
- 20. Call Accounting Systems Hotel-basedtechnology to place, price, & post telephone calls to electronic guest folios without assistance from phone company A software/program that initiates routing, rating, & recording of calls originating from guestroom or administrative office telephones Interfaces with hotel’s PMS to electronically post telephone charges to guest folios or print charge slips for front desk staff to post Some CASs have least-cost-routing component that routes dialed call to type of telephone line that can carry call at lowest cost to hotel Prior to folio posting CAS may add surcharge or other fee to telephone company’s call pricing
- 21. Guestroom Phones Guestroom phonesare increasing in sophistication & capabilities Some phones allow to connect personal computer or other portable device to phone via jack or port Some have two-lines; for connecting computer & voice communication Features may include: conference calling, caller ID, speed dialing, hold buttons, call-waiting, hands- free speakers, voice messaging, & message-waiting alert Some phones combine voice, data, e-mail, fax, & other technologies Some phones are cordless
- 22. Pagers and CellPhones Some hotels offer pager or cell phone to guests at check-in Hotel bills guest for number of minutes used on cell phone
- 23. Other Telecommunications Technology Automaticcall dispensing systems Wake-up calls Prohibit unauthorized use in vacant guestrooms Staff can use for entering data concerning bar usage, maintenance & room status High-speed Internet access Hotels may charge for this service on per-transaction, fixed-fee, or daily-fee basis Hotels partner with Internet service providers to provide this service to guests Call detection software, part of CAS Can pinpoint exact moment call is connected, improving billing accuracy
- 24. Property Management Systems Reservation managementsoftware Rooms management software Guest accounting management software General management software Back office interfaces System interfaces Sales automation systems
- 25. Reservation Management Software Rapidprocess room requests & generate timely & accurate room availability, room revenue, & reservation forecasting reports Connects with global distribution systems (GDSs), Internet distribution systems (IDSs), & central reservation systems (CRSs) Updates & controls reservations activities Reformats reservation data into pre-registration files Generates letters or e-mails confirming, cancellations etc. Tracks guest deposits Generates management reports
- 26. Rooms Management Software Maintainsinformation on status of guestrooms Provides information on rates Assists in room assignments Helps personnel to coordinate for guest services Provides rapid access to room availability data Automatically adjusts guestroom inventory numbers Also features maintenance & special- request dispatch
- 27. Guest Accounting Management Software Increaseshotel’s control over guest accounts Significantly modifies front office audit routine Maintains guest accounts electronically, thereby eliminating need for folio cards, folio trays, & account posting machines Provides flexibility through multiple folio formats Monitors guest credit limits & generates report on accounts approaching or exceeding limits Automatically transfers outstanding account balances to back office accounts receivable file for billing & collection Automatically posts guest charges at hotel revenue outlets (via POS) to guest accounts
- 28. General Management Software Cannotoperate independently of other front office software packages Generates reports using data collected through reservation management, rooms management, & guest accounting management software Serves as internal link between front office & back office system interface applications
- 29. Interface Integrated front office& back office systems offer hotels full range of control over variety of operational areas
- 30. Back Office Interfaces Generalledger accounting software Accounts receivable software monitors guest accounts, & account billing & collection Accounts payable software tracks hotel purchases & helps hotels maintain sufficient cash flow Human resources software Payroll accounting Personnel recordkeeping Labor scheduling Financial reporting software Chart of accounts Balance sheets Income statements Transaction analysis Inventory control software Monitors stock levels Monitors purchase ordering Monitors stock rotation
- 31. System Interfaces Non-Guest-Operated Interfaces •Point-of-sale system • Call accounting system • Electronic locking system • Energy management system Guest-Operated Interfaces • Automated information kiosks in lobby • In-room review & check-out • In-room entertainment systems • In-room vending systems • Local information provided via access to websites, virtual shopping malls, e-mail, other online resources & services • High-speed Internet access
- 32. Sales Automation Systems Coordinate& manage group reservations & meeting room availability Help to maximize revenue by tracking monetary value of group business Collect data to identify group booking trends Store group history files SAS & PMS are usually integrated
- 33.