The document discusses hotel reservations processes. It defines reservations as bookings in advance for spaces like hotel rooms or restaurant tables. It outlines the key activities in reservations including inquiries, availability checks, record creation and confirmation. It describes guaranteed reservations that ensure a room is held and non-guaranteed reservations. It also discusses reservation sources like central reservation systems, global distribution systems and direct bookings. Finally, it notes potential reservation problems like errors, misunderstandings and miscommunications.

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© 2012 Rasheed Khlifat ®

2. What is a reservation?
It is a booking in advance for a space for a specified
period of time.
E.g. Hotel ballroom, restaurant booking, airline seat, a
theatre seat, a hotel guestroom, a doctor’s
appointment.

3. Introduction
From a guest’s point of view, the most important
outcome of the reservations process is having a
guestroom ready and waiting when the guest arrives.
To achieve these outcomes, the hotel must have
efficient reservation procedures in place.
Here are the reservation process activities:-

4. Reservation Activities
• Conduct reservation inquiry.
· Determine room and rate availability.
· Create reservation record.
· Confirm reservation record.
· Maintain reservation record.
· Produce reservation reports.
· Research, plan, and monitor reservations.

5. Types of Reservations
• 1. Guaranteed Reservation: Insures that the hotel will
hold a room for the guest until a specific time of guest’s
scheduled arrival date .
• The guest must provide us a method of payment.
• If the guest does not show up or cancel properly,
the guest will be charged for one night
accommodation.
In order to guarantee a reservation, guests can choose
one of the following methods:

6. Guaranteed Reservations
The reservation can be guaranteed by
• Prepayment
· Credit card
· Advance deposit
• Travel agent voucher/miscellaneous charge
order (MCO)
· Corporate (direct billing account)

7. Non-guaranteed Reservation
 2. Non-guaranteed Reservation: Insures that the
hotel agrees to hold a room for the guest until a
stated reservation cancellation hour (Usually 6 p.m.)
on the day of arrival.
It is common for hotels planning on full occupancy or
nearing full occupancy to accept only guaranteed
reservation once a specified number of expected
arrivals is achieved.

8. Reservation Inquiry
• Guests can communicate their reservation inquiries in
person, over the telephone, via mail, through facsimile, telex,
e-mail…
• While getting a reservation inquiry, the reservation staff shall
obtain the following guest-related information:
• Guest’s name, address and telephone number
• Company or travel agency name
• Date of arrival and departure
• Type and number of rooms requested

9. cont.
Desired room rate
Number of people in the group, if applicable
Method of payment and/or guarantee
Any other special requests
• Most of the above mentioned information is used to create
a reservation record.

10. The seven steps reservation sales process
• 1. Greet the caller. ( thank you for calling Holiday
inn. This is Mary speaking How can I help you
today?)
• 2. Identify caller’s need ( arrival date, departure
date, preference ....)
• 3. Provide an overview of the hotel’s feature
( number of restaurant, swimming pool )
• 4. Make a room recommendation and room rate.
• 5. Ask for the sales ( Would you like me to book the
reservation for you?

11. cont.
• 6. Create a reservation record according to the hotel
procedures.
• 7. Thank the caller. Closing a call as warmly as opening
a call, leaves the caller with a sense of confidence that
they have made the correct decision.

12. Sources of Reservations
• Central Reservation System
· Global Distribution System
· Intersell Agencies (for example flight
centre)
· Property Direct
· Internet

13. Central Reservation System (CRS)
A central (or computerised) reservation system that
controls and maintains the reservations for several
hotels in one location, and automatically redirects the
reservation to the required hotel.

14. Central reservation systems
• The majority of hotel groups belong to one or more Central
Reservation Systems
• • A central reservation system is composed of a central
reservation office, member hotels connected together via
communication devices, and potential guests.
• It exchanges room availability information with members
hotel.
• • Central Reservation Office [CRO] offers its services via a
24-hours toll free telephone number(s) [Green Numbers].

15. continued
On return, central reservation offices charges a fee for the
utilization of its services which might take the form of a flat
fee and a variable fee, or a flat percentage of potential room
revenue, actual room revenue, and/or Rooms Division
gross profit…

16. Global Distribution Systems
•Computerized system by which reservation-related
information is stored and retrieved for multiple
organizations.
• Global Distribution Systems [GDS]⇒ System including
several Central Reservation Offices connected to each
other.
• Selling hotel rooms is accomplished by connecting the
hotel reservation system with the GDS system.
• GDSs have become a powerful force in hotel reservation.

17. Property Direct Reservation System:
Even though many of the five-star hotels rely heavily on
central reservation offices and intersell agencies, some
potential guests still find it convenient, and personal to call
directly the hotel to communicate a reservation inquiry.

18. Property Direct Reservations
Property direct reservations are made in a several ways
· Telephone
· Mail
· Property-to-property
· FAX
· E-mail

19. Group Bookings
Types of groups
Tour groups
Conference/convention
Charity groups (fund raising)
Flight crews
School groups
Sporting groups

20. Reasons for Travel
Business
Pleasure
Education
Family
Religious
Special events (e.g.Olympic Games)

21. Types of Market Sources
F.I.T. – free/fully independent traveller
Group
Corporate
Government
Package

22. Room Rate Factors
$ Location (CBD, Country)
$ Hotel Rating (Star/Flag/Crown)
Room attributes/aspects
Hotel facilities
$ Competition
$ Time of year
$ Intended client

23. Room Rate Types
Rack
Corporate
Government
Airline (delayed flights, crew, package)
Travel Agents (package, familiarisation, group,
F.I.T.)
Groups/conference
Packages (honeymoon, weekend, midweek)

24. Five steps to selling
• Know your product
• Know your guest
• Match the guest to the best alternative
• Be aware you are part of the sales team
• Always sell the product before the price

25. Guest History
Assist with marketing strategies
Ensure future reservations are more efficient
Ensure a quicker check-in
Ensure guest’s needs are met
Assist with check-out

26. History data
Reservation forms
Registration cards
Guest folios on check-out
History can be stored and maintained:
Manually
Computerised

27. Cancellation
Retrieve original reservation
Note date and time cancellation received
Record contact name of person cancelling
Update manual and computer records
File cancelled reservation
Apply cancellation fee as per hotel policy
Thank caller

28. Amendments
Retrieve original reservation
Note date and time amendment received
Record contact name of person amending
Update manual and computer records
File amended reservation
Thank caller

29. Departments concerned with reservations
report
Housekeeping
To enable accurate staff rostering
Budgeting, planning for refurbishment, ordering of
supplies
Food and Beverage
As above

30. Departments concerned with reservations
report
Maintenance
To enable accurate staff rostering
Budgeting, planning for refurbishment, ordering of
supplies
Concierge/Porters/Front Desk
As above

31. Types of Reports
Occupancy
Arrivals
Cancellations
Special requests
V.I.P.S
Black lists
Market Segments
Guest history

32. Black List
“Bad” debts (previous accounts remain unsettled)
Malicious damage to hotel property
Theft of hotel property
Verbal/physical assault of staff members

33. Potential Reservation Problems
• 3 main common problems that might be encountered:
• 1) Errors in a reservation record:
a. Record a wrong arrival or departure date
b. Misspell the guest’s name or reverse it
c. Reserve for the caller instead of the guest

34. Potential Reservation Problems
2) Misunderstandings due to industry jargon:
Confirmed versus guaranteed reservation
Double room versus 2 beds
Connecting rooms versus adjacent rooms

35. Potential Reservation Problems
3) Miscommunications with external reservation systems:
Book a guest in the wrong hotel
Book a guest in the wrong city [ex: Novotel, Melbourne versus
Novotel, Sydney]

36. Opera Reservation System

37. Rasheed Khlifat
Risk Management & Insurance