Hotel Front Office and Classification Terminology PDF

Lesson 3: FRONT OFFICE TERMINOLOGIES Access Code – Confidential personalized series of letters and/or numbers, which serve as user ID to log in/out the computer system. Advance Deposit – Money received by the hotel in advance of the guest arrival to guarantee the room accommodation...

Lesson 3: FRONT OFFICE TERMINOLOGIES Access Code – Confidential personalized series of letters and/or numbers, which serve as user ID to log in/out the computer system. Advance Deposit – Money received by the hotel in advance of the guest arrival to guarantee the room accommodations. Advance Payment – Money requested by hotel at check-in of a guest who is unable to produce any of the credit cards or any other form of credit, accepted by the hotel. Amendment – Changes in particulars against original reservation. Amenities – Goods and services given to the guest without any extra charge (e.g. soap, stationeries, shaving kit, sewing kit etc.) Arrival – Date of Check-in Back to Back – heavy check-in and check-out on the same day. Black List – Contains the records of all undesirable guests, companies and travel agents. Bump Off – Providing guests with alternative accommodations (to include complimentary transfers) in another hotel of the same category or higher due to unavailability of rooms. Cancellation – A reservation voided upon the request of the guest. Different types of reservations are subject to various cancellation requirements. Check-in – Procedures involves in receiving and registering a guest at the Front Desk. Checkout – Procedures involves in the settlement of accounts by a guest on his departure. Check-in Time – time designated by hotel for the guest to check-in his room, normally by 2:00 in the afternoon. Checkout Time – time designated by hotel for the guest to vacate his room at completion of stay, normally by 12:00nn.  Closed Out Dates – Period when the hotel is fully booked. Additional reservations are declined. Comp/Complimentary – Refers to a room service that is free. Room or service provided but guest is not charged. Day Use – use of a hotel room from 8am to 5pm. A special rate is given. Departure – Checkout date. Do-Not-Disturb (DND) or Privacy Sign – indicated by guest who requires privacy. For cases wherein the DND sign has been up more than 48 hours, Duty Manager may be required to check the room and ensure safety of guest. D.N.R – Do Not Release, room may be out of order or may be for other important reason. Due Outs – complete list of guests checking out on a given day with their expected departure time. Early Arrival – when a guest will be checking –in before 1:00pm. Early Departure – a guest who wants to check-out before the original scheduled date or departure time. Express check-in – a condition wherein a guest arrives at the hotel without having to check in at the Front Desk. However, guest needs to provide his credit card details by filling up the “C.C.A.F” and scanned copy of their ID prior to their date. Express Check-out – a condition whereby guest leaves the hotel without having to check out at the Front Desk. However, guest needs to furnish his credit card details on “Express Check out” Form, prior to his departure. E.T.A – Estimated Time of Arrival. E.T.D – Estimated Time of Departure. FOC – Free of Charge. Folios – record of all guest transactions created upon check in. Forecast – report showing projected availability for determined lengths of time. FOREX – Foreign Exchange Currency.  Full House – All rooms occupied; No rooms left to sell. Guest – Clients. Back-of-the- House – all departments not in direct contact with the guests, staff areas, off limits to guest. Front-of-the-House – all departments in direct contact with the guest. House Use – rooms allocated for staff use or for any other official purpose without any charges. In-House – within the hotel. Joiners – male/female visitors of guests who stay overnight with a corresponding charge. Late Check-Out (LCO) – additional time allotted by the hotel after normal check-out time (needs manager approval). Letter of Authorization (LOA) – a letter issued to the guest’s company as an assurance that they are shouldering the expenses. Long Staying Guest (LSG) – Guest booked for a minimum of 6 nights. Luggage Down – Pick up time of luggage’s from guests room upon checking-out. Luggage Up – Term used for when assisting guest in bringing their luggage to the assigned room. N.C.I – Newly checked in guest. No Show – guest who fails to arrive on specified date of reservation. Overbooking – booking wherein the number of rooms is lesser than the expected arrival. Registration Card – a form completed and signed by the guest at the time of arrival. Room Blocking – assigning a room for a particular guest, not subject to change. Round Trip Transfers – two-way transfer from airport to hotel and from hotel to airport.  Showroom – room assigned by the reception desk as part of ocular inspections for tours and potential clients. Skipper – term used for guests who leave the hotel without settling their account. Upsell – convincing guest to utilize hotel products of a higher category in order to generate higher revenue.  Lesson 4: Hotel Classification HOTEL SIZES Classification Number of Sleeping Rooms SMALL 1 to 150 MEDIUM 151 to 400 LARGE 401 to 1,500 MEGA 1,501 and over HOTEL LOCATION A. DOWNTOWN Downtown location types apply to hotels located in dense urban area. This doesn’t necessarily mean the city center, but most often does. Hotels that have large clusters of corporate structures or office parks surrounding them can be considered downtown location types regardless of exactly where in the city they are located. Traditionally, downtown hotels are located in the center of a city’s business district, the “heart of the corporate structure in any given city. These areas often include a convention center. B. RESORT A resort can be located near some sort of special attraction that attracts guests for a reason other than the hotel itself. An ocean, natural wonder, mountain, amusement park or golf course can be that attraction. Hotels that create their own special attraction can also be considered resorts. Health spas, private golf and/or tennis facilities, expensive pool areas and another unique signature attraction created by the hotel itself. C. AIRPORT The airport hotel location type is the easiest to identify. Airport hotels commonly provide complimentary shuttle service to and from the airport to make it convenient for the traveler.  The hours of operation in the restaurants, lounges, and other facilities may be longer that at other location types in order to accommodate those travelers dealing with changes in time zones and jet lag. D. SUBURBAN Suburban hotels are generally considered to be those that do not fit into the other three location types. These hotels are not located on the downtown area or near airports. They have no special attractions to qualify them as resorts. They are common on major roadways and near small office complexes. HOTEL SERVICE LEVEL A. FULL-SERVICE LEVEL Hotels that provide their guests with services, amenities, and facilities that they want or need to complete a total hotel experience. ❑ These services can include, but are not limited to: Restaurant(s) on site serving breakfast, lunch and dinner. Room service Meeting space Business center Health club/recreation facilities Bellstaff/doorstaff Gift shop Complimentary services like bed turndown and newspaper delivery Lounge(s)/entertainment Suites, upgraded room Concierge lounge and services Executive or “business class” floors Express/video checkout ability In-room amenities such as: minibars, voice mail, data ports with Internet access, work areas, oversize beds, sitting areas, toiletries, in-room movies  Security/loss prevention Shuttle service B. LIMITED SERVICE LEVEL Hotels that typically do not offer the above services. The most notable differences are lack of food or beverage outlets and no meeting space on site. They do offer a quality room and a good night’s sleep for a fair price. C. MID-MARKET SERVICE LEVEL Hotel which listed as being a combination of both the limited- and full- service hotel classification because these hotels can vary from one place to another. In one location, one may find a full-service mid-market brand hotel; in another, the same brand may be of limited service. INDEPENDENT HOTEL RATINGS 1. One-star lodging establishments must be clean comfortable but not luxurious. However, they offer a minimum of service. There might not be a 24-hour front desk, phone, or housekeeping services, and there may be or may not be a restaurant. 2. Two – star lodging establishments are slightly above one-star establishment and may include better quality furniture, larger rooms, a restaurant, television in each guest room, direct dial phones, room service and recreational facilities such as a swimming pool. Luxury lacking, but cleanliness and comfort are essential. 3. Three – star lodging offers all of the services of one- and two-star establishment and has expanded upon these services so that one or more are truly outstanding. 4. Four – star establishments have rooms that are larger than average; furniture is of high quality; personnel are well trained, courteous and eager to provide customers with everything they need. Guest complaints are minimal. Lodging in a four-star establishment should be a memorable experience. 5. Five-star facilities are typically described as the best. A superior restaurant is required. Twice daily housekeeping services is standard; lobbies are comfortable and aesthetically attractive. The exterior is attractive and well maintained. A key  factor is that the guest is made to feel like a very important person at all times by every employee of the establishment. (American Automobile Association-AAA)