Computers In Hospitality And Tourism Management PDF

COMPUTERS IN HOSPITALITY AND TOURISM MANAGEMENT  In the last century, innovation and technology has transformed the hospitality industry in almost every way as shown in this history of hospitality tech timeline.  HISTORY OF APPLICATIONS OF TECHNOLOGIES IN HOSPITALITY...

COMPUTERS IN HOSPITALITY AND TOURISM MANAGEMENT  In the last century, innovation and technology has transformed the hospitality industry in almost every way as shown in this history of hospitality tech timeline.  HISTORY OF APPLICATIONS OF TECHNOLOGIES IN HOSPITALITY AND TOURISM https://intelity.com/blog/a-brief-look-at-the-history-of-hotel- technology/  COMPUTERS IN HOSPITALITY Today, most hospitality businesses in hotels, motels, food service, and beverage operations are using computers to record, report, and analyze the effectiveness of internal operations. Computers have had a dynamic impact in all forms of business enterprise, including the hospitality industry. Initially, computer use was limited due to their high-cost specialized operator technical expertise and rather large requirement for floor space.  COMPUTERS IN HOSPITALITY Computers have evolved to the point that their cost, need of a specially trained operator, and space requirements are no longer major obstacles to their acquisition. A majority of hotels now use computers in the areas of reservations, registration, guest history, guest accounting audit, and back office accounting. Similarly, most restaurants are using computerized point-of-sale terminals and registers that control guest checks, kitchen orders, and guest payments.  COMPUTER SYSTEMS AND PROGRAMS Application-oriented Software Systems: üWord Processing, üDatabase applications, üSpreadsheet Applications üSpreadsheets also lend themselves well to the following applications: 1. Scheduling employees for improved labor cost control. 2. Preparing depreciation schedules. 3. Calculating percentages given the dollar amounts, for common-size vertical financial statement analysis. 4. Calculating the sales mix and gross profit figures, given menu items sold and their cost and selling prices. 5. Converting budgeted income statements (given appropriate ratios) to cash budgets forecasting cash inflows and outflows. 6. Using net present value and internal rate of return analysis for long-term investments. 7. Preparing budget variance analyses 8. Using cost-volume-profit analysis for various types of decisions.  ACCOUNTING PACKAGES Electronic Cash Registers (ECR). Integrated Point-of-sale (POS) Systems.  INVENTORY CONTROL Computers can be very valuable as a tool in inventory control. Computers can do the following: 1. Prepare purchase orders for suppliers. It is now also possible for the computer, through networking, to place orders automatically with approved suppliers who submit the best price for the items and quantities needed. 2. Prepare lists of items to be received from each supplier so that receiving employees can compare what is delivered with what should be delivered. 3. Compare information as produce is received and product information is recorded in the computer from invoice information against purchase order. 4. specifications for those items received. Issue appropriate credit memoranda for goods short-shipped or returned to suppliers.  INVENTORY CONTROL 5. Prepare food and beverage receiving reports for products delivered. 6. Maintain a record of all storeroom purchases from information entered from invoices and update the perpetual inventory of each storeroom item. 7. Record all issues from the storeroom from information entered from requisitions. This information is used to adjust the perpetual inventory by item, to calculate total cost of all items issued each day, and to assist in the calculation of daily food and beverage cost. 8. Calculate the cost of items requisitioned by any individual department for any period of time.  INVENTORY CONTROL 9. Compare requisitions signature (using a scanner) with a record of those signatures stored in the computer to ensure they are authentic. 10. Compare at any time quality information of actual inventory for any specific item with the computer-maintained perpetual inventory record, and print out variance reports. 11. Alert both management and the food buyer when quantities purchased exceed prescribed limits for storeroom stock. 12. Provide a monthly list of all items that were short-stocked during that period.  INVENTORY CONTROL 13. Issue monthly dead-stock reports showing items that have not moved in a stipulated period, such as 30, 60, or 90 days. 14. List the number of each item purchased from any one supplier and state whether that purchase was made at the best-quoted price. 15. List the number of each item used during each month and compare this with what should have been used according to actual food and/or beverage sales based on standard recipes and portion sizes. 16. Verify supplier month-end statements against receiving invoices and/or receiving reports, and issue checks in payment of those statements.  BARCODES Where bar coding is used by a hospitality operation, it offers the following advantages: 1. Fast order processing. 2. Reduction in purchasing time. 3. Reduction in specification misunderstandings between purchaser and seller. 4. More accurate purchasing, ordering, receiving, and inventory records. 5. Improved food, beverage, and supplies cost control. 6. Improved supplier delivery schedules and performance. 7. Simplification of receiving procedures. 8. Improved inventory and issuing control. As items are issued, they can again be passed over the scanner so that perpetual inventory count will be adjusted and proper cost information can be recorded on requisitions.  FRONT-OFFICE SYSTEMS The main objective of a front-office system for a hotel or motel is maximization of sales revenue. Most front-office computer systems are sales-revenue-oriented rather than cost-control-oriented, and are based on the reservation, registration, and guest accounting needs of the property. They can also be linked to food and beverage POS system terminals. However, front office systems can provide cost control in certain areas. Front-office computers can be linked to the telephone system to monitor and bill guests’ accounts for charges of local and long distance calls to preclude the hotel from paying for telephone costs not recovered through charges on guest accounts. FRONT-OFFICE SYSTEMS The front-office system can also provide constantly updated information to other departments such as housekeeping, food, and beverage areas relating to room occupancy and guest counts, so that adequate staffing can be arranged, thereby precluding departments from being overstaffed. Front-office computers can prepare and print room department operating ratios such as occupancy and double-occupancy percentages, average daily rates, and the daily yield statistic. Front-office computer systems can be immensely useful in maximizing yield by providing information to form a database of guest history and reservation patterns by type of guest for yield management.  FRONT-OFFICE SYSTEMS Some front-office systems have been keyed to security control. A computer can be programmed to allow certain keys to open doors during limited periods each day. This may mean that housekeeping staff will have access to rooms only during the room makeup period.