OLFront1 Chapter 8 (1).pdf

OLHPELE08 Front Office Operations (3/1) CHAPTER 8PREPARING FOR GUEST ARRIVAL Learning Objectives: Execute established procedures before guest arrival Identify the guest arrival under three different systems...

OLHPELE08 Front Office Operations (3/1) CHAPTER 8PREPARING FOR GUEST ARRIVAL Learning Objectives: Execute established procedures before guest arrival Identify the guest arrival under three different systems Understand the interdepartmental communication in a hotel OLHPELE08 Front Office Operations (3/1) ESTABLISHMENT PROCEDURES BEFORE GUEST ARRIVAL Proper and effective implementation of hotel standard procedures on guest accommodation particularly before the date of arrival is a must to ensure a quality and consistent check-in process and to maintain maximum guest satisfaction. At the arrival stage, registration and rooming functions are the two important activities that should be performed effectively for all hotel personnel, especially the front office department. Doing these functions efficiently and courteously will surely build and establish a good business relationship with all the guests. The common proper procedures on hotel guest arrival: Before Arrival Day Guest reservations should be checked at least one day before the arrival. Number of guests staying, room type, bedding, dates of stay, arrival and departure time and requirements, mode of payment, package inclusions, room set-up, and special requests (if any) are some of the important details needed to be checked by the preregistered guest. Ensure that all information required for the guest is placed in the PMS. Relevant departments concerned should be communicated and informed in advance for proper preparation. In the case of VIP guests, special attention should be provided. They are pre blocked-in advance depending on their arrival time and all departments are informed for special preparation. Day of Arrival Check the room status of all blocked rooms to ensure that all rooms are available upon guest check-in and to avoid delays. Prepare all items needed during check-in for pre-blocked guests. This includes a registration card, keycard, directory, menu, hotel  map, etc. Ensure that the front desk or reception area is in good condition always. OLHPELE08 Front Office Operations (3/1) Upon Arrival Guests should be met upon arrival at the hotel greeted courteously by the receptionist and escorted to the reception area. Check-in 1. Welcome the guest and retrieve his or her name and identification details courteously. 2. Collect or print the registration card and reconfirm the guest details such as arrival and departure dates, room type, and package inclusions. Make sure that all details on the registration card are complete with the guest’s signature. 3. Offer welcome drinks or reading materials to guests. 4. Check departure time with guests and offer assistance to book transportation if not previously arranged. 5. Get a deposit for the stay and or incidentals. 6. Give the room key or key card to the guest. Point out the room number on the key or card. 7. Explain the hotel facilities and amenities to the guest. 8. Instruct the bell staff to escort the guest to his or her room. GUEST ARRIVAL UNDER THREE DIFFERENT SYSTEMS The following are the general procedures done before guest arrival based on three different systems: 1. Non-Automated (Manual) In this system, the assigning of rooms will be made using a manual card technique to indicate its housekeeping status. On the guest’s arrival, he or she should either sign in a registration book or fill out the complete details on the registration card. This card will be time-stamped upon check-in to indicate its room occupancy. 2. Semi-automated (Electro-Mechanical) In this system, before arrival, the guests will make a reservation directly or indirectly to the hotel. Guests with reservations will only verify and sign their previous registration card while walk-in guests will need to complete several copies of their  registration card. 3. Fully Automated (Computer-based) In this system, preregistration activities are handled through the in-house computer system directly to the central reservation system. Guests’ transactions can be processed with confirmed reservations electronically through the computer reservation record but in the case of walk-in guests, the needed information will be entered by the receptionist in the computer. Lastly, guests’ registration cards will be signed for verification. OLHPELE08 Front Office Operations (3/1) PREREGISTRATION Preregistration includes several activities such as the room and rate assignment and creation of guest folio apart from producing the registration card. However, some properties are reluctant to do room assignments for it is possible to have some last-minute cancellations that may create an imbalance in the status of vacant rooms. Through preregistration, the front desk officer can assure the guests’ satisfaction for it helps in planning the special requirements of guests as well as of the hotel. Also, it helps the managers know the hotel’s status and whether it will be in full occupancy in the next several days or not. Usually, the regular preregistration steps or activities done for guaranteed reservation and nonguaranteed reservation are as follows: 1. Room Assignment. It refers to the blocking of rooms as per the necessity of the guest. Conferred to the guest’s requirement made at the time of booking, the guest would be allotted a certain room that would be blocked to avoid hassle at the time of check-in. 2. Determine Room Rate. As part of the confirmed reservation process, the hotel should determine the minimum and maximum rate for each room offered based on the number of guests assigned to the room, room location, and its business service level. 3. GRC to be filled partially. For the fast and efficient registration process, the information from the guest including name, address, contact number, company affiliation, and other personal data gathered are directly recorded in the Guest Registration Card (GRC). Generally, this is a legal prerequisite in establishing the guest’s relationship with the hotel. PROCEDURE 4. Creation of Guest Folio. A guest folio is a statement of the guest’s day-to-day transactions during their stay and is one of the important front office activities. As soon as the guest's personal information is encoded a guest folio will be created. PREREGISTRATION ACTIVITY OF A GROUP In a group’s preregistration, the reception should have a rooming list from the reservation department. This rooming list contains a list  of names and room-sharing details for a group reservation, that is submitted by an inbound tour operator, tour wholesaler, or travel agent to the hotel before the group’s arrival. The following are the preregistration for group bookings. 1. Get tentative time of arrival and departure of the group. This is done in preregistration to inform the reception to keep the rooms ready and alert the lobby staff. 2. Get the name of the group leader. This is required in this stage to coordinate between the hotel and the group guests. OLHPELE08 Front Office Operations (3/1) 3. Guest registration card to be filled partially. It is a protocol for any preregistration process to partially fill out the details in GRC. In a group, one registration card can be filled and signed by the group leader on arrival and the rooming list must be attached with the GRC. 4. Room Assignment. This is important in the contract details to be agreed upon both by the hotel and the group. In allocating rooms for the group, it is advisable to keep all guests on the same floor area for group accessibility. 5. Room check and amenities. After the allocation of rooms for expected arrivals, the front office and housekeeping department must ensure that all rooms are fully served and prepared for occupancy. PREREGISTRATION ACTIVITY OF VIP GUESTS The following are the preregistration activities of VIP guests. 1. The expected arrival list highlighting VIP guests from the reservation was collected by the front desk officer. 2. Blocking of VIP guest rooms with their special requests prepared by the front desk officer. 3. The front desk officer will directly coordinate with the housekeeping department to give special care and attention to the room and accommodations of VIP guests who are booked 4. Have three copies of the amenity voucher prepared by the front desk office. One copy for the accounting, one for the housekeeping, and one for the room services indicating each special request, if any.  INTERDEPARTMENTAL COMMUNICATION In hotel industries, the front office plays a vital role in interdepartmental communication for it serves as a clearing house for communication activities. It also acts as the face and voice for the hospitality organization that for some reason, guests would usually approach the front office for some concerns giving the front desk officer a full responsibility to know and to direct the communication when the guests ask for requests. Being the central hub of communications between departments, several departments particularly the food and beverage, housekeeping, banquet, sales and marketing, accounting, controller, security, maintenance engineering, and human resources must communicate and exchange information with the front office to ensure that all departments are on the same page as wok situations change. OLHPELE08 Front Office Operations (3/1) 1. Food and Beverage Department The food and beverage department are the one responsible for the food and beverage and other related concerns to its guests in all its outlets: bars, food stations, room service, and banquet service following hotel standards. The food and beverage department should cooperate with the front office to keep an eye on the point-of-sale through computerized terminals that interface with PMS that post guests’ charges to the guest’s folio.  2. Housekeeping Department Maintenance of cleanliness and orderliness of hotel rooms and public areas is the main responsibility of this department. The housekeeping department is also tasked to inform the front office about the status of each room for occupancy. Ready. The room is ready and available for occupancy. Occupied. The room is currently being occupied by the guest. Stayover. The guest is not checking out of the room on the current day. OLHPELE08 Front Office Operations (3/1) Vacant and dirty. The guest has checked out, but the room has not yet been cleared. Out-of-order. The room needs to be repaired immediately. 3. Banquet The banquet, as one of the important sections of the hotel, should coordinate both food and beverage and the front office department for scheduled meetings, conventions, seminars, and other related gatherings and events that are needed by the guests. 4. Sales and Marketing Responsible for planning and developing hotel advertising and group sales and implementing business promotions to  achieve and exceed target sale 5. Accounting Department The front office department communicates and transacts with this department concerning guests’ payments, check cashing, and invoicing. All financial dealings including hotel operating expenses and payments are the main tasks of this department. OLHPELE08 Front Office Operations (3/1) 6. Controller Summary of daily financial transactions is one of the main responsibilities of the controller. The accurate details and information provided both by the front office and night auditor will be the basis of preparing true and valid reports for the owners, managers, and supervisors. 7. Security Department The front office will report inconsistencies and guest safety and security concerns to the security department. This department will give the front office some information about fire safety measures and emergency cases as well as procedures for routine investigation that the guests need to know beforehand. 8. Maintenance and Engineering Department Guests directly ask requests to the front office for the repair of heating, ventilation, air-conditioning units, plumbing, television, and other room maintenance issues. The front office department will then relay the  requests to maintenance and engineering department and keep track of the schedule to inform the guest on when the repair will be made. 9. Human Resources Department The human resource department is considered one of the most important divisions in the hotel industry. This department is responsible for the success of the hotel as they assign the hiring and screening of personnel who will work for the business OLHPELE08 Front Office Operations (3/1) For more information, follow this link: https://www.tutorialspoint.com/front_office_mana gement/front_office_management_communication.htm DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: 1. Briefly discuss the guest's arrival under three different systems. 2. What is the importance of preregistration to the check-in process of the guests? 3. What is the role of the front office in interdepartmental communication in a hotel? ACTIVITY: Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of guaranteed and nonguaranteed reservations in preregistration to both the guest and the hotel. Write it down on a short bond paper and submit it to your teacher.