Guest Check-in Procedures and Room Status Management

Chapter 7. Check-in of New Arrivals www.lrjj.cn

Phases of the Guest Cycle Pre-Arrival Departure Arrival Occupancy www.lrjj.cn

Reception Department Duties 1. 2. 3. 4. Welcome and check-in new arrivals Sell hotel facilities Maintain records of resident guests Provide guest information to other departments www.lrjj.cn

Receptionists Professional Behaviour Skills 1. Maintain good eye contact 2. Smile when talking to a guest 3. Stand up straight 4. Keep clean, neat & tidy appearance 5. Speak clearly, use a pleasant tone Activity 1a, 1b p. 115 www.lrjj.cn

Types of Check-in Guests 1. Guests with guaranteed reservation 2. Guests with non-guaranteed reservation 3. Walk-in guests See p. 117 www.lrjj.cn

Basic Check-in Activities 1. Preparation for guest arrival 2. Room assignment and determination of room rate 3. Guest registration 4. Checking of payment method 5. Issuing the room key and escorting the guest www.lrjj.cn

Step 1. Preparation for Guest Arrival a) Room status and availability b) Expected arrivals and departures c) Arrivals with special requests d) VIPs and frequent-stay guests www.lrjj.cn

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Types of Room Statuses Room Status Description the room is currently unoccupied and ready for next guest Vacant/clean guests recently checked out and room awaits cleaning Vacant/dirty guest in house for one or more nights Occupied/stay-on Departure Out of Order (OOO)under maintenance, cannot be occupied guest is departing later today rooms reserved for specific reasons (VIP, groups) Blocked www.lrjj.cn Activity 2, p. 119

Room Status Discrepancies 1. Sleeper The front office will show the guest checked out, but Housekeeping department will indicate that someone is still in the guestroom. 2. Skipper The guest leaves the hotel without settling his or her account; the front desk still shows the room housekeeping lists the guestrooms vacant. as occupied, but www.lrjj.cn

Step. 2 Assigning Rooms and Rates Room Rates 1. Guests with reservations room rate is fixed during the reservation 2. Walk-in guests room rate is determined at check-in. Start with rack rate (or BAR best available rate) and negotiate if necessary. www.lrjj.cn

Step. 2 Assigning Rooms and Rates Room Rates Rack Rate Commercial/Corporate Rates Complimentary Rates Group Rates Family Rates Day Rates Package Rates Frequent Traveler Rates www.lrjj.cn

Room Assigning Tips Guest type Tips Give them first priority when assigning rooms VIP guests, special requests guests, groups, early arrival guests, guaranteed guests Same floor if possible Guests from same company Non-smoking floors (unless smoking room is requested) Female guests /guest with child Prepare some rooms if you have enough vacant rooms on that day Possible walk in guests Assign rooms according to guest arrival time. All arriving guests www.lrjj.cn

List of Important Guests 1. VIP very important persons 2. CIP commercially important persons 3. SPATT special attention guests See Expected VIP/SPATT Arrivals report p.123 and answer questions of activity 4 p.124 www.lrjj.cn

Step 3. Guest Registration 1. Guests with Reservation Prepare the Registration Form based on Reservation Record information Confirm the registration details with the guest Allocate the room (if not previously done) www.lrjj.cn

Step 3. Guest Registration 2. Walk-in Guests Check room availability & blacklist Create Reservation Record Prepare the Registration Form based on Reservation Record information Confirm the registration details with the guest Allocate the room www.lrjj.cn

Guest Registration Form Name Address & Telephone number Booking details: room/s, dates, no. of guests Company affiliation (if applicable) Payment method Valid signature For more information see p. 126 www.lrjj.cn

Registration Record Example www.lrjj.cn

Step 4. Establishing the Methods of Payment Cash PIA (Pay In Advance) guests Check Credit and debit cards Direct billing Special promotions payment methods Group payment www.lrjj.cn

Bank Check Example www.lrjj.cn

Membership Card Example www.lrjj.cn

Fulfilling Special Requests Location View Bed type Smoking / no-smoking status Amenities Special facilities for disabled guests High-speed internet access Entertainment systems, such as on-demand video systems and video game systems www.lrjj.cn

Upselling Technique of using certain words and phrases that will make the guest feel satisfied buying something they would not otherwise have bought. www.lrjj.cn

Exercise 1 In groups, research an example of a guest comment with no previous reservation (walk in guest) on Tripadvisor. Are the customers happy? Find an example of a successful upselling! www.lrjj.cn

Upselling Tips 1. Know the property (including events going on) 2. Know the selling points and highlights of each room type and what type of travel/number of travelers the room type is best suited for 3. Know availability 4. Ask every arrival 5. Negotiate, don t annoy www.lrjj.cn

Exercise 2 Using the upselling phrases role-play the upselling of a Club Room (see promotion) to an FIT guest who booked the Luxury Room (RMB 888 without breakfast). Use the following prices in your dialogue: Buffet Breakfast RBM 148, Club Room rack rate RMB 1588 www.lrjj.cn

Homework Read Case Study p. 145 Be prepared to discuss the questions in the next class. www.lrjj.cn

Chapter 7. Check-in of New Arrivals: Walking the Guests www.lrjj.cn

Denying Accommodation Walk-in Guests Guests with Non-Guaranteed Reservations Guests with Guaranteed Reservations www.lrjj.cn

Question In which situation the hotel has to deny the accommodation to guests with guaranteed reservations? www.lrjj.cn

Definitions Walk-in Guests Walk-out Guests (Skipper) Walking a Guest www.lrjj.cn

Before Walking the Guaranteed Guests 1. How can you 100% ensure that there are no any rooms available? 2. How can you decide which guests you need to walk? Which documents can help you? www.lrjj.cn

Before Walking the Guaranteed Guests 1. Review all front desk transactions to ensure full occupancy 2. Re-take an accurate count of rooms occupied, using all relevant data 3. Compare information in the rooms availability file, the housekeeper s report, and guest folios for discrepancies in occupancy status. www.lrjj.cn

Before Walking the Guaranteed Guests 4. Contact in house departure guests who have not yet checked out to confirm their departure time. 5. Verify guestrooms with a status of out of order to ensure accuracy. 6. Identify rooms pre-blocked for one or two days in the future. www.lrjj.cn

Suggestions of Handling the Walked Guests Encourage to return Guests should be encouraged to return to the hotel at the earliest date of availability. Upon their return, they may be placed on a VIP list, provided a complimentary room upgrade, or presented with a small gift as compensation. Write a follow-up letter Management should prepare a follow-up letter to be sent to guests who arrived with a reservation but could not be accommodated. www.lrjj.cn

Suggestions of Handling the Walked Guests Notify meeting planner If a member of a convention block cannot be accommodated, the group s meeting planner should be notified. Cover transportation costs The hotel may pay the transportation expenses associated with having the guest travel to an alternative property. www.lrjj.cn