FOF601 – Front Office Procedures Week 4 Lecture Notes FOF601 – Front Office Procedures

At the end of this session: Aim & Objectives: At the end of this session: Students should be able to identify the critical period for both the hotel and the guests. Which front office section deals with new arrivals or registrations Students should focuses on developing their skills of checking in guests.

Introduction The reception department is often the first hotel department that a guest encounters when arriving at a hotel. The main duties of the department are: Welcoming and checking in of new arrivals. Selling the facilities of a hotel Maintaining records of resident guests Providing guest information for other sections of the front office and other departments of a hotel.

Contd. Registration can be defined as the process of assigning rooms to the guest at the time of their arrivals by filling necessary details about the guest and the rooms contain in a registration from. Registration from acts as a source of information about guest and acts as a legal proof for both the hotel guest. When a guest arrives at the hotel, the registration process begins with the display of hospitality towards the guest/ visitors after the receptionist has welcomed (greeted) the guest. S/ he enquires if a reservation has been made. If the guest responds affirmatively, the reservation record is checked. If the guest is a walk-in, the availability of accommodation is to be established. The next step is to complete the registration card, obtain the guest signature and register the guest. Thereafter, the key card is filled-up and appropriate key is handed over to the guest by the information assistant. If the guest needs luggage/baggage assistance, bellboy is summoned to carry them from lobby to guest bedroom

Contd. After the guest has left front desks, like the guest folio opened where details from the registration card are transferred the hard copy of registration card is affixed to the folio and It is handed to the front office cashier. Arrival notification slips are issued to concerned departments and sections such as housekeeping, room service, telephone, lobby, and information. In addition to VIPs and CIPs complimentary amenities requisition from that should be filled up by the receptionist. The amenity complimentary form includes flowers, fruits, mini bar, etc.

importance of Registration It is a legal piece of document which verifies the attendance of the guest in the hotel. Hence, all guests coming to stay in the hotel must be dully registered. It helps to keep a close track on the movement of the guests, especially tourists, within the country by the public authority. In the case of any unforeseen and unprecedented situations, like serious accidents, natural death, homicide, etc. the kith and kin of the guest can be readily informed on the basis of this data. The information thus collected can be used for market analysis, market survey, and other marketing strategies. Based on this data, guest history card can be maintained and updated. The forwarding address helps to redirect any guest mails and the contact address helps to foster relations even after guest checks-out of the hotel.

Check-In Procedure This is a process of guest registration at the front office reception counter which mostly occurs from afternoon till late evening. This begins when the front office personnel extends a sincere welcome to the guest. This is the first impression which can attract or distract the prospective guests. There must be a room ready, and there are various necessary formalities to be done when the guest arrives. When there is a new arrival of the guest at the hotel, the front desk receptionist must follow this procedure. The procedure for normal check-in may be summarized in the following stages:

Stage 1: Receiving and Registration Receive the guest in front of house Open the door and welcome the guest (The doorman buzzes the bell desk) Bring the luggage and baggage into the lobby (This is done by the bellboy/ porter) Escort the guest up to reception desk (usually done by the bellboy/porter) Receive the guests at reception Welcome the guest promptly with a cheerful and pleasant smile Address with the appropriate surname, if known.

Register the guest Complete the registration card or register the guest Verify the information on the registration against the reservation ensuring the accuracy of name, date, and payment mechanism. Stamp check-in time on the registration card. Carry out the final check of the registration card for guest signature. Discuss room preference with guest as per the availability, or select an available room which is "ready to let” and allocate the room. Stage 2: Allocation of the room Allocation of the room means assigning a vacant and ready (VR) room to the guest for staying. In order to allocate a guest room, accurate room status information is required. For this purpose, a room status board or room rack is kept in the reception. When the room has been allocated, the reception should; Block or code the room as sold. Prepare key card of related room number by entering the arrival and departure date, rate and offer it to the guest for signature. give the room key to either the guest or the bellboy record guest arrival on daily arrival list

Stage 3: Secure advance Payment Advance payment should be done for security purpose. It is usually done by accepting a cash deposit or taking a credit card. While handling advance deposit, whether cash/ cheque, always: Issue a receipt for cash/ cheque and record the payment in the guests ‘ledger. Accept credit card and evaluate for its credit limit and availability. Get the imprint of the card and obtain a guest signature. (Type of guest in this procedure are categorized as chance guest FIT, GIT, and VIP)

Stage 4: Information service Receptionist is responsible for informing guest about facilities and services offered by the hotel. This helps to increase the sale. At this point, the receptionist should; Acknowledge the guest about the hotel's activities, facilities, and service with direction and location. Enquire if the guest requires a wake-up call. If so, record it correctly.

Stage 5: Complete the check-in formalities After the check-in formalities are completed, The bellboy should escort the guest up to the allocated room. Inform other departments and sections about the guest arrival by arrival notification slip. Stage 6: Open the guest folio Open guest bill/ folio. Record the key information for billing purpose (room rate, number of nights, departure date and mode of payment) File the bill in the guests' folio box together with the completed registration card.

Group Check-in Procedure Rooms are already blocked for the group Tags to identify baggage should be attached to the baggage and room number (errand card). Registration card may be distributed through the group leader. Welcome drinks should be provided before the room assignment to VIP. VIPS should be received by the Front Office Manager or General Manager. Receptionist notifies the housekeeping for welcome card and bouquet of flowers and room service for fruits in the guest bedroom. In some instance, registration of the guest may take place in his/ her room In the case of airline crews, physically disabled, old guest, etc., the registration card can be completed in advance, necessitating only the guest signature on arrival.

CHECK IN OF NEW ARRIVALS Registration begins when the front desk agent extends a sincere welcome to the guest. A warm greeting sets the tone for everything that follows. The front desk agent moves into the registration process after determining the guest reservation status. To a great degree, registration relies on the information contained in a reservation record. Front office personnel will find registration simpler and smoother when accurate & complete information has been captured during the reservations process.

Basic REGISTRATION PROCESS The registration process can be divided into seven [7] steps 1.Pre registration Activities Pre registration activities [registration activities that occur before the guest arrives at the property] help accelerate the registration process. Typically, pre registered guests only need to verify information already entered onto a registration record and provide a valid signature in the appropriate place on a registration card. Preregistration normally involves: Releasing of VD rooms from housekeeper Printing of registration cards Allocating of VC rooms to arrival guests Check room keys Check EFPOS machine for credit card payments or access card. Mail & Information Follow up with special requests

The registration process 2.Creating the Registration Record After the guest arrives at the hotel, the front desk agent creates a registration record, a collection of important guest information. Registration records facilitate the registration process. The registration record requires the guest to write [desk booking] or verify if the registration record has been pre – printed by the property management system. The registration records usually contain a space for SIGNATURE to indicate acceptance of room rate, date of departure & foremost is liable to any expenses incurred during the guest stay.

The registration process 3.Assigning the Room & Rates Room assignment is an important part of the registration process. Room assignment involves identifying and allocating an available room in a specific room category to a guest. When a guest request is ambiguous, or when a room is unavailable in the guests’ preferred category, a front desk agent may query the front office system to locate an acceptable available room.

The registration process 4.Establishing the Method of Payment Regardless of whether the guest intends to pay by cash, credit card, and check or other acceptable method, the hotel should take precautionary measures to ensure payment. E.g. of Method of Payments: Cash Credit Card LPO/VOUCHE P/CHQ

The registration process 5.Verifying the Guest Identity Many hotels require positive identification to complete the registration process. Front desk agent should request for guest passport for positive ID of guest’s name, address, signature & photograph.

The registration process 6.Issuing the Room Key By issuing the room key, the front desk agent completes the registration process. Hotel varies when directing guest to their room e.g. some provide map showing guestroom locations or the porter directs guest to their room.

The registration process 7.Fulfilling Special Requests Part of the registration process involves acknowledging and acting on special requests that guest make.e.g. a guest may have requested connecting rooms during the reservation process. These rooms should be blocked in advance to ensure that they are available when the guest arrives.

QUESTIONS?????? Guest Cycle Discussion