GUEST CYCLE

INTRODUCTION:

The guests have four main stages of interaction with the hotel-pre-arrival, arrival stay, and departure. All guests go through the same procedure as they proceed from reservation to arrival and allotment of rooms, till their stay in the hotel, to the settlement of their bills and departure from the hotel. These various stages of activities constitute the guest cycle. 
 

PHASES OF GUEST CYCLE:

 There are 5 stages in Guest Cycle:

1- Pre-Arrival

2- Arrival

3- During the stay/Occupancy

4- Departure

5- Post Departure

1. PRE-ARRIVAL

  1. GUEST MAKES A CHOICE OF HOTEL CHOICE DEPENDS ON FOLLOWING FACTORS:
  • Previous experience with the hotel
    • Advertisements
    • Recommendations from relatives, friends and business associates
    • Hotel location, reputation and facilities offered
    • Frequent traveler’s program
    • Creation of guest folio (in case of advance payment)
    • Preconception based on hotel’s name or chain affiliation

B. GUEST BOOKS A ROOM

  • Reservation record is created if request matches room availability and the Guest cycle initiates

2. ARRIVAL

REGISTRATION AND ROOMING ACTIVITIES TAKES PLACE IN THIS STAGE

  • Pre-Registration
    • Welcoming on arrival (ATG)
    • Determining status of the guest
    • Scanning guest documents
    • Offer suitable rooms
    • Quote rates
  • Filling of Registration Card
  • Filling of Key Card
  • Call bell boy and handover the Guest Room Keys
  • Fulfilling guest special request
  • Wishing guest a happy stay

3. OCCUPANCY

  • Handling guest accounts
  • Information services
  • Message and mail handling
  • Key handling
  • Guest Complaint handling
  • Maintaining Guest history
  • Guest paging
  • Safety deposit locker
  • Guest room change
  • Travel arrangements

4. DEPARTURE

  • GUEST SERVICE AND BILLING ASPECTS OF GUEST CYCLE COMPLETES DURING THIS STAGE
    • Checking out the guest
    • Settlement of guest account
  • AT CHECK OUT –
    • Guest vacates the room
    • Luggage handling
    • Receives statement of account
    • Returns the room keys
    • Feedback
    • Leaves the hotel
  • FRONT OFFICE UPDATES ROOM AVAILABILITY

5. POST DEPARTURE

  • Update/create guest history
  • Analyze data related to guest stay
  • Isolate problem areas
  • Identify and take corrective actions
  • Review cash and credit sale
  • Sales and Marketing activity (for future reservations)

FUNCTIONS OF FRONT OFFICE DURING THE VARIOUS STAGES OF GUEST CYCLE

PRE-ARRIVAL

In pre- arrival , reservation is created.

RESERVATION:

Reservation in hotel industry is defined as Advance Booking of a room for a particular guest and for a duration of time to ensure room availability in advance.

IMPORTANCE OF RESERVATION TO HOTEL

  • Reservation confirms the selling of rooms in the future
  • Helps in meeting special request of the guest before his/her arrival
  • Helps in allocating right type of room to right guest
  • Pre-registration activities can be performed
  • Kitchens and F&B can plan their activities accordingly
  • Overall, the hotels know how much revenue they will be generating in future

TYPES OF RESERVATION

    1. GUARANTEED RESERVATION (CONFIRMED)
  • Guest guarantees the room reservation by paying some advance
  • Hotel blocks the room for the specified stay dates and sends a confirmation letter to the guest
  • The confirmation letter contains the following information:
    • Name of the guest
    • Date and time of arrival
    • Room type
    • Duration of stay
    • Room rate
    • Number of persons
    • confirmation number
    • Special request made by guest
  • Hotel guarantees accommodation for the guest even if the guest does not arrive at the specified time.
  • In case of a no-show, the hotel charges the guest with retention charges
  • Retention charges:
  • One night room rent charged to the guest holding a guaranteed reservation in case he becomes a no-show.
No – Show:
  • Guest holding guaranteed reservation does not arrive on the day of arrival.
  • Causes  loss of revenue but increases the availability of rooms for sale to walk-ins
  • Record of no-show is kept in the hotel for each day in no-show register. This helps the management in :
    • Raising  retention bill
    • Revise policy for travel agents whose no-show rate is high
    • Decide % of overbooking for future to compensate no show
2. NON – GURANTEED RESERVATION  (TENTATIVE)       
  • When a guest request for booking a room in hotel and  hotel blocks the room provisionally without any payments
  • The hotel informs the cut-off time
    • 6-24 hrs (FIT)
    • 1 month (GIT)
  • By which the guest should confirm the reservation
  • Once the confirmation from the guest is received, the hotel converts the tentative booking into a confirmed booking and updates the reservation records
  • If the confirmation is not received the tentative reservation gets cancelled

Cut off date: The date by which the guest holding a tentative reservation has to call back and confirm his booking

3. WAITLISTED RESERVATION
  • A reservation is waitlisted when the room is not available for the requested dates
  • In future if the hotel receives a cancellation for same category of room, the waitlisted reservation is confirmed
  • This situation occurs in high occupancy period, like weekend, festival time, fairs etc.
SOURCES OF RESERVATION
  • DIRECT
  • INTERSELL  AGENCY
  • CRS
  • GDS
  • AGENCY
  • CORPORATE BODIES
  • GOVT SECTORS
  • HOTEL WEBSITE
1. DIRECT RESERVATION
  • Reservation request that a hotel receives direct from an individual or group   (No mediator)
  • E.g. FIT’s, GITs
2. INTERSELL AGENCIES
  • Agencies which handle reservations for more than one product line

   e.g. Hotel, restaurant, car rental, airlines , tour operations, travel arrangements, railway bookings, etc.

  • Approach: “One call does it all”
  • For e.g.: Make My Trip, Travel Guru, etc.
3. CRS – CENTRALIZED RESERVATION SYSTEM
  • This is a computer based reservation system
  • Enable guest to make reservation in hotels at any destination in a single call
  • They are connected by toll free telephone numbers
  • Works 24×7
  • Equipped with necessary communication equipment like computers, telephones , fax machines etc.
Types of centralized reservation system(CRS)
  • Affiliated
  • Non Affiliated

Affiliated computerized reservation system:

  • In this system all the participating hotel units belong to the same chain
  • Allots a certain % of rooms to CRO (Centralized Reservation Office)
  • For e.g.: Welcome net by welcome group

Non- affiliated centralized reservation system:

  • This is a subscription based system
  • It includes independent and non-chain properties, which become a member of CRS by paying a nominal fee
  • They allot a certain number of rooms to CRO depending upon the performance
  • CRO on receiving reservation request divert it to subscribed hotels
4. GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM(GDS)
  • It is a worldwide computerized reservation network, which is used as a single point access for reserving hotel rooms/airline seats/ car rentals
  • Provides a bundle of products and services to prospective user across geographical boundaries
  • e.g.: Amaedus, Galelio, Sabre, Fedelio, etc.  
5. AGENCIES
  • Reservation through travel agents and tour operators
  • Travel agents take advance from the guest for providing hotel services
  • As the agencies keep giving year long bookings to hotel, hotel offer low room rates to these agencies
6. CORPORATE BODIES
  • Hotels receive bookings from companies and  non-governmental organizations
  • Since these companies also give bulk business, they are offered lower rates
7. GOVERNMENT SECTORS
  • Government officials travel from one place to another for official work, so they constitute a major source of reservation and revenue for the hotel
  • Hotel receives booking from embassies, public sector companies and consultants etc.
8. HOTEL WEBSITES
  • Another major source of reservation
  • The website contains a link through which the guest can make reservation as per his choice
  • Photos galleries, description of rooms and facilities are displayed on the website
MODES OF RESERVATION

The guest may contact the hotel either in writing or verbally

Written Modes-
  • Letter
  • Fax
  • E-mail
Verbal Mode-
  • In person
  •  Telephone
AMENDMENTS

A change in the original booking by the guest

Amendments may be:

  • Changes in dates
  • Number of guest
  • Type of room type
  • Date of arrival and time ,Etc

The hotel on receiving the amendment request cancels the previous booking

,creates a new booking and updates in the system

Concerned departments are informed about the changes

CANCELLATIONS

Withdrawn of reservation by the guest

Cancellation policy should be communicate to guest at the time of booking to avoid any legal problem

In commercial hotel – 24hrs prior to arrival date and time

In resorts – 15 to 30 days before the arrival date

Once cancellation request is accepted, hotel should communicate back to guest and confirm cancellation

Note: cancellation numbers are not provided to the guest who cancels the reservation after the cancellation hour

 

RESERVATION PROCEDURE

Every hotel has its own SOP for taking reservation request.

Fit reservation procedure:
  1. Receive the call before the 3rd bell rings and wish the guest according to time
  2. Receive the reservation request
  3. Ask the guest the type of room required
  4. Check the room status availabilty
  5. If available:-
  6. Quote room tariff
  7. If not comfortable with room tariff-
  8. Make reservation tentative
  9. Inform cut-off date
  10. Ask for any other assistance
  11. Wish guest a nice day
  12. If comfortable with room tariff-
  13. Confirm reservation
  14. Fill reservation form
  15. Verify details
  16. Inform about check out time , retention charges, cancellation hour
  17. Ask for any other assistance
  18. Prepare movement list/ arrival departure list
  19. If room not available:-
  20. Apologise, and ask for any other help
Group reservation procedure-

 

Group- A group is a body of 15 people or more.

  1. An enquiry letter is send by the travel agent to the hotel at least 60-90 days in advance
  2. Hotel sends back confirmation letter to the travel agent along with   bulk reservation form
  3. Bulk reservation form is filled up and sent back to hotel. Guest details like name of guest , arrival details etc are attached in a separate sheet
  4. Hotel fixes up terms and conditions        
    • Passport details
    • Nationality
    • Special request
    • Details of travel agent / tour operator (name, address etc.)
    • A separate file is opened for each group

 Hotel books room in the name of travel agent

5.Travel agent prepares Travel agent voucher

  • This voucher gives a written instruction to the hotel about the billing and services to be rendered to the guest
  • It is made in 2/3 copies: hotel, travel agent,  and guest
  • Travel agent confirms the group reservation

6.Hotel reception  prepares the rooming list (rooming of guest with room numbers)

 3 copies of rooming list is prepared(Reception,Tour Leader, Bell desk)

7.Hotel informs travel agent the cut-off time

    Cut off date -30 days prior to arrival date.

    If reservation is cancelled after cut-off date one day room rent may be charged as retention charges for the number of rooms booked

8 .If reservation is guaranteed reception prepares Group Arrival Notification Slip and sends to HK, F & B, Kitchen

9.On group arrival a separate counter/GRE desk is arranged for registration

10.Welcomes guest with welcome drink

11.Belldesk coordinates with guest baggage

12.A supervisor is deployed to coordinate with the tour leader in case of group arrival.

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