Processing a Reservation
Processing reservation involves matching room request with room availabilities, recording, confirming and maintaining reservation and producing management Reports. Reservation information is especially useful in other Front Office functions. For example- with the information gathered during the reservation process, front office personnel can finalize room assignment, initiate guest accounting and guest history files, and fulfill guest special request. The typical activities associated with Reservation Process are:-
(1) Receiving Inquiries
(2) Determining Room & Rate Availability
(3) Accepting or Denying Request for Reservation
(4) Documenting Reservation Details
(5) Confirming Reservations
(6) Maintaining Reservation Records
(7) Compiling Reservation Reports
1. Receiving Inquiries-
A reservation request can be received through a variety of Modes like- written/verbal. The first step in the reservation process is to obtain information about a guest’s proposed stay, to check whether a room is available. The information a reservation clerk needs to obtain from guest in order to give a speedy response, whether YES/NO, is as follows:-
Date of Arrival
Length of Proposed Stay
Type and No. of Rooms Required
No. of Person
2. Determining Room & Rate Availability-
After obtaining the information about the proposed stay from the customer, the next step in the reservation process is to check whether, the type of accommodation asked for, is available for requested date(s). in any reservation system, it is essential to keep a close check on the no. of reservation taken so as to avoid excessive overbooking. Overbooking occurs when a hotel accepts more booking then the no. of rooms which are available.
However, it is common in many hotels for the reservation department to overbook intentionally in order to ensure that a full house i.e. 100% occupancy, will be achieved. This overbooking is done after stragically working on Cancellation, Understay, Overbooking, Early arrival, No-show etc; thus helping hotel to reduce the loss in revenue on a particular day. Whether hotels intentionally overbook or not, an effective system has to be used to check on room availability. This can be accomplished through the use of:-
a) Forecasted Board
b) Reservation Charts-------- Conventional Chart (Advance letting Chart)
i. Density Chart
ii. Stop & Go Chart (Space Availability Chart)
c) Computerized System of Reservation
Accepting or Denying Request for Reservation-
Having checked that a room is available, the reservation clerk will either accepted / deny the booking. If a room is available, the request will normally be accepted. The Reservation clerk will then record the details into a reservation form or computer terminal.
Hotel XYZ
RESERVATION FORM
Arrival Date ………………………. Day …………… Special services ……………
Departure Date …………………… Day …………… Booked By …………………..
Group Name ……………………………………. Phone ……………………………...
Source Code ……………………………………. Confirmation ( ) Yes ( ) No
Room Type ……………………………………… Resv. Taken By …………………..
Sur Name …………… Middle Name …………… First Name ………………………
Company …………………………………… Date Reservation Taken ……………….
Address ……………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………….
No. of Pax ……………….. Rate ………………….. Mode of Payment ( ) Cash
( ) Credit Card
( ) Voucher
( ) Bill To Company
( ) Guaranteed ( ) 6 PM
Comments ……………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………….
…………………………………………………………………………………….
The reservation department may choose not to accept a booking, this is called denying the booking. This happens when:-
(i) A hotel may not have the specified accommodation available on the requested date.
(ii) A hotel is fully booked.
(iii) A guest is known to be on the Black List.
(A Black List is a record authorized by the hotel management of the names of persons not welcome in the hotel for various reason.)
When denying a specific reservation request, the reservation clerk should always be polite and helpful, he/she should apologize and explain the customer that the particular accommodation requested is not available or fully booked and offer the alternates dates of accommodation. In case of blacklisted guest, the request for reservation should be dealt very tactfully and if required should referred to the Front Office Manager.
Documenting Reservation Details-
i.e. Recording all the details of reservation in the Reservation Form and confirming the Guarantee type. And further putting the information of Reservation form into the following:-
Reservation Journal
Booking Diary / Hotel Diary
Whitney Reservation Rack (Whitney System)
Cardex System
Computerized Reservation System
The details taken in reservation form are as follows-
(a) Guest / Group Name
(b) Guest’s Home/ Billing Address
(c) Guest Telephone No. including area code
(d) Company Name, Address & Telephone No.
(e) Name of Caller / person who requesting the reservation.
(f) Name of person (Adult & Children separate)
(g) Arrival date / time
(h) Departure date / time
(i) Reservation type – Guaranteed / Non guaranteed
(j) Mode of Payment – Cash / Credit Card / Company Letter / Voucher etc.
(k) Special requirement / request – infant, disables, no-smoking etc.
(l) Additional Information (like- airport pick-up, late arrival, flight no., room preference etc.)
Once a request has been accepted and the details of the reservation recorded, the Reservation Clerk must immediately update the room availability chart. This ensures that the Room Availability record is accurate and thereby helps to avoid overbooking or omissions.
5. Confirming Reservation (Acknowledging the Reservation)
A reservation confirmation means that the hotel acknowledge and verified a guest’s room request and personal information by telephoning, faxing, telexing or mailing a “Letter of Confirmation”. A written confirmation states the intent of both parties (Hotel & Guest) and confirm important points of agreement: names, dates, rate, type, of accommodation, number of rooms, deposit required or received, and no. of guest. Confirmed Reservation may be either Guaranteed or Non-Guaranteed.
Reservation departments normally generate a letter of confirmation on the day of Reservation request is received. Information can be retrieved from the reservation record and manually or electronically entered into a specially designed form. A confirmation letter generally includes-
Name and Address of Guest
Date & Time of Arrival
Room Type and rate
Length of stay
No. of person in party
Type of Reservation – Guaranteed / Non-Guaranteed
Reservation Confirmation No.
Special request if any
Depending on the nature of the Reservation, a letter of Confirmation may also include a request for a deposit / prepayment , or any update of the original reservation detailing Re-confirmation, modification, amendment or cancellation.
Letter of Confirmation
Attn:
(Guest Name)
No. of Guest
Guest Name
Reservation Date
Arrival ……….Departure …………
No. of Rooms
Room Type
Room Rate
Rate Description
Remark
Dear Mr. / Ms. …………………,
Thank you for making these Reservation with us on (Date/Day of Request) . On your request, we have arranged (No. of room) guest room(s) in our hotel for (Date / Day of Arrival) .
Please let us know if we can be of further service. We look forward to Mr./Ms. ( Guest Name) arrival at our hotel.
(Name)
Reservation Manager
N.B. – When calling or corresponding, please refer to your Confirmation No. ……………………..
Confirmation Number / Code:
As part of the reservation process, Central Reservation System as well as individual properties may assign a Reservation Confirmation No. A confirmation number helps to assure a guest that reservation records exist. It can be especially useful to a hotel in referencing a specific reservation record requiring Amendment / Cancellation etc.
Similarly, hotel may issue a Reservation Cancellation No. to guest properly canceling a reservation.
Example of a meaningful Reservation Confirmation No. –
120707-G-2-TB-PF-DLX-J237-CB
120707 – Date of Arrival
G – Guaranteed Reservation
2 – No. of Pax
TB – Twin Bed
PF – Pool Facing
DLX – Deluxe Room
J237 – Date of Receiving Request i.e. 23rd Jan,07
CB – Employee Code
6. Maintaining Reservation Record-
The maintenance of reservation record consist of three main type of activities:-
(i) The filing of original booking
(ii) Amendment or modification of the booking
(iii) Cancellation of original booking
(i) Filing of Original Booking
After recording the reservation details into the reservation form or into the computer and updating the room availability chart, it is necessary to have an efficient method of filing the booking details, so that the documents relating to each particular booking are easily retrieved when needed.
In manual reservation system, the Reservation form or card and relevant correspondence are usually filled in chronological order, i.e. according to the guest’s surname.
Each category in the filing system has its own purpose in the process of reservation.
Letter, memos, reservation form, or tour operator’s list must also be filled appropriately for quick access. In the booking needs Amending, the reservation clerk must be able to access the correct record quickly.
(ii) Amendment or Modification of the Booking
Occasionally a change to or cancellation of booking is requested. In these cases, an Amendment / Cancellation Form is completed by the Reservation Clerk and attached to the original Reservation Form and correspondence. At the same time, the room availability chart should be amended accordingly.
Amendment / Cancellation Form
Hotel XYZ
Amendment
Ref. No. / Reservation Confirmation No.
…………………………………………….
Cancellation
Ref. No. / Reservation Confirmation No.
…………………………………………….
Guest Name ____________________________________________________________________
Arrival Date _________________________ Departure Date _____________________________
Accommodation Required ______________________ Rate _____________________________
Remark ________________________________________________________________________
Date __________________________________ Completed By ____________________________
(iii) Cancellation
In case of a booking cancellation, various details are recorded to ensure that the correct booking is cancelled. It is also necessary to show who is responsible for canceling the booking .i.e. who in the hotel received the cancellation and who on behalf of the guest made the cancellation. If any discrepancies should occur, the reservation clerk will be able to spot the error right away. The cancellation details should include:-
· Date of Original Booking
· Guest’s Name
· Date when booking is cancelled
· Name of Person who cancelled the booking
· Cancellation No.
· Name of Reservation Clerk who received the Cancellation.
As with denied booking all the details of cancelled booking must be kept for historical data.
A reservation cancellation informs the hotel that a previously reserved room is once again available, and helps the Front Office more effectively manage its room inventory.
A non-guaranteed reservation cancellation takes place in a normal manner and should be done with reference to the Reservation Confirmation Number. After recording the cancellation, the reservation clerk will assign a cancellation number and may ask the caller whether he / she would like to make an alternate reservation.
In case of Credit Card Guarantee cancellation involves verification of cancellation request, which includes Reservation details along with Reservation Confirmation No. After this a Cancellation Number is assigned and explain properly to the guest that the Cancellation no. should be retained by the guest as a proof of “Cancellation” in the event of any false credit card billing.
In case of Advance Deposit , the deposit are normally returned to guest who properly cancelled the reservation.
In case of Company Letter / Voucher, the cancellation request approaches the hotel only by the Corporation / travel agency, not by the traveler. The name of person who approaches the hotel for cancellation is recorded and a “Letter of Cancellation” is sent to corporation / travel agency.
7. Compiling Reservation Report-
The final step in the reservation process is the compilation of reservation report. Information from these reports can help a hotel to maximize its room sale by the accurate control of room availability and the forecasting of potential room sales. Other department may also make use of this, information to assist in the planning of their budgets or forecasts.
Popular Reservation Management Reports includes:-
(i) Expected Arrival and Expected Departure List- i.e. list of guests who are due to arrive or depart on a particular day. Usually taken out for the next day in advance.
(ii) Room Availability Report- i.e. A list showing no. of room s available on various dates.
(iii) Turn Away Report- A report on no. of reservation denied.
(iv) Revenue Forecast Report- A report on the projected revenue from future room sales.
(v) Commission Agent Report- This report tracks the amount the hotel owes to each commission agent.
(vi) Reservation Transaction Report- This report summarizes daily reservation activity in term of reservation record creation, modification and cancellation.
(vii) Group Status Report- A list of group due to arrive / depart with information on the group size, reservation type – Guaranteed / Non-Guaranteed.
Besides these reports, there are Cancellation Reports, No-Show Reports, Blocked Room Reports, Expected VIP’s Arrival Reports, Market Segment Analysis Report etc.
Processing reservation involves matching room request with room availabilities, recording, confirming and maintaining reservation and producing management Reports. Reservation information is especially useful in other Front Office functions. For example- with the information gathered during the reservation process, front office personnel can finalize room assignment, initiate guest accounting and guest history files, and fulfill guest special request. The typical activities associated with Reservation Process are:-
(1) Receiving Inquiries
(2) Determining Room & Rate Availability
(3) Accepting or Denying Request for Reservation
(4) Documenting Reservation Details
(5) Confirming Reservations
(6) Maintaining Reservation Records
(7) Compiling Reservation Reports
1. Receiving Inquiries-
A reservation request can be received through a variety of Modes like- written/verbal. The first step in the reservation process is to obtain information about a guest’s proposed stay, to check whether a room is available. The information a reservation clerk needs to obtain from guest in order to give a speedy response, whether YES/NO, is as follows:-
Date of Arrival
Length of Proposed Stay
Type and No. of Rooms Required
No. of Person
2. Determining Room & Rate Availability-
After obtaining the information about the proposed stay from the customer, the next step in the reservation process is to check whether, the type of accommodation asked for, is available for requested date(s). in any reservation system, it is essential to keep a close check on the no. of reservation taken so as to avoid excessive overbooking. Overbooking occurs when a hotel accepts more booking then the no. of rooms which are available.
However, it is common in many hotels for the reservation department to overbook intentionally in order to ensure that a full house i.e. 100% occupancy, will be achieved. This overbooking is done after stragically working on Cancellation, Understay, Overbooking, Early arrival, No-show etc; thus helping hotel to reduce the loss in revenue on a particular day. Whether hotels intentionally overbook or not, an effective system has to be used to check on room availability. This can be accomplished through the use of:-
a) Forecasted Board
b) Reservation Charts-------- Conventional Chart (Advance letting Chart)
i. Density Chart
ii. Stop & Go Chart (Space Availability Chart)
c) Computerized System of Reservation
Accepting or Denying Request for Reservation-
Having checked that a room is available, the reservation clerk will either accepted / deny the booking. If a room is available, the request will normally be accepted. The Reservation clerk will then record the details into a reservation form or computer terminal.
Hotel XYZ
RESERVATION FORM
Arrival Date ………………………. Day …………… Special services ……………
Departure Date …………………… Day …………… Booked By …………………..
Group Name ……………………………………. Phone ……………………………...
Source Code ……………………………………. Confirmation ( ) Yes ( ) No
Room Type ……………………………………… Resv. Taken By …………………..
Sur Name …………… Middle Name …………… First Name ………………………
Company …………………………………… Date Reservation Taken ……………….
Address ……………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………….
No. of Pax ……………….. Rate ………………….. Mode of Payment ( ) Cash
( ) Credit Card
( ) Voucher
( ) Bill To Company
( ) Guaranteed ( ) 6 PM
Comments ……………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………….
…………………………………………………………………………………….
The reservation department may choose not to accept a booking, this is called denying the booking. This happens when:-
(i) A hotel may not have the specified accommodation available on the requested date.
(ii) A hotel is fully booked.
(iii) A guest is known to be on the Black List.
(A Black List is a record authorized by the hotel management of the names of persons not welcome in the hotel for various reason.)
When denying a specific reservation request, the reservation clerk should always be polite and helpful, he/she should apologize and explain the customer that the particular accommodation requested is not available or fully booked and offer the alternates dates of accommodation. In case of blacklisted guest, the request for reservation should be dealt very tactfully and if required should referred to the Front Office Manager.
Documenting Reservation Details-
i.e. Recording all the details of reservation in the Reservation Form and confirming the Guarantee type. And further putting the information of Reservation form into the following:-
Reservation Journal
Booking Diary / Hotel Diary
Whitney Reservation Rack (Whitney System)
Cardex System
Computerized Reservation System
The details taken in reservation form are as follows-
(a) Guest / Group Name
(b) Guest’s Home/ Billing Address
(c) Guest Telephone No. including area code
(d) Company Name, Address & Telephone No.
(e) Name of Caller / person who requesting the reservation.
(f) Name of person (Adult & Children separate)
(g) Arrival date / time
(h) Departure date / time
(i) Reservation type – Guaranteed / Non guaranteed
(j) Mode of Payment – Cash / Credit Card / Company Letter / Voucher etc.
(k) Special requirement / request – infant, disables, no-smoking etc.
(l) Additional Information (like- airport pick-up, late arrival, flight no., room preference etc.)
Once a request has been accepted and the details of the reservation recorded, the Reservation Clerk must immediately update the room availability chart. This ensures that the Room Availability record is accurate and thereby helps to avoid overbooking or omissions.
5. Confirming Reservation (Acknowledging the Reservation)
A reservation confirmation means that the hotel acknowledge and verified a guest’s room request and personal information by telephoning, faxing, telexing or mailing a “Letter of Confirmation”. A written confirmation states the intent of both parties (Hotel & Guest) and confirm important points of agreement: names, dates, rate, type, of accommodation, number of rooms, deposit required or received, and no. of guest. Confirmed Reservation may be either Guaranteed or Non-Guaranteed.
Reservation departments normally generate a letter of confirmation on the day of Reservation request is received. Information can be retrieved from the reservation record and manually or electronically entered into a specially designed form. A confirmation letter generally includes-
Name and Address of Guest
Date & Time of Arrival
Room Type and rate
Length of stay
No. of person in party
Type of Reservation – Guaranteed / Non-Guaranteed
Reservation Confirmation No.
Special request if any
Depending on the nature of the Reservation, a letter of Confirmation may also include a request for a deposit / prepayment , or any update of the original reservation detailing Re-confirmation, modification, amendment or cancellation.
Letter of Confirmation
Attn:
(Guest Name)
No. of Guest
Guest Name
Reservation Date
Arrival ……….Departure …………
No. of Rooms
Room Type
Room Rate
Rate Description
Remark
Dear Mr. / Ms. …………………,
Thank you for making these Reservation with us on (Date/Day of Request) . On your request, we have arranged (No. of room) guest room(s) in our hotel for (Date / Day of Arrival) .
Please let us know if we can be of further service. We look forward to Mr./Ms. ( Guest Name) arrival at our hotel.
(Name)
Reservation Manager
N.B. – When calling or corresponding, please refer to your Confirmation No. ……………………..
Confirmation Number / Code:
As part of the reservation process, Central Reservation System as well as individual properties may assign a Reservation Confirmation No. A confirmation number helps to assure a guest that reservation records exist. It can be especially useful to a hotel in referencing a specific reservation record requiring Amendment / Cancellation etc.
Similarly, hotel may issue a Reservation Cancellation No. to guest properly canceling a reservation.
Example of a meaningful Reservation Confirmation No. –
120707-G-2-TB-PF-DLX-J237-CB
120707 – Date of Arrival
G – Guaranteed Reservation
2 – No. of Pax
TB – Twin Bed
PF – Pool Facing
DLX – Deluxe Room
J237 – Date of Receiving Request i.e. 23rd Jan,07
CB – Employee Code
6. Maintaining Reservation Record-
The maintenance of reservation record consist of three main type of activities:-
(i) The filing of original booking
(ii) Amendment or modification of the booking
(iii) Cancellation of original booking
(i) Filing of Original Booking
After recording the reservation details into the reservation form or into the computer and updating the room availability chart, it is necessary to have an efficient method of filing the booking details, so that the documents relating to each particular booking are easily retrieved when needed.
In manual reservation system, the Reservation form or card and relevant correspondence are usually filled in chronological order, i.e. according to the guest’s surname.
Each category in the filing system has its own purpose in the process of reservation.
Letter, memos, reservation form, or tour operator’s list must also be filled appropriately for quick access. In the booking needs Amending, the reservation clerk must be able to access the correct record quickly.
(ii) Amendment or Modification of the Booking
Occasionally a change to or cancellation of booking is requested. In these cases, an Amendment / Cancellation Form is completed by the Reservation Clerk and attached to the original Reservation Form and correspondence. At the same time, the room availability chart should be amended accordingly.
Amendment / Cancellation Form
Hotel XYZ
Amendment
Ref. No. / Reservation Confirmation No.
…………………………………………….
Cancellation
Ref. No. / Reservation Confirmation No.
…………………………………………….
Guest Name ____________________________________________________________________
Arrival Date _________________________ Departure Date _____________________________
Accommodation Required ______________________ Rate _____________________________
Remark ________________________________________________________________________
Date __________________________________ Completed By ____________________________
(iii) Cancellation
In case of a booking cancellation, various details are recorded to ensure that the correct booking is cancelled. It is also necessary to show who is responsible for canceling the booking .i.e. who in the hotel received the cancellation and who on behalf of the guest made the cancellation. If any discrepancies should occur, the reservation clerk will be able to spot the error right away. The cancellation details should include:-
· Date of Original Booking
· Guest’s Name
· Date when booking is cancelled
· Name of Person who cancelled the booking
· Cancellation No.
· Name of Reservation Clerk who received the Cancellation.
As with denied booking all the details of cancelled booking must be kept for historical data.
A reservation cancellation informs the hotel that a previously reserved room is once again available, and helps the Front Office more effectively manage its room inventory.
A non-guaranteed reservation cancellation takes place in a normal manner and should be done with reference to the Reservation Confirmation Number. After recording the cancellation, the reservation clerk will assign a cancellation number and may ask the caller whether he / she would like to make an alternate reservation.
In case of Credit Card Guarantee cancellation involves verification of cancellation request, which includes Reservation details along with Reservation Confirmation No. After this a Cancellation Number is assigned and explain properly to the guest that the Cancellation no. should be retained by the guest as a proof of “Cancellation” in the event of any false credit card billing.
In case of Advance Deposit , the deposit are normally returned to guest who properly cancelled the reservation.
In case of Company Letter / Voucher, the cancellation request approaches the hotel only by the Corporation / travel agency, not by the traveler. The name of person who approaches the hotel for cancellation is recorded and a “Letter of Cancellation” is sent to corporation / travel agency.
7. Compiling Reservation Report-
The final step in the reservation process is the compilation of reservation report. Information from these reports can help a hotel to maximize its room sale by the accurate control of room availability and the forecasting of potential room sales. Other department may also make use of this, information to assist in the planning of their budgets or forecasts.
Popular Reservation Management Reports includes:-
(i) Expected Arrival and Expected Departure List- i.e. list of guests who are due to arrive or depart on a particular day. Usually taken out for the next day in advance.
(ii) Room Availability Report- i.e. A list showing no. of room s available on various dates.
(iii) Turn Away Report- A report on no. of reservation denied.
(iv) Revenue Forecast Report- A report on the projected revenue from future room sales.
(v) Commission Agent Report- This report tracks the amount the hotel owes to each commission agent.
(vi) Reservation Transaction Report- This report summarizes daily reservation activity in term of reservation record creation, modification and cancellation.
(vii) Group Status Report- A list of group due to arrive / depart with information on the group size, reservation type – Guaranteed / Non-Guaranteed.
Besides these reports, there are Cancellation Reports, No-Show Reports, Blocked Room Reports, Expected VIP’s Arrival Reports, Market Segment Analysis Report etc.
