Jagannath Institute of Management Sciences Lajpat Nagar BBA.HMTCT-II-SEM FRONT OFFICE MANAGEMENT

Transcription

1 Jagannath Institute of Management Sciences Lajpat Nagar BBA.HMTCT-II-SEM FRONT OFFICE MANAGEMENT

2 Chapter 1 BELL DESK Bell desk is an extended arm of front desk. There are many activities at the time of arrival, during stay and at the time of departure of guest which cannot be carried out from the front desk but are to be carried out essentially, in order to provide services to the guest. As the name suggests it is a small desk/counter in the lobby near the main entrance of the hotel. The bell desk should be situated in clear view of the front desk, cashier and particularly the doorman standing outside the lobby, so that the doorman may signal for a bellboy at the arrival of a guest. Further, it is also important that the bell desk is situated near the luggage centre and luggage entrance. Head Hall Porter The in-charge of uniformed staff is the head hall porter, and he usually wears a uniform of either tails or a frock coat with brass or silver buttons and gold or silver braid or any other uniforms as decided by the management. The majority of hall porters in larger hotels are members of an international society called as Societe des clefs d or and wear a badge of crossed keys on the lapel of their coat. Functions of Bell Desk The senior bell captain is the in-charge of bell desk and along with his staff performs various duties from here. The various functions performed from here are as follows. 1. Luggage handling Luggage handling of the guest is done at various occasions such as arrival, during stay (change of room) and at the time of departure. At the time of arrival when the luggage of the guest is moved from car/taxi to the lobby and further to the allotted room, the activity is called up bell activity. When the luggage of the guest is moved from room to lobby and further to the car/taxi at the time of departure the activity is called down bell activity. Temporary storage of luggage The baggage is collected from room upon request. A left luggage register (Refer to proforma given below) is maintained in this case and an entry is made in this book. A baggage ticket (which has two parts) is used (refer to proforma given below). One part is attached to the luggage and the counterfoil is given to the guest. This portion details the hotel s liability exemption clause. When the guest comes to collect his luggage he has to produce his portion of baggage ticket. The luggage store room must be secure at all times. 1

3 Date Room Name of Bell Boy Luggage Description Date of Remarks No. Guest No. Tag No. of Luggage Delivery HOTEL XYZ LTD. DATE.. ROOM NO BAGGAGE CHECK NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR GOODS LEFT OVER 30 DAYS SUIT CASE BRIEF CASE SUIT BOX GOLF BAGS UMBRELLA OVERCOAT PACKAGE OTHERS NO 1234 NOT RESPONSBILE FOR GOODS LEFT OVER 30 DAYS DATE NO ROON (ii) Peocedure The term left luggage is attributed to luggage left by a guest who checks out of the hotel but wishes to collect his luggage later. Guests who want to visit other cities in a country on a short tour may find it inconvenient to carry all their baggage with them or may find it uneconomical to retain a rron in the hotel where they can keep their luggage. Hotels provide the left luggage facility to guests who are likely to check into the hotel after their return from a tour though this is not strictly necessary. There might be guests who check out but intend to eventually depart much later in the day and occupy their time sight seeing. They would find it inconvenient to carry their luggage either them. They leave their luggage ion hotel premises under the guarantee by the management that the luggage would be safe. Some hotels may char4ge a fee for this facility but most hotels do not. Procedure for receiving and eventual delivery of left luggage. Receipt: 1. Ascertain if the guest wishing to leave his luggage has paid his hotel bill. 2. Staring the baggage ticket on each piece of luggage separately. The baggage ticket has a number, which is also printed on the counterfoil of the ticket. 3. Enter details in the left luggage register. 4. Tear off the counterfoil of each ticket and hand it over to the guest. 5. Keep the luggage in the left luggage area. Delivery: 1. Take the counterfoil of the luggage from the guest. 2. Tally the same with the ticket attached to the luggage in the left luggage area. 3. Enter the date of delivery in the left luggage register. 4. Retain counterfoil and tags of luggage. 2

4 Luggage Inventory It is a procedure to keep a track of all guests stored luggage either the bell service. This report is made periodically by the bell captain along with the help of bellboys. While doing this exercise the bell captain checks the following: (proforma given below) LUGGAGE INVENTORY SHEET S.No Luggage Name Room Date of Description Location Collection Remarks Tag No of the No Deposit of Luggage in Date Guest Luggage Room LEFT LUGGAGE FLOW CHART Intimation received from guest for storing luggage Ascertain no. of pieces and duration for storing Prepare left luggage receipt 1 st copy 2 nd copy 3 rd copy 4 th copy Collect cash & stamp Affix on File copy Retained in the Book paid & give to the guest baggage Direct bellboy to affix 2 nd when Copy on baggage and store collected Systematically as assigned Book sent to FO cashier as and directed with the cash to be deposited. PROCEDURE FOR DELIVERY OF LUGGAGE 3

5 Request guest for receipt For collection of baggage Identification of baggage by guest Collect receipt. Stamp delivered Baggage to guest s room or as directed File receipt systematically -Check that all the stored luggage have individual storage ticket and the name, date of deposit and collection etc. Written clearly on the ticket and are tallying with the record in the luggage storage register. -Also check that inventory details regarding each baggage viz. (luggage ticket number name of guest, room number, date of deposit/collection, description of baggage, location etc.) are written clearly and legibly on the luggage inventory sheet. And make sure that the total of luggage pieces in store are tallying with the records on the register once the inventory is done, the same is checked by the assistant manager. 2. Paging Apart form luggage handling the bell desk is also responsible for paging a guest. The paging is a system of locating the guest in the hotel. Many times the in-house guest expects a phone call or a visitor but decides not to wait in the room, and might decide to go to a public area such as bar, restaurant, swimming pool, lobby or lounge etc. of the hotel or may go out of the hotel. In such cases the hotel requests the guest to tell about his whereabouts through a location from (Refer to proforma on page number 331). This proforma may be kept in the stationery folder in the room as well as at the information section of the counter. Usually it is filled in by the guest but many times it may be filled in the hotel staff on the instructions of the guest. The completed location form is kept in the key and mail racks. This information is sent to telephone department also (the guest may directly inform or the front desk may do so) the purpose of the form is to earmark the area of paging and save time. In case of computer system the information is recorded in computer instead of location forms. In hotels different systems of paging are used. Page Board System The most commonly used system is called page board system or traditional system of paging in hotels. This is a simple system in which the bellboy/pageboy is required to carry a small board which has a small handle and small bells attached to it. The receptionst/informationist writes the name of the guest and his room number on the board, and the pageboy/bellboy carries this board to the public area which has been mentioned on the location form by the guest and keeps rigning the attached bells. This attracts the attention of the guest immediately. To avoid any embarrassment to the guest, no message etc. Should be written on the page board. This method of paging may create disturbance to other guests in the area and if the guest has not left any 4

6 whereabouts this system is time consuming as the paging might have to be done in various public areas one. In case the guest is in some meeting or conferece, the bellboy should contact and organizer or secretary who will contact the guest himself. Public Address System (A.P. System) Another system called as Public Address System (P. A. System) is used in some hotels these LOCATION FORM Hotel ABC Zero Street, New Delhi Phone.. Date: Time: EXPECTING Phone call. Visitor. I will be at. Restaurant: Abasacus Moughal Red & Black China-Street Surabi Bar Barber Shop Bank Lobby Swimming Pool Shopping Area Health Club Between and.gone 5

7 to.. Will be back by MESSAGE Room No. Name In case guests leave their room expecting any visitor or message, please fill in and leave this form at front desk. Thanking you Information Asstt. Days. In hotels, piped/relayed/channeled music is played from a central room. One switch of the same is with the receptionist/informationist who on receiving the phone call or a visitor for a guest switches off the channeled/piped music from all public areas and announces the name and room number of the guest to be paged. This is transmitted to all public areas at the same time. This saved times as well as efforts of pageboy/bellboys. The communication skill of the person announcing are important in the system. His voice, manner of speech modulation of voices, correct use of phrases, worlds and tone, etc. are very important. The tone should be friendly, interested and helpful. Pager/Beeper System With the development of electronic communication equipment some hill resorts or sea beach resorts which are spread in a vast area use pagers or beepers for paging VIP guests who are given pagers where they can be immediately reached if there is a phone call or visitor for them. 3. Mail and Message Handling The bell desk s function is also to handle and distribute mail and message received by the front desk in the absence of the guests to their respective rooms. Also distribution of newspaper and magazines etc. to various rooms and the areas of the hotel and keeping a record of the same is done by the bell desk. ( The activity of mail and message handling is discussed in detail later in this chapter). 4. Delivery of newspapers As per the hotel policy all hotel guests receive a copy of local newspaper each morning. The bellboys in the night shift are responsible for delivering the newspapers to all occupied rooms. The bell captain obtains the room verification report (providing information on all rooms presently occupied). The bellboy then marks the room numbers on each newspaper. The bellboys also inserts the daily newsletters in each paper provided by the public relations office the previous evening. The bellboy then distributes the newspapers. The record of numbers of newspapers received on daily basis is maintained by the night shift bell captain. 6

8 5. Collection of Room Keys at Departure. Another very important function of the bell desk is the collection of room key from a checkout guest and Depositing the same at the information desk. 6. Miscellaneous Jobs Miscellaneous Jobs such as postage stamps handling, taking care of outgoing mail of the guest, carry out outside errands for the guest and hotel such as buying of cinema tickets, moving of files and documents etc. for the guest as well as going to banks, post office and FRRO police station foe delivering of C forms etc., confirming of railways/bus reservation etc. are done by the bell desk. Bellboy shall do the outside jobs only on the instructions of bell captain. A service call slip will be prepared (Refer to page number 333 for proforma). Also an entry in the log book will be made and an entry in bell captain s control sheet, which is meant to control the movement of bellboy will be made. Finally when the bellboy will return an entry will be made in the service call slip and bell captain s control sheet and will be signed by bell captain. In most of the hotels these days bell desk is also responsible for ca parking area and control of revenue generated from car parking area. At times when there is a room discrepancy, the bell desk staff helps the lobby manager in checking and sorting out of the status of the hotel. PROFORMA OF SERVICE CALL SLIP S. No. Date. 7

9 Please permit the following employee/s for outdoor work at.from..hrs to hrs For use of Departmental Head For use of Security Department S.No Name Token No. Time out Time In Department Head Security Head IMPORTANT This form must be submitted to Personnel Department immediately on return failing which deduction in wages will be effected. Verified by (Personnel Department) 7. Wake Call In some hotels the wake up call to groups and crews is coordinated by bell desk. In such cases it is the responsibility of the bell captain on duty in the morning shift to prepare the wake call sheets of all the groups and crews in house. Procedure The bell captain obtains the group folio numbers of all the groups/crews in-house which are expected to leave that day or crew/groups leaving the next day before 3 PM. He then prepares the wake call sheet of such groups by putting their room numbers and wake call time and baggage collection time/departure time from the hotel. These room numbers are again checked to ensure that all groups/crew members have received wake call. Once all such sheets are made, a summary of group/crew departure is prepared and is handed over to the assistant manager on duty. The assistant manager again checks these sheets, and co-ordinate the calling time with the group leader/airlines staff to ensure that wake call is given at the correct time. Once the wake call is finally confirmed, the bell captain on duty assigns duty to the bellboys to distribute these sheets to various departments so that necessary arrangements may be made for a smooth check-out. He also assigns the duty to bellboy to bring the luggage at the given time and arrange for the check-out. Coordination and Communication of Bell Desk with Other Areas of Front Office. 8

10 During the various stages of providing service to the guest it is important that the bell desk staff must communicate with various persons and sections such as doorman, reception, information, cash and lobby manager desk. Since the bell desk is near to all these sections and in clear view of them the most common way of communication is by gestures and phrases and words. But at times it may not be possible to draw the attention by gesture so a light and buzzer system may be used. In this system each of the above mentioned area is connected with a switch and light panel of different colour and a different sound buzzer. For example, when the doorman wants a bellboy he will press a button and at the bell desk a buzzer will start ringing and a specific colour light (say red) will glow which will indicate that a bellboy is needed at the door. Similarly other areas such as lobby manager s desk and front desk are connected with different coloured lights and different sound buzzer to the bell desk. With the doorman the bell desk has to coordinate and communicate at the time of arrival of a guest for luggage handling i.e. taking out of the luggage from the car/taxi and carrying it to lobby and also at the time of departure for luggage outpass, only on the basis of which the luggage of the guest will be allowed to be taken out of the hotel. Equipment Needed at Bell Desk The list of various equipment required for efficiently performing the bell desk function is very exhaustive and comprehensive and depends upon hotel to hotel, its standard and degree of automation used in the hotel. But generally the following items are important. 1. Luggage trolleys and bell hop trolleys: It is important that the trolleys are well maintained, proper greasing and oiling is done in time and in case of brakes, make sure that they function properly. Also make sure that their movements are well controlled and move only in required guided direction. There is no squeaking or rattling noise when the trolleys are moved. However avoid excessive oiling as the oil drops may cause stains on floors and carpet which may be difficult to remove and may also cause accidents. The trolleys should fit in easily along with the guest and bellboy without creating overloaded condition in the elevator cage: 2. For proper and effective intra-communication with front desk areas and intercommunication with other areas of the hotel as well as outside hotel the bell desk must be equipped with intercoms, telephone and computers, etc. For written communication proper proformas should be there. 3. Postage weighing machine is also important. 4. Franking machines for printing the value of postage. 5. Date and time punching machine for putting the date and time of reviving the mail and message by the bell desk. 6. Luggage net for identifying and separating the luggage of groups usually. 7. Stamp folder, glue, twines, scissors cardboard for packaging etc. 8. Stamp folder, glue, twines, scissors cardboard for packaging etc. 9

11 Chapter 2 THE NIGHT AUDIT A night auditor is a person who works at night at the reception of a hotel. They typically handle both the duties of the front desk agent and some of the duties of the accounting department. This is necessitated by the fact that most fiscal days close at or around midnight, and the normal workday of the employees in the accounting department does not extend to cover this time of day. [1] In larger hotels, night auditors may work alongside other nighttime employees, such as security officers, telephone attendants, room service attendants, and bellhops. In smaller hotels and motels, the night auditor may work alone, and may even only be "on-call", meaning that once he or she completes running the daily reports, the auditor retires to an area away from the desk while remaining available to attend to unexpected requests from guests. In the smallest hotels and some bed and breakfast establishments, the front desk may close entirely overnight. Guests in such facilities are typically given a contact number for an employee or manager, who may be sleeping on the premises or live nearby, for use in case of emergency. Accounting function The night audit itself is an audit of the guest ledger. The guest ledger (or front office ledger or transient ledger) is the collection of all accounts receivable for currently registered guests. It can also be defined as the collection of all guest folios. A folio (billing receipt) is the account of an individual guest who is currently registered. The guest ledger is distinct from the city ledger, which is the collection of accounts receivable for non-registered guests (such as credit card companies). The purpose of the night auditor is, but is not limited to, ensuring the accuracy of all financial information, and gathering all needed paperwork to complete the audit. This will include pulling any or all checked-out guests' registration cards, and making sure all guests are checked-out in the system that should be checked-out. One task of the night auditor is posting the day's room rate and room tax to each guest folio at the close of business (which usually occurs from midnight to 2 AM). Second, the night auditor must ensure the accuracy of the charges to the guest folios, ensuring that the sum of revenues due to accounts receivable from the various departments (i.e. Food & Beverage, Rooms, gift shop) found on the department control sheets equals the sum of the charges made to the guest folios. The folios for guests who are scheduled to depart the next morning may be printed and delivered to the guests' rooms. Most hotels currently use computerized property management systems (PMS) to help perform the night audit. This has significantly reduced the amount of time required to perform the audit, as well as the arithmetic skill required of the auditor. An audit for a 1,000-room hotel can be completed in one hour with a PMS, whereas it would have taken an eight-hour shift using previous generation technology (the NCR 4200 mechanical system). Another duty of night auditors is to produce daily management reports from the PMS. These include occupancy reports, calculations of average daily rate (ADR) and revenue per available room (Revpar). 10

12 Front desk function In addition to the accounting function, night auditors may also be required to perform the typical front desk functions during the graveyard shift. These functions include check-in, checkout, reservations, responding to guest complaints, coordinating housekeeping requests, and handling any emergencies that may arise. Night auditors may work alongside a security officer to maintain a level of security during latenight hours for both night staff and guests. In addition to balancing the guest ledger, the night auditor is usually responsible for balancing the city ledger and the advance ledger. The city ledger consists of monies owed to the hotel by credit card companies and direct bill accounts. The city ledger also contains house accounts, such as management dry cleaning charges, or local phone call charges which are usually adjusted (written) off at the end of each month. The advance ledger is aptly named because it is a ledger for guests who have sent money in advance to either pay for or guarantee their stay. These funds are posted to the advance ledger when received by the hotel, and then transferred to the guests folio (in the guest ledger) upon arrival of that guest. Front office records must be periodically reviewed for accuracy and completeness. This need is met through the NIGHT AUDIT. With computerised accounting it can be carried out at any time during the day. These properties choose to call the audit the Front office audit or System up date. Even though computerised properties can perform these functions at any time, they almost invariably follow the night time tradition since the no. of transactions are less during the late night or early morning hours. Performing the night audit requires attention to accounting detail, procedural controls and the guest credit transactions. Duties and responsibilities of a night auditor: The night auditor is an official of the hotel who verifies the correctness of the guest accounts checks the entries of the day s sales and verifies whether the cash collected during the day has been duly accounted for with the help of summaries and statements received from various departments during the night shift. The night auditor should also be familiar with the nature of cash transaction affecting the front office accounting system. The night auditor typically tracks room revenues, occupancy percentages and other operating statistics. In addition, the auditor prepares a daily summary of cash, check and credit card activities that occurred at the front desk. These data reflect the front office s financial performance for the day. The night auditor summarizes and reports the results of the operations to the front office management. This accounting data can also be used by hotel s accounting department for the generation of further statistical reports. The night auditor establishes guest and non guest account integrity by cross- referencing account posting with departmental source documentation. The audit process is complete when the totals for guest, non-guest and departmental accounts are in balance. As long as the audit process presents an out of balance position, the audit is considered incomplete. An out-of-balance position exists when the charges and credits posted to guest and non guest accounts throughout the day do not match the charges and the credits posted to the departmental revenue sources. An out-of-balance condition may require a 11

13 thorough review of all account statements, vouchers, support documents and departmental source documentation. Proper internal control techniques call for different front office staff to post, verify and collect for different sales transactions at the front desk. If a front desk agent was allowed to sell a guest room, post the charges, verify the postings and collect the cash for the room, no one else would be able to detect mistakes. Instead, duties should be split among the employees; a front desk agent may perform posting, a night auditor the verification and a cashier the settlement. Supervising the credit limits of guests and non guests accounts helps to maintain the integrity of a front office accounting system. Establishing lines of credit or credit limits depends on a lot of factors, such as credit card company floor limits, the hotel s house limit, and the guest s status or reputation as a potential credit risk. High account balances should be noted as a part of the posting process. At the end of each day the auditor has to identify those guest and non guest accounts that have reached or exceeded the assigned credit limits. A report listing high balance accounts or a high balance report for the front office is made to take appropriate action. Night audit functions can be performed manually, mechanically or electronically. Regardless of how the night audit is conducted, the basic accounting formula that applies is as follows: Previous Balance + Debits - Credits = Net outstanding balance PB + DR - CR = NOB A daily transcript is made in manual and semi automated hotels as a detailed report of all guest accounts. The daily transcript indicates those guest accounts that had transactional activity on that particular day. A supplemental transcript is often used to record the day s transactional activity for non-guest accounts. Daily and supplemental transcripts are simply worksheets designed to detect various types of posting errors. They can facilitate the night audit routine by identifying out-of balance figures. An out-of-balance condition among the non-guest accounts, for example, will help the night auditor to detect and correct errors without having to review all transactions occurring on that day. 12

14 The Night Audit Process: A manual accounting module simply is not feasible for a large hotel s front office operation. The duties of the night auditor working with a non-automated system are as follows: 1. All pending vouchers, left unposted by the previous billing clerk are entered into the guest account. i. Charges room rate to all guest accounts and accumulates room charges for the day are also posted in the guest account ii. Closes all guest accounts for the day in the Visitors Tabular Ledger as well as in the Guest Weekly bills iii. Prepares new sheets of Visitor Tabular Ledger for coming day and opens all guest accounts iv. Totals Debit and Credit sides of each V.T.L. Checks the arithmetical accuracy of the total of each debit and credit item on the last sheet of the V.T.L. The formulas applied are: Daily total vertical figures = daily total horizontal figures Daily total + Balance B/F(Dr.) Balance B/F(Cr.) = Grand total(dr.) Grand Total(Cr.) 2. Two transcripts of the guest accounts are prepared; one for the in-house guests and the second for the departed guests 3. The total individual items showing the transcript are compared with the respective sale summaries of the departments a) The total room sales is compared with the room sales shown by the V.T.L., room count sheet and the night receptionists room sales report b) The total food sale is compared with the restaurant sale summary, cash book summary and V.T.L. food column c) The total of the bar sale is compared with the bar allocation sheet of control dept. and cashiers bar sale summary and V.T.L. bar column. d) The total of telephone column is compared with the telephone summary and V.T.L. telephone column. e) The total of other departments is compared with the sales journals of these departments and respective columns of the V.T.L. f) The balance b/f is compared with the balance c/f for the previous day g) The total of cash receipts is compared with the front office cash sheet h) The allowance vouchers are not listed in the front office so the night auditor prepares a consolidated statement of allowances. The total of these is compared with the allowance column of the transcript. 13

15 Sends the departmental summaries, transcript sheet, V.T.L., etc. to the income auditor. In some hotels semi-automated accounting system is used with the help of N.C.R. machines. The duties performed by the night auditor are as follows: 1. Takes the readings for all departments with the help of accumulating key 2. The night auditor prepares a trial balance with the help of N.C.R. machine. 3. It is also the responsibility of the night auditor to remove bills of those guests who have completed their seventh day in the hotel and reopen new bills for them for the new week 4. Sends all department summaries, transcript sheet, machine balance and audit roll tape is sent to the income auditor. The night audit focuses on two aspects, The discovery and correction of front office guest accounting errors and management reports. Guest and non guest accounts are compared with the source documents from the revenue centers to provide individual transactional entries and account totals. Discrepancies found during a night audit should be corrected so that the front office accounting system is in balance. For management reporting, the night audit provides important operating information, such as average rate, occupancy percentage, usage of package plans and other marketing programs and the no. of group rooms and complimentary or nocharge rooms occupied. The degree of scrutiny required during the night audit process depends firstly on the frequency of errors which relates to the quality of the front office work and secondly the volume of the transactions to be reviewed which relates to the size and complexity of the hotel operations. The following steps are common to the sequence of a night audit : 1) Complete outstanding postings One of the primary functions of the night audit is to ensure that all transactions affecting guest and non guest accounts are posted to appropriate folios before the end of the day. Charges posted to wrong date will confuse guests and severely complicate crossreferencing. Posting errors can also lead to discrepancies and delays at check-out. Though the transactions have to be posted to the proper account as soon as they are received, the night auditor must confirm that all the transactions received by the front office for posting are been posted, before starting with the audit routine. Incomplete posting will result in errors in account balancing and complicate summary reporting. In addition to completing posting functions, the night auditor verifies that all vouchers for revenue center transactions are posted. If the hotel does not have interfaced computerised telephone call accounting system, outstanding telephone charges may require manual posting. In case of a point of sale or call accounting system interfaced with the front office accounting system, the previously posted totals should be verified to ensure that all outlet charges have been posted. This can be done by generating printed posting reports from the interfaced system and comparing them with the total reported by the front office account system. If the figures are identical, the systems are in balance. If they do not tally the auditor begins to compare transactions between the two systems to identify the transactions that have been omitted or improperly posted. 2) Reconcile Room Status Discrepancies Room status discrepancies must be resolved in a timely manner since imbalances can lead to lost business and cause confusion in the front office. Errors in room status can lead to lost and uncollectible room revenues and omissions in postings. The front office must maintain current and accurate room status information to effectively determine the number and types of 14

16 rooms available for sale. For example, if a guest checks out but the front desk agent fails to properly complete the check-out procedure, the guest's room may appear occupied when it is really vacant. This error in procedure could prevent the room from being rented until the error is discovered and corrected. In manual and semi-automated hotels, before the end of the day, the night auditor reconciles discrepancies between the daily housekeeper's report and the front office room status system (the room rack and guest folios in manual and semi-automated hotels). To minimize errors, housekeeping departments typically require staff to record the perceived status of all rooms serviced. The auditor must review front office and housekeeping department reports to reconcile and finalize the occupancy status of all rooms for a given night. In fully automated hotels, the night auditor compares the daily housekeeper's report with the room status report of the system and the bucket where the registration cards for in-house guests are kept. If the housekeeping report indicates that a room is vacant, but the front office believes it is occupied, the auditor should search for an active room folio and registration card. If the folio exists and has a current outstanding balance, there are several possibilities: A guest may have departed but forgotten to check out. A guest may be a skipper who left with no intention of checking out. A front desk agent or cashier may not have properly closed the folio at check-out. After verifying that the guest has left the hotel, the night auditor should process the check-out and set the folio aside for front office management review and follow-up. If the folio has been settled, the front office room status system should be corrected to show that the room is vacant. The night auditor should verify the guest folio against the housekeeping and the room status reports to ensure that all three are consistent and in balance. In a computerized system, the check-out process is normally linked to a rooms management function that automatically monitors and updates the room's status. Few, if any, room status discrepancies should occur in a computerized front office system, but the night audit process is still necessary to ensure accuracy. 3) Balance All Departments The night audit process can become quite complicated when errors are discovered. It is generally considered more efficient to balance all departments first and then look for individual posting errors within an out-of-balance department. The night auditor typically balances all revenue center departments using source documents that originated in the revenue center. The night auditor seeks to balance all front office accounts against departmental transaction information. Vouchers received at the front desk and other documents are totaled and compared with revenue center summaries. Even fully automated front office accounting systems rely upon source documents to help resolve discrepancies as they arise. When the front office accounting system is out of balance, the correctness and thoroughness of account postings must be investigated. A detailed department audit (by shift or by cashier) may be conducted and individual postings reviewed until the front office accounting error is corrected. The process used to balance the revenue center departments is often called the trial balance. The night auditor completes the trial balance before verifying the final system balance 15

17 and creating final night audit reports. The trial balance usually uncovers any corrections or adjustments that need to be made during the night audit process. Night auditors often perform the trial balance before posting room and tax charges. Doing so can simplify the final night audit procedure. If the trial balance was correct and the final balance is wrong, the auditor can deduce that the error must relate to the room and tax posting. It is important to note that a mathematical balance in guest and non-guest accounts against departmental totals does not necessarily mean that the proper accounts were selected for posting. Posting the correct amount to an incorrect account would still present an imbalance total. This type of error usually goes unnoticed until a guest has a problem with the validity of an entry on his or her statement. Exhibit presents a sample sequence of night audit procedures useful in departmental balancing. 4) Verify Room Rates The night auditor may need to complete room revenue and count report such as the one shown in Exhibit. This report provides a means for analyzing room revenues since it shows the rack rate (price) for each room and the actual rate at which the room was sold. If a room's rack and actual rates do not match, the night auditor should consider several factors. If the room is occupied by a member of a group or by a corporate-rate customer, is the discounted rate correct. If there is only one guest in a room and the actual rate is approximately half the rack rate, is the guest part of a shared reservation? If he or she is, did the second guest register. If the room is complimentary, is there appropriate supporting back-up for the rate (for example, a complimentary room authorization form) The proper use of room revenue and count information can form a solid basis for room revenue analysis. The night auditor may be required to produce a copy of this report for review by front office management. Some hotels today measure room revenue potential against actual room revenue. The actual room revenue posted is compared with the rack rate of the rooms occupied for the night. The comparison may be shown as a percentage. The night auditor may be responsible for calculating this number and reporting it as part of the night audit or it may be done automatically by the front office computer system. 5) Verify No-Show Reservations The night auditor may also be responsible for clearing the reservation rack or filing and posting charges to no-show accounts. In posting no-show charges, the night auditor must be careful to verify that the reservation was guaranteed and the guest never registered with the hotel. Sometimes duplicate reservations may be made for a guest or the guest's name may be misspelled and another record accidentally created by the front office staff. If these are not identified by front office or reservation staff, the guest may actually arrive but appear to be a no-show under the second reservation. No show billings must be handled with extreme care. A front desk agent who does not record cancellations properly may cause clients to be billed incorrectly. Incorrect billing may lead the credit card company to re-evaluate its legal agreements and relationship with the hotel. 16

18 Incorrect billing may also cause the hotel to lose the guest's future business and (if applicable) the business of the travel agency that guaranteed the reservation. All front office staff must adhere to established no-show procedures when handling reservation cancellations or modifications. 6) Post Room Rates and Taxes Posting room rates and room taxes to all guest folios typically takes place at the end of day. Once room rates and taxes are posted, a room rate and tax report may be generated for front office management review. The ability to electronically post room rates and room taxes on demand is surely one of the most frequently cited advantages of an automated front office system over manual and semi-automated systems. Once the night auditor has verified the room rates to be posted, the computer can auto-post numerous room rate and room tax charges to the appropriate electronic folios in a matter of minutes. With manual or semi-automated systems, the procedure required to post room rate and room tax can be very tedious and time consuming. In addition, automatic charge postings are accurate, with no chance for pickup, tax calculation, or posting errors. This feature can be especially important to hotels located in municipalities that have bed or occupancy taxes in addition to a sales-tax. Some automated hotels may pre-set their computer systems to post daily recurring charges, such as valet parking or gratuities. Auto-posting these charges can save night audit time and improve accuracy. 7) Prepare Reports The night auditor typically prepares reports that indicate the status of front office activities and operations. Among those prepared for management review are the final department detail and summary reports, the daily operations report, the high balance report, and other reports specific to the property. Final department detail and summary reports are produced and filed along with their source documents for accounting division review. These reports help prove that all transactions were properly posted and accounted for. The daily operations report summarizes the day's business and provides insight into revenues, receivables, operating statistics, and cash transactions related to the front office. This report is typically considered the most important outcome of the front office audit. The high balance report, as shown in Exhibit, identifies guests whose charges are approaching an account credit limit designated by the hotel (the house limit). In a computerized front office system, the computer may be programmed to produce many management reports on demand. For example, the high balance report may be produced at any time during the day as a continuing check on guest transactions and account balances. In addition, other reports are usually created at this time by the night audit. A report showing each group in the hotel, the number of rooms occupied by each group, the number of guests for each group, and the revenue generated by each group is common. This report helps the hotel sales department with the group history. The same type of report may be generated for guests on package plans or guests staying in the hotel due to a special promotion or advertising program. Other reports may list guests who stay frequently and guests who are VIPs. In automated hotels, this type of marketing information can be automatically tracked, sorted, and reported. 17

19 8) Deposit Cash The night auditor prepares a cash deposit voucher as part of the night audit process. The night auditor compares the postings of cash payments and paid-outs (net cash receipts) with actual cash on hand. A copy of the front office cashier s report may be included in the cash deposit envelope to support any overage, shortage, or due back balances. Since account and departmental balancing often involve cash transactions, accurate cash depositing may depend on an effective audit process. 9) Clear or Back Up the System In manual and semi-automated front office operations, totals must be cleared from the system after the night audit is complete. Manual systems are cleared by simply moving the closing balance from the night audit report to the opening balance of the next day's report. In semi-automated operations, the totals in the posting machine must be brought t a zero balance. The night auditor controls this function so that the possibility of fraud is minimized. As each account is reduced to zero, a separate card (sometimes called a Z card) is used to verify the zero balance. A Z card is usually submitted with the night audit work to show that all accounts have been properly reset. In semi-automated systems, typically only the ending balance is maintained in the posting machine. Since a computer system eliminates the need for a room rack, reservation cards, and a variety of other traditional front office forms and devices, front office accounting depends on the continuous functioning of the computer system. A system back-up in the night audit routine is unique to computerized front office systems. Back-up reports must be run and various media duplicated in a timely manner so that the front office can continue to run smoothly. End-of-day reports can be developed and automatically generated by a front office computer system. Normally, at least two guests lists are printed for back-up and emergency use: one for the front desk and one for the switchboard. A printed room status report enables front desk agents to identify vacant and ready rooms should the computer become inoperable. A guest ledger report can be generated which contains the opening and closing account balances for all registered guests. A front office activity report can also be generated. Such a report contains expected arrival, stayover, and departure information for several days. In some front office systems, the next day's registration cards are pre-printed as part of the front office activity report. Due to requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act, hotels must also keep track of guests with disabilities. One reason for this is to ensure that all disabled guests are accounted for in case of an emergency. This report is usually produced at this time and distributed to the various departments needing this information. Computer-generated front office information should also be copied (backed up) onto magnetic tape or magnetic disk, depending on the system configuration. A system back-up should be conducted after each night audit and stored in a safe place. Many computer systems have two types of system back-up. A daily back-up simply creates a copy of front office electronic files on magnetic tape or magnetic disk. The second type system back-up is performed once or twice a week. This back-up not only copies daily information, but eliminates account and transaction information deed to no longer be of value. For example, accounts that have been checked out for over three days and have had no activity during that time can be deleted from active computer memory. Following this procedure will reduce the overall amount of computer storage required for back-up. If any account must be researched in the future, it can be found on previously printed reports or the weekly back-up. 18

20 10) Distribute reports Due to the sensitive and confidential nature of front office information, the night auditor must promptly deliver appropriate reports to authorized individuals. The distribution of night audit reports is the final step in the night audit routine, and is important to efficient front office operations. Informed managerial decisions can be made if all night audit reports are completed accurately and delivered on time. 19

21 CHAPTER 3 FRONT OFFICE ACCOUNTING I- Front Office Accounting System: The front office accounting system is responsible for: a) Creating and maintaining an accurate accounting record for each guest or non-guest in the hotel b) Tracking all financial transactions throughout the guest cycle c) Ensuring internal control over cash and non-cash transactions d) Recording settlement for all goods & services provided The front office accounting system shall be customized and tailored to track each hotel s needs. Therefore, no two hotels have exactly the same front office accounting systems. II- General Concepts of Front Office Accounting: Below is a brief description of some accounting terminologies used frequently in the front office department: 1- Accounts: An Account is a form on which financial data are accumulated, summarized and brought to its ending balance. Moreover, all accounts shall have two entries referred to as Debit (dr) (or charges) versus Credit (cr) (or payments). The most widely used representation of accounts is the T-Account, which summarizes debit entries on the left-hand side and credit entries on the right-hand side. Hotels operating under the manual system get use of journal forms to account for different front office accounting transactions. As far as front office accounting is concerned, there are two major types of accounts widely used: a) Guest accounts describe all charges and payments of guests who are already registered at the hotel. b) Non-guest (house or city) accounts: describe all charges and payments of nonguests. To illustrate, a potential guest sending a certain deposit to guarantee a reservation is a non-guest. Moreover, charges and payments of guests who checkout with any method of payment other than cash, shall be opened a non-guest account. Lastly, visitors and employees with charge privileges shall be opened non-guest accounts. 20

22 2- Folios: A folio is a statement of all transactions (i.e. debits & credits) affecting the balance of a single account. At Checkout, any guest folio should be balanced to 0 through full cash payment, credit card transfer, personal check transfer, special program transfer, and direct billing transfer The correct way of maintaining folios starts with proper posting, which is the process of recording transactions on a folio (i.e. proper folio, proper location and proper amount) Under the manual, semi automated and fully automated systems, folios are called hand-written folios, machine-posted folios, and computer-based electronic folios respectively. Moreover, all folios shall have a unique serial number for internal control and storing purposes. In the front office department, there are four common types of folios used: a) Guest folios: accounts assigned to individual persons or guestrooms b) Master Folios: accounts assigned to more than one person or guest room; usually reserved for guest groups c) Non-Guest (or semi-permanent) folios: accounts assigned to non-guest businesses or agencies with hotel charge purchase privileges d) Employee Folios: accounts assigned to employees with charge purchase privileges 21

23 Apart from the above mentioned common folios, front office department get use of some other types of folios such as A-type, B-type, C-type, D-type, and E-type folios. Format of guest folio 3- Vouchers: 22

24 Vouchers depict the details of the transaction information gathered at the source of transaction and is, hence, a supporting documents used only for internal control purposes. Below are some of the commonly used vouchers in the hospitality industry: a) Cash vouchers b) Credit card vouchers c) Charge vouchers d) Transfer vouchers e) Paid-out vouchers f) Correction vouchers g) Allowance vouchers 4- Points of sale [i.e. POS]: A point of sale is the location at which goods or services are purchased; sometimes called a revenue center. Moreover, due to technology breakthrough, some non-traditional point of sales emerged such as in-room movie & in-room vending service systems. Since charges are usually incurred at remote points of sale, and guest and non-guest folios are maintained at the front office department, posting of different guest and nonguest charges shall be performed. An electronic transfer ensures this, under the fully automated system. Under manual and semi automated systems posting shall be done by a physical submission of different vouchers to the front office department. When posting charges, the following items shall be considered: a) Amount of the charge b) Name of the point of sales outlet c) Room number & name of the guest d) Brief description of the charge e) Guest signature & employee identification 5- Ledgers: The front office ledger is the collection of front office account folios, which usually include guest ledgers (i.e. charges and payments of all guests staying at the hotel). At any moment in time, the account receivable includes the addition of guest ledger and non-guest ledger (or city ledger) which refers to charges and payments of all nonguests. III- Creation and Maintenance of Guest Accounts: All guest folios shall be created during the pre-arrival or arrival stage of the guest cycle. Moreover, folios might be either placed in front desk folio tray [i.e. posting tray, folio well, or bucket] or stored as an electronic guest folios in fully automated systems. As far as walk-ins are concerned, all their guest folios are created at the arrival stage! 23

25 1- Record keeping systems: a) Non- automated systems: Ensured through a series of columns listing individual debit and credit entries accumulated during the occupancy stage after which and establishment of an ending outstanding balance is needed. b) Semi-automated systems: Under this very system, all guest transactions should be printed sequentially on a machine-posted folio. Later, the front office clerk needs to come up with the folio outstanding balance. It is extremely important here to mention that, under this very system, each account s previous balance shall be reentered each time a transaction is posted to the folio. c) Fully-automated systems: All guest charges are automatically posted to an electronic folio 2- Guest charge privileges: Potential guests who would like to have guest charge privileges shall present an imprint of an acceptable credit card or direct billing authorization at registration. Failing to do so, guests would have to pay, in full, all their charges through cash, hence called Paid-in-Advance [PIA] guests and have, hence, have no post status. 3- Credit monitoring: In order to monitor and control charge privileges, the front office clerk should check whether the total net purchases are less than the minimum of floor Limit (i.e.: credit card company's limit) and house limit (i.e. hotel's limit). At least, each day, lists of guests with high risk or high balance accounts shall be communicated to all point of sale outlets. This is vital since, failing to do so, will let point of sales outlets continue giving charge privileges to a point that eventually the credit card company refuses to pay the amount of money exceeding its limit. This will cause very serious financial losses to the hotel. 4- Account maintenance: Whatsoever system hotels operate, maintenance of guest and non-guest accounts is ensured by the following formula: Net outstanding balance = Previous balance + Debits - Credits NOB = PB + DR - CR IV- Tracking Transactions: Under the manual and semi-automated systems, tracking transactions is ensured through an intensive use of vouchers. On the other hand, Under fully automated 24

26 systems, tracking transactions is ensured through on-line electronic transfer of transactional information from remote points of sale to the front office main frame terminal. In accounting, a transaction is an exchange of goods and services for cash or a promise to pay. Under this very assumption, "nothing happens until a transaction occurs". This means that front office clerks shall first of all have a transaction, its supporting documents (i.e. vouchers, invoices ) to be able later to debit or credit certain accounts! In hotels transactions might have the form of: a) Cash payment b) Charge purchase c) Account correction d) Account allowance e) Current transfer f) Cash Advance 1- Cash payment: In this very transaction, front office clerks shall post cash payment as a credit in the guest folio. Moreover, cash vouchers shall be used as a transaction-supporting document. 2- Charge purchase: Charge purchases represent deferred payment transactions that increase the outstanding balance of a folio account. In this transaction type, front office clerks shall use charge vouchers as a transaction-supporting document. 3- Account correction: Account correction is used to resolve a posting error in a folio detected at the day the error is made (i.e. before the closing of the business day). In this transaction, front office clerks shall use correction vouchers as a transaction-supporting document. 4- Account allowance: Account allowances occur because of two reasons: a) Either as compensation of poor service, or as rebates for coupon discounts. That way, guest outstanding balance decreases. b) As to correct a posting error detected after the closing of the business day. For both reasons, front office clerks shall prepare an allowance voucher as a transaction supporting document. 25

27 V- Internal Control: In the hotel industry, the main purpose of internal control is to track transaction documentation, verify account entries and account balances, and to identify vulnerabilities in the accounting system. The keyword to internal control is auditing, which is the process of verifying front office accounting records for accuracy and completeness. Below are some forms that are of extreme importance to internally control, one of the most vital assets in the hotel (i.e. cash): 1- Front office cash sheet: The front office cash sheet lists each cash receipt or disbursement in order to reconcile cash on hand at the end of a cashier's shift with the documented transaction that occurred during the same shift. 2- Cash, house banks or petty cash: Petty cash is the amount of cash assigned to a cashier so that he/she can handle the various transactions that occur in a particular work shift. At the beginning of each shift, all cashiers must sign their cash banks and at the end of the shift, shall deposit all cash, checks, and other negotiable instruments in the general cashier's safe deposit box. Moreover, at the end of each shift, cashiers should watch out for cash discrepancies (i.e. any difference between front office cash sheet and the actual amounts in their cash drawers). Cash discrepancies might have the form of cash overages, shortages, or due backs Lastly, cashiers might come up with the net cash receipt, which is: Amount of all cash, checks, and other negotiable instruments in cashier s drawer amount of the initial cash bank + all paid outs 26

28 3- Audit control: Along with the fact that hotels might employ internal control auditors, at least once in a year, (especially for hotels traded in the stock market) to get use of external certified public accountants responsible for approving hotel's accounts. VI- Settlement of Accounts: One of the responsibilities of front office clerks is to settle guest accounts, which means the eventual collection of payment for outstanding account balances (i.e.: bringing account balances to 0]. This is usually ensured either by full cash payment, transfer to an approved credit card, personal check, special program, or direct billing account Accounts which are included in city ledger: Credit card payment accounts Direct billing accounts {guests whose bill will be settled by the company} Airlines Travel agencies Skipper s account Bad cheques account {Bounced cheques of guests} Disputed bills account Retention charges account from DNA guests Account aging: Most of the city ledger accounts are settled within 30 days of billing which is generally satisfactory. However there will be some which will take longer than 30 days to collect. The hotel should establish methods for tracking past due accounts which may be based on the date the charges were incurred. This practice of scheduled billings is normally referred to as account aging. At large properties the accounting division monitors account aging while at smaller properties the night auditor may assume this role. An account age analysis sheet 27

29 identifies which account receivables are 30, 60, 90 or more days old. Accounts lesser than 30 days old are considered current. The accounts over 30 days are considered overdue and the ones above 90 days are delinquent The front office should maintain a list of accounts over 90 days due. Guests asking for reservation on an overdue account may be asked to pay cash or by a valid credit card until the account is considered current 28

30 Chapter 4 Front office Coordination in other Departments The front office staff interacts with all departments of the hotel, including marketing and sales, housekeeping, food and beverage, banquet, controller, maintenance, security, and human resources. These departments view the front office as a communication liaison in providing guest services. Each of the departments has a unique communication link with the front office staff. Marketing and Sales Department The marketing and sales department relies on the front office to provide data on guest histories, details concerning each guest s visit. Some of the information gathered is based on zip code, frequency of visits, corporate affiliation, special needs, and reservations for sleeping rooms. It is also the front office s job to make a good first impression on the public, to relay messages, and to meet the requests of guests who are using the hotel for meetings, seminars, and banquets. The guest history is a valuable resource for marketing and sales, which uses the guest registration information to target marketing campaigns, develop promotions, prepare mailing labels, and select appropriate advertising media. The front office staff must make every effort to keep this database current and accurate. The process of completing the booking of a special function (such as a wedding reception, convention, or seminar) depends on the availability of sleeping rooms for guests. The marketing and sales executives may have to check the lists of available rooms three, six, or even twelve months in the future to be sure the hotel can accommodate the expected number of guests. A database of available rooms is maintained in the property management system by the front office. The first guest contact with the marketing and sales department is usually through the hotel s switchboard. A competent switchboard operator who is friendly and knowledge- able about hotel operations and personnel will make a good first impression, conveying to the prospective client that this hotel is competent. When the guest finally arrives for the function, the first contact with the hotel is usually through the front office staff. The front office manager who makes the effort to determine which banquet supervisor is in charge and communicates that information to the desk clerk on duty demonstrates to the public that this hotel is dedicated to providing hospitality. Messages for the marketing and sales department must be relayed completely, accurately, and quickly. The switchboard operator is a vital link in the communication between the prospective client and a salesperson in the marketing and sales department. The front office manager should instruct all new personnel in the front office about the staff in the marketing and sales department and what each person s job entails (this applies to all departments in the hotel, not just marketing and sales). Front office employees should know how to pronounce the names of all marketing and sales employees. To help front office staff become familiar with all these 29

31 people, managers should show new employees pictures of the department directors and supervisors. Requests for service at meetings, seminars, banquets, and the like are often made at the front office. The banquet manager, a person who is responsible for fulfilling the details of service for a banquet or special event, or sales associate, a person who books the guest s requirements for banquets and other special events, might be busy with another function. If a guest needs an extension cord or an electrical outlet malfunctions, the front desk staff must be ready to meet the guest s needs. The front office manager should establish standard operating procedures for the front office employees to contact maintenance, house- keeping, marketing and sales, or the food and beverage department to meet other common requests. Knowing how to find a small tool kit, adapters, adhesive materials, extra table covers, or window cleaner will help the guest and will save the time involved in tracking down the salesperson in charge. Housekeeping Department Housekeeping and the front office communicate with each other about housekeeping room status, the report on the availability of the rooms for immediate guest occupancy. Housekeeping room status can be described in the following communication terms: Available Clean, or Ready room is ready to be occupied Occupied guest or guests are already occupying a room Stayover guest will not be checking out of a room on the current day Dirty or On-Change guest has checked out of the room, but the housekeeping staff has not released the room for occupancy Out-of-Order room is not available for occupancy because of a mechanical malfunction Housekeeping and the front office also communicate on the details of potential house count (a report of the number of guests registered in the hotel), security concerns, and requests for amenities (personal toiletry items such as shampoo, toothpaste, mouthwash, and electrical equipment). These issues are of immediate concern to the guest as well as to supervisors in the hotel. Reporting of room status is handled on a face-to-face basis in a hotel that does not use a property management system (PMS). The bihourly or hourly visits of the house- keeper to the front desk clerk are a familiar scene in such a hotel. The official reporting of room status at the end of the day is accomplished with a housekeeper s room report a report prepared by the housekeeper that lists the guest room occupancy status as vacant, occupied, or out-of-order. Sometimes even regular reporting of room status is not adequate, as guests may be anxiously awaiting the opportunity to occupy a room. On these occasions, the front desk clerk will have to telephone the floor supervisor to determine when the servicing of a room will be completed. The housekeeper relies on the room sales projections a weekly report prepared and distributed by the front office manager that indicates the number of departures, arrivals, walkins, stayovers, and no-shows to schedule employees. Timely distribution of the room sales projections assists the executive housekeeper in planning employee personal leaves and vacation days. The front desk also relies on housekeeping personnel to report any unusual circumstances that may indicate a violation of security for the guests. For example, if a maid or houseman notices obviously non-registered guests on a floor, a fire exit that has been propped open, or sounds of a domestic disturbance in a guest room, he or she must report these potential security violations to the front office. The front office staff, in turn, will relay the problem to the proper in-house or civil authority. The front office manager may want to direct the front desk clerks and switchboard operators to call floor supervisors on a regular basis to check activity on the guest 30

32 floors. Guest requests for additional or special amenities and guest room supplies may be initiated at the front desk. The prompt relay of requests for extra blankets, towels, soap, and shampoo to housekeeping is essential. This is hospitality at its best. The main two important areas where collaboration is vital between the Housekeeping and Front Office Department are listed below: 1. Have always clean rooms for expected arrivals and stayovers 2. Satisfy special guest needs as far as amenities and facilities requested in their rooms are concerned 1. Cleaning and Inspection Process: The Room Status for each room determines how much effort, time, labor, and hence scheduled staff is needed by the Housekeeping Department on any shift. The Housekeeping Department shall first clean rooms for expected arrivals first, then stayover rooms and eventually vacant rooms! The reason is that rooms for new arrivals takes more time to be cleaned to hotel standards again and that guests might come any time to request their rooms even before the pre-determined beginning of check-in time! That s why; the Housekeeping Department shall be communicated from the reservation department on a daily basis Expected Arrival, Stayover, and Departure Lists to be able to schedule the optimum number of room maids and inspectors for the expected business volume! Moreover, bearing in mind the cleaning procedure of guest rooms explained above, there should be a communication between the Front Office Department and Housekeeping Department to be able to communicate the recent room status of each room! This communication is vital because nobody would like to make a guest wait in the lobby because his/her room is not yet clean or due to the fact that the Housekeeping Department did not communicate on real time the status to the Front Office! Lastly, the Housekeeping Department shall ensure that every room maid shall use efficiently most of his valuable time in cleaning not in going back and forth in the corridors! 31

33 Yet, since some hotels might operate under the manual or Semi-automated systems, some delays and hence, problems might occur! To illustrate, let s consider the guest room cleaning process along with the different operating modes under which a hotel might operate: a) Manual System: Under this very system, due to the fact that room maids shall first clean rooms for new arrival, then stayover rooms and at last vacant rooms, these very cleaning personnel have two ways to do it: Post to cleaning each room, go to the Housekeeping Department, inform them about the status and then come back to clean the next room. This would solve the potential problem that a guest might be waiting for a clean room due to a communication of the housekeeping department not in real tome! However this would decrease the number of rooms cleaned and inspected by room maids and inspectors, which would mean higher housekeeping labor costs! Post to cleaning certain category of rooms, and/or all rooms, room maids inform the Housekeeping Department, and then inspectors would inspect all rooms, at the same time, inform the department about the recent statuses!! This would increase maids and inspectors efficiency but would cause guests waiting in the lobby to be escorted to their rooms! b) Semi-automated System: Under this very system, room maids and inspectors might use either a phone machine situated at the center of each corridor, or pagers and beepers to communicate the recent room status. This proved to be efficient as to minimize labor cost and the time that a guest spends on the lobby waiting to be escorted to his/her room! However, this might create some problems: Upon the usage of beepers, the Housekeeping Department doesn t know exactly which room is cleaned or inspected, therefore will spend needless time to be certain which would put more stress on Check-in personnel to convince a waiting guest in the lobby area! Guests tend to be both not at ease and dissatisfied seeing hotel personnel in their rooms using pagers and might think that something wrong happened in their rooms! c) Fully Automated System This is the best system, which eliminates nearly all time losses spent by room maids and inspectors, to inform the Housekeeping Department and the time needed to be spent needlessly at the lobby area! Under this very system, each room maid and inspector, prior to the fulfillment of his or her duties in the room, can send a coded message from the guest s room telephone to the 32

34 Housekeeping Department. Later an electronic message can be send automatically to check-in personnel confirming that the room is cleaned to standards and waiting for the next arrival! 2. Room Status Report: The Front Office and the Housekeeping Department shall prepare at the same time, as frequent as needed by management, their room status reports, which lists, according to each department, the recent room status of each room in the hotel. Later, these two reports shall be cross-referenced and compared to detect room status discrepancies and correct them as soon as possible in order to maximize room revenue, detect skippers before it is too late In the manual system, room status reports shall be reconciled at least each hour. This very frequency might increase as the business volume increases (i.e. in the high season)! In the semi-automated system, reconciliation shall be at least once per shift (preferably at the beginning of each shift)! Lastly under the fully automated system, since housekeeping and front office department s communication is ensured electronically on real time, reconciliation needs to be done only at the night shift by the night auditor! 3. Room Guest Needs Satisfaction: If at the reservation or registration process, guests have communicated certain specific needs related to certain specific amenities and/or facilities that needed to be provided in the room, then the Front Office Department shall communicate this directly to the Housekeeping Department or indirectly to the Concierge who shall further communicate this to the Housekeeping Department and follow up to ensure the actual provision in a timely and accurate manner! Security HTextHouse keeping FoodFFo od & Beverag ContrCo ntroller FFFFFF Front Office EEEEE Eanquets 33

35 Food and Beverage Department The front office department coordinates with the food and beverage department for the following information: Arrival and departure of guests Setting up bar in VIP rooms Special arrangement like cookies, fruit basket, and assorted dry fruits. In house and expected VIP s and corporate guest In house and expected groups In house and expected crews The scanty baggage in house guests, all points of sale are notified to receive all payment in cash from these guests. Groups and guests with booking of specific meal plan. Maintenance or Engineering Department The maintenance or engineering department and front office communicate on room status and requests for maintenance service. Front office informs the maintenance department of any work required in guest room. Maintenance employees must know the occupancy status of a room before attending tro plumbing, heating, or air-conditioning problems. If the room is reserved, the two departments work out a time frame so the guest can enter the room on arrival or be assigned to another room. Security Department Communications between the security department and the front office are important in providing hospitality to the guest. These department work together closely in maintaining guest security. Fire safety measures and emergency communication systems as well as procedures for routine investigation of guest security concerns require the cooperation of these departments. Banquet Department The banquet department, which often combines the functions of marketing and sales department and a food and beverage department, requires the front office to relay information to guests about scheduled events and bill payment. The front desk staff may also provide labour to prepare the daily announcement board, an inside listing of the daily activities of the hotel (time, group, and room assignment), 34

36 and marquee, the side message board, which includes the logo of the hotel and space for a message. The majority of banquet guests may not be registered guests in the hotel, the front office is a logical communications center. The persons responsible for paying the bills for a special event will also find his or her way to the front office to settle the city ledger accounts. If the banquet captain is not available to personally present the bill for the function, the front desk clerk should be informed about the specifics of food and beverage charges gratuities, rental changes, method of payment, and the like. Controller The Front desk provides a daily summary of the financial transaction after night auditing to the finance controller. The information by the front desk helps the finance controller to make budgets and to allocate resources for the current financial period. Front desk provides the controller the financial data for blind and maintenance the credit card ledger. Human Resources Management Department The human resources management department may reply on the front office staff to act as an initial point of contact for potential employees in all departments. It may even ask the front office to screen job candidates. If so, guidelines for and training in screening methods must be provided. Some directors of human resources management depend on the front office to distribute application forms and other personnel-related information to job applicants. The potential employee may ask for directions to the personnel office at the front desk. The human resources management department may also develop guidelines for the front desk clerk to use in initially screening candidates. These guidelines may include concerns about personal hygiene, completion of an application, education requirements, experience, and citizenship status. This information helps the executives in the human resources management department interview potential job candidates. Front Office Vocabulary A La Carte Menu Each item on the menu has a separate charge. Adjoining Rooms Two guest rooms located next to each other which are connected by a door between them. They may be booked together for one travelling party, or two different parties may book them separately. These are useful if you are travelling with older children or a larger group and need more space. If you don't know the guests in the adjoining room, always check to make sure the door in between is locked. Advance Deposit Money paid, usually by check or credit card, by a guest before arriving at the hotel. The amount is generally equal to one night's lodging fees. The purpose of the advance deposit is to guarantee a reservation. The full amount is applied to the guest's bill upon checkout. Affiliated Hotel A hotel that is part of a larger chain. The hotel may be owned by a corporation, or may be operated by an independent franchisee. 35

37 Airport Hotel A hotel near the airport. The hotel does not have to be connected to the airport (although some are) or even adjacent to it; it could be located up to five miles away. Most airport hotels have a shuttle to and from the terminals. All-suite Hotel Hotel with all room types at least a suite. A "suite" generally means a separate living area (like a sofa or chairs), and may include a kitchenette or even a full kitchen. Suites generally offer a bit more room to spread out than the average hotel room, and may include a sofa bed for an extra guest. Ambiance The feeling a room gives you, engineered by hotel designers using lighting, sound, colours and even smells. Amenity An "extra" service or product given to guests by the hotel, typically at no extra charge. This term is broadly used to describe the shampoo, conditioner, body lotion, soaps and other products left in the guest room's bathroom for your use. Amenities can also refer to a service like a station to print your boarding pass in the lobby, or free parking. Apartment Hotel Guest rooms that include kitchens, and may include one or more separate bedrooms. Atrium A large space in the centre of the hotel, going up several stories. Guest rooms are distributed around the atrium, with a walkway overlooking the space. Designs including atriums usually involve plenty of natural light and indoor greenery. Available Rooms (suites, beds) The number of rooms normally available on a day-to-day basis, less those permanently used for some purpose other than guest occupancy. Banquet A meal, usually dinner or lunch, prepared and served by the hotel exclusively for a group. Most banquets have a predetermined menu, or food stations set up for self-service. Bar The area of the hotel where alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks are mixed and served. Typical locations include the hotel lobby, inside the restaurant or poolside. Often a bar inside a restaurant serves from the full restaurant menu, and can be a great way to be seated and dine right away, even when the restaurant has a long wait. Bath Blankets The hotel's term for those extra-large bath towels in your guest room. They can also be referred to as "bath sheets." Bay The size of a typical guest room. This is used to describe the size of a suite, which might, for example, be double bay or triple-bay. Bed & Breakfast (B&B) 36

38 A type of lodging that is smaller than a hotel and may be in a private residence licensed for guests. Bed & Breakfasts generally appeal to guests who desire a more personal interaction with their destination. The term can also describe a rate plan at a traditional hotel which includes breakfast. Booking Engine The online reservations system that enables guests to check room availability and rates, and book rooms. Boutique Hotel A smaller hotel, often in a historic building. Although there is no hard-and-fast rule, a boutique hotel will generally have fewer than about 100 guest rooms. Boutique hotels are known for offering a more unique guests experience than the typical large, corporate chain hotel. They can be a good compromise between a large hotel and a bed & breakfast. Buffet Restaurant type in which the food is laid out for self-service. The best buffets have a mix of ready-to-serve food (like hot and cold platters) and prepare-on-demand food (like an omelette or meat carving station). Business Mix The variety of guest types at a hotel that together make up the hotel's clientele. A typical business mix might be part business travellers, leisure travellers and convention business. Central Reservations System (CRS/CReS) The ability of guests to make a reservation for one out of a number of hotels by contacting one agency, contracted by the hotels acting as a group, to operate this "central" reservation service. Complimentary Room An occupied guest room for which no price is charged. This may include a room occupied by a hotel employee. Credit Card Commissions A fee paid to credit card companies based upon a contracted percentage of credit card charges accepted. Destination Clubs The newest entrant to lodging, this niche most closely resembles country clubs in ownership structure. Facilities Core physical features of the hotel such as the type of accommodation, restaurants, bars, meeting rooms, and swimming pool. Front Office An office usually situated in the lobby, always located inside the main entrance, whose primary function is to control the sale of guest rooms, provide keys, mail, information service for guests, maintain guest accounts, render bills, receive payments as well as providing information to other departments within the hotel. Guest Account An itemized record of a guest's charges and credits, which is maintained in the front office until departure. Also referred to as a guest bill, guest folio, and/or guest statement. 37

39 Guest Amenities Not to be confused with "amenities", this is the term given to the range of disposable items provided in guest room bathrooms and includes such items as shampoo, lotion, conditioner, soap, toothpaste, toothbrush, and shower caps. The cost of these items are built into the room rate. Guest Check (Restaurant) The invoice presented to restaurant and bar patrons for food and beverage consumed during a visit. Also referred to as a waiter's check or restaurant check. Guest History A record maintained for each guest who has stayed at the hotel with a separate entry for each visit and details of pertinent preferences. This is a valuable reference tool for reservations, marketing, and credit departments. Guest histories are now more readily available through the increased utilization of computers and technology. Guest House A personal residence with a small amount of overnight accommodation sometimes limited by legislation and residence constraints. Typically provides breakfast which is included within the room rate but no other meals. Not licensed to provide alcoholic beverages commercially. Guest Service Directory A documented listing of all of the features of a hotel together with general and pertinent information about the community within which the property is located. Directories are usually provided within each guest room. High (Peak) Season / Shoulder Season The period of consecutive months during which optimum revenues, room/suite occupancy and average room rates are generated. Hotel Minimum number of available rooms, services, and amenities, usually defined by legislation for licensing and classification purposes as well as eligibility for fiscal incentives in some jurisdictions. May provide food and beverage services on site but not always within the accommodation building(s): usually by in-house staff but occasionally through an outside food and beverage contractor. May or may not provide a range of recreation and other amenities on site or by arrangement with others off site. Includes motor hotel, resort hotel or resort, and commercial hotel. Hotel Representative An individual or firm with the responsibility to facilitate market accessibility to the hotel property by the travel trade. Intelligent Hotels Hotels that are identified because they have state of the art technology systems for their operations. These hotels have replaced the traditional systems to reduce their energy cost and usually have integrated systems which join analog and digital systems to achieve an effective communication in their hotels. The return on investment is reflected in the energy-cost savings and the comfort they provide to their guests. Limited Service Hotels 38

40 Brand hotels with franchise memberships of recognized hotels, built within limited areas without a restaurant. These hotels are located near business areas such as industrial parks, cities, and airport terminals. Low (Off-peak) Season The consecutive months during which the lowest revenues, room/suite occupancy and average room rates are generated. Mini Bar A specially designed small, floor mounted refrigerator containing a variety of beverages and snacks located in guest rooms, with individual guest room key access. This amenity serves as a more credible and profitable substitute for room service. M.O.D. Manager On Duty. Night Manager Manager who oversees operations of the hotel in the evening. Overbooking A situation in which more room reservations have been taken by a hotel than what the hotel is able to accommodate. Package The name given to an assembly of components under a one price system. Typically, the core package price would include: return transportation, ground transfers, baggage handling, accommodation, one or more meals per day, and applicable taxes. Car rentals, recreation and entertainment and gratuities may also be included, but are more often supplementary to the core package price. Race rate The full, undiscounted published room rate (price). Registration Card (Reg. Card) A form on which arriving guests record their names, addresses, and other details including mode of transportation used, nationality, purpose of visit (usually business or pleasure), method of payment, and length of stay. A space is also provided for signature, room rate and room number. Additional questions may be included as a part of the hotel's market research platform. Resort Hotels & Spas A hotel that caters primarily to vacationers and tourist and typically offers more recreational amenities and services, in a more aesthetically pleasing setting, than other hotels. These hotels are located in attractive and natural tourism destinations and their clientele are groups and couples that like adventure with sophistication and comfort. The attractions vary depending on the region and some might offer golf, tennis or scuba diving and, depending on the natural surroundings, may also arrange other recreational activities. Room Block A predetermined number of rooms reserved in advance for group (conference, tour) use. Room Service Food and beverage delivered and served in a guest room. 39

41 Safety Deposit Boxes Individual boxes provided for the safekeeping of guest valuables. Located either in a central, secure, and supervised location or in individual guest rooms. Shoulder Season The period between peak and low season. Star Ratings Five Star Hotel Luxury hotels; most expensive hotels/resorts in the world; numerous extras to enhance the quality of the client's stay (for example: some have private golf courses and even a small private airport). Four Star Hotel First class hotels; expensive (by middle-class standards); has all of the previously mentioned services; has many "luxury" services (for example: massages or a health spa). Three Star Hotel Middle class hotels; moderately priced; has daily maid service, room service, and may have dry-cleaning, Internet access, and a swimming pool. Two Star Hotel Budget hotels; slightly more expensive; usually has maid service daily. One Star Hotel Low budget hotels; inexpensive; may not have maid service or room service. No Category Hotels These hotels include motels, cottages, bungalows and others with limited services. Timeshare (Vacation ownership) A marketing and equity-financing concept which permits participants to enjoy vacation accommodation for a fixed, one time amount for life, or shorter contracted period. Tour Operator An organization or individual who actively manages and escorts tours and tour packages to group visitors. Traditional Lodging Guests pay nightly rates for single rooms or suites and have full access to the hotels' range of amenities and services. Rates begin at "rack," but vary widely, based on time of week and season and nearby events and attractions. Transfer This refers to the transportation of visitors between their point of arrival and selected hotel, and back again on departure day. Wake Up Call A call made by front office, usually by telephone, to a guest room at the time requested by a room guest to be wakened. Walk-In Guest A guest who checks-in without an advance reservation. Walked Guests When a hotel is overbooked and a guest room is not available for a confirmed guest, the hotel has to walk the guest to a nearby hotel. This usually includes paying for transportation to the hotel and covering any difference in the room rate at the hotel the guest was walked to. 40

42 Chapter 5 COMMUNICATION A business telephone system is a multiline telephone system typically used in business environments, encompassing systems ranging from small key systems to large-scale private branch exchanges. A business telephone system differs from an installation of telephones with multiple lines in that the central office lines used are accessible in key systems from multiple telephone stations in the system, and that such a system often provides additional features related to call handling. Business telephone systems are often broadly classified into key systems, hybrid systems, and private branch exchanges. A key system was originally distinguished from a private branch exchange (PBX) in that it did not require an operator or attendant at the switchboard to establish connections between the central office trunks and stations, or between stations. Technologically, private branch exchanges share lineage with central office telephone systems, and in larger or more complex systems, may rival a central office system in capacity and features. With a key system, a station user could control the connections directly using line buttons, which indicated the status of lines with built-in lamps. Key systems are primarily defined by individual line selection buttons for each connected phone line, a feature shared with hybrid systems. New installations of key systems have become less common, as hybrid systems and private branch exchanges of comparable size have similar cost and greater functionality. Key systems can be built using three principal architectures: electromechanical shared-control, electronic shared-control, or independent key sets. Private branch exchange A private branch exchange (PBX) is a telephone exchange that serves a particular business or office, as opposed to one that a common carrier or telephone company operates for many businesses or for the general public. PBXs are also referred to as: CBX computerized branch exchange 41