16 LEARNING UNIT 4: SELECTION ACCOMMODATION AND RESERVATIONS Evaluating and selecting the right accommodation facility The following aspects are important when determining where to stay: Do Research Determine the rack rate, if there is a tour or group rate (a discount rate offered to tours) when the slow times occur, either weekly or yearly, and what the usual deposit requirements are. Are there any concessions or discounts for early bookings, deposits, terms of payment, confirmations and so on? Meet with the sales manager or general manager You need to set up a meeting with the sales or general manager in order to negotiate the best deal for your group. Most accommodation facilities have a group ceiling, a maximum number of rooms that can be allocated to groups. To get the best rates and availability you may need to negotiate as much as a year in advance. You need to pay a deposit 60 days before departure. Develop a checklist Make a list of what you really need and what you can live without. This will ensure that you will not leave out anything when you negotiate. Make sure that you ask all the questions needed so that you can find out of all the possibilities on offer. The following checklist can help you in this regard. You can develop your own as you start to organise tours. Before you make a decision on the type of accommodation required you need to decide on the following aspects. After you have established the needs of the tourists you can use the information to select the right accommodation facility as per example below. CHECKLIST OF ACCOMMODATION NEEDS Client unique needs Intimate small establishment? Large establishment? Air conditioning? Room service? Specific facilities? Large establishment Various recreation facilities Elevators Room with sea view
17 Criteria Possibilities Palm Beach Hotel Holiday Inn Sea Breeze Guesthouse Location of the Near a shopping Near tourist Near the On the accommodation centre attractions shopping centre beachfront establishment Near the airport? On the beach Distance from tourist attractions? View and surrounding area Cost of the Rack rates R300 pp/pn R350 pp/pn R375 pp/pn establishment: Special rates R280 pp/pn R325 pp/pn R335 pp/pn Low season Group rates Groups of 10 Group of 20 Not applicable High season Wholesale rates Per contract R260 pp/pn R320 pp/pn Package rates To be Not applicable No package rates negotiated Room categories Deluxe Deluxe Deluxe & Suite Superior rate Standard rate Superior Standard rate Moderate rate Suite Types of beds King bed Double bed & Double bed, Double and Queen bed Double bed Twin bed Single bed & Twin bed single bed Twin bed Single bed Meal plans American plan English breakfast English breakfast English breakfast
18 Modified American plan Continental plan European plan Continental breakfast English breakfast Other facilities Swimming pool Tennis Television in Swimming pool Television Video room rooms Entertainment Swimming pool Live entertainment Assess more than one facility You need to have different options or choices when you negotiate with a single provider. Alternatives make you feel more confident as you negotiate. This will leave you with different choices as well as alternatives if the preferred accommodation facility is not available. See the table above. Make your decision After you have assessed more than one facility you can determine the best one and make the reservations. When working with the accommodation establishments you need to be confident and bear the following in mind: Assume almost everything is negotiable Managers often block requests by saying that certain things are non-negotiable because of policy. All this means, is that this particular item, which is often merely a guideline, may be more difficult for him/her to negotiate, for example one cannot expect a discount on an already offered special. Be assertive, not aggressive - An assertive or confident person makes his or her needs known clearly, emphatically, but diplomatically. The negotiation becomes a cooperative activity where both sides are working toward a common goal. An aggressive person views a negotiation as a battle.
19 Personalise your requirements - Indicate what you need and be specific. This is where the checklist comes in very handy. Discounts - It is important to indicate the kind of tour discount that you expect. Fifty percent off rack rate is common, especially for mid-priced chains like Sheraton and Hilton. Each facility will have its rules and guidelines in this regard and aspects like number of people in the group and length of stay can influence the discount. First rate quoted Managers will often quote you a rate that is 10 to 20% higher than what their real final offer would be. They will offer a higher figure as part of the process of negotiation and they will usually eventually settle for a lower figure. Written confirmation Keep notes during negotiations, to cross check against the written confirmation when you it. Be sure that the letter, when received, spells out exactly what was agreed upon. Also, check to see when the accommodation facility expects to receive a rooming list. How can you make reservations with accommodation establishments? The following are examples: Direct with the facility by telephone, fax, letter, e-mail, depending on the situation. It is always safer to have requests and reservations in writing than relying on a telephone conversation. Central reservation office certain larger hotel chains such as Southern Sun, Protea Hotels or even the South African National Parks have a central booking office. By making one telephone call the tour operator can book more than one hotel in the chain, often in several different cities or towns. Accommodation representatives an accommodation representative or agent will represent many accommodation establishments in many different countries. One can phone the representative and make reservations with many different accommodation facilities. One can find the contact details of these representatives on the website of the supplier or at tourism trade shows like the Indaba in Durban Accommodation consortium this is when many individual accommodation establishments come together to form a consortium or association and provide a central reservation office, for example Clarens (Eastern-Free State) or Dullstroom (Mpumalanga) both have central booking offices. The tour operator can call the central booking office or contact them via e-mail. Central reservations system many agencies can access accommodation information and make reservations through their computers. A specific area can have a central reservations system for that area which you can use to make bookings via the Internet.
20 Reservation details When making a reservation it is important to be clear with requirements and with the information passed to the client: Time of arrival and time of departure: You need to determine when you will need the room. Should you expect to arrive in the early hours of the morning; the room will have to be booked for the night, which will have the preceding day s date. Type of room and dates: You need to be sure that you are reserving the type of room required. How many bedrooms are needed in the suite? Should the room have a balcony or a patio? Is a bath required by a client who will not accept a shower? Arrival and departure dates and times must also be specified. Tariff: This can change from the one given in the guide, so you need to obtain the correct tariff. What does it include: meals, taxes, service charge? Ask these questions when making the booking. Cancellation charges: Cancellation charges must be obtained and passed on to the tourist. After you have received the reservation documents you need to check the following information: Checklist for reservation documents Check the name, address and telephone number and all the information given Check the tariff. Is the rate quoted per room or per person? What does the tariff include: tax, service charge? Are there any supplements for sea view, balcony etc.? Are there any cancellation charges? Are the dates correct? What meal basis is included: breakfast (English and continental), lunch or dinner? How is payment to be made?
21 Has the voucher been made out correctly? If a long itinerary is involved, has a separate voucher been issued for each facility? For Sun International: First you phone central reservations FIT and make your booking by phone. Then send a fax to confirm the booking with reservation #. If you book a group send a fax to the group reservations. They will send you a confirmation fax which you sign and send back. Closer to the time of your actual booking you send a voucher and room list directly to the hotel booked as well as head office. For Tsogo Sun (used to be Southern Sun) Hotels and Resorts: If booking FIT phone central reservations You do not need to send a fax to confirm the booking. If you book a group, you send a fax to the group reservations. In both cases, they will send you a fax with the reservation #. Closer to the time of your actual booking you send a voucher and the room list directly to the hotel booked. For Protea Hotels: If booking FIT you phone central reservations and book. If booking a group, you send a fax to the group reservations. In both cases, they will send you a fax with the reservation #. For Kruger National Park: When you call the SA National Parks Board, ask for travel & trade or groups Tel (012) 426-5088, Fax (012) 343-2006. Then apply for tour operator s information. There are no special rates for tour Operators, but they will fax you an information sheet, which you have to fill out and then they will give you an agent code. They will supply you with the STO rates, which is a 10% discount. When you book, you always give them your Agent Code and the computer will then give them all your contact details. When you make a booking, they will give you the reservation number and the date by which you have to pay for the deposit.
22 The above examples are just to mention a few. There are many more hotel groups and each one of them will have their own procedures. If you send faxes to make reservations, you will be following the correct procedure with most of the hotels. Once the client has confirmed a tour there are a few procedures to follow Open a file in your office with all the relevant information on the tour. Keep all documentation in the file, then use the following example for your bookings: Fill in all the information and keep it in the file, this will be a great help. When you have to make a reservation and the hotel wants you to put it on fax, the following details have to be on the fax: The name of the group Dates when you need the accommodation What kind of accommodation you need What nationality is the group Your Agent Code if you have one The name of the hotel If you are booking at more than one hotel with one hotel group, remember to mention which hotels need to be booked.
23 REQUEST HOTEL RESERVATION POTLUCK TOURS PO BOX 17 Pot O Gold 1717 Tel: +27 11 171 7171 To: Attention: Fax: From: Date: Pages including cover: Dear Fonz, Our Agent Code 171 POTTY GROUP (18 pax) I would like to make a reservation for the above-mentioned group as follows: Sandton Sun: In: 17 Dec 2018 Out: 20 Dec 2018 6 x Twin rooms (standard luxury). 6 x Single rooms (standard luxury). Pax - ex Australia. Looking forward to hearing from you. Kind regards Potty Potgieter Reservations CONFIRMATION
24 HOTEL RESERVATION POTLUCK TOURS PO BOX 17 Pot O Gold 1717 Tel: +27 11 171 7171 To: Attention: Fax: From: Date: Pages including cover: Dear Fonz, Our Agent Code 171 POTTY GROUP (24 pax) I would like to confirm the following booking: Reservation 11217 Sandton Sun In: 17 Dec 2018 Out: 20 Dec 2018. 9 x Twin rooms (standard luxury) 6 x Single rooms (standard luxury) Pax ex Australia. Looking forward to hearing from you. Kind regards. Potty Potgieter Reservations
25 CONFIRMATION TO A CLIENT POTLUCK TOURS PO BOX 17 Pot O Gold 1717 Tel: +27 11 171 7171 To: Attention: Fax: From: Date: Pages including cover: Dear Moonie, CONFIRMATION 3 DAYS AND 2 NIGHTS KRUGER NATIONAL PARK TOUR I would like to confirm the following tour: Departure for the above tour will be on Sunday morning 10 December 2018 at 07H30 from your hotel, The Hilton. The tour will return on Tuesday 13 December 2018 and will arrive at the Oliver Tambo International airport at 18H30. The following accommodation has been booked as requested: 1 x Twin room and 2 x Single rooms. The amount due is R4 000.00 per person sharing and the single supplement of R350.00 can be paid by credit card or deposited into our bank account. The full payment is due before departure. Attached, please find the invoice for the above. Looking forward to hearing from you. Kind regards. Potty Potgieter Reservations
26 Important Information Thank you for accepting our invitation to experience this Wildlife Safari. We hope that you have a memorable stay in an atmosphere of comfort and pleasure. Dress: It is recommended that you travel light i.e. casual clothing for the day and a warm jacket for the evenings. It is essential to take some warm clothes, as the evenings get a little cold. Dress in the camp and at dinner is casual. During winter months July/August, a very warm thick jacket would be recommended. Drinking Water: All drinking water in the Park has been purified to the highest standards and guaranteed perfectly safe. Bottled mineral water is sold in the General Store in the Camp. Health: You must be in good health to undertake any Safari. Our Safaris are not strenuous and anybody leading a moderately active life can participate. Please note that Malaria is endemic to the Mpumalanga region of South Africa, including the Kruger Park. All guests entering these areas should take anti-malaria precautions. Shopping: There is a General Store in the Camp where we will overnight, where necessities can be bought. Drinks and snacks are allowed on the Game Drive vehicles and can be kept in the refrigerator in your room. Gratuities: Gratuities are based upon services rendered and provided you are totally satisfied with the performance of our staff, please feel free to tip them accordingly, understanding that you are under no obligation to do so. What to take: Don t forget to take comfortable shoes, a hat, swimsuit, sunscreen, insect repellent, raincoat, flashlight, binoculars, camera. Your support of conservation and the environment is greatly appreciated!
27 CONFIRMATION OF HOTEL BOOKINGS (To client) POTLUCK TOURS PO BOX 17 Pot O Gold 1717 Tel: +27 11 171 7171 To: Attention: Fax: From: Date: Pages including cover: Dear Mr. Hopeful, CONFIRMATION OF HOTEL BOOKINGS I hereby confirm the following bookings: Accommodation at the Hilton. In: 01 December 2018 Out: 04 December 2018 for Mr. and Mrs. B. Hopeful. The accommodation will be 1 x twin room on a dinner, bed and breakfast basis. Your reservation number is HiH1717. Please note that check-in time will be after 14H00 and before 18H00. Checkout time on day of departure will be 10H00. Attached find the invoice for the above reservation. Settlement can be done by credit card or via Internet. The amount due is ZAR 2 300.00 for 3 nights for two people sharing. The voucher will be forwarded after payment has been made. Looking forward to hearing from you. Kind regards. Potty Potgieter Reservations