Guest registration procedures 1. Receive the guest with a smile, a wish according to the time. 2. Check if he/she is holding reservation 3. If there is a reservation, then no problem, otherwise check for availability of rooms 4. Get he guest registration card and fill it up 5. Fill up the key and the welcome card 6. If the guest is a foreigner, get the C form and fill it up. 7. Allot the accommodation 8. Fill the arrival 9. Make information slips and send them to telephones, room service and housekeeping (if the hotel has PMS then do not required 10. Open guest folio 11. Incase of VIP, CIP etc inform all the departments 12. Lastly inform the bellboys to carry the luggage and escort the guest to the room and wish a comfortable stay in the hotel. Registration begins when the front desk agent extends a sincere welcome to the guests. Warm greeting sets the tone for everything that follows. The front desk agent moves to the registration process after determining the guest’s reservation status. To a great degree registration relies on the information contained in a reservation record. Front office personnel will find registration simpler and smoother when accurate and complete information has been captures during the reservation process. The registration process can be divided into six steps • • • • • •
Pre registration activity Creating the registration record Asg the room and the rate Establishing method of payment Issuing the room key Fulfilling the special requests
Pre registration activity Through the reservation process, a guest provides nearly all the information needed to complete registration. In other words, guests who make reservations will likely experience a more rapid check in.
1
Pre registrations activities (registration activities that occur before the guest arrives at the property) help accelerate the registration process. Typically pre ed guests’ only need to information collected by reservations agents during the reservations process. Typically pre ed guests’ only need to information already entered onto a registration cared and provide a valid signature in the appropriate place on the registration card. Pre registration involves room and rate assignment and creation of guest folio apart from producing registration card. However in some properties they are reluctant to do room assignment as if there are some last minute cancellations then may create an imbalance in the status of vacant rooms. Pre registration tasks are done in non-automated and semi automated front office systems also. But in many of such properties the pre registration services may be limited to specially designated, VIPs or groups. Pre registration helps plan for special requirements of guests as well as of the hotel. For example, frequent guests may have special requirements of guests as well as of the hotel. And guests with disabilities may need rooms outfitted to their special needs. By pre ing these guests, the front desk agent can be sure to satisfy them. In addition pre registration help as managers when they know that the hotel will be in full occupancy in next several days.
The registration record After a guest arrives at the hotel, the front desk agent creates a registration record, a collection of important guest information. Registration cards facilitate the registration process and require guests to provide his/her name, address, telephone number, company affiliation and other personal data. The registration card usually contains a space for guest’s signature. Generally this is a legal prerequisite to establishing guest’s relationship with the hotel. In automated properties the registration card can be preprinted wherein the guests can and then sign. At the time of check in. the front desk agents needs to reconfirm the pre assigned rate and the planned departure date. The registration card is either filed in the room rack or attached with the guest folio.
2
In an automated system the details will automatically get communicate to the required departments where in otherwise it needs to be ed on so that the guest is able o do credit purchases against the room . At check out, the information captures on guest registration card may be used as the primary source for creating a guest history record. This record may then become part of the data base to be used in the future by the hotel’s sales and marketing efforts. The information contained in a guest history database can be analyzed to assist management in developing marketing strategies, marketing lists and detailed reports. Guest registration card As the name suggests the registration is done in the card form. Normally three copies are made with carbon papers. The original copy along with C-form is send to the police, second copy is for hotels records and the third one is kept along with the guest folio.’ But many times C-form is a separate document. C-form Under the rules C-form has to be filled up for all foreign residents of the hotel. The purpose of C-form is to furnish certain information to the police to check on the movements of foreign nationals visiting the country. The C-form has to be filled in duplicate for all individuals including husband, wife and all the children. Nationality, port numbers, date and place of issue, purpose of visit, address, duration of say are all main details found in C-form. When a group is staying only one C-form is made for the whole group. The groups rooming list, which consists of all group member’s name along with their nationality, port number, date and place of issue are printed. The group rooming list along with the C-form prepared for the group is sent to the police. c-forms have to be sent to the police within 24 hours of arrival of the guest.
3
Guest Registration Card No_____________________ Date____________________ Time___________________ Name Of The Guest___________________________________________ Address(Permanent)_________________________________________
Telephone No________________________________ Arrived Form___________________ Proceeding To______________ Date Of Birth_____________________________________________ For Foreigners Only
For Office Use
port No_________________ Date And Time Of Arrival______________ Date Of Issue____________________ Expected Date Of Departure___________ Place Of Issue____________________ Time of Departure __________________ Valid Up To_______________________ Type of Accommodation_____________ Type Of Visa____________________ No of Pax________________________ Date Of Issue____________________ Room No________________Rate______ Proposed Duration of Stay In India____________________ Plan__________Booked By___________ Registration No If Any_______________ Billing Instructions_________________ Date Of Registration_________________ _________________________________ Place Of Registration_________________ Special Remarks____________________ Valid Up to_________________________ Advance if any_____________________ Whether Employed In India___________ Date Of Advance___________________ Address In India____________________ Recipt No__________Bill No__________ _________________________________ The Management Does Not Take Responsibility for Loss Of Guest Valuables, Lockers Are Available
I have gone through the and conditions of my stay in the hotel and i agree to abide the same.
Receptionist ‘S Signature
Guest’s Signature
4
C-Form 1. Name Of The Hotel________________________________________________ 2. Name Of The Guest_______________________________________________ 3. Nationality_____________________________________________________ Arrived From_____________________________Proceeding to___________ 4. port No____________________________________________________ 5. Date of Issue___________________________________________________ 6. Place of Issue__________________________________________________ 7. Valid Up to_____________________________________________________ 8. Date And Time Of Arrival In Hotel___________________________________ 9. Date And Time Of Arrival In India____________________________________ 10. Type Of Visa___________________________________________________ 11. Visa No________________________________________________________ 12. Date Of Issue____________________________________________________ 13 Place Of Issue__________________________________________________ 14. Valid Up to_____________________________________________________ 15. Whether Employed In India_______________________________________ 16. If Yes Address in India__________________________________________ 17. Proposed Duration of Stay in India_________________________________ 18. Proposed Duration of Stay in Hotel_________________________________ 19. Registration No if Any_____________________________________________ 20. Date Of Issue____________________________________________________ 21 Place Of Issue____________________________________________________ 22. Valid Up to______________________________________________________
5
Room and rate assignment Room assignment is an important pat of the registration process. Room assignment involves identifying and allocating an available room in a specific category to the guest. When the guest request is ambiguous, or when a room is unavailable to the guest’s preferred category, a front desk agent may conduct a survey of all room categories to identify an acceptable available room. On the basis of reservation information, specific rooms and rates may be pre assigned before the guest’s arrival. Pre asg a specific room depends on the room’s forecasted availability status and how appropriately the room meets the guest’s needs. Room assignments are finalized during the registration process. Determine the guest’s needs by room type are often insufficient. Hotels typically offer a variety of room rates for similar types of rooms. Room rates or rooms with identical room configuration may vary based on room size, quality of room furnishings, location, amenities and other factors. Front desk agents must be aware of each rooms rate category, current occupancy status, furnishings, location and amenities, in order to best satisfy guest requests. The front desk agent’s ability to determine room status and an appropriate room rate is critical to an effective registration process. Room status Effective room and rate assignment depends on accurate and timely room status information. Changes in room’s housekeeping status should be communicated promptly to the front desk in order to maximize room sales. Maintaining timely housekeeping status information requires close coordination with housekeeping department. A room status discrepancy occurs when the housekeeping status information differs form that of front office. Room status discrepancies can seriously affect a property’s ability to satisfy guest needs and maximize room revenue. Room status discrepancies should be identified and resolved as quickly as possible. A tremendous aid to the registration of early arriving guests is the prompt relay of housekeeping information to the front desk. This is especially true during high occupancy. Room rack In non-automated and semi-automated systems, the front desk may use a room rack to track the current housekeeping room status. Room rack slip containing the guest name, departure date, room rate and 6
other information normally completed during the registration process and placed in the room rack slot corresponding to the room number assigned to the guest. The presence of room rack slip indicates that the room is occupied. When the guest checks out, a departure card is kept and once the room is ready for sale card is again changed. For computer-based systems the interface between the two departments can be taken care by property management systems or telephones In many properties front desk agent is responsible for producing a daily front office report called the occupancy report. it simply mention the status of all rooms of the hotel. The housekeeping department prepares a housekeeping status report based on a physical check of all guest rooms. It should be compared with the front office report, and any room status discrepancies should be brought to the attention of the front office manager for further action. In a computerized system, the status of the rooms can be automatically updated at every check out and once it is cleaned and ready for sale, the housekeeping can change it in the system. Room rates A room rate is the price a hotel charges for overnight accommodations. Room rates are often confirmed as the part of the reservation process. Asg rate for the walk in guest is left to the front desk agent according to the hotel’s policy. Room locations When asg guest rooms, a front desk agent must be aware of the characteristics of each room type. Differences between the guest rooms lie in their furnishings, amenities and location. Front desk agents should be familiar with the guestroom configurations as well as hotel’s floor plan. Individual guest or groups may specify certain room locations in hotel as part of their reservation requests.
Method of payment Regardless of whether the guest intends to pay by cash, cheque or credit card or other acceptable method, the hotel should take precautionary measures to ensure payment. Effective settlement depends on the steps taken during registration to determine the guests’ method of payment. The establishment of proper settlement or credit authorization at the time of registration will 7
greatly reduce the potential for unauthorized settlement and subsequent collection problems. The registration process plays an important role in front office guest ing since front desk agents are responsible for gathering information at check in on the intended method of payment.
Issuing the room key By issuing the room key the front desk agent completes the registration process. For security of both the guest and the property, room keys must be very carefully controlled. For security reasons front desk agents should never announce the room number while handing over the keys. Front desk agent should introduce the guest to the bellboy, hand him the guest room keys, and ask him to show the room to the guest. On the way to the room he should explain various features of the hotel to the guest. . Once inside the guest room he should explain the various facilities.
Fulfilling the special requests Part of registration is that any special requests made by guests are acknowledged and acted on. They may be: • • • • • •
Location View Bed type Amenities Special furnishings for disabled Extra bed
Selling the guest room Front desk agents will not have the chance to use efficient or innovative registration techniques if the guest is not convinced of the value of renting a hotel room. Part of the front desk agent’s job is to create consumer acceptance of the hotel’s products: guestrooms, facilities and services. Front desk agents should practice sales techniques specific to their work. The registration process, for example must move through certain stages to ensure quick and careful registration. But within these stages front office staff frequently has the opportunity to make 8
individual sales presentations. Up selling to all guests including walk in s often holds the best opportunity to create more revenue for the hotel. Special programs and groups During registration, guests may present vouchers, coupons, or special incentive awards from businesses, airlines, or other authorized agencies. Front desk agents must be aware of hotel agreements to honor such vouchers and know how to properly credit the bearer. Front desk agents too must use care while handling special programs vouchers because they may differ in value, conditions or . Front desk agents must be careful when ing group guests to be sure that their special needs are handled. ing guests associated with a group is different from ing individual guests. Guests arriving at the hotel to attend corporate meeting often have their billing arrangements pre-established. In some cases the guest room and the fax charges are direct billed to the master . Other charges such as telephone, food and beverage, laundry, are the responsibility of the individual guests. In this case credit must be established for each member of the group. However when the group agrees to pay for all the charges made by its guests, it is important that the guest not to be asked to establish credit. For example, VIPs or invited speakers for a group’s meeting should sign their registration cards, their departure dates, and be issued their room keys. And also in these cases it may not be appropriate to print the room rats on registration cards.
9