0.9 Hotel reservations  (Page 3/4)

use of each item above.

The room chart:_____________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________

The reservation form:

_____________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________

2. You'll hear a guest booking accommodation on the phone. Listen and note down his requirements on the room chart.

3. Work with your partner using the role cards in order to take hotel reservations. Take turns to be a guest and a receptionist of the Continental Hotel.

Section 2: reading

1. Pre-reading

Discuss the following questions.

1. Why are guest reservations important to travellers and lodging establishments?
2. What does the hotel need to manage guest reservations?
3. How many types of reservation systems?
4. What are the sources of reservation?
5. Besides reservation systems, what does the hotel also need to do?

2. Reading

HOTEL RESERVATIONS

The importance of guest reservations to travelers and lodging establishments

Making reservations is necessity for travelers and an important marketing tool for lodging establishments. A reservation system must ensure efficient means of accessing, processing, and confirming information. Without an efficient reservation system, all aspects of managing a hotel will be negatively affected. This not only decreases the hope of repeat business, but also ensures that the dissatisfied customer will tell others of the negative experience.

The importance of a reservation system

A well-organized reservation system allows hotels to ensure a steady flow of guest into their properties. Hotel chains offer their members the ability to fill 30% or more of available rooms on a nightly basis. Independent hoteliers have the onerous responsibility of creating exciting marketing programs to capture room business. Easy access to a hotel’s data bank of rooms helps to fulfill the customers’ needs, as well as in reaching a targeted daily occupancy rate and average daily rate. A reservation system represents the primary means of producing positive cash flow and favorable income statement.

Types of reservation systems

The franchisee is a hotel owner who has access to a national reservation system and receives the benefits of the corporation’s management expertise, financial backing, national advertising, and group purchasing. A franchise member of a reservation system or a member of a referral system gains significant advantages from combined efforts of interhotel property referrals, a system of one member-property recommending another member-property to a guest, and national advertising.

A referral member of a reservation referral system is a hotel developer/owner who has access to the national reservation system. Hotels that are members of the reservation system are more than able to justify these costs: for example, a chain property may obtain 15 – 30% of its daily room rentals from the national reservation system. This depends on local economic and market conditions. Compared to the costs incurred by an independent property that must generate every single room sale with individual marketing and sale efforts, franchise referral costs seems minimal.