hotel management

Chapter 10 Front Office Service Management Methods (3)
(7) Other services.The hotel "Golden Key" also accepts other requests from guests, such as making appointments for nurses and doctors, hiring temporary secretaries, notaries, and recommending masseurs and beauticians.

Sixth (Section) How to Manage Checkout Service

Front office guest account management is very time-sensitive and business-oriented. It is a very detailed and complicated work, which is related to the service level and operating efficiency of the hotel.The quality of front office guest account management is directly related to whether it can ensure the economic benefits of the hotel and accurately reflect the status of the hotel's business activities.

The cash register located in the front hall is responsible for calculating and sorting out guest consumption bills sent by cashiers in various business departments every day, handling checkout and collection matters for departing guests, and preparing various accounting reports so that the hotel's operating conditions can be reflected in a timely manner.In terms of business nature, the front office cash register is generally directly under the hotel's finance department, but because it is in the front line of receiving guests, it also needs to accept the command of the front office department.

[-]. Account records

Customer account recording is a daily business work in the cashier's office in the front office.It is very likely that there will be mistakes in work, and there will be cases of evasion and omission of accounts.In order to prevent the above situations, there must be a complete system to ensure the customer account records at the front office cashier, and rely on the cooperation of various business departments and the audit and supervision of the Finance Department.The methods and requirements for customer account recording are as follows.

1. The account is clear
The reception will set up an account for each registered guest, for the cashier to register the guest's rent and other expenses during the hotel stay (except for expenses that have been settled in cash).It is one of the sources of information for the preparation of various business reports, and it is also the basis for settlement when guests leave the store.Typically, hotels create individual accounts for individual guests and group accounts for groups of guests.If group guests are unwilling to accept the restriction of the comprehensive service fee standard, they should also open a separate personal account when preparing a la carte banquet or other consumption, but they must ensure that there is a clear and accurate account, and avoid confusion, especially the name and room number It must be consistent with the content of the accommodation registration form, and the accounts must be categorized and archived for easy access.

2. Quick transfer

Guests stay in the hotel for a short time and have many expense items. Each guest will spend within a few days or even dozens of hours, which requires fast transfer.All business departments must send guest bills to the cashier in the front hall within the stipulated time to prevent wrong accounts, running accounts, and missing accounts, and ensure that the accounts are settled on time and are accurate.If a computerized cash register system is used, as long as the cashier enters the bill into the cash register, the computer in the front hall will record the amount payable by the guest at the same time, which can avoid missing accounts and greatly improve work efficiency.

3. Accurate accounting
After the front office creates a guest account for the guest, all expenses during the guest's stay in the hotel will start to be recorded.The guest's rent is accrued on a daily basis, and is settled once a day. When the guest leaves the hotel, plus the rent payable on that day, it is the total rent payable by the guest, which is clear at a glance.Other expenses, such as food, laundry, telegraph and telex, long-distance calls, haircuts, books and newspapers, etc., except that the guests are willing to settle in cash when they occur, can be signed and approved by the guests, and then transferred to the relevant departments. At the cashier in the front hall, credit the guest's account card.This requires accurate accounting, and the guest's name, room number, expense items and amount, consumption time, etc. must be clear and consistent with the account account.

[-]. Guest checkout

The collection method of one-time checkout is adopted by modern hotels. The so-called "one-time checkout" means that all the expenses spent by guests in the hotel are settled once when they leave the hotel.In this way, it can not only bring convenience to the guests, but also leave a good impression of good service attitude and high work efficiency.

There are generally three payment methods for guests: the ideal payment method for the hotel is cash payment, because the hotel can use it immediately after collecting cash; the more convenient payment method is payment by credit card, which is more convenient. At this time, the hotel's receivables Items can also be guaranteed; a third way is to use inter-business billing to pay for hotels.

The basic procedures for guests to check out are as follows.

(1) The night shift staff at the cashier must withdraw the accounts of the guests who leave the store on the day of the reservation before leaving get off work, check the receivables, and prepare for the checkout.

(2) When the guest leaves the store and asks for the checkout, the cashier should smile, ask the guest room number, find out the debit card, and repeat the name of the guest to prevent mistakes.At the same time, take back the room key.

(3) It is customary for cashiers to ask guests whether they have received services that require payment not long ago, such as whether they have signed a bill for dining in a restaurant before checkout, and need to check whether these consumptions have been registered to avoid missing accounts.

(4) Inform the guests of the total consumption in the hotel and issue the total bill.If the guest pays in cash, the "receipt" stamp will be stamped on the bill; if the guest uses a credit card, it will be processed in accordance with the regulations and requirements of the "Golden Key" on the use of credit cards.

The cashier would like to respect the guest and welcome back.Solicit guests' opinions on improving hotel services and ask if you want to book them a room for their next stay.When guests leave the counter, wish them a pleasant journey and a safe journey.

(5) After checking out, the cashier should file the guest's registration card, billing slip and other credentials, and notify the relevant departments to adjust the guest information.The role of classification and archiving is, on the one hand, to facilitate nighttime review, and on the other hand, to provide proof materials if guests make any mistakes, and at the same time, to do a good job in the analysis of the hotel's customer source market.

[-]. Night audit and preparation of business reports
In many hotels, in addition to undertaking the above-mentioned business, the night staff at the cash register also undertake the work of night audit and preparation of business reports.

([-]) Night review

1. Summary of night audits

The night audit work is to log the bills and rent received from the last night shift into the guest account, and do a good job of summarizing and checking.

The specific steps for night audit staff management and aggregation are as follows:

(1) Check whether the bills of all business departments have been transferred;

(2) Check whether all documents have been registered in the account;
(3) Register all documents that have not yet been registered;

(4) Calculate the total income of each department by classifying the documents by department;

(5) Cumulative cash statement, check the total amount of cash received and cash paid;

(6) Check whether the items on the cash sheet used have been registered in the account;

(7) Make any necessary corrections;

(8) Check that all rebates and rebates are properly signed off and logged on the account;

(9) Register the rent of the day on the account card;

(10) Sum up the debit and credit accounts on each account card to find the remainder of the day;
Record the balance of the current day in the "Continued from the previous page" column on the new account opening page of the next day.

2. Check statistics for night audit

On the basis of the above-mentioned sorting and summarizing, night auditors should log the information on the account into the relevant account book by item and calculate the total.Then, do the following checks:
(1) Check whether the total of the debit column of each business department is consistent with the corresponding sales revenue;
(2) Compare the totals in the column of cash receipts and payment on behalf of the cash table to confirm that the two numbers are consistent;
(3) Check whether the total amount of discounts and rebates is consistent with the total amount on the relevant documents;

(4) Compare the sum of the opening balance column with the sum of the balance at the checkout of the previous day.

On this basis, night auditors are also responsible for making reports and doing a good job of guest room revenue statistics, catering revenue statistics, comprehensive service revenue statistics, and store-wide revenue audit statistics.As an important report of hotel economic information, it fully reflects the hotel's economic activities and is an important basis for mastering and adjusting management.

([-]) Preparation of business day reports

The business day report is a business report that fully reflects the business situation of the hotel on that day. Generally, the night audit staff at the front office cashier is responsible for compiling one copy of which is sent to the general manager's office of the hotel in the morning of the next day, so that the general business situation can be grasped by the hotel manager in time. .Another copy is sent to the financial department as a basis for checking operating income.

(1) According to the guest room status data, take the floor as the unit, count the number of guests and the number of rooms used, and the operating income of individual guest rooms; count the number of free rooms, rooms for domestic guests, vacant rooms, rooms to be repaired, and rooms for employees ; Statistics on the number of rooms, number of people and rental income of the group in the store; from these data, the number of guest rooms rented out on the day, the number of people staying in the store and the operating income of the guest rooms can be calculated.

(2) Count the number of departing guests and rooms used on the day as well as the number of arriving guests and rooms on the day.

(3) Check the room business income of the day with the personnel of the Finance Department.Check the rental income of individual customers, check the statistical results of house price changes on the day, and check the rental income of groups.

(4) Calculate the room occupancy rate of the day and the actual average room price of the day.

(5) Summarize, calculate and check the above data and record it in the business day report.

Seventh (Section) How to manage customer information

The collection and transmission of information are the means of information management in the front office, and the core of information archiving, analysis and sorting and statistical reporting.It is the purpose of information management to put forward consulting suggestions, help hotel management to make decisions, sell hotel rooms and other products, improve management level and economic benefits.

[-]. The means of conveying communication information
There are many means of hotel information transmission and communication, and the common methods are as follows.

1. Various forms and reports

Various forms and reports are the main means of information transmission and communication in the front office, and an indispensable bridge in the information transmission and arrangement of the front office. quarterly and month-end reports.

2. Various oral and written notifications, announcements and memorandums
The transfer of information between the upper and lower levels of the hotel and between various departments generally relies on various oral and written notices, circulars and memorandums, such as various work instructions, notices, requests for instructions, reports, suggestions, instructions, etc.

3. Shift diary and notebook
The link between each team in customer service is the shift diary and notebook, which are mainly used to record the on-duty status of the team, problems occurred in the work, and unfinished matters that need to be processed by the next team.

4. Various meetings
Various types of meetings held in the hotel are also an effective means of information communication between superiors and subordinates, between departments, and between teams.The types of meetings include various instruction meetings, coordination meetings, and morning meetings convened by the general manager of the hotel; there are also departmental work meetings and regular team meetings held within the scope of departmental teams.All important work information of the hotel, including the meeting plan, required materials, meeting notice, meeting minutes and post-meeting work summary, must be properly preserved.

5. Computer system

Today, with the rapid development of the information highway, computer systems have already become an important means of information transmission, communication and coordination in hotels.The computer system has unparalleled advantages in the accuracy of information statistics, high efficiency of processing, immediacy of transmission, and global scope, which cannot be replaced by other means.Commonly used front office computer application systems include room reservation system, room sales system, query system, accounting system and comprehensive analysis system.

[-]. Information management method
([-]) Major mistakes in information management

In the operation of the front office, poor work often has adverse effects on the hotel. For example, due to poor information transmission or incorrect information, there are problems with customer service, which lead to complaints from guests. The common information barriers in restaurants are manifested in the following aspects .

1. The information is not delivered in time or not in place
The main reason for information errors is that there are obstacles in the process of information transmission, for example, when the team is handed over, the information is not delivered in place, or there are obstacles in the delivery of forms between departments.The solution is to have a dedicated person in charge, that is, which employee takes over the information and materials, and the employee is responsible for passing it to the next station; or the team is divided according to the division of labor, and each job is in charge of a dedicated person, so this person is responsible All information about this work is passed on.

2. The form data is lost
Missing form data is also a common information barrier.For example, for a reservation guest who came to check in, the hotel could not find the reservation information of this guest, resulting in a work error.Solution In addition to the above-mentioned special person in charge, it is also necessary to establish a strict information archiving system.

3. The information is not updated in time
The changed information is not reflected in the form data in time, or has been passed on to other departments but not added, which will cause a lot of work mistakes.For example, the latest changes to the reservation were not notified in time, or there were changes in the schedule of the team and meeting guests, but other departments were not notified.

4. Difficulty finding information
When some information is needed, the opportunity is delayed due to the difficulty of finding it, and the work efficiency is reduced.For example, when guests go to the information desk to inquire about certain information, they wait in front of the counter for a long time because the inquirer cannot find the information for a while.Or it is difficult to find due to the chaotic storage of data when analyzing monthly, quarterly, and annual business conditions.The solution is to compile an index on the information materials, and the effective work of sorting the materials is the responsibility of a special person.

([-]) Information management methods

1. Formulate relevant information management systems and implement them strictly in accordance with the systems. The management of information materials should be highly valued by the hotel management, formulate relevant information management systems and implement them strictly in accordance with the systems.The front office should also formulate relevant information systems based on the actual operating procedures and work conditions, and designate relevant responsible persons, so that each link (section) of the information system can be guaranteed to be unimpeded and accurate transmission.

2. Classify and process information materials

Classify according to the transfer objects of information materials.The transmission objects of various information materials are different, and can be divided into: external information, some information materials are external, such as guest forms, or forms that need to be filled out by other units; internal information, internal information materials are only in the hotel range, It is used within the scope of departments or teams. For some hotel business secrets, they need to be properly preserved, and disclosure or loss is strictly prohibited.

Categorized by business unit.There are many types of information materials in the front office, and each business division has its own set of information materials.The information materials introduced above are classified according to each business department, such as the information materials of the reservation office, the information materials of the reception desk, and the information materials of the lobby service.

Each link (section) of the guest check-in process must be classified.In addition to classifying information materials according to various departments, it is also possible to classify information materials according to each link (section) of the guest check-in process from the perspective of guests.For example, the information materials of the reservation link (session), the information materials of the check-in link (session), the information materials during the stay, the information materials required when checking out and leaving the store, etc.

Categorize the information that needs to be processed.Various information materials need to be processed in different ways, which can be divided into: temporary type (temporary type information data refers to the forms and documents that need to be processed in a short period of time, and then sorted out and archived, such as guest reservation information, hotel guest accommodation registration form etc.); to be processed (the information to be processed refers to the forms and documents that are being processed, such as guest room reservation faxes that need to be answered, guest message sheets, item transfer orders, ticket orders, etc.); permanent storage (permanent storage Refers to information that needs to be preserved for a long time for future reference, such as copies of various contracts, meeting minutes, customer history files, business day reports, etc., which need to be properly preserved).

3. Make an index
Before the information material is archived, an index should be made on the material.For example alphabetically by guest name or by date, or by department for easy lookup.

4. A special person is responsible for data collection, sorting and storage

The collection, collation and storage of materials should be carried out by special personnel, which can be undertaken full-time by the clerks of the front office department, or can be managed by the team or department heads in person.

(End of this chapter)