Arrival, Registration, Assignment, and Rooming

1
Arrival, Registration, Assignment, and Rooming

• Chapter 8

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ARRIVAL

• The arrival procedure appears routine and
  standardized. And it is, although a wide choice
  of sizes, classes, and types of hotels means no
  two arrivals are exactly the same.
• If all front-office functions are running
  smoothly and all systems are working in unison,
  the arrival is an auspicious one.

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Moments of Truth

• Arrival time signals the sharpest distinction
  between the industrys many levels of service.
• Limited-service guests who use self-check-in
  terminals may see no one at all!
• Full-service hotels make the arrival procedure
  part of the guests experience, one of many
  moments of truth.

4
Valet Attendant

• Parking attendants greet guests arriving by
  private auto.
• Urban parking is a revenue center of the hotel.
• Parking arrangements may be reversed with the
  parking company paying the hotel for the right to
  pick up guests cars.
• The valet attendants are the parking companys
  employees, not subject to hotel control.

5
The Doorperson

• The presence of a door attendant makes a strong
  statement about the hotel, its concern for
  guests, and its level of service.
• The doorperson is part concierge, part
  bellperson, part tour guide, part host, and part
  friend.
• Without question, doorpersons in their splendid
  uniforms make an impressive impact and a
  comforting presence at the hotels entry.

6
REGISTRATION

• Arriving guests may or may not hold reservations.
  Those with reservations are handled quickly
  because the information is already in the
  computer.
• Registration is handled as if the guest were a
  walk-in.
• Guest-to-agent interaction changes dramatically
  when the house is full 100 occupancy. A quick
  and caring response from the hotel staff might
  convert a traumatic experience into a positive
  moment of truth.

7
Walk-Ins

• Registering walk-ins takes more time than
  registering reservation-holders.
• Sales to walk-ins boost the hotels bottom line.
  Walk-ins are the final tier of the yield
  management system.
• An inviting lobby is the first means of capturing
  the sale. A cordial, knowledgeable guest-service
  agent with the right message is the second.

8
Registered, Not Assigned (RNA)

• Early arrivals, especially those who appear
  before the check-out hour, may need to wait until
  a departure creates a room vacancy.
• The registration card is completed but marked
  RNA, registered but not assigned.
• Early arrivals who come after rooms have been
  vacated are assigned immediately, but not given
  the key while the room is on change.
• Room charges are the real issue with early
  arrivals.

9
Waiting Lines

• Hotel executives must balance the four elements
  of waiting lines arrival population service
  population and queue and service disciplines.
• Managements failure to attend to the four parts
  of queuing theory creates negative moments of
  truth.
• Frequent-guest members, important persons, and
  premium corporate accounts are registered in a
  different area by the concierge or a hotel
  executive.

10

• Registration pods dont eliminate lines, but they
  make the experience more cordial.
• Self-service check-in is viewed as a special
  accommodation rather than a reduction in service.
• Initially, self-check-in terminals required the
  arriving guest to hold a reservation and a
  payment card, either credit or debit.
• When all rooms are taken and only a few suites
  are available, it challenges the terminals
  capability. Rather than walk the arrival, the
  desk clerk will likely upgrade the reservation to
  one of the suites.

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The Registration Card

• Guest-service agents greet arriving guests with
  pleasantries and a registration card.
• Timing applies to the registration cards as well.
  Guests with reservations are accommodated quickly
  because registration cards are preprinted as part
  of the previous nights audit.
• Release of Registration Information names,
  addresses, company affiliations, times of
  arrivals and departures, telephone and internet
  records, credit-card data and more.

12

• Contents of the Cards name and address number
  in the party room number date of departure
  rate agents identification folio number
  disclaimer of liability.
• Points of Agreement to minimize
  misunderstandings, the agent repeats several
  facts as the registration closes.
• New social issues have added to the guest-service
  agents responsibilities. Where appropriate,
  Points of Agreement have expanded to include
  no-smoking rooms, pets, and green facilities.

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ASSIGNMENT

• No-Smoking Rooms Gradually, as calls for
  no-smoking grew, hotels set aside entire floors
  or wings for nonsmokers.
• Pets almost every chain has some type of pet
  accommodation.
• The Assignment Process blocking the room
  choosingsellingthe room upgrades VIPs.

14
Did Not Stay

• In very rare instances, the arriving party may
  register and leave immediately.
• Typically, no charge is made if check-out takes
  place within a reasonable time, even if the room
  was occupied briefly.
• The completed reg card is marked DNS and given
  over to a supervisor.

15
Establishing Credit and Identity

• Guests with reservations have already established
  a preliminary level of credit and identification.
• Credit cards help establish the guests identity,
  but some jurisdictions require additional
  identification.
• Associates throughout the hotel must be vigilant
  if the paid-in-advance system is to work. Without
  a card on file, all services must be paid on
  cash.

16
ROOMING THE GUEST

• The Uniformed Services uniformed service
  personnel are minimum-wage workers, but are the
  top of all hotel wage-earners.
• Rooming Slips rooming slips ask the guest to
  verify three bits of information name and
  spelling, date of departure, and the rate.
• Arriving at the Room registration completed, the
  bell person moves toward the elevators with the
  guest in tow.
• Green Hotel lodgings early efforts at
  greening the industry were chiefly cosmetic.