Front Office Reservation System: HTM 114-Fundamentals in Lodging Operations - Ana Luna E. Bonina, MS

Manuel S.
Enverga University Foundation, Lucena City

An Autonomous University
College of International Hospitality and Tourism Management
Front Office
Reservation System
HTM 114-Fundamentals in Lodging
Operations
-Ana Luna E. Bonina, MS

Manuel S. Enverga University Foundation, Lucena City
Learning Outcome/s
On completion of this lesson, you will able to:
• Determine the importance of the reservation

process
• Differentiate of guaranteed and non-guaranteed
reservation
• Apply Hotel Reservation Systems and Central
Reservation System in a hotel
• Identify the role of the internet in hotel reservation
• Identify the trends in online booking
• Recognize sources of online reservation,
cancelling and generating reservation
Learning Objective/s
• Discuss the importance of the reservation process
• Analyze guaranteed and non-guaranteed
reservation
• Operate Hotel Reservation Systems and Central
Reservation System
• Discuss the role of the internet
• Discuss Trend in online booking
• Discuss sources of online reservation, cancelling
and generating reservation
Front Office Reservation

• Reservation of the hotel accommodation is one of the
important responsibilities of the front office
department.
• A potential guest contacts a hotel for availability of the
desired type of accommodation and any allied services
that the hotel offers.
• The front office department needs to react to the
enquiry of the guests.
Front Office Management. (2016). Retrieved from

https://www.tutorialspoint.com/front_office_management/front_office_management_tutorial.pdf
Front Office Reservation

• For a guest, reservation increases the chances of a
better deal for assured accommodation on arrival.
• For a hotel, reservation can enable a better
management of guest experience during usual as well
as peak seasons.
• Reservation procedure varies depending on the size
and brand of the hotel and the reservation system
employed.

Types of Hotel Reservation

Systems
An efficient and effective reservation system is what
adds to the hotel’s profitability. Following are the most
popular reservation systems:
Whitney System of Reservation

It was developed in 1940 by Whitney Paper Corporation
from New York, hence the name. This is a conventional
manual reservation system the hotels used to follow
during pre-computer days in the hotels. It contains the
following setup for reservation:

Types of Reservation
• Guaranteed Reservation assures the guest that the hotel
will hold a room until a specific time of the day following the
guest’s scheduled arrival date.
• Non – Guaranteed Reservation provide some protection to

the hotel’s revenue even in the case of a no-show.
• No-show a situation in which the guest makes a reservation

but does not register or cancel the reservation.


Systems
Whitney System of Reservation
It was developed in 1940 by Whitney Paper Corporation
from New York, hence the name. This is a conventional
manual reservation system the hotels used to follow
during pre-computer days in the hotels. It contains the
following setup for reservation:
• Slip for request of accommodation reservation
• Whitney slip that records guest name, accommodation
type, number, and duration of stay.
• Temporary/Permanent arrival slip

Systems
• Guest bill
• Guest Registration card
• Correspondence file
• Bedroom journal that records daily occupancy of the
guest with date, guest name, room type, and room
number.

Whitney Slip
https://image.slidesharecdn.com/hospitality-170204114826/95/hospitality-41-
638.jpg?cb=1486209035
Bedroom Journal
https://image.slidesharecdn.com/reservations1-170627140443/95/reservation-in-hotel-39-
638.jpg?cb=1498573707
• Though this system proved efficient, it generated a lot

of paperwork with occasional scope for errors.
• The drawbacks were overcome by the central

reservation system.

Central Reservation System (CRS)

• It is a computerized reservation
system that reduces paperwork
and can handle large amount of
reservation data effortlessly.
• In this system, since the guest
data and reservation data are
stored on the storage disks of
the computers, it can be
accessed at wish.
https://hotelmanagementsoftware.files.wordpress.com/2013/08/sm_distribution_crs.jpg

• It is stored in the form of a database of collection of
records which can enable searching, adding, removing,
or updating any guest related data.
• The computerized reservation system not only helps to
make guest reservations but also
• helps to forecast how many accommodations can be
reserved in an upcoming time period.

This is how a CRS typically works:
https://www.hotelogix.com/images/cro-new-other-interface.jpg

• The guests of hotel sales agents call for checking room
availability. It is forwarded to the front office reservation
staff.
• The staff finds out details about the requirement and checks
the availability of desired accommodation in the database.
• According to the reservation policies and procedures, the

reservation staff member then notifies or suggests the
reception about the accommodation availability and takes
further appropriate action.
The Role of the Internet in

Reservation
The Internet has brought a
momentum in the
hospitality business as well.
It facilitates seamless
management of a hotel’s
offices located at various
places and their various
departments.
https://miro.medium.com/max/1606/1*RpGrv8XLmiHx5mf9c-viUA.png
• The hotel businesses are

actively working on the Internet
24 hours a day, seven days a
week.
• It enables Online Hotel
Management Systems (OHMS)
such as Hotelogix to help guests
reserve accommodation of their
choice fast and conveniently.
• The guests of the hotel can
access rate charts,
accommodation availability,
check-in and check-out timings,
details about the restaurants,
and so on, at their own
convenience.
https://www.hotelogix.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/5-reasons-to-choose-Hotelogix-over-other-
PMS-providers1.jpg
Trends in Online Booking

With more and more lodging options becoming
available, it’s up to hotels to provide the best customer
service they can. And, while that certainly includes the
actual interactions between staff and clients, it also
consists of the booking services your facility provides.
Each year, this technology changes as the world

advances. The trends in booking have already begun to
rise to the top.
Bradley, K. (2018, March 6). Hotel Booking Trends and Technologies of 2018. Retrieved from
https://www.hotelonline.com/press_releases/release/hotel-booking-trends-and-technologies-of-2018/?
1. The Fall of TripAdvisor — and the Rise of

Other Booking Sites
• Once upon a time, your hotel’s reputation depended
upon its star rating on TripAdvisor. The site allowed
visitors to provide post-trip feedback that depended on
your service — a fantastic stay equaled a high star
rating and vice-versa.
• But TripAdvisor's reputation took a huge hit when it was
revealed that the site removed allegations of sexual
misconduct made against particular lodgings.
Bradley, K. (2018, March 6). Hotel Booking Trends and Technologies of 2018.
Retrieved from https://www.hotelonline.com/press_releases/release/hotel-
booking-trends-and-technologies-of-2018/?
1. The Fall of TripAdvisor — and the Rise of

Other Booking Sites
On top of that, their on-site booking application isn’t well
regarded. For these reasons, you should start checking
more sites for client reviews and suggestions. Facebook
and Google are two of the potential challengers to
TripAdvisor’s reign, though the former has yet to include
booking features.
2. Direct Booking
• To that end, this could be the year
that customers turn their backs on
these types of third-party booking
sites. There are definite
advantages to booking directly
with a hotel: potential customers
can speak to staffers, learn more
about the facilities and possible
upgrades and receive direct
discounts, to boot.
• The only problem is that many
hotels’ online booking technology
is not nearly as streamlined as the
systems offered by discount
websites.
3. Predictive Pricing
• If you log onto Google and search for flights, you’ll find
something extremely beneficial: predictive pricing,
which allows customers to see when it will be cheapest
for them to travel. Hotels are already taking advantage
of this technology, but they’re using it in a way that’s
great for their business.
4. The Ability to Chat

• Once upon a time, customers could
only contact a hotel by phone. After
that, email allowed them to send
questions and comments, but those
wouldn’t receive as instantaneous of a
response. In an age in which everyone
sends texts, though, this speed just
won’t cut it anymore.
• That’s why your hotel’s website should
include a chat feature ASAP. As
customers look for deals or book, they
can chat with a representative of your
organization, who can guide them
through the process.
5. Go Mobile
• It may seem obvious to
give your hotel a mobile
presence, but it’s about
more than just social
media. Take the Chinese
tourism market as a great
example: there, the
tourism market is rapidly
growing, to the point that
it’s forecasted to become
the largest in the world by
2022. Mobile technology
has been a massive factor
in the strides taken thus
far.
6. Providing Non-Hotel Bookings

• Finally, a hotel stay is no longer just about having a bed and
bathroom. The team at Airbnb has realized that it’s all about
the experience, so they’ve widened their bookings to
include more than just properties: they allow clients to book
excursions, activities and tours.
• Because this type of experiential tourism is on the rise,
brands including Expedia have followed suit. Even if you
can’t offer a full slate of activities that clients can book
online, advertise activities available to guests. You could
also partner with local companies who provide tours and
outdoor excursions and have staffers on hand to reserve
spots for those staying at your hotel.
Sources of Reservation
People travel for various reasons
such as personal as well as for
MICE. There are various sources
from whom the requests of
reservation pour in:
Direct Request from Guests: The

prospective guests can approach
individually to the hotel for
reservation of accommodation
mostly when they are single
travelers or family travelers.
Sources of Reservation
Request from Travel Agent: They can approach the hotel for
booking accommodations for group travelers.
Request from Corporate Agent: An organization can request a
hotel to reserve accommodations for their employees, clients,
or visitors.
Request from Airlines: The airlines can reserve
accommodations for their working staff for routine stay as
well as in case of flight cancellations.
Request from Institutions: Various SMERF or NGO institutions
request to reserve hotels for sports people, delegations of
embassies, or performing-art program groups, workshop
groups, and alike who travel to different location.
Managing Reservations
The first step in reserving an accommodation is to check if the
requested kind of accommodation is available for selling for a
specific period of time. It is done by checking forecast boards
or computerized systems.
Accepting Reservation of Accommodation - Reservation is

accepted in the following cases in conjunction with the
availability of the accommodation:
• Is the guest new to the hotel?
• Does the guest have good credentials with the hotel
regarding payment and behavior?
• Is the guest a VIP?
Managing Reservations
Denying Reservation of Accommodation - denial of
reservation directly means loss of revenue. But there are
certain situations when the reservation staff turns down
the reservation for the guests or agents. The potential
causes of denying reservation are:
• All accommodations in hotel booked:
• Requested type of accommodation not available
• Guest/Agent blacklisted

The reservation section of the front office prepares the

list of the reservations for the day and sends it to the
front desk. The list also contains vital information such as
if the guest is new or repeat, guest preferences about
room location or décor. The rooms are then prepared by
housekeeping.

Cancelling a Reservation of
Accommodation
This is yet another event when the hotel loses business
with a guest. Though the fact is overt loss of revenue, the
front office staff must react to it politely and gracefully.
The staff member also needs to convey any cancellation
charges the guest must pay while cancelling the
reservation. Cancellation is done in the following steps:
• Finding out details of the guest and respective
reserved accommodation.
• Verifying charges of cancellation charges.
• Notifying the guest about cancellation charges.

Cancelling a Reservation of
Accommodation
• Cancelling the reservation in the system.
• Updating the system for accommodation availability.
• Confirming the guest about the cancellation.
https://www.wikihow.com/images/thumb/8/8b/Cancel-a-Reservation-on-Airbnb-Step-5-Version-2.jpg/aid1365293-v4-728px-
Cancel-a-Reservation-on-Airbnb-Step-5-Version-2.jpg.webp
Generating Reservation Report

Reservation reports are generated for the sake of
helping the management find trends and making
forecast about business.
The reports typically are of the following types:

• Occupancy report
• Special arrival report
• Revenue forecast report
• Turn away report
END OF DISCUSSION!
THANK YOU!
-M’.alebonina
With an eye to technological trends, you can make your

hotel’s online presence a more functional one. And, with
that kind of ease, potential customers will have no
hesitations — and nothing standing in their way — when
it’s time to book it.
- Bradley, K. (2018, March 6).

References:
Bradley, K. (2018, March 6). Hotel Booking Trends and
Technologies of 2018. Retrieved from
https://www.hotelonline.com/press_releases/release/h
otel-booking-trends-and-technologies-of-2018/?

https://www.tutorialspoint.com/front_office_management
/front_office_management_tutorial.pdf

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Manuel S.

Enverga University Foundation, Lucena City

College of International Hospitality and Tourism Management

-Ana Luna E. Bonina, MS

• Determine the importance of the reservation

Front Office Reservation

Front Office Management. (2016). Retrieved from

Front Office Reservation

Front Office Management. (2016). Retrieved from

Types of Hotel Reservation

Whitney System of Reservation

Front Office Management. (2016). Retrieved from

• Non – Guaranteed Reservation provide some protection to

• No-show a situation in which the guest makes a reservation

Front Office Management. (2016). Retrieved from

Types of Hotel Reservation

Types of Hotel Reservation

Front Office Management. (2016). Retrieved from

• Though this system proved efficient, it generated a lot

• The drawbacks were overcome by the central

Front Office Management. (2016). Retrieved from

Central Reservation System (CRS)

Central Reservation System (CRS)

Front Office Management. (2016). Retrieved from

This is how a CRS typically works:

Central Reservation System (CRS)

• According to the reservation policies and procedures, the

The Role of the Internet in

• The hotel businesses are

Trends in Online Booking

Each year, this technology changes as the world

1. The Fall of TripAdvisor — and the Rise of

1. The Fall of TripAdvisor — and the Rise of

4. The Ability to Chat

6. Providing Non-Hotel Bookings

Direct Request from Guests: The

Accepting Reservation of Accommodation - Reservation is

Front Office Management. (2016). Retrieved from

The reservation section of the front office prepares the

Front Office Management. (2016). Retrieved from

Front Office Management. (2016). Retrieved from

Generating Reservation Report

The reports typically are of the following types:

With an eye to technological trends, you can make your

- Bradley, K. (2018, March 6).

Front Office Management. (2016). Retrieved from

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