RESERVATIONS

This department helps create new reservations, forecast demand and ensure the room inventory
status i.e. availability of rooms on any given day is accurate. It closely coordinates with Front Office to
prepare for guest’s arrival by ensuring guest’s preferences have been taken care of, amenities if any
are placed in the room and the check in process is smooth.

Organization Chart

Front Office Manager

Reservations Manager

Reservations Supervisor

Reservations Agent

Job Description of Reservation Agent (Fairmont Hotels)

• Answer telephone and email inquiries in a timely manner

• Determine Guest’s needs and quote the appropriate room and rate as per requirements
• Assist Guests regarding hotel facilities in an informative and helpful way
• Respond to enquiries about hotel products and services over the telephone and email, etc
• Book reservation with accurate information to ensure we exceed Guest’s expectations
• Book and enter room reservation requests using the Property Management System
• Update and check reservations ensuring a flawless check in and checkout process
• Ensure knowledge of all facilities of different sister hotels, services and hours of operation in
order to respond confidently and effectively to inquiries
• Consistently demonstrate a commitment to personal Guest Service excellence and
profitably through special duties as assigned
• Ensure revenue is maximized by up-selling guest rooms and recommending hotel facilities
• Liaise with Sales and other departments as required
• Arrange accommodation, visas and activity requirements for leisure, corporate and wholesale
Guests
• Understand Revenue Management strategies, sell levels and sell directed rates and is able
to apply these methods to offer as per available Hotel inventory
• Cooperate, coordinate and communicate with all other departments to ensure highest level of
Guest service is maintained and the maximum profit is generated
• Adhere to and promote all Company Health & Safety policies and procedures to ensure a safe
work environment
• Drive Rate and RevPar through selling the right room to the right Guest
• Be able to cross sell different Fairmont properties and increase cross sell conversion

Effective Date: 15 Apr 2021 Version: 1 Subject code – BBAHM 203

Review Date: 06 December 2021 Reviewed by: Smeetha Guha Type of document: PMGR
 Process of creating a reservation (Moment of Truth)

Process Verbal Communication Non verbal

Answer the phone Reservations, Good morning/ Smile in voice. Speech loud
within 3 rings with Afternoon/ Night. This is Neha. How and clear
appropriate greetings may I assist you?

Identify booker’s name Sir, may I please know your name? Ensure the correct spelling of
and guest’s name Would the reservation be made the guest has been
under the same name? reconfirmed
Ask the guest for a Mr. Singh, are you or the guest Ensure the right VIP status is
loyalty membership. (whoever the reservation is under) attached to the guest profile
If yes, retrieve the holding our loyalty membership. to ensure personalized service
existing profile to
ensure personalised
service
If not, offer to join the
loyalty program.

Identify the arrival and Mr. Singh, may I request for your
departure date. Check arrival and departure dates and the
for availability number of rooms required?

Inform the guest about I would like to inform you that we

the available rooms, the have a Club Room available inclusive
amenities available and of breakfast, wifi, airport transfers
the rate and club lounge access. It is available
for a rate of Rs.15,000 incl taxes.
Would you like to choose this room?

Make the booking for Allow me a moment, while I make Place the call on hold and
the dates mentioned your reservation. retrieve back.
and the room type
selected
Ask for important • May I request you for your Use the guest name atleast
details and inform contact number. twice during the conversation
important policies: • How would you like to pay
• Contact number for the reservation? May I
• Payment mode have your credit card number
• Time of arrival to confirm the reservation.
• Inform the • In case you don’t wish to give
guest about the your payment details, your
cancellation, reservation will be non
check in and guaranteed and it will be
check out automatically released by 6
policy. pm on the date of arrival
• • What time would you be
arriving at the hotel?
• Please note that the check in
time for the hotel is 2 pm and
check out time is 12 noon.

Effective Date: 15 Apr 2021 Version: 1 Subject code – BBAHM 203

Review Date: 06 December 2021 Reviewed by: Smeetha Guha Type of document: PMGR
 • I would also like to inform
you that we have a 24 hour
cancellation policy beyond
which you will be charged for
1 night.

Reconfirm the • Please allow me to reconfirm If the guest has booked more
reservation your reservation. You have than one room, he/she may
booked a Club room for 1 need interconnecting and/or
night on 21st June for a rate extra bed.
of Rs. 15000 per night
including taxes. I hope this is
fine. Would there be
anything else I may assist you
with?
• In case guest has a
preference like higher floor
king bed, inform the guest
that preferences are subject
to availability. Mr Singh, I
have updated your request
for a king bed room on a
higher floor. I would like to
inform you that your
preference is subject to
availability and we will try
our level best to fulfil your
request.
Fond farewell Thank you for choosing Hyatt Warmth and smile in voice.
Regency, Gurgaon. Hope you
have a pleasant evening.

Important Terminologies

Loyalty Program:

A program used to entice business or frequent travellers to become loyal to that particular brand of
hotels or airlines over others. The member gets points for his stay at the hotel that can be redeemed
for various services such as free stay or upgrades in hotels, free airline miles, shopping credits, etc.
Generally, a loyalty program has membership tiers and the guest is expected to use the hotel brand
for certain number of nights per calendar night to upgrade and maintain a higher tier of membership.
Each tier allows the member to enjoy additional services in the hotel brand. Examples of popular
loyalty programs are

- Marriott Rewards
- Hilton Hhonours
- World of Hyatt
- IHG Rewards
- Best Western Rewards

Effective Date: 15 Apr 2021 Version: 1 Subject code – BBAHM 203

Review Date: 06 December 2021 Reviewed by: Smeetha Guha Type of document: PMGR
 - Trident Privilege

Room rate –The rate at which the room is booked. It can be dynamic based on the time of booking,
number of rooms available, and type of guest. Room rates can be as follows:

Rack rate/ tariff – The highest rate that a hotel can be booked at.

Best Available Rate (BAR) – Lowest rate available to general public, based on the demand in the
market and supply available in the hotel.

Negotiated rates/ Contracted rate – Rates contracted with companies or travel agents on an annual
basis. Since the rates are contracted on an annual basis, they do not change daily.

Packages - A combination of travel, hotel stays and meals packaged together under one price.
Generally used by tour operators to sell holidays. Eg – Trident Holidays,

Meal Plans

Code Full form Meal inclusion

CP Continental Plan Breakfast
AP American Plan Breakfast, lunch and dinner
MAP Modified American Plan Breakfast and Lunch/ Dinner
CPAI Continental Plan including taxes Breakfast and tax

Room type:

Rooms can be categorized on the basis of:

- Type of bed: King/ Twin/ Queen

- Size of room and number of rooms: Family room/ suites/ Studio
- View: Garden view and Ocean view
- Amenities: Club room
- Connecting rooms: 2 room with an interconnecting door inside. Both rooms have their own
exit and hence these rooms can be given to a family that needs 2 rooms or to 2 FIT
- Adjoining rooms: Rooms next to each other but not connected
- Adjacent: Rooms close to each other, may be on the same corridor.

Guaranteed/ Non guaranteed reservation:

Guaranteed reservation is a booking secured by credit card, an advance deposit or a company that
has credit with the hotel. If a reservation is not guaranteed, hotels generally cancel such bookings by
6 pm on the day of arrivals to free room inventory and book more rooms.

Cancellation policy:

BA policy that allows a customer to cancel a reservation without any cancellation fees if he/she
cancels before a stipulated time prior to arrival. Generally, this stipulated time is 24 or 48 hours and
hotels charge one night or entire stay depending on the type of rate booked and the occupancy
levels of the hotel.

Effective Date: 15 Apr 2021 Version: 1 Subject code – BBAHM 203

Review Date: 06 December 2021 Reviewed by: Smeetha Guha Type of document: PMGR
 No show:
is a customer reserves a room but doesn’t show up on the day of arrival for his booking. The guest is
charged one night or entire stay depending on the hotel’s policy.

Child policy:

Policy made by the hotel for family traveling with kids.

An example of the child policy is as follows:

Hotel: Oberoi Hotels and Resorts:

Two children up to 8 years of age can stay in the parent's room without an additional charge. However,
a maximum of one child's bed can be placed in a room which will be provided at no additional charge.

• One child over 8 but less than 12 years can stay in the parent's room. A child's bed is provided at
no additional charge.
• For two children between 8 and 12 years an additional room is necessary. The rate of this room
will be 50% of the parent's applicable room rate.
• If a child is above 12 years of age, a separate room will be required at the parent's applicable
room rate. (An extra bed shall not be provided for anyone over 12 years of age.)
Requests subject to availability:

This pertains to any request that cannot be fulfilled for every guest because of limited inventory. Eg.
– interconnected rooms, king bed rooms, extra bed in room, a particular view on higher floor. In
such cases, it is critical to inform the guest that the “request is available only subject to availability
and that the hotel will try its level best to fulfil the request.” This helps avoid unnecessary guest
complaints.

Credit Policy:

The policy in which the hotel allows a company to pay within a stipulated time period such as 30 or 60
days. This is a provision given to companies or travel agents that give huge business to the hotel.
During this period, the companies are given a credit limit. If they cross this limit, they are asked to pay
their over dues immediately.

Mystery shopper:

A guest who stays in the hotel in disguise to audit the brand standards set for the hotel. Eg. LRA,
Richtie

Stayovers – Guests staying overnight in the hotel

Walk in – Guests who come to hotel to stay but don’t have a reservation. Front Office associates
should ensure that such guests are converted to registered guests in order to maximize occupancy.

Effective Date: 15 Apr 2021 Version: 1 Subject code – BBAHM 203

Review Date: 06 December 2021 Reviewed by: Smeetha Guha Type of document: PMGR
 Front Office Calculations
Term
Average Room Rate / Average
Daily Rate (ARR/ ADR)
Occupancy percentage
Revenue per available room
Gross Operating Profit
Contribution Margin
Breakeven point
Effective Date: 15 Apr 2021
Review Date: 06 December 2021
Formula Remarks
Room revenue per day =
Room Revenue for the day Average daily rate X total
No of rooms sold for the day number of rooms available X
occupancy % X Some hotels
may remove complimentary
rooms and/or out of order
rooms from number of rooms
sold.
No of rooms sold
Sellable Rooms
Room Revenue This is the most effective
Total Rooms available formula used by hotels to
assess performance and
ADR X Occupancy % compare with competition.
Why?
Revenue – Variable cost Variable costs are costs that are
directly related to day to day
operations. Eg. Newspaper,
printing and stationary, guest
supplies
Price per product – variable
cost per product
Fixed cost Fixed cost are costs that are not
(Revenue – Variable Cost) directly related to operations.
Eg. Hotel rent, electricity, etc.
Breakeven point is a time
period by which the profit
margin covers all fixed costs
and the company starts making
a return on investment. At the
time of breakeven, the return
on investment is zero.
Version: 1 Subject code – BBAHM 203
Reviewed by: Smeetha Guha Type of document: PMGR