THE GUEST

ARRIVAL PROCESS
The guest Arrival Process

Guest Arrives

Valet parking attendant

Door person

Lobby rotation of bell staff

Front office clerk

Bell Person
 Housekeeping

Hotel security

Concierge staff

In room service
■ Guest Arrival Process
In many Hotels, the guest arrival process appears to be a simple affair.
The guest is greeted,
information is verified,
payment is initiated,
and a room is selected.
- guests move through their arrival and registration process, without a second
thought to the intricacies and choreography of the front-office functions involved.
- - the entire check-in process is important enough to be evaluated as a substantial
part of the hotel's overall rating by both Mobil and AAA.
- An ideal check-in goes unnoticed by the guest because all hotel and front-office
functions flows smoothly.
functions flows smoothly.
■ From the valet attendant who parks the car
■ to the door, person who greets the guest. from the bell person
who handles the luggage
■ to the front desk personnel who handle the arrangements, all
systems work in unison.
■ Within just three to five minutes, the guest is happily on the way
to the room,
■ Aside from the actual reservation (which may or may not have
been made first person by the guest, this is the guest first
opportunity to see the hotel in action.
First Impressions
Various types of hotels offer differing levels of service.
As no time is this difference in service as pronounced as it is during the arrival and check-in
process.
Full service hotels, on the other hand, place several rank’s of employees between the front door
and the front desk.
The guest may encounter a valet parking attendant a door person and a bell person before ever
arriving at the front desk.

Valet Parking Attendant ,

The first employee often encounter in a full service hotel is the valet parking attendant.
- The parking attendant greets the guests as they pull their vehicles under the porte cochere,
opens their car door(s),may assist with placing luggage on the curb,
- and takes responsibility for parking and securing the vehicle opens their car door may assist
with placing luggage in the curb and takes the responsibility for parking and securing the
vehicle.
Guest Registration
arriving guests are usually on their own in deciding which clerk to
approach or in which line to stand.
For arriving guests, the sign might say “Reception.” *registration.”
“check-in.” or “arrival.
Two types of guest present themselves at the Front desk those will
reservations and those without.
-Those with reservations are generally handled without problem.
- The clerk reconfirms the accommodations requested, the guest signs
the registration card, a method of payment is secured, a room is
selected, and same pleasantries are exchanged.
-In a computerized property, the entire reception process can be handled
quickly say, in two or three minutes.
Blocking the Room- On busy days, reservations and
VIP rooms are blocked at the once.
■Walk ins and even some reservations are
accommodated only first-served basis.
Registered, Not Assigned-
Very early arrival, especially those who appear before
the day’s check-out hour, may be required to wait until
a departure creates a vacancy. Even then, the room
must still be cleaned
Baggage-check service – is offered to all guests who must wait, and a complimentary
beverage may be given to some if the hotel in responsible for the wait.
- In anticipation of an upcoming vacancy, the clerk may have the guest register.
- The account is marked RNA (Registered, Not Assigned) and kept handy until the
first appropriate departure takes place.
- The assignment is made but the guest is kept waiting until housekeeping reports the
room ready for occupancy guests are not sent to unmade rooms.
- Guests who arrive after the room is vacated but before it has been cleaned by
housekeeping a status called on change- are assigned at once but not provided with a
key until the room has been cleaned and inspected. This is not an RNA.
- RNAs occur whenever the hotel is very full with simultaneous arrival and departures
of large conventions, or when tour groups overlap.
The Registration Card- Registration is not essential to the common-law creation of a
legal guest-hotel relationship. In several states it is not even a statutory requirement..
Address. An accurate and complete address is needed for credit and billing and for the
development of mailing lists for future sales promotions.
- A complete address includes such things as ZIP codes, apartment numbers, and even
state of residence, for the names of many cities are common to several states. - -
Commercial hotels often ask for the patron’s business address and organizational title in
addition to the residential address.
Room Number. the hotel industry seeks higher levels of courtesy and guest service, the
guest is known as much by room number as by name.
Once the guest is registered in the property management system and a room number has
been assigned,
all subsequent transactions are referenced and billed to the room number rather than to
the guest’s actual name.
The room nurnber is the major means of locating, identifying. Tracking, and billing the
guest.
Date of Departure. The guest’s expected date of departure is of critical importance
during the check-in process.
By double-checking the guest’s departure plans, the front office ensures the accuracy of
future room availability figures.
As indicated earlier, many front offices require the guest to sign a statement or initial
the registration card next to their date of departure,
This is especially true for busy periods when a scheduled departure is necessary to
provide the room to a newly arriving reservation.
Corporate Affiliation or Discounts. Another issue resolved during the check in process
is the guest’s corporate Affiliation or qualified discounts.
The corporate affiliation if applicable is often logged and tracked by the front desk on
behalf of the sales and marketing department.
This corporate information is critical to the sales department because many companies
have accounts with individual and chain properties. By tracking corporate guest
visitation, the sales department is able to continue offering discounts and special rates to
companies who frequent the property.
Clerk identification. The front desk clerk who checks the guest in to the hotel
identified is both the manual and property management system documents.
- In the property management system, the clerk identification is automatically assigned
from the password,
- the clerk used when logging into the computer. In a manual system. The clerk is
identified either the initial or code.
Folio and folio number. All hotels assign a unique folio number to the guest account. -
In a computerized property, this account number is provided at the time of reservation.
The number is assigned early in case the guest sends advance payments.
The folio number references the guest automated file just as a room number or guest
name.
The Registration

At registration time, many things are going on simultaneously:

• The reservation is being located, the guest is being welcomed; accommodation needs are being
determined or re-evaluated,
• some small talk is taking place the clerk is trying to sell up:
• the guest identity, including the correct spelling of the name and address, is being verified;
• certain public rooms or services in the hotel are being promoted,
• the anticipated departure date is verified:
• both the guest and the clerk are completing their portions of the registration card,
• the credit card is being validated: and mail or messages are handed over.
• Finally, a bell person is called and the guest is roomed.
• All this normal activity not with standing. The clerk must remain alert to several special cases. Room
clerks collect the coupons that accompany each IT package, and there could be a dozen of them.
•
Room clerks are the point position for advertising contract rooms related for advertising.
For travel agency vouchers (the guest has paid the travel agency that booked the room),
and for special rates.
The Room Selection Process Before deciding which rooms will he be assigned to
arriving guests, a house count is required.
-The first house come is required
- The first house conducted early in the morning, soon after the day’s first shift begins.
Selective Rooms to Block. Blocking, or pre assigning to guests, ensures a high level of
continuity that special requests will be accommodated.
- When the house count identifies a high plus count (lots of months available no walk-
in).
- A few rooms will be pre-blocked
for example. There is a purpose in blocking a Mandan queen reservation when there are
numerous standard queen rooms available .The Room Assignment
Computer Algorithms.
The computer uses an algorithmic function to search its memory for appropriate room
assignment.
Algorithm are a series of”If-then” statement by which the computer arrives at the
proper response.
The algorithm comes into me when the computer will plays an arrival list,
- an over the credit limit report, of similar statement
- it does the same with room assignment but the program is more sophisticated.
Suppose a double- double is to be assigned to the arriving party. the system will
display the first choice.
Room Assignment Variations. the room assignment process is straight forward. The
guest request a specific type of accommodation at time to reservation the front desk
blocks an appropriate room early on the day of arrival,
and the guest receives exactly what was expected. This is the standard process though
there are Variations .
■ Upgrading
• Upgrading an assignment –giving a better room at original rate is one technique of
resolving complaints
• Also used if there are no rooms available at the rate reserved. The guest is given a better
room at lower rate.
Did Not Stay
a party that register and leaves is DNS-did not stay .
• Dis-satisfaction with the hotel or an incident with a staff member may precipitate the
hasty departure.
• The caused may not be the hotel . Emergency message might be awaiting their arrival,
or a telephone call might come in soon after the assignment.
Paid-in-advance Under the law, hotel room charges may be demand in
advance. In addition, the law provides with the right to hold luggage for
non-payment.
Important Guest. Reservations may carry the designation VIP (very
important person). SPATT (special attention required). Star Guest, or some
other similar code All these mean that the guest is an important person and
the clerk should provide service in keeping with the visitor stature.
There is a difference between a VIP and a DG (distinguished guest),
accordinq to one professional publication. The VIP represents good
publicity for the hotel or direct business, whereas the DG is honored
because of position rather than economic value.
Other guest records. Front-office records post departmental charges incurred by the
guest against the credit established at check-In. Bank-Office records track those
charges through the bank or credit-card company until payment has been receive.

Credit cards are just one of several records initiated by the front office but completed
by the back office. Final settlement of travel agency bills clears through the back office
although the reservation and paperwork begin at the front.

While the guest registration process nears completion. A bellperson may arrive to
escort the guest to the room. As the guest moves into the realm of the bell department a
number of critical functions are accomplished.
The bellperson explains various locations and departments throughout the hotel details
a list of current hotel activities and promotions, and serves as final inspector before the
guest prepares occupy the room,
Rooming the guest
Goodwill Ambassadors
The bell staff is part of a much large department commonly referred in as uniformed services
Throughout the guest’s visit. The uniformed services department attends to various need and
services.

Secret shoppers visit the property and stay one or more nights. During this time they attempt
to engage employees in a number of usual and sometimes unusual activities.

The Bell Department

Several innovations have affected the uniformed services department functions and means
of earning Income. Self service icemakers and vending machines on the floor and in-room
refrigerators and minibars have reduced the kind and number of service calls than bell
person make Group arrivals, in which Individuals room themselves further reduce the
service functions of this department.
GOODWILL AMBASSADORS

■ Uniform service staff attends to various needs and services

■ They enhance the property image. No other department has a
degree of personal one on one time with the guest.
■ Goodwill ambassadors who turn an ordinary visit into a warm
and personable experience by developing close professional
relationship with guest.
Services expected of a bell persons:
■ All bell persons must:
– Be neatly uniformed
– Wear nametags
– Be friendly, courteous and helpful
– Be knowledgeable of hotel and area
– Make good eye contact with guest
– Acknowledge the presence of guest ( when passing in corridor
Rotatlon of Fronts. Tips comprise the bulk of the bell department’s earnings
According to a study done by the American Hotel & Motel Association. The bell
person cash salary was the lowest of any hotel employees Despite this, total
earnings usually exceed that of other front-office employees Including some
management positions. Each opportunity for earning a tip is carefully monitored

The bellperson who comes forward to take the rooming slip and room the guest is
called a front. Fronts rotate in turn The one who has just completed a front a is
called a last . Last are used for errands that are unlikely to produce gratuities.
Cleaning the lobby is a responsibility of the last. Last are also assigned dead room
changes with no chance of a gratuity, such us lockouts and moves carried our in the
guest absence
Fronts wait by the bellstand, which is visible from the front desk. As the
clerk complete the registration the front is summoned to the desk by lights
or signals or verbally by the clerk calling *Front* Aware of the routine. The
front rarely needs prompting
Duties of the Bell Staff-depending on the level of service for the particular
hotels there may be on unformed services department at all. In many small
hotels, the bell stuff is a catch all department that performs a multitude of
tasks.
Small operations may ask the bell person in drive the shuttle van, act as
doorperson make room service calls, deliver cocktails to the guest relaxing
in the lobby, and even aid the front desk staff during meal break periods.
Luggage, The doorperson, or just as often the guest, carries in the baggage from the
cab or car.
• It stays on the lobby floor until the guest is finished registering.
• The room clerk gives a roaming slip to the bellperon, who now takes over the guest
service.
• Jointly the guest and the bellperson identify and retrieve the luggage and head
toward the elevator.
• The guest the bellperson, and the baggage might ride up together.
• Or the bellperson might leave the guest in order to transport the luggage on the
service (near) elevator , while the guest rides (front) elevator. They meet at the
elevator lobby on the guest assigned floor.

.
Final Inspection. Rooming arrivals is the chief task of the bell
department.
■ Although many individuals room themselves, it is preferable to go in
the company of a staff member,
■ Guests who are in the company of a bellperson avoid the
embarrassment of walking in on an occupied room.
■ Service personnel always knock and wait before unlocking the door.
■ Once inside, the bellperson performs another inspection function.
■ First, he or she hangs the guest” loose clothing and hefts the baggage
onto the luggage rack or bed.
■ Temperature control are checked, and the room is Inspected for
cleanliners, lowels, soap, toilet tissue facial tissue, and other needs,
Light, hanger, television sets, and furnishings are examined.
THANK YOU!!!