Chapter 11 Guestrooms

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Chapter 11 Guestrooms
Convention Management and ServiceEighth
Edition (478TXT or 478CIN)
Courtesy of Jumeirah International
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Competencies forGuestrooms

1. Describe the ways in which meeting attendees make
   reservations at the hotel that will host their
   meeting.
2. Identify factors that hotel staff take into
   account when assigning rooms to meeting attendees
   and managing room blocks, and describe the
   importance of good check-in/check-out procedures.
3. Describe how computerization facilitates front
   office guest service.

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Importance of Effective Communication

• The hotel sales manager must get the details of
  the meeting to the reservations department as
  soon as the contract is signed, and these details
  must be entered into the computerized
  reservations system as soon as possible.
  Otherwise, attendees will call the hotel to make
  a reservation and find that the reservations
  department has no record of the meeting.
• Meeting planner should be instructed to tell
  delegates to indicate that they are attending the
  convention when making their reservation. This is
  essential in order to credit individual
  reservations to the group.

(continued)
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Importance of Effective Communication
(continued)

• Meeting planner should be asked to provide a list
  of VIPs to the hotel so that such individuals can
  be provided with high-end guestrooms.

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Reservation Systems

• Postal reply/fax response cards
• Toll-free phone numbers public or group-specific
• Hotel Internet site reservations
• Rooming lists
• Convention center housing bureaus
• Third-party housing companies

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Characteristics of Reservation Management
Procedures

• Postal reply/fax response cardsan effective form
  is essential. Form must be concise and simple,
  yet solicit all necessary information.
• Toll-free phone numbers, public or
  group-specificattendees must be instructed to
  indicate that they are attending a meeting when
  calling to make a reservation.
• Hotel Internet site reservationsmust create a
  special page on firms website dedicated to the
  event and that enables attendees to book at
  convention rates using a passcode.

(continued)
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Characteristics of Reservation Management
Procedures
(continued)

• Rooming listsreservations are not made with the
  hotel, but with the housing staff at the
  planners headquarters. Planner prepares the
  rooming list from the reservations received and
  sends it to the hotel prior to a cutoff date. CSM
  should encourage use of rooming lists because it
  reduces the load on the hotels reservation
  department.
• Convention center housing bureaushandles
  reservations for citywide conventions involving
  multiple hotels. CVBs must perform efficiently or
  chaos will ensue.
• Third-party housing companiesfirms that use high
  technology to make housing arrangements for
  groups. Often used for citywide conventions.

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Rate Structures

• Kinds of Rates
• Rack rate rarely used for meetings
• Run-of-the-house rates common for small groups
• Split rates rates based on room types
• Discounted rates common for large groups

(continued)
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Rate Structures
(continued)

• Factors in Determining Rate Structures
• Season
• Days of the week
• Group size
• Length of stay
• Type(s) of room(s) they will use
• Number of guests per room
• Known attendance
• Difficulties with groups past conventions

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Complimentary Arrangements

• Comp Rooms
• Usually one room for every 50 room nights
• One suite for every 100 guestrooms
• Rooming lists should specify who will occupy them
• Other Concessions
• Complimentary cocktail parties
• Complimentary limo service
• Complimentary meeting space
• Offers vary among properties

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Room Types andRelease and Confirmation Dates

• Room Types
• Singles
• Doubles
• Twins
• Suites
• Release and Confirmation Dates
• Also called cutoff dates
• Usually 30 days before meeting
• Room block based on group history
• Adjust reservation records periodically
• Communicate regularly with planner

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The Groups Historical Performance

• Tips
• No-shows result in significant revenue loss
• Discuss no-show patterns with planner before
  releasing space
• Size of room block should be based on group
  history, not planners claims
• Hotel and planner should re-examine the block
  size on several intermediate dates and readjust
  the number if necessary
• Hotel should communicate regularly with planner
  and adjust room allotments along the way

(continued)
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The Groups Historical Performance
(continued)

• Researching a Groups History
• Send standard letter of inquiry to previous
  host(s)
• Obtain planners feedback on meetings held
  between booking date and the event your property
  will host
• Attend groups next meeting as observer

(continued)
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The Groups Historical Performance
(continued)

• Release Dates (Cutoff)
• The contract should specify a date when
  guestrooms will be confirmed or released back to
  the hotel
• Cutoff date is normally 30 days prior to
  convention start date
• After cutoff, rooms are accepted on a
  space-available basis
• Booking Pace Reports
• Weekly pick-up reports provided by hotel

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Arrival/Departure Pattern

• Most conventions will have some early arrivals
  and early departures
• Major arrival/major departure should be indicated
  in the resume
• Extra staffing may be required
• A hospitality area may need to be set up for
  early check-ins

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Problems with Guestroom Usage and Reservations

• No-Shows
• Usually the result of attendees making multiple
  reservations
• Combat with deposits, 30-day cutoffs, and
  guaranteed reservations
• Mitigated by walk-in business
• Resorts have little walk-in business

(continued)
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Problems with Guestroom Usage and Reservations
(continued)

• Early Departures
• Answered with early departure fees
• Underdepartures
• Answered with offer of new contract or with
  eviction
• Overbooking
• Walking guests to other hotels
• Plan ahead for overbooking

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Guestroom Attrition

• Attrition refers to under-performance
• If actual guestrooms used are significantly less
  than the rooms blocked, hotels may charge
  attrition fees
• Attrition fees are charged to the group, not the
  individual attendee
• Hotels typically allow for some slippage (20
  percent)

(continued)
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Guestroom Attrition
(continued)

• Booking Outside the Block
• Attendees who book guestrooms at hotels other
  than those specified by the meeting planner, or
  book rooms within the specified hotels, but not
  as part of the convention group
• Room Audits
• To fight attrition, hotels have implemented room
  block auditing services

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Check-In and Check-Out Procedures

• Check-In Procedures
• Preregistration
• Key packets made in advance
• Special receiving desks for large groups
• Check-Out Procedures
• Flexible check-out times
• Luggage waiting area

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Applications of Information Technology

• Reservations
• One-time entry of data permits preregistration
  by e-mail
• Registration and Room Assignments
• Preprinted registration cards given to delegates
  when they arrive, which they review and sign
• Check-in and check-out can be expedited through
  the use of self check-in, check-out terminals

Courtesy of Fairmont Hotels Resorts
(continued)
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Applications of Information Technology
(continued)

• Check-Out and Billing
• Point-of-sale (POS) terminals
• Reports and Analysis Applications
• Data are often used to generate reports such as
  booking activity by market segment