Fluent Essays

lesson 5 Hotel and Lodging. Multiple Question. I need to score all the answers right so please make sure all the questions are answered rightAttached are the notes plus the multiple questionsIf there are more multiple questions I will also attach them lesson_5_assignment.docx lesson_5.docx Unformatted Attachment Preview 1. Which is an example of an open question which will help in making the hotel selection? A. How many people will be needing accommodations? B. Where in the city would you like to stay? C. Why are you taking this particular trip? D. When will you be traveling? 2. Which is an example of a closed question which will help in making the hotel selection? A. Will you tell me about your past family vacations? B. What price range are you comfortable with for a hotel room? C. What do you like to do when you are on vacation? D. Why do you want to go to this destination? 3. Which question can give you insight as to the class of accommodation the client would like? A. What amenities are important to you in your accommodations? B. How many rooms do you require for this hotel stay? C. How would you like to guarantee the reservation? D. What are the names of the others traveling with you? 4. Which is the preferred way to guarantee a reservation? A. By giving your name, address and phone number B. By sending cash in the mail to the hotel C. By sending an agency check to the hotel D. By giving a valid credit card number 5. What is overbooking? A. Booking more rooms than are needed for a group B. Confirming more hotel rooms than are available C. Booking rooms at more than one hotel at a time D. Charging a higher room rate for a standard room 6. Which is true of group bookings? A. Groups are charged the standard room rate for each room. B. Groups involve at least twenty people or twelve rooms. C. Group reservations are handled by the group desk. D. Deposits are generally not required of group bookings. 7. Which is true? A. Guests must check in to a hotel by 4:00 p.m. to avoid cancellation charges. B. Hotel check out times are usually set for noon or later. C. Check out times are firm; there are no extensions offered. D. Guaranteeing a room lets guests check in later without cancellation. 8. What is a hospitality room? A. A room off the lobby offering coffee, tea, fruit or other snacks throughout the day. B. A room to provide entertainment for early-arriving guests whose rooms are not ready. C. The area of the hotel near the lobby where the breakfast is served every morning. D. The area outside a hotel meeting room where pre-event cocktails are served. Refer to the GDS hotel segment to answer questions 9-10. 9. What is the confirmation number of this hotel reservation? A. 9294 B. 1ROHWKD-2 C. 12345678 D. 4433HH2 10. What does the code C06P mean? A. Must cancel by 6p.m. B. Can check in at 6p.m. C. Check out time is 6p.m. D. Confirmation code 06P Introduction 1 Even a simple request for a hotel room that is cheap, clean and centrally located requires product knowledge. You have begun to build a good background of product knowledge of the hotel industry and become acquainted with the resources that provide you detailed product knowledge. Preview the basic information necessary before you can select the right property and book the reservation. After this lesson you should be able to . . . • • • • Determine clients needs and expectations by questioning List and define reservation policies and procedures Name the steps and information necessary to make a reservation Select the appropriate property and location for the client • Selecting The Right Property 2 You can determine your clients needs and expectations by careful listening, observing and questioning. You can shorten your research time if you obtain the following answers to these closed questions before turning to your hotel reference materials. Who (How many) Name(s)? How many rooms? How many beds? A family? A group? Honeymooners? A hotel room is booked in one name even if the reservation is for four people with different names. What What price range? What level of luxury and convenience does the client need or want? What type of bed? Meal plan? A general rule-of-thumb is to sell up if the exact desires cannot be met. Paying more for a desirable property and location generally promises a more successful trip, business or pleasure, than saving money and tolerating less than desirable conditions. Where Not only do you need to know the city, but the desired location within that city. Does the trip require the business district, the airport area, the beach, etc.? When The date of arrival and departure are obviously needed to check for availability and make the booking. The length of stay can also affect your choice of accommodations, considering such options as all-suites hotels for longer business trips or the more complete resort properties for longer pleasure trips. How (Method of Payment) How will they pay? In order to guarantee a reservation, the hotel requires prepayment for at least one night’s lodging. The hotel is then obligated to hold the room regardless of the guest’s arrival. At the time the reservation is made, most hotels will specify the conditions under which they will refund the deposit. You will also want to ask the following open question to give you a better idea of the type of hotel, room or location that will meet your clients needs. Why Why are they traveling? Business trips generally require quiet, convenience and good service. If the trip is to attend a conference or convention, you will look for convenience to the location of the meetings. Many times, when the number of attendees permits, the guest rooms and the meeting rooms are in the same hotel. If the trip is for pleasure, your client may want a home away from home for an extended vacation or luxurious accommodations to pamper herself. In this case, perhaps the properties to consider should have a vacation atmosphere rather than a business atmosphere with services to match. Selecting the Right Property ~ continued 3 Guidelines The following will help you determine the best selection for your clients: Know, understand and use those hotel references you have access to in the agency, consortium or group you belong to (if applicable). Spend time reading the trade publications such as Travel Weekly or TravelAge. Develop a great relationship with preferred suppliers. Utilize their knowledge. Most of the staff have traveled to the destinations they represent and know many of the hotels. Always ask your returning clients how they enjoyed the hotel. Develop a network of contact within your local travel community. Some agencies specialize in luxury travel, others adventure travel. Call them and ask for suggestions. Attend industry trade shows and visit hotel booths. When you sell tour packages, pay attention to the properties that are used in the various price ranges. Let the client participate in the selection from location maps, reviews, hotel websites, etc. Remember that travel is 90\% in the mind -- expectations play an important role in how happy the client will be when he returns. If he goes to Switzerland and does not see the Alps (unless going to invest or buy a Rolex), he will be disappointed. So, give him a hotel in the Alps that has a view of the Alps -- not of the alley or street. Place your client in a property that is one notch / level higher than the way she lives (unless going on a trekking, exotic or adventure trip) to add to the satisfaction of the trip. Realize the importance of location. If a client is going to shop, put her in the shopping district; if going to the beach, put her on the beach! Often the correct hotel might cost more than one not-so-well located or without the required services / amenities. Did you know that that there is a searchable list of environmentally friendly hotels on a website dedicated to green hotels? At environmentallyfriendlyhotels.com you can search for hotels which recycle, compost, donate to charity, serve eco-friendly food, offer programs dedicated to protecting the environment and more. Reservation Policies And Procedures 4 Hotel reservations policies vary from company to company. A knowledge of some general practices will alert you to ask specific questions about the policies and procedures from the reservationists when making arrangements for your client. Deposits/Guarantees A guaranteed reservation means the hotel room is prepaid for the first night and the specified room, rate and length of time is assured. There are at least three ways to guarantee a hotel reservation: By Deposit A payment is made equal to the charge for one night (personal check, agency check or credit/debit card hold). By Credit Card Account Number The hotel takes the guests credit card number with the understanding that one nights charge will be put on the account if the room is not canceled within a specified time. By Agency Voucher If the travel agency chooses to guarantee the reservation, the agency receives the bill for the room. A prepayment or deposit is sometimes necessary to hold or confirm hotel reservations. The most efficient form of payment is a major credit card. The client completes the payment at check-out time. The final bill is dependent on the room rate, the actual length of stay and miscellaneous charges such as resort fees, room service, taxes and service charges. Confirmation The hotel reservationist will supply you with a confirmation number, rate and dates. Make note of the confirmation number. It is your client’s proof of their reservation. Often, written confirmation will be emailed from the hotel/booking site directly to the agent or client. Verify price, taxes and extra charges as a part of the confirmation. Reservation Policies And Procedures ~ continued 5 Overbooking/Walking Overbooking is confirming more hotel rooms than the hotel has to offer. It is common practice in the industry to overbook by using a formula based on the percentage of noshows as recorded over a given period of time. When a guest cannot be accommodated due to overbooking, the hotel will generally walk (refer) your client to another hotel that does have space. that a travel journalist and a companion had each guaranteed rooms at a hotel but even with the guarantee, one was sold? The companion was walked to an adjacent property and left. Moments later, the desk clerk realized he had forgotten to give the person a gift. It turns out, the person who was walked was the Guest of the Day and entitled to a basket of gifts. Too bad it didnt include a room! Cancellations The client will be charged for the room if cancellation is not made within the time limits stated by the reservation service or hotel representative. Make note of the cancellation policy and advise your client. Reservation Policies And Procedures ~ continued 6 Check-In, Check-Out Hotels charge by the number of nights guests will be occupying the room. Check-out time is normally around 12:00 noon or earlier. Arriving guests may not find their room(s) available until 1:00 p.m. or later. Most hotels have established a time by which the guest must have checked-in. That time might be 4:00 p.m. or 6:00 p.m. Arrange for a later arrival by guaranteeing the room, so it will not be sold to someone else. Hotels have a variety of ways to accommodate the guest who desires a later check-out time than noon, or an earlier check-in time, due to flight times, etc. Some hotels will charge a half rate to use the room for a specified period time past the normal check-out time. Some provide a hospitality room for early arriving guests, or those requesting a late check-out. Hospitality rooms are sometimes gratis and sometimes carry a separate charge. Arrangements for baggage storage can be made with the Bellmans Desk, Front Desk or Proprietor. Group Bookings Group reservations for hotel accommodations may involve negotiations for room rates as well as various catering, meeting arrangements and other services. A group generally means at least 10 persons, or three to ten rooms. Hotel reservation centers have special desks set up to handle group bookings. Group rates are usually quoted at the net price, and the travel agent must add on the markup. Deposits are generally required at the time of confirmation. When you book the reservation, whether by phone or by any automation system or website or app, you need to have determined your client’s needs, provided the hotel reservationist with specific information, and received the necessary verifications and confirmation number. This Job Aid details the process. HOTEL RESERVATIONS Job Aid Ask your client the questions to determine City, City / Location / Location within the City (Airport - Downtown, etc.), Chain and Chain/Hotel Preferences Date of Arrival and Date of Departure allows you to In and Out check for availability. When the hotel room is booked Dates / Number in the GDS, the airline flights are used by the system of Nights to specify in and out dates, but you may still have to specify the number of nights. Data Needed to Book Class of Accommodations: Terms vary by GDS system, examples are Deluxe, Superior, Standard, Minimum, Suite Room Type Number of Persons Rate Category Type of Beds: Twin, Double, Queen, King Number of Beds: If necessary Examples include: Options COR - Corporate GOV - Government WKD - Weekend FAM - Family Plan MIL - Military GRP - Group PRO - Promotional RAC - Rack Room Location: such as Beach Front, Mountain View Meal Plans: EP - AP - MAP - BP - BB - CP Rollaway Bed(s) added / Crib Late / Early Check-in / Check-out Airport Transportation Smoking or Non-Smoking Room Payment Form of Payment used to Guarantee the Reservation Rate If booking through a GDS, the automated system Verification & can provide the confirmation number. Confirmation # Needed From Hotel Additional Agent Charges and Conditions Taxes / Currency Fluctuations / Deposit Requirement / Cancellation Policy PRINT Making The Hotel Reservation ~ continued 8 Compare the Job Aid information with this GDS hotel segment in a Passenger Name Record (PNR). SEGMENT 2 - Hotel Segment Explanation HHL Hotel segment identifier HH Hotel chain code (Hilton) HK1 Number of rooms confirmed BUF Hotel city (Buffalo) IN02MAR F Check-in date and day of week (Friday) OUT04MAR Check-out date 2NT Number of nights 9294 Hotel property number BUFFALO HILTON Hotel name 1ROHWKD-2 Number of rooms (1), Room type (ROH), Rate code (WKD), Number of adults (2) 95.00USD Nightly room rate in U.S. Dollars AGT-12345678 Agency ARC / IATA number C06P Cancel 6pm day of arrival SI-RQST Special information (optional) NONSMOKING CF-4433HH2 Confirmation number ... Purchase answer to see full attachment