Case Study and Chapter Review Questions.

Chapter Questions.

*Briefly define the purpose of a hotel. Why is it so important to empathize with the culture of the guest?
It is provide lodging accommodation. In order to be have a successful lodging operation you have to connect with the guest, with what matters to them, with whom they are. It is a feeling of security, curiosity, excitement, relaxation, and positive energy.

*List the main responsibilities of the front office manager.
The Front Office Manager is responsible for all duties of the front desk operation, which includes: staff training, inter-department communications, and staff scheduling. The FOM usually works a regularly scheduled front desk shift and must be available to work any shift as needed. The Front Office Manager should possess strong communication skills and demonstrate leadership abilities.

*What are the advantages and disadvantages of yield management?
Customers generally don not like paying dramatically different prices for the same product or service. The pleasure of the person getting “a good deal” will be far outweighed by the anger of someone who thinks they are being “ripped off”. The last minute flyer responding to a family emergency is unlikely to be amused when paying several times more than the backpacker sitting beside him simply because the backpacker booked a month in advance. Also, the term “sophisticated software” can be a warning sign. “Sophisticated” sometimes means, “stuff you don´t understand” and that´s not a good way to make business decisions. In any case, it is difficult to manage prices in such a way to sell as much as possible without selling too cheaply. Consumers will actively try to get the best out the system and the high-paying market segments will scheme to out fox the yield managers.

*Why is the concierge an essential part of the personality of a hotel?
The concierge provides information, advice, guidance and assistance to hotel guests in all manner of things, including hotel services, entertainment, recreation facilities, restaurants, luggage, transport, sightseeing etc. The concierge also leads a team, which may include assistant concierges, porters, commissioners and valet parking attendants.

*Explain the importance of accident and loss prevention. What security measures are taken to protect guests and their property?
In the hotel industry it is extremely important to ensure everyone, employees and guests are safe and secure. Safety is one of the main concerns on today’s world; this is actually one of the top 10 reasons why a guest chooses a specific property. The housekeeping team is the primary department in charge to ensure all guest items are not lost, and if by any chance a guest leaves something, they have to report and give it to the security. Camera, hard coded room keys, and security patrols are just some of ways to protect a guest.

Case Study: Overbooking a hotel.

I personally think that this a common practice and we cannot forget that the hotel industry is a business, just like any other one, and the bottom line is to generate revenue. Overbooking a hotel is just one of strategies that a General and Revenue managers make to ensure all rooms are sold on a daily basis. The DNA (Did not arrive, did not show) percentage changes based on the hotel, but there are common practices as to who how negative a hotel should go and who should be walked. Most obvious, you never want to walk a regular frequent guest or a group delegate. These decisions, if not before, are made early in the morning. Unfortunately, those 3rd party reservations such as Expedia, Travelocity, Hotwire, etc are walked first than those booked directly through the brand. The front office team should be prepared, knowledgeable and patient when dealing with irate guests once they are told their reservation has been cancelled. This also might sound a little bit harsh, but there are also those guests that do not cancel their reservation on time or DNA; they do it just because they want to and knowing they will not get charged for room and taxes since the credit card on the reservation declines. Any questions?