What is a folio in hotel?

A folio meaning is an invoice or a bill that includes charges such as room, charges from hotel restaurants, telephone, minibar, spa, recreation, laundry, and any other additional purchases made by the guest during their stay. When the guest checks out, the hotel presents this hotel billing to the guest in the printed form of records containing these financial charges for collecting the payment.

Folio charges

Types of charges can be, revenue, non-revenue, adjustments, discounts, paid-outs, refunds, and payments.

• Revenue: Charges that contribute to the hotel’s revenue. For example, room charges.
• Non-revenue: taxes, because these are government levies. With every sale, the hotel collects taxes that will be given back to the government. These are collected as percentages of the sale as regulated by the local government.
• Adjustments (Also called, Allowances): These are charges posted to adjust an already posted charge by reducing or increasing. For example, a cashier posted $1000 instead of $100. Posting $-900 in this case to adjust.
• Discounts: Posted to reduce an already posted charge when it is needed to give guests a discount.
• Paid-outs: These are charges that are neither revenue nor taxes, meaning these charges don’t contribute to the hotel’s revenue or government levy. For instance, a guest in-house arrives at the hotel and he/she wants some local currency to pay taxi charges. He obtains this money from the front office cashier who will post a paid-out to affect his cashier float and take it later or at the checkout from the guest.
• Refunds: These are payments paid by the guest and when the hotel wants to pay back (return) for whatever reason.
• Payments: These are payments made by the guest. This includes deposits, additional payments received by the guest during the stay, or settlement payments. This includes, but not limited to, cash, VISA, MASTER, DINNER, or any other credit card or similar payments.

The purpose of folios

Hotel folios help:

• Keep a record of guests’ charges and track them for both hotels as well as the guests.
• Generate invoices upon checkout.
• Reconciliation of accounts and ledgers as posting charges is the first journal entry into the hotel’s accounting system.

What is a folio number?

A hotel reservation confirmation number is always one and unique for a booking. However, a guest can have multiple folios under his/her booking. For example, a guest can have a folio addressed to him/her and another folio that is addressed to his/her company. So, each of these folios has its own billing window and a unique folio number for tracking, retrieving, or reconciling folios from the system.

It is also called invoice number or bill number.

The post Define Folio first appeared on e360 hospitality.

How Are Hotel Room Prices Determined?

Hotel pricing strategy: Every hotel has its pricing strategy based on various factors such as:

• Accordant with competitor pricing.
• Value-added, where the hotel sets pricing that customers expect is a perfect rate.
• Cost-plus, where the hotel adds a percentage on top of the cost involved in preparing the room for the stay.
• Dynamic pricing that changes based on the hotel’s occupancy levels, length of stay, seasons, etc.

However, hotels have a Published Rate, which is the standard rate or ‘rack rate’ for each room type. It is the maximum possible price a room can be sold for a night, usually based on competitor pricing or Cost-plus strategy. And, every other rate in a hotel is less (discounted) than this rack rate.

In our above example, WALK is the rack rate, and CORP is a discounted rate. (For walk-in guests without reserved bookings, hotels sell the maximum rate, and for company guests, they usually have contracted discount rates).

We have covered rack rates comprehensively in this post.

Rate Code Example

• In our example, each customer type (market segment) has a rate code, WALK, and CORP.
• Each rate code will have different rates for each different room type.
• Each different room type can have different rates by date. Example: A Standard room type during January for Walk-in guests is $300, the same during February is $320, and so on.
• If the hotel is willing, they can add any amenities during a period they wish to promote sales during low seasons. For example, we can add complimentary breakfast during February to our example WALK rate code.

How Hotels Use Rate Codes?

• Sell room nights of different room types to different customers. Again, above WALK and CORP example.
• Measure the hotel’s revenue performance by assessing missed opportunities to increase room revenue. For example, hotels can compare the amount of rooms sold on discount rates against full potential, rack rates. Opera Rate Variance report
• Create rate contracts for companies, travel agents, and other sources – negotiated rates.
• Bundle other amenities with room rates such as Bed & Breakfast rates, see Opera PMS packages.
• Effectively apply the hotel’s rate strategies statically and dynamically. For example, apply contracted discount percentage company rates for static. And, apply dynamic strategies such as different pricing on changes on occupancy levels, LOS (length of stay) etc.
• Trace House-use, Complimentary stays as in Opera PMS, these rates are specifically created.
• Trace segment-wise performance. Because, each booking is linked to a rate code, and then the rate code is linked to a market segment code.
• Integration with yield management systems, hotel websites, OTA (Online Travel Agent such as booking . com), channel manager systems, and CRS (Central Reservation System). And, apply sell controls to suit strategies and effectively monitor rate parity among different channels.

How Do You Create A Rate Code In Opera?

Step 1

Login to Opera > Click on the Configuration button, and select the property code when prompted.

You need to have user permission to see the Configuration button on the main page. Depending on the licenses activated in the PMS, you might see more options here.

Step 2

Navigate to Rate Management > Rate Classifications > Rate Codes

Step 3

The rate code lookup window appears. Click on the New button.

Step 4

Fill in the Rate Code Header information.

Use the table below to understand the importance of each field and see how it can address your business needs.

We have picked the most common functionalities. However, screen fields and features might change from one hotel to another depending on the functionality chosen by the respective hotel based on each hotel’s needs. In this post, we explain this in detail: What Is Opera PMS, And How Does It Work?

Field Name	Details
Rate Code	Enter the rate code. That is less than 12 or less alphanumeric. In practice, hotels use only a short rate code. Max 6 digits would be perfect. Chain hotels maintain standards that help a rate code be more descriptive. For example, INTBB says it is a corporate rate for INTEL corp with bed & breakfast. Another practical reason for using shorter rate codes is that they can accommodate more codes in the Rate Querying screen. This not only makes the system more manageable, but also makes it easy to handle a larger number of codes effectively.
Description	Rate code’s description.
Rate Category	It can also be used to set rate restrictions on this category level instead of individually setting it up. For example, when you want to restrict bookings for less than two nights at a promotional rate, it is easier to apply the restriction on the category, which will apply to all rates under the category Promo.
Rate Class	Rate classes are also used to help structure rates. But mostly it is used by larger but local groups of hotels.
Folio Text	When accommodation charges are posted, this is the text that appears on guest folios. When you keep it empty, it prints the description of the room’s transaction code.
Begin Sell Date	Date when the hotel can start to take bookings for this rate code. It is not the guests’ stay dates. Stay dates are defined in the Rate Detail tab as you will learn later.
End Sell Date	When to stop taking bookings for this rate code.
Market	This is the segmentation. A crucial entry. When the hotel books a reservation on this rate, this code automatically populates on each reservation (the user can override it but recommended not to do it).
Source	Source of the booking. For example, when the Market is Government, the source can be a Finance Ministry.
Room Types	Drop down and select all room types that you expect to sell through this rate code. Note: Include the room type PM also here.
Package	What are the packages available through this rate code. For example, Bed & Breakfast. We have a comprehensive post on Opera PMS Packages.
Commission	If it is a travel agent rate, what is the commission percentage? It helps when processing travel agent commissions using Opera’s commissions module.
Min. Occupancy	Keep it “1”, unless you have a reason to increase.
Max. Occupancy	You may keep it blank.

Transaction Details: Each charge is posted to a guest’s hotel billing using a transaction code to differentiate the hotel’s revenue type and the department to which the charges should be contributed. For example, room charges are posted using transaction code 1010, and food & beverage breakfast are posted using 2010, depending on the hotel’s setup of transaction codes, and so on.

What is an example of a code rate?

Check the image for a better understanding of how rate code setup splits revenue internally:

Transaction Code	This is the room transaction code where the room revenue is posted. Internally, this revenue contributes to room department revenue.
Pkg. Tran Code	As you can see from the image above, this transaction code is automatically assigned and there is only one common such transaction code for a hotel. It works like an umbrella transaction code that holds room and food & beverage under one code for reporting purposes of Opera’s proprietary ledger, Package Ledger.
Tax Inclusive	Whether the tax defined in the transaction code setup is to be inclusive or exclusive. We have a separate post on Opera transactions and hotel billing with more details.

Components: This section sets the rate code’s type and other features. (there can be more or fewer options depending on the setup we discussed that are crucial).

Field Name	Details
Package	Shows if the rate includes packages.
Negotiated	Putting a tick here tells Opera that this rate code is used only as a negotiated rate (contracted). For this rate code, you must link a company, travel agent, or other type of profile. In our example, Intel Corp’s rate code is INT2024, so the company profile of Intel must be linked (we will see that below)
Suppress Rate	If you don’t want the rate to be displayed on screens. On Opera screens, “SR” is displayed in place of rates for users who don’t have permission to view Suppressed Rates.
Print Rate	Should the rate amount be printed or not on the guest stationery? For example, you wouldn’t want a guest from a tour operator or travel agent to know the room rate since the agent might have quoted them a different rate.
Discount	If discounts can be applied on rates of individual reservations.
Daily Rate	If rates need to be entered directly on the grid by dates. This makes administration easy as the user who works with rate codes, can directly enter different rates like in a spreadsheet.
Day Use	If this rate is going to be used for day-use, the same day the arrivel and departure.  Statistical reports only track the number of day-use rooms if such bookings are sold using this rate code.
Complimentary	Any complimentary reservations should be booked using this type of rate code. Statistical reports such as Manager Flash report only track the number of complimentary rooms if such bookings are sold using this rate code.
House Use	Any complimentary reservations should be booked using this type of rate code. Statistical reports such as the Manager Flash report track the number of House Use rooms only if such bookings are sold using these rate codes.

Step 6

Enter the Rate Code Detail information.

Click on the New button to enter a new rate detail.

The rate code details tab is where you create different prices for different rooms and dates. Here, you can also add special packages that are available only for certain room types.

• You can add multiple records for different dates. For example, if you’re selling an STD room for $280 during January, and the same room is sold at $300 during February, you can add different records. One will cover the Jan rate, and the other will cover the Feb rate for the same room type.
• Similarly, a record for each room type should be provided if they have different rates.
• You can add one record for weekdays and another for weekends using the ‘day ticks.’
• You can use seasons instead of dates (season codes are set up separately in the configuration).
• As you can see on the screenshot, Market / Source segmentation and packages can be from one different room type to another.

Step 8

Link a profile with the rate code.

Click on the New button, and a profile search window comes up. Look for a profile and attach it.

Rate code has been created.

The post How Do You Create A Rate Code In Opera? first appeared on e360 hospitality.

A guest’s journey starts with a reservation, which is the first interaction a guest has with the hotel. Reservations are a bilateral contract where the hotel agrees to reserve a room for the guest for a specified period at a rate the guest agrees to pay.

Reservations Department

Hotel Reservations Departmental Chart

Reservation Process In Hotel

7 Steps of Reservation Process

3 Types of Reservation in Hotel

The post What Is The Role of Reservation Department? first appeared on e360 hospitality.

What is a hotel package?

What Is The Meaning of Package Rate In Hotels?

The rate is the price hotels charge for a room night. Because they only rent out the rooms at a rate, we don’t call it price since no real selling is involved, even though the word ‘selling’ is often used in practice.

When hotels sell room nights without extras, services, products, or amenities, the rate is called the room rate, popularly known as the RO (room-only rate). However, when one or more additional services or products are included in the nightly rate, it is a Package Rate.

Packages can be:

• Inclusive packages: The hotels sell guests a package rate that includes room charges and additional products or services. For example, Bed & Breakfast, Halfbord, Fullboard, 50% Spa, 25% Recreation, etc.
• Exclusive packages: The prices for additional products or services are added to the room charges but are still bundled.

Package Rate In Hotel Example

• Notice how the revenue received from guests is split between two departments, increasing different departmental revenue within the hotel. The same applies when the offers from other departments are bundled in the package.
• You might question the purpose of the exclusive package; it increases the chances of other departments generating revenue, and the guests get those products or services at discounted prices through the package rather than buying them separately.

What Are The Benefits of Hotel Packages?

There is only a single reason for packages on each side: The hotel guests benefit from a great hotel experience through an inclusive offer at a discounted price. For the hotels, it is always about increasing their revenue and achieving targets in every season.

So, the hotels create packages for:

• Increasing their bookings in low seasons.
• Increasing their bookings for high seasons and being competitive.
• Upselling opportunities: Hotels can design packages only available when booking certain room types at higher prices.
• Cross-selling opportunities: When they want to promote products from Food & Beverage or other departments.
• For promotional efforts on new products.
• Showcasing hotels’ other non-moving products.
• Increase direct bookings on hotel websites
• Winning guest loyalty by providing value at reasonable prices.

Opera Packages – How Do I Create A Hotel Package?

In the PMS, you set up the rate codes (rates) and advertise and sell to the guests for booking hotel rooms when you create packages and add them to a rate code to make it a package rate. These steps explain the package part of the hotel rate.

Opera can handle packages in two different modes, basic and advanced. Before we explain the difference, see how to enable or disable Advanced Package handling in PMS:

We discussed how hotels customize their PMS using Application Settings to address individual operational needs in this post about “What is Opera PMS?“

When the guests’ restaurant checks are closed, the charges are posted back to the guest folios for in-house guests by an integrated POS (Point of Sales system) at the restaurants so the guests will settle when they check out.

For example, guests who have already booked package rates, such as Breakfast included in the rate (Bed and Breakfast), should not have additional Breakfast charges on their hotel folio.

At the same time, the breakfast charges should be charged to the hotel bill of guests who have booked room-only (RO) rates.

To handle the above scenario, Opera PMS uses “Allowances” that block any charges coming into guests’ folios of those on package rates that include Breakfast in our example.

Step 1

Log into Opera PMS Configuration, and select Rate Management > Packages > Codes:

Step 2

Click on the New button.

(Any existing packages listed)

Step 3

Enter your package specifics for the Package Header section:

The table below explains the field-level details you need to master Opera package creation.

Step 4

Save the Package Header tab, and move on to the Package Details:

Step 5

Save the Package Detail tab, and the package is ready to be attached to a rate code or added to a reservation directly (if you have ticked ‘Sell Separate’ on the Package Header tab)

Opera PMS Package Allowance

As we mentioned earlier, the Package Allowance is available when you enable ‘Advanced Packages’ in Opera. It blocks charges posted from the hotel restaurant system to a guest room.

These charges must be blocked for guests having the packages available through the rate, or there will be double charges on the guest bills. Let’s see this concept with an example: the Bed & Breakfast package rate below.

• The hotel sells the breakfast for $40. So, the non-package guests are charged this amount.
• When the same breakfast is sold as part of the package rate, the hotel reduces the price to $30.

Adjusting Package Price, Allowance, Lost, and Profit Settings Opera PMS Packages to Achieve this:

The post Opera PMS Packages: What Is A Hotel Package? first appeared on e360 hospitality.

What Is Posting Master In Opera?

In Opera (or any PMS), you need a bill to post charges, print the bill and checkout. In the PMS, you cannot have such a bill without a guest room.

A Posting Master or PM room is a pseudo or fictitious room that helps open a hotel billing for posting charges and payments just like a real guest room.

Some Reasons, Hotels Use PM Rooms

Below are some of the reasons to use a PM room, but not limited to.

• Posting charges to a group master folio. For instance, if a group is coming from a company, there are charges that the company will pay for all guests. These charges are routed to a PM room that will be paid later by the company.
• Maintaining employee accounts.
•  Maintaining the hotel’s petty cash. For instance hotel front office or any other department spends on buying little things for office use, and they want to record and reclaim the charges.
• The hotel’s Business Center want to open a folio in the morning for posting the charges of walk-in guests and maintain a folio for them for the whole day and checkout in the evening.
• The hotel staff want to move a guest folio balance to a temporary room to free up the real room for a few days.
• Receiving charges that have already been settled at the restaurant for reconciliation purposes. For instance, an outside guest at the hotel’s restaurant pays the bill on the spot, and the charges are settled. A copy of these charges is sent to PMS for accountability purposes.
• Receiving missed postings from vendor systems that failed to reach real guest rooms for technical reasons.
• Handling discrepancy guest situations such as the hotel guest skipping without paying the folio. However, the hotel might take days to investigate and sort out the issue. During this time hotel wants to use the physical guestroom.

Creating a PM room in Opera (Rather, ‘Checking in’)

Step 1

When logged into Opera PMS, on the top menu, select Front Desk > House Accounts.

Step 2

Enter profile and reservation details.

The post How Do I Create A PM Room In Opera? first appeared on e360 hospitality.

For hotel operations, these categories help hotel staff to have more control over revenue targets, daily operational aspects, and marketing strategies.

We delve into the details below.

1. The ‘Hotel Room Types And Prices’ section explains how the room clarification links to revenue management.
2. The section, ‘Room Types in Daily Hotel Operation’ discusses on advantages of room categories for hotel staff, managers and owners.
3. The ‘Room Categories in Marketing’ highlights some benefits hotels have with marketing promotions using room categories. 

Hotel Room Types And Prices (Revenue)

Hotels set their room rates based on the room types. So whenever a guest books a room, that reservation has a link to a room type which is the entry point of revenue optimization despite the task involving other factors.

For example, a revenue manager or an RMS (revenue management system) looks at historical bookings and current data, market trends, the city’s event calendar, and other external factors to calculate future demand (demand forecasting). And, based on the above findings, the hotels work on their pricing and upselling strategies while it helps them correct past mistakes.

• The highlight of the above is past and present bookings where the room types are directly liked.
• Also, hotels apply sell controls (restricting room availability based on set criteria such as a room is available only for long stays, advanced booking, etc,) on room types.
• They set channel distribution strategy, and close and open availability is also based on room types (Example: Open, close, reduce, increase the availability of certain room types for certain OTA (Online travel agents).

Let’s dive in to see how hotels categorize their rooms.

Types of Hotel Rooms

There is no set standard on how many or what room types a hotel can have. However, hotels should consider:

1. Does the particular room type have an impact on pricing? For example, creating separate room types for Sea View and City View; do they have different rates because of the view?
2. What is the impact at the hotel user level in PMS when having the room type and not having it? For instance, it is quicker and easier for a PMS user to create a booking when the list is shorter.

How Are Hotel Rooms Classified?

Despite many people having different views on room types with different stories to tell, room types are derived from three standard types. 

What Are The Three Types of Rooms In A Hotel?

The room types are derived from these standard types: Standard, Deluxe, and Suite depending on individual hotel’s decision. Even large hotel chains leave this for their properties to decide.

What Are Standard Hotel Rooms?

Standard hotel rooms are usually the most affordable room types with less spacious compared to other room types. Hotels provide the essentials in these rooms for comfortable stays. However, providing additional amenities such as a coffee maker or hair dryer depends on the hotel or chain standards.

What Is Deluxe Room In Hotel?

Deluxe rooms are larger, having a separate sitting area with better furnishing and views. Hotels offer extra amenities for the occupants such as a coffee maker, iPod dock, and in-room entertainment system, and they may also include a work desk.

What Is Suite Room In Hotel?

The suite rooms of a hotel are pressed in as a luxury element, providing large layouts and the high-quality fittings. They usually have a separate bedroom, a living room and sometimes dining area, or kitchenette furnished with cupboards and utensils. Suite sizes also vary greatly in accordance with a hotel, but they often fall within the 500 to 1,000 sqft range or above

A small suite is designed for up to four people to stay but there are different levels of suite rooms from a regular suite room to a Presidential Suite, which usually every luxury hotel has one such room.

Hotel Room Types And Sizes

Hotel room sizes differ depending on the country, hotel chain, and the hotel classification. Refer below chart as a general reference guide only for room size references below:

Room Types Are Determined by Layout & Bed Size (Small hotel room types, example)

Room Types by Occupancy

In our examples, we don’t consider room types by occupancy. For instance, placing a Queen or Double bed in a standard room doesn’t change the maximum number of persons who can occupy the room. The hotels decide on maximum occupancy by considering the room’s space.

Room types by Amenities and Features

Similarly, in our example, we don’t consider the amenities or features having a valid reason for creating a new room type based on these since they don’t directly influence pricing.

However, when amenities or features affect room pricing, a new room type should be considered since different pricing needs to be attached.

For example, a ‘Breakfast at Club Lounge’ is an amenity offered to all Deluxe rooms. Does it affect the pricing? No. So, there is no point in creating a new room type. And again, what if a guest from a Standard room requests access to it? The hotel will provide it with or without an extra charge. So it is better to deal with a package on room by room basis.

Likewise, a ‘connecting room’ is a room feature where the two adjacent rooms share a door internally. There can be such rooms among Standard and Deluxe also; are we going to have different room types, or will we make a room feature, ‘Connecting Room,’ and attach it with the specific rooms better?

Room Types in Daily Hotel Operation

• It helps the hotel’s revenue department get a clear understanding of how profitable their room types are and correct mistakes to optimize for increased revenue.

• Increased revenue opportunities through upsells and paid-upgrades. Hotel staff can conveniently discuss with the guest and show the difference between different categories to convice the guest for upselling.
• Gain guest loyalty through free membership room category upgrades.
• Room categories help hotels maintain consistent quality standards in the hotel or throughout the hotel chain. 
• Housekeeping cleaning tasks are assigned to rooms. However, the task duration, required amenities, and other cleaning stocks are calculated based on the room types. For instance, a Standard room might take a lesser workforce, amenities and cleaning materials compared to a Deluxe due to their size considerations. It helps the housekeeping department by providing near-perfect forecasts to get ready with their resources for a future date.
• For investors and hotel owners, it is economical to bulk buy room fixtures, furnitures and store them for any repairs. Room categories help them do that.

Room Categories in Marketing

• With room categories, hotels can tailor their marketing efforts to specific guest segments by not only market but also by room category. 
• Room categories can be helpful when gathering guest feedback. Hotels can use them to segment surveys and understand guest satisfaction levels for different room types, allowing them to tailor improvements accordingly.
• Advertise different room types with amenities at different price points according to guest types and needs (From budget guest to luxury-seeking travelers).
• Hotels use their websites, OTA (online travel agent) sites and other meta search engines to showcase their room categories with images and descriptions of benefits to influence potential guests’ booking decisions. 

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

What is a double bed at a hotel?

A hotel bed often equipped with a double bed is a common bed for one or two people staying in a hotel room. It typically is about 54 inches wide and 75 inches long, which will be enough room for a single person or a couple. They are a favorite option among single travelers, couples.

What is hotel double bed size?

Standard double bed size given in the hotels commonly is 54 inches in width and 75 inches in length. Nevertheless, note that there may be slight differences observed in bed-sizes across various hotels based on their specific standards and on the region.

Certain hotels provide choices of double bed sets, for example, queen beds, whose largest sizes are 60 inches wide and 80 inches long. Guests should go through the specific bed size specifications of the hotel while booking and it is helpful for having a great sleeping experience.

The post Types of Hotel Rooms Explained first appeared on e360 hospitality.

Operating a hotel is a complicated business. SOP (Standard Operating Procedures), service levels, meeting regional legal requirements, and target markets are different from one hotel to another, and hotel chain to chain.

Opera (Property Management System) is used in hotels of all types around the world.

How Does Opera Hotel System Fit Hotels of All Types?

Opera PMS provides different ways to customize the system to suit the hotel’s requirements and to address operational needs.

Add-on Licenses:

When you have the primary Opera PMS license, you have the core functions and features that can address any hotel’s operational needs throughout a guest’s journey.

However, you can activate different modules by using add-on licenses for specific functionality. 

For example, handling travel agent commissions or back office (City Ledger) that are not part of a hotel guest’s journey, but some hotels might still want to use them as a module in Opera PMS. The advantage is that the hotel doesn’t need another software integrated with Opera PMS to handle the operation. There are many add-ons available.

‘Application Settings‘ Helps Customize the Software to Lazer Target Hotels’ needs

Application Settings consists of Functions, Parameter, and Settings that allow further fine-tuning of a selected module by choosing what features it should have and their behavior.

For example, a hotel enables Currency Handling under Functions, then sets daily handling limits under Parameters, and finally sets the limit under Settings.

Vendor integrations: Enrolment of vendors into Opera PMS integration is controlled by the Oracle validation program, but the list is huge and counting. Google “Opera validated interfaces,” and you will get a list of integrated vendors from the Oracle site.

Opera Profiles

Opera guest profile features examples:

• Hotels can maintain complete profile records for individual guests, companies, travel agents, groups, and sources (that don’t belong to other profile types in the list, for ministries, military establishments, etc.).
• Negotiated rates, statistical information, historical production data on by revenue bucket, and future booking information.
• Memberships, preferences, privacy, and guest requests management on individual profiles on top of providing extensive demographic information.
• User-definable fields to collect additional profile data.

Profile details

Opera Reservations

Opera PMS reservation functionalities highlights: Sample Opera PMS reservation screen below:

• A comprehensive reservations management module including individual, group, and allotment bookings.
• Other crucial reservation options include waitlisting, reservation shares, multi-rate, multi-profile, accompanying guest management, discounts, Turnaway, and item-inventory, reservation alerts, and upsell are few to mention.
• Effectively handling reservation packages and internal revenue split control from within the reservations.
• Deposit, deposit taxes, cancellation, no-show handling, and the ability to define the hotel’s strategy through automated rules.
• Hotel’s or group of hotels’ (in a multi-property env) centralized reservation system that seamlessly works with bookings originating from other hotels (in the multi-property), OTAs, global distribution systems (GDS), central reservation systems (CRS), meta-search sites, and the hotel’s website.

Reservation details

Rate Management

Opera’s rate management comprises a set of powerful options for price optimization to suit any market segment and for accurate market analysis.

• Market segmentation to turn-away analysis.
• Classification of rate codes by sister properties, market segmentation, and seasons gives greater control in designing and managing rate structure according to Hotels’ rate strategy.
• Rate Tiers help hotels set pricing based on length of stay (LOS). While the Daily Rates option helps hotels to set daily changing rates.
• Managing inclusive/exclusive Packages and price control based on various metrics such as ‘per person’, ‘per room’, ‘per night’, or on a predetermined schedule.
• Hotel definable child buckets.
• Other features worth mentioning are ‘Base Rates’, ‘Dynamic Base Rates’, ‘BAR By Day’, ‘Bar By LOS’, Best Bar By Day’, ‘Negotiated Rates’
• Rate Ceiling and Rate Floor controls. 
• Promotional rates.
• Built-in ‘Rate Strategy’ tool (an option), enables setting sell controls based on occupancy/date.
• Hurdle rates when integrated with a yield/revenue management system (using an add-on license discussed earlier)

Rate management details

Opera PMS Front Desk and Billing

Room assignment, preparing guest registration cards, working with reservation screen for verifying before checking in, taking deposits, scanning passport/ID doc to attach in guest profiles, checking in the guest with a room key. Performing tasks related to guest-in house and finally checking out the guests.

Let’s see some of the options worth noting down:

• Wizard-like room assignment that auto-assigns rooms based on guest preferences, which a user can change or manually assign or reassign.
• Bulk Guest Reg card printing for future dates for individual and group bookings.
• Guest messages and traces (for the hotel’s inter-departmental communication where one dept asks the other to complete a task related to guests’ requests or needs)
• Fictitious room check-in for internal postings or temporary guest reservation movements from real rooms to fictitious ones for operational reasons, popularly “PM rooms”.
• Room upgrades and free upgrades with the ability to set up incentive schemes for the Front Office agents.
• Flexible handling of shared reservations and welcome offer alerts.

Front desk details

Cashiering:

• Cashier shifts management with shared and individual floats. 
• An unlimited number of revenue, non-revenue (taxes), adjustment, and payment codes for posting and inclusive/exclusive and dependant tax setup. And, these codes are linked to the accounting system.
• Post adjustments, transaction splitting to transfer to different rooms or bills, automated split/transfer setup for revenue sharing scenarios.
• Auto-transfer transactions between bills of the same room and different rooms using ‘routing’.
• 8 bills for a guest reservation, and each can have different profiles and payment options linked to. 
• Direct Debit/City Ledger handling.
• ‘Open Folio’, ‘Pre-stay and Post-stay’ charging, options to settle interim bills, and advanced bills are notable.
• Folio styles.
• Cross-posting between properties in a multi-property environment.

Cashiering details

Opera PMS Housekeeping and Rooms Management

Opera’s room management is a comprehensive module that helps hotels manage every detail of their Rooms department.

• Manage room status, and handle Out of Order, Out of Service, and create work orders for the Repairs department for damages that need attention.
• Set overbooking levels.
• Full-fledged housekeeping management with attendant management, inventory management, tasks management, and room cleaning tasks assignment. For complete details on the Housekeeping Guide.

Miscellaneous

• Data Extraction is used to create a customized data export template that can be used for information needs.
• Logs provide field-level tracking of user changes in critical areas.
• One of the popular features is Opera PMS shortcut keys that open up a list of screens where the users can view and, in some cases, users can handle tasks visually. Check out this link for more information.
• Opera PMS reports list: Opera provides a huge list of standard reports categorized by function/operational area. Some of the popular reports are Trial Balance, Guest Ledger, Deposit Ledger, AR Aging, Guest Arrivals, Package Forecast, Market Segment, etc.

The post What Is Opera PMS, How Does It Work? first appeared on e360 hospitality.

The size of the housekeeping team depends on the size of the hotel. For example, a tiny hotel can employ a single person to a few staff to maintain the keeping of the property. 

However, in a large hotel with hundreds or thousands of rooms, the housekeeping team has several people to do different tasks. And, it makes the Housekeeping Department the largest among others, headed by an Executive Housekeeper and an Assistant Executive Housekeeper.

Why Is Hotel Housekeeping Important?

The hotel’s housekeeping team is responsible for more than just cleaning rooms and other areas of the property. They are responsible for upholding the brand’s image through:

Hotel Housekeeping Services:

• Guests’ and staff’s health & safety by maintaining the hygienic standard throughout the property and the garden area by keeping every area clean and tidy including day in and day out.
• Prepare every room in perfect condition as per standard, and have a supervisor inspect the rooms to confirm their readiness for guest arrivals.
• Plan, stock, fill, and refill guests’ amenities and linen (bed sheets, pillowcases, towels, tablecloths, napkins).
• Regularly clean and maintain the hotel’s furniture, fixtures, carpets, etc. When needed report damages to the hotel’s repairs/engineering department. This ensures the untimely replacement of such items.
• Report room conditions such as clogged toilets, faulty shower handles, leaking bathroom, air conditioner issues, etc. It helps the Front Office team handle the situation accordingly without affecting guest services (as such they can move the guest to a different room if it is an in-house guest). Similarly, the FO team can change the room status to Out of Service until the repairs department fixes the issue.

• The team is responsible for the laundry services of staff uniforms, guest laundry, and hotel linen cycle (bedsheets, towels, face towels, hand towels, tablecloths, napkins, or any linen, and curtains used in the hotel).
• When necessary, the housekeeping laundry tailor alters, adjusts, and repairs staff uniforms, guest garments, linens, and curtains.
• They check and report on room discrepancies, such as if the checked-in guest is still in-house or has left the property without checking out (‘Skip’ in hotel terms) — Those with scanty baggage. Or, if a guest occupies a room without a booking record in the hotel PMS system (‘Sleep’ in hotel terms).
• They are responsible for storing lost/left-behind belongings of hotel guests and returning them when the guest calls to recollect them. Handling lost items is known as ‘Lost & Found,’ and each hotel has its standard policy on managing such situations.
• While the guests check out, housekeeping staff checks for damages to the room and reports to the Front Desk/HK supervisor. In addition, they check for the room’s minibar and report any consumption to the Front Desk for billing the guests.
• Maintain, and restock guest amenities, cleaning and gardening supplies, and liquids.
• The hotel’s floral arrangements enhance not only the aesthetics and ambiance of the property but also help guests ease off stress and anxiety. Likewise, this is another area where the housekeeping team’s contribution is indispensable.
• Such a large operation around the clock needs careful planning and assignment of resources based on the hotel system’s forecast reports. The Housekeeping manager or executive housekeeper adjusts the staffing and prepares the duty rosters accordingly.

To meet an enormous, highly critical operation, a hotel needs a large team of experienced professionals. Let’s see who they are.

Hotel Housekeeping Department Chart

Duties and Responsibilities of Housekeeping Staff

Based on the chart above, we outline the primary responsibilities of each position. However, tasks, responsibilities, and sometimes reporting structures may vary from one hotel to another or chain to chain.

Duties of Executive Housekeeper in A Hotel

• As the above organizational chart, an Executive Housekeeper takes every responsibility for the hotel’s housekeeping as a person in charge of this large department.

• The Executive Housekeeper reports to the General Manager, Rooms Division Manager, or Executive Assistant Manager (Deputy GM).

• Her primary duty is to ensure the team follows the hotel’s standard operating procedure (SOP) in every task and adheres to proper use of PPE for hotel housekeeping while performing their duties, cleaning hotel rooms, public/private areas, and gardens.

• Planning, hiring, and firing resources, scheduling resources daily, and looking after their well-being and training needs are other crucial areas, including staff performance monitoring and people development.

• She is also responsible for recommending, maintaining, and coordinating repairs of housekeeping equipment and supplies. Additionally, the Executive Housekeeper oversees the inventory of amenities and linen services.

• Finally, an Executive Housekeeper prepares financial reports and departmental budgets.

Housekeeping Secretary / Housekeeping Coordinator

• Unlike an executive secretary whose primary job is to assist her boss, the Executive Housekeeper with secretarial tasks, and also manages other tasks involving her department and assists and coordinates with almost everyone in the department.

• As she is the only one sitting in the department most of the time, she handles telephone calls from external and internal callers and coordinates and assigns tasks to relevant members.

• She drafts letters for her boss and the Assistant Housekeeper and has access to the bosses’ emails to reply when necessary. Additionally, she manages housekeeping-related tasks in the hotel’s property management system, including printing room status reports and updating any discrepancies reported by her colleagues on the guest floors, including ‘Do Not Disturb’ room status in the hotel system.

• She acts as the point of contact for other departments, such as the Front Office; let’s say, for instance, a guest has arrived before his scheduled/expected time of arrival. FO staff calls HK and asks to prioritize preparing that room. Despite this process being systemized in the modern PMS software, traditionally, FO staff calls the HK. So, she passes the information to the relevant supervisor in the area to handle the situation. Likewise, she coordinates with the Repairs/Maintenance department for any room repairs-related issues.

• She also prepares housekeeping task assignments sometimes, prints task sheets in the system, and distributes them among the room attendants in the absence of the bosses.

• She maintains the list of Lost and Found items and coordinates with the Front Office team in handling reclaims by the guests along with Exec. Housekeeper, FO manager, and Security department, depending on the item’s category and value.

Assistant Executive Housekeeper or Simply, Assistant Housekeeper

• As an assistant to the Executive Housekeeper, she works alongside the boss and acts as head of the department in the absence of the Exec. Housekeeper. It includes overseeing staff and supervising the cleanliness and standards of guest rooms, public areas, restrooms, offices, and conference rooms.

• She works closely with team members and is easily accessible by any staff in the department. She is responsible for work scheduling, task sheet preparation, and maintaining hotel housekeeping supplies such as cleaning chemicals, linen, and anything involving her.

• Train staff on equipment, chemical usage, and standards. Respond to guest requests, complaints, and any concerns.

• Follow up with inter-departmental communication and follow up with the Repairs department on room damage fixes. And monitor the overall administration of the department with the Executive Housekeeper.

Hotel Housekeeping Laundry Manager

• The Laundry Manager is someone who handles administrative tasks while having a great understanding of the laundry equipment and chemicals used in the hotel housekeeping laundry.

• He is fully responsible for laundry operations in-house and outside laundry if the hotel is catering laundry services to outside customers in line with the brand standards.

• He is responsible for planning resources, including employees, according to the hotel’s occupancy forecast.

• Maintenance/repairs of laundry equipment with the hotel’s Maintenance department (Repairs Dept.), and training staff on the machinery usage in coordination with the hotel’s training department.

• He is also responsible for the hotel staff uniforms, guest garments coming into the laundry, and linen services.

Public Area Supervisor (Housekeeping Supervisor Grade)

• As the title suggests, the Public Area Supervisors are responsible for ensuring public areas such as the hotel lobby, walkways, common toilets, and staff areas are clean and tidy and reflect standard ambiance throughout the hotel and the day. Basically, every area except guestrooms that are directly under Floor Supervisors.

• He is also responsible for carrying out periodic and on-demand training for Public Area Attendants on the hotel’s standard cleaning procedures, including proper chemical equipment usage.

• Most of the time on the roam, he is tasked with scheduling deep cleaning tasks in areas where necessary and handling the hotel’s Lost & Found procedure.

• He reports and works closely with the Assistant Executive Housekeeper. The shifts can change from Public Area to Floor Supervising, so he is also trained on Floor Supervisor tasks.

Floor Supervisor (Housekeeping Supervisor Grade)

• Floor Supervisors work closely with the Assistant Housekeeper, and are responsible for ensuring rooms are cleaned by the room attendants as per the standard and provide housekeeping status reports to the bosses. 

• They carry the master key of the hotel and help the attendants get into the rooms to complete cleaning tasks. When the attendants complete the task, supervisor approves that the room is in perfect condition set by the brand, and ready to be occupied by changing the room status to ‘Inspected’. See the ‘Rooms Statuses’ section for details on this.

• They are also responsible for maintaining inventories of cleaning items at floor-level pantries, coordinating with other operating departments on matters related to them, such as rooms requiring repairs, fulfilling floor guest requests with the FO department or others, or reporting to the Security department of any security hazards.

• Their responsibilities can continue with anything concerning rooms and guests.

Laundry Supervisor (Housekeeping Supervisor Grade)

• The Laundry Supervisor reports to the Laundry Manager/Assistant Executive Housekeeper; he oversees the whole operation of the hotel laundry and makes sure quality standards are always maintained.

• He has a good knowledge of machines and chemicals used in the cleaning procedure and trains the other laundry staff on the skills. And, coordinates with other relevant departments on repairs and ensures enough stock of chemicals is always maintained.

• Checks the hotel’s occupancy status and allocates adequate staff on duty to meet the demand.

Linen Room Supervisor (Housekeeping Supervisor Grade)

A hotel has several linen needs, such as staff uniforms, guests’ garments, bedsheets, pillowcases, towels, tablecloths, napkins, and curtains, to operate smoothly and with the standard.

The Linen Room is the section of the hotel where these needs are processed and managed daily with a linen cycle, such as linen being ready today, being washed for tomorrow, and being stripped from the rooms for washing tomorrow, and the cycle continues.

• The supervisor of the Linen Room is responsible for keeping records of all the items that come into the laundry for processing and delivering them accurately as per the standards with the help of his team.

Florists

• The florists are responsible for creating visually stunning and artistic floral arrangements for all areas, including public areas, guest rooms, restaurants, and banquet function/meeting halls. 

• They are highly knowledgeable about flowers and plants and usually work on different assignments at a time due to various activities a hotel can be busy with, including banquet functions

• Since the hotels usually have one or a couple of such individuals to cover the property’s daily requirements, They are occupied most of the time. 

Head Gardner

• The Head Gardner is responsible for maintaining the best appearance of the ground with the help of his team of gardeners and coordination with outside contractors.

• Ensures to stick to safety compliance standards and trains gardeners on the hotel’s garden maintenance plan and safer use of gardening tools.

Public Area Attendant 

• Public Area Attendants are responsible for maintaining every public area where the in-house and outside guests roam (front of the house) and the private area (staff areas, back of the house) of the property, including the lobby, common toilets, function spaces, offices, furniture, fixtures and just about any area and their moveable and immoveable assets place in there.

• They take orders from Public Area Supervisors for on-demand requirements and follow public area cleaning schedules as well. They stick to the Housekeeping Checklist and complete the task per the hotel standards.

• They are trained to handle the hotel’s Lost and Found procedure and report to the supervisors on such incidents.

• Public Area Attendants are also trained to be Room Attendants so the hotels can interchange them from time to time or on a scheduled basis. 

Housekeeping Room Attendant (Room Boy)

• As one of the most popular job titles in the hotel industry, they play a crucial role in maintaining the hotel’s primary products with the highest standards according to the cleaning standards set by the hotel or the hotel chain. They pay attention to details during the process and follow the standard checklists, including refilling guest amenities and minibar.

• Every attendant receives a Housekeeping Task Assignment sheet from the supervisor or assistant housekeeper containing the listing of the rooms that they need to complete cleaning.

• The Housekeeping Task Assignment sheet contains not only a rooming list, but also mentions any special instructions, attention, or a request from other departments for a specific guest room. 

• They strictly follow the Tasksheets and detailed Checklists to perform the task and are also responsible for refilling minibar items and taking note of guest consumption.

• Occasionally, they might perform simple maintenance-related tasks in rooms, such as changing bulbs, fixing loosened taps, etc.

• When the task for a room is completed, they change the room status from Dirty to Clean or Pickup as per the standards so that the Floor Supervisor knows that the room needs his inspection.

Laundry Washer / Ironer / Attendants

• Carefully sort items such as hotel staff uniforms, linens, and guest laundry by material and color as per the set standards, and wash, dry, and fold using high-end industrial equipment. And, prepare the laundered items for pickup and delivery with proper wrapping.

Linen Room Attendant

• Linen Room Attendants are responsible for receiving, recording, and segregating linen based on color, type, and potential to stain and send them to laundry for washing. 

• Then, when laundry finishes processing, they receive, run standard checks, and keep them on the shelves for pickup or delivery to the guests and other departments.

Tailor

• Responsible for minor repairs and alterations on guest garments, staff uniforms, And other linen used throughout the hotel.

Gardner

• Takes care of all gardening-related tasks assigned by the immediate supervisor, Head Gardner.

Hotel Housekeeping Management Software

There are housekeeping software solutions providers on the market to assist hotels with managing housekeeping operations. These are great alternatives for hotels using property management systems without the extended features to help support comprehensive housekeeping operations.

However, an advanced property management system (PMS) such as Opera has the required modules built-in to cover the housekeeping operations in detail.

Which Areas Can a Software System or Hotel Housekeeping Apps Help Simplify the Operations?

Housekeeping Task Assignment

An Executive Housekeeper or the assistant, if not the Floor Supervisor, assigns guest room cleaning tasks among the Room Attendants and prints a housekeeping task sheet containing a list of rooms for each attendant.

The workload is distributed equally among all the Room Attendants on duty on that date.

In a hotel, every room is not equal by size such as a suite room is bigger than a standard room. Similarly, every room doesn’t need the same amount of time to clean, even among the same room type; for example, a checked-out standard room takes more time to clean than a stay-over standard room, and likewise for every other room type.

To help this work distribution, they use a mechanism Housekeeping Credits, which is like the time it takes to complete a room cleaning. Let’s see it a bit deeper:

In the above example, both attendants, Alan and Kumar, have the same number of credits to handle even though Alan is handling more rooms than Kumar.

They list the rooms in the housekeeping task sheet by floors and sections, which includes adjacent and nearby rooms in the same sheet to speed up cleaning so that the attendant doesn’t have to move too far to clean his next room. 

Check out the Task Sheets in Oracle Opera

Housekeeping Inventory Management (Task, Linen, and amenities management.)

Some hotels maintain daily changing of bed sheets as standard. In contrast, others might go for an environmentally and economically friendly approach where they change the bed sheets every other day or a few days. Check below to see how software can help these eco-friendly hotels effectively manage their inventory.

These hotels have different task codes where the linen and other amenities are attached to the task codes. For example, where it takes 100 fresh bed sheets daily, it might be reduced to 50 bedsheets based on the hotel guests’ movements.

Obviously, it cuts operating costs to the hotel and reduces the workforce required to handle the operation. Likewise, the hotel can target other tasks and amenities as well.

To effectively manage such environments, hotels require software capable of accurately handling complex details.

Lost and Found

Items left behind, whether in the guest rooms or public areas, are kept in allocated areas in the housekeeping department. Traditional hotel systems, including Opera PMS, don’t provide a comprehensive module to handle Lost and Found items of the hotels. 

Inter-departmental Communication

The housekeeping team is in constant touch with other departments, especially the hotel’s Maintenance department for any repairs in the guest rooms, machinery, and other equipment. 

Likewise, they are in touch with the Front Office department for any guest needs, informing room discrepancies, placing a room in the priority queue for cleaning if a guest arrives earlier than the expected time, or any other. 

And, for Lost and Found handling of high-value items, some hotels’ have a policy that involves their Security department.

Having a mobile app that housekeeping staff can utilize to record a room repair, HK discrepancy, add room conditions, or handle guests’ requests and Lost & Found can improve the quality of the service. At the same time, it can reduce phone/mobile calls that are inefficient for logging and user-friendliness purposes.

They cannot be integrated with hotels’ PMS software, where every detail of guests is recorded. Any hotel housekeeping software or housekeeping app depends on getting up-to-date hotel guest data and forecasts.

And any communication among the colleagues within the department, considering, as said earlier in the post, housekeeping team members are always roaming around the property for supervision, overseeing, or cleaning tasks.

Housekeeping Room Status vs Front Office Room Status

Hotels must maintain room status between Housekeeping and Front Office the same for every room. Housekeeping’s status comes from physical checks while Front Office status gets updated as the guests check in and check out.

However, when there is a difference between these two, hotel management needs to interfere and investigate to resolve the root cause and avoid possible revenue losses.

Regular room statuses when no discrepancy is marked.

Housekeeping / Front Office Room Discrepancy

The post Hotel Housekeeping Duties and Responsibilities: Essential Guide first appeared on e360 hospitality.

Solo travel allows the freedom to explore the world on your own terms. However, this liberty may be constrained by finances. And it is when you think discovering reasonably priced lodging is essential whether you are well-traveled or if you are thinking about going on your first solo trip because it will keep your travels sustainable through time.

In this article, we discuss the best hotel booking tips for solo travelers on a budget.

Budget for Solo Travel

Setting a budget before starting your solo trip will help to make sure that you have enough money for meals, accommodation, transportation, and activities.

Consider factors such as:

• Exchange rates.
• The cost of living in your chosen destination.
• Any extra expenses you may incur while traveling alone.

You want to research affordable accommodation options, such as budget hotels, hostels, and Airbnb rentals, to find the best deals that fit your budget.

Cheap Places to Solo Travel in Europe

Europe is known to attract solo travel enthusiasts. It offers a diverse range of cuisines, landscapes, history, and cultures to explore. For budget-minded solo travelers, Eastern Europe offers some of the most affordable destinations, including Romania, Ukraine, and Bulgaria.

Additionally, cities such as Krakow, Prague, and Budapest are known for not only their affordable accommodations but delicious street food, and vibrant nightlife. With a little prior research and spontaneity, you can find amazing places to tour alone in Europe that won’t break the bank.

Solo Travelers’ Deals

Many accommodation providers, including hotels, offer discounts, special offers, and other deals for solo traveling. Because they want to draw solo travelers and boost solo travel. Seek promotions that can help you save money on lodging when traveling alone.

For example; solo traveler packages, last-minute deals, and rates for single occupancy. You can also locate special offers and discounts for single travelers by making reservations directly with hotels or through booking websites that cater specifically to lone travelers.

Best Website for Solo Travelers

Many websites can assist you in finding other solo travelers to explore your desired destination together. These websites can help you connect, communicate, and arrange to meet up with others to discover new places together. And when traveling alone, these sites are a terrific way to meet new people, exchange stories, and locate travel companions.

Tips for Choosing the Best Solo Travel Partner

Having a travel buddy can make or break your trip. Here are things to consider to make your trip memorable:

• Discuss your desired trip goals – Do you prefer adventure or relaxation, cultural experiences or exploring nature? By aligning on interests, create an itinerary that caters to both parties.
• Be clear on budget – Communicate the amount of money an individual is willing to spend on accommodations, food, transportation, and activities.
• Lay out your tastes and preferences – People have different preferences when it comes to traveling, while some may opt for luxury accommodations and guided tours, others prefer hostels and off-the-beaten-path exploration.

Websites to Get Travel Buddies Online

1. Reddit – Reddit’s message board Travel Partners allows tourists to invite others to their trips in a cast-the-net-wide way of approach. Also, check SoloTravel subreddit.
2. Solos, Singles in Paradise, and TripTogether – These are designed for you to find a tour group while ensuring interaction so that you don’t get stuck in some neighborhood clique or married couple’s group.
3. WorldPackers – This is a platform that links travelers to volunteer opportunities anywhere in the world.

How Do I Find a Solo Traveller?

Social media sites like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter are well-liked resources for single travelers to interact, exchange travelogues, and get ideas for their next solo excursion.

You can meet other lone travelers, share advice and suggestions, and find new places to visit by joining social media pages and groups for single travelers. For advice on where to go and what to see while traveling alone, follow well-known social media bloggers, influencers, and photographers who specialize in solo travel.

Is There an App to Meet Solo Travelers?

• SoloTraveller is a social platform that connects solo travelers and backpackers, allowing you to find new friends, ride shares, and build a traveler community with updates from new friends.
• Tourlina is a solo female travel app that allows women traveling alone to connect with other women safely. With a verification process in place, users can swipe through potential travel buddies based on shared interests and preferences.
• TripGiraffe allows travelers to connect with others who share a passion for traveling by creating or joining trips. Finding a travel buddy for your next adventure is made simple with TripGiraffe’s platform.

What Is The Social Media for Solo Travelers?

• Travello is a unique social media app designed for solo travelers looking to connect with others on the road, offering features like discovering nearby travelers, joining interest-based groups, and finding travel companions with matching plans.
• Airbnb “Experiences” allows solo travelers to connect with locals and other travelers, providing a platform to socialize and meet new people while exploring destinations.
•  Instagram, no need intro. By reaching out to local bloggers or influencers through direct messages or by posting location-tagged photos, solo travelers can easily make connections and discover hidden gems in a new place without the pressure of traditional solo travel apps.

Solo Travel on a Budget Best Hotel Booking Tips Female

• Book ahead of time – Avoid last-minute booking as prices tend to increase closer to your travel dates
• Research for options – To save money, consider taking red-eye flights for long-haul journeys and opt for solo-friendly B&Bs or hostels for cheaper accommodation.
• Invest in your safety – Allocate additional funds to ensure safety while traveling, such as booking accommodations in safe neighborhoods and arranging for airport transfers to avoid potential risks.

Solo Travel on a Budget Best Hotel Booking Tips Male

• Use price comparison websites to find the best deals
• Look for hotels that offer complimentary breakfast or other perks to save money
• Consider booking last-minute deals or opting for non-refundable rates for additional savings.

How Old Are Most Solo Travelers?

While solo travel was once associated primarily with younger travelers in their twenties and thirties, solo travelers now come from all age groups, from millennials to baby boomers.

Solo travelers over the age of 50 are one of the fastest-growing segments of the solo travel market, with more mature travelers seeking new adventures, cultural experiences, and opportunities for personal growth through solo travel.

The post Solo Travel on a Budget: Best Hotel Booking Tips first appeared on e360 hospitality.

From check-in to check-out and everything in between, the front office team is responsible for ensuring smooth operations and delivering exceptional customer service. In this post, we’ll delve into the intricacies of hotel front office duties and responsibilities, exploring the structure, functions, and essential skills required for success in this dynamic role.

Introduction to Hotel Front Office Department

The front office department is the face of the hotel, representing the first and last impressions guests have during their stay. It encompasses various functions, including guest interaction, reservation management, and administrative tasks.

A well-run front office is essential for guest satisfaction and the overall success of the hotel. Hotels can ensure consistency, efficiency, and exceptional service delivery by outlining the duties and responsibilities of front office staff.

Front Office Structure and Organization

In a large hotel, the Front Office department is a subsection but still a department of itself of the Rooms Division headed by the Room Division Director or Executive Assistance Manager (usually like the Deputy General Manager).

The front office department typically follows a hierarchical structure, with various roles and positions contributing to its smooth operation. At the helm is the Front Office Manager, responsible for overseeing the entire department and ensuring seamless coordination with other hotel departments. 

Reporting to the Front Office Manager are Assistant Front Office Managers and Front Desk Supervisors, who provide supervision and support to Front Office Agents, Guest Service Agents — the frontline staff are responsible for greeting guests, processing check-ins and check-outs, printing guest folios, and addressing guest inquiries and concerns.

Generally, front office agents are cashiers too. Take post charges and take payments from the guests. 

Guest service agents don’t handle cashiering tasks and they are primarily looking into guest relations and needs.

The Bell Desk is a subsection of the Front Office consisting of ‘bell boys’ or porters who handle guest luggage and accompany guests to their rooms after check-in.

The Concierge serves as a valuable resource for guests, offering recommendations, arranging transportation, and facilitating various services to enhance their stay.

The Night Auditor is an interesting designation because he works with the hotel accounting department while most of the time, he comes under the Front Office. He plays a vital role in reconciling daily transactions and ensuring accurate financial records, especially during late-night shifts. 

Similarly, there is a General Cashier who works with hotel’s accounting department but he is also the head of Front Office agents when it comes to cashiering related (cashiers).

Guest Interaction and Customer Service

Central to the front office role is the delivery of exceptional customer service. From the moment guests arrive until they depart, front office staff must ensure that every interaction is warm, welcoming, and professional. Greeting guests with a smile and personalized attention sets the tone for their stay and creates a lasting impression.

Whether assisting with check-in procedures, providing information about hotel amenities, or addressing guest concerns, maintaining a courteous and helpful demeanor is paramount.

Reservation Management

Efficient reservation management is critical to maximizing occupancy and revenue for the hotel. Front office staff are responsible for receiving and processing guest reservations through various channels, including phone, email, and online platforms.

Accuracy is key, ensuring that reservation details and special requests are recorded correctly to meet guests’ expectations upon arrival. Additionally, effective inventory management allows the hotel to optimize room availability and accommodate last-minute bookings or changes in demand.

Front Desk Operations

The front desk serves as the hub of activity within the front office department, handling a myriad of tasks to facilitate smooth operations. From issuing room keys and processing payments to providing information about local attractions and dining options, front desk staff are multitasking experts.

Attention to detail is crucial, as they must ensure the accuracy of guest information, room assignments, and billing procedures. Moreover, efficiency and professionalism are paramount, especially during peak check-in and check-out times when guest traffic is highest.

Communication and Coordination

Effective communication is essential for seamless collaboration between the front office department and other departments in the hotel for liaising with housekeeping to ensure timely room turnover or coordinating with the sales and marketing team for upselling opportunities. 

By maintaining open lines of communication and fostering a spirit of teamwork, hotels can enhance operational efficiency and deliver a cohesive guest experience.

Safety and Security

Ensuring the safety and security of guests and staff is a top priority for the front office department. Front desk staff are trained to handle emergencies and follow established protocols to mitigate risks and ensure guest welfare.

Monitoring surveillance systems, maintaining vigilance at the front desk, and implementing security measures contribute to a safe and secure environment for all stakeholders.

Technology and Software Proficiency

In today’s digital age, technology plays a central role in front office operations. Hotel management software facilitates reservation management, check-in/check-out procedures, and guest profile management.

Front office staff must be proficient in using these systems to streamline processes and enhance the guest experience. Additionally, familiarity with point-of-sale systems for processing payments and transactions is essential for efficient financial management.

Training and Development

Continuous training and development are vital for front office staff to stay abreast of industry trends and best practices. By investing in ongoing training programs, hotels can empower their staff with the knowledge and skills needed to excel in their roles.

Performance evaluations and constructive feedback provide opportunities for growth and improvement, fostering a culture of excellence within the front office department.

Conclusion

The front office serves as the heartbeat of the hotel, driving guest satisfaction and operational efficiency. By understanding the duties and responsibilities outlined in this guide, front office staff can excel in their roles and contribute to the overall success of the hotel. With a focus on customer service, efficiency, and continuous improvement, the front office department will continue to serve as a cornerstone of hospitality excellence in the years to come.

In conclusion, the front office department plays a pivotal role in shaping the guest experience and ensuring the success of the hotel. By understanding the duties and responsibilities outlined in this guide, front office staff can excel in their roles and contribute to the overall success of the hotel. With a focus on customer service, efficiency, and continuous improvement, the front office department will continue to serve as a cornerstone of hospitality excellence in the years to come.

The post Hotel Front Office Duties and Responsibilities: A Comprehensive Guide first appeared on e360 hospitality.