7.1 Taking Reservations by Phone
Even though we are in the digital
age, there are still a number of bookings being taken by hotels via the telephone.
Having a good telephone manner is
important, as is being aware of how to correctly take down their information and
to enter it in the database at that moment in time to make sure that their
booking is accurate.
In order to explain how to take
reservations in this way, we should walk you through an example.
1. Answering the telephone
First, whenever you or a member
of staff answers the telephone, it is important to sound professional and make
sure that you are polite. Say good morning or afternoon, mention the name of the
hotel, mention your name and then ask how you can help the person calling you.
This is basic, but it is also
very important, as it will give the person calling to make the
booking the impression that this is a very professional and well run hotel that
has friendly staff. Making that good first impression is always going to be key.
2. Deal with their booking in a
logical manner
Next, after you have identified
that they wish to make a booking, the first pieces of information you need from
them includes the number of rooms they require and also the dates when they
would like to stay. After getting this information, you must explain to them that
you are just checking availability for those dates and either put them on hold,
or ask them various questions as to their own individual needs whilst checking to
see if rooms are available.
3. Dealing with the price
If rooms are available, then you
should inform them of the prices for the duration of their stay and find out if
that is suitable. You should also inform them of any special deals that may be
available at that time, as it is always going to be better making a booking even
at a reduced rate than losing out on it altogether.
Explain the rates and if there
are different rates available due to there being a variety of rooms, then make
sure that they are aware of this and ask them to choose which one is suitable
for their needs. By doing this, they will then feel better about their room, as
they were responsible for choosing it rather than having it forced upon them.
4. Dealing with their needs
Next, you must look at finding
out about their own specific needs. This is where you learn more about special
requirements; for example, if they need assistance with anything, because this
not only shows an interest in them, but it also help you to prepare for the
guest in advance. Explain to them that you have to ask various questions to make
sure that you can help them to have the best experience possible and that it is
a normal part of the booking process.
5. Getting their information
At this point, you should open up
the relevant page of your booking forms on the hotel computer and work your way
through the various segments asking the individual for their name, contact
details, and anything else that you require in order to complete the booking.
This is perhaps the easiest part of all, but once you have obtained all of the
information, do run over it again, and do not be afraid to ask them to spell out
something if you are not sure. The last thing you want is to get their
name wrong.
6. Confirm everything
Prior to actually going through
the payment process, or taking the booking fee if this is the case, then it is
important that you confirm everything, including the dates and the number of
rooms that are required. This means that everybody can feel safe and secure in
the booking, and there should be no real issues when it comes to them arriving at
your hotel.
7. Finishing the booking
At this point, you should be
ready to add the finishing touches to the booking. Take their credit card details
and confirm that everything has been completed and thank them for their
business. You should also inform them how you are looking forward to their stay
at the hotel and finish it off by sending them confirmation of their booking
either by post or via their email.
7.2 How to take a Booking via
Email
If we now look at another major
way in which bookings are taken for hotels, via email and the Internet.
A growing number of people are
using this method of booking, and it is important that you are aware of the
information that is asked for in the online booking form. It is also important
that you transfer this information across to the database to make sure that the
correct details are put into place.
It is your job as the manager to
check that the online booking system is working as it should, andyou must also
know the contact details for the IT person who can fix any issue as quickly as
possible. Remember, a failure with this will result in lost revenue for the
hotel and visitor numbers will decrease. This is one thing that must be
avoided.
However, with an email there are
several things that you should look for to make sure that you have adequate
information to complete the booking in the first place.
Typically, the email should
contain the name and contact details of the person making the booking, their
requirements when it comes to rooms and the dates that they wish to stay, and
any special requirements that they need.
If this information is not
contained within the email, then you are required to get in touch with the min
order to clarify whatever is missing to allow you to proceed with the booking.
However, to saved is appointment, you should also make a provisional booking
that can be then turned into a confirmed one once you have the details that are
missing.
The only problem with taking a
booking in this way is that it is harder to interview the guest to make sure
that you can provide them with the best possible experience.
So, with an email booking, you
need to make sure that you have the following list of information:
*Name and address of the person
making the booking.
*Their contact details including
their telephone number.
*The date of their arrival.
*The date they will be leaving.
*Confirmation of the number of
nights.
*How many rooms.
*The number of people that will
be staying.
*Special requirements.
*Why they are staying.
By having this, it gives you the
basics that you need to then make the booking although as we shall see there may
be times when you must obtain more information before you can complete
the booking process.
FACT
13% of the online users use
social media in the process of reserving a hotel room and 35%of users will use
their smartphones in order to complete a reservation
Source: hotelproxy.net
7.3 Information you Need to Learn
About the Customer
Now we need to focus more on the
kind of information that you really do need to know to then provide your guests
with exactly what they are looking for.
The information that you need to know has
changed slightly due to changes in the laws regarding smoking, but you need to
know the kind of room they are looking for as well as the dates that they will
be arriving there and the duration of their stay.
By knowing this, it allows you to
begin the process of finding them a room that is more than adequate for their
needs. It also allows you to then provide them with an accurate price that then
allows them to determine if they do indeed wish to press ahead with the booking.
However, there are some
additional pieces of information that will prove to be rather useful for the hotel
when providing accommodation to guests.
For example, finding out the
reason for their stay will tell you how much contact they will expect to have
with your staff and also the kind of additional information that they would be
looking to you to provide. It is accepted in the industry that tourists look
for different information to be provided when compared to families and then it
all changes yet again when an individual is there on business.
By asking about this during the
booking process, it can help you to make sure that they get a room that is
adequate for their needs and in line with what they expect during their stay.
Additionally, you must look at
finding out about special needs. Do they require certain things during their
stay that you can provide? Are there any issues that they may have that needs
to be addressed to enhance their stay at your hotel? The key here is to come
across that this is an individual booking and you will do everything in your
power to make sure that their reservation is exactly what they need right down
to the final details.
Unfortunately, this is easier to
do when they are booking either online or better still by telephone. However,
if they have booked via email, there is the option of asking them for
additional information in the confirmation email as well as telling them that
rooms have been provisionally booked with it being finalised after this
additional information has been received.
It is always going to be best to
have too much information rather than too little because with the latter there
will undoubtedly be a sense of potentially having missed out on something
important that could have a negative impact on the quality of their stay in the
hotel.
7.4 Supplying Confirmation of the
Booking
One thing that is vitally important
is being able to provide the person placing the booking with confirmation of
their reservation.
There is more to this than it
just being out of courtesy, as it is also the best way of making sure that they
are indeed happy with the booking and that all of the correct information has
been taken down by either yourself or a member of staff.
This acts as their own evidence
that the booking has been completed and offers further confirmation of the
price of the room, the date they are arriving, the date they are leaving, and
of course any special requirements that they asked for. It should also
typically give them the option of making amendments to the booking if something
is wrong because clearly mistakes can be made and they need to be rectified as
soon as possible.
Remember that giving confirmation
is not only a necessity, but it also shows your level of professionalism as a
hotel and as a manager. It may seem like a small thing, but the impact it can have
on future guests can be remarkable.
In the confirmation, you need to
carefully structure it so that all of the relevant information that you have
about the booking is included. You should also thank them for making the
booking, make sure that they know they can contact you at any point should there
be any changes, and obviously you should thank them for their custom.
The customer will then be able to
use this confirmation as their evidence of having made the booking and it is
worth including a statement on the base that states they should bring the
confirmation with them to the check in to make the entire process run that bit
smoother.
7.5 Potential Issues with these
Types of Bookings
Finally, we need to look at
potential issues with these types of bookings and we should address them to
make life easier for you when you are taking a reservation.First, make sure that you are
collecting the correct information such as the correct telephone number, the
correct name with the correct spelling, and obviously the correct dates or
there will be a major issue.
The best approach to deal with
this is to repeat the information back as often as possible to make sure that
there is no misunderstanding at any point.
When you are dealing with
international guests, this can occur due to language issues, so speaking clearly
is absolutely essential. It will also be useful if you speak slightly slower,
especially if you are aware of having a strong accent.
With this part, it is always
important that you ask the individual making the booking if they have any questions
about certain parts of the booking process. Repeatedly asking means that
youcanbe100% sure about the information that you are collecting because clearly
a failure to do this can lead to a number of issues when they arrive to check
in. Questioning everything is a sign of your professional approach to this
matter as guests will appreciate the due care and attention you are taking.
Next, there is the issue of
dealing with customers that are unsure as to what they want when going through
the booking process. This is where knowledge of your product really comes to
the fore, as you can guide them through every aspect and, in effect, you become
more of a sales agent for the hotel rather than just being the manager.
Knowing your hotel and knowing
what you can offer is essential, but clearly this is important for more than
just accepting bookings. However, there is no doubt that it can make a
substantial difference at this stage in the proceedings.
The main issue with these kinds
of bookings is directly linked to a misunderstanding and that is something that
can happen to anybody. Be willing to apologise for any mistakes made, and rectify
them as quickly as possible to prevent any further issues from developing.
Speak clearly and slightly slower to neutralise your accent as much as possible
and do accept that some individuals may have an issue speaking English and take
this into account when explaining features of the hotel or booking process.
Summary of Module
This module focused on taking
reservations via both the telephone and also via email. It has looked at the
information that you must gather in order to complete the booking as well as
issues that may arise during this part of the process.
Being able to take bookings, and
doing so in the correct manner, is an essential part of the hotel business so
understand your hotel and understand the booking process to prevent having
unhappy guests appearing at your hotel.
.svg)
