Assignment

1. Write an essay (200-300 words) answering this question: As a Front Desk Manager, would you ever intentionally oversell your hotel? Why or why not? In the event that you do oversell your hotel (accidentally or intentionally), what are three methods of guest recovery you would utilize to console a guest who must be walked?

2. The rooms forecast is a tool for managers thoughout the hotel; it is not for the front office alone. List and discuss how several other nonroom departments (housekeeping, food and beverage, etc.) would use the room forecast.

3. On busy nights, it is not uncommon for a front-office manager to remove several rooms from availability. Usually, the manager creates a fictitious reservation, thereby "selling" the rooms and removing them from availability. By holding on to a few rooms, the manager feels in a better position to accommodate a special guest or request when the hotel is sold out. Granted that the reason management holds rooms may be very honorable, do you believe this practice undermines the very basis of last-room availability technology? Explain your answer.

4. Central reservations system are extremely expensive. Research and development, equipment, and staffing can easily run into hundreds of millions of dollars. How has this prohibitive cost structure changed the hotel industry? How will it change business in the future? And what options are available to the smaller and startup chains in the industry?

5. Several studies indicate quite clearly that reservation calls made to a travel agent, or to the res center, or directly to the hotel may result in three different rate quotes for the same accommodations at the same period of time. Explain.

6. Many hotels are apprehensive about charging the corporation if a business traveler fails to arrive. Even though a room was held and revenue was lost, the hotel is reluctant to charge the no-show back to the corporation for fear of alienation, and loss of future business. Develop a series of strict-but fair-reservation policies that protect the hotel's interests while minimizing conflicts with corporate accounts. In what instances would you charge the corporate no-show? When would you not charge?

7. The use of computerized reservations is far more efficient than the use of manual, handwritten reservations. Compare the manual reservations approach to the automated collection of guest reservation information. List five benefits (efficiencies) created by automated reservation systems.

8. There are economies of scale associated with group room bookings. List 5 such economies and explain how each benefits the hotel's bottom-line profitability.