Non-Automated
Non-Automated front office recordkeeping systems rely solely on handwritten forms. Some small
hotels may still find this method of recordkeeping sufficient to meet their information needs. The
elements of handwritten systems have determined the structure of many front office processes.
Techniques common to non-automated systems can be found in even the most advanced automated
systems.
Pre-arrival activities. Reservations agents enter requests into a loose-leaf notebook or
onto index cards. Non-automated hotels typically accept reservations for six months into the future
(called a six-month reservation horizon) and are unlikely to commit space beyond that time.
Reservation confirmations, pre-registration activities, and occupancy forecasts are not common in
non-automated hotels. Reservation information may also be placed on a density chart or graph to
illustrate future room availabilities and help managers identify high and low room demand periods.
A density board is usually set up as a matrix, with days of the month for rows and number of
available rooms for columns. As rooms are blocked or booked, the matrix cells that correspond to
the dates of stay and number of rooms are colored in. These colored squares reflect the density or
concentration of rooms reserved.
Arrival activities. Upon arrival, guests are asked to sign a page in a registration book or
complete a registration card. Room assignments are made using a manual card replacement
technique involving a room rack and, sometimes, color-coded flags indicating the housekeeping
status for each room in the property. A room rack is an array of metal file pockets that displays
guest and room status information in room number order. The registration card is often timestamped during check-in and may be placed in the room rack to indicated occupancy.
Occupancy activities. Multiple-copy registration slips, which may be part of the
registration card, allow copies of the guest’s personal data to be distributed to the room rack,
switchboard operators, and uniformed service personnel. The original registration card often
doubles as a guest account folio. Revenue outlets send documentation (vouchers) of charges to the
front desk for posting to guest folios. The revenue outlet also maintains a sales record of all
charged transactions so that guest account postings can be cross-checked as part of the night audit
routine. Although adding machines may be used to facilitate accounting procedures, monitoring
guest activities within a manual process may become repetitive, cumbersome, and tedious.
Departure activities. At check-out, guests settle their accounts and return their room
keys; the cashier notifies the housekeeping department of departures. Registration cards or rack
slips are removed from the room rack and marked to indicate departure. The registration card or
rack slip may then be filed in a card-board box and serve as the hotel’s guest history file. If the
registration card was time-stamped at check-in, it should also be time-stamped at check-out.
Semi-Automated
A semi-automated, or electro-mechanical, front office system relies upon both handwritten and
machine-produced forms. Semi-automated systems and equipment are becoming less common in
small and mid-size hotels. Advantages of a semi-automated system over a non-automated system
include automatically generated and easy-to-read documents that detail the steps of a transaction.
These documents represent what is known as an audit trail. The disadvantages of semi-automated
equipment include the complexities of operating and controlling devices that are not integrated
with other systems and that are subject to frequent maintenance problems.
Pre-arrival activities. Guests making reservations may call a national reservations
network or contact the hotel directly. When reservation requests grow beyond the front desk’s
ability to handle them efficiently, many hotels create a reservations department. Pre-registration
activities include preparation of registration cards, guest folios, and information slips. Room
assignments are usually made based on room rack status, as in a non-automated process. As in
non-automated hotels, semi-automated properties may also opt to maintain a manual reservation
density board.
Arrival activities. When guests with reservations arrive at the hotel, they simply verify the
previously recorded registration information and sign a pre-printed registration card. Walk-in
guests generally complete a multiple-copy registration card. Copies are distributed to the room
rack, the switchboard operator, and the information rack.
Occupancy activities. The use of semi-automated systems may not significantly reduce the
paperwork needed to chart the hotel guest cycle. Vouchers are used to communicate charge
purchases to the front desk, and revenue outlets rely on sales record entries to prove transactions.
Mechanical and electronic cash registers and front office posting machines are used to process
many of the records formerly processed by hand. The use of this equipment enables the front office
to handle guest accounting transactions more accurately and rapidly. A night audit procedure
based on posting machine records is used to verify account entries and balances.
Departure activities. A more thorough audit routine, made possible by a semi-automated
system, leads to faster and smoother guest check-outs. Front desk agents experience fewer
discrepancies in guest accounts and are able to efficiently reconcile guest accounts. They are also
able to relay room status information to housekeeping much more quickly than they could in a nonautomated system. Registration cards may be collected and placed in the property’s guest history
files for future reference.
Fully Automated
Front office record keeping is computer-based in fully automated hotels. Computer systems
designed for use in the hospitality industry were first introduced in the early 1970s, but were not
considered viable until the late 1970s. These initial systems tended to be expensive, making them
attractive to only the largest hotel properties. During the 1980s, computer equipment became less
expensive, more compact, and easier to operate. User-friendly software packages evolved for
various hotel functions and applications which did not require the sophisticated technical training
demanded by earlier computer systems. The development of versatile personal computers
encouraged system vendors to approach smaller lodging properties. By the late 1980s, computer
systems were cost-effective for hotels of all sizes.
Pre-arrival activities. The reservations software of an in-house computer system may
directly interface with a central reservations network and automatically quote rates and reserve
rooms according to a pre-determined pattern. The reservations software may also automatically
generate letters of confirmation, produce requests for guest deposits, and handle pre-registration
activities. Electronic folios can be established and pre-registration transactions can be processed
for guests with confirmed reservations. A reservations software package may also generate an
expected arrivals list, occupancy and revenue forecasts, and a variety of informative reports.
Arrival activities. Guest information collected during the reservation process may be
automatically transferred from the computer’s reservation record to the front desk. For walk-in
guests, guest information is entered manually into the computer by a front desk agent. The agent
may then present a computer-prepared registration card to the guest for verification and signature.
The installation of on-line credit card authorization terminals enables front desk personnel to
receive timely credit card approval. Registration data, stored electronically in the computer, can be
retrieved whenever necessary, thereby making a room rack unnecessary. Electronic guest folios
are also maintained and accessed through the computer’s memory.
A recent innovation in technology is the self check-in/check-out terminal. In fact, these
terminals have been in existence for many years, but they either have been too expensive or have
not had strong customer acceptance. This has changed recently, as the cost of technology has been
significantly reduced. In addition, the acceptance of automated teller machines (ATMs) used by
most banks has had a direct impact on guests, who are now more willing to accept self-help
equipment in lodging establishments.
To use one of these terminals, the guest inserts a credit card into the machine, which reads
the magnetic strip on the credit card and communicates with the central property management
system. The central system locates the guest’s reservation and returns the information to the
terminal. The guest is asked to verify name, departure date, rate, and room type on the display.
Some systems allow changes to this information and some require that the guest go to the front
desk if any changes are necessary. If the information is correct, the system assigns a room with the
property management system and prints out a rooming slip with the room number. Guests then
take the slip to a special line at the front desk and receive a key. The most advanced systems
provide electronic room keys that are individually created when the guest checks in.
Most world-class service hotels do not use self check-in/check-out terminals because they
want to keep personal contact between the hotel staff and the guest. Self check-in terminals are
being accepted in large convention hotels where long check-in and check-out lines can diminish a
guest’s experience. These terminals are used to reduce these long lines and get guests to their
rooms faster. The need for personal service is not as high in these hotels. Other hotels, such as
economy-priced hotels and some mid-range hotels that do not provide a lot of personal service, also
are using these systems. One additional advantage of these systems in economy and mid-range
hotels is that they may eliminate the need for a night shift at the front desk. The equipment can
handle all check-ins and check-outs.
Occupancy activities. With a fully automated front office system, non-automated room
racks and electro-mechanical or electronic posting machines are replaced by computer terminals
throughout the front office. As guests charge purchases at revenue outlets, the charged amounts are
electronically transferred to the front office computer from the point-of-sale location. These
charges are then automatically posted to the proper electronic guest folio. Instantaneous postings,
simultaneous guest account and departmental entries, and continuous trial balances free the insight
auditor to spend time on auditing, rather than focusing primarily on guest account balancing.
Departure activities. A neatly printed electronic folio helps assure the guest that the
statement is complete and accurate. Depending on the method of settlement, the computer system
may automatically post the transactions to appropriate accounts. For a guest account that requires
billing, the system is capable of producing a bill to be sent to the guest. Once the guest’s account is
settled and the postings are considered complete, departed guest information is used to create an
electronic guest history record.
Off-premises service bureaus may enable hotel operations to enjoy some of the benefits of
automation without having to support an in-house computer system. A service bureau requires the
hotel to provide the bureau’s offices with data for processing. A popular application has been
payroll accounting. Employee time records are sent to the service bureau to convert into paychecks
and payroll reports for management. However, service bureaus, which focus primarily on back
office functions, are not a feasible option for front office activities.