Hotel Front Office Management, 3rd Edition

C H A P T E R 4Property Management SystemsOPENINGDILEMMACHAPTER FOCUS POINTSAt a recent hotel trade show, you noticed a new property management systemthat seems to produce all the types of reports that your current system cannotproduce. The vendor at the show said she will set up a meeting with you in a• Physical structure and positioningof the front desk• Selecting a property managementsystem (PMS)• Using PMS applicationsweek or two to talk more about this system. How would you prepare for hervisit?The first three chapters of this text provided an overview of the hotel industry, organizationof the hotel, organization and management of the front office, and interdepartmentalcommunication, which laid the groundwork for understanding how the frontoffice fits into a network for providing service to the guest. In this chapter, we focus onthe operational aspects of the front desk department, which include considering the physicalstructure and positioning of the front desk, selecting a property management system(PMS), and using PMS applications.Computer applications are central to front office operations in today’s modern hotels.For new properties, computers are standard pieces of equipment; for existing hotels,computers are being integrated into everyday operations to assist in providing hospitalityto guests. Computer applications include routinely processing reservations as well as handlingregistrations, guest charges, guest checkout, and the night audit. Interfacing, electronicsharing of data, of hotel departments such as food and beverage and the gift shopthrough point-of-sale, an outlet in the hotel that generates income (restaurant, gift shop,spa, garage); maintenance through monitoring of energy and heating and cooling systems;TLFeBOOK