Hotel Front Office Management, 3rd Edition

182 CHAPTER 7: GUEST REGISTRATIONof the registration process is essential to ensuring hospitality for all guests and profitabilityfor the hotel.Importance of the First Guest ContactThe first impression a guest receives of a lodging facility during registration is extremelyimportant in setting the tone for hospitality and establishing a continuing business relationship.The guest who is warmly welcomed with a sincere greeting will respond positivelyto the hotel and will expect similar hospitality from other hotel employees. If theguest receives a half-hearted welcome, he or she will not be enthusiastic about the lodgingfacility and will be more likely to find fault with the hotel during his or her visit. Today’sguest expects to be treated with respect and concern, and many hotels make the effort tomeet those expectations—those that do not should not expect the guest to return.What constitutes a warm welcome of hospitality? This varies from employee to employee.It begins with the employee’s empathizing with the feelings of the traveler, someonewho has been away from familiar surroundings for many hours or many days. Heor she may be stressed by the frustrations of commercial travel, delayed schedules, lostluggage, jet lag, missed meals, unfamiliar surroundings, unclear directions, or unfamiliarpublic transportation. The hotel employee who is considerate of the traveler under thesecircumstances will be more likely to recognize anxiety, restlessness, and hostility andrespond to them in a positive, understanding manner.A typical scenario might be as follows: Mr. Traveler arrives at 9:15 a.m. at the registrationdesk of a hotel. He is visibly upset because he is late for a very important presentationto a group of investors. He wants to get into his room, drop off his luggage, andget public transportation to the corporate center. The desk clerk knows there are no cleanrooms available at this time. The desk clerk rings for a bellhop to escort Mr. Traveler tothe luggage storage area. When the bellhop arrives, the desk clerk relates Mr. Traveler’ssituation. The bellhop calls the doorman to obtain a taxi, gives Mr. Traveler a receipt forhis luggage, and then escorts him to the main entrance of the hotel. Then he takes Mr.Traveler’s luggage to the storage area. These few time-saving practices allow Mr. Travelerto arrive at the presentation within a reasonable amount of time. When Mr. Travelerreturns to the hotel later that day, he expresses his appreciation to the desk clerk on duty.The stage has been set for an enjoyable, hospitable stay.However, the situation could have gone like this: When Mr. Traveler arrives, the deskclerk tells him, “Checkout time is not until 12 noon, and we don’t have any roomsavailable yet. Check back with us after 4:00 p.m.” Mr. Traveler searches for the luggageroom, drops off his luggage (losing minutes because of a long line), manages to find hisway back out to the main entrance, and asks the doorman to hail a cab (losing anotherten minutes because it is rush hour). Mr. Traveler arrives late for the presentation becauseof the delay at the hotel and heavy traffic. Because Mr. Traveler is unaware of the availabilityof other room accommodations in the area, he returns after the presentation andTLFeBOOK