Reception
6.6 Checking out/departures 6.6.1 The method of booking out a guest
• Te billing office will check that all charges and payments made have been posted to the guest’s account and have it prepared ready to present to the guest for settlement.
• Te cashier will ensure that all valuables in the safe or in a safety deposit box are collected by the guest and a signed receipt obtained.
• Te head porter will have staff ready to handle any luggage. Some hotels give a luggage clearance pass to the porter when the account has been settled. Te head porter will check off this on her departure list when the luggage is cleared.
• Te head housekeeper will tick off his or her departure list when the room has been checked and cleared.
• Te account is settled, keys are handed in and the guest departs with a warm invitation to ‘please come again’.
6.6.2 The requirements of a charge recording system
Students will have a better understanding of this section if they can be shown how a computerised billing system works in practice. Also refer to section 6.6.5 for the explanation of some terms and definitions.
Guest account settlement depends on effective Front Office accounting system that: • maintains accurate guest folios,
• verifies and authorises a method of settlement and • resolves discrepancies in account balances.
6.6.3 The information process involved in compiling a guest bill
Posting of the charges When the guest checks in a copy of the registration card is given to the cashier based on which: • a new folio is opened in his/her name
• with the other details such as the room number, • and the room rate (ensure that the correct rate is posted on the account).
Te bills may be posted manually or through computerised systems like Fidelio. Aſter the guest checks in, the first posting would automatically be the room charge. Next would be the services that are enjoyed by the guest. Tese services are enjoyed in the various outlets of the hotel – the restaurants, bars, room service, etc.
Tere would be another set of charges called miscellaneous charges that are levied when a guest use services like shoe-shine, laundry, health club, barber’s shop, postal charges, etc. Such miscellaneous charges are posted on a miscellaneous charge voucher.
All the above charges are posted: • chronologically • daily
• at the close of business hours, • preferably at night, • before the night audit.
Apart from the room charges that are posted automatically, the credit charges of the guest from the various POS (points-of-sale) are collected by the cash office in the form of bills duly signed by the guests. Te bills collected before posting are required to be sorted. Te usual process that is adopted is as follows:
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