COMPUTER APPLICATION IN FRONT OFFICE

Front Office the most important department of the hotel where guest comes in contact with the hotel first.

Computer system consists of 3 interrelated and interdependent components namely-- hardware- software- users.

Computer Application in Front Office Operations replacing manual, mechanical work or use of electricdevices.

PROPERTY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM (PMS)

- a generic term used to describe the application of computer hardware and software in managing theinterface of various departments of a hotel.Examples of PMS:

01. Fidelio02. PMS03. IDS PMS04. Innfront05. Visual Oui06. CLS07. Opera

Interface with other softwares 1. Energy Management System (EMS)2. Human Resource System (HRS)3. Material Management System (MMS)4. Accounting System5. Point Of Sale System.

CENTRALISED RESERVATION SYSTEM (CRS)- a computerized reservation system for a chain or group of hotels to enablethem to sell their rooms effectively.

- The hotels, their sales offices and Central Reservation Offices are linked through a CRS for an effective and real time management of room inventory.

- It is primarily a Wide Area Network.Examples of CRS:

1. Opera2. MARSHA03. Taj Central Reservation System04. Leading Hotels of the World05. Utell06. Best Western Hotels07. Welcomnet08. Holiday Inn Worldwide

GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM (GDS)

- computer-based systems linked globally through satellites, which are used forhotel reservations, airline reservations and other travel arrangements.

- Usually, the GDS terminals are with travel Agents. The travel agents may belinked to the GDS through a dial-up mode or a lease line.

- All the GDS mentioned below are linked to one-another through a parentsatellite

Examples of GDS:01. Apollo02. Gemini03. Galileo04. Sabre05. System One06. Worldspan07. Amadeus08. Axess09. Abacus10. Infini11. Fantasia

The relation between the three systems is as under Hotel Sales Office/ CRO Travel Agent-- ---

SELECTION OF PMSThe steps involved in selection of a Property Management System are:STEP 1: Identification of NeedFirstly an analysis is done to determine whether there is a need of computerized system or not.The following steps are followed in this process:a. Selection of a team comprising the representation from all the departmentsat all levels from all the shifts to analyse the needs. .

b. Analyse the flow of guests through the visit to the hotel i.e. an analysis ofthe guest cycle.

c. Analyse the flow of information from other departments to the frontoffice e.g. billing information, room status information etc.

d. Anlyse the administrative paper work produced in other departments.

e. Evaluate the needs that have been identified in terms of importance.

f. Combine the needs to determine the desired applications.

STEP 2: Software Selection- today, software is available in modules to cater to different areas in a hotel.- based on requirement, as deduced from the needs analysis in step 1, a hotelmay go in for the entire PMS or parts thereof.- proper software selection is very important, as it involves a ,heavy investment.

- configured or customized as per the need of the hotel.

STEP 3: Hardware Selection

- the hardware should be selected to run the needed software.- the basic factors to consider here are the Processor speed, Disc drives, I/O Port forconnecting peripheral devices & for networking, Monitors/ touch screens, Keyboards,Printers, Modems and Supplies: paper, forms, ribbons, ink, toner, cartridge, floppies,DA T, CD-RW etc.

The other factors to be kept on mind while selecting the hardware are:

a. Positioning of hardware: based on the workflow analysis done during needsanalysis.

b. How does it benefit the guest, who will operate it, who all will requireaccess to the system at that position.

c. Climatic condition: whether air-conditioning required/not esp. in back-of-the-houseareas.

d. Ergonomics: psychological & physiological effect of computers on people.

STEP 4:OTHER CONSIDERATIONS

01. Vendor Claims: Claims made by the supplier. One must inquire about the product from thecurrent users of the same; whether they are satisfied using the system, problems faced bythem in using the system.

2. Installation plans: Proper planning of installation is essential for maintaining guestservices & employee morale. One must have a complete plan laid out for installation ofhardware & cabling in different areas of the hotel; also, who shall be installing thehardware & who shall be installing cables.

03. Training: Classroom & on-the-job training provided by vendor or not. If yes, charged orinclusive. Whether training module has been provided or not. Documentation of procedures.

04. Back-up power sources: Provision of UPS.

05. Maintenance agreement: The cost of repair & replacement of hardware & software.Emergency services.

STEP 5: FINANCIAL CONSIDERATIONS

- the decision regarding purchase or rental of a PMS since heavy investment cantie-up the cash flow of an organization.

- Also, if cost benefits are not realistically projected, profits may be difficult to comeby.

- analyse the savings in terms of overtime paid to the employees, losses due tolate charges, cost of marketing database collection, wastage of energy.

- advantages of outright purchase, discount for full payment in cash, financecharges, depreciation.

- advantages of lease: continuance of cash flow, application of lease paymentsto purchase price, tax advantages of leasing etc.

PMS APPLICATIONS

The modules of an ideal PMS are as follows:

Reservations

1. Guest data2. Room inventory3. Deposits4. Special requests5. Blocking6. Arrivals7. Departures8. VIP9. Projected occupancy10. Travel agents11. Guest messages12. Reports

Registration

1. Reservations2. Guest Data3. Room inventory4. Room status5. Security6. Reports7. Self check-in

Room status

1. Room inventory2. Availability3. Reports

Posting

1. Point of sale2. Room3. Tax4. Transfer5. Adjustments6. Paid out7. Miscellaneous charges8. Phone9. Display folio10. Reports

Call Accounting

1. Guest information2. Employee information3. Post charges4. Messages5. Wake-up calls6. Reports

Checkout

1. Folio2. Adjustments3. Cashier4. Back office transfer5. Reports6. Guest History

Night Audit

1. Guest charges2. Department totals3. City ledger4. Cashier5. Financial reports6. Housekeeping

Inquiries! Reports

1. Reservations2. Registrations3. Checkouts4. Housekeeping5. Credit balances

Back Office

1. Accounts payable2. Accounts receivable3. Payroll4. Budgets5. General ledger6. Reports

Housekeeping

1. Room availability2. Personnel assignments3. Analysis4. Housekeeper's report5. Equipment supplies inventory6. Maintenance requests

Food and Beverage1. Point of sale2. Posting3. Cashier reports4. Food/beverage inventory5. Recipes6. Sales control7. Sales production analysis8. Labour analysis

Maintenance

1. Review work orde, 2. Status, 3. Cost/ labour analysis4. Inventory, 5. Repair cost analysis6. Energy usage analysis, 7. Guest room power start

Security

1. Keys, 2. Fire alarm3. Burglar alarm, 4. Security code transactionsMarketing_ and sales1. Guest history, 2. Word-processing, 3. Client file4. Banquet files, 5. Desktop publishing6. Reports, 7. Travel agencies

Personnel

1. Employee file, 2. Job control list3. Word processing, 4. Analysis5. ReportsElectronic Mail

1. Security codes, 2. Mail, 3. Hard copy

Time clock

1. Security codes, 2. Personal identification number, 3. In, 4. Out, 5. Analysis, 6. Reports

Examples of PMS

The ShawMan PMS is an integrated Front Office Management Software that can host multiple propertiesand handle guest reservations simultaneously across many units including an integrated web-basedreservation agent and auto confirmation manager.ShawMan's PMS plugs into an Integrated Telephone Call Management System that supports a host ofEPABX interfaces and also seamlessly connects to ShawMan POS, MMS and CRM Systems to completethe application needs of the boarding & lodging Industry.The ShawMan Hotel Centre is a unique and powerful interface design that handles registration, cashiering,and night audit functions, treating guests and rooms as two manageable objects and supports right clickquick task launch of forms and reports, undo and redo, eraser and task history to effortlessly customize thedesktop for each user and department to manage a slew of jobs undertaken daily by the attendants,supervisors and managers both at the Front Desk and back office.A three tier client middle server architecture allows business processes and rules to be easily defined andmodified such as customer profiles, multiple rate codes, meal plans, guest history, room inventory, housekeeping and more. Several MIS outputs to choose from for quick and accurate reporting in the form ofstatements, flash reports, chasers and audit trails and a query that allows users to design their own customreports.

FIDELIO is one of the worlds best selling front office systems, and it is the system of choice for HiltonInternational, Inter Continental, Mandarin Oriental, Forte, CIGA and many other chains and independentsaround the globe.Fidelio created the original electronic room rack. Complete, graphical plan illustrations of each floor allowyour front office staff to monitor and control the occupancy of every room in the building. Using a system oftwelve different colour codes, the status of each room is visible at a glance either currently, or at somefuture date. Yellow indicates a room is clean and vacant, blue is dirty and arrival expected, and so on.Reservations data can also be shown in tabulated form to give an overall occupancy picture for anyspecified day.For group bookings, from the most complex convention to airline allotments, the group and blockmanagement functions handles it all. Master billing, split rates, staggered arrivals, package plans, grouphistory, room type control, block forecasts and traces they all help to optimize group business, without thetime consuming paperwork.As well as handling room management, FIDELIO Front Office maintains all guests accounts, and offersnumerous other facilities such as mailing, word processing, and customized printout of confirmation letters,guest messages and other documents.