BED AND BREAKFAST MANAGEMENT ONLINE STUDY
A guest house is a private house offering paid accommodation. A bed and breakfast is generally a private house offering accommodation and breakfast in a package deal.
These are very general definitions, and could relate to any size of accommodation, and any standard of facility or service.
In Britain, guest houses have become most commonly equated with seaside accommodation. In South Africa guest houses are generally found in tourist areas. In Australia, guesthouses are often larger facilities, and bed and breakfast operations are smaller.
This course is relevant to any form of house or home type accommodation provided primarily for tourists. This is distinctly different to hotel accommodation which is not in a "home style" setting.
Guesthouses and B & B's do not have the hustle & bustle of hotels. They are able to provide a simpler form of accommodation, catering to smaller numbers of guests, and providing a more informal or even personal interaction between guests and staff/owners.
Lesson Structure
There are 7 lessons in this course:
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Introduction to Management & Marketing
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Facilities and Decor
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Customer Service
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Equipment
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Supplying Meals
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Food Purchasing
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Records and Financial Management
Each lesson culminates in an assignment which is submitted to the school, marked by the school's tutors and returned to you with any relevant suggestions, comments, and if necessary, extra reading.
Aims
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Identify the scope and nature of skills required for successful bed and breakfast or guesthouse management.
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Discuss the provision and management of facilities and décor in a guesthouse or B and B.
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Discuss the provision and management of equipment in a guesthouse or B and B.
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Discuss the provision and management of meals in a guesthouse or B and B.
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Determine the management of financial and other records in a guesthouse or B and B.
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There are various procedures for seeking competitive prices on specified equipment.
Extract from Course Notes:
RESERVATION SYSTEMS
When a person wishes to make a reservation at a guest house, he can make the reservation directly with the guesthouse/B & B, or through a reservation agency.
Direct Reservations
With this system, the prospective guest deals directly by phone, fax, e mail or post. If the prospective guest has not already received full information regarding the guest house, this is sent to him, and must include all details of the guesthouse, including tariffs and directions to the guest house.
When the prospective guest has decided to visit the guest house, the guest house can be contacted regarding reservations. A deposit is normally required (or at least a credit card imprint or number), before the reservation can be secured.
Upon receiving the reservation, the guest house will immediately enter it into the reservations book, making sure that the bedroom and dining table facilities are available for the time booked. A receipt for the deposit, and/or confirmation should then be sent to the guest. This confirmation should include details such as the dates booked.
Centralised Reservations
Certain guest houses and/or Bed & Breakfast establishments may belong to a centralised reservation system. This helps people find accommodation in a certain area with the minimum of trouble, and helps accommodation fill vacant rooms.
Reservation Procedure
The procedure may be as follows:
*People requiring accommodation contact the nearest reservation centre (eg. A tourist office in a town centre), and state their requirements including preferred price, room facilities, date of arrival, length of stay, and required locality.
*The reservations centre operator feeds this information into a computer, which quickly produces the choice of guest houses that can satisfy this request.
*The information appears on a display video screen in front of the operator, who passes it on to the inquirer.
*Any further questions regarding a particular guest house can be answered by referring to a directory compiled from information given by guest houses when they joined the scheme.
*When the prospective customer has decided which guest house they wish to patronise, the operator informs the computer. The computer then deletes the room or room number from the list of those available.
*The operator notifies the guest house by telephone, fax, email or telex. If the booking is well in advance, the guest house may be notified by mail.
*Upon receiving this information, the guest house receptionist enters it into the reservations book under the appropriate date and treats it in the same way as an ordinary reservation.
Cancellation Procedure
A situation may arise where the prospective guest finds they must cancel the reservation. In such a case, the receptionist at a guest house must inform, the central reservations immediately. If this is not done, the reservations service will not know to put the accommodation back into the computer for reletting. It is also equally important if he does not inform the reservations service, they will charge the guest house for the reservation. If the prospective guest cancels their reservation through the reservation centre, the latter takes the necessary action and informs the guest house.
No Show Procedure
If the prospective guest does not turn up at the guest house at the time reserved, this is a case of no show. If this happens, the receptionist should inform the reservations centre within 24 hours. If this is not done, the reservations centre may levy an incorrect charge.
A charge is often made (maybe not the full charge), to people who do not show....at least for nights which cannot be rebooked at short notice to someone else.
REGISTRATION OF GUESTS
In some countries hotel and guest house owners have a legal obligation to obtain certain information from all persons of or over a specified age, who stay for one night or more. The visitor may give this information either:
However, whichever way they give the information, the onus is on the guest house owner to obtain the information and record it in writing.
The information that may need to be recorded might be:
If a guest is a foreigner, you may need to obtain the following additional information:
Legislation may require these records to be retained for a specified period, and be available to be inspected by designated officials.
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