Pearson New International Edition International pcl tp indd 1

FRONT OFFICE SEMANTICS
House count:
Total number of guests staying in a hotel on a specific night.
Selection of Most Useful Reports
The type and amount of information retrievable from a well-managed, modern PMS
is immense. It is unlikely that any FOM would (or could) regularly review all of the
reports generated by the PMS. The reports that can be generated by most systems
can be classified into one or more of the four information areas (four Rs) already dis-
cussed: reservations management, rooms management, revenue management, and
records and accounts management.
A single item of data may be contained in one, several, or even all four of the
fundamental information areas. Consider, for example, Mr. Swan’s hotel visit. If he
made a reservation and stayed at a hotel for even one night, information about
Objective 1
Present an
overview of how
the PMS provides
information for
management
planning and 
decision making
Four Rs of 
Front Office 
Information 
Management
Objective 2
Describe factors 
important when 
selecting PMS
reports for
development and
discuss concerns
about their 
distribution and
analysis
Report
Development,
Distribution, 
and Analysis
Objective 4
Review how a 
PMS maintains 
and reports
information 
about room 
types sold and 
available, and
about room 
status
Rooms
Management
Data
Objective 3
Explain how a
PMS maintains
detailed
reservations
records related to
guests and their
specific needs
Reservations
Management
Data
Objective 5
Provide details
about how a
PMS can help 
the FOM to 
forecast demand 
and price the 
rooms inventory
Revenue
Management
Data
Objective 6
Review the need 
for numerous 
records (reports) 
beyond those 
applicable to 
reservations, 
rooms, and 
revenue and 
consider the role 
of the PMS in 
the hotel’s 
accounting 
process 
Records and
Accounts
Management
Objective 7
Present factors to
be addressed as
hotel personnel
select a PMS
Selecting a
PMS
ROADMAP 2
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FRONT OFFICE PROPERTY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM
him would be found in PMS reports related to the management of reservations.
Stored information would, include, at minimum, when Mr. Swan’s reservation was
made, who made it, and how it was received (e.g., by telephone, mail, fax, or
Internet). Rooms management information about the Swan reservation would
include the specific room type requested, guestroom number, when and how many
electronic room keys were provided, and when the room was cleaned and made
ready for the next guest. Revenue management components of the PMS would
consider detailed information about the Swan reservation to establish the rate he
should be charged for his room type and the rates to be charged to other guests
arriving on the same date. Records and accounts information about the Swan reser-
vation and subsequent stay would include how much Mr. Swan paid for his room,
how he paid (e.g., cash, credit card, debit card, or traveler’s check), what hotel pur-
chases he made during his stay, and the time of day when he checked out of the
hotel.
So Mr. Swan’s reservation and subsequent stay would affect all four areas of PMS
information, and specific data from one area would be incorporated in another area.
Let’s consider one item: the room type requested by Mr. Swan. This information will
be recorded in four areas:
•
Reservations management: to document the room type requested by Mr. Swan
•
Rooms management: to ensure that the exact room type requested will be
available when Mr. Swan arrives
The lobby of the Westin Bund Center in Shanghai, China, is almost empty during mid-morn-
ing. However, the hotel’s property management system has detailed information about the
number of guests who will be checking in throughout the afternoon and evening.
OJP
HOT
OS/Alamy
176

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