Pearson New International Edition International pcl tp indd 1

FRONT OFFICE SEMANTICS
Share with (room rate):
Room rate that is split between (shared with) more than one room occupant.
The rate shown in the PMS for a room charge may be incorrect for a variety of
reasons. Consider the case of Tony Spader who reserved a standard, king-bedded room
at $125 per night for one night. He arrived at the Altoona Hotel at 10:30 p.m. He was
greeted, initialed his room rate and departure date on the registration card, was checked
in, and was assigned to room 202. On entering the room, he immediately called the front
desk to report that the faucet in the tub area would not shut off completely. It was late,
so no maintenance person was available to correct the problem. Therefore, Mr. Spader
was moved to another room. Because the guest was inconvenienced by the move, the
front desk agent decided to upgrade Mr. Spader to a suite selling for $175 per night.
The PMS will automatically display the rate for the new and more expensive
room. Unless the front desk agent makes the correction to override the displayed rate
and charge Mr. Spader for the cost of the room he reserved, the folio will show the
cost of the higher-priced room. The night auditor, when checking to ensure that each
guest is paying the proper room rate, would post a charge to Mr. Spader’s folio of
$175, because that is the rate programmed in the PMS for the room type he occu-
pies. If the problem is not discovered and corrected, Mr. Spader will likely think that
the hotel is attempting to overcharge him for the room.