Pearson New International Edition International pcl tp indd 1

NIGHT AUDIT AND REPORT MANAGEMENT
The FOM in Action: A Solution
FRONT OFFICE AND THE INTERNET
Processing of payment cards is one of an FOM’s and night auditor’s most important
areas of responsibility. Each card issuer manages its own business; thus, the policies
and procedures they enforce vary. To see how several of the major card issuers pro-
vide processing information, including how to tactfully inform a card holder that he
or she has exceeded the credit limit, go to these resources:
Web address
Subject area
www.americanexpress.com
Payment card issuer
www.mastercard.com
Payment card company
www.visa.com
Payment card compa0ny
FRONT OFFICE SEMANTICS LIST
Audit
Source document
Archive
Military time
Share with (room rate)
Manager’s Daily
Paid-outs
Cashier’s drawer
Credit balance
Credit limit report
Credit manager
Trial balance
X report
Z report
Emergency report
Aging accounts receivable report
Template report
Database
How do FOMs prevent selling mistakes such as the
one made by the part-time night auditor at the
Harley Hills who offered discounts on rooms for
one of the busiest weekends of the year? In a large
hotel, the night audit staff consists of a senior audi-
tor and several assistants. Front desk agents, tele-
phone operators, and cashiers may also be sched-
uled during the late shift to allow night auditors to
concentrate on their main job. In smaller proper-
ties, however, the night auditor is typically one per-
son, often working alone, whose primary job is the
audit but who also fills the role of hotel security,
emergency maintenance person, cashier, tele-
phone operator, night manager and, as in this case,
even a sales representative.
It is too late for Felicia, the new FOM, to do now
what should have been done earlier. As soon as the
FOM or revenue manager becomes aware that spe-
cific future dates will be in high demand, room rates
for that date should be communicated to those who
sell. In addition, during a high-demand date, normal
room discounts should be eliminated or reduced.
The Harley Hills is legally required to honor the
guests’ reservations, and the cost of the mistake will
be high. As Felicia is learning, one of an FOM’s great-
est challenges involves managing room rates.
Everyone who sells rooms must be aware of the
sales strategy established for each future reservation
date. In a hotel with a sophisticated PMS, restrictions
can usually be programmed into the system. In a
manual system or in a hotel with a less sophisticated
PMS, “hot dates” that will involve special selling tac-
tics and strategies must be identified. Then special
restrictions on these dates must be communicated to
all staff who sell rooms. Failure to do so can result in
the type of problem facing Felicia and Gil.
In the future, Felicia must ensure that her
PMS is programmed properly for any date on
which a reservation can be made. (Most PMSs
allow selling from 50 to 52 weeks into the future.)
In addition, she must ensure that her front desk
staff, including each of the night auditors, are well
trained in all of their varied roles, but especially in
the role of hotel salesperson.
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One good way to understand how different hotels structure the roles of their
night auditors is to examine job postings for the position. The following Web sites
contain current listings of vacant hospitality positions. Simply go to the sites and
enter night auditor to examine the characteristics FOMs and controllers consider
most important in night auditors.