Types of booking, methods and features of the process
Everyone who has crossed the borders of their city or country at least once on business or for leisure has been faced with the need to book a room in a hotel or recreation center. However, few people know that there are several types of reservations. Each of them has its own characteristics, advantages and disadvantages.
Contents of the article:
What is a reservation
A reservation is a method of combining rooms in a hotel or holiday home upon request. During the booking process, it is necessary to clearly define the period, the number of people for whom the room is being booked, the type of room and its cost.
- The period of stay counts towards the night of the room, regardless of the type of booking;
- When taking into account the number of people for whom a room is being booked, it should be said whether there are children among them, since sometimes they are accommodated for free or offered a substantial discount;
- When choosing a room or room type, you should agree in advance on all the necessary amenities and window shapes. This is extremely important for some travelers as they only want to see beautiful scenery;
- In addition, it is necessary to clarify the room rate, which may be reduced by several percent for those traveling on hot tickets or for other reasons.
Carrying out booking operations
Before you start figuring out how to apply for a room reservation, find out who exactly is in charge of the transaction. So, there are three types of reservation systems that allow tourists to make changes to their rooms
- The central reservation system unites all hotels in the region into a single network, where tourists can call a toll-free number to check the availability of rooms in several hotels at once and choose the most suitable one;
- Interhotel agencies are also links between several hotels that can reliably connect tourists and guests with a suitable hotel;
- Booking with the hotel itself is the most common way to book a room. This does not imply the presence of an intermediary, since the reservation can be made directly to the desired room.
How to make a reservation?
In general, there are three main types of booking apps that allow a traveler to secure a room in a hotel or holiday home
- You can easily order a room by phone. Just call, clarify all the necessary details and order a room for yourself. However, here you cannot be sure that you will be provided with a number at your place of residence. In addition, when booking a room in another country, misunderstandings may arise due to lack of knowledge of the language;
- By email, you can send a request to the hotel of your choice with a request to book a specific room. However, in this case, the corresponding hotel service may not work quickly enough, and you will not have time to book your accommodation before the required time;
- The site’s online service allows you to quickly check the availability of a hotel room for a specific date, independently book a hotel in Kabardinka and immediately pay by credit card. True, all this happens automatically, so in such cases it is not possible to clarify all the nuances of interest. There may be technical problems with the system.
Main types of booking
There are several main reservation numbers, two of which are widely used in our country, and the third is still valid only abroad.
- Guaranteed reservations assume that hotel rooms remain vacant until the client arrives for check-in. Thus, there are no strict restrictions for tourists rushing to settle in, so as not to be left without housing. Moreover, if he has the opportunity to refuse such a number, he should be compensated for the costs;
- A non-guaranteed reservation assumes that the hotel room remains available only until 18. 00, and if the client does not check in by this time, the reservation is automatically canceled;
- Double booking refers to multiple previous bookings. This means that if a customer wants to stay at a certain hotel but there is no room available, he can still book a room in the hope that the person who previously booked the room will turn him down.
A type of guaranteed room reservation
In addition, there are several types of guaranteed reservations, all of which are common in our region.
- Bank transfer of prepayment is carried out at a certain time before the client arrives at the hotel. Depending on the hotel’s policy, this period can range from several days to several weeks;
- The credit card guarantee involves the removal of the fine at the hotel by the appointed date, without first canceling the reservation. In this case, the hotel can issue an invoice to the tourist’s credit card, and after some time the bank will withdraw this amount from the credit card and transfer it to the hotel’s account;
- Entering a deposit involves depositing a certain amount of money into the hotel cash desk. This amount can be returned to the client if he cancels the reservation or moves if the check-in date changes;
- Another type of booking involves a guarantee of the tourist’s entry by the company. The contract between the hotel and the tourist ends with the departure of the tourist. In this case, all expenses of the non-guest de partie are at the disposal of the agency;
- Using a travel voucher requires full payment of the figures and all services by the travel agency. In this case, the cost of a room for a tourist will be higher than if he booked a hotel room directly.
Non-guaranteed room reservation
Additionally, booking this type of room is worth mentioning as it has certain advantages over a guaranteed booking. Indeed, in this case, to make a reservation you do not need to make an advance payment, provide a credit card number or provide other personal information. It is enough to reserve a specific number and name and indicate the date of the reservation, and this date will easily meet before 12. 00. If you do not have time to arrive at the hotel by this time, the reservation will automatically be canceled and the hotel has the right to transfer the room to another client. However, if there are no other clients, and if you arrive at the hotel, you can safely check into the room you have chosen.
Documentary confirmation of booking
When a tourist or travel agent books a room, the hotel enters into a special agreement with them. There are several types of booking agreements.
- The rental agreement allows the hotel to decide how to accommodate tourists and play the role of the hotel owner, accommodating them for a certain rent;
- The commission agreement allows travel agents to check tourists into hotel rooms and try to fill 30-80% of the rooms, thereby reducing the price for the number of tourists;
- The Rostec Convention does not oblige travel agents to fill hotels with guests. This is not beneficial for the hotel. This means that the price of a tourist’s room is the same as if he had booked a hotel room on his own;
- Non-regular booking agreements force travel agents to fully fill hotels with full payment for refundable rooms. Therefore, significant discounts are available when booking rooms for tourists.
- A valid booking agreement provides for a standard lifetime reservation of a number of free rooms, which are paid for as they arise.
Payment for reservation
After selecting the booking type and method and receiving a booking confirmation, you can proceed to select the payment method for the booking reference. You can do this in the following ways:
- Pay in cash at the bank, at the hotel, or at the booking system office;
- Transfer funds from your bank account to the hotel or booking service;
- By bank card to transfer funds to the hotel account via an online service;
- WebMoney or the Yandex. Money online payment system, which allows money transfers through special programs or terminals.
Group room bookings
Furthermore, this type of hotel room booking should be referred to as a group booking when several rooms are booked at once for a travel group or conference or meeting participants. In most cases, the tourist doesn’t need to do anything, as the travel agent and conference organizer handle the room reservations. Simply pay the event organizer and arrive at the meeting point on time. Furthermore, those responsible for the vacation or conference should establish close working relationships with the hotel staff to ensure guests are provided with comfortable rooms, meals, and transportation. They can also resolve any issues that arise and handle cancellations if a person cancels their trip or if the hotel is unable to meet all the organizers’ requirements.
Types of cancellations
However, it may happen that the trip is canceled or that a better option turns out to be better than the booked room. In this case, the tourist has the right to cancel the reservation and has several options.
- Cancellation of an unchangeable reservation involves a standard cancellation by phone and does not entail any consequences for the tourist;
- Cancellation of a reservation with a deposit means that the tourist can return the money paid, or a portion of it, if the reservation was cancelled in advance;
- Cancelling a reservation guaranteed by a credit card entails a cancellation fee charged to the traveler.
Refusal of settlement
Regardless of the technology or type of booking you choose, there may not be room available upon arrival at your booked hotel.
This may be due to coercion or system failure, and then, in the event of a guaranteed reservation made by a tourist, the hotel is obliged to accommodate the client in another hotel of the same quality. Also make a phone call so that the tourist can inform about his new place of residence. In addition, if a client needs to be moved to another hotel, the general manager of the hotel service is obliged to contact him to apologize and inform him of the reasons for the relocation. However, if the tourist does not want to stay in another hotel for more than one day, then he must be transported free of charge to the hotel where he was originally booked.
In the case of a non-guaranteed or double booking, all risks of refusal of accommodation by the hotel are borne by the tourist, who simply must look for a new hotel.
