Integration of Online Room Reservation

Transcription

1 Integration of Online Room Reservation Eugene Liu, Elvis Chang, Unit Chang Department of Industrial Engineering and Engineering Management National TsingHua University Hsinchu (300), Taiwan Abstract Significant improvements in information and communication technology have increased the convenience of daily life. Here we focus on the hotel booking process. We studied the process of Gravity hotel and developed an online booking system as an alternative to the traditional phone reservation system. This increases the speed of reservation and reduces waste. Two models, an AS-IS model using phone reservation and a TO-BE model using online booking, were built and then simulated by INCOME4.The result shows that the TO-BE model significantly increases the speed of the entire service process. 1. Introduction Nowadays, people pursue convenience. Through the internet, they do things that were impossible 20 years ago, such as watching movies, receiving/sending mail, booking tickets and paying bills. How to utilize the internet to make processes more efficient, thereby saving customers time, is important for all companies in the service industry. Here we focus on the hotel industry and 1

2 develop an electronic service process which utilizes an online payment system and mobile phone bar codes. Reservation Entering the room Traditional way (AS-IS model) By phone call By key Technical way (TO-BE model) By mobile phone or computer By bar code on mobile phone Table 1.Comparison of traditional way and technical way Previously, reservations were usually made by phone. On arrival at the hotel, the key was then picked up at the front desk. Now these two actions can be more quickly and efficiently carried out using a mobile phone. Making a phone call can be instead of reserving rooms on a mobile phone. And the action of picking up the key at the front desk is skipped because of the bar code on the mobile phone. Customer can just use it to enter the room. This system has many advantages. For the customer, it can shorten some processes, for example, contact with the front desk. For the hotel, it can reduce staff responsibility and lower personnel costs. In this study, we changed two activities, namely reservation and entry identification. We adopted the traditional way as our AS-IS model and the 2

3 Technical way as our TO-BE model. We then drew behavior, object, and organization models for both and ran a simulation by INCOME4. The results show that the technical system serviced 20 customers in 1.6 hours while the traditional took 7 hours. From this we conclude that the TO-BE model satisfies demand in a more efficient and convenient way. 2. AS-IS Model 2.1 AS-IS Behavior Model In the AS-IS behavior model, we divided customers into two types, those who make reservations and those who come directly to the hotel. The first type engage in three activities: phone reservation, transferring the deposit and check in. The second type must ask for available rooms first. If the hotel has vacant rooms, the customers can check in; otherwise they will leave and find another place to stay. The whole AS-IS model is shown in Figure 1. The activities and objects are shown in Table 1 and Table 2. Activity Description 3

4 Making a phone reservation Transferring the deposit Asking for available rooms Filling profile Leaving Check-in Making a reservation by phone. After the call, the customer gets an account number Customer remits money to the hotel account and receives an order data The customer comes directly to the hotel and asks about vacancies. If the hotel has vacant rooms, the front desk will ask for customers data If the hotel is fully booked, the customer leaves After confirming the data, the customer pays the bill and gets a key Table 2. Details of activities in AS-IS model Object Customer reservation by phone Description Customer who makes a reservation in advance Customer comes directly Customer who did not make a reservation in advance Account number Having rooms Having no rooms Order data Customer s profile Customer left The bank account number of the hotel Hotel has vacant room for direct customer Hotel is fully occupied The record of reservation Basic profile of direct customer Direct customer leaves to find another place to stay 4

5 Get the key Customer can enter the room by key Table 3. Details of objects in AS-IS model We constructed this AS-IS behavior model using income software in order to analyze the current process. The AS-IS behavior, organization, and object models are shown below: Fig. 1. AS-IS Process Behavior Model Besides, making a phone reservation, transferring the deposit and check-in can be drilled down as shown below in fig. 2, 3 and 4. 5

6 2.1.1 Drill-down Fig. 2.AS-IS drill down Fig. 3.Drill down of making a phone reservation Fig.3. shows the details of the phone reservation process. Firstly, the customer calls to make a reservation and tells the receptionist his/her requirements (check-in date, check-out date, type of rooms etc.). Secondly, the receptionist checks to see whether the hotel can meet these requirements or not. If it can, the customers profile will be asked and then they will be 6

7 given an account. If not, the customer changes his/her requirement or leaves the hotel. Fig.4. Drill down of transferring the deposit In Figure 4, the customer remits money to the hotel and waits for a confirmation phone call. If the payment is correct, the customer receives the order data; if the payment is wrong, the hotel asks the customer to modify his deposit. 7

8 Fig.5. Drill down of check-in Prior to check-in, customers who made a phone reservation must prepare the order data, while those who came directly must finish the profile list. Then, the receptionist checks the validity. If everything is correct, customers can pay the balance and get the key. 2.2 AS-IS Organization Model 8

9 Fig.6. AS-IS Organization Model The AS-IS organization model of Gravity Hotel is shown in Fig. 6. It consists of the management, front office, finance and housekeeping departments. All of the departments belong to the management department, so Gravity is the leader of this hotel, and James, Howard, and Lucy are the respective managers of the front office, finance, and housekeeping departments. The job contents of each department are stated below. (1) Front Office Dep. 9

10 The front office department offers mostly customer services. The receptionists have to deal with tasks which include checking guests in and out, providing tourist or hotel information and handling unexpected events. As far as the hotel is concerned, choosing good receptionists is important for achieving an excellent customer-based culture. The Front Office represents the enterprise image and business brand. (2) Finance Dept. The finance department is the core of a hotel business. The team in the finance department have to handle all the financial affairs including revenue and expenditure control, annual budget programming, preparation of financial statements, receipt issuance, and income tax return. Good finance ensures that the business runs seamlessly. (3) Housekeeping Dept. Housekeepers are not only responsible for maintaining sanitary conditions in the hotel but also in charge of cleaning guests' clothing and other articles of daily use. It aims to provide a comfortable environment for the guests and satisfy their requirements. The number of international hotel guests has increased sharply in recent years, so quality housekeeping has become essential. How to meet the guests' demands and establish a good image has become a top priority. 10

11 2.3 AS-IS Object Model Fig. 7. AS-IS Object Model Object model shows the main information for each databases and details which are used in our process. On the other hand, the object model also denotes the relationship between databases and details. In the AS-IS object model, it contains five tables which includes order data, customer s profile, room information, receipt and order room (Fig. 7.)Details are listed below. (1) Order data The table of order data contains the customer s profile, room information, order room and receipt. (2) Customer s profile 11

12 The table of customer profile contains the information of customer name, customer phone numbers, gender, country, telephone numbers and address. (3) Room information The table of room information provides the type of rooms, price of rooms and left rooms. (4) Receipt The receipt is the record of money transformation between customer and hotel, details include payment, pay date, pay time, remitter account and receiver account (5) Order room The table of order room notes order ID, room information, order amount, check in data and check out date to show customer s requirements he/she made. 3. TO-BE Model 3.1 TO-BE Behavior Model In this project, we propose an Internet booking system with online credit card payment and barcode door identifier. The goal is to change the gravity hotel service process into an unmanned process. Details are fully described below. 12

13 Fig. 8. TO-BE Behavior Model The process begins with a customer making a reservation via the Internet. Once the customer has chosen various requirements, he/she will receive information about the booking, including an order ID, check in date, check out date, order amount and product information. At the next step, the webpage will lead the customer to an online payment website to transact the bill via credit card. Once the transaction process is over, the customer will receive the receipt immediately and the hotel will confirm the booking details, including the guest s profile, room information and receipt. The occupancy notice, bar code image will be sent to the guest's box one day before the arrival date. At the end of the TO-BE process, the customer can use a smart phone containing the bar code image to access the room by swiping it against the bar code identifier on the door. Instead of using a keycard in a traditional way, we employ new innovative technology to simplify the process. Drill-down is illustrated below. 13

14 3.1.1 Drill-Down Fig. 9. TO-BE drill-down Fig. 9 gives a clearer view of the drill-down in the behavior model. Two drill-down illustrations are included in the TO-BE process, namely Fig. 10 and Fig. 11 These show the details of Internet reservation and the online payment system. Fig. 10. Drill down of using Internet reservation 14

15 As shown in Fig. 10, the customer enters the booking website first and logs in to an existing account with a password. If the customer does not have an existing account, he/she will be required to register for one. The customer is then led to a website to select his/her requirements. The website shows only rooms, check in date and check out date that are currently available. If the choices offered by the hotel match the customer's needs, the requirements will be listed on the screen awaiting confirmation. After confirmation, the system generates a room booking. If not, the customer leaves the online booking website. Fig. 11. Drill down of paying credit card bills online After the internet reservation process is over, the customer has to remit money by online charging system. The customer has to fill in his/her credit card information and then the transaction begins. If successful, the customer will receive a receipt either online or in an . If the balance is insufficient, the transaction will be rejected. 15

16 3.2 TO-BE Object Model Fig. 12. TO-BE object model In TO-BE model, because of using new information technology, we can make the booking process more efficient, but also we need to have more data from the TO-BE object model. The extra information we need include online account and occupancy notices, its detail can show below: (1) Online account The table of online account contains the account number and the password. 16

17 (2) Occupancy notices This table includes the information of the bar code and the order room. 3.3 TO-BE Organization Model Fig. 13. TO-BE organization model In order to reduce expenditure for the front office department s personnel, we bring in Internet reservation and mobile phone keycard functions. First, we replace the receptionists by putting a few computers in the lobby. Customers can use the computers in the lobby to finish the reservation process in the future, so hotels will no longer need receptionists in the front desk. Simultaneously, we hire security guides to solve customer s requirements and to prevent unexpected events. Second, we add the information department in the TO-BE organization model to control and integrate all the activities of hotel booking website and bar code system. Detail contents of the two new departments are stated below. 17

18 (1) Information Dept. Whenever a business utilizes computer technology and internet service in the enterprise, network administrators are an indispensable role. Their work include administer system platform, construct broadband duct and in charge of information safety. (2) Security Dept. Security guards are responsible for keeping public peace, protecting personal safety and social security and they will ensure property not being fired, stolen and intentional damaged. When the guard is on duty, they will equip radio-communication equipment to contact with central control room. So, if unexpected events happened they can ask help from the central control room to call a police station, fire bureau, hospital or other coherent units. 4. Simulation After we constructed the AS-IS behavior model and the TO-BE behavior model, we can use the INCOME4 with built in simulation mode to simulate. And to see whether the TO-BE model make an obviously improvement. At the first, we need to determinate the activity s parameters, and all the setting can provided as following table: 18

19 Activity Time Cost($) Making phone 2min 10 reservation Check whether 20sec 0 customers are satisfied Filling profile 20sec 0 Give account 20sec 0 Left 5sec 0 Transferring deposits 10min 6 Checking deposit by 3min 0 phone Register order data 5min 0 Inform customer to 30sec 0 modify Checking data 1.5min 3 Paying the bill 2min 6 Asking for available 5 0 room Filling profile 3 min 6 Left 5 sec 0 Activity time Cost($) Register 1min 0 Log in 10sec 0 Checking requirement 2min 0 Customer left 0sec 0 Filling credit card 20sec 0 information Proceed online 25sec 0 transaction Receive E-receipt 20sec 0 Modify credit card 30sec 0 information Confirm order data 15sec 0 Sending occupancy 20sec 0 notice via Table 5. TO-BE parameter setting Table 4. AS-IS parameter setting 19

20 After setting all the parameters, we can create a simulation run in INCOME, in this stage we consider the customer amount and the simulation time. After setting all the parameters, we can create a simulation run in INCOME, in this stage we consider the customer amount and the simulation time.in this example, we compare AS-IS and TO-BE behavior model in INCOME4.We set the number of customers the same in the two models. The results are illustrated in Fig.14 and Fig.15. Fig. 14. AS-IS simulation result Fig. 15. TO-BE simulation result The results show that the technical system serviced 20 customers in 93 minutes while the traditional took 420 minutes to service 20 customers. From this we conclude that the TO-BE model satisfies demand in a more efficient and convenient way. 20

21 5. Online Reservation System of The Gravity 5.1 Customer view point Login & Register The homepage of the Gravity Hotel can be shown below. After clicking 登入, the customer can enter the Login page. In this system, every customer must have their own account and password to log in. If this is the first time for customer to use this system, the customer has to register a new account first. Fig.16 homepage In the register page, customer has to key in some basic profile to be a member. After the system checks all the information customer keys in, customer can use his/her new account to login the system. Fig.17 會員基本資料 21

22 When member log in, he/she has three options. The options can be shown like below figure. Fig.18 Customer s functions Customer can modify his/her own information by click 修改個人資料. Fig.19 修改個人資料 Another function is that customer can check their order after he/she finished the room reservation by click 查詢過去訂房紀錄. Fig.20 查詢過去訂房紀錄 22

23 5.1.2 Shop list After customer click the 訂房. In this page, customer can view all the room types the Gravity serving. Fig.21 訂房 Customer can choose the room, and check-in and check-out date they want. But before doing that, customers need to confirm that the day they want to stay is available. So customer can search the vacancy by click 空房查詢. Fig.21 空房查詢 23

24 If customer makes a decision, they can click the button add to the shopping List. After choosing all rooms customer wants, clicking the button 加入購物車 to enter the next page Shopping cart In the shopping cart, customer can check the room, check-in date and check-out date they just reserved. If the data is wrong, they can click 繼續購物 button and go back to the shop list. If it s correct, they can click the 填寫訂單資訊 to continue. Fig.22 填寫訂單資訊 Filling the Detail information After check the data in shopping cart, the whole process is almost done. Customers need to fill in the detail information such as the credit card type, credit card number, etc. Then they can go to the last page to finish the reservation. 24

25 Fig.23 填寫信用卡資料 Finishing reservation & XML After customer confirms reservation information, the reservation of customer part is finished. In this page, customer can view the reservation he/she made, clicking the button view XML to see the XML detail, or clicking the button reservation list to see the reservation list. Fig.24 Funtion 25

26 Fig.24 訂單確認 Fig.25 XML Fig.26 購買成功 5.2 The Gravity viewpoint Fig.27 管理者界面入口 Fig.28 管理者主要功能 26

27 5.1.1 Members reservation history page The manager can search the member in 顧客訂房查詢 page. The profile, reserving history will be shown on it. Then manager can easily do scheduling. Fig.29 顧客訂房查詢 The occupancy inquiring In 訂房資料管理 page, manager can click the date on the calendar to inquire the occupancy, the occupied room and the detail information, such as who made the order that day. The whole information of the reservation is shown in this page. Fig.30 訂房資料管理 27

28 5.2.3 Customer management page The profile of members is shown in 會員資料管理 page, manager can edit the profile if the member changed his phone or address or something. Fig.30 會員資料管理 6. Conclusion So far, we have successfully integrated the hotel booking process and construct into an online booking system. We can see the achievements on the website. However, there is a future work need to improve. We didn t make the bar code yet. So, if we have more time, it s the top priority problem we are trying to solve now. In the end, we hope that this system can be more widespread to make life more convenient. Maybe in the near future, we can see that customers need no more keycards to enter the rooms or other facilities in the hotel. 28