Chapter 5: Book officer's accommodation

5.1 Accommodation booking inquiries

An accommodation booking inquiry is the exchange of questions and answers between the office administrator, the officer who will stay, and the reservations desk of a hotel, lodge or serviced apartment before a room is reserved. The administrator asks on the officer's behalf, so the quality of the questions decides whether the officer arrives to a room that fits the purpose of the trip, the budget and the policy. A good inquiry collects the officer's needs first, asks the property clear questions, compares the replies and records them, so that nothing has to be guessed later.

The usual flow of an inquiry is the same whether it is made by telephone, email or through the property's own booking system:

1. The administrator takes the trip details from the approved travel request.
2. The administrator asks the officer for any needs not yet recorded.
3. The property is asked about availability, rates, policies and features.
4. The replies from two or three properties are compared against the requirements and the policy.
5. The approving officer is told the best option and agrees to it.
6. The reservation is made and the confirmation is kept on file.

5.1.1 Understand the guests’ requirements

The guest is the officer who will stay, and the guest's requirements are everything the room and the property must provide for the stay to be useful. The administrator records them in writing before contacting any property, because a vague request produces vague replies and a wrong booking is costly to change.

Requirements to collect:

• Identity and number of guests: the full name as in the identity document, and the number of people staying, since some trips have two or more officers who may share or need separate rooms.
• Dates and times: the arrival date with the expected time, the departure date and any need for early check-in or late check-out.
• Room type: single, double or twin room, and whether a desk, a quiet floor or a room away from the road is needed for work.
• Meals: whether breakfast only, or other meals, should be included, and any dietary needs such as vegetarian meals or food allergies.
• Accessibility needs: step-free access, a ground-floor room or an accessible bathroom, where the officer needs them.
• Business needs: reliable internet, a meeting room, printing, or transport to the meeting venue.
• Budget and payment: the nightly limit the travel policy allows and who pays, whether the organisation pays the property directly or the officer pays and claims it back.

Example: the administrator of a printing company is arranging a two-night stay for the production manager, who will attend a supplier meeting at 8.00 am. She asks the manager for the arrival time, learns that he lands the evening before, and records a single room with a desk, breakfast from 6.30 am and a policy ceiling of Ksh 8,000 a night. The property is then asked specifically about these items.

5.1.2 Confirm availability

Confirming availability means asking the property whether a room of the required type is free for every night of the stay, and getting the answer in a form that can be kept. A room that appears free in an online search may already be gone when the booking is made, and a phone reply that is not written down cannot be relied on if there is a dispute.

How the administrator confirms availability:

• Ask for exact nights: state the arrival and departure dates and the room type, and ask whether that room is free for all nights, not only the first.
• Ask for alternatives: if the first choice is full, ask what other room types or nearby dates are free and at what rate.
• Ask about a hold: some properties hold a room for a short time without payment, and the administrator asks how long the hold lasts.
• Get it in writing: a reply by email or the booking system is kept, and a telephone reply is followed by an email that repeats it.
• Note the person and time: the name of the staff member and the date and time of the reply are recorded.
• Re-check when dates move: if the trip dates change, the availability is asked again and not assumed.

Example: for a stay of three nights from 14 to 17 June, a property replies that a single room is free on 14 and 15 June but not on the night of 16 June. The administrator asks for a similar room in another wing for the last night, or a nearby property with all three nights, instead of booking part of the stay and hoping for the rest.

5.1.3 Provide clear pricing information

Clear pricing means the officer and the approving manager both know the full amount that will be paid, what it covers and when it is due. The quoted nightly rate is only part of the cost, so the administrator asks what is included and writes the total in one place.

What a complete price statement shows:

• Rate: the price per room per night, and the room type it applies to.
• Meal plan: whether the rate includes breakfast or other meals, or room only.
• Taxes and service charges: whether the quoted rate already includes them, or they are added to the bill.
• Extras: airport transfers, parking, laundry, meeting room hire or late check-out charges that the officer will use.
• Deposit and payment terms: the amount that must be paid to hold the room, the date the balance is due and the accepted payment methods.
• Special or corporate rate: any negotiated rate for the organisation, and the condition that gives it.

Worked example: a property quotes Ksh 7,200 per night for a single room with breakfast, and the stay is 3 nights.

Room cost = 3 × Ksh 7,200 = Ksh 21,600

Airport transfers, both ways, are quoted at Ksh 1,500 each.

Transfers = 2 × Ksh 1,500 = Ksh 3,000

Total = Ksh 21,600 + Ksh 3,000 = Ksh 24,600

The administrator confirms with the property that the nightly rate already includes taxes and service charges, and writes the total of Ksh 24,600 on the booking record. If the rate excludes them, the property is asked for the final amount so that the figure sent for approval is the figure that will actually be paid.

5.1.4 Explain booking and cancellation policies

The booking and cancellation policies are the property's terms for holding, changing and cancelling a reservation. The administrator reads them before booking and explains them to the officer, because the organisation can be charged if the trip is cancelled or the officer does not arrive.

Terms to ask about and explain:

• Guarantee and deposit: what the property needs to hold the room, for example a payment, a company letter or card details, and when the deposit is returned.
• Cancellation deadline: the last time the booking can be cancelled without a charge, which may be a number of hours or days before arrival.
• Cancellation charge: what is charged if the booking is cancelled after that time, such as the first night or a percentage of the stay.
• No-show: what happens if the guest does not arrive and has not cancelled, and whether the whole stay can be lost.
• Changes and extensions: whether dates can be changed, how late a change can be made and whether the rate remains the same.
• Check-in and check-out times: the standard times, and whether early arrival or late departure costs extra.

Example: a property states that a booking may be cancelled without charge up to 48 hours before arrival, after which the first night is charged. When the officer's meeting is postponed by a week, the administrator notices the deadline, informs the property in writing on the same day, and moves the dates before any charge applies. She records the new dates, the name of the staff member who agreed, and the reservation reference.

5.1.5 Describe key features and amenities of property etc

The key features and amenities are what the property offers besides a bed: the services, facilities and surroundings that help the officer rest, work and travel. The administrator asks for them in the inquiry and describes the relevant ones to the officer, so that the officer knows what to expect and can plan for what is missing.

Features and amenities to ask about and describe:

• Rooms: the room types, size and bed arrangement, air conditioning or fans, work desk, safe and hot water.
• Connectivity: internet in the room and the public areas, and whether it is included in the rate.
• Meals and drinks: restaurant hours, breakfast times, room service and arrangements for early departures.
• Business facilities: meeting rooms, printing and photocopying, and a business centre.
• Transport: airport transfers, parking and the distance to the meeting venue or city centre.
• Safety and reliability: twenty-four hour reception, security staff, fire exits and back-up power or water supply during outages.
• Wellbeing: laundry service, a gym or pool, and quiet areas, where they matter to the officer.
• Accessibility: lifts, ramps and rooms prepared for guests with reduced mobility.

Example: for an officer who will prepare a report at night, the administrator highlights the in-room desk, the internet reliability, the back-up power during outages and the early breakfast, and leaves out the pool and gym that the officer will not use.