「為什麼是我?!」示意圖

*筆者：「客滿超訂而外送？我們好一陣子都沒聽過『客滿』這二個字。」
              「所以是『空虛寂寞覺得冷』的概念？ 不過這二年的生意確實不太好做。」

九品芝麻官的電影台詞太經典 XD

             旅館外送客人的原因除了超額接受訂房(不論是有意或失誤)之外，當日預計退房的客人要求再續住幾晚，又或者客房臨時有重大故障無法在當天修復完成也會造成客人被迫要外送至其他旅館酒店。看看實務上要如何處理，如何事前「滅火」於無形，同時也檢視看看目前的處置方式是否有更完善之處。

How to walk guests when a hotel is overbooked
06 JUNE 2017 8:53AM   Hotelnewsnow.com by Alicia Hoisington

Brent Gresham, area manager of The Spectator Hotel, said determining guests to walk due to overbooking is on a case-by-case basis, but it’s important to cater to their needs. (Photo: The Spectator Hotel, Charlestowne Hotels)

REPORT FROM THE U.S.—When a hotel is filled to capacity and guest reservations are still on the books for the night, hoteliers need to have policies in place to walk, or refer, guests to nearby properties for accommodations.
美國報導─ 當旅館客滿，但卻仍舊有當日訂房的客人尚未入住，像這樣的情況，旅館業者就必需要有外送客人或轉送客人至周遭旅館住宿的應變方案。

“Overbooking happens because guests fail to check out; it happens because rooms go out of order or because we actually take a chance on a busy day of adding an extra room or two onto our list,” said Tom Waithe, regional director of operations for the Pacific Northwest and Mountain regions of Kimpton Hotels. “Hotels, like airlines, are businesses, and the goal is to maximize revenue at all times.”
金普頓酒店的北美西北太平洋區暨山區的區域營運總監 Tom Waithey表示：「旅館客房超訂的狀況有時會發生，其原因有的是因為當日預計退房的客人要續住而不退房，有的是因為客房臨時故障出狀況，又或者是因為旅館業者想碰碰運氣，為了確保100%的住房率而超收1~2個訂房(因為既有訂房未必能100%保證客人會入住，總會有無預期的狀況)。旅館酒店就像航空公司一樣都是要做生意營利的，而經營目標都是要將營收最大化。」

Although overbooking strategies can drive revenue, sometimes guests are left without room at the inn. However, it need not be a negative experience for guests if hoteliers are armed with a few best practices during the process.
雖然客房超訂策略能帶來營收，但有時顧客走了就走了。然而這樣的狀況未必就得是顧客的負面經驗，要是旅館業者能在外送的過程中已有最佳的實務操作能力的話。

Who to walk (如何外送客人)
When a hotel is overbooked, Waithey said the first step is to double check that a guest relocation is actually necessary. That process starts by taking some time to look at a guest-arrival list.
Tom Waithey 接著說，當旅館客房超訂時，首要的步驟是再次確認外送客人的必要與否，而這要花點時間先從檢查當日預進住客名單開始。

“So many times a guest can be relocated without realizing there was a duplicated reservation, a canceled reservation or a spelling mistake,” he said. That’s why it’s important to view the list for any errors before making a decision.
「很多時候被外送的客人只是因為旅館人員沒釐清重覆的、已被取消的或者是訂房名字拼錯的訂房。這也是先檢視當日預進住客名單再決定是否外送客人的重要性。」

Once it’s determined that there are no errors, Waithe said it’s time to eliminate from consideration who can’t walk—guests such as VIPs, families or individuals who are staying for multiple nights.
一旦確定預進住客名單無誤，接著就要剔除不能被外送的客人，如貴賓等級的客人、家庭客或預訂數晚的個人住客。

Groups are usually off limits, too, especially if contracts clearly emphasize that members can’t be walked to another property, according to Brent Gresham, area manager of The Spectator Hotel, French Quarter Inn and HarbourView Inn in Charleston, South Carolina.
根據南卡羅萊納州查爾斯頓市的Spectator Hotel, French Quarter Inn與HarbourView Inn 區經理 Brent Gresham之看法，團體客通常也是不能外送的，尤其是團體住宿合約中有明訂團體成員不可以外送至其他旅館酒店。
 
If group contracts don’t state members can’t be walked, then Gresham said it’s important that these guests are walked within close proximity of the meeting or hotel where the group is staying.
Brent Gresham接著說，要是團體住宿合約中並未載明成員不可外送，則安排外送的旅館酒店位置要鄰近會議活動所在處或該團大部份成員住宿的旅館酒店。

Brian Fry, president of Commonwealth Hotels, which has 45 hotels in its portfolio, said that he has been in a situation before where a whole group had to be moved. In this case, a large group booked at a higher price point caused the hotel to become overbooked. Thus, another group booked at a lower rate was chosen to walk.
擁有45個據點的 Commonwealth酒店管理顧問公司之總裁Brian Fry 提到他曾把一整個住宿團體外送的經驗。當時由於有個大團體以較高的房價預訂進來，以致於酒店客房超賣。於是，另一個以較低房價預訂的團體就被旅館方外送出去。

“We don’t have one formula (for walking guests),” Fry said. “We look at each occurrence.”
Brian Fry：「我們並沒有外送客人的萬用公式，而要視具體個案做個別判斷。」

Gresham’s team conducts courtesy calls to confirm guests’ stays and to get an idea of who will be visiting.
Brent Gresham的服務團隊採用禮貌性致電來確認客人的訂房以及了解預進客人的背景。

“During this process we qualify each guest based on rates, length of stay and the medium of which they booked their room to verify before arrival,” he said via email. “This allows us to determine which guest might be open to us walking them over to one of our sister properties. If it’s a guest that has stayed with us before, more likely than not we know their personality and if they’d be open to staying at a sister property this time around.”
Gresham在電子郵件中表示「在這個步驟中，我們依據房租價格、住宿天數及訂房方式在客人抵達旅館前，確認每位客人的資格條件。這讓我們得以決定哪一位客人可能願意被外送到我們的姐妹旅館。如果那位被外送的客人曾住過我們的旅館，我們有可能會知道該名客人的性格，且他或許願意此次暫且住在我們的姐妹酒店當中。」

Although Gresham said it’s on a case-by-case basis, he finds that people staying for one night or corporate guests are more open to being walked.
雖然Gresham表示外送客人必需具體個案做個別判斷，但他也發覺歸納出只住一晚的客人及合約公司的客人較有意願被外送。

In general, Waithe said, there are some types of customers who won’t mind being relocated to another hotel. He agreed that corporate business travelers are less likely to care because they aren’t the ones paying for the room.
金普頓酒店的北美西北太平洋區暨山區的區域營運總監 Tom Waithey表示，一般來說，確實有些類別的顧客並不會在意被外送到其他旅館。他也同意合約公司的商務客人較不在意被外送，因為通常他們不用去支付房費。

“You look for those people who won’t mind or who will look at it as a positive,” he said. “The other side is that you have to ensure you aren’t sending them to the dubious motel down the road. You need to send them to a quality product.”
Tom Waithey接著說：「當你尋找不介意被外送或覺得外送不錯的客人時，另一方面你也必須同時確保沒把他們送到鄰近但住宿品質不明的汽車旅館。你得把被外送的客人安排到有同等住宿品質(或以上)的旅館酒店。」

Brands vs. independents (連鎖品牌酒店 v.s. 獨立經營酒店)
The hotel that guests are walked to often can depend on the type of hotel of the original booking.
至於外送客人所住宿的旅館通常要視原本訂房的酒店類型。

For branded hotels, Fry said his team tries to be respectful of referring guests within the brand family when possible. Each brand has a slightly different take on what is preferred in the situation, he said, but ultimately guests’ needs come first.
 Commonwealth酒店管理顧問公司總裁Brian Fry 表示，對於連鎖品牌酒店，他的工作團隊會儘可能將客人外送至連鎖酒店集團的旗下品牌。他說，雖然每個品牌間在外送客人的狀況下有其偏好的些微差異，但說究竟的，顧客人需求仍是優先順位。

“Sometimes guests are more worried about proximity; sometimes they’re more worried about being in the brand family,” he said. “We try to be respectful of both.”
Fry接著說：「有時客人擔心外送旅館的遠近問題，有時客人則擔心改住到集團的其他品牌。我們會試著在這二者間取得平衡。」

Waithe said that in his area there are four Kimpton hotels within close proximity of each other. When he needs to walk guests, he will send them to the Kimpton hotel that will provide a similar guest experience. If all of the Kimpton hotels are full, then guests will be sent to a hotel that is of equal or better quality, with guest safety and security being the No. 1 priority.
Tom Waithey說，他所在的區域有4間金普頓酒店且彼此距離相近。當他有需要外送客人時，他就會把他們送到其他的金普頓酒店，因為彼此都能提供相似的住客體驗。要是這4間金普頓酒店都客滿，那麼客人就會被外送到跟原本旅館檔次相等或較好的旅館酒店，當然，顧客的人身安全問題永遠是第一優先。

Gresham said his team at his independent hotels, which are part of the Charlestowne Hotels family, work to do its best to walk guests within the portfolio in an effort to still capture the business.
Brent Gresham說，他們的獨立酒店同時也是Charlestowne Hotels 成員，其服務團隊在外送客人的情況下，會儘其所能安排到集團的成員酒店以保留住生意。

“However, we always walk guests to the closest hotel to cater to their needs. We never want to sacrifice our reputation to force a product that they don’t want,” he said. “We will definitely send them to a competitor if that is the best hotel that meets their need. We still have a chance of earning their business at a later date, especially if they’re staying in Charleston for more than one night.”
Gresham接著說：「然而，我們總是會把外送的客人安排到最近的旅館酒店，以就近照顧到他們的需求。我們絕不會想要去犧牲掉我們的名聲並迫使客人接受他們不想要的住宿地點。我們確實會把客人外送到競爭對手那裡，如果那是符合客人需求的最佳選擇。我們仍舊有機會在之後的日期做成這些外送客人的生意，尤其他們預訂在查爾斯頓市的住宿是超過一晚的話。」

When it comes to independent luxury properties, such as the ART in Denver, which is part of Commonwealth Hotels, other key luxury properties are identified for partnerships, Fry said, in the case of walking guests. The opportunity to negotiate a lower rate for this purpose is also key, he added. 
Brian Fry 則表示，若外送客人的狀況是發生在獨立經營的奢華酒店，比方像是丹佛市的 The Art Hotel (Commonwealth Hotels集團成員之一)或是其他被認定為結盟夥伴的主要奢華酒店，與接收客人的旅館酒店協調出較低房價之機會也同樣重要。


Recovering the service(服務缺失補救)
Service recovery is possible if the walking process is done in a proactive manner, sources said.
實務上，如果外送客人的過程是旅館採取主動方式的處理，則服務缺失補救是有可能的。

“If you are proactive with your approach, it cuts off the anger before it happens,” Fry said. “The angry guest will be the one at midnight or 1 a.m. who gets surprised, so avoid that surprise.”
Brian Fry說：「如果你採取主動的方式，那麼就能在顧客大為光火前就先滅火。憤怒的客人會是在半夜抵達旅館被旅館人員告知時感到驚訝錯愕的那一位，所以說那樣的驚訝你能早點避掉就避掉。」
Waithe agreed, adding that the process needs to be quick. If done right, hoteliers will know they are overbooked before guests even start arriving on property. Once it’s determined who will be walked, accommodations should be made for that guest before he or she arrives. Once on-property, there should be a car waiting with a room set up and ready to go at the other hotel.
Tom Waithey也同意，並補充表示外送客人要迅速。如果處理得當，旅館人員會在客人抵達飯店之前就已知道自家旅館超訂。一旦外送客人名單已確定，住宿旅館也要在客人抵達前安排好。而當客人到了自家已超訂的旅館後，應該要有一台接駁車直接載客人前往另外安排的旅館酒店，並且客房已準備妥當。
“People will arrive tired after being cramped on a plane. Maybe there’s a business meeting to attend in the morning,” Waithey said. “They don’t want to stand there while you dial around to hotels to find an open room.”
Waithey接著說：「人們在擁擠的機艙遠渡重洋抵達旅館時，必然是感到疲累的。又或許客人隔天早上有會議要參加。他們真的不想站在接待處等著旅館人員四處打電話詢問有無空房。」
Gresham said to make sure the “call around” is up to date so that front-desk associates can easily see the area vacancies with comparable rates. Then, they should communicate with hotel staff at the other hotel.
Brent Gresham說，另外要確保「外撥詢問空房」有更新的資訊，這樣前檯接待人員能輕易讀取周遭旅館酒店空房狀況及相對房價。然後，前檯人員應該要與其他間旅館的服務人員溝通外送相關事宜。」

“We call the hotel prior to the guest’s arrival so that their front desk is aware of who is coming over and so they can refer to them by their name and make them feel welcome,” Gresham said.
Gresham接著說：「我們會在客人抵達所安排的旅館前，先以電話知會對方，如此對方的前檯人員會意識到是哪位客人即將抵達，從而能稱呼客人姓名並讓客人感受到歡迎之意。」

If walked guests are staying in the city for multiple nights, Waithe said to bring them back the next day with the offering of a free upgrade and other complimentary amenities on return. Another tip is to notify everyone on the team of which guests were walked and are returning, that way they can be referred to by name, which will add a special touch.
Tom Waithey說，如果被外送的客人會停留當地數晚，那麼隔天就要把他們送回自家酒店並提供免費房型升等及其他招待的服務品項做為回饋。而另一個「江湖一點訣」是提醒每位旅館服務人員被外送的客人已回來入住，則服務人員得以用客人姓名問候與稱呼，這樣的小動作可為貼心度加分。

But no best practice will make up for the walk if the team doesn’t handle the situation with empathy, Fry said.
Brian Fry 接著說，如果服務人員處理客人外送的情況沒有同理心的話，就算訓練或演練得再好也枉然。

“You have to hear them out and be attentive to their needs and be empathetic,” he said. “It sounds basic, but it’s amazing how hard it can be. Train your staff to do so.”
Fry表示，「你必須對被外送客人的需求聽進去、觀察入微，並且將心比心。這聽來很基本，但令人有些意外的是這相當困難。試著訓練你的服務人員如此做吧！」