The Rate Quote Standard
Five steps for quoting a room rate so the guest understands it the first time. Many disputes at checkout began as one unclear sentence on the phone.
- Who
- Reservations agents and anyone who quotes a price
- When
- Every time a guest asks “how much is it?”, by phone or in writing
- You need
- Live rates by date, rate rules, tax and city tax amounts
- Measured by
- Two rate options, never more than three
- Taxes stated with every rate
- Quote sent in writing within one hour
5 steps
01
Get the facts
Before any price, confirm the exact dates, the number of adults, the children’s ages and the room type. A rate quoted for the wrong night or the wrong number of guests is a promise you will have to break.
Say this
“To give you the right figure, Mr Delacroix: two adults, and how old are the children?”
Common mistake Quoting “a double” before asking about the children. The rate changes later and the guest feels caught out.
02
Offer two
Quote the flexible rate and one other: the prepaid rate, or the rate with breakfast. Say in one sentence what separates them. Two options let a guest choose; five send them away to think.
Say this
“The flexible rate is €480 a night with free cancellation. Paid in advance, it’s €430, and not refundable.”
Common mistake Opening with the prepaid rate to sound cheaper. The guest books it, has to cancel, and blames the hotel for the lost money.
03
Say what’s in
Straight after each figure, say what it includes and what it doesn’t: breakfast, VAT, city tax per person per night, parking, any service charge. The guest should never meet a new number at checkout.
Say this
“That includes breakfast for two and VAT. City tax is €5 per person per night, paid at the hotel.”
Common mistake Leaving city tax to the small print of the confirmation. The guest finds it on the bill and calls the stay misleading.
04
Hold the price
Never offer a discount nobody asked for. If the guest says it is cheaper online, look at the same room, dates and terms on screen with them, and match like for like where the hotel’s policy allows.
Say this
“Let me look at the same dates on that site with you, Mrs Ferreira. Is that rate with breakfast, or room only?”
Common mistake Dropping the price the moment the guest pauses. They learn that the first number was never the real one.
05
Put it in writing
Within one hour, email the quote with the dates, room, both rates, inclusions, taxes and how long the price is held. Note the quote reference and its expiry in the PMS against the guest’s name.
Say this
“This rate is held for you until Friday 6 June at 18:00, reference Q-2291.”
Common mistake Leaving the quote in a phone call only. Three days later the rate has moved and nobody can show what was said.
Rate Words Guests Misread
Words reservations uses every day mean something else to the person on the phone. Each row is a misunderstanding that ends in a dispute at checkout.
Brief one row a day at the shift briefing and ask who used the left-hand phrase that week. On Friday the reservations manager rereads ten written quotes and circles any left-hand phrase still in use.
The Standards Library.
No. 13 · Reservations
The Group Enquiry Standard
Five steps for enquiries of five rooms or more: weddings, families, teams. A group held without an option date is a block of rooms nobody can sell.
No. 14 · Reservations
The Cancellation Standard
Five steps for the guest who calls to cancel or change. Handled calmly, many become a stay on other dates, and the room is back on sale within the hour.