Overview Of Hotel Reservation Software Information Technology Essay

If guest want to make reservation, they need to call Hotel Front Office to reserve desired room. In this case, Receptionists have to record all Room information and Customer information which concerns with particular reservation with manually paper based system. Besides, Front Desk processes (Check In, Check Out, etc) have been recorded with paper based system as well. In other words, it can be said that all processes of Front Desk in Hotel are undertaken to run with paper bases system.

Thus, Data inconsistent problems are faced due to processing with paper system. Furthermore, data are not easily review as it needs to store huge range of data and problems can occurred when searching associated records. For instance, Front Office Staff will get trouble when they want to search record of customer who stays in hotel over 5 times for discount promotion factors. Thus, people change to use computerized system which is more effective than paper based system. Because of using computerized system, long term record can be review easily and quickly, data security can be limited with authorization procedures and besides, profit and loss record of Hotel can be checked and reviewed by Management level. From these time, Hotel Reservation General Suite are more effective as time over.

Why is Hotel Reservation System used in web?

The main purpose of hotel reservation system in the web is to become real time processing system. A online hotel reservation software is used by businesses to mechanize their day-to-day operations such as reservations, room bookings, check-ins or check outs. Basically, it serves the purpose of easing out the woes of the hotel management as well as that of the customers, who are extremely important in the hospitality business. A online hotel reservation software is developed for compatibility with the internet. Such online hotel reservation software is used for the purpose of different types of accommodations like Hotels, University accommodation letting, Hotels and Guesthouses, Cabins, Cottages, Villas, Hostels or any other room booking through internet, thus adding to the convenience of the customers.

Advantages

The online hotel reservation software system helps to boost revenue as it saves processing time and also helps to provide better management in cases of booking system and room reservation. The software application system can be used to manage the daily transactions of a hotel, which includes restaurant billing, reservation billing, check-ins, check outs and a complete accounting section. This type of software is a contemporary solution which has whole variety of detailed modules to cover each function in managing a hotel. With the online hotel reservation software, the bookings and transactions can be done virtually any time of the day and from anywhere in the world. With hotel software installed, the staffing can be reduced significantly by the management and also, because fully functional software is being used, the chances of errors too become nil.

2. Analysis

2.1. Requirements Gathering and Observation

Overview

This system is currently based on the functionality of Inya Lake Hotel at 37, Kaba Aye, Pagoda Road, Yangon (Rangoon), Myanmar. This was built in the 1960. This hotel is situated on the borders of the Inya Lake, just 15 minute drive from the city center and is conveniently close to the airport. As it is one of the great and splendid hotel in yangon, it offers great facilities such as function halls containing events Banquet and conference facilities, wedding with different Package, Dinning, Fitness center, Swimming Pool, Tennis etc. Furthermore, this hotel provides 175 guest rooms raging from Superior to Presidential with fully equipment.

Background of the project

The name of the hotel is Inya Lake which has 5 types of rooms such as single, double, family, superior. The guests who check-in to the hotel must firstly complete a registration form. Sometimes guests do not directly check-in to the hotel, they reserve type of room they want. And then they check-in to the hotel with their reserved room so that reserved rooms are not available for directly check-in guest until withdrawing reservation

Block reservation may be made by travel agents for tour groups. When they arrive, check-in and register procedures are carried out as usual and allocated to their reserved rooms. Check out and payment procedures are also the same as normal guests. Reservation may come from guests or travel agent via telephone.

Inya Lake hotel also has restaurant which serve food and meal for guest. Laundry, telephone, and mini bar service are available to the customer. When guest takes these services, associated staff procedure and restaurant bill and send bill to the Front Office department. When guest request check out, receptionist calculate bill and procedure check out bill. Payment is made by guests when they check-out, Bill which contains room charges and other charges is produced to guest.

Introduction to System

The main responsible person in the Hotel Reservation Processes is Receptionist (Front-Office staff) who needs a system that will enable them to –

check whether a reservation request is possible

record the booking

retrieve the booking at the appropriate time.

It does not matter how the request for a reservation is made; the system of processing will remain the same. The current system process for reservation is as follows and all of these processes are operating manually;

Guest Reservation by telephone, fax, personal

Check-in process

Check-out process

Payment process

Guest Reservation

First of all, guest reservation process is first phase of the Guest Cycle, in other words Pre-arrival phase which involves activities, for instance, reservation by preferred method (telephone, fax, personal), identification of source of business, prepayment, and other pre-arrival activities. The minimum information require in this process are When? How long? Who? and What type of room? Receptionist have to check at Room List to make sure there is available room to reserve. Consequently, the receptionist will respond with Price, Conditions and other further answers that guest require. After confirming with Room List and Guest, receptionist has to add reservation information in the Reservation Records.

Guest Registration

Guest Registration process contain in Arrival phase of the Guest Cycle. This process contains identification of guest status, room assignment, rate assignment, establishment of credit. Registration process has two types; registration with prior reservation or registration without reservation. If they have a reservation they will be allocated to a reserved room of the requested type. However, if they have no reservation, they are allocated to an available room which matches their requirements. There is no online payment accept by hotel currently, and customer need to pay advance paid when check in to the hotel.

Check-in process

After Registration process, check-in procedures carry out, eg. after filling registration form, creation of guest account, issuing of room key and rooming of guest are included in check-in procedures. As for check-in procedures, receptionist has to fill Guest information (Guest account) to the file and record all guest information required. Prepayment task will involve in the check-in procedure by guest preferred method. After issuing room key, check-in procedure is completed.

Check-out process

In a check-out time, a full list of room charges and unpaid services as well as any prepayments are produced as a bill. The guest pays any outstanding amounts and is issued with a receipt to continue to go payment process. Receptionist has to communicate with other departments such as Food & Beverages, Services, Telephone operating, etc to make sure all bill to collect till guest request to check-out (returning room key).

Payment process

Guest can give their suitable cost by different method in payment process when they are check out from the hotel; Cash, Credit Card, Cheque, Foreign currency.

Reporting Process

The middle management level can see the operation transaction reports that are reserve, check in, check out and guest. The top management level can see the strategic reports such as which room is mostly check in search by period, which room is mostly reserve search by period, and monthly and yearly report.

Fact Finding

There are many fact-finding methods. There are observation, record searching, special purpose record searching records, sampling, questionnaires, interview and workshops. Among these, I had used some methods to get required facts and information.

Among these, I used some methods to gather the required information. Both Observation and Interviewing are used to get require information.

Firstly, I interview with the employees of the InyaLake Hotel to know domain of the organization and what they need. And then I interview with the management level of the InyaLake Hotel to get different requirement with different point of view. After that I collected the require form check out voucher and other external services voucher and so on.

Secondly, I used formal or informal observation, and both are equally useful. Formal observation is a planned, conscious approach, which involves watching an operation or procedure for a specific period. But informal observation should be used at all times when investigating user operation. I observed the procedures of currently used system and collected all necessary facts by analyzing documents and interviewing the customers and owner of the system. In addition, I also surf the web from various brands of the not only online hotel reservation software and online front desk software.

Prioritization Requirements

Requirement should be prioritized. One way to do this by use of the MoScoW rules, MoScoW stands for

Must Have requirement are the highest priority functional requirements. Without then the system will be unworkable and useless. These requirements constitute the minimal usable subset of all requirements. For my system, reservation, check in, check out are highest priority.

Should Have requirement are the next priority group. In a less time constrained project they would belong to the first group, but the system will be useful and usable without them. For my system, room gallery and external services sub system is that a kind of priority.

Could Have requirement are those that can be more easily left out of the increment which is being developed. It means they are going to included later. For my system, expand and inventory control are that kind of requirement.

Want to have but will not have this time round requirements are those which can wait until later development takes place. For my system, Payroll for staff is a kind of requirement.

Introduction of UML

UML or Unified Modelling Language is a multipurpose modelling language that aims to provide a standard for modelling a system. UML consists of various diagrams used to model a system from initial idea to an implement able project. Each model carries the specifications and requirement of that same system from different point of view. For example, the users of a particular system only want to know what the system can do while the designer will design what and how many functions or tasks in that system. But a programmer or engineer needs to know how to perform a particular function or how each task affect each other. All this can be realize using UML diagrams. UML provides standard methods and notation to create these models as well as guideline to transform one model to another model while preserving the consistency between models.

UML is a collaboration of several traditional modelling concepts and notation. It is first created by Grady Booch, James Rumbaugh and Ivar Jacobson during 1994. UML is a non proprietary modelling language but its ownership and evolution responsibility is governed by Object Management Group (OMG). The application of UML is very wide. It is not only used in object oriented systems analysis and design. It is also used widely in all phases of complex software development life cycles, development of many systems engineering, as well as in modelling of many business processes. UML is not dependent on any programming languages and strongly highlight the concept of reuse, layering, partitioning and modularity. In general, UML is design to be flexible, extendable and open to many specific applications or industries. UML provides guideline on how to extend a system using stereotypes method.

Introduction to UML Diagram

According to the new OMG’s information, there are a total of thirteen types of diagrams define in the latest UML 2.0, which is divided into three categories namely static structure, behaviour and interaction. Static structure models include the Class diagram, Object diagram, Component diagram, Composite Structure diagram, Package diagram, and Deployment diagram. Behaviour models include the Use Case diagram, Activity diagram, and State diagram. And lastly interaction models include the Sequence diagram, Communication diagram, Timing diagram, and Interaction Overview diagram. Each of the diagrams serves its own purpose and is strongly related to each other.

InyaLake Hotel Use Case

Use Case Description

Register Customer – this use case described to customer register for the system. In other word, it mostly intended for member customer. This use case exist top of the diagram because the other transaction need to work after the registration process.

Reserve Room Type – this use case identify the booking of the room type. It includes two types of booking that are online and offline. The online booking only performs for registration member and the offline booking carry out for guest.

Check In – this use case explain for customer check in room when a customer from booking or direct check in.

Take Service – this use case mean when the customers check in room in hotel, they can request the service form a hotel. After finishing of the request service, the staff will perform their request service.

Check Out -this use case describes the customer request check out the room from a hotel. In this process, the system will perform calculation both room charges and service charges. Finally, the system produces a bill for customer.

Use Case: Reserve Room Type

Primary Scenario

1. The use case starts when a customer enters the reservation link.

2. The system will show login screen.

3. A customer enters the email and password in a login form.

4. The system will display reservation page.

5. The system will generate the auto reservation id for a particular customer.

6. A customer enters a total guest in the reservation form.

7. A customer selects arrival date and departure date in the reservation from.

8. A customer chooses a room types and fill a number of room to stay in the hotel and click the add button.

9. The system will show the reserve room type list in the screen.

10. A customer presses the Reserve button to reservation.

11. The system will verify the information, save reservation information, use case ends.

Secondary Scenario

1. The use case starts when a customer enters the reservation link.

2. The system will show login screen.

3. If a customer has not a member, a customer clicks the sign up button to show register page.

4. The system will show register screen and auto generate the Member ID.

5. The customer enter Name, Password, Nationality, NRC/Passport, Phone, Gender, DOB, Email, Address and click the register button.

6. The system will transfer login screen again.

7. A customer enters the email and password in a login form.

8. The system will display reservation page.

9. The system will generate the auto reservation id for a particular customer.

10. A customer enters a total guest in the reservation form.

11. A customer selects arrival date and departure date in the reservation from.

12. A customer chooses a room types and fill a number of room to stay in the hotel and click the add button.

13. The system will show the reserve room type list in the screen.

14. A customer presses the reserve button to reservation.

15. The system will verify the information, save reservation information, use case ends.

Use Case: Check In

Primary Scenario

1. The use case starts when a staff enters the check in link.

2. A staff selects a member or guest who makes reservation.

3. The system will display member Information, reserved room information.

4. A staff selects room type.

5. The system will show available room information.

6. A staff chooses a room from available room list to check in.

7. A staff clicks the check in button to check in.

8. The system will verify the information, save check in information, use case ends.

Secondary Scenario

1. The use case starts when a staff enters the check in link.

2. A staff selects a member or guest who makes reservation.

3. ႈ္ႈ္If a member or guest is not to make reservation.

4. A staff selects check in date and check out date.

5. If a customer is guest enter guest information else enter the member id to verify valid member.

6. A staff enter total guest.

7. A staff selects room type.

5. The system will show available room information.

6. A staff chooses a room from available room list to check in.

7. A staff clicks the check in button to check in.

8. The system will verify the information, save check in information, use case ends.

Use Case: Take Service

Primary Scenario

1. The use case starts when a staff enters the service taken link.

2. A staff enters to room no to take service.

3. The system will shows check in information and produce service taken form.

4. A staff enters a service voucher number.

5. A staff selects a service type.

6. A system will show relevant service item and price.

7. A staff enters amount of service item.

8. The system will calculate and display total amount.

9. A staff press add button to take service.

10. The system will display service taken list and services total.

11. A staff clicks the save button.

12. The system will verify the information, save check in information, use case ends.

Secondary Scenario

1. The use case starts when a staff enters the service taken link.

2. A staff enters to room no to take service.

3. The system will shows check in information and produce service taken form.

4. A staff enters a service voucher number.

5. A staff selects a service type.

6. A system will show relevant service item and price.

7. A staff enters amount of service item.

8. The system will calculate and display total amount.

9. A staff press add button to take service.

10. The system will display service taken list and services total.

11. A staff clicks the save button.

12. The system will verify the information, save check in information, use case ends.

Alternative Paths

2. If there is not found check in room, the system will show error message and use case ends.

Use Case: Check Out

Primary Scenario

1. The use case starts when a staff enters check out link.

2. A staff select member id or guest name choose to check out.

3. The system will show check in information, check in room and total room charges information, service taken and service taken charges information.

4. A staff clicks the check out button.

5. The system will verify the information, save check in information, use case ends.

Alternative Paths

2. If there is not found member id, guest name, the system will show error message and use case ends.

Secondary Scenario

1. The use case starts when a staff enters check out link.

2. A staff select room number choose to check out.

3. The system will show check in information, check in room and total room charges information, service taken and service taken charges information.

4. A staff clicks the check out button.

5. The system will verify the information, save check in information, use case ends.

Alternative Paths

2. If there is not found room number, the system will show error message and use case ends.

Class Diagram

Why divide member and guest table?

In a hotel, every guest cannot be fill registration and they may want to stay only one time to stay that hotel. In this situation, I separate the two types of customers that are guest which do not fill registration and may be one time customer for each hotel and member who comes often/always come to hotel.

Why I made generalization for user table?