Fiscal Front Office

To achieve the best possible performance from a hotel's front office, Fidelio's Front Office Management software is an invaluable asset to your business. This is one of the world's best selling front office systems, and it's the system of choice for Hilton International, InterContinental, Mandarin Oriental, Forte, CIGA and many other chains and independents around the globe.

Overview

Fidelio Front Office is an integrated family of property management software modules that work together to maximize the efficiency of the entire organization. Front Office includes features that speed and simplify all of the functions needed to serve guests, manage hotel operations, and maintain an efficiently run enterprise. All Front Office features are designed to be easy to learn and use.

The standard Front Office configuration provides a complete array of hotel management modules including Reservations, Front Desk, Cashiering, Housekeeping, Night Audit, Leisure Management, Rates and Availability, Groups and Blocks, Guest History and Profiles, Reporting, and Security. The many user-definable features allow Front Office to be customized for any hotel environment regardless of size or functionality requirements.

Front Office offers interfaces to a host of third-party systems. In addition, Front Office can be combined with other Fidelio products such as Sales and Catering, Food and Beverage, Engineering Management, Accounts Receivable, Travel Agent Processing, and Frequent Flyer. Front Office can also be integrated with the MICROS-Fidelio Central Systems ? the Customer Information System, and the Central Reservations System ? for comprehensive central management of guest profiles, memberships, rates, and reservations.

System Architecture

• Network: Windows NT Server 4.0 or Novell IntraNetware 4.1 are supported.
• Database: xBase running under DOS 6.22/Windows 3.11.
• Client: Windows NT 4.0 Workstation or Windows 95.

Hardware Configuration

• Application Server: Scalable to support any size property, from 100 rooms on up. Basic system is 166MHz Pentium, 128M RAM, with 4G hard drive.
• Database Server: 133MHz Pentium, 16M RAM, standard hard drive.
• Standard Client Workstation: 166MHz Pentium, 32M RAM, standard hard drive.
• Other Hardware Requirements: Backup workstation, Night Audit workstation, interface PC, printers.

Software Features: Following is a brief list of some of the main features offered by Front Office.

Reservations: Front Office features handle all aspects of the reservation process from setting up rates and booking the reservation to change management, shares, and profiles.

• Multiple Reservation Types: Individual, company, travel agent, source and group.
• Easy setup: defaulted values, automatic calculations, picklists.
• Room rate/type availability can be linked to hotel sales strategy.
• Availability display can show important events.
• Waitlisted reservations.
• Create and break shares.
• Guest loyalty awards and memberships handling.
• Profiles for guests, companies, travel agents, sources and groups may be attached to reservations.
• Suite handling.
• Unlimited rate codes. Automatic or manual rate assignment.
• Rate projections in multiple currencies.
• User-definable Confirmation letters automatically generated via fax, e-mail.
• Routing instructions for billing.
• Supports reservation queries by over 30 characteristics (e.g., name, partial name, arrival or departure date/time, source, confirmation number, travel agency, membership number, etc.).
• Reservation modifications, cancellations (including mass cancellations), reactivations.
• Copy feature supports add-on reservations.
• Easy automatic room assignment by arrival date, group order, rate code, market code, room type, room features, etc.
• Guest message management including support for multiple languages.
• Multiple traces handling. Action traces may be assigned to specific departments. Certain types of traces can be handled automatically on due date.
• Package elements may be added to the reservation "on the fly".

Groups and Blocks: Front Office efficiently manages group reservations for tours, conventions, social affairs, and business meetings.

• Ability to set up group room blocks and allocations. Blocks may be set up to allow overbooking (elastic blocks) or not.
• Special group rates.
• Integrates with Fidelio Sales and Catering.
• Multiple cutoff dates supported.
• Automatic release of unsold rooms by cutoff date.
• Tour series (recurring blocks).
• Create rooming lists.
• Automatic room assignment, optionally based on room type, room features.
• Group or individual check-in and check-out.
• Group generation of keys.
• Group or individual action traces and messages.
• Individual billing or group master folio.
• Group statistics and reports.

Rates and Availability: Front Office includes sales strategy tools to maximize occupancy and revenue.

• Unlimited rate codes supported.
• Rate availability can be based on rate code or category.
• Change availability of rate code, rate category, or room type globally or based on dates, day of week, or on day-to-day basis.
• Room status can include: Open, closed, closed to arrival, minimum length of stay, minimum stay through, etc.
• Rate grid allows selection of available rates based on reservation data.
• Set overbooking level for hotel per day and per room type.
• VIP override of overbooking parameter.

Packages: Front Office can handle even the most complex package requirements.

• Package prices can be added to rates or included in the rate.
• Package elements can be printed on separate folio lines.
• Package prices may be per adult, per child, per person, or flat rate.
• Variety of posting rhythms supported.
• Integrates with POS to simplify handling of inclusive meals.

Front Desk (Check-In, In-House): A complete selection of features to expedite front desk responsibilities.

• Query arrivals and in-house guests by over 30 reservation characteristics.
• Quick location of guest information for check-in, viewing, modification.
• Display available rooms by type, any combination of features, or status.
• Optional automatic room assignment.
• Walk-in handling.
• Modification of any reservation details.
• Option to print registration card.
• Up to four folios per guest.
• EFT interface for obtaining automatic credit card authorization.
• Credit authorization may be set up to include or not include room rate.
• Multiple guest messages in user-defined languages. Send messages to individuals or to groups (based on VIP status, arrival or departure status, group, etc.).
• Sort, display, print messages.
• Supports virtual DID numbers for voice, modem, fax, pager, etc.
• Maintains room history.
• Easy room moves.

Profiles and Guest History: Front Office gathers and manages information that can make the reservation process more efficient, increase guest satisfaction and augment revenues.

• Create profiles for individual guests, companies, agents and sources.
• More than 20 standard information fields, plus user definable fields.
• Master Account numbers, Frequent Flyer and Frequent Guest memberships.
• Guest room preferences that become default when reservation is booked.
• Cashlist and restricted list.
• VIP override of overbooking parameter.
• Commissions for agents, source, clients.
• Multiple credit cards per profile.
• Match and merge duplicate profiles.
• Revenue and statistics displays for up to 3 years.
• Purge program removes inactive profiles.
• Create mailings by user-definable selection criteria.
• Statistical reports include revenues, stays, nights, no-shows, cancellations, etc., by guest, company, travel agents and sources.

Guest Accounting Features: Front Office accounting features allow detailed tracking of deposits, payments, taxes, and may other specifics related to billing and revenues.

• Up to 799 user definable department codes and 9999 articles.
• 50 paid out and 50 non-revenue accounts.
• 80 payment accounts (credit cards, currencies, bank transfers, etc.).
• Routing instructions for automatic posting of specific charges, with or without date limits.
• Modify and split postings.
• Manual adjustments to room and tax postings.
• City ledger accounts.
• Postings after check-out.
• Display and print folios for checked out guests.
• Interfaces to POS, PBX, minibar, etc.
• Reservation deposit accounting features.

Check-Out, Folio and Cashiering: Front Office Cashiering features assist in guest check-out, folio preparation.

• User definable folio format in up to five languages.
• In addition to regular folios, print advance, interim, and information folios and pro-forma invoices.
• Detailed folios, expense folios, daily group summaries, and over 20 other folio styles.
• Remote check-out interface.
• Quick check-out without folio printing.
• Early departure with pre-posting of room and tax.
• Automatic detection of late departures.
• Unlimited payment combinations (e.g., credit card, cash, direct bill).
• Batch folios can be printed using numerous customizing options.
• Group check-out.
• 99 cashier numbers.
• Check and currency exchange.
• Supports triangular Euro exchange requirements.
• Complete cashier journal. Cashier closeout with automatic balance calculation.
• Fixed starting balances and blind drop.

Night Audit: Balance the day's activity and complete the hotel's accounting functions for the day.

• Post room and tax charges, other fixed charges.
• Process guaranteed no-shows, change status of non-guaranteed no-shows.
• Display open cashiers, departures not paid, no-shows.
• Prepare unlimited management reports and statistics.
• Perform block control (respond to cutoff dates).
• Create system backups.
• User-definable Night Audit sequence, management report selection.

Reporting: Front Office report generator provides a full range of standard and custom reports.

• Report menus for Guests in House, Reservations, Financial and A/R, Night Audit, Housekeeping, Profiles, Statistics, and other features.
• User-definable printer setup files.
• Comparison with previous year (day, month, year) and budget.
• Mailing module (mail merge, labels, confirmation letters, etc.).
• Fax interface.

Housekeeping and Rooms Management: Front Office features assist with details of housekeeping and maintaining room inventory.

• Housekeeping status by room type.
• Room assignment and allocation reports.
• Attendant worksheets.
• Room attendant productivity reports.
• Room discrepancy reports.
• Change room status via telephone interface.
• Function key room status display.
• Linen management features.
• Quick cleaning options.
• Out of order and out of service statuses.

Leisure Management: Easy control of unlimited activities that are reserved by time slots, such as tennis courts, golf tee-times, massages, horseback riding, hairdresser, etc.

• Graphical reservation booking screen.
• User definable time slots.
• Seasonal and time-sensitive pricing.
• Bookings for guests, staff, members, walk-ins.
• Leisure activities may be supported through service outlets.

Setup and Configuration: These Front Office features make it easy to get the system on-line and to customize and modify the system to meet the needs of the hotel.

• 32 flexible room type definitions.
• Unlimited number of rooms supported.
• 10 reservation types supported.
• Unlimited rate codes.
• User definable guest award system.
• Multiple language support.
• Multiple currency support with foreign currency exchange rate support.
• Market codes, source codes, region codes.
• Over 100 parameter "switches" to customize Front Office for country, tax handling, etc.
• Unlimited number of users.
• External programs (DOS) can be called from Fidelio main menu.
• User-defined standard texts (in multiple languages) for registration cards, confirmation letters, folios, etc. Custom fonts and page layout.
• Customized general hotel data (decimal points, default country, default currency, VATs, commission percentages).
• User-definable Night Audit sequence, management report selection.

Security: Non-intrusive security features protect against misuse and unauthorized access.

• User ID and password uniquely identify each system user.
• User activity log audits all system activity.
• User rights control access to system features.
• Special cashier identification.
• Passwords may be set to expire at regular intervals, with or without a grace period.
• Individual user IDs may be suspended to disallow logon without deleting user information.

Interfaces: Front Office may be integrated with a host of MICROS-Fidelio and third-party systems.

• MICROS-Fidelio CIS and CRS (Customer Information System and Central Reservation System).
• Fidelio and third-party Sales and Catering systems.
• Fidelio and third-party Back Office systems.
• Telephone and Call Accounting systems.
• MICROS-Fidelio and third-party Point of Sale systems.
• Key Service systems.
• Electronic Funds Transfer systems.
• Energy and Engineering Management systems.
• Voice Mail systems.
• Paging system.
• Remote Check-In and Check-Out systems.
• Yield Management systems.
• Minibar and Vending systems.

Customizability and Ease of Use Features: The design of Front Office includes a variety of features that make it user friendly and easy to learn.

• Immediate access to the most used features from anywhere in the system via function keys.
• Screen painter lets you create user definable screens for guest address, company address, guest history, reservation, check-in, check-out, etc.
• User definable colors for screens, pick boxes, help text, input fields, etc.
• Pull-down menus.
• Configurable context-sensitive help.
• Hotel floor plan.
• Built in tools such as a currency exchange calculator and text editor.