Types of Menu

Menu may be classified in four different ways:
• Pricing 
• Schedule 
• Meal Time
• Specialty 
• Pricing 

Under this category, menus are led by the way they are priced to meet the varying budgets of customers. Menu items may be individually priced or a whole meal priced. Let us look at the characteristics of both.
A La Carte : A menu in which each food item is separately priced to give the guest choice to suite his or her tastes and budgets. Each course has a number of choices.

MENU : 

                Starters                 Soups                          Seafood 

                Meats                     Poultry                       Vegetables 

                Breads                   Deserts                       Beverages

Table d’ hote : It is a meal divided into a set number of courses with limited or no choice with in these. The selling price is fixed and all dishes are usually ready at a set time. Menus are changed daily and have the price mentioned in bottom right hand side corner. 

EXAMPLE : 

Appetizer Or Soup

Meat Dish Or Vegetable Dish 

Dessert : Tea/ Coffee 

OTHER MENUS 

Combination menu: 

This menu combines the a la carte and table d’ hote menus. A La Carte menu for instance may offer a combination of rice/beads, vegetables, potatoes in the entrée dish price. Table d’ hote menus on the other hand, may offer an option of the whole meal or a choice of individually priced appetizers or desserts from the menu.

 Menu Schedules : 

This category focuses on the frequency of menu revision. Some establishments offer menus that last months while others are changed daily. 

Fixed Menus: 

A fixed menu is one which is used daily for a period of months or a year, like most restaurants. The restaurants that use such menus either have a large variety of items with in each courses or when the frequency of repeat guests is less. Establishments like transit hotels, specialty restaurants or weekend resorts may choose fixed menus because the guests are in for a short visit or visit the restaurant for a variety from the usual. 

Cyclic Menu:

 These are designed to offer frequent guests a variety. The cycle of menus can be on a daily, weekly or monthly basis. These menus may be found in downtown lunch restaurants frequented by a dedicated business clientele. Isolated resorts may offer cyclic menus to their guests who do not have any where else to go. 

Meal Times :

The traditional meal times of breakfast, brunch, lunch, tea and dinner have their special types of meals justifying separate meals for each. There may be restaurants specializing in a particular meal time. Night clubs and discotheques are a good example of this category. 

Breakfast Menu: 

Breakfast menus are fairly standardized. Most restaurants will offer a choice of juices, cereals, eggs to order, breakfast meats like bacon, sausages or ham, waffles or pancakes with maple syrup, for the sweet toothed. The bed and breakfast establishments generally serve a choice of breads, jam and marmalade, tea and coffee. Being the first meal, guests are in hurry and want a quick service. Therefore, breakfast buffets are common in outlets with brisk morning business. 

Example of Breakfast menu : 

Breakfast menu : Choice of juices-orange, Mango, Apple * Porridge or Oats ** Eggs to Order 

Lunch Menu : 

Lunch menu can vary from elaborate meals or light meals depending on the purpose and culture of the guest. Business-persons prefer sandwiches, salad and soups due to limited time at lunch breaks or are weight-watchers. Salads bars have become an important part of must luncheon restaurants. Those restaurants that have dedicated clientele, may choose to go for cyclic menu / Table d’ hote luncheon menus to break the monotony of one single menu. They may even offer specials of the day displayed along with their regular menu. 

Tea Menu : 

The English have made the late afternoon meal into a fine art. Apart from the traditional tea (which are now available in flavors & served in elaborate tea sets), other items include dainty sandwiches (egg, chicken, cheese and tomato), breads (with butter, jam or honey), and pastries (like scones, doughnuts, cookies and cakes).

 Dinner Menu :

These menus are elaborate as guests have more time and leisure for eating. Dinner menus are an entertainment and people are willing to pay extra for these meals. Alcoholic drinks are an essential part of dinner menus. Supper Menu : The term ‘supper’ is used in the European continent but it varies in purpose around the continent. It can be a light dinner for either early evening or late nights. It can be filler between two major meals lunch and dinner and breakfast. A typical early evening supper meal can be a soup, meat dish with vegetables and a light dessert. A late night supper can consist of a sandwich with hot cocoa or fruit. 

Brunch Menu:

Are designed for the family or guests who wish to wake late. They are popular on holidays and weekends as also at vacation spots where the pace of life slows down. Brunches, are spread well beyond breakfast hours. The brunch will have combinations of breakfast and lunch items to suit the mood and taste of the individual. A typical Example of a brunch menu is 

• Fresh Fruits 

• Smoked English Ham

• Creamed Sweetbreads in patty shells 

• Polish sausages 

• Golden pancakes with maple syrup 

• Scrambled Eggs 

• Hash Brown with gravy 

• Fried chicken with Cole slaw 

• Mixed sauteed vegetables 

• Assorted rolls 

Poolside Menus :

These menus are specially designed to facilitate easy service beside the pool. The items would be pre-plated snack food like club sandwiches, hamburgers, etc. or barbecue items. 

Snacks Menus : 

Snacks Menus are offered in between regular meal timings. Snack menus are popular with students, shoppers, or casual eaters. Snack menus will have burgers, club sandwiches, milk shakes, juices, soda fountain specialties and colas. 

Specialty Menus :

Specialty menus cater to market segments that have particular need. Today families with both working parents may want a place to feed their children conveniently and inexpensively. Then again they may want some one to handle a children’s birthday party completely.

Children’s Menu: 

Children’s have become prime demand makers in homes. Advertisements today are all directed towards children. Fast food outlets have exploited this trend with family and children’s packages. A typical children’s menu has burgers, fried chicken, sandwiches, coleslaw, French fries, noodles, ice cream, and soft drinks etc. 

Diet Menus : 

Diet menu have become significant with the health- conscious modern public. Health foods will have salads, steamed items, non-fat sauces and non- cholesterol items.

Dessert Menu:

This menu is offered by restaurants that have good patisserie. They cater to the public with a sweet tooth. Most outlets with this specialty would have captive confectioneries to give them an edge. 

Ethnic Menu :

These are offered by specialty restaurants that concentrate on a type of cuisine. French, Chinese, Japanese, Indian restaurants will offer ethnic menus. An important part of this menu is to translate names of items into English, explain the main ingredients and cooking style, and clarify whether it is spicy or not. 

Airport Representative Duties & Responsibility

Job Description for hotel Airport Representative

Primarily responsible to ensure that all arrival guests with flight details are paged and assisted with luggage and transportation. Assists hotel guests during pick and transfer. Receive VIP guests at the airport on behalf of the hotel and provide required assistance.

Additionally act as the hotels ambassador at the airport and promote the hotel rooms, facilities and services according to the hotels operational standards.

AIRPORT REPRESENTATIVE DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

1. Handling guest arrival with pick up request, and arrange the transportation.
2. Assist with guest luggage as and when required.
3. Give all hotel facilities information to the guest and assists them in to the car.
4. Inform reception manager, concierge or guest relation officers when VIP on their way to the hotel.
5. Be present at all scheduled flight landings and assist incoming guests with baggage clearance and directing them to transport facilities.
6. Stand by at the arrival terminal for every flight arrival.
7. Write all the additional instruction for guests or information about guest arrival or departure in the logbook and should be transferred to the expected arrival list of each airport rep.
8. If the pickup is not arranged by the hotel then, Guest should be shown only to the recommended taxi or limousine.
9. Escort the guest to the official car rental and deals with authorized car rental staff.
10. Any changes on arrival and departure flight must be reported to Front Office manager and chief concierge.
11. If there is a problem while on duty without the supervisor, must be discussed and report to front office manager.
12. Responsible for good service and maintain close relationship with all official sectors at the airport and most of all, maintain a spirit of team work among the hotel’s personnel. Submit names and arrival flight numbers to meeting service staff.
13. Ensures the neat of appearance and grooming of airport representative officers.
14. Anything that is related to operation as well as special cases of leaving must be noted down in the logbook, and also have to have the written approval of Hospitality Manager or Chief Concierge.
15. Must follow the working schedule properly. Any changes to be reported and approved by front office manager, assistant front office manager and assistant managers.
16. Maintain detailed knowledge of all facilities and services offered by the hotel.
17. VIP and VVIP guests to be welcomed at the airport and ensure transportation is arranged.
18. Maintain a good relationship with airline personnel, immigration and custom officers under the guidance of the Manager. 

Tips for Upselling Guest Rooms

Tips for Effectively Upselling Guest Rooms at  Front office

1. Upselling to hotel guests while they arrive at the hotel to check-in often holds the best opportunity to create more revenue for the hotel.
2. A good incentive program for reservations and front office team offered by the hotel management helps to successfully motivate staff in upselling guest rooms.
3. Always greet each guest with a smile in your voice as well as your face.
4. Always Establish and maintain eye contact with the guest.
5. Ask open-ended questions to understand the guest needs and requirements, and make timely suggestions and offering alternatives with an upsell.
6. Understand the guest profile from the reservation details and identify those guests who are most likely to take a higher category room.
7. Bookings generated via corporates or negotiated rates or by in-house sales team are not likely to take higher category rooms and as their bills are normally paid by their company.
8. Guests who are in honeymoon, family leisure trip, long stay, online travel agents (OTA’s), direct bookings, walk-in’s etc. are most most likely to opt for the upsell offer. This is because in most of the cases the guest who comes to stay at the hotel is not aware of the different room offering by the hotel
9. Be pleasant and business-like, as you are selling yourself as much as you are selling the hotel facilities and services.
10. Find out the guests name immediately and use it at least three times during the conversation.
11. Always use appropriate titles like Mr., Miss when addressing the guest and never call the guest by his first name, always use the surname with an appropriate title.
12. Attempt to identify the need of the guest since these needs may not have been identified during the reservation process.
13. Match the guests needs to the rooms furnishing or amenities or view (sea view, pool view, mountain view) etc.
14. If the guest stays for many nights then he/she would be interested in a larger or spacious room.
15. If the guest is on a honeymoon then offer them with a room with a view like a sea facing, pool facing, mountain facing room etc.
16. If the guest has a reservation on a lower category then mention the main difference and extra features he gets when compared with higher category rooms.
17. Inform about the additional charge or difference in tariff with encouraging statements like with a difference of X amount you can get a sea view room.
18. Upsell rooms by pointing out its features and benefits first, then mention the difference in price.
19. If there are two different room type available then mention the benefits of both rooms so that guest can choose the best which fits his requirement
20. For walk-in always provide details of a lower category and higher category to avoid the risk of losing the revenue while trying to up sell to the guest.
21. Always thanks the guest after a successful upsell.