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IO 1 – Standard Operating Procedures
SOP 03 - Cancellation of the reservation through
the telephone
“SOP 03 - Cancellation of the reservation
through the telephone.”
Created by Štěpán Chalupa
Issued on 12. 5. 2022
Created for Front Office employees, Trainers and Trainees, Students
Updated by XX
Updated on XX
Introduction
After the reservation is created and confirmed, hotel guests agree with the cancellation policy and
general business terms of trade. They can modify their reservations during the pre-stay period if
flexibility is available. The difference in room rates and the cancellation and distribution policy is
known to handle properly. Ensure you understand the content of the SOP 02.
Purpose
The purpose is to handle the request for reservation cancellation and ensure the client is satisfied.
Always in connection to reservation status and the applicable cancellation policy.
Procedure
Answer to call with respect to the standard of telephone communication (SOP 02). Use the caller’s
name as much as possible, follow the steps and respect the customers’ needs and wants.
1. Greet the customer. “Good Morning/Afternoon/Evening, this is Hotel International Front
Office/Reservation Department, Štěpán Chalupa speaking. How may I assist you?”
2. The client requests reservation cancellation.
3. Ask the client for the guest's name or a reservation number. “May I ask you for the
reservation number or the name on which the reservation was made?”
4. Search the reservation in the PMS. “Let me check the reservation in our system. Please
hold on for a while.”
5. Re-confirm the reservation details (date of arrival and departure, number of rooms and
guests).
6. Mention the cancellation policy which will be applied. In this situation (flexible
guaranteed reservation), the guarantee will be sent back without any fees and charges.
7. Request the cancellation reason.
8. Record the cancellation reason in the PMS.
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9. Provide the reservation number to the guest. In case the cancellation is prosecuted by a
third person, it is vital to collect the personal data of the person who made the
cancellation request to be listed in the Retention Letter.
10. Inform the client about further steps and guarantee a refund.
11. Mail the cancellation details to the client. The standardized Retention letter is often used
with all the reservation details.
Such a smooth process of reservation cancellation can only be for un-guaranteed or guaranteed
reservations where the cancellation request is made promptly before the cancellation charges are
applied. Other situations are described in following the part of the SOP.
Critical points and unstandardized situations
Contrary to the smooth prosecution of the cancellation request presented in the procedure above,
front office employees face different and more difficult situations. Their list, including solutions, is
listed below.
• Guaranteed reservations in the period of cancellation charge apply. The guest decided to
cancel the stay in the period of cancellation charge application (mostly the rate of the first
night of the stay or the full reservation costs, based on the specific cancellation policy). As
an FO employee, you must inform the client about the cancellation charge, document
everything in the PMS, and mail it to the client. In addition, you must follow the refunds
rules and information about them the client.
• Non-refundable reservations. In this case, the cancellation charge is 100 % of the
reservation costs of the client. It is crucial to inform the client about the rate selected and
the cancellation policy connected to this offer. Similarly to the previous solution, the FO
employee might shift the reservation of the client is possible to improve the overall
perception of the accommodation facility. This procedure must fit the sales rules and the
approval of the FO manager or directly revenue manager.
• Reservation made through a third party. For third-party reservations, you must inform
the client about the cancellation procedure, where the stay can only be cancelled through
a third party.