Tag Archives: Opera Training

Opera PMS and the Hotel Sales Manager

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Opera PMS and the Sales & Catering program. If you are unfamiliar with using a Sales Program then you may find this system to be a bit of a challenge. You can purchase this program with our without the Sales and Catering interface.

Believe it or not there are still a lot of properties that do not offer a modernized PMS System and Sales Program.

Prepare to spend a lot of time working on the configuration that needs to be completed with care and correctly. This time spent will save time in the long run. I recommend that when planning to convert that frequent meetings and recaps are being conducted to make sure the Management Team is all on the same page.

Once the PMS System is completed and you are ready to go live, I suggest that Management is around and available to assist where needed. Put some coffee and cookies out in the lobby and prepare for a long night.

Guests do not care about your new system and they certainly don’t want to be held up at the front desk. Make sure the Staff is properly trained before they work with the guests.

The Sales Person will need to create a Profile on all of the accounts. From there the group block will need to be built and any Events will need to be entered. Once all is entered, the Sales Person can conveniently check space and room availability. Similar to Delphi and other programs, this will show what meeting space is booked and check the cap on the Group Rooms that was entered in during configuration.

The Sales Person will need to enter in their prospects. During the configuration you can establish some nice feature such as automatic traces. These traces will ensure that no potential account gets ignored or forgotten. The Sales Person clicks on their activities and the traces will be there. Traces are automatic, manual and can be changed.

The goal is for the Sales Person to enter in their prospects and inquiries. By doing this you can easily change a tentative to a definite booking in one click. Contracts will automatically be printed, sweet and simple. And the properties history can be available at any time. Lost business can also be calculated and reviewed.

There are many benefits to Opera. It takes some practice and time to learn. It is important that the Management Team understands this system so they can train and support the staff. The Front Desk Agents should be property trained before they are put out at the desk. Time, patience and drive will make you a pro at a good program.

Good luck!

Pure Energy

Hotel Sales Manager & National Housekeeping Week

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Next week is National Housekeeping Week.  A lot of the chains get their staff involved in some appreciation and team building exercises.  This is the first year ever that they will be recognized at our hotel and the week celebrated.  The Housekeeping Staff has signed up like mad on the games and pie eating contests.  It’s nice to see them smile and talk about it all excited. 

Also next week is our all employee picnic…in between working.  They have rented a dunking well and some of the Manager’s will have to go in it, get dunked for a fee.  Whatever we generate from the events we will donate to a local charity.  It’s going to be a site to see. 

One of the Manager’s that I thought was one of the best was fired tonight.  Basically, from what I gathered, he was complaining to a front desk employee about his job, all the hours he’s working, his pay and everything.  I’m not sure exactly what he said but he was busted and was terminated.  Although it could of been written off as “blowing off steam”, the new Management Team took it very seriously and took action. 

He was the best employee I have ever seen.  And my clients loved him.  He would do anything for anybody.  Work all day and come back at night.  I simply can’t believe it.  Someone said to me “17 of us to start, 6 of us left”.  It’s the truth.  Most of the old Management Team has been fired.  I expected this and new this when the new General Manager was brought in.  I have seen it too many times and I am proud to say, that I have made it through every one of them.  But, you just never know.

It’s hard to go into work everyday wondering if you will be fired or not with all of the changes.  In the beginning I was nauseous about the changes and fearful for my job.  I was of course the Director of Sales and you knew the deal.  I wanted to remain on the team and I wanted to simply sell.  Forget all of the bull that comes with being a Director.  Maybe some fresh eyes and help would be better for the Sales Team.  So I took a breath and a chance and talked to the New General Manager letting him know that I love the property and that I wanted to sell only.  I think that he respected me for that and I remained on the Team and took the SMERFE Sales Manager position.  I must say, I love it and I can rest better at night.  No, they did not reduce my salary but they did change the commission structure that has cost me financially but I’m working my way through it. 

I think this new team has people just waiting to replace us.  But then I think that since my DOS said that I was on the right track and that I was doing a good job, that maybe they do find me an asset.  Some of the old Manager’s say that they are working us to death to get them set up and then they will replace us.  I know that these people thinking this will be the next to go.  I find not commenting and staying away from these people are the best thing to do.

Bottom line, I have to stop thinking and just to the job the best I can.  That’s the only way that I can stomach it.  It’s not so much that I am fearful of being fired, I really do see the property as an asset and I enjoy working here.  It’s been over 2 years now and I want to be part of the team that turns this property around.   I hope that they know that.  We will see.

The Opera Training went well today.  But still not for the Catering Manager.  I’m hoping that she makes it through all of this.  I can’t imagine her not being there.  Although she practiced the old way of doing things, she had built a well oiled wheel.  And she didn’t miss a beat.  She can barely keep up with her clients all day as it is.  I don’t know how she is going to find time to enter everything in Opera.  This assistant can only do so much.

Thank God It’s Friday!  It’s been a long week.  Still 3 more training days to go until I am free for a couple of weeks.  Can’t wait!

Good luck selling!

Pure Energy

Hotel Sales Manager’s…Rooms vs Catering….

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This was one of those days that you can’t wait to end. The Opera Configuration went so well that we are ahead a day. I didn’t know until today but the trainer will be coming back in late September for Phaze II Training. My stomach dropped. My God, all I want to do is sell here.

I have never experienced all of these distractions, issues and constant challenges. All of this effects my efforts and I have not run at 100% in over 2 months now. When is everything going to settle down? First the changes in the Management Team. Well at least I made it through that one so far since I was one of the few that was not fired.

Then the Sales Office renovations and by the way, they are still not done. My office desk is broken now and half of it is sitting on the floor behind me. I can’t use it. But I’m a mature women and experienced so I have found ways around some of this. If I was green, I’d be lost and I probably wouldn’t of continued my career in the Hospitality Industry.

In the meantime, there are over 800 qualified leads sitting on my desk that are burning at my soul to make contact. Although I sit quietly in the Opera Configuration Class, the rage that I hold in because I can’t do my job drives me insane. Sure, I can spend half of my night emailing clients from home. Sure I could work longer hours and believe me, I work enough hours. There are many things that I could probably do.

But, I find it rather satisfying to sit here, drink my coffee, smoke when I want, and simply rant in this blog. After this I will post my rant on digg.com, google, facebook and furl. So it’s a busy night.

I focus most of my efforts on selling rooms. If it comes with a banquet or I can sell them a breakfast buffet, then that’s great too. Catering Sales People are different. They are not rooms people. Rooms people are also different. They are not catering people. So I have seen the clash and distance between them over the years. Is worth displacing a regular meeting room client to replace it with a deal that also includes rooms? To the room person yes but to the catering person, a big fat NO. And not to mention any commission involved.

Rooms and Catering Sales Manager’s should work together. It is more fun and simply more rewarding in the end. And how many of us are doing 5 other jobs at the same time? We need to use each other’s gifts to our advantage. The Catering Sales Manager and I work together and it’s a plus that I enjoy her company. Not to mention that I admire how hard she works and how good she is. I am lucky that we do have a lot of flexible meeting space so that we haven’t really lost anything due to a meeting room booking to rooms.

And let’s talk about the Food & Beverage Director and CHEF. I write that big because they think they are “BIG”….lol…. A rooms Sales Person should partner with these two positions. Simply because, they are the ultimate decision makers on any special food discounts that your student tour group is requesting or any other type of F & B discount. You must play “nice nice” with these people. You will need them.

It’s all better to try and get along. I see a lot of great potential from most of the Operation Manager’s and Supervisors at my hotel. But I see more often great people getting burnt out because they can’t seem to get their team together. Although we are down in revenue, it just seems like we do not have enough help or staffing on. But I know with the payroll overhead, we are already looking at “red” for September. We beat September last year by $46,000. We rocked! The Market shifted, new Management with new ideas and the economy overall is affecting our property’s revenues. Probably in the same way as yours.

Although I thought I was not in training tomorrow, with the schedule changes I’m in training all morning. I have a promising appointment in the afternoon that will most likely take most of my day. I’m not sure how I will conquer all of my responsibilities tomorrow. I’m thinking I’m going to bed early, getting rest and I’m not going to dwell on it. Got to stay positive.

My advise…go in kickin’ tomorrow! Good Luck!

Pure Energy