1.You have used simulation exercises to learn important front office management skills. What are other areas within a hospitality operation for which you think simulations would be a good way to provide employee training? Give three specific examples.

2.Do you think the use of training simulations for the hospitality industry will increase in the future? Explain your answer.

3.What are three reasons hotels operate better when FOMs produce timely and accurate rooms demand forecasts?

4.How do rooms demand forecasts affect the selling prices of a lodging operations guest rooms?

5.Some hotels allow guests to cancel room reservations at the last minute and without penalty if a personal emergency arises. Would you implement such a policy? If so, how could you protect your hotel from unscrupulous guests seeking to defraud your hotel by falsifying the reason for their last-minute cancellation?

6.Assume that you are a hotelier who has a group booked at your hotel. The group has picked up all of its originally requested rooms and is now requesting additional rooms at the same reduced rates you originally agreed to when their group rooms contract was signed. You do have rooms available to fulfill the groups new request, but you know those remaining rooms could now be sold to the general public at rates much higher than those being paid by the group. What factors would you consider prior to granting, or not granting, this groups request for additional rooms?

7.Some hotels state that they guarantee room availability (but not room type availability) when a guest arrives with a guaranteed reservation. Name one advantage of such an approach. Name one disadvantage.

8.Some hotels FOMs authorize their front office agents to adjust room charges up to the amount of a guests total charges for their stay. Other FOMs limit the dollar amount of adjustment that can be made without first seeking approval from a supervisor. What would be the advantages to the hotel of each approach? Which approach would you prefer to take if you were serving as FOM of a hotel?

9.Staffing the night auditors position in a hotel can sometimes be a real challenge. Why do you think it is most often harder to find qualified night auditors than it is to find qualified front office agents working other shifts?

10.Now that you have completed all of the FOMS lessons, would you recommend its use to other students