Be vigilant for signs someone could be in trouble or causing trouble:

Appearance: Do they show signs of malnourishment, injuries at different stages of healing and/or a lack of medical care? Are they dressed appropriately for the weather and situation?

Demeanour: How is the guest behaving? If someone is aggressive towards you or others or heavily under the influence of drugs or alcohol you are not required to check them in. If you believe doing so would endanger you, other guests or the business, excuse yourself and call a manager. If they are a group or a pair, how do they interact with one another? Do they seem able to come and go at will? Are they disoriented, confused, lacking sleep or showing signs of abuse?

Communication: How do guests communicate with you or each other? When addressed directly, is the guest able to speak for them self? Do they use inappropriate sexual language? Do they say anything suggesting they could be in danger or likely to cause trouble.

Luggage: Do they have the appropriate number/type of bags for their length of stay?

Paying Cash: Guests paying cash can’t be identified through their bank. Is there a reason they want to be anonymous? If taking cash for a stay, a valid card must be preauthorised even if not used and/or photographic ID photocopied and attached to the Registration Card.

ID: If asked for ID, do they have access to their own Passport or license?

Other People: Do the people checking in together make sense? Are there other people making their way to and from the room or meeting one or both of the party frequently in public areas?

Any red flag on its own is not evidence of trouble and the situation may be totally innocent… but trust your instincts.

Demonstrate through our behaviour that ours will not be an easy place for trouble to go unnoticed. Make eye contact with everyone, look at ID, do regular floor walks. When potential troublemakers know they can be easily identified and see us being vigilant they are less likely to cause trouble in our hotel.

If something sets off your alarm bells, stay vigilant, observe and report it to a manager who can advise you what to do next. If you believe someone is in immediate danger, always call 999.

NEVER confront someone you believe may be a victim of or engaging in Human Trafficking or other violence – this could endanger both you and the victim.

Cash

General Cash Handling

• Ensure all banknotes are checked with a security pen/UV light

• Any cash transaction over £500 needs to be supported by ID and witnessed by a senior manager/finance rep to protect from money laundering

• All cash must be immediately secured in the cash drawer and input into Brilliant forming part of your cashier

• All team members should be trained to recognise counterfeit bank notes (Bank of England training available here)

Taking Cash for Room Reservations

While we do accept cash payments for rooms, additional processes must be adhered to in order to protect our hotel, staff and guests from any suspicious activity. In particular this refers to human trafficking and child sex exploitation but could also include things such as drug dealing, fraudulent activity or even simply guests whose planned use of the room is likely to increase our risk of damage. The below ensures we have done our due diligence in confirming the identity of the guest and creating a paper trail:

• We do not accept cash payments for rooms where an adult is checking in with a minor under our Human Trafficking and Modern Slavery Policy

• Valid, in date photo ID must be photocopied and attached to the registration card for any guest paying for their room in cash

• ID must be for the guest who has made the reservation.

• Cash bookings MUST pre authorise a guarantee card for file (incase of damages or smoking fines)

• Address details from ID must be added to Brilliant

• For guests unable to provide ID and a guarantee card, say: "I am really sorry but our company policy does not allow me to accept cash for a reservation without valid photo ID and a credit/debit card on file. This isn't something I'm allowed any flexibility on". If the guest requests a further explanation you can explain it forms part of our Human Trafficking and Modern Slavery Policy and is to protect the hotel and guests from any suspicious activity. You are not permitted any flexibility on this, regardless of individual circumstances.

Debit/Credit Card

• Use chip and pin or contactless rather than keypad entry where possible

• Take payment on arrival or pre authorise for the stay amount plus allowances to ensure card is valid and funds available

Business Advantage

Detailed Business Advantage information is outlined in the section below.

BACS Transfer

The payment must have reached our bank prior to the stay or event. This is not a valid method of payment if attempting to make the transfer on the day.

Sales Ledger Payments

• These can only be made for companies with credit with Kew Green Hotels

• Check that guest and company or travel agent name is correct as per back-up

• Check that allowances are correct, moving any additional expenses to separate window

• Request payment for additional charges from guest and settle by preferred method

• Ensure reference number is correct in the PO section on the reservation

Cheque

• We do not accept personal cheques at all

• Business cheques must be cleared prior to the stay/event, these would not be an acceptable method on the day

GDPR & Check-in

We have been made aware from other hotel operators that they have experienced guests citing GDPR as a reason for not having to supply their personal details at check-in.

We’ve therefore provided a document which explains to any customer who objects to providing their personal details, the reasons why this is necessary.

• Please do not display this explanation notice on the reception desk.

• Give a copy of the explanation to any customer who objects to providing their personal details at check-in.

If any further questions arise please use the FAQ section of the KGH Data Protection website or Email data.privacy@kewgreen.co.uk

Data Security

PERSONAL DATA STORED IN ELECTRONIC FORM

• If personal data is being viewed on a computer screen and the computer in question is to be left unattended for any period of time, the user must lock the computer and screen before leaving it.

• Personal data stored on any mobile device (including, but not limited to, laptops, tablets and smartphones),stored securely using passwords.

PERSONAL DATA IN HARDCOPY FORM

• All hardcopies of personal data should be stored securely in a locked box, drawer, cabinet or similar

• Personal data must be handled with care at all times and should not be left unattended or on view to unauthorised employees, agents, sub-contractors or other parties at any time.

• Where Personal data is to be transferred in hard-copy form it should be passed directly to the recipient or sent using recorded and signed for courier or mail postage

EMAIL

Only authorised company Email addresses should be used. Personal Email addresses or Email accounts created for business purposes are not permitted as the Company has no control of employees continuing to have access to sensitive data retained on the Email account if they were to leave the company, nor are the encryption levels on standard Email accounts (such as Gmail) verified or controlled by the Company.

Subject Access Requests

Anyone we hold data on (including employees) has a right to access that data via a subject access request. This includes EVERYTHING that mentions their name, even emails, so don’t write anything in an email which identifies someone that you wouldn’t be happy to say to their face!

All subject access requests received must be forwarded to the Data Protection Officer: data.privacy@kewgreen.co.uk

Or via post to: Data Privacy, Kew Green Hotels, 1 Towers Place, Richmond, Surrey, TW9 1EG

Data Breaches

Full details on data breaches are covered within the main Data Protection & Privacy Policy document, including what is a data breach, what breaches do we need to report, examples of data breaches and reporting of breaches.

Key Information for Employees:

• All data, breaches, or suspected data breaches, should be immediately reported to your line manager and must be reported to the Data Protection Officer: data.privacy@kewgreen.co.uk

• Provide as much information possible regarding the nature of the data breach, what personal data was compromised, how many data subjects (individuals) may be affected and how the data breach occurred.

• Assist the Data Protection Officer with their investigation.

What Is A Pre Authorisation?

A pre-authorisation (or pre-auth) is a temporary hold of funds on the guest's bank account or credit card. This is used to ensure that the payment method is valid and that there are sufficient funds available to cover the stay and any charges to the room. The pre-authorisation is not a charge, but a temporary hold, meaning that the funds held will be released after a short period of time.

Why Do We Need It?

When allowing guests to charge back to their room, the pre auth guarantees we will be able to take payment at the end of the stay. The pre auth first confirms the guest has adequate funds in their account to cover the cost of the stay, but also holds the funds to prevent them from spending that money before we are able to take payment.

How Do I Explain It?

Say something like: Your card will be pre authorised for: £X This is based on the accommodation cost plus a standard £Y per night to cover anything charged back to the room. This will appear as a “pending transaction” but no funds will be debited from your account. The authorisation is a credit hold which is released upon payment or check-out. You will only be charged what you actually spend.

How Do I Use It?

Taking the pre auth

Take the authorisation using your PDQ, being careful to select "Authorisation" and then "PreAuth/CheckIn" rather than "Sale". Enter the authorised amount and PRN in the reservation on Brilliant. If a Virtual Card has been provided for the accommodation, be sure to take and post the payment immediately, otherwise Tabletop will not let you room charge as the authorised amount will not be enough to cover everything when the accommodation charges drop in.

Taking Payment

To take the payment and release the authorisation, on the PDQ select "Pre Auth" and then "Pre Auth Check Out". Enter the PRN and then the final amount. This will release the Pre Auth. If payment is taken but the PRN not used, the pre auth will not release immediately. Be sure to cancel the authorisation so we are not holding funds on a guest's account unnecessarily.

What If I Accidentally Take A Payment?

If you have accidentally taken a payment, the card slip will say "Merchant Copy" at the top and will not have a PRN. If this is the case, you can immediately cancel the sale on the PDQ and process the authorisation. Be sure to check the slip right away as you can only cancel a payment for a short period.

So We Just Upgrade As Many People As Possible?

Not quite! While it would be lovely to be able to give everyone an upgrade, not only is that not possible, not everyone would actually thank you for an upgrade! Just because a room is more premium doesn't necessarily mean it is the best room for that guest. There are lots of different factors to consider when selecting the right room for each guest and it's our job to use all the information we have about a guest to pick the perfect room for them.

Where Do We Get The Information?

The most obvious place is the reservation itself! How many adults/children is the room booked for? How long is their stay? Does their company suggest they may be night workers? What is their loyalty status? Are there any notes on the booking? Do they have a Stay Preference set? You will also be able to find this information and more on the Guest Arrival Report.

What Is The Guest Arrival Report?

The Guest Arrival Report contains not only all of the reservation information, but also any information the guest has volunteered about their stay preferences, likes and dislikes (if someone loves swimming you could assign a room close to the pool) and any feedback they have given on previous stays at our hotel or others. All this could give you clues to the best place to put them, or even Moments of Delight you could arrange!

What Other Things Should We Consider?

Well, first of all, room type has to be a factor. A guest should not be downgraded except in extreme circumstances like maintenance issues, but that doesn't mean we can't give people a call if the reservation suggests a different room type (such as two beds instead of one or a family room instead of an exec) may be better for them. Pre arrival calls are a great touch!

Other things to consider could be:

• Regulars (What do we already know about them? Eg if they are a regular smoker, an upgrade far from the exit may actually cause them unnecessary inconvenience)

• Stay Preferences and Notes (room type always trumps stay preference but again... give them a call! You may find "away from the lift" is more important to the guest than "exec room" so they may actually prefer a downgrade)

• Type of guest (lone female traveler may not be comfortable on the ground floor, elderly guests may struggle walking long distances, guests travelling with very young children may have a lot of things to carry, guests attending a function will be less disruptive to other guests if they are kept together close to the function suite, night workers will prefer to be in a place which is quiet during the day and far from housekeeping cupboards...)

How Do I Assign A Room?

There are lots of ways to assign a room and it's best practice to use a mix as each method serves a different purpose. "Reservations>Assign Rooms" allows you to see all unallocated rooms for a single day at once and will show you all available rooms of that type as well as the notes for each reservation. "Reservations>Room Plan" will give you a grid where you can move reservations around like Tetris to make sure you don't create an issue where a guest may have to move room mid stay or find their booked room type isn't available.

How Do I Know If Someone Has Accessibility Needs?

The only way to know if someone has accessibility needs is when they tell us! We must never make an assumption based on how someone looks, sounds, moves or behaves about whether they do or do not have a disability of any sort. One way a guest might tell us they have particular requirements is by booking an accessible room type, or the other would be on check in, if they tick the box indicating they need additional assistance.

What Do I Do If Someone Says They Have Accessibility Needs?

Be sensitive and discreet but matter of fact. It is important for the guest to feel comfortable and that won't happen if you are uncomfortable! You don't need a full medical history or deeply personal information from them, all we need to know is how to make them safe and comfortable during their stay. If the guest books an accessible room we should contact them as soon after the reservation has been created as possible to establish their requirements, send them the accessibility pack and empower them to decide whether we can offer what they need. Whether calling in advance or speaking to the guest on check in, you could say something like "What additional assistance would you need in the event of an emergency?" or "Is there anything we can do to help you have a comfortable stay? Once you have the information you need, make sure the guest has a PEEP plan that can be shared with colleagues in case of emergency.

What Is A PEEP And How Do I Make One?

A PEEP is a "Personal Emergency Evacuation Plan". This is how we record and communicate the guest's name, room number, accessibility needs and action to take in the event of an emergency so team members can assist quickly and appropriately if there was a fire or other emergency. Your hotel may have a folder with PEEP forms, a board in the Back Office or both.

What Is The Accessibility Pack And How Do I Send One?

Kew Green partnered with AccessAble to survey our hotels and put together access guides we can provide to guests booking accessible rooms with information like: distance of rooms from reception, location of stairs, width of doors... the sort of thing we might not think to share but could make or break a stay for someone with specific accessibility requirements.

Each day, on Brilliant, click "Reports>Reservations>Reservations Created On" and search reservations made yesterday and today. Check that report for any reservations for accessible rooms and give the guest a call! Ask what their requirements are to allow you to assign the most appropriate room (they may actually prefer a standard room next to reception to an accessible room further away!) and take an email or postal address to send the pack to and make a note on the reservation that this has been sent. By providing this information well in advance, as well as protecting us from liability we empower the guest to decide whether we are suitable for them and make sure they don't run into any surprises when they arrive.

How Do I Tailor Service To A Disabled Guest?

Older buildings are not always very accessible, so ask how the guest would like to be assisted. Offer to help with luggage or doors or to be a guide but NEVER touch a guest, wheelchair or service animal without permission. Even if you are trying to help, this takes away the guest's agency and can be very upsetting. If you are serving someone in a wheelchair at reception or the bar and don't have a dropped bar/desk, don't expect them to shout over to you. Walk round to them with any paperwork on a clipboard and offer to bring any drinks to the table.

Where do I find these reviews?

Reviews can come to us through a variety of sources. You will have access to different sources depending on your role. These could include Medallia, Trip Advisor, Google or OTAs such as Booking.com or Expedia. Check with your GSM or BEM to find out which you should have access to and which you should be responding to.

I Don't Feel Comfortable Using My Full Name Online

Good! You shouldn't! We don't expect you to share any identifying information when signing off on reviews. Your first name, initial of your surname and job title should be all that you post.

I Remember That Guest!

Brilliant - the personal touch will really make a difference. Just make sure you don't share any identifying information for the guest. Even if you remember them and know them by name, when addressing them in a publicly visible review response, always use the nickname they used when writing their review... even if you do feel a bit silly starting your response "Dear Fred Flintstone"!

What Do I Say?

Knowing what to say can be the most intimidating part of responding to reviews. Until you are confident, here are some sample templates you can use:

Positive Review - General

Thank you so much for your review of our hotel. I am pleased to hear you enjoyed your stay with us. It's something our staff takes great pride in, so we value your feedback. We hope you will visit us again.

Sincerely,

INSERT FIRST NAME, LAST INITIAL

INSERT JOB TITLE

Negative Review - Service (Option 1)

Thank you for your candid review. We apologize that your recent stay did not meet expectations. We appreciate your comments and will share these with our team so that we can continue to improve our services. We do hope to have the opportunity to welcome you back in the future, so that we can provide a better experience.

Sincerely,

INSERT FIRST NAME, LAST INITIAL

INSERT JOB TITLE

Negative Review - Service (Option 2)

Thank you for bringing this to our attention. We apologize for the inconveniences you faced during your stay, as that is not up to our normal standards. We will share your feedback with our staff and make the necessary changes. We hope you choose to stay with us again, so we can show you our true level of service.

Sincerely,

INSERT FIRST NAME, LAST INITIAL

INSERT JOB TITLE

Negative Review - Room Quality

Thank you for your feedback regarding your recent visit at our hotel and please accept our sincerest apologies for the disturbance you have experienced during your stay due to the room conditions. Rest assured that these issues will be looked into. We value your comments and welcome the opportunity to serve you again.

Sincerely,

INSERT FIRST NAME, LAST INITIAL

INSERT JOB TITLE

***If you see a review which alleges anything untrue or very serious, do not respond, alert your BEM***

Am I Allowed To Process A Refund?

Speak to your GSM or BEM to find out if this is something you are permitted or expected to do in your hotel. You cannot process a refund without a supervisor code so if you don't know this (it changes monthly!) then chances are you shouldn't be doing it.

The Number One Rule

Card refunds can ONLY be made to the card used to make the original payment. If for any reason someone tells you they require the refund be made to a card other than the original payment card (for example the card has recently changed), apologise and tell them you are unable to do that. Take their details and ask Finance to contact them. Under no circumstances allow them to persuade you to refund a different card, even if it has their name on it.

What do you mean by "Audit Trail"?

This is the evidence which accompanies all refunds showing that a payment was originally made to the hotel, the card number and amount as well as documentation confirming who carried out the refund, for what reason and authorised by who. This evidence confirms everything you are doing is above board!

Following each refund, everything will be reconciled against the end of day banking from the PDQ then the refund pack will be counter signed by Finance to confirm they are happy with the refund and the reasons it was performed before being passed to the BEM to approve weekly.

The Refund Process

Before you process any refund you must have:

• A copy of the original folio

• The original Merchant Copy PDQ receipt

• A KGH Refund Form

Once you are certain the reason for the refund is valid, a payment was made to the hotel and the card you are refunding is the card that made the original payment, you can process the refund through the PDQ.

There may be a nominated terminal which all refunds in your hotel should go through (this will be at reception) so make sure you know which terminal this is and process the refund on that PDQ... regardless of which machine took the original payment.

Press F2 > Card Auth > Refund > Enter Refund Password

If the guest is present, ask them to enter their card (confirming it is the payment card). They will not need to enter the pin. Ask them to sign the Merchant Copy and give them the Customer Copy.

If the guest is not present, you can enter the card number using the keypad.

When the refund has been processed on the PDQ, you must then post it on the folio on Amadeus (enter the amount as a negative value and write the detail in the supplement box) to ensure the shift balances.

Complete the refund form fully (in the "Card Number" section, write only the last 4 digits of the card) and attach a photocopy of the original folio and payment slip, the refund slip and the amended folio to give to Finance.

What Sort Of Information?

• Business known to be at other hotels

• Business Parks

• Correspondence Research

• Exhibitions

• Local clubs and associations

• Newspapers/local publications

• Past users

• Presentations

• Previously lost or refused business

• Advertisements for site developments

How Do I Do It?

• Use the arrivals list to highlight new companies using the hotel, research and pass to a nominated team member to approach during the guests stay.

• Use the branded One Minute Questionnaire to target a regular guest identified for further details and a potential corporate rate. This should be qualified by the AGM/GM/BEM as a complimentary drink or similar is offered to the guest on completion of the questionnaire.

• Welcome Desks – hold bi-weekly to network with our guests and drive lead generation

• Discuss business in-house at the morning/afternoon meeting (10 at 10) and agree any tactics to be used to gather better data and seek incremental business.

• Complete weekly research of local papers and follow up potential leads.

• Visit competitor hotels car parks and board/people spot in the lobby

Filling In The Sales Lead Form

• Complete the Lead Heroes - Sales Lead Form with as much information as possible.

• Ensure that the mandatory sections are completed – this may mean an additional call to the potential client to obtain further information. Wherever possible include a copy of the client’s business card for accuracy. (scan)

• Include any history at hotel level e.g. how often is the guest staying with us, what rate are they paying?

• Send the lead by email to salesleads@kewgreen.co.uk

Top Tips!

• Make sure the guest has a great experience! Nobody wants to commit to 100 nights staying somewhere they don't enjoy, no matter how good the deal is.

• Listen attentively to guests. Passing comments they may share about their company or what they're doing in the area can turn into great revenue opportunities in the hands of our experienced commercial team.

• Timing is everything. If someone is clearly stressed or in a hurry, we don't want to put them off by prolonging the check in experience. Give them an efficient check in and win their trust then either follow up later or hand over to someone else to do so at a more appropriate time.

• Don't forget the people you know! If you know of anyone with an upcoming life event, hear of someone getting engaged or know of someone who travels a lot for work, ask their permission to pass their details along!

Fail Safe Cards

The procedure for creating and using fail safe cards will differ based on your card cutting system. Make sure you have an adequate supply of fail safe cards and that all Duty Managers are trained in how to use these in the event you are unable to cut keys.

Kew Green System Downtime Procedure: 

1.Ensure that you have the most current System Downtime Report pulled from Amadeus PMPro or Opera (reports should be pulled every 2 hours on property as standard so use your latest one prior to losing connection) Reports: Batch: Emergency: Print – please ensure these are printed before any system outage if pre-arranged ie: System upgrades.

2. Ensure that every hour you are pulling IHG Arrival Reports directly from IHG Reporting via IHG Merlin. The most useful reports to pull are; Arrivals Summary and Arrivals Request. These reports pull directly from Concerto so will be the most up to date. You can pull these reports as either PDF or Excel.  

3. Please use your hotels manual check in document to support the check in and out experience. On this document please ensure you are recording the minimum of; 

Guest Name

Guest Email 

Membership Number

Arrival 

Departure 

Rate 

Rate Type 

Total Due 

Pre Auth Code 

Reservation Notes

Reservation Status 

It is recommended that you do not store full credit card details in your manual check in document. 

4. Ensure that the guest completes a paper credit/debit card authorization form and a registration card. Please ensure that these are stored safety and securely in line with your SOP. It is recommended that you do not allow guests to charge back to their rooms during a system outage. Please pre-auth for accommodation only or take full payment at check in. It is crucial that on your Manual Check in Document you are logging all payments and pre-auths as you will need to post these on Amadeus/Opera when you are back up and running.

5. Key cards will need to be cut manually via your relevant Key Card Software. Please ensure you are cutting these for the correct stay length to prevent guest dissatisfaction / Key Cards can be pre cut before a planned outage.

6. Most key card software will allow you to pull a Room Active Report. Please speak your Duty Manager or Maintenance Manager for this. This report can be useful for seeing what key cards were cut at what time and by whom. 

7. Ensure you issue the guest with a welcome letter explaining the current situation – if your systems are out for longer than expected plan these in advance. 

8. Ensure you are logging wake up calls, taxis and newspapers manually to prevent any guest dissatisfaction.

9. Please ensure that you are updating your manual check in sheet as a live document, as it will most likely be a Spreadsheet that can only be accessed by one person at a time so if you are on a shift with two people it may be a good working practice to assign one member to control the document with the other assisting with pre-auth and card cutting etc. 

10. It is crucial that on your Manual Check in Document you keep a log of people already in house, this information can be gained from the in-House Guest report that will be part of your system downtime reporting. If you fail to correctly log already in house guests, you risk allocating occupied rooms. 

11. To same time it is advised that you make a log off any guests opting for IHG Welcome Points and award these at a later date. 

12. Liaise with your financial controller for advice on how to handle your banking during a system down time period. 

13. F&B operations may be effected due to system down times. It is recommended that F&B keep a log of all transactions and orders manually threw the use of Order Sheets and a spreadsheet if deemed helpful to the operation. 

14. It is recommended that during a down time guests to be given the option to charge back to their room. Cash or card payment at the point of sale would be the preferred and safer option.

15. It may be needed for F&B to take a log of guest emails who may require a VAT invoice emailing to them once the systems are up back and running. 

16. It is crucial that you do not advice any guest that the technical issues/system down time is a result of a virus/malware.