GB1413324A - Apparatus and methods for monitoring the availability status of guest rooms in hotels and the like - Google Patents

Abstract

1413324 Hotel room availability monitoring systems CAPTAIN INTERNATIONAL INDUSTRIES Ltd 1 Aug 1972 [20 April 1972] 35859/72 Heading G4H In a hotel, a unit 10 stores information concerning the status of each room (e.g. whether it is vacent, taken, uncleaned, being cleaned, cleaned), this information is updated from a terminal 12, when a new guest arrives, and from a terminal 31, when a guest checks-out, and from terminals 42, when a room is being cleaned &c., and the updated information can be selectively retrieved and displayed at 14 for monitoring purposes. Discrepancies between the information from terminals 12, 31 and from terminals 42 are indicated at unit 13/14. The display 14, Figs. 2, 2A-1 (not shown), comprises numbered lights, corresponding one to each room. A number of buttons at a terminal 13 may be depressed to find out which rooms have a particular status or which rooms of a particular type (e.g. single, double &c.) have a particular status. The answer to such a query is indicated by the lights illuminated at 14 and also by a digital display at terminal 13, which gives the total number of rooms having the chosen status and/or type. The number of checkouts and advanced reservations for a particular day may be manually entered at 13 and fed to unit 10. These numbers are used in calculating the number of rooms available for advanced booking and allotment to incoming guests, such number being displayed at 13 on depression of a further button at 13. The terminal 12 includes a keyboard for entering the number of a room allotted to an incoming guest and keys for indicating whether or not this guest had previously reserved his room. The room number keyed-in is also displayed at 12. The check-out terminal 31 is similar to terminal 12. In the manager's area 46 and the housekeeper areas 20 of the hotel, terminal/display combinations similar to combination 13/14 are provided. Each room may include an article dispenser linked to a unit 36, which displays and records the use made of the dispenser by the guest. All or selected dispensers may be rendered inoperative from terminal 13. Each terminal 42 may comprise two sockets linked to unit 10. The maid inserts a particular plug into the first socket when and to indicate that she is cleaning the room. An inspector subsequently inserts one of two particular plugs into the second socket to indicate that the cleaning is satisfactory and that the room appears to be vacant or taken. Discrepancies between the inspector's opinion as to the status of a room and the status as stored in unit 10 can be displayed by depressing a further button at terminal 13.