I believe the night audit for Hotel Affluent had a fair balance of negitives and positives. Valet revenue goal were met and even exceeded by a large amount. Breakfast and dinner room services sales were very high, but lunch sales did not reflect the same success. Total restaurant sales for both restaurants did not meet sales goals. Vending sales are by far the lowest compared to other departments? Although, this may be because room services sales were so high and guest were not using the vending machines. Room sales left a great deal to be desired; this department only having achieved 67% of the sales goal. Non-collected sales, in my opinion, were not that bad compared to the amount of revenue generated.

I was surprised the lunch revenues for room service was so low compared the breakfast and dinner sale. This may because there are fewer guests in the hotel during theses hours, but the problem could also be price or selection. Maybe the lunch prices are higher than restaurants that are close to Hotel Affluent. This would cause many guests dine at location that is not associated with the hotel. The lunch room service menu could possibly need a make over. Many restaurants are starting to offer healthier lunch options that are usually considered to be “lite” lunches. If the lunch and dinner menus are similar chances are that the menu options are suited for a lunch style meal. I believe room sales are the most important aspect of a night audit, and Hotel Affluent seems to be suffering. This could stem from a number of reasons: the hotels reputation, outdated accommodations, or the inability of the front desk staff secure potential guest reservations. I would train the employees to make an attempt to secure each guest that calls to check rates. By simply asking “would you like me to go ahead and reserve you a room,” or “ if you would like we can go ahead and reserve your room with the great rate,” a hotel has a better chance of filling it’s rooms. This same process can be applied to walk-in guests. The front desk employees should also be mentioning the hotel’s amenities like the two restaurants, valet parking, room service, or the spa. Some guest call about rates may not be aware of everything the hotel has to offer. Guest will be far more likely to choose Hotel Affluent once they hear about some of the great services the hotel is able to provide. To help battle low vending sales the hotel manager could consider the placement of the vending machines. Are the vending machines located in where they are easily accessible to hotel guests? Are they easily noticeable for a first time guest that may be unfamiliar with the hotel? Something as easy as posting vending machine locations in elevators could better help serve guests, and increase vending revenue. They may also remind guest that have not had the chance to eat to get a fast snack form one of the vending locations.

An effective hotel manages should have a sound understand if the night audit process, and the reports it generates. The night audit report is the backbone of all the hotel records. Totals from each of the departments are generated allowing the viewer to see how well each department is preforming. After viewing a properly assembled night audit, a hotel manager will be able to troubleshoot problem, see where improvements can be made, and identify the strategies that are making the successful departments flourish. There are some cases when a particular idea that is applied to one department can also be effective in another department. For instance, upselling can easily be applied to restaurants, room service, spas, and even booking guests’ reservations. Many other ideas can be created after reviewing a hotel’s night audit, but only if manages is experienced and able to create effective policies.