The present invention relates to a hotel management system and in particular to a system for facilitating an improved check-out procedure.

It is common within the hotel industry for hotel guests to encounter delays and congestion during peak check-out periods. The congestion and delays arise as a direct result of traditional hotel management and check-out systems. Typically, when checking-out a guest must report to a cashier who obtains a print-out from the hotel's central computer system (generally referred to as a Property Management System or PMS) of the guest's account. The print-out will include details of room and meal fees plus any other transactions that the guest may have charged to his room during his stay at the hotel. The guest must then approve the final account, querying some items first if necessary, and then pay by any acceptable means.

Using the above system it is inevitable that queues will develop at peak check-out periods and it is accepted within the hotel industry that the resulting congestion and delay can lead to guest stress and dissatisfaction. This can deter a guest from returning to a hotel, and thus represents a significant problem within the hotel industry.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a hotel management system which obviates or mitigates the above disadvantages.

According to the present invention there is provided a hotel management system comprising: i) a central processor; ii) a central processor memory for storing guest data, including account data and guest identity data; iii) means for inputting guest data to the central processor memory; iv) account cards for issue to guests, one card being issued to each guest and each card carrying machine readable data indicative of at least the card carrier's identity, and v) at least one check-out station interfaced with the central processor and including a card reader for reading out guest data from a presented card, means for reading out from the central processor

account data for the account identified by a presented card, means for presenting the read out account data to the guest presenting the card, and input means actuable by a guest to indicate acceptance of the presented account data.

Preferably means are provided for preventing transactions related to a guest's account after the guest has indicated acceptance of the presented data. Means may be provided at the or each check ^¬ out station for retaining a guest's card after the guest has indicated acceptance of the presented account data.

Means may be provided for inputting to the central processor details of a guest's proposed payment method, and the or each check¬ out station may include means enabling a guest to input an instruction authorising the charging of the guest's account in accordance with the proposed method.

The or each check-out station may include means for providing a guest presenting a card with a hard copy of that guest's account details.

The or each check-out station may comprise a visual display screen adapted to operate as a touch sensitive screen, thereby providing said guest actuable input means. The or each check-out station may be adapted to enable selection by a guest of the language in which information is to be presented.

Preferably means are provided for allocating a personal identification number to each guest, the or each check-out station including means for inputting said personal identification number, and the or each check-out station being adapted to perform account related functions only when input with the personal identification number corresponding to a guest identified by the guest's card.

Transaction terminals may be located at transaction points within the hotel for receiving details of financial transactions between guests and the hotel and communicating said details as transaction data to the central processor for storage in the central processor memory, each transaction terminal including a card reader for reading out guest data from a presented card for communication to the central processor.

The provision of such transaction terminals enables the updating of the central processor memory very rapidly, thus making it highly

unlikely that the hotel will fail to make a charge for any services that have been used. In addition, it will not be possible for a guest to charge a service to a room unless in possession of a card which is still valid, i.e. has not been checked out.

Each transaction terminal may be provided with means for inputting a guest's personal identification number and may be adapted to allow a transaction only when input with the personal identification number corresponding to a guest identified by the guest's card.

Preferably account cards are issued to guests in the form of either a temporary card which is retained by the hotel when a guest checks out, or a permanent card which is retained by the guest for re¬ use at a later date. The or each check-out station may be provided with means to retain a guest's card when the guest indicates acceptance of the presented account data, if, and only if, the card is a temporary card.

Each card may be provided with a memory, and each transaction station may comprise means for writing account data to the card memory related to each transaction completed after presentation of that card to a transaction terminal. The system may be adapted so that when a guest requests his account details at the or a check-out station, account data read from the guest's card is compared with account data stored by the central processor memory. Each permanent card may include a memory for storing guest data, and the system may comprise stations which include means for reading the guest data from the card.

Permanent cards give the management of a hotel chain the ability to recognise particular guests as soon as those guests present the card to a receptionist. This enables the hotel to focus attention on those guests who are of most value to the chain, for example regular business users.

Each card may include a further memory adapted to function as an electronic purse, stations being provided which include means to increment a currency value stored in the electronic purse memory, and means may be provided at the transaction terminals to decrement the currency value stored in the electronic purse memory on completion of a transaction.

Preferably each guest card is adapted to function as an electronic door key to the guest's room.

Specific embodiments of the present invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawing, which is a schematic illustration of a system in accordance with the present invention.

A hotel management system in accordance with the present invention comprises a central processor 1 which is interfaced with a plurality of transaction terminals 2. For example, there could be four terminals A, B, C, D each at a respective point of sale, for example a shop or bar, and two terminals E, F each at a respective restaurant. The central processor 1 is also interfaced with a plurality of check¬ out stations 3 located in the hotel reception or any other convenient position. In the illustrated case there are four check out status A, B, C and D. The central processor comprises a conventional host property management system (PMS), computer 4, and a guest card system computer 5. The PMS may be of known type and therefore will not be described further here. The computer 5 runs on software specifically designed to interface with the hotel management system in accordance with the present invention. An interface 6 links the two computer systems, each of which is provided with an input device 7 (e.g. a keyboard or touch screen) and an output device (e.g. a display screen 8).

There are two basic types of transaction terminals, that is terminals located at points of sale/service at which the transaction value may vary, e.g. at a bar or a shop, and transaction terminals located at points of sale/service at which each transaction will have a predetermined fixed value or one of a small number of alternative fixed values, e.g. at a restaurant or an access point to a hotel facility such as a gymnasium. Thus a transaction terminal may comprise a cash till 9 interfaced with a smart card reader/writer pad 10 and a touch sensitive visual display screen 11. Alternatively a transaction terminal may comprise for example two smart card reader/writer pads 12 interfaced with a touch sensitive visual display screen 13. Each pad 12 could be associated with a particular transaction, for example the purchase of an English or Continental breakfast.

Each check-out station comprises a smart card reader pad 14

interfaced with a touch sensitive visual display screen 15, a printer 16, and a card collection unit 17. The card system control computer 5 comprises a smart card reader/writer pad 18.

Each guest is issued with a personal smart card (not shown) by a receptionist when checking into the hotel. An example of smart cards suitable for use in this example of the present invention are the contactless smart cards available from GEC under the product name CT-C41. The smart card reader/writer pads 10, 12, 14 and 18 may be of the type available from GEC under the product name CT-MCx4y. Each guest is also allocated a confidential personal identity number (PIN number) for use in conjunction with the smart card as described below. The PIN number could be for example the last four digits of the number of a guests credit card.

When the guest checks into the hotel, a receptionist enters onto the system details of the guest's identity and initial room charges, together with details of any credit card or the like to which the guest will ultimately wish to charge the account. This information is written to the guest's smart card by the reception terminal smart card reader/writer pad 18 and also to the memory of the host computer. The system opens a file for the guest and stores the relevant information.

The guest may then use the smart card to effect transactions within the hotel via the transaction terminals 2, as described below.

Taking first the example of a transaction terminal 2 located in, for example, a hotel bar, when the guest purchases a drink the value of the transaction is entered into the transaction unit via the till 9. The guest's smart card is then read by the transaction terminals card reader/writer pad 10 and details of the transaction are written to the card, adding to the account information already stored there. The same data is transmitted to the central processor 1. The central processor 1 adds the transaction information to the guest's account file.

As described above, at all points of sale/service within the hotel at which fixed charges are payable by charging transactions to the guest's room, transaction terminals are provided. Taking the illustrated example of a restaurant, there may be two alternate breakfasts available, i.e. an English breakfast and a Continental

breakfast, each of which attracts a different fixed charge. The respective transaction terminal is provided with two card reader/writer pads 12, each pre-programmed with the appropriate fixed charge. To complete the transaction the guest has his smart card read by the reader/writer pad 12 appropriate to the meal he has had so that details of the transaction can again be written to the card and to the central processor.

Other transaction terminals may be used, for example, for charging a fee for entry to a service such as a gymnasium. In applications such as this it is likely that there will be a single fixed charge and that therefore only a single card reader/writer pad 12 will be required.

Although transaction terminals will be located wherever possible where a charge may be incurred, there will be some transactions which do not readily lend themselves to payment using the guest smart card system, for example telephone calls made from a guest's room and other room service charges. In these cases such charges will automatically be logged by the central processor in accordance with standard procedure, and are then retrieved from the central processor and added to the guest's account file.

Thus, during the guest's stay at the hotel details of all transactions between the guest and the hotel will be recorded on his smart card and/or by the central processor in the guest's account file. In addition, all account details will be recorded for the internal management purposes of the hotel.

At any time during a guest's stay at the hotel he can review his account details at one of the review/check-out stations 3. To review his account details the guest must enter his PIN number into the review/check-out station 3 using the touch sensitive screen 15 and allow his smart card to be read by the card reader pad 14. Provided the PIN number correctly corresponds to the card, the guest's account details will be read from the card by the card reader and then compared with the guest's account details stored in the guest's account file by the central processor 1. The comparison step is to check that there are no transaction details entered at the central processor which should, but are not, recorded on the card, and also to supplement the account information read from the card with

transaction information, such as telephone calls, etc. which are not stored on the guest's card. The central processor will at this stage ensure all relevant account details are added to the guest's account file.

The screen 15 then displays an itemised list of the guest's account details on receipt of an instruction to do so input via the touch sensitive screen 15. Any discrepancies detected at the comparison stage or any other items to be queried will be indicated as such. The review/check-out station 3 has the facility to scroll through the itemised list of the guest's account details on input of an appropriate command via the touch sensitive screen 15.

The review/check-out station 3 can provide the guest with a hard copy of his account details via the printer 16 upon receipt of an appropriate command input via the touch sensitive screen 15. Thus, using the review/check-out stations 3 and the optional print-out facility, a guest is able to keep track of his expenditure throughout his stay at the hotel.

When a guest wants to check-out he simply first reviews his account at a view/check-out station 3 as described above, and then inputs an instruction confirming acceptance of the account via the touch sensitive screen. The guest can also input an instruction, again using the touch sensitive screen 15, authorising payment of the account via his credit card, details of -which were entered on the central processor 1 when the guest checked in. The review/check-out station 3 will then provide the guest with a final print-out of his account as a receipt and the central processor 1 will record the guest as checked-out. The card collection unit is provided for the guest to deposit his card before leaving the hotel itself. Once the guest has checked-out and is recorded as such by the central processor the system will not allow any further transactions to be carried out using that card until it has been re-issued to a new guest.

If the guest chooses not to pay by credit card, the guest follows the above check out procedure, but on receipt of his final print out takes this to the reception and pays by whatever other means he wishes.

If, on reviewing his final account details, the guest has any queries and is not prepared to approve the account, he can obtain a

print out of his account and take it to the reception to raise his queries.

Communications between the check-out stations and the central processor may be structured to reduce the flow of redundant data whilst ensuring that the guest has access to all data in which he has any interest. The structured approach to data communication enables the perceived speed of the system to be maximised. For example, guest account details will initially be sent to a check-out station in response to a request by a guest in a consolidated (category) format, such as:

Room rate £230.00

Restaurant/Bar Expenditure £ 48.78

If a detailed breakdown of the particular category is required then an additional request for data may be made by the guest to obtain information associated with a selected category. For example, the above stated reference/bar category may break down as follows:-

10 October 1993 Meal- Restaurant A £15.80

10 October 1993 Beer - Bar B £ 2.20

11 October 1993 Meal - Restaurant A £18.00

12 October 1993 Meal - Restaurant C - £10.78 12 October 1993 Beer - Bar B £ 2.00

Thus, information in a simplified form representing a limited number of categories will initially be sent to the check-out station but if a guest so wishes that information can be expanded to whatever level is deemed appropriate by the guest.

By adopting such a system, the perceived performance overhead associated with communication is reduced. In addition, whilst a guest is reading information so far obtained and deciding whether or not to request additional information, the system is free to service requests from other check-out stations.

A beneficial effect observed by guests is that initial delivery of information is faster than would normally be expected. A cost is that subsequent operations (i.e. requests for further information) may appear to carry a small performance overhead whilst the check-out station awaits the delivery of selected data. This performance overhead will not generally cause problems, however, as it is likely that only small amounts of data will be transferred for each request.

Each guest will have a varying number of postings upon their accounts, and thus it is not possible to implement a fixed length data packet to transfer information from the central processor to the check-out stations (or vice versa). Instead, data transfer takes place via the transferral of multiple data packets, each of which contains a single posting of information.

In the above described embodiment of the present invention, guest cards are smart cards but this need not necessarily be the case. The cards could be simple magnetic stripe cards which carry data indicating the guest's identity (this may not actually be the guest's identity but could, for instance, simply be the guest's room number which can then be correlated with the guest's identity which is stored by the central processor). With such a card it would obviously not be possible to record transaction details on the card itself and thus when the guest comes to review his account details at a review/check¬ out station all account information will simply be drawn from the central processor. Use of smart cards as personal identity cards is however advantageous in that it provides a guest with a secure control of his transactions and also because they allow other features, described below, to be included in the hotel management system.

The smart cards may contain a memory section designated as an "electronic purse" in accordance with known systems. A receptionist will then be able, upon request, to write a currency value to the electronic purse memory of a guest's smart card from the reception terminal, upon payment of an appropriate amount or addition of that amount to the guest's account. For example, the system could be used to provide a guest with a currency exchange facility as currency of any denomination could be written to the electronic purse and payed for in a different currency. The transaction terminals within the hotel facilities may then be provided with means to decrement the currency value from any guest's electronic purse so that the guest may choose this method of payment as an alternative to that described above. In addition, shops, etc. not directly connected with the hotel may participate in this system.

For security reasons, it will only be possible to increment the currency value in a guest's electronic purse from the reception terminal, and preferably only on input of a confidential security code.

As a modification to the above described hotel management system, regular guests of a hotel, or a chain of hotels running the system, may be provided with permanent guest cards as opposed to temporary cards issued on checking in to a particular hotel. Where such permanent cards are smart cards, additional guest information may be stored on the card, such as details of preferences, health requirements, credit worthiness, etc. If the hotel runs a guest loyalty point system, as is known in some hotel chains, details of loyalty points held by the guest can also be stored on the permanent smart card.

Some of the information, for instance loyalty point information, may be accessible for review by the guest at a review/check-out station. Other information, for example credit worthiness, may be retrievable only at a reception terminal by a receptionist. It will only be possible to modify or update such additional guest information stored on the card from a reception terminal.

It is of great value to the management of a chain of hotels to be able to monitor the value of particular guests to the chain and to be able to make special efforts to please such guests. For example, it would be of value for reception staff throughout the chain of hotels to be able to "recognise" a regular business user of the chain of hotels, to know without asking the personal preferences of that user, e.g. smoker or non-smoker, and to avoid the need for obtaining from the user detailed information such as home address and the like. In addition, it would be very advantageous to a chain of hotels to be able to reward a user's loyalty with, for example, the offer of very low price weekend accommodation. Guest information of this nature can be stored centrally on a database, but it is difficult to maintain a reliable database when information has to be fed in from a large number of distributed sources, e.g. all the hotels of an International chain. Furthermore, it is difficult to reliably access such a database quickly as two guests could have the same name and embarrassing mistakes could be made. Furthermore, it does take a perceived long time to access such a database when a guest is initially received and the good impression given by "instant recognition" cannot be achieved. Permanent cards as described above, could be issued to regular business users and data could be entered on the permanent cards

representing such information as was thought desirable to the hotel chain, for example personal details, personal preferences, which hotels of the chain have been visited recently, and the like. When a guest carrying a permanent card first enters any hotel of the chain, the card is presented to reception staff who read relevant data directly from it. The reception staff would then be able to respond appropriately without delay and would be in a position to make the guest feel that he or she had been recognised personally.

The advantage to regular business users of carrying a permanent card is that check-in is simplified, the information normally requested by reception being carried on the card, and of course check-out delays can be avoided. The card can thus be presented as providing useful facilities to the user and in return the user is happy to carry the card. Once the card is being carried and used, the hotel management can take advantage of the information that its use provides to support promotional activity.

With the above described embodiment of the present invention, the central processor 1 is interfaced with other hotel systems for the exchange of information, and all guest account details are stored on both. It is proposed that the information will be stored on the central processor 1 on a temporary basis only, i.e. during a guest's stay at the hotel, but that the system will keep a more permanent record of the guest's details for internal management purposes.

Similarly, the transaction terminals need not be interfaced with the central processor 1 for real time interaction, but alternatively transaction details could be downloaded from the transaction terminals to the central processor at periodic intervals. However, if the transaction terminals are not directly interfaced with the central processor for real time transfer of data, it will not be possible to immediately prevent use of a card for completing a transaction once the guest identified by the card has checked out.

As a further modification to the embodiment of the present invention described above, each of the transaction terminals may be configured so that completion of a transaction is only possible on input of the correct PIN number associated with a guest's card. This will prevent unauthorised use of a guest's card to complete transactions. Similarly, the smart card electronic purse function can

be adapted to function only if used in conjunction with the correct PIN number.

The review/check-out stations may be adapted to provide instructions and/or account information in any one of a number of languages which may be selected by the guest by inputting an appropriate instruction using the touch sensitive screen.

Each guest's card may also be adapted to function as an electronic key for the guest's room door. For instance, each room's door lock could be interfaced with the central processor so that on insertion of a card, the central processor will compare the guest data on the card with its records of which guest is staying in which room and will only release the lock if appropriate.

It will be understood that the cards may take a variety of forms and need not be cards at all, e.g. they could be configured as key tags for example, such as that sold by GEC under the product name CT- C42. The minimum that is required of an identity "card" for use in the present invention is that it is capable or carrying machine readable data indicative of a guest's identity.

It will be appreciated that a software package suitable for running the system in accordance with the present invention could be designed by any suitably skilled software engineer.

It will also be possible to design many additional features into the basic hotel management system described above.