6.8. Hotel Desk
A hotel accommodation desk, managed by the PCO, is required at the Annual Meeting venue to handle inquiries from participants relating to their hotel accommodation.
Below is a draft timeline for how the engagement and bookings of hotels has been managed for past annual meetings:
| A. Block Bookings | Deadline | |
| 1 | Advise ADB on hotels that are suitable for all categories of Annual Meeting participants. Assist ADB in identifying a suitable suite for the ADB President and regular accommodation for personnel. | 18 months before the meeting |
| 2 | Assist ADB in meeting with hoteliers and negotiating hotel rates and terms. | July |
| 3 | Obtain the same terms for cut-off dates for making bookings, deposits, cancellations, and no-shows in all the hotels. | July |
| 4 | Obtain agreement from hotels that a delegation may change the names of the persons using the rooms up to 72 hours before the date of check-in. | July |
| 5 | Finalize the block bookings for ADB personnel, at preferential rates; for member and observer delegates at affordable rates; and for guests, with a wide range of rates, from 3- to 5-star hotels. | July |
| 6 | Oversee the smooth implementation of block bookings for member and observer delegations. Coordinate with ADB to resolve any issues that may arise. | October |
| 7 | Provide the complete list of hotels, the number of rooms, and the rates available to ADB, as well as contact details, and location of the hotels in the map. | October |
| 8 | Agree on tax exemption and payment details for ADB personnel, and inform the hotels concerned accordingly. | November |
| 9 | Maintain a database of block-booked rooms and their use for each category of participants. | December–May |
| B. Complete Bookings Form | ||
| 1 | Discuss with ADB what types of information are required for accommodation booking and airport–hotel transfer. | July |
| 2 | Prepare the online hotel booking website together with electronic forms for (i) delegates, mentioning the shuttle bus service from the airport to the hotel; and (ii) guests, with no mention of the shuttle bus. (The cost of transfer for guests should be indicated.) | August–October |
| 3 | Pilot test the forms with ADB, and make revisions as necessary. | October |
| 4 | Clear the forms with ADB before posting them on the host country website (if separate). | November |
| 5 | Arrange with ADB to link the host country website (if separate) with the ADB Annual Meeting website with a suitable icon. | Beginning of December |
| 6 | Once Annual Meeting registration opens, link the hotel booking forms to the corresponding registration forms (e.g., guest registration page link and to guest hotel page). | January |
| C. Make Bookings | ||
| For delegations and observers: | ||
| 1 | Coordinate and confirm delegation block bookings with hotels upon receipt of the delegations’ preference and room requirements from ADB. Inform ADB of status. | November–December |
| 2 | Input names of the delegations from the Annual Meeting list of registered delegates, provided by ADB members, every 2 weeks. | January–March |
| 3 | Coordinate with the delegation contact person to obtain the flight details, room requirements, and payment information of the delegation members. | January–March |
| 4 | Confirm payment details with the delegation contact person, with a copy to the ADB contact person. | January–March |
| 5 | Update details of delegation including replacement of participants, as communicated by the delegation contact person. | January–May |
| 6 | Periodically, send ADB and the host country the list of registered delegates per delegation per hotel. | January–May |
| 7 | Periodically, send ADB and the host country the list of registered Heads of Delegations with their flight and hotel booking details. | January–May |
| For guests, media, and civil society organizations: | ||
| 1 | Process booking requests by communicating all necessary details to hotels requested. | January–May |
| 2 | Within 24 hours, send an electronic confirmation message to each participant or each party making a booking on behalf of a group. Ensure that the confirmation message is received by the participant or contact person (sometimes emails are returned due to a wrong email address, down server, exceeded limit of the recipient, or absent recipient). | January–May |
| 3 | Maintain a database containing details of all bookings, flight details, and transfer arrangements; keep it updated with any changes. | January–May |
| 4 | Communicate any changes in bookings, or cancellations, to the hotels concerned, and confirm changes or cancellations to the participants concerned. | January–May |
| D. Report Bookings | ||
| 1 | Confirm bookings for all ADB personnel and seminar speakers and the status of rooms blocked for ADB, using the accommodation booking advice as a basis. | January–May |
| 2 | Provide ADB with a report on hotel bookings, and arrival and departure dates and times for all governors, heads of delegation, special guests, and former ADB Presidents, if any. | February–May |
| 3 | ADB does not need or provide information on arrivals, departures, or hotels for anybody other than ADB personnel, Governors, and Heads of Delegations. However, the host country generally requires reports on arrival and departure details of all participants. | February–May |
| 4 | Reports should be monthly until March, then weekly until the Annual Meeting, and updates may need to be more frequent in the last week before the meeting, continuing into the meeting itself. | January–May |
| E. Monitor Arrivals and Departures | ||
| 1 | Keep in close contact with the airport to monitor arrivals of VIPs, such as Governors and Heads of Delegations, and keep hotels informed as necessary. | 1–5 May |
| 2 | Ensure that the proper protocol arrangements are in place for meeting the VIPs and for their cars. Ensure that their assigned liaison officer is waiting to meet them and has the cell phone number of their driver. | 1–5 May |
| 3 | Ensure that the shuttle bus service for delegates and ADB personnel is working efficiently, and that there are enough buses to each hotel. Participants should not have to wait longer than 20 minutes for their bus to leave. | 1–6 May |
| 4 | Make special arrangements for ADB personnel who arrive earlier than the delegates and make provisions for transporting extra luggage of materials or documents. | 24 April–1 May |
| 5 | Let ADB know immediately if any Governor or Head of Delegation does not arrive at the previously confirmed time and find out the reason for lack of communication as well as revised arrival details. | 1–5 May |
| 6 | Ensure that Governors and Heads of Delegation can check in immediately and that they are allotted better rooms, if possible (e.g., a better view). | 1–5 May |
| 7 | Put in place an express check-in system, requiring participants only to sign and provide a credit card if necessary. Consider the possibility of in-room check-in for VIPs. | 1–5 May |
| 8 | Respond immediately to any problems encountered by VIPs upon check-in; try to resolve the problem, if not by going there, by talking to the manager on the telephone. | 24 April–1 May |
| 9 | Instruct hotels’ front desk to double-check the departure time and arrangements of ADB personnel, seminar speakers, and delegates when they check in. | 3–6 May |
| 10 | For departures, ensure that the check-out process goes smoothly, and respond to and try to resolve any problems encountered by VIPs upon check-out, as for check-in. | 4–7 May |
| 11 | Ensure that VIP transport arrangements are made for departure (e.g., ample time to reach the airport) and that VIPs are met in an appropriate manner at the airport, with facilitation of procedures and suitable protocol. | 4–7 May |