The Case Study

The Rainforest Hideaway Tourist Accommodation System

Background

Steve Porter retired from a successful 20 year career as an officer in the Queensland Police Service about five years ago. At the same time, his wife Sue left her employment as a teacher and they underwent a ‘sea-change’, selling their house in the city and purchasing a house on 9 hectares (22 acres) in Byfield, part of Queensland’s Capricorn Region. The area is noted for its rainforests, creeks and beaches which offer a quiet lifestyle close to nature.

After a few years enjoying their retirement, playing golf, fishing and looking after the property, both Steve and Sue became concerned that while they were reasonably ‘asset-rich’ they may become ‘income-poor’ in their later years. Most of their superannuation payouts have been invested in the property and what is left is subject to the vagaries of the stock market. The area does attract a number of tourists each year so after investigation, Steve and Sue decided to turn part of the property into tourist accommodation in order to augment their income.

One option was to turn their house into a bed-and-breakfast establishment but after deliberation they decided that would intrude too much on their privacy. However, their swimming pool could be made available to guests and it was a fairly simple matter to purchase and install an outdoor spa. They have arranged construction of six cottages, and have decided to establish a couples-only holiday resort. A large shed on the property has been converted into a restaurant. They have named their holiday resort Rainforest Hideaway.

Accommodation cost will be a set fee of $150 per night for each cottage. The restaurant will be open to the public as well as to guests. Guests may, if they wish, have their meal costs included with their accommodation cost.

Steve and Sue have arranged with a graphic design company to design a website for the business, and an ISP to host it. They have also organised with their financial institution for them to be able to process EFTPOS and credit card transactions.

It is anticipated that requests for bookings will come via telephone, mail or email, in which case Steve or Sue will process the booking through their officer computer (in-house booking). Guests will then be issued with a confirmation of the booking by email, post or fax depending on their preference. Potential guests will also be able to make bookings online through the website (online booking) in which case they will receive a confirmation on-screen that they can print out and also by email if they supply an email address.

When they complete their stay, guests will be issued with an account covering their accomodation and any restaurant item costs. They will be able to pay for their accommodation with cash, EFTPOS or credit card and on payment will be issued with a receipt. Guests will not pay for their stay online and they will not be required to make a deposit prior to their arrival at Rainforest Hideaway. However, it is preferred that they provide a credit card number (if they have one) because if guests do not arrive on the appointed day they will be charged one night’s accomodation to offset the loss of revenue by the business.

As a system analyst, you have been selected by Steve and Sue to investigate how a computerised information system may best be developed to meet current and future requirements. The outcomes need to be tied to business goals and objectives.

The system should handle all of the requirements for guests booking into the resort, issuing a confirmation of booking, calculation of all fees, processing of payments and issuing of a receipt. The system should also provide various reports on demand listing selected details of past and future bookings for particular periods of time (for example, all bookings for last December for Cottage 3 or all bookings for the coming two months).

Information to be recorded by the information system

At time of booking: On check-out: