Rates
We have completely redesigned the rate setup screen. Now it is easier than ever to effectively control and change room prices. The new screen allows greater flexibility when reviewing rates and availability. It also enables you to quickly change single or multiple prices and restrictions.
Here are the main changes:
- Rate Seasons. You can easily set a season for each individual rate. This way you can skip entering season prices for the rates which are not affected by the respective season, e.g. derived rates.
- Rate and Availability Combined View. While setting rates, you can use the same screen to see the available rooms. Thus you can easily analyse and change prices, if needed, and all of this is done on one screen.
- Flat/Calendar View.The new rate table has two view modes:
- Flat. In the flat view mode, the table has a lesser height and greater width. Use it to conveniently view and edit more rates, as the periods shown are shorter. Through this mode, you can easily see the prices in many rates for a certain period.
- Calendar View. In this view mode, the table has a greater height and fixed width of 31 days. This way you can see less rates, however the periods shown are longer. Use this mode to easily see prices and availability for the whole year.
- Super Compact View. Through the View Options, you can hide the availability in the table, as well as minimise the season and day price cells. As a result, the table is more compact and easier to view.
- Restriction Selection. You can choose which restrictions to be displayed or not. This feature enables you to have the Minimum Stay restriction only shown, for example. In this case, you can easily find the days,for which this restriction does not allow bookings due to no available rooms in the next days.
- Dragging or Clicking Multiple Days to Edit.Quickly edit prices and restrictions for randomly selected periods among multiple rates. Here are a few examples:
- To quickly edit a season or day – double click a season cell (a blue one) or click a day cell (an orange one) once
- With dragging over white cells you can easily select a period in one of the rates.
- Hold ctrl or cmd and through dragging over or clicking white cells, add more days to the period selected.
- Repeat these steps for other rates.
- Edit everything at once.
- You can select periods and days for all rates of a room type. Just click/drag over the available room cells (only in the flat view mode).
- Check all options for fast price and restriction access and editing.
- Inspect Option. We have added a new option to inspect restriction priorities for a given date. Choose the white cell for the respective date and select the 'Inspect' option from the Day button dropdown menu .
- Calculated Price. Apart from the price set, now you can also see the calculated price. This way for the derived rates you can see both the amounts to be added or subtracted and the resulting derived price. This feature also enables you to see the prices selected an occupancy adaptable rate for each date. And all of this is done on one and the same screen.
- We have preserved the old Set Multiple Days feature for the cases in which it provides easier options to edit rates than the new rate editor.
- Expanded season options: Now seasons can refer to one rate only, and not for the whole rate plan.
Calendar View.
Self Service Portal
We have added more features to the Self Service Portal to facilitate your contact with clients.
- Advanced Translations.All labels, texts, buttons and messages on the Self Service Portal are now translatable and editable. Use this option to easily change the standard content of a text, if needed, or to translate the Self Service Portal in a language not supported by the system. To change texts:
- Go to 'Other' - 'Settings' - 'Languages and Texts'
- Select 'Advanced Self Service Labels/Translations' next to the desired language
- Change the content or translate the text in the respective fields and save.
- Client Requests. Through this new Self Service Portal feature, guests can add special requirements to their bookings. The special requirements are saved and visible in the booking for everyone. Additionally, a To Do is created and a notification email is sent to the hotel. Below you can see more information on the new booking notes.
Estimated Arrival/Departure Time and Transfers. Your guests can fill in information regarding their transfer or flight on the Self Service Portal. This option can be enabled or disabled from the Self Service Portal settings. The information entered is saved in the booking Arrival Transfer/Departure Transfer fields.
- Log Out. A new Log Out button has been added to the main Self Service Portal screen. This makes using the Self Service Portal on a reception desk tablet easier, as different guests can log in and out of the Self Service Portal. To be able to use the Self Service Portal this way, you need to enable the Public Access to the Self Service Portal (the Portal is accessed with a family name and booking or room number).
Confirmation and Guest Mailer
Booking Confirmation - Full Template Customization.
Now you can have confirmation letter layout to your taste. To do so, use the rich text editor of guest emails or an HTML developed by your web designer. For maximum flexibility, we have added more parameters. These parameters enable adding descriptions and images from the Clock PMS database to your custom confirmations: logo, Google map, translations and descriptions of room types, rates, locations, guarantee policies, etc.
To set up a custom confirmation template:
- Go to 'Other' - 'Settings' - 'Guest Mailer'
- Add a new template, as the related Auto Send options must be set to "Off (Manual Send)". Save.
- Click the 'Templates' button next to the new template
- For each of the languages, create a confirmation template. If you have a ready HTML from your web designer – click the 'Source' in the upper left corner of the editor and paste the HTML into the editor.
- Use parameters for the dynamic content (booking data, amounts, descriptions and images from the Clock PMS database). Check out the Parameter Helper below.
- Important: Save the content before switching to another language.
- After finishing the template, test it through a test booking sent via the Guest Mailer. Open the booking; Click 'New Email' in the 'Booking Emails' section; Select the new template and send it to your email address for reviewing.
To change the standard layout of a confirmation to one of your choosing:
- Go to 'Other' - 'Settings' - 'Guest Mailer'
- Click 'Change' next to 'Custom Booking Confirmation Template'
- Select your template and save.
- Note: If you wish to return to the standard layout of the confirmation letter, open the Guest Mailer screen, click the 'Standard' button and save.
- After selecting your custom confirmation template, it will be used for all emails sent automatically (for new bookings in the WRS or 'Confirm your bookings' on the Self Service Portal) and manually (Confirmation from the booking list screens).
Now you can edit the entire custom confirmation letter before sending it to a guest. Add a specific text or change the existing descriptions of the template only for the specific email sent to the guest. You know this feature from the Guest Mailer, where you can edit a letter before sending it. To do so, send the email through clicking the 'New Mail' button instead of the 'Confirmation' button.
Note: The custom confirmation letters require the "Guest Mailer" Add-On
After Check-In Emails
We have added a new feature to the Guest Mailer Add-On to automatically send emails after check-in. Use the new emails to welcome your guests after checking in at your hotel, send them special offers, as well as give them interesting local information. As with the rest of automatic emails, you can use filters for OTAs, stay periods and guarantee policies to target different group of guests.
How to set up an automatic email to be sent after check-in:
- Go to 'Other' - 'Settings' - 'Guest Mailer'
- Add a new template, as the related Auto Send option must be set to "On (Auto Send)" and the 'Send on' field must show 'After Arrival'. Save.
- Enter the texts for all languages used through the 'Templates' button.
Parameter Helper.
For the easy and quick creation of templates for emails containing dynamic data (parameters), we have added a new functionality to the template rich text editor - a dropdown list of all parameters. This is how the menu button looks like:
- Move the marker to the place where you would like to add the parameter
- Click the button and select the parameter from the list.
- The parameter will be added to the position chosen. Example: You select the 'Arrival' parameter to be added: .
Others
- After saving a template,you remain on the same screen. This way if you have to edit content in many languages, the editing process becomes faster.
- We have improved the error processing for emails sent. Now you see the email status, whether it is delivered, and if not, what the error is.
- Sending Emails to Multiple Recipients. In the 'To' field, you can list several email addresses, separating them with a comma (,).
- We have improved the automatic emails, set to be sent after departure. Now the sending of these emails complies more precisely with the set period after a guest's specific departure time. The period is set in the "Time Range (hours)" field.
- Now it is not necessary to use 'Custom SMTP server' for the 'From' field of your emails to show your own email address as it used to be. Our support team only needs confirmation on your part to make the necessary reconfiguration. Note: This option is not available for trial/demo accounts.Here are the steps:
- From the email address of the account holder, send us an email stating that you would like the 'From' field of your emails to show your email address. Specify this email address, so that we can enter it in the 'From' field.
- We will send an email with a link to email address specified to confirm your request.
- After receiving the confirmation, we will configure the system to use your email address.
- If you wish to change the email address, the procedure must be repeated.
- If you wish to stop the use of this option, contact us.
Registration Cards
Custom Registration Card Template
Now you can create your own custom registration card form, arranging its fields to your taste. To do so, you can use the rich text editor or a ready HTML from your web designer. Your form will be used in the application and the Self Service Portal (self check-in) instead of the standard registration card form. Setup:
- Go to 'Other' - 'Settings' - 'Registration Card Templates' in the 'Advanced Settings' section
- Use the rich text editor and the new 'Parameter Helper' feature to create your own registration card form. Save.
- When you are ready with the form, tick the 'Use custom registration card print template' check box on the same screen and save. Now your registration card form will be used instead of the standard one.
- If you wish to return to the use of standard registration card form – untick the 'Use custom registration card print template' and save.
Note: Remember to save the form before switching languages
Note: When using a ready HTML, it must comply with the Bootstrap CSS framеwork classes.
Advanced Translations
We have added all fields of the standard registration card form to the advanced translation section. This way you can also translate the fields of of the registration card form in languages not supported by the system by default. Also you can change field labels in the languages supported – e.g. You can rename the ZIP field to Postcode field, etc.
Here is how to find the registration card advanced translations:
- 'Other' - 'Settings' - 'Languages and Texts' - 'Registration Card Field Labels' in the section of each language.
Bookings
- Successive Notes.In order to improve the control and use of notes, we have changed their organisation:
- We have added a new note: Client Requests. Clients use this note to send their requirements through the Self Service Portal. This note can be used for adding the Channel Manager notes. Apart from the booking, the note is visible in the booking lists, on the room allocation screen and in the Housekeeping Report.
- User and Time Information. Now notes show the time of creation/deletion and the user. In addition, you can easily see the texts of the deleted notes (on the booking edit screen).
- Channel Manager import now adds notes. This way you can be sure that no information entered by you in the note will be deleted. This will also diminish the number of bookings which cannot be updated due to external control.
- Disabled auto mailers – new screen. In order to disable the automatic sending of emails for a booking, now you have to click the 'Disable Auto Send...' button on the booking screen instead of ticking the old check boxes on the booking edit screen.
Others
InHotel/Expected Events. We have added a new screen to "Event". There you can find all events currently being held at the hotel and the expected ones too. From this screen you can easily create a new booking. For the new booking, all the event-related fields are automatically filled in – period, event, company and room type.
- Channel Manager – we have improved the update concept of bookings and version control. The version control is a mechanism for booking updating that determines whether a booking can be updated automatically or not, depending on whether clients have made any changes to the booking. The new concept is more precise. It compares whether there is a change to each of the attributes and then if this change is made by a user.
- We have removed notifications from the main screen. Most users didn't find them useful. Additionally, these notifications used to double the new channel status notifications.
- Folio Notes. You can add a note to each folio regarding specific conditions or descriptions. Open a folio screen and click the "Currency/Name/Notes" button. Enter the note text and save. The note appears in the lower part of the printed folio. Note: If you use custom folio print form, you can decide where this note to appear on the the printed folio through the following liquid parameter:
- Period Fields in Reports – the 'To' field is automatically set with the setup of the 'From' field. This way you do not need to scroll to the same month in the 'To' field.
- We have added a Control Event type filter to the Control Events Report.
- Credit Cards – changes to billing address fields.
- We have added a new setting whether a billing address is required or not: 'Other' - 'Settings' - 'Credit Card' - 'Address Required'
- New individual address fields added: ZIP, City, State and Country. This way credit card details are compatible with the requirements of Authorize.net interface. As a result, credit card details gathered via the WRS or the Self Service Portal can directly be used for charging (through Authorize.net), as it is not necessary to be copied or pasted. Unfortunately, this feature is only applicable to the newly gathered credit card details. For the previously gathered credit card details, these fields remain empty.
- We have hidden the little orange suggestion button (appearing in the middle of the right side of the screen) from the wide screens: Rates, Occupancy Forecast, Room Calendar, etc.
API
Push HTTP/S Notifications.
We have added new events to the Notification API, as well as an option for HTTP/S push. With this, the notification options have become two:
- HTTP/S Push (New). With each new event (see the list below), we execute POST request on your HTTP or HTTPS URL. The POST contains the subject (message type) and related object ID (folio id, booking id, etc.). With the object ID you can get object details using base/pms API. HTTP/S Push notification also has a retry feature in case your URL is not reachable at the moment.
- Long Pull (Existing). In case your server is within an internal network and cannot receive HTTP/S requests, you can use this notification method. See the documentation for more info.
The new events added are:
- booking_new (On Booking creation)
- booking_update (On any change on Booking attributes. Only first level booking attributes generates update event)
- booking_expected (On Booking status changed to 'expected')
- booking_checked_in (On Booking status changed to 'checked_in')
- booking_checked_out (On Booking status changed to 'checked_out')
- booking_canceled (On Booking status changed to 'canceled')
- booking_no_show (On Booking status changed to 'no_show')
More end-points
- Create Payments. POST method is added to 'credit_items' end point. Parameters are: value, currency, payment_type, payment_sub_type, reference_id, reference_text, text.
- We have added a new feature ( Capacity Adjustment ) and the respective end point to it (room_type_availability_adjustments). This feature enables you to add or remove amounts from the available rooms for a room type. Thus you can stop the sales of a certain room type or increase the availability and allow overbooking. The Capacity Adjustment itself is visible in the Occupancy Forecast, however there is still no user interface for editing through the application.
Fixes
- Occupancy Forecast – when choosing a month, 30 days always appeared even with the months of 31 days.
- ParityRate – the room type names in the settings did not get updated with the screen opening.
- The TO-DOs for bookings paid online stated these bookings were not paid, though they were.
- The Payment Report showed entries caused by a payment text change.
- When editing multiple charges, the tax change was not reflected
- The availability was not correct for checked-in rooms, whose statuses were then changed to OOS.
- If in the booking edit mode, relocation was added, without specifying the date, the erro message was not clear.