Prebooking basic configuration and checks
To be able to make a pre-booking, some configuration has to be checked/added:
1. Check for Release configuration for required accommodation(s)
Pre-bookings can only be made for periods after the last Release. This can be viewed/configured in the Content Manager (Accommodation Type menu→ Availability card→ Releases).
In this case the last release has it’s Available until date for Everyone as 1/1/20. Which means that Pre-bookings could be enabled from 1/1/20.
2. Check for representation internal names, if needed
If the houses to be linked have multiple representations, and only one of them has to be linked (for instance, only one for internal bookings like Reception), add an internal name for such representations to distinguish the representations, since the names of all representations. To do this, you need to navigate to Content Manager→ Accommodation type menu→ Representations card, select the required representation (which opens the popup as shown below), and add the Internal Name.
3. Check for your credential roles and rights
Make sure the role assigned to you has the Rate Manager→ Prebooking right assigned. This can be checked in the Backoffice manager.
Click on the role, and check for the right for prebooking in rate manager. As can be seen below, the role has the required right.
4. Check for location access for which prebooking configurations need to be made
Lastly, please check you have access to all the required locations (resorts), as that can also often result in errors during the configuration. To do so, go back to the 'Employee' menu in Backoffice manager, and navigate to your credential details. Head over to the 'Locations' card, and check the locations (and more locations can be added if required).
Prebooking rentability
1. Create required rentability set(s) for prebooking rentability
A rentability set needs to be created to define the rentability rules to be followed during prebooking. To create a rentability set, navigate to Rate Manager→ Rentability set menu.
Please note, accommodation types are never linked to the rentability sets, only representations are linked. Depending on which channels need to be able to make the prebooking, the required representations can be linked to the rentability sets.
A few fields are required in the creation step, which can be seen below. The purpose of each of them is explained below:
- Name: Add a name for the rentability set, to identify the different sets.
- Code: Add a unique code per location for the rentability set
- Location: Rentability Set can be created at the topmost location/individual resort level, depending on which houses you want to use this set for. For instance, if the set is created at the topmost resort, it can be used for all accommodations under this resort and all accommodations under its child resorts as well.
- Usage date from-to: Select the period for which you want to create rentability rules in the set/ period for which prebooking is to be allowed. If a date in the far future is required, that can be done as well, but usually it can go up to about 1-2 years in the future, For instance, for 2020 prebookings, a period of 01-Jan-2020 to 31-Dec-2021 could be added.
On creating the set, the set details page opens up. The checkbox highlighted in the below screenshot, marked 'Prebooking', needs to be enabled to be able to use this rentability set for prebooking purposes.
2. Add rentability rules in the created rentability set(s)
Now, the rentability rules can be added for the set as shown in the below screen:
3. Link rentability set(s) to required representation(s)
This rentability set now needs to be linked to all required representations. The link dates are to show for which period you want to use this set for the particular representation(s).
To link a representation(s), use the highlighted button to open the following popup:
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Add the dates for which the link needs to be created. The default dates show up as per the rentability set usage dates (defined during set creation), but they can be changed if required. However, the stay dates need to lie within the rentability set usage period. Likewise, the book dates have default dates from today to the end of the usage period, they can be altered as well but only for future dates (past dates cannot be selected). If required, use the 'Location' filter to narrow down the list of accommodation types that would show up in the next step. After this, click on 'Next step'. | Select the required accommodations whose representations need to be linked to this rentability set, and then click on 'Next Step'. |
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| Step 3 | Step 4 |
| In this step, select the required representations. If an internal name is added for any representation, it shows up in bracket, as can be seen below. It can be used as an identifier here, in case each accommodation has multiple representations. Click on 'Next step'. | The final step is to approve the selection made. If everything is satisfactory, click on 'Start Update', else it is possible to go back to previous steps by clicking on 'Previous Steps' and making required changes. |
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Error message info
Often, on starting the update, an error shows up, something like this:
This simply means that the given representations already have this/some other rentability set linked to it for partial/entire period (The dates that were selected in step 1). As required, changes can be made or these representations can be removed from selection, and then the update can be proceeded with.
On linking representations, the card shows the data as follows:
Import possibility
It is also possible to import rentability rules into the various rentability sets, instead of manual configuration. The Excel template can be downloaded from the system, and the required data can be added and imported to the system. In case of any errors in the import, the system gives the respective errors, which can be fixed in the file and re-imported.
| Template can be downloaded | Sample file to check how data needs to be filled in is attached here | File can be imported after filling the details |
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The 'Location' to be selected here is the location whose rentability set data you want to import. |
Likewise, it is also possible to import the links between rentability sets and representations, following the same process (with a different template). However, it is mandatory to have internal name for representations to be able to use this feature,
Prebooking prices
1. Create required rate option for defining prebooking rates
To add the prebooking prices, you need to create a prebooking rate option. The Default Rate type needs to have a Rate option for Pre-booking, which can be created by navigating to the default rate type in the Rate Type menu in the Rate Manager, and creating a rate option as follows:
After successfully creating the rate option, it can be seen as follows:
2. Add rates for required accommodations for the configured prebooking rate option (using Batch update)
Add prices for all required accommodations, for the required period. This can be done in batch update as well, or in the Rates screen.
| Batch Update: Step 1 | Batch Update: Step 2 | Batch Update: Step 3 |
| For batch update, navigate to the following menu (Batch Updates), and click on 'New Batch Update' | Add required filters in the first step, and select the required accommodations in the second step. | Lastly, add the prices for the prebooking rate option, and run the batch update to save the prices. |
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Alternative to Batch Rate update- Single accommodation
In the event that the above process fails, there is another alternative to add prices for accommodations:
Navigate to 'Accommodation Type' menu→ Select required accommodation→ Head over to the 'Rates' card. Add the required rate type and date filters, as shown below. Check if there already exist any prices for the prebooking rate option, as seen here, nothing exists for given period.
Click on 'Add New Rate' to begin | Adding the required dates for the price, and proceeding to the next step: | Select the default rate type where the prebooking rate option has been created, and add the price. Then, click on Next Step. (The next step is to add a Rates Invoice text, to show up a text in the bill line. This step is optional, so can be skipped.) | The last step is to view the summary, then click on 'Add Rate', then system adds the rate. This can be seen as below: |
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As seen above, price for prebooking has been successfully added for this accommodation for the given dates.
Alternative to Batch Rate update- Multiple accommodations
In the event that the above process fails, there is another alternative to add prices for accommodations, which is outlined below:
Navigate to 'Batch update' menu→ Click on 'Download template'. This will lead to a download of an excel sheet, which can be filled in with the required data (details of the import file added HERE), and follow the given steps:
Click on 'Import' button, and select the created file for the prebooking prices. | If file content is valid and there are no errors in the file, it should successfully start processing. | The status of the import can be tracked on the screen; in case of a successful completion, it shows 'Completed' as below. However, in case of errors, the error message tells what is incorrect in the file. These can be fixed and the file can then be re-imported. |
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| Completed: List of errors in file: |
Once the import is successful, it means prebooking prices have been added for all accommodations added in the file.
This can be verified by checking accommodation(s) on the rates screen, as shown below:
Prebooking reservation
Continue to make a reservation in Reservation Manager. On selecting the location and adding the dates, the accommodations available for prebooking show up marked as ‘Prebooking’, as shown below:
Thereafter, continue with the reservation, and it gets saved as Prebooking reservation.