Sending an invoice to guest

Owned by Frank Louwerse
May 27, 2019
3 min read

This page is to outline the concept of invoicing in the system.

Difference between instalments and invoices

The system holds two types of communicating open due amounts to customers. The concept is visualized below and explained in the following paragraphs:

Instalment(s)

Instalments can be considered dynamic and is the default functionality in the system. By default an instalment is added in the reservation for the open due amount. The instalment is based on predefined payment term configuration per distributionchannel. Example payment term configuration is:

  • 1st term: Pre-payment of 20% of total reservation value
  • 2nd term: Payment of remaining amount

Main characteristic of this scenario is the fact the se instalments are dynamic. This means that changes in a reservation (extending or shortening a stay, adding or removing booked resources) change the open due amounts in the defined instalments accordingly. When an extra resource is booked, the 1st term is updated with 20% of the added value, the 2nd term is updated with the remainder.

To conclude: Instalment structure for a reservation is generated based on pre-defined payment term configuration and instalments change in accordance with changes in the reservation.

Invoicing

An instalment overruling concept of communicating open due amounts to customers is creating Invoices. Invoices can be considered fixed, opposite to how instalments correspond with changes in a reservation. For each change, or moment of multiple changes, a new invoice should be created by the user. 

The invoicing methodology is primarily applicable for customers who have corporate clients. It’s common business practice corporate clients require unique invoices when they must pay for a service. For that reason, all reservation changes are captured in individual invoices so reservation changes can be invoiced ‘isolated’ to companies, instead of sending a complete new updated bill.

Basic principles:

  • Invoices are not complementary to instalments and cannot be combined within 1 reservation.
  • Open due amounts should be communicated to customers either via the instalment principle or via the invoicing principle.
  • Creating an invoice overwrites instalments which are added by default. When the reservation changed, a new invoice should be created.
  • The principle of invoicing can be executed for single invoices or periodical invoices.
    • Single invoice: The full reservation value is addd in an invoice (1st invoice), subsequently each change can be captured in an invoice (subsequent invoices)
    • Periodical invoice: For a month-crossing reservation (example: a stay for 3 months) automatically an invoice per calendar month is created. Subsequent changes of the reservation can be captured via single invoices or new periodical invoices (for example: extension of the reservation with 3 months).


How to?

In the reservation overview, open the Finance section, if applicable select the paymentterm set for periodical invoicing and hit 'Create Invoice'