Making New Reservations
Making new reservations in GuestPoint is easy. There are a number of ways you can make new bookings. The way you choose depends on your preference and the result will be the same.
To create a New Reservation, either:
· Click ‘New Reservation’ on the top right corner of the Reservation Plan
· Double click on a cell in a room type on the Reservation Plan
For multiple nights, hold the Shift Key down then click on the start date and room you want, then drag your mouse across the number of nights
When you do any of these options, GuestPoint® will open a New Reservation Screen. Now, just follow the steps to complete the new reservation.
Step 1 – Dates & Room
Set the dates your guests will check-in and check-out. For multiple room bookings simply increase the number of rooms. You can also mark this reservation as tentative by selecting ‘Tentative Reservation’. Tentative reservations appear with shading on the Reservation Plan.
Step 2 – Room Requirements
For each room, enter the number of Adults and Children.
If you clicked on the New Reservation button to create your new booking, GuestPoint® will automatically list only Room Types that are available during the selected dates. You can see all of your Room Types by selecting ‘Show All’. Once you select a Room Type, GuestPoint® will show you the ‘best fit’ Room Allocation. You can easily change this to another room number or set it to ‘Unallocated’ and allocate a room number later. If you choose ‘Don't Move’ this booking will not be able to be moved to a different room (to remove the ‘Don't Move’ you will need to come back into the reservation and untick ‘Do Not Move’).
Step 3 – Guest Details
If the guest is with a company, put in the details. If the company has stayed before the auto search will give you matches to select from. If this is the first time the company is used, GuestPoint® will remember the company details for next time. Complete the guest’s name, again, auto search will show matches to select from if the guest has stayed previously. You can also press the Search button and find a past guest by phone number, email etc.
When you select a guest or company from the Suggestions list GuestPoint® will auto fill the information from that record for you. If the guest or company has stayed before and you do not select it from the list, a duplicate record will be created.
Where a reservation has a company recorded on it, GuestPoint® will create a split account for charges to be added to the individual or the company.
If the guest has stayed before and provided a credit card, GuestPoint® will give you the option of selecting the card to use to secure the new booking.
Step 4 – Rates
Select the pre-set room rate from the drop down list and add a promotion code if relevant. GuestPoint® will automatically fill in the charges for extra adults and children, based on the rate selected. You can adjust these as required. You can also apply a discount – either a fixed amount off or percentage amount off – just be sure to click ‘Re-calculate’ to apply the discount. One advantage of applying a discount is this amount will appear on the Room Account, so the guest knows they have received a discount. If you only change the room charge, the discount amount will not display on the Room Account.
GuestPoint® will automatically fill in the nightly Room Charge for you. This is based on the Standard Rate you have selected, unless you have set a Dynamic Rate for any of the nights. Dynamic Rates take precedence. You can easily adjust the rate of any night within the reservation by modifying the rate within the room charge grid or you can add a discount.
When operating in Exclusive Tax Mode (as in the US) the subtotal of the room charges, tax and total are displayed below the grid. Clicking on ‘Estimated Tax’ displays the breakdown of the tax amounts. To mark a reservation as tax exempt simply tick the box in Step 7 and select the specific taxes that apply. GuestPoint® will automatically mark long term reservations as tax exempt for reservations reaching the designated transient thresholds. These thresholds are entered in Transaction Accounts & Tax in the Setup book on the Management tab.
The Rate, Extra Charges and Promotion Codes are set up within the Management tab.
Step 5 – Future Charges
You can add any Future Charges for the reservation and these will be posted on the relevant day of the guest’s stay. Just click Room and the list of optional Extras is displayed, simply select the checkbox for any that apply to this reservation. You can of course add Extras at a later stage from the Future Charges tab once you have saved the reservation.
Extras are set up within the Setup Book on the Management tab.
Step 6 – Additional Information
Complete the company and guest details. If the company or guests are repeat guests, existing information is automatically filled in for you. Any Guest Profile fields you have set up will display and can be completed if they are applicable for this guest. Profile fields are set up within the Setup Book on the Management tab.
Add any Housekeeping notes (e.g. roll away bed required). These will appear on the Housekeeping report the day the guest is checking-in. Internal booking notes will serve as a reminder to the users about any special notes for the reservation or the guest. Guest Profile Notes will be added permanently to the guest record, and will automatically display for future stays.
Select your Booking Source (e.g. Telephone or Walk In) and if applicable, select an Agent. Agents are online booking channels (e.g. hotels.com, booking.com) or travel agents (e.g. Corporate Traveller). When a reservation is linked to an Agent, charges can be invoiced directly to the agent.
You can also record any booking notes (e.g. quiet room requested). These notes will appear on the guest confirmation document.
With GuestPoint® Premium you have the option of having Profile fields related to the reservation, e.g. Reason for Stay.
Step 7 – Payment Options
When making a new reservation, GuestPoint® offers you 4 ways to secure the booking:
1. Request a deposit and set a due date. You can then use the Deposit Follow Up on the Management tab to keep track of these.
2. You can enter a Purchase Order number which will appear on the Room Account.
3. Add a credit card into the Credit Card Vault by clicking the ‘Add Card to Vault’ button. This is the Reservation Guarantee Credit Card. GuestPoint® also lets to add another credit card when the guest checks-in, in the case where one card is provided to secure the booking, but the guest provides a different card at check-in.
4. Make a payment using the ‘Make Payment’ button. This payment will be treated as a future deposit until the guest checks in. You can indicate the reservation is a prepaid booking by selecting the Prepaid Booking checkbox. When the guest is checked in all of their room charges will be added to their Room Account.
Non refundable reservations are flagged by selecting the Non Refundable checkbox. GuestPoint® will prompt you to confirm the refund payment for non refundable reservations if you wish to process a refund for these reservations.
Step 8 – Automatic Charges Policy
Automatic charges are the nightly room charges and any pre-selected Extras (e.g. breakfast). GuestPoint® posts these charges for you. You simply select which account you want the charges sent to by selecting the Automatic Charge Policy for this reservation from the drop down list.
Step 9 – Confirmation
In the final step, select whether you want to print or email the confirmation. If you select email, the Email Services window will pop up. Remember, the guest must have an email address entered for this option to be available.
You can also print an Arrival Form and a Pre-stay Invoice.
You can also print an Arrival Form and a Pre-stay Invoice.
Don’t forget to click ‘Save’. The reservation will then appear in the Reservation Plan.
TIP: To make a multi-room reservation hold down the Shift key then click on the rooms and dates you want. When you release the Shift key the Reservation Card will open with the selected rooms. This is ideal for rooms with the same dates. If the dates differ you’ll need to select each accordingly, and then simply complete the steps.
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