Booking Overview

All bookings are presented from a date, for a number of days. They are laid out in tabular or spreadsheet form. You will probably use this option all the time as it presents an easy to understand view of what is happening with your bookings, rooms. This option is used to control availability, manage/update bookings and a variety of other functions.

Access to this option is controlled by "Permission option" 57.

Each cell of the grid represents a room or unit of accommodation for one day. Its colour determines its "state ".

States

Unallocated - A booking in an " OVER" which needs to be allocated to a room or unit.

Checked In - A booking which has been Checked-in.

Checked Out - A booking which has been Checked-out.

No Show - Booking due to Check-in but which has not yet.

Not Available - A unit which is not available to be booked.

Available online - A unit which can be booked online and using Quick Booking.

Unit Allocations - Only a specified agent can book this unit (unless available within "Release days range").

Group Booking - A booking allocated to a room or unit but not Checked-in which is part of a Group Booking.

Unit Problem - An unconfirmed booking with a "Requested Unit/Room" which has been allocated an alternative Unit.

White (default) - Not available online but available for booking using Quick Booking.

All changes to units which have an affect online are automatically reflected online within a few seconds provided the "Sync" process is running.

Calculating booking prices quickly

If you want a quick price for an enquiry click on the cell which represents the arrival date and drag in a straight (horizontal) line and release "drop" the mouse on the departure date. Provided the selected number of nights is available and valid, a price will be provided in the information area - just above the spreadsheet area.

The accommodation type, unit code, arrival date, number of nights and price with currency are shown. The prices are always based on minimum occupancy in the unit selected.

An additional option is provided in the information area which enables changes to be quickly made to the price provided.

Every time you change one of the options the price is recalculated. This can provided a very quick method of quoting over the phone of face to face with a client. If you want to use a different unit, just drag and drop the mouse as before.

When your potential guest is happy with the price select the button, and the selections will be passed to the "Booking Entry" option.

Colours

You can control colours. Click on the colour block (bottom row) and change as required.

Selecting the Bookings/Units to look at

Use the options at the top to change the start date and the number of days to look at. You will not be able to move or amend a booking if it crosses either the first or last date used to view bookings.

Printing

Select the print button and select the printer to output the booking overview.

"OVER" units

These are automatically generated by accommres. Sometimes due to issues beyond accommres control it is possible for a booking to be taken when there are not enough units available - an overbooking! As all bookings are allocated to a unit or room, accommres will create an "OVER" unit which will be visible in Booking Overview and then put the booking in it. You can then decide what to do with the booking. Probably move the booking into an alternative accommodation type. accommres continually syncronises your inventory online and on your local system. If there is an internet problem for example "loss of connection" to the internet, accommres will continue operating. Our online servers will continue driving your online booking website and your local system will continue normally. This could lead to double bookings. It is better to have too many bookings than too few!

Changing room or units

Guest can be allocated to a room or moved from one room to another using your Mouse. Use the left mouse button to drag a booking to a room. Select the first day of the booking to move the entire booking. If you want to change room mid-stay, drag the booking by selecting the day when the guest will change room.

Change length of stay

Click on the last day of the booking and drag the mouse left or right depending on whether you want to increase or reduce the length of stay. Release the mouse button once the booking has changed to the new length. If increasing the length of booking and you try to overbook, accommres will not let you increase the length. If the current length of stay is one night, you will be asked if you want to change length or change arrival date - select accordingly.

Booking information/Changes/Update status

If you click on any part of a booking, basic information is displayed at the top of the window. To access the "Booking Details" option so that you can look at and/or change information, double click on the booking.

Entering a Booking

Entering a Group Booking

Make sure the "cursor" is on the cell for the correct Property and Arrival date. A Group Booking can only be entered for a single property. Click on the "Arrival Day of interest (Row underneath the date).

Changes which affect the price of a Booking

When any changes are made to a booking (for example Change length of stay) which affect the price for the booking, the Booking Price change option is loaded. You can Confirm, Ignore or Cancel the change with this option.

Change Arrival date

Click on the first day of a booking with the left mouse and drag to the new arrival day (same row). If there is availability the arrival date and booking information will be changed. If the current length of stay is one night, you will be asked if you want to change length or change arrival date - select accordingly.

Setting Last Minute Prices

Adding/Looking at Units

Click on the Accommodation Type for the property of interest and the "Define Units/Room " option is loaded.

Loading/Changing information for a specific Unit/Room

Click on the "Unit/Room" name/number and the " Unit Configuration" option is loaded.

Different Views and Options

Select the "View " pulldown and select

Statistics - For the units and date range selected, statistics are generated (See below).

Payments - For the bookings visible a separate colour scheme is shown indicating their payment status.

Agencies - The Agent for visible agent bookings will be shown. You can restrict to a specific Agent.

Status - The main view as above.

Hide Unavailable - Only Units which are available are shown.

Available Only - Only Units fully available for the date range chosen are shown.

Narrow version - The width of each column is restricted in size to show more days at a time.

Type Order - Units can be listed in Unit code order or Overview order .

Narrow version

If the narrow version option is selected in the "View" dropdown then the column width is reduced (default setting). The Date (top row) is replaced by the Day number and when months change the last and first day of each month also includes the first letter of the Month name. Functionally Booking Overview is the same as when narrow version is not selected but more days are visible at a time.

Narrow view

Normal view

Statistics

Many useful statistics are calculated for the date range and units selected. Each statistic can be graphed.

Click on the heading of interest, for example "Occupied Units". The information provided below is based on an alternative set of data.

You can resize the form and print the graph.

Other buttons

+ and - reduce or increase the font size.

Left and Right arrow - Move the date range selected left or right by one day.

$ button - Select "Last Minute Prices" for the current date.

7 - A 7 day view from the last Monday.

Todays date - The view will change to todays date.

House - Load "Accommodation Details" for current property.

Eye - " Quick view" of monthly availability for current property.

Magnifying glass and Down arrow - Use the box to the left to enter "search" text. Glass to "Search", Arrow for "Next".

Changing Availability and defining Agent Allocations

Right click on any cell and a drop down menu appears. The menu is used to change the state of a cell (room/unit per day). It operates like a "toggle", select a menu option once to change the state and then again to change it back.

Available/Unavailable

Access to this option is controlled by " Permission option" 58.

Online Available/Unavailable

Changes the state of the cell to Available online or Unavailable online. If unavailable it can only be booked using "Booking Entry", it can not be booked online. The cell must be unbooked and unallocated.

Access to this option is controlled by "Permission option" 59.

Available/Unavailable (All)

Changes the state of the column to Available or Unavailable. If unavailable it can not be booked. Each cell must be unbooked and unallocated. The process works down from the start cell (where you right clicked) and switches the state of every cell. Useful if you need to make a change for an entire day.

Access to this option is controlled by "Permission option" 58.

Online Available/Unavailable (All)

Changes the state of the column to Available online or Unavailable online. If unavailable each cell can only be booked using "Booking Entry ", they can not be booked online. Each cell must be unbooked and unallocated. The process works down from the start cell (where you right clicked) and switches the state of every cell. Useful if you need to make a change for an entire day.

Access to this option is controlled by "Permission option " 59.

Available/Unavailable (Maintenance)

Same as Available/Unavailable option, however a different colour is shown to identify that its due to Maintenance.

Access to this option is controlled by " Permission option" 58.

Unit Allocations

In this example Laterooms.com have been allocated units OVSR2 and OVSR3 from Monday 5th June to 4th July (not including Friday and Saturday. The only bookings which can be entered in the "Laterooms cells" are those assigned to that Agent.

Requested Units

For example, a Property Management business is looking after five identical apartments in a block. Each may be furnished differently but are all available for the same price. Each of those apartments may be owned by different people and they may all be part of multiple sites. The Property Management business (PMB) may not want to set up each apartment as an individual accommodation type but define one type and "Define five Units ". The PMB provides each property owner with the Unit number for each of their apartments. They link their websites to one link issued by the PMB and add their Unit number as a parameter to the link (visit " Integration information" for further details).

When someone visits a property owner website and tries to book the unit it will try to book theirs. However, if not available it will book one of the other available ones. This ensures that everyone maximises bookings. The PMB never loses a booking, and the property owners all help each other.