Reservation software for hotels and sanatoriums
Any hotel, especially a large one, is a complex structure, the management of which requires a lot of experience and relevant knowledge. Not every employee is able to accurately perform their duties – the human factor is always present. One of the most problematic points is booking rooms – when reporting manually, there is often confusion. In order to minimize the risk of misunderstandings, many hotels are implementing software tools that provide booking automation.
The main advantages of the hotel booking software
This software has many useful functions that allow you to increase the efficiency of the reservation process of the room fund. Simplifying the work of the reception staff allows you to increase profits, thanks to accurate accounting of guests and occupied rooms. In combination with the use of electronic locks and presence control systems in the rooms, the passage of the payment made “past the cash register” is completely excluded. It is no secret that among unscrupulous employees, the practice of handing over room numbers without entering into the log of visits is common – the money earned goes into their pocket. This is also facilitated by the integration of the booking program with the lock system, access control systems, hotel payment systems and accounting program.
At the same time, information can be entered into the system concerning not only the reservation of rooms, but also all services provided to the client for the duration of the stay. This greatly simplifies the calculations for both the hotel and the guests – paying the full amount at check-out is much more convenient than paying for each dish ordered in the room or additional services, for example, a daily visit to the SPA.
Benefits of booking automation
It has already been mentioned above about the versatility of the software. Let’s consider the main function that is present in each system.
Room timetable
It is not uncommon in the 21st century to find hotels that continue to work with tables in Excel, but this option implies a very small set of features. The most difficult thing is the process of making changes.
The timetable is an interactive table in which summary information about the status of each room number for each day is entered. Thanks to this, the staff of the porter service can quickly analyze the possibility of settling in on the date planned by the client. Operations to create a reservation, cancel it or designate the entry of arriving guests can be made in just a couple of clicks – that is, nothing needs to be done manually.
In addition, the following additional information is displayed in the checkerboard:
- start or end of repair;
- percentage of payment made;
- cost of accommodation;
- automatic calculation of the percentage of monthly occupancy of the room stock (helps to adjust the pricing policy).
Also in the table there are filters with which you can quickly find information on the selected reservation by date or last name of the client.
Other functions of the booking program
- finding available rooms in accordance with customer requests (available rooms with view from the window, interior, etc.);
- monitoring the work of employees;
- automatic report generation;
- selection of tariff plans depending on the planned list of services;
- connection of reservation requests with the registration log;
- integration with the hotel’s website for automatic booking through it.
The process of booking a room during booking automation
It all starts with receiving an application from a potential client, which can be received by phone, email or any other means. At the same time, it is necessary to find out passport data, contacts, dates of entry and exit, type of room and additional wishes, since all this information is entered in the checkerboard.
Based on the data obtained, the analysis of available rooms suitable for the request for the specified dates is performed, after which a corresponding mark is created in the table. After confirmation of the reservation, it is considered valid. As a result, the staff has the opportunity to monitor the status of the room – if the client did not arrive on the specified day, the reason is specified and, in case of refusal, the reservation is withdrawn, and the room goes to the status of free. In the reverse situation (that is, the client arrived on time), registration and check-in is performed, and the status of the room changes to “busy”.
The program records all the actions performed, on the basis of which reports are compiled on the use of reservations for a certain period, which allows you to analyze the current situation and determine positive or negative trends.
Booking Types
The booking automation system allows you to reserve rooms according to any possible principles.
The simplest and most frequently used is individual. In addition, this option is the most diverse, that is, the client can not only reserve a place to stay, but also choose additional services in advance. In this case, a separate work is carried out with each client, during which the advantages of one or another alternative are conveyed to him, after which the program is updated according to the wishes of the client. In this regard, individual booking is more expensive than all other types.
Group booking. It implies the reservation of several rooms. It is usually used during conferences and seminars. The advantage of this option is the possibility of receiving a discount, the amount of which depends on the policy of the hotel and the number of rooms booked. Another difference from the individual is the need for prepayment. The fact is that in this case, the financial losses of the hotel in case of cancellation of the reservation will be quite significant, so when making an application, a period is stipulated after which the prepayment in case of refusal of the order is not refunded or partially refunded. When making an application, the person responsible for the payment is indicated in the program.
Booking of rooms by travel agencies. There are several options here. The simplest, resorted to by companies engaged in the organization of individual tourism, is a request for availability of rooms immediately before the sale of a voucher. But in this case, the agency does not receive any profit. The most profitable is the practice in which the company is provided with a certain number of rooms. At the same time, the tour operator undertakes to settle the allocated quota within a certain time, for which he receives a discount from the hotelier. In case of non-fulfillment of obligations, the agency pays the percentage of the cost of accommodation in each room stipulated in the contract. The status of the rooms at all stages is displayed in the booking program.
Booking rooms for corporate clients, that is, various organizations, is almost completely identical to the group option. At the same time, several rooms with the same conditions are also reserved (the exception is when the company provides one apartment for a nonresident employee or an invited specialist). Payment is usually made by bank transfer and often much later than the departure of guests from the hotel. For such a case, automation programs provide an option for displaying deferred payment for each room and services provided to customers.
Booking opportunities in the SandSoft Hotel and SandSoft Sanatorium programs
Automation of booking in the SandSoft Hotel and SandSoft Sanatorium programs will significantly simplify all accounting operations, do not miss an important request and prevent rebooking. The booking program for hotels makes it possible to monitor incoming requests and work them out promptly.
The program for booking rooms allows you to find the right room directly from the timetable or the form of the accommodation service. It is very convenient to book rooms directly from the timetable. To do this, an additional panel opens on the timetable form, where data about guests and their placement parameters are entered. Then, by clicking the “Book” or “Settle” button, based on the entered data, the “Arrival” document is automatically created and held and the checkerboard is updated. The document is formed unnoticed by the user, but in the future this document can be opened and corrected.
Hotel Room Booking Program
In the simplest case, to make a reservation, you need to perform the following actions:
1. Use the mouse to select the cells in the checkerboard corresponding to the booking period. Right-click on any of the selected cells and select “Book” in the menu that opens.
2. In the sidebar that opens, enter the guest’s last name.
3. Choose a rate for accommodation.
4. Click the “Book” button – as a result, a reservation will be created, which will immediately be reflected in the checkerboard.
Other parameters can also be edited in the booking/settlement panel:
- Room – is set automatically according to the room selected in the checkerboard. It can be changed by clicking the left mouse button on the field or edited manually.
- Arrival dates is set automatically according to the date interval selected in the checkerboard. It can be changed by clicking the left mouse button on the timetable field or edited manually.
- Guests – a field for entering data about guests. The guest’s surname can be typed from the keyboard or selected from the directory of individuals. With manual input, a search is performed in the directory of individuals with a similar surname and it is suggested to select one of them or create a new entry. If you select the “New” option, an entry with the entered surname will be created in the “Individuals” directory when performing the operation.
The “Add another guest” button allows you to add several guests to the reservation or settlement. By clicking on it, the surname that is currently entered in the “Guests” field is transferred to the “Guest List” table and the field is released for entering a new surname. Thus, a list of people who will stay in the same room is formed.
Along with the name of the guest, the list includes information about the type of his place, the rate for accommodation, as well as the parameters of the discount, if it is provided (see below). This information must be set before adding a guest to the list.
If necessary, guests can be selected in the list and deleted using the “Delete” button.
- Room – the type of place where the guest will be accommodated – main or additional. By default, the primary location is set.
- Tariff – the rate for the guest’s accommodation. It is selected from the list of rates entered for the selected room category.
- Discount – enter the parameters of the discount for the guest’s accommodation – the percentage and the threshold for limiting the amount of the discount.
- Counterparty – the organization that pays for the guest’s accommodation. If the value is not selected, the payer for the accommodation will be the guest himself.
Also, information about the total cost of living is shown at the bottom of the panel.
You can proceed to booking from timetable using one of the following methods:
1. Select the period of the guest’s stay in the checkerboard, press the right button, select “Settle” or “Book” in the context menu. In this case, the room and date in the booking / settlement panel will be taken according to the selected area. You can also press the right button on an empty cell without selecting areas. In this case, the selected day will be taken as the period. The period after can be changed by using the mouse or editing the date in the panel.
To create a reservation or settlement, the selected timetable cells must be free, that is, they do not contain data about the guests staying.
2. Click the “Reservation” or “Settlement” button in the service area above the timetable field. In this case, a panel will be opened, which will contain data of the room number and dates in accordance with the current position of the selection in the checkerboard. If there is no selection, this data will remain empty. Next, the room number and period can be set using the mouse or editing the corresponding fields in the panel.
3. In the list of rooms (see the previous section), select the room of interest in which there are available seats, press the right button on it, select “Settle” or “Book”. In the panel that opens, the selected room number will be set, as well as the current day as the length of stay. Next, the room and period can be changed using the mouse or editing the corresponding fields in the panel.