RESOURCE LIBRARY
Product updates, practical hospitality tips, and setup strategies from our team. Showing posts from 2012.
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Announcements - December 31, 2012 - 1 min read
Just a quick note to say Happy New Year to all of our great clients! Thank you very much for using our software and supporting our business. We have had a great year in 2012, started working with a lot of new users, and are looking forward to a strong 2013. As always, we continue …
Operations - December 28, 2012 - 1 min read
Now there is another way to directly select which month to jump to on the internal availability calendar. This is useful when you need to go to a month different from the last viewed month, without having to load the calendar first (such as when you are on the Reservation Details screen and need to …
Operations - December 28, 2012 - 2 min read
We offer a feature where you can set up completely different rate plans which are triggered by discount codes. This means you can set up a code which will pull rates from a different plan than your normal rates. An example of where this is useful is if you are using ReservationKey to manage a …
Operations - December 28, 2012 - 1 min read
We’ve just added code to our search form so that your guests can now set their arrival and departure dates, and also the number of guests in their party. Your availability will show now based on this extra filter, maximum occupancy. Only available units that meet or exceed the occupancy searched for will be shown …
Operations - December 13, 2012 - 2 min read
We’ve added two new features:1. Link email templates to specific rooms/units.2. Set a default From email address. Most of the additional settings in the templates section have been moved to an expandable Advanced Options section. Linking Email Templates To Specific Rooms/Units With this feature, it is possible to set which templates should appear in the …
Operations - December 10, 2012 - 4 min read
Sometimes people are a little confused about what it takes to actually start taking online reservations with ReservationKey through their website. It actually is quite easy. There are two main methods – linking to the system, or embedding the application in an iframe on your site. Below I will show you exactly what is meant by this. The first …
Operations - December 6, 2012 - 5 min read
Users often ask what they can do to more fully utilize the various features of ReservationKey. While this list is nowhere near exhaustive, here are a few things you can do that quickly come to mind: Fully Integrate Payments One of the best things you can do to save you time is to process all …
Automation - December 6, 2012 - 2 min read
Maybe this is the time of year that you want to turn off your online booking page and take a break for a few days. Some innkeepers want to be able to take reservations, but only via phone calls so that they can properly instruct potential guests. Or maybe you have a special message you …
Payments - November 28, 2012 - 3 min read
It is now easier than ever to sell gift certificates on your website. Thanks to requests from a few users, we have added a couple of features – ability to collect credit card information instead of using an online payment method, and ability to set the amounts that are displayed, and a new field for …
Announcements - November 25, 2012 - 1 min read
We’ve added two new features to the Correspondence window. It is now possible to add attachments prior to sending an email. Just click the Add link. Additionally, PDF files can now be created from the contents of the email template, and attached to a message, all with just a few clicks. This is great for …
Operations - November 23, 2012 - 4 min read
Recently we’ve seen an uptick in interest in our system from people that manage vacation rental homes, condos, cabins, etc. I’m happy to say the system works great for these type of users, and continues to improve everyday. Here is a link to a recent recommendation from a property manager user in Miami:http://www.facebook.com/ReservationKey/posts/561688777190413 And here …
Operations - November 17, 2012 - 1 min read
For users that manage many units, it is now easier to scroll the internal availability calendar. We’ve added options in Settings Tab, Preferences, for setting the location of the horizontal scrollbar. It can now be set to Bottom Only, Top Only, Both Top and Bottom, or None. Top scrollbar: and bottom: So, if you find …
Operations - November 16, 2012 - 1 min read
Previously, after adding something such as an Item For Sale, it was necessary to also go into the Reservation Page settings and select which items should show on that Reservation Page. Now, it is possible to select the Reservation Page right from the settings for the item being edited – Items for sale, Themes, Payment …
Reporting - November 14, 2012 - 1 min read
We’ve just completed a new report, Monthly/Yearly Statistics. With this report you can quickly see monthly and yearly totals of various categories, such as new reservations, payments, expenses, and emails.. Click on the “++” link in order to drill down and open a window that shows the exact items for that day or month. For …
Operations - October 31, 2012 - 3 min read
ReservationKey works well for larger properties such as hotels, motels, and campgrounds, where users book by the TYPE of unit. Here are the steps for how to set up this type of property. All of these sections are located under the Properties Tab. 1. Properties / Locations– Add your property name– Add descriptions and photos …
Operations - October 31, 2012 - 1 min read
For properties where guests book by the room TYPE rather than the specific unit, ReservationKey configuration just got a lot easier. Now, instead of duplicating room descriptions and photos in every identical room, you just have to enter the room descriptions and photos, once, in the Room Types section. The latest blog post goes into …
Automation - October 25, 2012 - 3 min read
We have developed functionality to automatically send emails to guests based on dates saved in custom fields. This is useful for sending automatic yearly emails to guests for events such as a birthday or wedding anniversary. Here’s how to set it up: 1. Add Custom Field(s)Add one or more custom fields of the date type: …
Operations - October 21, 2012 - 2 min read
From the Reservation Details page, the Change link now opens a small window where quick adjustments to a reservation can be made. This window contains several useful features. 1. Move RoomsSimply select the new room to move this guest to. After selecting the room, the system will automatically check to see if the newly selected …
Payments - October 19, 2012 - 1 min read
We’ve added a few new options to the Payments By Date Report. You can now select which type of date on which to run the query. Select from Payment Date, Arrival Date, Departure Date, and Booking Date. New options are available by clicking the “Show Advanced Search” link. Now it is possible to select which …
Automation - October 10, 2012 - 1 min read
We have added two new enhancement to the email templates section (under Website Tab). First, is the option to upload images which can be used in the templates, such as a logo, or photo. The other new feature is the ability to set default To, CC, and BCC email addresses. These are the addresses that …
Operations - October 8, 2012 - 2 min read
Do you ever want to hold a number of rooms for a group booking, such as for a wedding, but you want guests to be able to reserve individual rooms out of those held rooms? Now, this is possible, thanks to a new status option. In this example, we can see that there are a
Operations - October 8, 2012 - 1 min read
When a rate adjustment results in a price decrease, we now show that information on hotel style pages. Previously this was only implemented on Multiple Unit pages. Such as is seen here:
Automation - October 8, 2012 - 1 min read
We just realized we have only had a code for guest phone, {{guestphone}}, which pulls from the first phone field. But we don’t have codes for the two other phone fields, business and mobile phones, two fields that appear on the internal reservation form. So, now we have added these two code, which can be …
Operations - October 7, 2012 - 2 min read
If you want to use a "book now" form where guests enter their dates on your website, you can pass values to your iframe URL using JavaScript.
Payments - October 5, 2012 - 2 min read
We sometimes are asked why we only take PayPal for subscriptions to ReservationKey. The primary reason is because it is easy for us and is generally easy for our users. For us, we are able to keep our costs low by not having to spend any additional resources handling billing. With PayPal subscriptions, all of …
Operations - October 4, 2012 - 1 min read
Now it is possible to “star” reservations in order to highlight certain ones. When a star has been added, the star will appear next to the guest’s name on the internal reservation calendar. To add a star, simply click the star at the top of the Reservation Details screen. We think there is room for …
Operations - October 2, 2012 - 1 min read
We’ve added a couple of new tweaks for hiding the number of children in the reservation forms. By adding these lines to a custom theme, the number of children can be hidden. Hide the number of children dropdown:.numchildren { display:none; } Hide the number of children in the reservation summary, on the Reservation Page:#numguests_children_span {display:none;} …
Operations - September 28, 2012 - 2 min read
We just made a slight adjustment to the way room prices are set when changing with reservations. Previously, when changing a reservation by adding a few days, the prices for the original days would revert back to the price according to the rate plan. Now, only the newly added dates will pull the price from …
Operations - September 27, 2012 - 1 min read
Cedar Mountain Farm Bed and Breakfast commented on ReservationKey’s status. Cedar Mountain Farm Bed and Breakfast wrote: “Like the reader you quoted, I looked long and hard for a new reservation system (switching from Webervations). At first I thought Reservation Key was too good to be true. Now I know it is all true and …
Operations - September 27, 2012 - 4 min read
Occasionally prospective users will ask us whether we have 24 hour, 7 day a week phone support. The basic answer is no, although sometimes it sure feels like we do. Running a web based, global business, with users spread out across more than 27 countries, we could easily work 24 hours a day and always …
Announcements - September 20, 2012 - 3 min read
We’ve added a column to show which user was logged in when an activity is recorded. This will make it easier to track which users are making changes in the system. The other new feature is the ability to export all the activity log information to a CSV file. Whatever is being viewed on the …
Operations - September 20, 2012 - 3 min read
It is now possible to set how many days the new reservation alert should search. The new default is to show the number of reservations received over the last two days. Some users noted that by only showing an alert for reservations received “today” they were not being alerted to reservations made late the previous …
Design - September 19, 2012 - 3 min read
An existing property management customer is expanding into the tour business, and is using ReservationKey to manage all his tour bookings. Thanks to being able to set up many different reservation pages in ReservationKey, he can set up a different page for each tour offering. One such page is for the Rhythms of the Night tour. Using …
Operations - September 19, 2012 - 4 min read
Just now, a prospective user emailed me with this question:” I have webervations right now and am considering a change. What can you tell me that would make me think you are better? Thank you.” My short answer to this question is:I think big reasons are we have a fuller featured system, a very flexible …
Operations - September 13, 2012 - 2 min read
When reviewing activity results for Availability Search (entries that get recorded when someone searches for availability on a Reservation Page), if the search results in no units available, a red “No Availability” tag appears next to the activity log. If the search was within your cut-off period, an orange “In Cut-Off” tag appears. Also, groups …
Operations - September 6, 2012 - 3 min read
You can now set which number you want your reservation ID numbers to start from. The numbers are unique to each account, and will only increase as reservations are added to your account. Prior to this, the reservation ID numbers were used system wide and increased sequentially as reservations were added to any user’s account. …
Payments - September 4, 2012 - 3 min read
The Payments by Date report now has a column to show the Reservation Status. It shows the status colors and description, unless the Print link is used, in which case the description only shows. Example:
Payments - August 31, 2012 - 2 min read
Improved: after entering a credit card number in a reservation, you can now click the Payments link and the credit card number will automatically save prior to the Payments box opening. This should help avoid accidentally not charging a guest’s credit card by going into the Payments window and clicking “Add Payment” when you actually …
Reporting - August 30, 2012 - 2 min read
For users in countries where tax is included in the price, we now have an option to set the system to include VAT. Taxes are still calculated but are not shown to the guest. To see the tax information, a template can be created using the tax merge codes, or export the reservation data to …
Reporting - August 28, 2012 - 3 min read
It is now possible to set exactly which taxes (if any) apply to Items for Sale and Fees. Previously, we had just one setting taxable or non-taxable. Now, to set as non-taxable, just don’t check any taxes to apply to the item. Otherwise, check the taxes that should apply. This allows for greater flexibility and …
Operations - August 22, 2012 - 1 min read
A few fields have been updated to have the ability to start a search by pressing enter instead of having to click the search button. Places you can press enter instead of clicking a search button: last name field in the Reservation Summary screen (opens the contact search box) last name field in the contact …
Reporting - August 21, 2012 - 3 min read
Now you can set whether or not an item for sale that is a percentage should calculate the percentage price based on the total reservation price, including or excluding tax. This is useful if you are selling something such as Trip Insurance, that needs to be based on the total price of the entire reservation, …
Payments - August 13, 2012 - 3 min read
We have added an alert in case a PayPal subscription payment is not automatically received. Prior to this, account access would be automatically disabled as soon as the currently paid month expired. The difficulty with this is sometimes users would find themselves unable to log into their ReservationKey account without advance notice. Usually the payment …
Operations - August 10, 2012 - 3 min read
We’ve added lines for Arrive and Depart dates in the summary section when in the Calendar Search Mode (mode where users click calendar to select dates). This addition matches what we already had in the Availability Search Mode. This should help guests be extra clear on the arrive/depart dates they have selected. Example:
Operations - August 9, 2012 - 2 min read
In order to prevent spam being submitted on the Guestbook comments form, we have added a new section. To successfully submit a comment, a simple numerical question must be answered by selecting the correct answer from a dropdown list. The questions ask for answers to the sum of random numbers. This is our first attempt …
Automation - August 7, 2012 - 2 min read
Welcome to the new internal messaging system. We will be using this system to announce changes and improvements to the system. Also, a big part of the system is the ability to send communications internally to Support, instead of by email. We hope to transition the majority of our support messages to this system rather …
Operations - August 5, 2012 - 3 min read
Now, instead of breaking down multiple Fees and Items for Sale into one line per item, they are combined onto one line. If the quantity is more than one, then a number is added after the description, to indicate how many were added. Currently this is only for items added internally. We likely also will …
Operations - August 4, 2012 - 3 min read
By popular demand, you can now customize the Check-In Time field to leave it as a text field, or make it a dropdown with your own dropdown selection text. To make a dropdown, go to Website tab, Reservation Pages, edit your page, scroll down to near the bottom, the section called Reservation Form, and click …
Reporting - August 3, 2012 - 3 min read
Added new codes to email templates – for total amounts paid of each tax category. The format for the new codes is like this: {{tax(876): Hotel Tax}}{{tax(877): Sales Tax}}
Automation - August 2, 2012 - 2 min read
A field for an internal title has been added to the email templates screen. This allows for an internal template name to be used rather than just the template subject. If no template name has been entered, the subject line will be continued to be used to reference the template. The template name is used …
Operations - August 1, 2012 - 3 min read
Removed “Delete” option from listing of user accounts, for the admin account. This will prevent the admin account from being accidentally deleted. Example:
Reporting - July 30, 2012 - 2 min read
Improved print version of the housekeeping reports. Now the notes are combined with the name column which makes for more efficient use of space when printing. The number of adults/children has been abbreviated, next to the name, such as for two adults and one child:John Smith (2/1)
Operations - April 20, 2012 - 4 min read
Thanks to suggestions from users, we’ve added a few new small features to the system. And scroll down to read some news about things we are working on. Rate Adjustment Shows in Room Listing Price If your room/unit price is being adjusted downward by a Rate Adjustment, we are now showing the original price, plus …
Payments - April 14, 2012 - 4 min read
Using Authorize.net as your payment processor with ReservationKey is easy. Here are a few tips to help with some of the settings in both systems. Turn Test Mode Off Even though you might be tempted to leave Test Mode enabled, disable it. When your authorize.net account is in Test Mode it will not work with …
Reporting - April 11, 2012 - 3 min read
For users that have been on ReservationKey for several years, now there is a report that makes it easy to compare one year to another. At the bottom of the reports list, select Booking Date Comparison. The report shows you how many bookings you have for the future, as of a certain month, based on the …
Operations - April 8, 2012 - 2 min read
Two new features make it easier than ever to find reservations. In header section, in the upper right, we now have a link for quickly pulling up new reservations, and on the upper left, a link for searching for reservations. Reviewing New Reservations As you enter reservations manually, or new online reservations come in, the …
Reporting - April 8, 2012 - 2 min read
We now have two new reports for quickly seeing how much income you have generated. One is useful for seeing income by month, over the span of a year, and the other report shows income by unit. Here is the current listing of all the reports we currently offer, with the news reports noted: Income …
Payments - March 2, 2012 - 2 min read
You might think, wouldn’t it be nice if I could charge a different deposit amount depending on how many nights the person has selected? Well, now you can, using the Alternate Payment Schedule setting in the Reservation Page settings. For example, for reservations for only one night you might want to charge 100% of the …
Operations - February 28, 2012 - 2 min read
Recently we’ve added a few miscellaneous features which are useful, but might not be too obvious, so it seems a good idea to highlight them here. Thanks to popular demand it is now possible to set whether or not the deposit amount includes taxes. Simply check the box “include taxes” when setting up your deposit …
Operations - February 27, 2012 - 2 min read
It seems more important than ever these days to have a Facebook presence. From looking at a lot of Facebook business pages it seems that people set up the page but then don’t really know what to do with it. And, the more online ventures you get into, the more time it takes to maintain …
Operations - February 22, 2012 - 3 min read
The following information applies to users that:1. ask for credit card information on their reservation page, and2. want to emebed their reservation page in their website. An issue arrises when users want to embed a ReservationKey reservation page that asks for guest’s credit card information into their website using iframes, but they don’t have their …
Operations - February 22, 2012 - 4 min read
I am sure there are lots of reasons people switch to using ReservationKey versus selecting a different system. There are so many systems out there that it seems people often are overwhelmed when trying to select a new reservation and management system. Those that are the least worn out by the process of selecting a …
Operations - February 22, 2012 - 2 min read
In my previous career I worked as an attorney, and what a contrast in clients compared to the people I now work with. Maybe it is because they are in the hospitality industry, but my clients now are the best. Take Jane and Earl, proprietors of Roberto’s Bungalows in San Poncho, Mexico. We had never met before, …
Operations - February 17, 2012 - 2 min read
By popular demand, we have added the ability to flag specific guests. Users have been asking for this in order to be warned when the guest books again, or for an obvious reminder for a current guest. This feature can be used to red-flag a guest as someone you might not want to stay with …
Operations - January 26, 2012 - 3 min read
We’ve just set up a way for you to monitor activity on your reservation page(s). Now, whenever a search is made on a reservation page, the system automatically records this information to the Activity section. We record the dates searched, number of nights, IP address of the person searching, and the reservation page from which …
Design - January 25, 2012 - 3 min read
You never want to lose a lead, even if you don’t have any availability for the dates your prospective guest was searching for. A newly released feature addresses this issue. Now when a search is run and you have no units available for the dates searched, a form appears where guests can send an inquiry, …
Operations - January 24, 2012 - 3 min read
The last stop on the ReservationKey Mexico tour was at Casa Obelisco in San Poncho, about an hour drive north of Puerto Vallarta. John and Judi Levens graciously agreed to host me at their luxurious four bedroom bed and breakfast. They built this villa about ten years ago to be their dream home plus give …
Operations - January 20, 2012 - 1 min read
Next up on my client visit itinerary was spending a few days at the incredibly relaxing Punta de Mita area, at the outer edge of Banderas Bay, just north of Puerto Vallarta. I was hosted by ReservationKey user Hotel la Quinta del Sol, by far the most charming boutique hotel in the area. In an area …
Operations - January 16, 2012 - 2 min read
One of the best parts about running ReservationKey is all the great clients we have. And it doesn’t get much better than being able to meet them in person. This past week I’ve been lucky enough to be able to work from Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, while being hosted by the PVkid, Jeff Musto – www.puerto-vallarta-rentals.com. He …
Operations - January 12, 2012 - 3 min read
We’ve just added a new feature where minimum stay requirements can be automatically reduced if they cannot be met. For example, you have a two night minimum stay set for Friday and Saturday reservations. Your room is already booked for Saturday and Sunday, which leaves a single Friday available. With this new option enabled, the …
Operations - January 7, 2012 - 4 min read
It seems this year a lot of people have made new year resolutions to switch reservation systems. Activity in the new accounts department is definitely picking up. One question we often are asked is whether it is possible to import data from a prior reservation system. No matter what reservation system you used, if you …
Operations - January 1, 2012 - 2 min read
Yes, it is already 2012. Every year seems to go quicker than the next. To kick off the new year, we just finished work on a slideshow feature. Photos uploaded to the Additional Photos section under the Property, Room, or Fraction screens can now be turned into a slideshow automatically. Once enabled, a link to …