Author: Kinga Pomykała

Cancellations Improvements & Job Opportunity

Hello everyone!

The new system update is here, introducing new features that, we believe, will greatly benefit your daily work routine.

— FrontDesk Master Team

P.S. JOB OPPORTUNITY 🚀

We are looking for Sales Executives and Customer Success in Europe. Contact mat@frontdeskmaster.com if you are interested.

 

Content

Cancellation policies and fees
    – Set up cancellation policies
    – Applying cancellation fess
Cancellation fee details in Online Check-in
Updated Housekeeping printout
New payment date filter in Reservation Payments Report
Activated deposits in Daily Revenue Report

Cancellation policies and improvements

Tracking cancellations and cancellation fees is an important part of booking and revenue management. With this update, we introduced an option to set up cancellation policies and apply cancellation fees to cancelled bookings or nights.

Cancellation policies

Now you can configure your cancellation policies and assign them to rates, to apply correct cancellation fees to cancelled reservations. 

cancellation policies

For example, the Non-Refundable 100% policy charges the total of the reservation if the reservation is cancelled at any time. Flexible 3D, applies cancellation fee of 1 night cost if guest cancels reservation after the free cancellation period. Free cancellation doesn’t apply any cancellation fees to cancelled bookings.

> Learn how to set up your cancellation policies

Applying cancellation fees

Cancellation fees are applied automatically based on your cancellation policies or during manual cancellation. When cancelling a reservation manually, confirm fees applied according to the policy or choose an alternative fee.

Confirm cancellation window

You can always apply or adjust cancellation fees directly in the reservation form. With the $ button, you can mark which nights are due and should be calculated as cancellation cost.

> Learn how cancellation fees are applied to reservations

 

Cancellation fee details in Online Check-in

In case the guest cancels reservation or nights in Online Check-in, they will see the popup showing the information about cancellation fees applied for the cancellation. Cancellation fees are applied according to the rate cancellation policy.

Updated Housekeeping printout

The updated Housekeeping printout option provides a clear display of each room’s status, occupying significantly less space than the previous version. Easily track stayovers, arrivals, and departures for the day, along with guest name information.

housekeeping

Extra payment date filter in Reservation Payments Report

Using the new payment date filter, you can easily find payments for bookings made and paid on different dates, e.g., bookings with check-in in November but paid earlier. This way you can track all prepayments made and activated within a selected timeframe.

Activated deposits in Daily Revenue Report

Now in the Daily Revenue Report you can find an extra row called Activated Deposits. It will show you the value of prepayments (activated deposits) for bookings checking in on the report date.

Introducing New Online Check-in and Cheaper Online Payments!

Hello everyone,

We’ve got some exciting news to share with you! Introducing our brand new Online Check-in feature with cheaper online payments. The new online check-in is designed to streamline and speed up the check-in process for your guests and reception. It’s all about making things easier and more enjoyable for everyone involved.

👇 Scroll down to find out the details and where you can find your link.

Stay tuned for more updates coming soon!

—
FrontDesk Master Team

What’s new?

⇒ Redesigned interface. A new redesigned interface that guides the guest step by step through the online check-in process.

⇒ New features. Require guest to accept specific terms of stay, adjust how City tax is displayed or add a custom message to the check-in confirmation screen.

⇒ Precheck-in codes. Generate precheck-in codes used by the reception to find arrived guests and make a quick check-in in the system.

⇒ Cheaper online payments. An affordable payment gateway which will replace Stripe in the EU.

Coming up next

The upcoming Online Check-in update will introduce new reservation management options for guests. Guests will gain the ability to:

  • Cancel reservations, nights, or guests
  • Modify reservation stay dates
  • Purchase extra items
  • Leave notes for the reception

Available before the end of this year!

 

New Online Check-in interface

The new interface offers a clear and pleasant UI for the guests. It makes the online check-in fast and easy. See the video below which shows all the steps of the check-in.

New Online Check-in features

New Online Check-in brings new features, that can help you customize the process to your needs. In Online Check-in Settings, you can find the following options:

  • Enable Online Check-in X days before arrival
  • Enable online payments and make them mandatory
  • Enable pre-checkin codes (see what pre-checkin codes are)
  • Show city tax in the reservation summary
  • Choose which guest details are required for online check-in

Show City Tax

Decide how City tax should be displayed and if it should be included into online payment.

City tax paid at the reception
City tax paid at the reception

 

Terms and Conditions

Apart from selecting the template to serve as the Terms & Conditions that guests must accept for online check-in, you can personalize it with custom checkboxes.

Accept Terms & Conditions view in Online Check-in

Look & Feel

In this part, you can customize the Online Check-in experience by changing the accent color. Use Google hex color picker to select a color of your preference.

Additionally, you can adjust the messages displayed to guests after a successful online check-in. These messages can vary depending on whether the online check-in occurs before the arrival day or on the arrival day.

Look & Feel settings

Precheck-in codes

Precheck-in codes are created to accelerate the check-in process and minimize the time guests spend at the reception. These codes are generated by the system following a successful online check-in after the guest has already reached the property.

Upon enabling the pre-check-in codes option, when a guest clicks the “I arrived” button in Online Check-in, the system generates a pre-check-in code that appears as follows:

Online check-in success precheck-in code

Next, the guest shows the code to the receptionist. The receptionist cross-references the code against the list of generated pre-check-ins, confirms the check-in with a single click, and provides the guest with the room keys.

See the video to see how precheck-in codes work:

You can find the link to your new Online Check-in in the Property Settings under Online Check-in > Settings. Copy the link and use it on your website, or replace the existing online check-in link in automated emails.

Cheaper Online Payments

Starting now, we are offering a new online payments’ gateway which is a more affordable alternative to the current Stripe integration. Have a look at the transaction fees comparision in the Eurozone:

*The fees listed above apply to VISA, MAESTRO, and MASTERCARD payments. 

Stripe will be replaced by the new payment gateway in the following countries:

We will be contacting you directly to schedule the upgrade from Stripe to FrontDesk Master Payments. If you are not using any payment gateway yet and would like to start, reach out to our support team at support@frontdeskmaster.com.

Have a great day!

– FrontDesk Master Team

New system update and sneak peek of upcoming Summer release!

Hello everyone!

Our latest system update is here, packed with long-awaited features that, we believe, will greatly benefit your daily work routine.

But that’s not all! We have even more exciting updates in the pipeline, so stay tuned for what’s to come!

— FrontDesk Master Team

Content

Close the same-day availability at your preferred hour
Export and import guest details to reservations made easy
New Notes tab for enhanced reservation management
Price adjustments report for better financial insights
Connection with Traveloka, CTrip and Tiket.com
New permissions for better access control
Staff sales are included in the Sale Item report
Flexible Price Strategies for multiple room types
Export Prices & Availability calendar to CSV
Deactivate unused Seasons for a cleaner interface
Have a say in our development roadmap

And more this summer! Work in progress:

– New Payment Gateway option and payment automation
– New Online Check-in experience
– Cancellation improvements
– New group reservation view

Close the same-day availability at your preferred hour

We understand the importance of controlling your booking schedule, which is why we are introducing a new feature that allows you to specify the exact time when your availability for same-day bookings closes automatically. This feature ensures smoother operations by preventing late-time bookings for the current day.

option to close same day availability automatically

Export and import guest details to reservations made easy

We have introduced a new option to Reservation View: the ability to export and import guest information. This feature is particularly beneficial for group bookings, as it eliminates the need to manually enter each guest’s details. Instead, you can simply send a file to the group contact, who can easily fill it out and then upload it with a single click, saving you valuable time and simplifying the management of group bookings. 

How does it work?

  1. Choose which guest fields should appear in the exported guest list file in Property Settings / Reservation Settings.
  2. Create a booking in the system with the estimated number of guests.
  3. Export the guest list from the Guest Details tab.
  4. Share the exported file with the booking owner, who can fill out all guest details.
  5. Upload the completed file in the Import option of Guest Details, ensuring the details are accurate.
  6. Save and close to upload the guest information. It’s as simple as that!

New Notes tab for enhanced reservation management

In the redesigned Reservation form, we have introduced a Notes tab that allows you to add multiple longer notes and effortlessly switch between them. The tab displays the creation dates and last modification information, enabling better organization and task management. You can also connect notes with specific tasks for improved workflow. These notes remain visible in the Reservation Notes section and the reservation tooltip.

Price adjustments report for better financial insights

Our latest addition to the Financial Reports section is the Price Adjustments report. This comprehensive report tracks all reservation price modifications, including manual adjustments, city tax edits, rate changes, and applied coupons and discounts. With this valuable tool, you can easily review and analyze price adjustments made in your reservations, gaining better financial insights.

Connection with Traveloka, CTrip and Tiket.com

We are excited to introduce our exclusive package that provides seamless connectivity to popular OTAs in Asia, including Traveloka, CTrip, and Tiket.com. For just $10 a month, you can expand your booking options and reach a broader audience by integrating all three platforms with your Channel Manager.

To activate this connection, simply reach out to support@frontdeskmaster.com.

New permissions for better access control

In the Roles & Permissions section, you will find new options under General functionality permissions:

Limit displaying dates in Accounts: Set a maximum number of days that users can view in the Accounts section.

Allow blocking/unblocking beds in the past: Grant users permission to modify blocked beds in the past.

Staff sales are included in the Sale Item report

To provide a comprehensive overview of sales, we have added a filter for Staff sales in the Extras & Sale items report. Now, any sale made for a staff member will be automatically included in the report by default. You also have the option to exclude internal staff sales by simply unchecking this filter.

Flexible Price Strategies for multiple room types

Our new Price Strategies feature allows you to apply a strategy to multiple room types simultaneously. For example, if the availability in all dorm rooms is less than 5 beds, you can add a 10% discount to the Standard Rate. This enhancement simplifies the management of price adjustments across various room types.

Export Prices & Availability calendar to CSV

With a single click, you can now export your availability calendar to CSV format. This convenient feature enables you to customize the export by selecting specific rooms, rates, and restrictions to include in the exported file. Exporting your calendar has never been easier!

Deactivate unused seasons for a cleaner interface

Take control of your seasons by deactivating unused ones without deleting them. Our new Deactivate option allows you to keep season prices visible in the calendar and Bed View while removing them from the seasons and prices list. This ensures a cleaner and more organized interface for effective management.

Have a say in our development roadmap

We value your feedback and suggestions, which is why we have created a dedicated forum for feature requests. Here, you can submit your ideas and vote for existing suggestions. By actively participating in this process, you contribute to our roadmap, helping us prioritize future updates and develop features that genuinely enhance your work and overall system experience.

Access Feature Requests Forum

Sneak peek of upcoming Summer updates

We are excited to provide a glimpse into the major updates we have in the works for FrontDesk Master. Here’s what you can expect in the coming months:

Payment Gateway

Exciting news! We have been diligently working on integrating a new payment gateway that offers a more cost-effective and improved alternative to Stripe. Currently, in the testing phase at select pilot properties, the integration is set to become available this summer.

In addition, after the payment gateway update, we will soon release an automated payment process, allowing you to streamline charges for cancellations and no-shows based on your chosen schedule and booking conditions.

Stay tuned for more details regarding transaction fees and the onboarding process.

New Online Check-in

We are delighted to announce an enhanced Online Check-in experience that streamlines the check-in process for your guests. With a simple link, you can offer your guests a quick and easy way to complete their check-in.

Our initial focus is on optimizing the check-in workflow, ensuring a seamless experience for both guests and staff.

Stay tuned for more details!

Cancellations improvements

We are revamping the cancellations process to make it easier to track cancellation costs and policies. The upcoming improvements include:

  • the ability to create and assign cancellation policies to rates,
  • displaying and applying cancellation policies to reservations in the system and Online Guest Account (Online Check-in),
  • automated cancellation cost calculations for canceled reservations or nights.

New group reservation view

Our improvements to Group bookings functionality are set to elevate the management of group reservations in FrontDesk Master. In addition to the ability to upload guest details and notes, we are introducing a new reservation window specifically designed for group bookings.

This update will also include a simple meals management option, comprehensive group module with provider details, booking summaries, and enhanced management capabilities.

We hope you are as excited as we are about these upcoming enhancements, and we look forward to providing you with even more updates and features that enhance your experience with FrontDesk Master.

Stay tuned for more news and happy managing!

— The FrontDesk Master Team

New Point of Sale and more!

Hello everyone!

Happy New Year! We wish you dozens of guests (not necessarily in the same bed though), fun staff parties, and great experiences!

With the New Year, we have just released a new system update. See below some features that are available now in FrontDesk Master.

More good news coming soon.

Content

Point of Sale

Booking Methods in automatic emails
Enlarge guest photo
Smart Availability Rules
Minimum Advance restriction for Booking.com
INE report improvements for Portugal
Did you know that…?

Point of Sale

Try the updated version of our Point of Sale. Set up custom categories and item colors, use new search item option, sell items for different consumption dates, give change or sell to staff members. All that is in the updated interface that we hope you’ll like!

Custom item and category colors

Now you can create custom category colors and set different colors for items’ backgrounds. 

You will find Edit Categories button in Item Manager. You can access it now without opening a sale item. When changing category color, you can use the default color palette or HEX color codes.

To set up the background color of a sale item, open the item in Item Manager and choose the color using Select color option. Here you can also use the default color palette or custom colors in HEX.

Sell multiple items per consumption date

With the recent update, we added an option to sell items for different consumption dates. When selling breakfasts, you can do that now with just one sale. For that, use Sell multiple per consumption date option. It will allow you to choose the quantity and price of items that will be consumed on different days of the reservation.

All sales will be listed per consumption date in the Sales tab in the reservation form:

You can double-click on the item or use Edit button to adjust sold item quantity or prices.

Search item

Now you can use dynamic search in POS to quickly find items from your list. Start typing the item name to filter the list.

Pay Now button

Pay now button has two options now:

  • Click on Pay Now button – the transaction will be registered on the default property account, e.g., Cash Box. It works like the old “Exact Cash” button.
  • Click on the arrow to select a different account where you would like to save the transaction.

Give change (or don’t)

If the Pay Now amount is higher than the sale items value, on Pay Now button click you will have the option to give a change and register a change transaction in a different currency.

This modal gives you three options:

  • Sell and give change in the same currency. In this case, the system will show you how much is the change for the received amount. It won’t create any change transaction in the system, just the regular sale with the total sale amount.
  • Sell and give change in a different currency. If you select a different currency to give a change, the system will calculate the amount to give to the guest and it will create the change transaction in the selected currency.
  • Sell and do not give change. This option allows you to register the transaction value higher than the total value of sold items. Total sale remains the same, but you register a higher amount paid by the guest.

Sell to Staff members

To register sales to staff members, use Sell to Staff button. Select the user who buys selected items and confirm the sale. Note that you can set up different prices for staff members in item settings.

Booking Methods in automatic emails

Now you can select multiple booking methods in automatic emails instead of creating separate lines for each of them!

Enlarge guest photos 📸

Double-click on the uploaded image will enlarge it so you can see the guest photo or uploaded document on a larger scale.

Smart Availability Rules

Automatically block selected room types if another room type is booked. This availability automation works great if you offer an option to book the whole property or rooms in different combinations. Now you do not have to block such rooms manually and risk overbookings, let the system do it for you!

For example, our FULL HOUSE room type will be closed automatically if selected room types are booked. The reverse rule adds the same rule for selected room types – if one of the room types is booked, FULL HOUSE will be closed automatically.

Minimum Advance Booking for Booking.com

There is a new restriction for Booking.com, Minimum Advance Booking, which you can set up via Cut Off restriction in FDM. Cut off will restrict the minimum number of days before check-in that a guest can book a room or unit. E.g., if we set the restriction for 1 day, guests won’t be able to book for the same day.

restrictions

INE report improvements (for Portugal)

We added some improvements that will help you generate INE from the National Statistics report. 

In the first step, set up the INE configuration in Property Settings / General / Company Details. After that, you will be able to generate the full INE report from National Statistics. On the right side panel, you will find extra options and fields that you can add to the report.

Did you know that in FrontDesk Master you can …?

IMPORTANT! Hostelworld outage

UPDATE!

HostelWorld has informed us that the problem was resolved. Please make sure all bookings made on November 10th and 11th are in the system. If needed please enter them manually. The new ones should enter correctly.

***

HostelWorld nos ha informacion de que el problema está resuelto. Por favor, asegúrese de que todas las reservas de HostelWorld hechas entre el 10 y 11 no noviembre están en el sistema. Si es necesario, ingréselas manualmente. Las nuevas deben entrar correctamente.

Best regards,
FrontDesk Master Team

**************

Dear Partners,

Hostelworld is currently experiencing issues with sending new bookings to channel managers and receiving availability and rate update. They are working on the solution. Please make sure you have received all new Hostelworld bookings correctly in FrontDesk Master, and add them to the system manually if necessary.

As soon as Hostelworld fixes the issue, we will let you know immediately.

Best regards,
FrontDesk Master Team

****

Estimados Clientes:

Hostelworld está experimentando problemas con el envío de nuevas reservas a los channel managers y con recibir las actualizaciones de disponibilidad y precios. Están trabajando en la solución. Por favor, asegúrense de que han recibido todas las nuevas reservas de Hostelworld correctamente, y añádanlas al sistema manualmente si es necesario.

En cuanto tengamos noticias sobre la resolución del problema, se lo haremos saber enseguida.

Atentamente,
FrontDesk Master Team