Introducing Meals and more!

July 16, 2024

Hello everyone,

Our new system update is here! Discover the new Meals feature and other improvements we added to the system in the past few months. Stay tuned for the next updates with more features very soon!

— FrontDesk Master Team ✨

 

Content

Meals
   – Meals in POS & improved notes
   – Meals view in reservation
   – Quick edit option
   – Meals report
Female/Male dorms assignation warning
Prefer not to say gender option
Bed-night notes history
Statbel report for Belgium
Invoiced amount in Accounts
Extra details in reports
Siteminder: downloading children as guests
Hostelworld: No Show status

Meals

The Meals feature gives you a new, improved way to sell and control meal sales in your property. Breakfasts, lunches, dinners, packed meals, and more can now be viewed in reservations and a new report. See details and instructions below.

Selling meals in POS

Meal products are indicated with the cutlery icon. While the sell in POS works as always, whenever you choose a meal item, the option to sell per consumption date will be enabled. Additionally, it is now possible to manually choose a consumption date for a meal item (e.g., for breakfasts on the check-out date).

Selling meal items in POS

When adding notes, you can now use dietary restriction tags for faster note writing. E.g., click twice on the Vegetarian tag to show ‘2x Vegetarian’ note!

Adding notes to meal sales

Meals view in reservation

Besides the standard list of sale items, you can now use a new meals table view for a simple overview of meals in your reservations. Depending on meal settings, you can see the quantity, time, and notes.

Meals management view in reservation

Quick edit option

Double-click on a meal in the table to open the edit option. There, you can easily adjust the quantity, time, price, and notes for the selected meal type.

Option to edit meal items in reservation

Meals report

You can find the new Meals report under the ‘Guests and Reservations’ report. It will show you a summary of all meals and a list of bookings. You can filter the report by meal type, time, and dates.

Meals report

Customize the Meals report with the printout settings! Choose what information you would like to see on the printout and use the PDF button to open your report.

PDF printout of meals report

> Check how to set up Meals
> Learn how to sell Meal items in POS

Female/Male dorms assignation warning

When moving guests from one gendered room type to another, the system will show a warning when the guest’s gender doesn’t match the new room type. This option will help you avoid mistakes when moving guests around room types.

warning when moving guests

‘Prefer not to say’ gender option

The new ‘Prefer not to say’ gender option is now available for your guests on Booking Engine and during the online check-in process. In reservations, dashboard, and reports, the new option will be displayed as X.

Prefer not to say gender option on Booking Engine

See bed-night note history

With the recent system update, we have introduced an option to check the bed-night note history. It allows you to track the changes to the note. It is no longer possible to delete past bed-night notes.

History of bed-night note changes

Statbel report for Belgium

Statbel report for Belgian properties is now available. You can download it from the Guest List report. Choose the dates and the Statbel report, and hit ‘Download’ button.

statbel report download option in guest list report

Invoiced amount column in Accounts

The new ‘Invoiced amount’ column in Accounts is a great way to check the amount generated with online invoicing like Fact. ‘Amount’ is the value of the transaction saved in FrontDesk Master and ‘Invoiced amount’ is the value saved on the invoice.

Invoived column in accounts

Extra details in reports

In this update, we added some extra columns and details to the reports. Now, in the reports, you can find:

  • Age breakdown information added to Guest List, Bookings list & Guest Demographics – learn more about age breakdown field
  • ‘Show all extras’ option in the Daily Revenue report to display the whole list of sale items and categories
  • Reservation ID column added to the Extras & Sale Items report
  • ‘Total units available’ added to CSV file when downloaded from PRICES calendar

Siteminder: option to download children information

For the Siteminder channel manager connection, you can now use the option to download children as regular guests. The system will apply the children’s price accordingly to match the correct reservation total.

option to download children in siteminder

Hostelworld: No show status application

Now, when ‘No show’ status is applied on Hostelworld, FrontDesk Master will apply the corresponding ‘No show’ status to reservations in the system, instead of ‘Cancelled’.

No show status in Hostelworld booking

Booking.com outage (July 9th, July 12th)

Dear customers,

We would like to inform you that on July 9th and July 12th Booking.com experienced an outage.

The channel informed that the problem was solved.

Important actions to take:

  • Check all bookings made on July 9th and July 12th. In case of any missing booking please enter it manually with the original ID.

In case of any overbooking caused by this issue please reach Booking.com directly.

If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to reach out us at support@frontdeskmaster.com.

Best,
FrontDesk Master Team

FrontDesk Master on YouTube

Dear customers,

Did you know we have a YouTube channel filled with instructional videos to help you get the most out of FrontDesk Master? Our videos are available in both English and Spanish, ensuring you can follow along comfortably.

Make sure to check it out, subscribe, and save the videos for easy access. Click here to visit our YouTube channel now.

Stay tuned for new exiting updates very soon!

Best, 
— FrontDesk Master Team ✨

Processing bookings problem (10th June)

Dear customers,

We would like to inform you that on June 10th we detected an issue with the channel manager.

Problem:

The reservations from some channels (Booking.com, HostelWorld, Expedia) stopped entering into the system. The cause was related to a third party issue. We had to disable the problematic feature for some time until the third party fixed the problem. Unfortunately, the problematic bookings were reprocessed without credit card details.

Resolution:

The problem was solved and the bookings are being downloaded correctly.

Important actions to take:

The reservations should be in the system now, however additionally we would like to kindly ask you to:

  • Check all bookings made between June 10th and June 11th. In case of any missing booking please enter it manually with the original ID.
  • Check the credit card details (in case they are missing) from these bookings directly in the extranets.

We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience.

If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to reach out us at support@frontdeskmaster.com.

Best,
FrontDesk Master Team

You will begin receiving bookings from Hostel Hop soon!

We’re thrilled to share some exciting news with you – Hostel Hop officially launched on March 29th! As our valued partner, we wanted to ensure you’re among the first to know about this significant milestone.

Here’s how you can prepare your hostel to take full advantage of 
Hostel Hop’s benefits:

1. Ensure Integration: If you haven’t already, integrate Hostel Hop with Front Desk Master to seamlessly manage your bookings and capitalize on the platform’s features.

2. Update Your Profile: Take the time to review and update your hostel’s profile on Hostel Hop to ensure it accurately reflects your offerings and amenities.

3. Spread the Word: Start promoting your hostel on Hostel Hop to attract early bookings and generate excitement among travelers.

What Does This Mean for Your Hostel?

With the launch of Hostel Hop, there are incredible opportunities in store for your hostel:

  1. Enhanced Visibility: Joining Hostel Hop expands your hostel’s visibility to a global network of travelers, increasing your chances of reaching new guests and maximizing occupancy.
  2. Competitive Advantage: Take advantage of Hostel Hop’s lower booking fees compared to other platforms, allowing you to optimize your revenue and profitability.
  3. Streamlined Operations: Seamlessly manage your bookings and streamline operations through Front Desk Master’s integration with Hostel Hop, saving time and effort.
  4. Revenue Boost: Leverage Hostel Hop’s unique cash-back incentives for travelers, driving more bookings and revenue to your hostel.
  5. Receptionist Engagement: Empower your receptionists to earn bonuses and commissions by referring travelers to Hostel Hop, fostering stronger engagement and loyalty within your team.

Need Assistance?

Our dedicated team is here to support you every step of the way. If you have any questions or require assistance with setting up your hostel profile, don’t hesitate to reach out to us at info@hostelhop.io or by phone at +1 (407) 325-5080.

Thank you for your continued partnership and support. We’re incredibly excited about the upcoming launch of Hostel Hop and the opportunities it brings for your hostel. Together, we can redefine the hostel booking experience and create memorable journeys for travelers worldwide.

Here’s to a successful launch and a prosperous future!

— Hostel Hop Team

Exciting New System Features

Hello everyone!

We’re thrilled to share the news of our latest system update, featuring exciting new additions, with even more on the horizon in the New Year!

— FrontDesk Master Team ✨

 

PS. Are you interested in integrating with Assa Abloy door lock system? Contact us at support@frontdeskmaster.com for more information.

Content

Virtual rooms
Notes for extra sales
Include breakfast in the room price
Customer aging balance
New simple invoice table
Age breakdown
Permission to allow adding reservations in the past
Decide how cancellation fees should be applied
Extra details in reports

Virtual rooms

Meeting rooms, parking spaces, dining areas, yoga classes, and various additional rooms can now be marked as virtual rooms. 

  • Virtual room types will now appear at the bottom of the room type lists, prioritizing the accommodation
  • Virtual room types will be automatically hidden from the Prices calendar
  • You can check reports, e.g., revenue, occupancy and other statistics, for virtual and actual rooms separately.

> Check how to mark room type as virtual

 

Notes for extra sales

For each extra sale, you can now add a quick note directly at the Point of Sale. The note will be displayed in the reservation’s Sales tab and in the ‘Extras & sale items’ report.

> Find out more about notes for extra sales

Include breakfast in the room price

If your rates include breakfast, now FrontDesk Master can include it in your price and add it to the reservation automatically when the booking is created.

In the rate configuration, choose the option “Includes breakfast” and select the sale item which is included in the price. For all new bookings, the system will automatically add the selected item and calculate the accommodation price accordingly.

> See how to include breakfast in room price

Customer aging balance

In Reservation Balance and Reservation Payments reports, you can now check the customer aging balance. It shows the number of days the reservation has been unpaid after the check-out date.

New invoice table

Try the new invoice template which adjusts for you (you can hide city tax or net value and sales tax) and translates to Spanish, French, and Portuguese. Use {InvoiceItemsTableStandard} key in your invoice template to test it.

Age breakdown

A new field in Reservation Details where you can choose the age range for your reservations, enhancing group booking statistics.

> How to set up the age breakdown field?

Permission to allow adding reservations in the past

With the new permission, you can decide if users can add and extend bookings in the past. You can find it under General permissions:

Cancellations setting

Choose how FrontDesk Master should handle the balance for cancelled nights or reservations: per cancellation policy, or automatically mark all nights as due.

> Learn more about cancellation policies

Extra details in reports

In this update, we added some extra columns and details into the reports. Now, in the reports, you can find:

  • Sale item details in Reservation Balance report
  • Amount paid online (with payment gateway) and payment ID in Reservation Balance report
  • Total booking accommodation and Total sales columns in Reservation Payments report
  • Results in gross in Daily Revenue report 

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.

Make more on your bookings with Hostel Hop

We are pleased to announce that FrontDesk Master has partnered with Hostel Hop, an innovative hostel booking platform that is set to revolutionize the way you connect with travelers and boost your revenue. This partnership opens up new opportunities for your hostel to thrive and expand its reach in the ever-evolving travel industry.

What Does This Mean for Your Hostel?

By integrating Hostel Hop through FrontDesk Master, you gain access to a host of benefits that will enhance your hostel’s operations and profitability:

  • Lower Booking Fees: Hostel Hop charges hostels a competitive 12% booking fee, reducing your overhead compared to the 15% charged by some competitors, making your business more profitable.
  • Streamlined Booking Management: Our user-friendly interface simplifies the booking process, reducing your administrative workload and improving efficiency. Say goodbye to the hassles of manual bookings.
  • Increased Revenue: Our unique 4% cash-back to travelers for referrals can generate more bookings through your network, resulting in increased occupancy and revenue for your hostel.

Receptionist Engagement: Empower your receptionists to earn bonuses and commissions by referring travelers to Hostel Hop and making recommendations, strengthening their commitment to your business and driving more bookings.

How to Get Started:

Getting your hostel set up with Hostel Hop through FrontDesk Master is a breeze. Here’s what you need to do:

Create an Account: If you haven’t already, sign up for an account on Hostel Hop.

  • Select FrontDesk Master as Your Channel Manager: In your Hostel Hop settings, simply choose Front Desk Master as your channel manager. From there you will simply copy the credentials into your FDM account and you’re done! FDM will handle the rest.
  • That’s it! You’re all set to benefit from Hostel Hop’s innovative features and the support of Front Desk Master.

Need Assistance?

Hostel Hop is set to open to travelers in November of 2023. Please take advantage of this time to onboard your hostel. If you have any questions or would like our dedicated team to assist with setting up your hostel profile, please reach out to us via email at info@hostelhop.io or by phone at +1 (407) 325-5080. We’re committed to ensuring a smooth transition and making the most of this exciting partnership.

We are thrilled to embark on this journey with you and look forward to seeing your hostel thrive with Hostel Hop and FrontDesk Master. Together, we can transform the hostel booking landscape and elevate the services we offer to travelers worldwide.

Thank you for being a valued member of our network. Here’s to a bright and prosperous future!

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

Sign up to Airbnb and get more bookings!

Did you consider exploring Airbnb channel?

Click HERE to check 10 things you should know about it!

Hosts on Airbnb can offer unique stays and experiences that make it possible for guests to connect with communities in a more authentic way. When it comes to stays, they can offer a wide variety of different types of properties, including apartments, hotels, villas, vacation rentals, BNBs, hostels, serviced apartments, apart-hotels, resorts, and many more. Airbnb identified the Hosts’ need to manage their properties more efficiently and has created easyto-use solutions. A wide variety of tools is also available for Hosts to manage and list their properties effortlessly via Airbnb.

Now you can also synchronize Airbnb XML connection with FrontDesk Master channel manager in order to have a better control of your prices and availability. For more information feel free to contact us at support@frontdeskmaster.com.