How to Manage Group bookings

At the end of this article, you will be able to;

• Managing the group rates and individual bookings within the group 
• Add notes
• Produce a pro forma
• Produce a guestlist 
• Use the interactive guest list grid button 
• Know how to move a group
• Know how to copy a group
• Know how to add a group to a function
• Search for an existing group booking
• Troubleshoot a group

It is assumed that you are competent in how to create and manage individual room reservations, and have read our guide on how to create a group booking.

Managing the Group Rates 

Navigate to the Rate plan tab, under this window, you can see the rate plan prices for all room types and the services according to the rate plan set up for each day of the group's stay.  These rates will be what the individual rooms will be set to if the rate box is ticked as in the above screenshot. 

It is important to note that if the rooms are following the group, the rate plan of the group must be set to the rate plan that is required for the first night's stay.

If you need to adjust the rates you can press the change button, add the dates you wish to change, find the room from the drop-down box, press the search button, and then free-type the new rates.

Press update then exit.

Press the recalculate button to pull through the newly changed rate onto the group and refresh the group booking by pressing the ID number.

Adding Notes.

Navigate to the notes tab and by right-clicking and adding an entry you can add any group notes here. Pressing the Append button will transfer the note to each individual booking notes window within the group. 

To Produce a Pro forma

Press the Pro forma button on the top right-hand side, This will produce a Pro forma for all the rooms that have the P box ticked under the rooms tab.

To produce a Guest List

Press the Guest List button on the top right-hand side. This produces a guest list.

Using the interactive Grid.

Navigate to the Stays tab and press the grid button.

The below screen appears,  here we can see the Room type, dates,  the primary guests name if already entered, and the room name or number if already allocated.

• The Red square indicates that the booking has been named and no amendments can be made from the Grid screen.
• The Green Square indicates that the room is not named and amendments can be made from this screen.

To access the reservation window from this grid click on the green squares and you will see the room and the arrival and departure date will appear at the top and you will be asked if you wish to proceed with the booking.

Clicking yes brings up the reservation window and you can then add in reservation details and allocate the room as ususal

Making amendments from this screen 

The Grid can also be used to split rooms between guests over different nights.  

In the screenshot below, a Deluxe room is green with arrival and departure date of 30/08 - 01/09 respectively.

Should a guest only need to be allocated to the room for the first two nights and another guest for the remaining night then the Green Square arrival and departure dates should be selected for the required nights for the first guest.

This will bring up the reservation window for those two nights. You can then add in the details as required.

Saving the reservation window and then refreshing the Grid window by pressing the Refresh button.  will then add a new line for the new arrival and departure dates for that room as shown below.

Any changes here will be reflected on the Bookings and Stays tabs of the Group and if connected, on the Function. If you wish to print the Room guide you can do so via the print button. the screen can be exported to e.g. PDF format and shared.

To move a Group

• Move the departure date of the main group and press save 

• Move your departure date for the rooms under the stay tab for the first line of the room do not press save

• Move your arrival day for the rooms under the stay tab for the first line of the rooms  you can then press save

• Finally, move your main group arrival days and press save.
• Remember the individual rooms must be the same or stay within the group arrival and departure

To copy a group 

Press the copy button and the copy group window displays. Choose the new arrival date for the group, tick either;

 Same rooming list or a Blank rooming list depending on your requirements and press proceed.

Adding a Group to a Function.

• Navigate to the function field of the group booking
• Double-click in this field
• Add in the first few letters of the function name
• Find the correct function under the drop-down box and double-click.

Remember the group arrival and departure dates must match or be in between the Function arrival and departure dates

Troubleshooting

Individual bookings are not showing the correct rates.

• Check if the individual room has the Sync rate box ticked or unticked depending on requirements.
• Check under the rates tab to see if the room rates and dates are correct. If they are, then press the recalculate button to pull these rates through to the individual rooms that follow the Group. 
• If the room rates are wrong press the change button and follow the procedure above.
• Check your Rate plan restrictions.
• Check that you do not have an individual booking arriving and /or departing outside of the group master arrival and departure dates.

The room does not appear on the Pro forma

• Check if the P box is ticked on the individual rooms under the booking tab