Setting flexible prices and restrictions for rate plans
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This manual includes:
1. How to create rate plans
2. Description of all functions in the initial setup window
3. How to set prices
4. Description of all functions in the price setup window
Attention! Rate plans work only with room groups. Before you begin reading this manual, please make sure you have created room groups. Manual which explains the room groups creation, is located here.
1. How to create rate plans
Rate plans are used to flexibly manage prices of the room groups. They are also obligatory if we are interested in synchronizing with channel managers or online booking portals.
Attention! In the case where each room is different but you would still like to dynamically change prices or synchronize it with online reservation portals, it is recommended to create room groups individually for each room. Optimally with the same name for both room group and the room itself.
Basic settings necessary for the proper functioning of the Rate Plans:
- Click on the Rate plans icon and select “Add a new rate plan”.
- Fill in the rate plan`s name (i.e. Standard, Weekend, Holidays, Christmas, Booking.com, etc.).
- Click on “Availability settings”.
- Select days for which days of the week the rate plan is going to be active.
5. Click on “Other settings”
- Select a color of the borders that will surround a reservation settled by this rate plan.
- Input a tax rate (The „VAT” field) – this will mark a default tax for accommodation.
6. Add general timeframe for when the rate plan is to be active in Validity periods.
7. Enter prices in “Price settings”
Attention! Adding prices without a / outside of general time frame will cause problems with the use of the rate plan. You can change a validity date by clicking “Edit”, modifying a term and clicking “Save”. Name of the validity date is optional.
2. Description of all functions in the initial setup window
Apart from the basic settings described in the previous subchapter, rate plans provide you with more functions. They are available for both more control of rate plans as well as help cater to specific client`s needs.
- Rate plan name
- Availability settings
Attention! With a connection to a channel manager or KWHotel Booking Engine it is advised to go over these settings and adjust them accordingly.
A. Days of the week for when the Rate Plan is to be active.
B. Disconnect rate plan from KWHotel Booking Engine.
Attention! When working with KWHotel Booking Engine all rate plans not disconnected will be by default available to the reservation system and visible to guests.
C. Disconnect rate plan from reservation window (KWHotel desktop).
Attention! It is recommended to disconnect rate plans from the reservation window when synchronized with a channel manager where KWHotel does not manage the prices. The reason for this being no prices should be set in such a rate plan and so it is redundant to use it for KWHotel’s reservation.
D. Deactivate the Rate Plan.
3. Long stay settings
As the name indicates these options will be connected to long term rents and/or reservations. It is still in progress.
A. Work in progress
B. Work in progress
4. Other Settings
A. Colour
B. Tax amount added to the prices of the rate plan.
C. Option used in Reports.
D. Number of days before a reservation, where a guest may cancel a reservation for free.
E. Work in progress
5. Base rate plan settings
A. Select a rate plan with the prices, which will be the base for the price in the new rate plan.
B. Select how the prices will The new prices will be created by adding or subtracting from the prices in the rate plan used as the base.
C. Select if the amount taken from / added to the prices will be a set amount or percentage.
D. Enter the required difference for the new prices.
E. Edit the current rate plan (the one entered).
F. Send prices to the rate plan chosen in the ‘Selected base rate plan’.
6. Synchronize settings
Attention! Setting required only with a connection to a Channel Manager / directly to Booking.com. Used to synchronize the general time frame, allotment and / or prices for a connection to a Channel Manager / Booking.com.
7. Prices settings
Used to set prices for the full or smaller periods of time during the general time frame.
8. Validity Periods
Set the general time frame for when the rate plan is going to be active for. It is possible to enter one longer period or a few smaller periods e.g. High / Low season.
9. Synchronize settings
Option used only with a connection to a Channel manager / Booking.com to automatically save changes made to the Rate plan, without the need to complete all manual synchronization steps (in Synchronize settings).
3. How to set prices
Setting prices is a necessary step for using prices in KWHotel, in a direct connection to a booking portal and in the rare case where KWHotel manages the prices in a connection to a channel manager. Prices should be updated and checked at least once a year and never left empty.
Basic setting necessary to set the prices
1. Double click on an existing price period or add a new one with the option “Add period and prices”.
Attention! Price periods where the price is not set are colored orange by default. These periods cannot be left in the case of a connection to a booking portal or a channel manager where KWHotel manages the prices.
2. If a new price period has been added, it is required to select the period for when the prices are going to be active.
3. Select for which days of the week the rate plan is going to be active.
Attention! It is possible to add price periods for the same dates, but for different days of the week.
4. Enter prices
Prices can be set either per room or per person. To set the price per room it is required to set the highest possible price (including for meals) as the base price. All other fields are only required when setting price per person.
Attention! There are five fields that allow a price customization:
Base price – a starting price of the room. Each adult price will be added to this price. Base price is not obligatory, but only after entering 0 to the next field.
Number of persons included in the base price – the amount of people the base price is set for
Adult price – price for each adult person
Child 1 price – price for the first age category (name of each category is configured in Tools –> Configuration –> Other). Each Child price will be added to the base price.
Child 2 price – price for the second age category
Child 3 price – price for the third age category
Attention! With a connection to either a booking portal or a channel manager where KWHotel manages the prices it is recommended to enter only the highest possible price for the room as the base price.
5. Optional setting
a. Selecting meals
Attention! When using a rate plan with selected meals in KWHotel, the meal selected will automatically be filled in the reservation window for each day of the reservation.
b. Adding the minimal and maximal days required of the reservation
Attention! When using a rate plan with minimal and maximal days entered in KWHotel, the rate plan will not be available for use to a reservation that do not meet these requirements.
4. Description of all functions in the price setup window
Other settings in KWHotel while not necessary to set for the correct working of the program, allow for better control copying prices / settings between rooms and years, allotment and requirements a reservation is to meet.
- Price periods – Enter prices for longer periods g. Low / High season
- Prices per day – Enter prices for individual days
Attention! Prices per day may work complimentary to price periods. Once the standard prices for a longer period have been entered it is easier to use price per day to edit prices for single days throughout the year.
3. Import prices
Import price periods and settings between room groups.
Importing price periods between room groups will import all price periods / days with their settings (minimum/maximum days for a reservation, meals etc.). It may be used by e.g. dorms with the same type of room divided for boys and girls.
4. Copy prices
Prolong prices in the rate plan by copying all periods and settings between years.
Attention! Before copying prices between years it is recommended to check beforehand, if the validity period fully included the year the prices will be copied into.
Attention! Importing prices and settings may be done with 3 different tools. Each one was created with a different objective in mind, but serves the same function.
Copy year – imports the price periods between years Import prices – imports price periods between room groups.
Apply to multiple room groups (in adding / editing price periods) – imports single price periods between room groups. (This function will be explained in more details in the next chapter)
5. Display prices for the selected year
6. Room groups – created in the Room Tab
7a. Price periods
Attention! It is not possible to delete price periods that already exist. To change the prices or dates of existing periods it is required to add new price periods.
A. Dates for when the price is to be active
Attention! It is not possible to edit the dates in price periods that already exist. To overwrite an existing period it is required to add a new price period.
B. Days of the week when the Rate Plan is to be active for
C. Enter prices, either per room or per person
D. Add restrictions
There are three separate functions included in the restrictions, which you have access to after marking the option Enabled.
- Min / Max days required of the reservation
Attention! In a synchronization where KWHotel manages the restrictions, any number of days in the calendar that does not meet the min / max required will not be available for booking.
- Closed To Arrival/Departure (CTA/CTD)
The purpose of this function is to prevent arrivals and departures for the set period.
Attention! When setting a period where there is both a minimum day requirement and CTA / CTD are set it is important to consider how they may affect one another e.g.
If the maximum number of days take up the whole period, then it is better to set up a second period for the CTA / CTD restrictions that starts one day later and end one day before the original period. With this setting the first and last days of the period will allow for arrivals and departures e.g. New Year’s offer: 3 days reservation from the 30th of December – 1st of January.
If the minimum days are set at 3 days with CTA / CTD active, then arrivals and departures are not possible for the period, but if CTA / CTD were to be placed into a second period for just the 31st then guests could check in/out for the 30th and 1st.
- Room Group Status: Opened / Closed
Closing a room group will cause prices to be blocked from use in KWHotel, booking portals, channel manager and / or KWHotel Booking Engine. The allotment will still be sent for the blocked days, but no reservations may come in for the period.
E. Add meals to the reservation
This is the same function as in the initial set up window, but when activated from the price periods meals may be set for selected days or with restrictions e.g. minimum 3 days + breakfast.
F. Do not synchronize group
It is used to close off room groups for long periods by cutting off sending allotment, prices and all other settings.
Attention! Do not use this function interchangeably with Room Group Status: Opened / Closed. It should only to be used, if the whole room group is to be excluded from use in the KWHotel Booking Engine and / or synchronization with a booking portal/channel manager.
G. Reduce availability
Gives greater control over the allotment sent to booking portals or channel managers where KWHotel manages the allotment. By reducing allotment clients may increase the demand for rooms.
Attention! Reduce availability by – serves as a way to block access to rooms in the room group without needing to take them out of the room group altogether. It allows a reception to keep a few rooms on hand for selected days e.g.
Room Group: 7 rooms –>Reduce availability by 2 = Allotment:5
Max. Availability – in contrast to the previous option, Max. availability does not block access to any room in the room group. Its intended purpose is to lower the number of rooms a guest may see on e.g. a booking portal, to raise the demand for rooms. E.g.
Room Group:7 rooms –> Max. availability: 2 –> Allotment will be 2, until 6 rooms have been reserved, then it will be 1 until the last room is reserved.
Attention! Reduce availability by and Max. availability may be used simultaneously but the allotment should not be reduced below zero .e.g.
Room group: 7 rooms
Reduce availability by: 5 rooms Max. availability: 3 room
This setting will leave the allotment at -1
H. Apply to multiple room
By marking other room groups and clicking “Save”, the prices and other settings in the price window will be copied and transferred to the other room groups.
8. Price Wizard
The price wizard was created to help clients create rate plans by presenting them with a new window to complete for each step.
Click here to download or print full manual.
The video tutorial on the subject may be found for version 0.46 can be found here and version 0.47 here.