OpenHotel PMSHow tos and post involving the new OpenHotel PMS systemhttps://openhotel.com/blog/propertymanagementsystemHow does payment processing work through the OpenHotel PMS?https://openhotel.com/blog/propertymanagementsystem/post.cfm/post/6166/how-does-payment-processing-work-through-the-openhotel-pms<div> <div> <img align="left" border="0" class="graphic" src="https://openhotel.com/images/content/blogarticles/_large/hotelpay.jpg" style="float:left;margin:3px;"></div><br>One of the most important features Open Hotel's Property Management System offers, is the seamless ability to process payments. When you have an online system it is required to connect with a gateway in order to process secure payments from guests using a credit card. </div><br><br>The first step is to sign up to a gateway such as Authorize.net or SlimCD, which Open Hotel integrates with. These gateways will connect to your merchant so that monies can be collected and deposited in your company checking account. For help to get started please <a class="link" href="https://openhotel.com/blog/propertymanagementsystem/post.cfm/post/6143/comparison-chart-for-payment-gateways-for-hotels" style="font-size: 13px; color:#0000EE;" target="_blank" title="openhotel.com/blog/propertymanagementsystem/post.cfm/post/6143/comparison-chart-for-payment-gateways-for-hotels">click here for more information</a><span style="background-color:#FFFFFF; color: #525252; font-family: arial; font-size: 14px"><b>. </b></span><br><br><br><br><div style="color:#525252; font-family: arial; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; background-color:#FFFFFF;"> <span style="font-size: 14px">This article will give you a clear understanding of how gateways work as well as give you advice on best practices to suite your hotel needs.<br><br><b>Credit Card:</b> There are 4 actions that Credit Card Processors Use:<br><br>1. <i>Authorize </i>- verifies credit card has funds and will hold the funds for 24 hours. Each gateway is different, there may be longer hold times but this is not determined by Openhotel.<br><br>2. <i>Capture</i> - charge is successfully ran<br><br>3. <i>Credit</i> - refunds or partial refunds<br><br>4. <i>Void</i> - cancelling the transaction before the capture charge hits the account<br><br><br><b>Using a Payment Gateway:</b> There are three setup options when processing credit card information in the gateway:<br><br>1. <i>Nightly Batch</i> - the nightly batch will authorize the credit card immediately when the payment is entered. Then it will capture the charge when the nightly batch runs that same night (typically 10pm for Authorize.net clients), unless the charge was ran after the nightly batch was processed, then the charge will be ran in the next day's batch.<br><br>2. <i>Run Charge Now</i> - this process will override the nightly batch and authorize and capture the credit card payment immediately. This option should ONLY be used if <br><br></span> <ul> <li> <span style="font-size: 14px">The Credit card was declined before.  </span> </li> <li> <span style="font-size: 14px">Running an extra charge such as room damage or an extra fee  </span> </li> <li> <span style="font-size: 14px">Exceptional circumstances (based on management's decision) </span> </li> </ul> <span style="font-size: 14px">3. <i>Pre-Authorize Card</i> - this option will authorize the credit card only. It will not run or capture the charge. The funds will be released typically in 24 hours (depending on your banking institution or gateway provider) and will take the hold off the credit card. This option is not typically used. An example: to hold the funds if they opted to pay cash when arriving. If this option is chosen you must remember to run the card after the 24 hour hold, in order to catpure the funds successfully.<br>**Note, if you run a pre-authorization the funds much be ran manually to capture. The nightly batch will not count the pre-authorization.**<br><br><b>Credits/ Full or Partial Refunds:</b> There are 2 Types used in the system.<br><br>1. <i>Linked Transactions</i> - Credit to the original charge that has been captured These are issued by clicking on the original payment status and selecting Refund in the Action drop down menu. You can issue full or partial refunds.<br><br>2. <span style="background-color:#FFFFFF; font-family: arial"><i>Unlinked Transactions</i></span> - Credit given not using the original charge that was captured These are issued by selecting payment type Credit Card, choosing the card you would like to refund (can be original or different card), type in the amount to credit under the Amount to Charge and select the Refund option below it. Click Add Payment. Support for unlinked transactions varies wildly by payment processor. Authorize.net requires the feature to be activated by filling out paperwork.<br><br><br><b>Voids: </b>Voids will only be an option if the credit card has been authorized but not captured.<br><br></span> <ul> <li> <span style="font-size: 14px">Voids can only be processed through linked transactions. They are the same process as the linked transaction above in Credits, except instead of "Refund" Void will be the only option.  </span> </li> <li> <span style="font-size: 14px">Voids can only be ran for the entire amount of the transaction. There are no partial voids. They will clear any held funds that were authorized </span> </li> </ul><br><br><br><div style="text-align: center;"> <b><u>CLIENTS SHOULD NEVER LOG INTO THEIR GATEWAY ACCOUNTS </u></b> </div> <div style="text-align: center;"> <b><u>AND PROCESS PAYMENTS EVEN IF THERE IS AN OUTAGE! </u></b><b><u>THEY MUST PROCESS THEIR TRANSACTIONS THROUGH </u></b> </div> <div style="text-align: center;"> <b><u>THE OPEN HOTEL SYSTEM ONCE THEY ARE LIVE</u></b> </div><br><br><br><b>Additional Notes:</b><br><br><ul> <li> <span style="font-size: 14px">Clients should use Nightly Batch when setting up the gateway settings. If they choose At Time of Booking the credit card will display all activity on the credit card statement including Authorize, Captures, Credits and Voids. This option will also create a higher transaction fee for the client. Also, if the transaction fails for any reason it can prevent the guest from booking their reservation since it takes the payment up front. </span> </li> </ul><br><ul> <li> <span style="font-size: 14px">By Using the Run Charge Now option the client will be charged an additional 25 cents per transaction. </span> </li> </ul><br><ul> <li> <span style="font-size: 14px">Clients that have Linked Transactions can not credit a payment that was not originally processed through their gateway. They will have to run it through their old system and then issue a hotel credit on Open Hotel to zero out the reservation balance. </span> </li> </ul><br><ul> <li> <span style="font-size: 14px">Once you have processed a credit card there is an expiring period where you will not be able to issue credits using Linked Transactions (ex. A charge that happened a year ago will not be able to be credited). </span> </li> </ul><br><ul> <li> <span style="font-size: 14px">Currently, Open Hotel software does not have the ability to decipher between if a credit card has been swiped or manually keyed in. However, due to the newest chip requirements scheduled to be in effect by October, there will be some new programming requirments whereby this will be included. </span> </li> </ul><br><ul> <li> <span style="font-size: 14px">Clients need to contact their merchant if they have questions on the best way to set up their gateway account. </span> </li> </ul><br><ul> <li> <span style="font-size: 14px">Open Hotel allows for both card present and card not present gateway accounts. </span> </li> </ul><br><ul> <li> <span style="font-size: 14px">Gateway reports may not match exactly to your audit report, if charges are ran at different times. Clients need to contact their gateway regarding those reports as well as funds being transferred to their merchant.</span> </li> </ul><br><br><br><u><b style="color: #000000; font-size: 14px">If you would like to process unlinked transactions Authorize.net requires you complete th<u>e</u> form below<br></b></u><br><br><u><b style="color: #000000; font-size: 14px">and submit it to your Authorize Representative.<br></b></u><br><br><div> <u><b><a class="link" href="https://openhotel.com/images/content/blogarticles/authorize_refunds1.pdf">Authorize.net Refunds</a></b></u> </div><br><br><br><br></div>Comparison Chart for Payment Gateways for Hotelshttps://openhotel.com/blog/propertymanagementsystem/post.cfm/post/6143/comparison-chart-for-payment-gateways-for-hotels<h2> <b>Comparison Chart of Gateway Features and Pricing</b> </h2>  For more information about what a payment gateway is and how they work see our blog listing <a class="link" href="https://openhotel.com/blog/propertymanagementsystem/post.cfm/post/5745/credit-card-processing" style="font-size: 14px; color:#0000EE; text-decoration: underline;" title="openhotel.com/blog/propertymanagementsystem/post.cfm/post/5745/credit-card-processing">here</a>.<br><br><br><i>***Please Note*** Pricing is subject to change.  Please contact the gateway directly for updated pricing.</i><br><br><br><table border="1" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="MsoTableGrid" style="border-collapse:collapse;border:none;"> <tbody> <tr> <td style="width:93.5pt;border:solid windowtext 1.0pt;background:#BDD6EE;padding:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt" valign="top" width="156"><b> </b><br><br></td><td style="width:93.5pt;border:solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-background:#BDD6EE;padding:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt" valign="top" width="156"><b>Slim CD</b><br><br></td><td style="width:93.5pt;border:solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-background:#BDD6EE;padding:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt" valign="top" width="156"><b>Authorize.net</b><br><br></td><td style="width:93.5pt;border:solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-background:#BDD6EE;padding:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt" valign="top" width="156"><b>PayPal</b><br><br></td> </tr> <tr> <td style="width:93.5pt;border:solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-background:#DEEAF6;padding:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt" valign="top" width="156"> <br><br></td><td style="width:93.5pt;border-border-border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.0pt;border-right:solid windowtext 1.0pt;padding:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt" valign="top" width="156"> <br><br></td><td style="width:93.5pt;border-border-border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.0pt;border-right:solid windowtext 1.0pt;padding:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt" valign="top" width="156"> <br><br></td><td style="width:93.5pt;border-border-border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.0pt;border-right:solid windowtext 1.0pt;padding:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt" valign="top" width="156"> <br><br></td> </tr> <tr> <td style="width:93.5pt;border:solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-background:#DEEAF6;padding:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt" valign="top" width="156"><b>Supports Lodging</b><br><br></td><td style="width:93.5pt;border-border-border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.0pt;border-right:solid windowtext 1.0pt;padding:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt" valign="top" width="156">Yes**<br><br></td><td style="width:93.5pt;border-border-border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.0pt;border-right:solid windowtext 1.0pt;padding:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt" valign="top" width="156">No<br><br></td><td style="width:93.5pt;border-border-border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.0pt;border-right:solid windowtext 1.0pt;padding:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt" valign="top" width="156">No<br><br></td> </tr> <tr> <td style="width:93.5pt;border:solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-background:#DEEAF6;padding:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt" valign="top" width="156"><b> </b><br><br></td><td style="width:93.5pt;border-border-border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.0pt;border-right:solid windowtext 1.0pt;padding:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt" valign="top" width="156"> <br><br></td><td style="width:93.5pt;border-border-border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.0pt;border-right:solid windowtext 1.0pt;padding:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt" valign="top" width="156"> <br><br></td><td style="width:93.5pt;border-border-border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.0pt;border-right:solid windowtext 1.0pt;padding:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt" valign="top" width="156"> <br><br></td> </tr> <tr> <td style="width:93.5pt;border:solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-background:#DEEAF6;padding:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt" valign="top" width="156"><b>Sign-up fee</b><br><br></td><td style="width:93.5pt;border-border-border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.0pt;border-right:solid windowtext 1.0pt;padding:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt" valign="top" width="156">$95<br><br></td><td style="width:93.5pt;border-border-border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.0pt;border-right:solid windowtext 1.0pt;padding:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt" valign="top" width="156">$49<br><br></td><td style="width:93.5pt;border-border-border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.0pt;border-right:solid windowtext 1.0pt;padding:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt" valign="top" width="156">$0<br><br></td> </tr> <tr> <td style="width:93.5pt;border:solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-background:#DEEAF6;padding:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt" valign="top" width="156"><b>Monthly fee</b><br><br></td><td style="width:93.5pt;border-border-border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.0pt;border-right:solid windowtext 1.0pt;padding:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt" valign="top" width="156">$16.95<br><br></td><td style="width:93.5pt;border-border-border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.0pt;border-right:solid windowtext 1.0pt;padding:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt" valign="top" width="156">$14.95<br><br></td><td style="width:93.5pt;border-border-border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.0pt;border-right:solid windowtext 1.0pt;padding:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt" valign="top" width="156">$25<br><br></td> </tr> <tr> <td style="width:93.5pt;border:solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-background:#DEEAF6;padding:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt" valign="top" width="156"><b>Transaction fee</b><br><br></td><td style="width:93.5pt;border-border-border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.0pt;border-right:solid windowtext 1.0pt;padding:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt" valign="top" width="156">$0.05<br><br></td><td style="width:93.5pt;border-border-border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.0pt;border-right:solid windowtext 1.0pt;padding:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt" valign="top" width="156">$0.07<br><br></td><td style="width:93.5pt;border-border-border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.0pt;border-right:solid windowtext 1.0pt;padding:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt" valign="top" width="156">$0.10<br><br></td> </tr> <tr> <td style="width:93.5pt;border:solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-background:#DEEAF6;padding:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt" valign="top" width="156"><b>Batch fee </b><br><br></td><td style="width:93.5pt;border-border-border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.0pt;border-right:solid windowtext 1.0pt;padding:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt" valign="top" width="156">No Batch Fee<br><br></td><td style="width:93.5pt;border-border-border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.0pt;border-right:solid windowtext 1.0pt;padding:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt" valign="top" width="156">$0.10<br><br></td><td style="width:93.5pt;border-border-border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.0pt;border-right:solid windowtext 1.0pt;padding:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt" valign="top" width="156">Unknown<br><br></td> </tr> <tr> <td style="width:93.5pt;border:solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-background:#DEEAF6;padding:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt" valign="top" width="156"><b>Setup/monthly fee from OpenHotel</b><br><br></td><td style="width:93.5pt;border-border-border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.0pt;border-right:solid windowtext 1.0pt;padding:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt" valign="top" width="156">Zero<br><br></td><td style="width:93.5pt;border-border-border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.0pt;border-right:solid windowtext 1.0pt;padding:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt" valign="top" width="156">Zero<br><br></td><td style="width:93.5pt;border-border-border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.0pt;border-right:solid windowtext 1.0pt;padding:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt" valign="top" width="156">Zero<br><br></td> </tr> </tbody> </table>  <br><br>**Supports payment processing for Lodging on the following processors. Check with your merchant account provider to see which processor they use. The majority of merchant accounts use one of these processors. Payment processing for lodging typically provides a better merchant account rate.<br><br><span style="font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"">        </span></span>T S Y S (Vital)<br><br><span style="font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"">        </span></span>Chase/Paymentech<br><br><span style="font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"">        </span></span>Global payments East<br><br><span style="font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"">        </span></span>First Data<br><br><span style="font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"">        </span></span>Elavon (Nova)<br><br><span style="font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"">        </span></span>RBS Lynk<br><br>For more information and to sign up with SlimCD visit <a class="link" href="http://stats.slimcd.com/activate.html" style="font-family: arial; font-size: 14px; color:#0000EE; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank" title="stats.slimcd.com/activate.html">https://stats.slimcd.com/activate.html</a> <div style="color:#525252; font-family: arial; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; background-color:#FFFFFF;">You must enter our Reseller ID <b style="color:#000000; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 14.6666669845581px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif;">622592880</span></b><br><div><br>For more information and to sign up on Authorize.net visit <a href="http://reseller.authorize.net/application/?resellerId=22665">http://reseller.authorize.net/application/?resellerId=22665</a><br><br>For more information and to sign up for PayPal visit <a href="https://www.paypal.com/webapps/mpp/payflow-payment-gateway">https://www.paypal.com/webapps/mpp/payflow-payment-gateway</a> </div> </div>Credit Card ProcessingFor hotelshttps://openhotel.com/blog/propertymanagementsystem/post.cfm/post/5745/credit-card-processingfor-hotels<b style="color:#0A12A8; font-family: arial; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; background-color:#FFFFFF;">Credit card processing on the OpenHotel PMS</b><br><br><span style="color:#525252; font-family: arial; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; background-color:#FFFFFF;"><b>There are two ways to process credit cards for your reservations. Both ways are outlined below along with some FAQ's.</b></span><br><br><b style="color:#0A12A8; font-family: arial; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; background-color:#FFFFFF;">Manual Processing</b><br><br><span style="color:#525252; font-family: arial; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; background-color:#FFFFFF;"><b>When you receive a reservation either from your booking engine, by phone or by other means, you simply process the credit card information using the method provided to you by your credit card processing company or bank. This is typically a credit card terminal or you process online. The amount and when the card is run is based on your policies.</b></span><br><br><b style="color:#0A12A8; font-family: arial; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; background-color:#FFFFFF;">Automated Processing</b><br><br><span style="color:#525252; font-family: arial; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; background-color:#FFFFFF;"><b>The OpenHotel PMS can automate your processing of deposits and charges. The system can be set to charge a percentage of the reservation or a flat fee upon time of booking with the remainder charged at check-in or check-out. Of course, if it is the property's policy not to charge a deposit, no deposit will be charged. You can also change the amount to be charged based upon a rate period. An example would be if you wished to charge a higher deposit during a special event. If you were running a special and wanted to make it non-cancellable and payment in full due at time of booking you can also do that automatically.</b></span><br><span style="color:#525252; font-family: arial; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; background-color:#FFFFFF;"><b>Amount charged is based on room nights and taxes. Surcharges, Options, and Extras are not figured into the automated charges.</b></span><br><br><span style="color:#525252; font-family: arial; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; background-color:#FFFFFF;"><b>In order to process credit cards you will need a merchant account and a payment gateway. A payment gateway talks between the internet and the credit card processing. It is like an online terminal. Here is a link that explains payment gateways in detail.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Payment_gateway</b></span><br><span style="color:#525252; font-family: arial; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; background-color:#FFFFFF;"><b>There are a number of payment gateway companies. </b></span><br><br><span style="color:#525252; font-family: arial; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; background-color:#FFFFFF;"><b>We support the following gateways -</b></span><br><br><span style="color:#525252; font-family: arial; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; background-color:#FFFFFF;"><b>SlimCD<br>Authorize.net</b></span><br><span style="color:#525252; font-family: arial; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; background-color:#FFFFFF;"><b>Paypal for International clients only</b></span><br><br><span style="color:#525252; font-family: arial; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; background-color:#FFFFFF;"><b>After you sign up with your gateway they will give you some code. We need this code to turn on your credit card processing. Each gateway processor requires different information for implementation.</b></span><br><br><span style="background-color:#FFFFFF; color: #525252; font-family: arial; font-size: 14px"><b>You may view a comparison chart of different payment gateways as well as sign up </b></span><a class="link" href="https://openhotel.com/blog/propertymanagementsystem/post.cfm/post/6143/comparison-chart-for-payment-gateways-for-hotels" style="font-family: arial; font-size: 14px; color:#0000EE; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank" title="openhotel.com/blog/propertymanagementsystem/post.cfm/post/6143/comparison-chart-for-payment-gateways-for-hotels">click here</a> <span style="color:#525252; font-family: arial; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; background-color:#FFFFFF;"><br><br><span style="background-color:#FFFFFF; color:#525252; font-family: arial; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold"><b>If you have any questions about processing in general or how it integrates into the system, please call support.</b></span><br><br><span style="background-color:#FFFFFF; color:#525252; font-family: arial; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold"><b>OpenHotel PMS Support</b></span><br><span style="background-color:#FFFFFF; color:#525252; font-family: arial; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold"><b>702 - 628 - 5014</b></span></span>Easily adjust Inventory on OTAs such as Booking.com and Expediahttps://openhotel.com/blog/propertymanagementsystem/post.cfm/post/6308/easily-adjust-inventory-on-otas-such-as-booking-dot-com-and-expediaOne of the major reports used by those that do revenue management for a property is the Rate/Availability Overview Report.<br><div>To access this report go to Reports>Rate/Availability Overview from the menu in your admin area.</div><br><div>This report contains a massive amount of data that is vital to the determination of management of your property. If you manage the exposure and availability on the OTAs on a regular basis, this report is your go-to tool.</div><br><div>Let's take a look at what is displayed and how to use this report effectively.</div><br><div> <div> <img alt="Managing inventory%20on%20Expedia%20and%20Booking.com" border="0" src="https://openhotel.com/images/content/_original/2017-11-09_1020.png" title="Managing inventory%20on%20Expedia%20and%20Booking.com"></div><br></div> <div>You will find a complete video about each column and exactly what it shows, in your support area. The purpose of this article is to give you an overview of how to adjust your availability and what numbers to look at to make these revenue decisions.</div><br><div>On the screen shot above you will see that there are 15 King Suite rooms. the OTAs have been allotted a maximum of 14 rooms. The report shows you have a group coming for that date and you are holding 2 rooms for them. They have not, however, picked up any of the block yet. You have one room booked and 12 rooms available. </div><br><div>So let's say that for some reason you want to close the OTAs out. Maybe a festival date has been announced or a group calls that is going to take most of your inventory but you have not set up the group yet or you just know it is going to be a very busy weekend. What you do know is that you will not need to sell these rooms on the OTAs. If you know you can sell them directly, why sell them on a channel that is going to charge you a commission, right?</div><br><div>On the Adjust column, the numbers in blue are clickable. When you click on the number in this column you can adjust your inventory on a specific room, on a specific channel for a specific date. Simply click the arrow to reduce (or increase) the inventory on any channel. </div><br><div> <div> <img alt="Manage Expedia%20and%20Booking%20Channel%20Manager" border="0" src="https://openhotel.com/images/content/_original/2017-11-09_1049.png" title="Manage Expedia%20and%20Booking%20Channel%20Manager"></div><br></div> <div>This report not only shows you the exact status on any specific day but also gives you the ability to maximize your revenue quickly and easily.</div>Welcome to our newest Colorado Hotelhttps://openhotel.com/blog/propertymanagementsystem/post.cfm/post/6136/welcome-to-our-newest-colorado-hotelThe Victor Hotel is is located in the lovely small town of Victor Colorado. We are glad you are now part of the OpenHotel family. http://victorhotelcolorado.comHow do Channel Managers work with a Hotel Property Management System?https://openhotel.com/blog/propertymanagementsystem/post.cfm/post/6096/how-do-channel-managers-work-with-a-hotel-property-management-systemWhat exactly is Channel Management? How do they access your channels? How do they integrate with your hotel property management systems?<br><br>Not too many years ago what used to be just a few extranets is now exploded to literally hundreds of different channels that your hotel can be listed on. The problem, of course, is management of these channels with an eye on guaranteeing parity for your property and not overbooking.<br><br>While this may seem like an easy task is Channel that is added brings its own administration area that must be navigated. Being on just a few of the major channels such as Expedia, Booking.com, an Orbitz is more than just time-consuming it is a delicate task that needs to be done not just daily but multiple times per day.<br><br>With the OpenHotel property management system you have the option of participating in our Channel management system. Your rates and availability are in live time. This means that when a reservation is made on any of the channels that you wish to participate with the reservation comes directly into your hotel's property management system. Inventory is in real time. Change rates? No problem. Rates are updated across all channels. No more overbooking. No more parity issues. No more lost or forgotten reservations that do not make it into your hotel property management system.Auto Responses - a samplehttps://openhotel.com/blog/propertymanagementsystem/post.cfm/post/6056/auto-responses-a-sampleAll the big hotels know the importance of followup and reviews. With the Auto Response feature of OpenHotel PMS you can send out emails by using a template - set it and for get it.<br><br>Here are a few things that you can do with auto responses. Do them all or do just one.<br><br><ul> <li>Send out an email before guests arrive. Give them special instructions, tell them about a restaurant, up sell them to a better room or promote Stay an Extra Day.</li> <li>Immediately after checkout you can send an email asking for reviews. A sample email template is below.</li> <li>Send an email at a future date with a promotion code to entice a return visit.</li> </ul> Here is a sample template to send post reservation. If you need help setting it up, please contact support. We are here to help you.<br><br>On behalf of the YOUR HOTEL NAME, we would like to personally thank you for choosing to stay with us. It was a pleasure to have you as our guest and we truly look forward to your next visit.<br><br>We realize your time is valuable and appreciate your input and feedback so we can continue to provide service that not only meets, but exceeds our guests' expectations.<br><br>If you enjoyed your stay, we would appreciate it if you would leave a review on one of these review sites -<br><br>TripAdvisor Link<br>Google+ Link<br>Yelp Link<br><br>If you did not enjoy your stay for any reason or if you have some constructive criticism, I would like to hear from you directly. My email is YOUR.EMAIL@SOMETHING.COM. You may also feel free to call me at 555-555-5555.<br><br>The information we receive from you will be reviewed by the management team to ensure that we are consistently offering the highest levels of service.<br><br>Thank you for choosing the YOUR HOTEL NAME. We appreciate your valuable comments and look forward to serving you again soon.<br><br> <br>Kind regards,<br>NAME<br>TITLE<br>EMAIL<br>ADDRESS<br>CITY, STATE ZIP<br>WEBSITE<br>PHONEOpenHotel PMS Automated Emailshttps://openhotel.com/blog/propertymanagementsystem/post.cfm/post/5801/openhotel-pms-automated-emailsAnd now for my favorite new feature!<br><br>You can now set up an email template that can automatically go out to guest either before the reservation or after the reservation. If you do not want to be automated you may also have templates that are sent when you choose.<br><br>Here are some examples of how this may be used<br><br><span style="font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"">         </span></span>You may automate a message that goes out X number of days prior to the reservation alerting your guest or welcoming your guest. You may want to point out some upgrades that may be available or restaurants in the area or things to do around town.<br><br><span style="font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"">         </span></span>You may automate a message that goes out the day after check out that ask your guest to review your property on Trip Advisor or on Google+. Rather than automating this message you may want to set it to manual so it is only sent to guest that have shown a positive feedback 20 your staff.<br><br><span style="font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"">         </span></span>You may manually send a message that goes out may be a month after an event that invites them to book now for next year's event.<br><br><span style="font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"">         </span></span>You can manually send a message to all your reservations that come from third-party OTA's inviting them back to book direct with a promo code.<br><br>Using and Balancing your Cash Drawerhttps://openhotel.com/blog/propertymanagementsystem/post.cfm/post/5770/using-and-balancing-your-cash-drawerThe cash drawer keeps track of all your transactions that you process while you are logged on.<br><br>When you begin your shift the first thing you must do is claim your cash drawer. At the top of your screen in the center you will see your welcome message. Mouse over that message and you will see a link that says Manage Cash Drawer. From this button you may balance your cash drawer or do a cash drop.<br><br>To balance your cash drawer enter the amount you actually have in your cash drawer. Enter any closing comments. Print your report and click close this cash drawer.<br><br>You can now do a cash drop.Setting up Cash Drawershttps://openhotel.com/blog/propertymanagementsystem/post.cfm/post/5769/setting-up-cash-drawersThe shift cash drawer allows your front desk personnel to balance transactions that include cash and checks. Managers and admin may create as many cash drawers as they with an assigned them to their staff.<br><br>To create a cash drawer go to your Hotel tab> Utilities> Cash Drawer. You will see a green tab on the left that says add new cash drawer. Enter the amount of cash that this drawer starts with and click submit.<br><br>You may now assign a user to this cash drawer. Click on assign user. And a list of your staff will be displayed in the drop-down.