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Groups (Group Allotments)

Set up named allotments that can be used for a company, travel agent, or group reservation in RMS.

Table of Contents

Key Features Options Setup Property Access Group Allotments Additional Reservation Details Company, Travel Agent, or Wholesaler Access

A Group is a named allotment that can be used for a company, travel agent, or party of guests travelling together on a group reservation.

The allotment of inventory can be set at a property, category, or area level with access to set rates and a unique code to enter and book on the RMS Internet Booking Engine.

Property allotments reserve inventory for the named group at the nominated property without limitations on the category or area booked. Category allotments limit the named group to a set number of inventory within the specified categories only, and an area allotment reserves specific areas that are only to be used by the named group.

Groups can be used to create and manage inventory allotments for guests travelling together as part of the same event or tour group. They can be guaranteed or non-guaranteed with access to specific rates. A guaranteed allotment will preserve the entered inventory for consumption by the named group until the prescribed release back period opens up any unused allotments to unrestricted use.

Groups include multiple features to define the entities that can consume the reserved inventory and automate specific reservation details for the named group.

Key Features

The following key features are available for Groups in RMS:

Guaranteed or non-guaranteed inventory allotment at a property, category, or area level.
Restricted access to rates.
Group status to define access to reservations.
Access to the group allotment and rates using an RMS Internet Booking Engine promotional code.

Options

Groups include the following tabs and options to set up and manage additional information, allotments, and reservation details for the named group:

Group

The 'Group' tab includes the key details for the named group, including contact information.

These details can be used to determine who is responsible for the named group or the point of contact outside of individual reservations.

Account

The 'Group' account is the accounts receivable and commission accounts for the named group.

Accrual accounting properties using Accounts Receivable can view the details of invoiced reservations and any commissions owed or paid for the named group here.

Credit Card Token

A 'Group' can be set up with its own Credit Card Tokens when using a payment gateway in RMS.

Group tokens will become available on the reservation account when this 'Group' is selected.

Allotments

Group allotments reserve inventory for the named group and can be set at a property, category, or area level.

Property allotments reserve inventory for the named group at the nominated property without limitations on the category or area booked. Category allotments limit the named group to a set number of inventory within the specified categories only, and an area allotment reserves specific areas that are only to be used by the named group.

Multiple allotments can be created for the same named group with different or overlapping date ranges or set permanently. The inventory allotment can be guaranteed or non-guaranteed to the group, with guaranteed allotments preserving the entered inventory values to only be consumed by the named group until the designated release back period. On release, any unused inventory from a guaranteed allotment will be available for unrestricted use in RMS.

The release back on an allotment determines how close to the reservation arrival the inventory will be held for the named group and when any unused inventory from the allotment will be returned to unrestricted use.

Each allotment can be assigned access to different rates, with the option to include requirements that will automatically be added to the reservation when this 'Group' allotment is used. Allotments can also be limited to only the prescribed inventory, with no access to 'house availability' for the named group.

The 'Allotment Description' entered for each allotment on a 'Group' can be used as a promotional code on the RMS Internet Booking Engine to enable online booking of reserved inventory for the named group.

Reservations will only be deducted from the prescribed inventory allotment when the 'Group' and 'Allotment Association' are selected on the reservation. The 'Allotment Association' on the reservation determines which of the group's allotments the reservation contributes to and enables more advanced group allotment management in RMS.

Company

A 'Group' can be set up only to be accessible to one or more selected companies.

When a company is assigned to a 'Group', the allotment and group features will only become available for reservation selection when the allocated company is selected.

The company allocation is at the 'Group' level and will enable that company access to any of the allotments set up on the named group.

Documents

Record keeping of external documents, including purchase orders, invoices, or correspondence, can be saved and recorded on the group's 'Documents' tab.

Each 'Received In' record on the 'Documents' tab includes a date and time selection, activity, note, and attachment.

Marketing/Extras

Additional 'Group' details that will apply to the reservation when the group is selected include a Booking Source, Market Segment, City Master, Competition Master, and Industry Master, as well as a colour selection to represent reservations belonging to this named group on the Booking Chart.

Note

The 'Notes' tab enables recording reservation and billing notes for the named group that can be set per property.

These notes will be visible on the 'Group' and in the reservation notes when this 'Group' is selected on the reservation or any correspondence where these merge fields are used.

Properties

Enterprise customers must define which property or properties a named group is used by in addition to any allotments using the 'Advanced Property Selection' on the 'Properties' tab.

Trace

A group trace is an inter or intra-departmental note that can be tracked and managed on the 'Group' or To Do Chart and is used to communicate or delegate tasks to a Department.

Traces can be added to the 'Group' for a specific department or user with a notification sent in the message centre, which can include a due date or be set with a repeat frequency for recurring tasks.

A group trace can be viewed and managed on the 'Trace' tab of the 'Group' or on the To Do Chart and marked as 'Completed'.

Travel Agent

A 'Group' can be set up only to be accessible to one or more selected travel agents.

When a travel agent is assigned to a 'Group', the allotment and group features will only become available for reservation selection when the allocated travel agent is selected.

The travel agent allocation is at the 'Group' level and will enable that company access to any of the allotments set up on the named group.

Wholesaler

A 'Group' can be set up only to be accessible to one or more selected travel agents set up as the type of 'Wholesaler'.

When a travel agent is assigned to a 'Group', the allotment and group features will only become available for reservation selection when the allocated travel agent is selected.

The travel agent allocation is at the 'Group' level and will enable that company access to any of the allotments set up on the named group.

Setup

Go to Reservations > Groups in RMS.
Select the 'Add' icon.
Enter a Group Description.
Optional: Enter Contact Details.
Save.
Select the Group Access and choose the 'Apply/Exit' icon.
Set up Property Access.
Set up Group Allotments.
Optional: Set up Additional Reservation Details.
Optional: Set up Company, Travel Agent, or Wholesaler Access.
Save/Exit.

Property Access can be used to share a named group between multiple properties in an enterprise or to limit a named group to a specific property.

Access

Users will require Security Profile access to 'Groups' to set up a named group with allotments in RMS.

Go to Reservations > Group Allotments in RMS.

Select the 'Add' icon.

Enter a Group Description.

Optional: Enter Contact Details.

Select the 'Save' icon to store the changes made and create the 'Group'.

Select the Group Access and choose the 'Apply/Exit' icon.

Set up Property Access.

Set up Group Allotments.

Optional: Set up Additional Reservation Details.

Optional: Set up Company, Travel Agent, or Wholesaler Access.

Select the 'Save/Exit' icon to store the changes made and leave the setup.

Property Access

Go to Reservations > Groups in the side menu of RMS.
Select the 'Edit' icon on an existing Group.
Navigate to the 'Properties' tab.
Select the 'Add' icon.
Select a Property and choose the button.
'Apply/Exit'.

At least one property must be allocated to a Group.

Go to Reservations > Groups in the side menu of RMS.

Select the 'Edit' icon on an existing Group.

Navigate to the 'Properties' tab.

Select the 'Add' icon.

Select a Property and choose the button.

Select the 'Apply/Exit' icon to store the changes made and return to the Group.

The selected properties will now be allocated to the Group and will determine the available inventory for allotments.

Group Allotments

Go to Reservations > Groups in the side menu of RMS.
Select the 'Edit' icon on an existing Group.
Navigate to the 'Allotments' tab.
Select the 'Add' icon.
Select a Date Range or the 'Set Permanently' checkbox.
Optional: Select the 'Guaranteed' checkbox.
Select an Allotment Type.
Optional: Select the 'Do Not Sell Above Allotment' checkbox.
Optional: Select the 'Allow Upgrades Outside of Allotments' checkbox.
1. Optional: Select the 'Hold Original Category for Availability Count' checkbox.
Enter a Description.
Select a Group Status.
Select a Release Option.
Select a Release Date or enter the Days Before Release.
Optional: Select the 'Days of the Week' checkboxes to exclude days.
Enter the Inventory Allotment.
Navigate to the 'Rate Assignment' tab.
Select a Rate Type and choose the button.
Save/Exit.

Additional Information

A reservation for this 'Group' can only be created when there is an allotment with a group status of 'Definite' or 'Proposal'.

A guaranteed allotment will preserve the allocated inventory for this named group only until the entered release back period. At the release back period, any unused inventory allotment will open up for unrestricted use and no longer be exclusively reserved for the name group.

A reservation will contribute towards the allocated inventory when the 'Group' and the 'Group Allotment Association' are both selected on the reservation. The reservation stay dates can extend past the allotment period if the selected category, area, and rate are available for the full length of stay.

The 'Allotment Grid' can be used to fluctuate inventory allocations per date within the selected date range of the allotment.

Go to Reservations > Groups in the side menu of RMS.

Select the 'Edit' icon on an existing Group.

Navigate to the 'Allotments' tab.

Select the 'Add' icon.

Select a Date Range or select the 'Set Permanently' checkbox.

The 'Set Permanently' checkbox will create an indefinite allotment that never expires.

Optional: Select the 'Guaranteed' checkbox.

A guaranteed allotment will preserve the allocated inventory for exclusive use by the named group until the release back period and be deducted from the 'house available' figures shown when viewing availability.

Select an Allotment Type.

A property allotment will allocate inventory across any category or area at the property, a category allotment will limit the named group to the set number per category, and an area allotment will limit the group to the specified areas.

Optional: Select the 'Do Not Sell Above Allotment' checkbox.

The 'Do Not Sell Above Allotment' checkbox will limit the named group to only the inventory allocated, regardless of any additional availability at the property.

Optional: Select the 'Allow Upgrades Outside of Allotments' checkbox.

When enabled, an existing reservation with this using this group allotment can have the category changed to a category not included in the allotted inventory.

Optional: Select the 'Hold Original Category for Availability Count' checkbox.

This option only applies if the 'Allow Upgrades Outside of Allotments' checkbox is selected and will use the original category on the reservation to deduct from the allocated inventory to keep track of the allotted inventory used by the named group.

If upgrades outside of the allotment are permitted without this option enabled the inventory allotment for the original category will be returned for use to the named group.

Enter a Description.

The description entered will appear in the 'Allotment Association' field on the reservation and can be used on the RMS Internet Booking Engine to access the preserved inventory and rates for this named group.

Select a Group Status.

A reservation for this named group can only be created if the allotment has a group status of 'Definite' or 'Proposal'.

The 'Proposal' group status will create a reservation in 'Unconfirmed' status, 'Definite' will create a reservation in 'Confirmed' status, and 'Provisional' will prevent a reservation from being saved with this named group selected.

Select a Release Option.

Select a Release Date or enter the Days Before Release.

Allocated inventory on a guaranteed allotment will be reserved for exclusive use by the named group until this release-back period is reached.

The release back will open any unused inventory allotment for the named group to unrestricted use and return the availability to 'house available'.

A release date can be used for event-specific allotments with a limited allotment date range covering the period of the event, and the 'Days Before Release' option can be used for a rolling allotment with a release lead time.

Optional: Select the 'Days of the Week' checkboxes to exclude days.

Excluded days will prevent a reservation from being created for the named group using this inventory allotment.

Enter the Inventory Allotment.

The inventory displayed will be based on the allotment type of property, category, and area, and the properties allocated to the 'Group'.

The 'Grid View' can be used to enter differing inventory allotments per date within the selected date range.

Navigate to the 'Rate Assignment' tab.

Select a Rate Type and choose the button.

At least one rate must be assigned to the allotment for it to be available for use.

The 'Rate Assignment' tab can be used to allocate access to negotiated, contracted, or discounted rates with restricted access.

Select the 'Save/Exit' icon to store the changes made and return to the 'Group'.

This allotment will now be available for selection as the 'Allotment Association' on a reservation when this 'Group' is selected.

A reservation will not be deducted from the allotment on the 'Group' unless the allotment is selected as the 'Allotment Association' on the reservation.

Additional Reservation Details

Go to Reservations > Groups in the side menu of RMS.
Select the 'Edit' icon on an existing Group.
Navigate to the 'Marketing/Extras' tab.
Optional: Select the Additional Reservation Details.
Save/Exit.

The selected options will be used on any reservation with this 'Group' selected.

Go to Reservations > Groups in the side menu of RMS.

Select the 'Edit' icon on an existing Group.

Navigate to the 'Marketing/Extras' tab.

Optional: Select the Additional Reservation Details.

Select the 'Save/Exit' icon to store the changes made and leave the Group setup.

The selected details will be populated on the reservation when this 'Group' is selected.

Company, Travel Agent, or Wholesaler Access

Go to Reservations > Groups in the side menu of RMS.
Select the 'Edit' icon on an existing Group.
Navigate to the 'Company', 'Travel Agent', or 'Wholesaler' tab.
Select a Company, Travel Agent, or Wholesaler and choose the button.
Save/Exit.

The 'Group' allotment will be limited to the selected entities and any group allotments will be shared between them.

The 'Allotment Association' selected on the reservation will determine if a company, travel agent, wholesaler, or group allotment is used with the specific allotment set in the 'Allotment Group' field.

Go to Reservations > Groups in the side menu of RMS.

Select the 'Edit' icon on an existing Group.

Navigate to the 'Company', 'Travel Agent', or 'Wholesaler' tab.

Select a Company, Travel Agent, or Wholesaler and choose the button.

Select the 'Save/Exit' icon to store the changes made and leave the Group setup.

The group allotments will only be available to the selected entities and shared between them.

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