RezOvation GT Quick Start Guide

Thank you for your purchase of RezOvation GT.

RezOvation GT is comprehensive front desk property management software and guest management software designed specifically for the accommodations industry. It is designed with the ease of use of Guest Tracker in mind along with new simple yet powerful features such as a modern user interface and a flexible rate management system. In addition, RezOvation GT offers enhanced Booking Engine integration as well as integration with the BedandBreakfast.com online reservation program. RezOvation GT was built using the latest in Microsoft programming technology and is based on the robust SQL Express 2008 database engine. Our state of the art design is perfect for bed and breakfasts, inns, and other lodging related businesses.

This Quick Start Guide will quickly teach you the basic concepts of using RezOvation GT. For a more complete guide, please explore the rest of the help file, refer to the user guides, or visit our web site at www.RezOvation.com/support.

Quick Start Guide Topics

Configuration Overview

Rooms and Rates Configuration

The Reservations List

Creating and Editing a Reservation

Using the Occupancy Map

The Customer List

Creating and Editing Customer Records

Document and Report Template Overview

Configuration Overview

Before you begin using RezOvation GT, you will need to set up the software so it will conform to how you manage your property.

To access system configuration:

Click the Configuration icon or select View > Program Configuration from the menu to display the Configuration window.

From here you can do the following:

• Configure Property Settings

• • Define Property Information

  • Define Room Amenities

  • Define Payments and Cancellation Fees

  • Define Revenue Accounts

  • Define Taxes

  • Setup QuickBooks options

  • Setup House and Third Party Gift Certificates.

• Configure Rate and Inventory Management

• • Define Rooms

  • Define Room Types (if you manage rates or amenities by room type)

  • Define Rate Types

  • Define Base Rates

  • Make Rate Seasons and Adjustments

  • Define Extras

  • Define Packages

• Configure Online Reservations

• • Define Common Online Settings

  • Configure the Booking Engine

  • Configure BedandBreakfast.com

• Configure User Definable Lists and Fields

• • Define Customer Occasions

  • Define Customer Interests

  • Define Referral Sources

  • Define Reasons for Stay

  • Setup User Definable Fields for Customers and Reservations

• Software Settings

• • Configure Startup and Login

  • Setup Users

  • Set Options for Lists and the Occupancy Map

  • Setup Email

• Synchronize your database to the RezOvation server

• Enable auto updates

Managing Via Individual Rooms or Room Types

When you initialized RezOvation GT, you selected a room and rate management scenario. The choices were as follows:

Scenario 1 - Manage room attributes and rates by individual room.

Select this option if the rooms on your property are all unique. You will set up rates and amenities individually for each room.

Scenario 2 - Manage rates attributes by individual room and rates by room type.

Select this option if your property has similar rooms of a certain type, but the rooms have different amenities. For example, you may want to set up rates based on the type of room (all king size rooms, for example), but still set up the amenity for each king room individually. You will set up room types, assign groups of rooms to each room type, but set up room amenities individually for each room with each room type.

Scenario 3 - Manage room attributes and rates by room type.

Select this option if your property has similar rooms of a certain type, and all those rooms have similar amenities.  You will set up room types and assign groups of similar rooms and amenities to each room type.

To begin setting up rooms and room rates, you will follow a path determined by the scenario you selected during initialization.

To begin room and rate setup, choose from the two methods below:

Define room types to manage rooms and rates by type of room

Define rooms to manage rooms and rates by individual room

The Reservations List

The reservations window allows you to view all reservations or to view reservations based on certain criteria. You can also add, edit, and delete reservations from this window.

To access the reservations window:

Click the Reservations and Sales icon or select View > Reservations and Sales from the menu to display the Reservations window.

Using Quick Search

To quickly find a record use the Quick Search feature located at the top of the window.

You can search for values in the following fields:

Last Name

First Name

Arrival Date

Rooms

Confirmation Number

Group Name

Type any portions of the information you are looking for and click Find Now. The list will show only those records that match the criteria you entered.

Viewing Reservations with Filters

You can view reservations according to preset criteria called filters. For example, to view reservations for guest who will arrive today, select the radio button next to Arrivals.

You can also set up your own criteria for viewing reservations by using a custom filter. Perhaps you want to view all guests for a particular check in date. Select the radio button next to Custom Filter to display the custom filter at the bottom of the window.

The left side drop-down box contains a list of fields for which you can set criteria. The middle drop-down box will automatically list the relevant choices for operators. The right side box is where you set the value.

To select all reservations for which a balance is due, select Balance Due from the left drop-down list, "Is Greater Than" from the middle drop-down list and type a zero in the right box. Click Apply and the window will display a list of all reservations with a balance due.

If you add more criteria, you can select AND or OR. Use AND if you want your reservations records to match all of the criteria, use OR if the reservation record just needs to match any one of the criteria. To delete a criterion, click the X next to it. To clear and start over, click Reset. To use the criteria to display matching records, click Apply.

As another example, if you want to see all guests arriving today with a balance due, your criteria would look like the following:

Right-Click Options

Right-click on a reservation to view a list of action options for that reservation.

From here you can do the following:

Learn more about filters

Add or edit reservations

Add a room, or an extra or package to a reservation

Apply a payment, deposit, or refund to a reservation

Select a credit card for payment

Check guests in and out.

Cancel or delete a reservation

Change rooms or dates for a reservation

View reservations using the occupancy map

Manage out of service rooms

Print and email reservations information

Retail sales are added to the customer record, not to the reservation record.

Creating and Editing a Reservation

You can add or edit reservations via the Reservations window or the Add Customer window. You can also add (but not edit) a reservation from the Occupancy Map.

To access reservations from the reservations window:

1. Click the Reservations and Sales icon or select View > Reservations and Sales from the menu to display the Reservations window.

2. Click the Add button to display the Add Reservation window or select Commands > Add > Reservation from the menu..

3. Define the following information:

• Arrival Date - click the down arrow to select a date from the calendar.

• Departure Date - click the down arrow to select a date from the calendar.

• Primary Guest Name - begin typing the last name or first name to populate the name fields with an existing customer. To add a new customer, click Create New to access the Add Customer window.

• Taken By - type the name of the person who took the reservation.

• Group Name - enter a name for the group if the reservation is part of a group reservation. If a Group Name is entered, the Occupancy Map will display the name of the group rather than the Primary Guest Name.  This name also be used to when creating a group reservation from an existing reservation.

• Source - select the referral source from the drop-down list. If the referral source is not on the list, click Source to set up a new referral source.

• Reason for Stay - select the reason for stay from the drop-down list. If the reason for stay is not on the list, click Reason for Stay to set up a new reason.

• Custom Fields and Checkboxes - if you set up any user defined fields or checkboxes make the appropriate selections for the reservation.

• Guest Notes - add any notes about the guest or reservation.

• Internal Staff Notes - add any notes for staff about the reservation.

Once the basic information for the reservation is entered you can do the following:

Add a room - this is where you set the number of adults and number of children.

Add a package or an extra

Add a deposit, payment, or refund

Add correspondence

Print or email confirmations

To edit a reservation:

1. Highlight the reservation on the reservation window and click the Edit button or right-click and select Edit.

OR

The Edit Reservation window will appear.

2. From here you can do the following:

• Edit the primary guest by clicking the Edit button next to the guest's name.

• Change the primary guest by clicking the Search button. When you click the search button you will also have the option of creating a new guest.

• You can expand items in the lodging and extras section to view more details such as each night of stay.

Click the Expand items box.

• You can also handle the following tasks:

Add a room

Add a package or an extra

Add a deposit, payment, or refund

Add correspondence

Check the guest in or out

Cancel the reservation

Delete the reservation

Change the rooms on the reservation

Change the dates for the reservation

Print or email reservations information

Using the Occupancy Map

The occupancy map allows you to view your rooms and reservations (for up to two years in the future) along with payment status, arrivals and departures. You can also add a reservation from the occupancy map, book a multiple room reservation, move a reservation to a different room or different date, extend or shorten a reservation, block rooms out of service, manage reservations (including adding payments, check in a reservation, etc.) and print the occupancy map.

To access the Occupancy Map:

Click the Occupancy Map icon or select View > Occupancy Map from the main menu to display the Occupancy Map.

About the Occupancy Map

You can select the number of months to display and the month on which to begin displaying. For example, if you want to see three months of occupancy information beginning in December 2009 your selection at the top of the occupancy map will look like the following:

You can also click the Show Today button to set the view to begin at two days before today's date.

You can sort by room name, room abbreviation, or room type (if you have configured RezOvation GT to use room types).

The icons on the occupancy map indicate the following:

If the cells in your Occupancy Map are not color coded to indicate payment status, you can enable the display of payment status color bands from the Configuration window.
 

Use the horizontal scroll bar to navigate through dates.

To book a room using the occupancy map:

1. Select a date or date range for a room by dragging the mouse over the appropriate date boxes with the left mouse button depressed.

Right-click on the selection and choose Book Reservation, or press Enter on your keyboard.

The Add Room screen will appear.

2. Add a guest as follows:
   
   Select the guests for the room. Note: You can add a guest now, or you can add a guest after you book the room. (When you click Book, the Add Reservation window will appear - you can add a guest from there). If you decide to add a guest now:

1. Click in the Room Contact section of the window to add a guest.

The Room Contact section of the window will change as indicated below.

2. Left click the menu in the Room Contact section and choose the option for Assign Contact.
   
   

3. Begin typing in either the last name or first name field to bring up a list of guests beginning with that letter.

4. Click the guest name to select it.

The guest's information will appear.

5. Click OK to accept the guest or click Edit to edit the guest's information.

3. Complete the rest of the information for the reservation as follows:

• Select the number of adults and number of children.

• Select the rate at which to book the room from the Rate Type drop-down list.

• Adjust the rate if necessary.

• % discount - apply a discount percentage

• $ discount - apply a dollar amount discount

• Flat rate per night - change the rate to a certain amount per nigh

• Manual override - allows you to edit the per-night rate for each room by right-clicking in the room night cell (not available for packages)

• You can also click Show Packages to view available lodging packages for the date(s).

4. Click Book to book the room.

The Add Reservation window will appear where you can add additional information about the reservation.

To change rooms using the occupancy map:

Click the reservation and drag it to the new room.

To extend or shorten a reservation using the Occupancy Map:

Hover your mouse over the left or right edge of the reservation, and the mouse cursor will change into an arrow.  Depress the left mouse button and drag either right or left to extend or shorten the reservation, and release the mouse button to save your changes.

To book multiple rooms from the occupancy map:

1. Click and drag to select as many rooms as you wish.  These rooms can be selected for different nights if you have guests on the same reservation arriving on different days.

2. Right-click on the selection, and choose Book Reservation.

3. Assign guests by name to each room if you wish (this can also be done at a later time)

4. Click the Book button.

You can then convert the reservation to a group if you wish.

To print the Occupancy Map:

1. Click the Print icon.

The following window will appear.

2. Select the date range to print, and select any options.

A copy of the occupancy map will generate in Excel. If you do not have Excel, it will generate an HTML page and display in your web browser.

The Customer List

The customer list allows you to track inquiries, new and repeat guests, and contacts. You can filter the list to help you in your marketing efforts or to generate lists of customers that meet certain criteria. You can also add, delete, and edit customer records from the customer list as well as add reservations.

To access the customer list window:

Click the Show Customers icon or select View > Customers from the main menu to display the Customer List.

Using Quick Search

To quickly find a record use the Quick Search feature located at the top of the window.

You can search for values in the following fields:

Last Name

First Name

Other Names

Company Name

Guest Type

Phone Number

Email

Street

City

State

Created Date

Type any portions of the information you are looking for and click Find Now. The list will show only those records that match the criteria you entered.

Viewing Customers with Filters

You can view customers according to preset criteria called filters. For example: to view customers that have stayed on your property more than once, select the radio button next to Repeat Guests.

You can also set up your own criteria for viewing guests by using a custom filter. Perhaps you want to view all guests from a particular state. Select the radio button next to Custom Filter to display the custom filter at the bottom of the window.

The left side drop-down box contains a list of fields for which you can set criteria. The middle drop-down box will automatically list the relevant choices for operators. The right side box is where you set the value.

For example, to select all customers from Texas, select State from the left drop down list, "Is Equal To" from the middle drop-down list and type "Texas" in the right box. Click Apply and the list will show only those customers from Texas.

If you want to add more criteria (perhaps customers in Texas AND having a particular interest), click Add Criteria and the bottom part of the window will display your choice and allow you to add more criteria.

If you add more criteria, you can select AND or OR. Use AND if you want your customer records to match all of the criteria, use OR if the customer record just needs to match any one of the criteria. To delete a criterion, click the X next to it. To clear and start over, click Reset. To use the criteria to display matching records, click Apply.

From here you can do the following:

Learn more about filters

Add or edit customers

Add an occasion, interest, or correspondence to a customer record

Add a reservation or a retail sale to a customer

Creating and Editing Customer Records

The task of adding and editing customers begins at the Customer List.

To add a customer:

1. Click the Add button or select Commands > Add from the menu to display the Add Customer window

2. Add contact information.

The first drop-down box allows you to select an honorific (Mr., Mrs., Ms., Dr., Rev., Mr. & Mrs., or Dr. & Mrs.). The rest of the contact information section is self explanatory with the following notes: You can add a referral source on the fly if the source is not listed in the drop-down list, check a box to include the customer in your marketing list, and type a note about the customer. If you check the "include in marketing list" checkbox, then your customer will be included in generated marketing lists. If you type the zip code, the city and state will populate for you.

3. Once the contact information is defined,  you can do the following from this window:

Add reservations - Click Add Reservation

Add retail sales -  Click Add Retail Sale

Add occasions -  Click Add

Add interests - Click Add

Add correspondence -  Click Add

You can also print and email customers information or import a customer list.

To edit a customer:

1. Double-click the customer's name or select the customer's name and click the Edit button .

2. Change the information on the Edit Customer window.

3. Click OK.

Document and Report Template Overview

In RezOvation GT, reports and documents are based on templates. A template determines the basic structure for a document and contains document settings such as fonts, page layout, special formatting, and fields. All templates are designed in Word using tables and field codes. Codes are used to pull data into the report or document such as invoice numbers, amounts due, names, etc.

Editing templates involves checking them out of RezOvation GT, editing them in Word, and checking them back in to RezOvation GT.

To access templates:

1. Click the Manage Templates icon or select View > Manage Templates from the main menu to display the Templates List.

2. Click the report template or the document template to edit to display the Manage Templates window.

3. Click Duplicate to make a duplicate of the template.

4. Type a name for the duplicate when prompted.

Note that the copy is not locked and you can now edit it, delete it, or duplicate it. To edit a template, you follow the process of checking the file out, editing it, then checking it back in so the program can use it. This ensures proper version control.

5. Click Check out to edit the template. You will be prompted for a location in which to save the file (similar to what you would see if you Save As in Word).

6. Open Word to edit the file.

7. Save the file in Word.

8. Click Check in to use the edited file in RezOvation GT.

If you want to add types of data to the template or change the types of data, you can add or change template codes. Each template has a set of valid template codes that can be viewed by clicking View Template Codes.

Information about the codes relevant for a specific template is provided in the Working with Reports and Working with Documents sections.

Learn more about editing report templates.