by admin on December 30, 2010
in Features
Moving guests between properties is relatively easy. However the method varies depending on whether you are moving a guest between rooms within a roomtype (common for b&bs, boutique hotels, condotels, etc.) or whether you are moving guests from one single unit to another single unit (cottages, homes, condos, etc.). The methods are different for each and described below.
Moving guests between single units (cottages, homes, cabins, condos, etc.)
In this example we are going to pretend that the guests in Condo #11 need to be moved to another unit. These guests have paid $10.00 and have a $75.00 per night rate. It’s important that you make mental note of the per night pricing and any other items that are present (or not present on the invoice) on the invoice. It might even be good to quickly print the page to make sure everything jives when the guest is moved.
Step #1: Click on the Details tab at the top of the invoice
Step #2 – Delete the current unit (condo #11) from the reservation by pressing the red X icon.
Step #3: Click the "+" icon to drop down a list of available properties. If you have a lot of properties, please wait a second or two for the list to populate.
Step #4: Choose the new property
Step #5: Press the "Confirm" button to confirm the property
Step #6: Press Save. If the reservation violates any rules for the property, you will be asked if you wish to "Save Anyways" and override the rules.
Step #7: Once saved you can click on the invoice number at the top to return to the invoice and make any required adjustments to the invoice.
The rental rates for the new unit will reflect what has been setup in the application for the dates of the reservation. Likewise any fees or taxes that are associated with this property will be added to the invoice. Thus really all that is occurring is that you are retaining the same invoice number and retaining any payments that have been applied to that invoice, but all other items are wiped from the invoice and it’s up to you to modify the invoice to make sure you are in sync with the guest in terms of pricing / fees / taxes expectations that were present on the original invoice.
Moving guests between rooms within the same roomtype
This example would be for a property manager who maybe has 20 two bedroom condos, and needs to move a guest to a different two bedroom condos. If you wish to move a guest to a room within a different roomtype you’ll have to follow the process outlined earlier.
Step #1: Click on the "Change" link within the invoice
Step #2: Choose a different condo from the drop down menu and click the "Change" button once complete
That’s it!
by InnFirst on November 16, 2010
in Features
The employees module is an optional module that adds a variety of functionality to the application including issuing employee logins, setting employee access rights, enabling employee payroll reporting and probably most importantly email alerts for employees.
Employee Login
The screenshot above shows the dashboard for each employee. Employees are setup with logins using their primary email address. Each employee is then assigned to a predefined group that is defined by the application and includes various limitations in terms of access to the system.
Enable / Disable Employee Payroll
Enabling the payroll module will allow the employee to enter hours and record of work during each payroll period. If disabled the employee will not see a tab for entering payroll.
Employee Access Rights
There are predefined levels of access that can be assigned to each employee. If you need a custom group with custom rights setup we can do that for you.
Employee Alerting
Employee alerting allows each employee to be setup with a series of alerts depending on their job function. For the cleaning staff many property managers like the staff to be sent email alerts 24 hours before check-in and check-out to alert each of the cleaning staff which units are being rented and what time the guest is checking in or checking out. Additionally the alert will list any additional services (towel service, rentals, pool heat, etc.) that the guest has ordered, and also the guest name.
If a cancellation occurs, an alert can be configured to alert employees that a unit / room has been canceled and no longer needs servicing.
The payroll deadline alert will only be shown if the payroll functionality has been enabled. If enabled the employee will be alerted that payroll is due soon and they must enter their hours. If the payroll deadline passes and the employee has not entered their hours and an additional email will be sent to the employee warning them that unless they submit their hours they miss payroll and not get paid.
The calendar alert is an informational email that can be set to email the employee a PDF calendar showing availability for a predefined period of time. Many property managers like the employee to be notified twice per month with a calendar showing the availability for the next two weeks. Many employees will print the PDF and tack it up in the employee area or keep it handy to remind them of their upcoming responsibilities. It’s also nice for the staff to know the names of each guest so they can greet them by name at the property. A sample of the PDF calendar is shown in the next step.
Sample PDF Calendar
Each date on the calendar is marked with a number that corresponds to a guest in the key underneath. The key shows the check-in / check-out times for each guest as well as the guest name.
by admin on November 9, 2010
in Features
I’ve been doing a quick study on how to effectively market Lodgix.com to vacation rental owners on Facebook.
In my first ad, I ran a simple test campaign and failed miserably. Here are my stats:
108,613 impressions 0.0% CTR 4 clicks $3.94/ click $15.74 – total ad spend
That is horrible. I did a little research and found that the title of my ad was not compelling neither was the body of my offer. I also had chosen a CPM model as I somehow missed the CPC model.
This time around, I asked a simple question in my title: “Want more guests?”
I kept my image the same, as I felt it was compelling. And I changed my text from something rather boring – “Vacation rental management software. Free 30 day trial. No credit card required. Spend less time managing your rentals.”
to:
“58% of all guest inquiries have already found another rental by the time you respond. Free 30 day trial, no credit card req’d”
Here is the new ad:
I also switched to a CPC model. Ideally I would like to get an additional 50 visitors per day at around $1.00 per visitor, so I can run some tests on conversions, etc.
Update 11/12/2010:
I switched to CPC at a $1.00 per click and FB doesn’t deliver any impressions. I have two choices, I can either try to tweak my campaign to deliver more clicks on the CPM model thereby lowering my effective CPC or I can raise my CPC bid. I chose to raise my bid to $2.00 for the moment just to see at what level FB starts delivering ads.
CabinWisconsin.com features six vacation rentals on the shores of Lake Mary in the Twin Lakes area of Wisconsin.
Cabin Wisconsin is a relaxing retreat for any couple, family or group looking to escape from everyday life and rejuvenate. Nestled in the woods on the shores of beautiful Lake Mary, the 1920′s era cabins are situated one hour between Chicago and Milwaukee. You will be welcomed by large oaks and pines that create a magical feel found only in nature.
Water recreation abounds at Cabin Wisconsin. Fish, swim or cruise the lake with our pontoon boat and personal watercraft rentals. Our private sandy beach is yours to enjoy. Your group can have fun waterskiing, tubing or docking and dining at the lakeside restaurant. Each cabin has rustic charm with modern day conveniences including air conditioning, heat, TV/VCR/DVD, stove, microwave, bathrooms with clean linens and towels, board games and more. Outside there is a patio set, fire-pit, gas grill, and yard for games. All cabins share access to; 120-foot sandy beach, lakefront yard area, picnic table, (1) rowboat, (1) paddle boat, fishing pier, bocce, croquet, volleyball set, bean bag game, basketball hoop, water rafts and more. Cabin Wisconsin also offers mountain bikes, and for the winter months, ice skates and sleds.
by admin on October 26, 2010
in Features
It’s a nice clean implementation. Just drag and drop your images in the desired sort order within the gallery tab of each of your properties. The revised sort order will syndicate to all third party marketing sites, the online booking pages as well as any pages built using our vacation rental WordPress plugin. Thanks!
