Stayntouch PMS: Release Notes (v5.22) – 1 April 2020

Modified on: Wed, 31 Aug, 2022 at 1:15 PM

Stayntouch PMS

Release Notes (v5.22)


Effective: 1 April 2020


TABLE OF CONTENTS


PRODUCT ENHANCEMENTS 

Continued Contracts Expansion

  

We’ve added additional expansions to the contracts module beyond what was released previously. For full documentation on the updates to the contracts module, see this article. 

Nightly Diary: Room Features and Preferences Added to Filters

 

When creating a reservation from the Nightly (N) Diary, you can now select both Room Features and Preferences from the available FILTERS to further narrow down room type. These filters are available in both BOOK and VIEW mode. 

 

Rates: Inform User of Impact When Changing Child Rate from One Parent to Another

 

When changing a child rate from one parent rate to another, you will now receive a warning message as pictured below: 


 

This message will appear only when the BASED rate is changed from the original parent rate to another parent rate. The message will disappear upon selecting SAVE. If you change the rate to another rate and then back to the original rate, the message will not appear. 

Room Assignment Screen: Room Type Overbook Popup Changed

 

We have changed the appearance of the room type overbook popup as pictured below. 

 

Activity Log Record for Adding Billing Instructions for a Group

 

Stayntouch PMS now records additions of billing instructions for groups in both the group and stay card activity logs as pictured below. 

 

Group Activity Log 

 

 

Stay Card Activity Log 


Updates to Open New Bill After EOD Toggle

 

As of Stayntouch PMS: Release Notes (v5.21), we added a new OPEN NEW BILL AFTER EOD toggle to the Account Summary screen that is only visible for properties using Lightspeed. With Stayntouch PMS: Release Notes (v5.22), we have made this toggle more flexible and have changed the behavior slightly as indicated below: 

  • Stayntouch PMS will always show the OPEN NEW BILL AFTER EOD toggle for posting accounts. 

  • The default will always be OFF (group will always be OFF and unchangeable). 

  • When toggle is ON for an account, Stayntouch PMS will only open a new bill window if the last bill window has financial transactions. 
  • If the toggle is ON, and the account’s current active bill has no financial transactions, Stayntouch PMS will not open a new bill during EOD. 

 

  

YOU ASK... WE LISTEN


Groups: Shoulder Dates

 

Stayntouch PMS now offers a shoulder date functionality that separates shoulder dates from actual group dates. You can now define shoulder dates from the group Summary tab. Shoulder dates can be added on either side of the group start/end date, and the dates can be chosen by selecting the number of days (between 0 and 5) before and/or after the group date.  

 

 

If shoulder dates are configured, they will display on the Room Block Details tab like all other dates within the group; however, they will be shown in pink, and rooms cannot be blocked for those dates. Group reservations, however, can be extended into the shoulder dates and still be part of the group. 

 

Shoulder dates can only be changed if there are no existing reservations for those dates. The number of shoulder dates can be increased at any time; however, the number of shoulder dates can only be decreased if there are no rooms blocked or picked up for that date. 

 

The room block for shoulder dates is not accessible to block rooms directly; however, the Room Block Details tab will show the blocked and picked up rooms should any reservations be extended into those dates. 

 

 

Because the shoulder dates are not available for direct room blocking, the arrows to block the same amount of rooms for multiple dates will therefore stay on the group start date and not on the shoulder dates. Furthermore, when using the arrow to block multiple dates, the suggested end date will be the block end date and not the shoulder dates. 

 

 

When extending, shortening, or moving group dates, shoulder dates will always follow the group start/end date. If the group start/end date is changed, the shoulder dates follow accordingly. When you extend a group with existing reservations, and you opt to change existing reservations, as well, Stayntouch PMS will always adjust the existing reservations to the new start/end date for the group. Stayntouch PMS will not extend existing reservations into the shoulder dates. Further, when moving a group, the shoulder dates now follow the new group dates. In this instance, because you are not extending or shortening the reservation, just moving it, reservations will stay as they are, but for the new dates. 

 

Rooming List: Edit Guest to Include Shoulder Dates

 

If shoulder dates are configured, they are now considered as part of the group dates when changing dates on the Rooming List > EDIT GUEST screen, as Stayntouch PMS only allows extensions when the dates are within the group dates. On the room block grid, rooms are added to the shoulder dates as blocked and picked up when reservation dates are changed. 

 


 

As there are no rooms blocked for the shoulder dates, you need to be assigned the Group House Borrow permission from Settings > Hotel & Staff > Permissions in order to create the reservation. 

 

 

Include Shoulder Dates When Creating/Editing Reservation

 

Shoulder dates are now considered in the following cases: 

 

1. When creating/editing a group reservation. 

 

 

2. When changing dates on an existing group reservation from the stay card. 

 

 

3. When checking whether new dates fall within the group dates. 

4. When adding an existing stay card to a group. 

5. When checking whether reservation dates fall within the group dates. 


When a reservation is created using one or more shoulder dates, you need to be assigned the Group House Borrow permission from Settings > Hotel & Staff > Permissions in order to book the shoulder dates. 

Force Adjustment Reason

 

We have added the option to force an adjustment reason when making charge code adjustments. To force an adjustment reason, navigate to Settings > Financials > Force Adjustment Reasons to turn ON the FORCE ADJUSTMENT REASON toggle. If this toggle is turned ON for your hotel, you can add adjustment reasons that will be used when completing adjustments in Stayntouch PMS.  

 

 

When you complete any of the below actions, the following apply: 

 

1. The adjustment field is mandatory when making a negative posting via the ADD CHARGE button. 

 


2. The adjustment field is mandatory when making an adjustment using the edit button on a charge code. 

 



 

3. The adjustment reason will populate on the Journal SUMMARY tab for DEPOSIT BALANCE and GUEST BALANCE. 

 

 

4. The adjustment reason will populate on the Financial Transactions – Adjustment Report. 

 

 

5. The adjustment reason will populate when making a negative posting from the POST CHARGE TO BILL # screen. 

 

 

The above is applicable to both guest and posting accounts.

Forecast Report Added to Scheduled Reports

 

We added the Forecast Report to Reports > Schedule a Report/Export > Scheduled Reports. The report is available in CSV format. 



COUNTRY SPECIFIC REQUIREMENTS

Germany: GOBD Export

 

Due to German legal requirements, we have added a GOBD Export to Reports > Schedule a Report/Export > Scheduled Exports that can be toggled ON by Stayntouch Admin. 

 


 

If you would like this export enabled for your hotel, please contact Customer Support.  

UAE: Hide Reverse Check-In Button

 

Due to UAE legal requirements, you can now request that Stayntouch Admin disable the REVERSE CHECK-IN button on the stay card.  

 

 

If you would like this button disabled for your hotel, please contact Customer Support. 

UAE: Store Arabic Registration Card in S3

 

With the addition of the Arabic registration card, we now have a setting to ensure the Arabic registration card is stored to S3 automatically. Hotels have the choice to store the registration card at the time of check-in or check-out based on Hotel Admin settings. When the toggle STORE REGISTRATION CARD AT CHECK OUT is turned ON from Settings > Reservations > Reservation Settings, Stayntouch PMS will store the registration card to S3 at check-out. When the toggle is OFF, Stayntouch PMS will store the registration card at the time of check-in.  

 

NEW DASHBOARDS

 

With Stayntouch PMS, you now have the option to switch between Housekeeping, Front Desk, and Manager Dashboards and view detailed statistics for these departments. The intent of these dashboards is to provide a platform for hotel employees in various leadership roles to have better visibility of the important operational data in their respective areas in a way that is easily consumable and customizable. With that said, below is an explanation of each dashboard. 



Housekeeping Dashboard

 

The Housekeeping Dashboard is, as the name implies, used primarily by Housekeeping management to provide both an Overview of the current “state” of the property in terms of room status. The Priority view offers a more focused view of arrivals, vacancies, and departures, allowing the Housekeeping Manager to shift resources as needed to respond to evolving business needs.  

 

Upon navigating to the Housekeeping Dashboard, you’ll find a Housekeeping overview split by Performed and Remaining, so you can see your statistics at any given point during the day. 

 

 

On the Performed side, you’ll see a record of arrivals that have checked in, departures that have checked out, clean stayovers, as well as clean and inspected rooms. 

 

 

The Remaining side includes a record of arrivals, departures, dirty stayovers, as well as dirty and pick-up rooms. 

 

 

Similarly, the dashboard is organized into two logical areas, top to bottom, with the two upper rows representing hotel/Front Desk-related activity directly impacting Housekeeping, and the bottom two rows representing the Housekeeping-related information. Housekeeping information is split between stayovers (occupied rooms) and departed, or otherwise vacant rooms, and their progress. 

 

 

Effectively, this dashboard provides a quick overview of where the work is at a high level. 

 

You can also open filters to view by particular areas, such as ROOM TYPE. 

 


 

Please note, the Housekeeping Dashboard is customizable by ROOM TYPE on the Overview level as well as by Priority.  

 

So far, we have discussed the Overview level, but from the Work Priority level, you’ll notice a few variations. This dashboard is sorted by the following: 

  • Arrivals: 

    • CHECKED IN 
    • EARLY CHECK-IN 
    • REMAINING 
  • Vacant: 
    • DIRTY  
    • PICK-UP 
    • CLEAN 
    • INSPECTED 
    • SHORT  
  • Departures: 
    • CHECKED OUT 
    • PENDING 
    • LATE CHECK-OUT 

 


The Arrivals statistics provide an immediate overview of how many reservations still need to be accommodated and how many of these may be more imminent early arrivals. 

 

Directly below, you can correlate the corresponding room statuses for Vacant rooms and get an immediate visual understanding of potential shortfalls that are under the department’s control. The shortfall (SHORT) bar is dynamically computed and capped at the maximum possible accommodation. If it is less than the pending arrivals, the Front Office Dashboard enables the Front Desk to quickly ascertain who needs to be moved to different categories. 

 

You’ll notice from the ROOM TYPE dropdown menu, we’ve stacked room types to show those with the greatest number of short rooms on top. We’ve included this feature so it is easily discernible on which room types your cleaning crews need to focus and how many are already vacant but not yet ready to accommodate pending arrivals for the category. 

 

Front Desk Dashboard

 

The Front Desk Dashboard is comprised of both an Arrivals view as well as an Activity view. The Arrivals view is a tool to allow the Front Desk Manager to instantly assess the state of business in the hotel. This view offers a look at Housekeeping statistics in terms of vacant rooms and provides the ability to make more informed choices around decisions like early/late check-out and availability-related issues. The Front Desk Activity view shows a breakdown of the cadence of arrivals and departures over the course of the day, further split by the type of arrival or departure. This allows both a historical view of cadence as well as a tool for allocating or adjusting resources to accommodate periods of increased activity. 

 

Upon navigating to the Front Desk Dashboard, if you toggle to the ANALYTICS view, you’ll notice that it is similar to what you found in the Housekeeping Dashboard; however, the intent of this dashboard is to gain a quick visual understanding of the inflow and outflow of guests as well as corresponding room statuses. 

 

 

On the Performed side, you’ll see a record of arrivals that have checked in, departures that have checked out, as well as dirty, pick-up, and clean rooms. If your hotel does not use the inspected status, clean rooms will be shown on the right. 

 

 

The Remaining side includes a record of early check-in and remaining arrivals, pending and late check-out departures, as well as inspected and overbooked rooms. 

 

 

Both the Housekeeping Dashboard and the Front Desk Dashboard have visibility into what is occurring at the Front Desk or where the hotel stands with available rooms. The Front Desk Dashboard quickly allows Front Desk agents to see where they are and where they might be having potential challenges. 

 

Again, you can also open filters to view by particular areas, such as ROOM TYPE. 

 

 

You’ll notice from the ROOM TYPE dropdown menu that we’ve stacked room types to show those with the greatest number of overbookings on top. We’ve included this feature so it is easily discernible which areas require your attention. Overbookings are computed dynamically, indicating the number of arrivals in the category that need to be accommodated differently.  

 

 

Please note, as with the Housekeeping Dashboard, the Front Desk Dashboard is customizable by ROOM TYPE on the Arrivals level as well as by Activity. 

 

The Activity view provides a visualization of how the check-ins and check-outs are distributed throughout the day. This helps identify possible trends and cycles and plan for staffing needs in the department. 

 

 

Once again, you can also filter by ROOM TYPE for a further breakdown. 

 

 

Please also note, when selecting filters, you can select a checkbox to SHOW YESTERDAY’S DATA, which will show yesterday’s data alongside today’s data. 

 

Manager Dashboard

 

The Manager Dashboard is primarily intended to be used by senior hotel leadership to understand trends and make informed business decisions from current and historical data. The key areas covered are Room Performance, Distribution, and Pace. Room Performance provides insight into the RevPAR, ADR, and occupancy for day, month, and year comparisons in a single screen, thus informing critical business decisions around booking and rate strategy. Distribution shows the mix of business through a combination of the four different chart types below. These chart types are aggregated by several key facets of the business and provide a powerful planning tool. The Pace chart illustrates the distribution of bookings over the course of a date range and allows for adjustments to booking strategies. 

 

Upon navigating to the Manager Dashboard, if you toggle to the ANALYTICS view, you’ll see a quadrant graph display of Performance. This display provides a quick overview of key performance indicators (KPIs). This is generally what a General Manager or Revenue Manager would use and provides a clear view of ADR and RevPAR for yesterday, today, MTD, and YTD. 

 

The internal quadrant depicts your hotel’s occupancy by percentages. 

 

If you choose the filter option, you can select a checkbox for SHOW LAST YEAR INFORMATION and choose between the Same DATE Last Year, Same DAY Last Year, or Mixed.  

 

 

When comparing to last year using SAME DATE, Stayntouch PMS compares information from exactly a year prior, while SAME DAY will find the same weekday that is closest to the same date a year prior. Revenue Managers, in particular, will like the MIXED setting, which uses the SAME DAY for individual daily comparisons in the upper quadrants and SAME DATE for cumulative comparisons of the lower quadrants. 


Furthermore, if you select one of the dots indicated within the quadrant, you can view the ACTUAL recorded number for that specific date. 


 

Next, let’s have a look at the Distribution view. 

 

 

Distribution provides a greater understanding of the nature of your business mix. By default, today and the last seven days are included in the graph, and each day is represented by one stacked bar. You may pick any date range, using the filters. You can choose to view OCCUPANCY, OCCUPIED ROOMS, ADR, RevPAR, or ROOM REVENUE, and then aggregate the information by ROOM TYPE, MARKET, SOURCE, SEGMENT, or ORIGIN. This dashboard also includes several filter options that allow you to separate the data any way you segment your business and to hone in on particular subsets of your business mix.  

 

The Pace shows the booking activity over time, for a particular day. It helps managers gauge where they may need to stimulate or throttle demand using pricing and availability levers. By distinguishing between ON THE BOOKS, NEW, and CANCELLATION data, managers can also rapidly assess the efficacy of such actions and fine tune them accordingly. Pace data is computed dynamically in real-time and can be separated in the same way as the Distribution view. 


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