Applies to:          Stayntouch PMS          

Allotments

ITEMS TO NOTE

• For rate setup with allotments, you have the option to choose a preconfigured rate or a custom rate. Preconfigured rates (Settings > Rates > Rates) have set prices and rate types; whereas, custom rates can be set up during the allotment creation process to include/exclude as many rates as you’d like. You can also configure the price of the custom rate during setup. Preconfigured rate prices have to be managed from the Rate Manager. 
• Reinstating: You can reinstate no show or canceled group/allotment reservations. If group or allotment no show reservation is reinstated; be sure to update group/allotment blocked/picked-up count accordingly. No show reservations will return to the current business date.
• Borrowing:You can borrow inventory in the allotments module. When trying to assign a room to an allotment reservation, and no room type availability exists, the user will be offered alternative/upgrade room types as per current functionality. If the selected room type is not part of the allotment blocked rooms, the message, “Selected Room Type is not part of the Group Room Block” will display.
  • Options “Borrow from Room type (x) <newly selected room type>” or “Cancel”
    • When the user selects cancel, he will be returned to the previous screen with no action taken.
    • When the user selects "Borrow," the newly selected room type will be assigned to the reservation, and it will be taken out of the hotel's availability count; however, the rate will not be updated.
  • Once a rate is configured for the room type, either in the actual rate or custom rate, the grid for this room type should be editable. The user will then be allowed to add additional rooms to this room type.
  • Reservations that have been moved to this room type will keep the rate that they had from the initial room type.
  • Newly added reservations will have the rate that is configured for this room type.
• Credit Limit: It is possible to specify a credit limit with the allotment (when there are Direct Billinginstructions).
  • Specify an amount in the CREDIT LIMIT field: 

HOW TO CREATE AN ALLOTMENT

Step 1: Create an Allotment from the Allotment Summary Tab

From the menu, navigate to Groups > New Allotment, and complete the following fields: 

• NAME (allotment name; mandatory) 
• FIRST NAME (mandatory)
• LAST NAME (mandatory) 
• HOLD STATUS (mandatory): There are two hold statuses that are system defined for all properties, which are Definite and Cancel. All other options can be set by the property from Settings > Reservations > Hold Status. Below is an explanation of some of the different types of hold statuses:
  • Definite: Allotment is confirmed and will be deducted from inventory. This status is system defined, which means it will show as a hold status in Stayntouch PMS whether it is activated for allotments or not, and you can’t change the criteria on it.
  • Cancel: Allotment is cancelled. This status is system defined, which means it will show as a hold status in Stayntouch PMS whether it is activated for allotments or not, and you can’t change the criteria on it.
  • Tentative: Allotment is tentative/not yet confirmed. We recommend making sure this status deducts from the inventory, so this could also be called Tentative Deduct.
  • Prospect: The allotment is in the first stages of the sales cycle, but the hotel still wants to keep track of the record and therefore add it to the PMS. This does not deduct from the hotel’s inventory.
  • Verbal Definite: The allotment has been confirmed verbally, therefore deducting from the hotel’s inventory; however, it is not yet confirmed.
• FROM DATE / TO DATE (mandatory)
• RATE (mandatory): From here, you can also select a rate to be applied to the allotment. With allotments, there are two options. You can either select a Custom Rate, which would only be applicable to this particular allotment, or we can select a group rate, which you would set up on your own in Settings > Rates > Rates. These group rates need to have a RATE TYPE of GROUP to display in the RATE dropdown menu on the allotment Summary screen. In this example, we’ll select Custom Rate. With a Custom Rate, you’ll need to keep in mind that no add-ons are applied, so these would need to be added additionally to this rate.
• Do NOT set the ALLOTMENT RELEASE DATE (we will explain this later in this article).

Once you’ve added all of this information, select SAVE ALLOTMENT to create the allotment.

Once you save the allotment, you’ll notice that certain buttons and other options appear.

Under Allotment Info, for example, you can select the DEMOGRAPHICS button to add demographics to the allotment.

You can add billing information to the allotment by clicking the ADD BILLING INFORMATION button. First, select an ENTITY to cover the charges. Next, choose a payment method, and under the DETAILS section, you can choose which billing groups or charge codes will be covered by the allotment. Click SAVE ROUTE to add the billing information.

You can release any rooms that are not picked up by clicking the RELEASE NOW button. We will discuss this in more detail later in this article.

You can also attach add-ons to the allotment by clicking the ADD-ONS button.

You can optionally enter any important notes in the Notes field.

Once you have configured all the information here, you can choose to associate the allotment with a Company or Travel Agent by searching for an existing Company or Travel Agent from the top left of the allotment card underneath the allotment name. Simply type the Company and/or Travel Agent name into the search bar, and then select the desired Company or Travel Agent. The selected Company and/or Travel Agent will automatically save once you select one, so there’s no need to click a save button.

As you can see below, the allotment is associated with Erin’s Company and Devlin Travel, and you can click into the Company and Travel Agent Cards by selecting the blue (for the Company) and purple (for the Travel Agent) buttons to the top right of the screen.

You’ll also notice that COMMISSION has been enabled for the Travel Agent. You can toggle this ON/OFF and set a commissionable amount.

Step 2: Allotment Details Tab

Proceed to the Allotment Details tab and select the ADD ROOMS & RATES button.

If You Chose Custom Rate

Because we chose Custom Rate, we can select the room types we’d like to add to the allotment and associate them with a rate. To add additional room types, simply select the green + button. You’ll notice that the BAR (Single) is currently $0.00; however, you can enter a custom rate in the Single Occ., Double Occ., and 1+ Adult columns.

Please note, Double Occ. must be entered in order to ensure allotment integration with a CRS. If you do not charge an additional rate for the second adult, please enter the same value as Single Occ. in  Double Occ. If you do not charge additional for the third adult, please enter 0.00 in 1+ Adult.

Once you’ve indicated the desired room types and rates, select the UPDATE button.

If You Chose Group Rate

If you chose a group rate, the room types and rates will be pre-populated and uneditable, and you can click the red X next to the room type/rate combination to remove it. Click UPDATE to save any changes.

You will then be able to indicate the number of rooms available for the allotment per night. You’ll see the nightly Availability per room type indicated.

NOTE: You can copy the number of rooms from one night to the rest of the nights or select a date range by clicking the gray arrow (>) to the right of the number of rooms.

Then, simply indicate the number of rooms you want to block for the allotment per room type by Single, Double, Triple, and Quadruple occupancy. Once you’re done allocating the number of rooms per room type, you can choose any of the following buttons: 

• DISCARD CHANGES: This will reset all the numbers on the page to zero.
• UPDATE CONTRACT: This assigns the number of rooms to the allotment; this does not impact house availability. 
• APPLY TO HELD ROOM COUNTS: This is the same as committing the rooms to the allotment; this will impact house availability.

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  NOTE: If you choose to copy the number of rooms across the allotment, it automatically updates the contract (which does not affect availability). Only the APPLY TO HELD ROOM COUNTS button will show thereafter. 

   

  Once you select the APPLY TO HELD ROOM COUNTS button, click the Summary tab, and then return to the Allotment Details tab. You will notice that the GRID VIEW has auto-updated from Contract to Current Status. Make sure you continue to manage the room counts from the Current Status view.

   

  

  
  

  

  
  

  

  
  

  Step 3: Allotment Release Date

   

  Now we need to specify an ALLOTMENT RELEASE DATE. You may do this either from the Summary tab or from Allotment Details > GRID VIEW > RELEASE DATE. However you decide to manage the release date, make sure you ONLY choose one of the options above. (Attempting to configure the release date from both pages may result in errors.) 

   

  Summary Tab: 

  • Locate the ALLOTMENT RELEASE DATE section from the Summary tab.
  • Choose a date from the calendar.  

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  • In addition, you’ll notice the RELEASE NOW button (which immediately releases all held inventory). 

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  Grid View:

  • Your other option is to select Release Dates from the GRID VIEW dropdown menu on the Allotment Details tab. 
    • When releasing an allotment, rooms are released based on the number of days prior to the date (indicated below).
    • For example, by entering “4” below, the user is indicating that they would like the rooms to be released 4 days before February 2 (which would be January 29). 
  • Rooms are released as End of Day completes. As we mentioned, this process is based on the “days prior to”, so the release date cannot be the current business date (as EOD will already have completed). 

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  • You can apply a single “day prior to” value for the entire allotment (make sure to use the APPLY or > button): 

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  • Or you can specify a different “day prior to” value (make sure to use the APPLY button): 

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  Step 4: Reservations Tab

   

  Once you’re ready to pick up rooms, move into the Reservations tab where you can add reservations by clicking the green + button.

  
  

  

   

  Simply select the FROM/TO dates, ROOM TYPE, OCCUPANCY, and NO. OF ROOMS. Then click ADD to attach the reservation to the allotment.

   

  

  
  

  

   

  The reservation will then appear as Pending. You can change name by clicking into the reservation and editing the guest details, which include the following:

  • FIRST NAME
  • LAST NAME
  • ROOM TYPE
  • OCCUPANCY
  • FROM/TO DATES
  • ROOM

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  Simply click UPDATE to save the information. You can also select REMOVE to remove the reservation. The reservations will update accordingly.

  
  

  

  
  

  

  
  

  

   

  From here, you can also AUTO-ASSIGN ROOMS, email (blue envelope button) or print (blue printer button) allotment reservation details, or view a REG. CARD by selecting the checkboxes next to the individual reservation, clicking the red X button, and then selecting one of the buttons at the top of the screen.

  
  

  

  
  

  

  
  

  

  
  

  Step 5. Activity Log

   

  Finally, if you click into the Activity Log tab, you’ll see every single activity that has been performed for this allotment since the moment it was created. You can also print the Activity Log by clicking the blue printer button.

  
  

  

   

  [TIP] A helpful note reading the Availability page for allotments: 

  • Click the gear icon to reveal the Availability page. 

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  • Rooms will only be included when viewing the Availability page if the option APPLY TO HELD ROOM COUNTS has been selected from the Allotment Details tab (notice the room counts in orange). 

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  • Rooms will not be counted if you choose the DISCARD CHANGES or the UPDATE CONTRACT button.