Stayntouch PMS: Release Notes (v1.18)

Modified on: Thu, 22 Sep, 2022 at 12:29 PM

Stayntouch PMS

Release Notes (v1.18)


Effective: 18 May 2016


PRODUCT ENHANCEMENTS


Hello team,


The following new features and product enhancements are now live in Stayntouch PMS. Please share these notes with all the Stayntouch PMS users at your hotel.


Thank you,

The Stayntouch Team


TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

Enhanced Search & Filter: The Search Bar and Filter have been improved to help the user locate reservations faster. These enhancements were made to better assist the user with locating a specific reservation in Stayntouch PMS. 

 

Begin a Search by entering the following:

  • Two letters to locate a guest's name 
  • As few as one number to search by the guest's room number
  • Typing five numbers to find the confirmation number or external reference number
  • First Name Last Name (Ex. Lisa Adams)
  • Last Name, First Name (Ex. Lisa, Adams)

 


Stayntouch PMS Search Results now include: 

  • Confirmation number or external reference number
  • Departure date for all arriving reservations
  • Room number
  • Room type
  • A display change for the status of the room will now appear as Vacant or Due Out in red beside the room number. 

 

 

Room Type Filter: Additionally, the user can now filter search results by Room Type.  

 

DASHBOARD


New Name for Dashboard Button: The Pre-Check-In button on the dashboard screen has been renamed Mobile Check-In. Moving forward, this button and the page header will now appear with the label Mobile Check-In.

                             

GROUPS

 

Groups Guests & Night Button: Prior to this update, the option to edit the Guests Button or Nights Button was disabled for reservations associated with a Group Booking. Now, these buttons are accessible directly on the Stay Card for both individual reservations and reservations associated with a group. Stayntouch PMS will automatically adjust the hotel's inventory and reflect the change in the group's room grid, as well.

                                          


Quick Enter Option for Group Rooming List: Users now have the ability to bulk update both guest names and accompanying guest names on the Group Rooming List for multiple reservations at the same time. The bulk update popup is available both when initially splitting rooms off a group as well as when selecting multiple reservations in the rooming list. 

 

Additionally, when updating additional guests' information, the user can now add up to three accompanying guests to a group reservation without having to navigate to the Stay Card. Any accompany guests entered here will also be added to the Guests Button on the Stay Card and vice versa.


 

Borrowed Room Types Now Editable on Group Block: Previously when a Room Type was not configured on a group block, the room was borrowed by moving a reservation from an existing room type to this room type. The room type was then added to the Room Block Details, but the user was not able to add rooms to the newly borrowed room type in the Room Block Details.


Now, new functionality has been added to allow adding more rooms to the room block for these room types. By adding a rate for this room type through the Rooms & Rates button, the room type will become available for editing on the Group Room Block.

 


Search Bar Added to Rooming List: The Rooming List tab has been modified with a search bar and allows the user to locate a guest's reservation.

 

The Search Bar allows users to search bar: 

  • Guest’s name (requires at least three letters to locate a name in the database)
  • Group’s name
  • Room number 
  • Confirmation number   

 

Additional filters allow the user to: 

  • Set the range for the arrival and departure dates 
  • Exclude cancelled reservations by checking the Exclude Cancelled box 
  • Return results for pending reservations by checking the Pending Only box   

 

 

Room Summary for Group Blocks: While viewing a group reservation card, a summary of the total rooms booked and picked-up (for either the group’s total stay or a day-to-day basis) is located under the Summary tab or the Room Block Details tab. Depending on which tab the user selects, a different summary of the total rooms booked will display.


Total Rooms: To view the total number of rooms booked and picked-up, navigate to the group’s reservation card and select the Summary tab. The numbers below the Room and Pick-Up spaces are calculated based on the combined number of rooms for the entire group. The same numbers are also displayed on the Groups Search screen as well as on top of the Room Block Details screen. 


Day-to-Day Rooms: To access a day-to-day view of the total rooms booked and picked-up, navigate to the group’s reservation card and select the Room Block Details tab. These totals are calculated on a daily basis.


Total Number of Rooms: Booked and Picked-Up



 

A Day-To-Day Snapshot of Rooms: Booked and Picked-Up

 

ACCOUNTS RECEIVABLE

 

Locate External Reference Number: To facilitate billing process between the hotel and the OTA, the external reference number is now listed on the Accounts Receivable Statement and the A/R Transactions tab. The user can also search for the external reference number by entering the first five digits of the number into the Dashboard Search Bar.


 

New Button for A/R Transaction Details: Additional transaction details are listed under the A/R Transactions tab. By clicking the orange chevron arrows, you can expand or collapse transaction details associated with a particular reservation.


 

Print / Email A/R Statement: A Print Button and Email Button have been added to the A/R Transactions tab so that the user can generate a full statement. Both the print and electronic statement generated by Stayntouch PMS will include a custom header and footer for your hotel. Also, if your hotel has the Extended Tax Breakdown switched ON, the tax footer will show accordingly.


DEPOSIT

 

Enable Bypass Deposit Questions: Stayntouch PMS now eliminates the need to ask guests for a deposit if their reservation is already linked to Bill Routing. By turning this setting ON under Rules & Restrictions, Stayntouch PMS will auto-detect when a reservation has bill routing attached and bypass asking the guest for a deposit.

 

RATE MANAGER

 

Enhanced Usability: The rates section has seen a number of underlying database changes to speed up rate and reservation queries. 

 

To make the Rate Manager page more scannable:     

  • Layout: The Rate Manager layout has been tidied up; restrictions show in a consistent manner and queries can run for larger, longer data sets.
  • Navigation: The Rate Manager navigation has been improved, so the All Rates or All Rooms column will stay fixed in place while scrolling. Depending on your filter selection, the column will remain attached to the dates row along the top of the page. 
  • 365 Day Search: The restriction pop up has seen some functionality changes and instead of setting restrictions for the next four weeks, it is now possible to select an end date of up to 365 days in the future when updating rates or restrictions.
  • Screen View: Zoom level has been set to the maximum level per screen size in order to easily browse through rates and rooms.
  • Filter: Search results can be filtered to show or hide Rate Amounts.

 

REPORTS

 

Reports Section New Layout: Stayntouch PMS now provides a Search Bar on top of the reports section. When a user searches for a specific report (minimum of three characters) the list of reports is filtered automatically to quickly find a report instead of scrolling through the list of all available reports.

 

 

Further Enhancements: Additionally, the Report Options now appear on the right hand side of the screen when a report is clicked instead of within the list of reports. By editing the configuration options in this column, Stayntouch PMS will generate a report tailored to the user’s particular search filters.

 


Credit Check Report: The Credit Check Report has been designed to produce a credit check for guests who have used a credit card to pay for their reservation and may be at risk to pay for their full stay. This report also helps the user ensure that all rooms have the necessary authorizations. Stayntouch PMS allows the user to sort the results by the Guest’s Name or Room Number. It’s also possible to display results for both In-House and Due-Out guests.

The Credit Check Report displays the following information: 

  • Authorization amount: The guest’s credit limit for the card (if the reservation holds a credit card). 
  • Balance on bill: The current amount the guest owes the hotel. 
  • Projected charges: The current bill plus any additional fees, including rate add-ons. 
  • Total balance: The sum of the current balance and projected charge amount. 

 

Note: The Total Amount will show in red if the authorization amount is less and the amount will display in green if it is equal to or more.


 

Deposit Balance Summary Report: The Deposit Balance Summary Report accurately tracks the hotel’s current standing with Group and Guests deposits. This report was added in Stayntouch PMS to assist with tracking the deposit ledger and aid in balancing the journal.

GUEST CONFIRMATION


Additions to Guest Confirmation Email: To provide guests with a clearer, more detailed overview of their reservation details, the confirmation email has been updated to include the Amount Paid. Amount Paid is a sum of all the payments the guest has paid to date; whereas, the Amount Due indicates the remaining balance the guest owes the hotel.


COMPANY & TA CARD

 

Fax Number Added to Cards: An improvement has been made to the Company Card and Travel Agent Card that allows the user to add a fax number beside the field for a phone number.


INVOICE UPDATES

 

New Format for Mailing Invoices: For guests or clients who request that their invoice be delivered through regular mail, Stayntouch PMS now prints invoices that clearly label the hotel’s information and the guest address details in an easy-to-read format. The send to address will appear in the envelope window.


CREDIT CARD UPDATES

 

Retrieve Previously Added Credit Cards: Easily retrieve a complete list of all previously used or authorized cards during the lifecycle of the reservation by either:

  • Selecting Payment Method on the Stay Card. 
  • Clicking the drop down menu at the right side of the screen on the Guest Bill page.

 

In both instances, the user will be able to select a card from the list of saved cards and use it to process a payment. As a reminder, cards will not save to the Guest Card unless the user selects the Add to Guest Card button.

 

 

Error Free Changes in Payment Methods: Previously, when a user needed to change the method of payment on file for a reservation from an existing credit card to a new credit card (or an alternative payment method where authorization existed), Stayntouch PMS would run the release and permit a new payment method. However, if MLI returned an error message preventing the release authorization during this process, Stayntouch PMS would not permit a change in payment method. Now, regardless of the error message, Stayntouch PMS will be able to authorize a change in payment method. The error will also be logged in the Credit Card Transaction Log and the Activity Log.

 

Release Button Added: A Release Button has been added to the Stay Card that allows staff members the ability to release a credit card’s current authorization amount in full. This action is then recorded in the Credit Card Transaction Log and Activity Log.

 

STAYNTOUCH GUEST MOBILITY


New Entries Tracked in Activity Log: For hotels using Stayntouch Guest Mobility Check-In, the following actions in the guest’s Activity Log will now display:

  • An entry detailing when the guest successfully completes pre-check-in and a note indicating the guest’s arrival time. 
  • A record for the date, time, and email address that the hotel’s welcome/room-ready message was sent to the guest.

 

As a reminder, you can locate the guest’s Activity Log at the bottom of their Stay Card.

 


 


Country Selection for Stayntouch Guest Mobility Check-In: On the Address Details screen during Stayntouch Guest Mobility Check-In, guests need to select their country. Previously, the list only appeared in alphabetical order. 

 

Now, to make it quick and easy for guests to select their country name, it will be possible for the hotel to enter a set number of countries to appear at the top of the list and sort the display order based on countries where most of their guests are from.


Contact the Stayntouch Team to configure this setting for your hotel here. 

SITEMINDER


SiteMinder Enhancements: Stayntouch PMS has partnered with SiteMinder to make bookings to our hourly system a possibility for guests. With this new feature Stayntouch PMS has the ability to: 

  • Automatically receive the reservation
  • Edit or cancel the reservation

 

This feature has only been enabled for SiteMinder at this time.

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