Products (Rate Types)
Create rate plans in Vertical Booking in this section.
To create a new product, click here:
Code: the hotel must assign an identification code to the product for internal use, useful for identifying the rate plan. If the property will also enable a connection with its property management system, it is necessary to remember that the code in question will be utilized in the mapping to the PMS and ideally, should match what exists in the PMS.
General product code: select the type of product being created from the drop-down menu, if applicable.
Texts: Selecting the radio button next to the language flags opens a customizable text box. This text will be displayed to the customer when booking, the texts are made up of three sections:
- Name: the name of the rate plan.
- Description short: a short text indicating the characteristics of the tariff plan.
- Description long: a text that explains in detail provides/includes the rate plan
Main image: Must be jpeg format and the dimensions must be sized at precisely 800x350
Image: Must be in jpeg format and the dimensions must be sized at precisely 240x150
Start of validity: The first valid day of the rate plan (the first day of check-in is possible)
End of validity: The last valid day of the rate plan (the last day that check-out is possible)
Advanced Booking Configuration: When active, validity dates can be specified utilizing a calendar popup:
Price Editing: There are 2 options for the ability to edit pricing
- Editable Prices or Derived Rates: Enables the ability to manipulate pricing in the system
- Combined rate: When selected, allows multiple products to be connected to one combined rate:
Min length of stay: the minimum length of stay that is required for the purchase of the rate plan. The default parameter is set to 1; a different value can be set according to the requirements of the rate plan being built
Max length of stay: the maximum length of stay allowed for the purchase of the rate plan. The default parameter is normally set to 99; a different value can be set according to the requirements of the rate plan being built
Multiple LOS: A number of nights for which the system calculates the price.
For example, set 1 to load daily prices. A value other than 1 is set to create an offer in which the total price entered is the price for all of several nights.
Attention! If the rate plan being created is to be sold on any channel, the multiple LOS must always be equal to 1. This is because all connected channels can only accept daily prices.
Start of stay: Include or exclude the arrival on individual days of the week. Ex. the selection below will only allow for check-in on Saturday and Sunday and the rate will not be displayed for check-in Mon-Thurs.
Attention! Additional features are loaded if only some days of the week are selected
Extended stay rate: Feature allows a rate to be applied outside of the restrictive days of the week set in “start of stay”
Max days for extended before the offer: set the maximum number of days the extended stay rate is available before the offer becomes available
Max days for extended after the offer: set the maximum number of days the extended stay rate is available after the offer ends
Rates type: Pricing can be set in Vertical Booking using two different methods:
- Prices per person: Also known as Occupancy Based Pricing, the pricing is loaded for each person that will occupy the room
- Prices per room: A single price is set per room, regardless of the number of people that will occupy the room.
Single price per room: this option allows one entry for the pricing for each room type.
VAT included: select included if taxes are included in the pricing or excluded if they are charged separately.
Enable modification/cancellation of reservations from the web:
If YES is selected, it will be possible for the customers to cancel or modify reservations on the Booking Engine, based on policies set by rate, group, etc.
If NO is selected, the ability to cancel or modify reservations on the Booking Engine will be disabled, regardless of the policies set by rate, group, etc.
Manage sales on the site/affiliated channels: clicking on Manage opens a pop-up to select from available direct channels:
This allows a property to decide which direct channels the product can be sold on. The function is very useful if the structure wants to create specific offers for a specified channel (ex. A mobile-only offer for those who book from a smartphone).
Advanced parameters:
Minimum days in advance (Early booking): Set the minimum number of days required before the reservation can be booked. Setting 2, for example, means that the product can be booked up to a minimum of two days before arrival; after which the product will no longer be visible.
Maximum days in advance (Last minute): Set a maximum number of days before the check-in date that the reservation can be made. Setting 2, for example, means that the product can only be booked two days before arrival.
It is also possible to set both parameters to limit the bookability of the product in a specific range. For example, the rate plan can be set to be available to book only from 15 to 5 days before arrival.
Same day booking only: Rate plans with this selection enabled to allow for bookings to ONLY be made for/on the day of arrival. For searches in subsequent days, the rate plan will not be displayed. This option is recommended for those who want to manage active promos ONLY and EXCLUSIVELY on the day of arrival.
Ex. on booking engine
Flash Deal: manage the visibility of the rate plan only in the specific time frame (according to the hotel time zone)
Ex. on booking engine
Boardplans: Select a meal plan to associate with the rate, if required. Available selections include:
It is possible to create additional meal plans by selecting
Category & Type: this function is used to group the rate plans (packages/offers/last minute) into categories to be displayed in the Booking Engine in the packages and offers section.
Product type: each product can be identified in three ways:
- Public: the product is publicly visible in the Booking Engine and CRO.
- Corporate: a product set as corporate is a rate plan that can be booked on the BE/CRO with a corporate code only
- For group agreements only: a product set as a group agreement is a rate plan that can be booked on the BE/CRO with a group code only.
Attention! The rate plans dedicated exclusively to the sale on IDS/TO (which should not be visible on the booking engine/CRO) should be created as "corporate" rates.
When a rate is created as “corporate”, it can be defined as commissionable or non-commissionable.
The rate plan can further be categorized, whether public or not, into:
- Normal
or
- Package / Special offer / Last minute.
When a product is identified as a package, special offer, and/or last minute, the system opens an additional section that is used for defining specific parameters for the rate.
Display beginning: The first date that the rate is visible to make a reservation on the offers page.
Attention! The display period should not be confused with validity dates. The validity dates affect the stay period (check-in and check-out); the display period refers to the period of visibility for the rate plan. For example, it would be possible to create a product for stays over the winter holidays with an active display date beginning in August.
End of display: The last date the rate is visible to make a reservation on the offers page.
Setting the display beginning/end of display fields does not automatically result in a limitation of bookability in this period: the rate plan could be booked by searching for generic dates instead of on the offers page.
Consider display dates as booking window: setting YES allows the booking dates to be limited based on the period set in the display beginning/ending fields.
Display: Choose how the offer should be shown on the booking pages from the 3 available options:
- Show only in generic search: the product will only be visible by carrying out a general search for dates and not in the "packages" section /offers" of the Booking Engine.
- Show only in packages/offers search: the product will only be visible in the "packages/offers" section of the Booking Engine and not on the general search page of the Booking Engine.
- Show in both generic search and offers/packages search: the product will be visible on both the general search page and on the packages/offers page of the Booking Engine.
Premium Nights: The ability to offer recurring free nights. Ex. by loading 3x2 the system will show a free night every three nights (3 nights for the price of 2, 6 nights for the price of 4, and so on).
Attention! It is not possible to decide which night to discount, the system will only discount the last night/nights of the stay.
Child Discounts: it is possible to allow children to stay free by deciding the number of children and whether the discount should be applied starting from the oldest or the youngest.
Services: it is possible to include services in the product using the "Set-up services" command. This command opens the following pop-up in which it is possible to select the service to be associated, the quantity, and define whether or not the cost should be charged:
If NO is selected under "charge add-on price", simply click on "add” to attach the service. Select YES to set a % discount on the service.
Limit to 2 adults: setting YES restricts the offers return to searches for two adults only. This feature could be used to create rate plans for couples only (ex. Valentine's Day offer).
Advanced limits: the system offers two choices:
- Only allow booking without children.
- Only allow booking with children.
The choice of one option rather than another determines the visibility of the product based on the search in relation to the presence of children.
Priority: the command applies only to properties that belong to a group of hotels. Setting YES will result in the product being enabled also on the group booking page.
The construction of the rate plan ends with Policies:
Edit family discount: Select a Family Discount that has been created in the appropriate section (see the "Family Discount" menu in the "Discounts" section).
Canc. policy: select the cancellation policy to apply from the drop-down menu.
Payment: select the payment method to apply from the drop-down menu.
Once all the data has been loaded, click on "Save" or “Save Modifications” to apply the operations performed.
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