A rate plan is a pricing package that details the cost and conditions for booking.
Rate plans can be created for:
Standard C&B
In this article, we will be creating Standard Conference and Banqueting (C&B) Rate Plans which are built for use in the Diary for Standard C&B or via Search/Create/Edit, and cannot currently be exposed to sell online. Standard C&B also offers various other functions.
β οΈImportant: In order to save a function reservation a rate plan must be selected. Some sites will set a 0.00 value rate plan and add all charges via upsells rather than specific rate plans.
We suggest keeping your rates simple, with clear descriptions, and organised to make your system easy to use and navigate, some sites do a yearly rate review to ensure everything is tidy and kept up-to-date.
Step 1: Preparing to build a Rate Plan
The below checklist can be used to ensure you have all of the required components in place, prior to building your rate plan:
β οΈImportant: If you already have one or more of the required elements built within your system you can use them again in your new rate plan, provided they meet your current requirements.
Step | Description |
1. Planning | Think about the total value of the rate plan and its component charges (e.g. Water in room), and have these to hand when creating your rate plan. Check your system to make sure you do not already have this rate plan set up. |
2. Products |
Items or services associated with the rate plan if needed - remembering to select Function items for those to be included in the rate plan or Function Uposell and Check In Offer. Check your system as you may already have your required products set up (for example: Tea, Coffee and Biscuits).
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3. Product Rule | Add elements to the rate plan, either included within the table or as additional charges. The value of the products, and how these are charged, should be taken into account when entering the function room price into the rate or flex table. Check your system as you may already have your required product rule set up (for example: Conference Lunch) |
4. Rate Table or Flex Table
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Used to apply Function charges associated with the rate plan. There are 2 table types:
Rate Tables are used to set up a static rate.
Flex Tables are a dynamic table with rates that can be edited for specific dates over a 3-year period.
Check your system as you may already have a table set up (for example: Function) which could be discounted or altered using a Rate Rule.
Important: Remember to select NEW FUNCTION TABLE if creating a new one.
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5. Rate Rule | Used to apply the rate or flex table for a specific date, and to apply a discount if required. Check your system as you may already have a Rate Rule using the correct table. |
Once you have all of the above prepared you are ready to move onto Step 2: Building a rate plan, and Step 3: Testing the rate plan.
Create Standard C&B rate plans
To build a standard c&b rate plan, follow the steps below:
Navigate within Rezlynx to System, Rates and Rate Plans.
Click New Function Rate Plan.
DETAILS section at the top of the screen, defines the details of the rate plan. Complete the following fields:
Code: A unique identifier upto 12 characters long. This cannot be changed after saving.
Description: Enter a unique Description. This can be changed at any time.
πNotes: Enter any notes as required, these will appear on the Rate Search screen when hovering over the rate plan and could include a full breakdown of what is included in the rate plan.
Group Code & Sub Group Code: select from the drop-down menu, which determine where this ceiling will be stored within the left-hand menu. This can be altered at any time. You can create a new group if required, by selecting New Main or Sub Group in the bottom left, then enter Code and Description and Save the new group.
Market Segment Default: select from the drop-down menu, and is used for reporting purposes within the system.
CRITERIA section under Details, defines what criteria must be met to make the rate plan available for booking. Complete the following fields:
Rate Plan Available: Tick box to make the Rate Plan available for booking.
Start Date/End Date:Set the date range during which the Rate Plan can be sold. The rate plan will not show outside of these dates.
Lead In Time: The number of days from the date of a guest search, the rate plan will be available or appear for i.e. function must be booked within the next 30 days, you would enter 30.
Advance Purchase:The number of days out that the Rate Plan can be sold from, the rate will only be able to the booker searching if they look for it that far ahead, i.e. value is 14, they will need to search a date at least 2 weeks in the future.
Nights Per Room From & To: Set the minimum and maximum number of days the Rate Plan can be booked for.
Occupants From & To: Define the minimum and maximum number of delegates allowed.
Occupancy % From & To: Set occupancy percentage thresholds to automatically open or close the Rate Plan based on occupancy levels.
RULES section on the right, defines what charges make up the rate plan cost. Complete the following fields:
Charge Mode: Determines how the Rate Plan is charged. The possible Charge Modes are:
Function daily per room- the cost from the rate rule or rate table and possible product rule combined as a daily per room charge.
Function daily per delegate - Daily charge per person
Function hourly per room - Hourly charge for the room
Function hourly per delegate - Hourly charge per person
Function single charge - Single flat rate
Adult rate rule: Select the Rate Rule Code from the drop-down menu. The Rate Rules is linked to the Function Rate Table, and the rule determines the charge per delegate or per room, depending on the Charge Mode.
Product Rule: Select the Product Rule from the drop-down menu. The Product Rule pulls together the function products to determine the additional elements within the rate plan, for example to add tea, coffee and biscuits or a conference lunch to the booking.
Supplement Rule: This option is not configurable for Standard C&B functions.
Surcharge/City Tax: This is not applicable for function rooms and should be left blank.
Final Adjustments: The Final Adjustment option can be used to increase or decrease (insert β-β symbol) a rate by a monetary or percentage value, after all other settings and rules have been applied. The value will be applied to each day of the function.
MISC section on the left, defines additional system settings for the rate plan. Complete the following fields:
Hide Rate on Reg Card β Leaves a blank space where rate is usually printed. If the box is not visible, select Save and then the tick box will be seen.
Restriction Level Type β Not supported functionality within Standard C&B.
Restriction Level β Not supported functionality within Standard C&B.
Do Not Post Charge on Check in: This can be ticked to avoid posting the charges on check in and would be charged when the end of day runs for site (usually around 2am daily).
Cancellation Policy - Select from the drop-down menu. Cancellation policies are used to determine if a booking can be cancelled by the booker and if cancellation charges would apply.
EXPOSE TO section, allows you to select where the rate will be sold. Options include:
PMS β used to sell the Rate Plan at the site only.
Public and Agent Portal β No longer in use.
Webservice β Currently function rate plans cannot be sold online. Leave this box unticked.
Distribution Hub β Currently function rate plans cannot be sold online. Leave this box unticked.
INCLUSION section at the very bottom of the page, defines which room types are included in the rate plan, and site only settings for when the rate plan is available. Complete the following fields:
Include: Tick to include the function room type for sale in this rate plan.
Available On: Determines when the rate plan is available within Rezlynx.
Permitted Arrival: Determines when functions can arrive to stay on this rate plan.
Must Include: Only select if the function must occur on specific day, otherwise leave blank.
Click Save, after configuring all necessary details, to finalise the Rate Plan.
Once saved other tabs will appear at the top of the rate plan, these are additional rate plan settings and are used by sites as needed. The additional tabs including:
Companies - used to restrict the rate plan to a specific company at time of booking.
Users - used to restrict the rate plan to a specific set of users, no other users will be able to select the rate plan.
Translations - apply translations in a variety of language options for the Rate plan description and notes.
Step 3: Test your new rate plan & Troubleshooting
Testing your rate plan is a vital final step in building a rate plan.
To test your rate plan, follow the steps below:
Within the rate plan, select Test Rate Plan in the top right of the screen.
Enter the search criteria and the rate plan will already be automatically selected. Click Find Rates to run the search.
Check the rate carefully.
If the rate plan shows as unavailable, hidden or in a different colour, hover over the search results to see the reason given. For example, it may not show if the search criteria do not match the rate plan, or if restrictions are in place stopping its sale on the selected date.
If the rate is correct, check some other dates if required until you are satisfied this is working as required. If the rate is selling online, search the rate online.
If the rate is not correct, navigate to Search/Create/Edit and create a function reservation. You do not need to create a full booking or save it. Within the function reservation screen, within the ROOM & RATE section, select Change. Run the same search again and select the rate. Then select Rate Analysis which shows a full breakdown of the rate plan cost to see what is not calculating or set as required. You can then exit the function reservation screen without saving, and edit rate plan as required, and re-test.
Troubleshooting
Rate plan not available: Check the Tick box for "Rate Plan available" has been selected. Within the rate plan search window, hover over the rate plan to see why it is not available for your searched criteria - this could be due to restrictions in place or even a setting.
Rate plan has the wrong price: Test the rate plan and work out the amount it is out by, this often helps to pinpoint a missing product item for example. If the rate is not correct, navigate to Search/Create/Edit and create a function reservation. You do not need to create a full booking or save it. Within the function reservation screen, within the ROOM & RATE section, select Change. Run the same search again and select the rate. Then select Rate Analysis which shows a full breakdown of the rate plan cost to see what is not calculating or set as required. You can then exit the function reservation screen without saving, and edit rate plan as required, and re-test.