Opera PMS Users Guide 2.

5
A VISUAL REFERENCE GUIDE
Copyright 2003 MICROS Systems, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Table of Contents
CHAPTER 1 GETTING STARTED......................................................................9
1-1 1-2 1-3 1-4 1-5 INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................ 9 LOG INTO OPERA ..................................................................................................... 9 USING OPERA WINDOWS ....................................................................................... 10 USING OPERA KEYBOARD COMMANDS ................................................................... 10 USING HELP ........................................................................................................... 11

1.5.1 TO USE HELP ..................................................................................................................... 11 1.5.2 TO USE THE TABLE OF CONTENTS...................................................................................... 12 1.5.3 TO USE THE INDEX ............................................................................................................ 13 1.5.4 TO USE SEARCH................................................................................................................... 15

1-6

CLOSING OPERA .................................................................................................... 16

CHAPTER 2 RESERVATIONS..........................................................................16
2-1 NEW RESERVATION .................................................................................................. 16
2.1.1 2.1.2 2.1.3 2.1.5

RATE QUERY SCREEN ........................................................................................................... 16 RESERVATION SCREEN ......................................................................................................... 19 MORE FIELDS TAB ................................................................................................................ 23 RESERVATION OPTIONS ....................................................................................................... 25

2-2 UPDATE RESERVATION ............................................................................................. 37

2.2.1 RESERVATION SEARCH ......................................................................................................... 37

2-3 BLOCKS .................................................................................................................... 40

OPTIONS ......................................................................................................................................... 43 ADD PM.......................................................................................................................................... 43 CHANGES ........................................................................................................................................ 43 COPY............................................................................................................................................... 43 CUSTOM TOUR SERIES .................................................................................................................... 44 CUTOFF ........................................................................................................................................... 44 DELETE:.......................................................................................................................................... 44 DEPOSIT ......................................................................................................................................... 44 NOTES ............................................................................................................................................ 45 PRINT.............................................................................................................................................. 45 PROD. CHANGES ............................................................................................................................. 45 REFR. RATES .................................................................................................................................. 45 SHIFT DATE .................................................................................................................................... 45 SUMMARY INFO ............................................................................................................................... 45 TOUR SERIES .................................................................................................................................. 45 2.3.12 QUICK BUSINESS BLOCK ................................................................................................... 52 2.3.13 INQUIRY ............................................................................................................................. 56

2-4 STANDARD GROUPS ................................................................................................. 58

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Table of Contents
2.4.1 PROFILE ............................................................................................................................... 58 2.4.2 NEW ..................................................................................................................................... 59 2.4.3 RESERVATION LIST .............................................................................................................. 60

2-5 WAIT LIST ................................................................................................................ 62

2.5.1 SEARCH................................................................................................................................ 63

2-6 PROFILES .................................................................................................................. 64

2.6.1 SEARCH................................................................................................................................ 65 2.6.2 INDIVIDUAL PROFILES .......................................................................................................... 67 OPTIONS ......................................................................................................................................... 69 2.6.3 COMPANY PROFILES ............................................................................................................. 74 OPTIONS ......................................................................................................................................... 75 2.6.4 TRAVEL AGENT PROFILES ..................................................................................................... 80 OPTIONS ......................................................................................................................................... 82 2.6.5 SOURCE PROFILES................................................................................................................ 86 OPTIONS ......................................................................................................................................... 87 2.6.6 GROUP PROFILES ................................................................................................................. 92 OPTIONS ......................................................................................................................................... 94 2.6.7 CONTACT PROFILES .............................................................................................................. 98 OPTIONS ....................................................................................................................................... 100

2-7 ROOM PLAN ............................................................................................................ 104 2-8 FLOOR PLAN ........................................................................................................... 106 2-9 CONFIRMATION....................................................................................................... 106

CHAPTER 3 FRONT DESK.............................................................................109

3-1 ARRIVALS ............................................................................................................... 109 3-2 IN-HOUSE GUESTS................................................................................................. 115 3-3 ACCOUNTS.............................................................................................................. 118 3-4 ROOM BLOCKING .................................................................................................... 120 3-5 MESSAGES.............................................................................................................. 121
3.5.1 SEND MESSAGES ............................................................................................................... 121

3-6 TRACES .................................................................................................................. 122

CHAPTER 4 CASHIERING .............................................................................124

4-1 BILLING .................................................................................................................. 124
4.1.1 RIGHT CLICK OPTIONS ....................................................................................................... 124 4.1.2 BUTTON OPTIONS .............................................................................................................. 128

Table of Contents
4-2 FAST POSTING ........................................................................................................ 133 4-3 CASHIER FUNCTIONS .............................................................................................. 135
4.3.1 BATCH FOLIOS ................................................................................................................... 135 4.3.2 BATCH POSTINGS ............................................................................................................... 136 4.3.3 CASHIER REPORTS ............................................................................................................. 138 4.3.4 CASHIER STATUS ............................................................................................................... 138 4.3.5 CHECK EXCHANGE .............................................................................................................. 139 4.3.7 CURRENCY CALCULATOR ..................................................................................................... 140 4.3.7 CURRENCY EXCHANGE ........................................................................................................ 141 4.3.8 EXCHANGE RATE ................................................................................................................ 143 4.3.9 FOLIO HISTORY .................................................................................................................. 145 4.3.10 GENERAL CASHIER ........................................................................................................... 147 4.3.11 JOURNAL .......................................................................................................................... 148 4.3.12 RECEIPT HISTORY ............................................................................................................ 149 4.3.13 RESERVATION DEPOSIT.................................................................................................... 149

4-4 CLOSE CASHIER ..................................................................................................... 151 4-5 PASSERBY ............................................................................................................... 154 4-6 QUICK CHECK OUT ................................................................................................. 156

CHAPTER 5 ROOMS MANAGEMENT............................................................158

5-1 HOUSEKEEPING ...................................................................................................... 158
5.1.1 5.1.2 5.1.3 5.1.4 5.1.5 5.1.6 HOUSEKEEPING MAIN SCREEN ........................................................................................... 158 OUT OF ORDER/OUT OF SERVICE ....................................................................................... 160 DISCREPANT ROOMS .......................................................................................................... 161 TASK ASSIGNMENT............................................................................................................. 163 HOUSE ASSIGNMENT .......................................................................................................... 166 ATTENDANT POINTS ........................................................................................................... 167

5-2 ROOM HISTORY ...................................................................................................... 168 5-3 SELL LIMITS ........................................................................................................... 169 5-4 OCCUPANCY GRAPH ................................................................................................ 170 5-5 MAINTENANCE ........................................................................................................ 171

CHAPTER 6 ACCOUNTS RECEIVABLE ........................................................173

6-1 ACCOUNT MAINTENANCE ........................................................................................ 173 6-2 TRANSFER F/O DATA ............................................................................................. 178 6-3 CREDIT CARDS ....................................................................................................... 179
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6-4 RESEARCH .............................................................................................................. 181 6-5 MAILING ................................................................................................................. 182
6.5.1 6.5.3 6.5.3 6.5.4 BATCH STATEMENTS........................................................................................................... 182 MAILING HISTORY .............................................................................................................. 184 REMINDER LETTERS............................................................................................................ 186 TRACES .............................................................................................................................. 187

CHAPTER 7 COMMISSION HANDLING.......................................................188

7-1 PAYMENT PROCESSING ........................................................................................... 188

7.1.1 BY ACCOUNT ...................................................................................................................... 188 7.1.2 BY AGENT .......................................................................................................................... 192

7-2 CHECK BOOK .......................................................................................................... 195

7.2.1 REGISTER ........................................................................................................................... 196 7.2.2 REPRINT CHECKS ............................................................................................................... 197

7-3 RESEARCH .............................................................................................................. 198

CHAPTER 8 MISCELLANEOUS .....................................................................199

8-1 REPORTS ................................................................................................................ 199
8.1.1 SEARCH.............................................................................................................................. 199 8.1.1 SEARCH.............................................................................................................................. 200 OK BUTTON .................................................................................................................................. 200 8.1.3 PREVIEW ............................................................................................................................ 200 8.1.4 PRINT ................................................................................................................................. 200

8-2 INTERFACES............................................................................................................ 200

8.2.1 INTERFACE SUB MENU ....................................................................................................... 200 8.2.2 WAKE UP CALLS................................................................................................................. 200

8-3 SHOW QUICK KEYS ................................................................................................ 201

8.3.1 OPERA HELP (F1) .............................................................................................................. 201 8.3.2 OCCUPANCY GRAPH (SHIFT + F1) .................................................................................... 202 8.3.3 HELP (CTRL + F1)........................................................................................................... 203 8.3.4 CONTROL PANEL (SHIFT + F2) ......................................................................................... 204 8.3.5 DETAILED AVAILABILITY (CTRL + F2) ............................................................................. 206 8.3.6 ROOM SEARCH (F3) .......................................................................................................... 207 8.3.7 HOUSE STATUS (SHIFT + F3)........................................................................................... 208 8.3.8 ROOM PLAN (CTRL + F3) ................................................................................................ 211 8.3.9 INQUIRY (SHIFT + F4)...................................................................................................... 212 8.3.10 CALENDAR (CTRL + F4) ................................................................................................ 215 8.3.11 RATE PLAN (F5) .............................................................................................................. 216 8.3.12 FLOOR PLAN (SHIFT + F5) ............................................................................................. 219 QUICK BOOKING (SHIFT + F6).................................................................................................... 220 8.3.14 TELEPHONE BOOK (SHIFT + F7)..................................................................................... 223 TELEPHONE OPERATOR (CTRL + F8) .......................................................................................... 224

Table of Contents
LOGOUT (F8) ............................................................................................................................... 227 INTERFACE SUBMENU (SHIFT + F8) ............................................................................................ 227 MAXIMUM AVAILABILITY (CTRL + F8) ........................................................................................ 228

8-4 CHANGE PASSWORD ............................................................................................... 229 8-5 DATA EXTRACTION ................................................................................................. 229
8.5.2 EXTRACT RESULTS ............................................................................................................. 231

8-6 REPRINT NA REPORTS ........................................................................................... 232 8-7 AWARDS ................................................................................................................. 233

8.7.1 INSTANT AWARDS .............................................................................................................. 233 8.7.2 AWARDS LOOKUP ............................................................................................................... 234

8-8 PROMOTIONS .......................................................................................................... 235 8-9 ENROLLMENT .......................................................................................................... 236 8-10 PRINT TASKS........................................................................................................ 237 8-11 USER ACTIVITY LOG ............................................................................................. 239 8-12 MEMBERSHIPS ...................................................................................................... 240
8.12.1 GUEST RECORDS ............................................................................................................. 240 8.12.2 EXPORTS .......................................................................................................................... 241

8-13 FILE EXPORT ........................................................................................................ 243 8-14 FILE DOWNLOAD .................................................................................................. 245 8-15 REGISTRATION CARDS ......................................................................................... 246

CHAPTER 9 SETUP.........................................................................................247
9-1 USER CONFIGURATION ........................................................................................... 247 9-2 APPLICATION SETTINGS ......................................................................................... 249 9.2.1 AR ...................................................................................................................... 249
AR FUNCTIONS ............................................................................................................................. 249 AR PARAMETERS........................................................................................................................... 249 AR SETTINGS ............................................................................................................................... 250

9.2.2 BLOCKS ............................................................................................................... 253

BLOCK FUNCTIONS ........................................................................................................................ 253 BLOCK PARAMETERS ..................................................................................................................... 253 BLOCK SETTINGS .......................................................................................................................... 255

Table of Contents
9.2.3 CASHIERING ........................................................................................................ 256
CASHIERING FUNCTIONS ............................................................................................................... 256 CASHIERING PARAMETERS ............................................................................................................ 257 CASHIERING SETTINGS ................................................................................................................. 259

9.2.4 COMMISSIONS..................................................................................................... 262

COMMISSIONS PARAMETERS ......................................................................................................... 262 COMMISSIONS SETTINGS .............................................................................................................. 263

9.2.5 END OF DAY ........................................................................................................ 263

END OF DAY FUNCTIONS ............................................................................................................... 263 END OF DAY PARAMETERS ............................................................................................................. 263 END OF DAY SETTINGS ................................................................................................................. 264

9.2.6 EXPORTS ............................................................................................................. 264

EXPORTS PARAMETERS .................................................................................................................. 264 EXPORTS SETTINGS ...................................................................................................................... 264

9.2.7 FRONT DESK ....................................................................................................... 265

FRONT DESK FUNCTIONS .............................................................................................................. 265

9.2.8 GENERAL ............................................................................................................. 265

GENERAL FUNCTIONS .................................................................................................................... 265 GENERAL PARAMETERS.................................................................................................................. 266 GENERAL SETTINGS ...................................................................................................................... 267

9.2.9 IFC ..................................................................................................................... 267

IFC FUNCTIONS ............................................................................................................................ 267 IFC PARAMETERS ......................................................................................................................... 268 IFC SETTINGS .............................................................................................................................. 268

9.2.10 MEMBERSHIP..................................................................................................... 269

MEMBERSHIP FUNCTIONS .............................................................................................................. 269 MEMBERSHIP SETTINGS ................................................................................................................ 269

9.2.11 PROFILES .......................................................................................................... 269

PROFILES FUNCTIONS ................................................................................................................... 269 PROFILES PARAMETERS ................................................................................................................. 270 PROFILES SETTINGS...................................................................................................................... 271

9.2.12 RATES ............................................................................................................... 272

RATES FUNCTIONS ........................................................................................................................ 272 RATES PARAMETERS ...................................................................................................................... 272 RATES SETTINGS .......................................................................................................................... 272

9.2.13 RESERVATIONS ................................................................................................. 273

RESERVATIONS FUNCTIONS .......................................................................................................... 273 RESERVATIONS PARAMETERS ........................................................................................................ 274 RESERVATIONS SETTINGS ............................................................................................................. 276

Table of Contents
9.2.14 ROOMS MANAGEMENT ....................................................................................... 277
ROOMS MANAGEMENT FUNCTIONS ................................................................................................ 277 ROOMS MANAGEMENT PARAMETERS .............................................................................................. 278 ROOMS MANAGEMENT SETTINGS .................................................................................................. 278

CHAPTER 10 END OF DAY SEQUENCE ......................................................279

Opera PMS Users Manual 2.0

Chapter 1 Getting Started

Chapter 1 Getting Started

1-1 Introduction
This section of the manual explains how to: o Log Into opera o Use the Opera Menu Windows Navigate through the Menu Windows using the mouse or the keyboard o Access and Use the Help Menus o Use the Table of Contents for the Help Screens o Use the Index to Search for Help Topics o Use the Search to locate Help Topics o Close out of Opera

1-2 Log Into Opera

The Login screen provides access to the main screen of the Property Management System. Steps to Log In: Double Click the Opera icon on the desktop. When the Web Page opens, click on PMS to open Opera.

Enter your User name as assigned by your administrator. Enter your password as assigned by your administrator. Select a terminal name from the drop down list. Press the Login button to initiate the login process verifying your user name, password, and property login or Press the Exit Button to close the screen and leave the Opera application.

Chapter 1 Getting Started

1-3 Using Opera Windows
Once in the Opera application, it is easy to navigate the screens.

Opera PMS Users Manual 2.0

The buttons at the top of the screen, when pressed, open options to the left of the screen.

1-4 Using Opera Keyboard Commands

Its possible to navigate through Opera primarily using keyboard commands

Use the Alt key on your keyboard in combination with the underlined letter to activate the button. In any screen, selecting OK will both save and close the active screen, Save will save any work done but keep the active screen open, and Close will close out of the screen with the option not to save changes.

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1-5 Using Help 1.5.1 To Use Help

Access the help screens Select the Menu Option for Help from the top of the screen.

or press the F1 key on the keyboard to access the help screens.

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1.5.2 To Use the Table of Contents

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Search through the Table of Contents on the left side of the screen to locate the general topic. Press the folder icon to the left of the topic to open subtopics. Continue searching until the information needed is displayed.

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1.5.3 To Use the Index

Type the first few letters of the topic in the search field. Click the mouse on the topic to display the help message.

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Text in blue may be used to access for further information on the topic.

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1.5.4 To Use Search

The search field allows the user to locate instructions on specific functions in Opera. Use the search to locate the function and click with the mouse.

Select the function and click with the mouse to open instructions on its proper use.

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1-6 Closing Opera

Opera PMS Users Manual 2.0

To close out of Opera at the end of a session, either use the Exit menu option at the top of the screen or the double click the large Exit button to the left.

Chapter 2 Reservations
This section of the manual explains the Reservation function of the Opera PMS system. Using the reservations module you can enter a new reservation, search, view and modify an existing reservation, enter and maintain group room allotments and rooming lists, mail guest confirmation letters individually or in batches, maintain a wait list and enter and update guest profile information.

2-1 New Reservation

When creating a new reservation, it is common to check both rate and room availability before reserving a room for a guest. To create a new reservation, select Reservation from the menu options at the top of the screen, and New Reservation from the options on the left.

2.1.1 Rate Query Screen

The Rate Query screen is used to locate the rate and room type required to make a guest reservation.

Arrival Date: The calendar date on which the guest will check into the hotel.

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Nights: The number of nights that the guest will stay in the hotel. Adults: The number of adults who will be staying in the room. In many hotels, the rates are based on the number of adults, so it is important to enter the correct number to quote the exact rate. Children 1: The number of children in the hotels first range of ages who will be staying in the room. In some hotels, the rates are based on the number of adults and/or children, so it is important to enter the correct number to quote the exact rate. Rates may also be configured based on the ages of the children in the room. Children 2: The number of children in the hotels second range of ages who will be staying in the room. In some hotels, the rates are based on the number of adults and/or children, so it is important to enter the correct number to quote the exact rate. Rates may also be configured based on the ages of the children in the room. Children 3: The number of children in the hotels third range of ages who will be staying in the room. In some hotels, the rates are based on the number of adults and/or children, so it is important to enter the correct number to quote the exact rate. Rates may also be configured based on the ages of the children in the room. No. of Rooms: The number of rooms required. If more than one room is required, it is important to enter the total needed to be sure that there is availability for all needed rooms. Name: If the guest has stayed at the hotel in the past and has a profile on record, entering the guest name here can speed the reservation process. Block: If the guest will be arriving as a group member, this field will be necessary to locate the specific group for an availability check on the group allotment rather than on the house inventory. Member Type: If the guest is a member of a frequent flyer club or has a hotel loyalty card on file in the profile, this field can be used to locate the guest quickly. Member No. The member number is unique and use of this field will locate the profile immediately if it has been registered in the hotel. Company: If the guest is traveling for business, use of this field may help to locate the companys negotiated rates. CORP No. The corporate number is a unique identifying number for company profiles and can help to locate the right profile quickly. Agent: If a travel agent is making the booking, attaching the correct agent profile during the availability check may help to locate negotiated rates, and will set the reservation for commission processing. IATA No. Since the IATA number is unique, using this field to search will locate the exact travel agent more quickly. Source: Source profiles are used for a number of reasons in a hotel. Searching for a specific source profile may help in paying commissions on a reservation or in locating an Accounts Receivable number for billing or for locating a negotiated rate. Source No. Source number is a unique number assigned to a source profile and can help to locate the correct profile more quickly. Show Rates Closed: Check this box if closed rates should be shown on the grid. The default setting is to view only rates that are open and available. Show Rates Day Use: If the reservation will be made as a day use reservation (arrival and departure on the same day), checking this box will help to locate rates set up specifically for day use purposes. Show Rates Pseudo: If the hotel assigns rates to non-inventory rooms, such as parlors, condominiums or marina slips, this box must be checked to view rates for these room types. Availability figures will not be displayed for pseudo rooms, only rates. Room Class: If a choice is entered in this field, i.e. if the search is only for Suites or Standard Rooms, only room types in the chosen room class will appear on the rate grid, localizing the search for rates and rooms. Rate Class: If a choice is entered in this field, i.e. if the search is only for Discount Rates or Rack Rates, only those rate codes attached to the rate class will be displayed on the rate query screen. Rate Category: If a choice is entered in this field, i.e. if only wholesale or holiday rates are selected, only those rate codes attached to the rate category will be displayed on the rate query screen.

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Rate Code: To search for only one specific rate code, enter that code in this field. Promotions: To search for rates that are available for hotel or corporate promotions, the name of the promotion will generate a search for attached rate codes. Once all the query information has been entered, select the OK button to proceed to the Rate Grid.

Rate Codes appear on the left, Room Types appear across the top of the grid. To locate the rate for a particular room type, select the room type, then the rate code. The Rate will be found at the intersection of the row and column. Include Overbooking: The figures shown in this row indicate the number of actual rooms in the hotel PLUS the number of rooms in each room type that have been approved by management for overbooking. Physical Inventory: The actual number of rooms available in each room type with no overbooking figures included. One Night Rates: The price for the room for one night of the stay. This is the default setting and will display automatically. Total Rates: Selecting this radio button will display the total rate for all nights of a guests stay. Day Use: Selecting this radio button will display all rates configured for day use (arrival and departure on the same day). Closed: Selecting this radio button will display all closed rates. Wait List: Selecting this radio button will allow a reservation to be created and immediately placed on the wait list. Rate Info: The room rate, package rate and taxes per night will display. Analyze: Rate Restrictions placed on the rate code or room type. Rate restrictions may include rates that are closed completely, or closed to arrival. They may also include rates that have a minimum length of stay or a maximum length of stay.

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Long Info: Additional information regarding the rate code, configurable by the hotel. Generally, long info will include free-form text with in-depth explanations of the rate code and its restrictions. Turnaways: Selecting this option will log the call as a turnaway for statistical purposes Res.: Selecting this option will take the user to the reservation screen to complete the reservation. All information selected to this point (guest name, number of nights, arrival date, rate code, room type, etc) will be carried to the reservation screen. Scope: Selecting Scope will return the user to the Rate Query Grid with the original query intact. Close: Selecting Close will return the user to the Rate Query Grid and will reset the query to the default settings.

2.1.2 Reservation Screen

The reservation screen holds information from the guest profile as well as stay information. The screen is generally exactly the same during the reservation phase, the arrival/check in phase and the in-house phase of the guest stay.

PROFILE INFORMATION on the reservation screen: Guest Name: The last name of the guest from the profile. If a name is typed in this field, a search will be generated for matching profiles based on the entries in the Name and First Name fields. First Name: The first name of the guest from the profile. If a name is typed in this field, a search will be generated for matching profiles based on the entries in the Name and First Name fields. Title: The guests title as entered in the profile. An entry in this field will populate the profile as a permanent record. Country: The country field from the guests address in the profile. An entry in this field from the reservation screen will populate the profile as a permanent record. Language: The guests language as registered on the profile. An entry in this field from the reservation screen will populate the profile as a permanent record.

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VIP: The VIP level for the guest. This field will populate the guests profile as a permanent record, so care should be taken. Phone: The Guests Home telephone number as registered in the profile. If an entry is made in this field, it will become a permanent profile record. Member Type: A Frequent Flyer type or hotel loyalty type. Entering membership information on a reservation will generate membership or frequent flyer point calculations. Member No.: The unique identifying frequent flyer or loyalty club membership number. Member Lvl.: The level of membership the guest has reached. The membership information is configured by each hotel and may vary from property to property. Agent: Attach a Travel Agent Profile to the reservation to calculate a travel agent commission. Company: Attach a Company Profile to the reservation to calculate statistics regarding company productivity, use a companys negotiated rate or to set up direct billing to a company with approved credit. Group: Attach a group profile to calculate statistics regarding group productivity. Source: Attach a source profile to the reservation. Source profiles are used in a variety of ways and their uses will vary widely from property to property. STAY INFORMATION on the reservation screen: Arrival: The date the guest will check in to the hotel. Nights: The number of nights the guest will stay in the hotel. Departure: The date the guest will check out of the hotel. Adults: The number of adult guests in the room. Child: The number of minor guests in the room (the age for children will vary from hotel to hotel. Consult management to find out the official age range for children). If rates have been configured based on varying ages of the children, selecting the arrow to the right of the field will allow the user to see how many children in each age range are expected.

Xbed: Extra Beds required in the room. This may affect the room rate, depending on the configuration of the hotels rate codes. Cribs: The number of cribs required in the room. This may affect the room rate, depending on the configuration of the hotels rate codes. No. of Rooms: The number of rooms required for the guest. Room Type: The room configuration required for the guest. The room type directly affects the room rate. The Room Type field indicates the physical room type the guest will be checked into upon arrival. RTC: Room To Charge. This field will generate the room rate. If the Room Type field and the Room To Charge (RTC) fields differ, the guest will be checked into the Room Type room, but will be charged for the RTC room. This is the most efficient way to upgrade a guest. Room: The actual room number the guest will occupy. In the reservation, this field indicates the room the guest is pre-blocked into. In the Arrival screen, this field indicates the room that the

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guest is being checked into. In the In-House screen, this field indicates the room the guest is occupying. Rate Code: The Rate Code determines the price charged for the room type. Fixed Rate: If a change has been made to the rate, but not to the rate code, it is necessary to use this Fixed Rate feature to keep the rate from returning to its configured amount whenever this screen is accessed. Rate: The dollar amount that is being charged for the Room Type requested (or Room To Charge if an upgrade has been done). Block Code: If the guest is a member of a group, the block code is the linking information for this reservation to the group. Arrival Time: In the reservation phase, the Arrival Time indicates the expected arrival of the guest. When the guest checks in, the system will enter the actual check in time for historical purposes. Res. Type: The Reservation Type indicates the guarantee method, whether by 6 PM hold, credit card hold, company hold, etc., and also indicates whether the rooms associated with this reservation will be deducted from inventory and availability or will not be. Market: The market code breaks down all room revenue associated with this reservation for accounting and statistical purposes. Generally the Market Code is attached to the Rate Code and should not be adjusted. Source: Information as to where this reservation was generated is indicated in the Source field. Some examples might be GDS, Walk In, Sales Office, Referral from Sister Property, or any other appropriate entry. Origin: Generally used in hotels using GDS or CRS systems. The Origin field can be used to break down the source information further. Payment: The method of payment used to guarantee this reservation. This is usually a required field. Credit Card Number: Enter the credit card number in this field. Expiration Date: The expiration date as listed on the credit card. CRS Res. Number: If a central reservations system is used to create reservations, the CRS confirmation number will be entered here. This field can be used to locate an existing reservation. Approval Code: Once the guest has checked in with a credit card, the system will send out for bank approval of funds. The approval code returned will be viewable on the reservations screen. This field is not editable, only viewable. Approval Amount: The amount of money approved by the bank for this guests stay. Suite With: If virtual suites are used, this field indicates the other guest rooms that are included in this virtual room. Guest Balance: The amount of money the guest currently owes. In the case of a deposit, a negative sign will indicate a credit balance. Disc. Amt.: If a discount is being offered to this guest, the dollar amount of the discount to apply each night is entered in the field. %: If a discount is being offered to this guest, the percentage of room revenue of the discount to apply each night is entered in the field. Reason: If a discount amount or discount percentage is offered, a reason must be entered in this field. The reason is chosen from a pre-configured list entered by hotel management. Specials: If the guest has special requests for this reservation, they are entered here. All special requests will appear on a Specials report. Packages: Any package elements that apply to this reservation will be entered here. Package elements may be an inclusive breakfast, bottle of champagne, flowers or any other package element configured by the hotel. Comments: Any text comments regarding this reservation should be entered here. There are three types of comments: o Reservation Comments these comments appear at any time this reservation is accessed prior to the guests arrival. o In-House Comments these comments appear once the guest has been checked into the hotel.

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Cashiering Comments these comments appear in the guest folio screen, not on the reservation screen. Promotions: If the guest has made a reservation by requesting a specific hotel promotion, that promotion information will be entered here.

To Create a Reservation:
o o o o o o o o o o o From the Main Menu, select the Reservations button, then New Reservation. An alternate way of navigating to the Rate Query is by pressing the F5 function key and selecting Rate Query option. At the Rate Query screen, enter the Arrival Date, Nights, and No. of Rooms and open the drop down arrow next to Name to add or create a profile name. Select an existing profile by entering search criteria and pressing the Tab key; highlight the desired profile and click OK, or create a new profile by selecting the New Prof. button and follow procedures from How to Make an Individual Profile. Select any additional profile types to be added or any search criteria to lessen available results, then click OK. Select the appropriate Room Type and Rate Code in the grid and select the Res. button. Available Rate Codes based on Rate Query results are listed vertically, and Room Types are listed horizontally. Short-form descriptions of grid selections are defined in the lower right-hand corner of the Rate Query Details. Complete required or desired fields on the Reservation and click OK to save the reservation. Required fields are indicated by a BOLD field description; most are populated from information given during Rate Query process. Save will save reservation; OK will save reservation and close window; Close will close the window without saving but will prompt you to save.

Right Click on Rate Code:

To access more information regarding the reservation, selecting the gray box to the right of the rate code or rate field will open a further set of menu options:

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Refresh Rates: This option is used if changes have been made to the rate code attached to the reservation and the reservation information is to be updated to match. Multiple Rate Code: This option is used to enter a different rate, rate code, market code, source code, number of adults or number of children if any of these entries change during the course of the guests stay. Any or all of these entries may change the rate that the guest is charged for the stay.

To Enter Multiple Rates on a Reservation:

o o o o o o o o o o o o o o Select the gray box to the right of the Rate field and select Multiple Rate Code to view details. Highlight the desired date for a Rate Code change and click Edit. Select the drop down arrow next to Rate Code to view availability for alternate Rate Codes for the selected date. Select an available Rate Code for the same Room Type reserved and click Res. to return the selection to the reservation. Answer Yes to update the Market Code. Answer Yes to update the Source Code Note the newly changed Rate Code and Rate Amount for the Daily Element of Multiple Rate Codes. Click OK to save changes Note the newly changed Rate Code that indicates a rate change in effect by the yellow highlight. Click OK to save changes and return to the main reservation. Click OK to the warning message Note the yellow highlight in the Rate Code, Rate, Market, and Source fields indicating that each of these categories will change during the duration of the guests stay. The displayed fields always default to the arrival dates rate elements. Be sure to save changes before exiting the reservation.

2.1.3 More Fields Tab

From the Reservation screen it is possible to access a secondary screen that holds additional reservation information. To do so, select the More Fields tab directly above the Arrival Date field.

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THE MORE FIELDS SCREEN

The More Fields screen contains posting, tax and transportation information. It is also a screen that may be customized for a hotel or company, so it may appear quite different in each hotel. If the screen varies from the above configuration, hotel management will explain the use of the More Fields screen. No Post: This field will be checked automatically depending on the form of payment in the reservation. If the form of payment is cash or check, the hotel will generally request that no

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automatic postings be made to a guests account unless a substantial deposit is placed on the room. If the No Post field is checked, the telephone interface will not be activated for out-going calls, the restaurants will not be able to post restaurant checks to room charge, movies will not be activated, and so on. Do Not Print Rate: If this box is checked, the rate will not be printed on any confirmation letters or registration cards. Some rate codes are configured Do Not Print automatically, particularly in the case of wholesale rates. This field can be checked for individual reservations as well. Video Check Out: If the guest will be allowed to use video check out, this field will be checked. Like No Post, this field is activated by the payment method. If the guest has sufficient credit at the desk, if a credit card has been used at check in, the Video Check Out option will be allowed. This option is generally not allowed with a cash or check payment type. C/O Time: This field indicates the guests check out time. An entry can be made in this field while the reservation is in reserved or in-house status, however the system will overwrite it with the actual checkout time at the guests departure. This will register the actual check out time in history. Tax Type: If the guest is exempt from some or all taxes, setting the tax type in the reservation will determine which taxes if any will be posted to the guests folios. Exempt No.: If the guest is tax exempt, accounting generally requires a tax-exempt number from the exempt organization. That number should be entered in this field. Pickup Reqd: If the guest requires pickup from the airport, using this yes/no field will generate the following information on a transportation report. Transport Type: The transport type indicates the type of transportation that the guest will require, whether it be shuttle, taxi, limousine or any other type of transport provided or organized by the hotel. Station Code: The station code indicates the pickup location, usually an airport code, port or terminal indicator. Carrier Code: The airline, train, ship or bus line the guest will be using to arrive in the destination city. Transport No.: The flight number, ship number, train number or bus number on the guests ticket. Arrival Date: The date the guest will arrive at the city. Pickup Time: The time the guest would like to be picked up at the station. Drop-Off Reqd: If the guest requires transport to the airport, train station, bus terminal or shipping port, a yes indicator in this field will generate information on a transport report. Transport Type: The transport type indicates the type of transportation that the guest will require, whether it be shuttle, taxi, limousine or any other type of transport provided or organized by the hotel. Station Code: The station code indicates the drop off location, usually an airport code, port or terminal indicator. Carrier Code: The airline, train, ship or bus line the guest will be using to depart from the destination city. Departure Date: The date the guest will depart from the city. Drop-Off Time: The time the guest would like to be dropped off at the station.

2.1.5 Reservation Options

The Options button from the reservations screen contains a large number of functions that can be used to customize a reservation for a guest. Options can be accessed from the reservation screen or from the reservation search screen.

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THE RESERVATIONS OPTIONS SCREEN

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Accompanying This option is used to add a guest to a reservation without opening a folio or allowing separate billing for the guest. To use this option, Select Attach and either locate or create a profile for the accompanying guest. This profile will remain on file in the hotel, however the accompanying guest will not have a separate folio while in the hotel. This is sometimes used instead of the Share function if very simple shares are needed. Add On This option is used to create a copy of the guest reservation. Selecting Add On will create a new reservation with all the same attributes as the original. Some uses for Add On reservations are to create a second reservation for the same arrival and departure dates very easily. Once created, the guests profile can be changed to another. Another use for an Add On reservation is to create a reservation for the same guest for the future. Once the Add On reservation is created, the arrival date can be changed and the reservation is ready.

To Create an Add On Reservation:

o o o o o From a completed reservation, click the Options button in the lower right-hand corner of the screen. From the Reservation Options, select the Add On button. Answer Yes to create the Add On. Make any necessary modifications to the new reservation; click OK to save changes and receive a new confirmation number. Answer OK to the confirmation number message; the new reservation window will close.

Agent/Company This option can be used to attach additional profiles to the reservation. Travel Agent, Company, Group or Source profiles can be located and attached using this feature. There is no difference on the reservation if the profiles are attached using Agent/Company than if they were attached to the main reservation screen. When setting up charge routing, access to additional profiles is quicker from this option.

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Alerts Alerts can be used to generate messages to appear at various times in the life of the reservation. An alert can be configured for a pre-blocked room to appear every time the reservation is accessed prior to check in to warn users not to change the room blocked. Another alert can be configured to appear at check in to locate the Front Office Manager for a VIP arrival, or to collect a voucher needed at check in. Alerts can also be configured at check out to remind users to collect safety deposit box keys.

To Add an Alert to a Reservation:

o o o o o o o o o o From either the Reservations Search results screen or the In-House Guest Search results screen, locate the desired reservation or guest. Highlight the guest and click on Options Choose the Alerts option. Select New to add a new Alert message. Click on the drop down arrow to select the Code Highlight the appropriate Alert and click OK. Click on the drop down arrow to highlight and select the Area or department for the Alert message to be displayed on the reservation. Check-In alerts will display when the Front Desk accesses the arrival; Checkout alerts will display when the Cashier accesses a due-out guest folio; Reservation alerts will display when the record is accessed in Reservations. Click Save to save the Alert Input. Be sure to save changes to the reservation before exiting.

Authorize Direct Bill This option will create an indicator on the reservation that the guest is approved for direct billing. An A/R account must be attached to the profile in the folio window that will be checked out to direct bill. Billing This option appears once the guest has been checked in and will allow the user to access the guest folio while working with the reservation. All normal functions of the billing screen are available by accessing this option, depending on user rights. Changes Any updates or changes made to a guest reservation are logged and available for view. Each change to the reservation is tracked as well as the agent making the change, the time and the date. This option helps to track in history all information on a guest reservation. Confirmation From this option, confirmation letters can be sent to the guest or to any other profile attached to the reservation. Depending on the configuration of the hotels network the confirmation letters may be printed faxed or emailed. They may also be customized for an individual from this option.

To Add and Send a Confirmation Letter:

o o o o o From a completed reservation, click the Options button in the lower right-hand corner of the screen. Select the Confirmation button from the Reservation Options. Highlight the Conf. Name to send and click OK. Click on the drop down arrow next to Address, Email, or Fax to select from available directory information. Highlight the appropriate address to deliver the Confirmation to and click OK.

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If an alternate address, email, or fax is needed, highlighting the New Address, New Email, or New Fax line will initiate the creation of new directory information. Place an X in the field under the preferred delivery method, and click Send. Print jobs will be sent to the workstations designated printer for Confirmations; Fax and Email will open the appropriate programs for delivery. Note the Successful Status for the printed Confirmation. Click Close to return to Reservation Options, then Close to return to the main reservation. An alternate way to initiate the printing of a Confirmation Letter is to check the Confirmation box when creating a new reservation. Once a Confirmation Number is given, the Confirmations screen will automatically appear.

Credit Cards Changes or updates to the credit card authorization information can be made from here. When Opera is installed in an existing hotel, entering the manual authorization information from the previous system will make the guests checkout go much more smoothly. The hotel also has a default calculation for authorizing credit cards, generally the number of nights multiplied by the rate plus either a flat sum or a percentage for taxes and incidentals. There are occasions when this calculation will over-authorize a card, so the option to manually change the expected authorization is included here. Finally, if a guest bill exceeds the amount pre-authorized, additional authorization may be obtained using this option. Delete The delete option will delete the reservation entirely from the database. This option should not be used to replace the cancel option, and is generally controlled through User Rights. Deposit The Deposit option is used to post an advance deposit on a guests reservation. The deposit option may be used to post a deposit request schedule or to post a deposit payment on the reservation. The deposit request schedule is most often used for large group posting master deposits, but may also be used for individual reservations as well. If a deposit schedule rule has been placed on the rate code or the guarantee type on the reservation, the deposit request will be entered on the reservation automatically, otherwise a deposit request can be entered manually.

To Enter a Manual Deposit Request:

o o o o Select New to enter a Deposit Request. By clicking on the drop down arrow next to Type, select the type of deposit requested. Complete the remaining Deposit Request information, and click OK. Percentage input will reflect on the Deposit Amount requested (i.e. 50% would result in a Deposit Amount of $74.50)

To Enter a Deposit Payment:

o o o o o o o Click on Post Deposit to post a collected advance deposit. Log into your Cashier by entering your User Password; click Login. Click on the arrow to select the Payment Method of the advance deposit. Select the appropriate Payment Method and click OK After entering the Amount, click the arrow to select the Reservation Type. Highlight the appropriate Reservation Type and click OK Click OK to complete posting the advance deposit.

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Fixed Charges: The Fixed Charges option is used to pre-set automatic postings on a reservation. These charges post immediately after the Room and Tax postings during the End of Day (Night Audit) Sequence. Some examples of fixed charges might be extra bed charges, parking charges, refrigerator rentals or any other charge that might be automatically added on a nightly basis. Fixed charges can also be entered to post on a weekly or monthly basis as well, and as a result can be used to post weekly or monthly rental fees.

To Enter Fixed Charges:

o o o o o o o o From the Profile Search screen, highlight the desired reservation and click Options. Choose the Fixed Charges option. Select New to enter a fixed charge. Dates will default to original reservation dates of stay. Highlight the desired Transaction Code for the Fixed Charge and click OK. Complete the Amount, Quantity, as well as posting frequency and click OK to save. Click Close to return to the Options menu. Click Close from the Options menu to return to the main Reservation or Reservation Search screen; be sure to save changes before exiting.

History Information on previous guest stays can be found from the Reservations Options screen. Guest History is stored in the profile and may be accessed either through the profile or through a reservation. The stay info screen displays arrival and departure dates from previous stays and folio history for this guest may also be printed from this screen. The Revenue screen displays all accumulated revenue divided into the hotels configured revenue buckets. Housekeeping This option allows special housekeeping requests to be recorded for a reservation. If a guest is requesting daily service at a particular time, this option allows that time to be entered as well as any special requests. The requested time and special requests will appear next to this room on the housekeeping task sheets. If this reservation should be included on the turndown list, it can be marked for turndown here. Itinerary The itinerary button will be displayed if the hotel is using the multi-property license code. If a guest has made reservations in more than one hotel in the multi-property system, the full itinerary including all stays will be displayed here. Locator Locators are used to alert all users to a guests location for transferring telephone calls or for quick access. Locators can be used if a guest will be out of the room, but wishes to have calls transferred to a different location in the hotel. Locators are also used if a guests room is not ready at check in and the guest will need to be located once the room is ready.

To Enter a Locator on a Guests Reservation:

o o o o o o o From a completed reservation, click the Options button in the lower right-hand corner of the screen. Locators can only be placed for guests arriving on the current day or checked in. Select Locator. Select New to enter a new locator. Enter the Begin Date for the locator and the End Date for the locator. Enter the Begin Time and End Time for the locator. On the right side of the screen, highlight the location the guest will be.

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If more text is needed, enter that text in the white space at the bottom of the screen. Select Save when finished.

Messages Text messages can be entered on a guests reservation. In most hotels, this will activate the message light on the telephone in a guests room indicating that a message is waiting. Once a message has been given to a guest, it must be marked as received to inactivate the message lamp in the room.

To Enter a Text Message for a Guest:

o o o o o o o o o o o o o o Select the Messages option. Click New to create a new message. Input the callers Name, Title, and additional information, then click on the drop down arrow next to Message Text to select from pre-defined messages. Select the pre-defined message desired by highlighting, and click OK to save. Once the return Phone No. is entered, press the Tab key to move the message information into the white text box on the right. Enter any additional message text and click Save. Answer Yes to send the message to the guest. This will turn the message light on in the guest room. To print the message for delivery to the guest room, click the Print button on the highlighted message. Input the Number of copies and click OK to print. Note the Message lamp on this in-house guest indicating that a message is waiting to be delivered To mark a message as received by the guest, highlight the message and select the Received button. This will turn off the message light in the guest room. Note the Received message indication with date and time of delivery.

Package Option The Package Option is a tool for front desk users and managers to research how much of a package element has been consumed. Package elements such as breakfast have an upper limit to the amount of money a guest may consume. Above that pre-determined allowance, any further charges will post on the guests bill. The package option displays the allowance amount, the amount consumed by the guest and the overage, which will be posted on the guest bill. Each day the package element is valid is displayed separately. Party Entering more than one room on a reservation creates party reservations. A reservation with multiple rooms and a single confirmation number must at some point be split to multiple rooms and multiple confirmation numbers. Once split, party reservations are located by selecting the original name on the reservation in a search field. All party reservations, regardless of the name on the reservation at check in will display when a search is called by Party name.

To Create Party Reservations:

o o o o o The initial reservation must have more than one room entered in the No. of Rooms field. From the Reservation Search results screen, highlight the primary reservation to begin the party, and click Options. Select the Party button. To split a multiple-room reservation into two separate reservations within the party, highlight the reservation and click Split. Answer Yes to copy payment details from the original reservation to all split reservations; answer No to enter a unique payment for all split reservations.

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Select the Join Party option to join guests into a party with this guest. Search for a guest to join the party by entering the Guest Name and pressing the Tab key to initiate the search. Once the guest is located, highlight the reservation and click Select. Note the newly joined guest to the Party and either click Join Party to continue adding additional guests, or OK to save changes. To change a guest from one party to another, highlight the desired reservation and click Chg. Party. Select the new Party for the reservation to belong to and click OK. Once all additions have been made to the Party, click OK to save changes. Note the PARTY: name indicating the selected guest belongs to a party of reservations. This can be used to locate all party reservations together from a reservations search screen.

Rate Info Rate Info displays the breakdown of room charge, tax and any package elements that are included in the guests rate. This information is displayed in the local currency, but can be changed to display in any currency for which the hotel has an exchange rate configured.

To Display Rate Information:

o o o o o o o From the Reservation Search results screen, highlight the desired reservation and click Options. Select the Rate Info. button to view. Note the daily breakdown of Room Revenue, Tax, Package Summary, and the Total for each day. The Grand Total estimated for the entire reserved stay is located in the lower right-hand corner of the screen. To view transaction details for a specific date, highlight the date and click Details. Daily Rate Details indicate the exact transactions that are estimated to post to the guest folio including totals for revenue and non-revenue postings. Be sure to Close and Save any changes to the reservation before exiting.

Register Card Registration Cards are printed for a guest at check in or prior to arrival. With Opera, a registration card may be printed for a guest at any time from the moment the reservation is made until the day the guest checks out.

To Print a Registration Card:

o o o o o From the Reservation Search screen, locate the desired reservation and highlight; click the Options button. Select the Register Card button. Place an X next to the type of Registration Card to print; click the Print button. Be sure to save changes before exiting the reservation. Unless a room number has been pre-assigned for the guest, the Room Number field will be blank on the registration card.

Room Move The Room Move option is only available after the guest has been checked into the room. Prior to check in, selecting a different room number in the Room field on the reservation can easily change a pre-blocked room. After check in the Room Move feature must be used as the housekeeping status must be updated and all guest information must be transferred automatically to the new room number.

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To Move a Guest to Another Room After Check In:

o o o o o o o o o o o From the In-House Guest Search results screen, highlight the desired room and select the Options button. Select the Room Move option. Click on the drop down arrow next to Move to Room field. The room number that appears is the current room number being occupied. Choose an alternate room from the Available Rooms Search screen and click OK to save. Select OK to save the Room Move. Depending on your hotels policy, select the Housekeeping status for the old room to be returned to. Generally, if the guest has not arrived, the room would be given the most available status (i.e. Inspected or Clean) If the guest arrived and occupied the room for a short length of time, a Pickup status is suggested. If the guest occupied the room for a longer length of time, a Dirty status is suggested. Close from the Reservation Options and note the newly changed Room number for the guest.

Routing Setting up charge routing can be a great time-saver when checking out a guest. If charges are routed correctly, there will be fewer guest complaints at the desk and a much faster check out time. Charges can be automatically separated on a guests folio, or can be moved off the guests folio altogether to a posting master or another guest room.

To Enter Charge Routing Instructions on a Reservation:

o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o From the Reservation Search results screen, highlight the desired reservation and click the Options button. Select the Routing option. Choose to setup a New routing instruction. To route charges from one room to another, select Room Routing; indicate whether the instructions apply for the Entire Stay or Other Dates (i.e. partial dates). Click on the drop down arrow to select the Room/Name to route charges to. Enter the Guest Name or Room Number and press the Tab key to initiate a search. Highlight the desired guest and click OK. Select the transaction codes to route by marking them with an X and click Select. Once the transaction code selected appears at the bottom of the screen, click OK to save. If selecting a pre-defined grouping of billing instructions, place an X to the left of the category and click OK to save. To save the Routing Instructions, click OK. Note the newly created Routing Instructions for this guest. Click Close to return to the reservation and be sure to save changes before exiting. To set up routing of charges from one folio window to another, select the Window Routing option and dates. To route charges to another profile name (i.e. a Company Profile), click on the drop down arrow next to the Route to Name field. Highlight the available Profile name to route charges to and click OK. If no additional profile name exists on the reservation, the Profile Search Screen will appear allowing the search of an existing profile or the creation of a new one. After selecting the transaction codes to route, select the folio window for the charges to be routed to using the drop down arrow next to Window No. Once complete, click on OK to save changes.

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Shares Sharing rooms is a common occurrence in a hotel, however it can be tricky to separate out charges and be sure that each guest is charged the proper amount of room charge. It can also be a difficult situation if the guests arrive or depart on different days.

To Create a Shared Reservation:

o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o From the Reservation Search results screen, locate the desired reservation and click on the Options button. Select the Shares option from the Reservation Options menu. Note the existing reservation information and click Combine. Select From Profile and click on the drop down arrow to select the profile name to share. Search for an existing profile, or create a New Profile if one does not exist. Once the profile is selected, click OK to submit the new name for sharing. Click OK to confirm combining the two guest names on the reservation. Answer Yes to copy payment details from the primary reservation to the share-with reservation. Answer No if a method of payment will be unique for the share-with reservation. Note the two profile names on the reservation and their Nightly Rate Details. (paying full rate for one room). To indicate the primary guest as paying full rate on the reservation and the share-with paying zero, highlight the paying guest and click on Entire. Note that the second guest name is now a zero rate and the primary guest is paying full rate. To resume the status of both guests paying full rate, click on Full. To evenly split the rate between all guests, select the Split option. Note the Share Amt. is now evenly split between both guests Once the rate structure has been decided, click OK to save changes. Note the original reservation now indicates a Share with guest name and Share Lamp. Be certain to save changes before exiting the reservation.

To Combine Two Existing Reservations in a Share:

o o o o o o o o o o o o o o From the Reservation Search results screen, locate the desired reservation and click on the Options button. Select the Shares option from the Reservation Options menu. Note the existing reservation information and click Combine. Select From Reservation and click on the drop down arrow to select the reservation to share. Search for the existing reservation combine by entering Guest Name and pressing the Tab key to initiate the search. Once the reservation is found, highlight it and click Select to combine the two reservations into one sharing reservation Click OK to complete the joining of the two reservations to share. Both reservations will retain their existing Opera confirmation number and can be searched for by either number. Those hotels with a CRS will generally send a cancellation to the reservation that is not primary Note the two profile names on the reservation and their Share Amt. (paying full rate for one room). To indicate the primary guest as paying full rate on the reservation and the share-with paying zero, highlight the paying guest and click on Entire. Note that the second guest name is now a zero rate and the primary guest is paying full rate. To resume the status of both guests paying full rate, click on Full. To evenly split the rate between all guests, select the Split option. Note the Share Amt. is now evenly split between both guests.

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To Break a Shared Reservation:

o o o From the Reservation Search results screen, highlight one of the sharing reservations and click on the Share lamp in the lower left-hand corner Click on the Break Shr. option to separate the reservations. Answer OK to check the turndown status. o This is a reminder that if a turndown request was entered on a share room reservation, it is best to address the separate reservations at this point for that feature. Note the primary reservation is no longer sharing with any guest. Click OK to save changes. o The second reservation is now a good reservation status with an individual room of its own and a unique Opera confirmation number. For hotels with a CRS, a brand new confirmation number is generated for the second reservation.

o o

Traces Traces placed on a guest reservation print on daily trace reports for hotel management. They are an excellent way to automatically communicate between departments to handle special guest requests or instructions. Traces can be used to communicate the need for direct bill authorization, transportation to or from the airport, VIP amenities or room features or special housekeeping touches.

To Enter a Trace on a Reservation:

o o o o o o o o o o o o From the Reservation Search or In-House Guest Search results screen, highlight the desired guest and click the Options button. Select the Traces option. Click on New to add a new Trace. Select the Department to send the trace to by placing an X to the left. If any Trace Texts exist for that department, you may highlight the text to send Any additional instructions or manual trace information should be entered in the white Text field. Click Save to save and create another trace; click OK to save and close. Note the Trace lamp on the reservation. To Resolve the trace, highlight the applicable trace and click Resolve. Resolve All will complete all traces and resolve for the entire record. Note the resolved trace with date and time stamps. Click Close to exit the Traces function.

Wait List If the hotel is overbooked for a date or range of dates, reservations can still be made, but placed on a wait list. Wait listed reservations will not figure into availability figures and are not considered to be deducted from inventory. Managing wait-listed reservations includes being able to prioritize the reservations returning to reserved status, and canceling reservations that will not be able to be placed.

To Create a Reservation For the Wait List:

o o o o o o Once the reservation is complete, a confirmation number will appear. This should NOT be given to the guest as a confirmation number indicates that the reservation will be ready for them upon arrival. Select the Options button from the main Reservation screen. Select Wait List. Enter the Wait List Reason. Enter the Wait List Priority for this reservation. Enter the guests Telephone Number for future reference.

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If any further information is required, type that information in the white space at the bottom of the screen. The reservation is now on the wait list. Moving reservations off the wait list and back to reserved status will be covered in section 2-5

Wake Up Call The Wake Up Call function can be interfaced with some PBX systems to make the Wake Up Call feature automatic. From any workstation a wake up call can be entered for a guest for a single day or for a range of days.

To Set a Wake Up Call for a Guest

o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o From the Reservation Search or In-House Guest Search results screen, highlight the desired guest and click the Options button. Select the Wake Up Call option. To set a single Wake Up Call, select Date. Press Next to continue. Enter the Room No(s), the Date and the Time for the wake up call. Press Set when finished. To set a Wake Up Call for multiple days, select Daily. Press Next to continue. Enter the Room No(s), the From Date and To Date and the Time. Press Set when finished. To set a Wake Up Call for every member of a group, use the option Set Block Wake Up Calls. Enter the block code in the Block Name field, begin and end date for the calls and the time. Press Set to continue To view all current Wake Up Calls entered in the PMS, select the option View Wake Up Calls. Enter any filter criteria needed and press View. All current wake up calls display. To print a list for manual calls, press Print.

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2-2 Update Reservation 2.2.1 Reservation Search

The Reservation Search screen provides a wide variety of options to locate existing reservations. The most common search fields are the guest name or confirmation number, but many more options are available.

Use any of the search fields to locate the reservation and press Search. o Only the first few letters need to be typed in a field to generate a search. o If only a portion of the name is known, using the % sign before the letters will generate a partial name search. For instance, if the name Johnson is to be located, typing %son will locate all names that include the letters son in the name. o In any field with an arrow to the right, place the mouse in the field and press F9 to open the list of values for that field.

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New Using the New button will begin a new reservation. All normal procedures will be followed the rate query screen will appear first, followed by the rate grid and the reservation screen. Check In This option will check in the guest verifying only the room number and the method of payment. It is most often used when checking in posting masters or internal house accounts but should not be used to check in hotel guests. The Edit button will be used to check in hotel guests as the entire reservation screen is displayed and all information can be verbally verified with the guest for accuracy. Cancel If the guest has called to cancel the reservation, this option will register the reservation as cancelled. The room will be returned to available inventory and a cancellation number will be generated. Once the reservation has been cancelled, this button will read, Reinstate and can be used to reactivate the reservation if needed.

To Cancel a Reservation:
o o o o o o o o o From the Main Menu, click Reservations, then Update Reservation. Enter search criteria (i.e. Last Name, Conf. No) and click Search or Advanced for more search criteria. Highlight the correct reservation and click Cancel. Click on the drop down arrow to select from a list of Cancellation Reason choices. Highlight the appropriate Cancellation Reason and click OK. You may complete the cancellation by adding any additional pertinent details in the white text box; click OK to finish. An Opera Cancellation Number will be generated; click OK to exit. If a CRS is the main reservation database, a CRS generated cancellation number will appear. Note the CANCELLED status on the reservation.

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To Reinstate a Cancelled Reservation:

o o o To Reinstate a cancelled reservation, simply choose the Reinstate button. When reinstating, the main Reservation screen will appear allowing any changes to accommodation or guest information; once complete, click OK to save changes. Reinstated reservations do not generate a new Opera Confirmation Number but typically generate a new, unique CRS number.

Profile The Profile button offers access to the guest profile for updating or viewing information. See section 2-6 for complete information regarding guest profiles. Options All reservation options can be accessed from the Reservation Search screen. See section 2.1.6 for complete information on all reservation options. Edit The Edit option will display the complete reservation screen and will allow all information to be accessed and updated. See Section 2.1.3 for a complete discussion of all the fields on the reservation screen. Search The Search option will return the user to the Reservation Search screen for the next reservation search. Close The Close option will return the user to the main Opera screen.

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All Group Business in Opera is created, maintained and updated through the Business Block Options. Depending on the needs of each hotel, one or more of the following options may be available. All of the following options are activated by parameters in configuration of the hotel. All of the possible options will be covered in section 2.3.1 Business Block Business Block Search The Business Block Search screen is used to locate existing business blocks for view or update. There are a wide number of search options available. All of the fields in the yellow-bordered area can be used to locate a specific group block.

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New Business Block To create a new business block, select the New button on the Business Block search screen. There are several steps to creating a New Business Block.

Acct/Com: A company profile may be attached to a Business Block Header. If this is done, the Company profile will appear on each reservation made with this block and the reservation statistics for the company will include all room nights and revenue from each reservation on the block. It is also possible with a company profile attached to use the negotiated rate for the company, and if the company has been approved for direct bill, any charges from the group may be billed out on an Accounts Receivable statement. Agent: A Travel Agent profile may be attached to a Business Block Header. If this is done and a commissionable rate has been attached to the group, all reservations may generate travel agent commission. Source: A Source profile may be attached to a Business Block Header. If this is done, the Source profile will be attached to every reservation in the group. The source profile is sometimes used to pay commission to a company that is not normally considered a travel agent. Group: A Group profile is required to work with the Business Block Header. The Group Profile is used to create the reservation for the posting master, which is automatically created prior to any reservations being entered. Master: This field is available only when Multi-property license codes are in use. It is possible to build a group with a Master Block and Sub Blocks across properties. Checking this field would create this block header as a master block. Sync.: In multi-property, if there are master and sub-blocks, checking this box will synchronize the master and sub blocks each time there is a change.

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Contact: A Contact profile may be attached to a Business Block Header. The Contact profile generally belongs to the person with the group who is the primary intermediary with the hotel. The contact profile contains information and mailing addresses for this person, as it might be different from the group address and telephone information. Property: This field is only displayed when the hotel is using the Multi-Property license codes and is sharing profiles and reservations with a sister property. The property field defines which of the properties will host the group primarily as it must be assigned to one of the multiple properties. Name: The official name of the group as it will be posted. Start Date: The first date that the group rate will be offered. Nights: The number of nights the group rate will be offered. End Date: The official departure date for the group. Status: The status is generally dependant on the status of the group contract. The status determines whether reservations can be made for the group and whether the (unreserved) allotted rooms are counted in the hotels availability or not. A group in starting status would not allow reservations to be picked up and any rooms allotted for the group will not be deducted from hotel inventory counts. A Tentative group may not allow pickup, but may deduct allotted rooms from inventory. A Definite group will allow pickup and all allotted rooms (reserved and unreserved) will be deducted from inventory counts. Market: The Market Code defines where the room revenue generated by this group will be booked on a market code report. Market Codes divide room revenue into statistically useful categories for tracking the types of business that are using the hotel. Source: The Source field indicates where the business was generated. Some examples of Source codes are: GDS, Sales Office, Sister Property, CRO, Repeat, etc. Block Code: The Block Code is the identifying code for this group. The block code links all group reservations together. Elastic Block: If the Elastic Block box is checked, the group will be allowed to pick up more than the allotted rooms and will be allowed to book the group rate before and after the start and end date. If the Elastic Block box is not checked, it will not be possible to book more than the allotted rooms per day and it will not be possible to extend the days for the group easily. It is suggested that if a group is created as non-elastic, that it be made elastic on the day of arrival as it is not possible to separate a shared reservation if there are no additional rooms in the block and the front desk may be handicapped at check in. Res. Type: The Res. Type determines the guarantee status of the group and is linked to the Status Code. It should not be changed. Rate Code: If the group rate structure will follow a standardized rate code, that code can be entered on the Block Header and the rates will be defaulted based on the original configuration of the rate code. If this field is left blank, it will be possible to build rates per room type per day for each individual group. Packages: If a package element is to be included for all members of the group, it can be entered on the Block Header and it will be applied to every reservation.

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Cutoff Date: Entering a date in this field will set the date that all allotted rooms that have not been picked up will be given back to house inventory. The cutoff procedure can be set to be automatic during the End of Day sequence, or can be a manual operation based on a report of blocks and their cutoff dates. A cutoff date will return all rooms for all days of the group at one time. Cutoff Days: Cutoff Days can be configured to allow for a rolling cutoff. For a 3 day group for instance, 7 cutoff days would cut off all unused rooms from the first day of the group 7 days out. The next day, all unused rooms from the second day of the group would be cut off and so on. Follow Up Date: Is used for the hotels account manager to contact the group coordinator for further information. Decision Date: This field is used to register the date by which the group must make a final decision to hold the group at the hotel. After this date, if no decision has been made, the allotted rooms may be released back into general inventory. Trace Code: If the hotel requires follow up on the group, a trace code reminder can be entered in this field for a later date. Edit Use the Edit button to open the highlighted business block for Editing or Update.

Options
Open the Options button to display additional functions that can be used to edit or update the highlighted Business Block.

Add PM
To add an additional Posting Master to the group for billing purposes, select this option.

Changes
Detailed Changes tracks all functions performed on the Business Block Header. These changes include cutoff information, changes to grids, changes to dates, market codes, source codes or any other changes to fields in the Business Block Header. Production Changes tracks all availability changes made to the number of room nights allotted and the associated revenue as well as any changes to the groups status.

Copy
If a group will have more than one business block, it can save time to copy an existing block. Use the Copy button to create a new business block exactly like the one being copied. It will be possible to enter a new start date and select a new block code, but all other information will be copied from the first business block.

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To Copy a Business Block:
o o o o o o o o o

Opera PMS Users Manual 2.0

From the Reservations menu, go to Blocks and select Business Block. Search for the Business Block and highlight the block name; click Display. From the Business Block header to be copied, click Copy. Enter the New Start Date and the New Block Code will automatically populate if the system generates them; if the user is to generate the block code, enter your selection Click OK to accept Click Close to exit from original Business Block The new block will be created with the same name as the original. Alter the name of the new block and any other differences from the original Copied blocks retain a Pending or Initial status until the user indicates that it is Definite or Open for Pickup.

Custom Tour Series

Use this option to create multiple occurrences of the group. With the custom Tour Series, all information on the block will be copied except for the arrival date and the block code, which must be entered manually.

Cutoff
Allotted rooms for a group that are not picked up by a certain date or number of days prior to the groups arrival can be released back to house inventory for pickup by other group or individual reservations. To release all unused allotments at one time, the cutoff function is used. Rooms can be cut off for an individual block or for all blocks at one time.

To Manually Cut Off Group Room Allotments:

From the Reservations menu, go to Blocks and select Business Block. Search for the Business Block and highlight the block name; click Display. The Cutoff button on the search screen is a Global Cutoff and is not used to manually cut off one block. o Click Cutoff to release the unused rooms in this block. Any confirmed reservations remain reserved. o Answer Yes to Cutoff all the Rooms in this Block. o The Available column now shows zero rooms and a Manual Cutoff lamp appears at the bottom of the screen. Click Save to confirm then Close to exit screen. o o o

Delete:
This option will delete the entire group. It is controlled by User Rights. It is not possible to delete a group with active reservations.

Deposit
Deposits for groups are usually placed on the groups primary posting master. All charges paid for by the deposit are then routed to the posting master to balance the credit with charges. Because deposits for groups can be quite large depending on the hotels policy, a schedule for payment may be entered.

To Manually Enter a Deposit Request:

o o o o Select New to enter a Deposit Request. By clicking on the drop down arrow next to Type, select the type of deposit requested. Complete the remaining Deposit Request information, and click OK. Percentage input will reflect on the Deposit Amount requested (i.e. 50% would result in a Deposit Amount of $74.50)

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To Enter a Deposit Payment:

o o o o o o o Click on Post Deposit to post a collected advance deposit. Log into your Cashier by entering your User Password; click Login. Click on the arrow to select the Payment Method of the advance deposit. Select the appropriate Payment Method and click OK After entering the Amount, click the arrow to select the Reservation Type. Highlight the appropriate Reservation Type and click OK Click OK to complete posting the advance deposit.

Notes
To enter notes on a group, select this option. Enter the type of note to file and type the text in the large white box at the bottom of the screen. A notes lamp will appear each time the group is accessed so that any user may view and react to the notes on the group.

Print
This option will take the user to the list of reports configured for business blocks.

Prod. Changes
Production Changes displays all changes made to the room grid or rate information on a group. The date of the change and the user making the change are also displayed.

Refr. Rates
This option can be used if a rate code has been changed or updated on the block header. If the new rate should apply to existing reservations, the Refresh Rates option will update all reservations.

Shift Date
Before a Business Block has been changed to be open for pickup, it is possible to shift the dates for the block if needed. Use the button Shift Date to do so. Simply enter the new start date and press OK. The system will check to be sure the allotted rooms are available, and the block date will be shifted.

Summary Info
This screen displays all revenue and room pickup information for the group. A daily summary report and a block summary report can also be printed from this option.

Tour Series
This option allows the user to quickly create a number of recurring groups on a 1, 2, 3 or 4-week basis. The groups must all start on the same day of the week and must arrive on a regular schedule. Resv. From the main Business Block screen, the button marked Resv. will open to the individual reservations associated with a particular group. In this area, Rooming lists can be created and updated, Routing instructions can be entered for some or all members of a group, rooms can be pre-blocked or checked in and the group can be cancelled if needed. When opening to the Res. screen, the highlighted reservation will always be the groups primary posting master.

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New: Create a new reservation with this group. Edit: Edit the highlighted reservation. Options: The options button on this screen will display the same list of Reservation Options as found in the reservation screen. Any option that may be applied to an individual reservation may be applied to a group reservation. For a full description of all of the options available, refer to Section 2-1. Profile: Profile will display the profile of the guest on the highlighted reservation. Check In: If the arrival date on the reservation is the same as the current date, check in will take the user to the quick check in function. Search: To locate a particular group guest reservation, use the search options. Cancel: This option will allow the user to cancel the highlighted reservation. If the highlighted reservation is the Posting Master, the option will be offered to cancel just the posting master or to cancel the entire group.

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Group Options: A list of options available to group reservations is available. These options include Rooming List, Check In Group, Room Assign, Room Status, Statistics, New Post Master, Delete, Print Keys, Print Registration Cards and all will be covered in the next section.

Rooming List: Enter a list of guest reservations for a group.

To Enter a Group Rooming List:

o o o o o o o o o o o o o o From the Group Reservations Screen, select Group Options. Select Rooming List. On the Rooming List screen, the default entry creates New reservations. The first reservation has the group profile name; change to the first name on the list If the system is to check existing profiles for matches to prevent duplicates, select the option to Check Guest Profile. Continue entering all guest Names, Titles, Arrival Date, Departure Date and Room Types. Use the down arrow on the keyboard to move to the next line. To Share two guests on a rooming list, mark the first guest with an X. Select whether to share the rate Even, Full or if one person will pay the full rate (Zero); press the button marked Share. Mark the sharing guest with an X and press Stop. Shared guests have an asterisk by their Name and the rate information appears in the white space in the center of the screen. Continue entering all names on the rooming list. It is a good idea to Save every 5 names. Reservations with a confirmation number are saved; reservations without a confirmation number did not save. Note that all reservations on this rooming list saved with confirmation numbers.

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Check In Group: Automatically check in all pre-blocked group reservations. The arrival date for the reservations must be the current business date.

To Check In a Group:
o o o o o o o o o From the Group Reservation screen, select Group Options. Select Check In Group. Select whether to check guests into Clean Rooms Only or pre-check them in to dirty or pickup rooms as well. Rooms to be checked in must be pre-blocked prior to accessing Check In Group. Select whether to Print Keys through the key interface or not. Select whether to Print Registration Cards for guests or not. Select Check In when ready. Answer OK to the successful completion message. Check In information displays in the white details window. Click Close to return to Group Options.

Room Assign: Pre-Block Group rooms based on the needs or special requests of the group.

To Pre-Block Rooms for a Group:

o o o o o o o o o o From the Group Reservation screen, select Group Options. Select Room Assign. Enter the Arrival Date for pre-blocking, and a Room Type if applicable. If all reservations are pre-blocked, select All Dates and leave the Room Type field blank. Enter any specific room Features, Smoking preferences or Floors if applicable Check to Include Due Out Rooms and Out of Service Rooms if applicable. Select Save when finished. Answer OK to the successful completion of the auto-block. Note the details of the blocking in the white window. Any reservations unable to block will also appear here as unassigned. Note the newly pre-blocked rooms for the group.

Room Status: This option displays the housekeeping status for all pre-blocked rooms arriving on the current business date. It can be used to view all rooms prior to the groups arrival. Statistics: This option displays information regarding the number of rooms for each room type that have been picked up each day and the number of guests arriving for each room type each day. New Post Master: If charges for group billing are to be separated into more than eight separate folio windows, a second Posting Master will be required to satisfy the groups billing needs. This option will automatically create additional posting masters for the group as needed. Delete: This option will delete the entire group. It is controlled by User Rights. Print Keys: If a working key interface is in use by the hotel, it is possible to pre-print all group room keys for pre-blocked rooms using this option.

To Print Keys for a Group Arrival:

o o o o o From the Group Reservations screen, select Group Options. Select Print Keys. Select either to print keys automatically for each pre-blocked group member, or to have a Yes/No prompt for each key. Select the number of keys for each arriving guest. Select OK to begin printing keys.

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Print Registration Card: This option can be used to pre-print registration cards for an arriving group.

To Print Group Registration Cards:

o o o o o o From the Group Reservation screen, select Group Options. Select Print Registration Cards. Registration cards can be printed for only guests due in on the current day, guests who have already been checked in, or all guests arriving today or in the future for this group. Select the option that applies and click Print. Select the appropriate sort criteria. Guest Name prints alphabetically, Room Class prints according to room type and Room prints in room number order. Select OK when ready to print.

Check In: Will automatically check in the highlighted reservation. Room number and method of payment will be verified. Delete: Will delete the highlighted reservation. This option is controlled by User Rights. Profile: Will access the profile attached to the highlighted reservation. Search: Will search through a large list of reservations for a particular guest. Cancel: Will cancel the highlighted reservation. If the highlighted reservation is the primary posting master, the option to cancel the entire group will be offered. Grid The Room Grid is where all rooms for the group are allotted. There are several possible grids for each Business Block: o Contract Grid: This grid does not affect availability and is used to enter the precise number of rooms per room type that have been designated on the contract. This grid is used for comparison to pickup and released grids for reporting purposes. o Original Grid: This is the first grid allotted for the group. The original grid allotments are made while the business block is still in a tentative status. The original grid will no longer be able to be updated once the group has been turned definite. This grid then becomes a benchmark against which to compare actual totals. o Current Grid: This grid appears once the group has been turned Definite and shows all rooms both picked up and allotted. o Available Grid: This grid displays the number of rooms in each room type each day that have been allotted but not yet picked up as actual reservations. o Pickup Grid: This grid displays the number of rooms in each room type each day that have been picked up as actual reservations. o Pickup Percentage: This grid displays the percentage of allotted rooms that have been picked up as actual reservations. o Changes to Original: This grid displays any difference between the Original Grid and the Current Grid. o Released: This grid displays any rooms that have been washed back to inventory or have been cut off. o 1 Person Rate: This grid displays the rates for 1 person for each room type for each day. o 2 Person Rate: This grid displays the rates for 2 persons for each room type for each day. o 3 Person Rate: This grid displays the rates for 3 persons for each room type for each day. o 4 Person Rate: This grid displays the rates for 4 persons for each room type for each day.

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Wash: This option allows the user to release rooms by a set number or by a percentage back to house inventory.

To Wash Rooms From a Business Block:

o o o o o o o o o o From the Reservations menu, go to Blocks and select Business Block. Search for the Business Block and highlight block name; click Display. Click on Room Grid to access the blocks room allocation. Click on Wash to decrease block inventory. Verify the Date Range or days of week to decrease inventory. Select to wash rooms By Value or By Percentage and enter the value or percentage of rooms to decrease. Select the Room Types to be washed. The only choices available are Room Types that have more than 0 rooms blocked. Click Apply to accept. Answer Yes to decrease block inventory The newly washed inventory displays in the grid.

Range: This option is used to allocate the number of rooms for each room type for each day as well as to enter the rates for 1, 2, 3 or 4 people if a rate code has not been entered on the Block Header.

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To Allocate Rooms to a Business Block:

o o o o o o o o From the Reservations menu, go to Blocks and select Business Block. Search for the Business Block, and highlight the block name and click Display. Click on Room Grid to modify the number of rooms held for this block The Room Grid displays in an Original view until the block changes to a pickup status. Notice all other views are ghosted out at this stage. Once the status of the block is definite, the view changed to Current. Click on Range to modify the rooms and/or rates The Date Range defaults to the start/end dates of the block. This can be changed if there is a need to enter a smaller range of dates. Select the Room Types with an X to modify. The values ranged apply per Room Type & per Night. o If a Rate Code is used on the header, rates will not appear on this screen and only the rooms need to be entered. o If no Rate Code exists on the header, Rates will need to be entered. Rate 1 is the rate for one-person occupancy; Rate 2 is the rate for two person occupancy, and so on. o Remember that Rates are applied for all Room Types selected. Be sure to select similarly priced Room Types. Once rates are entered, click Apply to save changes. Answer Yes to modify the Rooms Grid for the Business Block. Rates can now be viewed by selecting the appropriate Rate (i.e. 1 Person Rate, 2 Person Rate, etc). To offer additional flexibility with the groups inventory, click on Range to modify the grid. Enter zero number of rooms for all the other room types. If there is no Rate Code in the header, enter the Rates as well. Click Apply and then Yes to modify the grid. In the Original view, all Room Types display counts whether holding rooms or not In the Rate view, rates that would be quoted if there were rooms available in general inventory display.

o o o o o o o o

Priorities: In a hotel with a large number of room types, it may be helpful to reorder the room types for the purposes of reading the grids more easily. The priorities button allows the user to order the room types on the grid in a more useful sequence.

To Enter Room Priorities on a Room Grid:

o o o o o o o o From the Reservations menu go to Blocks and select Business Block. Search for the Business Block and highlight the block name; click Display Select Room Grid Select Priorities. Answer Yes to see minimum available rooms. o Room Types display in default order sequenced in System Configuration. Click on the line for the Room Type that is the 1st in sequence for this group block, then click on the 2nd and so forth; the numbers automatically populate in the Pr. No column. Select Sort to rearrange the sequence order. Click OK to accept the changed sequence order o Notice the newly prioritized rooms displayed in the order (left to right) chosen.

Res: Any reservations attached to this Block Header will be displayed and can be edited or updated if needed. Details: House availability and all details concerning a room type on a particular day are displayed.

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2.3.12 Quick Business Block

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The Quick Business Block offers an alternative to the full Business Block for hotels that may have simpler group needs. The Quick Business Block contains all the system-required fields for creating a Business Block, but the screens are more streamlined and easy to use. The Quick Business Block may be used in addition to the full Business Block or may be used instead of the full Business Block. The Quick Business Block Search Screen is much simpler and easier to use.

Search: The Quick Business Block Search screen is used to locate existing business blocks for view or update. There are a number of search options available. All of the fields in the yellowbordered area can be used to locate a specific group block.

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New: To create a new business block, select the New button on the Business Block search screen. There are several steps to creating a New Business Block.

Acct/Com: A company profile may be attached to a Business Block Header. If this is done, the Company profile will appear on each reservation made with this block and the reservation statistics for the company will include all room nights and revenue from each reservation on the block. It is also possible with a company profile attached to use the negotiated rate for the company, and if the company has been approved for direct bill, any charges from the group may be billed out on an Accounts Receivable statement. Agent: A Travel Agent profile may be attached to a Business Block Header. If this is done and a commissionable rate has been attached to the group, all reservations may generate travel agent commission. Group: A Group Profile may be attached to a Quick Block Header. If this is done, this particular group profile will be attached to every reservation in the block. Master?: This field is available only when Multi-property license codes are in use. It is possible to build a group with a Master Block and Sub Blocks across properties. Checking this field would create this block header as a master block. Property: This field is only displayed when the hotel is using the Multi-Property license codes and is sharing profiles and reservations with a sister property. The property field defines which of the properties will host the group primarily as it must be assigned to one of the multiple properties. Sync.: In multi-property, if there are master and sub-blocks, checking this box will synchronize the master and sub blocks each time there is a change.

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Contact: A Contact profile may be attached to a Business Block Header. The Contact profile generally belongs to the person with the group who is the primary intermediary with the hotel. The contact profile contains information and mailing addresses for this person, as it might be different from the group address and telephone information. Source: A Source profile may be attached to a Business Block Header. If this is done, the Source profile will be attached to every reservation in the group. The source profile is sometimes used to pay commission to a company that is not normally considered a travel agent. Name: The official name of the group as it will be posted. Start Date: The first date that the group rate will be offered. Nights: The number of nights the group rate will be offered. End Date: The official departure date for the group. Block Code: The Block Code is the identifying code for this group. The block code links all group reservations together. Status: The status is generally dependant on the status of the group contract. The status determines whether reservations can be made for the group and whether the (unreserved) allotted rooms are counted in the hotels availability or not. A group in starting status would not allow reservations to be picked up and any rooms allotted for the group will not be deducted from hotel inventory counts. A Tentative group may not allow pickup, but may deduct allotted rooms from inventory. A Definite group will allow pickup and all allotted rooms (reserved and unreserved) will be deducted from inventory counts. Res. Type: The Res. Type determines the guarantee status of the group and is linked to the Status Code. It should not be changed. Rate Code: If the group rate structure will follow a standardized rate code, that code can be entered on the Block Header and the rates will be defaulted based on the original configuration of the rate code. If this field is left blank, it will be possible to build rates per room type per day for each individual group. Cutoff Date: Entering a date in this field will set the date that all allotted rooms that have not been picked up will be given back to house inventory. The cutoff procedure can be set to be automatic during the End of Day sequence, or can be a manual operation based on a report of blocks and their cutoff dates. A cutoff date will return all rooms for all days of the group at one time. Cutoff Days: Cutoff Days can be configured to allow for a rolling cutoff. For a 3 day group for instance, 7 cutoff days would cut off all unused rooms from the first day of the group 7 days out. The next day, all unused rooms from the second day of the group would be cut off and so on. Market: The Market Code defines where the room revenue generated by this group will be booked on a market code report. Market Codes divide room revenue into statistically useful categories for tracking the types of business that are using the hotel. Source: The Source field indicates where the business was generated. Some examples of Source codes are: GDS, Sales Office, Sister Property, CRO, Repeat, etc.

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Elastic Block: If the Elastic Block box is checked, the group will be allowed to pick up more than the allotted rooms and will be allowed to book the group rate before and after the start and end date. If the Elastic Block box is not checked, it will not be possible to book more than the allotted rooms per day and it will not be possible to extend the days for the group easily. It is suggested that if a group is created as non-elastic, that it be made elastic on the day of arrival as it is not possible to separate a shared reservation if there are no additional rooms in the block and the front desk may be handicapped at check in.

To Use the Quick Block Functionality:

o o o o o o o o o From the Main Menu, select Reservations and Blocks. Select Quick Business Block. To create a new Business Block, select New. Enter the Name of the group, the Start Date, number of Nights and End Date. The Block Code defaults to the hotels format for block codes in the Application Settings. The Status defaults to the beginning group status and the Res Type defaults based on the Status. Enter a Rate Code if necessary and determine whether the block is Elastic or nonelastic. Enter the Cutoff Date or Cutoff Days, the Market code and Source code. Press Save when finished. All other group functions are available from this screen.

Edit: Use the Edit button to open the highlighted business block for Editing or Update.

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2.3.13 Inquiry

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The Inquiry function allows a user to search for availability for potential group business for a single date or multiple dates. Its possible to search for availability by room type or by general house inventory. Once a date is decided upon, the Quick Business Block function can be accessed for easy entry of group information.

Acct/Comp: Attach an Account or Company profile during the Inquiry process. This may assist in attaching negotiated rates if included on the profile. Any profile attached during the Inquiry process will be automatically transferred to a Business Block if the group is booked. Agent: Attach a Travel Agent profile during the Inquiry process. Any profile attached during the Inquiry process will be automatically transferred to a Business Block if the group is booked. Contact: Attach a Contact profile during the Inquiry process. Any profile attached during the Inquiry process will be automatically transferred to a Business Block if the group is booked. Source: Attach a Source profile during the Inquiry process. Any profile attached during the Inquiry process will be automatically transferred to a Business Block if the group is booked. Property: This field will only appear if the hotel is using the Multi-Property license code. Entering one of the multiple properties will help to focus the search.

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Attractions: This field will only appear if the hotel is using the Multi-Property license code. If a particular attraction is required, the search will be conducted only for those hotels able to provide quick access to a particular attraction. Property Type: This field will only appear if the hotel is using the Multi-Property license code. If a particular property type is required, the search will be conducted only for those hotels fitting the property type description. Property Features: This field will only appear if the hotel is using the Multi-Property license code. If particular property features are required, the search will be conducted only for those hotels that have these features. Meeting Features: This field will only appear if the hotel is using the Multi-Property license code. If particular meeting features are required, the search will be conducted only for those hotels that have these features. Destination: This field will only appear if the hotel is using the Multi-Property license code. If a local destination is part of the focus of the group, entering that destination here will generate a search only in those properties that are local to the destination. Start Date: The date that the group rate will first be offered. # Nights: The total number of nights the group rate will be offered. End Date: The date that the group rate will no longer be offered. Alternate Dates: Additional dates that the group contact may be willing to begin the group if the primary date is unavailable. Range From: The first date in a range of dates that the contact may be willing to begin the group. To: The last date in a range of dates that the contact may be willing to book the group. # Nights Stay: The total number of nights the group will expect to be in house. Arrival Day: For a range of days, the days of the week that the group can be booked to begin. Rooms per day: The number of rooms that will be required per day. The system will check availability on this figure, so it should be close or equal to the maximum number of rooms required on the highest occupancy night. Rate Code: If a rate code is entered here, the Inquiry function will check availability of the rate code during the requested dates. Room Types: If specific room types are to be checked for availability they should be entered here. %: If the % sign is checked, the system will look for this percentage of the rooms per day in the room type associated. If the % sign is not checked, the system will search for a number of rooms in the associated room type.

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Availability: Once all the requested information is entered, using this button will access the availability screen that will display which dates have availability and which do not.

Bus. Block: If the group will be booked, this button will access a new business block for information entry. Reset: If the Inquiry function will be used to search for a different group or set of criteria, the Reset button will return the Inquiry screen to its default settings.

2-4 Standard Groups

The Standard Groups Module is available to organize a number of reservations with similar features and allow them to have the same functionality as a group. The reservations from the Standard Groups module are not tracked as groups, but as individual reservations.

2.4.1 Profile
The Standard Group is connected using a Group Profile. This Group Profile can be used for more than one Standard Group or it may be created new for each new Standard Group. Once the profile has been selected, a reservation for the total number of rooms needed is made.

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2.4.2 New
A reservation is created like any other, however the Group Profile will be attached, and the number of rooms will equal the total number of rooms needed by the group. The rate code and rate should be entered as well as the market code and payment method. Once the reservation is saved, a posting master is created.

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2.4.3 Reservation List

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The Reservation List contains all individual reservation information. Upon entering this screen the first time, the standard group reservation will be displayed with the total number of rooms required. These rooms will need to be split into individual reservations, which will also create the posting master automatically. Each reservation can then be edited or updated as needed.

Once split, the reservations can be handled separately.

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Edit: The Edit option will display the complete reservation screen and will allow all information to be accessed and updated. See Section 2.1.3 for a complete discussion of all the fields on the reservation screen. Check In: This option will check in the guest verifying only the room number and the method of payment. It is most often used when checking in posting masters or internal house accounts but should not be used to check in hotel guests. The Edit button will be used to check in hotel guests as the entire reservation screen is displayed and all information can be verbally verified with the guest for accuracy. Profile: The Profile button offers access to the guest profile for updating or viewing information. See section 2-6 for complete information regarding guest profiles. Cancel: If the guest has called to cancel the reservation, this option will register the reservation as cancelled. The room will be returned to available inventory and a cancellation number will be generated. Once the reservation has been cancelled, this button will read Reinstate and can be used to reactivate the reservation if needed.

To Cancel a Reservation:
o o o o o o o o o From the Main Menu, click Reservations, then Update Reservation. Enter search criteria and click Search or Advanced for more search criteria. Highlight the correct reservation and click Cancel. Click on the drop down arrow to select from a list of Cancellation Reason choices. Highlight the appropriate Cancellation Reason and click OK. You may complete the cancellation by adding any additional pertinent details in the white text box; click OK to finish. An Opera Cancellation Number will be generated; click OK to exit. If a CRS is the main reservation database, a CRS generated cancellation number will appear. Note the CANCELLED status on the reservation.

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To Reinstate a Cancelled Reservation:
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To Reinstate a cancelled reservation, simply choose the Reinstate button. When reinstating, the main Reservation screen will appear allowing any changes to accommodation or guest information; once complete, click OK to save changes. Reinstated reservations do not generate a new Opera Confirmation Number but typically generate a new, unique CRS number.

Options: All reservation options can be accessed from the Reservation Search screen. See section 2.1.6 for complete information on all reservation options. Group Options: A list of options available to group reservations is available. These options include Rooming List, Check In Group, Room Assign, Room Status, Statistics, New Post Master, Delete, Print Keys and Print Registration Cards. See section 2.3.1 for complete information on all group options. Split All: Selecting Split All will separate the single reservation for multiple rooms into multiple reservations for single rooms. This function is required before anyone can be checked into the rooms. Search: Locate a single guest reservation from a list of reservations.

To Create a Standard Group:

o o o o o o o Select Reservations and Standard Groups Module. Enter or create the Group Profile. Select OK. Select Yes to Create a New Reservation? Enter all Group Information. Enter the total number of rooms required and the main room type needed. Select OK when all reservation information is complete. From the Group Reservations Screen, Select Split All. This will split the group reservation into individual reservations with individual profiles. Once the reservations are split, highlight each reservation in turn, select Profile and enter the guests name in the profile.

To Update a Standard Group:

o o o o Select Reservations and Standard Groups Module Locate the Group Profile. Select OK. Select Display to display the existing Standard Group. Edit or update the reservations as necessary.

2-5 Wait List

The Wait List feature is optional for hotels, and helps to manage reservations created and set aside to wait for availability. Once a reservation has been placed on the wait list, it is given a reason for being placed on the wait list and a priority for return to reservation status. From the wait list function, a front office manager is able to view reservations, profiles and information to make informed decisions as to which reservations to return first. A cancel function is also included if the reservations must be canceled rather than returned to reserved status.

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2.5.1 Search
The Wait List Search Screen provides a number of options to locate waitlisted reservations.

Name: Locate the guest by typing in the guests last name. Date: Entering a date in this field will locate all waitlisted reservations whose stay dates cross the entered date. This means that the date field will locate any reservation that will be an arrival, stay-over or due out on the date entered. Property: This field is only used if the Multi-Property license code is used. This will target a search for waitlisted reservations to one of the properties. All Properties: This field is only used if the Multi-Property license code is used. This will search for all waitlisted reservations in all properties. Profile: This button will access the guests profile. This can be useful when checking previous guest stays, profile notes or VIP status of the guest in order to make a determination as to which reservations should be returned to reserved status first. View: This button will access the guests reservation information. This can be useful when checking current stay information such as rate, discounts, reservation comments, and membership status or market code. Accept Res: Using this option will revert the reservation to reserved status and remove it from the wait list. Before moving this reservation, the reservation screen will be displayed so that any changes to rate or room type may be entered. Cancel: This option will cancel the reservation and remove it from the wait list.

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2-6 Profiles

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Profiles are the main building block in Opera. Each guest reserving a room at the hotel must have a profile, which is generally created during the reservation process. Even after the guest departs the hotel, the profile remains in Opera for the next reservation. Profiles are constantly updated as more information about the guest is made available to the hotel. A profile is used to keep track of the guests special requests and preferences, as well as address and contact information. Extensive text notes may also be kept for a guest as well as credit card information, membership numbers and any negotiated rates the guest may be eligible to receive. Profiles can be quite extensive for regular guests and help to achieve the guests expectations for each and every visit. In addition to individual guest profiles, there are other types as well. Each company that does business with the hotel also has a company profile in the system. Company profiles are used to track the number of guest stays as well as revenue that the company has booked at the hotel. If a company has a negotiated rate, this is entered on the company profile and can be booked by a guest if that companys profile is attached to the guest reservation. Company profiles may also be allowed direct billing by accounting, and in this case the company profile would be used to create the A/R account. Travel Agent profiles are used to track commission payment information. Each travel agent profile tracks the percentage commission that agent should receive for booking rooms, as well as the address information for sending the check once a commission is ready to be paid. A hotel uses source profiles for various reasons. It may be a requirement to track business from other than a company profile, as in the case of a Chamber of Commerce recommendation or employee referrals. Source profiles can also be configured to calculate commission records to keep group or wholesale commission records separate from actual travel agents. Group profiles are required for all group reservations. This profile is automatically created in the Quick Business Block and must be created or added to a Business Block before being able to make reservations for the group. In the case of a Standard Group, the group profile is used to pull all reservations together in place of the block code that is used in the Business Block or Quick Business Block. Contact profiles are optional for hotels and are generally used when a large amount of group business takes place at the hotel. Contact profiles are kept for the individual meeting planners and organizers and help to track the amount of business that each meeting planner brings to the hotel.

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2.6.1 Search
To search for a profile, select the Profiles option from the Reservations menu.

Name: To locate a specific profile, type the first few letters of the guests last name in this field. All profiles that start with those letters will be displayed. First Name: To locate a guest more specifically, it may be helpful to enter the guests first name in this field to narrow the search. For instance, if the guests last name is Smith, a large number of profiles will be returned from a last name search. If the guests name is Zebediah Smith, typing in the first name will reduce the total number of profiles returned. Mem. Type: If the guest has a membership number, this number is unique and searching by the membership type and number together will return the one guest in the system with that number. Member No. Used in connection with the Membership Type field, a search for this information will return the one guest in the system with this number. City: This field can be used to further locate a specific guest. For instance, if John Smith is calling, a search by First and Last Name may return a large number of profiles. Looking for John Smith from Little Rock may reduce the number of profiles returned. Keyword: Keywords can be entered on a profile to assist in looking up profiles by acronyms or commonly used names. For instance, AAA will probably be entered into the system as American Automobile Association, and will not be able to be located by typing AAA in the Name field. If the keyword AAA has been entered on the profile, it is possible to locate the profile using this search field. It is a customizable search field for users. It is possible to use keywords to enter A/R numbers as well if that is a search that is common. Client ID: The client ID number can be used to search for the specific profile. IATA No.: The IATA number is unique and can be used to locate a specific travel agent, as many travel agents have the same name, particularly if they are part of a large consortium. Corporate ID.: The Corporate ID number can be entered into a profile to assist in locating a particular company. View By: To search for only one particular type of profile, select the type under View By.

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To Search for a Profile:
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From the Main Menu, select Reservations button; then choose the Profiles option. Choose the type of profile being searched in the View By field. Enter search criteria in any field(s) surrounded by the yellow line and press the Tab key to initiate your search; highlight the line for the selected profile and click Profile to view details. The more criteria entered, the fewer results displayed. For a partial search, enter partial criteria and press Tab to initiate the search. Double-click on profile line to view details.

Enrollment If the hotel has a 2-way Central Reservations Interface and membership enrollment has been activated, it is possible to enroll a new guest in the hotels membership program directly from the profile.

To Enroll a Guest in a Membership Program:

o o o o o o o o o o o o From the Profile Search Screen, select a profile and click the Enrollment button. Enrollment may also be selected from details inside the profile by clicking the Enrollment button. Enrollment may also be selected from details inside the profile by clicking the Membership button. If a profile already has a Membership attached, this button will be gray Any guest information that exists on the profile automatically populates to the Guest Enrollment; Click OK once completed. Required fields have BOLD field descriptions and highlighted fields. If the guest prefers to receive airline mileage rather than loyalty program points, Alliance Code and Number must be entered and validated. If the guest prefers to let the system generate a membership number, leave the Number field blank next to Program. If the guest prefers to select a number, the number must be nine (9) numeric digits. Employee ID automatically populates based on User Profile. See How To Add an Employee (User) Name for specific details. Answer Yes or No to print the Enrollment summary once complete. This summary can be used as a temporary card for the newly enrolled guest. Click on the Enrollment button to proceed. Note the confirmed Enrollment in the Membership tab.

Lookup This field is only used with a two-way interface that will support the functionality. It can be used to look up a guest from a large bank of profiles kept at a Central Reservations System. Resv. To use the highlighted profile to begin a reservation, select this option. Edit To view or update the highlighted profile select this option. New Profile To create a new profile, select this option. Below is a screen showing an individual profile.

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2.6.2 Individual Profiles

Last Name: The last name of the guest as it will appear on registration cards, folios, confirmation letters and reports. It is important throughout the program, and especially in the profile to enter the information exactly as it should appear on printed documents, with proper capital and small letters. As this field will be used throughout the program to locate the guest, it is very important that it is also spelled correctly. Notice that the Last Name label is in bold text. This indicates that the system requires an entry in this field to save this profile. First / Middle: The first and middle names of the guest. Language / Title: The guests native language. The local language will default in this field, but if the guest is more comfortable using another language, some PBX systems are able to read this field to set voice mail instructions in the guests language. In a hotel where multiple languages are used to print folios, reg cards and reports, this field will activate the appropriate language for the guests printed information as well. The title indicates how the guest prefers to be addressed and will also be used on printed letters. Address: The street address of the guest. An address may be entered directly in this field, and will become the guests primary address. It is possible to enter additional addresses by opening the arrow to the right of this field. City: The city for the guests primary address. Postal Cd. / Ext.: The Zip Code and 4-digit extension for the guests primary address. Country / State: The country and state for the guests primary address. The postal code and country in combination will default the state.

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Salutation: The opening salutation on any mail correspondence to the guest. The information here will be defaulted from the title field, but may be updated if the guest would like to have letters addressed to him by his first name only, for instance. VIP: If the guest has a VIP status at the hotel, that information should be entered here. Reports are run based on this field for VIPs arriving or in-house. Housekeeping can also clean rooms based on this VIP status if required. Nationality: The guests nationality. Check to be sure that this field is being used at your hotel as some hotels do not like to use it. Ref. Curr.: If the hotel has the capability of printing guest bills in 2 currencies, it is possible to enter the guests home currency in this field. If this is different from the local currency and the folios are configured to do so, both the local currency and the guests home currency will be printed on the folio. This also assumes that an exchange rate has been configured for the guests home currency. Interest: If the hotel tracks guest interests for updates and recommendations that information can be entered in this field. Reports can be run for guests arriving or in-house based on particular interests so that they can be directed to local area happenings that would appeal to them. Mail Action: If the hotel sends out mailing information, the mailing actions can be configured to put a guest on a particular mailing list, such as Christmas Card list or Travel Agent Promotional mailings. Mailing List: This check box indicates whether a guest would like to be on a mailing list or not. If the box is marked N, the guest will not be on any mailing list from the hotel. Property: This field is only visible if the Multi-Property license codes are activated. The property field indicates the current property, and the profile information that applies to that property. When profiles are shared across properties, some information applies to all, such as name and address information, while some information is property-specific, such as requested room features or A/R numbers. Keyword: If the Account has a familiar name or acronym, that information can be entered in the keyword field so that it can be used to locate the profile from the search screen. Notes: In this section, extensive notes can be taken about a guest. Most of these notes are kept on the profile only, but Reservation Notes have the ability to be moved to every reservation made by this guest. In this way, guests special requirements can be accessed at any time. Date of Birth: Some hotels keep this information for mailing birthday cards. Passport: If the hotel must register a passport number, either by hotel policy or country requirement, it can be entered in this field. Client ID: Configure a hotel-specific identification number that can be used on the profile search screen. Communications: Telephone Numbers, Web Sites, Mobile Phone Numbers, Email Addresses can all be entered here. If the hotel has a fax interface, entering a fax number here will allow confirmation letters or A/R statements to be faxed directly. If the hotel has an email interface, entering an email address here will allow confirmation letters to be emailed directly from Opera.

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Contact: If this guest is a contact for a group or company, checking this box will create a contact profile for this guest. The contact profile can then be attached to groups or reservations as needed. History: If this guests profile information should be kept in history even if there is a period of no activity, this should be checked. This field defaults the profile to be saved in history automatically. Search: Locate another existing guest profile.

Options
Changes All changes made to a profile are registered and tracked for research purposes. Credit Cards Many guests expect that once a credit card number has been given to a hotel, that number will be kept on file for ease of use in making future reservations. The Credit Card option allows all credit cards to be registered on the guests profile.

To Add a Credit Card to a Profile:

o o o o o o o o o o o From the Profile Search screen, highlight the desired profile; double-click or choose Profile to view details. Select Options. Choose the Credit Card button. Select the New option to add a new credit card. Click on the drop arrow to choose the appropriate credit Card Type. Select the credit Card Type and click OK. Enter the Credit Card Number and Expiration Date to complete; click Save. The sequence is the order that this credit card will appear for payment if there are multiple credit cards on the profile. Note the newly added credit card. Either select Close to return to the profile, or New to add another credit card. Be sure to click OK on the main profile screen to save your changes to the profile.

Delete To delete this profile, select this button. It is not possible to delete a profile with active reservations. Enrollment If the hotel has a 2-way Central Reservations Interface and membership enrollment has been activated, it is possible to enroll a new guest in the hotels membership program directly from the profile.

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To Enroll a Guest in a Membership Program:
o o o o o o o o o o o o

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From the Profile Search Screen, select a profile and click the Options button. Select the Enrollment button. Enrollment may also be selected by clicking the Membership button. If a profile already has a Membership attached, this button will be gray Any guest information that exists on the profile automatically populates to the Guest Enrollment; Click OK once completed. Required fields have BOLD field descriptions and highlighted fields. If the guest prefers to receive airline mileage rather than loyalty program points, Alliance Code and Number must be entered and validated. If the guest prefers to let the system generate a membership number, leave the Number field blank next to Program. If the guest prefers to select a number, the number must be nine (9) numeric digits. Employee ID automatically populates based on User Profile. See How To Add an Employee (User) Name for specific details. Answer Yes or No to print the Enrollment summary once complete. This summary can be used as a temporary card for the newly enrolled guest. Click on the Enrollment button to proceed. Note the confirmed Enrollment in the Membership tab.

Future All future reservations for this guest are kept on this tab. Depending on user rights, any future reservation can be accessed and updated from the guests profile. History All previous reservations, no-shows, cancellations and current in-house information are kept in the history tab. It is possible to view Year To Date information on total revenue produced by the guest as well as accumulated membership points. Finally, from the history tab, any previous folio information can be viewed and reprinted. Memberships Many hotel chains offer loyalty club points for frequent guest stays, and it can be very complicated to calculate the points accumulated manually. Entering membership information in the guests profile can help to automatically calculate points each time the guest stays at the hotel. For hotels that offer Frequent Flyer points for staying, this information is also kept here.

To Attach Membership Information to a Profile:

o o o o o o o o From the Profile Search screen, select an Individual Profile, select Options and choose the Membership button. Select New to add a new membership record. Select the drop down arrow to the right of Type and Level to select the appropriate Member Type and Level. Highlight the appropriate Membership Type and choose OK. Highlight the appropriate Membership Level and choose OK. Complete the remaining membership information and choose OK to save. Note the newly added Membership record and Close to return to the Individual Profile. Save changes on the Individual Profile by selecting OK.

Merge If more than one profile for a single guest has been created, it is possible to merge the profiles together to combine the statistical information and revenues.

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To Merge Profiles:
o o o o o o o o o o From the Profile Search screen, enter search criteria for multiple profiles to be merged; press the Tab key to initiate the search. Highlight the profile with the correct information being saved and click Profile to view details. Select the Options button in the lower, right-hand corner. Click on the Merge option. Re-enter the search criteria for the duplicate profile; press the Tab key to initiate the search. Highlight the duplicate profile; click OK to begin the Merge Review information on the duplicate profile with the original profile; select Merge to combine the two. Merge Status will display during the merge process. All guest information will be merged including Statistics, History, Commissions, Preferences, Credit Cards, Relationships, Future Reservations, and Memberships. Once the Merge is successful, click OK to return to the main profile.

Negotiated Rates If a hotel has negotiated a discounted rate with an individual or company, that rate will be kept in the profile. Each time a new reservation is created, as long as the profile is accessed for the rate query, only the negotiated rates will be returned. This function is fundamental in ensuring that the negotiated rates are used at all times and prevents callbacks and adjustments to room rates. Notes In this section, extensive notes can be taken about a guest. Most of these notes are kept on the profile only, but Reservation Notes have the ability to be moved to every reservation made by this guest. In this way, guests special requirements can be accessed at any time. Preferences Preferences are used to indicate a guests permanent requests. For instance, if a guest is allergic to cigarette smoke, entering a non-smoking preference in the profile will restrict the system from assigning a smoking room for the guest at check in. Each hotel configures its own set of preferences and care should be taken not to enter too many preferences in the profile, as many are one-time requests. Preferences can also be entered for single reservations as well.

To Add Guest Preferences to a Profile:

o o o o o o o o o From the Profile Search screen, locate the profile; choose the Profile button or doubleclick on the profile line for details. Select Options. Click on the Preferences button. Select New to add a preference. Select a Preference Group then choose OK. Select all applicable preferences by placing an X in the field to the left of each. Once all selections have been made, click OK. Note the newly added preferences in the preference window. Click Close to return to the Individual Profile and select OK to save changes.

QMS Tasks If a guest has previously called for maintenance, any QMS task that was assigned to the guests room during the guest stay will be tracked on the profile. In this way, it is possible to see the history of repairs performed for this guest during previous stays.

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Relationship In some cases, profiles can be linked to each other for viewing purposes. This is called a relationship between profiles. If a husband and wife each have their own profiles, the relationship feature can link them together. If a guest is an employee of a particular company, that relationship can also be made between the guest and the company profile. Hotels tend to use this function very differently, so be sure to see if and how it is used at your hotel.

To Set Up Relationships on a Profile:

o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o From the Profile Search screen, locate the profile to be related and highlight the profile line; double-click the profile line or select Profile to view details. Select Options. Click on the Relationship button. Select New to create a new Relationship. Highlight the appropriate Relationship, then click OK. From the Profile Search, locate the appropriate profile for the relationship; highlight the profile and click OK Note the newly added Relationship; click Close to return to the main profile screen. Be sure to save changes on the main profile screen before exiting. To view the Company Profile containing the relationship, return to the Profile Search screen and locate the company; Click on the Relationship tab. Note that the Individual has a + next to it indicating a relationship; double-click on the line to expand for details. Note the Individual Profile previously related to this Company Profile; to display Contact information, click Display Note the Individual Profile is now considered a contact for the Company Profile. To add a new relationship from the Company Profile, return to the Account Relations view and highlight the profile type to be related; click New. Select the drop down arrow to establish the Relationship to be added. Highlight the appropriate Relationship Type and click OK. Note the Relationship chosen and click OK. Type in an Account Name and press the Tab key to initiate your search. Place an X to the left of the account to be related and click OK. Note the new Company Subsidiary Account Relationship; click Close to return to the main profile screen. Be sure to save changes from the main profile screen before exiting.

New To create a new profile, select this button.

To Create an Individual Profile:

o o o o o o o o o o From the Main Menu, select Reservations; then, choose the Profiles option. Click on New Profile button Select Individual profile and click OK. Enter desired fields and click OK to save changes. To add multiple addresses or telephone numbers, click on the Required fields have a BOLD field description. button.

button; then choose New or Edit. To add/edit an address, click on the Enter all desired fields, then click OK to save; Click Close from the multiple address window to return to Individual Profile. Required fields have a BOLD field description. Repeat Steps 4 and 5 for Communications (telephone numbers).

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More Fields In addition to the main screen of the profile, there are tabs across the top of the screen that will allow entry of additional specific information. Each hotel generally customizes the More Fields tab, so fields on this screen will vary. Check with hotel management for an explanation of the fields on the More Fields screen. Stats and Info This tab is for display and indicates the amount of business that the guest has done in the hotel or in the case of multi-property, combined for all hotels. The total room revenue, other revenue, number of nights, number of no-show or cancelled reservations are also displayed. The Stats and Info Tab is used to create and store the Accounts Receivable Number for all profile types and can be used to restrict billing and reservations for any profile type. On the Company profile screen, the Companys Tax ID number can be entered, as well as any default billing instructions. On the Travel Agent or Source Profiles, the More Fields screen also carries the Commission Code and Commission Percent for paying commissions.

To Set Restrictions on Profiles:

o o o o o From the Profile Search screen, locate the desired profile; double-click or choose Profile to view details. Select the Stats and Info tab. Select Restriction and write a text Rule; click OK to save. Be sure to save changes once returned to the main profile screen. Note the results of a Restriction when attaching a profile to a reservation.

Contact If an individual profile has been created as a contact, a second profile is generate as a contact type. This tab will access the contact profile information, which may be different from the individual information.

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2.6.3 Company Profiles

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Company profiles are attached to reservations to track the amount of business in revenue and room nights a company is producing for the hotel. This information can help in negotiating rates and contracts every year. A company profile may also be attached if the company has been approved for direct billing and an A/R number has been attached to the profile. Finally, a company profile may be attached because that company has a negotiated rate with the hotel, and the profile is used during the rate query to locate the negotiated rates that apply.

Account: The name of the company as it will appear on registration cards, folios, confirmation letters and reports. It is important throughout the program, and especially in the profile to enter the information exactly as it should appear on printed documents, with proper capital and small letters. As this field will be used throughout the program to locate the company, it is very important that it is also spelled correctly. Notice that the Account label is in bold text. This indicates that the system requires an entry in this field to save this profile. Address: The street address of the company. An address may be entered directly in this field, and will become the companys primary address. It is possible to enter additional addresses by opening the arrow to the right of this field. City: The city for the companys primary address. Postal Cd. / Ext.: The Zip Code and 4-digit extension for the companys primary address. Country / State: The country and state for the companys primary address. The postal code and country in combination will default the state. Territory: The hotels Sales Territories can be entered here. This will help in reporting productivity by territory. Trace Code: This field is only available if the Opera Sales and Catering system is activated. In that case, the Trace Code will create automatic activities based on the hotels criteria.

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Keyword: If the Account has a familiar name or acronym, that information can be entered in the keyword field so that it can be used to locate the profile from the search screen. Type: This field determines whether the profile is a company, travel agent or source type. These three profile types have very similar screens, but slightly different potential functionality so it is important that it is saved as the correct type. A/R Number: If this company has been approved for direct bill, an A/R number will be given to the profile. That number is displayed, but not changed in this field. Corporate ID: This field holds a hotel specific number that can be used to locate this profile. Type: Company profiles can be sorted out into account types that are configurable by the hotel. Ref. Curr.: If the hotel has the capability of printing guest bills in 2 currencies, it is possible to enter the companys home currency in this field. If this is different from the local currency and the folios are configured to do so, both the local currency and the companys home currency will be printed on the folio. This also assumes that an exchange rate has been configured for the companys home currency. Property: This field is only visible if the Multi-Property license codes are activated. The property field indicates the current property, and the profile information that applies to that property. When profiles are shared across properties, some information applies to all, such as name and address information, while some information is property-specific, such as requested room features or A/R numbers. Communications: Telephone Numbers, Web Sites, Mobile Phone Numbers, Email Addresses can all be entered here. If the hotel has a fax interface, entering a fax number here will allow confirmation letters or A/R statements to be faxed directly. If the hotel has an email interface, entering an email address here will allow confirmation letters to be emailed directly from Opera. Contacts Any contact profiles associated with this company will be accessible from here.

Options
Changes All changes made to a profile are registered and tracked for research purposes.

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Credit Cards Many companies expect that once a credit card number has been given to a hotel, that number will be kept on file for ease of use in making future reservations. The Credit Card option allows all credit cards to be registered on the guests profile.

To Add a Credit Card to a Profile:

o o o o o o o o o o o From the Profile Search screen, highlight the desired profile; double-click or choose Profile to view details. Select Options. Choose the Credit Card button. Select the New option to add a new credit card. Click on the drop arrow to choose the appropriate credit Card Type. Select the credit Card Type and click OK. Enter the Credit Card Number and Expiration Date to complete; click Save. The sequence is the order that this credit card will appear for payment if there are multiple credit cards on the profile. Note the newly added credit card. Either select Close to return to the profile, or New to add another credit card. Be sure to click OK on the main profile screen to save your changes to the profile.

Delete To delete this profile, select this button. It is not possible to delete a profile with active reservations. Enrollment If the hotel has a 2-way Central Reservations Interface and membership enrollment has been activated, it is possible to enroll a company in the hotels membership program directly from the profile.

To Enroll a Guest in a Membership Program:

o o o o o o o o o o o o From the Profile Search Screen, select a profile and click the Enrollment button. Enrollment may also be selected from details inside the profile by selecting Options and clicking the Enrollment button. Enrollment may also be selected from details inside the profile by clicking the Membership button. If a profile already has a Membership attached, this button will be gray Any guest information that exists on the profile automatically populates to the Guest Enrollment; Click OK once completed. Required fields have BOLD field descriptions and highlighted fields. If the guest prefers to receive airline mileage rather than loyalty program points, Alliance Code and Number must be entered and validated. If the guest prefers to let the system generate a membership number, leave the Number field blank next to Program. If the guest prefers to select a number, the number must be nine (9) numeric digits. Employee ID automatically populates based on User Profile. See How To Add an Employee (User) Name for specific details. Answer Yes or No to print the Enrollment summary once complete. This summary can be used as a temporary card for the newly enrolled guest. Click on the Enrollment button to proceed. Note the confirmed Enrollment in the Membership tab.

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Future All future reservations for this company are kept here. Depending on user rights, any future reservation can be accessed and updated from the profile. History All previous reservations, no-shows, cancellations and current in-house information are kept in history. It is possible to view Year To Date information on total revenue produced by the company as well as accumulated membership points. Finally, from profile history, any previous folio information can be viewed and reprinted. Memberships Many hotel chains offer loyalty club points for frequent guest stays, and it can be very complicated to calculate the points accumulated manually. Entering membership information in the guests profile can help to automatically calculate points each time the guest stays at the hotel. For hotels that offer Frequent Flyer points for staying, this information is also kept here.

To Attach Membership Information to a Profile:

o o o o o o o o o From the Profile Search screen, select a Profile and open for details. Select Options and choose the Membership button. Select New to add a new membership record. Select the drop down arrow to the right of Type and Level to select the appropriate Member Type and Level. Highlight the appropriate Membership Type and choose OK. Highlight the appropriate Membership Level and choose OK. Complete the remaining membership information and choose OK to save. Note the newly added Membership record and Close to return to the Individual Profile. Save changes on the Individual Profile by selecting OK.

Merge If more than one profile for a company has been created, it is possible to merge the profiles together to combine the statistical information and revenues.

To Merge Profiles:
o o o o o o o o o o From the Profile Search screen, enter search criteria for multiple profiles to be merged; press the Tab key to initiate the search. Highlight the profile with the correct information being saved and click Profile to view details. Select the Options button in the lower, right-hand corner. Click on the Merge option. Re-enter the search criteria for the duplicate profile; press the Tab key to initiate the search. Highlight the duplicate profile; click OK to begin the Merge Review information on the duplicate profile with the original profile; select Merge to combine the two. Merge Status will display during the merge process. All guest information will be merged including Statistics, History, Commissions, Preferences, Credit Cards, Relationships, Future Reservations, and Memberships. Once the Merge is successful, click OK to return to the main profile.

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Negotiated Rates If a hotel has negotiated a discounted rate with an agent or company, that rate will be kept in the profile. Each time a new reservation is created, as long as the profile is accessed for the rate query, only the negotiated rates will be returned. This function is fundamental in ensuring that the negotiated rates are used at all times and prevents callbacks and adjustments to room rates. Notes In this section, extensive notes can be taken about an agent. Most of these notes are kept on the profile only, but Reservation Notes have the ability to be moved to every reservation made by this guest. In this way, the agencys special requirements can be accessed at any time. Preferences Preferences are used to indicate permanent requests. For instance, if a guest is allergic to cigarette smoke, entering a non-smoking preference in the profile will restrict the system from assigning a smoking room for the guest at check in. Each hotel configures its own set of preferences and care should be taken not to enter too many preferences in the profile, as many are one-time requests. Preferences can also be entered for single reservations as well.

To Add Guest Preferences to a Profile:

o o o o o o o o From the Profile Search screen, locate the profile; choose the Profile button or doubleclick on the profile line for details. Click on the Preferences tab. Select New to add a preference. Select a Preference Group then choose OK. Select all applicable preferences by placing an X in the field to the left of each. Once all selections have been made, click OK. Note the newly added preferences in the preference window. Click Close to return to the Individual Profile and select OK to save changes.

QMS Tasks If a guest has previously called for maintenance, any QMS task that was assigned to the guests room during the guest stay will be tracked on the profile. In this way, it is possible to see the history of repairs performed for this guest during previous stays. Relationship In some cases, profiles can be linked to each other for viewing purposes. This is called a relationship between profiles. If a husband and wife each have their own profiles, the relationship feature can link them together. If a guest is an employee of a particular company, that relationship can also be made between the guest and the company profile. Hotels tend to use this function very differently, so be sure to see if and how it is used at your hotel.

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To Set Up Relationships on a Profile:

From the Profile Search screen, locate the profile to be related and highlight the profile line; double-click the profile line or select Profile to view details. o Select Options and click on the Relationship button. o Select New to create a new Relationship. o Highlight the appropriate Relationship, then click OK. o From the Profile Search, locate the appropriate profile for the relationship; highlight the profile and click OK o Note the newly added Relationship; click Close to return to the main profile screen. o Be sure to save changes on the main profile screen before exiting. o To view the Company Profile containing the relationship, return to the Profile Search screen and locate the company; o Select Options and click on the Relationship button. o Note that the Individual has a + next to it indicating a relationship; double-click on the line to expand for details. o Note the Individual Profile previously related to this Company Profile; to display Contact information, click Display o Note the Individual Profile is now considered a contact for the Company Profile. o To add a new relationship from the Company Profile, return to the Account Relations view and highlight the profile type to be related; click New. o Select the drop down arrow to establish the Relationship to be added. o Highlight the appropriate Relationship Type and click OK. o Note the Relationship chosen and click OK. o Type in an Account Name and press the Tab key to initiate your search. o Place an X to the left of the account to be related and click OK. o Note the new Company Subsidiary Account Relationship; click Close to return to the main profile screen. Be sure to save changes from the main profile screen before exiting. o New To create a new profile, select this button.

To Create a Company Profile:

o o o o o o o o o o From the Main Menu, select Reservations; then, choose the Profiles option. Click on New Profile button Select Company profile and click OK. Enter desired fields and click OK to save changes. To add multiple addresses or telephone numbers, click on the Required fields have a BOLD field description. button.

button; then choose New or Edit. To add/edit an address, click on the Enter all desired fields, then click OK to save; Click Close from the multiple address window to return to the Profile. Required fields have a BOLD field description. Repeat Steps 4 and 5 for Communications (telephone numbers).

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Stats and Info This tab is for display and indicates the amount of business that the guest has done in the hotel or in the case of multi-property, combined for all hotels. The total room revenue, other revenue, number of nights, number of no-show or cancelled reservations are also displayed. The Stats and Info Tab is used to create and store the Accounts Receivable Number for all profile types and can be used to restrict billing and reservations for any profile type. On the Company profile screen, the Companys Tax ID number can be entered, as well as any default billing instructions. On the Travel Agent or Source Profiles, the More Fields screen also carries the Commission Code and Commission Percent for paying commissions. Sales Info The Sales Info tab contains a number of fields for categorizing this account and its business. The Sales Info field offers the capability of entering Potential Business, Account type, Product Interest, Industry Code, and other hotel configurable fields. More Fields In addition to the main screen of the profile, there are tabs across the top of the screen that will allow entry of additional specific information. The More Fields Tab is used to create and store additional information regarding the company additional fields may be added as needed. On the Company profile screen, the Companys Tax ID number can be entered, as well as any default billing instructions.

2.6.4 Travel Agent Profiles

Travel Agent profiles are used to calculate commissions due to agencies for booking rooms at the hotel. Travel agencies expect payment for each reservation, so an agency profile must be attached.

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Account: The name of the agency as it will appear on registration cards, folios, confirmation letters and reports. It is important throughout the program, and especially in the profile to enter the information exactly as it should appear on printed documents, with proper capital and small letters. As this field will be used throughout the program to locate the travel agent, it is very important that it is also spelled correctly. Notice that the Account label is in bold text. This indicates that the system requires an entry in this field to save this profile. Address: The street address of the travel agent. An address may be entered directly in this field, and will become the travel agents primary address. It is possible to enter additional addresses by opening the arrow to the right of this field. City: The city for the travel agents primary address. Postal Cd. / Ext.: The Zip Code and 4-digit extension for the travel agents primary address. Country / State: The country and state for the travel agents primary address. The postal code and country in combination will default the state. Territory: The hotels Sales Territories can be entered here. This will help in reporting productivity by territory. Trace Code: This field is only available if the Opera Sales and Catering system is activated. In that case, the Trace Code will create automatic activities based on the hotels criteria. Keyword: If the Agency has a familiar name or acronym, that information can be entered in the keyword field so that it can be used to locate the profile from the search screen. Type: This field determines whether the profile is a company, travel agent or source type. These three profile types have very similar screens, but slightly different potential functionality so it is important that it is saved as the correct type. IATA Number: This is a unique identifying number that validates a Travel Agency. A/R Number: If this travel agent has been approved for direct bill, an A/R number will be given to the profile. That number is displayed, but not changed in this field. Ref. Curr.: If the hotel has the capability of printing guest bills in 2 currencies, it is possible to enter the travel agents home currency in this field. If this is different from the local currency and the folios are configured to do so, both the local currency and the travel agents home currency will be printed on the folio. This also assumes that an exchange rate has been configured for the travel agents home currency. Property: This field is only visible if the Multi-Property license codes are activated. The property field indicates the current property, and the profile information that applies to that property. When profiles are shared across properties, some information applies to all, such as name and address information, while some information is property-specific, such as requested room features or A/R numbers. Communications: Telephone Numbers, Web Sites, Mobile Phone Numbers, Email Addresses can all be entered here. If the hotel has a fax interface, entering a fax number here will allow confirmation letters or A/R statements to be faxed directly. If the hotel has an email interface, entering an email address here will allow confirmation letters to be emailed directly from Opera.

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Changes All changes made to a profile are registered and tracked for research purposes. Credit Cards Many guests expect that once a credit card number has been given to a hotel, that number will be kept on file for ease of use in making future reservations. The Credit Card tab allows all credit cards to be registered on the agents profile.

To Add a Credit Card to a Profile:

o o o o o o o o o o o From the Profile Search screen, highlight the desired profile; double-click or choose Profile to view details. Select Options. Choose the Credit Card button. Select the New option to add a new credit card. Click on the drop arrow to choose the appropriate credit Card Type. Select the credit Card Type and click OK. Enter the Credit Card Number and Expiration Date to complete; click Save. The sequence is the order that this credit card will appear for payment if there are multiple credit cards on the profile. Note the newly added credit card. Either select Close to return to the profile, or New to add another credit card. Be sure to click OK on the main profile screen to save your changes to the profile.

Delete To delete this profile, select this button. It is not possible to delete a profile with active reservations. Enrollment If the hotel has a 2-way Central Reservations Interface and membership enrollment has been activated, it is possible to enroll a new guest in the hotels membership program directly from the profile.

To Enroll a Guest in a Membership Program:

o o o o o o o o o o From the Profile Search Screen, select a profile and click the Enrollment button. Enrollment may also be selected from details inside the profile by clicking the Membership button. If a profile already has a Membership attached, this button will be gray Any guest information that exists on the profile automatically populates to the Guest Enrollment; Click OK once completed. If the guest prefers to receive airline mileage rather than loyalty program points, Alliance Code and Number must be entered and validated. If the guest prefers to let the system generate a membership number, leave the Number field blank next to Program. If the guest prefers to select a number, the number must be nine (9) numeric digits. Employee ID automatically populates based on User Profile. See How To Add an Employee (User) Name for specific details. Answer Yes or No to print the Enrollment summary once complete. This summary can be used as a temporary card for the newly enrolled guest. Click on the Enrollment button to proceed. Note the confirmed Enrollment in the Membership tab.

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Future All future reservations for this agent are kept in this area. Depending on user rights, any future reservation can be accessed and updated from the agents profile. History All previous reservations, no-shows, cancellations and current in-house information are kept in history. It is possible to view Year To Date information on total revenue produced by the guest as well as accumulated membership points. Finally, from history, any previous folio information can be viewed and reprinted. Memberships Many hotel chains offer loyalty club points for frequent guest stays, and it can be very complicated to calculate the points accumulated manually. Entering membership information in the profile can help to automatically calculate points each time a guest stays at the hotel. For hotels that offer Frequent Flyer points for staying, this information is also kept here.

To Attach Membership Information to a Profile:

o o o o o o o o o From the Profile Search screen, select a Profile and open for details. Select Options and choose the Membership tab Select New to add a new membership record. Select the drop down arrow to the right of Type and Level to select the appropriate Member Type and Level. Highlight the appropriate Membership Type and choose OK. Highlight the appropriate Membership Level and choose OK. Complete the remaining membership information and choose OK to save. Note the newly added Membership record and Close to return to the Profile. Save changes on the Profile by selecting OK.

Merge If more than one profile for an agency has been created, it is possible to merge the profiles together to combine the statistical information and revenues.

To Merge Profiles:
o o o o o o o o o o From the Profile Search screen, enter search criteria for multiple profiles to be merged; press the Tab key to initiate the search. Highlight the profile with the correct information being saved and click Profile to view details. Select the Options button in the lower, right-hand corner. Click on the Merge option. Re-enter the search criteria for the duplicate profile; press the Tab key to initiate the search. Highlight the duplicate profile; click OK to begin the Merge Review information on the duplicate profile with the original profile; select Merge to combine the two. Merge Status will display during the merge process. All information will be merged including Statistics, History, Commissions, Preferences, Credit Cards, Relationships, Future Reservations, and Memberships. Once the Merge is successful, click OK to return to the main profile.

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Negotiated Rates If a hotel has negotiated a discounted rate with an individual or company, that rate will be kept in the profile. Each time a new reservation is created, as long as the profile is accessed for the rate query, only the negotiated rates will be returned. This function is fundamental in ensuring that the negotiated rates are used at all times and prevents callbacks and adjustments to room rates. Notes In this section, extensive notes can be taken about a guest or company. Most of these notes are kept on the profile only, but Reservation Notes have the ability to be moved to every reservation made by this company. In this way, special requirements can be accessed at any time. Preferences Preferences are used to indicate permanent requests. For instance, if a guest is allergic to cigarette smoke, entering a non-smoking preference in the profile will restrict the system from assigning a smoking room for the guest at check in. Each hotel configures its own set of preferences and care should be taken not to enter too many preferences in the profile, as many are one-time requests. Preferences can also be entered for single reservations as well.

To Add Guest Preferences to a Profile:

o o o o o o o o From the Profile Search screen, locate the profile; choose the Profile button or doubleclick on the profile line for details. Select Options and click on the Preferences button. Select New to add a preference. Select a Preference Group then choose OK. Select all applicable preferences by placing an X in the field to the left of each. Once all selections have been made, click OK. Note the newly added preferences in the preference window. Click Close to return to the Individual Profile and select OK to save changes.

QMS Tasks If a guest has previously called for maintenance, any QMS task that was assigned to the guests room during the guest stay will be tracked on the profile. In this way, it is possible to see the history of repairs performed for this guest during previous stays. Relationship In some cases, profiles can be linked to each other for viewing purposes. This is called a relationship between profiles. If a husband and wife each have their own profiles, the relationship feature can link them together. If a guest is an employee of a particular company, that relationship can also be made between the guest and the company profile. Hotels tend to use this function very differently, so be sure to see if and how it is used at your hotel.

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To Set Up Relationships on a Profile:

o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o From the Profile Search screen, locate the profile to be related and highlight the profile line; double-click the profile line or select Profile to view details. Select Options and click on the Relationship button. Select New to create a new Relationship. Highlight the appropriate Relationship, then click OK. From the Profile Search, locate the appropriate profile for the relationship; highlight the profile and click OK Note the newly added Relationship; click Close to return to the main profile screen. Be sure to save changes on the main profile screen before exiting. To view the Company Profile containing the relationship, return to the Profile Search screen and locate the company; Select Options and click on the Relationship button. Note that the Individual has a + next to it indicating a relationship; double-click on the line to expand for details. Note the Individual Profile previously related to this Company Profile; to display Contact information, click Display Note the Individual Profile is now considered a contact for the Company Profile. To add a new relationship from the Company Profile, return to the Account Relations view and highlight the profile type to be related; click New. Select the drop down arrow to establish the Relationship to be added. Highlight the appropriate Relationship Type and click OK. Note the Relationship chosen and click OK. Type in an Account Name and press the Tab key to initiate your search. Place an X to the left of the account to be related and click OK. Note the new Company Subsidiary Account Relationship; click Close to return to the main profile screen. Be sure to save changes from the main profile screen before exiting.

New To create a new profile, select this button.

To Create a Company Profile:

o o o o o o o o o o From the Main Menu, select Reservations; then, choose the Profiles option. Click on New Profile button Select Company profile and click OK. Enter desired fields and click OK to save changes. To add multiple addresses or telephone numbers, click on the Required fields have a BOLD field description. button.

button; then choose New or Edit. To add/edit an address, click on the Enter all desired fields, then click OK to save; Click Close from the multiple address window to return to the Profile. Required fields have a BOLD field description. Repeat Steps 4 and 5 for Communications (telephone numbers).

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Stats and Info This tab is for display and indicates the amount of business that the agent has done in the hotel or in the case of multi-property, combined for all hotels. The total room revenue, other revenue, number of nights, number of no-show or cancelled reservations are also displayed. The Stats and Info Tab is used to create and store the Accounts Receivable Number for all profile types and can be used to restrict billing and reservations for any profile type. On the Company profile screen, the Companys Tax ID number can be entered, as well as any default billing instructions. On the Travel Agent or Source Profiles, the More Fields screen also carries the Commission Code and Commission Percent for paying commissions. Sales Info The Sales Info tab contains a number of fields for categorizing this account and its business. The Sales Info field offers the capability of entering Potential Business, Account type, Product Interest, Industry Code, and other hotel configurable fields. More Fields In addition to the main screen of the profile, there are tabs across the top of the screen that will allow entry of additional specific information. The More Fields Tab is used to create and store additional information regarding the company additional fields may be added as needed. On the Company profile screen, the Companys Tax ID number can be entered, as well as any default billing instructions.

2.6.5 Source Profiles

Hotels sometimes track information that does not readily fall into Travel Agent, Company or Group categories using source profiles. Source profiles can be configured to generate commission payments and are sometimes used to pay wholesalers that are not regular travel agents. They can also be used to pay commission on groups, or to track business recommended by Convention and Visitors Bureaus or employees.

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Account: The name of the source as it will appear on registration cards, folios, confirmation letters and reports. It is important throughout the program, and especially in the profile to enter the information exactly as it should appear on printed documents, with proper capital and small letters. As this field will be used throughout the program to locate the source, it is very important that it is also spelled correctly. Notice that the Account label is in bold text. This indicates that the system requires an entry in this field to save this profile. Address: The street address of the source. An address may be entered directly in this field, and will become the sources primary address. It is possible to enter additional addresses by opening the arrow to the right of this field. City: The city for the sources primary address. Postal Cd. / Ext.: The Zip Code and 4-digit extension for the sources primary address. Country / State: The country and state for the sources primary address. The postal code and country in combination will default the state. Territory: The hotels Sales Territories can be entered here. This will help in reporting productivity by territory. Trace Code: This field is only available if the Opera Sales and Catering system is activated. In that case, the Trace Code will create automatic activities based on the hotels criteria. Keyword: If the Account has a familiar name or acronym, that information can be entered in the keyword field so that it can be used to locate the profile from the search screen. Type: This field determines whether the profile is a company, travel agent or source type. These three profile types have very similar screens, but slightly different potential functionality so it is important that it is saved as the correct type. A/R Number: If this source has been approved for direct bill, an A/R number will be given to the profile. That number is displayed, but not changed in this field. Ref. Curr.: If the hotel has the capability of printing guest bills in 2 currencies, it is possible to enter the sources home currency in this field. If this is different from the local currency and the folios are configured to do so, both the local currency and the sources home currency will be printed on the folio. This also assumes that an exchange rate has been configured for the sources home currency. Property: This field is only visible if the Multi-Property license codes are activated. The property field indicates the current property, and the profile information that applies to that property. When profiles are shared across properties, some information applies to all, such as name and address information, while some information is property-specific, such as requested room features or A/R numbers. Communications: Telephone Numbers, Web Sites, Mobile Phone Numbers, Email Addresses can all be entered here. If the hotel has a fax interface, entering a fax number here will allow confirmation letters or A/R statements to be faxed directly. If the hotel has an email interface, entering an email address here will allow confirmation letters to be emailed directly from Opera.

Options
Changes All changes made to a profile are registered and tracked for research purposes.

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Credit Cards Many companies expect that once a credit card number has been given to a hotel, that number will be kept on file for ease of use in making future reservations. The Credit Card option allows all credit cards to be registered on the guests profile.

To Add a Credit Card to a Profile:

o o o o o o o o o o o From the Profile Search screen, highlight the desired profile; double-click or choose Profile to view details. Select Options. Choose the Credit Card button. Select the New option to add a new credit card. Click on the drop arrow to choose the appropriate credit Card Type. Select the credit Card Type and click OK. Enter the Credit Card Number and Expiration Date to complete; click Save. The sequence is the order that this credit card will appear for payment if there are multiple credit cards on the profile. Note the newly added credit card. Either select Close to return to the profile, or New to add another credit card. Be sure to click OK on the main profile screen to save your changes to the profile.

Delete To delete this profile, select this button. It is not possible to delete a profile with active reservations. Enrollment If the hotel has a 2-way Central Reservations Interface and membership enrollment has been activated, it is possible to enroll a company in the hotels membership program directly from the profile.

To Enroll a Guest in a Membership Program:

o o o o o o o o o o o o From the Profile Search Screen, select a profile and click the Enrollment button. Enrollment may also be selected from details inside the profile by clicking the Enrollment button. Select Options and click the Membership button. If a profile already has a Membership attached, this button will be gray Any guest information that exists on the profile automatically populates to the Guest Enrollment; Click OK once completed. Required fields have BOLD field descriptions and highlighted fields. If the guest prefers to receive airline mileage rather than loyalty program points, Alliance Code and Number must be entered and validated. If the guest prefers to let the system generate a membership number, leave the Number field blank next to Program. If the guest prefers to select a number, the number must be nine (9) numeric digits. Employee ID automatically populates based on User Profile. See How To Add an Employee (User) Name for specific details. Answer Yes or No to print the Enrollment summary once complete. This summary can be used as a temporary card for the newly enrolled guest. Click on the Enrollment button to proceed. Note the confirmed Enrollment in the Membership tab.

Future All future reservations for this company are kept here. Depending on user rights, any future reservation can be accessed and updated from the profile.

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History All previous reservations, no-shows, cancellations and current in-house information are kept in history. It is possible to view Year To Date information on total revenue produced by the company as well as accumulated membership points. Finally, from profile history, any previous folio information can be viewed and reprinted. Memberships Many hotel chains offer loyalty club points for frequent guest stays, and it can be very complicated to calculate the points accumulated manually. Entering membership information in the guests profile can help to automatically calculate points each time the guest stays at the hotel. For hotels that offer Frequent Flyer points for staying, this information is also kept here.

To Attach Membership Information to a Profile:

o o o o o o o o o From the Profile Search screen, select a Profile and open for details. Select Options and choose the Membership button. Select New to add a new membership record. Select the drop down arrow to the right of Type and Level to select the appropriate Member Type and Level. Highlight the appropriate Membership Type and choose OK. Highlight the appropriate Membership Level and choose OK. Complete the remaining membership information and choose OK to save. Note the newly added Membership record and Close to return to the Individual Profile. Save changes on the Individual Profile by selecting OK.

Merge If more than one profile for a company has been created, it is possible to merge the profiles together to combine the statistical information and revenues.

To Merge Profiles:
o o o o o o o o o o From the Profile Search screen, enter search criteria for multiple profiles to be merged; press the Tab key to initiate the search. Highlight the profile with the correct information being saved and click Profile to view details. Select the Options button in the lower, right-hand corner. Click on the Merge option. Re-enter the search criteria for the duplicate profile; press the Tab key to initiate the search. Highlight the duplicate profile; click OK to begin the Merge Review information on the duplicate profile with the original profile; select Merge to combine the two. Merge Status will display during the merge process. All guest information will be merged including Statistics, History, Commissions, Preferences, Credit Cards, Relationships, Future Reservations, and Memberships. Once the Merge is successful, click OK to return to the main profile.

Negotiated Rates If a hotel has negotiated a discounted rate with an agent or company, that rate will be kept in the profile. Each time a new reservation is created, as long as the profile is accessed for the rate query, only the negotiated rates will be returned. This function is fundamental in ensuring that the negotiated rates are used at all times and prevents callbacks and adjustments to room rates.

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Notes In this section, extensive notes can be taken about an agent. Most of these notes are kept on the profile only, but Reservation Notes have the ability to be moved to every reservation made by this guest. In this way, the agencys special requirements can be accessed at any time. Preferences Preferences are used to indicate permanent requests. For instance, if a guest is allergic to cigarette smoke, entering a non-smoking preference in the profile will restrict the system from assigning a smoking room for the guest at check in. Each hotel configures its own set of preferences and care should be taken not to enter too many preferences in the profile, as many are one-time requests. Preferences can also be entered for single reservations as well.

To Add Guest Preferences to a Profile:

o o o o o o o o From the Profile Search screen, locate the profile; choose the Profile button or doubleclick on the profile line for details. Select Options and click on the Preferences button. Select New to add a preference. Select a Preference Group then choose OK. Select all applicable preferences by placing an X in the field to the left of each. Once all selections have been made, click OK. Note the newly added preferences in the preference window. Click Close to return to the Individual Profile and select OK to save changes.

QMS Tasks If a guest has previously called for maintenance, any QMS task that was assigned to the guests room during the guest stay will be tracked on the profile. In this way, it is possible to see the history of repairs performed for this guest during previous stays. Relationship In some cases, profiles can be linked to each other for viewing purposes. This is called a relationship between profiles. If a husband and wife each have their own profiles, the relationship feature can link them together. If a guest is an employee of a particular company, that relationship can also be made between the guest and the company profile. Hotels tend to use this function very differently, so be sure to see if and how it is used at your hotel.

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To Set Up Relationships on a Profile:

o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o From the Profile Search screen, locate the profile to be related and highlight the profile line; double-click the profile line or select Profile to view details. Select Options and click on the Relationship button. Select New to create a new Relationship. Highlight the appropriate Relationship, then click OK. From the Profile Search, locate the appropriate profile for the relationship; highlight the profile and click OK Note the newly added Relationship; click Close to return to the main profile screen. Be sure to save changes on the main profile screen before exiting. To view the Company Profile containing the relationship, return to the Profile Search screen and locate the company; Click on the Relationship tab. Note that the Individual has a + next to it indicating a relationship; double-click on the line to expand for details. Note the Individual Profile previously related to this Company Profile; to display Contact information, click Display Note the Individual Profile is now considered a contact for the Company Profile. To add a new relationship from the Company Profile, return to the Account Relations view and highlight the profile type to be related; click New. Select the drop down arrow to establish the Relationship to be added. Highlight the appropriate Relationship Type and click OK. Note the Relationship chosen and click OK. Type in an Account Name and press the Tab key to initiate your search. Place an X to the left of the account to be related and click OK. Note the new Company Subsidiary Account Relationship; click Close to return to the main profile screen. Be sure to save changes from the main profile screen before exiting.

New To create a new profile, select this button.

To Create a Company Profile:

o o o o o o o o o o From the Main Menu, select Reservations; then, choose the Profiles option. Click on New Profile button Select Company profile and click OK. Enter desired fields and click OK to save changes. To add multiple addresses or telephone numbers, click on the Required fields have a BOLD field description. button.

button; then choose New or Edit. To add/edit an address, click on the Enter all desired fields, then click OK to save; Click Close from the multiple address window to return to the Profile. Required fields have a BOLD field description. Repeat Steps 4 and 5 for Communications (telephone numbers).

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Stats and Info This tab is for display and indicates the amount of business that the guest has done in the hotel or in the case of multi-property, combined for all hotels. The total room revenue, other revenue, number of nights, number of no-show or cancelled reservations are also displayed. The Stats and Info Tab is used to create and store the Accounts Receivable Number for all profile types and can be used to restrict billing and reservations for any profile type. On the Company profile screen, the Companys Tax ID number can be entered, as well as any default billing instructions. On the Travel Agent or Source Profiles, the More Fields screen also carries the Commission Code and Commission Percent for paying commissions. Sales Info The Sales Info tab contains a number of fields for categorizing this account and its business. The Sales Info field offers the capability of entering Potential Business, Account type, Product Interest, Industry Code, and other hotel configurable fields. More Fields In addition to the main screen of the profile, there are tabs across the top of the screen that will allow entry of additional specific information. The More Fields Tab is used to create and store additional information regarding the company additional fields may be added as needed. On the Company profile screen, the Companys Tax ID number can be entered, as well as any default billing instructions.

2.6.6 Group Profiles

Group profiles are required for any business block and contain permanent information relating to the group. They are used to create the posting masters used by the group for billing as well.

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Group Name: The name of the group as it will appear on registration cards, folios, confirmation letters and reports. It is important throughout the program, and especially in the profile to enter the information exactly as it should appear on printed documents, with proper capital and small letters. As this field will be used throughout the program to locate the group, it is very important that it is also spelled correctly. Notice that the Group Name label is in bold text. This indicates that the system requires an entry in this field to save this profile. Language: The groups native language. The local language will default in this field, but if the group is more comfortable using another language, some PBX systems are able to read this field to set voice mail instructions in the groups language. In a hotel where multiple languages are used to print folios, reg cards and reports, this field will activate the appropriate language for the guests printed information as well. Any entry in the group profile will default to every guest in the group when creating a rooming list. Address: The street address of the group. An address may be entered directly in this field, and will become the groups primary address. It is possible to enter additional addresses by opening the arrow to the right of this field. City: The city for the groups primary address. Postal Cd. / Ext.: The Zip Code and 4-digit extension for the groups primary address. Country / State: The country and state for the groups primary address. The postal code and country in combination will default the state. VIP: If the group has a VIP status at the hotel, that information should be entered here. Reports are run based on this field for VIPs arriving or in-house. Housekeeping can also clean rooms based on this VIP status if required. A VIP status entered on a group profile will default to EVERY member of the group. Acct. Contact: The name of the person with the group who is the primary contact. This field does not have anything to do with a contact profile, and is generally only used in a hotel that has opted not to use Contact Profiles. Account Type: This is a configurable field by the hotel and indicates what type of business this group will give the hotel. Ref. Curr.: If the hotel has the capability of printing guest bills in 2 currencies, it is possible to enter the groups home currency in this field. If this is different from the local currency and the folios are configured to do so, both the local currency and the sources home currency will be printed on the folio. This also assumes that an exchange rate has been configured for the groups home currency. Industry Code: This is a configurable field by the hotel and indicates in general the type of industry this group is involved in. This is primarily used to help in sorting group business for sales people and is also useful when reporting. Owner: The Sales person in the hotel who is responsible for managing this groups account. Property: This field is only visible if the Multi-Property license codes are activated. The property field indicates the current property, and the profile information that applies to that property. When profiles are shared across properties, some information applies to all, such as name and address information, while some information is property-specific, such as requested room features or A/R numbers.

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Notes: In this section, extensive notes can be taken about a group. Most of these notes are kept on the profile only, but Reservation Notes have the ability to be moved to every reservation made by this group. In this way, special requirements can be accessed at any time. Communications: Telephone Numbers, Web Sites, Mobile Phone Numbers, Email Addresses can all be entered here. If the hotel has a fax interface, entering a fax number here will allow confirmation letters or A/R statements to be faxed directly. If the hotel has an email interface, entering an email address here will allow confirmation letters to be emailed directly from Opera.

Options
Changes All changes made to a profile are registered and tracked for research purposes. Credit Cards Many companies expect that once a credit card number has been given to a hotel, that number will be kept on file for ease of use in making future reservations. The Credit Card option allows all credit cards to be registered on the guests profile.

To Add a Credit Card to a Profile:

o o o o o o o o o o o From the Profile Search screen, highlight the desired profile; double-click or choose Profile to view details. Select Options. Choose the Credit Card button. Select the New option to add a new credit card. Click on the drop arrow to choose the appropriate credit Card Type. Select the credit Card Type and click OK. Enter the Credit Card Number and Expiration Date to complete; click Save. The sequence is the order that this credit card will appear for payment if there are multiple credit cards on the profile. Note the newly added credit card. Either select Close to return to the profile, or New to add another credit card. Be sure to click OK on the main profile screen to save your changes to the profile.

Delete To delete this profile, select this button. It is not possible to delete a profile with active reservations. Enrollment If the hotel has a 2-way Central Reservations Interface and membership enrollment has been activated, it is possible to enroll a group in the hotels membership program directly from the profile.

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To Enroll a Guest in a Membership Program:

o o o o o o o o o o o o From the Profile Search Screen, select a profile and click the Enrollment button. Enrollment may also be selected from details inside the profile by clicking the Enrollment button. Enrollment may also be selected from details inside the profile by selecting Options and clicking the Membership button. If a profile already has a Membership attached, this button will be gray Any guest information that exists on the profile automatically populates to the Guest Enrollment; Click OK once completed. Required fields have BOLD field descriptions and highlighted fields. If the guest prefers to receive airline mileage rather than loyalty program points, Alliance Code and Number must be entered and validated. If the guest prefers to let the system generate a membership number, leave the Number field blank next to Program. If the guest prefers to select a number, the number must be nine (9) numeric digits. Employee ID automatically populates based on User Profile. See How To Add an Employee (User) Name for specific details. Answer Yes or No to print the Enrollment summary once complete. This summary can be used as a temporary card for the newly enrolled guest. Click on the Enrollment button to proceed. Note the confirmed Enrollment in the Membership tab.

Future All future reservations for this group are kept here. Depending on user rights, any future reservation can be accessed and updated from the profile. History All previous reservations, no-shows, cancellations and current in-house information are kept in history. It is possible to view Year To Date information on total revenue produced by the group as well as accumulated membership points. Finally, from profile history, any previous folio information can be viewed and reprinted. Memberships Many hotel chains offer loyalty club points for frequent guest stays, and it can be very complicated to calculate the points accumulated manually. Entering membership information in the guests profile can help to automatically calculate points each time the guest stays at the hotel. For hotels that offer Frequent Flyer points for staying, this information is also kept here.

To Attach Membership Information to a Profile:

o o o o o o o o o From the Profile Search screen, select a Profile and open for details. Select Options and choose the Membership button. Select New to add a new membership record. Select the drop down arrow to the right of Type and Level to select the appropriate Member Type and Level. Highlight the appropriate Membership Type and choose OK. Highlight the appropriate Membership Level and choose OK. Complete the remaining membership information and choose OK to save. Note the newly added Membership record and Close to return to the Individual Profile. Save changes on the Individual Profile by selecting OK.

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Merge If more than one profile for a group has been created, it is possible to merge the profiles together to combine the statistical information and revenues.

To Merge Profiles:
o o o o o o o o o o From the Profile Search screen, enter search criteria for multiple profiles to be merged; press the Tab key to initiate the search. Highlight the profile with the correct information being saved and click Profile to view details. Select the Options button in the lower, right-hand corner. Click on the Merge option. Re-enter the search criteria for the duplicate profile; press the Tab key to initiate the search. Highlight the duplicate profile; click OK to begin the Merge Review information on the duplicate profile with the original profile; select Merge to combine the two. Merge Status will display during the merge process. All guest information will be merged including Statistics, History, Commissions, Preferences, Credit Cards, Relationships, Future Reservations, and Memberships. Once the Merge is successful, click OK to return to the main profile.

Negotiated Rates If a hotel has negotiated a discounted rate with an agent or group, that rate will be kept in the profile. Each time a new reservation is created, as long as the profile is accessed for the rate query, only the negotiated rates will be returned. This function is fundamental in ensuring that the negotiated rates are used at all times and prevents callbacks and adjustments to room rates. Notes In this section, extensive notes can be taken about an agent. Most of these notes are kept on the profile only, but Reservation Notes have the ability to be moved to every reservation made by this guest. In this way, the agencys special requirements can be accessed at any time. Preferences Preferences are used to indicate permanent requests. For instance, if a guest is allergic to cigarette smoke, entering a non-smoking preference in the profile will restrict the system from assigning a smoking room for the guest at check in. Each hotel configures its own set of preferences and care should be taken not to enter too many preferences in the profile, as many are one-time requests. Preferences can also be entered for single reservations as well.

To Add Guest Preferences to a Profile:

o o o o o o o o From the Profile Search screen, locate the profile; choose the Profile button or doubleclick on the profile line for details. Select Options and click on the Preferences button. Select New to add a preference. Select a Preference Group then choose OK. Select all applicable preferences by placing an X in the field to the left of each. Once all selections have been made, click OK. Note the newly added preferences in the preference window. Click Close to return to the Individual Profile and select OK to save changes.

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QMS Tasks If a guest has previously called for maintenance, any QMS task that was assigned to the guests room during the guest stay will be tracked on the profile. In this way, it is possible to see the history of repairs performed for this guest during previous stays. Relationship In some cases, profiles can be linked to each other for viewing purposes. This is called a relationship between profiles. If a husband and wife each have their own profiles, the relationship feature can link them together. If a guest is an employee of a particular group, that relationship can also be made between the guest and the group profile. Hotels tend to use this function very differently, so be sure to see if and how it is used at your hotel.

To Set Up Relationships on a Profile:

o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o From the Profile Search screen, locate the profile to be related and highlight the profile line; double-click the profile line or select Profile to view details. Select Options and click on the Relationship button. Select New to create a new Relationship. Highlight the appropriate Relationship, then click OK. From the Profile Search, locate the appropriate profile for the relationship; highlight the profile and click OK Note the newly added Relationship; click Close to return to the main profile screen. Be sure to save changes on the main profile screen before exiting. To view the Group Profile containing the relationship, return to the Profile Search screen and locate the group; Select Options and click on the Relationship button. Note that the Individual has a + next to it indicating a relationship; double-click on the line to expand for details. Note the Individual Profile previously related to this Group Profile; to display Contact information, click Display Note the Individual Profile is now considered a contact for the Group Profile. To add a new relationship from the Group Profile, return to the Account Relations view and highlight the profile type to be related; click New. Select the drop down arrow to establish the Relationship to be added. Highlight the appropriate Relationship Type and click OK. Note the Relationship chosen and click OK. Type in an Account Name and press the Tab key to initiate your search. Place an X to the left of the account to be related and click OK. Note the new Group Subsidiary Account Relationship. Click Close to return to the main profile screen. Be sure to save changes from the main profile screen before exiting.

New To create a new profile, select this button.

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To Create a Group Profile:
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From the Main Menu, select Reservations; then, choose the Profiles option. Click on New Profile button Select Group profile and click OK. Enter desired fields and click OK to save changes. To add multiple addresses or telephone numbers, click on the Required fields have a BOLD field description. button.

button; then choose New or Edit. To add/edit an address, click on the Enter all desired fields, then click OK to save; Click Close from the multiple address window to return to the Profile. Required fields have a BOLD field description. Repeat Steps 4 and 5 for Communications (telephone numbers).

Stats and Info This tab is for display and indicates the amount of business that the guest has done in the hotel or in the case of multi-property, combined for all hotels. The total room revenue, other revenue, number of nights, number of no-show or cancelled reservations are also displayed. The Stats and Info Tab is used to create and store the Accounts Receivable Number for all profile types and can be used to restrict billing and reservations for any profile type. On the Group profile screen, the Groups Tax ID number can be entered, as well as any default billing instructions. On the Travel Agent or Source Profiles, the More Fields screen also carries the Commission Code and Commission Percent for paying commissions. Sales Info The Sales Info tab contains a number of fields for categorizing this account and its business. The Sales Info field offers the capability of entering Potential Business, Account type, Product Interest, Industry Code, and other hotel configurable fields. More Fields In addition to the main screen of the profile, there are tabs across the top of the screen that will allow entry of additional specific information. The More Fields Tab is used to create and store additional information regarding the group additional fields may be added as needed. On the Group profile screen, the Groups Tax ID number can be entered, as well as any default billing instructions.

2.6.7 Contact Profiles

Contact profiles are the only optional profile type in Opera and are generally used in large group hotels. With the Opera Sales and Catering interface, contact profiles are required. Contact profiles keep all pertinent information regarding the group or company main intermediary and are used to track the amount of business that one meeting planner books at a hotel.

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Last Name: The name of the contact as it will appear on registration cards, folios, confirmation letters and reports. It is important throughout the program, and especially in the profile to enter the information exactly as it should appear on printed documents, with proper capital and small letters. As this field will be used throughout the program to locate the contact, it is very important that it is also spelled correctly. Notice that the Last Name label is in bold text. This indicates that the system requires an entry in this field to save this profile. First / Middle: The contacts first and middle names. Position / Dept.: The contacts position within the company and the department that he/she works for. Envelope Greeting: How the contacts name should appear on an envelope. An example might be Attn: John Smith Letter Greeting: This is the same as the salutation field in a profile. The Letter greeting will determine how correspondence will be addressed to this person. Address: The street address of the contact. An address may be entered directly in this field, and will become the contacts primary address. It is possible to enter additional addresses by opening the arrow to the right of this field. City: The city for the contacts primary address. Postal Cd. / Ext.: The Zip Code and 4-digit extension for the contacts primary address. Country / State: The country and state for the contacts primary address. The postal code and country in combination will default the state. Territory: The hotels Sales Territories can be entered here. This will help in reporting productivity by territory.

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Trace Code: This field is only available if the Opera Sales and Catering system is activated. In that case, the Trace Code will create automatic activities based on the hotels criteria. A/R Number: If this contact has been approved for direct bill, an A/R number will be given to the profile. That number is displayed, but not changed in this field. Ref. Curr.: If the hotel has the capability of printing guest bills in 2 currencies, it is possible to enter the contacts home currency in this field. If this is different from the local currency and the folios are configured to do so, both the local currency and the contacts home currency will be printed on the folio. This also assumes that an exchange rate has been configured for the contacts home currency. Property: This field is only visible if the Multi-Property license codes are activated. The property field indicates the current property, and the profile information that applies to that property. When profiles are shared across properties, some information applies to all, such as name and address information, while some information is property-specific, such as requested room features or A/R numbers. Birth Date: The contacts birthday. Used to send birthday cards. Language: The Contacts primary language. Communications: Telephone Numbers, Web Sites, Mobile Phone Numbers, Email Addresses can all be entered here. If the hotel has a fax interface, entering a fax number here will allow confirmation letters or A/R statements to be faxed directly. If the hotel has an email interface, entering an email address here will allow confirmation letters to be emailed directly from Opera.

Options
Changes All changes made to a profile are registered and tracked for research purposes. Credit Cards Many companies expect that once a credit card number has been given to a hotel, that number will be kept on file for ease of use in making future reservations. The Credit Card option allows all credit cards to be registered on the guests profile.

To Add a Credit Card to a Profile:

o o o o o o o o o o o From the Profile Search screen, highlight the desired profile; double-click or choose Profile to view details. Select Options. Choose the Credit Card button. Select the New option to add a new credit card. Click on the drop arrow to choose the appropriate credit Card Type. Select the credit Card Type and click OK. Enter the Credit Card Number and Expiration Date to complete; click Save. The sequence is the order that this credit card will appear for payment if there are multiple credit cards on the profile. Note the newly added credit card. Either select Close to return to the profile, or New to add another credit card. Be sure to click OK on the main profile screen to save your changes to the profile.

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Delete To delete this profile, select this button. It is not possible to delete a profile with active reservations. Enrollment If the hotel has a 2-way Central Reservations Interface and membership enrollment has been activated, it is possible to enroll a contact in the hotels membership program directly from the profile.

To Enroll a Guest in a Membership Program:

o o o o o o o o o o o o From the Profile Search Screen, select a profile and click the Enrollment button. Enrollment may also be selected from details inside the profile by clicking the Enrollment button. Enrollment may also be selected from details inside the profile by selecting Options. and clicking the Membership button. If a profile already has a Membership attached, this button will be gray Any guest information that exists on the profile automatically populates to the Guest Enrollment; Click OK once completed. Required fields have BOLD field descriptions and highlighted fields. If the guest prefers to receive airline mileage rather than loyalty program points, Alliance Code and Number must be entered and validated. If the guest prefers to let the system generate a membership number, leave the Number field blank next to Program. If the guest prefers to select a number, the number must be nine (9) numeric digits. Employee ID automatically populates based on User Profile. See How To Add an Employee (User) Name for specific details. Answer Yes or No to print the Enrollment summary once complete. This summary can be used as a temporary card for the newly enrolled guest. Click on the Enrollment button to proceed. Note the confirmed Enrollment in the Membership tab.

Future All future reservations for this contact are kept here. Depending on user rights, any future reservation can be accessed and updated from the profile. History All previous reservations, no-shows, cancellations and current in-house information are kept in history. It is possible to view Year To Date information on total revenue produced by the contact as well as accumulated membership points. Finally, from profile history, any previous folio information can be viewed and reprinted. Memberships Many hotel chains offer loyalty club points for frequent guest stays, and it can be very complicated to calculate the points accumulated manually. Entering membership information in the guests profile can help to automatically calculate points each time the guest stays at the hotel. For hotels that offer Frequent Flyer points for staying, this information is also kept here.

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To Attach Membership Information to a Profile:
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From the Profile Search screen, select a Profile and open for details. Select Options and choose the Membership button. Select New to add a new membership record. Select the drop down arrow to the right of Type and Level to select the appropriate Member Type and Level. Highlight the appropriate Membership Type and choose OK. Highlight the appropriate Membership Level and choose OK. Complete the remaining membership information and choose OK to save. Note the newly added Membership record and Close to return to the Individual Profile. Save changes on the Individual Profile by selecting OK.

Merge If more than one profile for a contact has been created, it is possible to merge the profiles together to combine the statistical information and revenues.

To Merge Profiles:
o o o o o o o o o o From the Profile Search screen, enter search criteria for multiple profiles to be merged; press the Tab key to initiate the search. Highlight the profile with the correct information being saved and click Profile to view details. Select the Options button in the lower, right-hand corner. Click on the Merge option. Re-enter the search criteria for the duplicate profile; press the Tab key to initiate the search. Highlight the duplicate profile; click OK to begin the Merge Review information on the duplicate profile with the original profile; select Merge to combine the two. Merge Status will display during the merge process. All guest information will be merged including Statistics, History, Commissions, Preferences, Credit Cards, Relationships, Future Reservations, and Memberships. Once the Merge is successful, click OK to return to the main profile.

Negotiated Rates If a hotel has negotiated a discounted rate with an agent or contact, that rate will be kept in the profile. Each time a new reservation is created, as long as the profile is accessed for the rate query, only the negotiated rates will be returned. This function is fundamental in ensuring that the negotiated rates are used at all times and prevents callbacks and adjustments to room rates. Notes In this section, extensive notes can be taken about an agent. Most of these notes are kept on the profile only, but Reservation Notes have the ability to be moved to every reservation made by this guest. In this way, the agencys special requirements can be accessed at any time. Preferences Preferences are used to indicate permanent requests. For instance, if a guest is allergic to cigarette smoke, entering a non-smoking preference in the profile will restrict the system from assigning a smoking room for the guest at check in. Each hotel configures its own set of preferences and care should be taken not to enter too many preferences in the profile, as many are one-time requests. Preferences can also be entered for single reservations as well.

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To Add Guest Preferences to a Profile:

o o o o o o o o From the Profile Search screen, locate the profile; choose the Profile button or doubleclick on the profile line for details. Select Options and click on the Preferences button. Select New to add a preference. Select a Preference Group then choose OK. Select all applicable preferences by placing an X in the field to the left of each. Once all selections have been made, click OK. Note the newly added preferences in the preference window. Click Close to return to the Individual Profile and select OK to save changes.

QMS Tasks If a guest has previously called for maintenance, any QMS task that was assigned to the guests room during the guest stay will be tracked on the profile. In this way, it is possible to see the history of repairs performed for this guest during previous stays. Relationship In some cases, profiles can be linked to each other for viewing purposes. This is called a relationship between profiles. If a husband and wife each have their own profiles, the relationship feature can link them together. If a contact is an employee of a particular company, that relationship can also be made between the guest and the company profile. Hotels tend to use this function very differently, so be sure to see if and how it is used at your hotel.

To Set Up Relationships on a Profile:

o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o From the Profile Search screen, locate the profile to be related and highlight the profile line; double-click the profile line or select Profile to view details. Select Options and click on the Relationship button. Select New to create a new Relationship. Highlight the appropriate Relationship, then click OK. From the Profile Search, locate the appropriate profile for the relationship; highlight the profile and click OK Note the newly added Relationship; click Close to return to the main profile screen. Be sure to save changes on the main profile screen before exiting. To view the Contact Profile containing the relationship, return to the Profile Search screen and locate the contact; Select Options and click on the Relationship button. Note that the Individual has a + next to it indicating a relationship; double-click on the line to expand for details. Note the Individual Profile previously related to this Contact Profile; to display Contact information, click Display Note the Individual Profile is now considered a contact for the Company Profile. To add a new relationship from the Company Profile, return to the Account Relations view and highlight the profile type to be related; click New. Select the drop down arrow to establish the Relationship to be added. Highlight the appropriate Relationship Type and click OK. Note the Relationship chosen and click OK. Type in an Account Name and press the Tab key to initiate your search. Place an X to the left of the account to be related and click OK. Note the new Company Subsidiary Account Relationship. Click Close to return to the main profile screen. Be sure to save changes from the main profile screen before exiting.

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New To create a new profile, select this button.

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To Create a Contact Profile:

o o o o o o o o o o From the Main Menu, select Reservations; then, choose the Profiles option. Click on New Profile button Select Contact profile and click OK. Enter desired fields and click OK to save changes. To add multiple addresses or telephone numbers, click on the Required fields have a BOLD field description. button.

button; then choose New or Edit. To add/edit an address, click on the Enter all desired fields, then click OK to save; Click Close from the multiple address window to return to the Profile. Required fields have a BOLD field description. Repeat Steps 4 and 5 for Communications (telephone numbers).

Stats and Info This tab is for display and indicates the amount of business that the guest has done in the hotel or in the case of multi-property, combined for all hotels. The total room revenue, other revenue, number of nights, number of no-show or cancelled reservations are also displayed. The Stats and Info Tab is used to create and store the Accounts Receivable Number for all profile types and can be used to restrict billing and reservations for any profile type. On the Contact profile screen, the Contacts Tax ID number can be entered, as well as any default billing instructions. On the Travel Agent or Source Profiles, the More Fields screen also carries the Commission Code and Commission Percent for paying commissions. Sales Info The Sales Info tab contains a number of fields for categorizing this account and its business. The Sales Info field offers the capability of entering Potential Business, Account type, Product Interest, Industry Code, and other hotel configurable fields. More Fields In addition to the main screen of the profile, there are tabs across the top of the screen that will allow entry of additional specific information. The More Fields Tab is used to create and store additional information regarding the contact additional fields may be added as needed. On the Contact profile screen, the Contacts Tax ID number can be entered, as well as any default billing instructions.

2-7 Room Plan

The room plan is a tool for organizing pre-blocked rooms to maximize hotel availability. In the room plan, all in-house and pre-blocked rooms are displayed in a calendar function so that a week at a time can be viewed. In this way, pre-blocked reservations can be moved to arrive on rooms that are set for departure the same day so that rooms do not go unused due to poor management in pre-blocking.

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From the room plan screen, there are a number of possibilities to maximize the room pre-blocks. Reservation: To access the highlighted reservation, select this option. Ability to update and edit reservations from this screen is controlled by user rights. New Reservation: To create a new reservation, highlight an empty cell and select this option. A new reservation is created from here in the same manner as through the main reservations screen. Room Move: To move this guest from one room to another, select room move. The Vacant Room Search screen will be displayed and a new room can be located. Room Block: Use this option to check if there are expected allotments for this room type on this date. Extend/Reduce Stay: Use this option to enter a new arrival or departure date for this reservation. Out of Order/Service: Use this option to place this room out of order or out of service. Check In: Use this quick check in option to check in the arriving reservation. The arrival date must be the current date. Walk In: Use this option to create a walk in reservation. A walk in reservation is handled in exactly the same way on this screen as it is from the Front Desk menu. Daily Events: Use this option to see what events are influencing business at the hotel.

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2-8 Floor Plan

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The floor plan function displays all rooms in the hotel in relation to each other floor by floor. From the floor plan it is possible to view the housekeeping status of every room, as well as whether it is occupied, vacant, due to arrive or due to depart. Any reservation may be opened and edited from the floor plan as long as the user has the appropriate user rights to do so. The Floor plan only displays housekeeping and front office status for rooms for the current date.

The housekeeping and front office statuses of the rooms appear in a grid at the bottom of the screen. The codes are as follows: o CL - Clean o DI - Dirty o PU Pick Up o IP - Inspected o OO/OS Out of Order/Out of Service o OC - Occupied o VA -Vacant o DN Departure Not Paid (Due Out) o AE Arrival Expected (Pre-Blocked Due In) The rooms themselves reflect the colors associated with both the housekeeping and front office statuses. Double-clicking on any room with an OC, DN or AE code will display the reservation information.

2-9 Confirmation
Confirmation letters can be printed, faxed or emailed immediately upon making a reservation, or a hotel can choose to pre-set confirmation letters for batch printing later. Individual reservation confirmation letter printing was covered in section 2.1.5. In this section we will explain the batch confirmation function.

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The default view for this screen is to see all reservations not yet checked in. To see only those reservations with confirmation letters pending, its important to check the box in the center of the screen marked Pending Only. This will display all confirmation letters that have been marked for batch sending. All Print: To select all confirmations letters that have been pre-set to print, select this option and all printed confirmation letters will be marked to send. Once they are marked, select the Send button and all confirmation letters will print. None Print: To unselect all confirmation letters for print, select this button. All selected printed confirmation letters will be unmarked. All Fax: To select all confirmation letters that have been pre-set to be faxed, select this option and all fax confirmation letters will be marked to send. Once they are marked, select the Send button and all confirmation letters will be faxed to the attached fax number. A working fax interface is required for this to work. None Fax: To unselect all confirmation letters for fax, select this button. All selected fax confirmation letters will be unmarked. All Email: To select all confirmation letters that have been pre-set to be emailed, select this option and all email confirmation letters will be marked to send. Once they are marked, select the Send button and all confirmation letters will be emailed to the attached email address. A working email interface is required for this to work. None Email: To unselect all confirmation letters for email, select this button. All selected email confirmation letters will be unmarked. Attach: To attach a confirmation letter to any reservation, or to update the confirmation letter for a reservation, select Attach and the confirmation letter screen for the highlighted reservation will display. See section 2.1.5 for a detailed explanation as to how to use this screen.

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Send: Once all confirmation letters to be sent are marked, select Send to produce the letters. Print confirmation letters will be printed for postal mailing, fax confirmation letters will be directed to the guests fax number and email confirmation letters will be sent as Adobe Acrobat attachments to emails sent to the guests email address

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Chapter 3 Front Desk

Chapter 3 Front Desk

The Front Desk menu contains all the functionality needed to work with the current days business. Arrivals, Guests in House, House Accounts, Guest Messaging, Room Blocking and House Status information are all available from the Front Desk menu.

3-1 Arrivals
From the arrivals screen, all arriving guests reservations can be accessed and edited. This is also the screen for checking in guests as well as for walking in guests with no reservations.

Search: To locate an arriving guest reservation, use any of the fields in the yellow-bordered boxes to locate the guest. The most common search fields are Name (which will locate the guests last name by matching the last name on the profile) and confirmation number, which is a uniquely generated number in Opera. Walk In: If a guest does not have a previous reservation, the Walk In feature may be used. This feature will follow the complete reservation cycle and search for availability, attach a profile, create the reservation and check in the guest as one function. Advanced: If the normal search fields are not able to locate the arriving guest, using the Advanced button will open the bottom portion of the screen for more search options. Once the search criteria has been entered, press the Search button to activate a search for arrivals.

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Walk In: This button will direct the user through the process of checking a guest into the hotel who may not have a previously created reservation. The Walk In function will first check availability, allow a profile to be attached, display the reservation screen and check the guest in once all information has been entered.

To Walk a Guest Into the Hotel:

o o o o o o o o o o o From the Main Menu, select Front Desk and Arrivals. Click the Walk In button. Complete the Rate Query including all accommodation information and guest profile; click OK. Select an available Rate Code and Room Type then click Res. Select an available Room Number for the guest or let the system auto-assign one. Make sure the Source is Walk In and enter the guests Payment information. Once all reservation and in-house guest information is complete, click OK to save the check-in. Answer Yes to continue the check-in. Answer Yes to print a Registration Card. Select OK to the guest being checked in successfully. Answer OK to the Confirmation Number notice.

Check In: This option is meant to be a Quick Check In, and should not be used for standard guest check in. The Quick Check In button verifies only room number and form of payment and does not give the desk clerk the opportunity to verify all other information with the guest. This option should be used to pre-check in guests, or to check in posting masters and house accounts.

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To Use the Quick Check In Option:

o o o o o o o o From the Main Menu, select Front Desk and Arrivals. Enter the guest Name or Conf No. and click Search. Highlight the appropriate reservation, verify the accommodation information with the guest, and select the Check In button. Room Number will auto-assign based on the reserved room type; to make an alternate selection click on the drop down arrow next to Room. Method of Payment will default from the reservation guarantee; to make an alternate selection or prompt the swiping of the card, click on the drop down arrow next to Method of Payment. Once Room and Payment information are correct, select OK to save the check-in. Answer Yes to print a Registration Card. Select OK to the successful check-in message.

Cancel: To cancel a reservation, select this option. A cancellation reason will be entered and a unique cancellation number will be given. This cancellation number may be used to locate this reservation information in the future.

To Cancel a Reservation:
o o o o o o o o o From the Main Menu, click Reservations, then Update Reservation. Enter search criteria (i.e. Last Name, Conf. No) and click Search or Advanced for more search criteria. Highlight the correct reservation and click Cancel. Click on the drop down arrow to select from a list of Cancellation Reason choices. Highlight the appropriate Cancellation Reason and click OK. You may complete the cancellation by adding any additional pertinent details in the white text box; click OK to finish. An Opera Cancellation Number will be generated; click OK to exit. If a CRS is the main reservation database, a CRS generated cancellation number will appear. Note the CANCELLED status on the reservation.

To Reinstate a Cancelled Reservation:

o o o To Reinstate a cancelled reservation, simply choose the Reinstate button. When reinstating, the main Reservation screen will appear allowing any changes to accommodation or guest information; once complete, click OK to save changes. Reinstated reservations do not generate a new Opera Confirmation Number but typically generate a new, unique CRS number.

Reg. Card: To print a registration card at any time, select this option. Registration cards may be printed from the time the reservation is made until the guests departure date. Profile: To access the guests profile, select this option. Options: To access all reservations options, select this button. All reservations options are discussed in Section 2.1.5

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Edit: To access the reservation for check in, select the Edit button. This is the best way to check in a guest.

To Check in a Guest with a Credit Card:

o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o From the Main Menu, click on Front Desk and select Arrivals. Enter search criteria (i.e. Name or Conf. No.) and click Search. Highlight the desired arrival and click Edit to display full reservation details. Use the Tab key to move from field to field while verifying all accommodation information. Once the cursor enters the Room field, Opera will automatically assign the first clean and vacant room available that meets the Rm. Type request. Alternative suggestions are listed in the lower left-hand portion of the screen and may be manually chosen by typing in the Room field. To change the form of payment to credit card from the original reservation form of payment, click on the drop down arrow next to the Payment field. Select the given Payment Method and click OK. If a credit card is available on file for the guests Individual Profile but not being used as a form of payment, click Cancel. Even if this credit card is being used, it is suggested to Cancel; this will prompt the Credit Card interface to ask for the card to be swiped. Answering Yes to attaching the credit card to the guests profile will keep the newly swiped card on record for future use. Answering No will only keep the newly swiped card for this particular record only. Note the newly swiped credit card information. With a Room assigned and a collected Payment, click OK to check the guest into the hotel. Answer Yes to check the guest in. Opera will verify the Room and Method of Payment again allowing another opportunity to make any changes; if not, click OK. To change either, click on the drop down arrow next to the field and make the change. Decide whether to print a registration card and answer accordingly. Select OK to the successful check in. If a credit card already exists on the reservation as Payment for guarantee, to change the payment method, click in the Payment field and delete the payment. This is suggested even if the Payment will remain the same to invoke the swiping of the credit card. Click on the drop down arrow next to Payment to select the given credit card. Select the appropriate Payment Method and click OK. Again, Cancel from using the Available Credit Card from the guest profile. Note the newly swiped credit card as the Method of Payment and click OK to complete the check in. A change of payment may be performed yet again here as well.

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To Check In a Guest with Cash:

o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o From the Main Menu, click on Front Desk and select Arrivals. Enter search criteria (i.e. Name or Conf. No.) and click Search. Highlight the desired arrival and click Edit to display full reservation details. Use the Tab key to move from field to field while verifying all accommodation information. Once the cursor enters the Room field, Opera will automatically assign the first clean and vacant room available that meets the Rm. Type request. Alternative suggestions are listed in the lower left-hand portion of the screen and may be manually chosen by typing in the Room field. Click on the drop down arrow next to the Payment field to select the form of payment. Highlight the appropriate Payment Method and click OK Select OK to save and check in the guest. Select Yes to Check In the guest. Select Yes to print a registration card or No to print at a later time. Answering Yes to posting a payment will allow the direct posting of the cash payment. Answering No will not post a payment and must be posted manually. If this parameter is not applicable for your hotel, follow instructions to post the cash payment manually. Enter your User Password to login to your Cashier and click Login. Enter the Amount of cash to post and indicate any additional number of Copies payment receipts to print; click Post to complete. Payment Code for Cash is the default. To verify the cash payment as posted, note the Guest Balance on the reservation screen; to manually post the cash payment, click the Options button. Be sure to click OK to save changes before exiting. Select Billing from the Reservation Options. Enter your User Password to login to your Cashier and click Login Select the Payment button from the guest folio window. Enter the Amount of cash to post and indicate any additional number of Copies payment receipts to print; click Post to complete. Payment Code for Cash is the default for form of payment on the reservation. Note the posted cash payment on the guest folio and Close from the billing window; Close from the Reservations Options. Be sure to save changes before exiting the reservation.

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To Check In a Guest with Direct Bill:
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From the Main Menu, click on Front Desk and select Arrivals Enter search criteria (i.e. Name or Conf. No.) and click Search. Highlight the desired arrival and click Edit to display full reservation details Use the Tab key to move from field to field while verifying all accommodation information. Once the cursor enters the Room field, Opera will automatically assign the first clean and vacant room available that meets the Rm. Type request. Alternative suggestions are listed in the lower left-hand portion of the screen and may be manually chosen by typing in the Room field. Click on the drop down arrow next to the Payment field to select the form of payment Highlight the appropriate Payment Method and click OK. Check that a Company profile exists on the reservation for Direct Billing purposes This company must have an active AR account to accept Direct Bill charges. Select OK to save and check in the guest. Select Yes to Check In the guest Select Yes to print a registration card. Respond OK to the guests successful check in. Be sure to Close and Save changes before exiting the reservation. To ensure Routing of charges is setup properly for direct billing, from the Main Menu, select Front Desk and then In-House Guests. Enter either Room No. or Name criteria and click Search. Highlight the desired in-house guest and click Options. Select the Routing button from the Reservation Options menu. If the Company has default folio instructions, answering Yes will apply them to this inhouse guest. Note the newly added Routing instructions for this guest. To create additional routing, click New. If default folio instructions do not exist for the company click New and proceed with creating them. Close from Routing and Close from the Reservations Options; be sure to save changes to the reservation before exiting.

Search: Selecting the Search option will return to the Arrivals Search screen and will reset the search criteria to the default settings.

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3-2 In-House Guests

The In-House Guests options will locate all guests checked in to the hotel at the current time. From this screen, all reservations options are available, as well as several options that are only available to checked in guests. The In-House Guests search screen looks much like all other reservations search screens with the addition of the Room No. field as a search possibility.

Search: Once all search criteria have been entered selecting Search will locate all in-house guests that fit the search options. Advanced: If an in-house guest cannot be located by the first few options, selecting Advanced will open up the bottom portion of the screen for more search options.

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New: To create a new reservation from this screen, select this option.

To Create a Reservation:
o o o o o o o o o o o From the Main Menu, select the Reservations button, then New Reservation. An alternate way of navigating to the Rate Query is by pressing the F5 function key and selecting Rate Query option. At the Rate Query screen, enter the Arrival Date, Nights, and No. of Rooms and open the drop down arrow next to Name to add or create a profile name. Select an existing profile by entering search criteria and pressing the Tab key; highlight the desired profile and click OK, or create a new profile by selecting the New Prof. button and follow procedures from How to Make an Individual Profile. Select any additional profile types to be added or any search criteria to lessen available results, then click OK. Select the appropriate Room Type and Rate Code in the grid and select the Res. button. Available Rate Codes based on Rate Query results are listed vertically, and Room Types are listed horizontally. Short-form descriptions of grid selections are defined in the lower right-hand corner of the Rate Query Details. Complete required or desired fields on the Reservation and click OK to save the reservation. Required fields are indicated by a BOLD field description; most are populated from information given during Rate Query process. Save will save reservation; OK will save reservation and close window; Close will close the window without saving but will prompt you to save.

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Cancel C/I: To cancel the check in and return the reservation to arrival status, select this option. Cancel Check In will not cancel the reservation entirely, but will only revert the reservation from checked in to reserved/arrival status for later check in. It is no longer possible to cancel a check in if charges have been posted to a guests folio. It is also not possible to cancel a check in if a deposit had been placed on the reservation as it is transferred to the guests folio as a credit balance once the guest is checked in.

To Cancel A Check In:

o o o o o o o o o o From the In-House Guests search results screen, highlight the desired guest and select Cancel C/I. Only guests that arrived today are eligible for Cancel C/I. Answer Yes to proceed with the cancellation. Answering Yes to blocking the room will leave the assigned room number blocked on the reservation. Answering No will remove the assignment from the reservation and the room will become available to general inventory. Depending on your hotels policy, select the Housekeeping status for the room to be returned to. Generally, if the guest has not arrived, the room would be given the most available status (i.e. Inspected or Clean) If the guest arrived and occupied the room for a short length of time, a Pickup status is suggested. If the guest occupied the room for a longer length of time, a Dirty status is suggested. Once the Cancel C/I is complete, the reservation will return to a Due-In reservation status.

Cancel: To cancel the reservation and give the room back to house availability, this option should be selected. This option is not possible once a guest has been checked in. To cancel a reservation, the Check In must be cancelled first, and then the reservation should be cancelled.

To Cancel a Reservation:
o o o o o o o o o From the Main Menu, click Reservations, then Update Reservation. Enter search criteria (i.e. Last Name, Conf. No) and click Search or Advanced for more search criteria. Highlight the correct reservation and click Cancel. Click on the drop down arrow to select from a list of Cancellation Reason choices. Highlight the appropriate Cancellation Reason and click OK. You may complete the cancellation by adding any additional pertinent details in the white text box; click OK to finish. An Opera Cancellation Number will be generated; click OK to exit. If a CRS is the main reservation database, a CRS generated cancellation number will appear. Note the CANCELLED status on the reservation.

To Reinstate a Cancelled Reservation:

o o o To Reinstate a cancelled reservation, simply choose the Reinstate button. When reinstating, the main Reservation screen will appear allowing any changes to accommodation or guest information; once complete, click OK to save changes. Reinstated reservations do not generate a new Opera Confirmation Number but typically generate a new, unique CRS number.

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Profile: To access the guests profile to view or edit, select this option.

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Options: To access all reservation options select this button. All reservations options are explained in detail in section 2.1.5. Edit: To open the reservation screen to view or edit, select this option. Search: To return to the search screen for in-house guests, select this button.

3-3 Accounts
Hotels use Posting Masters and House Accounts to post charges for banquets or to adjust disputed amounts. Posting Masters and House Accounts are handled like regular guest reservations but are assigned a different set of room numbers to differentiate them. Because Posting Masters are used so frequently, it is useful to have a quick and easy way to create them and check them in.

Name: The name of the group or account, or the last name of the guest if a posting master is being made for a guest. First Name: The first name of the guest if a posting master is being made for a guest. Account From: The date on which the posting master should be checked in as an arrival so that charges may be posted on it. Account Until: The date on which the posting master should be checked out as a departure once the balance is zero and the charges have been resolved. Room Type: The posting master room type. Most hotels use the PM room type, but some hotels may have configured more than one type of posting room. Be sure to check for the proper room type at your hotel.

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Room: The number of the posting room. Usually posting rooms are numbered between 9000 and 9999, but check with your hotel to be sure that you know which numbers you should be using. Market Code: The market code is important as it is used to categorize the revenue that is posted on this account. Because posting masters are used for everything from banquet functions to disputed charges, be sure that you know which market code should be used for your posting master. Source Code: The source code indicates where the business was generated. If the business is banquets or catering the source code will be different than if the account is being created for house use.

To Create a House Account or Posting Master:

o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o From the Main Menu, select Front Desk and Accounts. Enter a Name (last) and optional First Name and press the Tab key. If an existing profile match is found, a duplicate will not be created. Enter the Account dates and click on the drop down arrow next to Room Type. Accounts are allowed to arrive and depart on the same date. Highlight the PM Room Type and click OK. Click on the drop down arrow next to Room to select a PM room number. Highlight an available PM room number and click OK. Click on the drop down arrow next to Market Code. Select the appropriate Market Code and click OK. Click on the drop down arrow next to Source. Select the appropriate Source Code and click OK. Click OK to check-in the PM Account Answer Yes to check-in the guest (PM). Click OK to the successful check-in message.

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3-4 Room Blocking

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Front Office Management often uses a tool to pre-block some or all of the days arrivals into rooms. When working with large group check-ins, pre-blocking rooms can speed the check-in process at the desk. If there are a large number of special room requests or VIP arrivals, preblocking rooms can help eliminate last minute rushing to prepare rooms.

Block: Use this button to access the vacant room list to assign a room for the highlighted reservation. Unblock: Use this button to eliminate the pre-blocked room from the highlighted reservation. Auto: Use this option to pre-block all arrivals for the day. The system will look for preferences in both the profile and the reservation and will locate rooms that suit the guest. Profile: Use this option to access the guest profile for information that may assist in locating a room for the guest. Res.: Use this option to access the guest profile for update or view. Check In: Use this option to check in the guest. Like the Quick Check In option in the arrivals screen, this option will verify only the room number and the form of payment.

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3-5 Messages
Guest messages can be left individually on each guest reservation, or can be left as batch messages for larger sets of guests.

3.5.1 Send Messages

Messages can be sent in batches to guests with similar characteristics on their reservations. Once any one of the following options is selected, there are further filter screens that will assist in narrowing down further the number of guests receiving the message .

Guests Arriving Today: All guests with the current date as the arrival date on the reservation. Guests Arriving Tomorrow: All guests with tomorrow as the arrival date on the reservation. Guests Departing Today: All guests with today as the departure date on the reservation. Guests Departing Tomorrow: All guests with tomorrow as the departure date on the reservation. Guests In House: All guests with a Reservation Type CHECKED IN. Guests In House Tomorrow: All Guests reserved to arrive tomorrow, as well as todays stay over guests. Group Guests: Guests from specific groups can be sorted out to receive messages.

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To Leave a Text Message for a Group of Guests:
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From the Main Opera screen, select Front Desk and Messages. Select Send Messages. Select the group of guests that will receive the batch message. Enter any additional filter criteria needed. Click New to create a new message. Input the callers Name, Title, and additional information, then click on the drop down arrow next to Message Text to select from pre-defined messages. Select the pre-defined message desired by highlighting, and click OK to save. Once the return Phone No. is entered, press the Tab key to move the message information into the white text box on the right. Enter any additional message text and click Save Answer Yes to send the message to the guest. This will turn the message light on in the guest room. To print the message for delivery to the guest room, click the Print button on the highlighted message. Input the Number of copies and click OK to print. Note the Message lamp on this in-house guest indicating that a message is waiting to be delivered. To mark a message as received by the guest, highlight the message and select the Received button. Note the Received message indication with date and time of delivery.

3-6 Traces
Traces can be left on an individual reservation as a reminder to perform a special function for the guest or to be sure that guest requests are communicated to other departments. Leaving a trace on an individual reservation was explained in Section 2.1.5. In this section, well explain locating and resolving open traces for all reservations from one screen.

Edit: To update information on an existing trace, select Edit. Any information on the trace can be changed or updated.

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New: To create a new trace for the highlighted guest, select New. Traces for guests not already listed here must be created in the reservation itself. Delete: To delete a trace from the database, select Delete. This is not a recommended manner of resolving traces, as all history information about this trace will also be deleted. The Delete option is controlled by User Rights. Resolve: Once the action has been completed, the trace is marked resolved, indicating that no further action must be taken. If a trace has been entered to be tracked for more than one day, each day will have to be marked as resolved individually. Resolve All: If no more activity is necessary on any traces on this list, Resolve All will move all traces to resolved status.

To Enter a Trace on a Reservation:

o o o o o o o o o o o o From the Reservation Search or In-House Guest Search results screen, highlight the desired guest and click the Options button. Select the Traces option. Click on New to add a new Trace. Select the Department to send the trace to by placing an X to the left. If any Trace Texts exist for that department, you may highlight the text to send. Any additional instructions or manual trace information should be entered in the white Text field. Click Save to save and create another trace; click OK to save and close. Note the Trace lamp on the reservation. To Resolve the trace, highlight the applicable trace and click Resolve. Resolve All will complete all traces and resolve for the entire record. Note the resolved trace with date and time stamps. Click Close to exit the Traces function.

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Chapter 4 Cashiering
The Cashiering menu offers a number of options to work with in-house guest folios, check out guests, and process other cashiering requirements such as check cashing, fast posting, currency exchange and research.

4-1 Billing
The billing screen contains all detail on the guests folio and allows access for editing, transferring charges, adjustments, folio printing and guest check out. This screen is the primary billing screen and users should be very familiar and comfortable with it.

4.1.1 Right Click Options

From the billing screen, there are a number of button options displayed at the bottom of the screen. In addition to these buttons, a full menu of options is available by using the right click on the mouse. The right click options are discussed below:

Add Guest View To open and display a second guest folio for comparison or transfer, select Add Guest View. The second guest folio is chosen from the list of in-house guest folios, and may be opened at the same time as the current folio. Remove Guest View This option will close the folio that is currently viewable on screen if more than one folio is open.

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View Summarized Transactions This option will display on screen only, one line per transaction code per day for easier viewing. Delete Transaction This option is managed by User Rights, and will delete a posted transaction. This deletion is tracked through posting history and in a Night Audit report as well. Only current day transactions may be deleted, and a reason for deletion is required. Next Guest If more than one guest folio is open, this option will move the user to the next open folio. Previous Guest If more than one guest folio is open, this option will move the user to the previous open folio. Screen View To view each folio window as a full screen, select Full, to view two windows on one screen select Split, and to view four windows on one screen select Quad. Split Transaction: Use this button to split one charge into two smaller charges. This is useful if a portion of a charge is to be adjusted or transferred.

To Split a Charge on a Guest Folio:

o o o o o o From the Billing search screen, highlight the appropriate guest and click Select to view the folio. Highlight the charge to be split, and choose the Split option. Either select to split the posting by Amount or Percentage and enter the value. Click OK to save. Note the newly split charge on the guest folio. Click Close to exit the folio and prevent further postings.

Transfer Transaction: Use this button to transfer charges to or from another guest folio.

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To Transfer Postings To or From a Guest Folio:
o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o From the Billing search screen, highlight the desired guest and click Select. Highlight the charge to be transferred and select the Transfer button. Select to Transfer TO another Room. Transfer FROM another Room allows postings from another room to be transferred to this folio. Transfer FROM List of Rooms allows postings from a list of rooms to be transferred to this folio. Select All Marked Postings to transfer; click on the drop down arrow next to Room to select the room to send the charges to. Input the Room or Name, press the Tab key to initiate the search, highlight the guest and click Select. Note the visual display of the transfer, and click Transfer to complete. Answer OK to the charge transfer message. Note the transferred charge from the guest folio. Click Close to exit the billing window to prevent further postings to this folio Alternately, right-click in the folio window and select to Add Guest View. Enter Room or Name, press Tab key to initiate search, highlight guest record, and click Select. Note the newly added guest view. Using the mouse, click and drag the charge down to the second guest folio. Note the newly transferred charge back on the original folio. Click Close to exit the billing window and prevent further postings to this folio.

Adjust Transaction: Use this button to allow the system to adjust a charge to its internally configured adjustment code. This button is only used for charges posted automatically by Opera or by an interface, and only by charges posted prior to the current date.

To Adjust a Charge on a Guest Folio:

o o o o o o o o o o o o o From the Billing search results screen, highlight the desired guest room and click Select. Place an X next to the charge to be adjusted and click the Adjustment button. Only charges that were posted on a previous business date may be adjusted. Choose the Adjust Selected Posting option to adjust an individual posting The Adjust Selected Trn. Codes option adjusts multiple postings with the same transaction code. The Adjust Selected Check No. option adjusts interface postings by Check No. Select an Amount or Percentage of the price of the charge to adjust and enter the amount; next, click on the drop down arrow next to Reason Code. It is necessary to place a - before the Amount or Percentage to invoke a negative posting. Select the appropriate Reason Code and click OK to save. Enter any additional Reason Text regarding the adjustment and click OK to save. Select OK to the adjustment message. Note the newly adjusted posting Click Close to exit the billing window and prevent further postings.

Transfer to Window The highlighted charge or group of charges will be moved to the selected window using this option.

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Add New Window Up to 8 folio windows may be opened for each guest. Use this option to open additional windows. Delete Window To delete the highest numbered window, select this option. It is not possible to delete a window with transactions attached. POS Check Details If the hotel has a Micros 8700 interface with the restaurants, it is possible to view and print the restaurant check detail from the folio window using this option.

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4.1.2 Button Options
In addition to the right click menu, there are a number of buttons displayed on the screen that provide access to additional folio functionality.

Balance: The total amount due from all eight windows of the guests folio. Status: The status of the reservation, whether it is checked in, checked out or due out. Arrival: The arrival date as entered on the reservation. Depart: The departure date as entered on the reservation. Company: The name of a company profile attached to the reservation. Group: The name of a group profile attached to the reservation. Rate Code: The rate code on the reservation. Rate: The dollar amount of the rate on the reservation. Window Name: The name of the person or company responsible for the charges in this folio window. This is set up through the routing function on the reservation. Window Balance: The balance of charges in this window only. The sum of all windows will total the Balance in the upper left corner of the screen.

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Select All: Use this button to mark all charges in the highlighted window. This can be done to save time when transferring a large number of charges from one window to another or from one folio to another. Post: Use this button to post charges or adjustments manually on this guests folio.

To Post a Charge on a Guest Folio:

o o o o o o o o o o o From the Main Menu, select Cashiering and Billing. Enter your user Password for the Cashier Login and click Login to continue. Highlight the desired guest and Select the room. Select Post to add a manual posting. Click on the drop down arrow at Code for selecting the transaction code to post. Find and highlight the appropriate Transaction Code and click OK to select. Enter the charge Price, Quantity, and Window to post the charge to. Select Post to complete the transaction. Close from the posting window to return to the folio. Notice the newly posted charge to the guest folio. Close from the billing window to prevent further postings.

Edit: Use this button to edit reference or supplement information on a charge so that the explanation will print on the guest folio and on reports pertaining to charges.

To Edit a Charge on a Guest Folio:

o o o o o o o From the guest Billing screen, highlight the desired room and click Select. Highlight the charge to be edited, and either double-click the charge or select Edit. Note the current Price of the charge. Edit the price to the correct amount and click OK to save. This may only be performed on a manual posting from the same business date (i.e. no interface postings or charges applied on a previous business date). Note the newly edited posting. Click Close to exit the billing screen and prevent further postings.

Folio Preview: Use this option to preview the guests highlighted folio window on screen rather than print. Print Folio: Use this option to print the highlighted folio window. Folio Style: This option will allow the user to change the folio style for printing the highlighted folio window. The folio style is selected from one of 19 styles configured in the system. Options: A number of cashiering and reservations options are available from the folio screen. Authorize Direct Bill: This option allows the user to close a folio to direct bill for Accounts Receivable without a valid A/R number attached to the profile. This option is controlled by User Rights.

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Agent/Company: This option can be used to attach additional profiles to the reservation. Travel Agent, Company, Group or Source profiles can be located and attached using this feature. There is no difference on the reservation if the profiles are attached using Agent/Company than if they were attached to the main reservation screen. When setting up charge routing, access to additional profiles is quicker from this option. Credit Cards: Changes or updates to the credit card authorization information can be made from here. When Opera is installed in an existing hotel, entering the manual authorization information from the previous system will make the guests checkout go much more smoothly. The hotel also has a default calculation for authorizing credit cards, generally the number of nights multiplied by the rate plus either a flat sum or a percentage for taxes and incidentals. There are occasions when this calculation will over-authorize a card, so the option to manually change the expected authorization is included here. Finally, if a guest bill exceeds the amount pre-authorized, additional authorization may be obtained using this option. Disable Phone: This option will either enable telephone numbers dialed to be printed on the guest folio or will restrict the printing of the telephone numbers. Fixed Charges: The Fixed Charges option is used to pre-set automatic postings on a reservation. These charges post immediately after the Room and Tax postings during the End of Day (Night Audit) Sequence. Some examples of fixed charges might be extra bed charges, parking charges, refrigerator rentals or any other charge that might be automatically added on a nightly basis. Fixed charges can also be entered to post on a weekly or monthly basis as well, and as a result can be used to post weekly or monthly rental fees.

To Enter Fixed Charges:

o o o o o o From the Profile Search screen, highlight the desired reservation and click Options. Choose the Fixed Charges option. Dates will default to original reservation dates of stay. Highlight the desired Transaction Code for the Fixed Charge and click OK. Complete the Amount, Quantity, as well as posting frequency and click OK to save. o Note the newly entered Fixed Charges and click Close to return to the Options menu. Click Close from the Options menu to return to the main Reservation or Reservation Search screen; be sure to save changes before exiting. Package Options: The Package Option is a tool for front desk users and managers to research how much of a package element has been consumed. Package elements such as breakfast have an upper limit to the amount of money a guest may consume. Above that pre-determined allowance, any further charges will post on the guests bill. The package option displays the allowance amount, the amount consumed by the guest and the overage, which will be posted on the guest bill. Each day the package element is valid is displayed separately. Phone Details: This option will access the details of telephone calls posted to the guest room. The time of the call, number of minutes, number dialed and total posted amount will be displayed. Posting History: In the Posting History option, all postings made to the folio as well as any changes or adjustments to those charges are displayed. Profile: The Profile button offers access to the guest profile for updating or viewing information. See section 2-6 for complete information regarding guest profiles.

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Reservation: The Reservation option will display the complete reservation screen and will allow all information to be accessed and updated. See Section 2.1.3 for a complete discussion of all the fields on the reservation screen. Routing: Setting up charge routing can be a great time-saver when checking out a guest. If charges are routed correctly, there will be fewer guest complaints at the desk and a much faster check out time. Charges can be automatically separated on a guests folio, or can be moved off the guests folio altogether to a posting master or another guest room.

To Enter Charge Routing Instructions on a Reservation:

From the Reservation Search results screen, highlight the desired reservation and click the Options button. o Select the Routing option. o Choose to setup a New routing instruction. o To route charges from one room to another, select Room Routing; indicate whether the instructions apply for the Entire Stay or Other Dates (i.e. partial dates). o Click on the drop down arrow to select the Room/Name to route charges to. o Enter the Guest Name or Room Number and press the Tab key to initiate a search. o Highlight the desired guest and click OK. o Select the drop down arrow next to Routing Code to use a pre-defined grouping of transaction codes (i.e. all F&B charges). o If routing an individual transaction code, highlight the code and click Select. o Once the transaction code selected appears at the bottom of the screen, click OK to save. o If selecting a pre-defined grouping of billing instructions, place an X to the left of the category and click OK to save. o To save the Routing Instructions, click OK. o Note the newly created Routing Instructions for this guest. o Click Close to return to the reservation and be sure to save changes before exiting. o To set up routing of charges from one folio window to another, select the Window Routing option and dates. o To route charges to another profile name (i.e. a Company Profile), click on the drop down arrow next to the Route to Name field. o Highlight the available Profile name to route charges to and click OK. o If no additional profile name exists on the reservation, the Profile Search Screen will appear allowing the search of an existing profile or the creation of a new one. o After selecting the transaction codes to route, select the folio window for the charges to be routed to using the drop down arrow next to Window No. Once complete, click on OK to save changes. o Payment: Use this button to post a payment to the guests folio without checking the guest out of the hotel. It is not possible to post a direct bill payment from this option. A direct bill payment may only be made when checking out a guest.

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To Post a Payment to a Guest Folio:
o o o o o o o o o From the Billing search screen, highlight the desired guest and click Select. Select the Payment option. Click on the drop down arrow next to Payment Code to select the form of payment. The default form of payment from the reservation or in-house record will always appear. If the payment form is different, make the change. Highlight the Payment Type and click OK. Enter the Amount of the payment and click Post. The amount will always default to the folio window balance. If the payment is for a different amount, make the applicable change. Note the newly posted payment. Click Close to exit the billing window and prevent further charges from posting on this folio.

Settlement/Check Out: Use this option to check a guest out of the hotel. The button will read Settlement if the departure date is in the future, and Check Out if the departure date is the current date.

To Check Out a Guest to Credit Card:

o o o o o o o o From the Main Menu, select Cashiering and Billing. Enter your user Password and click Login. Highlight the desired guest to check out and click Select. The default Payment Code is the listed form of payment on the reservation; to change, click on the drop down arrow next to Payment Code. The default Amount is the folio balance; if the payment amount differs, enter the Amount. Click Post to post the payment; if additional authorization is required, the credit card interface will obtain it at this point. Once a payment receipt and guest folio print, notice the posted credit card payment and the change in guest Status to Checked Out. Click Close to exit the billing window and prevent further postings.

To Check Out a Guest to Direct Bill:

o o o o o o o o o o o o o o From the Billing search screen, highlight the desired guest to check out and click Select. It is necessary that a second folio window exists with a Company Name attached; note the company label on folio window two. To check that a valid AR account exists for this company, click Options. Select Agent/Company from the Billing Options. Click on the drop down arrow next to Company Profile. Note the company selected has a valid AR No. Click OK to exit; Close from the Profile Linkage screen and Close from the Billing Options. To proceed, click on the Checkout button. For folio window one, enter the correct form of payment and Post the payment to settle the folio window. Answer Yes to continue with folio window 2. Click on the drop down arrow next to Payment Code to change to Direct Bill. Select the Direct Bill Payment Type and click OK to save. Ensure the Amount to settle to Direct Bill is correct and click Post. Note the newly posted Direct Bill Payment and the change in guest Status to Checked Out.

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4-2 Fast Posting

Fast Posting allows a number of charges to be posted to different guest rooms without having to access each guest folio individually. Some common uses for fast posting are: posting laundry charges, posting parking charges, posting valet or bellman charges, and so on. Notice in the bottom left corner that a running total of charges is displayed. This will be of assistance if the list that is being entered also has a total at the bottom. The totals can then be compared for accuracy.

Room: The folio can be located by typing the guests room number in the Room field. It can also be located by typing in the first few letters of the guests last name in the Room field. Code: The transaction code for posting can be located by typing in the number of the code, or by typing in the first few letters in the description of the code. Opening the arrow to the right of the field and searching through all codes configured in the system can also locate the correct transaction code. Description: The description attached to the transaction code. Price: The amount of money to be charged the guest for the particular transaction. Qty.: The number of charges that should be put on the guest folio. In this case, if a guest had parked two cars, two separate charges could be entered for the same guest, resulting in two separate line items on the folio, or one charge with a quantity of two could be entered, resulting in one line item on the guests folio with twice the amount of the charge. Window: The folio window on which the charge will appear. Arr. Code: Arrangement Codes are not used in every hotel, but if they are used, the arrangement code chosen is the information that will print on the guests folio. Check No.: Check Number is used if the POS interface will support check numbers in Opera. If an additional charge is added to a restaurant bill at the front desk, entering the check number will cause that charge to roll up into one line item with all other charges on that check number.

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Supplement: The supplement field may or may not print on the guests folio. A supplement may include information as to why the charge is being posted manually, or additional information about the charge. Reference: The reference information will almost certainly print on the guest bill. This field is primarily for guest reference, and should be spelled correctly.

To Use the Fast Posting Function:

o o o o o o From the Cashiering menu, select Fast Posting. Next, enter your Password at the Cashier Login screen Enter the Room Number or click on the drop down arrow to search for in house guests. Search for the guest by any of the fields displayed. Typically, search by last Name or Room Number. Highlight the appropriate choice and click Select. Enter the Transaction Code of the posting (i.e. Flowers) or click on the drop down arrow to search for the correct Code. Search for the appropriate Transaction Code by typing a few letters in the find field. o o o o o o To search by Code, type to the left of the % sign (i.e. 21%) To search by Description, type to the right of the % sign (i.e. %flower)

Click Find to activate search and any partial matches display. Highlight the appropriate selection and click OK. Click Post to proceed to the next line and continue entering charges for other transactions and/or guests. Once all the charges have been entered, click Close to exit the screen and apply all charges to each guests folio.

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4-3 Cashier Functions

The Cashier Functions button contains a number of different options that may or may not be used at your hotel. It is a good idea to become familiar with each of them. The Cashier Functions cover a wide range of additional information, such as Currency Exchange, Check Exchange, Folio History, Petty Cash Handling and Receipt History.

4.3.1 Batch Folios

Night Auditors routinely print folios for express checkouts to be delivered under the guests doors on the overnight. There are also times when it is a good idea to print every guest folio in house in preparation for possible down time. The Batch Folios option is used in either circumstance.

Batch Folios can be printed for a number of reasons. The most common reason is for express check-out guests. Folios can be printed before or after the End of Day sequence. If printed before, selecting Folios for Guests Departing Tomorrow will pre-print room and tax charges expected to be posted during the audit. If printed after, actual room and tax charges will print. In the case of expected down time, printing folios for all guests will help the desk cope with a manual system.

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To Print Express Check Out Folios:
o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o From the Cashiering menu, go to Cashiering Functions and select Batch Folios from the sub-menu. Next, enter your Password at the Cashier Login screen If printing folios before the Night Audit has rolled the business date, then select Folios for Guests Departing Tomorrow. If printing folios after the Night Audit has completed, select Folios for Guests Departing Today Click Next to continue In this example, folios are being printed before rolling the business date. To print charges as they appear after the Night Audit, select Advance Folio. Click Next to continue. If delivering folios to each guest room, select Room Number Order. Click Next to continue If delivering folios to everyone in-house, select All Guests. If only delivering to specific guests, select All VIP and/or the appropriate VIP code to be included in this process. Click Next to continue Select Only Credit Cards to exclude other payment methods (i.e. Cash, Check, etc) or select All Payment Methods to include all of them. Click Next to continue. Select Only Windows Billed to Guest. This will prevent printing of any Direct Bill folios. If the Reservation does not have Routing set up properly (i.e. Route to Name), this function will not exclude those folio windows. Click Next to continue. To select all guests, click Print All. To select individual guests, place an X next to their name and click Print.

4.3.2 Batch Postings

As part of contractual agreements, it can be common for hotels to negotiate a common charge to be posted to a large number of guest folios. One example might be a group that contracts a per person gratuity for baggage handling. Rather than posting this charge to each individual folio, or even posting this to a large group by fast posting, Batch Posting can be used as long as the charge is the same amount for everyone receiving it.

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For Batch Posting to be used correctly, the same transaction code and amount must be posted to every guest receiving the charge. It is possible to designate a list of rooms, or to post to every member of a group or everyone in house with the same travel agency. If the charge should be multiplied by the number of adults, and include todays due out guests, that information can be indicated as well. If the charge should be posted regardless whether the folio is a guest folio or a posting master, that can be indicated here. Finally, if the charge should be posted even if the guest does not have a form of payment that will allow it, the NO Post flag should be overridden.

To Enter Batch Postings:

o o o o o o o o o o o o o o From the Cashiering menu, go to Cashier Functions and select Batch Postings. Next, enter your Password at the Cashier Login screen Enter the Trn. Code or click on the drop down arrow next to Trn Code to search for possible options. To search by description, type the first few letters to the right of the % sign and click Find to activate the search. The results of any codes containing that combination of letters displays. Highlight the appropriate Code and click OK. Click on the drop down arrow next to Rooms to select the guests who should have this charge posted to their account. Search for guests using any of the fields in the yellow box in the bottom left corner of the screen. Select them by placing an X next to their Room number. Once all relevant guests have an X next to their name, click Select to accept. Enter the Amount and Supplement information used for reference. If the charge being applied is per person, make sure to also check the Multiply by Number of Adults checkbox Click OK to apply charges. Click Yes to see the Posting Details. The new account balance displays for all guests selected. The X in the OK column indicates the posting successfully applied to their folios.

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4.3.3 Cashier Reports
When closing out for the day, each cashier must balance his or her work before dropping any cash and checks. To do so, the Cashier Reports should be printed for verification of the amount of cash, checks and credit cards that have been taken in. If the hotel handles foreign currency exchanges as well, the foreign currency totals can also be found on the cashier reports. These reports can be printed at any time during the shift (assuming the parameter for blind drop is not activated), and totals should be verified against actual cash, foreign currency and checks. Once the cashier is closed for the day, these reports are reset to zero and will begin totally again the next day that the cashier opens.

Cashier Reports are totaled by payment type. The Cash Report also contains a record of every posting that was made on the cashiers password for the day.

4.3.4 Cashier Status

When a cashier logs into a cash-handling or reporting screen for the first time during a shift, a message will appear asking if he or she would like to open the cashier. This is a requirement to open or view cash-handling areas. Once the cashier is open, all postings and payments begin to total for that cashier for the day. At the end of the shift, the cashier must balance all payments, make a drop and close the cashier in Opera. If this is not done, the cashier will be closed during the audit, but a drop will not be registered. The following shift, the cashier will open again with the drop from the previous day registered as part of the opening cash totals. This can cause confusion for the cashier. The Cashier Status screen allows a manager or Night Auditor to see if any cashiers were left open and will have trouble balancing the following day. No one in the hotel, including management, may close another cashier. This information will give a forewarning that there may be difficulties in balancing the next shift.

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The cashier number, status and cashier name will appear as will the times open and closed.

4.3.5 Check Exchange

If a hotel cashes checks for guests, using the check exchange function can help to keep the cashier totals straight at the end of the day. Since cashing a check does not increase or decrease the value of a cashiers bank, the purpose of the check exchange is to register a decrease in the cash and a corresponding increase in check totals for counting out at the end of the day.

Room No.: The room number of the registered guest cashing the check. Since most hotels do not cash checks for other than registered guests, this is a required field.

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Guest Name: The name of the guest cashing the check. Amount: The amount of the check. This is the amount that will be subtracted from the cashiers cash total and added to the cashiers check total for balancing. Text: The word Check will default, but can be overwritten with any text needed. Its a good idea to enter the name on the check if it is different from the guests name. Supplement: Usually the check number would be entered here for tracking purposes.

To Process a Check Exchange:

o o o o o o From the Cashiering menu, go to Cashiering Functions and select Check Exchange from the sub-menu. Next, enter your Password at the Cashier Login screen Click on the drop down arrow next to Room No to select the in house guest. Search for and highlight the appropriate guest; click Select. Enter the Amount of the check being exchanged. Enter the check # in the Supplement line and click OK to complete the transaction. Click OK to verify the exchange was completed successfully.

4.3.7 Currency Calculator

The currency calculator feature allows a user to calculate and view an exchange amount without actually processing the exchange. In Opera, there are six possible exchange rates for each currency, although it is unusual to use all six separately. Most hotels will combine two or more exchange types using the same rate for all to keep the exchange feature manageable.

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Amount: The amount in the currency to be exchanged. If 100 Euro are being exchanged for dollars, the amount 100 would be entered in this field. Date: The date of the transaction. In a hotel that updates exchange rates for the next day, entering todays date may give a different exchange rate than the same amount the following day. From Currency: The currency the guest is exchanging. To Currency: The currency the guest will receive in the exchange. Currency Type Exchange: This exchange type is the rate that will be given to the guest using the currency exchange feature. Usually, this rate also includes a percentage for the hotel as a fee for the exchange. The percentage is figured into the exchange rate. Currency Type Check: This exchange rate is used if the hotel will cash travelers checks in a foreign currency. Currency Type Settlement: If the hotel allows payment directly in foreign currency, this exchange rate will calculate in payment fields. Most hotels require the guest to exchange first, then pay in the local currency, but if payment is allowed to be posted in another currency directly, this exchange rate may have a smaller percentage for the hotel fee included. Currency Type TA Commissions: If the hotel pays commissions in another currency, this exchange rate is used to calculate the commissions paid against the local currency. Again, the hotel may be adding a percentage to this exchange rate as a fee for processing commissions in other than local currency. Currency Type Membership: If the hotel pays membership points on foreign currency rates, the membership points may be calculated at this exchange rate.

To Use the Currency Calculator:

o o o o o o o o From the Main Opera menu, select Cashiering and Cashier Functions. Select Currency Calculator. Enter your password. Enter the amount of foreign currency the guest would like to calculate in the Amount field. Enter the type of foreign currency the guest would like to calculate in the From Currency field. Enter the type of currency the guest would like to receive in the To Currency field. Press the Search Button. The total amount of the currency to be exchanged will appear. Note: This function does NOT register the currency exchange with the cashiers bank. This function is only a calculator to display currency exchange information. To complete an exchange and register it on a cashiers totals, the currency exchange feature must be used.

4.3.7 Currency Exchange

To register a foreign currency exchange as part of the cashiers totals, the Currency Exchange feature must be used. Any currency exchanged using this function will be exchanged at the rate set up for Exchange in the Exchange Rate Setup function.

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Room No.: Since most hotels exchange currency only for registered guests, the room number is a required field. Name: The name of the guest exchanging currency. Currency: The type of foreign currency being exchanged to local. Exchange Code: Allows the user to select the exchange rate to use. Amount: The amount of foreign currency being exchanged to local. Supplement: Any additional text required by hotel policy. Print: Check this box to print a currency exchange receipt. The default setting will be to print one copy. Copies: If more than one copy of the currency exchange receipt is required, enter the number required before selecting OK.

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To Process a Foreign Currency Exchange:

o o o o o o o o o From the Cashiering menu, go to Cashiering Functions and select Currency Exchange from the sub-menu. Next, enter your Password at the Cashier Login screen. Click on the drop down arrow next to Room No to select the in house guest exchanging foreign currency. Highlight the appropriate guest and click Select. Click on the drop down arrow next to Currency to select from the list of foreign currencies accepted. Highlight the given currency and click OK. Enter the Amount being exchanged and press tab to calculate the exchange rate. The Exchange Rate Details displays the calculation used and the Local Amount due to the guest in the local currency. Click OK to pay out and generate a receipt. If more than one receipt is needed, enter the number of Copies to print.

4.3.8 Exchange Rate

If a hotel will be using either the Currency Exchange feature or the Currency Calculator feature, or will be configuring rate codes or paying commissions in foreign currency, the Exchange Rates will need to be entered and updated often. The Exchange Rate feature is normally restricted to appropriate personnel through user rights and is where any updates to the exchange rates can be made.

Property: Used only with the multi-property license code activated. With more than one property, exchange rates for each property can be set up from this screen, and can be the same or different depending on the needs of the hotels.

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Currency: To localize a single currency for update, select that currency from the drop down menu accessed from the arrow to the right of the field. Currency Type Exchange: This exchange type is the rate that will be given to the guest using the currency exchange feature. Usually, this rate also includes a percentage for the hotel as a fee for the exchange. The percentage is figured into the exchange rate. Currency Type Settlement: If the hotel allows payment directly in foreign currency, this exchange rate will calculate in payment fields. Most hotels require the guest to exchange first, then pay in the local currency, but if payment is allowed to be posted in another currency directly, this exchange rate may have a smaller percentage for the hotel fee included. Currency Type Forecast: If the hotel has created rate codes in different currencies, forecast reports must convert forecasted revenues into the local currency for ease in reading. Since a forecast report may view as much as 6 months to a year in the future, an average exchange rate should be used for this function, as a forecasted rate too high or too low will not give an accurate view of forecasted revenues. Currency Type TA Commissions: If the hotel pays commissions in another currency, this exchange rate is used to calculate the commissions paid against the local currency. Again, the hotel may be adding a percentage to this exchange rate as a fee for processing commissions in other than local currency. Currency Type Posting: If the hotel has created rates in other than the local currency, Opera must calculate the posted room and tax in the local currency during the night audit. This rate will direct the posted room and tax rate for foreign currency rates. It may or may not include a percentage for the hotel in fees. Currency Type Membership: If the hotel pays membership points on foreign currency rates, the membership points may be calculated at this exchange rate. All: This will display all currency exchange rates listed above. New: To enter a new currency for exchange, select this option. Edit: To update an exchange rate already in use, use this option. It is always a good idea to update currencies beginning on the next business day, as it can be confusing to settle foreign currency paid-outs if exchanges have been made both before and after a currency change. Delete: To delete a currency type from the list of approved currencies, select Delete: Future: To see foreign currency exchange rates set for the future, select this option. Past: To review the foreign currency exchange rates from previous business dates, select this option.

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To Enter or Update a Foreign Currency Exchange Rate:

o o o o o From the Cashiering menu, go to Cashier Functions and select Exchange Rates. To change the existing Exchange Rate, highlight the Currency code and click Edit. Type over the Exchange Rate to replace with a new rate and change the Begin Date; then click OK. There are different Exchange Rates (based on type) used for different functions. The type used by the Exchange Rates functionality is Guest or Exchange. The others are used internally by the system for Travel Agent Commissions, Settlements (payments), Forecasting, and awarding Membership programs that require an exchange value.

4.3.9 Folio History

Guests frequently call the hotel for copies of folios. Many times they are looking for a copy of the folio printed in a different format from the one they were given at check out. In Folio History, all guest folios are able to be previewed or printed, and the folio style can be changed to reflect the guests needs. It is possible to reprint checked out guest folios, passerby folios and Accounting folios.

Check Out: Select this radio button to view all folios for guests checked out of the hotel. This will include any folios paid for by cash, check or credit card. If a folio was closed using the Direct Bill payment code, it will not be located here. Direct Bill folios are only found by selecting AR. AR: Select this radio button to view all folios closed to the Direct Bill payment code. These folios are billed to companies rather than guests, and should be located by searching for the company name, not the guest name. Passerby: Select this radio button to locate any folios that were checked out using the Passerby feature. Date: The date that the folio was checked out.

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Folio No.: The folio number generated at check out. Some folios will have this number printed on them for referral, some will not. Whether the folio number is printed on the check or not, one is assigned to every folio. If the folio number is printed on the bill, the guest can refer to this number to locate that folio specifically as it is a unique number assigned to only one folio. Room: The room number of the guest at check out. If the guests folio was transferred to a Posting Master before being checked out, the posting master number will be the room number used to search. Name: The last name of the guest. First Name: The first name of the guest. Print Phone Details: If the guest would like to see telephone numbers dialed on the folio, check this box. If the phone numbers should not be printed, do not check this box. Folio Style: If the guest would like to have the folio reprinted in a different folio style, access this button to change the folio style to the one the guest would like. Preview: To preview the folio on screen rather than print it directly, select this option. Print: To print the folio, select this option.

To Reprint a Guest Folio from History:

o o o o o o o From the Cashiering menu, select Cashier Functions and Folio History. Determine whether the folio is in the checked out guest list, the Accounting list or the Passerby list. Use any of the search fields to locate the guest. Highlight the correct guest and press Tab. Past stays list in order of arrival date with the most recent listed at the top. Highlight the appropriate stay and click View Folio. All windows for this stay list. Highlight the appropriate window and click Preview to display the folio or Print to reprint the folio. There are options for changing the Folio Style, printing Phone Details, etc.)

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4.3.10 General Cashier

For hotels that handle large cash transactions at the Front Desk, the General Cashier function can be used to register an increase or decrease in a cashiers bank mid-shift. If a guest pays with a large amount of cash, it is a good idea to make a cash drop rather than keep that amount of money on hand. Rather than having the cashier total all transactions to balance prior to dropping the cash, the General Cashier function can be used to register the drop. This will decrease the amount of money to be dropped at the shift close. On the other hand, if the agent has made a large paid-out or currency exchange which has depleted the total cash on hand, an increase in cash may be necessary mid-shift to keep enough cash on hand for the agent to continue working. The General Cashier may register cash into the cashiers bank, and this cash will then be included in the amount of cash to balance at the end of the shift.

Cash transactions can be registered as going To the General Cashier, in the case of a large cash payment that should be dropped immediately. A cash transaction can also be registered as coming From the General Cashier in the case of a large paid out or exchange that has depleted the total cash in a cashiers drawer and must be replaced.

To General Cashier: If cash or checks are being dropped (given to the General Cashier), then select this option. This will decrease the amount of cash to balance for the cash drop at the end of the shift. From General Cashier: If cash, checks or foreign currency are being added to the cashiers bank (From the General Cashier) select this option. This will increase the amount of cash to balance at the end of the shift. Amount: The total amount of cash, checks or foreign currency that are being added to or taken from the cashiers bank. Supplement: Free text information as to why the General Cashier function is being used. Trn. Code: The transaction code indicates whether cash, check or other payments or paid outs are being added or subtracted. Currency: The currency that is being added or subtracted from the cashiers bank.

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To Use the General Cashier Function:
o o o o o o o o From the Cashiering menu, go to Cashier Functions and select General Cashier. Next, enter your Password at the Cashier Login screen. To receive money, click From General Cashier. This amount is included in cash received when the Cashier is closed at the end of the shift. Click OK to accept. To make an early drop without closing your Cashier, click To General Cashier. This amount subtracts from the cash received total when the Cashier is closed at the end of the shift. Click OK to accept.

4.3.11 Journal
On occasion, it is necessary to research a cashiers transactions to locate problems in balancing or in resolving guest questions. The Journal function offers a way to locate information about a specific cashier, transaction code or guest for the current day or previous days.

Cashier No.: The identifying cashier number for locating transactions. Transaction Code(s): To research transactions on a particular payment type, enter that transaction code here to narrow down the results of the search. Arrangement Code: If Arrangement codes are used at the hotel, selecting an arrangement code will give a list of transactions posted to that arrangement code for the date range indicated. List of Rooms: If all transactions for one or more rooms are to be searched, enter the room number or numbers here. Ref. No: The Reference number refers to a POS check number and can be used to locate specific transactions. Date From: The first date to begin looking for the transaction in question. Date To: The last date to begin looking for the transaction in question.

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4.3.12 Receipt History

Receipts are created in Opera for a number of reasons payment receipts, currency or check exchange receipts and paid out receipts are the most common. These receipts are generated when the transaction is made, but can be reprinted from history on demand as well.

Dates: The date that the receipt was generated. If that date is unknown, it is a good idea to delete the current date default and search for all dates. Receipt Type: This describes the type of receipt being searched. Types of receipts are Check Exchange, Payment Receipt or Paid Out Receipt. Name: The last name of the guest on the transaction. Receipt No.: A receipt number is generated with each transaction. This receipt number may or may not be printed on the receipt itself, but is generated with the transaction regardless. First Name: The first name of the guest on the transaction. Search: Use this option to locate the receipt based on the search criteria entered. Preview: Display the receipt on screen for viewing. Print: Print the receipt to a local printer.

4.3.13 Reservation Deposit

The Deposit option is used to post an advance deposit on a guests reservation. In this section, we are able to post deposit requests or payments on more than one reservation easily.

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To Enter a Deposit Request:
o o o o Select Cashiering, Cashiering Functions and Reservation Deposit. Select New to enter a Deposit Request. By clicking on the drop down arrow next to Type, select the type of deposit requested. Complete the remaining Deposit Request information, and click OK. o Percentage input will reflect on the Deposit Amount requested (i.e. 50% would result in a Deposit Amount of $74.50)

To Enter a Deposit Payment:

o o o o o o o Click on Post Deposit to post a collected advance deposit. Log into your Cashier by entering your User Password; click Login. Click on the arrow to select the Payment Method of the advance deposit. Select the appropriate Payment Method and click OK After entering the Amount, click the arrow to select the Reservation Type. Highlight the appropriate Reservation Type and click OK Click OK to complete posting the advance deposit.

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4-4 Close Cashier

At the end of every shift, all users who have opened the cashier at the beginning of the shift must close the cashier at the end of the day. This will end the totaling of all payment transactions and will allow the user to register a cash drop at the end. If this is not done, all cashiers will be closed automatically during the night audit, but any payments taken in will be assumed to still be with the cashier and will be part of the opening bank the following shift. If the payment drop has been made, this will cause confusion for the cashier and make it difficult to balance the next day. Closing the cashier should be the very last thing done during the day and must be done every shift.

Opening Balance Cash: The amount of cash registered in the cashiers bank. This total comes from the amount listed as the cashiers float plus any amount that may not have been registered as dropped on previous days. If a cashier has not closed the cashier properly, this amount will be incorrect and an adjustment must be made. To make the adjustment, register an actual cash drop that will include the opening balance overage.

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Opening Balance Check: The amount of checks registered in the cashiers bank. This total comes from any check transactions from previous days that were not registered as dropped by the cashier. If a cashier has not closed the cashier properly, this amount will be incorrect and an adjustment must be made. To make the adjustment, register an actual check drop that will include the opening balance overage. Cash: This is the amount of cash that Opera has registered as having been taken in on the current shift. This total includes all cash taken as payments on the cashiers user ID. Paid Out: This is the amount of cash that Opera has registered as having been paid out on the current shift. This total includes any transaction processed on a paid out transaction code as well as any check or currency exchange that has been made. Total Cash Drop: The total amount of cash that Opera calculates the cashier to have on hand. Total Cash Payments minus Total Cash Paid Outs equals Total Cash Drop. Actual Cash Drop: In this field, the user must type in exactly the amount of cash that is being dropped. This is the amount that will register on the cashier summary report and so will be matched to the actual drop envelope total. If there is a difference between the Total Cash Drop calculated by Opera and the Actual Cash Drop as entered by the cashier, an Over/Short will be registered. Checks: The total amount of payment taken by the cashier by using the check payment transaction code. Actual Check Drop: In this field, the user must type in exactly the amount of checks that are being dropped. This is the amount that will register on the cashier summary report and so will be matched to the actual drop envelope total. If there is a difference between the Checks amount calculated by Opera and the Actual Check Drop as entered by the cashier, an Over/Short will be registered. Expected Shift Drop: The total amount of cash and checks that Opera registers as being dropped. Shift Drop Over/Short: Any difference between the amount of cash and checks that Opera has calculated and the actual amount of cash and checks the cashier will drop. Foreign Currency: The currency type that has been calculated as being processed by this cashier. Opening: If any amount of the foreign currency is still registered from previous shifts as not having been dropped, this amount will register as the opening balance for that currency. From Today: Any amount of foreign currency that was taken in on the current shift. Shift Drop: The total of previous days foreign currency and the current days totals. This is the amount that the cashier will type in that is included in the shift drop envelope. Foreign Check Currency: The currency type that has been calculated as being processed by this cashier as checks. Opening: If any checks in the foreign currency are still registered from previous shifts as not having been dropped, this amount will register as the opening balance for that currency. Shift Drop: The total of previous days foreign currency checks and the current days totals. This is the amount that the cashier will type in that is included in the shift drop envelope.

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To Close a Cashier:
o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o From the Cashiering menu, select Close Cashier. Enter your Password and click Login. All postings for the day display. This includes payments (i.e. Cash, Check, etc.) and revenue postings (i.e. Fax, Parking, Flowers, etc.) To view individual details for each charge Description, highlight the charge group and click Details. If the postings displayed are correct, click OK to continue closing the cashier. Displayed is all Cash received or Paid Out for the day. The expected shift drop is broken out into Total Cash Drop and Checks. Foreign Currency exchanges list separately on the bottom half of the screen and should be dropped along with local currency. If the Actual Cash and Actual Checks being dropped match the display, click OK; if they do not match what is calculated, enter the amount being dropped. Opera calculates any Shift Drop Over/Short or Due Back based on the Cashiers Opening Balance. Verify the amount of cash/checks being placed in the envelope is accurate. If the Cash Drop amount is correct, click Yes. If the amount displayed is not correct, click No and then click Back to correct the mistaken postings before closing your cashier. Click Yes to print Cashier Reports. Click OK and the Cashier is now closed.

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4-5 Passerby
Posting charges to a guests folio is a very easy matter, but if a non-guest would like to purchase an item or service at the front desk, it can be a lengthy matter to check in a posting master, post a charge and settle the bill. For this reason, the Passerby function exists to handle this situation. With the passerby function, Opera essentially becomes a cash register to process a posting and a payment without going through all the steps of creating a reservation and checking in a guest.

Name: Attach a profile for the guest making the transaction. Many hotels create a profile called Passerby or Non-Guest to track this type of revenue. Market Code: The market code that will register this revenue. Again, many hotels set up a market code for processing these transactions or lump them together in a House Account market code. Source Code: The source of business. If this is a group guest, it may be useful to track the source of this revenue, but again, many hotels have an internal account source of business code that would be used for this transaction. Room Class: The room class is generally a posting room or pseudo room rather than a regular room class such as Standard, Deluxe or Suite. The next screen is the same posting screen as that found in a guests folio. Any and all charges can be entered on this screen. Once the close button is pressed, the payment screen will appear and payment should be registered.

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To Process a Passerby Transaction:

o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o From the Cashiering menu select Passerby. Next, enter your Password at the Cashier Login screen. Click Post to begin the charging process. Every Passerby requires a profile. Click on the drop down arrow next to Name to search for and select a profile. Type in a few letters of the guests last Name and press Tab to activate the search. Highlight the correct guest and click OK. Click on the drop down arrow next to Room Class to select from the list. Highlight the appropriate Room Class and click OK. Note: Room Class for Passerby is typically Other or House Use. Click Post to begin entering transactions. Note: The Market Code and Source Code are automatically entered by the system. Enter the Transaction Code of the charge (i.e. fax, copy, etc). or click on the drop down arrow to search for the correct Code. Search for the code by typing a few letters of its description in the Find field to the right side of the % sign. Click Find to activate the search and any partial matches will display. Highlight the appropriate selection and click the OK button. Enter the Price per item and the Quantity of items. Click Post to proceed to the next line and continue entering charges remembering to Post after each charge. Once all the charges have been entered, click Close to proceed. Next, Opera expects a payment for the items posted in the previous screen. Click on the drop down arrow next to Payment Code to display choices. Highlight the Payment Type used and click OK to select. Typically, a Passerby guest pays Cash. Enter the Amount received and click Post to apply the payment. Note: If you click Close the payment will not apply and all the charges for this transaction will reverse. To view all Passerby postings for the current day, click on Check Out. The top half of the screen shows the Passerby folios for the day. Notice there is only one folio for the guest Passerby. The bottom half of the screen shows the transactions (postings and payments) for the folio highlighted at the top.

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4-6 Quick Check Out
Ina hotel with a large amount of group business, the quick checkout option can help to efficiently check out members of a group that may already have left the hotel. From the Quick Check Out function, all of the days departures appear, and any guests with a zero balance bill (generally due to all charges having been routed elsewhere) may be checked out in one motion. As all departures for the day must be resolved for the audit to run, this function can help to focus attention on guests due out that may need to be checked out or extended.

Select All: This option will open a check out screen for every window of every due out guest in turn. It will be possible to process the payments on each folio in turn. The default form of payment will be the payment type listed in the guests reservation. Billing: This option will take the user to the guest folio screen where charges may be transferred, adjusted or payment made. C/O Zero: This option will automatically check out all due out reservations with zero balances. This is very useful when checking out a large group with all charges routed elsewhere. Select: This will select the highlighted reservation only for quick check out.

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To Use the Quick Check Out Function:

o o o o o From the Cashiering menu, select Quick Check Out. Enter your Password at the Cashier Login screen. Select the C/O Zero option to check out all guests with a zero folio balance. Caution: Be certain that all scheduled departures with a zero balance are confirmed by Housekeeping as departed before using this function! To check out a group of guests with a zero balance and not all departures with a zero balance, minimize the search results by Block, Group, Party or Company. Once the search results display ONLY that group, select the C/O Zero to check out only those guests. To select an individual guest to check out without opening the folio window, place an X next to the Room Number and choose the Select button. A payment window prompts for settlement for the folio balance. If there are multiple folio windows, payment is required for each one before the check out is complete. For multiple guests, place an X next to each Room Number, choose Select and apply a payment for each folio for each room. To check out all due out guests, choose the Select All button and apply a payment to each folio window. To check out a group of guests and not all departures, minimize the search results by Block, Group, Party or Company. Once the search results display only that group, use the Select or Select All option to check out only those guests.

o o o o o

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Chapter 5 Rooms Management

In the Rooms Management section of the application are a number of functions designed to manage the physical rooms in the hotel. The most used option is Housekeeping, where room statuses can be updated, rooms can be put out of order or out of service, Housekeeping Task Assignment sheets are created and discrepant rooms are resolved. Also in the Rooms Management section are Room History for locating the owners of lost and found items, Sell Limits for setting over booking limits, the Occupancy Graph for a quick view of upcoming business and Maintenance for those hotels who use Opera to manage Maintenance requests.

5-1 Housekeeping
The Housekeeping module is used to manually update room statuses and to print room lists. Rooms can be viewed and sorted in a variety of ways, and can be updated easily. Housekeeping also holds information on discrepant rooms and is used to place rooms out of order or out of service as well. Housekeeping Task Sheets are created and printed on the Task Assignments tab.

5.1.1 Housekeeping Main Screen

The main Housekeeping screen is used to change the housekeeping status of a room manually. It can also be used to print a list of rooms in house based on various searches.

Room Status: This option allows the user to select the room statuses that will be viewed. The default setting is to view all rooms in all Housekeeping Statuses. If a list of Dirty rooms only should be viewed, uncheck all other options except Dirty and the list of rooms will be displayed as requested.

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FO Status: This option allows the user to select the Front Office Statuses that will be viewed. The default setting is to view all rooms whether vacant or occupied. If a list of only vacant rooms should be viewed, uncheck the box marked Occupied and the list of rooms will be displayed as requested. Advanced: Use this option to open more search criteria. With this option, its possible to sort the list by looking for rooms with the following statuses: Arrivals, Arrived, Stay Over, Due Out, Departed, Not Reserved, Reserved or Day Use. Select All: Use this option to automatically select all rooms for view. Clear All: Use this option to automatically clear all rooms from the current search. Room: The room number of the highlighted room on the list. Description: A description of the room type for the highlighted room on the list. Room Status: The current Housekeeping status of the highlighted room. The housekeeping status can be manually updated by using the arrow to the right of the field to select the proper status for change. Floor: The floor of the highlighted room on the list. Features: Room Features associated with the highlighted room. Room Class: The Room Class of the highlighted room. Statistics: This option will display the total number of clean rooms, dirty rooms, pickup rooms, out of order rooms, arrivals, departures, etc. This is the best screen to use to determine how many housekeepers will be needed to clean the rooms on the current day. Change: To change more than one room status at a time, select this option. Rooms can be entered as a list to be changed from dirty to clean, or can be changed as a range of rooms or by section. Preview: Use this option to preview the current list of rooms. Print: Use this option to print the current list of rooms.

To Update the Status of a Room:

o o o o o From the Main Menu, select Rooms Management and Housekeeping. Enter the Room Number to change and press the Tab key to initiate the search. Click the drop down arrow to the right of the Room Status field to display all Housekeeping options and highlight the appropriate status to change. Note the newly changed status of the room. Alternately, right click the highlighted Room Number to change and select the updated status from the display.

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5.1.2 Out of Order/Out of Service

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For various reasons, rooms must be taken off line and not sold on occasion. When this is needed, the room is placed Out of Order or Out of Service. Both statuses will take the room off line and will not allow guests to be checked into the room, but there is a difference between the two options. If a room is placed Out of Order, that room is no longer figured in the occupancy statistics of the hotel. For instance, if a hotel has 200 rooms and 10 rooms are put Out of Order, 100% occupancy will be figured on 190 rooms. If those same 10 rooms are put Out of Service, 100% occupancy is still figured on the original 200 rooms. When rooms are placed Out of Order, total available rooms will fluctuate from day to day. When rooms are placed Out of Service, total available rooms will remain constant at the hotels total.

For Date: To check rooms that have been placed out of order or out of service for a particular date either current or in the future, select the date from the calendar field. The default date is the current date. Room: If a particular room is to be viewed, type that room number in this field. Room Class: If a particular room class is to be viewed, typing the room class in this field will return all out of order and out of service rooms in that room class. Out of Order: To search only for rooms placed out of order, select this option. Out of Service: To search only for rooms placed out of service, select this option. Out of Order/Service: To search for both out of order and out of service rooms, select this option. This is the default.

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Copy: To place additional rooms out of order or out of service for the same reasons and the same range of dates as the highlighted room, select copy. This will copy the out of order/out of service details to additional rooms. New: To create a new out of order or out of service record, select New. Edit: To update out of order or out of service information on a particular room, select this option. Delete: To delete an out of order or out of service record, select Delete. The room will be returned to house inventory.

To Place a Room Out of Order/Out of Service:

o o o o o o o o o From the Main Menu, select Rooms Management and Housekeeping. Select the tab marked Out of Order/Out of Service. Select the New button to place a room Out of Order or Out of Service. Enter the room number in the Room List field or enter a range of rooms in the fields marked From Room and To Room. Select the date range this room will be Out of Order or Out of Service in the From Date and Through Date fields. Select either Out of Order or Out of Service in the Status field. In the Return Status field, select the Housekeeping status for the room when it returns to availability. Enter the Reason the room is Out of Order or Out of Service. Type in any additional Remarks about the status of the room. Click OK when finished.

5.1.3 Discrepant Rooms

Most hotels use the telephone to dial in an updated Housekeeping status. When dialing in these codes, the housekeepers must dial in not only the clean status of the room, but also whether the room is occupied or vacant. When Housekeeping and the Front Office have different Front Office statuses, a Discrepant Room is created. These Discrepant Rooms must be physically checked each day by either Housekeeping or the Front Office to determine whether a guest is checked into the room or not. There are two types of Discrepant Rooms Skips and Sleeps. In a Skip room, Housekeeping has dialed down that the room is vacant, but the Front Office has a guest checked into the room. Usually, this happens when the guest has used the Express Check Out option and has left the hotel, but the Front Office has not yet checked the guest out. This is a fairly common occurrence, but should be checked anyway. The other type of discrepancy, a Sleep room, has Housekeeping dialing down the room as occupied, but the Front Desk does not have anyone checked into the room. Most often, the Housekeeper has dialed down the wrong code, but the room should be checked as if someone is actually occupying the room, that person must be checked in or another guest will be checked into the room. Room and Tax will also not be posted on a room if it is not checked in.

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Show: Select the types of discrepancies to view. It is possible to see all Skips, all Sleeps or all Skips and Sleeps. Room Class: To see rooms from a particular room class, select that room class here. Floor: To view discrepancies on a particular floor, select that floor here. Room: To view a particular room, type the room number here. HSK Status: The Housekeeping Status can be changed to match the Front Office status if it is determined that the Front Office status is correct. If the Housekeeping status is correct, a guest must be either checked into or checked out of a room to change the Front Office status. People in Room: If the hotel is checking person discrepancies, this can be used to update the Housekeeping number of persons in the room. If the Front Office number of persons in the room must be updated, it must be done from the reservation screen. Status: Update the Housekeeping status of the room from here. Preview: Preview the list of rooms currently viewed. Save: Save any changes made to the discrepant room list.

To Update Discrepant Rooms:

o o o o o From the Main Menu, select Rooms Management and Housekeeping. Select the Discrepant Rooms tab. Highlight the Discrepant Room to update. Click on the drop down arrow to the right of the HSK.Status field to change the status. Alternately, right click on the mouse to select the status from the menu.

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5.1.4 Task Assignment

Opera not only tracks the housekeeping status of every room in house, but can be used to create individual lists of rooms for housekeepers to clean every day. These lists once created can be kept in history for later research if necessary. Housekeeping Task Sheets can be created using a system of maximum credits, or can be separated into pre-determined sections or floors.

Task Date: The date to search for Task Assignment sheets. By default the page will open to the current date, however it is possible to view Task Assignment sheet from previous days as well. Task Code: The Task Code defines the final assignment sheets for any day. Only one set of Task Assignment Sheets will be kept for a Task Code on any day. If the Housekeeping department usually creates more than one set of Assignment Sheets (such as one for general cleaning and one for turndown) every day, and would like to have access to these sheets in history, then a task code must be created for every set of assignment sheets to be saved. Task Sheet: If only one assignment sheet is to be viewed, the date and the task sheet will locate that assignment sheet. Room Class: If only rooms in a particular room class are to be viewed, the room class can be entered here to localize the search information. Expanded: This button will access the details of the task assignment sheets, and will allow the user to move rooms from one housekeeping sheet to another.

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To Modify Task Sheets:
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From the main Housekeeping Screen, select Expanded once the task sheets exist. To move a room from one task sheet to another, mark the room with an X. Select the Task Sheet the room will move to by clicking once to highlight it. Select the Move button. Note the newly moved room from one task sheet to another. Alternately, move a room by using the mouse to drag and drop rooms from one task sheet to another.

Move Rms.: Use this option to manually move marked rooms from one task sheet to another. Print: Print the task sheets for distribution to housekeepers.

To Print Housekeeping Task Sheets:

o o o o o o o o o From the main Housekeeping Screen, select the Print option once task sheets exist. Select the Task Date From for the date to print. The default date is the current date. Select the Task Sheet From and To for printing. Select the Task Sheet Numbers to print. If these fields are left blank, all task sheets print by default. Select whether to print or Show Guest Name on the sheets, whether to print Due Outs Only and whether to indicate special requests with Show Specials. Select the Printing Style. Determine whether to Double Space the task sheets, Eject a Page per Section and indicate how many Copies to Print. Select the Detail report for the Housekeepers, the Summary Report for office records or All to print both. Select the Print button once your printer is ready.

Assign New: Create a new task assignment sheet. Auto Assign: Use this option to create the Housekeeping task sheets. Complete: Once a task sheet is completed, use this option to mark it as completed. Marking a task sheet as complete means that it will not appear in history however.

To Complete Task Sheets:

o o o o o From the main Housekeeping Screen, select the Complete button. Select each task sheet that is complete by marking it with an X. Click OK when finished. Answer Yes to complete the task sheets Note that completed task sheets no longer appear on the main Housekeeping Screen.

Delete: To delete a task sheet, select this option.

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To Create Housekeeping Task Assignments by Section:

o o o o o o o o o From the Main Menu, select Rooms Management and Housekeeping. Select the Task Assignment tab at the top of the screen. Select the Task Code from the list of values to create task sheets. Select the Auto Assign button to begin. Select the Housekeeping Attendants on staff today by marking them with an X. Choose the option to Order Rooms By Section. Check the box marked Group by Section and select either the AM/PM sections as needed. Click OK when ready. All rooms group by section with one additional task sheet containing rooms not assigned to specific Housekeepers.

To Create Housekeeping Task Assignments by Floor:

o o o o o o o o o From the Main Menu, select Rooms Management and Housekeeping. Select the Task Assignment tab at the top of the screen. Select the Task Code from the list of values for todays task sheets. Select the Auto Assign button to begin. Select the Housekeeping Attendants by marking them with an X. Choose the option to Order Rooms By Floor. Check the box marked Group by Floor. Click OK when ready. All rooms group by floor with one additional task sheet containing rooms not assigned to specific Housekeepers.

To Create Housekeeping Task Assignments by Room Number:

o o o o o o o o o o From the Main Menu, select Rooms Management and Housekeeping. Select the Task Assignment tab at the top of the screen. Select the Task Code from the list of values for todays task sheets. Select the Auto Assign button to begin. Select the Housekeeping Attendants by marking them with an X. Choose the option to Order Rooms By Room Number. Notice that the Total Attendants automatically populates based on the number of Attendants chosen in the top portion of the screen. It is not necessary to select specific Housekeepers if you manually enter the totals in the Total Attendants field. Click OK when ready. All rooms order by room number with no additional task sheet for unassigned rooms. The total rooms evenly divide between the total count of Housekeepers.

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5.1.5 House Assignment

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Hotels that perform turndown service in rooms often wish to turn down vacant rooms for arriving VIPs. Not all rooms in the hotel may be turned down, so it is helpful to indicate to the front desk which rooms are prepared for guest arrival. To do this, the House Assignment function is used. Another use for House Assignment is to hold back rooms from being pre-blocked at check in.

General Assignment: A general assigned room will be removed from the vacant room list and will not auto block at check in. This room is not out of order or out of service, but is only able to be used if the room number is typed directly into the Room Number field. General Assigned rooms are normally kept by Front Office management, and are used to hold rooms back for possible VIP arrivals. Housekeeping Assignment: Housekeeping Assigned rooms will appear on the vacant room list along with the assignment reason code. This assignment type is used to indicate that something has been added to the room or a special service has been done with the room for arrivals. These rooms are not pre-blocked for anyone in particular, but are available at check in if needed. If a vacant room has been turned down for a VIP walk in, a reason code should be configured to indicate that. If a Murphy bed has been made up, or a sofa bed pulled out in anticipation of guest needs, that indication can be made on the room as a Housekeeping assignment. Reason: A reason for the Assignment, whether General Assignment or Housekeeping Assignment is required to assign a room.

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How to Use Housekeeping Assignment to Indicate Turn Down Rooms:

o o o o o o o o o o o From the main Housekeeping screen, select the Task Code for Turn Down and Auto Assign. Select to Order Rooms By Section. Check the option to Group by Section and select the PM section option. At the bottom of the screen, be sure to check Turndown, as that applies for only rooms designated for turndown service. Enter the number of turndown attendants in the Total Attendants field. All rooms indicated for turndown service divide between the total Housekeepers scheduled. Select the tab for House Assign. Locate the vacant rooms that have been turned down and mark them with an X. Select the button for Housekeeping Assignment. Select the Reason used for turn down. Press the Save button. These rooms will now appear on the Vacant Room List with an indicator that they have been turned down and are vacant.

5.1.6 Attendant Points

If the Housekeeping Department has an incentive program and are giving prize points for housekeepers, the Attendant Points function will help to track points. It can also be used for hotels that pay housekeepers based on the number of rooms cleaned. In this case, each day when a housekeeper finishes the rooms, the total number of rooms can be entered in the system and a total can be kept on a weekly, bi-weekly or monthly basis.

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5-2 Room History

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Room History can help to locate the owner of a lost and found item. To see which guests have occupied a room in the past few weeks, select Rooms Management and Room History.

Search: Use the departure date and room number to locate the guests that have occupied a room since the date entered. The default date will be one month prior to the current date. Resv. Details: Information regarding the reservation is viewable from the Details button. Rev. Details: Information regarding the revenue spent by the guest is viewable from the Details button. Profile: Access to the profile can be helpful to locate a telephone number or address for returning lost and found items. Folio: Folio History will allow a user with appropriate rights to preview or reprint the guests folio.

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5-3 Sell Limits

Also called Overbooking limits, sell limits can be set to allow the hotel to be overbooked in a controlled manner. It is possible to overbook the entire hotel, regardless of room type, or to set specific room type overbooking limits. If users are restricted from overbooking the hotel at all, then sell limits allows the user to sell more rooms than are in inventory, but not more than are set as sell limits.

Physical: This button will display the physical numbers of rooms in each room type and room class. New: To set a new Sell Limit, select this button.

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To Set Sell Limits:
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Select Rooms Management and Sell Limits. Select New. In the field marked From Date, enter the date that the sell limit will begin. In the field marked To Date, enter the last date that the sell limit will be in effect. If the sell limit will not apply to specific days of the week during the range of dates entered, uncheck the days of the week. If the sell limit is to be set on a Room Class, enter that room class. If the sell limit is to be set on a Room Type, enter that room type. If the sell limit is to apply to the house in general, leave the Room Class and Room Type fields blank. If overbooking by a percentage of rooms, mark the Percentage button and enter that percentage number in the overbook level field. If overbooking by a number of rooms, mark the Number button and enter that number in the overbook level field. Select OK to finish.

Edit: To update or edit an existing sell limit, select this option. Delete: To delete a sell limit, select this option.

5-4 Occupancy Graph

The Occupancy Graph is used to see upcoming confirmed business at a glance. A user can view the occupancy graph based on a particular room type, room class or the entire hotel. It might also show a week, a month or a number of weeks at a time. This graph can be printed for forecast meetings as well.

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5-5 Maintenance
For hotels that wish to process maintenance work orders through Opera, the Maintenance section allows for tasks to be entered and resolved by anyone with user right to do so.

Accept: To accept the task for completion, select the Accept option. This will assign the task to your own user ID. Complete: To mark this task as completed, select this option. The task will be moved from the active list to the history list. Print: To print a list of tasks to be completed, use this option. Release: To release this task for general reassignment, use this option. The task will be removed from the current user ID and sent back to the pool to be assigned or accepted by another user. Hold: To put a hold on this task, use this option. A hold might be placed on a task because the room is on a Do Not Disturb, or because the guest has asked that it be completed at a later time. Cancel: To cancel this task, select this option. If a task has been entered in error, it may be listed as canceled rather than resolved to keep the records straight as to what has been done in the room. Assign: To assign a task to another user, select this task. This option is controlled by User Rights. Priority: To assign or change the priority on a task, select this option. A list of priority levels configured by the hotel will be listed.

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Split Task: To split one task into several for assignment to more than one person, use the split task option. The task can then be broken into smaller pieces and assigned to more than one person. Edit: To update information on a scheduled task, select Edit. This will allow fields to be updated with current information. Delete: To eliminate a task from the database completely, select Delete. New QT: To enter a new task, select New QT. This will open a screen to create and assign a new maintenance task. History: To view resolved tasks, select History. This will display tasks that have been marked as complete. From the history screen, the button will read Active. To see all active tasks, select this button again and the active menu will be displayed. Action Menu: To change the status of a maintenance request, use the Action Menu. Clone In: To log in as another user, select Clone In. This is used for dispatchers who may want to update records as if they were another user. Filter: To locate records Created by or assigned to the users department or to the user only, select the filter option. Only those tasks assigned to that user or department will be displayed.

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Chapter 6 Accounts Receivable

6-1 Account Maintenance
The Account Maintenance menu allows access to each Accounts Receivable account for update and view. A wide variety of options are available, including creating a new account, editing information on an existing account, processing payments made on an account as well as printing individual account statements.

Select: Use this option to open the account to process payments or print statements. Edit: To update or view existing account information, select Edit. Options: Open this button to access functions on this account. o Aging: Displays the current balance in each of the hotels defined aging buckets. o Future Res.: Displays any reservations in future booked to arrive with this company or account. Useful if the hotel is planning to restrict billing status for a company or account. o Post History: View all postings made on this A/R account. o Remarks: Enter free-text remarks about this account. Information as to billing practices or special instructions are entered here. o Reminders: Use this option to print the reminder letter that is current for this account. Reminder letters are configured to specific billing cycles. A reminder letter will be generated based on the age of the oldest open invoice. o Statement: Print a statement for this account only. o Traces: Enter traces for tracking future actions to be done on this account. o Year View: View debits and credits on this account for the past year. This is a good ata-glance screen to determine the credit status of the account. New: To create a new A/R account, select this option. An A/R account usually begins with a company profile, although any profile type can be used to create the account. Once the profile is selected or created, an A/R number is assigned and the account is created.

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To Create a New A/R Account:
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From the Main Menu, Select AR and then Account Maintenance. Enter your user Password and click Login. Select New from the AR Account Search screen. Search for an existing account (any profile type) and highlight the desired profile; click OK to continue. Alternately, if a profile does not exist for the account, select New Prof. to create a profile. Click on the drop down arrow next to Account Type to select from the list. Highlight the desired Account Type and click OK. Enter the assigned Account Number for the account and any pertinent contact information (i.e. address, phone, etc.) A Normal status account allows Direct Bill payments to the account; a Restricted status account does not allow Direct Bill payments. Account Number formats defined in System Configuration must follow the specified format (i.e. numeric, alpha, alpha-numeric). Note the newly created account in the A/R Account Search screen. Select Close to exit from Account Maintenance. Alternately, from the Main Menu, select Reservations and Profiles. Search for an existing profile (any type) and click Profile to view the details. If a profile doesnt exist for the new account, select New Prof. to create one. Select the More Fields tab. Click on the drop down arrow next to A/R No. to create a new account. Complete the account setup as described in the steps above and Save your changes. Notice the newly created A/R No. Close from the More Fields screen. Notice the newly attached A/R No. on the profile. Save and Close the profile. Notice the newly created A/R No. in the Profile Search screen.

Delete: To delete an A/R account select this option. Deleting an A/R account will not delete the profile, it will only delete the account information. It will delete all invoice history, so should only be done if there is no need to view or reprint old invoices or statements. An account cannot be deleted if it has unpaid invoices, even if the account balance is zero, and cannot be deleted if the Permanent Account box in the Account setup screen is checked.

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o o

Search: Use the Invoice No., Folio No., or date to locate a specific invoice on this account. Compress: Compress two or more invoices into one line on the statement. It is possible to compress invoices, and to uncompress them on the same day. Once the night audit has run, compressed invoices are no longer able to be uncompressed and will always print as one line on a statement. It is still possible to print each individual invoice detail, however it will not be possible to present them as two separate invoices on the statement.

To Compress Invoices on an A/R Account:

o o o o o o o o o o o From the Main Menu, select AR and Account Maintenance. Enter your Password and then click Login. Search for then highlight the desired account and choose Select. Place an X next to each invoice to compress and select Compress. Enter a Reference and Supplement as necessary and click OK. Note the newly created invoice with a compressed balance of the previous invoices. The + sign to the left of the invoice date indicates compressed invoices Click once on the + sign to expand the compressed invoices and show details To uncompress invoices, simply right click on the compressed invoice and select Uncompress. Compressed invoices may only be uncompressed on the same business date. Note that after invoices are uncompressed, they return to their original invoice state.

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View: To view the detailed charges and payments on an invoice, select View. The A/R folio may be printed, an adjustment may be made to the charges and the guests profile may also be accessed from the Folio View screen.

To Adjust Charges on an A/R Invoice:

o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o From the Main Menu, select AR then Account Maintenance Enter your Password and click Login. Search for then highlight the desired account and choose Select. Highlight the invoice to adjust and select View. Select the Adjust option. Click on the drop down arrow next to Trn. Code to select the Transaction Codes to adjust. Place an X next to all Transaction Codes to adjust and click OK. Enter the Begin Dt. and End Dt. for the adjustment; in this example, room charges for the first three nights of the guest stay need adjusting. Select an Amount or Percentage to adjust and enter the value Remember to being the value with a - sign so the adjustment subtracts from the original charge. Click on the drop down arrow next to Reason Code to enter a reason for the adjustment. Highlight the appropriate adjustment Reason and click OK. Enter any additional Reason Text for explanation of the adjustment and click OK to process. Note the adjustment appears as a separate line item on the folio; if adjusting multiple dates on the invoice, one line item includes the adjustment for all dates. Select Close to return to the Account Maintenance screen.

Edit: To edit reference or supplement information on the invoice, select Edit. New: To create a new invoice entirely, select New. Apply Credit: To apply a credit to one or more invoices on the account, select Apply Credit.

To Apply Credit to an A/R Account:

o o o o o o From the A/R Account Search screen, highlight the desired account and click Select. If a payment does not apply to a particular invoice but must apply to the total account balance, select Apply Cr. Click on the drop down arrow next to Payment Code to select the type of payment received. Highlight the desired Payment Type and click OK. Enter the Amount of the payment and any Supplement Info. or Reference information. Select an Option to apply the credit: o To apply a credit to the entire account balance and not a specific invoice, select the Unallocated payment option. o To apply a credit to the oldest outstanding balances, select the Apply payment to oldest charges option. o For a credit applied to marked invoices (you must first place an X next to each invoice before applying the credit), select the Apply payment to marked charges option. o To apply different amounts of the credit to different invoices (i.e. $25 to one invoice and $75 to another), choose the Apply payment selectively option. Click Post to apply the credit to the account. Notice the newly applied credit to the account and the change in the total account balance.

o o

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Pay: To apply a payment to the highlighted invoice only, select Pay.

To Apply a Payment to an A/R Invoice:

o o o o o o o o o From the A/R Account Search screen, highlight the desired account and choose Select. Place an X next to the invoice to pay and select the Pay button. Click on the drop down arrow next to Payment Code to select the method of payment. Highlight the appropriate Payment Type and click OK. The Amount automatically defaults to the entire open balance on the invoice selected. Enter any additional Reference information and Post the payment to the account. Notice the decrease in the total account balance as well as the removal of the invoice from view. To view all invoices, including open balances and closed (paid) balances, select the All search criteria. o Notice the newly paid invoice and the $0.00 open balance. To pay multiple invoices at a time and close their balances, place an X next to each invoice included in the payment and select the Pay button. o In the Payment screen, notice the default Amount is the total balance of all selected invoices.

To Unapply a Payment to an A/R Invoice:

o o o o o o From the A/R Account Search, highlight the desired account and choose Select. Since paid invoices no longer have an open balance, change the search criteria to an All view. Place an X next to the invoice or check that was paid and right click; select the Unapply option. Place an X next to the check to unapply and select the Unapply button. o Notice that the invoice now returns to the Open view with a balance as well as the posted check amount. The account balance still reflects the check payment but the payment no longer applies to a specific invoice. To reverse this payment or transfer this to another account, refer to How To Reverse a Payment on an Invoice or How To Transfer Payments to Another Account.

To Reverse a Payment from and A/R Account:

o o o o o From the Account Maintenance screen, search for and highlight the desired account. Press Select. Click in the box for Payments Only to only view unapplied payments and highlight the desired payment to reverse. Right click on the mouse and select the Reverse Payment option. o Notice the payment now removed from the account. Click Close to exit.

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Options: A variety of other functions are available for the A/R Account. o Account Setup: To update or view existing account information, select Edit. o Aging: Displays the current balance in each of the hotels defined aging buckets. o Close Invoice: This option is controlled by a parameter. Once an invoice is closed, no further adjustments may be made to it. This is primarily used in countries whose laws require a date after which no adjustments may be made to an A/R account. o Folio History: Access and reprint folios from history. o Pay History: View all payments made on this A/R account. o Post History: View all postings made on this A/R account. o Profile: Access the company or account profile screen. Address and contact information entered on the profile will apply to any correspondence created from the front office or reservations. If the billing address or contact information is different that information should be entered in the Account Setup screen. o Remarks: Enter free-text remarks about this account. Information as to billing practices or special instructions are entered here. o Statement: Print a statement for this account only. o Traces: Enter traces for tracking future actions to be done on this account o Transfer: Transfer all or part of the highlighted invoice to another A/R account. o Year View: View debits and credits on this account for the past year. This is a good at-a-glance screen to determine the credit status of the account.

6-2 Transfer F/O Data

When a folio is closed to direct bill in the front office, it is transferred at the next Night Audit to the F/O Transfer Bin in the Accounts Receivable module. The purpose of this transfer bin is to allow Accounting to look at each invoice to be sure that it is being transferred to the correct A/R account. Many hotels have more than one A/R account for a company, and the Front Desk is often confused as to the proper A/R number to close a folio. If the invoices were transferred directly to the account without going to the Transfer bin, a mistake made would not be found until a statement had been sent to the company and the mistake pointed out by the company contact.

Edit: This option is used to change the account number that the highlighted invoice will be transferred to. If the wrong account number was used to close this folio in the front office, this is the best opportunity to correct the billing mistake.

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Transfer: Once all the invoices are verified as going to the correct account, they can be marked and sent individually using this option.

To Transfer Invoices from Front Office to A/R:

o o o o o o o o o o From the Main Menu, select AR and Transfer F/O Data. To work with invoices from a particular business date only, enter search criteria in the date fields. To view folio information for a particular invoice to transfer, highlight the invoice and select Details. To modify the account the invoice is applied to, highlight the invoice and select Edit. To transfer a selected number of invoices, place an X next to each invoice and press Transfer. The Selected balance deducts from the Remaining balance. Answer Yes if you are ready to transfer the invoices to the AR Ledger To transfer all remaining invoices in the FO Data bin, select Transfer All. Answer Yes if you are ready to transfer the invoices to the AR Ledger. o Notice the empty FO Data bin and the Remaining balance of $0.00. Click Close to exit

Print: To print a copy of the detailed charges on the highlighted or marked invoices, the Print option will produce a hard copy of the folio. Details: To view the details of the charges on the A/R invoice, select Details. It is not possible to make adjustments from the F/O Transfer Bin. Transfer All: To transfer all invoices at the same time, select this option. All invoices will be moved to their individual A/R accounts. Print All: To print a copy of all folio detail for the invoices, press this option. It is recommended that this be done prior to transferring the invoices if detailed copies are sent to companies as backup for statement information. This is the only place in the program that all invoices can be printed as a batch. Once transferred to the A/R accounts, they must be printed one at a time.

6-3 Credit Cards

For hotels that process credit cards through Accounts Receivable, this menu option is available as a transfer bin in the same way that the Front Office invoices are sent to a transfer bin prior to being moved to the A/R accounts. From the Credit Card transfer bin, cards can be batched and sent as compressed lines on an individual statement. It is most common to compress a line per card per day, as that is how the credit card company will send the payments for the cards processed.

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All: Use the All button to mark all credit card records for this credit card type for transfer. None: Use the None button to unselect all credit card records for this credit card type for transfer. Print: Use the Print button to print a list of the marked credit card records. Print All: Use the Print All button to print a list of all credit card records for this credit card type. Transfer: Selecting the Transfer button will transfer all marked charges as one line item on the A/R account. Each individual record will be listed as a single detail item on the A/R folio. Generally, all records from a particular date are transferred together as one line item, as they are sent to the bank as one batch and it is easy to match the payment with the invoice in this way.

To Transfer Payments or Invoices to Another Account:

o o o o o o o o From the Main Menu, select AR and Account Maintenance. Search for and highlight the desired account and press Select. Highlight the unallocated payment or invoice and right click on the mouse. Select the Transfer options from the menu Search for and highlight the new account to apply the payment to and click OK. Answer Yes if you are sure you want to complete the transfer. Notice the newly transferred check payment on the new account. Click Close to exit.

Transfer All: Select Transfer All to move all records to the A/R statement as one line item. Again, this is most useful if all records are from the same business date.

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To Transfer Credit Cards to A/R Accounts:

o o o o o o o o o o o From the Main Menu, select AR and Credit Cards. Enter your Password and click Login. Select individual payment records to transfer by placing and X next to each. Notice the Balance selected increases as you add records. To select all records displayed, choose the All button. To change the card type, click on the drop down arrow next to Credit Card. Highlight the desired card type and click OK. Once you select all records to transfer, choose the Transfer button. Once complete, notice the records remove from the transfer bin. Click Close to exit. In the AR Account Maintenance screen, notice the newly added invoice for that days credit cards. One line item creates for the entire transferred balance. To see individual record details for that business date, select View to display the invoice details.

6-4 Research
Frequently, companies will call the hotel with questions regarding A/R billing. It can be timeconsuming to research old invoices unless there is a way to access billing information in a manner consistent with the way that companies will request the information.

Search: Because research primarily involves locating a specific invoice rather than an account, there are a number of search fields provided to locate an invoice from history. Invoice No.: If the person calling knows the invoice number, this is a very localized search as there is only one invoice in the system with the invoice number. Folio No.: If the person calling has the front office folio number, this can also localize the search as folio numbers are also unique. Account Name: All invoices on a particular account can be located using the account name. Searching by account will bring up all current and all paid invoices for that account. The system

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will automatically delete closed invoices after a defined number of days. If the number of days to purge zero balance invoices is 365 and the invoice in question is older than that, it will not be located as that information has been purged. Name: To locate an invoice by the guests last name, type the last name in this field. Date: If the date the invoice was transferred to the account is known, that date can be used to help to localize the search. Account No.: If the Account number is known, this will bring up all current and paid invoices for that account. The system will automatically delete closed invoices after a defined number of days. If the number of days to purge zero balance invoices is 365 and the invoice in question is older than that, it will not be located as that information has been purged. Amount From: If the amount of the invoice in question is known, a search can be made on all invoices having a dollar total between a range of amounts. Amount To: If the amount of the invoice in question is known, a search can be made on all invoices having a dollar total between a range of amounts.

6-5 Mailing
The Accounting Department regularly sends out mailings in the form of Statements and Reminder Letters. It can be very time-consuming to send all this mailing out for individual accounts, so the system has provided bulk mailing capability for Statements and for Reminder Letters.

6.5.1 Batch Statements

Batch Statements are sent out to all active accounts on a schedule depending on hotel needs. Some send out statements on a weekly basis, some on a monthly basis. In any case, the Batch Statements function makes it easy to organize all unpaid balances to be sent to the companies owing.

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Search: The key to printing batch statements is to organize the statements that should be sent together. Use any of the search options provided to narrow down the number of statements that should be printed. Most hotels will not mail out a statement if the minimum balance is less than a dollar, or less than the price of a stamp. If bulk mailing will be used, sorting the mailing by country and postal code will help when sending the statements out from the post office, as that is the required organization needed. In the Promotional Text field, a free-text message can be written that will appear on the bottom of each statement. Balance Forward From: The date prior to which any open invoices will be listed as a Balance Forward Total. After the date listed, all invoices will be detailed. Balance Forward To: If the balance forward is a range of dates, select a beginning and end date to the balance forward total. Last Posted From: Select this option to show only invoices that were posted on the account between a range of dates. Last Posted To: Select the End Date of the Invoice posting range: Print Full Statement: Select all statements, whether there is a balance or not. Print: Print all marked statements Print All: Print all statements Promo Text: Type a promotional text that will appear at the bottom of the statement.

To Print Batch Statements in Accounts Receivable:

o o o o o o o o o From the Main Menu, select AR and Mailing. Select Batch Statements. Place an X next to each account to print statements and select to Print Full Statement. Changing the display to view only Open Balance prevents zero invoices from printing. Sorting mailings gives the option to print in a particular order for ease in mailing. Enter any Promotional Text to customize the statements; enter No. of Copies and print Mode. Click Print to finish Answer Yes to generate the statements for the selected accounts. Notice the Completed message and click Close to exit. To print statements for all open balances, select the Print All option.

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Because a large amount of mailing is generated from the Accounting office, access to mailing history can be helpful when researching information about an account. Mailing History consists of records as to when statements were sent out to accounts and when reminder letters were sent to accounts. Statement History

Use the search fields to locate the statement or statements in question, and press the Print button to reprint a statement from history.

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Reminder Letter History

Locate the reminder letters in question, mark the ones to print with an X, and click Print. If all reminder letters should be reprinted, select Print All and all reminder letters will be reprinted from history.

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Many hotels send out reminder letters to accounts that are overdue in payment. These reminder letters may be set up in cycles attached to the account type, and as the age of the invoices increases, the reminder letters may be increasingly more urgent. The system will assign a reminder letter based on the age of the oldest open invoice on the account.

From the reminder letter screen, all open balance invoices are viewed. Generate: To generate reminder letters for marked accounts, use the Generate option. This function will locate the oldest open invoice on the account and will generate the reminder letter associated with the age of that invoice. All: To generate reminder letters for all accounts, use the Generate option. This function will locate the oldest open invoice on the account and will generate the reminder letter associated with the age of that invoice.

To Print Batch Reminder Letters:

o o o o o o o o o From the Main Menu, select AR and Mailing. Select Reminder Letters. Search for accounts that have outstanding balances by clicking the Open Balance option. To send reminders to a selection of accounts, place an X next to each account and click Generate. To send reminders to all with outstanding balances that are due reminders, select All. From the list of cycled reminders, place an X next to the accounts to send reminders, and select Print. To print all cycled reminders, select the Print All option. Notice there are no longer cycled reminders to print. Click Close to exit.

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6.5.4 Traces
Traces can be placed on individual A/R Accounts as reminders to take some action with the account. A/R Traces are visible only to those people in Accounting with appropriate User Rights to do so, but can be viewed and resolved by anyone able to access them. Traces are useful in making sure that action items are taken care of even if the account manager is out of the office for the day.

Edit: To access and update an existing trace, highlight the trace and press Edit. The text of the trace or the active date can be changed. New: To create a new trace, select New. Delete: To delete a trace, select Delete. It is recommended that traces are resolved rather than deleted, as a resolved trace can be located in history but a deleted trace is deleted from the database entirely. Resolve: Once the action has been taken, a trace is marked as Resolved to indicate to others that no more action need be taken. Resolve All: To mark all active traces as resolved, use this option.

To Resolve A/R Traces:

o o o o o o From the A/R Account Search screen, if an account has a Trace lamp, select the Options button. Select Traces. Alter the view of all traces to Unresolved Traces. Highlight the applicable trace, investigate and select Resolve; to complete all traces, select Resolve All. Notice the newly resolved trace To reverse a resolved trace if there was a mistake, select Unresolve; otherwise, click Close to exit.

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Chapter 7 Commission Handling

Tracking and paying Travel Agent Commissions can be a complex and time-consuming task. Opera will maintain travel agent commission records and will pay them out by checks generated on the property or through an export sent to an outside agency for paying commissions.

7-1 Payment Processing

Commission Handling is tracked by travel agent accounts that are set up with specific characteristics. An account is configured to be paid in a specific currency, so if the hotel pays different agencies in different currencies, separate accounts will need to be set up. Accounts are also configured to either pay by export or pay by printed check, so if some agencies are paid through a processing center and others are paid by checks produced on site, different accounts will need to be set up for these circumstances as well.

7.1.1 By Account
Commission Records are calculated at the time the guest checks out of the hotel. The records are moved to commission handling after the audit that night and are ready to be paid the following day. Commission Records are sent to the account that is attached to the Travel Agent profile. To process all records in an account, select the option By Account.

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Profile: Access to the profile of the highlighted record. If the upper portion of the screen is active, the profile will be that of the highlighted Travel Agent. If the lower portion of the screen is active, the profile will be that of the guest. To properly process commissions, a complete address and IATA number are required. If either of these items is missing, the Travel Agent profile can be accessed for a telephone number to call the agency to complete the profile information. Options: This option applies only to the individual records on the bottom of the screen and will be grayed out if the upper portion of the screen is active. Options include Folio Detail, Reservation Detail and Folio History that apply to the highlighted guest stay in the bottom portion of the screen. Search: To locate another guest to add a commission record to the agency, highlight the lower portion of the screen and a new record may be added to the agency indicated on the upper screen. To locate a new agency to add a record, activate the upper portion of the screen and the search field will locate agency profiles first, then a commission record may be added. Tfr. Rep.: To preview or print a report of all commission records transferred into Commission Handling by day, select this option. History: To view history records indicating when previous commission checks have been paid to the highlighted agency, select this option. The date and amount of previously processed checks are displayed. Hold/Rel.: To place an agency or a commission record on hold, select this button. A hold can be placed on the agency as a whole, or on a specific guest stay if there is a question as to the validity of the record. A reason is generally required to place the agency or record on hold, but is not required to release the hold.

To Place a Commission Record on Hold:

o o o o o o o o o o o From the Main Menu, select Commissions and Payment Processing. Select By Account. Highlight the correct bank account and press OK. Highlight the commission record to hold and select the button marked Hold/Rel. Select a hold reason by pressing the drop down arrow to the right of the Hold Code field. Highlight the appropriate Hold Reason and press OK. Type any additional information in the white Description field. Press OK when finished. A record on hold displays an X in the column marked H. The amount of money on hold appears in the center of the screen. This commission will not pay with the next check run unless the record releases from hold.

To Release a Commission Record from Hold:

o o o o o From the Main Menu, select Commissions and Payment Processing. Select By Account. Highlight the correct bank account and press OK. Highlight the commission record to release and select the button marked Hold/Rel. No reason is required to release a commission record. It automatically releases for payment.

A/R: If the travel agency has a balance in Accounts Receivable, it can be placed on A/R hold, which indicates that the commission will not be paid until the A/R balance is settled. Print: To print a pre-payment report, select this option. This report can be used to verify all records manually before proceeding to print checks or create an export file.

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Hold All Guests: To place all guests from an agency on hold at once, use the right click option to Hold All Guests. A reason will need to be entered. Detach: To separate this commission record from the Travel Agent profile so that the commission will not be paid, select Detach. The Travel Agent profile will be deleted from the reservation and no commission will be paid for the stay. Manual Commission Adjustment: To make an adjustment to the automatically calculated amount of commission, select Manual Commission Adjustment. Type in the amount that should be paid. Pre-Paid Commission Adjustment: To make an adjustment to an amount of commission that may have already been paid to the agency, select Pre-Paid Commission Adjustment. Type in the amount of pre-paid commission that has already been paid. Pay: To pay commissions once all adjustments and updates have been made, select the Pay button. Whether paying commissions by export or by checks printed on property, the pay button will process the records.

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To Pay Commissions by Export:

o o o o o o o o o From the Main Menu, select Commissions and Payment Processing. Select By Account. Highlight the correct bank account and press OK. Once all records are ready to be paid, press the button marked Pay. Select a Departure Date Range if required. If the date fields are blank, all released commission records will process for payment. Answer Yes to pay. Answer Yes to print the Pre-Payment report if required. Be sure that checks are not in the printer. Answer Yes if the Pre-Payment report should include held commission records. Note that all commission records processed into an export file given to the processing agency.

To Pay Commissions by Check:

o o o o o o o o o o o From the Main Menu, select Commissions and Payment Processing. Select By Account. Highlight the correct bank account and press OK. Once all records are ready for payment, select Pay. Select a Departure Date Range if required. If the date fields are blank, all released commission records will process for payment. Answer Yes to pay. Answer Yes to print the Pre-Payment report if required. Be sure that the checks are not in the printer. Answer Yes if the Pre-Payment report should include held commission records. Press OK to continue or change the check number to match the checks in the printer. Replace the checks in the printer with plain paper and answer Yes to print the Check Summary Report. All commission records have printed on checks for the Travel Agents.

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On occasion, it may be useful to pay a commission check to a single agent rather than all the agencies in an account. To do so, select By Agent. Once the Agency is located, verify all the commission records and process the payment.

Profile: Access to the profile of the highlighted record. If the upper portion of the screen is active, the profile will be that of the highlighted Travel Agent. If the lower portion of the screen is active, the profile will be that of the guest. To properly process commissions, a complete address and IATA number are required. If either of these items is missing, the Travel Agent profile can be accessed for a telephone number to call the agency to complete the profile information. Options: This option applies only to the individual records on the bottom of the screen and will be grayed out if the upper portion of the screen is active. Options include Folio Detail, Reservation Detail and Folio History that apply to the highlighted guest stay in the bottom portion of the screen. Search: To locate another guest to add a commission record to the agency, highlight the lower portion of the screen and a new record may be added to the agency indicated on the upper screen. To locate a new agency to add a record, activate the upper portion of the screen and the search field will locate agency profiles first, then a commission record may be added. Tfr. Rep.: To preview or print a report of all commission records transferred into Commission Handling by day, select this option.

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History: To view history records indicating when previous commission checks have been paid to the highlighted agency, select this option. The date and amount of previously processed checks are displayed. Hold/Rel.: To place an agency or a commission record on hold, select this button. A hold can be placed on the agency as a whole, or on a specific guest stay if there is a question as to the validity of the record. A reason is generally required to place the agency or record on hold, but is not required to release the hold.

To Place a Commission Record on Hold:

o o o o o o o o o o o From the Main Menu, select Commissions and Payment Processing. Select By Account. Highlight the correct bank account and press OK. Highlight the commission record to hold and select the button marked Hold/Rel. Select a hold reason by pressing the drop down arrow to the right of the Hold Code field. Highlight the appropriate Hold Reason and press OK. Type any additional information in the white Description field. Press OK when finished. A record on hold displays an X in the column marked H. The amount of money on hold appears in the center of the screen. This commission will not pay with the next check run unless the record releases from hold.

To Release a Commission Record from Hold:

o o o o o From the Main Menu, select Commissions and Payment Processing. Select By Account. Highlight the correct bank account and press OK. Highlight the commission record to release and select the button marked Hold/Rel. No reason is required to release a commission record. It automatically releases for payment.

A/R: If the travel agency has a balance in Accounts Receivable, it can be placed on A/R hold, which indicates that the commission will not be paid until the A/R balance is settled. Print: To print a pre-payment report, select this option. This report can be used to verify all records manually before proceeding to print checks or create an export file.

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Hold All Guests: To place all guests from an agency on hold at once, use the right click option to Hold All Guests. A reason will need to be entered. Detach: To separate this commission record from the Travel Agent profile so that the commission will not be paid, select Detach. The Travel Agent profile will be deleted from the reservation and no commission will be paid for the stay. Manual Commission Adjustment: To make an adjustment to the automatically calculated amount of commission, select Manual Commission Adjustment. Type in the amount that should be paid. Pre-Paid Commission Adjustment: To make an adjustment to an amount of commission that may have already been paid to the agency, select Pre-Paid Commission Adjustment. Type in the amount of pre-paid commission that has already been paid. Pay: To pay commissions once all adjustments and updates have been made, select the Pay button. Whether paying commissions by export or by checks printed on property, the pay button will process the records.

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To Pay Commissions by Export:

o o o o o o o o o From the Main Menu, select Commissions and Payment Processing. Select By Account. Highlight the correct bank account and press OK. Once all records are ready to be paid, press the button marked Pay. Select a Departure Date Range if required. If the date fields are blank, all released commission records will process for payment. Answer Yes to pay. Answer Yes to print the Pre-Payment report if required. Be sure that checks are not in the printer. Answer Yes if the Pre-Payment report should include held commission records. Note that all commission records processed into an export file given to the processing agency.

To Pay Commissions by Check:

o o o o o o o o o o o From the Main Menu, select Commissions and Payment Processing. Select By Account. Highlight the correct bank account and press OK. Once all records are ready for payment, select Pay. Select a Departure Date Range if required. If the date fields are blank, all released commission records will process for payment. Answer Yes to pay. Answer Yes to print the Pre-Payment report if required. Be sure that the checks are not in the printer. Answer Yes if the Pre-Payment report should include held commission records. Press OK to continue or change the check number to match the checks in the printer. Replace the checks in the printer with plain paper and answer Yes to print the Check Summary Report. All commission records have printed on checks for the Travel Agents.

7-2 Check Book

Once payments have been processed, the history of the checks can be viewed in the check book. It is possible to use the check book to mark checks as having been cleared, voided or not presented at the bank. This can help if research is being done to track an agents check.

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The Check register holds information on checks that have been processed previously and may need to be marked as presented, unpresented or voided for reprocessing.

Outstanding: Checks that have been sent, but have not been cleared by the hotels bank. Reconciled: Checks that have been presented and cleared by the hotels bank. Unpresented: Checks that have been changed to unpresented status after an extended period of time not being presented at the bank. All: View all checks in all statuses. Void: Checks that were printed, then voided and sent back to be reprocessed. Clear: To mark a check as having been cleared by the hotels bank, select Clear. Range: To change the status on a range of checks, select the batch number range and change the status. Void: To void all highlighted or marked checks, select this option. This will void the check and send the records back to the processing screen to be adjusted and paid again. Details: To see the individual guest stays that make up the commission check, select details. Edit: To change the check number assigned to a particular check, use Edit. Range Edit: To change the check number on a range of checks, select Range Edit. This is mostly used if a series of checks was placed in the printer incorrectly and the numbering system must be adjusted.

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7.2.2 Reprint Checks

If the hotel is printing checks manually on site, a reprint option can be very useful. Printers can jam, checks can be printed out of order, any number of things can require a run of checks to need to be reprinted.

Details: To view the individual guest records that compose the commission check, select Details. Range: To set a range of check numbers to be reprinted, select Range. Print: To reprint the selected checks, select Range and type in the check numbers, or mark the checks to be reprinted with an X and click Print.

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7-3 Research

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Travel Agencies may call to find out information on expected commission checks. There are many reasons why a commission is not paid, and the research tool will assist in locating the information needed.

Comm.: Information on the status of the commission payment is held in this screen. If a commission payment has been made, the batch number, check number and date of payment will be displayed. If the check has been marked as cleared, voided or unpresented that information will also appear here. This information can help a travel agent track down the record in question . Select: To add a commission record to a Travel Agent, use the select option. As long as the reservation was made with a commissionable rate, a new record can be attached to the agency for processing in the future. Profile: The guests profile can be viewed for further information if necessary. It is possible to see reservation and folio history from the profile, and is especially useful if the guest was a cancelled reservation or a no show. Edit: To view the complete reservation screen, select the Edit button. Search: This option will return the user to the search screen to locate another guest record.

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Chapter 8 Miscellaneous
Aside from the primary functions that Opera offers, there are a variety of miscellaneous functions that may also be used. Some of the following functions are dependant upon license codes and may not appear in every hotel.

8-1 Reports
Opera holds an enormous amount of data particularly regarding profile and reservation information. Hotels rely on the reports to operate the hotel and track statistics. The system holds over 250 reports that can be filtered to display relevant information. This section explains how to locate a report and how to filter that report to display the information desired.

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8.1.1 Search

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To locate a specific report, it is easiest to separate out the reports by category. If an arrivals report is needed, select the report group Arrival and a much shorter list of reports will be displayed. To locate a specific report, type either the Report Name or REP name (file name) in the Report field and press the search button. This will generate a search for the report. If the name of the report or file is not completely known, type a % in the field followed by a partial report name. This will generate a list of reports with that information contained somewhere in the report name. To search only by report name or REP name, check the appropriate box below the Report field before selecting the Search button.

OK Button 8.1.3 Preview

Many times report information can be viewed on screen without printing out a long list of information. To view a report on screen, select the button for Preview. In most hotels, this will open the report using Adobe Acrobat. From preview, the report can be printed from Adobe Acrobat or closed without printing.

8.1.4 Print
If a printed report is needed, selecting the Print button will allow the user to view and change the filter screen as needed, then automatically send the report to the printer. The report will not be displayed first in preview mode.

8-2 Interfaces
Your Opera system is most likely set up to interface with other computer systems, such as those for door locks, movie systems, restaurant systems and telephone systems. The interfaces as they are set up allow for charges to be entered in one system and automatically posted on the guests folio in Opera. It may be necessary for various reasons to make adjustments to the interfaces for a specific guest. Some of the reasons why the interfaces would be adjusted are: o To create a new guest room key. o To stop interface charges from being allowed to post to a guest room due to a lack of valid credit on the part of the guest. o The guest might request that adult movie channels are barred from a room. o Wake Up Calls may be automatically set through the telephone system. There are many other reasons why the interfaces may need to be updated or changed for a guest. Please bear in mind that there are a large number of interfaces available, and each one has different requirements and different possibilities. Check with your manager to find out which interfaces are at your hotel and how they work.

8.2.1 Interface Sub Menu

The interface sub menu will display all other systems that are linked to Opera. Again, each interface will perform different functions. The options that are displayed for each interface will vary depending on its capabilities. This is information that is generally very property specific. Ask your manager to instruct you in the use of this function.

8.2.2 Wake Up Calls

The Wake Up Call function can be interfaced with some PBX systems to make the Wake Up Call feature automatic. From any workstation a wake up call can be entered for a guest for a single day or for a range of days.

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To Set a Wake Up Call for a Guest

o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o From the Reservation Search or In-House Guest Search results screen, highlight the desired guest and click the Options button. Select the Wake Up Call option. To set a single Wake Up Call, select Date. Press Next to continue. Enter the Room No(s), the Date and the Time for the wake up call. Press Set when finished. To set a Wake Up Call for multiple days, select Daily. Press Next to continue. Enter the Room No(s), the From Date and To Date and the Time. Press Set when finished. To set a Wake Up Call for every member of a group, use the option Set Block Wake Up Calls. Enter the block code in the Block Name field, begin and end date for the calls and the time. Press Set to continue To view all current Wake Up Calls entered in the PMS, select the option View Wake Up Calls. Enter any filter criteria needed and press View. All current wake up calls display. To print a list for manual calls, press Print.

8-3 Show Quick Keys

The Quick Keys are designed to provide easily accessible information on a variety of hotel statistics and current information. Each quick key can be accessed from the Miscellaneous menu, but are also easily accessible from any screen in the application by using a combination of function keys, Ctrl and Alt. Each Quick Key is listed separately with its corresponding access combination.

8.3.1 Opera Help (F1)

Access the help screen by selecting the F1 function key. All topics are available for search. If the F1 key is pressed from an Opera screen (such as the reservations screen) the Help topic for that screen will be automatically opened. See Chapter 1 for a full explanation as to how to use the help screens.

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8.3.2 Occupancy Graph (Shift + F1)

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The Occupancy Graph is used to see upcoming confirmed business at a glance. A user can view the occupancy graph based on a particular room type, room class or the entire hotel. It might also show a week, a month or a number of weeks at a time. This graph can be printed for forecast meetings as well.

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8.3.3 Help (CTRL + F1)

Even though this quick key is called Help in the same way that the F1 screen is called help, the screen accessed from CTRL + F1 gives help information on keyboard navigation. For those users who prefer to use the keyboard more often than the mouse, this list of navigation hints will be very helpful.

All programmed keyboard navigation information is listed here. It is a good idea to become familiar with all the various ways to move from field to field or from screen to screen.

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8.3.4 Control Panel (Shift + F2)

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The control panel gives an overview of occupancy, availability and other hotel statistics for seven days. It is also a highly interactive screen and allows access to group functionality for cutting off blocks and updating current availability stats.

Total Physical Rooms: The total number of rooms in the hotel as validated by the license code: Out of Order: The total number of rooms that have been placed on Out of Order status for the day. Inventory Rooms: The number of Total Physical Rooms minus the number of Out of Order rooms. This is the number of rooms that will be used to calculate 100% occupancy statistics. Overbooking: The number of rooms allowed to make reservations above the Inventory rooms for the day. Sell Limits: The maximum number of rooms to be sold in the hotel. This number is the Inventory Rooms plus Overbooking. Deducted Blk. Rooms Not P/U: The number of rooms in blocks with a deducted status that were blocked but no reservations were made. Deducted Blk. Rooms P/U: The number of rooms in blocks with a deducted status that have been made into reservations. Total Deducted Rooms: The sum of the Deducted Blk. Rooms Not P/U plus Deducted Blk. Rooms P/U.

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Non-Deducted Blk. Rooms Not P/U: The number of rooms in blocks with a non-deducted status that have been blocked, but no reservations have been made. Non-Deducted Blk. Rooms P/U: The number of rooms in blocks with a non-deducted status that have been blocked and reservations have been made against the blocks. Total Non-Deducted Rooms: The sum of the Non-Deducted Blk. Rooms Not P/U plus NonDeducted Blk. Rooms P/U. Out of Service: The number of rooms that have been placed on Out of Service status for the day. Available Physical Rooms: The number of Inventory Rooms minus the number of Out of Service rooms. These are the rooms that are potentially rentable for the day. Maximum Availability: The available rooms if none of the rooms that are not picked up arrive. Minimum Availability: The available rooms if all of the rooms that are not picked up arrive. Min. Occupancy %: The percentage of rooms occupied if all of the rooms that are not picked up arrive. Max. Occupancy %: The percentage of rooms occupied if all of the rooms that are not picked up arrive. Total Rooms Reserved: Total number of rooms with actual reservations both deducted and non-deducted. Event: If an event has been configured for this date in the calendar function, the event will display here as a reference. Day Type: If a day type has been configured for this date in the calendar function, the day type will display here as a reference. Adults In-House: The total number of adults as counted from the reservations currently checked in house. Children In-House: The total number of children as counted from the reservations currently checked in house. People In-House: The total number of adults and children as counted from the reservations currently in house. Arrival Rooms: The number of rooms on reservations that have the highlighted date as the arrival date. Arrival Persons: The number of adults and children on reservations that have the highlighted date as the arrival date. Departure Rooms: The number of rooms on reservations that have the highlighted date as the departure date. Departure Persons: The number of adults and children on reservations that have the highlighted date as the departure date.

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Room Type Obkg: This is a Yes/No field and indicates whether or not sell limits by room type have been configured. Day Rooms/Persons: The number of day use rooms and the total persons associated with those reservations. Waitlist Rooms/ Persons: The number of rooms on the waitlist for the highlighted days arrival and the total persons associated with those reservations.

8.3.5 Detailed Availability (CTRL + F2)

The detailed availability screen displays the available rooms by room type for a range of dates. This is a highly interactive screen with access to blocks, detailed room type availability and reservation type information.

Search: Change the search criteria in the yellow-bordered box and press the Search option to initiate a new search. Availability: Detailed information on the availability by room type. For each room type, the number of arrivals, departures, adults, children, Out of Order rooms, Out of Service rooms, overbooking information and waitlist rooms are displayed. Blocks: Access to full block functionality. This allows a user to cut off blocks manually if necessary to update availability. Details: Displays the breakdown for the occupied rooms by reservation type. Toggle: Allows the user to switch between viewing available room statistics and occupied room statistics.

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8.3.6 Room Search (F3)

The Vacant Room Search screen is displayed in the reservation screen when searching for a room to pre-block on a reservation or at check in. This screen can be called at any time by using the F3 key.

Select the information for the search and press search. The vacant rooms that qualify all search criteria will appear at the top of the screen. If a room is set up as a connecting room to another, the connector information will appear at the bottom left corner.

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8.3.7 House Status (Shift + F3)

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When managing rooms from the Front Office or Housekeeping, it can be very helpful to have a screen which displays current information on the housekeeping status of rooms, availability of rooms, arrivals, departures and stay overs. The House Status screen provides detailed information on the status of each room in the hotel, as well as each reservation that will affect the current days availability.

Total Hotel Rooms: The total number of rooms in the hotel as validated by the PMS license code. This number does not include any Posting Master or other House Account rooms. Out of Order: The number of rooms that have been placed in Out of Order status. These rooms are not considered in the occupancy figures for the hotel. Use the arrow to the left of the field to view or update the rooms listed. Total Rooms to Sell: The total number of Hotel Rooms minus any Out of Order rooms. This is the number of rooms that will be used to calculate 100% occupancy for the current date. Out of Service: The number of rooms that have been placed in Out of Service status. These rooms are considered in the occupancy figures for the hotel. Use the arrow to the left of the field to view or update the rooms listed. Stayovers: The number of reservations that arrived before today and will be staying in the hotel tonight. Use the arrow to the left of the field to view or update the reservations listed.

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Departures Expected: The reservations made with the current date as the departure date that have not yet been checked out of the hotel. Use the arrow to the left of the field to view or update the reservations listed. Departures Actual: The reservations that have already checked out of the hotel today. Use the arrow to the left of the field to view or update the reservations listed. Arrivals Expected: The reservations made with the current date as the arrival date that have not yet been checked into the hotel. Use the arrow to the left of the field to view or update the reservations listed. Arrivals Actual: Reservations with an arrival date of the current date that have already been checked into the hotel. Use the arrow to the left of the field to view or update the reservations listed. Extended Stays: Reservations checked into the hotel that extended the number of days on the reservation after check in. Use the arrow to the left of the field to view or update the reservations listed. Early Departures: Reservations checked into the hotel that decreased the number of days on the reservation after check in. Use the arrow to the left of the field to view or update the reservations listed. Day Rooms: Reservations scheduled to both arrive and depart on the current date. These rooms are zero night rooms. Use the arrow to the left of the field to view or update the reservations listed. Walk Ins: Reservations that were made using the Walk In function. These guests arrived at the hotel without previous reservations and were checked into the hotel using the Walk In button. Use the arrow to the left of the field to view or update the reservations listed. Min. Available Tonight: The minimum number of rooms available tonight if all non-deducted and group allotted rooms return actual reservations. Max. Occupied Tonight: The maximum number of rooms occupied tonight if all non-deducted and group allotted rooms return actual reservations. Max. % Occupied Tonight: The maximum percentage occupancy tonight if all non-deducted and group allotted rooms return actual reservations. Blocks Not Picked Up: The number of group allotted rooms that have not been made actual reservations. On the day of arrival, this number should be zero. It is not uncommon for this number to change throughout the day as the group checks in. Cancelled group reservations, shares combined during check in and shares split during check in will all affect this number. It should be checked frequently throughout the check in process to be sure that all rooms are being properly cut off and returned to house inventory. Individuals: The number of rooms and persons who are in house on non-group reservations. Groups and Blocks: The number of rooms and persons who are in house with group reservations. Clean Rooms: The number of rooms both vacant and occupied that currently hold a Clean status in Housekeeping. Use the arrow to the left of the field to view or update the rooms listed.

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Dirty Rooms: The number of rooms both vacant and occupied that currently hold a Dirty status in Housekeeping. Use the arrow to the left of the field to view or update the rooms listed. Out of Order Rooms: The number of rooms both vacant and occupied that currently hold an Out of Order status in Housekeeping. Use the arrow to the left of the field to view or update the rooms listed. Out of Service Rooms: The number of rooms both vacant and occupied that currently hold an Out of Service status in Housekeeping. Use the arrow to the left of the field to view or update the rooms listed. Pickup: The number of rooms both vacant and occupied that currently hold a Pickup status in Housekeeping. Use the arrow to the left of the field to view or update the rooms listed.

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8.3.8 Room Plan (CTRL + F3)

The room plan is a tool for organizing pre-blocked rooms to maximize hotel availability. In the room plan, all in-house and pre-blocked rooms are displayed in a calendar function so that a week at a time can be viewed. In this way, pre-blocked reservations can be moved to arrive on rooms that are set for departure the same day so that rooms do not go unused due to poor management in pre-blocking.

From the room plan screen, there are a number of possibilities to maximize the room pre-blocks. Reservation: To access the highlighted reservation, select this option. Ability to update and edit reservations from this screen is controlled by user rights. New Reservation: To create a new reservation, highlight an empty cell and select this option. A new reservation is created from here in the same manner as through the main reservations screen. Room Move: To move this guest from one room to another, select room move. The Vacant Room Search screen will be displayed and a new room can be located. Room Block: Use this option to check if there are expected allotments for this room type on this date. Extend/Reduce Stay: Use this option to enter a new arrival or departure date for this reservation. Out of Order/Service: Use this option to place this room out of order or out of service. Check In: Use this quick check in option to check in the arriving reservation. The arrival date must be the current date.

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Walk In: Use this option to create a walk in reservation. A walk in reservation is handled in exactly the same way on this screen as it is from the Front Desk menu. Daily Events: Use this option to see what events are influencing business at the hotel.

8.3.9 Inquiry (Shift + F4)

The Inquiry function allows a user to search for availability for potential group business for a single date or multiple dates. Its possible to search for availability by room type or by general house inventory. Once a date is decided upon, the Quick Business Block function can be accessed for easy entry of group information.

Acct/Comp: Attach an Account or Company profile during the Inquiry process. This may assist in attaching negotiated rates if included on the profile. Any profile attached during the Inquiry process will be automatically transferred to a Business Block if the group is booked. Agent: Attach a Travel Agent profile during the Inquiry process. Any profile attached during the Inquiry process will be automatically transferred to a Business Block if the group is booked. Contact: Attach a Contact profile during the Inquiry process. Any profile attached during the Inquiry process will be automatically transferred to a Business Block if the group is booked. Source: Attach a Source profile during the Inquiry process. Any profile attached during the Inquiry process will be automatically transferred to a Business Block if the group is booked.

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Property: This field will only appear if the hotel is using the Multi-Property license code. Entering one of the multiple properties will help to focus the search. Attractions: This field will only appear if the hotel is using the Multi-Property license code. If a particular attraction is required, the search will be conducted only for those hotels able to provide quick access to a particular attraction. Property Type: This field will only appear if the hotel is using the Multi-Property license code. If a particular property type is required, the search will be conducted only for those hotels fitting the property type description. Property Features: This field will only appear if the hotel is using the Multi-Property license code. If particular property features are required, the search will be conducted only for those hotels that have these features. Meeting Features: This field will only appear if the hotel is using the Multi-Property license code. If particular meeting features are required, the search will be conducted only for those hotels that have these features. Destination: This field will only appear if the hotel is using the Multi-Property license code. If a local destination is part of the focus of the group, entering that destination here will generate a search only in those properties that are local to the destination. Start Date: The date that the group rate will first be offered. # Nights: The total number of nights the group rate will be offered. End Date: The date that the group rate will no longer be offered. Alternate Dates: Additional dates that the group contact may be willing to begin the group if the primary date is unavailable. Range From: The first date in a range of dates that the contact may be willing to begin the group. To: The last date in a range of dates that the contact may be willing to book the group. # Nights Stay: The total number of nights the group will expect to be in house. Arrival Day: For a range of days, the days of the week that the group can be booked to begin. Rooms per day: The number of rooms that will be required per day. The system will check availability on this figure, so it should be close or equal to the maximum number of rooms required on the highest occupancy night. Rate Code: If a rate code is entered here, the Inquiry function will check availability of the rate code during the requested dates. Room Types: If specific room types are to be checked for availability they should be entered here. %: If the % sign is checked, the system will look for this percentage of the rooms per day in the room type associated. If the % sign is not checked, the system will search for a number of rooms in the associated room type.

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Availability: Once all the requested information is entered, using this button will access the availability screen that will display which dates have availability and which do not.

Bus. Block: If the group will be booked, this button will access a new business block for information entry. Reset: If the Inquiry function will be used to search for a different group or set of criteria, the Reset button will return the Inquiry screen to its default settings.

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8.3.10 Calendar (CTRL + F4)

The calendar function is a single screen that displays availability information on a daily basis as well as any events that may have been entered that affect hotel business.

Numbers displayed in green represent the number of available rooms on that date. Any numbers displayed in red indicate the number of rooms that have been reserved over the available inventory. The system will default to the current date, but any date from any year may be displayed by selecting the month and date at the top of the screen. The Edit button allows the user to change the day type or add an event to the calendar.

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This quick key will begin the reservation process from the Rate Query screen. Using the F5 key will also allow access to qualified users to the package element setup as well as the rate availability screens. The Rate Query screen is used to locate the rate and room type required to make a guest reservation.

Arrival Date: The calendar date on which the guest will check into the hotel. Nights: The number of nights that the guest will stay in the hotel. Adults: The number of adults who will be staying in the room. In many hotels, the rates are based on the number of adults, so it is important to enter the correct number to quote the exact rate. Children1: The number of children in the first age range who will be staying in the room. In some hotels, the rates are based on the number of adults and/or children, so it is important to enter the correct number to quote the exact rate. Children2: The number of children in the second age range who will be staying in the room. In some hotels, the rates are based on the number of adults and/or children, so it is important to enter the correct number to quote the exact rate. Children3: The number of children in the third age range who will be staying in the room. In some hotels, the rates are based on the number of adults and/or children, so it is important to enter the correct number to quote the exact rate. No. of Rooms: The number of rooms required. If more than one room is required, it is important to enter the total needed to be sure that there is availability for all needed rooms. Name: If the guest has stayed at the hotel in the past and has a profile on record, entering the guest name here can speed the reservation process. Block: If the guest will be arriving as a group member, this field will be necessary to locate the specific group for an availability check on the group allotment rather than on the house inventory. Member Type: If the guest is a member of a frequent flyer club or has a hotel loyalty card on file in the profile, this field can be used to locate the guest quickly. Member No. The member number is unique and use of this field will locate the profile immediately if it has been registered in the hotel. Company: If the guest is traveling for business, use of this field may help to locate the companys negotiated rates.

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CORP No. The corporate number is a unique identifying number for company profiles and can help to locate the right profile quickly. Agent: If a travel agent is making the booking, attaching the correct agent profile during the availability check may help to locate negotiated rates, and will set the reservation for commission processing. IATA No. Since the IATA number is unique, using this field to search will locate the exact travel agent more quickly. Source: Source profiles are used for a number of reasons in a hotel. Searching for a specific source profile may help in paying commissions on a reservation or in locating an Accounts Receivable number for billing or for locating a negotiated rate. Source No. Source number is a unique number assigned to a source profile and can help to locate the correct profile more quickly. Show Rates Closed: Check this box if closed rates should be shown on the grid. The default setting is to view only rates that are open and available. Show Rates Day Use: If the reservation will be made as a day use reservation (arrival and departure on the same day), checking this box will help to locate rates set up specifically for day use purposes. Show Rates Pseudo: If the hotel assigns rates to non-inventory rooms, such as parlors, condominiums or marina slips, this box must be checked to view rates for these room types. Room Class: If a choice is entered in this field, i.e. if the search is only for Suites or Standard Rooms, only room types in the chosen room class will appear on the rate grid, localizing the search for rates and rooms. Rate Class: If a choice is entered in this field, i.e. if the search is only for Discount Rates or Rack Rates, only those rate codes attached to the rate class will be displayed on the rate query screen. Rate Category: If a choice is entered in this field, i.e. if only wholesale or holiday rates are selected, only those rate codes attached to the rate category will be displayed on the rate query screen. Rate Code: To search for only one specific rate code, enter that code in this field. Promotions: To search for rates that are available for hotel or corporate promotions, the name of the promotion will generate a search for attached rate codes. Once all the query information has been entered, select the OK button to proceed to the Rate Grid.

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Rate Codes appear on the left, Room Types appear across the top of the grid. To locate the rate for a particular room type, select the room type, then the rate code. The Rate will be found at the intersection of the row and column. Include Overbooking: The figures shown in this row indicate the number of actual rooms in the hotel PLUS the number of rooms in each room type that have been approved by management for overbooking. Physical Inventory: The actual number of rooms available in each room type with no overbooking figures included. One Night Rates: The price for the room for one night of the stay. This is the default setting and will display automatically. Total Rates: Selecting this radio button will display the total rate for all nights of a guests stay. Day Use: Selecting this radio button will display all rates configured for day use (arrival and departure on the same day). Closed: Selecting this radio button will display all closed rates. Wait List: Selecting this radio button will allow a reservation to be created and immediately placed on the wait list. Rate Info: The room rate, package rate and taxes per night will display. Analyze: Rate Restrictions placed on the rate code or room type. Long Info: Additional information regarding the rate code, configurable by the hotel. Turnaways: Selecting this option will log the call as a turnaway for statistical purposes Res.: Selecting this option will take the user to the reservation screen to complete the reservation. All information selected to this point (guest name, number of nights, arrival date, rate code, room type, etc) will be carried to the reservation screen. Scope: Selecting Scope will return the user to the Rate Query Grid with the original query intact. Close: Selecting Close will return the user to the Rate Query Grid and will reset the query to the default settings.

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8.3.12 Floor Plan (Shift + F5)

The floor plan function displays all rooms in the hotel in relation to each other floor by floor. From the floor plan it is possible to view the housekeeping status of every room, as well as whether it is occupied, vacant, due to arrive or due to depart. Any reservation may be opened and edited from the floor plan as long as the user has the appropriate user rights to do so. The Floor plan only displays housekeeping and front office status for rooms for the current date.

The housekeeping and front office statuses of the rooms appear in a grid at the bottom of the screen. The codes are as follows: o CL - Clean o DI - Dirty o PU Pick Up o IP - Inspected o OO/OS Out of Order/Out of Service o OC - Occupied o VA -Vacant o DN Departure Not Paid (Due Out) o AE Arrival Expected (Pre-Blocked Due In) The rooms themselves reflect the colors associated with both the housekeeping and front office statuses. Double-clicking on any room with an OC, DN or AE code will display the reservation information.

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Quick Booking (Shift + F6)

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The Quick Business Block offers an alternative to the full Business Block for hotels that may have simpler group needs. The Quick Business Block contains all the system-required fields for creating a Business Block, but the screens are more streamlined and easy to use. The Quick Business Block may be used in addition to the full Business Block or may be used instead of the full Business Block. The Quick Business Block Search Screen is much simpler and easier to use.

Search: The Quick Business Block Search screen is used to locate existing business blocks for view or update. There are a number of search options available. All of the fields in the yellowbordered area can be used to locate a specific group block. New: To create a new business block, select the New button on the Business Block search screen. There are several steps to creating a New Business Block.

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Acct/Com: A company profile may be attached to a Business Block Header. If this is done, the Company profile will appear on each reservation made with this block and the reservation statistics for the company will include all room nights and revenue from each reservation on the block. It is also possible with a company profile attached to use the negotiated rate for the company, and if the company has been approved for direct bill, any charges from the group may be billed out on an Accounts Receivable statement. Agent: A Travel Agent profile may be attached to a Business Block Header. If this is done and a commissionable rate has been attached to the group, all reservations may generate travel agent commission. Contact: A Contact profile may be attached to a Business Block Header. The Contact profile generally belongs to the person with the group who is the primary intermediary with the hotel. The contact profile contains information and mailing addresses for this person, as it might be different from the group address and telephone information. Source: A Source profile may be attached to a Business Block Header. If this is done, the Source profile will be attached to every reservation in the group. The source profile is sometimes used to pay commission to a company that is not normally considered a travel agent. Master?: This field is available only when Multi-property license codes are in use. It is possible to build a group with a Master Block and Sub Blocks across properties. Checking this field would create this block header as a master block. Property: This field is only displayed when the hotel is using the Multi-Property license codes and is sharing profiles and reservations with a sister property. The property field defines which of the properties will host the group primarily as it must be assigned to one of the multiple properties. Sync.: In multi-property, if there are master and sub-blocks, checking this box will synchronize the master and sub blocks each time there is a change.

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Name: The official name of the group as it will be posted. Start Date: The first date that the group rate will be offered. Nights: The number of nights the group rate will be offered. End Date: The official departure date for the group.

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Block Code: The Block Code is the identifying code for this group. The block code links all group reservations together. Cat. Only: This field will only appear if the Opera Sales and Catering system is activated for the hotel. A Catering only function will generate BEOs and will allow meeting rooms to be booked, but no sleeping rooms will be used. Status: The status is generally dependant on the status of the group contract. The status determines whether reservations can be made for the group and whether the (unreserved) allotted rooms are counted in the hotels availability or not. A group in starting status would not allow reservations to be picked up and any rooms allotted for the group will not be deducted from hotel inventory counts. A Tentative group may not allow pickup, but may deduct allotted rooms from inventory. A Definite group will allow pickup and all allotted rooms (reserved and unreserved) will be deducted from inventory counts. Res. Type: The Res. Type determines the guarantee status of the group and is linked to the Status Code. It should not be changed. Rate Code: If the group rate structure will follow a standardized rate code, that code can be entered on the Block Header and the rates will be defaulted based on the original configuration of the rate code. If this field is left blank, it will be possible to build rates per room type per day for each individual group. Elastic Block: If the Elastic Block box is checked, the group will be allowed to pick up more than the allotted rooms and will be allowed to book the group rate before and after the start and end date. If the Elastic Block box is not checked, it will not be possible to book more than the allotted rooms per day and it will not be possible to extend the days for the group easily. It is suggested that if a group is created as non-elastic, that it be made elastic on the day of arrival as it is not possible to separate a shared reservation if there are no additional rooms in the block and the front desk may be handicapped at check in. Cutoff Date: Entering a date in this field will set the date that all allotted rooms that have not been picked up will be given back to house inventory. The cutoff procedure can be set to be automatic during the End of Day sequence, or can be a manual operation based on a report of blocks and their cutoff dates. A cutoff date will return all rooms for all days of the group at one time. Cutoff Days: Cutoff Days can be configured to allow for a rolling cutoff. For a 3 day group for instance, 7 cutoff days would cut off all unused rooms from the first day of the group 7 days out. The next day, all unused rooms from the second day of the group would be cut off and so on. Market: The Market Code defines where the room revenue generated by this group will be booked on a market code report. Market Codes divide room revenue into statistically useful categories for tracking the types of business that are using the hotel. Source: The Source field indicates where the business was generated. Some examples of Source codes are: GDS, Sales Office, Sister Property, CRO, Repeat, etc.

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To Use the Quick Block Functionality:

o o o o o o o o o From the Main Menu, select Reservations and Blocks. Select Quick Business Block. To create a new Business Block, select New. Enter the Name of the group, the Start Date, number of Nights and End Date. The Block Code defaults to the hotels format for block codes in the Application Settings. The Status defaults to the beginning group status and the Res Type defaults based on the Status. Enter a Rate Code if necessary and determine whether the block is Elastic or nonelastic. Enter the Cutoff Date or Cutoff Days, the Market code and Source code. Press Save when finished. All other group functions are available from this screen.

Edit: Use the Edit button to open the highlighted business block for Editing or Update.

8.3.14 Telephone Book (Shift + F7)

The telephone book function allows the hotel to entered frequently used telephone numbers that will be accessible to all Opera users. Many hotels use this feature to enter administrative telephone extensions, taxi cab numbers, local restaurants or points of interest and any other business or service that may be called by the hotel frequently for guests.

The category is set to display a collection of telephone numbers that can be accessed and printed together. Notice that remarks can be entered for each entry. Directions to the business, hours of operation, dress code and any other information can be entered.

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Telephone Operator (CTRL + F8)

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The Telephone Operator screen was designed for use by PBX agents and provides access to all the information usually required by that department. From the Telephone Operator screen its possible to locate a guest room to transfer an incoming call, leave a message, set a locator or trace or to enter a wake up call for a guest.

All Guests: This options displays all guests arriving, in-house, departing, stayover, cancelled and No Show for the selected date. Arrivals: This option displays all guests listed as arrivals on the selected date. Stay overs: This option displays all guests listed as stay overs on the selected date. Departures: This option will display all guests departing on the selected date. Telephone Operator: This option, which is the default, will display all guests in house, arriving in the next 7 days as well as those that have departed in the past 3 days from the selected date. Message: This option displays all messages previously entered for a guest, both received and not received. A new message may be entered if needed.

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To Enter a Text Message for a Guest:

o o o o o o o o o o o o o o Select the Messages option. Click New to create a new message. Input the callers Name, Title, and additional information, then click on the drop down arrow next to Message Text to select from pre-defined messages. Select the pre-defined message desired by highlighting, and click OK to save. Once the return Phone No. is entered, press the Tab key to move the message information into the white text box on the right. Enter any additional message text and click Save. Answer Yes to send the message to the guest. This will turn the message light on in the guest room. To print the message for delivery to the guest room, click the Print button on the highlighted message. Input the Number of copies and click OK to print. Note the Message lamp on this in-house guest indicating that a message is waiting to be delivered To mark a message as received by the guest, highlight the message and select the Received button. This will turn off the message light in the guest room. Note the Received message indication with date and time of delivery.

Locator: This option allows the user to enter a locator for a guest.

To Enter a Locator on a Guests Reservation:

o o o o o o o o o From a completed reservation, click the Options button in the lower right-hand corner of the screen. Locators can only be placed for guests arriving on the current day or checked in. Select Locator. Select New to enter a new locator. Enter the Begin Date for the locator and the End Date for the locator. Enter the Begin Time and End Time for the locator. On the right side of the screen, highlight the location the guest will be. If more text is needed, enter that text in the white space at the bottom of the screen. Select OK when finished.

Trace: Traces placed on a guest reservation print on daily trace reports for hotel management. They are an excellent way to automatically communicate between departments to handle special guest requests or instructions. Traces can be used to communicate the need for direct bill authorization, transportation to or from the airport, VIP amenities or room features or special housekeeping touches.

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To Enter a Trace on a Reservation:
o o o o o o o o o o o o

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From the Reservation Search or In-House Guest Search results screen, highlight the desired guest and click the Options button. Select the Traces option. Click on New to add a new Trace. Select the Department to send the trace to by placing an X to the left. If any Trace Texts exist for that department, you may highlight the text to send Any additional instructions or manual trace information should be entered in the white Text field. Click Save to save and create another trace; click OK to save and close. Note the Trace lamp on the reservation. To Resolve the trace, highlight the applicable trace and click Resolve. Resolve All will complete all traces and resolve for the entire record. Note the resolved trace with date and time stamps. Click Close to exit the Traces function.

Res.: This option will display reservation information for the selected guest and will allow the reservation to be edited based on user rights. Wk Up Call: Guests will generally call the operator to enter wake up calls. This function allows wake up calls to be handled easily.

To Set a Wake Up Call for a Guest

o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o From the Reservation Search or In-House Guest Search results screen, highlight the desired guest and click the Options button. Select the Wake Up Call option. To set a single Wake Up Call, select Date. Press Next to continue. Enter the Room No(s), the Date and the Time for the wake up call. Press Set when finished. To set a Wake Up Call for multiple days, select Daily. Press Next to continue. Enter the Room No(s), the From Date and To Date and the Time. Press Set when finished. To set a Wake Up Call for every member of a group, use the option Set Block Wake Up Calls. Enter the block code in the Block Name field, begin and end date for the calls and the time. Press Set to continue To view all current Wake Up Calls entered in the PMS, select the option View Wake Up Calls. Enter any filter criteria needed and press View. All current wake up calls display. To print a list for manual calls, press Print.

Profile: The guests profile is available from this option, and may be viewed or updated based on user rights. New Msg.: This option will take the user immediately to a screen to make a new message for a guest.

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To Enter a Text Message for a Guest:

o o o o o o o o o o o o o o Select the Messages option. Click New to create a new message. Input the callers Name, Title, and additional information, then click on the drop down arrow next to Message Text to select from pre-defined messages. Select the pre-defined message desired by highlighting, and click OK to save. Once the return Phone No. is entered, press the Tab key to move the message information into the white text box on the right. Enter any additional message text and click Save. Answer Yes to send the message to the guest. This will turn the message light on in the guest room. To print the message for delivery to the guest room, click the Print button on the highlighted message. Input the Number of copies and click OK to print. Note the Message lamp on this in-house guest indicating that a message is waiting to be delivered To mark a message as received by the guest, highlight the message and select the Received button. This will turn off the message light in the guest room. Note the Received message indication with date and time of delivery.

Logout (F8)
This option is used if an agent will be leaving the workstation and will log out of Opera, but will not log out to the Windows screen. Another user may easily log in and begin working in Opera.

Interface SubMenu (Shift + F8)

The interface sub menu will display all other systems that are linked to Opera. Again, each interface will perform different functions. The options that are displayed for each interface will vary depending on its capabilities. This is information that is generally very property specific. Ask your manager to instruct you in the use of this function.

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Maximum Availability (CTRL + F8)

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The Maximum Availability screen will display the maximum number of rooms available in each room type over a range of dates. If a reservation or group is looking for multiple rooms over 3 nights, the maximum number of king rooms may be found on the second night, and the maximum number of doubles on the third. This screen will display the nights with the maximum number of rooms available per room type for the range of dates requested.

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8-4 Change Password

Passwords should be guarded and not given out for any reason as all activity happening on a user login is traced back through the User Name and Password. Some hotels will set the system to expire passwords automatically after a certain number of days, and a message will appear instructing each user to change the password. Its always a good idea to change a password frequently as it is more difficult for others to gain access that way.

To change a password, enter the old password, then type the new password twice to be sure that the original spelling is correct.

8-5 Data Extraction

It is possible to create labels and form letter mailings based on hotel-specific queries or to use this feature to assist in data cleanup, to quickly pull data into third-party spreadsheets, and to design queries that can be directly copied into data management programs like SQL Navigator. The Data Extraction feature is very intuitive and easy to use.

8.5.1 Data Extraction Query

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Select a Data Source: Select from the hard coded list of data sources available. Data sources include profile and reservation information. Select a Field for Filter Conditions: From the data source, select the primary field that will be used to sort out the desired guests. In the example above, we are going to sort by arrival date. Specify a Filter Condition: Determine the specific filter criteria to be used to sort data. In this case, we are looking only for the current days arrivals. Apply the Filter condition: Once the filter condition has been set, select the Add button to add the filter condition to the query.

Its possible to select additional filters as needed. In this case, we are selecting all of the arrivals for today who have an email address in the profile. Process: Select this option once all the filter conditions have been entered. The result will be the data needed. Save As: If this query is to be used again, the query can be saved by a name that makes sense to the user, such as Todays Arrivals with Email Addresses. By doing this, the query can be called again in future. Save: This query will be saved by the name that is defaulted in the first field. This name can be changed prior to saving if desired.

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8.5.2 Extract Results

To merge the Data Extract information into either an HTML file or a CSV file, the Extract Results tool will be used. Previously saved data extract files can be reprocessed at any time.

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8-6 Reprint NA Reports

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Every night the audit generates a set of reports for the day. These reports can either be stored as a file or printed as a hard copy. Its a good idea to have all of the night audit reports stored as files even if they are also printed, as there are numerous reasons why the reports may need to be reprinted at a later date. To reprint any stored night audit report from any date, the Reprint NA Reports function is used.

To reprint any report, it must be marked with a check mark in the box on the left, then the Reprint button should be used. Reprint will reproduce the report as it was originally printed on the audit. Another option is to use the Recreate button. This will recreate the report based on data kept in the database files. It is not necessary to regenerate a report each time, but is necessary if changes have been made to the database by Opera support. A support technician will indicate if the reports should be regenerated. Using the Recreate button will not cause any problems even if no changes have been made, but it may take a little longer for the report to print than if the Print button is used.

To Reprint Night Audit Reports:

o o o o From the Main Menu, select Miscellaneous and Reprint N/A Reports. Enter the Date needed. All reports display below. Mark the desired reports with an X and select the Reprint Button. The reports reprint exactly as they were stored during that days audit. If database changes occur and support recommends regenerating reports, pressing Recreate deletes the previous copy of the report and recreates it from updated database information. There is no need to regenerate unless a support case requires it.

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8-7 Awards
Use Awards setup to store and manage various awards that can be given to members of a property or chain loyalty program. Guest awards allow you to create user-defined guest award types that can be assigned/used by a guest during a visit to the property. The awards are stored against the guests profile and history details after departure. The possibilities are endless, all resulting in allowing you to monitor and evaluate award/promotion plans.

8.7.1 Instant Awards

With this option, the hotel can immediately grant an award and subtract the points from the guests total accumulated. The system will then return the number of points the guest has remaining.

Award Code: The hotels code for the specific award. Description: The long description of the specific award. Quantity: The number of awards that are being redeemed in this transaction. Points Required: The number of points required to redeem this particular award. SPG Number: The guests loyalty card number. Member Last Name: The guests last name. First Name: The guests first name. Current Balance: The current balance of points on the guests account before the award is granted. Award Order No.: The number of the award.

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New Point Balance: The number of points on the guests account after the award has been granted.

8.7.2 Awards Lookup

This option is used to search for previously paid awards for a guest. Once the award has been paid and the points subtracted from the total, the record may be researched to satisfy guest questions.

Membership No.: To locate a specific guest record by membership number, use this field. Last Name: To locate a guest by last name. First Name: To locate a guest by first name. Award Order No.: To locate a record by awards order number Award Processed Date: To view all awards processed on a specific date. Confirmation Number: To view awards processed for a specific reservation.

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8-8 Promotions
Many hotels offer special seasonal promotions to increase business during slow months. To effectively market the promotion, it is normally given a name by which the guests will call to book the rate. A rate code may be attached to a promotion code so that when the guests call asking for the special promotion, the agent can search for the proper rate code by typing in the promotion code.

Promotion Code: A unique code that is used to locate the promotion information in the system. Market Code: Promotions are generally attached to market codes for accurate revenue tracking. Category Code: A hotel-determined field that can be used to track certain promotions together for reporting purposes. Booking Start Date: The first date that the promotion will be available to reservations agents to be booked. Stay Start Date: The first date that a reservation may be booked to arrive. Check In Time: If the promotion has a check in time restriction, that information can be entered here. Instruction: If the promotion code is valid only under certain circumstances, enter those circumstances here. Some examples might be that a promotion requires a valid military ID or membership in AARP for a legitimate booking. Name: The long name of the promotion.

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Program Name: If the promotion is attached to another hotel program, that information can be entered here. Description: A long description of the category code. Booking End Date: The last date that the promotion will appear on the rate query screen for booking. Stay End Date: The last date that a guest may book this promotion. Check Out Time: If there is a restriction on check out time, that information can be entered here.

8-9 Enrollment
This option is only available if the hotel has a working 2-way interface to the central reservations system and that interface is configured to allow instant enrollment in the hotels membership program. If the configuration is there, this option will allow the front desk agent to submit required information about the guest to the 2-way interface to immediately return a new membership number for use on the guests current stay.

All items in bold text are required.

The Alliance Code refers to an airline code. This is used if the hotels loyalty program may be paid in miles rather than points. The membership number is entered and the alliance code is also entered.

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8-10 Print Tasks

For users with the proper user rights, it may be possible to change the printer that a workstation is using for a particular task. For instance, if all reports are set to print to a report printer, but that printer is not working, it may be necessary to redirect all reports temporarily to another printer. Each of the Opera print tasks is listed separately. For those who will be changing print tasks, it is useful to become familiar with all the various print tasks and the types of files that will be affected by the changes. Each workstation will have its own set of print tasks. When setting up print tasks, the same printer can be used for a number of tasks. The reason that many of these items are separated is that some items may always be printed on plain paper, while some are printed on letterhead. Some printers may be set to carry unusually sized paper for guest messages or for registration cards.

AR_FOLIO: This print task assigns a printer to any invoice that is printed from the Accounts Receivable module from the Details button on the account. AR_RECEIPT: If a payment receipt is generated, this printer will be used to print the payment receipt for Accounts Receivable payments only. CASHIER_CLOSE_REP: This print task will be used to print the closing reports when performing the Close Cashier function. CHECK_PRINTER: This print task is used to print Travel Agent Checks. CHECK_XANGE: This print task is used to print a check payment receipt when doing a check exchange. CONF_LETTER: This printer is used to print confirmation letters when the Print option is chosen. CONF_LETTER_EMAIL: This printer is set up to go to the hotels email server. CONF_LETTER_FAX: This printer is set up to go to the hotels fax server.

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DEFAULT_EMAIL: This printer is set up to go to the hotels email server. DEFAULT_FAX: This printer is set up to go to the hotels fax server.

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DEP_RECEIPTS: This printer is used for printing receipts after a deposit payment has been made. FOREIGN_CURR_XANGE: This printer is used for printing receipts after a foreign currency exchange transaction has been completed. GST_FOLIO: This printer is used for printing all guest folios. GST_MSG: This printer is used for printing all guest messages. HOUSEKEEPING: This printer is used for printing housekeeping task sheets. INFO_FOLIO: If an information folio is printed prior to check out, this printer will be used. LABELS: This print task determines which printer will be used to print labels from the mailing function. LIST_REPORTS: This print task determines where all reports except cashier closing reports will be printed. MAILINGS: This printer is used to produce any mailings to guests in house that are batched and sent through the Mailings function. NA_REPORTS: This printer is used to reprint Night Audit reports using the menu option Reprint NA Reports. PAIDOUTS: This printer will produce all paid-out receipts. PASSER_FOLIO: This printer will produce any folio generated by using the Passerby feature. REG_CARD: This printer will be used to print registration cards. REMINDER: This printer is used to print reminder letters for Accounts Receivable accounts. REMINDER_FAX: This printer should be directed to the hotels fax server. STATEMENT: This printer is used to print Accounts Receivable statements. STATEMENT_FAX: This printer should be directed to the hotels fax server. TA_CHECKS: This printer is used to print Travel Agent checks.

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8-11 User Activity Log

The User Activity Log allows a user or manager to research past activity in the system. It is a way to look back into reservations, profiles, housekeeping, postings and accounting to try to resolve questions or issues.

User: To find activity on a particular user, type the user ID in the blank or select from the list by opening the drop down arrow to the right of the field. Date: To search for activity on a particular date or range of dates, select the beginning of the search period. To: To search for activity on a particular date or range of dates, select the end of the search period. Search: To search for a particular type of function, select the area that will be searched, then open the drop down arrow to the right of the search field to help localize the search information. Reservation: Locate any changes or updates made to a guest reservation screen. Posting: Locate any changes or updates made in the Billing screen. Profile: Locate any changes or updates made to any profile screen. Block: Locate any changes or updates made to a group or business block. Housekeeping: Locate all Housekeeping changes.

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Configuration: Locate any configuration changes. This would include parameter changes, transaction code changes or additions and new or updated rate codes. Commission: Locate all commission processing activity. Credit Cards: Locate all information on credit card approvals, interface time-outs and nonapproved cards. Accts. Rec.: Locate any changes or updates made to A/R accounts.

8-12 Memberships
For hotels using the membership tracking and export functionality, this option allows the user to process and research points awarded to guests for checked out stays. Points are tracked throughout the guests stay, but are not sent for export until that guest checks out.

8.12.1 Guest Records

To add points to a guests previous stay in the event that they were not included, use the option for Guest Records. The search screen allows the user to locate the guest by name, and then to locate the specific reservation for which to calculate points.

Once the correct stay information has been located, pressing the Calculate button will total the points and send the information to be processed and awarded.

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8.12.2 Exports
Once all points have been totaled, it is necessary to generate the export file to send to the processing center for points payment. This step is not necessary in all hotels, only used if the data will be sent elsewhere for calculation and awards.

A hotel may have more than one export file. If that is the case, each file will have to be processed individually. Generate: This option will begin the process of generating the data that will be used to create the export file. View Data: This option will allow a user to see detailed records of previously created files. New: This option will allow a hotel to configure a new export file. This is rarely used once the original installation is complete. Edit: To open the details of the export file configuration for view or changes, select Edit. Information in these export files should not be changed as it may cause them to error out. Delete: If an export file is no longer going to be used by the hotel, select Delete and it will no longer appear on the list of files to process. Copy: If the hotel would like to have a second export file similar to one that exists already, it is possible to copy an existing file and alter it to suit the hotels needs. Once the data has been generated, a second step must be taken to generate the export file.

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Generate File: This option will take all the collected guest records and process them into a file that may be zipped and sent to a processing center or left as it is. Zip File: If the file is to be zipped after it has been created, this option will use PKZIP to compress the file for easier use. Delete: If the file has been created in error, select Delete and the records may be reprocessed. View: To view the individual file records without the ability to edit them, select View. Edit: If an individual export record should be updated, select Edit.

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8-13 File Export

Aside from membership exports, hotels may also have pre-configured data that needs to be exported frequently for tracking purposes. There are a large number of possibilities for these export files and each hotel may have a different set of files to work with, but the basic use of each of the files is the same.

A hotel may have more than one export file. If that is the case, each file will have to be processed individually. Generate: This option will begin the process of generating the data that will be used to create the export file. View Data: This option will allow a user to see detailed records of previously created files. New: This option will allow a hotel to configure a new export file. This is rarely used once the original installation is complete. Edit: To open the details of the export file configuration for view or changes, select Edit. Information in these export files should not be changed as it may cause them to error out. Delete: If an export file is no longer going to be used by the hotel, select Delete and it will no longer appear on the list of files to process. Copy: If the hotel would like to have a second export file similar to one that exists already, it is possible to copy an existing file and alter it to suit the hotels needs. Once the data has been generated, a second step must be taken to generate the export file.

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Generate File: This option will take all the collected guest records and process them into a file that may be zipped and sent to a processing center or left as it is. Zip File: If the file is to be zipped after it has been created, this option will use PKZIP to compress the file for easier use. Delete: If the file has been created in error, select Delete and the records may be reprocessed. View: To view the individual file records without the ability to edit them, select View. Edit: If an individual export record should be updated, select Edit.

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8-14 File Download

For users in Thick Client, export files are created on the computer used to generate the data and generate the files. In this environment, it is only necessary to email the file from the workstation used to create it. In a Thin Client hotel, the export files are created on the server, not on the users workstation and so one more step must be taken to move the file from the server to the users workstation to be attached to an email.

There may be a large number of files on the server, so it is best to use the file name to search for the file. The file name was displayed when the file was generated. Locate the file needed and press the button to Download. A windows screen will appear and will allow the user to save the file at any location on the computer. Once the file is downloaded to the specified location, it may be located when creating an email to send the file off to a processing agency or corporate office.

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Some hotels pre-print registration cards for all arriving guests during the night audit or for large group arrivals. In this section, there is a batch printing option for registration cards to make this process much easier.

Use the search options to locate the set of guests to print the registration cards. Select the View button to see each card in Adobe Acrobat format and Print to automatically print all registration cards.

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Chapter 9 Setup
All the options under this heading are controlled by user rights. It is generally assumed that the system supervisor(s) only will have access to make changes.

9-1 User Configuration

Any new employee needing to use Opera will need to be set up as a User. Usually, a hotel will have a set of user groups created and a new user will be attached to one or more user groups.

New: To create a new user, select this option. All information in bold letters is required to create the user. All other information is optional and is only visible when viewing this screen. It does not appear in reporting. Edit: To view or change information on an existing user, select Edit. This will allow you to change password information or update any other field that has changed.

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Permission: Select this button to attach one or more permissions outside the assigned group to a single user. It is possible from the permissions screen to attach the user to a user group or to add individual permissions.

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9-2 Application Settings

Application settings control the functionality and defaults assigned to the system. These settings should not be changed without a complete understanding of the consequences. Many hotels have central reservations systems that require these settings to be on or off, and making changes may inactivate communication with a CRS. Changing default settings can have a direct impact on system reporting. Of course, the parameters are available for change if needed, but it is a good idea to know and understand any corporate requirements for settings and defaults as well as any interface or system requirements.

9.2.1 AR AR Functions
AR_TRACES This parameter activates the ability to set traces on A/R accounts to follow up specific account activity. These traces are accessed in the AR menu and are not included in the Reservation trace reports.

AR Parameters
AGE CREDIT This parameter will age unallocated credits on an A/R account in the same way that debits are aged if it is marked as Y. If it is marked as N, unallocated credit totals will always appear in the current bin, no matter how long they have been on the account AR CHECK INVOICES In the A/R account, if an invoice is checked (marked with an X) for any reason, that check mark will remain on the invoice until unchecked by the user. If this parameter is set to N, the invoice will automatically be unchecked as soon as the user is returned to the account screen. AR CLOSE INVOICE If this option is set to Y, once an invoice is closed there will be no further adjustments, postings or transfers allowed. This parameter is meant to address some country-specific requirements and may be too restrictive for countries not needing to use this. Once an invoice is closed, it is not possible to Un-close it, and no further action may be taken on it except to pay it in part or in full. AR NOMODIFY INVOICE This option is very similar to Close Invoice, however there will be no modification of the invoice at all once it is generated. Any adjustments must be made on new invoices. AR NUMBER MANDATORY If this parameter is entered as Y, an A/R number is required on a folio window to send invoices to Accounts Receivable. If this parameter is set to N, it is possible to send invoices to Accounts Receivable without the A/R number. In that case, an A/R account must be created, but the A/R number is not mandatory. This will result in a number of A/R accounts that have no A/R number. They may be located by the Account Name only.

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AR USE DEBIT CREDIT This parameter enables the A/R statement to always print all charges both debit and credit. This option will automatically default the statement to print zero balances in batch printing. AUTO TRANSFER AR When active, automatically moves direct bill postings to respective AR accounts rather than to holding area to await manual review and transfer; AR>Transfer FO Data option is removed. BALANCE FWD DATE Y/N When printing statements, all invoices on the statement prior to the date of the last printing will appear as a one-line balance forward and all new invoices will print in detail. If the hotel is in the habit of regularly printing copies of the statement for internal use, this parameter may be in conflict with business practices. CONSOLIDATE CC When this parameter is set to Y, credit cards in the holding bin will automatically be compressed and moved to the A/R account with the night audit. If this parameter is set to N, this must be a manual procedure. Due to the nature of the way that Opera calculates credit card totals on the Trial Balance report, if the cards are consolidated on the day following the audit, the totals will appear as credits on the Guest Ledger on the day they are used to settle the bill, but will not appear as debits on the A/R ledger until they are compressed and transferred. This can cause confusion when balancing credit cards in Accounting. PROMPT ACCOUNT COPY Prompt the user to copy a newly create AR account to other properties in a multi-property system. SIMPLE REMINDER When this parameter is set to Y, reminder letters will be produced for an invoice following the aging buckets as defined in A/R configuration. If this parameter is set to N, it is possible to define different reminder letter schedules based on Account Type. UNALLOCATED PAYMENT ON REMINDER If this parameter is set to Y, any payment on the A/R account that has not been allocated to a particular invoice will appear on the A/R statement as an unallocated payment. If it is set to N, unallocated payments will not appear as single line items on the statement, however they will be included in the total due on the account.

AR Settings
ACCOUNT PICTURE This setting defines a pre-determined template for creating A/R numbers. If this is left blank, new A/R accounts may be created using any alphanumeric system with no restrictions. If the template is set (for instance) to AAA-9999, then each new A/R account must follow the pattern of three letters, followed by a dash, followed by four numbers. A clerk would not be able to use any other pattern to create a new A/R account number.

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ADJUSTMENT ALLOWANCE This setting defines the amount of time that an adjustment can be made on an invoice. Laws that determine a certain period of time after which no further adjustments may be made bind many countries. The options available are: after one day, after one week, after one month, after one year or adjustments may be made for an unlimited amount of time. AGENT ACCOUNT TYPE This setting determines the default account type that will populate that field on the account setup screen when a new A/R account is created using a Travel Agent profile. This setting may be left blank, in which case it will be determined on a case-by-case basis or it may be populated, which will default an entry in the field that may be changed if needed. AR BAL TRX CODE This setting determines the transaction code that will be used to post any balance forward totals entered from a previous system during an Opera conversion. This transaction code should never be used for any other purpose than this one. Once an entry is made in this setting, the system will automatically use it in the Balance Forward process. AR CREDIT TRX CODE This setting defines the transaction code used internally by the system when consolidating credit cards and moving them to the A/R account. COMPANY ACCOUNT TYPE This setting determines the default account type that will populate that field on the account setup screen when a new A/R account is created using a Company profile. This setting may be left blank, in which case it will be determined on a case-by-case basis or it may be populated, which will default an entry in the field that may be changed if needed. DATE FOR AGING This setting determines at which point aging will begin on an invoice. There are three possible entries: Aging begins on the guest check out date, Aging begins on the date that the invoice is transferred from the F/O Transfer Bin onto the account, and Aging begins on the Invoice Close date. The last option is only applicable if the parameter AR CLOSE INVOICE is set to Y. The default setting is AR Transfer Date. DEFAULT CREDIT LIMIT The hotel may have pre-determined a standard credit limit for all new A/R accounts. If so, this amount may be entered in this setting to populate the credit limit field automatically when creating a new A/R account. If no entry is made, the credit limit may be defined on a case-by-case basis. If an entry is made in this setting, the amount will automatically be populated to save time when creating an account, but may easily be changed for an account requiring a different credit limit. (A/R accounts over their credit limits will not be denied billing by the system, but will appear on a report indicating accounts over credit limit).

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GLOBAL ACCOUNT TYPE The hotel may configure a number of different account types to separate A/R accounts for reporting or management purposes. Each account type may have its own reminder letter cycle defined. If one account type is set up as the Global Account Type, any other account type that does not have a reminder letter cycle defined will follow this account types reminder letter cycle. The Global Account Type MUST have a reminder letter cycle defined or no reminder letters will be produced. GROUP ACCOUNT TYPE This setting determines the default account type that will populate that field on the account setup screen when a new A/R account is created using a Group profile. This setting may be left blank, in which case it will be determined on a case-by-case basis or it may be populated, which will default an entry in the field that may be changed if needed. INDIVIDUAL ACCOUNT TYPE This setting determines the default account type that will populate that field on the account setup screen when a new A/R account is created using an Individual profile. This setting may be left blank, in which case it will be determined on a case-by-case basis or it may be populated, which will default an entry in the field that may be changed if needed. MINIMUM REMINDER DAYS This setting defines the number of days required between sending two reminder letters to the same account. If a reminder letter is sent to an account one day and the invoice falls into the next reminder cycle overnight, printing reminder letters the following day might produce a second letter to the same account. The hotel can determine that two letters may not be generated to the same account unless this number of days has gone by since the last reminder letter was printed. TYPEWRITER Opera has a typewriter function that allows Accounting to alter the information on a statement in a way that the hotel would like to see it appear. Using the typewriter function does not affect any totals or balances on an A/R account, only the appearance of the statement. This setting determines the directory on the application server that will hold the statement file as it is being amended. ZERO INVOICE PURGE DAYS Once an invoice has been paid and has become a zero invoice, it will remain in history for view or update. Holding a large number of invoices in history can make the accounts difficult to work with, so it is recommended that a number of days be set to purge the paid invoices. Once the invoice is purged, there will be no way to locate it in history, so it is recommended to set an appropriate number of days based on the amount of history access needed by the hotel.

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9.2.2 Blocks Block Functions

BLOCK TRACES This function allows a trace system to be used for group blocks only. These traces are not connected to the Reservations Traces used by the Front Office and other departments. Block Traces appear only when accessing block information and are usually used to remind sales managers to follow up on group billing or contract information. If this parameter is set to Y, the ability to have separate trace functions for groups is allowed. If the parameter is set to N, the function is not available. BUSINESS BLOCK This function activates the full business block screen and functionality. This parameter must be set to Y if Opera is interfaced with any external Sales and Catering system such as the Opera Sales and Catering system or Delphi. The full business block functionality allows a greater degree of complexity when entering block information. Without this parameter set to Y, the options are to use the Quick Booking function or the Standard Groups module or both. All three options may be activated together, or any combination of the functions may be used. INQUIRY This parameter activates the Inquiry function that allows a user to check availability for potential groups by checking a number of dates and variables. It will also move directly into a booking screen. This is a useful function if there are agents in the hotel who are likely to book a group while on the telephone with the contact. This function may not be required if the hotel has an external Sales and Catering system as groups would not be originally booked in Opera but would be booked in the S&C system. QUICK BUSINESS BLOCK This option allows the hotel to use a scaled down version of the business block screen. Only the primary required fields are given. This is a useful function for hotels that may not need the complexity of the full business block option but book groups regularly. This option may be used in addition to the full business block function or instead of the full business block function.

Block Parameters
BLK TO HOUSE If this parameter is set to Y, then rooms cut off from a business block will be returned to regular house inventory at the next night audit. If it is set to N, then the rooms will continue to be unallocated group rooms rather than unallocated house rooms. BUSINESS BLOCK TYPE Makes Business Block Type field visible on Business Block and Quick Business Block screens. CONFIRM BOOKING STATUS CHANGE Display confirmation message for booking status change.

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COPY NOTES TYPE TO TITLE If this parameter is set to Y, then any new notes entered on a group block will automatically default the note type as the title. This may be changed on an individual basis. If this parameter is set to N, then the title field for new notes will be left blank and an entry will be made individually for each note. CUTOFF If this parameter is set to Y then the ability to return unused rooms to inventory will be accessible for each block. Cutoff may then be done by date (All rooms from a block returned on a specified date) or number of days (rooms are returned a day at a time). If this parameter is set to N the only way to return rooms to inventory is to use the Wash function and manually return rooms not needed. ELASTIC BLOCK If this parameter is set to Y, it will be possible to book reservations on groups that take more rooms than the allotted rooms on the grid. It will also allow reservations to arrive prior to the start date of the group and depart after the end date of the group while still receiving the group rate. If the parameter is set to N, it will not be possible to book more rooms than allotted or to arrive earlier than or depart later than the block dates. If all rooms in an elastic block have been cut off and returned to inventory, a non-elastic block will restrict the hotel from breaking shared reservations as that would require an additional room to be added to the block. MANDATORY RATE CODE BLOCKS If this parameter is set to Y, then a rate code is required to complete a group block. In this case, all rooms allotted to a block will take the price indicated in the rate code configuration. If this parameter is set to N, then it will be possible to either attach a rate code to a block or to configure a price per day per room type for the group. In a hotel that negotiates each group separately, it may be a good idea to set the parameter to N. Check to be sure that the hotels CRS does not require a rate code however. MANDATORY ROOMINGLIST PROFILE SEARCH If this parameter is set to Y, then a profile search will be activated for every guest reservation created through a rooming list feature. For hotels with a high instance of return group guests, this will help to ensure that the same guest profiles are used for each stay resulting in accurate tracking numbers. For hotels with a low instance of return group guests, this requires an extra step for every reservation made through the rooming list and may be counter-productive if new profiles must be created anyway. PROFILE CHECK IN ROOMINGLIST If this option is set to Y, a check box on the rooming list screen that activates the profile search will automatically be checked. To inactivate the profile search the user may uncheck the box. If this parameter is set to N the same check box will appear but will by default NOT be checked. An agent will have to check the box to activate a profile search while building a rooming list.

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UNIQUE BLOCKCODE If the hotel requires a unique block code for every group in the system, setting this parameter to Y will require it. If two block codes will be the same based on the default block code template that is set up, the system will add _01 to the second block code, _02 to the third and so on to create unique codes. As this may cause errors in some CRS interfaces, care should be taken to understand the consequences of this parameter. If this parameter is set to N, block codes may be duplicated as long as only one block is active at a time. Again, this may cause issues in a CRS interface or S&C interface, so care should be taken to understand the hotels needs. USE OCCUPANCY FOR ROOMBLOCK If this parameter is set to Y, room grids will be built based on room type and occupancy. The number of rooms for each occupancy level must be entered separately. This will result in more accurate forecasting of the number of persons arriving with a group as well as the total revenue if rooms are priced differently based on the number of people in the room. If the parameter is set to N, room grids are built using only the total number of rooms of each room type and forecasted revenues are based on single occupancy of all rooms.

Block Settings
AUTO NAME IN ROOMINGLIST BY This setting determines if new reservations created on the rooming list will be created using the Group Profile name or the Block Name. In either case, new reservations created through the rooming list are created with new profiles. BLOCK SNAPSHOT STATUS Snapshot status for business blocks BUSINESS BLOCK TEMPLATE This setting will create a default template for the block code for each hotel. An example might be DDMMYYAAA. This would default the arrival day, month and year followed by the first three letters of the group name. Many hotels have specific block template requirements due to a Sales and Catering interface or a Central Reservations Interface. COPY BOOKING STATUS When the Copy function is used to copy a business block, the newly copied block must be started at a pre-defined status code. This setting defines the default status code for a newly copied block. DEFAULT GROUPS RATE CODE When creating a block that has no rate code attached, the system looks to this defined group rate code for the rate characteristics. If this default group rate code has packages attached for instance, packages will be attached to every group reservation created with no rate code. If the default group rate code is built as tax inclusive, all group reservations built without a specific rate code in the block header will also be tax inclusive. It is recommended that a rate code be built specifically to act as the default group rate code and not be used for any other purpose. It is not necessary to activate the rate details on this rate code for the code to be effective.

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DEFAULT NEW BLOCKS STATUS When building a new group block the status code is a required field. Each new block must begin with a non-deducted status code. This setting determines the default entry for each new group block. DEFAULT NOTES TYPE When creating notes on a group block an entry in this setting can determine the default type of note that is created. If this setting is left blank, an entry must be made in the note type field, but must be selected with each entry. EXTERNAL DEFAULT RES TYPE When using an external Sales and Catering system, all reservations released from the Sales and Catering system to Opera must have a reservation type attached. This entry is the default reservation type for all reservations turned over to Opera from an external Sales and Catering system. PROMPT PROFILE BB This setting has 3 possible responses. N for None the system will not remind the user to attach profiles to a business block. If the setting is P for Prompt User, a message will appear stating that no profiles are attached to the block header but will allow the user to save the block without a company, source or agent profile attached. It will automatically create a group profile based on the group name. If the setting is R for Required, then at least one company, source or agent profile must be attached to the group block to save the block header. Again, unless a specific group profile is attached, a group profile will be automatically created based on the group name. TURN BOOKING INTO ACTUAL UPON All group reservations are turned to ACTUAL status once they have been checked into a room in the hotel. This setting determines if they are turned to ACTUAL status at the time that they are checked in or checked out.

9.2.3 Cashiering Cashiering Functions

AUTHORIZE DIRECT BILL This option will display a message on the reservation and billing screen that indicates that a manager has approved this guest for direct billing. An active A/R account must be attached to the profile. BATCH POSTING This function activates the ability to use the Batch Posting feature. This feature is frequently used to post one charge to a list of guests. Some uses for batch posting are the ability to post a parking charge to a long list of guests in house, the ability to post a contracted luggage-handling charge to all guests in house with a particular group or the ability to post a fee to a list of guests. CHECK EXCHANGE Activates Cashiering/Cashier Functions/Check Exchange and associated user permissions.

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FIXED CHARGES This function activates the ability to use the Fixed Charges option in the reservations screen. This function allows the user to preset specific charges to post during the night audit. GENERAL CASHIER This function activates the ability to use the General Cashier functionality. This is used primarily for hotels that do a large amount of cash handling at the front desk and need the ability to add to or delete from the cashiers bank during a shift while tracking the cash in hand. MULTICASH This function allows the hotel to use foreign currency as part of the cashiers starting bank. If a hotel regularly deals at the front desk in more than one currency, this function will help to track the amount of currency at the hotels daily exchange rate. PASSERBY This function activates the ability to post passerby folios. Passerby folios are used to post and pay charges for simple transactions done at the front desk for non-hotel guests. PETTY CASH This function activates the ability for the front desk user to perform paid outs and reimbursements to petty cash accounts from the front desk. The cash in and out is tracked as part of the cashiers bank and will be part of the cashiers totals at the end of the day. ROUTING This function activates the ability to pre-set charge routing on guest folios, either by moving charges to another folio window on the guests account or by moving charges to another guest room or posting master entirely. If this function is set to N all charges must be manually transferred. TAX TYPES Activate Tax Types functionality. TAX TYPE CALCULATION and DFLT NAME TAX TYPE are available when this function is active. VOID BILL Activate void bill functionality.

Cashiering Parameters
ALLOW DEFERRED TAXES For hotels in countries that have VAT, setting this option to Y will defer the calculation of the taxes on the guests bill until the guest checks out. This will mean that information folios printed prior to check out will not have the VAT calculated.

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BLIND CASH DROP YN If this option is set to Y, the cashier closure screen will not display the amount of cash and checks that the system has calculated the cashier to drop. The cashier will enter the amount of cash and checks in hand and make the drop. Any over/short will appear only on the Cashier Summary report printed with that nights audit. DEPOSIT FOLNO This option will activate the folio number for a guest to be assigned at the time that a deposit is placed on the reservation. The folio number will also be used at check in. EXPFOLIO SHOW CHECKOUT This option will activate a prompt with every guest checkout asking if an expense folio should be printed. If this parameter is set to Y, it will be necessary to configure expense folio buckets for the transaction code breakdown using the configuration screen under Setup/System Configuration/Cashiering/Folio and Revenue Buckets/Expense Folio. If the transaction buckets are not defined, the Expense Folio will read all zeros. FIX BILL RESERVATION This parameter assigns a bill number to all four windows of the guests folio. This bill number can be used to pull up all folio window totals in history. This parameter cannot be activated if the parameter FIX BILL WINDOW is set to Y. FIX BILL WINDOW This parameter assigns a separate bill number to each of the four windows on a guests folio. Each window is located in history using a separate bill number. This parameter cannot be activated if the parameter FIX BILL RESERVATION is set to Y. FOLIO COPY LEGEND When printing multiple folios, the associated legend (e.g., Original, First Copy, Second Copy, etc.) will print on folio. FOLIO NOREPRINT This parameter restricts folio postings from being adjusted, split or transferred if a Bill Number has been assigned. FOLIO REVISION NUMBER This parameter will assign a new internal revision number to a folio each time it has been corrected. FOREIGN PAIDOUTS This parameter activates the ability to perform paid outs in foreign currency. It is still possible to process currency exchanges with this parameter set to N. This parameter affects only the ability to use a paid out posting code on a guest folio to refund money in foreign currency. LOG TRX DETAILS This parameter should only be activated when asked by Opera support. This will turn on an internal tracking system that will log every transaction made in the hotel for research by support.

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MASK CC NO This parameter, when set to Y will print the credit card number on the folio as XXXXXXXXXXXX5525 and will also mask the expiration date. This is normally done for security reasons. This parameter will not mask the credit card number on the registration card or on any of the Opera screens. It applies solely to the guest folio. PHONE DETAILS If this parameter is set to Y, the telephone number for all posted telephone calls will print on the guest folio. If this parameter is set to N, telephone numbers will not print on the guest folio by default. In either case, it is possible to change the phone detail printing on an individual folio if needed. PRINT FISCAL INFO FOLIO Activate Fiscal Folio Printing. RECEIPT If this parameter is set to Y, a payment receipt will be produced with every payment made in the hotel. The payment receipt is given to the guest as proof of payment. If a large number of payments are made in the hotel without the guest being physically present, this parameter may not be required. ROLLUP YN If this parameter is set to Y, all food and beverage charges with the same check number will appear on the folio screen as one line item with the ability to see the detail. This parameter affects only the screen view for the user, but does not apply to a printed folio. For the printed folio, a folio style must be chosen. SHOW AR SETTLEMENT If this parameter is set to Y, a folio closed to the Direct Bill transaction code will display Direct Bill as a payment method that reduces the bill to zero when printed. If it is set to N, the folio will be reduced to zero on the guest ledger, but a printed folio will show the amount as due. SUMMARIZE TAX This parameter will summarize tax transaction codes on the folio. TAX ROUTING YN If this parameter is set to Y it will be possible to set separate routing instructions for transaction codes and their attached generates. If this parameter is set to N, it will not be possible to route taxes to a different folio from the original transaction code. TRANSFER GENERATED TAX If this parameter is set to Y, then transferring any transaction code will automatically transfer any taxes attached. If this parameter is set to N, then taxes must be transferred separately from the posting that generated them.

Cashiering Settings
AR SETTLE CODE This setting defines the single payment code in the system that will transfer folio balances to Accounts Receivable. Once this code is defined, it may only be used to transfer balances to A/R. This code should be activated for Front Desk payments only.

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CASH SHIFT DROP This setting defines the internal code that will total all cashier shift drops for cash. This code should NEVER be the same as any code used by the Front Desk to process cash transactions. This code should be built but not activated on any ledger, as it should only be used internally. CHECK EXG PAIDOUT This setting defines the internal code that is used to process check exchange transactions. This code should NEVER be the same as any code used by the Front Desk to process check payments. This code should be built but not activated on any ledger, as it should only be used internally. CHECK SHIFT DROP This setting defines the internal code that will total all cashier shift drops for checks. This code should NEVER be the same as any code used by the Front Desk to process check transactions. This code should be built but not activated on any ledger, as it should only be used internally. CHECK TRX CODE This setting defines the single payment code that is used to process check payments. All payments made on this code will be used in the cashier closure routine to total check transactions. This code may be activated for Deposit Payments, Front Desk Payments and A/R Payments as needed. COPIES This setting defines the number of copies of a guest folio that will print automatically. Generally this number is 1 copy and additional copies may be printed manually. CURRENCY EXG PAIDOUT This setting defines the internal code that is used to process currency exchange transactions. This code should NEVER be the same as any code used by the Front Desk to process any payments. This code should be built but not activated on any ledger, as it should only be used internally. DEPOSIT LED TRX CODE This code defines the internal offsetting transaction code that will transfer deposit payments from the deposit ledger to the guest ledger when the guest checks in. This code should NOT be activated for Deposit Payments, Front Desk Payments or A/R Payments as it is intended to be only an internal offsetting transaction code. DFLT NAME TAX TYPE Once the Tax Types are defined, this setting determines the tax type that is attached to all reservations by default. Generally this tax type is one that would apply to the greatest number of incoming guests and is usually one that requires all taxes to be posted. FISCAL FOLIO PRINTING Activate Fiscal Folio printing. FOLIO ARRANGEMENTS Activate Arrangements feature (affects folio styles that reference Arrangements, Arrangement configuration option and posting with arrangements).

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FOLIO STYLE This setting determines the default folio style used by the hotel. Based on the hotels configuration and needs this folio style may be different for each hotel. Once the default folio style is determined, the folio style may be changed for individual guests when needed. PACKAGE LOSS This setting determines the default package loss transaction code. When building any package with an allowance, this package loss transaction code will default. It is possible to build additional package loss codes and change the code for individual package elements if needed. PACKAGE PROFIT This setting determines the default package profit transaction code. When building any package with an allowance, this package profit transaction code will default. It is possible to build additional package profit codes and change the code for individual package elements if needed. PASSERBY MARKET CODE This setting determines the default market code for Passerby transactions. It is possible to enter the default code to reduce the amount of time required to process the transaction at the desk. If needed, the default market code can be overwritten for an individual transaction. PASSERBY SOURCE CODE This setting determines the default source code for Passerby transactions. It is possible to enter the default code to reduce the amount of time required to process the transaction at the desk. If needed, the default source code can be overwritten for an individual transaction. TAX TYPE CALCULATION Calculate tax types based on the profile or reservation. WARNING AMOUNT This setting defines the amount of money on a manual posting that will generate a warning message for the cashier. The intent of this setting is to reduce the amount of adjustments made if a cashier neglects to enter a decimal point in the posting.

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CALC VAT ON COMMISSIONS If this function is set to Y, then VAT will be calculated on commissions paid. If it is set to N, no VAT will be calculated on commissions. ENTER HOLD REASON CODES If this parameter is set to Y it will be required to enter a reason for putting an agency or commission on payment hold. If it is set to N, it will be possible to put a commission record or agency on payment hold without indicating a reason. FIXED PRE PRINTED CHECK NUMBERS If the hotel is printing checks on site, rather than using the export feature to process commission payments, setting this parameter to Y will track check numbers based on the number of pages used. If this parameter is set to Y and a check is printed on more than one page, the system will include the second check in its count. If it is set to N, then each check will be assigned only one number regardless of the number of pages used to print a check. PAY IATA If this parameter is set to Y, then a commission payment will only be made to an agency with a valid IATA number in the profile. If this parameter is set to N, then it will be possible to pay commission to an agency or other company that does not have a valid IATA number. PREPAYMENT REPORT PRINT STATUS If this parameter is set to Y, then the prepayment report will automatically be printed prior to checks or exports being processed. If this parameter is set to N, then the prepayment report may be requested manually each time checks are printed. PRE PAID COMM TO SOURCE If this parameter is set to Y, then it will be possible to pre-pay commissions to source profiles. If it is set to N, then source profiles may not be used for pre-payment of commissions. TRANSFER SOURCE If this parameter is set to Y, then it will be possible to pay commissions to source profiles. If it is set to N, then source profiles may not be used for payment of commissions TRANS COMM NOSHOW CANC If this parameter is set to Y, then all no show and cancellation records with valid Travel Agent profiles attached will be sent to Commission Handling. If this parameter is set to N, then No Show and Cancelled reservations will not be sent to the processing area. Since No Shows and Cancellations generally produce zero balance records, it is not always advisable to process them as many companies charge per transaction regardless of commission generated.

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USE SOURCE COMM CODE If this parameter is set to Y the commission code will be visible on the source profile. If it is set to N, the commission code will not be visible on the profile. ZERO COMMISSION YN If this parameter is set to Y, all commission records including zero balances will be sent to commission processing. If it is set to N, only commission records with balances will be sent to commission processing.

Commissions Settings
DEFAULT COMMISSION This setting defines the standard percentage or dollar amount used to pay commissions in most cases. DEFAULT PREPAID COMM This setting defines the transaction code used to process pre-paid commissions on reservations. DEFAULT TRX CODE This setting determines the transaction code most used for commission processing. This transaction code is usually Room Charge.

9.2.5 End of Day End of Day Functions

INCOME AUDIT This function activates the ability for the hotel to use the Income Audit feature that allows the business day to be closed at a different time than the system date is closed. With this feature activated, it is possible to process adjustments on a previous date prior to closing the business date. Up to 5 business dates may be open at one time.

End of Day Parameters

AUDIT If this parameter is activated, the night auditor will have a screen that can be used to enter in system totals prior to running the end of day procedures and reports. This screen will allow the auditor to verify totals with the system prior to final postings and reports. AUDIT CHKNO If this parameter is on, the system will automatically assign a check number to room and tax postings, allowing a rollup of all room and tax postings to a single line on the folio if used in connection with the folio style Summary by Check Number. AUTO CLOSE CASHIERS Automatically close any open cashiers during the End of Day Sequence. AUTO NOSHOW ARRIVALS Automatically change arrivals not checked in to no show status.

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AUTO CONTINUE If this parameter is set to Y, the audit will move automatically from one procedure to the next. If it is set to N, the auditor will have to manually continue the audit at each new procedure by selecting Yes to a screen saying, Continue the End of Day sequence? COUNTRY CHECK Activate Country Check Feature. This process checks to be sure that the profiles for all guests in house have an entry in the country field. This check allows the user to make an entry if none exists. RESERVATION PACE This parameter, when set to Y will populate a reservation booking pace report used with the Opera Sales and Catering system. WEATHER NOTES Activate Weather Notes feature. The Weather and Notes option allows the entry of notes on the cover page of the Audit pack.

End of Day Settings

AUTO ROLL DATE MINUTES Number of minutes for Auto Roll Date message. NIGHT AUDIT CASHIER ID This setting determines the cashier ID for running the night audit. When a cashier logs in to run the audit, all postings of room and tax and fixed charges made during the processing of the night audit will appear on this night audit cashier ID rather than on the cashiers own ID>

9.2.6 Exports Exports Parameters

COUNTRY EXPORTS Set this parameter to Y in any country that requires specific exports. Currently this parameter applies to Belgium only. EXPORT ZIP IN NA For hotels using export files created during the night audit, this feature will zip the files in the night audit sequence once created.

Exports Settings
EXPORT UNZIPPROGRAM This setting determines the program used to unzip files in the night audit. EXPORT ZIPPROGRAM This setting determines the program used to zip files in the night audit.

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9.2.7 Front Desk Front Desk Functions

HOTEL ACCOUNTS This function activates the ability to create posting masters using the Accounts function. If this parameter is set to N, posting masters may still be created using the standard reservations creation method. LOCATORS This function activates the ability to set locators for guests in the hotel that are used to ensure the guest receives telephone calls, messages and guests even if not in the hotel room. MESSAGES This function activates the ability to leave text messages in Opera for a guest. If the hotel is using the video system to display guest messages, this feature must be activated.

9.2.8 General General Functions

ALTERNATE NAME The extended byte function allows the system to both store and display screens and data in Oriental language characters as well as in single byte characters. DATA EXTRACTION This function activates the ability of the user to create mailings for guests in house or to create group key packet labels. EXTENSION NUMBER This function allows the hotel to assign extension numbers at check in. This is used only if the capability exists in the telephone system, and will assign extension numbers for accommodations with multiple guest rooms but a single entry door. FILTER SEARCH Activate filter option for search criteria. FISCAL PERIOD REPORTING This option will allow the hotel to assign accounting periods other than the standard calendar year. Fiscal periods may be defined to start in a month other than January or to follow a 28/35-day month or to be defined on a 4-week basis. GDS This function activates the GDS functionality. A working interface with a GDS system is required.

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GUEST LANGUAGE This function allows the hotel to print folios and messages in the language listed in the guests profile. Use of this feature will require a separate folio to be created for each language, and all room types, transaction codes, messages, confirmation letters and any other text must all be configured in every language entered in the system. IATA UPLOAD If the hotel has purchased software to upload all existing IATA number information, this function must be set to Y to complete the upload. LOGIN LANGUAGE This function allows the user to set the language on the screen to the login language of the user. MULTI CURRENCY This function allows the hotel to configure rates in multiple currencies and to post those rates in multiple currencies. An exchange rate type POSTING must be configured for each of the currencies. OWNER If this function is set to Y, then an owner must be entered on every company, source and travel agent profile in the system. The owner is the person in the hotel who is responsible for that account. If this function is set to N the owner field will not be displayed on any profile type. POLICE INTERFACE This function allows the hotel to interface directly with local police departments to verify guest information. This is only used in countries where this interface is required by law. ROOM CLASS YN This function will activate the ability to sort report information by room class. Room Class reports can be run for Market Code statistics as well as forecast and occupancy figures. SURVEY Activates the Survey feature that allows survey questions to be created and sent to guests based on the hotels requirements.

General Parameters
ROOMMAIN Activating this parameter will automatically delete resolved room maintenance requests from the database after 60 days. This purge will be part of the night audit sequence. SHOW APPLICATION CURTAIN Setting this parameter to Y will display the Opera curtain in full whenever using Opera. If this parameter is set to N, the desktop will be under the Opera menu. TAX FREE GUESTS This parameter allows the user to make a distinction between taxable and tax-free guests.

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General Settings
BASE LANGUAGE This setting determines the default language for any new guest profile. It may be changed, but will originally default to this designated language. CURTAIN COLOR This setting determines the color of the background in Opera. It is advised in a multiproperty hotel and in a training hotel that different background colors are used to differentiate the hotels from each other. This will help in avoiding making reservations in the wrong hotel. CUST REPORTS This setting defines the location of the customizable reports files. Once set during an install, it is not a good idea to change this location. DATA EXTRACTION FORMAT Set the default format for data extraction files. The default value is CSV.1. DEFAULT REGISTRATION CARD If the hotel has created more than one registration card, this setting defines the one that will print automatically by default at check in or when printing batch registration cards. GRACE LOGINS If the hotel has determined that user passwords shall expire after a selected number of days, this number of grace logins may be entered so that the user has several chances to change the password before it expires. A message is displayed each time the user logs in telling the user how many more times they may log in before the password will expire. OPERAURL In thin client, this URL defines the location of the application server to access Opera. Once entered by the installer, it should not be changed. PROPERTY TAX ID If the property would like to enter the tax ID number, it can be entered here. This field can be used to print on A/R statements if required by the hotel. REPORTING PERIOD This parameter determines whether the hotel will be using the calendar period for reporting or will be using fiscal period reporting. WEEKEND DAYS This setting determines which days of the week are designated by the hotel to be weekend days. Rates can be configured to change on weekend days and some screens display weekends differently to clarify the information displayed.

9.2.9 IFC IFC Functions

CC IFC This function must be activated to display credit card authorization messages.

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IFC Parameters

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WAKE UP DELAY This parameter determines the amount of time that will elapse before a second wake up call is sent to a room that did not acknowledge a first wake up call.

IFC Settings
ACCESS CODE This setting defines an interface access code. Once configured by an installer it should not be changed. DEFAULT POSTING ROOM This setting determines the posting master that will receive all buffered charges that cannot be posted on the appropriate rooms. This will generally occur if the interfaces have been off for some time and a guest has checked out of a room that has charges waiting to post. Any orphaned charges will be sent to the posting master defined here. Opera standard is to use PM 9500. Maintaining this standard will make support much more efficient in handling interface questions. EXTERNAL TIMEOUT This setting determines the timeout seconds for external interface tasks. It is generally set by the installer and should not be changed. FLAGS If this parameter is set to Y, it is possible to access the interface account settings from the PMS. If it is set to N, it is not possible to access the interface account settings from the PMS. GUEST LOOKUP TIMEOUT For hotels that have a 2-way interface and have activated the Lookup function, this setting determines the number of seconds that the system will wait for an answer from the CRS before declaring a timeout. PATH This setting defines the directory path where the database resides. It is generally set by the installer and should not be changed. VIDEOCHECKOUT PRINTER This setting determines the printer that will be used to print folios generated by guests using the video checkout feature. VIDEO CO START This setting determines the time of day that video check out may begin. Time is set on a 24-hour clock and should be set to begin after the night audit has been run to be sure that all room and tax charges have been run. VIDEO CO STOP This setting determines the time of day that video check out will end. After this time, a guest must go to the front desk to check out.

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9.2.10 Membership Membership Functions

AWARDS MODULE This function allows the hotel to track and distribute awards points that have been accumulated by using the membership module. ENROLLMENT This function activates the ability to directly enroll a guest in a membership program immediately. It requires an active 2-way interface with the enrolling program. LOOKUP This function activates the ability to look up a guests point accruals immediately on line. It requires an active 2-way interface with the enrolling program. PROMOTIONS MODULE This function allows the user to search for a particular rate code by using a promotional program name. This search is used in the Rate Query screen.

Membership Settings
ENROLLMENT TYPE Specify the types of enrollments available through Opera. Hard coded options include LOYALTY, GAMING, and ACTIVITIES. Available if ENROLLMENT function setting is Y. LOOKUP TYPE Specify the types of lookups available through opera. Hard coded options include LOYALTY, GAMING, and ACTIVITIES. Available if LOOKUP function setting is Y.

9.2.11 Profiles Profiles Functions

ACCOUNT OVERVIEW Activate the overview of accounts, business blocks and reservations functionality for account profiles. CONTACTS This function activates the ability to use a 6th profile type called Contacts. A contact profile is an individual who is the primary contact with the hotel for a company, travel agent, source or group. The contact profile can be used to track statistics on a particular booking agent or person. This will also activate the Contact field on the Business Block and Quick Business Block screens. FUTURE Activate the ability to view future reservations for an individual guest from the Profile screen.

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IATA COMP TYPE ACTIVE If this function is set to Y, the IATA number and Company ID numbers will be displayed on the profile. KEYWORD Activate the ability to enter keywords into profiles as an additional hotel-specific search field. PROFILE CREDIT CARD This function activates the ability for the hotel to keep credit card information on file in a guests profile. While it is accessible for every future reservation, it is also available for view to every Opera user with user rights to view this information. PROFILE REVENUE BUCKETS Display revenue bucket details from the Profile history screen. This display will allow the user to see the total revenue each guest has produced based on hotel defined revenue buckets. QUICK ADDRESS If the hotel has purchased third-party software called QAS, this function allows Opera to use its address database to accurately enter a large amount of address information. This program is mostly used in European properties. STATISTICS If this function is set to Y, an additional tab in the profiles screen will appear. This tab will display statistics from previous guest stays. In a multi-property environment with shared profiles, the statistics tab will indicate information collected system-wide, not just in the users hotel. VIP STATUS Activates configuration and display of VIP status throughout the application.

Profiles Parameters
GUEST RECOGNITION Activate Guest Recognition for ORS. IATA YN Determines whether validation will take place on the IATA number entered in the profile. LOCK INDIVIDUAL NOTES Lock Individual profile notes. RESERVATION COMMENTS If this function is set to Y, then all reservation comments entered into the profile will be transferred to each reservation for that guest. If the function is set to N, then reservation comments will be visible only in the profile comments field.

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SHOW FUTURE RESERVATIONS If this function is set to Y, then future reservations will be displayed for all individual profiles in the profile search screen. If it is set to N, then future reservations will not be displayed in the profile search screen, but will be visible in the profile under the Futures option button.

Profiles Settings
COMPANY ADDRESS TYPE This setting determines the default address type used to create the primary address for a company profile. The company profile is generally defaulted to a business address. COMPANY PHONE TYPE This setting determines the default telephone type used to create the primary telephone number for a company profile. The company profile is generally defaulted to a business telephone number. COPY ACC CON ADDRESSTYPE COPY When creating a contact for a company, this setting determines the address type that will default to the contact profile. Generally, a contact profile carries the business address as the primary address. COPY ACC CON PHONETYPE COPY When creating a contact profile for a company, this setting determines the phone type that will default to the contact profile. Generally, a contact profile carries the business phone as the primary phone type. DEFAULT MEMBERSHIP TYPE This setting determines the default membership type that will populate profile search fields. If this setting is left blank, the user must enter a membership type each time to locate a specific guest by member number. If it is populated, it will automatically appear in the field each time, and may be changed. EMPLOYEE DEFAULT PHONE TYPE This setting determines the default telephone type used to create the primary telephone number for a new employee profile. The employee profile is generally defaulted to a home telephone number. INACTIVE DAYS FOR GUEST PURGE This setting determines the number of days that a guest profile has no activity before the system will automatically purge it in the night audit sequence. To purge, the profile must not be marked for History and must not have any future reservations attached. INDIVIDUAL ADDRESS TYPE This setting determines the default address type used to create the primary address for an individual profile. The individual profile is generally defaulted to a home address. INDIVIDUAL PHONE TYPE This setting determines the default telephone type used to create the primary telephone number for an individual profile. The individual profile is generally defaulted to a business telephone number.

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ADVANCE RATE RESTRICTION Activating this function will enable the user to set rate restrictions and rate strategies in Opera. CHILDREN RATES BY AGE BUCKETS Activate advanced age-rate functionality. GLOBAL RATE UPDATE Activate global rate update functionality. NEGOTIATED RATES Setting this function to Y will allow the user to set up and use the negotiated rates function. This function allows the user to attach rate codes to a company profile and then if needed take the rate codes off the general rate query screen unless that company profile is included in the rate search. RATE SEASONS This function allows the hotel to pre-set ranges of dates during which the rates will change. This can help in configuring a long list of rate codes.

Rates Parameters
DISTRIBUTABLE RATES Enables distribution of rates across properties in a multi-property hotel. LOS RESTRICTION This parameter activates the ability to set rate restrictions based on length of stay. RESTRICTION RATECATEGORY This parameter allows the user to set rate restrictions at the rate category level. RESTRICTION RATECLASS This parameter allows the user to set rate restrictions at the rate class level. RESTRICTION RATECODE This parameter allows the user to set rate restrictions at the rate code level.

Rates Settings
CHILD1 LABEL Label for first age range of child rates. CHILD2 LABEL Label for second age range of child rates. CHILD3 LABEL Label for third age range of child rates.

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DFLT PACKAGE TRAN CODE This setting determines the transaction code that will be used to post package rates on the folio. Since package rates are composed of more than one transaction code, normally room revenue plus food, beverage or other revenue, the package posting transaction code must be set up in configuration as belonging to a Wrapper transaction group. DFLT TRAN CODE This setting determines the default transaction code that is used to create rate codes. If only one room charge transaction code is used in the hotel that is normally the default transaction code for posting. It will be used for forecasting purposes when no rate code exists on reservations and blocks.

9.2.13 Reservations Reservations Functions

ACCOMPANYING GUEST This function allows the user to attach a profile to a reservation indicating that a guest is in house, but will not assign a folio to the accompanying guest as with a sharing guest. ADD ON This function allows the hotel to create copies of reservations. The Add On feature is used most often to create a copy of a guest reservation for a future stay. It requires much less time to create a copy than to create a new reservation. Once created, the arrival date and number of nights can be changed to reflect the new reservation information. ALERTS This function allows the user to enter messages to appear on screen during one of three points in the reservation cycle. The messages are specific to the reservation they were entered on. An alert can be configured to appear during the reservation phase, at check in or at check out. CLOSING SCRIPT This function activates the ability for the system to produce a closing script immediately following the confirmation number for every new reservation. The closing script can be customized to the needs of the hotel. PARTY This function allows multiple room reservations to be created, and once separated will allow the user to locate all the related reservations at one time for billing or viewing purposes. RESERVATION CONTACT If the contact profile type is used, this option will allow the user to view the contact profile name on the reservation screen. RESERVATION TRACES This function activates the ability for the user to enter departmental reminders about a reservation. Traces may be generated about a reservation from the point the reservation is made until the day the reservation is due to check out.

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SHARES This function activates the full share functionality. Shares can be created by combining existing reservations or by copying reservations and using a second guest profile. Shared reservations each have their own reservation, their own confirmation number and their own folio. This is unlike the Accompanying Guest function that does not create an additional reservation, confirmation number or folio, but does register a second guest in the room. STANDARD GROUPS This function activates the ability for the hotel to use the Standard Groups module. This group module tracks all reservations as Non-Group revenue on reports, but associates all reservations together by the use of a group profile. No block code is used. TURNAWAYS This function activates the use of turnaway reasons which track the reasons why the rate query screen is accessed for information but no reservation is made. Once activated, every search of the rate query screen will produce either a reservation or a turnaway. USE FIXED RATE FUNCTIONALITY This function activates the ability for a user to overwrite the rate on a rate code to enter another dollar amount. If this is set to N, then the rate may only be adjusted by using the Discount fields. WAITLIST RESERVATION This function activates the ability for the hotel to maintain a waitlist in Opera. Once on the wait list, the reservations do not deduct rooms from inventory and may be cancelled or moved back to the reservation list as needed.

Reservations Parameters
CAPTURE CHECKIN TIME Capture the amount of time it takes to check in a guest. CC SWIPER ATTACHED BY DEFAULT If credit card swipes will be attached to any computer in the system, this parameter must be set to Y. If there will not be any credit card swipes attached to any computer in the system, this parameter must be set to N. CHECK RESTRICTIONS ON CHECKOUT If this parameter is set to Y, the system will validate any length of stay restrictions at check out. For example, if a guest books a rate that has a 3 day minimum length of stay, but chooses to check out a day early, the system will deliver a message that the length of stay restrictions have not been met. This would allow the user to enter any fees associated with an early checkout on that rate. CONFIRMATION LETTER If this parameter is set to Y, then a confirmation letter will be required with every reservation. If it is set to N, then confirmation letters will be optional. DEFAULT BLANK ARRIVAL DATE If this parameter is set to Y, then the arrival date in the rate query screen will be blank, requiring the user to type in the correct date. If it is set to N, the default arrival date will default to the system date.

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LEAST USED ROOMS If this parameter is set to Y, then the rooms used least will be displayed first in the vacant room search screen. If this parameter is set to N, then the vacant room search screen will display rooms in ascending numerical order. MANDATORY GUEST PROFILE If this parameter is set to Y, then the system will automatically search for a guest profile before beginning a reservation. If it is set to N, the system will search for a guest profile based on the entry in the last name and first name fields on the reservation. If there is no match in the system, a new profile will be created automatically. MANDATORY MOP If this function is set to Y, then the method of payment field will be mandatory. An entry must be made to save the reservation. If this parameter is set to N, then it will be possible to save a reservation without a valid method of payment entered in the reservation. MANDATORY RATE CODE If this parameter is set to Y, a rate code is mandatory for all non-group reservations. If this parameter is set to N, it will be possible to make a reservation without a corresponding rate code. MARKET MAIN GROUP If this parameter is set to Y, then both the market group and the market code will be displayed in the list of values in the reservation screen. If it is set to N, then only the market code will be displayed in the list of values on the reservation screen. NEW RESERVATION WITH RATE QUERY If this parameter is set to Y, then all new reservations will begin with the rate query screen to check availability before beginning the reservation. If this parameter is set to N, then availability will be checked at the time the reservation is saved. PAYMENT PROMPT AT CHECKIN If this parameter is set to Y, then a message will appear immediately following check in to ask if the guest would like to post a deposit payment. If this parameter is set to N, then no message will appear. PRIMARY SHARE Allow the user to designate one sharer as the primary sharer. PRINT REGCARD AT CI If this parameter is set to Y, then a registration card will automatically be printed at check in. If it is set to N, then a registration card must be printed manually, either before or after check in or in a batch printing of registration cards. RESERVATION ROOM FEATURES If this parameter is set to Y, then room features may be entered into a reservation for use on a single stay. If this parameter is set to N, then room features must be entered on a guest profile and will default to every reservation made by this guest.

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ROOM TYPE CHARGE This parameter activates the use of the RTC field in the reservation. It allows the system to place the guest in one room type but charge for another room type on the same rate code. This is generally the way that hotels are able to upgrade the guest using the same rate code. TAX FREE GUESTS Allow the user to make a distinction between taxable and tax free guests on the Country Statistics by Day report. (stat_countrybyday).

Reservations Settings
CHECK IN TIME This setting determines the systems default check in time. The entry made in this setting can be used to default to confirmation letters and registration cards. CHECK OUT TIME This setting determines the systems default check out time. The entry made in this setting can be used to default to confirmation letters and registration cards. DEFAULT PACKAGES Packages that will be posted during End of Day if the reservation has no rate code. DEFAULT RATE CODE This setting determines the rate code that will be used to default to any reservation that does not already contain a rate code. While the rate code may not appear in the rate code field on the reservation, the characteristics of the default rate code will be used. If the default rate code contains package elements for instance, those package elements will be entered on every reservation that does not have a rate code attached. DEPOSIT RESERVATION TYPE Default reservation type for deposit payments. MAX NO OF NIGHTS This setting defines the maximum number of nights that a reservation can be booked. If a guest wants to book longer than the maximum number of nights, a message will appear stating that the reservation is over the limit on the number of nights. ON LINE PRINTER The name of the printer to be used for online printing. PALM CHECK IN RECEIPT MESSAGE Custom Palm check in receipt message. Default is Enjoy your stay! PALM CHECK OUT RECEIPT MESSAGE Custom Palm check out receipt message. Default is Have a nice day!

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PER RESERVATION ROOM LIMIT If the hotel has determined for instance that any multiple reservations over 10 rooms must be booked as a group, the per reservation room limit should be set at 9. This will keep the agents from booking more than the allotted number of rooms for transient guests. RESERVATION TYPE This setting allows the hotel to pre-set a default reservation type. Usually the reservation type defaulted by the hotel requires a credit card entry. ROOM DISPLAY ORDER This setting determines whether vacant rooms are sold from the lowest number to the highest or from the highest number to the lowest.

9.2.14 Rooms Management Rooms Management Functions

ATTENDANT POINTS This function allows the housekeeping department to track attendant points either for an incentive program or for housekeeping credits. This is generally used for hotels that pay by rooms cleaned or credits earned rather than per hour. DISCREPANT ROOMS This function allows the hotel to track discrepant rooms to verify front office status. With the use of discrepant rooms, the housekeepers dial down both the Housekeeping status (clean or dirty) and the front office status (vacant, occupied). If there is a mismatch between the housekeepers front office status and the front office, a room discrepancy is created. These discrepancies must be resolved each night to be sure that all guests are properly checked out and that there is no possibility that a guest is occupying a room that has not been checked in. HOUSE ASSIGNMENT This function activates the ability to take rooms off the vacant room list without putting them out of order. It may also be used to indicate a special service that has been performed on a vacant room such as turndown or a Murphy bed made up. This can be indicated on the vacant room search so that the Front Desk Agent can see which rooms are available with these services. OUT OF SERVICE If this function is activated, rooms may be placed out of order or out of service. This is generally used to take rooms off line for deep cleaning or renovation. PICKUP STATUS If this function is activated, an additional housekeeping status is added indicating that a housekeeper may need to go to a room to tidy, but not perform a full clean. ROOM HISTORY This function allows the user to search for a particular room over a range of dates to view the guests who have stayed in that room. It is generally used to locate a guest to return a found item from the room. From this screen, the housekeeper has access to the guest profile for contact information to return the lost item.

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SELL LIMITS This function activates the ability to set overbooking limits for the hotel. If users are restricted from overbooking the hotel, sell limits allow management to set an artificial inventory, which will allow the hotel to be overbooked in a controlled manner. SIMPLE TASK SHEET If this function is activated, the housekeeping task sheets will be easily divided by section only. This is the simplest way to create housekeeping task sheets. These task sheets can be printed and sent to the floors with the housekeepers. If the hotel does turn down, this option does not contain all the information needed. TASK ASSIGNMENT If this function is activated, the housekeeping task sheets may be divided by section, floor or may be evenly divided among the existing housekeepers. If the hotel provides turndown service, this is the method that must be used to generate housekeeping task sheets. USE INSPECTED STATUS If this function is activated, an additional housekeeping status is used indicating that the room has not only been cleaned by a housekeeper but has been followed up by an inspector. If this function is activated, the front office will not be able to check a guest into a clean room, but may only check a guest into an inspected room. To use this function, every room must be inspected every day.

Rooms Management Parameters

ROOM CONDITION If this parameter is set to Y, then every room will be turned to Dirty at the night audit regardless if it had been clean and vacant the day before. If it is set to N, then only the occupied rooms will be changed to Dirty at the audit. All other rooms will maintain the housekeeping status from the previous day.

Rooms Management Settings

NUMBER OF BEDS This setting determines the total number of beds in the hotel, totaled for single and double rooms. NUMBER OF FLOORS This setting determines the number of guest room floors in the hotel. NUMBER OF ROOMS This setting reflects the total number of guest rooms in the hotel.

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Chapter 10 End of Day Sequence

Chapter 10 End of Day Sequence

The End of Day sequence must be run every night to change the system date. If the Income Audit feature is activated, the End of Day sequence is used to change the system date and to print preliminary reports for the Income Auditors balancing the following day. If the Income Audit feature is not activated, the End of Day sequence is used to both change the system date and to close the business date.

To Run the End of Day Sequence:

o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o From the Login screen, select the option for End of Day. Enter the Auditor User Name and Password and press Login. If the Income Audit feature is used, selecting the Business Date may be necessary. The Night Audit Sequence appears on the left. Each item must complete for the Night Audit to finalize. Press Start to begin. All guests in house without a Country or State on the profile appear. To add a Country and State, select Edit. Enter the Country and State for the guest and press OK No Show reservations for the current day appear. To process these reservations as No Show statistics, select Close and continue. All Due Out reservations now display. These Due Outs must be resolved to continue the Night Audit. To check out a Due Out select Billing. To extend the Due Out for one more night select Res. From the Billing screen check the guest out as normal by selecting the Check Out button. From the Reservation screen, add one more night to the guests stay and press OK to save. Answer Yes to close the Night Audit Cashier. The Night Audit Cashier must be closed to continue the audit. Verify all charges and payments and click OK Verify any cash or checks to be dropped and press OK. Answer Yes to continue. Answer Yes to print the cashier report. Press OK to continue. Answer Yes to close any open cashiers. This closes the cashiers, but will not register a drop for them. Enter Notes about any significant business details. These notes appear on the cover page of the Night Audit Report pack. Press OK when finished. Press OK to continue. A broadcast message appears. Log out of any open Opera sessions. Room and Tax postings begin automatically. Night Audit procedures continue automatically after Room and Tax postings. Night Audit Reports continue automatically after procedures run. Press OK to complete the Night Audit Sequence.

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