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Home > Execu/Suite Hotel PMS > Procedures Execu/Suite PMS > Groups

Groups

In general, groups are all set up the same way, but the steps may vary from group to group.

For convenience and efficiency, do the steps in the order given. (You can skip any steps that do not apply.)

  1. Set up the City Ledger (Direct Bill) account if applicable for this group.
  2. Set up the group.
    1. Enter the group and set up parameters.
    2. Post the deposit if applicable.
    3. Block rooms if applicable.
  3. Enter the reservations.
  4. Make changes or add information.
  5. Set up the event if applicable.
  6. Print the reports.
  7. Check in the group.
  8. Check out the group.

After a few group setups you will do them easily from memory.

​

1.  Set up the City Ledger (Direct Bill) account if applicable for this group.

If you will direct bill the group (by using a DB payment type to close the folio) you need to set up a direct bill account.  This is done in Direct Bill (City Ledger) > Customer Processing > Set up Customers.  The account type should be O (for Open Item).  Make a note of the customer code (up to ten alphanumeric characters) so that you do not have to look it up later. See Direct Bill Customer Setup  for further information.         
                    

2.  Set up the Group.               
  1. Enter the group and set up parameters.
  2. Post the deposit if applicable.
  3. Block rooms if applicable.

A.  Enter the group and its parameters.

Go to Reservations Menu > Reservations Operations > Enter/ Change Group or click the Group icon on your Execu/Suite toolbar.





At the prompt, enter the code for this new group.  The code may be up to 10 characters. 



The Group Setup screen will open.



If a master folio already exists for the group, enter the number in the "Master folio" field.  If you want the software to create the master folio for you, click/check "Create master folio automatically".  If the group organizer or entity is paying the guest room & tax charges rather than the guests paying their own room & tax charges, click/check "Apply master folio to reservations".

Enter the group name, address information, contact name and phone numbers, comments, and email address.  Enter a travel agency code if applicable.  Enter the payment type.  Note that credit cards are NOT validated or processed in the group setup screen.

Enter the first arrival date for the group's guests.  If the group leader or part of the group will arrive early, enter that date.  Otherwise you will not be able to block or set aside rooms (although you can make reservations).

Enter the cut-off date, which is the date by which the reservations for blocked rooms must be entered into the system.  Rooms that have blocked but have not been picked up by reservations will be dropped from the block and returned to inventory at night audit Reorganize on the cut-off date.

Enter a market segment code or select from the lookup.  Enter a source of business code or select from the lookup.

Enter a user-defined Group Type such as WED, CORP, REL.  These are not set up in advance but may be used in report printing.

If the group's guests are room-tax exempt, answer Y to "Tax exempt?".

Click "Save" to save the group.

A message will alert you that a master folio is being created:



If auto-post charge codes exist, a popup will allow you to select /deselect for the group"



A popup will ask for the group's departure date.  This date also will be the master folio's checkout date:



A popup will ask if you wish to post the deposit now.  Answer Yes for the Post Payment screen to open and answer No if you wish to post the deposit later.  Note that this applies to master folio deposits, not individual guest reservation deposits.



Answering Yes to "Post deposit now to this master folio?" will open the Post Folio (post charges/payments) screen.  Post the payment as you would post any transaction to a folio.  See "Posting Charges & Payments".

​



To save the group click "Save".

To block rooms (set them aside for later reservations) click "Block rooms". 



To set up an event (if you have purchased Execu/Tech's Event/Catering module) to connect to this group, click "Setup event".

Click "Print screen" to capture an image of the screen and send it to your default printer.

Click "Notes" to type notes for this group. The notes will be accessible from the reservations for this group.

                            
B.  Post the deposit if applicable.

If you checked "create master folio automatically" a popup would have asked if you want to make the deposit now.  If you did not post the deposit but wish to do so after you saved and exit the group setup, you can do so at any time by going to Post Folio (Post Charges/ Payments).   The deposit will post to the group's master folio.  If the guests will pay their own room and tax charges, you will post the individual deposits in the reservations.  See Posting Charges & Payments .
                            
C.  Block rooms if applicable.

If you have your rooming list when you set up the group, you do not have to block rooms unless you want to record the blocked/picked up information.  Otherwise it is an unnecessary step.  Blocking rooms simply sets aside a specific quantity of rooms (takes them out of available inventory) until those rooms are picked up by reservations.

From the group setup screen click Block Rooms.  You can block rooms one of two ways - setting aside room types or soft blocking specific rooms.  You must do one or the other, not both.



Blocking rooms by type:



Enter the room type to block in the "Room Type" column.

The default rate for this room type will display in the "Rate" column.  Press Enter or Tab to accept this rate, enter a new rate, or type P to use a package.  If using a package, enter the package code in the "Pkg code" column.

Enter the number of rooms to block for each date under the column for that date.

Click Exit/Done to save and exit this screen.

To add to a block or reduce the block, simply adjust the numbers on the Block Rooms grid.

Blocking specific rooms by room number (soft blocking):



Do not enter anything on the grid, as shown above.  These fields will populate automatically as you soft block rooms.  Click "Soft block rooms".

You may see a series of prompts:






                       
The Tape Chart (rooms availability screen) will display.  Click each room to block by clicking the white squares on the grid in the rows for the rooms and columns for the dates, as shown below.

     

Click Exit/Done at the top of the Tape Chart when you have finished soft blocking rooms.  The Block Rooms grid will reflect the soft blocks, as shown below.  You may change the room rates if appropriate.  Do not change the room types or number of rooms blocked.  This must be done through soft blocking.              

                       
To add to a block, you must soft block the additional blocks if the existing block includes soft blocks.  To remove a soft blocked room, bring up the Block Rooms grid, click "Soft block rooms" and click the yellow spaces for the rooms to release for each date to release.

You must release all soft blocks prior to deleting a group.
                       
      
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3.  Enter the reservations.

You might enter all of the reservations at once form a rooming list (for a tour group for example) or you may enter the reservations as guest call in (for wedding guests for example). 

See "Share-withs " for instructions on the correct way to enter reservations for share-with reservations, where two or more guests will share a room but need separate reservations and separate folios. 

Most of the reservation entry is the same as a non-group reservation but there are a few differences.  See New Reservations  for general instructions.

Click the Reservations icon or go to Reservations Menu > Reservations Operations > Enter/Change Reservation.
                                   
The first field in the Reservations screen is Group.  This is where you enter the group code.  If you do not remember the code you may click the lookup icon.  When the group code has been entered, a new window will open showing the room block grid.  First you will see a message:
           


The default is N and this will display only the number of rooms not picked up.  Entering B will show all blocks.  the Room Block grid will display and will close after you have selected a room or room type.



The arrival date will default to the group's arrival date.  Make sure to change the date for any guests arriving on a different date.  The departure date field defaults to one night's stay.  Make sure to enter the correct number of nights for each guest.  If you select "make another reservation like this" when you're finished, the subsequent reservations will default to the same number of nights as this one.

For room type, enter one of the room types blocked; otherwise you will overbook.  If you soft blocked rooms, skip this field.  It will auto-populate later.

IMPORTANT:  If you soft blocked rooms DO NOT enter the room number.  Click the lookup icon and select one of the soft blocked rooms from the tape chart by clicking one of the yellow squares for the room you wish to assign., as shown below.  If you do not do it this way you will overbook.  Once you have selected the room, you will return automatically to the reservation screen.  If you did not soft blocks but wish to assign a room number you may enter the room number if you wish or you may select it from the tape chart (by clicking lookup).  When the room number field is populated, the room type will populate.



To do a group check in, each reservation MUST contain a room number.

Continue entering the information for the guest.  The Group name will populate the Company field.           

After you enter the stay information for the guest and leave the Company field the profile window will open.  Enter the guest information.  See Guest Profile for instructions.  When you save the profile, that window will close and you will be back at the Reservation entry screen. 

The Guarantee code field must contain a valid payment type.  This field cannot be blank if you wish to do a group check-in.  You can click the lookup icon to view payment types.  To validate a credit card (create a "card on file" click the "validate card" button.
           
If the guest's room and tax charges will post to a master folio, that folio should go in the "Master folio" field.  If you set up the group for applying reservations to the master folio, this number will populate automatically on the reservations. 
        
To view Notes that were entered for the group, click "group notes" as shown below.





When you have completed the reservation the confirmation number will display at the top and bottom of the screen.  You will see a prompt, "Make another reservation like this?"  Answer Yes if you are entering a rooming list and wish to enter additional reservations for the group.           





Unless the next reservation will share the SAME profile, with the same name and information, answer NO to "Is this Reservation For The Same Guest Name?"  You cannot change a profile later without  the system changing ALL reservations and stays connected to that profile.  See Guest Name Changes-Profile for cautions.

If you answered "Yes" to "Make another reservation like this?", the next reservation will contain most of the information.  Change what is appropriate. 



Remember, if rooms were soft blocked, pick them up from the tape chart.  To do this, click the lookup icon next to the room number field.  When the tape chart opens, select one of the blocked rooms by clicking the yellow squares for that group.



You may add additional guest names to a reservation by clicking "More Rooms" from the main reservation screen.  These guests will be available for look-up but will not have separate reservations.  You also may use the "guests" field in Guest Profile if you wish to add email addresses for the additional guests.  If you need separate reservations for each guest in the room, then you will use Share-With rather then more names.  After you save the reservation you will see a "Share-with" button at the bottom of the screen.


           
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4.  Make changes or add information.

Enter the group code.  If you do not know the group code, click Look-up.



Enter the arrival or simply press Enter or click OK for all dates.



Enter the first few letters of the group's name.



When the group screen opens, make the changes as appropriate.  Then click the "Update reservations" button if you wish to update existing reservations with the change.


           
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5  Set up the event if applicable.

Click "Set up event".  This will take you to the Event Setup screen and will import the group's information.  See Event Setup.

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6.  Print the reports.

In the Reservations menu you will see the following reports:

  ~ Reservation Status Reports (including groups, deposits required/not received)
  ~ Guest Deposit Reports
  ~ Group Arrival Report
  ~ Group Pickup Report
  ~ 7-730 Day Forecast

You also can use the Report Generator for certain information.  This is found in the Guest History menu or in the Sales menu.

Here is the Arrival List from the Front Desk menu. It does not show group arrivals; it simply shows all arrivals.


This is the Group Pickup Report.  It shows rooms blocked, rooms picked up by reservations, and rooms not picked up and still available.


This is the Group Arrival Report.


This is the Group Arrival Report with "More Names" clicked.


Sample reports:
PMS-Deposits by date received.pdf
PMS-Group Arrivals.pdf
PMS-Group Arrivals w More Names.pdf
PMS-Group Pickup Report.pdf
PMS-Reservation Status Report.pdf

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7.  Check in the group.

Each reservation to check in with the group must have the following:
  1. Room number
  2. Guarantee code
  3. Today's check-in date (the date you are doing the group check-in)
To check in a group, go to Check in.  At the "Does this guest have a reservation?" prompt, select "Check in a Group with reservations".



Enter the group code when prompted:



After checking in the group, print a Group Arrival Report.  Any reservation not checked in with the group will be on the report.  Check in those reservations manually.           

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8.  Check out the group.

Before doing a group check-out, make sure the guest folios have a zero balance.  The quickest way to do this is to print a Guest Trial Balance  summary.  To check the group out, go to Check Out.  Click the "Group check out" button.



After checking out the group, make sure to check out (close) the master folio if there is one.

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