GuestMaster Internet module and Internet Reservations - Frequently Asked Questions

The Costs

What is the cost of using the Internet Module?

There is no extra cost to use the Internet module it is included in the price of GuestMaster, and you can have unlimited number of bookings through the system.

You do need to have a current "One Year's Upgrades" support package for the main GuestMaster program to be able to use the Internet module service.  This ensures that we can keep you up to date as the service develops and new features come become available. 

Taking the Booking

Do I have to confirm to a customer a booking received from the internet module?
No, when the booking is complete, the customer will automatically receive an Email.  With all the automatic emails sent, the text can be easily changed by yourself to suit you needs.  You can also attach a document to the Emails that given a full explanation of your terms and conditions and a map of how to get to you.

What happens if the room is no longer available when I actually receive the booking?
If the room is no longer available by the time you receive the booking, the customer will automatically receive a non confirmation Email.  The email will ask them to return to the web site and try again, the text of the email can be easily configured by you to suit you needs. 

Does the PC have to be powered on to take a booking on the Web Site?
No, the web site will still continue to take bookings even if your PC is turned off.  However, your PC has to be on to be able to collect and confirm the bookings.  So, we recommend that the PC is left on all the time and allowed to dial in to the web site to collect bookings and update the diary whenever it wishes.  This means that you can reduce your staffing cost, especially at night, and go and play Golf all day and still be taking bookings and sending emailed written confirmations to the customers!

I have a modem can I still have real time bookings?
Yes, well nearly yes.  Real Time bookings require that you are connected to the Internet permanently like for example with an ADSL Broadband phone line.  With an ADSL Broadband line you can set the Internet module to check for new bookings every 5 minutes if you wish, and take "Real Time" bookings.  With a modem, you can do the same, but you would really need to make sure you have the type of Internet connection that gives you free phone calls for a fixed monthly fee, otherwise it would get expensive to make many phone calls.  In the UK, NTL World and BT do a service for around £10 + VAT per month, so semi permanent can be really cheap.

How long does it take to check for new bookings on the internet with a modem?
Typically using a 56K V90 modem, the Internet module can go online check for a booking with in 30 seconds, which includes the 19 seconds needed for a modem to connect.  To download new bookings and do a full upload of the diary takes about 3 minutes, depending on what the internet module needs to do to synchronise things fully.  You can set the time interval between upload from minutes to hours in the Internet module.  So, even if you had to pay for the phone calls it would be cheap compared to the money you will be making!  

The internet is notoriously unreliable for establishing connections, how does the GuestMaster Internet module cope?
The GuestMaster Internet module is very intelligent and will automatically schedule retries if a connection is lost at any time.  

How can I give afford to give an incentive to my customers to get them to use my web site?
We don’t charge a fee for each booking, so you don't have to pay each time a customer uses the service.  Thus you could offer discounts to your customers to use your web site to take bookings, and still make money.  By encouraging your customers to use your web site, you would also reduce your staffing costs handling phone calls, and be able to take bookings in the middle of the night!

Sounds wonderful, but I already have a reservation system, and don't want to switch to GuestMaster, how can it work for me?
The beauty of the GuestMaster Internet booking system is that it can work alongside existing reservation systems as well.  All you do is to update the GuestMaster system when a booking is taken on your other system to keep the diary on the Web Site up to date.  You could schedule to do this, for example, twice a day before you gone online and collecting new bookings manually.  Any new bookings that may have needed a room that is no longer available will automatically receive an email not confirming their booking and asking them to visit the web site again.

Handling Cancellations

What happens if a customer needs to cancel a booking?
The customer can either contact you directly or go to the Web Site and cancel the booking.  Either way, you will automatically be credited for the booking.  The cancellation must be made before the arrival time of the booking, which is normally 12:00 midday in GuestMaster to be eligible for a credit.  A cancellation email is automatically sent to the customer giving them the cancellation booking reference number.

Can we use our normal cancellation policy of not allowing cancellations 48 hours before arrival?
You can have a cancellation period of any period you wish before the booking.  For example you could require 96 hours notice if you wished.  The cancellation period is in hours.