No more charging for duplicate Booking.com bookings!
One of our objectives is to facilitate the work at reception. And, when the reception is small, the booking control is simple. The person behind the desk knows perfectly well through which channel the customer's booking has arrived and how to collect it. But what happens at the reception desk of a holiday chain that works with a multitude of channels in different establishments?
When the guest has purchased a room through the Booking.com platform, the PMS receives the customer's information. But only in the booking notes can we know whether the payment has been made or not, causing confusion on the arrival board, where the receptionist receives the guest. And what is worse, creating an awkward situation when we ask the client to pay for his booking, when it has been previously settled in his Booking.com account.
To avoid these duplicities - and the consequent inconvenience to our guest - we have activated the Agency (Hold) payment option for prepaid Booking.com bookings. What is the purpose of this new "payment" method? In that only paid bookings at the hotel will be shown in the PMS as pending collection from the guest.
When a guest makes a prepaid booking through Booking.com, an Agency Hold charge is automatically generated in the PMS, which can be in two states: Charged or Pending (customisable by hotel). In both cases, we know that it is a payment made through the agency, so we do not have to charge the customer at reception. Once the client has checked in at the hotel, Booking.com settles the amount of the booking with the hotel, either by bank transfer or by activating a virtual card.
As for the billing to the client at the time of check-out, the invoice is generated to the client, automatically including the collection of the Agency Hold, so the stay will be settled. This invoice can also include the tourist tax, so there is no need to make 2 invoices. In the latter case, only the amount of the tax is charged. In the meantime, although the booking indicates that the client has no outstanding amount to be paid, the invoice issued by the Booking.com platform is pending settlement at the Agency Hold cash desk.
Who is the Agency Hold cashier intended for?
Agency Hold cashiering is designed for those hotel receptions where it is impossible to keep an exhaustive control of which channels and payment methods are used to make reservations. Either because of the size of the hotel complex or the complexity of the chain. Agency Hold is a great help for the person at the reception desk, who can see, in addition to the customer details, the status of the payment by Booking.com and can also generate an invoice to charge extras, such as the tourist tax.
If you would like to know more about this option,write to us and let's talk!
