Itinerary & Concierge

The Itinerary and Concierge Module (RP) provides the ability to produce a complete and unique itinerary for each guest or group leader.  The following screen shot illustrates an example of combining a package, hourly activities and tickets for outside events can be combined onto a single guest folio:

Coupons or tickets can be printed and reconciled for every activity. It is an ideal solution for properties who utilize group itineraries, a concierge and guest services, and/or tour operators.  The system can track if a given activity is available.  For example, if you can reserve a bike from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. for a guest.   See Activity Availability for Itinerary & Virtual Store.

See Itinerary and Concierge Topics:

Group Itinerary

Many RDP customers have extensive group business requiring activity scheduling. Activities may include a conference room rental on Monday morning, lunch in the afternoon, a different conference room in the evening, projector rentals, and food service. The Itinerary module provides the ability to schedule up to 500 activities for a group and provide the group leader with an itinerary detailing each activity.

It is possible to have a master itinerary for the group and create personal itineraries for every group member, including sharewiths. Activities can be defined to automatically appear on the group master bill or individual guest folio.

Concierge & Guest Services

The concierge or guest services department frequently uses the guest itinerary module. For example, if a guest requests a dinner reservation, the concierge can schedule the activity, and charge the guest a service fee. A wide variety of activities can be sold by the concierge, including balloon rides, golf, skiing, etc.

Tour Operators

Properties that schedule activities during the reservation process find guest itineraries essential. For example, several RDP customers act as tour operators in addition to being a resort. When a reservation is booked, the hotel books an airline ticket, dinner reservations, boat trips, hiking trips, bus rides, etc. On a seven-day reservation, the hotel may book 30 different guest activities!

Itinerary Integrated to Packages

The itinerary module is closely integrated with RDP’s yield management and package modules. For example, a package can be created with the following:

• Room & Tax
• 15% Gratuity
• Breakfast Each Day
• Dinner One Night
• Golf Each Day
• Golf Cart Rental

The Itinerary module allows coupons (also known as “vouchers” or “tickets”) to be printed for each of these package components based on necessity. Configure the system to print a voucher for golf that is presented to the course as payment. Print another coupon for redemption at breakfast each day, and yet another one for dinner.

Various Types of Activities

An Itinerary is defined as the schedule of activities for a given guest or group. A wide variety of activities are possible, including:

1. Free Unscheduled Activities, such as “use of the pool and spa”. These items are usually included on the guest itinerary which is sent with the confirmation letter for marketing purposes.
2. Free Scheduled Activities, such as “tennis on Monday from 9:00-11:00”. No surcharge is calculated for this activity, but it does appear on the guest’s confirmation itinerary.
3. Activities Included with the Package. A package that includes breakfast can generate an activity on the itinerary that reads, “Breakfast Served Daily Between 7:00 – 9:00 a.m.”
4. Calculated Charged Activities. The itinerary module can calculate the cost of an activity, and the cost can be different for every vendor for each vendor season. This is a very powerful feature.

Itinerary Detail on Guest Confirmation

The system prints a confirmation letter to the guest which can be mailed, sent as e-mail, or faxed. This confirmation can be completely customized and printed on individualized pre-printed forms. The complete guest itinerary can be included with the confirmation.  A sample of the Itinerary tab of Reservation Details is shown below.

Surcharge Calculation

The Itinerary module is integrated with the package system, guest confirmation, and guest folio. The following example explains the power of this integration.

One RDP customer operates an 800-room resort in a popular golfing area. The customer does not own or operate a golf course. However, they offer golf packages and make guest tee times for any of the 100+ courses in the vicinity. During certain times of the year the entire 800-room property is filled with golfers, all of whom are playing on different courses at different times, with various groups.

This customer offers many golf related packages. One of these packages is called “standard daily golf”. This double occupancy package includes a room, golf each day, and breakfast. The golfer chooses from any one of 30 “standard quality” courses, and the resort books the tee time using the Itinerary module. However, the customer can “upgrade” the package to any of the other 70 “superior” courses for a fee. The fee is different for each golf course, for each season of the year.

In this scenario, the golfer can play a “standard” course as part of the package or the golfer can play a superior course for an extra $35. In the Fall, superior course rates are $60. To further complicate the issue, the golfer may stay seven days and play seven different courses, all with unique surcharges!

RDP’s Itinerary module tracks and automatically calculates the correct surcharge for all courses for every day of the year. The operator selects the course from a pre-defined table, and the system does the rest. In addition, the system prints a golf coupon for each day, prints a list of golfers for each course, and reconciles coupons.

While this example is about golf, other customers use these features to sell theatre tickets, ski lift tickets, dogsled rides, and countless other items.

Complete Activity Description

Each activity includes an optional 100-line description. Fields available for each activity include:

• 100 Description Lines
• Date, Start and Stop Time
• Total Cost
• Tracking by Ticket Number
• Confirmation Number & Date
• Confirmed By/Date
• Entered By/Date
• Changed By Tracking
• Vendor Name
• Vendor Contact
• 17 Comment Fields
• Tracking Number

Charge Guest Folio for Any Activity

Some guest activities are free and some are included with the package. Activities that are not free automatically appear on the guest folio. This is a fully integrated procedure. The operator adds or changes the guest itinerary, and the system recalculates the charge and adds it to the folio.

The folio charge and guest itinerary records are automatically linked to generate an audit trail. When viewing a guest itinerary, it is possible to view generated charges. Conversely, when viewing a guest folio, it is possible to view the activity that generated a particular charge. This feature is particularly useful for researching disputed charges at checkout.

Print Coupons for Each Activity

Many activities require the guest to present a coupon (ticket or voucher) for admittance. For example, a package that includes dinner may require the guest to present a voucher prior to the meal.

Print Schedules for Vendors

A list of activities for a particular guest or group is called an Itinerary. A list of activities for a particular vendor is called a schedule.