Highlighted Condominium Customers

Condominium Hotel Rental Topics

Sample Owner Statements

Data Flow from Reservations, Work Orders, and Housekeeping to Owner Statement and General Ledger/Trust Accounting

Equalize Rental Revenue for Owners

RDP software helps equalize rental revenue for all owners and takes into account reservation length, seasons, property type, property location, owner use, guest of owner, and reservation cancellations.   Various reports are available to show revenue per unit each month and year-to-date.  Available units are displayed in “turn to be rented order” but still allow reservationists to select any available unit based on guest preferences to keep guests happy.

The RDP rental equalization logic is time tested, as it has now been in use for 26 years. Long standing RDP customers have analyzed the results and determined rental revenues fall within a few percentage points for similar units, while still allowing flexibility to select units based on guest preferences.

Other Charges on Reservations

Increase revenue beyond the management fee with additional reservation charges that are automatically calculated.  These fees can be shared with the owner based on a unique percentage per owner or held 100% by the management company.  Examples of Additional Reservation charges include:

• Booking fees
• Security deposits
• Travel insurance
• Cleaning fees
• Cancellation charges
• Gift items
• Guest activities (golf, skiing, boat rentals, etc) – See Guest Activities and Itinerary.

Available Rooms Display in Owner Rotation Order with Additional Reservation Charges

Tape Chart – A Powerful Reservation Board

The system includes an online reservation board (“Tape Chart”). All new reservations, changes, and cancellations made using the internal RDP Reservation system or by guests/owners using the Internet appear immediately on the Tape Chart .  Dates, room numbers, and other reservation information can be changed graphically using the Tape Chart.

• Display reservations up to four years into the future.
• Filter by property and sort by room number, room type, or a customer-defined sequence.
• Filter using the guest preferences (shown above as #BR, LOC, PRC, etc.)
• Enter a number and click Find Room to quickly locate reservations in a particular room number.
• Click the “Find Res” button to search for a specific reservation in the system.
• Reservations colors help distinguish by category for owners, maintenance, etc.
• Double-click a reservation tape or highlight a reservation and click the “Change Res” button to open the Change Reservation screen.
• Add reservations from the Tape Chart by just dragging the mouse over an empty date/room.
• Highlight a reservation and review the reservation details in the tabs below the grid (including the folio, work orders, housekeeping, etc.

Mix of Rental Types: Condos, Houses, Hotels, Timeshare

RDPWin can make reservations for a wide variety of rental units in the same system.  For example, its possible to manage rental condominiums, non-rental units, hotel rooms, houses, timeshare units , campsites, and rental boats all in the same system.  The reservationists simply make reservations for the various rental units, and the system tracks the owner payment on individually owned units.  All features in RDP’s hotel/resort system are available for use to our vacation / condo rental customers.

See Hotel / Resort Feature Overview (all features available to condo/vacation rental customers)
See RDP Timeshare module (more than one owner of each unit)

Owner and Guest Internet Access

RDP hosts a customer conference in Vail, Colorado to plan future research and development strategy based on customer feedback. In recent years, the focus has been to answer the question, “How can we use the Internet to make life easier and more profitable for our customers?”. The answer is three-fold:

Owner Internet Access

The goal of RDP’s Owner Internet access is to identify all requests from owners that generate calls to management and move these functions to the Internet. Owner Internet access capabilities include:

• Secure, commission-free owner Internet access 24 hours/day, 365 days a year direct to your database.
• Owner and Guest of Owner Internet Reservations.
• Owner calendar can be viewed, changed, and printed up to four years in the future.
• View or print all past Owner statements on Internet in Adobe PDF format.
• Owners can review work orders for their units including complete detail.
• Owners can request housekeeping and specify requests using the Internet.
• Owner mass e-mail marketing and newsletters.
• Complete property descriptions with pictures.
• Commission free reservations using the Internet Reservation Module (IRM) for paying guests, groups, travel agents.
• Charge a Credit Card Service Fee for owner payments made on the Internet.
• Sell additional guest services (packages, golf, gift items etc.) with the Guest Itinerary and Concierge module.
• Additional reservation charges are allowed (booking fees, cleaning fees, etc.).
• All Owner Internet Access flows automatically to the Trust Accounting system.

Owner Internet Access Capabilities

Internet Reservations Step 1 – Enter Dates and Requests and Search for Available Rooms

This sample shows the available two-bedroom accommodations from 3/1 to 3/2. Up to nine (9) different search criteria can be configured. The guest can click the “View Calendar” or “View Details” for more information on any one room.  This example shows the “View Rates” details.

Internet Reservations Step 2 – Review Details of a Particular Available Accommodation

The sample screen shows the detail of one of the available accommodations.   IRMNg can be configured to show a breif description of the room as well as details, photos, availability calendar and more.

E-mail Integration for Guests, Owners, Travel Agents, etc.

E-mail is one of the most powerful and least expensive marketing tools available and has been fully incorporated into the RDP system at no additional charge.  E-mails can be sent to all owners in a matter of minutes with either a hand-typed message or an attachment (such as a Word or Adobe document).  E-mail features included:

• Automatically send guest confirmations using RDPWin E-mail Monitor in Adobe and other formats.
• E-mail Owner Statements.  Owners can also print statements directly from the Internet.
• E-mail marketing databases are created for guests, travel agents, groups, wholesalers, and condo/timeshare owners.
• Mass e-mails can be sent directly from the RDP System with no third-party software required.
• Reservationists can easily e-mail guests pictures of the property, directions, maps, and other attachments.
• RDP abides by all current regulations for anti-SPAM by allowing guests to “opt out” of mass e-mails.
• Crystal Reports can be created and distributed by e-mail.
• Reservations made by the Internet Reservation Module (IRM) generate and send e-mail confirmations.
• Owner newsletters can be automatically sent via e-mail.

See Overview of E-mail Marketing for additional information

Sample Mass Email to Owners

Sample  Guest Confirmation – Attach Maps, Policies, etc., as Word or Adobe Attachments

Email Confirmations, Marketing & Guest Correspondence

RDPWin and the Internet Reservation Module (IRM) can automatically send emails to all guests, owners, travel agents and groups who make reservations.  These confirmations can be completely customized for the desired information and appearance.  Any system report can be sent via e-mail to a person or group in your address book.  For example, email the daily managers report to a group of ten managers with just one process.

Email is one of the most powerful and least expensive marketing tools available and has been fully incorporated into the core RDP system at no additional charge.  Email features included in the system:

• Fully integrated HTML email capabilities, including confirmations, folios, guest surveys, and more.
• Guest Survey and Communication Module and IRM.Net Analytics and Campaign Management.
• Email databases are created for guests, travel agents, groups, wholesalers, and condo/timeshare owners.
• Email confirmations can be automatically sent to guests, using HTML, Adobe PDF, or other formats, complete with maps and other attachments.
• Multiple email addresses can be stored on a reservation in order to send to a guest’s personal and business accounts.
• Mass emails can be sent directly from the RDP System – no third party software required.
• RDP abides by all current regulations for anti-SPAM by allowing guests to “opt out” of mass emails.
• Guest confirmations can be printed and mailed or sent via email or fax.
• Crystal Reports can be created and distributed by email.
• Reservations made by the Internet Reservation Module (IRM) can be automatically sent the email confirmations.

Short and Long Term Rentals

The system is designed for either short-term or long-term rentals or a combination of both.  Reservations can range from one day to several years.  The reservation process is identical for both, which simplifies training for reservationists.  Rooms can be rented both short term and long term or even removed from the rental program for selected periods.

Charge a different management commission based on the length of the reservation. For example, a three-day reservation may have a management commission of 35%, while a six-month reservation may be at only 10%.  Additionally, the owner can be paid only once on the three-day reservation and each month on the six-month reservation.

The system can automatically adjust the tax rate based on the length of stay.  For example, a three-day reservation may have a 9% tax, while a six-month reservation is non-taxable.

Lock-off Rooms Supported

The system supports lock-offs (commonly encountered at condominium and timeshare properties).  An example of a lock-off is a three bedroom unit that can be rented as either three one-bedroom units, a two-bedroom and a one-bedroom unit, or a three-bedroom unit.  The system calculates rates based on the configuration of the unit. An example follows:

Non-Rental House or Condominium Management
(Owners Not in Rental Pool)

Many of RDP’s customers use the system to manage homes or condominiums that are not in the rental pool.  Features include:

• Easily place a unit into or remove from the rental pool.
• Include a unit in the rental pool for only part of the year.
• Owners of non-rental units can still use the Internet Reservation Module to indicate use for themselves or guests.
• RDP’s Work Orders & Asset Management Module can be used to schedule and track all maintenance of rental or non-rental units as well as any assets in the units themselves.

Extensive Custom Reporting Available with Crystal Reports

RDP software includes much more report writing capability than First Resorts.   RDP uses Crystal Reports as the basis for over 300 Reports.  During installation, RDP modifies those reports and creates new ones to meet the unique requirements of each customer.   After installation, customers can create custom reports or modify system reports using Crystal Reports Version 10 Standard Edition. Crystal Reports is a full Windows product and allows the use of graphics, colors, charts, and fonts that improve the look of all guest correspondence.

Please use the following links for more information:

• Crystal Reports Overview
• Sample Reports
• RDP Owner Accounting Overview

Work Orders & Asset Management

Key concepts of the Work Orders & Asset Management module include:

• Employees can enter work orders from any workstation at the property (front desk, maintenance office, etc.).
• Owners can view work orders over the Internet.
• New work orders appear immediately on the Monitor in the maintenance department.
• Employees or third party vendors can be assigned to the work order.
• An e-mail can be automatically sent to the cell phone of the person assigned to the work order.
• All time and materials used on the work order can be tracked.
• Checks can be generated to Work Order Vendors and owners billed (all from one screen).
• All property assets can be entered (pool heater, desk, television, etc.)  .
• Contents of each owner’s unit can be tracked including model and serial numbers (refrigerator, dishwasher, etc.)  .
• Inventory tracking (supplies used to complete repairs).
• Work order history is maintained by vendor, owner, and asset.
• All financial activity related to this module flows into Trust Accounting System.

Work order, Asset Management and Inventory Control Diagram

• Work Orders and Asset Management
• Trust Accounting Overview

Housekeeping Forecast, Scheduling & History

For more details, see Housekeeping Forecast, Scheduling, and History.

Reservation Quotes, Wait List, and Denial Tracking

When a guest calls the reservation department at the property or your central reservations office, the reservationist has four choices:

1. File the reservation normally as a “real” reservation
2. If the room is not available, the guest can be automatically added to the wait list for the dates and room type requested.
3. If the guest elects to not make the reservation, a “denied reservation” record is created to indicate why the guest did not complete the reservation.
4. The reservation can be saved as a “quote”.  For example, a guest may call and request prices on a room, along with scheduling three rounds of golf and a dinner (see RDP Activity module).  The guest may promise to “call back in a few minutes and book it”.  This reservation can be saved as a “quote”.  If the guest calls back the reservationist can retrieve the “quoted reservation” and change it to a “real” reservation.

Reservation Quotes, Wait List, and Denial Tracking
Reservation Overview
Yield Management
Internet Reservations
Central Reservations

Customer Relationship Management (CRM) with Frequent Guest Program

The Customer Relationship Management (CRM) module is designed to track all relationships with guests to improve guest service and marketing.  All guest visits are tracked from one or more RDP systems.  Points can be awarded for each reservation.  The number of points can be different for different seasons, room types, total dollars spent, and other variables.  Guests can make reservations by redeeming points.  Restrictions can be applied to control when “point reservations” are allowed.  A complete history is kept of all point reservations.  Mass E-mails can be sent with attachments.

Customer Relationship Management Overview
RDP Guest History System
E-mail Marketing

Travel Agent Commissions Deducted

The Travel Agent and Wholesalers system is completely integrated with the owner billing module.  Travel agent commissions are automatically deducted from the owner statement.  Various methods for calculating owner portions of the commission are allowed, including:

• Owner pays entire agent commission
• Owner pays NO agent commission
• Owner splits commission based on management fee.  If the management receives 30% of the rental income, the management also pays 30% of the travel agent commission
• Even split, 50% each to management and owner, regardless of management commission.

Travel Agent and Wholesalers Overview
Trust Accounting Overview

Pay Bills for Owners and Guests

The screen below shows the ability to pay a batch of Owner Electric Bills at the same time from one screen

Unlimited Charges per Owner

The system automatically transfers gross reservation revenue and the management commission to the owner statement. In addition, transactions can be posted directly to the owner. The total of these charges is then deducted from the net reservation revenue.  Charges can be posted to one owner at a time, or the system can automatically post the same charge to all owners. Charges can even be posted to all owners of the same unit type.

Various Billing Cycles – Monthly, Quarterly, etc.

Most management companies operate on a monthly owner billing cycle. However, the system can be used for any billing cycle. Owner statements can be printed once a week, once a month, every two months, once a quarter, etc. You can even mix billing cycles, so that one owner is paid once a week, another once a month, and a third only once a quarter.

Split Revenue Across Billing Periods

The system can split room revenue from the same reservation across two or more months.  For example, if a reservation arrives 7/25/2008 and departs 8/6/2008, the owner could be paid July’s portion in July and the remainder in August.  Alternatively, all of the revenue can be paid to the owner in the month of checkout. Long term rentals can pay the owner at the end of each month.

Pooled Owner Accounting

For properties that pool owner revenue to disburse among owners at the end of the statement period, the RDP system can do this automatically. The Pooled Owner Accounting features take room revenue that is to be paid to owners, pools it together, and splits it among owners based on number of rental nights in the owner’s unit. Not only can room revenue be pooled, but credit card fees and travel agent commissions as well.

Month-to-Date and Year-To-Date Totals per Owner

The system produces a month-to-date and a year-to-date recap report per owner as part of the owner statement process.  This report includes a total of room revenue, management commission, travel agent fees, credit card fees, and a sub-total for each direct expense category.

• View a Year-to-Date Owner Recap Statement

Statements can be Reprinted Forever

Owner statements can be reprinted for any past month or billing cycle: forever.  For example, if an owner requests a copy of his statement from last March, it can be reprinted in seconds. Owner reservations, management commissions, travel agents fees, and all direct charges can also be instantly displayed for any time period.

• View Sample Owner Statement

Print Checks to Owners

The system can generate and print a check for the net amount due the owner each billing cycle.  However, if the owner has more expenses than revenue, the system tracks this as an open receivable.

An owner’s check may be held “on account” to offset future expenses.  For example, one RDP customer has several owners who live in Mexico.  These owners request that management hold their checks during the busy season to offset maintenance expenses during the slow season.  These owners are marked as “generate checks=NO” during the busy season, preventing the system from automatically distributing a check each billing cycle.

Sample RDP Forms

Trust Accounting – Full

One of the most important elements of Vacation Rentals and Condominium Hotels is Trust Accounting and General Ledger.  The RDP system includes a full trust accounting system, which can be used as the only accounting system or in conjunction with another accounting system.  Please see:  Overview – RDP Trust Accounting for details.

Accounts Receivable with Aging

If the owner statement calculation produces a balance due to the management company, the system creates an owner accounts receivable (A/R). The A/R report is aged at 30, 60, 90 and 120 days. This report is available in a “one line per owner” format, or in a detail format showing each open item.

Print or E-mail Overdue Notices Automatically

If owners have not paid the amount due, the system can automatically post a late charge.  Additionally, the system can print overdue notices, either on paper for mailing or sent to the owners via E-mail.

E-mail Marketing
Crystal Reports

IRS 1099 and 1042S Reporting

The system automatically generates IRS 1099 reports at year-end.  These reports show total revenue booked for each owner for the calendar year. Year-end reporting on magnetic media is required for larger properties and is available at no charge.

Sample 1099 Report.

Room Moves Pay the Correct Owner

A room move can be performed using RDP’s powerful online Tape Chart.  For reservations moving between individually owned units, rental revenue for each owner is automatically calculated.  For example, if a guest stays three nights in Room 101 and moves to Room 453 for two additional nights, RDP automatically pays Owner 101 for three days (minus management commission) and Owner 453 for two days.

Yield Management Integrated with New Reservations

RDP has integrated yield management with the reservation system.  When combined with a careful study of the property’s history and training of employees, yield management can significantly increases occupancy and average daily rate (ADR). Small increases in ADR can drastically increase property profit.

Yield Management Overview
Hotel / Resort Feature Overview (all features available to condo/vacation rental customers)

Sharewith Folios and One Guest with Multiple Folios

RDP supports both sharewith folios and one guest with multiple folios.  A sharewith occurs when more than one guest is in the room and they wish to split the bill. For example, four guests could stay in a two-bedroom unit, with four different folios. Up to 99 sharewiths can split the charges for one room.  One guest can also have multiple folios.  For example, the room charges can go to Folio A and incidentals to Folio B.  Room charges can be billed to the group master and incidentals for the guest. Please use the following links for more information:

Front Desk and Night Audit Overview
Sample Guest Folio
Group/Company Billing Overview
RDP Owner Accounting Overview

Send Guest Confirmation to Owner of Room

RDP has the option of automatically sending the guest confirmation to the owner of a room when it is booked, in order to inform the owner of reservation activity in their unit. While some properties may find this feature extremely useful, others may not want the owner to know of bookings prior to the guest arrival in case of cancellations or room moves. This feature can be turned on or off based on each property’s need.

Taxes Adjusted for Length of Stay and Location

The system can automatically adjust the tax rate based on a variety of factors, including:

• Length of stay.  For example, a three-day reservation may have a 9% tax, while a six-month reservation is non-taxable.
• Location of property.  If the room tax in Breckenridge is 8%, while the adjoining town of Frisco is 7%, and you rent houses or condominiums in both locations, the system automatically adjusts the tax.
• Non-taxable reservations, such as a church group.

Timeshare and Interval Ownership Allowed

The system can handle a wide variety of timeshare / interval ownership concepts, including “point based”,  fixed week, floating week, quarter-share, eight-share, and a wide variety of other ownership situations. Combinations of these methods are possible, and it is possible to combine timeshare, whole ownership, and hotel rooms in one system. An example follows: