This guide is an overview of the Accommodation Module in Certain, in which you set up Room Types and Hotels at the account level, for use in Accommodation Blocks and Sub-Blocks in events.
Contents
1. Enabling Accommodation for an Event
2. Workflow
3. Accommodation Statuses and Currency Label
4. Hotels
5. Room Types
6. Accommodation Blocks
7. Accommodation Sub-Blocks
8. Forms
9. Roommates
10. Registrations > Accommodation
1. Enabling Accommodation for an Event
Configuration > OptionsTo enable accommodation for an event, go to Plan > Configuration > Options, and select Accommodation Module in Functional Areas Needed by This Event.
To enable room sharing and roommate matching, also select the Room Sharing sub-module.
The event now includes an Accommodation option on the Plan menu.
When you go to that page, the Left Navigation panel includes links to the pages described below: Configure, Hotels, Blocks, Sub-Blocks, and Room Types.
If the Room Sharing sub-module was selected, then the Left Navigation panel also includes Roommates, Pending, Matched and No Match.
In addition, Manage > Registrations includes a link to an Accommodation page, as described here.
As always in Certain, detailed context-sensitive help is available for every page: click Help and Support and then Page Help, from whichever page you are on.
2. Workflow
The workflow for setting up and using the Accommodation Module in Certain is as follows.
Event Builder
1. Add Accommodation Statuses
2. Specify Currency Label
3. Add Hotels
4. Add Room Types
5. Add Accommodation Blocks
6. Add Accommodation Sub-Blocks
7. Configure Roommate Matching Preferences
8. Set up Accommodation Section in Registration Form Attendee
9. Specify accommodation requirements on registration form Event Builder
10. Assign (or edit) accommodation if required
11. Auto-Match Roommates
12. Approve roommate requests
3. Accommodation Statuses and Currency Label
Accommodation > ConfigureYou can define Booking Statuses and Action Codes that you can apply to registrants' accommodation bookings on Manage > Registrations > [Attendee] > Accommodations, under "Hotel Confirmation Information", where they are optional fields.
How you configure them depends entirely on your accommodation booking procedures.
You can include these fields on reports for internal use or to send to a hotel.
For example, you might add Accommodation Action Status and/or Accommodation Booking Status as columns on a "Room Reservations" report.
Accommodation Booking Status
Accommodation Booking Status is used to record the current status of an attendee’s accommodation booking.
Example Accommodation Booking Status values include “New Booking”, “Pending Confirmation”, “Upgrade”, or “Replacement Booking”.
Accommodation Action Code
Accommodation Action Code can be used to indicate what action the planner should take next for a booking with this code.
Example Accommodation Action Code values include “Change Request”, “Upgrade Required”, or “Review Accessibility”.
Enter the item and click the green ✓ button to save it, adding it to the list of statuses displayed.
Currency Label
Currency Label is a background item that you set up on the Details page in Plan > Event Setup.
Currency Label is used for amounts on room blocks in the Accommodation module.
The same Currency Label is used on flights in the Travel module.
Note that Currency Label is only a label, used on reports, etc.
4. Hotels
To add a hotel to your event, go to Plan > Accommodation > Hotels.
Click Add New, and enter the hotel details on the Hotel Detail Information page that opens.
In the Supplier Details section, most of the fields are optional.
The required fields are Name, Unique Code and Street Address.
In the Hotel Information section, enter these fields.
- Number of Sleeping Rooms
- Label for Reg Form – Text used as the label for the hotel on registration forms.
- Description – Text describing the hotel, for use on registration forms.
When you click Save, the hotel is saved as a new supplier record.
The hotel becomes available on the account-level Suppliers page, which you reach from the top-left Menu.
Before you can set up accommodation blocks using this hotel, you need to have Room Types set up.
5. Room Types
Room Types are set up for the account.
Room Types are used as part of the definition of Accommodation Blocks in events.
The same room types can be used for multiple hotels.
To add, edit or view room types, go to Plan > Accommodation > Room Types.
Note that you do this from within an event, although the room types do exist at the account level, so all existing room types in your account are visible here.
Required room type values
There are three values required for each room type.
- Room Code – (Required) The unique code identifying this room type, used in the planner’s reports and select lists. Example: “DBL”.
- Description – (Required) The description or “name” of the room type, used in registration forms and email messages. Example: “Double Room”.
- Occupancy – Select the maximum number of occupants from the drop-down list (1 – 10).
Click ✓ to save the room type, adding it to the list displayed.
Note that any changes you make to an existing room type here apply to all accommodation blocks in which it is used, in any events.
6. Accommodation Blocks
An accommodation block is a pre-booked block of rooms at a hotel, for a range of dates.
To add, edit or view accommodation blocks, in the event go to Plan > Accommodation > Blocks.
To group and sort the blocks displayed, click Date, Hotel, or Room Type.
Or, click one of the Utilization buttons to show a utilization report By Hotel, By Date, or By Attendee.
Adding a Block
To add an accommodation block, click Add New, and enter the details in the Accommodation Block Information pop-up window.
To edit an existing block, click the edit (pencil) icon, to open the same window.
1. Select a Hotel and Room Type from the drop-down lists of those set up on Accommodation Hotels and Accommodation Room Types. 2. Select a Start Date and End Date to define the period in which the rooms in the block are available. 3. Room Rate – Optionally, enter the cost per room night. This is in the currency set as the Travel & Accommodation Currency Label, as shown by the label in the column header. When you have saved the block, you can edit the Room Rate for individual nights. The Room Rate for all nights does not have to be the same. 4. Select Show Block Online if the block is to be shown to attendees on a registration form. If not selected, then the block is available to planners only. 5. Enter the Inventory – the total number of rooms available per night. 6. By default, all attendee types are listed in the Allowed column under Attendee Types that Can Select this Block.
If you want to restrict the block to only certain attendee types, drag attendee types into the Not Allowed column to hide the block on the form from anyone of that attendee type. 7. Click Save to close the pop-up window, or click Save & New if you want to add more blocks. 8. Your new block is now in the list on the Plan > Accommodation > Blocks page, where it shows the details of each room-night. 9. If you are editing an existing block, rather than creating a new one, then an Override Info check box is also displayed.
If Override Info is selected, then an Inventory figure must be entered.
If Override Info is not selected, then any new dates in the block must have an Inventory figure. Inventory for existing dates may already have been used and therefore reached zero.
Searching for Blocks
To navigate through a long list of accommodation blocks, use the First / Previous / Next / Last navigation buttons in the lower right corner.
To search, enter any part of the hotel name or room type in the box in the upper left corner.
Editing Blocks
To edit the details of a room night in a block, click the pencil ( edit ) icon in the Actions column, and adjust the Rate and/or Inventory.
You can also add new inventory at a different rate by clicking the + ( add ) icon.
7. Accommodation Sub-Blocks
A sub-block is a set of rooms from one or more Accommodation Blocks.
A sub-block can include rooms from more than one hotel or just one hotel.
A sub-block can include one or more room types.
A sub-block has an inventory of rooms for a range of dates.
When you might use sub-blocks
You might choose to use sub-blocks for accommodation at your event if, for example:
- distinct groups of attendees are traveling from out of town, and you would like to set aside a subset of your room block inventory for each such group; or
- the room blocks are at multiple hotels and/or of multiple room types.
Adding a Sub-Block
To set sub-blocks up, first confirm that you have already set up the accommodation blocks to be used.
Then go to Plan > Accommodation > Sub-Blocks.
Click Add New to open the Accommodation Sub-Block Detail pop-up window.
1. Give the sub-block a unique Sub-Block Name. 2. Click in the Select Block(s) box to display a list of the blocks set up. 3. Click a block to select it.
Click more if required.
A section is displayed for each block selected, listing the room nights in that block. 4. For each block, in the Allocated column under Sub-Block Inventory, select the number of room nights to allocate from the block to the sub-block.
Do this for each night required. 5. Click Save to close the pop-up window, or click Save & New if you want to add more sub-blocks. 6. Your new sub-block is now in the list on the Plan > Accommodation > Sub-Blocks page, where it shows the details of each room-night.
Searching for and Editing Sub-Blocks
To search for a sub-block, type any part of its name in the search box in the upper left corner.
To navigate through a long list of sub-blocks, use the First / Previous / Next / Last navigation buttons in the lower right corner.
The only editing you can do for a sub-block is to edit the entire sub-block.
To edit the entire sub-block, click the pencil icon in the section header for that sub-block.
That opens the same Accommodation Sub-Block Information window described above.
You can change the numbers allocated.
You can add or remove blocks.
To delete a sub-block, click the delete icon ( x ) in its section header.
You cannot delete a sub-block that has active reservations.
8. Forms
For accommodations to be included on a registration form, accommodation blocks must first be set up.
You cannot include accommodations on a form if there are no accommodation blocks.
Accommodations Page
To enable attendees to specify their accommodation requirements, include an Accommodation section, and optionally an Accommodation Entry section in your registration form.
Then configure that page by going to Plan > Forms > Accommodations.
1. Accommodation Entry
If the Accommodation Entry section is included, it is normally with other sections such as Questions or Attendee Type.
The Accommodation Entry section must be on the page immediately prior to the Accommodation section.
The purpose of Accommodation Entry is to ask the registrant if they need an accommodation reservation.
Accommodation Entry asks how many rooms they need.
Accommodation Entry asks for arrival and departure dates/times.
If the Accommodations section is used without the Accommodations Entry section, then a registrant is only able to request one room.
The Accommodations Entry section enables the registrant to request any number of rooms, up to the limit you set.
2. Accommodation Section
Accommodation Section is the main section.
Accommodation Section collects the accommodation reservation information.
Accommodation Section includes the accommodation block or sub-block, room type, guest names, payment guarantee, and other information such as roommate preferences.
Arrival and Departure Dates
If Collect arrival and departure dates? is selected in the Accommodations Entry Setup, then arrival and departure dates and times are collected on both the Accommodations Entry and Accommodations sections of the form.
The attendee can select different arrival and departure dates for each room.
If the registrant arrival and departure dates are not collected on the Housing Entry section, and a given room type does not have available rooms for the entire run of the event (one of the nights is sold out), then that room type will not be available in the Accommodation section.
Accommodations List Setup
Accommodations available to the attendee are listed at the top of the Accommodations section.
You can configure that list.
You can configure whether to display images from the hotel records.
You can configure whether to show hotel addresses on confirmations.
You can configure messages by customizing the text of messages.
> Caution: The No rooms available text is shown to attendees instead of the accommodations select list when there are no rooms available. If you remove the default text, then the attendee sees a blank accommodation page without feedback indicating how to correct the situation. If you are in doubt as to how to use this section, leave the default text in place.
Accommodations Payment Options
Accommodations Payment Options gather the attendee’s credit card details for hotel payment guarantee.
Accommodations Payment Options are not related to payment processing.
Choose whether payment guarantee information is collected.
Choose what should be shown on the confirmation.
Choose instructions for the attendee.
Choose the credit card options.
Text Labels for Accommodations Room List
You can customize the labels shown on the form and on the confirmation for Room #, Guest Name, etc.
If a label is set for Room Rate, then the rate per night is displayed to the attendee.
The Number of Guest Names to Collect (per Room) determines the number of rows shown to collect guest names.
Custom Questions for Room and Guest Category
The form can collect one question about each room and one question about each guest in that room.
Custom questions specific to accommodations do not count against the limit of 90 custom questions.
Example Guest Category questions include Gender (M/F), or Guest Type such as Attendee | Guest | VIP | Staff.
Example Room Category question includes Payment Classification such as Guest pays all | Guest pays incidentals | Master account pays all.
Accommodations Edit Permissions
You can select whether attendees can change their room type, arrival date, or departure when editing an existing registration.
You can select whether attendees can cancel their room reservations.
If attendees can cancel room reservations, then you can customize the label and the warning message.
Roommate Options
Roommate Options select an option for Room Sharing.
- No Room Sharing – The default setting.
- Optional – If selected, additional fields are displayed.
- Required (based on room type capacity) – If selected, additional fields are displayed.
Required uses the same additional fields as Optional.
Required does not include the labels for the ‘ No ’ and ‘ Yes ’ options.
Text Labels for Room Sharing and Roommate Matching
You can customize the labels used for room sharing and roommate matching.
Error Messages
You can customize error messages that an attendee might see while entering accommodation requirements.
To customize accommodations error message, click Advanced at the bottom left of your screen.
Error messages
The error messages shown are listed under ACCOMMODATIONS ERROR MESSAGES in Registration Form Advanced Settings.
9. Roommates
Roommate matching is available for an event when room sharing and roommate matching are enabled for the event.
Roommate matching can automatically match roommates.
Before automatic matching, you need to configure the options that are used when doing roommate matching.
You configure roommate matching options by setting Roommate Matching Preferences.
Roommate matching preferences usually needs to be configured before you set up the registration form to ensure the relevant fields are included on the form.
Roommate Matching Preferences
To configure roommate matching preferences, go to Accommodation > Roommates.
Scroll down to the Roommate Matching Preferences section at the end of the page.
This section sets the criteria for the roommate selection process.
Registrant selection options
- Registrant can select roommate from a drop-down list – If selected, the registration form displays a dropdown list of roommates.
- Registrant can provide a roommate request – If selected, the registration form displays a text box where the attendee can enter a roommate name.
Priority / Data Fields / Conditions
Priority / Data Fields / Conditions restrict which attendees can be matched to each other.
You can use up to 6 data fields.
Each data field can use conditions of "Equal" or "Not equal".
A data field with "Equal" means values must be the same for a match.
A data field with "Not equal" means values must be different for a match.
Required
Required is a setting for each data field.
If required is selected for a data field, then values of the field must match for all roommates sharing a single room.
If Required is not selected, Certain tries to match the values of the field for all roommates in the room.
If Certain cannot match the values, Certain still puts the roommates together rather than creating two separate rooms.
An example of required matched fields is "Gender" being "Equal".
An example of optional match fields is "Office" being "Not equal".
Default selections include (1) ‘Gender’ being Equal, Match Required, and (2) ‘Smoking Preference’ being Equal, match not required.
Best Practice
Choose the attendee data fields used to:
1. ensure a compatible match in Roommate Matching; and 2. filter out incompatible roommate options from the drop-down list in the accommodation section of a registration form.
Note that Certain only allows registrants to be matched if they have selected the same room type.
These Matching Preferences are only used to ensure compatible roommates.
If you also want one or more of these fields shown to the registrant during registration, add those fields to the form.
Auto-Match Roommates
To run the automatic roommate matching process, go to Plan > Accommodation > Roommates.
The first two sections of the Auto-Match Roommates page are Summary and Auto-Match.
The third section is Roommate Matching Preferences.
Summary
The Summary section is a non-editable table showing the total numbers of registrants.
- Shared Rooms (matched) – Registrants who are sharing a room and have a roommate.
- Shared Rooms (not matched) – Registrants who are sharing a room but don't have a roommate.
- Shared Rooms (match pending) – Registrants who are sharing a room and have a pending roommate assignment.
- Single Rooms (not shared) – Registrants with a room reservation who are not sharing.
- No Room Needed – Registrants who don't need a room.
A technical note explains the calculation.
The system calculates values for each row based on each complete registration's "Primary Room Reservation".
Primary Room Reservation is defined as the first non-cancelled room reservation in each registration record based on date created.
The same room reservation required to have Guest 1 Name = Registrant Name is the Primary Room Reservation.
Auto-Match
The Auto-Match section is where you initiate Certain's automatic roommate matching feature.
Click the AUTO-MATCH button to automatically match roommates based on preferences specified in the Roommate Matching Preferences section.
If the Re-do auto-match check box is selected when you click AUTO-MATCH, all existing matches are broken and all registrants are re-matched.
See the results on the Matched and No Match sub-tabs.
> Tip – When Manually Matching Roommates > To match two or more specific people to a room: > 1. Run AUTO-MATCH. > 2. Find the people in the Matched sub-tab and break the existing auto-match. > 3. Using the No Match sub-tab, pair the desired roommates together.
Pending Roommates
The Pending sub-tab of the Accommodation tab is only displayed if one of these two options is selected in the Roommate Matching Preferences:
- Registrants can enter their roommate's reg code to be matched.
- Registrants can select roommate from a drop-down list option.
The Pending Roommates page shows a list of roommate pairs that are pending approval by the planner.
Pending roommate pairs are room reservations that are being shared and have pending roommate requests.
The pairs are created when:
1. an attendee successfully enters another registrant's reg code on the form, or 2. an attendee selects another registrant from the drop-down list on the form.
Click Approve All to approve all pending roommate pairs and move them to the Matched tab.
Click Decline All to un-match all pending roommate pairs and move them to the Unmatched tab.
Matched Roommates
Accommodation > Matched sub-tab shows the Matched Roommates page.
The Matched Roommates page is a list of all matched roommate pairs.
Matched roommate pairs include roommate pairs manually matched by the planner.
Matched roommate pairs include roommate pairs auto-matched.
Unmatched Roommates
Accommodation > No match is the area for unmatched room reservations that are being shared and have not been matched.
The Unmatched Roommate section contains two sections.
- Roommates to Match
- Available for Matching
Roommates to Match
When the page is first displayed, Roommates to Match is empty.
When a check box in the Match column is clicked in the Available for Matching section, the roommate is added to the Roommates to Match section.
All roommates are listed in a single table.
The table includes a Match button in the Match column.
When the Match button is clicked, the roommates are matched and moved to the Matched tab.
Available for Matching
Available for Matching contains a list of all unmatched roommates.
Unmatched roommates include registrants where room sharing = yes and cancelled = no.
When you click the Match button in the Roommates to Match section, the system enforces the Roommate Matching Preferences defined.
If a potential match breaks a rule, a warning is displayed.
You can choose to override to force the match.
The system enforces the rule that registrants must be in the same hotel and room type to be matched.
That rule means you cannot match someone in hotel A with someone in hotel B.
The rule also means you cannot match someone in room type A with someone in room type B.
Registrants’ last names are hyperlinked.
Click a last name to go to the Accommodation page for that attendee.
10. Registrations > Accommodation
When the Accommodation module is enabled for an event, then Manage > Registrations for an attendee includes an Accommodation page.
On the Accommodation page, you can see and edit the number of Rooms Requested, and their Room Reservations.
Click an accommodation reservation to edit it.
Click Add New to add one.
Cancelled rooms may be viewed, but cannot be modified.
Room Status
Select Allow overbooking? if you want to force Certain to accept the reservation even if it exceeds the room block inventory.
Only select this option if you are confident you can provide additional rooms reserved beyond the existing block.
Note that once cancelled, a room may not be modified or un-cancelled.
Room Occupants
The registrant who enters room information is called the “Group Leader”.
If the registrant reserves more than one room, then the person listed as Guest 1 in each room is considered to be the Room Leader for that room.
Hotel Confirmation Information
The Action Codes and Booking Statuses available for selection are those set up on Travel > Configure.
Other Hotel Confirmation Information fields are provided by the hotel.
Example fields include Confirmation Number and Room Assignment.
Room Guarantee
Room Guarantee options for Checkout Payment Method are:
- All charges to master
- Pay on own
- Room and tax to master
- See Notes
Hotel Guarantee options are various credit cards, including Amex, MasterCard, and Visa.
After selecting the credit card, enter details such as Credit Card No., Card Holder, and Expiry.