Administrator checklist for packages
Package templates make it easy for your team to quickly enter package bookings—giving you more time to sell and focus on other guest related tasks. As an administrator, it's your job to enter your property's package templates. You'll have to invest a little time upfront adding the package details in Setup, but the efficiencies gained for everyone will be a huge reward.
Watch these videos before you get started:
If you're a new property, make sure you've reviewed and completed all tasks outlined in the Property administrator Guide before working on packages.
Important points to remember for packages:
- Anything that's sold as part of a package must be calculated per person.
- Default items on an event classification in Setup are automatically formatted to display "included in package" as the price on the BEO.
- Tax, administrative fees, and gratuity need to be configured for your revenue classifications before you create your package templates.
Step one—understand revenue allocations
Your first step is to gather all of the information for the packages you sell and make sure you understand how the revenue is allocated to each one. (How much is reported for food for breakfast, lunch, breaks. How much is considered guestroom revenue, function room rental, etc.) If you don't already have this documented, work with your director or accounting team.
Package revenue breakdown examples
| Day Meeting Package - 80 per person | Complete Meeting Package - 210 per person |
|
DAY OF ARRIVAL Meeting - 15 Rental, 5 Audio Visual Breakfast - 15 Food AM Break - 10 Food Lunch - 20 Food PM Break - 15 Food |
DAY OF ARRIVAL Dinner - 25 Food, 5 Beverage Single occupancy guestroom - 100 NEXT DAY Meeting - 15 Rental, 5 Audio Visual Breakfast - 15 Food AM Break - 10 Food Lunch - 20 Food PM Break - 15 Food |
Step two—create package items
If they don't already exist, create the BEO items that are included in each package in Setup. Make sure you have everything - meals, audio visual, and room setup items.
If you sell these items for a specific price on non-package events, enter the pricing details as instructed in Training & Help. If you just need these items for packages, don't worry about the pricing—when you add an item to a package the prices are ignored and the package's revenue breakdown is used instead.
Important - only items that are calculated per person will function correctly with the package pricing and display correctly on the BEO. So what do you do when you just want one LCD projector or one flip-chart? When creating the item in Setup, under Quantity Options select Per Person for the Quantity Calculation, and enter 9999 as the Service Factor. This will add only one item to the BEO and allows the item to comply with the per person requirement on the package.
Step three—add default items to package event classifications
Now you will attach the items to the event classifications for each package event. When your team creates a BEO for a package booking, all of the default items that are included in the package price are already there and properly formatted—the price is replaced with "included in package".
If your property only sells packages, you can probably use the existing list of event classifications (breakfast, meeting, etc.). If you sell both package and non-package events, we recommend you create package-specific event classifications.
Additional information about package-specific event classifications.
For example, if all of your meeting packages include high speed Wi-Fi, a flip-chart, pens and stationery, these would be your steps:
- Click Event Classifications under Setup.
- Add an event classification called Package Meeting (or similar). Save.
- Open the new event classification, scroll to the bottom, click + Default Items, and select the items.
What if you have packages that include different things for the same type of event? Perhaps a Complete Meeting Package includes more amenities than an Express Meeting Package. You have a few options:
- You can create one event classification for CMP Meeting and another for EMP Meeting with the appropriate items attached to each one. We recommend doing that for package events when the items are completely different. For example, a continental breakfast for one package and a hot breakfast buffet for another. You could create Package Continental Breakfast and Package Breakfast Buffet.
- If you include many of the same items in different packages, you might add all of the default items for both packages to one event type and let the users delete the ones that aren't included for that booking. For example, if you have an Express Meeting package that includes everything that a Full Meeting package has except an LCD projector, you can create one Package Meeting event classification with the LCD projector and train your team to delete the projector for express packages.
- For properties that have a different menu everyday for lunch or other meals, we recommend creating a generic item that can be used every day such as "Chef's Special of the Day" or "A buffet with a variety of sandwiches and salads". If you are required to provide specific items on the BEO, the users can add the correct one in the booking and then select the Included in Package option.
We recommend that you start all of the package event classifications with the word package to make it easier to find non-package events in the list when creating a non-package booking, and vice-versa.
Step four—guestroom taxes
Taxes are displayed on the booking check, which is like the banquet check but for the entire booking. If you haven't been using the booking check or packages before now, you probably didn't bother with guestroom taxes in Setup. If you're creating packages that include guestrooms, go to Taxes in Setup, open your default tax set, and add either a flat tax or if you charge a percentage, add the guestroom revenue classification to your tax subset.
Step five—select the appropriate document templates
In the Document Options section of Setup, expand Booking Templates and make sure only the ones that are appropriate for your property are active. If your property sells nothing but packages, deactivate the templates that don't start with package. If you quote rates inclusive of tax only and never use admin or gratuity, select the templates that end with Tax Only, etc.
Step six—build package templates
Click Packages under Setup and follow the inline Training & Help instructions to wrap all the pieces together in a bow for your team.