This release brings the new Yield Management "Sheets" and a General Ledger (GL) accounting interface in addition to some key MyPMS EMV payment system enhancements. Our new payment gateway enhances support for both EMV and E-Commerce transactions. EMV devices supported can be viewed on our hardware page.

MyPMS

•        Updated Yield Management to support Yield Sheets

o   Yield Sheets not only give you the option to set your specific yield rules, but also gives you a graphical breakdown that allows you to visually see your rules based on occupancy (percentage) and time (days). Making edits is the easiest we’ve seen in any Yield/Revenue program.

•        General Ledger (GL) Accounting interface launched

o   BookingCenter provides a service to map Transaction Categories, Inventory Items, and Receipt Types so that your General Ledger (GL) can be keep current.  This allows for automation posting to your G/L system (such as QuickBooks) and also shares your daily financial data to any 3^rd party or partner organization you wish – automated.

•        Added an Undo Check in button

o   This button will allow the booking status to change back to confirmed if a staff accidentally checks in a booking.

•        Email Communication Notification

o   Property has the option to control email notifications to guest or the property directly for online reservations. 

Payment Gateway

•        With the recent launch of the new MyPMS EMV payment system, properties have the option to mask and/or tokenize card details on reservation save, or, as is the case now, on the tokenization event when an authorization is requested.

o   If a property is interested in enabling the masking of all card data in the system on booking save, please contact our Support Department.

•        Preauthorization for remaining arrivals at Night Audit is now fully supported for supported EMV device properties.
•        BookingCenter can now offer merchant processing services for select customers in the USA and Canada who meet our security guidelines. These terms are often much lower than typical rates because BookingCenter absorbs some risk when assuming these partnerships.

Booking Engine/Google Hotels

•        Additional backend updates of the Booking Engine now allow for better conversion for properties active on the Google Hotels channel.

BookingCenter App Update

•        The latest version of the BookingCenter App is live in the Apple App Store and Google Play. Please update when convenient. 

Global Distribution

•        BookingCenter provides access to a ‘GDS Portal Profile’. This allows properties to review and update their GDS content within the travel agent network.

System Enhancements

•        BookingCenter continues to update our backend infrastructure.
•        Added Content Security Policy (CSP) and CSRF (Cross-Site Request Forgery) to key areas of the product
•        For additional security, MyPMS is utilizing Cloudflare and their suite of products

Bug Fixes

•        Groups Edit tab showing N/A on Availability page
•        Corrected an issue on the booking engine regarding Flat Rate and Children query
•        Email Folio function fixed
•        Update Credit Card libraries on Booking Engine to manage correct credit card entry

This release brings the new Yield Management "Sheets" and a General Ledger (GL) accounting interface in addition to some key MyPMS EMV payment system enhancements. Our new payment gateway enhances support for both EMV and E-Commerce transactions. EMV devices supported can be viewed on our hardware page.

MyPMS

•        Updated Yield Management to support Yield Sheets

o   Yield Sheets not only give you the option to set your specific yield rules, but also gives you a graphical breakdown that allows you to visually see your rules based on occupancy (percentage) and time (days). Making edits is the easiest we’ve seen in any Yield/Revenue program.

•        General Ledger (GL) Accounting interface launched

o   BookingCenter provides a service to map Transaction Categories, Inventory Items, and Receipt Types so that your General Ledger (GL) can be keep current.  This allows for automation posting to your G/L system (such as QuickBooks) and also shares your daily financial data to any 3^rd party or partner organization you wish – automated.

•        Added an Undo Check in button

o   This button will allow the booking status to change back to confirmed if a staff accidentally checks in a booking.

•        Email Communication Notification

o   Property has the option to control email notifications to guest or the property directly for online reservations. 

Payment Gateway

•        With the recent launch of the new MyPMS EMV payment system, properties have the option to mask and/or tokenize card details on reservation save, or, as is the case now, on the tokenization event when an authorization is requested.

o   If a property is interested in enabling the masking of all card data in the system on booking save, please contact our Support Department.

•        Preauthorization for remaining arrivals at Night Audit is now fully supported for supported EMV device properties.
•        BookingCenter can now offer merchant processing services for select customers in the USA and Canada who meet our security guidelines. These terms are often much lower than typical rates because BookingCenter absorbs some risk when assuming these partnerships.

Booking Engine/Google Hotels

•        Additional backend updates of the Booking Engine now allow for better conversion for properties active on the Google Hotels channel.

BookingCenter App Update

•        The latest version of the BookingCenter App is live in the Apple App Store and Google Play. Please update when convenient. 

Global Distribution

•        BookingCenter provides access to a ‘GDS Portal Profile’. This allows properties to review and update their GDS content within the travel agent network.

System Enhancements

•        BookingCenter continues to update our backend infrastructure.
•        Added Content Security Policy (CSP) and CSRF (Cross-Site Request Forgery) to key areas of the product
•        For additional security, MyPMS is utilizing Cloudflare and their suite of products

Bug Fixes

•        Groups Edit tab showing N/A on Availability page
•        Corrected an issue on the booking engine regarding Flat Rate and Children query
•        Email Folio function fixed
•        Update Credit Card libraries on Booking Engine to manage correct credit card entry

Releases in July, September, and December brought Security Enhancements to prevent fraud and ‘phishing’ attempts, as well as Enhancements and Bug Fixes as follows:

New PMS Rate Type Additions

1. Long Term rates: Available in MyPMS only (they cannot be booked via OTA/GDS/Booking Engines) allows charging for intervals based on days or calendar months.  Days make an entry from the Cost field for each '#of days' the booking lasts; Months make an entry from the Cost field for each 'calendar' date the booking lasts. More details, and examples, here.
2. Items Include in a rate: A rate that can be sold that includes an Inventory Item with the rate. You must first create the Item to be sold with the rate, and make are the taxes applied to that Item are accurate. Then add that Item to the Rate, and choose whether to Add the Item Cost to the rate or not, and if the Item should recur each x days.. More details, and examples, here.

Self Check-out and Self Cancellation is now available to all customers who are using Self Check-in.  More details here.

‘UpSell’ add-on Items during both the Self Check-in and Self Check-out process, with documentation and pictures of how this works here.

Yield Management now supports yielding rules applying to either a full property or via room types(s) specifically. 

MyPMS still fully supports yield management at the property level (ie, trigger a Rule when property occupancy is >50 %), but now properties can choose what method works best for their hotel: property occupancy or room type occupancy.

The latest yield update also streamlines yield rules to support individual yield thresholds (versus stacked or aggregate rules below). See an overview on our website and detailed documentation here.

Reporting and Logging

We added additional logging for the sending of SMS messages to customers and property managers

Detailed Reporting for Cancellations makes it easier to evaluate who and when cancellations occurred, and how much ‘lost revenue’ insured as a result.

Taxes

• Added the ability for the Owners Statement to show specific taxes collected per Owner booking for ease of tax reporting
• We added the ability to make Tax Exempt on multiple taxes when making a booking.
• We now support 'Date Based' Taxes within MyPMS and our Channel Manager to define what tax(s) are 'Date Based' to be in effect for a specified time and thus quoted when they apply. Tax jurisdictions are beginning to alter when they charge some taxes - and not others - and this can now be automated.

Booking Engine

Two Booking Engine Calendar templates, 03 and 04, now support the display of the ‘lowest’ rate on the calendar. This will allow your guests to see the lowest rate over a two-month period directly on the calendar.

We added support for the Flywire payment gateway to allow better utilization of property and guest foreign exchange (FX) processes.

Global Distribution

·       Added new support for travel agent ‘Best Available Rate’ (BAR rates) within the GDS

MyGuest 

• Updated the iOS and Android apps with security and privacy requirements.
• We have improved the Housekeeping App to enable all ‘needs clean’ events (stay over and full clean) to default to a single Housekeeping User so that requests don’t need to be made manually.
• We have improved the Housekeeping App to enable all ‘needs clean’ events (stay over and full clean) to default to a single Housekeeping User so that requests don’t need to be made manually.
• There has been confusion when a request was made with an email that existed, but did not match the name - did we update their Guest record?  Either decision has pros and cons, but we simplified it so that if a Guest makes a request using an email address, we use that Guest record to link to that request even if the name is a bit different. We use the new ‘name’ to display on the Request Ticket, so that the Guest sees all matching.  This creates less duplicate records, though is not perfect we’re all aware.
• We now allow managers to define which data collection fields (name, room number, email, etc) are required for their ‘request templates’.

Bug Fixes

·       Search Bookings Now Correctly Querying Status

·       Fixed Group Booking Status Update from UNCONFIRMED to CONFIRMED

Release Notes - February 2023

This release brings new MyPMS enhancements to the self check-in and -out system, as well as a new Self Cancellation feature that supports custom cancellation policies.

Self Check-out

• The Self Check-out system can be used either with or without Self Check-in. The basic 'setup' concepts are similar to those for Self Check-in, in that the property can Setup the time, exemptions, and default Letters to deliver email and/or SMS messages to trigger the Guest to 'Check Out Online'.
• Add-on sales for either/or Self Check-in and Self Check-out have also been enhanced.
• The ability for a Housekeeper to be notified - automatically - via the Housekeeping app has also been implemented so that Housekeeping services can target either the schedule assigned at day's beginning, or act immediately upon actual Check-outs and Self Check-outs.  Learn more booingabout the Housekeeping App here.
• Additional background can be found at: https://docs.bookingcenter.com/display/MYPMS/Self+Check-out+System

Self Cancellation of Bookings in MyBookings

• When a Guest accesses their booking, they can cancel it if it's within the 'Policy' period and for a fee (if required by the Policy). The benefit of allowing Self Cancellation is to free availability in order to re-sell the room, and collect a fee automatically.
• The beauty of the 'Self Cancellation' system assures that the property gets whatever fee is due from the Guest enabling this important feature to occur automatically. The policy settings are described in detail in the Marketing And Policies under the 'Cancellations' area. 
• Create as many as desired and ask BookingCenter Support to allocate these unique Policies to the types of bookings you wish, such as your Booking Engine or your Kiosk.
• Only customers who are using the Mobile and/or Kiosk-based Self Check-in feature can utilize the Self Cancellation' system.
• Additional detail can be found at: https://docs.bookingcenter.com/display/MYPMS/Self+Cancellation+of+Bookings+in+MyBookings

MyPMS

• Within MyPMS, with these new cancellation policies, the system will now display the cancellation message associated with each reservation. This pop-up window will display and will outline the specific cancellation policy associated so can be clearly communicated to the guest by your staff.
• We also have a new ‘Cancel Policy’ button, for all completed, cancelled or active reservations, for users to view the cancellation policy associated with the reservation
• We added a self check-out icon to the Tape Chart when a booking is self-checked out, similar to how Self Check-in icons work.
• The Admin Housekeeping page has been updated to better color code rooms.

Booking Engine

• Added currency to each page of the booking engine
• When a property wishes to query a specific room type, the specific room type is highlighted, but will also display other available rooms (based on the query)
• Added a Content Security Policy (CSP) to each customer's 'web tracking' code in order to provide greater security and stop phishing attacks. This is an added layer of security that helps to detect and mitigate certain types of attacks, including Cross-Site Scripting (XSS), phishing, and data injection attacks. 

Google Hotels

BookingCenter is now a certified partner with Google Hotels.  This works like a connection with Airbnb, Expedia, or Booking.com. BookingCenter synchronizes your rates, restrictions, and availability in real time with Google Hotels, and anytime a reservation is made, it will seamlessly import back into your BookingCenter software and be trackable via your PMS reporting. The Google Hotels program utilizes your current BookingCenter booking engine.  If interested, please reach out to our sales department.

System Enhancements

BookingCenter continues to update our backend infrastructure.