Knowledgebase
Rates: Making Rates Available for A Specific Time Period (closed, closed to arrival, and closed to depart
Posted by Jeff Tweddale on 15 May 2013 08:10 PM

Often we get asked how to make a rate available only for a specific time period. There are a few ways to do it, depending on which tools you use:

1) If it's a Package Rate (which requires the Packaging Module) then there is a 'from:' and 'to:' date field for each Package that would make a Package Rate available for only a specific time period.

2) If it's a normal Rate (i.e., non-Package rate), then using the Closed or Close to Arrival for a Rate can set the time period before and after your desired dates to not allow an arrival, so that it will only display for the dates desired. Thus, if you close the rate for all dates before June 1 and after July 31, then it is effectively available only for June 1 - July 31.

It’s a ‘date dance’ to allow a rate to be open (ie, not ‘closed’ thus it can be booked) but use ‘closed to arrival’ and/or ‘closed to depart’ to achieve results of booking guests into specific time periods. Our advice is to view a calendar and then use ‘closed to arrival’ and/or ‘closed to depart’ to see results that would occur if you placed these conditions on specific days. It’s a hard to concept to keep in one’s head, writing it down makes it easier to plan - and foresee - ‘un-intended consequences’ of your decision(s).

Often times, it’s easiest to use a MinStay value (say 3-day minimum stay) to achieve a better results, as properties are less concerned they have an ‘open day’ that is hard to fill if they got a long stay before/after that empty date.  

 


Regardless of which approach you use, the Rate will have to be allocated to the Agent channel in which you wish to make it available (MyPMS Front Desk, website, GDS, etc). See: https://support.bookingcenter.com/index.php?/Knowledgebase/Article/View/205 for assistance with Agent Allocations.

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