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Go to SETUP | SETTINGS | MARKETING AND POLICIES to set your 'default' Guarantee, Deposit, Cancellation and Lead Time settings and to enter Policy and Marketing messages.

The Guarantee/Deposit term settings determine the deposit or guarantee required from guests when booking online, and the cancellation period and terms. To setup the Deposit amount required for your bookings, go to the Guarantee Section below.

The 'default' Deposit and Cancellation Policies listed at top of the Marketing Messages display automatically to customers on your website as the Deposit and Cancellation Policies which the guests must accept to complete the booking. They also display on the "BookingCenter Default Confirmation Letter" (if selected) which is automatically sent when guest makes a booking on your website. See detail below, the fields used on Booking Engine and Default Confirmation Letter are marked in red with (Booking Engine) . To see where these policies display on your Booking Engine, see Booking Engine | Policies

Other Marketing Messages are are optional fields that can inserted into your Letters using merge fields which means the information will automatically appear.

NOTE: If you are using an OTA Direct Connection (Booking.com, Expedia, etc.) and/or a XML or partner Booking Engine (such as Odysys, BookingSuite, Easy InnKeeping, etc)  as your interface, then marketing and policies are controlled in the extranet or interface of the connection.

To edit Marketing and Policies, click Edit at the lower right of the screen, make changes and then click save. See instructions below.

Booking Deposit

. (Booking Engine and Front Desk Bookings) - This setting determines the guarantee or deposit required for bookings made at the Front Desk (manually entered) and for online bookings taken on your website or via OTA/GDS channels.  For example, if you only require a valid credi card at time of booking, then choose "Credit Card Guarantee". If you require a 1 night deposit, then choose "1 Night Deposit".  

• No deposit: Does not require any deposit or Credit Card Guarantee.
• Credit card guarantee: Checking this box will require the guest to enter  valid credit card information when booking. If you require a deposit, then use this information to make deposit in the Guest Folio.
• 1-night deposit: this setting will automatically calculate a deposit of 1 Night (Rate of first nighto f stay)
  
• Percentage deposit of %: Enter a percentage amount of deposit. For example, if you require 50% deposit, then enter 50.
  
• Flat Deposit Amount: such as a $100 deposit to guarantee the booking.

• Guests must confirm at least (days in advance)

• Minimum Booking Lead Time (hours in advance) (Booking Engine) Enter your minimum booking lead time in HOURS (24 hr increments). For example, 24 hours = 1 day, 48 hours = 2 days , etc.
  Note, for any OTA that you have a direct relationship with - Booking.com, Expedia, Priceline, etc - this value will NOT ‘flow over’ to the OTA.  The only systems that this "Minimum Booking Lead Time“ can seamlessly is the BookingCenter Booking Engine/GDS/Pegasus systems.  All OTAs and other travel systems you have a direct contract with MUST be setup to enforce your Minimum Booking Lead Time policy in the system itself. For example, if you have a contract with Booking.com, you must set your Minimum Booking Lead Time in Booking.com, as BookingCenter will not send these values. We always recommend to TEST the OTAs setting for after requesting it from your market manager, as that will prove it was set properly.

The cancellation policy of your property will take as a 'default' the one set in the Marketing and Policy area. This can be used for all channels of distribution and apply to all rates and rooms, to maintain simplicity. But some properties wish for specific deposit and cancellation policies that become allocated to specific Agent channels (such as a 'special' on your website; or your GDS bookings to a local company; or the 'non-cancellable' rates assigned to Expedia and/or Expedia, and these unique policies are supported via .

• Cancellation Policy (Booking Engine and in Merge FieldsCancellation Policy (Booking Engine)–  First choose the time period of the cancellation policy in either hours or days prior to or after arrival. You can also choose no cancellation policy or always a cancellation policy.
  
  • For example, "if not cancelled X hours prior to arrival" is chosen, then the number entered would be calculated in hours.
• Cancellation Type: Choose "Number of Nights", "Flat Rate" or "Percentage
• Allow cancellations within the penalty period – Do you want to allow cancellations within the cancellation period you have set. Typcially this is set to No.
• where X is (hours / days / time): Choose the penalty period in hours or days for your cancellation policy.
  
• Cancellation Amount: Enter the amount of your cancellation fee based on the "Cancellation Type" you have chosen. For example, if you chose "Number of Nights",  and need a 1 Night Deposit as a cancellation fee, then enter 1. If your cancellation is $50, then choose "Flat Rate" in Cancellation Type and enter 50.
  

An example of a Cancellation policy might be:

If your booking is not canceled at least 24 hours prior to your scheduled arrival, you will be charged a $100 cancellation fee.  This fee will be billed to the credit card you used to guarantee your booking.  

The Guest agrees to this when booking, and the property is therefore protected against a 'chargeback' when/if the cancellation occurs within the period - in the case of the example above, within 24 hours of arrival.

If using Self Cancellation, then one can either use the 'default' policy set in the Marketing and Policy area or create specific deposit and cancellation policies in the 'Cancellation Policies' area that become allocated to Rates, then to specific Agent channels.  Read about the Self Cancellation process here. 

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• Smoking Policy: Choose the type of Smoking Policy you have.
  

• Pet Policy: Choose the type of Pet Policy you have.