The Online Duty Motel
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Frequently Asked Questions - FAQ
What is my username / password?
Please click
here
to be sent an email reminder of your password (this requires either your email address or your Holiday Guide username).
If you are new to Duty Motel, then you will need to setup a listing on our sistser website
www.holidayguide.co.nz
first. Please see
here
for more details.
Can I change my username / password?
Yes - just click
here
Can I automatically logon?
Yes - just logon and click on the
Setup
tab and ensure that the 'Allow Auto-Logon' box is ticked and the click on 'Update'.
If you delete your cookies you may need to click on the 'Update' button again on this page.
What other websites can I logon to with my Duty Motel username/password?
You can logon to
www.holidayguide.co.nz
and
www.nzmotels.co.nz
(the MANZ website) with your username/password.
Any availability that you set in Duty Motel is automatcially set in both of these websites (as it is the same system at the back end).
Who can use Duty Motel?
Only properties that are members of MANZ or a local motel association that is affiliated to MANZ can use the online Duty Motel.
How much does Duty Motel cost to use?
Just $96 per year. This is billed annually on 1st of Feb of each year.
Given the low cost, we do not offer any discount to motels joining part way through the year.
How often do I have to update my room availability?
We recommend at least once a day.
Every time you update your room availability your property will go to the top of the search results. The more frequently that you update the more business you will likely get!
Please note that if you do not update your availability at least every 24hrs then you will not display on the search results.
Why is my property not displaying in the search results?
This could be due to:
You have no rooms available for the date range that you are searching for.
You have set minimum stay on your rooms.
You have not updated in the last 24hrs.
Will I only get referrals at busy times of the year?
No! It only takes one property in your region to run out of a particular room type before moteliers will start searching on Duty Motel.
Even in low season it is very worthwhile to keep your availability updated.
Don't forget also that Duty Motel is not limited to just your region, motels throughout New Zealand can refer business onto you.
Do I need to enter my room pricing?
Techinically you don't - However it is definitely recommended as for many customers knowing the price of the accommodation is just as (if not more) important than knowing the room is available in the first place!
Do I need to enter all of my rooms?
You have the choice of entering individual rooms or room types into the system.
If you have a small number of rooms then we recommend putting in every room - for larger properties you will find it quicker to keep everything updated by just entering room types.
If a room is booked online it is automatically set as unavailable; if the 'room' is a room type then it remains available for sale until you set it as unavailable.
How can I change a room's details?
Logon and click on the
Rooms
tab - to edit an individual room just click on the appropriate edit (pencil shaped) icon. Be sure to click on the Update button when you have finished to save your changes.
How do I change the order that rooms are displayed throughout the system?
Just edit the room (see above!) and change the 'Sort Order' for the rooms. Set this to 1 for the room you want at the top, 2 for the second room etc.
How do I make rooms available?
Logon and click on the
Availability / Pricing
tab. The availability grid displays all of your rooms for the date range that you are looking at. The background colour of the cells in the table shows the availability status of the room, which by default is set to unavailable.
To change the availability status of a room click on the rooms that you want to change, choose the availability status that you wish to change to and then click on the Update button.
It is important to wait for the screen to refresh, the cell background colours to change to your selection and the last updated time stamp to be updated (If you dont ensure your changes have been saved you may get double bookings).
The room status options available to you depend on which of our services you are using:
Unavailable
(Red) - The room is unavilable for booking.
Referral Available
(Green) - The room is displayed as being available only on referral systems (such as the Online Duty Motel / Host Accommodation referral system).
Commission-Free Available
(Yellow) - The room is available for online booking via commission-free online booking websites (such as Holiday Guide, Jasons, MANZ etc). If you do not use our commission-free online booking service then the room will be displayed as bookable on request on Holiday Guide and the MANZ website
Commission Available
(Blue) - The room is available for instant confirmation online booking to iSites and Travel Agents on a 10% commission basis. In addition the room is available for commission-free online booking.
We recommend making rooms available for at least 6-12 months in advance if you use any form of online booking as that is how far in advance many customers will book (especially international tourists). If you just use Duty Motel, then we would recommend making rooms available for at least a couple of weeks in advance, and further out if you are close to public holidays or expect to be very busy.
You are in full control of which rooms you make available for booking and on which basis. For busy days when you expect to fill your property we recommend selling everything on a commission-free basis, whereas on slower days you may wish to sell some rooms on a commission basis. By carefully controlling how rooms are sold you can significantly affect your profitability.
How do I set prices/rates for my rooms?
Logon to the members section and click on the
Availability / Pricing
tab and then the
Base Room Rates
tab. Holiday Guide uses a simple 3 season approach to setting rates - you can set different rates for each of the 3 seasons (Low, Medium and High).
To define which dates in your calendar correspond to which season in Holiday Guide just click on the
Seasons Calendar
tab. The default season is Low season - just select the dates that you wish to assign to the other seasons, click on teh seaon that you wish to chnage them to and the click on the Update button.
On the Base Room Rates page you can specify the number of guests for each room / room type that the rate is valid for. Furthermore you can define rates for any additional or extra guests in the section below. Note that the room capacity controls how many extra guests can be accommodated.
If you opt to sell rooms on a commission basis you can additionally choose a percentage modifier to increase your room rates for commissionable bookings. For example setting this to 10% will increase your commissionable room rates by 10% (and thus counteract any commission you will have to pay on the booking).
Finally you can fine-tune your rates on a room by room and day by day basis by clicking on the
Override Room Rates
tab. Just type in the new prices and click on the update button.
Can I setup special offers?
Yes - just setup a 'room' in the system, define some special pricing, perhaps a minimum stay and make the room available for just the date range that you want to offer the special. Some of our customers have successfully run promotions including rugby tickets, fish and chip specials etc
How do I set minimum stays on my rooms?
Logon and click on the
Availability / Pricing
tab and then the
Minimum Stay
tab.
On the room grid you will see the minimum stay for every room (note that the background colour reflects the room's availability status). Just click on the rooms/dates that you wish to change, select the minimum stay that you wish to change your select to and then click on the update button. The page will then refresh and the new minimum stays will be displayed.
Whilst minimum stays can be handy during busy periods, just be aware that their overuse can result in significantly fewer overall bookings.
How do I setup commission-free online booking?
Just logon to
www.holidayguide.co.nz
and click on the
Setup / Options
tab.
Full instructions on how to setup and use online booking are available in the
Start Here
guide on Holiday Guide.
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Jasons Travel Media Ltd
, 2007