Rates & Packages: Creating a Rate

When creating a rate, you will need to determine the best set of components to build based on the type of rate and you should build those components before adding the rate codes. Once you've determined whether to use Price Plans and Tier Calendars, Simple Calendars, Derived Rates or Package elements, you can then begin building your rate codes.

For each of the different types of rates, the various settings within the filter will likely be different. For example, your BAR rates will always be available, so the dates can be from the beginning of time to the end of time; however, a group rate is specific to the group and their dates, so the dates will need to be adjusted accordingly and you'll need to attach the group code to the rate code. If you have a mid-week rate that is only available if you arrive Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday and depart no later than Thursday, then the settings within the filter must be set correctly.

Overview: Configuring Basic Rates

If you haven't already created the various components needed to build your Rate codes, refer to the below:

Create a Price Plan – See Price Plan Details
Create Price Tiers – See Price Tier Codes
Setup your Calendars – See Rate Calendars
Rates by Room Type - See Rates by Room Type
Derived Rates - See Derived Rates
Packages - See Package Items

Steps to Create a Rate

There are several tabs that must be completed before you can use the rate. Not all fields / options are required. Any that are not required are italicized. You should determine if these options are necessary for your operation and the type of rate and adjust the filter settings accordingly.

Rate Settings, Rate Controls

From the Rates and Packages screen:

Select the Rate Settings tab
Select the Rate Controls tab
Select Add
Enter the Rate Code (up to 6-characters, alpha-numeric)
Enter a Description
Select a Meal Plan (if applicable)
Select a Rate Type for Golf (if applicable)
Enter a Rate Group (if applicable)
Select whether this is a Rate or a Package in the Rate Class field. This determines whether the rate code appears in yellow (rate) or white (package) in the Rate Calculator.
Place a check mark in the Active field

Important Note: It is recommended that the rate be inactive until you have completed all setup, then go back and mark the rate as Active
Place a check mark in the Rate available in ^SMS|Host field. This allows the rate to be displayed in the Rate Calculator
Place a check mark in the Available to Independent Traveler in ^SMS|Host field if the rate is available to all guests
Place a check mark in the Confidential Rate field if the reservation's Suppress Rate flag should be automatically enabled
Place a check mark in the Rate Available on the internet field if the rate should display on-line via WorldXA or WorldNXT
Place a check mark in the Available to Independent Traveler on Internet if the rate is available to all guests via WorldXA or WorldNXT
Place a check mark in the Comp Rate field if this rate is a complimentary rate that you wish to display in the Rate Calculator
In the Allowed to Use in Special Billing, select the appropriate radio button
- Yes - Select Yes if the rate should be displayed in the Rate Calculator when accessed via Special Billing
- No - Select No if the rate should not be displayed in the Rate Calculator when accessed via Special Billing
- Only - Select Only if the rate should only be displayed in the Rate Calculator when accessed via Special Billing
In the Market Segments Allowed, select up to 10 Market Segments. Leave blank if the rate is available to all guests.
Enter a Yield Group code (if applicable)
The Qualified Entities allow you to restrict the rate to a specific Group, Corporation, Travel Agent, or Secretary. Leave blank if the rate is not specific to one of these entities.
- You may also place dashes (------) in the field to prohibit the rate from being used by one of these entities.
Select Pg Dnto save

Rate Settings, Date Controls and Policies

The Date Controls and Policies tab determines when the rate is available, if there are any restrictions on when it is available, as well as identifies the deposit and cancellation policies.

In the Available for Arrivals From and To fields, enter the dates the rate should be active. If the rate should always be available, for example your BAR rate, enter 01/01/1971 in the From field and 12/31/2070 in the To field.
In the Depart By field, enter the date by which the guest must depart for this rate to be available. If the rate is always available, enter 12/31/2070.
The Season Link field will automatically be populated with the rate code of the current rate. This is used to link from one rate to another if the guest stays beyond the Depart By date. If the rate is always available, then leave the link field populated with the current rate code.
If there are specific days of the week that the guest may not arrive or depart, then remove the check marks from those days of the week in the Arrival Allowed on and Departure Allowed on fields. If there are no restrictions on the days of the week a guest may arrive or depart, then all days of the week should be checked.
Length of Stay Limiters determine the minimum and maximum number of nights a guest is allowed to stay on this rate. If the rate has no restrictions, leave the Minimum Nights as 0 and the Maximum Nights at 365.

Note: If there are restrictions, but they vary based on dates, availability, or day of week, then Yield Controls are used to control minimum and maximum nights.
If there's a specific deposit policy that applies to this rate, enter the appropriate code in the Deposit 1 field
If there's a second deposit policy that applies to this rate, enter the appropriate code in the Deposit 2 field
If there's a specific cancellation policy that applies to this rate, enter the appropriate code in the Cancellation field

Note: If you leave the deposit and cancellation policy fields blank, ^SMS|Host will use the most appropriate policy based on when the reservation is booked, the dates of stay, or type of guest. For cancellations, the policy used will be based on when the reservation is canceled or how far in advance of arrival it is canceled.
Select Pg Dn to save

Rate Settings, Properties and Room Types

The Properties and Room Types tab determines to which room types the rate applies. All room types are automatically associated with the rate at the time it is created. If the rate does not apply to all room types they can be removed.

Select Add / Remove
Locate the room type you wish to remove and select the sequence number to the left. This will change the sequence number from red to black.

Select OK to save

Note: If the rate applies to a single room number, then enter the specific room number into the Specific Room# field. This will automatically remove all other room types. If the rate applies to all room types within a specific Multi-Property, then enter the correct code into the Multi-Property field. This will automatically remove all other room types except for those associated with the Multi-Property entered.

Rate Settings, Other Settings

The Other Settings tab is used for several different purposes:

3rd Party CRS Variance: The transaction code to use in the event that the reservation is coming from an interface and the quoted rate on-line does not match the rate as it calculates in ^SMS|Host. Typically, this is the transaction code is used to post room revenue.
Housekeeping: If housekeeping patterns or services are based on the rate or package, that information is also stored on the Other Settings tab.

Rate Features: Rate Features are used to help when searching for rates in the Rate Calculator by filtering only those rates that have the Rate Feature entered. Enter up to 9 rate features that can be used for filtering purposes in the Rate Calculator.

Rate Settings, Notes

There are two fields for notes. The notes are typically used to describe what is included with the rate or package. They can be used internally, in correspondence, and on-line for use with WorldNXT or WorldXA.

Notes: These can be seen by zooming into the rate from the Rate Calculator and included in correspondence.
Web Notes: These are typically used for on-line bookings via WorldNXT or WorldXA. They allow the opportunity to describe the rate or package, in detail, to the guest.

Adding Pricing Details

While you are not required to complete each of the Rate Settings tabs before adding the pricing details, it is recommended so that they are not forgotten. There are many different ways to add pricing details including: Tier Calendars, Simple Calendars, and Static Tiers. Each of these options will be covered below. Pricing can also be added using Derived Rates and Package Items; which are covered in their own sections.

For each of the options below, Rates by Room Type will be implemented. For more information on this refer to the Rates by Room Type section.

Tier Calendars

Tier Calendars offer the most flexibility for pricing, but do require a bit more effort than some of the other options. If you are using Tier Calendars, then you would have already setup Price Plans, Tiers, and Calendars. This section will focus on how to build the rate using these components. For this example, we will be using a Tier Calendar that uses a Day of Week Price Plan.

From the Rates and Packages screen:

Select the Pricing Details tab
Select the Rate Detail tab
Select Add Rate Detail
Enter the room revenue transaction code.
- If you do not know it, press ENTER to display a list of available transaction codes.
- Press the TAB key to jump to the Search For field and type ROOM to display a filtered list of codes that have the word 'Room' in them.
- Select the appropriate code from the list
Press ENTER through the description field
Select the down arrow in the Post only for Room Type field to display a list of the room types associated with the rate
Select the appropriate room type(s) from the list
Select OK
Verify that the Price Basis Room Type radio button in the Post Based on field is selected
Place a check mark in the Use Price Tiers / Calendars field
Select the radio button for Tier Calendar in the Day of Week section
Select the down arrow in the Price Plan field and select the appropriate Price Plan from the list based on the Room Types previously selected
Select the down arrow in the Calendar Code field and select the appropriate Tier Calendar from the list
Ensure that the following fields are checked or unchecked as appropriate:
- Subject to Share Splits - for rates that are based on a Per Unit basis only the field should be checked
- Taxable - should be checked for room revenue
- Batched - unchecked for a rate and checked for a package
- Subject to Reservation Discounts - typically checked for room revenue
- Subject to Derived Rate Rule - typically checked for room revenue
Verify the First Post field = A (arrival)
Verify the Last Post field = L (last night)
Days-of-Week are all checked by default
Post every 'x' nights defaults to 1; meaning nightly
Select OK to save
Repeat steps 4 through 19 until all room types associated with the Rate code have a Tier Calendar attached.

Simple Calendars

Simple Calendars require quite a bit less setup than Tier Calendars. Simple Calendars do not require Price Plans or Tiers. With a Simple Calendar, a set price is entered for each day of the year. While Simple Calendars are less time consuming, they offer significantly fewer features. You are limited to per unit pricing with Simple Calendars, so there is no option to do pricing based on number of adults or children. It is a flat amount that is charged daily. If you require per person pricing, you would need to combine a Simple Calendar with a Tier Code that is specifically setup to handle per person pricing.

If you are using Simple Calendars, then you would have already set them up.

From the Rates and Packages screen:

Select the Pricing Details tab
Select the Rate Detail tab
Select Add Rate Detail
Enter the room revenue transaction code.
- If you do not know it, press ENTER to display a list of available transaction codes.
- Press the TAB key to jump to the Search For field and type ROOM to display a filtered list of codes that have the word 'Room' in them.
- Select the appropriate code from the list
Press ENTER through the description field
Select the down arrow in the Post only for Room Type field to display a list of the room types associated with the rate
Select the appropriate room type(s) from the list
Select OK
Verify that the Price Basis Room Type radio button in the Post Based on field is selected
Place a check mark in the Use Price Tiers / Calendars field
In the Rate Calendar section, select the down arrow in the Calendar Code field and select the appropriate calendar for the room types previously selected.
Ensure that the following fields are checked or unchecked as appropriate:
- Subject to Share Splits - for rates that are based on a Per Unit basis only the field should be checked
- Taxable - should be checked for room revenue
- Batched - unchecked for a rate and checked for a package
- Subject to Reservation Discounts - typically checked for room revenue
- Subject to Derived Rate Rule - typically checked for room revenue
Verify the First Post field = A (arrival)
Verify the Last Post field = L (last night)
Days-of-Week are all checked by default
Post every 'x' nights defaults to 1; meaning nightly
Select OK to save
Repeat steps 4 through 17 until all room types associated with the Rate code have a Simple Calendar attached

Static Tiers

A Static Tier simply means that the value doesn't fluctuate. Static Tiers are often used when creating a group rate. With a group, the dates and amounts are set ahead of time for each room type and the amounts do not typically fluctuate during the course of the group's stay. By attaching a specific Tier Code to a room type instead of a Tier Calendar, the rate will stay the same throughout the guest's stay. For this example, we will be using a Static Tier that uses a Day of Week Price Plan.

If you are using Static Tiers, then you would have already set up Price Plans and Tier Codes

From the Rates and Packages screen:

Select the Pricing Details tab
Select the Rate Detail tab
Select Add Rate Detail
Enter the room revenue transaction code.
- If you do not know it, press ENTER to display a list of available transaction codes.
- Press the TAB key to jump to the Search For field and type ROOM to display a filtered list of codes that have the word 'Room' in them.
- Select the appropriate code from the list
Press ENTER through the description field
Select the down arrow in the Post only for Room Type field to display a list of the room types associated with the rate
Select the appropriate room type(s) from the list
Select OK
Verify that the Price Basis Room Type radio button in the Post Based on field is selected
Place a check mark in the Use Price Tiers / Calendars field
Select the radio button for Static Tier in the Day of Week section
Select the down arrow in the Price Plan field and select the appropriate Price Plan from the list based on the Room Types previously selected
Select the down arrow in the Tier Code field and select the appropriate Tier code from the list
Ensure that the following fields are checked or unchecked as appropriate:
- Subject to Share Splits - for rates that are based on a Per Unit basis only the field should be checked
- Taxable - should be checked for room revenue
- Batched - unchecked for a rate and checked for a package
- Subject to Reservation Discounts - typically checked for room revenue
- Subject to Derived Rate Rule - typically checked for room revenue
Verify the First Post field = A (arrival)
Verify the Last Post field = L (last night)
Days-of-Week are all checked by default
Post every 'x' nights defaults to 1; meaning nightly
Select OK to save
Repeat steps 4 through 19 until all room types associated with the Rate code have a Tier Code attached