Groups (Account screen)

The Group Account screen may be accessed by clicking Groups on the Files Menu screen.

Depending on your Property's configuration, you may have the Files Menu command available from the Quick Menu.

The Files Menu screen has two sections, Files List 1 and Files List 2.

Select Groups from the Files List 1 section.

Alternatively, IF your Property is using it, you can also access the Group Account screen (and other Group Booking functionality) through the Sales and Catering section of the Skyware system.

Note: If your Property does not currently have our Sales and Catering Module and you are interested in adding it, please contact us at Sales@SkywareSystems.com.

The Sales and Catering Menu may be reached either directly from the Quick Menu, or by using the Full Menu and selecting Sales and Catering => from the Other section.

1. Select Sales and Catering => from the Quick Menu (left side of screen).

The Sales and Catering Menu has four sections, Selling Tools, Sales, Groups and Catering Reports.

Groups is in the Groups section.

These commands are located here because Groups sales are often linked with specific catering or sales requests.

When you open the Group Account screen, a list of configured groups for your Property appears on the left, with the details about a selected Group appearing in the main area of the screen. Any changes made on the right, once saved, will be updated in the listings to the left.

To configure a Group Account:

Selecting any Group on the left will display the details on the right.

Your options include the following:

Generate a new entry:

Click the New button from the toolbar to add a new Group.

Complete the fields described below.

OR:

Select an existing Group from the list on the left, and click the Replicate Replicate Current Entry button button from the toolbar. Then change the field information as described below.

Edit the current selection:

Change the field information described below.

The Group Account screen has several tabs on which information may be entered. Use the tabs to access different information about the Group account. These tabs include, General , Other, Contacts, Bookings, and Comments.

However ONLY the General tab contains REQUIRED fields for generating a new Group Record entry.

General Tab:

This tab contains the REQUIRED information for creating a new Group Account in your Skyware Systems

Default Hotel: If you have more than one Property with Skyware Systems, you must select which Property to associate this Group with primarily. Choose one from the available options.

This guest is specific to this hotel?: This check box may be checked or unchecked. If it is checked, the Group will ONLY be associated with the Default Property chosen, no matter how many Properties you have with Skyware Systems.

Guest ID: The Group's Skyware Systems' assigned ID. When the Group Record is first generated this will be automatically assigned bySkyware Systems.

Company: This is the name of the Group. This can be an individual's name. Enter the desired name; this should be something easily recognisable by your Staff for future use.

This field is required.

Address: Enter the address of the Group if known.

Private Address?: This check box may be checked or unchecked. If the address provided with the Group is a private individual, you should check this box. If it is the public address of a company, leave it unchecked.

Postal code: You may enter the postal/zip code associated with the Group address here. If it is not known, you can use the search button next to the field to look it up; this will open a pop up window listing all known codes where you can search by Postal Code, City, State, Country, State Name or County, and select one.

Country: This is a drop-down menu of all available countries for you to select from for the address.

Home Phone: This field is for entering the home phone number, if one is supplied, of the primary contact for the Group.

Ext: This space allows you to include an extension for the home phone number supplied.

Work Phone: This field is for entering the work phone number, if one is supplied, of the primary contact for the Group.

Ext: This space allows you to include an extension for the work phone number supplied.

Fax: This field is for entering the Fax number, if one is supplied, of the primary contact for the Group.

Ext: This space allows you to include an extension for the Fax number supplied.

Mobile Phone: This field is for entering the Mobile phone number, if one is supplied, of the primary contact for the Group.

Pager Number: This field is for entering the Pager number, if one is supplied, of the primary contact for the Group.

Preferred Communication: This is a drop-down menu of options you can select from. You may choose E-mail, SMS text or Op out of All. No selection here will automatically default to E-mail as the preferred communication choice.

E-mail: Enter the E-mail address to be used for contact with this Group here.

Email Opt Out (No Emails)?: This check box may be checked or unchecked. If checked, the primary contact for the Group has opted out to having any e-mail contact.

Keywords: Enter any keywords to be associated with the Group account here. This field is typically used for searches. You can enter several words (up to 40 characters) separated by spaces, commas, colons, or semi-colons and search by any of the words entered.

Private: This box may be checked or unchecked. Checking this box will make any E-mail communication private.

Guest Type:This is a marketing code that is used to help broadly define the guest, to determine (for marketing and reporting purposes) what "type" or "Market code" this guest would be categorized under. Choose one from the options available in the drop-down menu. These have been configured specific to your Property. Examples of Guest Types include Transient, Corporate, Government, Social, etc.

This field is required.

Segment: This is a marketing code that is used alongside Guest Type, to help define the Group. Choose one from the options available in the drop-down menu. These have been configured specific to your Property.

This field is required.

Origin: This is also a marketing code that may be used to help further define the Group, alongside Guest Type and Segment. Choose one from the options available in the drop-down menu. These have been configured specific to your Property.

Rate Plan: You can select a Rate Plan to be associated with this Group Account from the drop-down menu of your configured available options, or you can leave this field blank to cause the Rate Plan to require selecting any time you create a reservation for this Group.

VIP: If the Group is considered a VIP associated with your Property, you should select the relevant code from the drop-down menu of those available. This allows you to categorize your guests as Very Important People (VIP) for reporting purposes

A/R Account #: Accounts Receivable Account Number. If this Group is using an A/R Account - meaning that the guest or company can be invoiced (billed) for charges - then provide the A/R Account number in the account number field. This number can be alpha or numeric.

If the A/R Account already exists in the system, use the search box to search for and attach the appropriate A/R number. Clicking on the search box will open a pop up window listing A/R Accounts for you to select from.

Is this an A/R Account (can this contact generate invoices)?: This check box may be checked or unchecked. If this Group will be using an account that has been set up for direct billing at your Property, this box must be checked.

Note: Checking this box will label this account as Group and A/R Account, rather than simply a Group Account.

Used to track POS Discounts: This is used to track POS Discounts given to the Group. This check box may be checked or unchecked. If checked, POS discounts will be removed from the POS check pre-tax and the taxes will be adjusted automatically for you.

Sales Manager: This is the default Sales Manager to be associated with this Group. You may select one of the options from the drop-down menu or leave blank.

Catering Manager: This is the default Catering Manager to be associated with this Group. You may select one of the options from the drop-down menu or leave blank.

Conference Services Manager: This is the default Conference Services Manager to be associated with this Group. You may select one of the options from the drop-down menu or leave blank.

Club Card Member: This box may be checked or unchecked. by default it is unchecked. If your Property uses a club card system, and this Group is associated with it, you should check this box.

Club Card UPC: If you have checked the Club Card Member box, you should enter the unique UPC associated with that membership here.

Discount %: This is the % discount given to the Group account for being a Club Card Member. Enter the number here, as a whole percentage.

Booking Category: If there is a Booking Category to be associated with this Group, select it from the drop-down menu of available options here. Otherwise you may leave this field blank.

Is this Contact a Group Master?: This box may be checked or unchecked. When generating the Group Account from the Groups area, this box will be checked by default. This check box option allows you to have a Group Account without necessarily having a Group Block attached.

Is this Contact a Condo Owner?: This box may be checked or unchecked. By default it is unchecked. This box should be checked if the Group account details entered are for a Condo owner.

Note: This General tab contains a large amount of information for the Group record, but remember most of it can be added to or edited at any time. Only the red fields are required to initially generate the Group record.

To create a Group account you must use the save button after entering at minimum the required fields information. Only after saving will a new Group account be generated.

Other Tab:

This tab contains any Payment details associated with the Group account, as well as several other areas of information. NO information on this tab is essential for creating the Group, but may prove useful to have if you can complete it. This information will carry over to each stay but can be changed at the stay level (the default payment method on the Group Information will remain the same).

Note: SOME fields available may not be relevant to a Group booking.

Payment: This is a drop-down menu of available payment type options. Select the one that is to be the default type.

Credit Card #: The credit card number typically used for guarantee or payment. Enter the full number (with no spaces slashes or dashes),

CC Expire Month: Enter the 2-digit month.

Year: Enter the 2-digit year.

Attached Company: Enter the Company name associated with this account.

Web Address: Enter the Company email address and web site address. (Select the private check box on the general tab to indicate that the email address should remain private).

Date of Birth: The Date of Birth associated with the contact.

Anniversary: A special Date associated with this Group.

Trace Date: Date you want to be reminded that the Group exists in the system through your personal trace calendar for sales and marketing

Trace to: The name of the Group contact at your Property.

Club Member #: If your Property uses this, AND the Group is a member, enter the number here.

Sign Up Date: When the group signed up to your Club membership.

Starting Points: Points earned in the Club when membership established.

Document Type: Do you have a document you wish to have associated with this Group? If so, enter the type here. (For example, this may be a Passport or a Driver's license).

Document Number: Do you have a document you wish to have associated with this Group? If so, enter the identifying number here.

Occupation: You may enter the Contact's/Company's occupation here.

Final Destination: This is a text field that can be drawn upon to add information to a custom document for your Property. For example, a travel destination, such as SeaTac, could be entered into the Final Destination field.

Web User ID: Used if a reservation has been made online.

Web Password: If the reservation has been made online, this may be entered here

Contact Group: This box may be checked or unchecked.

Inactive?: This box may be checked or unchecked. This box can be checked if you no longer wish a Group to appear in a search in the system.

Established: The date the Group Account was originally established according to your Skyware Systems internal date.

Contacts Tab:

This tab allows you to attach guests that are "associated" with the Group Information record you are currently viewing. The Contact area is typically used when the Guest Information record is a company; the contact area would show all of the individuals that work for that company.

Contacts Section: This section may list ALL contacts currently associated with this Group.

Primary contact (from list below): This drop-down menu contains all of the contacts in the Contacts section, and allows you to specify one from the list as the Primary contact for the Group.

Add a Contact: Clicking this button will open the Select/Create Guest to add as a Contact screen.

You may either search for a Guest using the Previous Guest section (top), or create a new Guest record using the New Guest information section (bottom).

Once done, clicking the orange button Finish >> will return you to the Group Account screen, still open on the Contacts tab, now with an/another entry in the Contacts section.

Clicking on a Contact name in this section will open the individual Contacts Account screen, open to the General tab. Open the Contacts tab to see that the guest has been entered in the "Contact for" section of this record.

Any Contact in this section may be deleted by clicking on the specific delete button to the left of the contact entry. A pop up window asking if you really want to delete this Contact link will appear; if you are sure click OK and the contact will be deleted.

The subsequent sections will only show entries here IF this Group Account is the Master Group.

Otherwise, clicking on a Contact name will open the individual Contacts Account screen, where the information will be contained on the Contacts tab there.

Contact for: This section displays the Company that the Contact/Guest is associated with.

Note: This section is completed automatically. The information shown here in the guest information screen is a record only.

Clicking on a Contact name in this section will open the individual Contacts Account screen, open to the General tab. Open the Contacts tab to see that the guest has been entered as a contact in the "Contacts" section.

Stay(s) that this contact/additional name is attached to Section: This section displays all of the stay records the Contact/Guest has (past present and future), where this guest is NOT the main guest, i.e. staying in the room but for whom you are not creating separate folios and dividing the room rate with. (For example, a husband and wife may be staying together. The stay was booked under the husband's name, with the wife added as an additional name to the stay.) . From this screen, click any of these dates to go into that stay.

Note: For a group booking, this section will normally be blank. See instead the "Bookings" tab.

Guest Profiles that are attached to this Company: This section show all of the individuals that work for that company that you have separate Guest profiles in Skyware Systems for.

Activities for this Guest: This section shows any activities the Contact/Guest have planned with your Property (for example horseback riding, or a massage).

Note: FUNCTIONS are specially created events or activities for the Group Block. USUALLY, any activities to take place for the Group as a whole would be considered Functions, and shown on the Functions tab of the Group Main Folio, NOT HERE. Thus, this section on a Group record is normally EMPTY.

Only if there are activities associated with this Group Folio AS A WHOLE, might they be shown here. Individual Guest activities (the Guests whom Picked up the rooms in the Group Block) will be shown on those guest records, not here.

When you are finished adding or editing a Group, click the Save Save button button to save the changes.