You are on page 1of 50

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Welcome to the Concierge ....................................................................................................................................... 4


Users Guide ............................................................................................................................................................... 4
Introduction .......................................................................................................................................................... 4
Getting Started...................................................................................................................................................... 4
The Grid – The Main Screen.................................................................................................................................. 5
Tool Bar.............................................................................................................................................................. 5
Options .................................................................................................................................................................. 6
The Latest News ................................................................................................................................................ 6
About ................................................................................................................................................................. 6
Settings .............................................................................................................................................................. 6
Security Functions ........................................................................................................................................... 12
Backup ............................................................................................................................................................. 12
Support ............................................................................................................................................................ 12
Maintenance ....................................................................................................................................................... 13
Company .......................................................................................................................................................... 13
Travel agent Maintenance ............................................................................................................................... 13
Departments .................................................................................................................................................... 14
Source Code ..................................................................................................................................................... 15
Purpose Code................................................................................................................................................... 15
Rooms.................................................................................................................................................................. 16
Room Type ....................................................................................................................................................... 16
Room Attribute ................................................................................................................................................ 16
Room Rates...................................................................................................................................................... 17
Packages .......................................................................................................................................................... 17
Channel Room Type Rates ............................................................................................................................... 18
Channel Block Availability................................................................................................................................ 18
Housekeeping .................................................................................................................................................. 18
Highlights............................................................................................................................................................. 19
Search .................................................................................................................................................................. 19
Cash Sales ............................................................................................................................................................ 20
Debtors ................................................................................................................................................................ 20
Farmbaye pty ltd Concierge Users Guide Version 2 2 Page
To Pay Off Debtors........................................................................................................................................... 20
Debtors Statements ......................................................................................................................................... 21
Making a Reservation ......................................................................................................................................... 23
To Move the Reservation ................................................................................................................................ 24
To Extend/ Increase Reservation: .................................................................................................................... 24
To Change / view / update / add deposit to an existing reservation .............................................................. 24
Check a Guest In .............................................................................................................................................. 25
Group Reservation ........................................................................................................................................... 28
Reporting............................................................................................................................................................. 31
Reports ............................................................................................................................................................ 31
Occupancy ....................................................................................................................................................... 31
Allotments ....................................................................................................................................................... 32
Guest Letterbox ............................................................................................................................................... 32
Data Export ...................................................................................................................................................... 34
End of Day ........................................................................................................................................................... 35
Channel Manager Connectivity .......................................................................................................................... 36
Setting up Rooms to link to Channel Manager ................................................................................................ 36
Database Usage................................................................................................................................................... 38
Setting Up Concierge on a Network ................................................................................................................ 38
CDS Main Screen ................................................................................................................................................. 40
Server............................................................................................................................................................... 40
PBX ................................................................................................................................................................... 41
Channel Manager ............................................................................................................................................ 41
License ............................................................................................................................................................. 42
Minimum Requirements..................................................................................................................................... 42
Daily Procedures for Concierge (recommended) ............................................................................................... 43
Questions and Answers ...................................................................................................................................... 44

Farmbaye pty ltd Concierge Users Guide Version 2 3 Page


Welcome to the Concierge
Users Guide

Introduction
The Concierge Front Office System has been developed and designed in Australia for hospitality
venues requiring a reservation software package which is simple to use, easy to install, takes
control of the business immediately with full financials, reporting, guest accounting and guest
history.

The following is a brief ‘How To’ when the software is fully loaded either in evaluation mode or a
fully licensed copy. Please keep in mind that if you are testing the software and decide to set
your entire property up we can license the evaluation copy so that you can keep all that set up
work.

___________________________________________________________________________________________

Getting Started
Download the software from our website www.farmbaye.com/concierge

After a successful installation you will find two new icons on your Desktop.

The first will be the Concierge Database Server (CDS) which must be run
each time you restart your computer. The CDS programs runs in the
background and maintains the data but is also used to direct traffic from
various connections like the channel management programs for on line
reservations, connection to a PABX or in room internet system OR if your
property runs a network, the CDS program will be loaded only on to one
machine and all other machines will look to the CDS server for the data

The second is the Concierge program. This is the icon which will be chosen
from the desktop every day and a program which will be possibly the most
used on your computer. On selection of this icon, the Concierge security
will look for a valid login.

During the installation for evaluation a default Username and Password is set. When fully
operational ALL staff should be given a valid Username and
Password so that details are logged against reservations and
transactions accurately. This sign in IS capital sensitive and
therefore its extremely important to ensure that CAPS lock is
not on when signing in. These passwords are setup in the
Options > Security settings tab and can only be accessed by
an Administrator.

The Settings tab at the top of the Login screen is there to


enable network machines to find the data on across a LAN
network. Please see Networking Concierge for full details.

Farmbaye pty ltd Concierge Users Guide Version 2 4 Page


_______________________________________________________________
The Grid – The Main Screen

On successful sign in the main menu will appear.

The main menu is for all intents a HOME screen; everything happens from this screen. This is
broken into our tool bar across the top of the screen, a toggle between Accommodation and
Function rooms, Autosnap grid selection, View Channel blocks, the Date Picker for moving to
dates in the future OR historic bookings in the past, the TODAY button which will always bring
the user back to the current Audit date, the Display sort so that the rooms can be displayed in
room number order, room type order OR display sequence order and a PRINT Booking Grid
button. To the right of the screen a Live Statistics box shows a snapshot of the business on
Today’s audit date. Also a Reservation Grid Key so that we can easily see the status of each
reservation.

Tool Bar
The following is an explanation of the tool bar functionality.

Farmbaye pty ltd Concierge Users Guide Version 2 5 Page


_______________________________________________________________
Options

Contains the initial setup items required to get started with Concierge and
set up your company defaults etc.

The Latest News is an area where the user may review past news items we
post, gives you news about changes and report on any issues which may
affect your Concierge Front Office Software.

About displays the version of Concierge Front Office system you are
currently operating.

Settings
Site Details
This is the area where license details are shown which cannot be edited. These are populated by
the electronic license issued when a purchase of Concierge is made via our website. This
company file which is created on purchase is used to ensure that the software is correctly linked
to your property and your business entity.

Transfer of license on the sale of a business must be done by Farmbaye Pty Ltd and is chargeable
– the ONLY details which can be changed are the Company Name, Contact and ABN.

Duplicate licenses are NOT available.

The section shown in YELLOW can be edited by an Administrator at any time by clicking on EDIT,
changing details and SAVE.

Farmbaye pty ltd Concierge Users Guide Version 2 6 Page


Defaults

The defaults screen is used to set your properties ‘normal’ settings. The first three departments
can be edited and are used when posting accommodation automatically, when taking deposits
(although the user can change the option during entry of a deposit) and when putting an
accommodation discount on an individual reservation.

Your default check-in and duration time is designed as a default for normal entry so that when
you’re in a hurry, a booking can be quickly input with the general check in / out times in place.
Next reservation number is auto generated from within Concierge. Every reservation requires a
unique record so this field should never be reset once the program is operational.

Default Cash Sales Print Receipt allows you to ensure you either DO or DO NOT by default get a
printed copy of the cash sales docket.

Auto lookup guest surname (on reservation screen) is popular with properties which have a lot
of return guest traffic. Saves on data entry when making reservations for a repeat guest and
creates a sense of belonging for the guest at the property.

Use Trust Accounting / room ownership will be used in the future for sites who report on
individual room revenue to owners.

Automatic set new reservations for sending a confirmation letter; this default relates to New
Reservations and the requirement for all new reservations to receive a confirmation letter,
whether by mail or email. Checking this box will ensure that all new reservations are tagged for
the default confirmation letter (selected just below this prompt) in the Guest Mailbox (see
reports).

Send email/print confirmation letters immediately when saving the reservation: this default, if
checked, will send or print the confirmation letter immediately on completing the reservation
and clicking on SAVE, making sure that person responsible for entering the reservation is
completing the entire guest communication. PLEASE CHECK ALL GUEST TEMPLATES BEFORE
beginning to use Concierge as these letters will start printing from the first reservation.

NOTE: Concierge recognizes that if no email address is present this option will default to PRINT.
Farmbaye pty ltd Concierge Users Guide Version 2 7 Page
Default Confirmation Letter: A default Confirmation letter has been loaded into the installed
copy of Concierge. If more than one template has been created the selection of the default on
this setup screen dictates which will be sent automatically. These letters / templates are
created and edited in the Guest Mailbox and can be edited with updated property activities etc.

Default Registration Letter: A default Registration template has been loaded into the installed
copy of Concierge and is used for guests checking in including generic terms and conditions from
the HMAA. Guests should be asked to check the information which is extracted from their
reservation and add any information your property does not already have.

IMPORTANT NOTE: During first time setup the generic letters we have on file are placed in
these boxes. We recommend that during any first time setup make time to review the details,
modify the letters to suit the needs of your business and check that the details going out are
correct by making a ‘dummy’ reservation with your own email address and printing a copy of
each just to check. These Guest Letters can be accessed via Reports > Guest Letterbox.

Tax settings
The tax settings in your Concierge Front Office Software, when first downloaded, are set to
Australian Standards. It is your responsibility to check these settings.

The checkbox Use Australian Long Term is a ruling specific to Australian taxation laws whereby
on the 28th day of a guests stay the GST component is applied to only HALF the accommodation
rate. ALL Australian sites should ensure this is checked.

The Tax Invoice Comments are printed on the bottom of a guest account, centered in the page
and can contain any text required to be shown on ALL guest invoices.

Farmbaye pty ltd Concierge Users Guide Version 2 8 Page


Periods
Used in FIRST TIME SETUP ONLY. This is the area where the beginning audit date is set and the
next start of Month, Financial Year but also showing which day of the week is usually deemed to
be day one.

Miscellaneous
Users are given the option to resize the grid, allowing for larger room size, widen the days on the
grid reducing the number of days seen etc. Whilst it is a great idea to experiment with this it is
best to get to something great for your type of business and set it so that staff don’t get worried
by changing screen sizes.

PABX options allows the user to select the appropriate default department for posting charges
coming through from an interfaced PABX or In room Internet.

Automatically display latest news allows the team at Farmbaye to send live new feeds for any
updates to the software or news that may affect your business.

Show HINTS allows the HELP bubble hint on various screens to pop up, instructing the user on
what to do next or what the function does.

Is End Of Day: this is a control flag to stop a networked user from doing end of day whilst
another is logged in.

Farmbaye pty ltd Concierge Users Guide Version 2 9 Page


Formats
Formats is used to display the different types of currency, time and date formats available within
Concierge.

This allows for the use of the software in many different countries.

These fields should only be adjusted if you are using the software outside of Australia.

Report style
To help our users individualize their Concierge system the reports including guest accounts can
be styled by yourself. Again our recommendation is to experiment, find a style, colour theme
which suits and set it in place.

The LOGO for your property must be in JPEG format to be loaded in to appear on guest accounts,
guest mailbox letters and reports.

Note: Logo’s which are too large will slow the system down when reporting or check guest
accounts.

PLEASE use the Preview Report Styles before saving changes and be happy with the setup
chosen.

Farmbaye pty ltd Concierge Users Guide Version 2 10 P a g e


Mailing

This is the Default mailing method setting and IF the Email option is to be used ALL settings must
be completed including full SMTP which would be the same as that used in your standard email
system.

From email address is your generic company email.

From name is the name you wish to see associated with emails going from you – we recommend
using something generic.

Host is the SMTP for your property – if you are not sure of this, check your account settings in
Outlook or your preferred email service.

BCC back to your own email address if you wish to keep a log of automated guest
correspondence going out – it WILL NOT be shown in your standard email service.

Again, we recommend that you experiment by using the Test Email.

User Access
The User Access area determines where each level of user can go within Concierge and therefore
what information and tasks can be performed. This must be set up by an Administrator and can
simply grey out areas which are deemed unnecessary for clerks or Front Desk in general.

NOTE: The default setting on a newly installed Concierge has all reports set for Administrator
level only. To make reports available to other User levels, double click on the User Level for
each report and change to the desired user level.

Farmbaye pty ltd Concierge Users Guide Version 2 11 P a g e


Security Functions
This is the User Name and Password setting area and must be accessed by an Administrator. To
add a new staff member click Add below and allow the staff member to type in their user name
and their password. The administrator can then decide on the User Level and SAVE this new
user.

Please ensure that all staff log out and then try to log back in again to ensure that the user name
and password is correctly set.

What’s the importance of each staff member having their own log in? Reservations, transactions
and activity logs show who did what and when – if all staff use the same log in there is no way of
knowing who did what!

Backup
The manual backup function in Concierge is accessed from Options and displays on screen with
the backup name as the computers current date. Click Backup and then select where you want
the backup to be stored.

Should it be necessary, the name of the backup can be altered.

Automatic backups are also performed during End Of Day but these are stored on the Hard drive
of the computer.

We strongly
recommend a daily
backup onto a
removable device

Support
This area is not accessible to users – it is designed to make supporting the software easier for our
technicians. The Support area allows the support team to rebalance ledgers and rebuild data
files. The support team for Concierge will instruct on any use of this area.

Farmbaye pty ltd Concierge Users Guide Version 2 12 P a g e


____________________________________________________________________________________________________
Maintenance

The Maintenance menu allows users to edit Guest Maintenance, updating


data which would be used on future stay/reservations.

Company
Allows for the addition and maintenance of Company details which are
required when charging accounts to debtors on checkout.

Comments on the Company file can be seen when the company is used for
reservations and helpful for specific charging rules.

If the company no longer have a Debtors account they can be stopped from appearing for new
reservations by checking the Hide from New Reservations checkbox.

NOTE: If Debtors Statements are to be emailed to the company, the Company Email address
must be filled in with the appropriate accounts department email address.

Travel agent Maintenance


Is where the agent details can be set and also the Commission rate which is applicable to each
agent. When Concierge Channel Manager is being used, the Channel Agents will auto create.

These maintenance areas are primarily used when creating new reservations or attaching
company / agent details to new or existing reservations.

Farmbaye pty ltd Concierge Users Guide Version 2 13 P a g e


Departments
The department setup creates the accounting charge / bank departments. Most banking
departments will be preset, many basic charge departments will also be preset.

The department code is user defined and can be alpha/numeric.

The description is what will be displayed by default on the guests account when the code is
selected for guest accounting.

All charges which attract GST or TAX must have Tax checked.

Only department codes relating to accommodation should have the accom box checked

Most Australian businesses must check the Australian Long Term Tax for their primary
accommodation sales code and all accommodation departments.

Covers relates to the number of persons, usually used for food and beverage departments to
help create average spend and meals costing.

Transaction Effects Banking is only checked for banking departments and allows the department
to appear where banking (credit) payment methods are required.

Trust is only used where the trust accounting module is attached to Concierge.

G/L Code relates to your external accounting package and should be entered where a journal
report is to be produced.

Report Seq relates to where on the reports each department is shown. Its really important to
group department codes together so reporting is more meaningful. For example, banking
departments, accommodation, food, beverage, function, phone, sundry sales when grouped
together makes balancing and auditing easier.

The Sequence Description is the heading of each group and on many reports will appear as the
sub total header.

** Is Active Department check box top right must be checked for all current transactions. If the
department code is no longer active, by clicking on Edit and unchecking this box the code will no
longer be available for future posting.

Farmbaye pty ltd Concierge Users Guide Version 2 14 P a g e


Source Code
The source code relates to how the guest found your business. Entry of a Source Code during
reservations is MANDATORY. This is important information to determine where your business is
coming from and where to concentrate your future advertising dollars. Sites using the channel
management systems will have the source preset for channel bookings.

Please consider your marketing codes carefully, too many will have staff just using the first
available.

Business by Source code is a valuable report and only as good as the data collected and stored.

Purpose Code
The purpose code is a non-mandatory field in reservations but if entered builds a picture of why
guests are staying at your property and again can help planning for the future.

Farmbaye pty ltd Concierge Users Guide Version 2 15 P a g e


_______________________________________________________________
Rooms
This is the area where the structure of the property is set up, the various types of
rooms need to be grouped together based on how they are priced.

When setting up, please start with Room Types, Room Attributes then Room
Setup for the actual room numbers. Rates and packages are set up last.

Room Type
The room type groups the rooms of a similar size and value together as seen in the example.
This can also include function rooms.

These become important grouping categories when Concierge is being used by a Channel
Manager.

When using a Channel Manager you link one Room type to One Room Type coming from the
Channel Manager.

Your rooms can be shown on the grid in room number order or room type order making it easier
to group reservations in similar styles of rooms.

Room Attribute
The attributes of a room are the features which make one room slightly different to another in
the same room type. For instance, your property might have ten Spa Suites but five might have
an ocean view whilst the other five have a garden view. By adding the attributes to the room
setup you make it easier for others to remember the features of an individual room.

Farmbaye pty ltd Concierge Users Guide Version 2 16 P a g e


Room Rates
Each room type would have a RACK or standard rate which is set to calculate in each reservation
based on the dates and the number of people in the room. These rates are set by clicking on
ADD, then entering the Rate Code, selecting the accommodation account code, the amounts
(see example) and the period for which this rate is applicable. If a field does not require a value,
enter a zero. The Start date and End date determine the period which this rate can be used.
Please note that after the end date, the room rate will NOT appear in any new reservation.

Packages
Sites selling accommodation packages which include other services such as food and beverage
which are then advertised as one set price can do so by setting Package Rates. The Package
Description is what will be shown on the guests account and the total ‘advertised rate’ is what
will be shown alongside the description if the ‘package roll up’ option is checked when printing
the guest account. This is checked by default.

Items which are part of a package will be shown on a guest account with a small image of a
package (far right of the guest transaction screen).

Important to remember that when setting a package, the rate shown on this screen is PER
PERSON and will be multiplied on the reservation by the number of people, both adults and
children. Also double check the balance at the bottom which is the per person balance.

Farmbaye pty ltd Concierge Users Guide Version 2 17 P a g e


Channel Room Type Rates
This feature is not currently being used as the Channel Managers at present don’t accept rate
changes from Concierge.

Channel Block Availability


This sections allows for temporarily blocking out Channel manager availability (allotments) to
particular rooms. A maximum of 28 days only.

Once set, it will in its next 5 minute poll send the updated room availability to your Channel
Manager. If you need to cancel the stop sell you simply right click on the block and delete.

This way there is no need to continually update room availability in your Channel Manager, it can
all be done from here.

Housekeeping
Rooms will be shown with a broom beside the number on the main grid after a checkout,
indicating that the room needs to be serviced before the next arrival. These brooms can be
removed individually by clicking on the room and clicking clean OR click the first room, HOLD
DOWN the CTRL key and left click all rooms (they will shade when selected). When all are
selected, release CTRL and click Clean.

**Alternatively, rooms can be cleaned by right mouse clicking on the room number on the grid
and toggling between clean and dirty.

Farmbaye pty ltd Concierge Users Guide Version 2 18 P a g e


___________________________________________________________________________________________
Highlights

There are always times when a special rate might be in place, a reminder of an event in town etc.
and highlights is the perfect way to flag this on the grid. Set the start and end dates, type in the
reason (which is shown when the mouse is rolled over the date at the top of the grid) and select
a colour from the spectrum of colours available.

Always check the grid and make sure the highlight shows the way you want.

Search
The search facility is a powerful means to look for a guest, by surname, a company or a
reservation anywhere within the system, be it historic, future or cancelled. Once found,
highlight the guest you want and click Show on Planner to be taken directly to that guest or
reservation. To filter the search further check the Use date range box.

Farmbaye pty ltd Concierge Users Guide Version 2 19 P a g e


___________________________________________________________________________________________
Cash Sales

Not all sales relate to a guest account and so we have the Cash Sales feature which requires both
the charge and the payment on the same screen. After completing all of the details, with the
Print Receipt box checked, the guest can have a printed tax invoice to validate the sale.

Debtors
The Debtors button has two functions – to batch pay off Debtors when payments are received
OR slide the toggle at the top and Statements can be printed or emailed direct to one client or a
number of clients with the selection box checked.

To Pay Off Debtors


Make sure the slide toggle is on Batch posting.

Find the company and click to highlight then click NEXT

Farmbaye pty ltd Concierge Users Guide Version 2 20 P a g e


The debtor’s batch posting screen will appear showing all invoices present for this debtors which
are all auto checked (green ticks – to unselect click the green tick next to Pay). The payment
must equal the sum total of the invoices selected. If commission applies, enter the actual
payment amount received followed by the payment method then enter the amount deducted
and select commission – this should balance the batch.

Same is true of Accommodation discount instead of Commission – if the invoice has been short
paid and the balance needs to be forced, the accomm discount can be used to adjust the total.

When the batch balances to 0.00 click Run Batch Payment. A debtors batch payment report will
display on screen – please print this as proof of a correct batch entry.

Date range at the top can help isolate invoices from a particular month, very handy with Wotif
payments.

Debtors Statements
By sliding the toggle to the left Statements appears.

Select the delivery method at the top Print / Email then use the Checkbox on the right to select
the companies you wish to send statements too.

When choosing the PRINT option for statement there is no covering letter, just prints the
statement.

Please note, if Emailing, the company must have a Company Email filled in and we suggest that
you take a moment to look at the

Edit debtors email template

Which is the details on the page of the email, the statement will go out as an attached PDF.

Farmbaye pty ltd Concierge Users Guide Version 2 21 P a g e


Concierge Mail Editor

Allows you to tailor the email which will be automatically sent to the debtor with your
debtor’s statement attached. Please ensure that the wording is as you want BEFORE
sending any emails.

We recommend that the letter editor be checked prior to sending to make sure it looks
presentable for a client.

Use a sample email address and send to your own company first.

Farmbaye pty ltd Concierge Users Guide Version 2 22 P a g e


_______________________________________________________________
Making a Reservation

To make a new reservation, using the mouse locate the day and room for check-in then, holding
down the left mouse button drag right to the appropriate checkout day/time or just Right Mouse
Click to default to one day.

Select Reserve for a one off reservation or Group for a group reservation (see groups reservation
for instruction).

Any bookings showing on the Grid with a Flag – have come directly in via your Channel Manager.

The Maintenance Option allows for the room to be taken off line and out of availability for the
duration of the block. **NOTE: rooms off line on maintenance will not be counted in
Occupancy figures.

Click Reserve and the following reservation screen will appear.

YELLOW fields are mandatory.

For new guest reservations complete as many of the fields as needed or possible. Room rate
codes and packages are derived from the setup tables seen in Rooms, Room Rates or Room
Packages.

Search symbol will display the look up for the field it relates too.

Farmbaye pty ltd Concierge Users Guide Version 2 23 P a g e


Method of Payment - if the guest is from a company and will be charging back to a debtors
account, Company Account method of payment MUST be selected and a Company must be
present in the company field of the reservation.

When the booking details are completed, click Save to finalize the booking. The reservation will
then appear on the grid as a Red (active record) then change to the normal reserved reservation
colour.

The guests name and reservation number will show on the reservation bar but if the mouse is
rolled over the reservation an information bubble appears with the expanded information
including check-in / checkout details, address etc. and contact information.

If the guest had already checked in the balance of the guest account will also appear.

To Move the Reservation: Hold the Left Click down and drag / drop the guests into a
new room – release to set.

To Extend/ Increase Reservation: the booking move the mouse to the far right or
left of the reservation to get the arrow and drag to alter.

To Change / view / update / add deposit to an existing reservation:


Locate the guest reservation on the grid and Right Mouse Click on that reservation. Menu
appears for change options.

Details allows changes to the reservation screen.

Change Times gives the option to change arrival and departure dates and times.

**NOTE: when making a long term booking, wider than the screen settings, create a smaller
booking and use the Change Times option to insert the real depart date.
Farmbaye pty ltd Concierge Users Guide Version 2 24 P a g e
Deposit creates a physical banking entry logging the credit against the transactions tab and
adding the amounts to the deposits ledger. User can add as many deposit entries as required.

Confirm allows the user to change the status of the booking to confirm by acknowledging a credit
card being held or other means.

Cancel will log the reservation as cancelled, remove the record from the grid and allow the room
to be used by a new reservation.

**NOTE: cancelled reservations can be searched.

Check a Guest In
The Check-in option located in the Right Click menu will ONLY be shown when the Concierge
date and Arrival date match. By clicking the check-in option the reservation screen will appear –
for a fast check in just press enter and the guest status will be changed to Checked In/In-house.
If more information is gained at check-in please enter this now.

EDIT DETAILS / CHANGE TIMES / POST CHARGES / ROOM MOVE / CHECK OUT

Right Click menu alters when the guest is checked in. User now has access to various options;

Edit Details is selected to change any of the guest details or view the Transactions of the guest. If
the booking has come in via your Channel Manager certain fields will be locked and you will not
be able to modify them.

Farmbaye pty ltd Concierge Users Guide Version 2 25 P a g e


Change Times will allow the checkout date / time to be altered if there is clear space on the grid.

Post Charges goes directly to a Posting screen allowing the user to post either a charge or a
payment.

Room Move brings up a list of rooms which the current guest in house could possibly occupy.
**NOTE that the room rate for the guest MAY NOT be relevant to the new room type. IF the
guest is to be guaranteed the old rate, change in details and click the Maintain Rate checkbox.

Check Out allows the guest to be checked out of the room. To check out the guest either the
balance of the account must be brought back to ZERO … OR … the guest has a Company loaded
in the Details section and the Method of Payment is Company Charge. The account balance
would be added directly to the Debtors.

Transactions

The transactions screen lists all of the charges and payments current against the guest account
at any time. For new transactions to be entered, click on POSTING. To View / Print the guest
account select the Print Bill at the bottom of the screen.

Folio View: the default view is ALL. User can right click on a single transaction or highlight one
transaction and SHIFT click to block multiple transactions to be moved from one folio to another.

Once transaction/s are selected right click on transaction and the Move to Folio / Reversal /
Transfer option appears. If the transactions are to be moved to a separate folio select the new
folio on the list and the transactions will instantly show on the new folio.

Reversal: If a transaction needs to be reversed select / highlight the transaction in question and
click on the Reversal option – the transaction will be duplicated with a correcting entry and both
will show a unique reversal ID on the far right of the screen. It is possible to HIDE reversals from
screen by checking the box bottom left of the screen.

**NOTE: Reversed transactions do NOT appear on a guest account unless the user checks the
option to show them.

Transfer: When transferring transactions first left click to select OR left click then hold SHIFT to
block multiple items. Now Right Click menu will show the Transfer option. Click Transfer. Use
the DROP Down arrow to select the room to transfer the entries to and select the folio on that
account or Keep Original Folios.
Farmbaye pty ltd Concierge Users Guide Version 2 26 P a g e
Bottom of the transfer screen will show the number of transactions and the amount to be
transferred.

ALL transferred transactions will keep details of the original room where the transaction
originated.

To Transfer entire Account to Another Room: use this method and select / block ALL
transactions then go to Right Click menu and transfer to another in house account.

Open the guest account and click item to be transferred and then right click OR to transfer in
BULK on the first item to be transferred. Then HOLD the SHIFT key down and click on the last
item to be transferred which will block (as shown) all items to be transferred. Now right click on
one of the blocked items and the Move to Folio or Transfer option will appear.

Click on Transfer and then select the folio you wish to transfer onto, and then the guest account
you wish to target. Make sure you have the correct guest account and click TRANSFER. All
items transferred will still display the room number they originated from on the new account.

**NOTE: Be aware of the PACKAGE symbol shown BELOW when Moving / Reversing /
Transferring transactions. This indicates that the item selected is part of a package and this
change could affect the package amount quoted to the guest prior to arrival.

Package Roll UP will still show the package on the guest account with its original name but the
amounts will differ.

Farmbaye pty ltd Concierge Users Guide Version 2 27 P a g e


Group Reservation
After lining up the date and room for the Group Master (the
organizer or leader of the group), Right mouse click and then select
the Group Option for reservations.

The Group Booking screen appears and allows for the entry of a NEW GROUP – Click on the New
Group for the first entry of a group reservation, NAME the new group, SELECT a group icon
which will distinguish this group visually and quickly from other groups on the grid. The ‘Use
Master Billing for this group?’ option must be thought out prior to clicking SAVE.

If the accounts of all guests in house for this particular group are to be sent to the Group Master,
make sure to check the box. IF unsure, do not check the box – it is easy enough to go to each
guest account and transfer the transactions back to one account but difficult to split off from the
master back to the guest accounts.

Notice when creating a group master reservation the letters (GM) will lead the booking name on
the grid and seen below on the reservation screen. Enter as much information as possible on
this screen as it becomes the template for all the group guest reservations and as each group
guest room is reserved, the exact same details will be duplicated.

Guest names can be the group name until the rooming list for the group is provided.

When creating the group guests reservations, Right click, go to Group and now select Existing
Group to add more members using the same details for this group booking. Click the drop down
arrow to select the correct Group Master.

Farmbaye pty ltd Concierge Users Guide Version 2 28 P a g e


As the group grows on the screen each reservation will be shown with the same group name
initially and the same group symbol as selected for the Group Master.

When the rooming list / guest names for each reservation are available, go to each room, right
click and go to Details. DELETE the group name from the surname field and enter in the new
guest name for this particular room.

Group Check-in

Always select the Group Master to check in first. As the SAVE is clicked to check in the Group
Master, the Group check-in pop up will appear allowing for the remaining group guests, due to
check in today, to be checked in. NOTE: if the rooms are still occupied or dirty, the auto group
check-in will not be completed.

NOTES ON GROUP RULES:

No group guest can check in before a group master is checked in.

No group guest can remain after the group master is checked out.

No group guest can have an arrival or departure date outside the group master parameters BUT
group guests can certainly be in for shorter periods than the group master.

Farmbaye pty ltd Concierge Users Guide Version 2 29 P a g e


Group Checkout
If Master Billing has been selected ALL transactions for the guests will have been auto
transferred to the GM account so the group guest can be checked out immediately they depart.
(Right Mouse Click guest, select Checkout then click on Checkout)

IF no Master Billing has been selected each of the group guest accounts will need to be settled
before the checkout can occur. If some or all of the individual accounts is to be transferred to
the GM Account, go to the group guest account, highlight the transactions to be transferred,
right mouse click and Transfer – then select the GM account.

IF all group accounts are to be sent to a Debtor, please make sure that Company Account is the
selected Payment Method and the correct company is loaded in the Company field. Then, right
click each guest, select Check Out and when transactions tab opens, click Checkout.

Farmbaye pty ltd Concierge Users Guide Version 2 30 P a g e


______________________________________________________________
Reporting
Reports
Select the drop down to see Reports / Occupancy / Export / Guest Letterbox / Audit Log

The reports screens are broken into three main categories.

Guest Reports which relate to reservations to come, guests in house, forecasting and occupancy,
PABX call tracking where interfaced, HOUSEKEEPING reports, Channel Blocks by Date and the ABS
report.

Financial Reports relates to anything to do with finances including the ledger reports, trial
balances, banking and audit reports, management reports which help with budgets and
balancing.

History Reports are the Business by type of reports isolating the value of various key elements
including value per room over a date range, value by company so that the most valued corporate
clients can be isolated and etc. and also the food and beverage reports which break down food
by person if the correct data is being collected.

These reports can be found in more detail in a subsequent Reports Manual.

Occupancy
The occupancy screen shows from the date selected into the future the current picture of rooms
occupied, rooms available and room’s offline on maintenance.

Farmbaye pty ltd Concierge Users Guide Version 2 31 P a g e


Allotments
The allotments screen shows the number of rooms available for the date selected. It will
highlight in yellow the rooms that have been booked and the availability has changed.

You can manually update the Channel Manager in this area by clicking on the Update Channel
Manager Allotments at the bottom.

Guest Letterbox
The guest letterbox is the area which allows the creation and amendment to the Registration
Letters, Confirmation Letters and any other guest letters. These are letters which are sent to the
guest via email when reservations are created by default or if the default settings are to NOT
auto send, we use the Guest Letterbox to distribute the letters in bulk. TOGGLE the slide
Confirmation bar to change to Registration.

Reservations for the next ? number of days will be listed and can be ticked (selected) to be either
printed and posted or emailed directly.

Guest letters can ONLY be emailed where the reservation contains a valid email address.

Farmbaye pty ltd Concierge Users Guide Version 2 32 P a g e


**NOTE: The email settings must be completed and correct in the Options screen for the
emails to be sent automatically BUT Concierge DOES NOT use your default email service but
sends from within the program so IF you wish to retain a copy of the emails going out the BCC
back to your property must be set in the Options>Settings>Mailing screen.

**NOTE: the Select box will only be ticked where the guest reservation DOES NOT have
Reservation Confirmation box already checked.

Edit Guest Letterbox


To edit the current default letter in the Guest Letterbox, first use the drop down to select the
letter, then click on the EDIT option. The letter editor will appear. This is a simple yet powerful
mail editor giving the choice of formatting and changing the appearance of your guest
correspondence. When looking to use data from either the Concierge license OR the Guest
Reservation, use the Select Field drop down, find the information to be dropped into the letter,
make sure the cursor is in the correct spot and then click on Insert Field. Always Preview Letter
to check how it is looking and to help with the overall layout and presentation, pay particular
attention to the merge data and where it is positioned along with the wording around it. Once
the letter is completed, our recommendation is to make a fake reservation and have the letter
emailed to your own email address to be sure it’s perfect.

The Guest Mailbox is for Registration letters and Confirmation letters but the Mail Editor is also
used to create the email details for the Guest Account to be emailed out AND the Debtors
statement.

Farmbaye pty ltd Concierge Users Guide Version 2 33 P a g e


Data Export

For those who wish to create queries and reports, the Data Export feature allows simple SQL
statements to be created (as shown in the example) which can be saved and used for future
queries and reports.

As the Warning shows, these are to be used by those of you who have a sound SQL knowledge.

Farmbaye pty ltd Concierge Users Guide Version 2 34 P a g e


_______________________________________________________________
End of Day

The end of day function closes one trading day, finalizes the banking and financials for that day,
posts accommodation for any guests staying more than one evening and tucks away an auto
backup to the hard drive of the current machine. Runs the end of day reports which are shown
on this screen – Reconciliation Management Report and Banking report are mandatory reports –
all others can be ticked to be produced and once ticked, each report will remain ticked until you
manually un-tick.

This process finally takes any checked out guests into an historic status and changes the audit
date so that any further postings are added to the next trading date.

The process takes no more than five minutes and MUST be run to close each trading day. We
recommend that this process is done either last thing at night before closing the office, making
sure that all the banking balances to the reports OR if your property experience frequent late
night walk-ins, do the End of Day Roll first thing the following morning to ensure any late arrivals
are added to the reservations grid and charged on the correct day.

On completion the end of day process asks you to CHECK that all the reports have been printed
before accepting the roll over with a Yes.

Farmbaye pty ltd Concierge Users Guide Version 2 35 P a g e


_______________________________________________________________
Channel Manager Connectivity

The Concierge setup to link to your Channel Manager is very simple. The Link/Integration to the
Channel Managers can be located within the CDS. Currently Concierge links to Update247
Channel Management and UseROSS Channel Management.

For ease of setting up, you can download TeamViewer so that we can log onto your computer
and help setup the connection between your new UseROSS or Update247 Account and
Concierge. Once Team Viewer is downloaded, please call our support line and we can log on
and help with the setup.

Alternatively you can run the following:

To begin with you will need to STOP the CDS server. Go to the Options tab, enter your Channel
Managers username and ensure the option to turn on the Channel Manager is not selected (for
now). Then click UPDATE.

Click back on the Server Tab and restart the CDS. You can now open backup the Concierge Grid.

Setting up Rooms to link to Channel Manager

We then need to connect the Room Types from the Channel Manager to the Room Types in
Concierge.

Select Rooms from the top menu and then Room Types.

Farmbaye pty ltd Concierge Users Guide Version 2 36 P a g e


Select each room type in Concierge that is available via your Channel Manager and link the
Channel Room drop down option which matches your Concierge Room Type.

Only one Room Type can be linked to One Channel Room Type.

Once the Room types have been successfully linked, exit Concierge. Go back to the CDS server >
click on STOP. Go to the Options tab, and tick Use Channel Manager. Then Click to UPDATE.
Restart the Concierge software.

Once the option to turn the Channel Manager has been turned on the flow out to the channels
of your choice (Wotif, Booking.com etc ) will occur every five minutes. You can now accept live
reservations from these sites directly into the Concierge grid with a flag to show where the
booking has come from. Your Concierge package can become a 24/7 reservations clerk,
managing the rooms inventory but allowing you to maintain control by holding a few rooms back
for walk in guests if necessary.

Farmbaye pty ltd Concierge Users Guide Version 2 37 P a g e


______________________________________________________________
Database Usage
Setting Up Concierge on a Network
To start using Concierge, you will first need to open up the Concierge Database Server (as
pictured below).

The main Concierge program will not run successfully without the CDS running in the
background. Once opened you can simply click on the Underscore button in the top right hand
corner and just have this running in the background.

On your other terminals, we need to ensure that only the Concierge Program has been installed and
not the Concierge Database Server (CDS). So the only icon visible on the Desktop should be the
Concierge Icon as shown.

For the Network to work successfully, this application must only be installed on what you have
established as your ‘Server’. The other terminals linking to this main ‘Server’ will only need to
run the Concierge Program which will be linked via an IP address to the CDS.

After you have installed both the CDS and Concierge Program onto your ‘Server’, you will need
to take note of the IP Address listed on the CDS. This can be found in the bottom right hand
corner. Keep this handy so we can insert into your other terminals:

Farmbaye pty ltd Concierge Users Guide Version 2 38 P a g e


To link these further terminals to the ‘Server’ we need to insert the IP address of the ‘Server’ into
the Concierge Program on each separate Terminal which is linked to the ‘Server’.

When you open the Concierge program the Login screen will appear. Click on the Settings tab at
the top of the screen.

The field to insert the IP Address will now be visible. Insert the IP address from your ‘Server’ into
this field and click Update.

If your network is setup correctly, the ‘Server’ and terminals will now all be linked and working
together

Farmbaye pty ltd Concierge Users Guide Version 2 39 P a g e


___________________________________________________________________________________________
CDS Main Screen

There are three tabs available in the CDS Screen.

Server
Shows users currently logged into Concierge, the IP address and Date and Time of log in. This
screen also allows you to STOP the Server and to RESTORE your database.

Restore
Should it be necessary to restore from a previous backup at any time, you will need to
STOP the Server and click on RESTORE. All Concierge programs across the network
should be shutdown.

Use the Browse facility as seen above to select the backup required. Concierge as a
unique backup feature which names each backup with the date the backup was
generated making it easy to locate the backup required to restore.

Farmbaye pty ltd Concierge Users Guide Version 2 40 P a g e


PBX
This allows for the setup of a PABX. To change any details in these fields, the Server must be
stopped to edit.

Your Concierge Software can be linked directly to your PABX to record guest calls from rooms
and log them as charges against the guest account with details of the call so that your guests can
recognise the phone activity. Whilst your Concierge system is set ready to interface, the PABX
Connection does require third party software to connect phones to Concierge.

We do have available a third party software called AggSoft Software component which we can
configure to work with your PABX.

Channel Manager
This allows for the setup of your linking Channel Manager.

Farmbaye pty ltd Concierge Users Guide Version 2 41 P a g e


License
The license for Concierge is produced only by Farmbaye – when purchasing Concierge you will be
asked for details of the property and other information. Only when that information is received
along with signed terms and conditions and payment has been made will a full license be issued.

Load License
If the need to load a new license into Concierge is required, eg loading onto a new
computer, you will need to load the license file here. Save the license file that we have
sent you onto your desktop for easy access. Then click on Load License, find the .vlf file
and OPEN.

Minimum Requirements

The windows system requirements are as follows:

 Microsoft Windows 7, or Windows 8


 2GB RAM minimum, 4GB RAM or greater recommended.
 Display dimensions of 1024x768 or greater
 Internet connection required for updates and support.
 External backup storage is required for backing up data (either a USB stick or external
backup drive)

Farmbaye pty ltd Concierge Users Guide Version 2 42 P a g e


___________________________________________________________________________________________
Daily Procedures for Concierge (recommended)

Just to help you along the way, we have listed down a ‘recommended daily procedures’ for your
reference. Feel free to edit the Procedure List for your individual Hotel/Motel.

First thing in the morning, enter any late check-ins that arrived for accommodation last night and key
in any Dinner charges or Overnight charges other than accommodation.

Run the EOD for last night, printing off any necessary financial documentation, we would recommend
as a minimum the Banking Report and Reconciliation Report.

Check the Reconciliation report, in particular Guest, Deposit, Debtors ledger figures to ensure the
property is in balance. Confirm that the banking totals agree with the amount banked on the
previous day.

Print off Housekeepers Report for cleaning staff.


Reporting >Report>Guests > Housekeeping

Key in any breakfast, newspaper or bar charges to overnight guests, ready for check out.

If Guests have already paid, print out the Invoices for convenience before check out.

Print out Reporting > Reports > Guest > Departures – have this ready for today’s departures.

As Guests start checking out – check them out in Concierge, print off their invoices.

Make separate copies of any guest accounts where the account is going to Debtors – either email or
post the accounts to the company responsible.

Once all guests are checked out – print out the Arrivals Report to confirm which rooms are needed
urgently. Reporting > Reports > Arrivals

Print out the Registration Letters for all new Arrivals and have them ready to hand out to Guests.
Reporting > Guest Letterbox > Registration Letters. This is very convenient if you have group
Bookings arriving.

Prepare Room Keys, any meal voucher or complimentary orders.

Properties connected to a Channel Manager for auto web based reservations, please check that the
connection is live and bookings are coming through.

Print and Send out any Confirmation Letters that need to go out.
Reporting > Guest Letterbox > Confirmation Letters

Once rooms are cleaned, mark all rooms Clean in Concierge ready for new arrivals.

New Guests arriving – check them in. Hand out the Registration Letters to gather guest’s Personal
data and to provide the hotel with important guest information.

Once the Registration Forms are received back from the Guest, enter this data into Concierge.

Farmbaye pty ltd Concierge Users Guide Version 2 43 P a g e


Questions and Answers

Q. Can I charge a Cancellation Fee to a Guest that has paid a deposit but cancelled their
booking?

A. To charge a Cancellation Fee and cancel the booking you will need to do the following:

Before we start with the Cancellation, we need to ensure that certain departments have
been setup in Maintenance.

Maintenance > Departments, please ensure that you have the following setup:

Department Code: 49600


Description: Deposit Transfer Debit
Boxes Ticked: Transaction Effects Banking
Default Transaction: Debit
G/L Code: 49600
Report Sequence: 99
Seq Description: Deposit Transfer

And

Department Code: 49650


Description: Deposit Transfer Credit
Boxes Ticked: Transaction Effects Banking
Default Transaction: Credit
G/L Code: 49650
Report Sequence: 99
Seq Description: Deposit Transfer

And

Department Code: 49000


Description: Cancellation Fee
Boxes Ticked: Tax and Revenue
Default Transaction: Debit
G/L Code: 49000
Report Sequence: 1
Seq Description: Accommodation

Once the above have been setup, we can then locate the booking that needs to be
cancelled on the Grid. Right Click and open up the Reservation details. Click across into
Transactions. First you will need to Refund the Deposit. Now if this is a straight refund,
this is nice and easy and you will refund the whole amount.

Farmbaye pty ltd Concierge Users Guide Version 2 44 P a g e


If however, you are going to charge them a cancellation fee, you will first Refund them
the amount they are expecting. Eg. Deposit received $1000, you are charging them a
50% Cancellation Fee – you would refund them $500 via the payment method you
choose (Direct Deposit Refund)

As the Guest has obviously not been checked in yet, we cannot post a cancellation fee
at this stage, so what we need to do is Post a Deposit Transfer Debit to remove the
amount we are going to charge for the cancellation fee – so we can cancel the booking.
This will hold this money in transit so we can post the Cancellation Fee shortly.

Click on Deposit > in Payment Method select Deposit Transfer Debit and key in the
remaining $500 (the amount we are going to charge for the Cancellation Fee (the
remainder that is left))

Click on Save – the balance due now will show 00.00, this will now allow us to Cancel
the booking.

Farmbaye pty ltd Concierge Users Guide Version 2 45 P a g e


Right Click on the Booking on the Grid and Cancel the Stay.

We now need to post the cancellation fee onto this Guest. Click on Search at the Top of
the screen. Search for the Guests Surname and ensure you tick the box next to Search
Cancellations. The booking that you cancelled will appear here.

Highlight the booking and select Show on Planner. This will bring you straight to the
reservation screen. Click into the Transaction Tab. We now need to charge the Guest
for the Cancellation Fee. Click on Postings. For the Sales Dept select Cancellation Fee,
key in the amount you are charging for this. Then in the Payment Department, select
the Deposit Transfer Credit. This will absorb the funds already sitting in the Transfer
Deposit Section.

Farmbaye pty ltd Concierge Users Guide Version 2 46 P a g e


Q. How do I load a logo onto my confirmation letters and reports?

A. You can easily customise your Concierge software to allow your logo to print out
automatically on all Letters and Reports. Select from the menu OPTIONS > SETTINGS >
REPORT STYLE

Click the EDIT button to put the settings into edit mode - and then click the LOAD LOGO
button. It will prompt you now to search for your Logo (this must be a JPEG or PNG) and
click the OPEN button. Your logo will now be embedded into all of your Reports and
Letters.

Q. Guest has requested a copy of the invoice on arrival, they are staying 7 nights, but
Concierge post charges every night – how do I do this?

A. Concierge, posts each night’s stay when EOD is run. (Taxation requirements suggest
that these charges should not be invoiced until the guest has physically stayed those
nights). Due to the above, you have a couple of options to run with.

1. As the software posts the first nights charge on Check-in, you could manually
post an extra Accommodation Charge for the remaining number of nights.
Noting down in the description the nights eg Stay from 10-5-14 to 17-5-14 and
post the remaining $ value. Print out the invoice for the guest showing the full
charge and payment. Once this is done you could then void the extra night’s
stay that you just manually charged, (as the software will then automatically
charge each night’s stay at the end of each EOD).

Farmbaye pty ltd Concierge Users Guide Version 2 47 P a g e


2. Alternatively, you could Create a Rate code for each room (call it Zero Bal if you
like) see below and make the amounts all as 0.00 (Rooms > Room Rates)

When a guest comes in and you want to charge them upfront you can select
this rate code in the setup details table.

You can then go into Transactions and post an Accommodation Transaction


and change the description to say something like Accommodation from
19.11.13 to 24.11.13 and set the figure as you normally would.

Post the payment amount – and the invoice will show correctly.

And because you have set the Room Rate Code to Zero it won’t actually post
anything to the transaction history. So the invoice even after their stay will be
correct.

WARNING: The software cannot predict the change of departure date for a
guest – if the guest decided to extend and the room rate is $0 – the guest will
not be charged for subsequent nights stays.

Farmbaye pty ltd Concierge Users Guide Version 2 48 P a g e


Q. When should I run the End of Day?

A. This can be a tricky question as each business runs their hotel different.
We often recommend to run the End of Day first thing the following morning, before
any of the day’s check-ins or check-outs. This allows the software to cater for any late
walk-ins and stays for the previous night. AS such your reporting will show all check-ins
or checkouts for the whole day, without missing any later arrivals.

Q. How do I email an invoice direct to a Guest?

A. In the Reservation screen for the particular guest in question, select the tab
Transactions. At the bottom of this screen select PRINT BILL. A small text box will
appear allowing you to EMAIL this invoice direct to the customer.

Note: The customer must have a valid email address linked to their reservation to
ensure the option is not greyed out. If the option is greyed out you can manually add in
an email address and the Email button will become available. Please do not use all
capital letters.

Q. Can I change the colours of the Grid?

A. Unfortunately changing the colours of the Grid cannot be done. We have found on
many occasions the confusion with customers changing their grid colours, not
understanding the manuals as their colours are different to what is shown in the
manuals, stays disappearing because of wrong colour choices etc etc. As such we
decided that this option would not be available.

Sometimes adjusting the colour and contrast of your computer can make a difference to
the viewing colours.

The grid can be colour coded on dates to show special periods of time using Highlight

Farmbaye pty ltd Concierge Users Guide Version 2 49 P a g e


Q. Can I manually run a Channel Manager Update?

A. Within Concierge itself, a poll will occur automatically every 5 minutes sending out the
necessary information to your Channel Manager. If however you wanted to run an
update then and there, there are two options.

1. You can go to REPORTING > ALLOTMENTS > UPDATE CHANNEL MGR


ALLOTMENTS. This will automatically send an allotment update to the Channel
Manager.

2. The other way is to physically close Concierge down, including the Server and
then restart. By restarting the CDS, it will always reconnect and poll on start-
up. You can also view the log in the CDS to ensure the connection is successful.

Q. Can I Transfer transactions to another room?

A. Absolutely. While in the transaction screen, if you right click on a transaction you have
the option to Transfer this to another account. You can actually transfer the entire
Account to Another Room. This is very handy if you had staff members from the same
company stay that you haven't setup as a Group Booking.

Q. If a booking has come in via the Channel Management – can I change the number of
guests staying?

A. When the bookings come in from your Channel Management they are ‘locked’ into place.
As the guest has confirmed all these details with the original Channel – these fields cannot
be altered. The alternative if you do need to make a change is to cancel the Channel
Management Booking – and re-book manually into Concierge with all the necessary
details.

Farmbaye pty ltd


P.O Box 9
KALORAMA VIC 3766
PH: +61 3 9728 1544
Email: support@farmbaye.com

Farmbaye pty ltd Concierge Users Guide Version 2 50 P a g e

You might also like