This guide explains how to use the Accommodation Bookings module in GRATIS to create and manage accommodation bookings from start to finish. 

It covers setting up a new booking, adding guests and venue options, updating venue details and images for proposals, managing charges, commission and transaction fees, and using the Agents tab for client-specific fields. It also explains how to save and send proposals, re-contact venues, and handle the full booking lifecycle, including confirmations, amendments, and cancellations.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

• Creating a New Booking
• General Tab – Reservation & Booking Sections
• Guests Tab
  • To add guests:
• Options Tab
  • Images
  • Venue Option Detail
  • Charges Section
  • Transaction Fees Section
• Agents Tab
• Bookings Management
  • Re-contacting Venues
• Confirming Your Booking
  • Amendments
• Cancellations
  • Important – Bookings with Cancellation Charges

Creating a New Booking

• From the Home Menu, click Accommodation Bookings.
• Click NEW (top right). The Add Booking screen opens.
• Using the picklists, complete the client and contact fields.
• If this is a new client, first create them in the Clients Profile area.
• To check or amend client/contact details, click Client Screen.

Note: From the Client Screen, you can change the default consultant for this client (for this and all future bookings) by choosing Myself from the Consultant Options picklist and selecting Update Client Details.

When finished, click Add to confirm. The main accommodation General tab will load.

General Tab – Reservation & Booking Sections

The General tab has two main areas:

1. Reservation Section (top)

• A unique Reservation Number is automatically allocated.
• Client and Contact details are already populated.
• Complete the remaining reservation fields (e.g. Source, Location, Event Name, etc.).
• Contract – use this to record any contractual arrangements (or select Not required).

2. Booking Section (lower)

Use the Tab key to move through fields:

• Lead Name – appears in your Guest List.
• Arrival Date – use the calendar to check the day/date.
• Number of Nights
• Number of Guests

Billing & Guarantee

Billing Method – select from the drop-down; the Liability field auto-populates based on this.

Booking Guarantee – select from the pick-list.

Notes

Notes for Client & Venue – free text

Billing – free text

These note fields will automatically pre-populate with any standard text set up in the Agent tab of the client’s profile. This is useful for clients with recurring standard requirements.

Privacy options

Hide Client’s Details – conceals client contact information on documents.

Covert Booking – suspends all client information from the venue.

Guests Tab

Use this tab to build your Guest List, including:

• Different arrival dates
• Room types
• Notes to venue (e.g. VIP, accessible rooms)
• Dietary/meal requirements
• Smoking/non-smoking preferences

To add guests:

1. Complete details for the first guest.
2. Click Add Guest to add them to the booking.

If guest names are not known yet, you can add placeholders, e.g.:

In Guest Name, type: 10 x Rooms – names to be confirmed.

Names and further details can be added later.

When guest details are complete, move to the Options tab.

Note: For long lists, use the Sort By options at the top of the guest list (e.g. by Arrival Date, Number of Nights, Room Type) to re-order the list.

Options Tab

To add a venue to the booking: 

• Go to the Options tab.
• Click Add Option.
• A pop-up appears: Start typing the venue name (first few letters) – a pick-list will drop down.

Alternatively, you can search using the standard Search Options in the pop-up.

Preferred / Previously Used Venues

• Click Preferred Venue to view any venues flagged as preferred for this client.
• Click Prev Used Venues to show venues previously used by this client.

Once you’ve chosen the venue, click Add 

 Note: Do not use the Add and Confirm button if you don’t want to confirm the venue selected yet.

After adding an option, complete its details:

• Cancellation Policy – select from the picklist.
• Review Date – mandatory. Enter the date you will follow up with the client and review with the venue. You cannot progress without this.
• Accounts Email Address – mandatory before confirming your booking. If there is no dedicated accounts contact, you can select your conference contact here.

Currency & Dates

Currency Code – pre-populated from the venue profile.

Exchange Rate – maintained automatically in GRATIS (no need to update manually).

Dates Available – for alternative/series dates to present on the proposal. Leave blank if the event date is fixed.

Status & Sort Order

Status – e.g. 1st Option, 2nd Option, Not Held.

Sort Order – defaults to 20.

Note: The system will order the venues on the proposal based on the configuration in Office Preferences > Options tab (Location, Option Value or Venue Name).

Policy & Venue Notes

Cancellation Policy (text) – you can enter specific cancellation references that appear on both client and venue documents.

Venue Notes – free text to communicate information to the venue only (not shown to client).

Use the command buttons at the top right of the Options section to tailor each option as required.

Images

If you are sending a proposal, you can include up to 6 images for enhanced listing venues and one image for basic listings.

• Enhanced listing venues:
  • In the Options tab, locate the Change Proposal Images button and select the images you want from the drop-downs.

• Basic listing venues:
  • Go to the venue’s profile in the Venues module, navigate to the Images tab and upload an image from your computer.

These images will appear on the client proposal.

Venue Option Detail

Use Venue Option Detail to control the descriptive content that appears in your proposal:

1. In the Options section, click Venue Option Detail.
2. A pop-up box appears containing:
   1. Supplementary Information – label and content can be customised.
   2. Venue Description – drawn from the venue database (editable).
   3. Off-site Facilities – from the venue database (editable).
   4. On-site Facilities – from the venue database (editable).
3. Make any required changes.
4. Scroll to the top of the pop-up and click “Update” to save.

Important: If you close the box without clicking “Update”, your changes will not be saved.

Charges Section

The Charges grid is partially pre-populated from information you have already entered.

Working left to right across each line:

• No – number of guests/delegates, items of equipment, etc.
• Nights – number of sessions (e.g. one day, part day, overnight, evening).
• Category – R for rooms, O for sundry charges.
• Description –
  1. Choose from the picklist, or
  2. Select Free Text to type your own description.
• Published – enter the published rate.
• Negotiated – enter the negotiated rate.
• Tax – select inc tax or ex tax depending on whether the rates include or exclude tax.
• Tax% – defaults to current UK VAT. Change if required for other countries’ tax rates.
• Comm% – commission rate for the items on this line.
  1. Sourced from the venue profile or a special commission rate (if configured for this date).
  2. You can amend if required.
• Comm Calc – indicates whether commission is calculated on the amount including or excluding VAT.
• Sell inc – used when marking up items to sell at a profit (see separate instructions on mark-ups).

Tips:

• Always use the Tab key to move left to right across the grid to ensure totals calculate correctly.
• Click “Add” (within the charges section) to add additional lines.
• Use the X at the right of a line to delete that line.
• Use the Up/Down Arrows to change the order in which charges are displayed to the client.

Commission Notes

• Commission checked – tick when you have verified the commission percentage on this option.
• Add Note – add specific information about commission agreements for this booking.

Transaction Fees Section

If your company charges a transaction fee to the client, enter the total net value of the fee in the Transaction Fee box.

This fee:

• Appears only on client documents
• Does not appear on venue documents

Summary Section

The Summary box shows the total cost of the option to the client and the total company revenue, including any transaction fees and commissions.

Click Re-calculate to refresh the totals based on the current charges.

You can:

• Add further venue options with “Add Option” (in the Options section).
• Delete an option with “Delete Option” if it was added in error.

Agents Tab

Use the Agents tab when your client requires additional reporting fields, such as:

• Purchase Order Numbers
• Other custom client reporting fields

Requirements:

• These fields must be pre-loaded in the Clients module under Client Fields.
• Once configured, they can be selected and used in the Accommodation Bookings module.

There is also an Agents Comments box:

When you have completed your booking, click Save at the top of the screen.

If anything is missing, a list of required items will appear.

Upon saving, a pop-up asks which options to send to the client. Select one or more options or leave all the venues selected and click OK.

Your documents are then posted to the Outbox and the Documents tab.

Bookings Management

You can edit a booking at any time:

1. Select the booking.
2. Make your changes.
3. Click Save.

Re-contacting Venues

To re-contact venues (e.g. to request an extension on an option):

1. Open the booking and go to the Options tab.
2. Select the relevant venue option.
3. Click Recontact Options.
4. A pop-up message box will appear allowing you to contact the venues.
5. If you change the Review Date, the system will automatically update your booking with the new details.

Confirming Your Booking

1. To confirm a booking:
2. Open the booking and go to the Options tab.
3. Select the option you wish to confirm.
4. Click Confirm (top of the Options section).
5. A pop-up will appear with two choices: Confirm with activity or Confirm without activity.

Confirm with Activity

If you choose Confirm with activity:

• The Contact Profile opens on the Activities tab, pre-populated with a reference to this specific booking.
• Complete the activity fields as required.
• Click ADD.
• When asked “Do you want to add another activity?”, select Yes or No.
• Click Save to close the task.

The scheduled activity will now appear:

1. As a to-do item in the contact profile
2. In the History & Activities section on the General tab of your booking
3. On your GRATIS Homepage, where you can open it to complete/update it

After confirmation:

• Client and Venue confirmation documents are generated and available in the Outbox and Documents tab.
• Release documents (where applicable) are also available to notify unsuccessful venues to release space.

Amendments

You can amend a booking at any time before the arrival date:

1. Select the booking.
2. Change the required elements.
3. Click Save.

Saving an amendment:

• Generates an amendment document for both venue and client.
• Documents will be available in the Outbox and the Documents tab for transmission.

Cancellations

You can only cancel a confirmed booking.

To cancel:

1. Select the relevant Booking Number.
2. On the General tab, locate the Cancel Booking button (grey box on the right under the Booking section).
3. Click Cancel Booking.
4. A pop-up appears asking you to proceed or abandon the cancellation.

Important – Bookings with Cancellation Charges

• If cancellation charges apply, do not cancel the booking.
• Instead, update the Charges grid to reflect the cancellation charges.
  1. Use the Description field to clearly describe the cancellation charges.
• Click Save.

On saving a cancellation:

You are prompted to enter a Reason for Cancellation.

Once entered, the relevant cancellation documents for the client and venue are created and placed in the Outbox - ready to send – and in the Document tab.