Sales category

This function must be enabled by the SIHOT support team.

A sales category is a virtual category that combines up to 99 real categories for easier sales and operational purposes. You can restrict the number of rooms/beds of a real category to be available in the sales category (1 to max. 99) or you can include all rooms/beds of a real category in the sales category.

For example: the sales category Dorm includes the real categories 3-Beds, 4-Beds and 6-Beds. Guests only make a reservation for the sales category Dorm. Internally, SIHOT chooses one of the real categories for this reservation, depending on the availability. As soon as the reservation is created in SIHOT, it shows only the actual real category. The rate category, however, remains unchanged (rate category for Dorm). Due to the real category being selected automatically, there are less procedures to follow for the hotel staff.

The category rack shows the real categories.

The sales categories can be used in allotments as well, for example with an allotment for 5 Dorms per day. This blocks real categories according to availability, which is reflected in the category rack. The allotment, however, shows the sales category, not the real categories.

Reservations from allotment are made using the sales category, with SIHOT processing the real categories as per the allotment rack.

Ø To re-distribute the rooms within the sales category according to the current availability, use the button Update. This button is available in the function pane in the tab Contract data and in the category rack.

For confirmations, the following variables are available in the mixfile and can be incorporated in the templates as required:

•    tSalesCategory (code)

•    salesCategory (name of the sales category)

For printing invoices, the following variables are available in the mixfile and can be incorporated in the templates as required:

•    tResSalesCategory (code)

•    resSalesCategory (name of the sales category)