Managing Room Lists - Passkey

Citywide User Guide

Table of Contents
GROUPMAX AT A GLANCE....................................................................................................................................................................... 11
OTHER LICENSABLE PRODUCTS............................................................................................................................................................ 12
TIMELINE OF AN EVENT............................................................................................................................................................................. 13
ACCESSING & NAVIGATING GROUPMAX......................................................................................................................................... 14
1.1 GETTING STARTED....................................................................................................................................................................... 15
1.2 FIRST TIME ACCESSING GROUPMAX.................................................................................................................................. 16
1.3 NAVIGATING GROUPMAX........................................................................................................................................................ 18
1.4 HELP & SUPPORT........................................................................................................................................................................... 19
1.5 NAVIGATING THE HOME PAGE............................................................................................................................................. 19
1.6 HOW TO VIEW AND FILTER THE EVENT LIST................................................................................................................. 20
1.7 HOW TO VIEW EVENT DETAILS............................................................................................................................................ 21
1.8 NAVIGATING THE EVENT HOME PAGE.............................................................................................................................. 22
MANAGING USER PROFILES..................................................................................................................................................................... 23
2.1 HOW TO ACCESS USER PROFILES......................................................................................................................................... 24
2.2 MODIFYING OR REMOVING AN EXISTING USER.......................................................................................................... 25
2.3 CREATING A NEW USER............................................................................................................................................................. 26
SETTING UP ORG DEFAULTS.................................................................................................................................................................... 27
3.1 ACCESSING ORG DEFAULTS..................................................................................................................................................... 28
MANAGING LIBRARIES AND BUNDLES............................................................................................................................................... 31
4.1 UNDERSTANDING LIBRARIES.................................................................................................................................................. 32
4.2 UNDERSTANDING BUNDLES.................................................................................................................................................... 33
4.3 HOW TO CREATE A BUNDLE................................................................................................................................................... 34
4.4 HOW TO ADD ROOM TYPES TO THE BUNDLE:............................................................................................................ 36
4.5 HOW TO ADD ATTENDEE TYPES TO THE BUNDLE:.................................................................................................... 37
CREATING A NEW EVENT WITH A BUNDLE..................................................................................................................................... 41
5.1 HOW TO CREATE A NEW EVENT WITH A BUNDLE..................................................................................................... 42
5.2 THE EVENT WIZARD.................................................................................................................................................................... 44
MANAGING INVENTORY........................................................................................................................................................................... 49
6.1 UNDERSTANDING INVENTORY LEVELS............................................................................................................................. 50
6.2 UNDERSTANDING FREE-SELL VS. ASSIGNED INVENTORY......................................................................................... 51
6.3 HOW TO MANAGE EVENT INVENTORY ON THE EVENT HOME PAGE............................................................. 53
6.4 HOW TO INCREASE/DECREASE INVENTORY NIGHTS .....................................................................................55
6.5 HOW TO MANAGE SELL-STATUS FOR THE HOTEL...........................................................................................56
6.6 HOW TO ADD EXISTING HOTELS TO AN EVENT......................................................................................................... 56
6.7 HOW TO ADD ROOM TYPES.................................................................................................................................................. 57
6.8 HOW TO MANAGE RATES FOR A ROOM TYPE............................................................................................................. 58
6.9 HOW TO ADD ADDITIONAL GUEST FEES:....................................................................................................................... 58
6.10 HOW TO CHANGE RATES FOR EXISTING RESERVATIONS (RE-RATE) .............................................................. 59
6.11 HOW TO MANAGE INVENTORY FOR A ROOM TYPE............................................................................................. 59
6.12 HOW TO CREATE A SUB-BLOCK......................................................................................................................................... 60
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Table of Contents
ADVANCED INVENTORY MANAGEMENT......................................................................................................................................... 63
7.1 HOW TO CHANGE THE HOTEL CANCEL POLICY........................................................................................................ 63
7.2 HOW TO CHANGE ORDER OF HOTELS ON THE WEBSITE...................................................................................... 63
7.3 HOW TO CREATE NEW HOTELS IN GROUPMAX.......................................................................................................... 64
GROUP CAMPAIGNS & ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS........................................................................................................................... 65
8.1 UNDERSTANDING GROUP CAMPAIGNS........................................................................................................................... 66
8.2 HOW TO ADD OR EDIT A GROUP CAMPAIGN IN THE LIBRARY........................................................................... 69
8.3 HOW TO UPDATE A GROUP CAMPAIGN OR ACKNOWLEDGEMENT IN AN EVENT.................................. 71
8.4 HOW TO SCHEDULE AND CUSTOMIZE A CAMPAIGN.............................................................................................. 72
8.5 UNDERSTANDING ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS..................................................................................................................... 75
8.6 HOW TO ADD OR EDIT AN ACKNOWLEDGEMENT IN THE LIBRARY................................................................ 76
8.7 HOW TO TURN A GROUP CAMPAIGN OR ACKNOWLEDGEMENT ON OR OFF......................................... 77
8.8 HOW TO ADD OR EDIT CONTENT...................................................................................................................................... 78
8.9 HOW TO USE TAGS...................................................................................................................................................................... 79
SMARTALERTS................................................................................................................................................................................................. 80
9.1 HOW TO ADD EVENT ALERTS OR UPDATES TO THE LIBRARY:............................................................................. 81
9.2 HOW TO SCHEDULE SMARTALERTS FOR KEY STAFF, MEETING PLANNERS & HOTEL STAFF ............... 83
CUSTOMIZING ATTENDEE WEBSITES................................................................................................................................................. 85
10.1 HOW TO CUSTOMIZE ATTENDEE WEBSITES............................................................................................................... 86
10.2 HOW TO CREATE A WEBSITE TEMPLATE IN THE LIBRARY.................................................................................... 88
10.3 HOW TO EDIT FONTS & COLORS..................................................................................................................................... 89
10.4 HOW TO UPDATE IMAGES:................................................................................................................................................... 90
10.5 HOW TO RESIZE AN IMAGE:................................................................................................................................................ 90
10.6 HOW TO EDIT TEXT ON THE WEBSITE:.......................................................................................................................... 90
10.7 UNDERSTANDING WEBSITE SETTINGS........................................................................................................................... 91
10.8 UNDERSTANDING INTERNATIONAL OPTIONS.......................................................................................................... 93
ENROLLMENT.................................................................................................................................................................................................. 94
11.1 HOW TO ENABLE ENROLLMENT:....................................................................................................................................... 95
11.2 UNDERSTANDING ENROLLMENT OPTIONS:............................................................................................................... 95
11.3 HOW TO CUSTOMIZE AND EDIT THE ENROLLMENT FORM............................................................................... 96
ATTENDEE TYPES.........................................................................................................................................................................................100
12.1 UNDERSTANDING ATTENDEE TYPES.............................................................................................................................100
12.2 HOW TO ADD AN ATTENDEE TYPE:...............................................................................................................................101
GUARANTEE TYPES....................................................................................................................................................................................102
13.1 UNDERSTANDING GUARANTEE TYPES.........................................................................................................................102
13.2 CREATING STANDARD GUARANTEE TYPES................................................................................................................103
13.3 MANAGE ACCEPTED CREDIT CARDS..............................................................................................................................105
13.4 MERCHANT (BANK) ACCOUNT OPTIONS AND SET UP.......................................................................................106
13.5 CREATE ADVANCED GUARANTEE TYPES.....................................................................................................................108
13.6 CREATING CANCELLATION FEES......................................................................................................................................109
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Table of Contents
MANAGING RESERVATIONS..................................................................................................................................................................110
14.1 HOW TO MAKE A NEW RESERVATION ........................................................................................................................111
14.2 NAVIGATING THE RESERVATIONS FORM....................................................................................................................112
14.3 STEPS TO CREATE A NEW RESERVATION:....................................................................................................................116
14.4 HOW TO VIEW, MODIFY OR CANCEL A RESERVATION.......................................................................................117
MANAGING ROOM LISTS .......................................................................................................................................................................119
15.1 HOW THE PLANNER DROPS OFF THE LIST.................................................................................................................120
15.2 HOW DOES THE GROUPMAX ROOMLISTMANAGER TOOL WORK?............................................................121
15.3 MAPPING THE LIST..................................................................................................................................................................124
15.4 HOW TO SAVE THE MAPPING TEMPLATE...................................................................................................................126
15.5 HOW TO FIX ERRORS ............................................................................................................................................................130
15.6 HOW TO ASSOCIATE ROOM TYPES..............................................................................................................................130
15.7 HOW TO CHECK ROOM INVENTORY AVAILABILITY...........................................................................................133
15.8 HOW TO SUBMIT RECORDS...............................................................................................................................................133
15.9 HOW TO MANAGE CHANGES TO ROOM LISTS .....................................................................................................134
15.10 ROOM LIST MANAGEMENT FOR MEETING PLANNERS WITH “ALLOW CHANGES” ACCESS..........135
15.11 ROOM LIST MANAGEMENT FOR MEETING PLANNERS WITH “REQUEST CHANGES” ACCESS......140
WAIT LIST........................................................................................................................................................................................................145
16.1 UNDERSTANDING WAIT LIST.............................................................................................................................................146
16.2 ENABLING WAIT LIST..............................................................................................................................................................147
16.3 HOW AN ATTENDEE REQUEST CAN BE ADDED TO THE WAIT LIST..............................................................148
16.4 HOW TO REVIEW THE WAIT LIST...................................................................................................................................150
16.5 HOW TO MANAGE WAIT LIST RESERVATIONS.........................................................................................................151
HOTEL RESPONSIBILITIES IN EVENTS................................................................................................................................................152
17.1 NON-LICENSED VS LICENSED HOTELS...........................................................................................................................153
17.2 NON-LICENSED HOTELS RESPONSIBILITIES................................................................................................................153
17.3 HOW TO REQUEST A USER NAME FOR A HOTEL USER........................................................................................153
17.4 LICENSED HOTELS RESPONSIBILITIES.............................................................................................................................154
17.5 HOW TO UPDATE HOTEL INFORMATION..................................................................................................................155
MEETING PLANNER OPTIONS..............................................................................................................................................................156
18.1 UNDERSTANDING EVENT DASHBOARDS ...................................................................................................................157
18.2 HOW TO PROVIDE A MEETING PLANNER ACCESS TO THEIR EVENT DASHBOARD:............................159
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Table of Contents
GROUPMAX REPORTING.........................................................................................................................................................................162
RUNNING GROUPMAX REPORTS...............................................................................................................................................162
COMMERCE: CHECK RECONCILIATION.................................................................................................................................163
COMMERCE: COMMERCE EXCEPTION....................................................................................................................................163
COMMERCE: COMMERCE RECONCILIATION......................................................................................................................164
COMMERCE: CREDIT CARD EXPIRATION...............................................................................................................................164
COMMERCE: OTHER PAYMENT...................................................................................................................................................165
COMMERCE (NEW): ACTIVITY BY RESERVATIONS............................................................................................................166
COMMERCE (NEW): ACTIVITY BY TRANSACTIONS........................................................................................................167
COMMERCE (NEW): ALL EVENT SUMMARY..........................................................................................................................168
COMMERCE (NEW): ALL EVENT TRANSACTIONS.............................................................................................................168
COMMERCE (NEW): ATTENDEES BY TYPE SUMMARY.....................................................................................................169
COMMERCE (NEW): BALANCE DUE..........................................................................................................................................170
COMMERCE (NEW): HOTEL SUMMARY..................................................................................................................................171
COMMERCE (NEW): RESERVATION DETAILS.........................................................................................................................172
COMMISSION: COMMISSION......................................................................................................................................................173
DELEGATE: DELEGATE REPORT.....................................................................................................................................................174
DUPLICATE RESERVATIONS...........................................................................................................................................................175
ENROLLMENT: ENROLLMENT DETAILS...................................................................................................................................176
ENROLLMENT: ENROLLMENT SUMMARY..............................................................................................................................177
EVENT ACTIVITY: EVENT ACTIVITY REPORT......................................................................................................................178
EVENT SUMMARY: EVENT SETUP SUMMARY.......................................................................................................................179
EVENT SUMMARY: EVENT SUMMARY BY HOTEL...............................................................................................................179
GUEST COUNT: GUEST COUNT (HOTEL AND ROOM TYPE).......................................................................................180
GUEST COUNT: GUEST COUNT (HOTEL)..............................................................................................................................180
OVERAGE REPORT..............................................................................................................................................................................181
PACE...........................................................................................................................................................................................................181
REGLINK: ALL RECORDS...................................................................................................................................................................182
REGLINK: ALL REGISTRATION RECORDS.................................................................................................................................182
REGLINK: HOTEL BOOKED.............................................................................................................................................................183
REGLINK: REGISTERED - HOTEL BOOKED...............................................................................................................................183
REGLINK: REGISTERED - NO HOTEL BOOKED.......................................................................................................................184
REVENUE: REVENUE...........................................................................................................................................................................184
ROOM LIST: ROOM LIST REPORT...............................................................................................................................................185
USER ACTIVITY REPORT.................................................................................................................................................................186
WAIT LIST REPORT.............................................................................................................................................................................187
ICONS................................................................................................................................................................................................................188
GLOSSARY OF TERMS................................................................................................................................................................................189
9

GroupMax at a Glance
From conventions and trade shows to corporate meetings and sporting events, GroupMAX turns any event into a
perfect event. With GroupMAX, guests enjoy the convenience of online reservations, meeting or event planners track
their events with unprecedented ease, and event hotels and destinations can capture greater revenues, savings and
profits.
GroupMAX is a web-based tool used to manage group reservations more effectively by allowing users to:
Shift Your Group Business Online
Personalized Booking Websites: With GroupMAX, housing providers
can offer their meeting planners a personalized booking website for each
event so meeting guests can enjoy the convenience of online reservations
and choose from multiple hotel, room, stay and venue options.
Automated, Secure Room Lists: GroupMAX’s room list manager is the
industry’s only fully automated, PCI-compliant room list technology,
allowing users to automate and secure their room list process, as well
as accept any room list format and manage room list modifications with
remarkable ease.
Maximize Incremental Revenues
Built-in Email Marketing: GroupMAX’s built-in email marketing toolset
(Group Campaigns) lets housing providers and their clients communicate
with their group guests with great ease and professionalism.
Event Services: Housing providers can promote event highlights services
and local attractions, from seminars and shows to dining and other
activities, throughout the booking process, so guests are aware of the
event’s range of offers and activities.
Empower Your Planners
Live Event Dashboard: GroupMAX provides each event with a live
dashboard where planners can track their event in real time, helping them
optimize their contracts, mitigate attrition exposure and enjoy peace of
mind and a sense of control.
11

Other Licensable Products
The following products are available to organizers at additional costs. Please speak to your Passkey Sales person for
pricing and details.
RegLink
An API integration technology that can link virtually any online event registration system to Passkey’s online hotel
booking system, allowing meeting guests to register for the event and book their hotel room in a seamless one-step
process.
How it Works - Integrates the event registration and reservation process by connecting event registration and hotel
bookings, guests can experience a seamless event booking process, completing their event registration and hotel
reservations in a single process.
Seamless
Register for Event
(any registration system)
Book Hotel Room
(GroupMAX reservations)
RoomListManager
The industry’s only fully automated, PCI-compliant room list technology, allowing users to automate and secure
their room list process, as well as accept any room list format and manage room list modifications with remarkable
ease.
How it Works - Meeting planners and/or organizers simply upload their room lists to a secure web location. The
lists can then be mapped and processed into reservations in just a few clicks. Best of all, organizers and planners can
easily modify their room lists on-line or via a revised room list, eliminating the hassles of last minute changes.
12

Timeline of an Event
13

Accessing & Navigating GroupMAX
Each user will log into GroupMAX via the Internet using a unique user name and password. Administrators
will be designated within the organization and will be responsible for managing user access.
In this section, learn how to:
• Log in to GroupMAX
• Update your user profile
• Navigate the system
At the completion of this section, users will be able to:
• Access GroupMAX
• Set a secure password
• Understand the basic navigation tools within the system
14

Accessing & Navigating GroupMAX
1.1 Getting Started
Because GroupMAX is a web-based tool, there is no software to be downloaded onto the computer. Simply log into
the system and the most current version of GroupMAX will be at your fingertips or ready for your use appear.
Important Web Addresses
Training Environment: https://training-manage.passkey.com
The Passkey GroupMAX Training Environment will not be connected to any live systems. Use this environment to learn
how Passkey works and create demo events.
Production Environment: https://manage.passkey.com or http://www.passkey.com
Please be careful in this environment as your changes will impact real groups and reservations.
To use GroupMAX, you will need a:
••
User name – This will be provided either by the Organization Administrator or Passkey.
••
Password – This will either be a temporary password, which will need to be changed, or a permanent
password.
••
Computer with Internet Access – The minimum system requirements are shown below.
15

Accessing & Navigating GroupMAX
1.2 First Time Accessing GroupMAX
Each user will be provided a unique user name and password to access GroupMAX. All users are managed by an
Administrator within the organization. See image 2.1.1 for Login Page.
Image 2.1.1
In order for a user name to remain active, please remember the following:
••
The user must log in at least once every 90 days.
••
Passwords are required to be changed every 180 days.
••
If an incorrect password is entered 3 times in a row, the system will automatically inactivate the user.
• • If the user forgets their user name or password, click the links on the login page to have them automatically
reset and sent to the user.
16

Accessing & Navigating GroupMAX
The first time logging in, GroupMAX will require the user to change their temporary password and answer security
questions (see image 2.1.2). The security questions are used to authenticate user if the password needs to be reset.
Image 2.1.2
17

Accessing & Navigating GroupMAX
1.3 Navigating GroupMAX
GroupMAX is designed to provide quick and easy access to view and manage your group. Quickly navigate through
the system via the tabs on the top navigation bar, Event List, Frequent Tasks icons, and Alerts. See image 2.2.1 for a
view of the Home page.
General Navigation
Image 2.2.1
Navigation and sub-navigation bars are highlighted in green to identify the section or path within GroupMAX (see
image 2.2.2).
Image 2.2.2
IMPORTANT: Be careful not to open GroupMAX in two separate browser windows because there is a risk that data
entered in one open window will over-write the data in the other. The information that is over-written will be lost.
18

Accessing & Navigating GroupMAX
1.4 Help & Support
A Help link is offered on every page to provide quick and easy access to more information about all the features on
that page (see image 2.3.1).
Image 2.3.1
Access the Learning Center (see image 2.3.2) for additional training and support including:
••
Training Tutorials
••
Live Webinars
••
Access to Help
••
FAQs & Solutions Center
••
Customer Support Contact Information
1.5 Navigating the HOME Page
The HOME page provides a summary of events within three key areas:
Image 2.3.2
1. The Number of Events area (see image 2.3.3) features the number of events arriving in each of the next 6
months and is displayed in the top right corner.
HELPFUL HINT
Click on a month to see the list of all events arriving in that month.
19

Accessing & Navigating GroupMAX
Image 2.3.3
2. The Alerts section (see image 2.3.4) features notifications about conditions pertaining to events such as when
a reservation is on the Wait List or if a Room List has been dropped off. Click on an Alert to display a screen
to address the situation.
Image 2.3.4
3. The Event List features a list of events along with key inventory and reservation statistics.
1.6 How to View and Filter the Event List
Upon logging into GroupMAX, the HOME screen displays a list of recently viewed events. Click the All Events drop
down link or use the advanced search feature to display other options.
The Inventory section contains three columns:
••
Starts: Earliest inventory date of any hotel in the event.
••
Peak: Number of rooms in the current block on the peak inventory night.
••
Pickup %: Displays the percentage (%) of rooms picked up out of the total rooms in the current block (unsold
guaranteed rooms are included).
HELPFUL HINTS
••
Select an event as a Favorite by clicking the star () located to the left of the event name. A yellow star indicates that the
event is a favorite. Use the All Events drop down link to filter for Favorites.
• • If this is the first time logging in, there may be no events listed. Use the Event Filter to change from recently viewed events to
another selection in the list, or enter the name of the event in the All Events drop down link (see image 2.4.1).
20

Accessing & Navigating GroupMAX
The Reservation section contains two columns:
••
Open: The day the event opens for reservations.
••
Cutoff: The number of days to the cutoff date. By default, the cutoff is highlighted in red when it is 7 days
away. Click on the cutoff date to change the default.
1.7 How to View Event Details
To view details of any event, click the down arrow next to the event name. This will open the detailed event view
(see image 2.5.1) which includes the following:
Inventory Table:
The inventory table pertains to one hotel and all room types for that hotel. To display other hotels or room types
in any event, click on the down arrow to the right of the hotel name or room type. The inventory table displays:
••
Current Block: Total amount of free-sell and assigned inventory in the event.
••
Pickup: Total rooms sold (from assigned, free-sell and primary inventory). It does include guaranteed
rooms.
••
Available to Sell: Unsold inventory in the event.
Image 2.5.1
21

Accessing & Navigating GroupMAX
Website and Room Lists
Website: The Website area provides links to view the event’s website, upload a new event logo, and access more
advanced website setup.
Room Lists: Click on Room Lists to upload a list. Click on Room Lists again to manage all room lists for the event.
Reports
Displays a list of commonly used reports. Click on a report name to run the report for that event.
Group Profitability Factors
This area provides a quick snapshot of how the event is progressing with the following metrics:
••
Online: The percentage of rooms booked online.
••
Upsell: The incremental revenue generated from upselling rooms.
••
Planner: Displays the planner’s name (if available) with links to add a planner or send them an email to direct
them to the Event Dashboard.
1.8 Navigating the Event Home Page
Access an Event Home page by clicking on the name of the event from the Home page to manage all details about the
event.
To expand your inventory view, collapse the left side bar by clicking the (see image 2.6.1) from any of the boxes
on the left side of your screen. When collapsed, clicking the will expand the side bar.
HELPFUL HINTS
Click on Group Profitability Factors for best practices on how to boost profitability.
22

Managing User Profiles
A user is anyone who has access to the system. Users are either associated with an organization or a hotel. Each
user has access to their own user profile to update personal information (except for their user name) and reset their
password. Those users with Administrator permissions have access to manage all users for their organization or hotel.
In this section, learn how Administrators can:
••
Add users
••
Search for users
••
View user summary information
••
View user details
••
Disable users
••
Remove users from the system
At the completion of this section, Administrators will be able to:
••
Manage all user access within their organization
••
Handle setting up users in a PCI-compliant manner
The following table shows which permissions each type of user has in a citywide event:
23

Managing User Profiles
2.1 How to Access User Profiles
To access user profiles, click on the Manage tag and select User Profiles (see image 18.1.1).
From this page, Administrators can: Add users, search for users, view user summary information, and select users
to access more detailed information. When searching for a user, filter by status: active, inactive, or both, or enter
search criteria in one or more of the search fields.
Image 18.1.1
The SEARCH RESULTS screen provides a brief description of all users associated with an organization.
Each profile in the table contains the following information:
••
User name - Click on this to view or edit the profile.
••
First and Last Name
••
Associated Hotel or Organizer
••
User Type
••
Notes - This area will show additional information about the profile. For example, this column may state
that the user has a temporary password, the password expired, or the account has not been accessed for 90
days.
• • Permissions - Types of permissions include administrator, ability to reset password and the ability to view
credit cards.
24

Managing User Profiles
2.2 Modifying or Removing an Existing User
1. From the Search Results area, select the user to be modified by clicking the User name.
2. From within the User profile / EDIT USER PROFILE screen, make any desired changes (see image 18.2.1).
• Mandatory fields are marked with an asterisk.
Image 18.2.1
• Temporary passwords may be manually entered or system generated by selecting the Generate Password
button.
• User Status options:
o Inactive – user will not be able to access the system until their user name has been re-activated with a
new temporary password
o Remove – this option will permanently remove the user name from the GroupMAX database. It may
never be re-used after that point.
25

Managing User Profiles
o Allow Self-Password Reset – gives the user the ability to re-set their password if it expires or is forgotten.
o Show Credit Card Numbers – this access should only be given to users who may need the ability to
see credit card data in order to manually enter it into the property’s PMS. For PCI compliancy reasons,
general users of the GroupMAX system should not be given this access. In order to provide credit card
access for a user, the Administrator must contact Passkey security at security@passkey.com.
o Use Last Name, First Name Format for Call Center Reservations – determines the order of the
name field on the Reservations form.
o Administrator – provides access to create and manage users within that property.
3. After changes are made, select I agree to these terms and conditions and then Save.
2.3 Creating a New User
The Add User button can be accessed from the USER PROFILES page or from within an existing user’s profile. Once
arriving at the blank USER PROFILES page, complete all information and provide the user with their user name and
temporary password.
HELPFUL HINTS
• User names must be unique across all GroupMAX users. Duplicates are not allowed.
• For PCI Compliancy, send two separate communications to users – one with their user name and one with their
password. User names and passwords should NEVER be communicated together.
• Temporary passwords expire 7 days from creation. Advise new users to log in and create their permanent passwords as
soon as they are created.
• Click on the Permissions Summary link to view details regarding different access levels
• Passwords expire after 90 days of inactivity. Administrators must reset expired passwords.
26

Setting Up Org Defaults
Each organization in GroupMAX has a series of default settings. The Defaults section within Organization Setup
contains information that becomes the default settings for each bundle and, subsequently, each event. Default
settings can be updated in both bundles and events as needed. These settings are generally set up as part of the
initial implementation, but may be updated at any time. It’s important to have the most up to date information set in
the Defaults as they are automatically applied to every event.
The settings in Defaults include:
••
Set Event Locale
••
Reservation Defaults
••
Reservation Contact Defaults
In this section, learn how to:
••
Access organization Defaults
••
Update Defaults
At the completion of this section, users will be able to:
••
Understand default features and how they are best used for each event
••
Ensure that all events have the same standard settings applied for each event
27

Setting Up Org Defaults
3.1 Accessing Org Defaults
Access a Organizer’s Defaults by clicking the Manage tab in the top navigation bar at the top of the GroupMAX
screen and select Organizer Setup. This will open the ORGANIZATION screen. Click the Defaults link in the subnavigation
bar. See image 7.1.1.
Image 7.1.1
28

Setting Up Org Defaults
Set Event Locale
The locale determines the default language and date format settings for the Event (see image 7.1.2). Do not change
the default settings in this screen if a different language is required for a specific event. The settings can be edited at
the bundle or event level as needed for groups that have other language requirements.
Image 7.1.2
Reservation Defaults and Reservation Contact Details (See image 7.1.3)
Reservation Defaults selected will be applied across all events. These defaults may be updated at the event level.
Reservation Contact Defaults are the phone numbers that are posted on the attendee websites. These should be the
800 and international numbers to the Call Center or staff handling GroupMAX calls for the events.
Image 7.1.3
29

Setting Up Org Defaults
Cancellation Policy
The Organization’s default Cancellation Policy is stored here (see image 7.1.5). It will automatically be applied to all
events. The cancellation policy can be modified at the event level.
Image 7.1.5
Nor1 Upselling (Optional)
Check the Enable Nor1 Upselling check box to allow users creating events to enable the Nor1 feature on the
attendee website.
NOTE: This feature is only available to hotels that have a license with Nor1.
30

Managing Libraries and Bundles
Libraries are the building blocks for all events. They store default information regarding Communications,
SmartAlerts, Guarantee Types, Attendee Types, Room Types, and Other Services.
Information stored in Libraries is used to build Bundles and Events. Invest time in building libraries. Well
constructed libraries will reduce the time it takes building events and ensure the organization’s business strategy to
drive incremental revenue is applied to every event. All components that are applied to a bundle or event can be
updated at those levels.
Bundles are comprised of information built in Libraries and Defaults. Bundles are templates of selected
information that can be automatically applied to an event as it is built in GroupMAX (see image 9.1.1). Bundles can
be created for a number of different reasons including type of event, location, or easily re-create repeat events.
Image 9.1.1
At the completion of this section, users will be able to:
••
Update the Library and Bundles
••
Create and update Bundles
To Access Libraries and Bundles
To access Libraries, click on the Manage tab, then Organizer Setup.
31

Managing Libraries and Bundles
4.1 Understanding Libraries
There are seven different Libraries, each with a different use. The descriptions of each Library are listed below. To
learn how to add or edit items to each library, see the section on that particular subject.
Communications
The Communications library contains default Group Campaigns, Planner Emails, and Acknowledgements.
SmartAlerts
SmartAlerts are email notifications that can be triggered or scheduled to inform users of event information.
Guarantee Types
Guarantee Type are a predefined set of payment and guarantee options that defines how a guest making a
reservation can guarantee that reservation.
Attendee Types
Attendee Types, such as Attendee, Staff, or VIP are predefined rules that control what rooms will be visible and how
many rooms can be booked.
Websites
Websites are able to be customized with text, pictures, link and a number of other options.
Enrollment Forms
Enrollment forms allow custom questions to be asked on the Attendee Website, and later reported on.
Other Services
Other Services are items other than rooms that can be advertised by the Organization. For example, extended
stays, additional meetings or classes, and optional upgrades.
HELPFUL HINTS
If updates are made to information in the libraries, it will not affect open events. It will only affect new events that are built
after the changes were made.
32

Managing Libraries and Bundles
4.2 Understanding Bundles
Bundles are saved templates of settings that can be applied to events to make the event building process easier and
faster. Bundles provide the ability to tie together specific settings from the Libraries and Defaults to automatically
create an event with a comprehensive strategy based on a specific group types. Some examples are:
••
Corporate Group
••
Association Group
••
Social Call-In Group
Use Bundles to apply pre-determined upsell and marketing strategies to all events as they are built. This will ensure
hotels are taking advantage of incremental revenue opportunities for every event. A few practical uses for Bundles
are:
••
Automatically add pre and post dates to groups
••
Automatically add hotels that are used most often
••
Automatically set attendee type and guarantee type combinations
In this section, learn how to:
••
Create Bundles
••
Update Bundles
••
Set default date settings for pre and post nights as well as cutoff dates
••
Select room types including upgrade rooms to add to events automatically
••
Select attendee types and guarantee plans that are included in most events
••
Select Group Campaigns that would best suit a type of group to promote upgrades and other services
At the completion of this section, users will be able to:
••
Create an unlimited number of Bundles based on different business segments
••
Apply standard business strategies to generate incremental revenue for every event
33

34
Managing Libraries and Bundles

Managing Libraries and Bundles
4.3 How to Create a Bundle
Creating Bundles is easy. A five step wizard guides users through the entire process. To access Bundles, click on
Manage, then Organization Setup, then Bundles.
To create a new Bundle, first give the Bundle a name and click the Create Bundle button. Existing Bundles can be
viewed and edited from the Bundle list, located on the right (see image 9.2.1).
Image 9.2.1
Step 1: Settings
a. Set Shoulder Nights and Reservation Dates:
Establish the default number of pre and post days, cutoff date and the close date to stop taking
reservations based on the group type for which the bundle is being created (see image 9.3.1).
Image 9.2.2
35

Managing Libraries and Bundles
b. Add Projected Pace:
Enter the projected pace based on the group type’s traditional trends which will be used to compare the
actual pace pickup. This step is optional and can also be entered on a per event basis (see image 9.2.3).
Other Configurable Options:
Image 9.2.3
c. Set Event Locale:
Select the event locale, if needed. This is a useful feature for Bundles that will be used to create events
handling reservations with international attendees.
d. Contact Details:
Establish the default event contact information. This information will be initially populated from the
Defaults. If edits need to be made that are specific to the bundle, changes can be made here.
e. Wait List Options:
If utilizing the Wait List functionality, set default standards here.
f. Additional Booking Options:
Determine the additional guest information collected on the Attendee Website and Reservations Form
by clicking the check box next to the item.
36

Managing Libraries and Bundles
Step 2: Inventory
Establish the following settings:
a. Hotels
••
Add default hotels to the Bundle.
b. Room Types
••
Add rooms and identify each as either contracted or upsell.
c. Attendee Types
••
Add default guest categories i.e. Attendee, Staff, Exhibitor.
••
Add default guarantee types i.e. Credit Card, Room and Tax to Master.
4.4 How to Add Room Types to the Bundle:
1. Click the Add Room Types button. A pop-up box will appear.
2. Select the Room Types from the Library to add to the Bundle (see image 9.2.4).
3. Indicate whether the room type will be offered as an Upsell.
4. Click Add.
37

Managing Libraries and Bundles
Image 9.2.4
4.5 How to Add Attendee Types to the Bundle:
1. Click the Add Attendee Types button. A pop-up box will appear.
2. Select the Attendee Types to add to the Bundle. Click the Add button (see image 9.2.5).
Image 9.2.5
3. Update a Guarantee Type to apply to the Attendee Type, if needed (see image 9.2.6).
4. Click Next.
Image 9.2.6
38

Managing Libraries and Bundles
Step 3: Communications
Add Group Campaigns, Planner Emails, and Acknowledgements from the Communications Library to the
Bundle by checking the check box or radio button next to the item (see image 9.2.7). Click Next.
39

Managing Libraries and Bundles
Image 9.2.7
Step 4: Smart Alerts
Select the SmartAlerts to be included in the Bundle by clicking on the check box next to the item (see image 9.2.8).
Also, determine the SmartAlerts that will be automatically sent to the meeting planner by clicking on the check box
in the Send to Planner column. Click Next.
40

Creating a New Event with a Bundle
Creating events in GroupMAX is simple. A wizard steps users through the process to build events quickly and easily.
Libraries have already been established including default information that can be used for every event. Bundles
wrap up the default information into pre-packaged templates to ensure your organization get the full benefit out of
using the system. By using Bundles, it reduces the amount of time required to build an event since all major business
decisions have already been made and will automatically be added to the event. (See Section 5 to learn how to
update Libraries and create more Bundles).
Some examples of default items included in Bundles are:
••
Hotels
••
Upgrade room types
••
Customized planner communications
••
Pre and post inventory dates
••
Customized group campaigns
Bundles can be customized based on different types of business as well. Some examples of different bundles are:
••
Corporate
••
Destination Specific
••
Association
In this section, learn how to:
••
Build an event with a basic bundle
••
Add inventory and rates
••
Add attendee types such as Staff, VIP or Exhibitor
••
Create sub-blocks based on attendee type
At the completion of this section, users will be able to:
• Build events in minutes using Bundles
41

Creating a New Event with a Bundle
5.1 How to Create a New Event with a Bundle
1. From the HOME screen, click Create New Event. (See image 3.1.1)
Image 3.1.1
42

Creating a New Event with a Bundle
2. Complete the fields on the Create a New Event pop-up box (see image 3.1.2).
••
Event Name
••
Published Event Dates - Enter start and end dates manually or use the calendar icon.
••
Event Type - Select the type of event you are creating – association, corporate, etc. (For internal
tracking purposes only)
••
Reservation Methods - Check mark the booking method(s) that apply to this group. (or both)
Depending on the choice, the Wizard will bring the user through the correct steps.
••
Select Create with a Bundle option.
••
From the Select a Bundle drop-down box, select the template you want to apply to the group.
Image 3.1.2
••
Once a bundle is selected, a list of room types attached to the bundle displays. Enter in the contracted or
appropriate rate for each room type.
••
Click Create Event to launch the Event Wizard.
HELPFUL HINTS
All default settings can be adjusted while building the event.
43

Creating a New Event with a Bundle
5.2 The Event Wizard
Step 1. Add Inventory.
The inventory screen displays each hotel and room type added via the selected bundle. Only the hotels included
in the bundle being used will automatically be added to the event.
a. Select the hotel from the drop-down menu.
b. Enter nightly rates.
c. Enter nightly inventory. This inventory should reflect the exact amount of rooms from the hotel contracts.
d. Click Save.
e. Repeat steps 1-4 for each additional hotel.
f. When finished, click Next to continue.
To add hotels, create sub-blocks, attendee types or additional room types, click the down arrow next to Inventory
Tasks in the top blue bar (see outlined red box in image 3.2.1).
HELPFUL HINTS
Image 3.2.1
To apply the same rate or inventory to each night of the block, simply add the number to the first date’s cell and click the
double arrows to populate all nights.
Be sure to load full contracted inventory in GroupMAX even if the full inventory is not blocked in the hotel system.
Remember, the planner has access to the block information on the Event Dashboard and other reports.
44

Creating a New Event with a Bundle
Select any one of the items in Inventory Tasks drop down list and a popup box will appear (see image 3.2.2)
with options to, Add Hotels, Add Rooms, Add Attendee types and create Sub-Blocks. For a more in-depth
explanations of Inventory Tasks, see section Section 6: Managing Inventory.
Step 2. Website.
Image 3.2.2
The default template and theme will automatically be selected as part of the bundle (see image 3.2.3).
a. If needed, update the template and/or theme. Items that can be updated are:
••
Fonts & Colors
••
Banner Settings
••
Website Photos including Event Logo
••
Overall settings
••
Messages
••
Map Options
b. To enable social networking, add the URL to the appropriate network or create a new site using CoolBrix.
Guests will have the opportunity to join the network at the end of the booking process. Options are
available to add multiple networks, or to skip this step.
c. If needed, update Other Service Define to display on the attendee website by checking or unchecking the
corresponding boxes.
d. Click Next to continue.
Note: If Website was not selected as a reservation method during the first step, this section will not be presented as
part of the Event Wizard.
45

Creating a New Event with a Bundle
Image 3.2.3
Step 3. Planner
Add the planner’s contact information to provide access to the Event Dashboard and instructions for online
bookings or room list processing (see image 3.2.4).
a. Enter planner’s contact information.
b. From the Planner Access to Event Dashboard section, select Full Access or Read Only for the meeting
planner.
••
Full Access allows planners to run reports and manage room lists from their Event Dashboard.
••
Read Only allows planners to view the Event Dashboard only.
c. From the Room List Updates section, select Planner can make updates directly or Planner can request
updates.
• • Planner can make updates directly allows planners to make and submit changes from an Excel
spreadsheet downloaded from the Event Dashboard without submitting for approval. Changes
can also be made online directly from the Event Dashboard. Planners will never be able to add
reservations or increase length of stay if inventory is not available.
46

Creating a New Event with a Bundle
••
Planner can request updates allows planners to make changes, add reservations, and cancel
reservations on an Excel spreadsheet downloaded from the Event Dashboard. This spreadsheet
must then be resubmitted to the Dashboard by the planner. The system will filter out new,
modified, and canceled reservations presenting them to you for review and approval or rejection.
d. Click Add Planner.
e. Repeat the steps above to add additional planners to the event.
f. Select the Planner Email to be sent to the planner and edit if necessary.
g. Click Send Test Message to preview the email.
h. Click Complete and Send Planner Email or Complete and Do Not Send Planner Email based on
business processes.
Step 4. Room Lists
Image 3.2.4
If Room List was selected as a reservation method during the first step, the ability to upload a room list or generate
secure drop off URLs will be available (see image 3.2.5).
If working with a Room List group, the tasks below can be completed:
••
Send secure drop-off locations
••
Upload a room list
47

Creating a New Event with a Bundle
Image 3.2.5
Once the event wizard has been completed, the EVENT HOME screen is displayed (see image 3.2.6).
Image 3.2.6
BEST PRACTICES
• If changes are being made often to bundle defaults, such as planner email edits, room types, etc. consider revising the
bundle or build a new bundle with the desired defaults.
• To create an event without updating and completing the Inventory, Website, Planner Email and Room List sections, click
Next on each page of the wizard until the Event Home screen is presented. The wizard cannot be accessed again; however,
updates can be made to the sections individually.
48

Managing Inventory
Inventory management is the core function of GroupMAX. Effective inventory management is critical to the success
of an event. Inventory is easily managed for any type of event and can be used for both simple events, such as
conferences and board meetings, and complex trade shows with many sub blocks. There are no limits to the number
of hotels, room types, attendee types or sub-blocks that can be created in the system.
Inventory can be managed at three levels in GroupMAX:
1. Hotel
2. Room type
3. Sub-block
Business rules can be set at each level allowing all the flexibility required to effectively manage inventory to maximize
blocks and revenue.
In this section, learn how to:
••
Add existing hotels to an event
••
Add room types
••
Add attendee types
••
Create sub-blocks
••
Assign and manage inventory at the room type and sub-block levels on the EVENT HOME screen
••
Understand the differences and benefits of Free-sell and assigned.
••
Modify inventory dates
At the completion of this section, users will be able to:
••
Effectively manage inventory for any size group
49

Managing Inventory
6.1 Understanding Inventory Levels
GroupMAX offers several levels of inventory in each event. The following diagram demonstrates the difference
between Hotel, Room Type, and Sub-block levels. Keep in mind this is just one of many hotels that would
typically be in a citywide event.
Hotel level – The hotel level reflects the total number of rooms, comprised of all room types. Inventory totals can
not be changed at the hotel level, instead they will always be automatically adjusted when the room level inventory
is changed.
Room Type level– The room type level reflects the total number of that room type in the hotel. This number
should always match the hotel contracts.
When values are initially added at the room type level, it will automatically apply to all of it’s sub-blocks. If the
values are changed at the room type level after, an option will appear to propagate the value to all of the established
sub-blocks. The image below shows the propagate window that will appear.
50

Managing Inventory
Sub-block Level– Sub-block is the most specific level of inventory, and makes it possible to give each sub-block
specific characteristics and restrictions. Changes to a sub-block will only effect that particular sub-block. For
example, if the rate for Attendee was changed, it would not change the Staff rate for that room type. The total
number of Sub-block rooms can never total more than it’s room type total.
Some examples of characteristics that can be applied to a specific sub-block are:
••
Rate
••
Number of Rooms
••
Minimum Night Stay
••
Additional Guest Fees
••
Sell Status
6.2 Understanding Free-sell VS. Assigned Inventory
Because there are many different situations in which you would allocate inventory in different ways, GroupMAX has
two different ways to allocate inventory at the sub-block level, Free-sell and Assigned. Both have benefits which will
be explained in this section.
Following are diagrams that demonstrate the difference between Free-sell room inventory & Assigned room
inventory:
Free-sell – Enter the number of rooms to be sold for the room type, but do not allocate a certain amount to each
attendee type. Instead, allow each attendee type to reserve rooms first come, first serve until the room type is sold
out. Each attendee type can be sold at it’s own rate if desired.
In the example below, there are 80 king rooms and all of the inventory has been added to free-sell instead of
allocating a set amount to each attendee type. This means that each attendee type could book from the 80 rooms,
first come, first serve. This is useful if there are multiple attendee types at the same rate. For example, sports teams.
51

Managing Inventory
Assigned – Provide the exact number of rooms for sale to an attendee type or sub-block. This will protect rooms
for that particular attendee type while also setting a limit of rooms that can be booked. This option is typically
used for staff rates or suites, where we would not want to allow the attendee type to book unlimited amounts at a
discounted rate.
In the example below, there are 80 king rooms and a set amount of inventory has been assigned to each attendee
type. This means that Attendee Type #1 could book up to 70 rooms at $200 each. While Attendee Type #2 can
only book 10 rooms at $150. This is useful because neither attendee type has access to the other’s assigned rooms
and we would not want Attendee Type #2 to book up to 80 rooms at the discounted rate as they would be able to
with free-sell.
A Combination of Both – There will be times when utilizing both options will be useful as well. In the example
below, 70 rooms have been put in free-sell for Attendee Types 1 and 2 to share, and 10 rooms have been assigned to
Attendee Type #3 because they are at a discounted rate.
52

Managing Inventory
How to manage simple event inventory on the HOME page
Manage inventory and rates on the HOME page in the detailed event view if all sub-blocks are only using
free-sell(see image 4.1.3).
1. Open the detailed event view by clicking on the down arrow next to the event name.
2. Select the room type name by clicking on the drop-down arrow.
3. Adjust the inventory and rates on a nightly basis as needed.
4. Use the double arrows to populate all nights.
5. Click Save Changes.
Image 4.1.3
53

Managing Inventory
HELPFUL HINTS
To adjust the numbers in this section, add or remove inventory at the room type level shown below.
6.3 How to manage event inventory on the EVENT HOME page
To access the EVENT HOME screen, click on the name of the event in the HOME page (see image 4.1.4).
Event Home Overview
Image 4.1.4
Image 4.1.5
The All Rooms section is at the hotel level and contains the following items (see image 4.1.5):
HELPFUL HINTS
A “+” is shown next to the Available number if primary inventory is enabled. Roll over the “+” to see the definition. A black
“+” means inventory is available, a red “+” means inventory is not available.
Change any, or all, of the nightly rates for existing reservations in Rate Information tab.
54

Managing Inventory
••
Current Block – The total amount of allocated inventory across all rooms.
••
Pickup – The actual number of rooms that have been sold.
••
Available –The remaining inventory in the event.
Image 4.1.6
Manage aspects of specific room type inventory by clicking the tabs at the bottom of the room type (see image
4.1.6).
••
Inventory Details - This tab displays the free-sell and assigned inventory details.
••
Rate Information – Click this tab to manage the maximum number of guests, minimum night stay rules,
and additional guest fees. Also, update rates on existing reservations.
••
Upsell Information - Click this tab to view or edit the current upsell premium amount. If offering an
upsell room type, add the difference between the standard room and the upgrade into this field This will
make it possible to track the amount of incremental revenue on reports and dashboards.
••
History – View the date, time and user name of the last user to change inventory in this section.
55

Managing Inventory
From the EVENT HOME screen, users can:
••
Add Existing Hotels to the Event.
••
Add Room Types.
••
Increase/Decrease Inventory Nights.
••
Manage Sell-Status for the Hotel.
••
Manage Rates for a Room Type.
••
Manage Inventory for a Room Type.
••
Manage Room Type Inventory for Sub-blocks.
6.4 How to Increase/Decrease Inventory Nights (see image 4.1.7):
1. Select Manage Dates &
Status from the Inventory
Tasks drop-down.
2. Edit dates to be sold and
select OK.
Image 4.1.7
Inventory Dates Definitions:
••
Contract Dates. These are the current inventory dates defined by the contract.
••
Inventory Dates. This is the range of dates where inventory is offered for sale. You can choose to include
inventory on dates beyond to the contract to allow for extended stays.
••
Hotel Close. This is the last date that the hotel will accept reservations for this event. Formerly named Shutoff.
HELPFUL HINTS
When searching for a hotel, try searching by part of the name of the hotel instead of by the city. Sometimes, a hotel will seem
like it is in one city but is really located in another city.
56

Managing Inventory
6.5 How to Manage Sell-Status for the Hotel (see image 4.1.8):
1. Select Manage Dates
& Status from the
Inventory Tasks dropdown.
2. Select Sell Status and
select OK.
Image 4.1.8
Hotel Sell Status Definitions: The sell status selected at the hotel level will apply to all blocks within the event.
Sell Status can also be managed at the sub-block level to allow for maximum flexibility.
••
New & Existing Reservations – New reservations, modifications and cancellations will be accepted.
••
Existing Reservations Only – Only guests with an existing reservation can modify or cancel their
reservation. They can also add nights to their stay. If an individual does not have a reservation, they will
not be able to make one. If reservations are cancelled, no new reservations can be booked.
••
Don’t Sell Inventory – Only guests with an existing reservation can modify or cancel their reservation.
They cannot add nights to their stay. If an individual does not have a reservation, they will not be able to
make one. If reservations are cancelled, not unsold inventory can be booked.
6.6 How to Add Existing Hotels to an Event
Select Add Hotels from the Inventory Tasks drop-down (see image 4.2.1):.
1. Enter the hotel name and search.
2. Click the check box next to the hotel and click Add Selected Hotels.
If the hotel is not in the Passkey library, it will not be found in this search. To learn how to create a Hotel in the
Passkey Library, see the How to Add and Update Hotels section.
57

Managing Inventory
6.7 How to Add Room Types
Select Add Rooms from the Inventory Tasks drop-down (see image 4.2.1):.
1. Select one of two options to Add Rooms:
••
From Library
••
New Room
2. Select the Room Type to be added.
3. Select the Upsell Room check box if it is an upsell room.
4. Click Add.
Image 4.2.1
HELPFUL HINTS
Make sure to only put the additional amount in each box. For example, if the rate were $150 and the additional
guest fee for the 3rd and 4th person were $20 each. $20 would be put into the 3rd and 4th box. If a 3rd person
were added to the room it would cost $170 , and a 4th would cost $190.
58

Managing Inventory
6.8 How to Manage Rates for a Room Type (see image 4.2.2):
1. Enter the new rate on the first night of inventory in the Nightly Rate row.
2. Click the double arrow to apply the rate to all nights. To change the rate for a single night, enter the new
rate for the appropriate night.
3. Click the Save icon in the top right corner of the room type section.
Image 4.2.2
6.9 How to Add Additional Guest Fees:
1. Click the Rate Information tab.
2. Change the Maximum No. of Guests to the appropriate number
3. Type the additional fee for each person in the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th box. See the Helpful Hint below for an
example.
4. Click the Save button.
HELPFUL HINTS
Click the Original link to view the inventory that was originally entered as part of the contract for the event. This provides
a benchmark throughout the event. Changing these values will not affect your availability. These values define areas of the
Event Dashboard and Block and Pickup reports.
59

Managing Inventory
6.10 How to Change Rates for Existing Reservations (Re-Rate) at the room type or sub-block level
1. Enter the new rate on the first night of inventory in the Nightly Rate row.
2. Click the Rate Information tab.
3. Click the “click here” link.
4. Check the box to notify all guests of their new rates (optional).
5. Click Yes button.
6.11 How to Manage Inventory for a Room Type (see image 4.2.2):
1. Enter the new number on the first night of inventory in the Current Block row.
2. Click the double arrow to apply the rate to all nights. To change the inventory for a single night, enter the
new number for the appropriate night.
3. Click the Save icon in the top right corner of the room type section.
4. If not using free-sell, the inventory will need to be assigned at the sub-block level.
Image 4.2.2
6.12 How to Create a Sub-block
When a room type is associated with an Attendee Type, it is called a sub-block. As a default, all rooms will
automatically have Attendee assigned to them. This section shows how to create additional sub-blocks.
1. Click the Inventory Tasks drop down menu and select the Manage Sub-Blocks link on the EVENT HOME
page (see image 4.3.1).
60

Managing Inventory
From the pop-up box (see image 4.3.2):
Image 4.3.1
2. Select Add Rooms to add room types as needed.
3. Select Add Attendee to add Attendee Types as needed.
4. Click Sub-Blocks and use the check boxes to associate the room types and attendee types to create the
sub-block.
Image 4.3.2
5. Click Save. The Attendee Types associated to the Room Type will now be shown beneath the room type
name on the EVENT HOME page (see image 4.3.3).
HELPFUL HINTS
If necessary, change the rate for the sub-block at this level and it will only apply to that particular attendee type.
61

Managing Inventory
7. To assign the rooms to a particular attendee type, click the View Sub-Blocks link next to the room type
name (see image 4.3.4). The screen will reload and the room type and associated sub-blocks will be shown.
Image 4.3.4
8. Scroll down to the desired sub-block and enter the number of rooms to be assigned in the current block
line for the Attendee Type. This will protect the inventory to only allow that attendee type to book those
rooms and will automatically deduct those rooms from the Free-sell block. Make sure Free-sell is turned off.
9. Click Save.
BEST PRACTICES
• Set up Inventory SmartAlerts to send an automatic alert if event inventory is getting low.
• Offer upgrade room types to every Individual Pay Own (IPO) event to generate incremental revenue.Add pre/post night
inventory to all events to capture extended stays.
62

Advanced Inventory management
Image 4.3.3
Additional inventory controls are available on a night by night basis within an attendee type/sub-block in
the tabs at the bottom of each section:
••
MNS - This is the minimum night stay for reservations arriving on that date.
••
Closed - Allows for the turning on or off of reservations per inventory date preventing both stay
throughs and arrivals.
••
Free Sell Options - Turn on or off the free-sell setting per inventory date, and choose to sell at
the highest rate available per date. Selling at the highest rate means that if the inventory were
pulled from free-sell, the room would take the highest rate between what free-sell and the subblock
were set at.
••
Rate Information - To update existing reservations with the current rate. Guests can also be
notified that the rates have been modified.
••
Sell Status –
••
Determine the type of reservation activity allowed for a particular sub-block. The higher
level of sell status will apply regardless of what is set at the Hotel or Sub-block level.
••
Determine whether the block should be available to call center access users and/or on the
attendee website (see image 4.3.5) by selecting the Open or Close radio buttons.
••
History - View the date, time and user name of the last user to change inventory in this section.
HELPFUL HINTS
A “+” is shown next to the Available number if free-sell inventory is available. Roll over the “+” to see the definition. A black
“+” means inventory is available, and a red “+” means inventory is not available.
63

Advanced Inventory Management
7.3 How to Create New Hotels in GroupMAX
GroupMAX includes a library of all hotels that have been part of events in the system. Most of the time, a hotel
will already be the library and can be added quickly. (See section 6.5 How to Add Existing Hotels to an Event).
This section shows how to add a new hotel to the GroupMAX library.
1. In the Event, click Advanced Options.
2. The Hotels page will appear. Click the Hotel Lookup button.
3. Search for the hotel by name.
4. If no results are found, click the Add Hotel button.
5. The Hotel Profile page will appear. Complete the page with the hotel information such as name, address,
contact numbers and a description.
6. Click Save.
64

Group Campaigns & Acknowledgements
Group Campaigns provide the ability to communicate with meeting attendees through targeted emails. These
targeted emails can include room upgrades and other promotions in order to drive incremental revenue. Campaigns
are automatically added to every event when included in Bundles and need to be activated in order to be sent to
attendees.
In this section, learn how to:
••
Create campaigns and acknowledgements in the Library
••
Enable and schedule campaigns within an event
••
Customize promotions for a specific event
••
Send out an announcement to guests that housing is open
••
Promote extended stays
••
Send a quick message to all guests attending an event
At the completion of this section, users will be able to:
••
Create a professional, custom message on behalf of the meeting planner to promote the event to attendees
and encourage booking within the block
••
Create targeted email messages to drive incremental revenue through upgrade room types and extended
stay promotions
• • Create instant messages for on site groups to promote hotel amenities and services or even a meeting room
change
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Group Campaigns & Acknowledgements
8.1 Understanding Group Campaigns
Group Campaigns provide the ability to communicate with meeting attendees through targeted emails. These targeted
emails can include room upgrades and other promotions in order to drive incremental revenue. Campaigns
are automatically added to every event when included in Bundles and need to be activated in order to be sent to
attendees.
Types of Campaigns
There are six pre-set Group Campaign categories.
Pre-Arrival (Reservation Pre-Arrival Reminders): Send reminders to attendees about an upcoming reservation
or event.
BEST PRACTICES
Send seven days prior to arrival and include reservation information, event location details, amenities and restaurants
information, cancellation policy reminders, and the Hotel Confirmation number (if the hotel downloads into their
reservation system). Don’t forget to promote any upgrade rooms still available.
Post-Stay: Send emails to attendees after the event to collect feedback (surveys, thank you messages) or for
marketing future opportunities such as post event surveys.
Upsell: Offer upsell opportunities with destination attractions. Customize the template and target specific attendees
with the special offers.
BEST PRACTICES
Promote restaurants, spa services, shows, golf, room upgrades or any other services to attendees on the Attendee Website.
Announce Event (Pre-Open Notifications): Send a message before the event opens to announce the event and
when reservations will be open to attendees. The email list could come from a previous GroupMAX event, or import
list of names and email addresses provided by the planner.
BEST PRACTICES
Ask planners to provide contact information such as names and emails of previous attendees. Announce Event campaigns
are a great way to boost event pickup and drive reservations online and in the block.
Quick Notify: Send an immediate message to attendees.
BEST PRACTICES
Use Quick Notify for instant promotions when the group is in-house such as a special available in the restaurant, a discount
offered at a local attraction, or simply a welcome from the planner.
Reg/Not Booked (Registered but No Housing list): Contact event attendees who have registered but not reserved
a room in the block, with a reminder to book their hotel accommodations. RegLink license is required.
BEST PRACTICES
Send out ten days prior to cutoff to remind attendees that housing rates are only guaranteed until the cutoff date, and how
important it is to book within the block.
All campaigns and acknowledgements are automatically added to events from the library. At the event level, the
campaigns are turned “off” by default and the acknowledgements are turned “on” by default.
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Group Campaigns & Acknowledgements
Who, What and When are the key elements of effective marketing and communication. GroupMAX Campaign
types differ based on the timing options, recipient options and content options offered. Choose the Campaign
type carefully to benefit from the flexibility of this communication tool.
When Can Each Campaign be Scheduled to be Sent?
The following table outlines timing options based on Campaign type:
Who Can Each Campaign be Scheduled to be Sent to?
The following table outlines recipient options based on Campaign type:
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Group Campaigns & Acknowledgements
What About the Opt In Rule and Tags?
The following table outlines adherence to opt-in rules and available content tags based on Campaign type:
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Group Campaigns & Acknowledgements
8.1 How to Setup a Group Campaign in the Library
1. In the Communications Library, select (add) next to the type of Campaign to be created or the pencil or to edit
an existing Campaign
2. In the Name field, enter a unique name for the Group Campaign. The name should be descriptive.
1. Determine when a campaign will be sent by selecting a specific date or by using the configurable options provided
in the drop-down menus (see image 8.3.1).
Image 8.3.1
2. Select the type of recipients to receive the Campaigns by default. Options include all guests, primary guests only,
attendee types, room types, etc. The recipient choices will vary depending on the type of campaign and can be
selected or updated at the Bundle or event level (see image 8.3.2).
8.2 How to Add or Edit a Group Campaign in the Library
1. Select the (add) link next to the type of campaign to be created.
2. In the Name field, enter a unique name for the campaign. The name should be descriptive.
3. Determine when a campaign will be sent by selecting a specific date or by using the configurable options
provided in the drop-down menus (see image 8.3.1).
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Group Campaigns & Acknowledgements
Image 8.3.1
4. Select the type of recipients to receive the Campaigns by default. Options include all guests, primary guests
only, attendee types, room types, etc. The recipient choices will vary depending on the type of campaign
and can be selected or updated at the Bundle or event level (see image 8.3.2).
Image 8.3.2
5. Choose the layout display and color selections of the campaign (see image 8.3.3). Select a color using the
color chart or inputting a hex color code. Select colors for the background, header, body and footer. Images
can also be uploaded instead of a color.
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Group Campaigns & Acknowledgements
8.3 How To Update a Group Campaign or Acknowledgement in an Event
To access Group Campaigns or Acknowledgements within an event:
1. Click the Event Name on the HOME page.
2. Click Communications in the EVENT HOME navigation bar.
3. Group Campaigns & Acknowledgements is the default view (see image 12.1.1).
4. Click the Edit icon next to the Campaign or Acknowledgement to be updated..
Image 12.1.1
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Group Campaigns & Acknowledgements
8.4 How To Schedule and Customize a Campaign
1. In the Communications section of the event, click on the “pencil” icon to open the campaign.
2. Edit the Timing and select the Recipients to receive the campaign (see image 12.2.1).
Image 12.2.1
3. Edit the Subject field as needed (see image 12.2.2). It will default to an appropriate message for the
campaign.
4. Enter the name or company from whom the message is to be sent in the From Name field.
5. If needed, click in the campaign to edit the content. Use the HTML Editor to import images and links as
needed. For more information about customizing the content, see the How to Edit Content or How to Use
Tags sections.
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Group Campaigns & Acknowledgements
Image 12.2.2
6. Preview the campaign before sending (see image 12.2.3). Click the Send test message link and enter the
email address of the person who will preview. Click Send.
Image 12.2.3
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Group Campaigns & Acknowledgements
7. Click the Save button at the top or bottom of the page.
8. To activate the campaign, click the toggle button next to the campaign name at the top of the page (see
image 12.2.4). The toggle button will change to ON and turn green. The campaign is now activated.
Image 12.2.4
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Group Campaigns & Acknowledgements
8.5 Understanding Acknowledgements
Acknowledgments, also known as confirmations, are an automated email that is sent to the guest to confirm their
reservation and information. These acknowledgements are sent after a guest makes a new reservation, modifies a
reservation, or cancels a reservation. Because they are HTML emails, they can include pictures, text, links, and logos.
There are three different types of Acknowledgements:
••
New
••
Modify
••
Cancel
Default acknowledgements are located in the Communications library. As with the Group Campaigns, it is possible to
create multiple Acknowledgement defaults based on different criteria, such as attendee types (see image 8.2.1).
In this section, learn how to:
••
Create Acknowledgements in the Library
Image 8.2.1
••
Turn acknowledgements on and off for a specific event
••
Customize acknowledgements for a specific event
Navigating the Communications Library:
Create new default campaigns or acknowledgements by clicking (add) on the corresponding category (see image
8.2.2). Preview existing content by clicking directly on the name of the campaign or acknowledgement. Edit or copy
by selecting the corresponding icons located to the right of the row.
Image 8.2.2
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Group Campaigns & Acknowledgements
8.6 How to Add or Edit an Acknowledgement in the Library
1. In the Communications Library, select (add) next to the type of Acknowledgement to be created or the
pencil or to edit an existing Acknowledgement.
2. In the Name field, enter a unique name for the acknowledgement. The name should be descriptive.
3. In the Subject field, enter the subject to be displayed on the email acknowledgement.
4. In the From Name field, enter the display name to be displayed on the email acknowledgement. Keep in
mind that this will show as the display name, but the email will still be sent from Passkey.
5. Choose the layout display and color selections of the Acknowledgment(see image 8.3.3). Select a color
using the color chart or inputting a hex color code. Select colors for the background, header, body and
footer. Images can also be uploaded instead of a color.
Image 8.3.3
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Group Campaigns & Acknowledgements
6. Enter content in the body of the email. Each Acknowledgement provides full word-processing capabilities
along with an HTML editor that allows for ease in importing images and hyper link text when creating
customized communications (see image 8.3.4). For more information about customizing the content, see
the How to Edit Content or How to Use Tags sections.
Image 8.3.4
7. Send a test email to preview the acknowledgement. Make adjustments as needed.
8. Click Save and turn “on” the acknowledgement.
8.7 How to Turn a Group Campaign or Acknowledgement On or Off
As a default, Group Campaigns will be turned off in an event, and Acknowledgements will be turned on. To change
this within an event:
9. Click the Event Name on the HOME page.
10. Click Communications in the EVENT HOME navigation bar.
11. Group Campaigns & Acknowledgements is the default view.
12. Select the On/Off button to turn the Campaign or Acknowledgments on or off (see image 12.1.1).
Image 12.1.1
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Group Campaigns & Acknowledgements
8.8 How to Add or Edit Content
You can review and edit the campaign or acknowledgement email as follows. The email content depends on which
campaign or acknowledgement type you selected.
1. In the Layout field, determine the layout by selecting one of the pre-formatted layouts. To create a new
layout, select the Custom option.
2. In the Background Colors section, for certain campaigns only and if using one of the GroupMAX preformatted
layouts, you can select the background, header, body, and footer colors for the different sections
of the email. Click on the color palette to choose a different color or enter the HEX number of your
desired color choice. Alternatively, you can upload an image to populate the background of each area of
the campaign. If using a custom layout, you will not be presented with this option. The Tile Image check
box controls whether the image is shown once or is tiled (repeated) in the background.
3. Enter the subject text in the Subject field.
4. Optionally, enter a name in the From Name field. Guests receiving the email will see this name as the
entity or person who sent the email. By default, the field contains the event name.
5. Use the Insert Tags drop-down lists to add placeholders, which are replaced with dynamic data from the
event, hotel or reservation. See the How to Use Tags section below for further details
6. To edit the email message, click anywhere in the message window and the text becomes editable. You can
use the various editing tools from the tool bar to customize the message, such as bold, italics and bullets.
HELPFUL HINTS
If you are familiar with raw HTML, you can edit the email in HTML by clicking HTML in the tool bar. This is particularly
useful when copying and pasting in HTML from another source.
7. Click the Send test message link to enter the email address recipient of the test message then click Send.
8. Click Save to save the campaign or acknowledgement.
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Group Campaigns & Acknowledgements
8.9 How To Use Tags
Tags are placeholders that are replaced with dynamic data from the event, hotel or reservation. For example, the
Room Type tag is replaced with the actual reservation Room Type when the email is sent. The Insert Tags feature
allows adding event, hotel or guest specific information to the email. To insert a tag:
1. Use the first Insert Tags drop-down to select a category of tags, such as Event, Hotel, Recipient, RegLink, or
Reservation.
2. Use the second Insert Tags drop-down to select the type of information you wish to insert.
3. In the email body, place your cursor where you want the tag to be inserted.
4. Click the + icon next to the tag name. The tag is inserted in the email message body.
For example, to insert the web address of the event:
5. In the first drop-down, select Event.
6. In the second drop-down, select Attendee Website URL.
7. In the email body, place your cursor where you want the text to be inserted.
8. Write a new paragraph: “The website is located at “ then place your cursor at the end of the sentence.
9. Click the + icon. The ${ Event.AttendeeWebsiteURL} tag is inserted.
This means that when the email is sent, this line will show as “The website is located at http://www.website.com”
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SmartAlerts
SmartAlerts provide the ability to automate the delivery of important event information to key staff, meeting
planners and key hotel staff. These communications are categorized into two types, Updates and Alerts.
••
Updates are sent on a regular schedule. Updates include a Block & Pickup Report, Delegate Report, Wait
List Report and a Report Card.
••
Alerts are sent when specific criteria are met. Some examples of alerts are when a block reaches 80% pickup
on any inventory night or when an event’s cutoff date is 30 days away.
SmartAlerts are configured as a default for every event. If sending SmartAlerts to meeting planners or others is not
included as a default setting from the Bundle or Library, add them to the event after it is created.
SmartAlerts are applied to Bundles and new events, and can be further customized at the event level if needed.
Access SmartAlerts by clicking on the link in the sub-navigation menu under Libraries (see image 8.4.1).
Image 8.4.1
In this section, learn how to:
••
Create new SmartAlerts in the Library and in an event
••
Schedule available SmartAlerts from the Library for Key Staff, Meeting Planners & Hotel Staff
At the completion of this section, users will be able to:
••
Keep meeting planners and key hotel staff informed as to the status of group pickup, cutoff date, and key
inventory milestones through automated messaging
• • Automate sending non-professional meeting planners block and pickup or delegate reports when the Event
Dashboard may be too much information
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SmartAlerts
Image 8.3.3
6. Enter content in the body of the email. Each Group Campaign provides full word-processing capabilities
along with an HTML editor that allows for ease in importing images and hyper link text when creating
customized communications.
7. Send a test email to preview the campaign, planner email, or acknowledgement. Make adjustments as
needed.
8. Click Save and turn “on” the campaign.
Automate the delivery of event information to meeting planners and key hotel staff members with SmartAlerts.
This will help simplify managing inventory in GroupMAX and the CRS/PMS, keep key staff and contacts informed
of critical event information, and provide the planner with important reports.
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SmartAlerts
Image 8.5.2
1. Add default recipients from the Select Organization drop-down menu, or by typing an individual email
address. Update and add Recipients at the Bundle and event level for each group as needed.
2. Add a custom message that will be sent out each time this alert is sent out or triggered.
3. Click Save.
Image 8.5.3
Once the SmartAlerts have been created in the library, they must be turned On to be available for newly created
events (see image 8.5.4).
Image 8.5.4
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SmartAlerts
9.2 How to schedule SmartAlerts for Key Staff, Meeting Planners & Hotel Staff
1. Click the Event Name on HOME page.
2. Click the Communications link in the navigation bar, then SmartAlerts (see image 13.1.1).
3. Click the edit pencil to open the SmartAlerts.
Image 13.1.1
4. Select the Hotel or Organization Name from the Select Organization drop down list (see image 13.1.2).
5. Select the name(s) of the key staff to receive the SmartAlert.
6. Check the check box to send a “welcome” message to those selected to advise that they will begin
receiving SmartAlerts.
7. Enter email addresses, of those not in the drop down list, in the Enter Additional Recipients field.
8. Enter the email address of the user from whom the email will be sent in the Send it from field.
9. Enter a custom message to be sent out with each alert in the Enter Email Text field.
10. Click the Save button.
BEST PRACTICES
Include contact information for the person responsible for working with the meeting planner in the SmartAlert custom
messaging section so planner has this information handy.
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SmartAlerts
Image 13.1.2
84

Customizing Attendee Websites
GroupMAX offers meeting planners a personalized reservation booking website for each event. Meeting guests can
enjoy the convenience of online reservations and choose from room upgrades, extended stays and other services
which help generate incremental revenue.
Attendee Websites may be easily customized for each group providing a site that reflects their own branding and
messaging. Website templates are also available offering multiple professional and social design options. The builtin
social networking tool allows hotels to create a social network for each event in one click, so guests can easily
connect before, during and after the event.
In addition, additional information may be gathered for each reservation through Attendee Enrollment. This will be
reviewed in Section 12.
In this section, learn how to:
••
Add a logo to a website
••
Customize text
••
Choose a website theme
••
View all URLs for the event and each attendee type
••
Add or create a social network to the attendee website
At the end of this section, users will be able to:
••
Create a custom website for each group
••
Create custom (shorter) URLs that can be sent via email
••
Create (or link to) a social network environment for attendees to communicate before, during and after an
event
••
Promote other services and amenities to generate incremental revenue
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Customizing Attendee Websites
10.1 How to Customize Attendee Websites
To access the Website customization area, select the down arrow located next to the name of the event to be
customized, opening up the event snapshot view. The website customization area is in the bottom left of this
window (see image 14.1.1).
Image 14.1.1
There are three website options available from this view:
••
View Website - Click this link to launch the current website for the event.
••
Manage Website - Select the Manage Website link to customize the event website further. This will
open the Event Website page.
••
Change Event Logo - Easily change the event logo.
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Customizing Attendee Websites
Website page
From the Home screen, Select the Manage Website link to customize the event website further. This will open the
Event Website page. The Event Website page allows the user to change images, text, settings and other options.
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Customizing Attendee Websites
10.2 How to Create a Website Template in the Library
In order to save time and create consistency, an organization can create a reusable set of website templates and
make them available within the bundles and events. These templates can have specific images, themes, text and
colors.
GroupMAX offers pre-made templates called “Themes” that can be chosen and then customized. These themes are
available in the Library to make the organization’s templates. Some of these themes currently available are:
••
Corporate (4 different types)
••
Green Meetings
••
Medical (2 different types)
••
Sports (3 different types)
To create a Website template in the library, go to the Websites section and do the following :
1. Click the “click here” link at the top of the page.
2. Name the template, then click Save.
3. Select the theme to be used by mousing over the theme and clicking the Apply button. To preview
before selecting, click the Preview button.
4. Customize the template by editng the other customization options like Images, Settings, and Messages.
To choose a Website template in an event, go to the Websites section and do the following :
1. Select the template to be used by mousing over the theme and clicking the Apply button. To preview
before selecting, click the Preview button.
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Customizing Attendee Websites
10.3 How to Edit Fonts & Colors
From the Website page, click Fonts & Colors.
1. Click the section to be edited. For example, Fonts, Backgrounds & Breadcrumbs or Panel Body Colors.
2. Change the color or font.
3. Cick Save.
The following images show which areas are affectted by each option:
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Customizing Attendee Websites
10.4 How to Update Images:
From the Event Website page, click Images.
1. Click the Browse button next to the image to be added/updated.
2. Find the image on the computer and click OK.
3. Click OK.
4. Preview the website to ensure it looks correct.
10.5 How to Resize an Image:
From the Website page, click Images.
1. Click the Browse button next to the image to be added/updated.
2. Click the link under “Option 2: Resize image To resize the image to better fit the target area, click here.”
3. Please ensure the browser’s pop-up blockers are off. Click OK to proceed.
4. Using the snapshot editor will make it possible to resize or crop the image.
5. Once finished resizing the image, click continue at the top right corner of the page.
6. Preview the website to ensure it looks correct.
10.6 How to Edit Text on the Website:
From the Website page, click Messages.
1. Find the section to be edited and update the text. To format the text, highlight the characters and click on
any of the options on the tool bar. Links can be created by highlighting the text and then right-clicking.
2. Click the Save button.
3. Preview the website to ensure it looks correct.
BEST PRACTICES
Each attendee website should include a customized message addressing the attendees. This will further reinforce the group’s
branding and individuality.
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Customizing Attendee Websites
10.7 Understanding Website Settings
In order to make the Website as customizable as possible, there is a Settings section that can be manipulated to
produce a number of different display options.
Hotel Search Options - Decides whether to show only available rooms, all rooms (including sold out) or both.
Hotel Info Options - Decides what hotel information to be shown.
Closed Event Info Options - Decides which hotel information to be shown when the hotel is closed (Sell Status)
Reservations Contact Info Options - Decides which reservations options to show. If the goal is to drive online
reservations, do not display a phone or mailing option.
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Customizing Attendee Websites
Reservations Options:
••
Allow new reservations via website - If unchecked, new reservations will not be allowed on the website.
••
Allow reservations modifications via website - If unchecked, modifications will not be allowed on the
website.
••
Show Access Code Box in New Reservation Search - If using Access codes for Attendee Types, this box
will appear on the website. If none of the restricted Attendee Types will be making their own reservations
on the website, uncheck this box to make the process less confusing for attendees booking online.
••
Show Currency Converter - If checked, Attendees will be able to use a currency converter to see the
price of the rooms in other currencies.
••
Allow reservation cancellations via website -If unchecked, cancellations will not be allowed on the
website.
••
Allow guests to modify Hotel Prior to Cutoff Date - Allows Attendee to change hotels prior to the
cutoff date.
••
Allow guests to modify primary guest name - Uncheck if name changes are not permitted.
••
Lock rooms for a single reservation - rooms are taken out of real time availability and moved to a
picked up status during the attendee website process when the user selects BOOK and moves into step
3. If the booking is not completed within 10 minutes the room is releases back for sale. Locking applies to
single room, attendee website reservations only and provides protection from the web users receiving a
sold out message after inserting their guest details and payment information.
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Customizing Attendee Websites
10.8 Understanding International Options
Because GroupMAX is used worldwide, there are many tools that make it possible to use multiple languages,
formats, and currencies. These options can be changed at the Library, Bundle and Event level.
Anywhere that the globe appears in GroupMAX, a translation can be added. For example, the Welcome Message
could be added in multiple languages so that when the user changed the language, they would be able to see the
message in their language.
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Enrollment
The GroupMAX Enrollment module is an easy way to capture information from attendees while they make their
hotel reservations, from meal preferences and agenda RSVP’s, to contact and other information.
The Enrollment feature enables users to easily add a series of instructions and questions to any event in just a
few steps. Attendees are presented with the questions as part of their online hotel booking process which can be
configured either as a required or an optional step. The only time that Enrollment cannot be used is while using the
RegLink tool.
With Enrollment, users can now provide meeting planners with the ability to build in questions to the attendee
website to capture additional event-related information. Detailed reports are also available.
Some examples of how to use the Enrollment feature are:
••
Capture dietary requirements, meal and catering preferences
••
Capture flight arrival and departure information for transportation needs
••
Gather information for excursions, amenities, spa reservation requests, golf tee times and restaurant
reservation requests.
In this section, learn how to:
••
Build an Enrollment form for an event
••
Create custom questions using multiple formats
At the completion of this section, users will be able to:
••
Quickly create custom questions to be added to an event
••
Promote value-added services to meeting planners that may not have other means to collect additional
information above and beyond the reservation details
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Enrollment
11.1 How to Enable Enrollment:
1. In the Website section, click Attendee Enrollment Form.
2. Select the Enable Enrollment check box (see image 15.1.1).
Image 15.1.1
3. If enrollment is required before making a reservation, check the Is Enrollment Required check box. This
requires attendees to complete the form prior to making a hotel reservation. If this box is unchecked, the
attendee has the option to skip the enrollment form and proceed with a reservation only.
4. If a reservation is required with enrollment, check the Is Housing Required check box. This requires
attendees to complete housing before the enrollment is saved. If this box is unchecked, the attendee has
the option to complete a hotel reservation after enrolling.
11.2 Understanding Enrollment Options:
There are many different combinations of Enrollment and Housing being required or optional, each creating a
different path. The following are explanations of each combination and the path it creates:
••
Enrollment Required/Housing Required - Enrollment is presented as first step and not saved until a hotel
reservation is completed in step two. Website welcome page is skipped.
••
Enrollment Required/ Housing optional - Enrollment is presented as first step and saved. Housing is
presented as an optional second step however, website welcome page is skipped.
••
Enrollment Optional/ Housing Required - Welcome page is presented as first step with the option to
enroll. If enrollment is selected, it will not be saved until a hotel reservation is completed.
••
Enrollment Optional/ Housing Optional - Welcome page is presented as a first step with the option to
enroll. If enrollment is selected, it will be save regardless if a hotel reservation is completed.
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Enrollment
11.3 How to Customize and Edit the Enrollment Form
1. Review and edit the Please Enroll section. To change the title or the text, click the edit (pencil) icon on the
right hand side of the page.
2. Review and edit the Guest Information section. To change the title or the text, click the edit icon in the
same row as the Guest Information title. All fields with the exception of the required Guest Information
fields can be deleted from this section.
3. Review and edit the Guest Information fields. To change the fields, click the edit icon next to the Guest
Information fields (see image 15.2.1).
a. In the pop-up, choose the maximum number of guests allowed per enrollment.
b. Use the Show check box next to each field to show or hide specific guest information fields.
c. Use the Required check box next to each field to make the field mandatory. Some fields are
mandatory and cannot be changed.
d. Click Save when done.
Image 15.2.1
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Enrollment
5. To add additional question fields in the Guest Information section or any other section, either:
••
Click the Add New Form Field link at the bottom of the section and complete the pop-up to add
the field (see image 15.2.2).
Image 15.2.2
••
From the Add Form Fields section on the left side of the screen (see image 15.2.3), click, drag
and drop a form field type into the desired section of the form, then select the edit icon and
customize the field using the pop-up.
Image 15.2.3
••
To delete a question, click the X next to the field.
HELPFUL HINTS
When using more than one locale on the Attendee Website, use the Language drop-down list to customize the section or
question in each language.
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Enrollment
6. Click the Add New Section button to add a new section. Click the edit icon next to the newly added
section to customize the section title and instructions (see image 15.2.4).
Image 15.2.4
7. Use the icons next to each section (see image 15.2.5) to edit, drag the section to another location, move the
section down one section, move the section up one section, or delete the section, respectively.
Image 15.2.5
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Enrollment
In addition to the Guest Information fields, there are several different types of question fields. Customize the fields
by clicking the edit icon. Each field has a customizable label or questions and most fields allow each answer to be
made mandatory using the Required check box:
••
Free form Text Box. A field where the user can type in free form information, such as special dietary
needs.
••
Numerical Answer. Capture a numeric value. The minimum and maximum allowed values can be
specified.
••
Radio Buttons. A list of pre-defined answer options using radio buttons where the user can choose only
one selection. Fill in up to six pre-defined answers and choose the default selection by clicking the Is
Default radio button.
••
Date Answer. Allows the user to enter a date. Optionally, the date range can be limited within a predefined
valid date range.
••
Check Box. A list of pre-defined answer options where the user can choose multiple answers. Fill in up to
six pre-defined answers and choose whether it is automatically selected for the attendee by clicking the Is
Checked by Default box.
••
Time Answer. Allows the user to enter a time. Optionally, the time range can be limited within a predefined
range.
••
Drop down List. A list of pre-defined answer options shown in a drop-down list where the user can
choose only one selection. Fill in up to six pre-defined answers and choose the default selection by
clicking the Is Default radio button.
Click Save in the pop-up to save changes. Edit questions later by clicking the edit icon, or delete a question by
clicking the X.
Click the Save button at the bottom of the form to save the form.
HELPFUL HINTS
• Custom questions can be added within Guest Information or any other section, up to a maximum of 15 questions
across the enrollment form.
• The Preview button will open the form for reviewing.
• Enrollment reports are available in the Reports tab.
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Attendee Types
12.1 Understanding Attendee Types
Attendee Types give the user the ability to separate different types of attendees or guests. Each Attendee Type
in an Event can be given different restrictions, Guarantee Types, room types, and rates. Attendee Types such as
Attendee, Exhibitor, Staff, or VIP can be allocated different amounts of rooms and reported on separately.
In this section, learn how to:
••
Create Attendee Types
••
Restrict Attendee Types to Require an Access Code
••
Assign Guarantee Types to Each Attendee Type
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Attendee Types
Attendee Types Library
GroupMAX allows for an unlimited amount of Attendee Types and supports the need to differentiate among event
participants (see image 8.6.3). Attendee Types can be added at the Libary, Bundle, and Event levels. See the
Managing Inventory section for directions.
12.2 How To Add an Attendee Type:
1. Click the click here link to open a new screen (see image 8.6.4).
2. Fill in the name of the Attendee Type. Make sure that the name is descriptive and unique, such as
Attendee, Government, VIP, or Staff.
3. Select the Guarantee Type from the drop-down list. This list comes from the Guarantee Type Library.
4. Check the Require Access Code box if the attendee will be required to enter a code to make a reservation
on the Website.
5. Check the Free-Sell Enabled box so that all inventory applied to this attendee type will default to Free-
Sell.
6. When done, click Save.
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Guarantee Types
13.1 Understanding Guarantee Types
Guarantee Types refer to methods of guarantee that are required to secure a hotel reservation based on hotel
agreement terms. GroupMAX allows for various Guarantee Types ranging from the standard credit card guarantee
or room & tax to a master account to more advance requirements such as an advance deposit or full prepayment of
a hotel reservation.
Guarantee Types can be established in your Library, added to Bundles as well as created or managed at the event
level. GroupMAX allows the flexibility to associate a Guarantee Type to a specific sub block, across an attendee
type or applied to entire event.
GroupMAX includes two advance Guarantee Type features:
••
Charging cancellation fees* through Passkey’s merchant account
••
Charging advance reservation deposits or cancellation fees* through an Organization’s own merchant
account.
In this section, learn how to:
••
Create standard Guarantee Types
••
Manage Accepted Credit Cards
••
Merchant Account options and set up
••
Create Advance Guarantee Types
••
Create Cancellation Fees
••
Manage charges
••
Frequently Asked Questions
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Guarantee Types
13.2 Creating Standard Guarantee Types
Credit card guarantee is the default Guarantee Type for the entire event unless otherwise managed. Creating
additional guarantee types will allow other guarantee methods to be accepted on the attendee websites as well as
reservations form.
To create a new guarantee type in an event:
1. Select Advance Options from the navigation bar
2. Select Guarantee Types from the sub navigation bar
3. Select Add Guarantee Type
4. Enter internal name for the Guarantee Type being created.
5. Select the appropriate radio button if guest is required to supply a guarantee at time of booking. Selecting
NO will allow for options such as billing to a master account or check payment.
6. Select the appropriate option for accepted payment
7. Enter instructional/disclosure text to display on the attendee website.
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Guarantee Types
8. If the guest is required to supply a credit card with an expiration date valid through the check out date
enable the setting. If not selected, an expiration date from the booking date forward will be accepted
9. Warning: Allowing guests to secure reservations with credit cards that expired prior to the check out date
may result in decline cards should the hotel authorize or charge credit cards after receipt of rooming list data.
10. Hide or show the information for guests paying by credit card on this page as desired
11. Save entry
12. Continue to add Guarantee Type option for your event as needed.
BEST PRACTICES
Add Guarantee Types at the Library level and include in Bundles. Various Guarantee Types may include: Credit card
guarantee (default), Room and tax to master, Room, tax and incidentals to master, room guaranteed only to master. Guest
pays all charges at check out. See sections and for Library and Bundle details.
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Guarantee Types
13.3 Manage Accepted Credit Cards
All credit card options will be enabled as a default, and will be available on the attendee website and reservation form.
Options can be managed to satisfy hotel contracts or merchant account restrictions through the following steps:
1. Select an event to manage from your HOME page
2. Select Advance Options from navigation bar
3. Select Guarantee Types from sub navigation bar
4. Select the Manage button in the under Accepted Credit Card area
5. Deselect credit cards as needed for the chosen event
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Guarantee Types
13.4 Merchant (bank) Account Options and Set Up
Merchant account options include the charging of advance reservation deposits and cancellation fees and support for
CVV2 codes and billing address verification. This allows the organization or hotel to drive attendee behavior based
on deposit and cancellation policies and also allows certain organizations to use deposit fees collected as a revenue
source.
Merchant Account Options
Use of the Merchant Account feature requires licensee agreements. Fees apply.
Note: Although a single Merchant Account may be used for multiple events, each event may only process
transactions to a single Merchant Account.
Merchant Account Set up
1. Select Manage from tool bar
2. Select Organizer Setup from drop down menu
3. Select Merchant Accounts from sub navigation bar
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Guarantee Types
Merchant Account Set up (continued)
4. Add internal Merchant Account name.
5. Select TransFirst as the Gateway provider.
6. Enter EPay Account and password as provided for your TransFirst Merchant Account
7. Configure the Credit Card Statement. Add description to appear on credit card statements if supported by
the merchant provider.
Please note: Passkey currently does not support the configuration of a custom card statement. It is recommended that
this field be set with the same name as the “DBA name” field on your merchant account.
8. Enable Verification Options as agreed upon with merchant provider
9. Select Add
A Note About the TransFirst Gateway
Passkey has chosen TransFirst as the gateway to be used to process reservation cancellation and/or deposit fees to a
customer’s bank account.
All customers using Passkey commerce must have an account with TransFirst or use Passkey’s account (for cancellation fees
only). An account can be established by selecting:
Once an account is established through TransFirst, the customer will be provided with the number to be entered into the
Gate ID field.
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Guarantee Types
13.5 Create Advanced Guarantee Types
A Merchant Account option must set for your Organization prior to creating advance deposit guarantee types.
Once the Merchant Account feature has been enable the Deposit and Cancellation Fees fields will be included in the
Add Guarantee Type process. (See section for completed instructions on adding a guarantee type)
To create an Advanced Guarantee Type:
1. Initiate Guarantee Type process.
2. Select Deposit Type from drop down list .
3. Continue Guarantee Type set up.
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Guarantee Types
13.6 Creating Cancellation Fees
A Merchant Account option must set for your Organization prior to creating cancellation fees. Once the Merchant
Account feature has been enabled the Deposit and Cancellation Fees fields will be included in the Add Guarantee
Type process. (See section for completed instructions on adding a guarantee type)
To create a new guarantee type in an event:
1. Initiate Guarantee Type process.
2. Select Cancellation Fee Type from drop down list .
3. Cancellation type may require additional setting of % or fixed amount.
Or
4. Complete Guarantee Type set up.
5. Save entry.
HELPFUL HINTS
• Multiple cancellation policies may be tiered by selecting the “+” icon.
• Varying rules may also be applied such as charging a fixed amount, 1st night’s room and tax, total amount or a %.
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Managing Reservations
Managing reservations in GroupMAX is simple. The GroupMAX Reservations Form allows users to expedite
reservation data entry through a full featured application. It is designed to allow a user to quickly make, modify or
cancel reservations for a specific event. GroupMAX Search capabilities provide an easy to use format to look up
reservations to search for reservations to view, modify or cancel using multiple criteria.
Key features of the Reservations Form are:
••
Inventory availability search based on sub-block
••
Automatic duplicate reservation search
••
Copy a reservation with or without payment options
In this section, learn how to:
••
Book a reservation within a sub-block for a specific event
••
View available inventory for room types
••
Copy reservations to quickly enter several reservations
••
Resend acknowledgements
••
View acknowledgement history
••
Print a quick reservation summary
••
View reservation history
At the completion of this section, users will be able to:
••
Make, modify and cancel reservations with a robust, full-featured form
••
Search for reservations to view, modify, or cancel
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Managing Reservations
14.1 How to Make a New Reservation
The Reservations Form can be accessed in two ways and will open in a separate window:
••
Click on the Reservations tab in the main navigation bar at the top of the page and select New Reservation
(see image 16.1.1).
••
From the EVENT HOME page, select the Reservations link to open the Find Reservations screen. Click
the click here link to make a new reservation (see image 16.1.2).
Image 16.1.1
Image 16.1.2
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Managing Reservations
14.2 Navigating the Reservations Form
The Reservations Form consists of three frames (see image 16.2.1):
1. The Left Frame supports data entry. Note that the left frame is designed for simple Tab operations (e.g.,
complete a field and Tab to the next), or use the mouse to select fields.
2. The Top Right Frame contains options selected to enter data in certain fields in the left frame. These options
are laid out across two or more columns. Each column can be sorted by clicking on the column heading.
3. The Bottom Right Frame contains details of the options in the top left frame.
Image 16.2.1
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Managing Reservations
Types of Fields
In addition to buttons, check boxes and radio buttons, there are three types of fields that are used in the reservation
form:
••
Option List Fields: Fields where an item is selected from a list of options listed in the right frame. See below
for more information on Option List Fields.
••
Required Fields: The text field title includes an asterisk (*), e.g., * First Name.
••
Optional Fields: The text field title does not include an asterisk (*).
Option List Fields
There are many fields that require the user to select from a list of options. For example, the Event field allows the user to
select from a list of open events (see image 16.2.2). When the cursor is placed in an option list field, the list of options
automatically appears in the right frame of the browser.
To select an item, either type the number for the desired option or click on the option in the right frame. Once an option
has been selected, Tab to the next field. The field itself is changed from the number selected to a system coded number.
Image 16.2.2
NOTE: All option list fields are required unless otherwise noted and cannot be left blank.
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Managing Reservations
Accessing Details on the Option List Items
When an option list appears in the right frame, click an underlined link to display details about the item (see image
16.2.3). This action also selects the item in the option list field. For example, to see more information about the event,
click the underlined event name in the right frame and detailed information appears in the lower right frame:
HELPFUL HINTS
• View sub-block availability by clicking the name of the Type in the Top Right Frame. This will open a new window on
the Bottom Right Frame to show night by night inventory for each room type.
• If any nights are highlighted in red, the inventory is not available for sale.
• A number in parentheses indicates the minimum night stay requirement for arrival that night.
• Change dates either by typing the new date or by using the Up and Down arrows on the keyboard.
• Click the Policy Rates button to display hotel cancellation policy and room rate information.
• An asterisk next to the average rate indicates that there are varying nightly rates. Click the rate to see the detail.
• The system automatically checks for duplicate names based on an exact match of last name and first initial for each
guest (not just the primary guest).
• If duplicates are found, a list of reservations for each known duplicate appears in the right frame. To view the duplicate
reservation, click the acknowledgement number link. A window pops up and the reservation information can be
changed if required.
• Call Center users can be restricted to see only the payment methods allowed for each attendee type. For example, if
credit cards are required, call center users will not see the “other payment” option. This setting will be determined by
the event organizer.
• Notes entered in the Reservation Note field are not seen by the guest nor are they shown on room list reports.
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Managing Reservations
Image 16.2.3
Reservation Messages
There are three types of reservation messages:
••
Errors: Data entry errors prevent the submission of a reservation. For example, most reservation fields are
required and they may require that data be entered in a specific format (e.g., dates). Failure to enter data
according to field-specific rules means that the reservation cannot be submitted until the error is fixed.
••
Warnings: Warnings are meant to alert users to a possible data entry error. Field warnings do not prevent
submission of a reservation, but the user should be careful to make sure that the data in the field is correct.
Warnings are shown directly below the field with the word "warning" and an explanation for the warning.
••
Messages: A message appears to inform users of the system status.
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Managing Reservations
14.3 Steps to Create a New Reservation:
1. Click the Reservations on the HOME page and select New Reservation in the drop-down list. The
Reservations Form will open in a separate window.
2. Enter the name of the caller or person making the reservation in the Received From field.
3. Enter any appropriate search criteria. An event name may have as few as three letters.
4. After entering the search criteria, press the Search button to present the list of options in the top right
frame. (The curser will move to the Event field).
5. Type the number (1, 2, 3, etc.) that corresponds to the event name in the “#” column in the list to the right
or click the name of the event. Tab to the next field.
6. Continue filling in appropriate information as needed in the remaining form and click the Submit button
when complete.
HELPFUL HINTS
When entering the number of rooms, only make only book one room at a time and then copy the reservation. If multiple
rooms are booked on one reservation, the reservation will not transfer to the hotel’s reservation system.
Once the reservation has been made, there are several ways to continue. Click one of the following buttons from the
Next Actions options on the screen:
••
New Blank - Display a blank reservation form and enter the next reservation.
••
New Copy – Clear Payment - Display a copy of the previous reservation minus the payment information.
This feature is useful when entering a series of attendees who share the same reservation information with the
exception of payment data.
••
New Copy – Same Payment - Display a copy of the billing information only from the previous
reservation. Credit card numbers and expiration dates will need to be re-keyed.
••
Close Window - Closes the RESERVATION form page.
••
Modify This Reservation - Reactivates the current screen to modify the reservation.
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Managing Reservations
14.4 How to View, Modify or Cancel a Reservation
1. From the Reservations tab on the HOME page, select the Find Reservation link (see image 16.4.1).
Image 16.4.1
2. Select which event(s) to search: a single event, all open events, or all events. If searching a single event,
select the event from All events or All open events.
3. Enter the search criteria and click the Search button. A list of reservations appears.
4. Click the Ack # link next to the desired reservation to open the Reservations Form. Make any necessary
changes and click Update Res. To exit without changes, click Quit after viewing the reservation details.
HELPFUL HINTS
• Any of the search criteria shown to the left can be used to search for a reservation.
• Using the Ack # field will provide the quickest and most accurate search.
• The last name, first name and company fields support use of % as a wildcard. It must be used in combination with at least
3 characters e.g. Smi% if searching for all last names that start with “Smi”.
• When searching for a reservation using the Credit Card Number option, use the last four digits of the credit card used on
the reservation.
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Managing Reservations
Three other actions are available for each reservation (see image 16.4.2):
••
Copy a reservation.
••
Display a printable summary of a reservation.
••
Resend an acknowledgement to the primary guest.
Image 16.4.2
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Managing Room Lists
The GroupMAX RoomListManager is the industry standard for room list management, providing a faster, easier and
more secure process. Any room list format can be easily uploaded online in a just a few clicks. Managing room lists in
GroupMAX saves time, eliminates errors and reduces the risks and costs associated with manually handling room lists.
Additionally, the GroupMAX RoomListManager is the only industry tool that automates room list modifications.
Meetings planners are assigned permissions to make the changes themselves or automatically request the changes by
uploading a new room list via their Event Dashboard. Planners will only be able to make changes based on inventory
availability and set business rules in the system.
In this section, learn how to:
••
Create a place for a planner to drop off lists.
••
Upload new room lists
••
Map fields
••
Process and submit room list reservations
••
Manage changes to room lists
At the completion of this section, users will be able to:
••
Know how to effectively upload and manage changes to room lists in GroupMAX
••
Communicate effectively and confidently with meeting planners on how the process works
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Managing Room Lists
15.1 How the Planner Drops Off the List
Planners have two PCI compliant options for dropping off a room list into GroupMAX, the Event Dashboard or a
Drop-off Location.
Planners can easily drop off their list from their Event Dashboard. For more information on giving the planner access
to their dashboard, see the Meeting Planner Options section.
If a planner is not using the Event Dashboard, but still wants to drop off a list, a web address can be created and
given to the planner where they can drop off a list for a particular Attendee Type.
To create a Drop-off Location:
1. In the event, click Reservations.
2. Click Room List in the sub-menu.
3. Click the Drop-off Locations tab.
4. Click the New Location button.
5. Select the Attendee Type from the drop-down menu.
6. Fill in the proper email addresses, recipient information and any additional notes (optional).
7. select a saved mapping format. This will send a blank template of the mapping format (optional).
8. Click Browse and choose a list with example data in the same format as the selected mapping format
(optional).
9. Click Preview to see a preview of the email being sent to the planner.
10. Click Send.
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Managing Room Lists
15.2 How does the GroupMAX RoomListManager tool work?
There are four easy steps to process a room list:
1. Access and Upload the List
Room Lists can be uploaded or dropped off by the meeting planner or room list contact via the Event
Dashboard and secure Drop-off location.
HELPFUL HINTS
When adding a meeting planner to an event, make sure to give them Full Access to manage lists and run reports from the
Event Dashboard.
2. Map the List
Map column headings to the appropriate GroupMAX field. The GroupMAX mapping functionality allows
uploading from any format. Mapping templates can be saved and recycled for repeat groups, or in a
standard room list format, cutting out this step entirely.
3. Process the List
Update reservation information as necessary. The GroupMAX room list tool automatically compares the
inventory requested in the list to what has been allocated to determine if additional inventory is needed to
process all reservations.
4. Submit the List
Submit to complete the room list process and send notification to the meeting planner that the list has
been processed. The notification will include a link to the Event Dashboard.
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Managing Room Lists
Step 1: Accessing and Uploading Room Lists
There are four ways to access the RoomListManager tool in GroupMAX.
1. Open the event snapshot screen by clicking on the down arrow next to the event name. (See image
17.1.1)
a. Click on Room Lists to view dropped off list(s), or Upload to add a new list.
b. Select the Attendee Type and proceed to the next screen.
c. Click the Browse button to upload the list from a file.
Image 17.1.1
2. Go to the Event Home Page, click Reservations, and click Room List. (See image 17.1.2)
a. To upload a room list from a file, click Create a New List.
b. If the planner submitted the list on the Event Dashboard, click the import icon next to the list.
c. Click Browse to upload a room list from the files.
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Image 17.1.2

Managing Room Lists
3. View the HOME and EVENT Page Alerts (see image 17.1.3):
a. Click the Alert link for Room List(s) to be processed.
b. Highlight the event name, and click Go to Event Room List Page.
Image 17.1.3
4. If the room list is available when the event is built, upload the list during the final step of the event
creation process.
a. Select Create New List (see image 17.1.4).
b. Select Upload a Room List, and click Complete.
c. Click browse to upload a room list from the file.
Image 17.1.4
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Managing Room Lists
15.3 Mapping the List
Step 2 – To map the room list, match the list column headings to the appropriate GroupMAX field (see image
17.2.1).
Image 17.2.1
The MAPPING Screen
There are three major components to the MAPPING screen, they include: GroupMAX Fields, Rooming List Headers,
and List Data.
• GroupMAX Fields
The Select Field row contains the drop-down lists of all the GroupMAX mapping fields. When a list is first
viewed, each column header title is displayed as Select Field in gray text. When the fields are mapped, the
font color will change from gray to blue to indicate that the field has been mapped.
The GroupMAX Field details are grouped into six primary categories:
••
Primary Guest
••
Room Information (Hotel, Room and Stay Dates, Special Requests)
••
Primary Address
••
Billing Information
••
Additional Guests
••
Misc. Fields (Custom Fields, Acknowledgements, Split-Folio)
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Managing Room Lists
Each primary category contains various header titles that are selected to match the column titles in the
uploaded list. For example, the Primary guest category contains the following options:
••
Prefix
••
First Name
••
Middle Name
••
Last Name
••
Suffix
••
Company
••
Position
• Room List Headers
The row with bolded headers contains the column headers in the original room list. As the room list
columns are mapped, the title for each column will change from its original name to the corresponding
GroupMAX Field name. The font color will change from gray to blue to indicate that it has been mapped.
• List Data
The first 10 rows of reservation records (from the original rooming list) are displayed to help determine
the mapping process. These records cannot be edited in this screen.
How to Map the Fields
1. Click the Select Field drop-down in the column above the field to map.
2. Select the category that best represents the field. For example, “Check-In Date” would be in the “Room
Information” category.
3. Select the field to map the rooming list field. The row header will change from Select Field in gray text to
the new field name. The font color will also change from gray to blue to indicate that the field has been
mapped. *Note - Any previously mapped field in the drop-down list will not be available for selection.
4. The number displayed next to “Columns remaining to be mapped” will automatically adjust to show
the remaining number of columns that need to be mapped. Repeat until all necessary fields have been
mapped.
To undo a mapped field, click the Un-map option in the drop down and the field will return to the original
default of Select Field. The Columns remaining to be mapped tracker will automatically apply the change to
increase the field count by one.
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Managing Room Lists
15.4 How to Save the Mapping Template
After mapping a room list, there is an option to save the template format for future use. In order to use a saved
template for a new list, select the template from the Format drop down.
After selecting a template, the page will update to automatically map the columns. The rest of the page will display
according to the mapping process just as though it had manually mapped the file. Note: If any headers were
changed in the list, they will not map successfully. Manually map to complete the list.
Save the current mapping as a new format template by clicking the Save Format button after completing the mapping
process. Choose the option of either updating an existing format or creating a new format.
Advanced Features
Splitting and Combining Fields
There may be a situation where column data needs to be split or combined (i.e. separating a full name into first name
and last name). The Split and Combine buttons are located above the file mapping section.
To Split Fields:
1. Click the blue Split button.
2. Click the Scissors icon in the column to be split (see image 17.2.2).
3. Enter the column name in the field titled Name your new field.
4. Choose the Separator.
5. Choose the word to split.
6. Click Save.
7. Map new fields.
Image 17.2.2
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Managing Room Lists
Split Column Pop-up Window
The “Split Column” pop-up window will display a live preview of the column field split (see image 17.2.3).
Image 17.2.3
••
Name your new field – Enter the name of the new field. The default name is “Enter Column Name”. The
new column name will be used as the column title in the “Uploaded File” row.
••
Choose the Separator – Select the character that will separate each of the currently combined fields.
Options include: Space, Comma, Dash, None or Other. Selecting Other will provide a text box to
enter the separator manually.
••
Choose Word to Split – Select the word that will split the selected column. Select the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th
or 5th word from the Left/Right of the field.
••
Preview – This area displays a live preview of the selected columns based on the options selected above.
••
Save – Click the Save button to save the change. After the changed is saved, the new fields must be
mapped to the appropriate GroupMAX fields.
••
Cancel – Select “Cancel” to close the window without saving changes.
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Managing Room Lists
To Combine Fields:
1. Click the blue Combine button.
2. Choose the columns to be combined by clicking the check boxes.
3. Click the Apply button.
4. Enter the new column name.
5. Choose the Separator.
6. Select the column order.
7. Click Save.
8. Map new field.
The Combine Columns pop-up window (see image 17.2.4) will display a live preview of the combined column fields.
Image 17.2.4
••
Column Name – Enter the name of the new column. The default name is “Enter Column Name”. The new
column name will be used as the column title in the “Uploaded File” row.
••
Separator – Select the character that will separate each of the currently combined fields. Options include:
Space, Comma, Dash, None or Other. Selecting Other will provide a text box to enter the separator
manually.
••
Columns Order – Re-order the fields by clicking on the green arrows. Click the right arrow to switch
places with the column on the right. Click the left arrow to switch places with the column on the left.
••
Preview – This area displays a live preview of the selected columns based on the options selected above.
••
Save – Click the Save button to save the change. After the change is saved, the field must still be mapped to
a GroupMAX field.
••
Cancel – Select Cancel to close the window without saving changes.
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Managing Room Lists
To Edit a Combined or Split Column
Select the field (link) to open a pop-up window for editing. The pop-up window will show the values of the current
field based on the previous Combine or Split process that was completed.
Hide Columns
The hide columns feature is useful when there are columns on a list that do not need to be mapped (i.e. info from
the registrations system that will not be carried over to GroupMAX). These columns can be hidden to make the
mapping process faster.
To hide columns in the room list file, select the Hide Columns button and choose any non-mapped fields (this
cannot be done for mapped fields). A hidden field will reduce the “Fields remaining to be mapped” total. To unhide
columns, click on the Show hidden columns check box.
Step 3 – Processing the List
After the room list has been mapped, the records will be ready for final editing and matching to existing inventory.
The main screen is where individual reservation records are edited, assigned to the appropriate room type, and
processed into a reservation. (See image 17.2.5)
Image 17.2.5
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Managing Room Lists
List Filters
A room list can be filtered to show records in three categories. The number of total records in each filter is shown
next to the category in parentheses.
••
Pending – Room list records that have not been processed as reservations. The first time this page is viewed
(after completing the mapping process) all records will be in the “Pending” filter.
••
Reservation Problems - Records with at least one error, missing or incorrect reservation information, or
inventory issues (i.e. # of guests exceeding assigned room type) are filtered as a reservation problem.
••
Confirmed – Room list records that have been turned into a reservation. Any changes on the “Confirmed”
page will result in modifications to the existing reservation.
Status Icons
Status icons confirm whether or not the current room list record has an available room if it was submitted.
••
Red Exclamation Point – At least one error exists within this record. It will not process until the error is
corrected. No inventory available will also trigger the error message.
••
Green Check box – All errors have been corrected for the record. A valid room has been assigned with
the proper inventory dates and number of guests staying in the room. The record can be processed into a
reservation.
15.5 How to Fix Errors
Records will not be processed into reservations until the errors have been fixed. Errors are generally caused by missing
mandatory fields such as billing or address. Errors will be highlighted in pink and the number of errors in each section
will be shown in parentheses next to “Pending” and “Reservation Problems”. Errors can be fixed on individual records
or all records at one time.
••
Individual Records – Double-click any field in the record to correct an error. Click Save when finished.
••
Multiple Records - To edit multiple or all reservations at once, select the check boxes for the records that
need correcting. Click the edit button, make corrections and select either Selected Records, All in Filter,
or All Records to apply the changes. Click Save when finished.
15.6 How to Associate Room Types
Room type names that planners submit do not generally match the exact room type names at the hotel. Therefore
all room type names in the list will initially be shown as errors until they are mapped to the room type names at the
hotel.
To associate room types, click the Associate Room Types button. Select the room type on the left drop-down, and
then select the room type that it is to be changed to on the right. (See image 17.2.6). Click Save when finished. If
there are multiple room types, associate them all by clicking Add Additional Row.
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Image 17.2.6
Tools
There are four icon tools that allow changes to the records in a room list (see image 17.2.7).
They are as follows:
Image 17.2.7
••
Filter Row Icon – Select this icon to display the Filter Row. Type the filter into the appropriate field and
click Apply. QuickLists will display all records that match the chosen filter. This allows easy changes to
the records. The filter parameters will remain until the “Clear Filters” link is selected to the right of the
filter text fields.
••
Change Row Icon – Select the Change Row icon to edit multiple rows of records. Update records and
apply the changes to all room list records in the current view (including any applied filters) or only the
checked records.
••
New Row Icon – Select the New Row icon to allow a new record to be added to the list. The screen will
automatically update to show all rows, then enter the appropriate record information. Save the data to add
the new record to the bottom of the list.
• • Check Inventory Icon – Select the Check Inventory icon to refresh and calculate the number of rooms
per night requested in the room list. Click the Show Available Rooms link at the bottom of the page to
view availability.
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Managing Room Lists
Additional Options on the Processing Page
Image 17.2.8
••
Upload File – (See image 17.2.8) Select this button to enter the main RoomListManager page. An alert will
display if there are pending records that have not been processed into reservations.
••
Run Report – (See image 17.2.8) Click to view a pop-up window with links to Inventory, Room List, and
other existing reports.
Image 17.2.9
••
Address/Billing Info/Misc. Fields Icons – (See image 17.2.9) Mouse-over an icon to display the
information for the selected records. This shortcut displays individual record information while remaining
on the current tab. Records containing an error display a small red circle (with a minus sign in the middle)
at the bottom right corner of the icon. To edit, double-click the edit icon for the tab selected and apply
changes.
••
Original Record Icon – (See image 17.2.9) Click this icon to display the record as it appeared in the original
uploaded list. If the record was created from within the RoomListManager (using the Duplicate or New Row
functions) then no icon will appear in this column. A separate icon is shown if some of the record was not
mapped during a split operation. To edit, double-click the icon to open the information in a pop-up window
and apply changes.
Image 17.2.10
• • Notify Planner Button – (See image 17.2.10) Click this button to send an email with a summary of any
changes accepted or made to the list. Customize the content of the email as needed.
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Step 4 – Submitting the List
15.7 How to Check Room Inventory Availability
Before a room list is submitted, confirm that the rooms requested on the list fit the allocated inventory in
GroupMAX. To check this, click the Show Available Rooms button located in the bottom right of the page. Once
clicked, select a hotel name and the screen will display a tab for each room type associated with the event. (See
image 17.3.1) If there are rooms available, then it is safe to submit the list.
Image 17.3.1
••
Show/Hide Available Rooms – Select to either show or hide the inventory display.
••
Refresh Available Rooms – Click to refresh the current room display. This button also updates the
availability after records have been edited.
••
Hotel Drop-down List – For events with multiple properties, each property associated with the event is
listed in alphabetical order.
••
Room Types – Lists the room type options in tabs. For each property selected, room types are displayed
in alphabetical order.
Submitting Records
Once the record errors are fixed and the inventory has been verified, it is time to submit the room list.
15.8 How to Submit Records
1. Click on a check box to select records for submission.
2. Click the Submit button.
3. Select whether to submit Selected Records, All Filtered Records, or All Records.
4. Click Continue to process. After the records have successfully processed into reservations, they will
appear in the Confirmed section located at the top of the page.
5. Click the Notify Planner button to send email to planner that list has been processed.
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15.9 How to Manage Changes to Room Lists
After an initial room list is submitted, new reservations, modifications, and cancellations can be managed by a meeting
planner based on their assigned permissions. Please note that Organization users are able to use any of the following
methods to make changes to a rooming list on a planner’s behalf.
Meeting Planner Permissions
Meeting planner access to manage changes is set when adding a planner to an event (see image 17.3.2). There are two
types of room list access permissions:
••
Planner can make updates directly: Planners will be able to make and submit changes from an Excel
spreadsheet downloaded from the Event Dashboard without submitting for approval. Changes can also be
made online directly from the Event Dashboard. Planners will never be able to add reservations or increase
length of stay if inventory is not available.
••
Planner can request updates: Planners will be able to make changes, add reservations, and cancel
reservations on an Excel spreadsheet downloaded from the Event Dashboard. This spreadsheet must then
be resubmitted to the Dashboard by the planner. The system will filter out new, modified, and canceled
reservations presenting them to you for review and approval or rejection.
Image 17.3.2
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Managing Room Lists
15.10 Room List Management for Meeting Planners with “Allow Changes” Access
Planners with “Allow Changes” access have two options to manage their room lists from the Event Dashboard:
••
Option 1: Make changes online directly within RoomListManager.
••
Option 2: Download a macro-enabled spreadsheet to update and automatically make changes in
GroupMAX.
Option 1: Planner Steps to Make Changes Online Directly Within RoomListManager
1. From the Event Dashboard, click the Manage It link (see image 17.3.4).
Image 17.3.4
2. From the pop-up window, click on the Manage room list online radio button (see image 17.3.5). This
will launch the online RoomListManager.
Image 17.3.5
HELPFUL HINTS
Giving your meeting planners access to manage their own room lists is a great way to automate the historically time
consuming process of making changes while empowering your meeting planners.
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3. Within the RoomListManager screen (see image 17.3.6), click in the fields shown to modify names, dates,
etc. to open a pop-up window. Make the change and click the check box to send out an acknowledgement
(if required) and then the Save button. Changes have been updated in GroupMAX.
To make a new reservation, click on the Pending link. Scroll to the right and select the icon on the right
of the screen to add a New Row.
Image 17.3.6
To make a new reservation, click on the Pending link (see image 17.3.7). Scroll to the right and select the icon on the
right of the screen to add a New Row. Fill in the new reservation information and click the Save link.
Image 17.3.7
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Managing Room Lists
Option 2: Planner Steps to Modify Room List from Excel spreadsheet – “Allow Changes” Access
1. From the Event Dashboard, click the Manage It link (see image 17.3.8).
Image 17.3.8
2. Save the file to the computer and then open the file. Enable macros on the spreadsheet.
3. The planner will be prompted to enter their Passkey user name and password.
4. Update fields in the spreadsheet and click the Submit Changes button.
HELPFUL HINTS
This file can be managed offline if there is no internet access available when opening the file. The planner would make the
changes, save the file and then submit the next time online.
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To update a reservation, click in any cell to edit the data. Some fields, such as hotel and room type, will have a dropdown
list of available options. After modifying the data, the cell will turn aqua and the entire row will turn light blue to
indicate the modified row. This makes it easy to identify the modifications that were completed (see image 17.3.9).
Image 17.3.9
The Last Name (Miller) and Check-in Date value (7/10/2012) in the spreadsheet above have been modified. The
updated cells are dark blue while the entire row is shaded light blue.
••
To submit changes, click the Submit Changes button. You may edit multiple reservations before submitting
changes. Reservation changes are not confirmed until the changes have been submitted.
As reservations are processed, the rows will change color from the original blue (see image 17.3.10):
••
A green row indicates the modification was updated successfully.
••
A red row indicates an error with the modification.
Scroll to column BT in the Excel spreadsheet to view the Status column which includes the error reason, if any.
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Managing Room Lists
Image 17.3.10
To add a new reservation, select the Add Reservation button. A new row will be inserted at the top of the list.
Enter the reservation information and then confirm the new reservation by clicking the Submit button.
To cancel a reservation, click the Cancel Res button in the first column next to the reservation to be cancelled. A
prompt to confirm the cancellation will be shown. After cancelling, the reservation will be removed from the list.
To submit changes, click the Submit Changes button. Edit multiple reservations before submitting changes.
HELPFUL HINTS
• Reservation changes are not confirmed until the changes have been submitted.
• To ensure that planners have the latest reservation updates, they will need to return to the Event Dashboard and
download an updated spreadsheet.
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15.11 Room List Management for Meeting Planners with “Request Changes” Access
Room Lists can be accessed from the RoomListManager section of the Event Dashboard. To download the Excel
spreadsheet, click the Manage It link for the appropriate list (see image 17.4.1). Once the spreadsheet is downloaded,
planners will be able to add new reservations, as well as modify and cancel existing reservations. To submit changes,
the planner will click the Manage It link again to upload the list of changes. Hotel users will then receive an email
alert that a change list has been dropped off and is ready to review and process the modifications.
Image 17.4.1
Planner Steps to Modify Room List – “Request Changes” Access
1. From the Event Dashboard, click the Manage It link.
2. From the popup box, the planner will need to select the radio button to Download room list to update it
and follow instructions to download the file and save on their computer (see image 17.4.2).
Image 17.4.2
HELPFUL HINTS
• If using Internet Explorer, press the CTRL key to bypass pop-up blockers. Hold this key until the Excel spreadsheet
appears.
• The spreadsheet must be macro-enabled to make revisions.
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3. Once the list has been successfully downloaded and saved on their computer and enables macros on the
spreadsheet, the planner may modify the list (see image 17.4.3). There are several options:
••
Add reservation: Click this button to add a new row. Complete cells to create a new
reservation.
••
Modify or Cancel reservations: Click into column A for the Click to Update drop down box,
select No Changes, Update, or Cancel.
••
Click into the appropriate cell to modify. Modified rows will be highlighted in light blue, with
the modified data highlighted in dark blue.
••
Click the Save Changes button in the top left corner of the spreadsheet to save changes.
Image 17.4.3
HELPFUL HINTS
It is not necessary to mark reservations as “No Changes”. It is only there as a marker in case the planner would like to keep
track of those reservations already reviewed.
HELPFUL HINTS
Changes have not been submitted yet. The planner must submit the Excel spreadsheet to the Event Dashboard.
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4. To upload changes, the planner is to return to the Event Dashboard and click the Manage It link. A pop
up box will display (see image 17.4.4). Check the radio button to Drop off room list after updating it and
follow prompts to upload the updated spreadsheet.
Image 17.4.4
After successfully uploading the list, and pop up box will appear outlining the new, modified, and canceled
reservations submitted (see image 17.4.5).
Image 17.4.5
IMPORTANT NOTE: Planners are required to download a new list from the Event Dashboard each time
they’d like to submit a change list.
Organizer Steps to Review and Process Changes
1. After the planner has uploaded their changes, an email notification is sent alerting users that a modification
list is ready for review. In addition, there will be Alerts on the Home and Event Home pages.
2. Click the link on the Alert to access and review the changes, or go the RoomListManager for that event and
open the file. Click the PENDING tab (see image 17.4.6).
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3. The modified records will be presented and coded as New, Modified, or Canceled. Modified records will
show the old values that changed in the record in the row below.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Changes made to already pending or unprocessed reservations, will be changed
automatically without notification. These reservations will not be processed until submitted.
4. Check mark the record and click Reject or Submit to process or deny the change.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Once a record has been rejected, you will be unable to access the change. Please
discuss records that you plan to reject with the planner prior to pressing the reject button.
Image 17.4.6
NOTE: Changes made to already pending or unprocessed reservations, will be changed automatically
without notification. These reservations will not be processed until submitted by someone within your
organization.
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Once all changes have been reviewed and accepted, a summary of all actions taken will be shown (see image 17.4.7).
Image 17.4.7
5. Click the Notify Planner button to send an email to the planner that the changes have been made (see
image 17.4.8).
Image 17.4.8
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Wait List
The Wait List feature allows attendees to request nights to a reservation online or through the call center form. The
event must be enabled to take a wait list reservation. A wait list reservation will only be made when there is no
inventory available that matches the attendee’s overall reservation dates. The Organizer can be notified via a Smart
Alert Update when a Wait List request has been made. The status of the Wait List can be viewed at any time on the
Home Page, the Wait List section or the Manage Inventory Calendar.
Wait List reservations have the option of being manually managed or set to automatically fulfill wait list reservations
if the rooms become available. This gives the Organizer the ability to fulfill particular requests even though they
may not have been on the wait list as long as others.
Some benefits of using Wait List are:
••
To increase room block usage.
••
To increase comp earnings for clients.
••
A reduction in call center volume.
••
Far more efficient than fax, mailed or phoned requests.
At the completion of this section, users will be able to:
••
Enable Wait List functionality at the Event and Hotel level.
••
Manage the Wait List with Alerts.
••
Book Wait List reservations
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Wait List
16.1 Understanding Wait List
There are many different options that can be used with Wait Lists. This section will explain some of the reasons what
list would be used, as well as, some of the different options.
The reasons for a Wait List request could be:
••
Specific event dates have no available inventory for the attendee.
••
Shoulder night dates have no available inventory for the attendee.
••
Dates before and/or after the event shoulder night dates have no inventory set up.
Any reservation with wait list nights is subject to the following rules:
••
All wait list nights must be in the same hotel and room type as the confirmed nights.
••
The complete set of wait list and confirmed nights must be contiguous (no holes)
••
Wait list nights can be before, after, or between confirmed inventory nights
••
The reservation can consist of only wait list inventory
••
Wait list rooms are quoted at the current sub-block rate.
Wait List options on the Event page include:
••
Turn acknowledgements off for wait list reservations - Individuals requesting to be added to a Wait list
may receive an acknowledgment. You have the opportunity to turn this feature off in the Wait List Section
of the Details Page.
••
Turn on Auto fulfill reservations - Instead of monitoring the wait list open rooms, this time-saving feature
automatically processes the next wait list request after a reservation has been cancelled on the Attendee
Web Site. The system will start with the oldest Pending request and continue down list until the room has
been filled.
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Wait List
16.2 Enabling Wait List
Wait List can be enabled at multiple levels. The first step is to enable it for the event and then it can be enabled for
each hotel or even just a particular room type.
To enable Wait List for the event:
1. Click Details in the event.
2. Click the Details sub-menu.
3. Click the Enable Wait List box.
4. Add a Wait List Instruction Message that the attendee will see when they choose to add themselves to the
wait List. See the Understanding Wait List section for explanations of the other options.
5. Go to the sub block to be enabled and click the wait list tab.
6. Turn on the day(s) that wait list will be used for.
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Wait List
16.3 How an Attendee Request Can be Added to the Wait List
Attendees can add themselves to the wait list on the website or can be added by someone else on the reservations
form.
For the Attendee to add a name to the wait list, the following will happen:
1. Attendees will search for availability on the attendee website by entering a desired check-in and check-out
date. The Wait List tool will allow a mixture of confirmed nights and wait list nights so search results will be
shown on the same screen. The results will clearly state which rooms have full inventory, which have partial
availability with wait list options, and which are not available or sold-out (wait list requests not allowed).
2. Attendees selecting a room type with at least one wait list night will complete the reservation request
exactly the same as a regular reservation. The attendee will enter all information, including guest and
payment information.
3. When the Attendee sees the review page, the confirmed and wait list nights will be clearly displayed.
4. Upon the completion of the wait list request, the attendee will receive an acknowledgement number. This
number can be used to modify or cancel the request using the same methods as a regular reservation.
When modifying a reservation, the attendee can either add or drop nights, or any other modification
available to regular reservations.
Attendees can also cancel reservations with wait list nights, which will release both the confirmed inventory
and wait list nights.
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For the Attendee to be added to the wait list on the reservations form, the following will happen:
1. Organizers will search for availability in the same way as a regular reservation request. After selecting the
arrival and departure dates, the availability screen will show available room by default, with the ability to
display rooms with available wait list inventory instead.
2. Click the Show Wait List Rooms button to refresh the page with all available rooms with at least one night
of Wait List inventory. This will allow access to all rooms if someone needs to be in a specific room before
all available rooms are depleted.
If no rooms are available during the initial search, the existing message can be displayed. If wait list is
enabled for the event, an additional message and button will be shown on the screen.
3. Click the link of a wait list room to show the same display as a normal room, but the wait list nights will be
highlighted in red.
4. Complete the reservation the same as a regular reservation.
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16.4 How to Review the Wait List
There three different places to be alerted and review wait list reservations:
Alerts
The Alerts section on the Home or Event Home pages will show alerts if there are reservations on the wait list. Click
the alert to be brought to the Wait List page.
Hotel Inventory Page
On the Hotel Inventory page, click the wait list tab any of the room types to see how many reservations are on the
wait List.
Reports
In the Reports section, the Wait List Report and Block, and Pickup Report, both show how many reservations are on
the wait list.
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16.5 How to Manage Wait List Reservations
Once there are reservations on the Wait List, there are different ways to manage them. The Wait List can be
managed reservation by reservation, or it can be managed quickly by automatically booking the first reservations
on the list when the inventory is available.
To Automatically Book Reservations
1. At the room type or sub block level, click the Wait List tab.
2. Click the Book Reservations link. This will automatically fill all of the reservations on the wait list depending
on the available inventory.
To Manually Book Reservations
1. From the Home or Event Home page, click the Wait List alert.
2. The Wait List page will appear. From this page there are a number of options
••
Click the Book Available Rooms button to automatically book rooms in order of the Wait List.
••
Click the name of the person to open the Reservations Form and edit their reservation.
••
Click the Book button next to a reservation to make that particular reservation, no matter where it
is in the list.
••
Select the number of nights in the reservation to display which nights are being requested
and which nights are now available. A Book button is available in the window if the rooms are
available.
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Hotel Responsibilities in Events
In order to ensure a successful event, both the organizers and hotels need to be aware of what will be expected
of each other. This section will help the organizer understand what the hotels responsibilities will be and how to
communicate these items.
All hotels participating in a citywide event will be able to do the following at any time:
••
Update hotel information.
••
Run Block & Pickup Reports.
••
See the inventory for the event, for their property only.
All hotels participating in a citywide event will be able to do the following after the cutoff date:
••
Run Rooming Lists for their hotel only.
••
Update inventory for their hotel.
At the completion of this section, users will be able to:
••
Understand the difference between a licensed and non licensed hotel.
••
Understand the responsibilities of the hotels involved citywide events.
••
Request user names for hotel users.
••
Update non-licensed hotel’s profiles.
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Hotel Responsibilities in Events
17.1 Non-Licensed vs Licensed Hotels
There are two types of hotels in GroupMAX; Licensed and Unlicensed. It is important to know which category each
of the hotels fall into because their responsibilities and processes will vary greatly. It is important to realize that each
hotel will have the ability to log in to GroupMAX to update hotel information, run reports, and change inventory
after the cutoff date.
17.2 Non-Licensed Hotels Responsibilities
When a hotel is referred to as a non-licensed hotel it means that they do not have a license and will need to log into
GroupMAX to print a rooming list and manually enter the reservations into their reservation system.
Non-Licensed Hotels have two responsibilities with each event:
6. Run and Load the Initial Rooming Lists - After the cutoff date, the hotel will need to log in to GroupMAX,
run a rooming list, and manually load the reservations into their reservation system
7. Update Reservations - The hotel will then be responsible for running Update Reports and updating their
reservation system until the Event Close Date.
The following time line shows the process with a non-licensed hotel:
17.3 How to Request a User name for a Hotel User
If a hotel user does not have user name for GroupMAX, complete the GroupMAX Security form. To download the
form, go to the Solutions Center and type in “Passkey GroupMAX Security Form”.
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Hotel Responsibilities in Events
17.4 Licensed Hotels Responsibilities
When a hotel is referred to as a “Licensed Hotel” it means that they have a GroupLink License and can download
reservations directly from GroupMAX to their hotel’s CRS/PMS system. The reservation data includes new, modified,
and cancelled reservations. In other words, they will not have to print a list and manually re-enter the reservation
information.
Licensed Hotels have two responsibilities with each event:
4. Set Up GroupLink - When the hotel is added to the event by the organizer, the hotel will automatically
receive an email and will set up GroupLink so that GroupMAX knows where to properly send the
reservations for that hotel.
5. Monitor ResQ - After the cutoff date, the reservations will automatically flow into the hotel’s system. If any of
the reservations encounter problems transferring into the hotel’s system, they will be sent to ResQ and will
alert the hotel up to three times a day until it is fixed. It is the responsibility of the hotel to monitor ResQ as
the organizer does not have access.
In addition to the emails that the hotel will receive, Alerts will also show on the Home screen as seen below.
The following time line shows the reservations process with a licensed hotel:
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Hotel Responsibilities in Events
17.5 How to Update Hotel Information
An important part of having a successful event is having the most up to date hotel information available on the
website. This is the responsibility of the hotel and it is in their best interest to make sure that they are properly
marketing their property. Much like an organization has an Organization Profile and Library, a hotel has a Hotel
Profile and Library that has descriptions and pictures. Anyone with a user name and password for the hotel can
update the profile and library.
If the hotel is a licensed hotel, the profile will only be accessible by the hotel users.
If a hotel is not licensed, organizers will be allowed to make changes by doing the following:
1. In the Event, click Advanced Options.
2. The Hotels page will appear. Click the hotel name.
3. Click on the underlined hotel name in the upper right and the Hotel Profile will appear. Keep in mind
the information that is changed will apply to all of the events that this hotel is included in throughout
GroupMax.
HELPFUL HINTS
Free webinars are given every other week by Passkey to show hotels particiipating in events how to update their hotel
information, run reports, and other items. To see the schedule, go to http://www.passkey.com/customercare
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Meeting Planner Options
GroupMAX allows for more effective communication between organizers and meeting planners about their event.
The Event Dashboard is innovative tool easily accessed from any web browser or mobile device that allows
meeting planners to track their event housing information in real time to mitigate attrition exposure, ensure event
success and enjoy a sense of control. Organizers increase their efficiency while keeping planners informed, saving
everyone time and effort and increasing planner satisfaction and retention.
When a planner is added to the event, an email notification is automatically created to provide the
planner with key event information such as:
••
Link to a custom attendee reservation website
••
Instructions on how to securely manage their room lists
••
Link to their Event Dashboard
In this section, learn how to:
••
Give a meeting planners access to their event dashboards
••
Set the level of access a planner has to their event dashboard
••
Customize the email notification that is sent to the planner
At the completion of this section, users will be able to:
••
Quickly add meeting planners to an event
••
Create professional communications with detailed instructions on how to promote event booking
information and process room lists
••
Provide planners with a PCI-compliant process to manage room lists and protect attendee data
••
Increase planner engagement and satisfaction
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Meeting Planner Options
18.1 Understanding Event Dashboards
Event Dashboards allow planners to monitor their groups in real-time, run reports, and drop off and modify room
lists (see image 11.1.1). The dashboard can be configured as an alert that will automatically be sent every Monday.
Key Features:
Overall Block Information
This section provides a summary of the total block, sold inventory, available room nights and overall pick-up
percentage.
Key Dates
Displays the date when the event opens for reservations, when the event block cuts off and the start date of the
event. Use the “Filter” button to look at a specific room type and date range.
Reservations
This graph displays night by night block pick-up and availability.
Reservations Detail
This chart displays the contracted block, rooms sold, percentage sold and available rooms for the event block on a
nightly basis. Use the “Filter” button to look at a specific room type.
Reservation Pace
This graph tracks the pick-up pace of the group. Compare the pace of the current event to the pace of any other
event the planner has in GroupMAX by clicking the Select Comparison Event link.
Event Guests
This section lists the attendee types for the event and the block pick-up per attendee type. Planners can run an
overall Delegate list via the “Event Guest Data” link, or click on the orange icon next to an attendee type to view a
list for only that type.
Reservation Method
This pie chart provides a breakdown of each option that was available to book reservations and the total percentage
of your attendees that booked in each category.
RoomListManager
Planners may click on the “Drop off a new room” list link to securely send the hotel their rooming list. They can
track the progress of the list via the status notification. Once the list has been processed, planners can then modify
the reservations based on the level of access given.
HELPFUL HINTS
If the planner wants to receive dashboard reminders on another day, update the alert on the SmartAlerts page for the event
(see Section 14: Setting Up SmartAlerts).
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Meeting Planner Options
Image 11.1.1
To view an Event Dashboard, click on the EVENT HOME page for an event. Click on the icon for Event
Dashboard in the Frequent Tasks section to launch the dashboard (see image 11.1.2).
Image 11.1.2
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Meeting Planner Options
18.2 How to provide a meeting planner access to their Event Dashboard:
1. On the HOME page, click the down arrow next to the event name to view the detailed event view (see
image 11.2.1).
2. Click the Add Planner link in the Planner section of the Group Profitability Factors section.
Image 11.2.1
HELPFUL HINTS
Click the Group Profitability Factors link to view best practices on how to improve online booking percentages, generate
incremental group profit, and increase planner satisfaction.
159

Meeting Planner Options
3. Enter the planner’s information in the Add Planner pop-up box and select the planner’s level of access to
the Event Dashboard (see image 11.2.2).
Image 11.2.2
Meeting Planner Permissions
Meeting planners may have the following levels of access to Event Dashboards.
••
Full Access – This level of access will allow the planner to run reports and modify rooming list reservations
on their Event Dashboard. The planner will be sent an email and will create a user name used to log into
their Dashboards. This is the recommended access level.
••
View Only – This level of access will allow the planner to see all of the information on the Event Dashboard,
but not run reports or modify reservations. The level of access does not require a user name to login.
Meeting planner may have the following levels of access to managing room list changes. There are two types of room
list access permissions:
••
Planner can make updates directly: Planners will be able to make and submit changes from an Excel
spreadsheet downloaded from the Event Dashboard without submitting for approval. Changes can also be
made online directly from the Event Dashboard. Planners will never be able to add reservations or increase
length of stay if inventory is not available.
• • Planner can request updates: Planners will be able to make changes, add reservations, and cancel
reservations on an Excel spreadsheet downloaded from the Event Dashboard. This spreadsheet must then
be resubmitted to the Dashboard by the planner. The system will filter out new, modified, and canceled
reservations presenting them to you for review and approval or rejection.
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Meeting Planner Options
4. Select the Planner Email to be sent to the planner and edit if necessary.
5. Click Send Test Message to preview the email.
6. Click Complete and Send Planner Email or Complete and Do Not Send Planner Email based on
business processes.
If more than one planner needs to be added to the event, follow the steps below:
1. Go to the EVENT HOME page for the event.
2. Click on the Planners link in the navigation bar.
3. Fill in the planner contact information and click the Add Planner button.
161

GroupMAX Reporting
Running GroupMAX Reports
GroupMAX has over 100 different reports that are all sortable, exportable, and filterable. Reports can be exported
into a number of different formats including PDF, HTML, Excel, Word, RTF and more.
Some tips for printing Reports in GroupMAX
••
When opening a report that opens in a seperate window or file, hold down the Control key on your
keyboard before clicking to generate the report. This will bypass the pop-up blocker. Continue to hold
the control key until the report has opened
• • If browsing through or printing a report, select the PDF icon in the upper left. It will make both options
easier and quicker.
162

GroupMAX Reporting
Block and Pickup: Room Type Detail (Single Hotel)
This report displays the following for a single hotel in an event:
1. Hotel Shutoff date
2. Sell to New Reservations (yes or no)
3. Sell to Existing Reservations (yes or no)
4. For each room type, it also includes information such as original contract, free-sell, assigned, unassigned, available,
and a number of other statistics.
To run the report:
• Select an event by doing one of the following:
• View the Selected Event banner below the Find Event row. The desired event may already be selected.
• Use the Find Event drop-down list to search within your favorites or recently viewed events. Once selected,
click the Find button to view events. Click on the desired event.
• Choose By Event Name in the drop-down list, enter the name or partial name of the event then click Find. Click
on the event name from the matching list of events.
• Click on Advanced Search then enter search criteria in one or multiple fields. Partial names are allowed. Click
Search. Click on the desired event from the list.
• Select the hotel from the Hotel ID drop-down list.
• Enter the date range, which is the first to last date of inventory to be included in the report. The default dates
are the first night through the last night for which inventory is allocated.
• Click Generate Report.
163

GroupMAX Reporting
Block and Pickup: Sub-block Details (All Hotels)
This report displays the inventory and pickup status per sub-block at each hotel for a selected event. The provided
information includes original contract, free-sell, assigned, unassigned, available to sell, and other statistics.
To run the report:
• Select an event by doing one of the following:
• View the Selected Event banner below the Find Event row. The desired event may already be selected.
• Use the Find Event drop-down list to search within your favorites or recently viewed events. Once selected, click
the Find button to view events. Click on the desired event.
• Choose By Event Name in the drop-down list, enter the name or partial name of the event then click Find. Click
on the event name from the matching list of events.
• Click on Advanced Search then enter search criteria in one or multiple fields. Partial names are allowed. Click
Search. Click on the desired event from the list.
• Enter the date range, which is the first to last date of inventory to be included in the report. The default dates are
the first night through the last night for which inventory is allocated.
• Optionally, check the Show Group Summary box to generate only the section on group summary; otherwise, only
the sub-block detail report is generated.
• Optionally, check the Combine roll-up types into Groups box to roll blocks that have been marked as guaranteed
on the event into a single line instead of having individual lines for each attendee type.
• Click Generate Report.
164

GroupMAX Reporting
Campaign Report
This report displays information on the status of a delivered campaign or acknowledgement, including where it was
sent, when it was read, how many times it was read, and if any links in the email were clicked.
To run the report:
• Select an event by doing one of the following:
• View the Selected Event banner below the Find Event row. The desired event may already be selected.
• Use the Find Event drop-down list to search within your favorites or recently viewed events. Once selected,
click the Find button to view events. Click on the desired event.
• Choose By Event Name in the drop-down list, enter the name or partial name of the event then click Find. Click
on the event name from the matching list of events.
• Click on Advanced Search then enter search criteria in one or multiple fields. Partial names are allowed. Click
Search. Click on the desired event from the list.
• Choose the campaign or acknowledgement type that you wish to view.
• Click Generate Report.
165

GroupMAX Reporting
Commerce: Check Reconciliation
Similar to the Other Payment report, this report displays all reservations with other payments but it groups the
reservations by check number or reference number.
To run the report:
1. Select an event by doing one of the following:
2. View the Selected Event banner below the Find Event row. The desired event may already be selected.
3. Use the Find Event drop-down list to search within your favorites or recently viewed events. Once selected,
click the Find button to view events. Click on the desired event.
4. Choose By Event Name in the drop-down list, enter the name or partial name of the event then click Find.
Click on the event name from the matching list of events.
5. Click on Advanced Search then enter search criteria in one or multiple fields. Partial names are allowed. Click
Search. Click on the desired event from the list.
6. Determine the sort criteria.
7. Click Generate Report.
Commerce: Commerce Exception
This report displays all reservations that have been marked as commerce exceptions (not charged a cancellation fee).
Reservations can be sorted by chronological order, company, hotel, last name, or attendee type.
To run the report:
1. Select an event by doing one of the following:
2. View the Selected Event banner below the Find Event row. The desired event may already be selected.
3. Use the Find Event drop-down list to search within your favorites or recently viewed events. Once selected,
click the Find button to view events. Click on the desired event.
4. Choose By Event Name in the drop-down list, enter the name or partial name of the event then click Find.
Click on the event name from the matching list of events.
5. Click on Advanced Search then enter search criteria in one or multiple fields. Partial names are allowed. Click
Search. Click on the desired event from the list.
6. Determine the sort criteria.
7. Click Generate Report.
Commerce: Commerce Reconciliation
This report displays a summary of all credit card charges for fees, grouped by exceptions, invalid cards, and valid
transactions. Reservations can be sorted by company, hotel, last name, or attendee type.
To run the report:
166

GroupMAX Reporting
Commerce (New): Activity by Transactions
This report displays the transaction activity (such as deposits, cancellations, and transactions with an error) for an
event.
This report displays in your web browser. You can also view the report in Excel by choosing the Activity by
Transactions (Excel) report.
To run the report:
Select an event by doing one of the following:
1. View the Selected Event banner below the Find Event row. The desired event may already be selected.
2. Use the Find Event drop-down list to search within your favorites or recently viewed events. Once selected,
click the Find button to view events. Click on the desired event.
3. Choose By Event Name in the drop-down list, enter the name or partial name of the event then click Find.
Click on the event name from the matching list of events.
4. Click on Advanced Search then enter search criteria in one or multiple fields. Partial names are allowed. Click
Search. Click on the desired event from the list.
5. Enter the date range, which is the first to last date of transaction activity to be included in the report.
6. Select the transaction type to view in the report from the Select Transactions Type drop-down list.
7. In Select Sort Options, choose to have the report sort on the Attendee Type, transaction date, user’s last
name, company name, or hotel name.
8. Click Generate Report.
167

GroupMAX Reporting
Commerce (New): All Event Summary
This report displays deposits received, cancel fees, refunds, etc., collected within a specific time frame for all
commerce-enabled events.
This report displays in your web browser. You can also view the report in Excel by choosing the All Event Summary
(Excel) report.
To run the report:
1. Enter the date range, which is the first to last date of reservation activity to be included in the report.
2. Click Generate Report.
Commerce (New): All Event Transactions
This report displays the transaction activity (such as deposits, cancellations, and transactions with an error) for all your
events within the given date range. You can filter the report by transaction type.
This report displays in your web browser. You can also view the report in Excel by choosing the All Event Transactions
(Excel) report.
To run the report:
1. Enter the date range, which is the first to last date of transaction activity to be included in the report.
2. Select the transaction type to view in the report from the Select Transactions Type drop-down list.
3. In Select Sort Options, choose to have the report sort on the Attendee Type, transaction date, user’s last
name, company name, or hotel name.
4. Click Generate Report.
168

GroupMAX Reporting
Commerce (New): Attendees by Type Summary
This report displays the reservation activity (such as active and cancelled) for an event within the given date range
by attendee type. It also displays payments received, payments not received, and any refunds or charges.
This report displays in your web browser. You can also view the report in Excel by choosing the Attendees by Type
Summary (Excel) report.
To run the report:
Select an event by doing one of the following:
1. View the Selected Event banner below the Find Event row. The desired event may already be selected.
2. Use the Find Event drop-down list to search within your favorites or recently viewed events. Once
selected, click the Find button to view events. Click on the desired event.
3. Choose By Event Name in the drop-down list, enter the name or partial name of the event then click Find.
Click on the event name from the matching list of events.
4. Click on Advanced Search then enter search criteria in one or multiple fields. Partial names are allowed.
Click Search. Click on the desired event from the list.
5. Enter the date range, which is the first to last date of reservation activity to be included in the report.
6. Click Generate Report.
169

GroupMAX Reporting
Commerce (New): Balance Due
This report displays the outstanding balances from the reservation activity for an event within the given date range.
This report displays in your web browser. You can also view the report in Excel by choosing the Balance Due (Excel)
report.
To run the report:
Select an event by doing one of the following:
1. View the Selected Event banner below the Find Event row. The desired event may already be selected.
2. Use the Find Event drop-down list to search within your favorites or recently viewed events. Once selected,
click the Find button to view events. Click on the desired event.
3. Choose By Event Name in the drop-down list, enter the name or partial name of the event then click Find.
Click on the event name from the matching list of events.
4. Click on Advanced Search then enter search criteria in one or multiple fields. Partial names are allowed.
Click Search. Click on the desired event from the list.
5. Enter the date range, which is the first to last date of reservation activity to be included in the report.
6. Select the reservation status (active, cancelled, or both) to view in the report from the Choose
Reservation Status drop-down list.
7. Select the form of payment to view in the report from the Choose Form Of Payment drop-down list.
8. In Select Sort Options, choose to have the report sort on the user’s last name, company name, or hotel
name.
9. Optionally, check the Show only reservations with incomplete... box to filter the report to show only
those transactions that require your attention.
10. Optionally, check the Show reservations with manual adjustments... box to show those transactions that have
had manual adjustments, such as refunds or manual charges.
11. Click Generate Report.
170

GroupMAX Reporting
Commerce (New): Hotel Summary
This report displays the reservation activity (such as active and cancelled) for the hotels in an event within the given
date range. It also displays deposits received, cancel fees received, refunds, etc.
This report displays in your web browser. You can also view the report in Excel by choosing the Hotel Summary
(Excel) report.
To run the report:
Select an event by doing one of the following:
1. View the Selected Event banner below the Find Event row. The desired event may already be selected.
2. Use the Find Event drop-down list to search within your favorites or recently viewed events. Once
selected, click the Find button to view events. Click on the desired event.
3. Choose By Event Name in the drop-down list, enter the name or partial name of the event then click
Find. Click on the event name from the matching list of events.
4. Click on Advanced Search then enter search criteria in one or multiple fields. Partial names are
allowed. Click Search. Click on the desired event from the list.
5. Enter the date range, which is the first to last date of reservation activity to be included in the report.
6. Click Generate Report.
171

GroupMAX Reporting
Commerce (New): Reservation Details
This report displays the details of each reservation in an event within the given date range. The data includes when the
reservation was made, form of payment, status, invoiced amount, pending amount, collected amount, and balance.
This report displays in your web browser. You can also view the report in Excel by choosing the Reservation Details
(Excel) report.
To run the report:Select an event by doing one of the following:
1. View the Selected Event banner below the Find Event row. The desired event may already be selected.
2. Use the Find Event drop-down list to search within your favorites or recently viewed events. Once selected,
click the Find button to view events. Click on the desired event.
3. Choose By Event Name in the drop-down list, enter the name or partial name of the event then click Find.
Click on the event name from the matching list of events.
4. Click on Advanced Search then enter search criteria in one or multiple fields. Partial names are allowed.
Click Search. Click on the desired event from the list.
5. Enter the date range, which is the first to last date of reservation activity to be included in the report.
6. Click Generate Report.
172

GroupMAX Reporting
Commission: Commission
This report displays commissions due based on a percentage rate, a flat rate or both. It also displays the commission
for each individual reservation as well as the grand total for the hotel and event.
This report displays in your web browser. You can also view the report in Excel by choosing the Commission (Excel)
report.
To run the report:
Select an event by doing one of the following:
1. View the Selected Event banner below the Find Event row. The desired event may already be selected.
2. Use the Find Event drop-down list to search within your favorites or recently viewed events. Once
selected, click the Find button to view events. Click on the desired event.
3. Choose By Event Name in the drop-down list, enter the name or partial name of the event then click Find.
Click on the event name from the matching list of events.
4. Click on Advanced Search then enter search criteria in one or multiple fields. Partial names are
allowed. Click Search. Click on the desired event from the list.
5. Select All Hotels or a specific hotel from the Select Hotel drop-down list. Select All Hotels to display
the commission due for each individual hotel as well as a total commission due for the event.
6. In Select Flat Rate Type, choose to show the data per reservation or per night.
7. Choose to display commissions due based on a percentage rate or a flat rate or both by entering
the figures into the Enter Commission or Enter Flat Rate fields. Only enter numbers, not the % symbol or
currency symbol.
8. Click Generate Report.
173

GroupMAX Reporting
Delegate: Delegate Report
This report displays all delegates for an event for one or all hotels by last name, attendee type, check-in date,
company, or the Passkey acknowledgement number. Hotels have access to this report after the GroupMAX shutoff
date to help with reservation arrivals.
This report displays in your web browser. You can also view the report in Excel by choosing the Delegate Report
(Excel) report.
To run the report:Select an event by doing one of the following:
1. View the Selected Event banner below the Find Event row. The desired event may already be selected.
2. Use the Find Event drop-down list to search within your favorites or recently viewed events. Once selected,
click the Find button to view events. Click on the desired event.
3. Choose By Event Name in the drop-down list, enter the name or partial name of the event then click
Find. Click on the event name from the matching list of events.
4. Click on Advanced Search then enter search criteria in one or multiple fields. Partial names are allowed.
Click Search. Click on the desired event from the list.
5. Select All Hotels or a specific hotel from the Select a hotel drop-down list.
6. Determine the sort criteria.
7. Click Generate Report.
174

GroupMAX Reporting
Duplicate Reservations
This reports displays potential duplicate reservations.
To run the report:
Select an event by doing one of the following:
1. View the Selected Event banner below the Find Event row. The desired event may already be selected.
2. Use the Find Event drop-down list to search within your favorites or recently viewed events. Once
selected, click the Find button to view events. Click on the desired event.
3. Choose By Event Name in the drop-down list, enter the name or partial name of the event then click
Find. Click on the event name from the matching list of events.
4. Click on Advanced Search then enter search criteria in one or multiple fields. Partial names are
allowed. Click Search. Click on the desired event from the list.
5. Select All Hotels or a specific hotel from the Select a hotel drop-down list.
6. Optionally, check the Approximate name match box to find names that are similar in sound. It would
find last names that may be duplicates but were misspelled when the reservations were created, such as
McDonald and MacDonald.
7. Click Generate Report.
175

GroupMAX Reporting
Enrollment: Enrollment Details
This report displays the details about the registrations during a selected date range. To run the report:
To run the report:
Select an event by doing one of the following:
1. View the Selected Event banner below the Find Event row. The desired event may already be selected.
2. Use the Find Event drop-down list to search within your favorites or recently viewed events. Once selected,
click the Find button to view events. Click on the desired event.
3. Choose By Event Name in the drop-down list, enter the name or partial name of the event then click
Find. Click on the event name from the matching list of events.
4. Click on Advanced Search then enter search criteria in one or multiple fields. Partial names are allowed.
Click Search. Click on the desired event from the list.
5. Enter the date range, which is the first and last date of registrations, to be included in the report.
6. Enter primary and secondary sort criteria.
7. If a customized attendee enrollment form was created for the event, choose to include the answers to all
the questions on the form or just specific questions.
8. Click Generate Report.
176

GroupMAX Reporting
Enrollment: Enrollment Summary
This report displays a summary of the registrations during the date range you select.
To run the report:
Select an event by doing one of the following:
View the Selected Event banner below the Find Event row. The desired event may already be selected.
1. Use the Find Event drop-down list to search within your favorites or recently viewed events. Once selected,
click the Find button to view events. Click on the desired event.
2. Choose By Event Name in the drop-down list, enter the name or partial name of the event then click Find.
Click on the event name from the matching list of events.
3. Click on Advanced Search then enter search criteria in one or multiple fields. Partial names are allowed.
Click Search. Click on the desired event from the list.
4. Enter the date range, which is the first and last date of registrations, to be included in your report.
5. If a customized attendee enrollment form was created for the event, choose to include the answers to
all the questions on the form or just specific questions.
6. Click Generate Report.
177

GroupMAX Reporting
Event Activity: Event Activity Report
This report displays event reservation activity for a specified date range based on reservation status (such as new,
modified, and cancelled) and the method used to book the reservation (such as email, fax, mail, phone, and Web).
Also included in the report is the total number of no-show reservations (that is, those reservations cancelled after the
reservation arrival date) and the net new reservations (less cancellations) for the specified date range and event total
as of the date the report was run.
This report displays in your web browser. You can also view the report in Excel by choosing the Event Activity Report
(Excel).
To run the report:
1. Determine whether to run this report for the selected event or all events.
2. If running the report for a single event, select an event by doing one of the following:
3. View the Selected Event banner below the Find Event row. The desired event may already be selected.
4. Use the Find Event drop-down list to search within your favorites or recently viewed events. Once
selected, click the Find button to view events. Click on the desired event.
5. Choose By Event Name in the drop-down list, enter the name or partial name of the event then click
Find. Click on the event name from the matching list of events.
6. Click on Advanced Search then enter search criteria in one or multiple fields. Partial names are allowed.
Click Search. Click on the desired event from the list.
7. Determine to group the reservation activity by City or Hotel.
8. If running the report across all events, select the date range. Optionally, check the Primary Organizer
Only box and select the organizer’s name to limit the report to events from one organization.
9. Click Generate Report.
178

GroupMAX Reporting
Event Summary: Event Setup Summary
This report displays an overview of an event that is similar to the Event Summary page but shows additional detail.
This report is helpful for gaining a complete overview of an upcoming event.
To run the report:
Select an event by doing one of the following:
1. View the Selected Event banner below the Find Event row. The desired event may already be selected.
2. Use the Find Event drop-down list to search within your favorites or recently viewed events. Once
selected, click the Find button to view events. Click on the desired event.
3. Choose By Event Name in the drop-down list, enter the name or partial name of the event then click
Find. Click on the event name from the matching list of events.
4. Click on Advanced Search then enter search criteria in one or multiple fields. Partial names are
allowed. Click Search. Click on the desired event from the list.
5. Click Generate Report.
Event Summary: Event Summary by Hotel
This report displays the sell status parameters within an event as they pertain to hotels, sub-blocks and night-bynight
inventory, including sell status, shutoff date, and block & pickup information.
To run the report:
Select an event by doing one of the following:
1. View the Selected Event banner below the Find Event row. The desired event may already be selected.
2. Use the Find Event drop-down list to search within your favorites or recently viewed events. Once
selected, click the Find button to view events. Click on the desired event.
3. Choose By Event Name in the drop-down list, enter the name or partial name of the event then click Find.
Click on the event name from the matching list of events.
4. Click on Advanced Search then enter search criteria in one or multiple fields. Partial names are
allowed. Click Search. Click on the desired event from the list.
5. Select All Hotels or a specific hotel from the Select a hotel drop-down list.
6. Click Generate Report.
179

GroupMAX Reporting
Guest Count: Guest Count (Hotel and Room Type)
Similar to the Guest Count Detail report, this report displays the number of reservations with multiple guests,
including how many additional guests and average number of people per room. However, it displays these figures for
each room type in each hotel associated with the event.
To run the report:
Select an event by doing one of the following:
1. View the Selected Event banner below the Find Event row. The desired event may already be selected.
2. Use the Find Event drop-down list to search within your favorites or recently viewed events. Once selected,
click the Find button to view events. Click on the desired event.
3. Choose By Event Name in the drop-down list, enter the name or partial name of the event then click Find.
Click on the event name from the matching list of events.
4. Click on Advanced Search then enter search criteria in one or multiple fields. Partial names are allowed.
Click Search. Click on the desired event from the list.
5. Select the date range.
6. Click Generate Report.
Guest Count: Guest Count (Hotel)
This report displays the number of reservations with multiple guests, including how many additional guests and
average number of people per room. It displays these figures for each hotel associated with the event.
To run the report:
Select an event by doing one of the following:
1. View the Selected Event banner below the Find Event row. The desired event may already be selected.
2. Use the Find Event drop-down list to search within your favorites or recently viewed events. Once selected,
click the Find button to view events. Click on the desired event.
3. Choose By Event Name in the drop-down list, enter the name or partial name of the event then click Find.
Click on the event name from the matching list of events.
4. Click on Advanced Search then enter search criteria in one or multiple fields. Partial names are allowed.
Click Search. Click on the desired event from the list.
5. Select the date range.
6. Click Generate Report.
180

GroupMAX Reporting
Overage Report
This report displays the net reservations in all events between the contract start date and the end date that you
choose.
To run the report:
1. In Select Report for, choose to have the reservations listed by Hotel or Organizer.
2. Enter the end activity date.
3. Click Generate Report.
Pace
This report displays the pace at which reservations are made prior to arrival for each hotel property within an event.
In addition, featured on these reports is a snapshot of the total number of confirmed reservations in the system at
cutoff and event arrival dates. The percentage of wash is also calculated based on the difference between the final
number and cutoff.
To run the report:
Select an event by doing one of the following:
1. View the Selected Event banner below the Find Event row. The desired event may already be selected.
2. Use the Find Event drop-down list to search within your favorites or recently viewed events. Once selected,
click the Find button to view events. Click on the desired event.
3. Choose By Event Name in the drop-down list, enter the name or partial name of the event then click Find.
Click on the event name from the matching list of events.
4. Click on Advanced Search then enter search criteria in one or multiple fields. Partial names are allowed. Click
Search. Click on the desired event from the list.
5. In Select a hotel, select all hotels or a specific hotel.
6. In Select Date Range, choose to see the reservations every 30 days, weekly, or Set Interval, which is 120, 90,
60, 45, 30, 21, 14 and 7 days prior to arrival.
7. In Select Wash Calculations, choose to have the final column in the report show the difference between
the final number of reservations as a percentage of the cutoff, final reported pickup, or original contract
number.
8. Click Generate Report.
181

GroupMAX Reporting
RegLink: All Records
This report displays all records of attendees that have registered and/or made their hotel reservation.
To run the report:
Select an event by doing one of the following:
1. View the Selected Event banner below the Find Event row. The desired event may already be selected.
2. Use the Find Event drop-down list to search within your favorites or recently viewed events. Once selected,
click the Find button to view events. Click on the desired event.
3. Choose By Event Name in the drop-down list, enter the name or partial name of the event then click Find.
Click on the event name from the matching list of events.
4. Click on Advanced Search then enter search criteria in one or multiple fields. Partial names are allowed. Click
Search. Click on the desired event from the list.
5. Click Generate Report.
RegLink: All Registration Records
This report displays a list of attendee information of those who have registered for the event.
To run the report:
Select an event by doing one of the following:
1. View the Selected Event banner below the Find Event row. The desired event may already be selected.
2. Use the Find Event drop-down list to search within your favorites or recently viewed events. Once selected,
click the Find button to view events. Click on the desired event.
3. Choose By Event Name in the drop-down list, enter the name or partial name of the event then click Find.
Click on the event name from the matching list of events.
4. Click on Advanced Search then enter search criteria in one or multiple fields. Partial names are allowed. Click
Search. Click on the desired event from the list.
5. Click Generate Report.
182

GroupMAX Reporting
RegLink: Hotel Booked
This report displays attendee information of those who have made a hotel reservation but have not registered for
the event.
To run the report:
Select an event by doing one of the following:
1. View the Selected Event banner below the Find Event row. The desired event may already be selected.
2. Use the Find Event drop-down list to search within your favorites or recently viewed events. Once
selected, click the Find button to view events. Click on the desired event.
3. Choose By Event Name in the drop-down list, enter the name or partial name of the event then click Find.
Click on the event name from the matching list of events.
4. Click on Advanced Search then enter search criteria in one or multiple fields. Partial names are allowed.
Click Search. Click on the desired event from the list.
5. Click Generate Report.
RegLink: Registered - Hotel Booked
This report displays attendee information of those who have registered for an event and made their hotel
reservation.
To run the report:
Select an event by doing one of the following:
1. View the Selected Event banner below the Find Event row. The desired event may already be selected.
2. Use the Find Event drop-down list to search within your favorites or recently viewed events. Once
selected, click the Find button to view events. Click on the desired event.
3. Choose By Event Name in the drop-down list, enter the name or partial name of the event then click Find.
Click on the event name from the matching list of events.
4. Click on Advanced Search then enter search criteria in one or multiple fields. Partial names are allowed.
Click Search. Click on the desired event from the list.
5. Click Generate Report.
183

GroupMAX Reporting
RegLink: Registered - No Hotel Booked
This report displays attendee information of those who have registered for an event but have not made their hotel
reservation.
To run the report:
Select an event by doing one of the following:
1. View the Selected Event banner below the Find Event row. The desired event may already be selected.
2. Use the Find Event drop-down list to search within your favorites or recently viewed events. Once selected,
click the Find button to view events. Click on the desired event.
3. Choose By Event Name in the drop-down list, enter the name or partial name of the event then click Find.
Click on the event name from the matching list of events.
4. Click on Advanced Search then enter search criteria in one or multiple fields. Partial names are allowed. Click
Search. Click on the desired event from the list.
5. Click Generate Report.
Revenue: Revenue
This report displays the total reservation revenue generated for a single hotel or a total event, including number
of reservations, number of rooms, and number of rooms nights booked, as well as the number of reservations with
multiple guests.
To run the report:
Select an event by doing one of the following:
1. View the Selected Event banner below the Find Event row. The desired event may already be selected.
2. Use the Find Event drop-down list to search within your favorites or recently viewed events. Once selected,
click the Find button to view events. Click on the desired event.
3. Choose By Event Name in the drop-down list, enter the name or partial name of the event then click Find.
Click on the event name from the matching list of events.
4. Click on Advanced Search then enter search criteria in one or multiple fields. Partial names are allowed. Click
Search. Click on the desired event from the list.
5. Select All Hotels or a specific hotel from the Select Hotel drop-down list.
6. Click Generate Report.
184

GroupMAX Reporting
Room List: Room List Report
This report displays a list of all reservations for a specified property. It contains detailed reservation information,
including rates, special requests, and share-with information. The Room List report views activity since a specific date,
which is generally the date when the event opened for reservations or a previous Room List report was run. Please
note that only licensed users have access to this report.
To run the report:
1. View the Selected Event banner below the Find Event row. The desired event may already be selected.
2. Use the Find Event drop-down list to search within your favorites or recently viewed events. Once selected,
click the Find button to view events. Click on the desired event.
3. Choose By Event Name in the drop-down list, enter the name or partial name of the event then click Find.
Click on the event name from the matching list of events.
4. Click on Advanced Search then enter search criteria in one or multiple fields. Partial names are allowed. Click
Search. Click on the desired event from the list.
5. Determine the type of report. The data in a real-time report reflects what is currently in the GroupMAX
reservations database. The data in a snapshot report was taken at midnight (Eastern Time) of the current day.
It will show what the room list looked like at that moment in time; but it does not contain any changes since.
6. From Select a hotel drop-down list, select All Hotels for a list organized by hotel, or a specific hotel for an
update list.
7. Enter the date range, which is the first to last date of inventory that you wish to view in your report. The
default dates are the first night through the last night for which inventory is allocated.
8. If you wish to see only cancelled reservations, check the Show only cancelled reservations box.
9. If you wish to see only reservations with disability requests, check the Show reservations with Disability
requests only box.
10. In the Sort Options, enter primary and secondary sort criteria. Data in the report is ordered according to
the primary sort item, and if that is ambiguous (for instance, more than one guest has the same company
name), then the data is further sorted by the secondary sort criteria. All data is sorted alphabetically, except
“Acknowledgement Number,” which is sorted alphanumerically (in the order the reservations were made),
and “Reservation Arrival Date,” which is sorted in date order, earliest to latest.
11. In Room List Data to show, select All data since event open date to view the entire room list report for the
event. To view a shorter date range, select All data since then enter the date from which you wish to
view. Typically this is the date on which you last ran this report.
12. Click Generate Report.
185

GroupMAX Reporting
User Activity Report
This report is available for Administrators to view each reservation created, modified, or cancelled within a given
time period.
To run the report:
1. If running the report for a single event, select an event by doing one of the following:
2. View the Selected Event banner below the Find Event row. The desired event may already be selected.
3. Use the Find Event drop-down list to search within your favorites or recently viewed events. Once
selected, click the Find button to view events. Click on the desired event.
4. Choose By Event Name in the drop-down list, enter the name or partial name of the event then click Find.
Click on the event name from the matching list of events.
5. Click on Advanced Search then enter search criteria in one or multiple fields. Partial names are allowed.
Click Search. Click on the desired event from the list.
6. Determine the scope:
7. Single Event/Single User. Select this to view each reservation a single agent has created, modified, or
cancelled in a single event and within a given time period.
8. All Events. Select this to view all the reservation transactions you have made within a given time period
across all events.
9. All Events/Single User. Select this to view each reservation a single agent has created, modified, or
cancelled within a given time period (across all events).
10. Single Event. Select this to view all the reservation transactions you have made in a single event and within
a given time period.
11. If Single Event/Single User or All Events/Single User is selected then select the user.
12. Enter the date range by entering the first and last dates of the time period you wish to view.
13. Select the sorting criteria. These include acknowledgement number, chronological order, event name, last
name of the attendee, or by type of transaction (e.g., new, modified, or cancelled).
14. Click Generate Report.
186

GroupMAX Reporting
Wait List Report
This report displays the status of guests on wait lists within a given time period.
To run the report:
1. Determine to run this report for all your events or the selected event.
2. If running the report for a single event, select an event by doing one of the following:
3. View the Selected Event banner below the Find Event row. The desired event may already be selected.
4. Use the Find Event drop-down list to search within your favorites or recently viewed events. Once
selected, click the Find button to view events. Click on the desired event.
5. Choose By Event Name in the drop-down list, enter the name or partial name of the event then click Find.
Click on the event name from the matching list of events.
6. Click on Advanced Search then enter search criteria in one or multiple fields. Partial names are allowed.
Click Search. Click on the desired event from the list.
7. Select the primary and secondary sorting criteria.
8. Enter the date range by entering the first and last dates of the time period you wish to view.
9. Click Generate Report to run the report.
187

Icons
Icon Title Function
Copy
Makes a copy an exact copy of the item. This can be used with
reservations, campaigns, and a number of other items.
Delete
Deletes the item.
Edit
Select this icon to edit the item.
or
Expand
Favorite
Select either of these icons to expand a menu. This is typically
used for filtering lists or types.
Select the icon to make an event a Favorite. Select the icon again
to unselect it as a Favorite
Help
Select this icon for help with that particular area
Multiple Languages
If multiple languages are being used, select this icon to add the
other translations of the field.
On/Off Switch
Select once to turn the switch On, twice to turn it Off
Organizer Dashboard
Print
Selecting this icon opens the Organizer Dashboard in another
window. This Dashboard will show information for multiple
events by the Organization.
Select this to print the item or reservation.
Populate
Reports
Populates the value throughout the time period in question
instead of having to add the value to each field individually.
Links to the Report section.
Reservation Summary
Shows a summary of the reservation information.
Resend
Resends the item or reservation.
Rooming List
Select this icon to run a rooming list.
Save
Saves that specific item.
188

Glossary Of Terms
Access Code: A code that can be required for certain
Attendee Types to make reservations. Also used to
protect rooms from general attendees.
Affiliate: An organization that is added to an
event allowing users in that organization to create
reservations, run reports and view information about
the event.
Alert: A visual reminder when important event
conditions arise. Alerts are available from the HOME
Screen and the EVENT HOME screen.
Assigned: Inventory that is allocated to a sub-block
and available for sale.
Attendee Type: The guest type that will be reserving
reservations. An attendee type is required to make a
sub-block. An event can have one or more Attendee
Types.
Attendee Website: The website where attendees can
make reservations.
Available: The difference between the current block
and picked up and/or guaranteed rooms.
Bundle: A saved template of settings that can be
automatically applied to events to make the event
building process easier.
Citywide (CW) event: An event consisting of
multiple hotels, typically managed by a CVB or
meeting management company.
Current Block: The number of rooms to be sold at the
room type level. May differ from the Original Contract.
Close reservation date: The date when the event
is closed (shutoff) to any reservation activity.
Reservations can be closed to the entire event or just
the Attendee Website or just Call Center level users.
Complex setup (Event has complex setup):
This is an event that has at least one night of inventory
that is assigned to a sub-block. When an event has a
complex setup, all inventory must be managed via the
EVENT HOME screen or Advanced Options. If an
event does not have inventory assigned to sub-blocks,
inventory can be managed from the Home screen.
Cutoff (in a CW event): In a CW event, the cutoff
date is an event-wide setting. After cutoff, hotels
participating in a CW event will have access to run
room lists, transfer reservations through GroupLink
and manage inventory. Prior to the cutoff date, hotels
are able to view block and pickup information only.
In addition, they can run reports that do not contain
specific individual attendee data.
Cutoff (in an HD event): In an HD event, the cutoff
date is used for informational purposes only, and for
meeting planners on the Event Dashboard. It does
not restrict access to any features for users within the
system.
Drop Off Location: A custom web address that can
be given out that allows them to drop off a rooming list
without a user name or password.
Enrollment Form: This feature provides a simple way
to generate a form for customized questions prior to
guests booking their reservation. For example, ask
attendees if they will be attending a meeting or dinner
with the enrollment form.
Enterprise Account: A parent organization where
default items can be created and shared across a brand
of hotels. A hotel can be associated to multiple parent
organizations.
Event Dashboard: A website provided to meeting
planners to show individual event statistics, reporting
features, and room list management.
Favorites: A flag that can be set for an event allowing
easier access to the event. Any event can be a favorite.
Access a list of your favorite events using the filter for
Favorites in the event search box on the Home screen.
Final Reported: After an event has ended, final
pickup numbers from the hotels can be added to an
Event. These numbers can be used to make reports
more accurate.
Free-Sell inventory: Inventory to be sold to multiple
attendee types on a first come, first serve basis. Subblocks
can be turned on for Free-Sell and you can
control which rate is used, either the Sub-block rate or
the highest rate between the Sub-block and Free-Sell
rate
189

Glossary Of Terms
Frequent Tasks: Tasks that are done on a day-to-day
basis and are our most used features. Frequent tasks
are available from the HOME Screen and the EVENT
HOME screen.
Group Campaigns: Communication tool used to send
marketing and informational emails to an entire group
or subset of a group. Reservation Acknowledgement
emails and Planner communication emails are also
available through Group Campaigns.
Group Profitability Factors: Located on the home
screen in the event snapshot section on an event,
this feature shows how your event is doing with the
GroupMAX philosophies as well as provides tips on
how to improve your score.
GroupLink: Allows reservations completed in the
GroupMAX system to be transferred to a hotel’s
CRS/PMS system. For some systems, it also allows
reservations made in the PMS/CRS to be transferred
to the GroupMAX system.
GroupLink block code: The PMS/CRS code that
is used for transferring reservations into the correct
block in a hotel’s PMS/CRS.
GroupLink room code: The PMS/CRS room code
that is used for transferring reservations into the
correct room type in a hotel’s PMS/CRS.
GroupMasterLink (GML): Allows event information
such as contracted inventory and dates to be sent from
a hotel’s system (such as Sales and Catering, PMS or
CRS) into the GroupMAX system to facilitate event
setup.
Guarantee Type: The type of guarantee for a
reservation. This is also known as a Payment Plan.
Guaranteed: Attendee type inventory to be counted
as picked up without named guest reservations.
Hotel or Organizer Dashboard: A website used
internally to show overall system statistics, including
upsell and cost savings estimates for that hotel or
organization.
Hotel Profile: This profile houses basic hotel
information, such as address, contact information,
description, and images.
Hotel Direct (HD) event: An event created by a hotel
licensee, typically including a single hotel.
Library: A storage area for various reusable items such
as SmartAlerts, Group Campaigns and room types.
Libraries are maintained within the hotel or organizer
setup.
Licensee: An Organizer or Hotel that has a
GroupMAX license. This license allows the Organizer
or Hotel to create and manage events. If a hotel has a
license, they can download reservations directly into
their reservations system.
Locale: Defines the language, date format and
currency/number format used on the Attendee
Website. An Attendee Website can have multiple
locales.
Merchant Account: An account that allows the
Organizer to collect cancellation fees or deposits.
Minimum Night Stay (MNS): The number that is
assigned to each day to indicate the minimum number
of nights an attendee must stay if arriving on that
particular date. A “0” in the MNS field indicates no
arrivals for that day.
Open status: The sell status for a particular night in a
particular sub-block. If the switch is on, it means that
the night is available for sale (as long as the Block and
Hotel Sell Status are set to open). If the switch is off, it
means the night is not for sale for that particular subblock
only, even if the Sub-block or Hotel Sell Status is
set to open.
Open reservation date: The date on which the event
can start taking reservations. Reservations can be
open for the entire event, just the Attendee Website or
just Call Center level users.
Original Block: The inventory available as agreed upon
in the original contract. These fields are completed at
the initial inventory setup. Contracted inventory is
set at the room type level, and can be updated if the
contracted block is amended.
190

Glossary Of Terms
Other Services: Services offered by the hotel or
organizer of the event that are optionally presented on
the Attendee Website.
Pickup Pace: This chart allows you to see projected
pace as opposed to actual pickup. The chart is available
from the EVENT HOME screen, and the HOME
Screen in the event snapshot section for an event.
Peak: The number of rooms on the night with the
largest contracted inventory (peak inventory).
Pickup: The number of rooms in a particular subblock
that have been sold or guaranteed to a named
reservation holder. Pickup does not reflect guaranteed
blocks.
Primary Inventory: Hotel level inventory that can be
sold across multiple events.
Quick Notify: Communication tool used to send
marketing and informational emails to a group of
guests based on stay dates and other criteria.
RegLink: The system that integrates any online event
registration product to event reservations in the
GroupMAX system minimizing book-around. It also
provides comparative reporting.
Re-rate functionality: This feature allows users to
bulk-change rates for reservations that have already
been created.
Shoulder dates: Dates before and/or after the event
dates for which there is inventory loaded in the system
for sale.
Shutoff date: See Close reservation date.
SmartAlert: A notification sent by email. The
notification can be based on a set of criteria, such
as when a block reaches 80% pick-up, or sent on a
regular schedule, such as sending a daily update on the
reservations arriving each day.
Sub-block: Required to sell inventory, a sub-block is
the combination of a specific room type made available
for sale to a specific attendee type. A sub-block can
have assigned inventory or it can pull inventory from
Free-sell.
Unassigned: Inventory that is either not entered as free
sell inventory or allocated to a sub-block. Unassigned
inventory is not available for sale.
Upsell: A premium room type offered at higher price
than contracted room types. A room type that is
flagged as an upsell room type also has an incremental
cost defined.
Wait List: A feature that allows attendees to request
rooms for sold out nights. As rooms become available,
those attendees can automatically be assigned rooms
to clear the wait list.
ResQ: This feature allows GroupLink transferred
reservations to be found, triaged, resent, or added to
the To Do list. ResQ is accessed from the Frequent
Tasks - Res Errors icon.
RoomListManager (QuickLists): The room list tool
used to automate creating, modifying or cancelling
reservations from a room list provided by a planner.
Room Type: A type or category of room offered by a
hotel.
Sell status: The settings on a hotel or sub-block that
control whether it is available for sale and if so, to
whom.
191