Hotel Rooms (Entity?)

Sounds like you’re miles ahead of where we want to be! The owner isn’t adverse to change and if it benefits the bottom line and isn’t too much of an added expense then I’m sure they’ll consider a change, particularly with a free integration chucked in - but I can’t imagine they’d pay much more than they currently are as generally the hotel is well booked (particularly with contractors working locally). The website is self managed (me again) and just has the QBook code dumped in on a iframe for online booking, which QBook process. New website is on the list to do after the PoS is sorted :-).I’ll check on the API and channel expansion opportunities with QBook and check with the owner if he minds me investigating alternatives - of course if he opts for an alternative I’ll let you know beforehand in case theres a referral to be had :slight_smile: I’ll come back later this afternoon and let you know the outcome :smiley: Thanks for your advice so far though, really appreciate it :slight_smile:

The netbook system is allot more advanced than our previous local system and the advantages of reduced maintenance (just have to ensure good internet connection) but that would be the same as qbook I guess.
The housekeeping thing is a big thing for us with a very spread out layout of the hotel with annexes to the rear.
I would see if qbook has an API first and if they do let me know as would like to expand my epos systems more into hotels offering complete setups and obviously the time to do the integration is obviously worth while if you can sell it to multiple places rather than just do a single one off.

If they do have an API you should have a good headstart from my netbook integration as have dumped 99% of the code I used on the topic on the forum. It should just be a case of twerking the output of the posts for their API.

@JTRTech Checked with Queensborough Group and no API unfortunately. Will see based on your costings though if the hotel would consider an alternative longer term. In the meantime though if you can share any info on your room setup (minus a PMS integration) then that would be really appreciated :slight_smile:

@1bigwink apologies, had an all nighter at the hotel doing some network rewiring as only doable at night when bar is closed so as not to cut out the tills :frowning:

Anyway I will try and dig out the backup tonight.

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I did a sting of automation based on a custom entity screen;

Had a room entity grid and then a booking grid which was a custom entity screen which didnt select the entity but start a command flow starting with feeding the room name as command value;

(Had to scale to 60% even with my multiple virtical monitor screen setup LOL)

Will upload a video of the workflow in a minute

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It a little hesitant in places as was a while ago I set this up…

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These were the extra lines I put in the work period report for handling the room accounts side;

[Banking Details:2, 1]
Till Cash|{REPORT PAYMENT TOTAL:(PT=Cash)}
Rooms Cash|{ACCOUNT TRANSACTION TOTAL:Booking Cash Payment:Cash}
>>Total Cash|[=F({REPORT PAYMENT TOTAL:(PT=Cash)}+{ACCOUNT TRANSACTION TOTAL:Booking Cash Payment:Cash})]
Till Card|{REPORT PAYMENT TOTAL:(PT=Credit Card)}
Rooms Card|{ACCOUNT TRANSACTION TOTAL:Booking Credit Card Payment:Credit Card}
>>Total Card|[=F({REPORT PAYMENT TOTAL:(PT=Credit Card)}+{ACCOUNT TRANSACTION TOTAL:Booking Credit Card Payment:Credit Card})]

[Room Account Statement:1,2, 1]
>>Room|Balance
@{ENTITY LIST EXP:(ET=Rooms)}
@{REPORT ENTITY DETAILS:EC.Booking Number:(EN=$1)}
$1|$2 | {CALL:accountinfo.accountbalance('$2')}
>Total|{ACCOUNT TOTAL:Booking Accounts}



[Room Transactions:2, 1, 1]
>>Description|Debit|Credit
Room Transfers|{ACCOUNT TRANSACTION TOTAL:Booking Account Transaction:Booking Accounts}| 
Cash Payments| |{ACCOUNT TRANSACTION TOTAL:Booking Cash Payment:Booking Accounts}
Card Payments| |{ACCOUNT TRANSACTION TOTAL:Booking Credit Card Payment:Card}
>Balance|{ACCOUNT TOTAL:Booking Accounts}

Given my increased reporting abilities now I would probably have done it a little different and added a account/ledger balance brough forward and carried forward.

@JTRTech This is better than I could have hoped for, really appreciate it thank you! Will this work cross department (e.g. restaurant and bar can add to room tab)? I’ll need to make some tweaks (e.g. we have 2 cash drawers so there are 2 CC accounts and 2 cash), but in the main this does everything we need.

[quote=“JTRTech, post:16, topic:9854”]
I would probably have done it a little different and added a account/ledger balance brough forward and carried forward.
[/quote] What does this mean please mate?

Not sure, never used multiple departments but so long as entities are available to both then no reason I can see why not.

Well to account for the ‘ledger’/account movement on the overnight room accounts you need to know the carried forward figure from yesterday.

Balance BF £300 (Room account total balance at EOD yesterday)
Sales £200 (Sales through till)
Cash Payments £100 (Cash/Card Payments for non room related sales)
Account Transfer/Posts£100 (Sales paid for by posting to room account)
Account Payments £80 (Payments made to room accounts)

Sales £200

  • Cash Payments £100
  • Account Charges £100
    Sales and payments balance (no bills left open on till)

Account Balance BF £300

  • Account Post/Transfers +£100 (=£400)
  • Account Payments -£80 (=£320)
    Balance CF £320

Its just something you want to be able to fully reconcile all sales and payments as you are holding a ledger (room accounts) and so the movement/change in the balance would equate to difference between you over the counter sales/payments(money in drawer)

Hi Guys
I am trying to implement this excellent solution for assigning bar and restaurant tickets to specific Hotel Guest Rooms. This solution looks to tick all the boxes for me but my limited capabilities and understand of actions is causing me some problems in implementation.

I can get mot actions and rules clear in my head but I cannot create the following Actions listed as I am unsure what type of action they are
Update Room
Create Booking Entity

I think this is an excellent solution and getting past these (probably obvious) problems would help me a tremendous amount

Thanks

This isnt a built in feature as such, @JTRTech has heavily customised and designed a complex hotel system that is not “built in” you would need to study his development if you want something like he has done

Im assuming its part of his setup you may have seen

Where in the flow are these actions?
Out of context udate room could either be update entity (data) or select entity.
Create Booking Entity is more obvious and would be create entity… Although that might actually be update/change entity with with can create entity as true

Update Room is the 2nd Action listed in the following Rule

Booking Admin - Entity Grid Ask Question - Checkout Room Actions

I have tested every available action and cannot find one with only ‘Constraint’ and ‘Entity Name’ as the available fields.

Constraint is not an action field, it is part of the rule that allows you to constrain individual actions.

Entity name will just be the only field used.
I would have put [:Entity Name] into the action so that the field value can be set within the rule and the acton reused rather than have an action per use.

Thanks for the advice. I have input all the data as per your database (although my eyes are a little tired looking at the screen grabs). This has really helped me understand rules and actions much better.

How should I set up the Bookings Entity.

I currently have it as a Custom Entity screen. pressing the booking Tab does nothing. Do I add Room Entities to this screen or make booking entities.

Now when I select a Room on the POS screen to assign a Room number to a ticket it correctly assigns the Room number to the ticket and products all add ok. However, when I close any ticket the purple screen pops up prompting Payment type. I cannot for the life of me find anyway to execute an automation command from an entity screen.

I can only think I have some setup incorrect in my Entity screens as normally the POS works great with my Room Entities and correctly assigns settlements to Room Accounts (if Sign to Room is selected)

Sorry to be a bit dim but this is pretty new to me and this room account management process looks perfect for my Hotel.

Quick Update on my depressingly slow progress.

I have thought about the Entity Screen for Bookings and have configured it as follows.

Custom Entity Screen with Start Automation Widgets
Widgets Run Automation Command 'RoomEntityGrid"
Button Selects.
Nothing Happens
SambaPos Crashes

I cannot seem to find any problems in the Rules I have input and have tried with Widget value being numeric or string (01 or Room 01) Nothing changes

The only thing I can think of is my configuration of the Automation Command RoomEntityGrid. If I try navigation Settings blank or Entity or Accounts it makes no difference.
Any advice would be greatly received.

Neither of my entity screens were for booking entities.
They were both room entities which recorded the corresponding booking entity name (booking number) as a custom field on the room entity.

Hi Joe

I feel I have now worked a better understanding of the Automation commands but must still have some fundamental lack of knowledge in passing values through rules and actions.

I have finally managed to stop Sambapos crashing when clicking on on a Room entity on the Booking Screen. I feel that I now have a problem assigning the Entity Name as [:CommandValue] in the “Booking Admin - Entity Grid Command Start” Rule below






I have confirmation switched on in the Automation Command to show me where I am in the program but currently it just keeps cycling back to the same confirmation question. obviously the Automation Command “Room EntityGrid” is being called instead of the Automation Command “RoomEntityGridAskQuestions”

Should I have a Value Set in the Automation Cammand (if so what format should that be) and should they be mapped to states or to any particular navigation screens?

I have set the Booking Entity Screen Grid and have the following settings and properties for the Widget

Sorry to bomb you with many screenshots and questions but I feel there is something fundamental I am not understanding or aware of

The Automation command format are all new to me and I have tried numerous selections and syntax but I realise I do not have the necessary knowledge to know if I am correct.

I appreciate the time and effort you have input to date and I am grateful for the personal time you are taking to assist with this.

Regards
David

It’s not getting the entity name from the entity grid by looks of it.
In the grid settings the ommand name triggers the custom rule and the command value if the specific entity selected.
It was a while ago but do you not use a printer tag type expression on the entity grid command value field?

I have tried a number for formats on the entity grid command field value using [ < etc. Must admit I do not know what a printer tag type expression is but I will look it up and give it a try.

Cheers