If the Group Name has already been used (or is similar to an existing one), a list of matching groups will display for you to select from — similar to how user profiles appear when creating a guest reservation.
Create a New Group Block (Cloud) 🎥
🎥 Watch Video
When you need to reserve blocks of rooms for a group event—like a wedding, meeting, or tour—use a Group Block in Visual Matrix Cloud. Creating a group block lets you define the group’s details, guarantee terms, deposit, room allocations, and rate all in one place. The top portion of the Group screen is for entering group contact, stay details, and rate/package settings. The bottom portion is for Room Allocations, where you allocate room types and rates to the block.
Path: Front Office > Group > Group
Instructions
Contact Information
Enter the group’s main details, including Group Name, Event Name, and Contact Person. Complete additional fields as needed:
- Language: select the language for the group’s correspondence.
- Confirmation Delivery Type: choose how confirmations will be sent (e.g., email, print).
- Custom Letter: select a custom confirmation letter template if applicable.
If your groups are syncing with a Channel Manager (such as Best Western or SynXis), you must complete the Address, Zip Code, City, and State fields. Leaving these blank will create errors in the Channel Manager.
Comments
Use the Comments field to add notes that will copy into every reservation picked up from the group block. Comments also display on the Arrival Report, just like comments on individual reservations.
The Internal Comments field also copies to each reservation when picked up, but they are limited to the reservation itself. Unlike regular Comments, Internal Comments do not appear on the Arrival Report, registration cards, or guest letters.
Comments are only copied at the time of pickup. If you add or edit comments after some reservations have already been picked up, those reservations will not update.
Use Comments for details that need to flow through to reports (e.g., “Late checkout approved”). Use Internal Comments for staff-only instructions tied to the reservation (e.g., “Collect meeting room deposit separately”).
Marketing Info
Use the marketing fields to track how and why the group was booked. This information supports property reporting and revenue analysis.
- Market Segment: select the segment that best fits the group (e.g., Corporate, Wedding, Tour, Leisure).
- Referral: record how the group heard about your property (e.g., Online, Direct Call, Travel Agent).
- Reason for Stay: specify the purpose of the group’s booking (e.g., Conference, Family Reunion, Sports Team).
These fields are mandatory. You must select a value for each one to save the group reservation. If defaults are configured in Sales & Marketing Setup, they will populate automatically, but you can update them as needed.
Stay Details - Arrival and Depature Date
Enter the group’s Arrival Date and Departure Date.
The Nights field will calculate automatically once dates are entered.
If the group is synced with a Channel Manager (like Best Western or SynXis), make sure arrival and departure dates are correct to prevent errors in availability.
If you shorten a group’s stay, you must set allocations to 0 for any removed dates before changing the dates.
- Date changes sync with the Channel Manager, but allocations for the removed dates do not.
- Leaving allocations in place will continue to block rooms in the Channel Manager, even though those dates are no longer part of the group.
Stay Details - Guarantee Type (posting/billing rules)
Controls where charges post — it is not a payment method.
- None: Room, tax, and incidentals post to each individual reservation folio.
- Room & Tax: Room & tax post to the Group folio; incidentals post to individual folios.
- All Charges: All charges (room, tax, incidentals) post to the Group folio; individual folios remain empty.
​If the Guarantee Type is changed after charges have already been posted, those charges will not automatically transfer to the new folio. Use the “Send Charges” feature to move charges between an individual folio and the group folio in one click.
Stay Details - Allow FD to Pickup Room
This option applies only when the group is synced with a Channel Manager and allocations can be booked online through a group URL.
- Checked: Rooms can also be picked up locally by the front desk.
- Unchecked: Rooms can only be picked up online via the group URL; front desk cannot pick them up directly.
Stay Details - Allocation Drop Type / Days
Controls when unused block rooms are released back into the general inventory.
- Days Before Arrival / Arrival Date / Departure Date: All unused allocations are released at once on the chosen date.
- Rolling (Days from Audit Date): Allocations are released night by night instead of all at once.
Example: If the group spans 5 nights and you set 5 days, then:
- 5 days before arrival → allocations for the first night are released.
- 4 days before arrival → allocations for the second night are released.
- And so on, until all nights are released individually.
Rolling gives you finer control but requires careful setup, since allocations drop day by day instead of in a single release.
After saving the group, a Reinstate button will appear. This option is covered in detail in this article.
Note for Best Western Properties - Allocation Drop
You will see only two drop-type options instead of four:
- Standard: You manually select a specific date for the drop (instead of choosing Arrival Date, Departure Date, or Days Before Arrival).
- Rolling: Releases allocations day by day based on the number of days from the audit date.
Status, IATA #, and Company
- Status (Hold / Guaranteed / Canceled): Displays the reservation status of the group block—whether it’s on Hold, Guaranteed, or Canceled. (This is a status indicator; it does not control posting or payment behavior.)
- IATA #: Enter/select the IATA number if a travel agency is involved. This supports agency tracking and reporting.
- Company: Link the block to a Company profile when billing or reporting should be associated with a specific organization (e.g., corporate account/City Ledger).
If the block will be billed to a company account, ensure the correct Company is linked here and that your Guarantee Type (in Stay Details) reflects the intended posting rules.
Rate Information & Add-Ons Package(s)
Discount Code
Select a Discount Code if you want to track the group for marketing or reporting purposes. It will appear on every picked-up reservation, but the actual room rate will always follow the setup in the Room Type Allocation section.
Tax Status
Choose whether the group is Taxable or Exempt. Click Exempt if the group has valid tax-exempt status.
Always confirm documentation is on file before selecting exempt.
Add-On PKG
Click Multiple to select an Add-On Package if the group includes extras such as meals, parking, or amenities. Add-ons selected here will automatically copy into any new reservations picked up from the group.
Any changes made in this section (Discount Code, Tax Status, or Add-Ons) apply only to future reservations picked up. Reservations that were already picked up will not update automatically.
Summary of Charges, Payment Info & Guarantee
Summary of Charges
Deposit Required / Deposit Date: Enter the required deposit and due date; this secures the block, and the amount will also appear on the Delinquent Deposits Report.
Deposit Paid: Shows how much of the required deposit has been received.
Estimated Balance: Displays only when the Guarantee Type is Room & Tax or All Charges, and reflects the total of all picked-up reservations. It does not include allocated (unpicked) rooms — use the Proforma Invoice for that.
Payment Info
Method of Payment – Records the payment method for the deposit or group billing (separate from Guarantee Type rules in Stay Details).
Guarantee and Confirmation
Group ID: A system-generated number that identifies the group reservation for tracking and support.
An advance deposit posted on the group master folio cannot be transferred or split to individual picked-up reservations. Once posted, it remains on the group folio regardless of changes to the Guarantee Type.
Note for SynXis Properties – CRS Group Code
If the “Sync Groups with SynXis” feature is enabled in your Channel Manager, a CRS Group Code will be automatically created. This code, which begins with the letter “G,” indicates that the group and its allocations are successfully syncing with SynXis.
If you want to create a booking link, it must be generated directly in SynXis. Any reservations made through that link will automatically draw from the group’s allocations and appear in Visual Matrix as part of the group, showing in the group’s rooming list.
Note for Best Western Properties - BW Group Info
For Best Western properties, an additional BW Group Info section appears when creating a group.
The Booking Channel is the only field you need to select in Visual Matrix. It determines whether the group’s online booking URL can be used by guests to book allocations (Online) or is restricted to local/front desk pickup (Local).
The other fields (such as BW Group ID, Planner BWR #, Rate Plan Code, eLead ID, Guarantee Method, Cancel Policy, etc.) are specific to Best Western systems. Visual Matrix displays them but does not manage their configuration.
Since these fields are tied directly to Best Western processes, refer to your Best Western documentation or support team if you need guidance on how they are used.
Room Allocations
Room Allocations hold a set number of rooms from the general inventory until the drop date, and picked-up rooms become individual reservations. They are set up by room type and by day, with rates entered for each room type, each date, and the number of guests included.
When a new group is created, the first empty line for entering a room type is automatically generated.
Add Allocation
When first creating a group, you’ll see the Add Allocation button (this option is removed once the group is saved).
- Use it to quickly allocate rooms by room type for the entire stay.
- You can enter a room count and rate that automatically applies across all dates (weekday and weekend rates can still be set differently).
- To allocate multiple room types with this tool, click OK in the Add Allocation window and then reopen it.
This option is especially useful for groups booking over a long period, since it saves time compared to entering allocations day by day.
Note for Best Western Properties – Group Restrictions
Best Western properties can apply restrictions to room allocations directly from the Group screen. Restrictions are set per day (not by room type) and include:
- SOFT: Flexible MLOS
- CLOSE: No availability for the date.
- MLOS: Minimum length of stay requirement.
- CTA: Closed to arrival on that date.
Access this option by clicking Restrictions in the Room Allocations section.
Click the green save button at the top right to save the group
If you cancel a group or shorten the group’s stay, you must first set all existing allocations for the affected dates to 0. Canceling or shortening updates the dates in the Channel Manager, but it does not remove the allocations — leaving them in place will continue to block rooms unnecessarily.
Note for SynXis HTNG Users
If you are using SynXis HTNG with the Sync Groups option enabled, remember that saving is required after every change. Once your group is created and saved, any time you make a modification, you must click Save at the top right.
If you don’t, a pop-up will prompt you to confirm that changes need to be saved—otherwise, your updates will be lost. Saving also acts as the trigger to sync the update with SynXis.
Main Points to Remember
- Always complete mandatory fields (Market Segment, Referral, Reason for Stay).
- If syncing with a Channel Manager (BW or SynXis), you must enter address details (Address, Zip, City, State).
- Comments/Internal Comments only copy to reservations at the time of pickup — edits later won’t backfill.
- Use Guarantee Type to control where charges post (not a payment method).
- If shortening or cancelling a stay, set allocations to 0 first to avoid blocking dates in the Channel Manager.
- Add Allocation is only available when creating the group; it disappears once saved.
- Deposits posted on the group master folio cannot be transferred to individual reservations.
- For Best Western properties, allocation drop types may differ and restrictions can be applied per day.
- Always click the green floppy disk (top right) to save changes before exiting.
Still Need Help With This Topic?
Ask Yourself:
- Did I complete all mandatory fields (Market Segment, Referral, Reason for Stay)?
- Did I enter address details if the group is syncing with a Channel Manager (BW, SynXis)?
- Did I update allocations to 0 before shortening the group’s stay?
- Am I aware that changes to Comments, Internal Comments, Discount Codes, or Add-Ons apply only to future pickups?
- Do I understand that advance deposits posted on the group folio cannot be transferred to individual reservations?
Support May Ask You:
- What is the Group Name and Group ID?
- What dates (arrival/departure) and room types are included in the allocation?
- What Guarantee Type was selected (None, Room & Tax, All Charges)?
- Did you use Add Allocation at creation, or set allocations manually?
- Has the group synced with a Channel Manager? If so, were allocations updated before changes to stay dates?
Related Articles
Related Articles
Pickup Group Allocations to Create Reservations (Cloud) 🎥
? Watch Video Once a group block is established and allocations are assigned, you must pick up those allocations to convert them into guest reservations via the availability or group availability interface. This process respects the group’s ...Sync Group Date & Allocation Changes with Best Western Member Web (BW)
When you change a group’s arrival or departure dates, or adjust room allocations, those changes must sync properly with the BW Member Web interface. If done improperly, your online block may show incorrect availability, missing rooms, or outdated ...Best Western 2Way Interface Detailed (BW) (Cloud)
Access to certain sections is restricted for hotel staff, as some areas are exclusively available to Visual Matrix technicians. Path: Management > Interfaces > All Interfaces > Central Res BW2/Best Western 2 Way. The interface is composed of 6 ...Cancel a Group Block (Cloud) 🎥
? Watch Video When you cancel a group block, VM prompts you to review any picked-up reservations and choose which to cancel. If a reservation has a deposit, you’ll be asked to refund or forfeit as part of the flow. Cancellations are final. Path: ...Extend a Reservation Within a Group Block (Cloud)
When a guest’s reservation is part of a group, its dates and room allocation are bound by the group block. If you need to extend that reservation, you must check two things first: whether there are enough room allocations for the extra dates, and ...