Reservation and Group Management Settings (Cloud)

Reservation and Group Management Settings (Cloud)

The Reservation and Group Management Settings control how reservations and group blocks are managed throughout Visual Matrix Cloud. These settings influence cancellation policies, group allocation behavior, arrival expectations, and reservation identification preferences, helping properties manage inventory and reservation workflows more effectively.
Path: Management > Property Settings > Parameters > Parameters



Cancel Policy (Days)

The Cancel Policy (Days) setting defines the property's default cancellation window by specifying how many days prior to arrival a reservation may be canceled without triggering a cancellation warning.
When a reservation is canceled outside of the configured cancellation window, Visual Matrix displays a warning message indicating that the cancellation falls outside the property's cancellation policy. Users can then choose whether to proceed with the cancellation.
Info
Properties using a channel manager may have cancellation policies controlled by the channel manager. In those cases, the channel manager's cancellation policy takes precedence over the value configured in Visual Matrix.

Res To Alter Group Allocations

The Res To Alter Group Allocations setting determines whether Visual Matrix can automatically adjust a group allocation when adding an existing reservation to a group.
When enabled, users can add an existing reservation to a group even if:
  1. The reservation's room type does not currently exist within the group allocation.
  2. No remaining allocations are available for the reservation's room type.
Visual Matrix automatically adjusts the group allocation as needed to accommodate the reservation.
Notes
This setting only applies when adding reservations to a group. Reservations cannot be removed from a group allocation. To remove a grouped reservation, the reservation must be canceled.

Allocation Drop Date

The Allocation Drop Date setting defines the default method for releasing unpicked group room allocations.
This setting establishes the default allocation drop rule for newly created groups. The drop method can be modified within individual group reservations when needed.
Available options include:
  1. Days Before Arrival (Specific Date): Unpicked room allocations are released on a specific date selected by the user. This option provides the greatest flexibility because the drop date can be set independently of the group's arrival and departure dates.
  2. Arrival Date: Unpicked room allocations are released on the group's arrival date. For example, if a group arrives on July 15, any unpicked rooms are returned to the general inventory after the Night Audit on July 14, making them available for sale on July 15.
  3. Departure Date: Unpicked room allocations remain reserved exclusively for the group throughout the group's stay. Any rooms that have not been picked up are released only on the group's departure date. This option is commonly used when a property wants to preserve the group's ability to add reservations at any point during the stay.
  4. Days From Audit Date: Unpicked room allocations are released progressively as each stay date approaches. For example, consider a group staying from June 15 through June 19 with a setting of 3 days: Rooms allocated for June 15 are released on June 12 if they have not been picked up; Rooms allocated for June 16 are released on June 13 if they have not been picked up; Rooms allocated for June 17 are released on June 14 if they have not been picked up. This method allows later stay dates to remain available to the group while earlier dates are gradually returned to the property's general inventory.
Notes
In short:
  1. Days Before Arrival (Specific Date): One manually selected drop date.
  2. Arrival Date: Release everything at arrival.
  3. Departure Date: Hold everything until departure.
  4. Days From Audit Date: Rolling release by stay date.

Default Arrival (Check-In) Time

The Default Arrival (Check-In) Time setting defines the default expected arrival time assigned to new reservations.
This time indicates when the guest is expected to arrive and can be modified directly in individual reservations as needed.
The configured arrival time is used in operational areas of the PMS, including:
  1. Housekeeping Arrival reports.
  2. Housekeeping room assignment prioritization.
Notes
Reservations with earlier arrival times may be prioritized higher on room attendant assignment lists when the room still requires cleaning. This helps housekeeping teams identify rooms that need to be prepared sooner to accommodate arriving guests.

Always Show Local Confirmation Number

The Always Show Local Confirmation Number setting controls which confirmation number is displayed throughout Visual Matrix Cloud for reservations received through online distribution channels.
When disabled, reservations received through a channel manager typically display the channel manager's confirmation number on reports, documents, and reservation screens.
When enabled, Visual Matrix displays the property's local reservation confirmation number instead.
Notes
Why Use the Local Confirmation Number?
Guests who book through an OTA (Online Travel Agency) typically provide their OTA confirmation number when contacting the property. However, front desk staff often work primarily with the Visual Matrix reservation number and may not be familiar with channel manager confirmation numbers.
Displaying the local Visual Matrix confirmation number helps create consistency across:
  1. Reservation screens.
  2. Reports.
  3. Guest documents.
  4. Operational workflows.

Save Changes

After modifying any Reservation and Group Management settings, click Save at the top of the page to store your changes. Unsaved changes will not be applied to the property configuration.



Still Need Help With This Topic?

Ask Yourself:
  1. Does the cancellation policy reflect the property's requirements?
  2. Are group allocations being released as expected?
  3. Is the correct confirmation number being displayed on reports and documents?
  4. Does the default arrival time support housekeeping operations?
  5. Has the allocation drop method been configured correctly for the group?
Support May Ask You:
  1. Which Reservation and Group Management setting is being modified?
    1. Is the reservation part of a group block?
    2. Is a channel manager involved?
  2. Which allocation drop method is being used?
  3. When should the group allocations be released?
  4. Has the configuration been saved?
  1. Reservation Required Fields (Cloud)
  2. Automatic No-Show Configuration (Cloud)
  3. Guest Stay and Folio Management Settings (Cloud)
  4. **Create New Group Block (Cloud)
  5. **Understanding Property Settings Parameters (Cloud)

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