Referral Codes identify how a guest booked their reservation, such as through a website, travel agent, phone call, or walk-in. This information helps properties track booking sources, measure marketing effectiveness, and analyze revenue performance. Setting up Referral Codes ensures reservations are consistently categorized and that reports and forecasts reflect accurate booking source data.
Instructions
The Referral Codes setup allows you to create and manage the booking sources used in reservations.
1. Choose whether the Referral Code field should be required:
- Check Required to force users to select a referral code for every reservation
- Leave unchecked to allow optional selection
If not required, select a default Referral Code that will automatically populate when saving reservations.
2. To create a New Referral Code, go to the last available row in the list, and enter the following information:
- Code: Short identifier
- Description: Name of the booking source (e.g., Website, Phone, OTA, Walk-in)
- Budget % (optional): Used for reporting comparisons
3. Check the Active box to enable the referral code.
4. Click the Save (floppy disk) icon to store the new entry.
Each line must be saved individually.
When editing existing entries, make sure to click Save on each line after making changes. If multiple lines are updated without saving, clicking Save on one line may reset the others, and those changes will be lost.
Understanding Referral Codes
Referral Codes represent the source of the booking, such as:
- Website (Direct booking)
- Phone
- Walk-in
- Travel Agent
- Online Travel Agency (OTA)
These codes help properties:
- Track where reservations originate
- Measure marketing channel performance
- Analyze revenue by booking source
- Improve marketing strategies
Referral Codes are one of the three main marketing fields used in reservations, along with Market Segment and Reason for Stay.
Important Notes
- Deactivating or deleting a Referral Code may affect reporting and historical data.
- Referral Codes are used in reports and forecasts, including Referral Code reports.
- Referral Codes are also used in channel manager mappings. Removing or changing a code that is mapped can impact reservation imports.
If not required, setting a default value helps maintain consistency across reservations.
Still Need Help With This Topic?
Ask Yourself:
- Did I activate the Referral Code after creating it?
- Did I set a default if the field is not required?
- Are users selecting the correct booking source consistently?
Support May Ask You:
- What Referral Codes are currently set up?
- Is the field required or defaulted?
- Which report is showing incorrect booking source data?
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