Recent Product Enhancement List
RECENT PRODUCT ENHANCEMENTS
PLATFORM CONVERSION
Skyware is currently in the process of upgrading its Microsoft platform to the next generation, “.Net Core Platform from Microsoft”. This upgrade will be a continual process to be completed over a period of several years. Benefits to Skyware users include increased performance, increased reliability, ability to operate on non-Microsoft servers like Linux, and providing a robust future operating system for years to come. The first module available using this new platform is the next generation Skyware Booking Engine scheduled to be released during the 1st quarter of 2021.
ADA FRIENDLY ONLINE BOOKING ENGINE
Recently, Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act is being interpreted to include websites as “places of public accommodation”. Consequently, websites with significant inaccessible components can be seen as discriminatory against persons with disabilities and may be in violation of Title III of the ADA. Therefore, Skyware has made significant improvements to its Web Booking Engine in an attempt to accommodate these new requirements. We have used the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 Level AA (which courts have continually referenced) as the standard to determine website accessibility. Because each hotel’s room offerings and website is unique, you will need to verify your hotel’s compliance to the standard.
ADDITIONAL REPORTS ADDED
A number of new enhancements have been made to various reports in Skyware including:
- Hotel Posting Scan Report – A “Summary by Posting Type” check box has been added to this report in order to make the report summarize postings by type by a specific date rate and filter.
- Arrivals Report – Now has Origin in the details section. You can also filter based on a specific group or a company with negotiated rates.
- Booking Pace Report – Will now show revenue for cancellations and no shows if the check box is checked to show the cancellations and no shows.
- The Flash Report – Now has “Average Length of Stay” under the statistical info page.
- Group History Report – The group status has been added as a column.
- Cancellation Report – Now shows revenue in the last column.
- Package Revenue Report – Can now be filtered by “All”, “Packages by Day”, or “Amenities by Day”.
- Customized Package Revenue Report – Has been added under the Reports menu. You can create your own columns for this report and assign them to specific posting types. Only revenue posting types will appear on this report.
- Deposits Report – Overdue deposits portion of this report now shows overdue deposits correctly.
- Maintain Room Rates Report – A Query builder icon has been added to the right of the title allowing you to retrieve any and all information on room rates.
- Room Income Report – Origin column has been added.
ROOM RATE ENHANCEMENTS
The Room Rates screen will now draw the grid only if the check box to “Display the Grid Automatically” is checked. This feature was created to speed the setting of a large range of dates and rate plans. The “Reservations Entered On Report” can now be sorted by rate plan. Room Type and Rate Plan Fees can now be set per Adult, per Child, per Youth, or per Pet. See under the room type or rate plan maintenance screens.
NIGHT AUDIT FEATURE ADDITIONS
All Activities with a possible Point Of Sale (POS) check can now be opened and posted during the night audit. Hashing’s have been added to the activity scheduler to indicate a check is open and paid. No Service has been added to the Accommodations bar of the Stay Summary screen. Checking this box will stop night auditing from marking the room dirty for the entire stay.
NEW TRAINING VIDEOS AVAILABLE
In order to provide you with additional training capabilities for use by your staff, Skyware is continually developing additional training videos for your viewing needs. You can find the videos in our “Training Section” button to the right of the “Login” button on the login screen. Enter your User ID/Password to See videos, training sessions, and the help file.
POINT OF SALE ENHANCEMENTS
Point of Sale help files have also been updated and made more informative to new users. The gratuity amount will now only be shown for credit cards. The Daily Recap Report can now display POS Type as well as the Display Category. A token has been added showing the activities grid on the POS receipt.
NEW 3RD PARTY PARTNER INTERFACES
Skyware has now developed an integration with OpenKey. OpenKey is the leading provider in Digital Key Solutions allowing your guests to unlock rooms with their mobile devices. This capability compliments Skyware’s existing mobile check in feature.
Fetch is a contactless digital guest engagement application helping hotels communicate with their guests in real time using both SMS and email. Encouraging you to be proactive in communicating with guests and maximize guest engagement. Skyware has integrated Fetch into its Property Management Software so that a hotel can communicate with any guest automatically.
Akia is another communications system that unifies text messaging, live chat and email in one application so your hotel employees can interact with your guests quickly and easily increasing guest engagement.
STR is a global Data Solution’s company providing data benchmarking, analytics and marketplace insights to the hospitality sector. Skyware’s automatic interface to STR allows hoteliers access to detailed competitive information on room rates, occupancy levels, and performance.
Travel Click & WindSurfer (SHR) Interface Enhancements Skyware has upgraded interfaces for both Travel Click and WindSurfer allowing functionality to include group reservations.