The Category Setup tab of Online Options controls which Categories can be booked online, how much inventory is held back, and which Category and Rate Type are used when a channel sends a reservation that RMS cannot otherwise place.
Overview
Category Setup is the tab of Online Options that decides which Categories a guest or a connected channel can book. Use it when a new Category needs to go on sale online, when a Category should be withdrawn from online sale, or when the property wants to keep some inventory back for in-house bookings. Set up the Categories and Areas for the property first, because only Categories that already exist appear in this grid.
The tab has two sections:
- Categories Available to Online - a grid listing every Category in the property. Tick a Category to make it available online, and set the optional inventory, notification and marketing options for it.
- Default Channel Configuration - a fallback Category and Rate Type used when a channel sends through a reservation for a Category or Rate Type that is not configured in RMS.
A Category that is not ticked in this grid is not offered to guests on the RMS Booking Engine.
Please Note! RMS is highly configurable. Some Terminology, User Access & Permissions, Images, Labels, and Functions used in these articles may differ from your setup. CLICK HERE to find out more.
Access the Category Setup Tab in Online Options
In the side menu of RMS, go to Setup > Online Bookings > Online Options.
- Select the Property.
- Navigate to the Category Setup tab.
Categories Available to Online
Every Category set up for the selected Property is listed in this grid, whether or not it is currently sold online. Tick the box beside a Category to make it available online. The tick box in the column header selects or clears every Category at once.
The four columns to the right of the Category name each carry a pencil icon in the header, marking them as columns you can type into directly in the grid. All four are optional.
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Category | Tick the box beside a Category to make it available to book online. A Category that is left unticked is not offered to guests online. |
| Areas To Hold | The number of Areas in this Category to hold back from online availability. For example, if a Category has 10 Areas and this is set to 1, online availability shows 9. The held-back Area can still be sold in-house, which creates a buffer against a Quote Reservation. Leave at 0 to make all inventory available online. |
| Category Manager | The RMS User responsible for this Category. This selection is used by the 'Send Confirmations to the selected Category Manager' option on the Notifications tab, which sends a copy of each online reservation confirmation to the Category Manager. Only Users set up in the database appear in this list. |
| Show X Areas Left | Highlights limited remaining availability to guests on the RMS Booking Engine. Enter the number of remaining Areas at which the Category is highlighted online. Leave at 0 to turn the prompt off. |
| Headline | A brief tagline on the RMS Booking Engine under the Category online to guide guests in selecting the right option, e.g. 'Perfect for Couples'. |
Default Channel Configuration
The Default Channel Configuration is a safety net for inbound channel reservations. If a channel sends a reservation for a Category or Rate Type that is not configured in RMS, the reservation is created against the default Category and Rate Type selected here instead of failing to deliver.
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Category | The Category used for a reservation that cannot otherwise be placed. Only Categories ticked in the Categories Available to Online grid can be selected. Set to '(No Link)' if no default Category is required. |
| Rate Type | The Rate Type applied to a reservation that cannot otherwise be placed. Leave blank if no default Rate Type is required. |
Important! A reservation delivered to the default Category and Rate Type will need to be manually reassigned to the correct Category and Rate Type by an RMS User.
Tip! Tick a Category online before setting it as the default. The Category list in Default Channel Configuration only offers Categories that are already ticked in the grid above.
Important! Online Options cannot be saved until a name and email address are entered for Reservation Confirmation 1 on the Notifications tab.
Related Articles
- Hold back areas from the Booking Engine
- Fallback Category & Rate Type Mapping
- Category Online Options
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