Set up policies for your direct booking engines through multi-property rate plans
Go to Multi-Property > Distribution > Rate plans.
Click on a rate plan mapped to a direct booking engine.
Go to the multi-property rate plan’s Channels tab.
Look for the Direct booking section and click on its Manage button.
Go to the Policies tab.
Review your settings. (These are explained in the following sections.)
If you want to change any settings, click on the Edit button.
Once complete, click on Save.
Cancellation policy
Informing guests of your cancellation policies helps them understand:
if their reservation is refundable;
if there are any cancellation fees involved, and if so, when they need to be paid.
💡 A Cancellation policy can only be created after setting up a primary language. If you have already done this, skip to the next section in this article; if you have not, go to the Audience page and complete the following setting:
Primary language — select the most frequently used language across your properties’ direct booking engines. If you use additional languages, add the necessary translations for the rate plan's name and description..
To set up a Cancellation policy, repeat steps 1–5 in the section above and set up the following settings before clicking on Save:
Advertised cancellation policy — enter a description of your policy, and if you use multiple languages, manually add the necessary translations of this text.
Non-refundable — if this cancellation policy accepts refunds, disable the toggle; if it does not, leave it enabled. (All room rates are non-refundable by default.)
Default penalty
If you have disabled the Non-refundable toggle, you can add a Default penalty that will be charged to any guest who, on the day of check-in, either cancels their reservation or does not show up.
To add a Default penalty, click on the Select penalty drop-down menu and select one of the following default types:
Charge full amount — charge the guest the full amount of the reservation.
Charge cost of the first night — charge the first night.
Charge a fixed amount — charge a fixed amount (which is entered by you).
Charge a percentage — charge a percentage of the reservation total (entered by you).
No charge — do not charge anything.
You can also apply other rules in addition to the Default penalty, as explained below.
If guest cancels within a range of days before check-in (optional)
If necessary, tick the checkbox If guest cancels within a range of days before check-in (optional), and if you want to enter any additional rules, follow the steps below.
Enter a range of days during which the penalty will be applied.
Click on the Select penalty drop-down menu and select a penalty type, as described above.
Click on the plus button to add a rule.
Once a rule has been added, a minus button will appear — if necessary, use this to delete the rule.
If necessary, repeat the previous steps to add up to 10 other rules.
If guest cancels more than X days before check-in
Here you can add a Default penalty that will be charged to any guest who cancels more than [X] days before check-in, with the number of days automatically populated based on the previous rules you have entered.
Click on the Select penalty drop-down menu and select a penalty type.
Click on the plus button to add the rule.
Add seasonal override
If necessary, click on the Add seasonal override button to create up to 10 overrides for all of the rules described above, including specific date ranges with different penalties.
Payment policy
Informing guests of your payment policies can not only help prevent confusion during the payment process, but also help them plan accordingly for what needs to be paid and when.
To set up a Payment policy, start by following section ‘Set up policies for your direct booking engines through multi-property rate plans’ and comeback to this section when editing the Payment policy. Select one of the following Guarantee booking options:
Always guarantee booking (no card details required) — guests can book the room rate without providing card details.
Require card details to guarantee booking — guests must provide their card details when booking.
Require card details to guarantee booking only if arriving after specified local time: 18:00 — card details must be provided when booking, however the booking will only be active until a specified time. To set this up, click on the default time (18:00) and select the relevant time.
Require deposit to guarantee booking: first night — a deposit must be provided at the time of booking. To set this up, click on the first night drop-down menu and select first night, fixed amount, or percentage, and if you have selected fixed amount or percentage, enter the Deposit amount.
Require full pre-payment to guarantee booking — the reservation must be paid in full when booking.
Custom field
When enabled, the Custom field option will show guests an extra field when they make a reservation. The Custom field label can be used for various purposes, such as asking guests to provide extra information regarding their allergies, preferences, etc.
To set up a Custom field, start by following section ‘Set up policies for your direct booking engines through multi-property rate plans’ and comeback to this section when editing the Custom field.