Groups creation and management
Create and manage contracted group rooms that individual guests can book at agreed rates through your direct booking channels.
You can create and manage group blocks in the CRS to sell contracted rooms at specific rates to individual bookers. This enables you to offer group accommodations while allowing individual reservations through your booking engine and voice application.
📌Note: Group functionality integrates closely with most PMSs and the fields that transfer vary depending on your PMS integration. Check your PMS-specific playbook to understand how group blocks transfer to the CRS and available configuration settings. Generally, your PMS controls dates, rates, and inventory while the CRS controls images, descriptions, policies, and email templates.
Group blocks are contracted rooms sold at agreed rates to individual bookers. Depending on your system setup, you might receive group shells from your PMS integration or create them directly in the CRS.
The CRS offers unique group features beyond basic PMS functionality including custom descriptions for bookers, multi-language translations, custom images and email templates, and group-specific booking restrictions.
🤓Tip: If your PMS creates the group shell, use the Modify tab to add additional content for your selling strategy.
Create a group block
Follow the steps below to learn how to create a block group.
Go to Group/Package/Add-Ons menu.
Go to Group.
Go to the Create New tab.
Enter the group name.
Enter the group code.
Enter the group description.
Information shown to bookers on booking engine and voice application.
Enter the internal comments, if enabled.
Notes for reservation agents using the Voice Application.
Enter the attendee code, this is optional.
Code guests use to book online or by phone if different than the group code to make it more guest facing than an internal code.
Enter the begin date this is the first night guests can stay.
Enter the end date this is the last night guests can stay.
Enter shoulder days before the arrival date.
Enter shoulder days after the departure date.
Enter begin sell date this is when individuals can start booking.
Enter cutoff date this is when rooms can no longer be booked against the block.
Inventory release - Choose room release from the CRS:
Automatic - System releases rooms back to general inventory.
Manual - System doesn't release rooms back to general inventory.
Group master account this is an optional profile for reporting.
Click Save or Cancel.
After initially saving, check Flexible Group box if general availability should be used after blocked rooms are depleted or if there are no blocked rooms and general availability should always be used.
🤓Tip: Use the Flexible group setting for courtesy blocks without held rooms or when you want fixed rates without guaranteed room allocations. You can also create access codes for specific rate codes instead of formal groups.
⚠️Warning: If your PMS supports group blocks, changes made in the PMS will overwrite CRS modifications on the next update.
Add multi-language content
If your booking engine supports multiple languages, add translations for international guests.
Follow the steps below to learn how to add multi-language content to a rate group.
Go to Group/Package/Add-Ons menu.
Go to Group.
Click the Multi-Language tab.
Select the Group from the dropdown in the upper right.
Select a language from the dropdown.
Enter translated group name.
Enter translated group description.
Enter translated additional policy text.
Click Save.
Add group images
Upload images for your group block to appear to online bookers.
Follow the steps below to learn how to add an image to a rate group.
Go to Group/Package/Add-Ons menu.
Go to Group.
Go to the Multimedia tab.
Choose the Group from the dropdown in the upper right.
Choose your image upload method:
Click upload new image button to upload from your computer:
Click Choose File.
Select the file from your computer.
Click Open.
Use an existing image from images already uploaded in multimedia section:
Click Select to choose your image and return to the screen.
Enter the image title for identification this has to be a maximum of 80 characters.
Enter SEO or Alt Text for screen readers and accessibility compliance the maximum character count is 120.
Enter sorting for order of images display.
Click Save.
Repeat for additional images to display with this group.
📌Note: Recommended image specifications:
Size ratio: 4:3.
File size: 512k for optimal page loading time, maximum image size: 2MB.
Group inventory with PMS integration
If integrated, your PMS automatically sends group room allocations for each room type and will overwrite any entries made directly in the CRS for rates and inventory.
📌Note: When your PMS doesn't create group shells, reservations from your booking engine or reservation office may need PMS interface mapping to integrate in the most efficient way to your front office system. Consult your Customer Success Manager about your interface specifications and inventory balancing practices.
Set inventory allocations without PMS integration
Follow the steps below to set inventory allocations without PMS integration:
Go to Group/Package/Add-Ons menu.
Go to Group.
Go to the Inventory tab.
Choose the group from the dropdown in the upper right.
Click the Inventory tab.
Click Add More Inventory.
Select the room type from the dropdown.
Enter the number of rooms for each date of the block.
Click Modify or Cancel.
Repeat for each room type to assign to the block.
📌Note: You can only allocate rooms from available inventory.
Configure rates and policies
Set pricing and booking policies for your group block. If using PMS integration, rates populate automatically and will overwrite changes made in the CRS to rates and inventory.
Follow the steps below to set pricing and booking policies for your group block.
Go to Group/Package/Add-Ons menu.
Go to Group.
Go to the Rate tab.
Choose the group from the dropdown in the upper right.
Select the rate code from the dropdown.
Pricing must exist for every room type and date including shoulder dates to be sold as part of the group block.
Choose tax type from the dropdown if different from default.
Select cancellation policy from dropdown.
Select guarantee policy from dropdown.
Add additional policy information if needed to display to bookers.
Click Save.
⚠️Important: Every room type must have rates assigned for all group dates, including shoulder dates, to be bookable.
Enable booking channels
Make your group available for sale through your chosen channels by following the steps below.
Go to Group/Package/Add-Ons menu.
Go to Group.
Click the Channel Control tab.
Choose the group from the dropdown in the upper right.
Check the channels where you want to sell the group:
Booking engine.
Voice application.
Click Save.
Customize email templates
Create personalized email communications for your group bookings by following the steps below.
Go to Group/Package/Add-Ons menu.
Go to Group.
Click the Email tab.
Choose the group from the dropdown in the upper right.
To use default templates, leave Using Default Group Email Setup checked.
To use custom emails for this group:
Clear the default checkbox to expose additional fields.
Select email type:
Confirmation.
Modification.
Cancellation.
Prestay.
Poststay.
Choose language if multiple languages are enabled.
Select from email from dropdown from those approved to use.
Enter reply to email addresses, separate with ;.
Enter subject line using tokens for personalization.
Enter BCC email addresses for notifications this is optional.
Click load default or enter custom HTML.
Adjust the content as needed for the custom template.
Click Preview to verify the output.
Click Close to return to the previous screen.
Click Save.
🤓Tip: HTML knowledge helps with complex customization. Contact support for professional services quotation for email template creation.
Test and share your group booking instructions
Follow the steps below to test and share your group booking instructions.
Go to Group/Package/Add-Ons menu.
Go to Group.
Go to the Modify tab.
Choose the group from the dropdown in the upper right.
Click Direct Link to IBE to be taken to the CRS booking engine to ensure the group is bookable as required.
Share the online booking details with the group organizer:
Direct Link to IBE - Guests may click the link to the booking engine.
Attendee Code - Guests enter this code in your booking engine.
View group reservations made against the block
Follow the steps below to view group reservations made against the block.
Go to Group/Package/Add-Ons menu.
Go to Group.
Click the Rooming List tab.
Choose the group from the dropdown in the upper right.
Reservations made through CRS-enabled channels will be on the list.
Restriction settings
Master restriction setting
There's an optional configurable master setting that the support team can enable if you want general availability restrictions to also apply to group blocks. This setting is particularly useful for properties that want consistent restriction policies across both individual bookings and group blocks. Contact support [email protected] if you want to enable this functionality for your groups.
Group-specific restrictions
You can set specific availability restrictions for individual group blocks from the availability menu.
⚠️Important: No PMS currently supports group restrictions, so you must enter these manually in the CRS.
Enter group availability restrictions by following the steps below.
Go to the Availability menu.
Go to Group.
Click Update to set a restriction.
Enter the from date.
Enter the to date.
Choose the restriction type from the drop down.
Choose the group from the list or click Select All checkbox.
Check each day of week if the restriction varies by day.
Click Submit to save.
Manage existing groups
Review your online and voice application groups to ensure they properly showcase your property and group offerings by following the steps below.
Go to Group/Package/Add-Ons menu.
Go to Group.
On the Group List tab, filter groups using the group status dropdown:
Bookable - Groups still available before cutoff date.
Cutoff - Groups past cutoff date but still in future.
Current - Future groups regardless of cutoff status.
History - Groups with past begin/end dates.
Click any column header to sort results.
Click a Group Name to view or modify.