Tuesday, 5 April 2011

New feature: better labelling of rooms

If you have several similar rooms, then you can set them up in KeepMeBooked just once, and tick the "I have several rooms like this" checkbox:


(Learn more about the 'I have several' checkbox)

That generates several rooms, all with the same pricing and other settings. On your calendar they appear with automatically generated numbers, like this:

But that's not ideal ... because you have to magically remember that, maybe, "Double (5)" is actually Room 24 and "Twin (2)" is Room 25.

So we just added a feature to let you apply your own labels to the individual rooms that are generated by the "I have several" checkbox. Just click the little pencil icon next to each room on your calendar screen, and type your own label:


Then hit Enter, and the label will be displayed on your calendar:


(This label is just for your benefit. Guests still just see "Double" when they book online.)


***
PS: Hotel software veterans reading this will be thinking "WTF? Why not just have room types and then rooms within each type? Label the room type 'Double' and the room 'Room 24'. Easy."

Because not everyone organises their rooms into types. If you want to manage your rooms individually, then you don't want to bother with room types. So we don't make the hierarchy explicit - you just start setting up your rooms. If you have one of each type, then you don't do anything else. If you have several of each type then you tick the "I have several" box and actually you are then working with room types, not individual rooms. Horribly complex for us to implement, but easier for the user (hopefully...)

4 comments:

  1. Hi Thanks for this great feature! This is an absolute must have feature :)
    But please update the iphone app to show the new label. because its still showing the old auto generated number which is confusing.

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  2. another issue with the iphone app is that when adding a new booking it list out all the rooms including the ones not available. when i select a room and didn't know its already booked, it says the booking clashes.

    It is very hard to refer or go back to the list of bookings to check and then go back to add booking and key in the details again.

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  3. I was a website & interface designer but now a small hotel owner. If you let me, i would like to play a part to help you solve some kinks with keepmebooked. Let me know how i can contact you.
    My personal mail is at orbscura(alias)gmail(dot)com

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  4. Ah, yes, good point, thanks for pointing that out. We'll amend the iPhone app to show the new style room labels.

    I'll also email you about the other kinks you mention.

    ReplyDelete