Our Services
Overview
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Frequently Asked Questions
General
How much does it cost to use MyUK.Travel services?
It depends on exactly which services you choose to use.
See our pricing section for full details.
Do I need to setup a listing/account on MyUK.Travel even if I just want to use your new PMS service?
Yes, you need to setup a listing for your property - you don't however need to setup any rooms, pricing, room availability etc if you don't want to do any form of online booking with us.
Setting-Up Your Online Listing
Can I change my username / password?
Yes - once you have logged in successfully just click here
How many listings can my business have?
Each property in the UK is allowed a single listing on MyUK.Travel.
Can I use my MyUK.Travel listing as my own website?
Yes. Just get your internet domain name to point to your MyUK.Travel listing URL. Get someone technical to help you do this if necessary.
Do I have to setup my own listing on MyUK.Travel?
You are responsible for entering all the information about your property into our system. As listings are free MyUk.Travel staff cannot enter information for you, although we can provide general help and expert advice about how to make the most out of online booking.
It goes without saying that the better you can make your listing then the more bookings you will likely get. Good quality photos are particularly important.
Do I need to enter all of my rooms into the system?
You have the choice of entering individual rooms or room types into the system.
If you have a small number of rooms then we recommend putting in every room - for larger properties you will find it quicker to keep everything updated by just entering room types.
If a room is booked online it is automatically set as unavailable; if the 'room' is a room type then it remains available for sale until you set it as unavailable.
How can I change a room's details?
Just click on Rooms to the left - to edit an individual room just click on the edit link next to the room.
How do I add photos to my rooms?
Just click on Rooms to the left and then click on the 'change' link.
If you have not setup a a photo for the room then the default bed image will display.
We especially recommend taking the time to setup room photos - it will increase your level of bookings!
How do I change the order that rooms are displayed throughout the system?
Just click on Rooms to the left and then edit each room in turn, setting the 'Sort Order' in the order that you want your rooms displayed eg set '1' for the room you want at the top, '2' for the second room etc.
What is the web address (URL) of my listing?
Just click on Your Listing to the left - a link to your listing is displayed at the top of your page.
Note that the URL is automatically determined from the location and name of your property - if you change either of these then your listing URL will change.
How do I upload photos onto my listing?
Just click on Your Listing to the left to upload photos.
Photos need to be good quality, not too big (less than 50k in terms of file size) and in .jpg format.
If your photos are too big then we recommend that you resize them using photo/image editing software. You can select the 'Automatic resize' option, however the results will be better if you use photo/image editing software.
If you have any problems and you use our paid online booking service then just email the photos to us and we will upload them for you.
It goes without saying that good quality photos can make a huge difference in the numbers of reservations you will get so we would recommend the use of a professional photographer.
Can I put a link to my own website on my listing?
Unfortunately not otherwise you may not realise that we have done all the hard work of attracting customers for you.
Can my listing appear in more than one destination?
Searches on MyUK.Travel are based on your geographical co-ordinates. You listing will automatically be displayed if your property lies within the search radius of the selected location.
Can I self-rank my property?
Yes - although we would strongly recommend you to get rated via Visit Britain or the AA.
Can I add my own booking policies?
Yes - you can add as many as you want.
We recommend that you include clear and precise policies on things like no-shows and changes to reservations and anything else that is critical to your business.
We also recommend making your policies as short as possible - if your policies are too long or you have too many then this is a big turn off to customers.
How do I change the position my property on the map?
Just click on Location Map to the left. We use Google maps which are very comprehensive and should be able to find your location from your address. You can fine-tune by dragging and dropping the pointer if required.
My listing is suspended and I want it re-enabled?
Please contact us.
How do I integrate MyUK.Travel online booking with my own website?
Just click on Linking To Your Website to the left for full instructions. When setup your customers will be able to book online with you on a ZERO commission basis!
Online Booking
How many online bookings will I get?
The numbers of reservations that you get will depend on a number of factors:
- Whether you use our instant confirmation online booking service as opposed to our on request service (most customers want to book with instant confirmation!)
- How well you have setup your listing - in particular it pays to spend some time getting the text and photos displayed on your listing looking good.
- Whether you link to your online booking service from your own website.
- How often you update your room availability. The more frequently you update the higher you will be appear in the search result rankings
- How far in advance you allow customers to book (we recommend making rooms available at least 6-12 months in advance).
- How competitive your room pricing is (many suppliers make the mistake of discounting their rates on last minute websites which just encourages your customers not to book direct with you and worse still you have to pay commission!)
- Whether you make it clear in your marketing to your customers that they can book online.
We are more than happy to review your online presence with you and provide obligation free recommendations on how you can improve your levels of online bookings.
How will I be invoiced for the ZERO commission instant confirmation online booking service?
You will be invoiced automatically by email when the invoice becomes due. We do not send invoices by post.
You can logon to MyUK.Travel and view all invoices and a current statement. You can also pay invoices online.
How will I be notified of new reservations?
We will send you notification of all bookings / booking requests by email. Please ensure that your email / anti-spam package is set to allow emails from us otherwise you may find important notifcations 'lost' in your spam folder.
For our customers using our ZERO commission instant confirmation online booking service then you can opt to receive notifications direct to your mobile phone via SMS/TXT message or by fax at no additional charge.
Accommodation suppliers need to be aware that emails, faxes and SMS messages can and do get lost so you will need to check for new reservations regularly by logging onto MyUKTravel.
I didn't receive a notification for a reservation?
The email that we sent you may have been caught in your spam filter (either on your own computer or your internet service provider).
Please ensure that you have set your spam filter to allow all emails from reservations@myuk.travel
You may wish to consider using our SMS notification option to ensure that this doesn't happen again.
Can I specify that I require a deposit?
Yes - you can choose to require a percentage deposit, a fixed amount deposit or the first nights charge deposit.
We recommend keeping deposits as low as possible as this can prove a barrier to booking for many customers.
All customers booking online must provide their credit card details, so we recommend setting no deposit - just be sure to make sure you have change and cancellation policies setup.
How do I make rooms available for booking?
Click on Room Availability to the left.
Select the date range that you want to display and then click on 'Refresh'. The room availability will then be displayed - the background colours indicate the room availability status (ie 'Available' or 'Unavailable').
The availability grid displays all of your rooms for the date range that you are looking at. The background colour of the cells in the table shows the availability status of the room, which by default is set to unavailable.
Next, click on the grid to toggle room availability between 'Available' and 'Unavailable'. Clicking the tick boxes for a given day or room will toggle all dates on the grid - (this makes updating much quicker!)
When done, click on 'Update'. Then wait for the screen to refresh to ensure your changes have been saved. Note that the 'Last Updated' date/time will be updated and let you know the next time the last time you updated your availability.
We recommend setting room availability for at least 6-9 months in advance as that is how far in advance many customers will book (especially international tourists). Remember that the default availability status in the system is 'Unavailable' - if a room is unavailable then it can't be booked!
How often do I have to update my room availability?
You will need to keep your availability up to date otherwise you may get double bookings.
As an added incentive, every time you update you will be displayed at the top of the search results in your listing category. In short the more frequently you use the system (and update) then the more bookings you will get!
We recommend leaving the MyUK.Travel website always open on your computer and logged-in, this makes it very easy for you to update when dealing with customers over the phone (before you sell them the room that has just sold online!).
How can I avoid double bookings / overbooking?
- Keep your room availability up to date - keep your availability page open at all times on your computer.
- Keep your updates quick and easy by just entering room types into the system rather than every individual room.
- Be very careful around your busy times - consider taking the busiest days offline for online booking.
- Consider using our SMS notification system.
- Be in the habit of checking for new reservations before accepting new reservations over the phone.
How do I set prices/rates for my rooms?
Click on Room Rates / Rate Cards to display all the rate cards that you currently have setup. You may setup as many or as few rate cards as you want - eg you wish to setup special rate cards for weekends, bank holidays and peak season.
For each rate card in the system you can set a rate for each room / room type that you have setup in the system. You can also specify how many guests that this rate is valid for (see the 'Guests Included' column). Additional guests are charged automatically at the rates specified in the 'Additional Guest Rates' section below; note that this can vary by rate card. The maximum number of guests a room / room type can accommodate is specified in the Rooms section.
Once you have setup all the rate cards that you will need, you should click onto the rate Card Calendar - as its name suggests this allows you to specify which rate card applies on which days of the year.
Click the dates on the calendar that you wish to change, then select which rate card should apply then click on 'Update'. The calendar is colour coded allowing you to clearly see which rate cards you have setup. Note that customers will not be able to book on any days where you have not assigned a rate card; we recommend that you set this up for at least a couple of years in advance.
You can quickly display your room pricing by clicking on the Room Prices section. The rates displayed on this page are the rates calculated from the relevant rate card that applies for that day. If a room is unavailable on a specific date then the rate will not display. If you wish to override your prices then just change the rates and click on 'Update'. Once a rate has been overridden then it is displayed in red (just to make it obvious what you have changed). To reset back to the calculated rate just set a rate of 0 and click on 'Update'.
This override facility makes it very easy to manage your profitability - eg if your rooms are selling well and filling up then it is a very simple matter to add £10 to all your room rates! Conversely if you are a bit quiet then you can stimulate business by reducing your rates.
Can I setup special offers / packages?
You can easily setup special offers / packages by setting up a new room in the system, setting availability then pricing and perhaps even a minimum stay.
This could be a 'Romantic Weekend Getaway' (ie a room, box of chocolates and bottle of champagne) or whatever takes your fancy.
These do not take long to setup in the system and can do a great job of attracting customers.
How do I set minimum stays on my rooms?
Click on the Room Minimum Stay section to the left. You will see the current minimum stay and a tick box for each date / room for the date range you have selected (the background colour of the cell indicates the room's availability status). The room/room types default minimum stay (as setup in the Rooms section) is displayed along with any overrides that you have previously made.
Tick the appropriate tick boxes of the rooms/dates that you wish to change, then select how many days minimum stay you wish to change them to and then click 'Update'.
If you set a minimum stay of 2 nights then that room can only be booked on that date by the customer if they also stay the previous night or the next night (assuming of course that the room is available).
Whilst this can encourage your guests to stay longer at busy times of the year (reducing your cleaning/admin efforts as fewer guests check-out/in) it must be stated that their overuse can result in greatly reduced levels of bookings as they are off putting to many customers. During quiet seasons we do not recommend setting minimum stays.
How do I view/print reservations made in the system?
Click on the Reservations section to the left. This page displays all reservations that you receive through this system.
Click on the 'View' link next to a reservation to see the full confirmation / including the customer's personal details (and debit/credit card). You can print the confirmation from this page.
If a booking gets cancelled or changed do I need to update MyUK.Travel?
No - we don't need to know. Reservations are made directly between you and the customer - we don't need to know about changes or cancellations.
We ask customers to contact you directly if they need to change or cancel a booking.
If you cannot honour a booking made through the system (eg double bookings) you are responsible for helping the customer find alternative accommodation of a similar price and quality for the customer (as per our terms and conditions).
If you genuinely cannot find alternative accommodation for the customer (eg as everywhere else is full) then you may cancel the booking. If you cannot honour a booking then you are responsible for contacting the customer - we won't do it for you. In such cases please advise us by email why you could not accommodate the guest and detail any alternative arrangements you have made for the guest.
You can mark bookings as cancelled in the system (see the Reservations page - however if you cancel bookings this way then we don't notify the customer on your behalf.
How do I update room availability into MyUK.Travel from my front desk reservation (PMS) system?
Please see our new MyUK.Travel.PMS which is specifically designed to provide a totally integrated solution.
MyUK.Travel.PMS
Will I have to pay a large amount up front to use MyUKTravel.PMS?
No - you just pay the usage charges (every 6 or 12 months depending on the payment plan you choose).
Your system is missing functionality..
Naturally, we are committed to provide the best system available.
If you spot some functionality that is missing or you have any comments about what we could do to make the system better then please let us know.
Whilst we can't promise to meet every need - we will seriously consider every suggestion and if there is demand for it then we will certainly look at adding it to the system.
Why do you charge extra for training/installing the software?
We have designed the system so that you can setup the software yourself; little or no training is required.
We provide the first hour of support completely at no charge to help ensure that you have setup everything correctly.
We are more than happy to provide help wherever necessary, although we do charge a low hourly rate for this.
Can I use MyUKTravel.PMS for a group of properties?
Not currently, However we hope to add this feature later this year.
Can if install MyUKTravel.PMS on multiple computers?
Yes - MyUKTravel.PMS can be installed on multiple computers so multiple staff can access the system at the same time.
What limitations does the trial/demo version have?
You will not be able to add more than 20 reservations and channel management updates are disabled.
If you wish to use the trial for longer than 30 days then please contact us.
Channel Management
Can I use channel management if I just use your online services?
Unfortunately not. Channel management is only available to those customers using our MyUKTravel.PMS product.
Controlling websites directly from your PMS is by far and away the best solution - far better than manually updating your availability online.
Do you link to all websites?
We link with the major accommodation booking websites. Our research has shown that 90-95% of online bookings come from the top 5 websites and that the remaining websites are in many cases a waste of time.
We will link up with more websites/systems over time - but this really depends on demand from our customers.
How reliable are the links to other websites?
Whilst we take every effort to ensure that the links to websites work - they may stop working for reasons that are out of our control.
We recommend that you check the websites that use sell via to ensure that updates are being made correctly.
Why are there some restrictions on what can be updated on certain websites?
This depends on what these websites allow us to update. Some websites allow us to update everything, others are very limited.
Accounts
What is the length of contract that applies if I use your services?
The minimum length of contract depends on which payment option you choose.
If you choose our six monthly payment option then the minimum contract length is 6 months.
If you choose our twelve monthly payment option then the minimum contract length is 12 months.
Do you post out invoices?
As this is a low cost service we do not mail out invoices or receipts. All invoices are sent via email to you. You can also view all invoices online - just logon and click on the Statement section.
You will be able to view and print all invoices that we ever send you there. You will also be able to see all payments that we have received from you, and your account balance.
What payment methods do you accept?
We accept payments via bank transfer, cheque and PayPal. Please logon and click on the Payments section to make a payment.
Is your service refundable if I choose to stop using it?
Unfortunately not. We recommend that you take advantage of our FREE trial and make sure that the services meet your needs before you sign up with us.
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