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MotelMAX(tm)
the Hotel/Motel Manager
USER MANUAL
Version 1.52s - August 1993
MKM Software
2812 Ingrid Lane
Metairie, Louisiana 70003
USA
Phone: (504) 885-7470
CompuServe: 72704,3566
Copyright (C) MKM Software, 1989-93
All Rights Reserved
_______
____|__ | (R)
--| | |-------------------
| ____|__ | Association of
| | |_| Shareware
|__| o | Professionals
-----| | |---------------------
|___|___| MEMBER
This program is produced by a member of the Association of Shareware
Professionals (ASP). ASP wants to make sure that the shareware
principle works for you. If you are unable to resolve a
shareware-related problem with an ASP member by contacting the member
directly, ASP may be able to help. The ASP Ombudsman can help you
resolve a dispute or problem with an ASP member, but does not provide
technical support for members' products. Please write to the ASP
Ombudsman at 545 Grover Road, Muskegon, MI 49442-9427 USA, FAX
616-788-2765 or send a CompuServe message via CompuServe Mail to
ASP Ombudsman 70007,3536.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1 Introduction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
1.1 Features of MotelMAX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
1.2 How to Use this Manual . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
1.3 MotelMAX - Tutorial. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
1.4 Generally Speaking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
2 Legal Notice. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
2.1 Disclaimer of Warranty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
2.2 Definition of Shareware. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
2.3 Registration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
2.4 Distribution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
2.5 How to Register. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
2.6 MotelMAX - Version List. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
2.7 Calling All Users. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
3 Getting Started . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
3.1 Installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
3.3 Starting MotelMAX - Normally . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
3.4 Starting MotelMAX - Monochrome Monitors. . . . . . . 8
3.5 Sign-On Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
3.7 Quick Start. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
3.7.1 Address Set-up. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
3.7.2 Tax Rates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
3.7.3 Printer Selection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
3.8 Help Code Index. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
4 Rs101 - Update Current Check-in's / Reservations. . . . 11
4.1 Check-in/Reservation Browse Table. . . . . . . . . 11
4.2 Reservation Browse Table - Columns . . . . . . . . 11
4.2.1 St - Status . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
4.2.2 Arriving - Arrival Date . . . . . . . . . . 11
4.2.3 Name - Guest's Name . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
4.2.4 Account - Guest's Account Name. . . . . . . 11
4.2.5 Fol No - Folio Number . . . . . . . . . . . 12
4.2.6 Days. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
4.2.7 Room - Room Type and Number . . . . . . . . 12
4.2.8 Room Chrg . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
4.2.9 Total Chrg. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
4.2.10 Dpst - Advance Deposit . . . . . . . . . . 12
4.2.11 Dpst Amt - Advance Deposit Amount. . . . . 12
4.3 Reservation Browse Table - Hotkeys . . . . . . . . 12
4.3.1 <Enter> - Edit Reservation. . . . . . . . . 13
4.3.2 <Delete> - Delete Reservation . . . . . . . 13
4.3.3 <Insert> - Add Reservation. . . . . . . . . 13
MotelMAX - User Manual v1.52s
Copyright (C) MKM Software 1989-93 - All Rights Reserved Page i
4.3.4 <F1> - Menu of Available Options. . . . . . 13
4.3.5 <F2> - Set Order. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
4.3.6 <F3> - Room Charges . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
4.3.7 <F4> - Check-in . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
4.3.8 <F5> - Advance Deposit. . . . . . . . . . . 15
4.3.9 <F6> - Masterbill . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
4.3.10 <F7> - Reservation RePrint. . . . . . . . . 16
4.3.11 <F8> - Cancel Reservation . . . . . . . . . 16
4.3.12 <F9> - General Room Availability. . . . . . 16
4.3.13 <F10> - Guest Information . . . . . . . . . 16
4.4 Adding a New Reservation . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
4.4.1 Arrival Date.....:. . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
4.4.2 Nights...........:. . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
4.4.3 Room Type........:. . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
4.4.4 Room Number......:. . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
4.4.5 Rate(N/G/D)......:. . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
4.5 Entering Guest Information . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
4.5.1 Return Guests . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
4.5.2 First Time Guests . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
4.5.3 Bail-Out. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
4.6 Edit a Reservation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
5 Fd101 - Update Current Folios . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
5.1 Current Folios Browse Table - Columns. . . . . . . 21
5.1.1 St - Status . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
5.1.2 Depart - Departure Date . . . . . . . . . . 21
5.1.3 Guest - Guest's Name. . . . . . . . . . . . 21
5.1.4 Room - Guest's Current room number. . . . . 21
5.1.5 Account - Account or Company Name . . . . . 21
5.1.6 Balance - Guest's Current Balance Due.. . . 21
5.1.7 CR Amt - Guests Credit Limit. . . . . . . . 21
5.1.8 FolNo - Folio number. . . . . . . . . . . . 22
5.2 Current Folio Browse Table - Hotkeys . . . . . . . 22
5.2.1 <F2> - Order. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
5.2.2 <F4> - Status . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
5.2.3 <F5> - View Folio . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
5.2.4 <F6> - Print Folio. . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
5.2.5 <F7> - Check-out. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
5.2.6 <F8> - Close Folio. . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
5.2.7 <F9> Calc - ReCalculate Folio Totals. . . . 23
5.2.8 <F10> - Edit Guest. . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
5.2.9 <Enter> - Menu. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
5.2.10 <A-Z> - Seek. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
6 Fd142 - Front Desk Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
6.1 Transactions (Folio Transactions-
Charges/Payments). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
6.2 Status . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
MotelMAX - User Manual v1.52s
Copyright (C) MKM Software 1989-93 - All Rights Reserved Page ii
6.2.1 View Status <F4>. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
6.2.2 Credit Limit. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
6.2.3 Guest Info <F10>. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
6.2.4 ReCalc Folio <F9> . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
6.3 Transfer (Room Transfer) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
6.4 Misc Inc (Miscellaneous Income). . . . . . . . . . 25
6.5 Check-out. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
6.5.1 Check-out <F7>. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
6.5.2 Close Folio <F8>. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
6.5.3 Print Folio <F6>. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
6.5.4 View Folio <F5> . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
6.5.5 Adjust Tax. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
7 Fd150 - Update Folio Transactions . . . . . . . . . . . 28
7.1 Folio Transaction Browse Table Columns . . . . . . 28
7.1.1 St - Transaction Status . . . . . . . . . . 28
7.1.2 Date - Transaction Date . . . . . . . . . . 28
7.1.3 Room - Room Number. . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
7.1.4 Code - Transaction Code . . . . . . . . . . 28
7.1.5 Descript - Transaction Description. . . . . 28
7.1.6 Charges - Charge Amount . . . . . . . . . . 28
7.1.7 Payments - Payment Amount . . . . . . . . . 29
7.1.8 Pstd - Posted . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
7.1.9 SalesTax - Sales Tax Charge . . . . . . . . 29
7.1.10 OccupTax - Occupancy Tax Charge . . . . . . 29
7.1.11 PostTime - Post Time. . . . . . . . . . . . 29
7.2 Folio Transaction Browse Table - Hotkeys . . . . . 29
7.2.1 <F2> - Tag/UnTag. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
7.2.2 <F4> - View Status. . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
7.2.3 <^Home> - GoTop . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
7.2.4 <^End> GoBottom. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
7.2.5 <Enter> - Menu. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
8 Fd401 - Update Direct Bill Folios . . . . . . . . . . . 34
9 Reports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
9.1 Rp310 - Reservation Reports . . . . . . . . . . 35
9.1.1 Arrivals. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
9.1.2 Rp300 - No-Shows. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
9.1.3 Rp340 - Gen Avail (Bkd) . . . . . . . . . . 35
9.1.4 Rp341 - Gen Avail (Avl) . . . . . . . . . . 36
9.1.5 Rp320 - SpecAvail . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
9.2 Rp320 - Front Desk Reports . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
9.2.1 Current Guests. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
9.2.2 Rp550 - Make-up List. . . . . . . . . . . . 36
9.2.3 Rp540 - Departures. . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
9.2.4 Rp531 - Folio Status. . . . . . . . . . . . 37
9.2.5 Rp530 - Direct Bills. . . . . . . . . . . . 37
MotelMAX - User Manual v1.52s
Copyright (C) MKM Software 1989-93 - All Rights Reserved Page iii
9.3 Rp330 - Transaction Reports. . . . . . . . . . . . 37
9.3.1 Rp332-4 GL Accounts & GL Journal. . . . . . 37
9.3.2 Rp336 - Transactions. . . . . . . . . . . . 38
9.3.3 Rp338 - Activity Report . . . . . . . . . . 38
9.4 Rp340 - Accounting Reports . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
9.4.1 Rp601 - Shift RePrint . . . . . . . . . . . 39
9.4.2 Rp606 - Balance RePrint . . . . . . . . . . 39
9.4.3 Rp620 - Folio RePrint . . . . . . . . . . . 39
9.4.4 Rp605 - Trial Balance . . . . . . . . . . . 40
9.4.5 Rp612 - Income / Expense Report . . . . . . 40
9.5 Rp350 - System Manager Reports . . . . . . . . . . 40
9.6 Rp655 - Activity Report. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
9.7 Rp503 - Shift Summaries. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
9.8 Rp504 - Monthly Account Summary. . . . . . . . . . 40
9.9 Rp520 - Folios by Shift-In . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
9.10 Rp521 - Folios by Shift Out. . . . . . . . . . . . 41
9.11 Rp522 - Folios by Close Shift. . . . . . . . . . . 41
10 Utility Menu. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
10.1 Re-Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
10.2 Optimize . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
10.3 Ac105 - Accounting Menu. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
10.3.1 Ac120 - Journal Entries. . . . . . . . . . 42
10.3.2 Ac510 - Close Account Month. . . . . . . . 42
10.3.3 Ac520 - Close Account Year . . . . . . . . 43
10.4 Sy125 - Manager Set-up Menu. . . . . . . . . . . . 43
10.4.1 Sy420 - Update User Names and Access . . . 43
10.4.2 Sy430 - Update General Ledger. . . . . . . 44
10.4.3 Sy610 - System Sequence Numbers. . . . . . 44
10.4.4 Sy620 - Update Cancellation Notice . . . . 45
10.5 Sy135 - MotelMAX Set-up Menu. . . . . . . . . . . 45
10.5.1 Sy100 - MotelMAX Site Set-up . . . . . . . 45
10.5.2 Sy120 - Printer Set-up . . . . . . . . . . 47
10.5.3 Sy130 - Update Rate Tables . . . . . . . . 49
10.5.4 Sy146 - Update General Availability. . . . 53
10.5.5 Sy160 - Update Room Types. . . . . . . . . 54
10.5.6 Sy170 - Update Room Set-up . . . . . . . . 54
10.5.7 Sy223 - Pack Guest File. . . . . . . . . . 55
10.5.8 Sy220 - Disk Usage . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
10.5.9 Sy224 - System Information . . . . . . . . 57
10.5.10 Sy225 - Set System Colors. . . . . . . . . 57
10.5.11 Sy226 - Manual . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
11 Glossary. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
APPENDIX A - New Users . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
APPENDIX B - Tutorial . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
MotelMAX - User Manual v1.52s
Copyright (C) MKM Software 1989-93 - All Rights Reserved Page iv
1 Introduction
============
Thank you for trying MotelMAX, the Hotel/Motel Manager.
MotelMAX was designed with the assistance of hotel managers to
use the power of the personal computer in organizing their
work sites. It is distinguished by an attractive user
interface which is very easy to use. You don't have to be a
computer expert to learn and use this program.
1.1 Features of MotelMAX
Easy to Learn - New users can learn MotelMAX in 30 minutes.
They can move along step by step and follow screen messages to
work their way through the program. The user interface is
consistent, so once you learn one section of MotelMAX, for
example, reservations - you are familiar with other sections
of the program, since they look and work the same way. Try
the tutorial in Appendix B.
One Step Check-in/Check-Out - Checking a guest in or out is as
easy as pressing a single key. MotelMAX verifies that
everything is ready.
Automatic Room Rates - MotelMAX can automatically assign room
rates according to the rate specifications that you design or
you can bypass this option and plug in your own rates at
check-in time.
Guest History - A guest's most recent stay, room number and
room rate are fixed parts of the guest information and can be
referenced at any time.
Group Billings - MotelMAX handles group billings and includes
the ability to transfer charges from one folio to another.
Detailed Activity Records - Front Desk operators sign on by
opening an accounting shift. MotelMAX tracks all activity
conducted during that shift. All transactions are date and
time stamped, permitting you to reconstruct activity during
any shift or series of shifts. Also, want to know how
business is going? Run an activity report for any date range
and find out instantly exactly how things are going and in
great detail. MotelMAX saves everything.
Flexibility - You can design MotelMAX to fit exactly to the
needs of your property. Options you do not need can be
unplugged. Rooms, room types and room rates can be described
to your individual needs.
MotelMAX - User Manual v1.52s
Copyright (C) MKM Software 1989-93 - All Rights Reserved Page 1
Password Protected - Users of MotelMAX must have a valid
username and password. You can likewise limit the access of
users to certain parts of the program.
1.2 How to Use this Manual
The User Manual is a general reference guide to the program.
It explains each section of MotelMAX screen by screen. If you
are new to computers, not to worry, using this program does
not require any computer expertise. MotelMAX advises you of
your options as you go along and checks your input before
processing it. MotelMAX does a lot of work for you and it
saves everything. If you are a fairly novice computer user,
we ask that you refer to Appendix A of this manual. There we
describe some general rules that you should follow when using
MotelMAX, or for that matter any computer software.
1.3 MotelMAX - Tutorial
Appendix B supplies a tutorial for new users. The tutorial
will take you through starting the program, checking in two
guests, posting charges / payments to their folios, viewing /
printing folios and closing a shift. This short tutorial will
be helpful in getting you started right away. Once you sign-
on, it will take you about five minutes to book two guests and
check them in, really, and you will find it to be the most
efficient means of learning the program and what MotelMAX can
do for you - highly recommended.
1.4 Generally Speaking
When using MotelMAX, there are some simple constants that
apply throughout the program. Pressing <Enter> will usually
take you one step forward. Pressing the <ESC> key takes you
one step back to where you were. Pressing <ESC> several times
will always take you back to the Main Menu and the option to
exit. Look to the bottom of the screen for a display of
available commands, options, "hotkeys" and for context
sensitive help.
When MotelMAX needs to get information from you, it will
display a popup box or window, hereafter, referred to as an
edit window. When you enter data in an edit window, always
exit the window by pressing <Enter> or <PageDown>. This will
guarantee the information you have just entered is properly
saved. If you exit an edit window by pressing <ESC>, your
entries will not be saved.
Exit the MotelMAX program by pressing the <ESC> key enough
times to take you back to the Main Menu. There you can press
MotelMAX - User Manual v1.52s
Copyright (C) MKM Software 1989-93 - All Rights Reserved Page 2
<ESC> again or you can select the option to "Quit". This is
the correct way to exit the program. All your data will be
saved. Please do not turn off your computer or re-boot the
computer while you are in the MotelMAX program. This 'may'
cause loss of data and other problems. If this should happen
or, for example, there is a power failure while you are using
the program, next time you run MotelMAX, start the program
with the command:
MotelMAX NEW <Enter>
This start switch will check all the data files to be sure
they are in good condition, however, it will not recover any
lost data. Next, move to the Utility Menu and select the
option to 'Optimize'. This is a double check of all files.
Your best guard against lost data is to back up your data
often.
MotelMAX - User Manual v1.52s
Copyright (C) MKM Software 1989-93 - All Rights Reserved Page 3
2 Legal Notice
============
2.1 Disclaimer of Warranty
Users of MotelMAX must accept this disclaimer of warranty:
"MotelMAX is supplied as is. The author disclaims all
warranties, expressed or implied, including, without
limitation, the warranties of merchantability and of fitness
for any purpose. The author assumes no liability for damages,
direct or consequential, which may result from the use of
MotelMAX."
2.2 Definition of Shareware
MotelMAX (Standard Version) is a "shareware program" and is
provided at no charge to the user for evaluation. Feel free
to share it with others, but please do not give it away
altered or as part of another system. The essence of "user-
supported" software is to provide personal computer users with
quality software without high prices, and yet to provide
incentive for programmers to continue to develop new products.
2.3 Registration
If you find this program useful and find that you are using
MotelMAX and continue to use MotelMAX after a reasonable trial
period, you must make a registration payment of $85.00 to MKM
Software. The $85.00 registration fee will license one copy
for use on any one computer at any one time. You must treat
this software just like a book. An example is that this
software may be used by any number of people and may be freely
moved from one computer location to another, so long as there
is no possibility of it being used at one location while it's
being used at another. Just as a book cannot be read by two
different persons at the same time.
Users of MotelMAX must register and pay for their copies of
MotelMAX within 45 days of first use or their license is
withdrawn. Site-License arrangements may be made by
contacting MKM Software.
2.4 Distribution
Anyone distributing the Standard Version of MotelMAX for any
kind of remuneration must first contact MKM Software for
authorization. This authorization will be automatically
granted to distributors recognized by the Association of
Shareware Professionals (ASP) as adhering to its guidelines
for shareware distributors, and such distributors may begin
offering MotelMAX immediately (However MKM Software must still
MotelMAX - User Manual v1.52s
Copyright (C) MKM Software 1989-93 - All Rights Reserved Page 4
be advised so that the distributor can be kept up-to-date with
the latest version of MotelMAX.).
You are encouraged to pass a copy of the Standard Version of
MotelMAX along to others for evaluation. Please encourage
them to register their copy if they find that they can use it.
All registered users will receive a personalized copy of the
latest version of the program without any shareware notices,
a printed user manual and 90 days of free technical support.
Registered users are kept apprised of program updates and
additional programs that can be used to generate reports and
analyze and graph current and past business data.
2.5 How to Register
You can register/purchase any version of MotelMAX directly
through MKM Software if you pay by check. For a credit card
purchase (MasterCard, Visa, American Express, or Discover)
contact Public (software) Library at the numbers listed below.
These numbers are for registering any version of MotelMAX or
for ordering the latest shareware version. Public (software)
Library cannot provide program information or product support
for MotelMAX. Contact MKM Software for information about
dealer pricing, volume discounts, site licensing, the status
of shipment of the product, the latest version number or for
technical information.
To Register by Check or for
Technical Support, contact:
MKM Software
2812 Ingrid Lane
Metairie, Louisiana 70003 USA
Voice........: 504-885-7470
CompuServe...: 72704,3566
To Register by Credit Card
(AmEx, Discover, MC or Visa), contact:
Public (software) Library
Voice (USA)..............: 1-800-242-4PsL
FAX......................: 713-524-6398
Voice (International)....: 713-524-6394
CompuServe...............: 71355,470
Public (software) Library cannot provide product support.
2.6 MotelMAX - Version List
MotelMAX comes in several versions depending upon what
MotelMAX - User Manual v1.52s
Copyright (C) MKM Software 1989-93 - All Rights Reserved Page 5
functions you need and the number of rooms at your site. The
Standard Version supports up to fifty rooms and is distributed
as shareware. Other versions which are not distributed as
shareware include an additional module to manage reservations
and advance deposits.
MotelMAX - Standard Version
50 rooms............................ $ 85
MotelMAX w/Reservations & Advance Deposits
50 rooms............................ $ 135
100 rooms............................ $ 175
101+ rooms........................... $ 250
Shipping and Handling US/Canada........... $ 4
Shipping and Handling Overseas............ $ 11
2.7 Calling All Users
If your city, town, county, parish, state, province, locale,
territory, region, or country has devised some tax mechanism
which is not handled by MotelMAX, please let us know. We
currently include two tax methods, sales and occupancy taxes.
Sales taxes are straight forward. The occupancy tax is
designed for those US states that add a surcharge to room
rates above a certain amount. A future version will include
Canadian GST.
We would likewise welcome your comments on any additional
features you would like to see in future versions of MotelMAX
or changes in existing features, specifically, formatting of
the folio invoice, reservation confirmation form, and
information recorded per guest.
MotelMAX - User Manual v1.52s
Copyright (C) MKM Software 1989-93 - All Rights Reserved Page 6
3 Getting Started
===============
3.1 Installation
This section explains how to install and start the MotelMAX
program. The MotelMAX program files are stored in compressed
format on a floppy diskette. They are compressed in order to
save space.
To install the program first copy the compressed file(s) from
the floppy diskette to the hard drive, then decompress or
uncrunch the installation files. If you are familiar with
some standard DOS commands you can probably bypass these
instructions, however, here is a step by step description for
installing MotelMAX on your computer's hard drive:
3.1.1 Make sure you are in the 'root' directory of your
hard drive, type:
CD \ <Enter>
3.1.2 Make a directory on your hard drive called
MotelMAX.
MD MotelMAX <Enter>
3.1.3 Move to the MotelMAX directory.
CD MotelMAX <Enter>
3.1.4 Place the MotelMAX installation diskette in the
floppy drive and copy the contents to your hard drive.
Let's assume the diskette is in floppy drive A: and your
hard drive is C:. You would enter this command:
COPY A:*.* C:\MotelMAX <Enter>
3.1.5 Unpack the MotelMAX program which is now on your
hard drive in the MotelMAX Directory. Enter these
Commands:
MTLMAX <Enter>
You will notice that the MotelMAX program now uncrunches
and installs in your MotelMAX Directory. When this is
done, you can get rid of the install file on your hard
drive (carefully) by entering this command:
DEL MTLMAX.EXE <Enter>
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3.2 Install Problems
If you have any problems installing MotelMAX, call our
technical support number. This can apply to the installation
of files, setting up your printer or configuring MotelMAX for
your specific site, including room set-ups and rate tables.
3.3 Starting MotelMAX - Normally
The installation is now complete. Start the program by
entering the command:
MotelMAX <Enter>
3.4 Starting MotelMAX - Monochrome Monitors
If you have a monochrome monitor, you can force MotelMAX to
display in monochrome by entering the command:
MotelMAX M <Enter>
3.5 Sign-On Screen
The initial screen is the shareware sign-on screen. This
screen can be exited by pressing the keys <ALT-F10>. Review
the sign-on screen and if you choose to use MotelMAX register
and support the shareware concept. The shareware screen is
not in the registered version of the program.
Also, at the top of the screen next to the version number,
there is a release date represented by the month and year. If
your version is more than one year old, contact your
distributor to get the latest version.
3.6 Username and Password
When you exit the sign-on screen you have to enter a valid
username and password in order to access MotelMAX. For the
shareware version enter:
Username: MOTELMAX <Enter>
Password: MOTELMAX <Enter>
You can continue using these access codes until you set-up
your own codes.
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3.7 Quick Start
Once you complete the sign-on, the Main Menu is displayed.
MotelMAX comes with sample data, rate tables and room set-ups
to get you started right away. But to quickly customize the
program, please move to the Utility option on the Main Menu
and press <Enter>. Next, select the fifth option 'Set-up' and
press <Enter> again.
There are several important options, but for now we are only
concerned with one option, 'Site Set-up':
3.7.1 Address Set-up
Select "Site Set-up". Enter your company name and
address. MotelMAX will use this information on reports
and folio printouts.
3.7.2 Tax Rates
Enter the sales tax rate for your location. Some areas
have a tax surcharge for room charges above a certain
level. For example, in some areas there is a 5%
surcharge on room rates above $100. In this case, you
would enter a 'Tax Level' of 100 and an 'Occupancy Tax'
of 5.00 for 5%.
3.7.3 Printer Selection
In order to correctly print reports, MotelMAX needs to
know what kind of printer you are using. We include two
of the most popular printers among our selections. If
you have a dot matrix printer, select "EPSON". If you
have a laser printer, select "HPIII". This will get you
started. Later, we can enter the exact specifications
for your printer. Refer to the section printer set-up
later in this manual.
Enter your printer port. Most computers use printer port
1. If you do not know the answer, just use 1. Press
<Enter> enough times to exit the edit window or press
<PageDown> to exit and save your entries. Do not exit
Edit windows by pressing <ESC> because your entries will
not be saved.
There are other options on the Utility and Set-up Menus, but
more about that later. Now you are ready to begin entering
check-in's or reservations. Press ESCape enough times to
return to the Main Menu option 'Check-in's' or if you are
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using another version of MotelMAX select the option
'Reservations', press <Enter> and let's begin.
3.8 Help Code Index
You will notice in the top, left corner of most screens there
is a 5 character alpha/numeric code, for example, Rs101. This
code is an index or bookmark in the user manual. It tells you
precisely where to look in the manual to find help text
relevant to your current location in the program. In fact,
you can access the user manual online by selecting the option
'Manual' on the Utility Menu. Next, press <ALT-S> and enter
the 5 character help code. Now, press <Enter> and seek the
first appearance of that code in the manual. Press <ALT-A> to
find the same key word again. This is a very quick way of
getting you the information that you need.
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4 Rs101 - Update Current Check-in's / Reservations
================================================
4.1 Check-in/Reservation Browse Table
In the Standard Version of MotelMAX all check-in's are listed
in a browse table. The browse table is sorted by the Guest's
last name. Press any letter key <A-Z> and the highlighted
cursor will move to the first guest whose last name begins
with that letter.
In the Standard Version when you book a 'reservation' we
assume the guest is arriving today. Other versions of
MotelMAX permit you to enter reservations up two years in
advance and to accept one or more advance deposits for a
reservation. The display and function of both versions is the
same and hereafter we will refer to this as the reservation
browse table.
The browse table is one of the most important tools in
MotelMAX. In practically all portions of the program,
information is first presented or displayed in a browse table
format, so once you learn to navigate the browse table you
will be well on your way to understanding how to use MotelMAX.
The browse table offers a brief overview of current
reservations or check-in's.
4.2 Reservation Browse Table - Columns
Each reservation occupies one row in the table and each column
contains essential information for the reservation as
described below:
4.2.1 St - Status
This is a quick, visual guide to the status of the
reservation. A solid arrow > indicates the guest is due
to arrive today. The letter "M" stands for Masterbill.
A number in the status column indicates how many days
remain before the guest is due to arrive.
4.2.2 Arriving - Arrival Date
Scheduled date of the guest's arrival.
4.2.3 Name - Guest's Name
4.2.4 Account - Guest's Account Name
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4.2.5 Fol No - Folio Number
Folio Numbers are automatically assigned by MotelMAX.
4.2.6 Days
Number of days the guest is scheduled to stay. You can
change the length of stay by editing this reservation.
Also, after the guest has checked-in, you can modify the
number of days by adding new room charges. All
availability tables will be updated accordingly.
4.2.7 Room - Room Type and Number
Room Number reserved for this reservation and the room
type. The room number may be blank because MotelMAX does
not require you to assign a room number until the guest
checks-in.
4.2.8 Room Chrg
Total amount of projected room charges. This amount is
calculated by MotelMAX. It can be changed if you edit
the reservation, or if you modify the rate tables.
4.2.9 Total Chrg
Total amount of all projected charges.
4.2.10 Dpst - Advance Deposit
Number of Advance deposits received. There is no limit
to the number of advance deposits you can apply to a
reservation. This is useful with regard to MasterBills
where numerous advance deposits are accepted on behalf of
a group.
4.2.11 Dpst Amt - Advance Deposit Amount
Total dollar amount of all advance deposits received for
this reservation.
4.3 Reservation Browse Table - Hotkeys
As you scroll up and down through the reservation browse
table, refer to the bottom of the screen for a list of the
most pertinent "hotkeys" available. When you press a hotkey,
it will act on the currently highlighted reservation. For new
users, you may want to press <F1> for a Menu Box or list of
available options. These options include:
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4.3.1 <Enter> - Edit Reservation
Edit the currently highlighted reservation. You can
change the arrival date, the length of stay, really any
aspect of the reservation except the guest's name. If
you want to assign this reservation to another guest, it
is best to delete this reservation and create a new one
for the new guest.
4.3.2 <Delete> - Delete Reservation
Delete or Cancel the currently highlighted reservation.
MotelMAX will ask you to confirm that you wish to cancel
the reservation. If you agree, the reservation will be
deleted and the room, now no longer needed, will be put
back into inventory for use by another reservation.
General room availability files (number of available
rooms by room type) are updated and the specific room
availability files are updated as well.
4.3.3 <Insert> - Add Reservation
Add a new reservation. This option has no reference to
the currently highlighted reservation. A new reservation
will be inserted in the reservation browse table in a
position determined by the browse table sort order ("Set
Order" option <F2>) and it will be the currently
highlighted option.
4.3.4 <F1> - Display a Menu of Available Options.
This is an excellent tool for new users who need to see
all available options and the associated hotkey. You can
highlight the option you want and press the <Enter> key
to select it. Once you are familiar with how the program
works and what commands are available, you probably will
bypass this option key and use the <Function> Key options
instead. The equivalent function key is placed next to
each option on the menu to help you see the association,
however, while you are in the menu, the hotkey is not
active.
4.3.5 <F2> - Set Order
Reservations can be displayed in different sort order
depending on your need at the time. There are four
orders to select from:
4.3.5.1 Guest Name
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Reservations are sorted by the guest's last name.
Because this is a character or letter sort, you can
use the quick key searches to find the reservation
you need. Press any letter key <A..Z> and the
highlighted cursor will move directly to the first
guest whose last name begins with that letter
without regard to upper or lower case. Also, press
<Alt-S> and enter the first four letters of the
name you are searching for. MotelMAX will jump to
the first guest whose last name matches those
letters. These quick keys work on all browse
tables that are sorted by letters. You can tell if
a browse table is sorted alphabetically by looking
at the browse table title: 'Reservations by Name'.
4.3.5.2 Account Name
Reservations are sorted by the guest's account or
company name. Guest records that have a blank
account name will be at the top. The reservations
are sorted alphabetically, so the quick key
searches work when the browse title reads:
'Reservations by Account'.
4.3.5.3 Room Number
Reservations are sorted by room number with a
secondary sort by last name. Quick key searches
will not work on this sort order.
4.3.5.4 Arrival Date
Sorting reservations by Arrival Date is a useful
way of checking which guests are due today and
which ones have yet to check-in. There is a
secondary sort by guest name. Quick key searches
will not work on this sort order.
4.3.6 <F3> - Room Charges
Display an itemized list of room charges for the
highlighted reservation. When you book a reservation,
MotelMAX will automatically calculate the room rates
based on the rate tables that you set-up. This is an
excellent way to learn how the rate tables work. Build
a reservation, then look at the rates assigned by
MotelMAX. The display includes the MotelMAX assigned
rates, referred to as the normal rate, and the actual
room rate assigned if you should choose to add you own
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rate.
4.3.7 <F4> - Check-in
You will use this key often. Press the <F4> key to
Check-in the currently highlighted reservation.
But first, MotelMAX verifies the reservation is ready for
check-in:
4.3.7.1 Verify Arrival Date
The first check is to verify this is, in fact, the
arrival date. The reservation arrival date must be
today, or it must be prior to 8:00 am of the day
after the arrival date. (Always be sure that your
computer is set to the correct date and time.)
This will handle late check-in's, (guest arriving
after midnight). If there is a solid arrow '>' in
the status column of the reservation browse table,
the reservation is ready for check-in.
4.3.7.2 Verify Room Number
Prior to check-in, the reservation must have an
assigned room number except Masterbills which do
not have room numbers.
4.3.7.3 Advance Deposit
Finally, if you are using the version of MotelMAX
that handles reservations and advance deposits,
MotelMAX checks that all advance deposits for this
reservation have been posted prior to check-in. If
MotelMAX finds an unposted deposit, you cannot
check-in. You must either post that deposit, or
delete it. Press <F5> to access the Advance
Deposit Browse Table.
4.3.8 <F5> - Advance Deposit
Enter one or more advance deposits for this reservation,
or, refund an advance deposit prior to check-in. You can
enter as many deposits for a reservation as necessary.
Refer to the section "Advance Deposits" for a more
detailed description of this option. The Standard
Version of MotelMAX does not accept advance deposits and
this option is not displayed.
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4.3.9 <F6> - Masterbill
Create a new Masterbill. A Masterbill is a Folio that is
not tied to a particular room number or room type. It
has many uses. Refer to the Help Index Code for
Masterbills for a complete explanation with examples.
One of the most common uses is when you have a group and
you need one folio for the entire group. You can create
a Masterbill and transfer, for example, room charges from
the individual folios of the group members to the
masterbill or master folio.
4.3.10 <F7> - Reservation RePrint
Print or Re-print a reservation confirmation form.
Output may be sent to the screen or printer.
4.3.11 <F8> - Cancel Reservation
Delete or Cancel a Reservation. All availability files
will be adjusted accordingly. You can also cancel a
reservation by pressing the <Delete> key.
4.3.12 <F9> - General Room Availability
Display General Room Availability for the current week.
General Room Availability indicates availability by room
type. This table will show how many rooms are booked per
room type, the percentage of occupancy and the number of
rooms booked compared to the total number of rooms. As
you book a reservation, press the <F9> key and notice the
effect on the General Room Availability Table.
4.3.13 <F10> - Guest Information
Edit Guest Information (address, credit card info, etc.)
for the currently highlighted reservation. Once you
assign the guest to a reservation, you can still edit the
guest information. You may update the address, credit
card information or correct a misspelling of the guest's
name, but do not change the guest's names. Each guest,
should have a unique guest number.
4.4 Adding a New Reservation
You can add a new reservation by pressing the <Insert> key
while in the reservation browse table. Detailed screen
messages located at the bottom of the screen will lead you
through the reservation process. MotelMAX will ensure that
you enter only valid entries. Pop up windows will provide a
list of valid choices when needed. Here are the items of
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information necessary to complete a reservation.
4.4.1 Arrival Date.....:
MotelMAX will check that the arrival date is either today
or some time in the future. You cannot enter an arrival
date which is prior to today. Pressing the <TAB> key
will set the date automatically to today. Pressing the
<Up> or <Down> arrow keys will move the date one day back
or forward. This can save keystrokes. In the Standard
Version of MotelMAX, we assume the arrival date is today
and MotelMAX updates the arrival date accordingly.
4.4.2 Nights...........:
Enter the number of nights the guest will stay. MotelMAX
will calculate the rate for each night and reserve a room
in the room availability files.
4.4.3 Room Type........:
Enter the Room Type. The room types available were
determined by you when you set-up MotelMAX. Enter the
number "9" for a list of the room types that you have
defined. You must select a valid room type, one that is
on this list. If the room type you enter is not
available during any night of the guest's stay, MotelMAX
will display a "Caution" message. This will not prevent
you from booking the reservation but warn you a given
room type is being overbooked on a given date.
4.4.4 Room Number......:
Optional, enter a specific room number. If you are
unsure and the room number box is empty, press the
<Enter> key and MotelMAX will display a list of available
rooms in a calendar format. If there is already a room
number, and you want to change to another room, press the
<SpaceBar> and delete part of the room number and then
press <Enter> to access the room selection calendar.
Dates appear horizontally along the top of the calendar
and room numbers are listed in a column along the left
side of the calendar. A number '1' on the calendar means
the room has been booked for that date, a '2' means
double booked, etc. A space means the room is available.
Notice how MotelMAX highlights the date range you are
booking. You want to find a room that has all spaces
beneath the highlighted booking dates.
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Move the cursor to highlight the room you want and press
<Enter> again. If the room you select is already booked,
MotelMAX will ask if you want to override the room
availability warning and double book the room. Room
availability reports will record the room as double-
booked.
4.4.5 Rate(N/G/D)......:
Indicate the room rate category. There are 3 choices:
4.4.5.1 <N>ormal - Normal Room Rate
MotelMAX will assign a rate according to the rate
tables you have set-up.
4.4.5.2 <G>roup - Group Room Rate
MotelMAX will prompt you for a room rate, you enter
the amount and that amount will override the amount
found in the rate table.
4.4.5.3 <D>iscount - Discount Room Rate
Enter a percentage discount from the MotelMAX
assigned rate. MotelMAX will prompt you for the
discount rate.
This provides a very flexible rate mechanism. Refer to
the Section on Rate Tables in MotelMAX Set-up for a
complete discussion and examples of MotelMAX assigned
rates. Please note, selecting the option <G> lets you
enter whatever room rate you choose. While MotelMAX has
an elaborate mechanism for assigning room rates, you can
bypass that system with a single keystroke. If you want
to go around the rate system, select <G> and assign or
hardwire the rate you want.
4.5 Entering Guest Information
Once you complete these items, MotelMAX will display an
alphabetical listing of the Guest file and prompt you to
select a guest name for this reservation. A reservation is
not complete unless it is assigned to a guest.
4.5.1 Return Guests
If this is a return guest, you can locate information
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from their previous stay and reuse it. The guests are
sorted by last name, so if you press any letter key, you
will move quickly to the first guest whose last name
begins with that letter. Also, press <Alt-S> and
MotelMAX will prompt you for a guest name. Enter the
first 4 or 5 letters and MotelMAX will conduct a quick
search for a matching last name.
4.5.2 First Time Guests
If the reservation is being booked by a first time guest,
press the <Insert> key and enter the complete Guest
Information. MotelMAX will automatically assign a unique
guest number to this guest. This will finish the
reservation and you will notice that this reservation and
guest will now appear on the reservation browse table,
awaiting arrival and check-in. If the arrival date is
today, just press <F4> and you can immediately check the
guest in. If you would like a printout of the
reservation confirmation form, press <F7>.
4.5.3 Bail-Out
At this point the reservation is complete and ready to be
saved. However, you are still not committed or locked
into the reservation. Press the <ESC> key if you would
like to exit and cancel this reservation. Otherwise,
press <Enter> and the reservation will be saved and added
to the reservation browse table.
4.6 Edit a Reservation
If at any time some portion of the reservation should change,
you can easily edit a reservation. Move the cursor to
highlight the reservation that you wish to change and press
the <Enter> key. The same window you saw when adding a new
reservation will appear. Modify the reservation accordingly.
You may want to change the arrival date or length of stay.
The rules are the same as adding a new reservation. When you
are done, all availability tables will be updated with the new
information.
Use the <Enter> key to move from item to item within the
reservation form. Cursor down to the last item and press
<Enter> to effect the changes that you have made.
If you press the <ESC> key, you will exit from editing the
reservation and the original reservation will be restored -
unchanged and MotelMAX will advise you accordingly.
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When adding or editing a reservation, you can not exit the
edit window by using the <PageDown> key. This is the one
exception. If you try it, MotelMAX will ask you to use the
<Enter> key or the <Arrow> keys. The reason - this is the
most important data entry part of the program. There is
plenty of hidden action as MotelMAX verifies your entries and
keeps all tables accurately updated. This makes it necessary
in this one instance to move along one step at a time.
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5 Fd101 - Update Current Folios
=============================
All current open folios for checked-in guests are listed in a
browse table. The table of folios is sorted by the Guest's
last name. Just like the reservation browse table, you can
press any letter key <A-Z> and the highlighted cursor will
move to the first guest whose last name begins with that
letter.
This is the central point for working with checked-in guests.
From here you can update the individual folios and it is from
here that you will print, check-out or close all folios.
5.1 Current Folios Browse Table - Columns
Let's begin with a column by column summary of the contents of
the browse table followed by a description of the available
options:
5.1.1 St - Status
A solid arrow in this column '>' indicates the guest
departs today. A number indicates how many days remain
before the scheduled departure. An asterisk indicates
the departure date has passed which means the guest
should be checked-out, or, additional room charges need
to be added to the reservation. A 'check mark' shows
that the guest has been check-out, but the folio now
needs to be closed.
5.1.2 Depart - Departure Date
The scheduled departure date is automatically added by
MotelMAX.
5.1.3 Guest - Guest's Name.
5.1.4 Room - Guest's Current room number.
5.1.5 Account - Account or Company Name
This is an optional entry field.
5.1.6 Balance - Guest's Current Balance Due.
5.1.7 CR Amt - Guests Credit Limit
This is an amount you establish as the maximum amount a
guest can accumulate as a balance due on a folio.
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5.1.8 FolNo - Folio number
The folio number is automatically assigned by MotelMAX.
5.2 Current Folio Browse Table - Hotkeys
Refer to the bottom of the screen for a list of the options
available on the front desk browse table. Here is a summary
of those options:
5.2.1 <F2> - Order
Set the Sort Order of the browse table contents. Folios
can be sorted by Last Name, Account Name, Room No or
Departure Date.
5.2.2 <F4> - Status
View a detailed summary of the status of this folio.
This is the complete story; arrival, departure, status,
summary of charges, summary of payments and balance due.
This is a very useful option you may want to make
frequent use of. Press any key to return to the browse
table.
5.2.3 <F5> - View Folio
Display a print out of the folio just as it will appear
on check-out. The display will include all posted
charges and payments. This is an excellent folio
preview. Use the Up/Down arrow keys to scroll through
the folio display to ensure it appears exactly as you
expect.
5.2.4 <F6> - Print Folio
Same as <F5> only the output will go to the printer.
This is not a check-out, it is a printed folio preview;
or, if the guest has already checked-out, it is a folio
re-print.
5.2.5 <F7> - Check-out
Check-out the currently highlighted guest. This is an
important step, so MotelMAX will conduct a few checks to
be sure everything is ready for check-out, then ask you
to confirm your choice. Refer to the section Check-out
for more details on what criteria must be met before
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MotelMAX will Check-out a folio.
5.2.6 <F8> - Close Folio
Once a Folio has been checked-out, it must now be closed.
At this point it will be removed from the browse table of
current folios. MotelMAX will make a few checks before
it permits you to close a folio. Refer to the section
'Closing a Folio' for more details.
5.2.7 <F9> Calc - ReCalculate Folio Totals
Use this option to recalculate folio charges and payments
and verify the folio totals. This may be necessary if a
hardware problem occurs or if folio results are not as
you expect. In some cases, it may be necessary to re-
index all files to ensure accurate folio totals. This is
a safety device for use in rare occasions when files may
be damaged.
5.2.8 <F10> - Edit Guest
Access complete guest information as entered when the
reservation was taken. This includes address and credit
card details. You may view or edit guest information as
needed.
5.2.9 <Enter> - Menu
Access a menu containing all options available when
browsing current folios. This includes all the above
listed options including some additional ones, such as,
folio transactions, room transfer, adjusting tax rates,
etc. Refer to the next section, 'Fd142 - Front Desk
Menu' for complete details.
5.2.10 <A-Z> - Seek
If the browse table sort order is set to Guest Name or
Account Name, you can press any letter key A-Z and
MotelMAX will move to the first guest in the browse table
whose name or account name begins with that letter. This
is the recommended method of moving through all browse
tables. You can substantially reduce the number of
keystrokes used to accomplish your tasks.
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6 Fd142 - Front Desk Menu
=======================
The Front Desk Menu contains all the options available when
browsing the current checked-in list guest folios, including
perhaps the most important - 'Transactions' - the adding,
updating and posting of all charges and payments.
6.1 Transactions (Folio Transactions - Charges/Payments)
Select this option to update a guest folio by adding, editing
or posting charges and payments. Use this option also if you
want to transfer charges from one folio to the next. Options
are too numerous to discuss here. Please refer to section
Fd150 - 'Front Desk Transactions' for a complete discussion of
these menu options.
6.2 Status
This option includes several sub-options which pertain to the
status of the folio:
6.2.1 View Status <F4>
View Folio Status - same as discussed above.
6.2.2 Credit Limit
Update the guest credit limit. An edit window is
displayed requesting a) the name or initials of the
person setting the credit limit and b) the credit limit
dollar amount.
6.2.3 Guest Info <F10>
View or Edit Guest Information as entered at the time of
reservation.
6.2.4 ReCalc Folio <F9>
This option will review all charges and payments posted
to a folio and update the folio totals.
It exits only for rare cases when a folio balance may be
wrong, because a power spike or some hardware problem
occurred and a folio total was not properly updated.
Normally, there is no need to use this option, however,
in some cases you will view or print a folio and receive
an 'Invoice Error' message from MotelMAX. This is
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because, as a precaution, MotelMAX stores the folio total
in two separate locations. If these two totals do not
match and you receive an error message, run the recalc
option to re-calculate the folio.
6.3 Transfer (Room Transfer)
Select this option when you choose to transfer a guest from
one room to another. MotelMAX begins by displaying the
current room settings and asking you to confirm that you
choose to continue with the room transfer.
If you answer <Y>es, MotelMAX requests the room type and the
room number the guest will transfer to. This information
request works exactly like a reservation. You must enter a
valid room type and a valid room number. Also, the room type
and room number must be available.
Blank out the room number using the <SpaceBar>, press <Enter>
and MotelMAX will display a table of available room numbers
and their availability status. You can press the <ESC> key at
any time to cancel the room transfer and return to the folio
browse table.
6.4 Misc Inc (Miscellaneous Income)
Use this option to post charges and payments received from
vending machines, parking fees or similar income sources.
This option will create a special Miscellaneous Income folio
where you can post these charges and payments. The folio is
not attached to a guest and cannot accept room charges, room
adjustments or extra guest charges.
You can post as many charges and payments as you like to a
single Miscellaneous Income Folio, but you can only open one
'Miscellaneous Income' folio at a time.
Miscellaneous Income folios can be checked-out and closed like
all other folios. Before you can check-out and close a
Miscellaneous Income folio, the balance due must equal zero.
You cannot send a Miscellaneous Income folio to direct bill.
6.5 Check-out
This menu option contains several sub-options which pertain to
the checking out and closing of folios. The first four
options can be accessed using 'hotkeys' and have been
discussed previously. The other option is 'Adjust Tax' which
exists for guests who may be tax exempt or for some other
special case wherein their tax rate may differ from the normal
rate.
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6.5.1 Check-out <F7>
Press <F7> to check-out the currently highlighted guest.
MotelMAX will verify that the balance due is equal to
zero and that today is the scheduled departure date. If
this is an early departure, be sure to delete all
unposted room charges prior to check-out. This will keep
your room availability tables accurate. If the balance
due is not equal to zero, you can still check-out the
guest but the folio will be re-classified as a direct
bill folio. See the direct bill folio section for more
details.
6.5.2 Close Folio <F8>
Once you check-out a guest the folio remains in the
browse table until you specifically close the folio. At
that point this folio is marked and on closing the shift,
it will be archived.
6.5.3 Print Folio <F6>
You can print out a folio at any time. Only posted
charges and payments are printed. The last line of the
printout will include the folio status - whether check-
out or still open. Checked-out folios include the check-
out date and time.
6.5.4 View Folio <F5>
Preview the guest's folio. This is an excellent option
to verify the folio contains the charges and payments you
expect. Only posted charges and payments are displayed.
When you are learning the program, run this option often
to see the results of the charges and payments you post
to a folio. Notice that when you enter a charge or
payment you can also enter up to 20 characters of
description. This description is printed on the folio.
Experiment with different looks to produce the folios
display that you prefer, but don't waste any paper, just
display it to the screen using the <F5> function key.
This is a useful option for training new users of the
program.
6.5.5 Adjust Tax
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MotelMAX will assign to all folios the tax rates that you
define as part of the Set-up procedure. However, you can
change these rates for a given folio using this option.
Select this option and MotelMAX will prompt you to enter
the alternate sales tax rate and room occupancy tax for
this folio. Once done, MotelMAX will re-calculate the
folio totals based on the tax rates you entered.
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7 Fd150 - Update Folio Transactions
=================================
This browse table contains an itemized listing of all folio
transactions and whether they have been posted. The
transactions are sorted by transaction date with payments
preceding charges within each date. Again, we will first
examine the content of the browse table then the available
options.
7.1 Folio Transaction Browse Table Columns
The browse table of current folios is comprised of the
following columns:
7.1.1 St - Transaction Status
A check mark indicates the item has been posted. A solid
arrow '>' says the item is ready to be posted, and a
number indicates the number of days before the item can
be posted. An asterisk shows the posting date has passed
and the item is available for posting.
7.1.2 Date - Transaction Date
Transaction date automatically assigned by MotelMAX.
7.1.3 Room - Room Number
This is the room number of the guest at the time the item
was posted. If a guest transfers to a different room,
any charge that is already posted will keep its original
room number.
7.1.4 Code - Transaction Code
A code abbreviation of the transaction type, for example,
RCH = room charge, AMX = American Express payment.
7.1.5 Descript - Transaction Description
A brief description of the item. In most cases, the
operator can enter free text in this area. Whatever is
entered here, will also appear on the printed folio.
7.1.6 Charges - Charge Amount
The base charge amount for the current transaction.
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7.1.7 Payments - Payment Amount
The base payment amount.
7.1.8 Pstd - Posted
Whether the item is posted, Yes/No.
7.1.9 SalesTax - Sales Tax Charge
MotelMAX assigned sales tax charge.
7.1.10 OccupTax - Occupancy Tax Charge
MotelMAX assigned.
7.1.11 PostTime - Post Time
When the item was posted.
7.2 Folio Transaction Browse Table - Hotkeys
As you move through the browse table, highlight the item that
you want, then select one of the following options:
7.2.1 <F2> - Tag/UnTag
This option exists only for transferring charges and
payments between folios. Use the <F2> key to tag or to
untag a given transaction item. A special character (a
diamond) will appear in the status field when an item is
tagged. Next, press the <Enter> key to access the
transactions menu. Select the option 'Transfer' to send
all tagged items to another folio - perhaps a masterbill.
Posted and Unposted items can be transferred. Be sure
you know in advance the number of the folio you wish to
transfer to.
7.2.2 <F4> - View Status
Same as described earlier. You are currently working
with the itemized details of a given folio - use this
option to view a Status Summary of the same folio. As
you post charges, access the Status Summary again to see
the effect of the postings and the new balance due.
7.2.3 <^Home> - GoTop
This option moves the cursor. Press these keys
<Ctrl><Home> at the same time to move to the first item
in the browse table. This option key combination can be
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used on all browse tables with the same result.
7.2.4 <^End> GoBottom
Use this key combination <Ctrl><End> to move to the last
item in the browse table. This command applies to all
browse tables.
7.2.5 <Enter> - Menu
Access the transactions menu. Use the Left/Right arrow
keys to move to the option you want and press <Enter>, or
you can press the first letter of the option that you
want and move directly to that option. The options and
sub-options are explained below.
7.2.5.1 Fpost
Post the currently highlighted item. Only posted
items appear on the printed folio. On check-out,
all unposted items are deleted. You can only post
an item if the transaction date is today or has
passed. The letter 'F' precedes the word post, to
produce a unique quick key option 'F' - so the
letter 'P' could be used for <P>ayments.
7.2.5.2 Edit
Edit the currently highlighted item. You can only
edit an item that has not been posted.
7.2.5.3 Void
Void the currently highlighted item. If the item
is not posted, it will be deleted. If the item is
posted but posted during the 'current shift', it
will be zeroed out (voided) but not deleted.
Finally, if it was posted during a prior shift, it
cannot be voided. Enter a refund or negative
transaction to make the adjustment.
7.2.5.4 Refund
Issue a refund against the currently highlighted
charge. MotelMAX will prompt you to enter the
refund amount. Enter a positive number, MotelMAX
will take care of the sign. The amount cannot be
greater than the amount of the original charge.
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7.2.5.5 Charges
Use this option to add new charges to a folio.
MotelMAX will assign the current date as the
transaction date. You must enter the amount and in
some cases you can enter a free text description
that will appear on the printed folio. MotelMAX
will prompt you for what kind of charge you wish to
enter, including the following:
7.2.5.5.1 Phone
Add a new telephone charge.
7.2.5.5.2 Other-Tax
Enter an 'Other Charge' and have MotelMAX
assign the appropriate sales tax.
7.2.5.5.3 Other
Enter an 'Other Charge' but do not include
sales tax.
7.2.5.5.4 Extra Gst
Add a new Extra Guest Charge.
7.2.5.5.5 Adjm Room
Add a room adjustment charge. This can be
either a plus or minus amount.
7.2.5.5.6 Room Chrg
Add a new room charge. MotelMAX will
automatically add a new room charge to the end
of the list of room charges and at the same
time, extend the departure date by one day.
As always, availability tables are updated
accordingly.
7.2.5.6 Payments
Use this option to add new payments to the folio.
There are two other choices not shown here, Credit
Card 1 and Credit Card 2. These categories are for
any credit card of your choice not already covered
by the four credit card options.
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7.2.5.6.1 Amex
Add an American Express payment. Enter the
amount and optionally a description.
7.2.5.6.2 Discover
Add a Discover Card Payment.
7.2.5.6.3 MCard
Add a MasterCard Payment.
7.2.5.6.4 Visa
Add a Visa Payment.
7.2.5.6.5 Check
Add a Payment made by check.
7.2.5.6.6 Kash
Add a Cash Payment. We use the letter <K>
only to have a unique quick key.
7.2.5.7 Transfer
There are two sub-options described as follows.
7.2.5.7.1 Transfer
Transfer all tagged charges to another folio.
MotelMAX will prompt you for the number of the
folio that will receive the charges. You must
enter the number of a folio that is currently
checked-in. MotelMAX asks you to verify your
choice. You can transfer posted and unposted
items and you can transfer an item as many
times as you want.
7.2.5.7.2 DB / CR (Debit/Credit)
Debit/Credit a posted 'payment' or posted
'deposit' for this folio. MotelMAX will
prompt you for the folio number of the folio
that will received the credit transaction. A
debit transaction is posted to the sending
folio.
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If the currently highlighted item is a posted
'charge', MotelMAX will enter a credit
transaction to this folio and post a debit
transaction to the receiving folio.
You can only DB/CR partial portions of a
posted item. Don't DB/CR the entire amount of
an item - tag it and transfer it.
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8 Fd401 - Update Direct Bill Folios
=================================
Direct Bill Folios are folios which have been checked out but
were not closed because the balance due was not equal to zero.
The folios are removed from the browse table of current guests
so as not to clutter the screen. When you are looking at
current guest folios that is all you want to see.
Direct Bill Folios again are those who have check-out but
whose bill is unresolved. They have their own browse table,
but to keep things simple the interface and available hotkey
functions are exactly the same as you find for current folios.
If you decide to change screen colors, make sure the browse
table for direct bill folios is noticeably different in color
from the browse table for current folios.
In most cases, you need to post a final payment after which
you can close and clear out the direct bill folio.
You can add new charges, or print additional copies of the
folio as needed, again, using the same keys you are familiar
with from the browse table of current guests. However, you
should never add a new room charge to a direct bill folio. If
it is necessary to add a room charge, use the charge option
'room adjustment' instead.
Once the balance due is equal to zero, close the folio just as
you do for current folios. The direct bill folio will now be
removed from the browse table. When you close this shift,
this folio and all its transactions will be copied to the
archives.
All postings of charges and payments to direct bill folios
affect the accounts receivable category - 'direct bill', and
not the city ledger.
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9 Reports
=======
Following is a description of the various reports printed by
MotelMAX.
9.1 Rp310 - Reservation Reports
Reservation reports include the following:
9.1.1 Arrivals
List all reservations due for arrival during a specified
date range. When you select this option, a second menu
will appear asking you to select the order in which the
arrivals report will appear. There are eight different
ways in which the report can be sorted, using the Arrival
Date, the Guest's Name, the Account Name or the Room
Number. The sorting methods are self explanatory, for
example, 'by Guest Name and Arrival Date'.
Once you select the sort method, MotelMAX prompts you for
a Date Range for this report. You can include
reservations for any date range although MotelMAX will
only search among currently active reservations and
folios for the results.
The date range and the sort order that you select will be
printed at the top of the report. This report is printed
in condensed print characters to permit more columns on
the page. If you have print problems, consult the
section on printer set-up.
9.1.2 Rp300 - No-Shows
This report will print a list of reservations for which
the arrival date has passed. These no-show reservations
should be deleted so that the availability tables will
updated and the reserved rooms will be free for use by
other reservations.
9.1.3 Rp340 - Gen Avail (Bkd)
This report is run for a given date range. The default
range is the next two weeks. For each day there is a
list of rooms booked per room type. Also, the total of
all rooms booked compared to the total number of rooms
available and the percentage of occupancy. Room type 0,
the house accounts, are not considered available and are
not calculated as part of the percentage of occupancy.
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Room type 0 might include rooms under repair or rooms let
under special conditions. The percentage of occupancy is
a true number of actual rooms booked against the actual
number of rooms available.
9.1.4 Rp341 - Gen Avail (Avl)
This report is the same as above except that the numbers
represent the number of rooms available as opposed to the
number booked.
9.1.5 Rp320 - SpecAvail
Specific room availability is a report of room usage on
an individual basis. The report is printed for the month
you enter and the follow month. It shows on a room by
room basis the booking for the two calendar months.
The number 1 represents booked once. The numbers 2 or
more represent multiple bookings.
9.2 Rp320 - Front Desk Reports
These are reports devised for running the front desk.
9.2.1 Current Guests
List all current guests. A submenu will appear offering
several different ways in which the report might be
sorted. You can sort the results by account, room number
or guest name.
This is a who is in list and it includes the arrival and
departure dates.
9.2.2 Rp550 - Make-up List
This report lists all rooms for guest currently checked
and not scheduled for departure. These rooms have to be
prepared for these guests whose stay will extend through
this night.
9.2.3 Rp540 - Departures
List guests scheduled for departure during a date range
that you specify. The default is the next two weeks.
The results are printed in order by departure date.
You can limit the report results to include only those
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guest leaving the next day by changing the report range.
9.2.4 Rp531 - Folio Status
Print a listing of all current folios and the status of
each folio, including the total charges, total payments,
deposits paid and balance due. The total are for posted
amounts only.
9.2.5 Rp530 - Direct Bills
This report is exactly like the folio status report above
except it is for direct bill folios only.
9.3 Rp330 - Transaction Reports
There are four transaction report formats:
9.3.1 Rp332-4 GL Accounts & GL Journal
The GL Accounts and GL Journal reports both contain
itemized listings of accounting transactions but
presented in different ways. The GL Accounts report
lists transactions sorted by Accounting Category. This
report is useful in proving totals on the shift report,
monthly account summaries or general ledger.
The GL Journal report lists transactions in the same
order in which they occurred. This report is useful for
reconstructing accounting activity during a given shift.
Both reports can be limited in scope by a shift number
range or by a date range. If the report scope is
determined by shift number, the report totals should
match those on the shift report or monthly account
summary comprised of the same shift numbers.
The GL reports contain the following columns:
SeqNo Sequence Number - a counter to more easily
locate items on the report.
ShfNo Shift Number - shift during which the
transaction was posted.
TrnNo MotelMAX assigned sequential transactions
number. Transaction numbers are reset to one
at the beginning of each month.
C Category - 'R' - Receivables, 'I' - Income,
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'D' - Deposits, 'P' - Payments, and 'L' -
Liabilities.
TrnCd Transaction Account Code.
Credits Transaction Credit Amount.
Debits Transaction Debit Amount.
Descript Transaction description. In many cases, this
is assigned by MotelMAX.
FolNo Folio Number to which the transaction was
posted.
Room Room Number of the folio at the time the
transaction was posted.
TrnDate Transaction Date.
Posted Transactions posted Yes/No.
DB Transaction was posted to a direct bill folio
Yes/No.
9.3.2 Rp336 - Transactions
This report lets you print transactions for a specific
accounting code. For example, you might choose to print
all American Express payments for a given shift number
range or for a given date range.
This report can be used to prove numbers on a monthly
account summary sheet or shift report. As long as you
are working within the same shift number range, the
results should be identical.
The same cannot be said for reports selected by date
range. These totals can not be counted upon to match
totals on the monthly account summary and shift reports.
9.3.3 Rp338 - Activity Report
This report is designed to answer questions such as: How
did we do this weekend? How are we doing this month?
The activity report will ask you to enter a date or shift
number range then proceed to calculate various totals for
business activity during the selected range.
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This is an extensive report which will tell you how
MotelMAX is being used. Whether room rates are being
assigned by the program or by the front desk operators.
What are the rates, the high, low and average.
Over time this report can yield information about
business activity which will help you project future
activity and to spot unusual business activity.
Report Scope ( by Date or by Shift No )
It is important to understand that transaction reports
based on shift numbers should match or prove to shift
report totals and to monthly account summary totals.
When transactions are selected by date range, you cannot
expect the same results. It is a point that bears
repeating to avoid confusion when interpreting results.
9.4 Rp340 - Accounting Reports
Various accounting reports are available to help you review,
analyze and in some cases reprint reports that may be missing.
These reports contain the results of your business activity,
therefore, this menu is not accessible to everyone.
The user must have 'accounting' access rights in order to
access this menu. You may want to take note of this when you
set-up user names and access rights.
9.4.1 Rp601 - Shift RePrint
Enter a shift number and MotelMAX will reprint the shift
report for that shift. This is useful in case the first
report is lost or if you are doing some accounting checks
and are not able to get a copy of the original report.
You have to know the shift number in advance.
9.4.2 Rp606 - Balance RePrint
Reprint a monthly account summary for a given account
month. Enter the month number.
9.4.3 Rp620 - Folio RePrint
Reprint a guest folio. You must enter the folio number.
MotelMAX searches amoung current folios and among all
archives to print a folio summary. This printout
contains more details than the actual folio printed at
guest check-out. MotelMAX does not now print an itemized
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listing of all transactions. For this report to work,
the folio archive (A_FOL.DBF) must not have been deleted.
9.4.4 Rp605 - Trial Balance
Check that accounting totals are in balance for a given
shift number range. You can specify any valid shift
number range. MotelMAX has to be able to locate the
starting shift number and the ending shift number records
for this report to work.
9.4.5 Rp612 - Income / Expense Report
Track income totals per account code for the month and
for the year. The report provides the dollar total and
the ratio of the dollar total to total income.
Expenses are not tracked in the Shareware version of
MotelMAX.
9.5 Rp350 - System Manager Reports
This menu provides access to reports consistently used by the
system manager.
9.6 Rp655 - Activity Report
This report has been discussed earlier. This is a second way
access a transaction report for business activity. You can
select the report by shift number range or by date range.
9.7 Rp503 - Shift Summaries
This report lists all shift currently logged in the system.
It is a guide to the shift numbers, the operator's name, the
start date, start time and number of check-ins and check-outs.
Use this report as a guide when selecting shift number ranges.
9.8 Rp504 - Monthly Account Summary
List all Monthly Account Summaries currently on file. The
report is a guide to the month numbers and to the Start and
Ending Shift for each account month.
We use the term month only because most users will close out
each calendar month. However, you may choose to close out
whenever you like. You may decide to close each week or each
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quarter. For this reason, the so called 'account month' is
assigned a month number in order to give the 'account month'
a unique identifier.
9.9 Rp520 - Folios by Shift-In
Print a list of all folios that checked in during a given
shift range. You may choose to limit this to one shift in
which case you a list of all folios that checked in during one
shift.
This is another tool provided by MotelMAX that helps you to
reconstruct all activity that occurs during a shift. This may
be used to resolve any questions that can arise with regard to
shift reports or monthly account summaries.
9.10 Rp521 - Folios by Shift Out
This report provides a list of all folios that were checked
out during a given shift range. It is exactly like the
previous report only it covers a different activity for the
folio.
9.11 Rp522 - Folios by Close Shift
Like the two previous reports, this report will give you a
list all folios that were closed during a given shift range.
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10 Utility Menu
===========
10.1 Re-Index
Index files are used by MotelMAX to quickly locate specific
information. If the computer is switched off while the
program is on or if there is a loss of power, these index
files can be damaged. In such cases, you should rebuild all
index files using this option.
Under normal circumstances this is not necessary. MotelMAX
will always update index files as needed. This option is made
available as a precaution.
10.2 Optimize
Run optimize once a week. It will re-condition all data files
and it will rebuild all index files. This is like a quick
tune-up. It will ensure the best performance for the program.
10.3 Ac105 - Accounting Menu
10.3.1 Ac120 - Journal Entries
From time to time, a front desk operator will accept a
Mastercard payment, let's say $100.00 and enter it into
the wrong account, for example, American Express.
Journal Entries are transfers of amounts from one account
to another within the same accounting category. In the
example above, we would want to transfer $100.00 from the
Current Asset Account - American Express and transfer it
to the Current Asset Account - Mastercard. In short, we
want to decrease the American Express account by $100.00
and increase Mastercard by $100.00.
Follow the screen prompts to complete this one-sided
transaction. MotelMAX will verify all entries. You
cannot make a mistake. If you do not know the account
numbers, enter <0> and press <Enter>. A pop-up menu will
provide a list of choices. As always, look to the bottom
of the screen for additional context sensitive help.
10.3.2 Ac510 - Close Account Month
Closing the month will build a monthly account summary
which is really a composite of all shifts for the current
account month. You can view this composite account
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summary prior to closing the month.
If the monthly account summary is balanced and you choose
to proceed, MotelMAX sums all totals for the current
month and updates the general ledger with current totals
for the month and for the year. Next it moves all
cleared transactions to archive files.
Again, we use the term 'close account month' only because
most users will close-out on a monthly basis. It is your
choice. You might choose to close each week or each
quarter. It is a matter of preference. We recommend
that you close at least each calendar month. This will
maximize performance of the program. As part of the
closing, MotelMAX takes certain steps to ensure the best
performance of the program.
10.3.3 Ac520 - Close Account Year
This option updates the general ledger by moving Year-to-
date amounts to last year's total and resetting all YTD
amounts for all accounts back to 0.
You probably will want to close the month just prior to
closing the year. This is not necessary, only
recommended. For best results, when you close a month or
a year, we recommend that you dedicate a shift to that
single activity.
For example, prior to closing a month or a year, first
exit the shift you are in. When asked whether to close
the shift, answer <Y>es. Next, sign-on to MotelMAX again
and open a new shift. Do not take reservations, or post
transactions, instead, go directly to the accounting menu
and close the month or close the year. Afterwards, exit
the program and close the shift.
This will provide a clear demarcation between account
months and between account years.
10.4 Sy125 - Manager Set-up Menu
Options on the manager set-up menu do not need to be accessed
by everyone using MotelMAX. You should limit access to this
menu as described in the next section - 'User Names'.
10.4.1 Sy420 - Update User Names and Access
You can limit who has access to MotelMAX by assigning
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user names and passwords. In order for a user to sign-on
to MotelMAX, they must enter a valid user name and
password.
These names and passwords are assigned by the system
manager. Any user name or password can be changed or
deleted unless it is the name of the current active
username. There are two 'system user' passwords which
cannot be deleted. This guarantees there is always an
available user name.
The system manager can also assign access rights to
individual users by indicating <Y>es or <N>o next to the
area in question. For example, a new front desk operator
may have access to the areas 'Reservations' and 'Front
Desk', however, this user does not need access to
'Reports', 'Accounting' or 'Files'. This would mean the
user can only check-in or check-out guests. The user
would not be able to access accounting information on
current or past monthly account summaries or access site
set-up files.
This is a very flexible utility and how you choose to
implement it will depend upon the needs of your
particular site.
10.4.2 Sy430 - Update General Ledger
View the general ledger and current amounts for each
account. This version of MotelMAX does not permit
changes to the general ledger. Other versions permit the
adding of new accounts for income or current assets.
10.4.3 Sy610 - System Sequence Numbers
MotelMAX automatically assigns id numbers to guests and
folios as you add them. There is no need for users to
update or change sequence numbers. However, access to
these numbers is permitted in order to provide users
complete access and control of MotelMAX.
In some cases, you might choose to institute some
controls which help you to analyze business activity. An
example might be when you start a new year, you might
want to move the sequence number for the next folio to
7001 so you know the first folio for the new year will be
7001 and at any time during the account year you can take
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a quick check of the folio number and determine how many
folios have been opened for the current year.
These numbers are automatically controlled by MotelMAX.
There is no need for you to ever change them. MotelMAX
will take care that duplicate numbers are not assigned to
current 'active' folios, guests, shifts or account month
numbers.
10.4.4 Sy620 - Update Cancellation Notice
The cancellation notice is attached to the reservation
confirmation form printout. You can have the
cancellation notice read anyway you wish. A typical
cancellation notice will advise guests of the penalty for
canceling a room reservation, typically, the forfeiting
of a portion of the advance deposit and a processing fee
for the deposit refund.
If the cancellation notice is left blank, it will not be
printed on the reservation confirmation form, of course,
since there is nothing to print, but neither will the
heading 'Cancellation Notice' appear.
10.5 Sy135 - MotelMAX Set-up Menu
This menu contains all the options you need to set-up MotelMAX
for use at your site. Work your way through these menu
options to customize MotelMAX for your particular needs.
10.5.1 Sy100 - MotelMAX Site Set-up
Enter basic address and telephone information for your
site. MotelMAX will use this information when printing
folios and reports. Additional items of information
needed to complete this screen are as follows:
10.5.1.1 Valid Date...:
This date is entered automatically by MotelMAX. It
sets the limit for which reservations can be taken.
You cannot book reservations beyond this date. To
increase this date, you must update the general and
specific room availability tables.
10.5.1.2 Room Types...:
Enter the number of room types you have for your
site. The maximum number is five. A typical setup
might include 3 room types: 'Standard', 'Deluxe'
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and 'Suite'. You will have to describe these room
types on another screen.
10.5.1.3 Sales Tax....:
Enter the local sales tax rate for your area as a
percentage.
10.5.1.4 Tax Level....:
Some states have a tax surcharge for room rates
above a certain amount. For example, room nights
billed above $100.00 in some areas are subject to a
5% surcharge (on the entire room charge amount).
Enter the amount for which the surcharge would be
applied for your area. In our example, that would
$100.00. Enter zero if no surcharge applies for
your area.
10.5.1.5 Occupancy Tax.:
Enter the percentage surcharge for room nights
billed above the tax level entered on the previous
line. In the example above, you would enter 5%
here.
10.5.1.6 Extra Guests..:
Enter your standard extra guest charge. In some
cases, room nights are billed for a maximum of two
guests. Additional guests are charged the amount
you enter here per night.
10.5.1.7 Track Rsv Code:
Enter <Y>es if you want to track reservation and
business codes. When operators book a reservation,
these prompt will appear asking for this
information. Enter <N>o if you choose not to
record this information. In this case, the screen
prompts will not appear when you are booking a
reservation.
10.5.1.8 Hotel Code....:
Enter a one-letter Hotel Code (A-Z). This code is
useful if you are using MotelMAX at different
sites. At some point, you may want to pool all
transactions from both sites into one file. This
hotel code will help you to determine the origin of
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all transactions. You must enter a letter code
here.
10.5.1.9 Printer Type..:
Select the printer type that you are using. Enter
spaces if you do not know and press the <Enter>
key. A picklist will appear with different printer
to select. If your printer type is not on this
list, you can add it to the list on the next menu
option 'Printer Set-up'. The printer selection is
important because it will send printer codes that
control the format of reports. If your printed
results are not correct, call technical support for
information. We probably have the correct codes
for your printer, or we can find them.
10.5.1.10 Printer Port...:
Enter the printer port you are using. This is
probably port 1. If you do not know which printer
port you are using, enter number 1.
10.5.2 Sy120 - Printer Set-up
MotelMAX comes with a list of printers from which you can
choose to match the printer that you have. We include
Epson and HP LaserJet, two of the most popular printers.
If you have another kind of printer, you need to add it
to the list. Adding a printer to the printer browse
table is done as always by pressing the <Insert> key.
Printer set-up requires that you enter the following
information for your printer:
10.5.2.1 Printer ID....:
Enter a unique identification code to distinguish
this printer from other printers on the list.
10.5.2.2 Description...:
Enter a free text description of your printer type.
The next three entries are printer codes or ESCape
sequences that you can find in your printer manual. If
you do not have these codes, please call our technical
support number and we can probably find them for you.
Have your printer name and model number available. Here
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is some quasi technical stuff about printer codes.
For MotelMAX to make your printer print in condensed
type, it must send a special code to the printer,
sometimes called an Escape Sequence. These printer codes
can consist of printable and non-printable characters.
Printable characters like a-z and 0-9 can be typed in
directly as printer codes. Non-printable characters like
ESCape (which produces an arrow pointing left) cannot be
entered directly. We have to enter the ASCII code for
ESCape, which is 27, as a three-digit number preceded by
a "\". The result is \027. Refer to the sample printer
set-ups to see how this works. For example, the reset
command for HP printers is ESCape 'E'. Since ESCape is
a non-printable character, we enter this reset command as
\027E - substituting the ASCII code '27' for ESCape.
10.5.2.3 Reset.........:
Enter the code or 'ESCape Sequence' that resets
your printer to normal print settings. For Epson
printers, this code is ESCape and '@'. Since
ESCape is a non-printable character, enter this
printer code as \027@.
10.5.2.4 Condensed.....:
Enter the code or 'ESCape Sequence' that places
your printer in condensed print. This print style
is used often to permit MotelMAX to print more
columns of information on reports.
10.5.2.5 Landscape.....:
This code is optional since MotelMAX does not
currently print reports in landscape mode.
The next entries are for page formatting. You can
designate the top left corner of the page to begin, page
length and page width depending upon the print format,
normal or condensed. You should find the default
settings acceptable. However, as always you can modify
program output needed.
If you want to experiment with these options, do not use
the original printer set-up, make a new one, for example,
EPSN2. Make EPSN2 your selection on the 'Site Set-up'
screen. Change the EPSN2 set-up as many times as you
want to experiment with different page formats. If you
find that you have improved your set-up, leave EPSN2 as
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your printer on the 'Site Set-up' screen. Otherwise,
return to 'Site Set-up' and re-select EPSON as your
printer. You will be back to where you started without
having to make numerous changes.
10.5.3 Sy130 - Update Rate Tables
MotelMAX will automatically assign room rates at
reservation time, check-in and whenever room charges are
added to a folio. The rates assigned are based on the
rate tables you enter here. The assigning of room rates
is a powerful and very flexible tool provided with
MotelMAX. You can easily use this tool or if you choose
you can bypass this option and assign your own rates at
the time of reservation.
Rate tables are presented in a browse table. Press
<Insert> to add a new table, <Enter> to edit a table,
<Delete> to delete a rate table. Be careful not to
delete tables unless the 'Thru Date' has expired. A
better method is to use the <F6> key to archive rate
tables. Only the expired rate tables are deleted. The
<F5> hotkey will create a new rate table from an old rate
table. The new table will carry forward rates from the
old table. Use this option when you only want to make
some minor changes in a rate table.
The best way to understand rate tables is to create some
tables, book some reservations and press the <F3> key to
get an itemized listing of the individual room charges
assigned by MotelMAX. You will find there are perhaps
more pricing mechanisms than you need. These can be
easily worked around or put to good use.
152.SHW
There are specific terms that need to be defined to
understand how to use the rate tables. Let's begin
by defining some terms, then presenting three
scenarios for designing rate tables going from the
easiest to the more complex. Select the scenario
that most resembles your site and your concerns.
First, a definition of terms:
Thru Date......: The rate table is valid from the
thru date of the previous table through the date
you enter here. Lets create a sample table called
- JUNE93. If the previous rate table has a 'Thru
Date' of 01/01/93 and the JUNE93 table has a 'Thru
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Date' of 06/30/93', then all room nights posted
between 01/02/93 and 06/30/93 will be priced
according to the JUNE93 rate table.
Season.........: Enter a name for the rate table
for easy identification.
The next terms pertain to rate types. The rate
types are determined by how long the guest stays
and on which days of the week.
Daily..........: Daily Rate applies to room nights
which occur on Sunday through Thursday. If a guest
stays Monday and Tuesday night, the room is rated
at the Daily Rate. Of course the daily rate can
differ depending upon the room type. The daily
rate for a standard room will be different than the
daily rate for a suite. This will be true for each
of the five rate types we are about to describe.
Weekend........: Weekend Rate - applies to room
nights on Friday and Saturday. If a guest stays
Thursday and Friday night, the is rated at the
daily rate for Thursday and at the weekend rate for
Friday.
Weekly.........: If the guest stays 7 days or more,
each day of the 7 day stay is billed at 1/7 of the
amount you enter here. MotelMAX will assign whole
number rates and avoid fractions.
Mid-Week Pack..: This is an optional package
designed for guest that arrive on Sunday and stay
through Thursday. You may choose to assign them a
special rate called the Midweek package. This is
designed for resort sites that offer special
packages for mid-week stays. Enter the total
amount of the five day stay. Each night is billed
at 1/5 of the total amount. MotelMAX will break
the individual rates down to whole numbers.
Weekend Package: This package is designed for stays
that comprise both Friday and Saturday night.
Enter the total amount of the two-night stay. This
is a device you can use to offer weekend packages
at a rate either more or less than the normal rate.
Now let's describe 3 scenarios or cases and illustrate
how to setup the rates tables for your individual site.
We will start with the easiest and work to a more
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complex.
10.5.3.2 Case I - Fixed Rates
CASE I: Fixed Rates, we do not use special
packages.
Description..: You have two room types, Standard
and Deluxe. Standard Rooms are billed at $50.00
per night and Deluxe rooms are billed at $75.00 per
night. You offer no packages. You do not offer
weekly rates.
Setup........: Create one, just one, rate table
with a 'Thru Date' of 12/31/95 because the date is
not a factor. This rate table will be valid
through that date. Enter "Standard" for the rate
table 'Season' or description. The rate type is
really not a factor either. It does not matter if
the guest stays on a weekday or weekend and there
are only two room types. You could construct one
table as follows:
Type1 Type2
=====================================
Daily.......: 50.00 75.00
Weekend.....: 50.00 75.00
Weekly......: 350.00 525.00
MidWeek.....: 250.00 375.00
Weekend Pck.: 100.00 150.00
Whether the guest stays on a weekday (daily rate)
or weekend (weekend rate), the rate is still $50
for room type 1. If the guest stays 7 days (weekly
rate), the rate is seven time the normal rate,
$350. If the guest stays Sunday through Thursday
(Midweek Package), the rate is five times the
normal rate, $250. And finally, if the guest stays
Friday and Saturday night (weekend package), the
charge is twice the normal rate, $100.
Although MotelMAX offers various elaborate rate
packages, we bypassed these packages by
substituting the normal rate times the number of
days in the package: weekly - 7, mid-week - 5,
weekend - 2. The package options are there should
you choose to use them; otherwise, just fill in the
normal rate for the number of days in the package.
You must put in an amount for the packages. You
can construct this table in minutes and you are
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finished.
10.5.3.3 Case II - Changing Rates Temporarily
Your rate table is setup just like the rate table
in CASE I. The rate table will expire December 31,
1995. Effective January 1, 1996, you would like to
increase all room rates by $5.00.
Press the <Insert> key to add a new rate table.
Enter a 'Thru Date' of 12/31/96. Name the new rate
table 'Stand96' and edit the rate table to appear
as follows:
Type1 Type2
=====================================
Daily.......: 55.00 80.00
Weekend.....: 55.00 80.00
Weekly......: 385.00 560.00
MidWeek.....: 275.00 400.00
Weekend Pck.: 110.00 160.00
All room nights billed after 12/31/95 and before
01/01/97 will be billed according to the new rate
table. You might experiment by adding a test
reservation that begins near the end of 1995 and
extends into 1996. Press the <F3> function key to
view the individual room charges assigned by
MotelMAX. You will see how both rate tables were
used.
10.5.3.4 CASE III - Change Rates Temporarily
In this example, we will change rates during one
week, then revert back to the previous rate
schedule. This examples is useful for changing
rates during a set period of time, for example, a
holiday, then resetting rates back to the normal
schedule.
We will build on the setup created in the first two
cases. We have a standard rate table for 1995 and
another rate table for 1996. However, during the
first week of September 1995, we want to increase
our rates by $10.00, but after the first week of
September 1995 we want to resume our Standard 1995
room rates. The rate increase will last just one
week.
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We need to create two new tables. The first table
will stop the Standard 95 rates on 08/31/95 and
initiate the new rates, the second table will reset
the rates back to the Standard 1995 rates.
Create the first table by placing the highlighted
cursor on the Standard 1995 rate table entry.
Press the <F5> key to create a new table from this
table. Change the 'Thru Date' to 08/31/95. This
means the rate table is valid through August 8,
1995. Change the season to Stnd95a. Press
<PageDown> to save the rate table.
The second table we make will handle all room rates
for the first week of September 1995. Place the
highlighted cursor on the Stnd95a table we just
created. Press <F5> again to create a new table
from an old table (saves plenty of keystrokes).
Change the 'Thru Date' to 09/07/95. This makes the
table valid from the date following the previous
table 09/01/95 through 09/07/95. Change the season
to Special 1995 - abbreviated as Spec95. Now
update all the rates by $10. The table should
appear as follows:
Type1 Type2
=====================================
Daily.......: 60.00 85.00
Weekend.....: 60.00 85.00
Weekly......: 420.00 595.00
MidWeek.....: 300.00 425.00
Weekend Pck.: 120.00 170.00
Using the technique described in Case III, you can
set temporary special rates for any time and length
of time. By setting up the rate tables, MotelMAX
will automatically rate the room nights for you as
reservations are booked. If you care to offer
special rates based on packages or special dates,
this is easily accomplished with MotelMAX.
10.5.4 Sy146 - Update General Availability
This option is used to access the general room
availability table. This table records room use by room
type and the percentage of occupancy. If you want to
have these number reflected accurately, you must enter
the correct number of rooms per room type for your site.
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Use the <Enter> key to change a portion of the table.
MotelMAX will ask for date range for which these totals
will apply. Enter a start date and an end date, then
enter the number of rooms per room type for this date
range. For example, if 10 rooms or room type 1 are being
taken out of use for 3 weeks for repairs, you can modify
your rate table to reflect this change so that you have
an accurate percentage of use. Enter the start and
ending date of the three week period, then decrease the
number of room type 1 by 10 and increase the number of
room type 0 by 10. Room type 0 is for rooms not in use
and these rooms are not considered when MotelMAX
calculates percentage of use. When you exit the edit
window with your changes, MotelMAX will update the
general availability table with the number of room types
and the percentage of occupancy.
Use the <Insert> key if you want to add new dates to the
end of the table. MotelMAX will do this for you
automatically after you close a month, however, under
certain conditions you may want to do this on your own.
Use the <Delete> key to remove old dates from the general
availability table. However, before you do this you may
want to print an general room availability report. There
is no need to keep the old data in the general
availability file. MotelMAX will not let you delete a
date unless it is at least one month old.
10.5.5 Sy160 - Update Room Types
Describe the different room types for your site. Room
Type 0 is reserved for 'House Account' - these are rooms
that are not in service. All rooms described as room
type 0 will not be included in the calculation of
percentage of occupancy.
The descriptions you enter here will appear throughout
the program on screens, reports and the reservation
confirmation form. These are general descriptions such
as 'Standard', 'Deluxe', and 'Suite'.
Complete the screen by entering the total number of room
types not including type 0 - 'House Account'.
10.5.6 Sy170 - Update Room Set-up
This option is used to set-up the individual rooms for
your site. MotelMAX comes preset with fifty rooms so you
can get started right away. However, you will want to
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begin adding your own rooms as you go along.
A browse table of all rooms is presented on the screen.
It works like all browse tables. Highlight the room you
want to change and press <Enter>. Or press <Delete> to
delete the currently highlighted room. If you want to
add a new room, press <Insert>. These are the standard
commands that apply to all browse tables.
When you add a room you must include the following
information:
Room No....: Enter the room number. You can use an
alpha/numeric combination of up to four characters.
Room Type..: Enter the room type number. The number has
to be in the range that you entered on the room type set-
up screen. If you define just four room types, you
cannot enter room type 5.
Owner ID...: If the room is 'owned' by an investor or
entity, enter the owner id here. An owner id is assigned
by MotelMAX when you enter the investor or entity in the
guest file. This is really the guest number assigned by
MotelMAX. A separate report calculates business activity
on a room by room basis. This report can be used to
determine returns to investors based on billing activity.
This option is not available in the shareware version.
Description: Enter a free text description of the room.
This description can be printed as part of a room list to
help new users learn the types of room available.
Eventually, you will want to enter your unique room set-
ups and delete the preset room set-ups that come with
MotelMAX. It is up to the user to confirm that all rooms
are entered correctly. MotelMAX does not check that the
Specific Room Set-ups match the General Room Availability
table.
Normally, MotelMAX updates all availability files at the
close of each month. However, you may want to refresh
the specific room availability file at some time. Press
the <F5> function key as displayed on this screen. This
will refresh the specific room availability set-up file.
10.5.7 Sy223 - Pack Guest File
This option is the second phase of deleting guests from
the guest file. When you access the browse table of
guests and press the delete key, MotelMAX will not delete
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the guest right away. Instead, the guest is marked for
deletion.
When you select this option MotelMAX will check the all
guests marked for deletion do not have a current open
folio, direct bill folio or pending reservation. If that
is the case, the guest can be deleted and removed from
the guest file. Otherwise, the guest record in
untouched.
You will want go through the guest file periodically and
delete those guests that have been inactive for a period
of time. When you access the guest browse table, press
the <F1> function key and place the guest in order by
departure date. The guests which have been inactive for
the longest time will be at the top of the browse table.
You may want to begin there in deciding which guests to
tag for deletion. You cannot delete a guest that has an
active open folio or reservation. When you select 'Pack
Guest File', MotelMAX will check if the guest has an
active folio and if not remove the record from the active
guest file and move the guest to the guest archive file.
10.5.8 Sy220 - Disk Usage
Print a report of files used by MotelMAX, the file size,
and percentage of disk space used by each file. This
report is useful in gauging how much disk space is
available.
MotelMAX saves all data. As you process folios, the
amount of disk space used by the program will increase.
This report will tell you exactly how much space is used
and how much space is left. If you begin running out of
disk space, you will want to remove the archive data
files. These are files beginning with "A_" and ending
with ".DBF". You can copy these file to floppy diskettes
using the DOS copy command or using the DOS backup
command. When you have copies of these files on floppy
diskette, you can delete the archive files from the hard
drive.
When you close a shift, MotelMAX checks whether there is
enough disk space to complete the close. If not, an
error message is displayed. Should this happen, run the
Disk Usage report. Backup the archive files to floppy
diskettes, then delete the archives from the hard. The
largest files are at the top of the list.
Do not delete any .ntx files. Also, do not delete any
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data file unless the file name begins with the prefix
"A_".
10.5.9 Sy224 - System Information
This option produces a report that describes your
computer hardware. If for some reason you need to
contact technical support for MotelMAX, you may want to
print out this report prior to making the call. This
report will have important information that technical
support can use to help resolve any problems that might
occur.
10.5.10 Sy225 - Set System Colors
You can reset colors for all browse tables, menus, and
edit windows. Follow the familiar screen prompts to
select the object for which you want to change the
colors. You can only access this option if you have a
color monitor.
Use the arrow keys, <PageUp> and <PageDown> to move
through the different available color selections. There
are thousands of possibilities. When you find a
selection that you like, press <Enter> to access the
Control Menu and then Save your selection by selecting
the option to 'Exit / Save'.
The best way to learn this utility is to experiment.
Select 'Browse Tables' from the first color menu. Next
select 'Room Rates' on the browse table selection menu.
It is the second item on the menu. You are presented a
display of the current color scheme for the Room Rates
Browse Table.
Now press <Enter> to access the Color Control Menu.
Highlight the portion of the browse table that you wish
to change, for example, title, box, selected text, etc
and press <Enter>. Now press the arrows keys to loop
through various different colors. Each color has a
unique number and as you select a new number, you will
notice how the display image changes.
If you end with a different and better color scheme,
select 'Exit / Save' from the Control Menu, otherwise
select 'Exit / NoSave'.
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10.5.11 Sy226 - Manual
This option lets you access the user manual online from
within the program. You can scroll through the manual or
you can use some key combinations to quickly locate
keywords or help index codes.
Press <Alt-S> and enter a keyword or a help index code
and press <Enter>. MotelMAX will move to the first
instance of this word in the user manual. Press <Alt-A>
and find the same word again. This is a very quick way
to find the part of the manual you need for specific
help.
You must have sufficient computer memory to access this
option. You can print the user manual by entering the
DOS command at the DOS prompt: PRINT MotelMAX.doc
<Enter>.
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11 Glossary
========
This section provides a definition of terms as used in the
MotelMAX User Manual. If you feel these definitions are
inadequate or there are additional terms that need to be
clarified, please advise us. We will include your
recommendations in future updates.
Account Code:
When browsing the general ledger, you will notice that
each account, for example, American Express, Room
Charges, Sales Taxes, etc is assigned a unique five digit
account code. These codes are automatically assigned by
MotelMAX and cannot be deleted.
Account Month:
You have the option to close an account month at anytime.
When you close a month all shifts since the last account
month are summed and compiled into a single month
summary. The term 'account month' is used only because
most users will close on a true monthly basis, for
example, at the end of a calendar month. However,
MotelMAX does not force you to do this. An 'account
month' can be two weeks, or three calendar months. This
is left totally to the users' discretion. However, we
recommend that you close the month, at least, on a
calendar month basis. When you close a month, MotelMAX
does a mini system tune-up and this will optimize program
performance.
Account Year:
You will notice on the general ledger that MotelMAX keeps
a year-to-date total for each account category. At some
point you will want to close out the year and reset these
total back to zero. MotelMAX keeps ytd totals for the
current year and for the last year. When you close the
year, this year's totals are moved over one column and
become last year's totals.
City Ledger:
An accounts receivable account, City Ledger, is the sum
of all posted, unpaid charges for guests currently
checked-in.
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Direct Bill:
An accounts receivable account, Direct Bill, is the sum
of all posted, unpaid charges for guests who have
checked-out. Typically, a business account where a guest
will, by prior agreement, check-out and the folio will be
forwarded to their business for payment is an example.
The unpaid balance of all such folios will be placed in
the direct bill account.
General Room Availability:
Room inventory tracked by room type. When accessing the
reservation browse table, you can press the <F9> function
key and display room availability by room type.
Hotkeys:
Hotkeys are single keys which when pressed, branch to
another action. For example, in most browse tables, you
can press the hotkey <Insert> and branch to an edit
window to add a new record, whether a reservation, user
name, rate table, etc. Normally, available hotkeys are
displayed at the bottom of the screen.
House Account:
Applies to a specific room type - always room type "0".
Rooms are classified as house accounts when you choose to
take them out of use. You might classify a room as such
if the room is being repaired or if the room is used as
a meeting room. The point is this room should not be
used by MotelMAX when it calculates the percentage of
occupancy. This is one way to ensure accurate occupancy
records.
Journal Entries:
These are account adjustments or one-sided transactions.
Such transactions are needed when an operator, for
example, receives a $100 payment and places it in the
Visa account when it should have been placed in the
MasterCard account. This option lets you back the money
out of the Visa Account and place it in the MasterCard
Account to ensure correct account totals. MotelMAX as
usual handles all error checking. Such errors should be
apparent when the operator runs the Payments report on
the Front Desk Menu prior to closing a shift.
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Miscellaneous Income:
Users have the option of creating a Miscellaneous Income
Folio to post charges and accept payments from vending
machines, parking fees and other services not directly
related to guest folios. Charges are placed in a
separate ledger account called Miscellaneous Income.
MotelMAX will not permit you to place room charges,
adjustments or other such charges in a Miscellaneous
Income Folio.
Room Type:
You can assign up to five different room types. Each
room type can have a unique room rate. This provides one
way of structuring your room charges. MotelMAX keeps a
record of what rooms are booked and the percentage of
occupancy. The program calculates occupancy based on the
number of rooms booked against the total number of
bookable rooms. If a room is not bookable, for example,
it is under repair or it is used as office, etc assign to
it the room type '0'. Essentially, this takes the room
out of inventory.
Transaction Date:
Room charges are created automatically by MotelMAX and
are dated on the day for which they apply. This is
necessary to control the room availability files. All
other transactions are dated on the day they are created.
You cannot edit or change a transaction date.
Transaction Number:
Each time you post a transaction, MotelMAX assigns a
unique transaction number. Transactions are numbered
sequentially throughout an account month and the first
transaction of an account month is always transaction
number one. When you close an account month, MotelMAX
resets the transaction number to one.
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APPENDIX A - New Users
We realize that many users of MotelMAX are fairly new to
working with computers. This sections is designed to provide some
basic information you should have to effectively use this program.
When using MotelMAX, there are some simple constants that
apply throughout the program. Pressing <Enter> moves you forward
one step in program. Pressing the <ESC> key takes you one step
back to where you were. The <ESC> key is like a cancel key.
Pressing <ESC> several times will always take you back to the
Main Menu and the option to exit. Look to the bottom of the screen
for a display of available commands, options, "hotkeys" and for
context sensitive help.
When MotelMAX needs to get information from you, it will
display a popup box or window, hereafter, referred to as an edit
window. When you enter information in an edit window, always exit
the window by pressing <Enter> or <PageDown>. This will guarantee
the information you have just entered is properly saved.
If you exit an edit window by pressing <ESC>, your entries
will not be saved. As an example, select the option 'GuestFile' on
the Main Menu. Highlight any guest on the guest browse table and
press <Enter>. An Edit Window appears with the guest information.
For 'Account Name..', enter "xxxxxxxxxxx" then press the <ESC> key
to exit and return to the guest browse table. Now press <Enter> to
select the same guest again. Notice that the original information
appears and not the characters you entered in the 'Account Name..'
field. This is true for all Edit Windows.
Exit the MotelMAX program by pressing the <ESC> key enough
times to take you back to the Main Menu. There you can press <ESC>
again or you can select the option to "Quit". This is the correct
way to exit the program. All your data will be saved.
If possible, do not turn off your computer or re-boot the
computer while you are in the MotelMAX program. This 'may' cause
loss of data and other problems. If this should happen or, for
example, there is a power failure while you are using the program,
next time you run MotelMAX, start the program with the command:
MotelMAX NEW <Enter>
This start command will check all the data files to be sure
they are in good condition, however, it will not recover any lost
data. Next, move to the Utility Menu and select the option to
'Optimize'. This is a double check of all files.
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Your best guard against lost data is to back up your data
often. You may want to refer to a DOS Manual and lookup the
commands BACKUP and RESTORE. It is a good idea to back-up all data
files, at least, once a week. In the event that your data is lost
or damaged, you can restore the data in your backup files.
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APPENDIX B - Tutorial
This tutorial will take you through starting the program and
checking-in two guests. Along the way we will point out certain
features of MotelMAX that you may want to explore later on. The
information we want you to enter is typed in upper case just for
emphasis. You may use whatever case you prefer. We assume you are
in the directory where MotelMAX is loaded and we are at the DOS
prompt. Let's begin by starting the program:
1 Start the Program:
The start command is: MOTELMAX <Enter>
Start command for monochrome monitors is: MOTELMAX M <Enter>
When you first sign-on, MotelMAX will check that you have all
the files you need. If you do not, it will create them. Next
you will be asked for your username and password:
Username : MOTELMAX <Enter>
Password : MOTELMAX <Enter>
MotelMAX now opens a new shift and displays a status box with
information about the current shift and prompts you to enter
the Starting Cash. Typically, an operator will open a shift
with a certain amount of cash in the cash drawer. At the end
of the shift, they must present a shift report totalling all
transactions and return the payment receipts and the ending
cash total. Let's start the shift with a cash amount of $300.
Starting Cash: 300.00 <Enter>
Verify that the starting cash amount is correct. By pressing
"Y" or <Enter>. This <Yes/No> dialogue box will appear
frequently in the program asking you to verify or confirm that
your entries are correct.
A new shift is opened and we now move to the Main Menu.
2 Main Menu - Check-In's
Select the option 'Check-In's' from the Main Menu. You can do
this by pressing the letter "C" or because the option check-in
is highlighted, just press <Enter> to select that option.
The Check-in Browse Table is now displayed. You will notice
that in the upper left corner of the screen there is a help
index code "Rs101". Search this code in the User Manual for
more details about this screen.
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Because the Browse Table is empty, an Edit Window appears
prompting you for information about the check-in. Enter this
information:
Let's assume this first check-in is for three nights:
Nights...........: 3 <Enter>
Now enter the Room Type. Well, we are new to this program and
do not know what the room type is, so, look to the bottom of
the screen. There is context sensitive help, enter "9" for a
menu of room types. Type 9 <Enter> and view a pop up box of
room types. Cursor down to "1 - Standard" and press <Enter>.
This room type will be automatically inserted into the edit
window for you.
Room Type........: 1
Later you will enter you own room types and will probably know
the one you want. In this case you could just type in the
number "1" and bypass the room type menu display. This is
typical of MotelMAX. If you know the answer, enter your data
and move quickly through the program. If you are a new user,
there is help information to move you along. One other point,
MotelMAX will not let you enter a room type that does not
exist.
Enter the room number you want to book. If you know the room
number, just enter it here. If the room is not available or
if you enter a room number that does not exist or if you just
leave this field blank and press <Enter>. (Press <Enter>
now.) MotelMAX asks if you want to book a specific room,
answer: "Y" or press <Enter> and MotelMAX will display a
calendar of specific room availability.
This calendar will make more sense as you begin to book rooms
because each time you book a room MotelMAX will place markers
on the calendar. For now, notice the highlighted cursor is on
room number 201. This is because you selected room type 1 and
this is the first room of that type. You could scroll up or
down using the arrow keys and select any room of any room
type. But let's move along.
Press <Enter> to select room 201 as your choice. MotelMAX
will automatically insert this room number in the correct
field. If this room were already booked, MotelMAX would
advise you accordingly.
Room Number......: 201
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The cursor is now on the field for rate. Let's select "N" to
use the normal rate mechanism. We will let MotelMAX calculate
the room rate for us using the rate table preset at the
installation of MotelMAX. Later, you can enter your own rate
tables.
Rate (N/G/D).....: N <Enter>
Now MotelMAX prompts you for guest information. The Guest
Browse Table is displayed. Look to the bottom of the screen
as always for help. If this were a repeat guest, their guest
information would be on file, and you could just select them
for this new check-in. However, this is a new guest and we
have to add them. Very simple:
Press <Insert>
An Edit Window appears prompting you for guest information.
There are 15 fields of information that you might enter. But
we will only complete the first three:
Account.........: ABC COMPANY <Enter>
First Name......: JACK <Enter>
Last Name.......: MARTIN <PageDown>
After entering the last name, press the PageDown key instead
of enter. This way we can bypass the remaining fields which
we do not care about right now and quickly add this new guest
to our guest browse table.
Now the new guest is in the Guest Browse Table and the
highlighted cursor is placed over the new guest. Notice that
MotelMAX automatically assigned a unique guest number to this
new guest, "000201".
Press <Enter>
Pressing <Enter> selects this guest for this reservation.
MotelMAX asks you to confirm your choice, press "Y" for 'Yes'
or move the cursor to the "Yes" prompt and press the <Enter>
key. MotelMAX now processes this new check-in and adds this
'reservation' to the Check-in Browse Table. Let's examine
this new entry starting from the left column.
St - There is a solid arrow in the status column indicating
the entry is ready for check-in today. Next is the arrival
date followed by the guest name and account name then a unique
folio number assigned by MotelMAX, "000101". We see the
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number of days the guest will stay, the room number, room type
and the total amount of projected room charges.
That was easy. Let's do another check-in. Again, look to the
bottom of the screen. <INS> Add New - means press the
<Insert> key to add a new check-in. Press <Insert> now and
the reservation / check-in Edit Window is displayed. Fill in
the prompts this way:
Nights............: 2 <Enter>
Room Type.........: 1 <Enter>
Room Number.......: <Enter>
Enter "Y" to book a specific room and return to the room
select calendar. Notice that room 201 has several markers
places over the days for which it has been booked. Press
<Enter> and try to book room 201 again. MotelMAX says it is
not available, but it permits you if you want to book it
again, that is, override the availability warning. This is an
option, but let's say "N" for No. Now cursor down to room
203. Before we select room 203 notice how the date range you
are trying to book is emphasized in a different color on line
2 of the room select calendar, the line with all the numbers
across. We want to select a room that has no room markers
below this emphasized date range. This give a visual
presentation of bookings. You will see how the calendar
begins to fill up as you book more rooms.
Now press <Enter> to select room 203.
Next we need to enter a rate type. This time we will bypass
MotelMAX's automatic rate assignment and enter our own rate
for this check-in.
Rate (N/G/D)......: G <Enter>
This is the "Group" rate type and MotelMAX will prompt you for
the fixed amount per night, enter: 65.00 <Enter>. Instead of
having MotelMAX figure out the rate, we said the charge is $65
per night - very simple.
Next we have to enter guest information. This is a new or
first time guest so we have to enter them into the Guest
Browse Table.
Press <Insert> to add a new guest.
Account.........: <Enter>
First Name......: ANN <Enter>
Last Name.......: BAKER <PageDown>
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Notice the new guest is added to the Guest Browse Table and
placed in alphabetical order with a new unique guest number,
"000202". Just like before, press <Enter> to book this guest
and confirm your choice by pressing "Y" for "Yes".
The Check-in Browse Table now includes two entries and a quick
glance at the status column indicates both are ready for
Check-in. Before we take that step, let's take moment to
examine some of the other options on the Check-in Browse
Table. As usual, look to the bottom of the screen for some
help.
Press <F1> for a menu of available options. We could access
these option from the menu, or while in the browse table we
could just press the correct function key. Whatever option
you select acts upon the currently highlighted Check-in entry.
Press <Enter> to select the option "Room Rates" on the Option
Menu. MotelMAX displays the room charges assigned by the
program to the currently highlighted Check-in. This is a good
way to learn how MotelMAX assigns room rates. Press <ESC> to
exit the list of Room Charges.
Leave the highlighted cursor on the Check-in entry for Ann
Baker and let's test a few more options. Press <F2> and view
another menu for rearranging the order in which Check-in's
appear in the Browse Table. You can order the Browse Table in
four different ways according to your needs.
Press <F7> to display / print a confirmation form for the
currently highlighted check-in.
Press <F9> to view a display of the general room availability
table. You can see how the two bookings you just made have
affected the percentage of occupancy. Notice that 2 rooms of
room type 1 have been booked and that eight more remain for
the booking dates you assigned.
Press <F10> to see how easily you can update the guest
information. Also, press <Enter> and you can modify Check-in
details for the currently highlighted Check-in.
There are other options, but let's go ahead now and check-in
these two entries. It is very easy. Place the cursor on the
first entry - Ann Baker and press <F4>. MotelMAX asks you to
confirm that you want to complete the Check-in. Answer "Y" or
press <Enter> since "Yes" is highlighted on the Yes / No
dialogue box. Ann Baker is now Checked-in. The entry of Jack
Martin is now highlighted. Press <F4> again and confirm your
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choice by pressing <Enter>. Both entries have now been
Checked-in. That is all there is to it. Press the <ESC> key
to Exit from the Check-in Browse Table and return to the Main
Menu.
<ESC> is an acceptable means of exiting browse tables because
all data have already been saved. It is not like an Edit
Window where pressing <ESC> does not save data.
We will now move to the Front Desk options and begin posting
charges and payments to these folios.
3 Front Desk
Select the second option on the Main Menu 'FrontDesk'. You
can either press the letter "F" or arrow right to the option
'FrontDesk' and press the <Enter> key.
A submenu appears. Select the first option 'Folios'. We want
to update current open folios for current guests.
The Current Folio Browse Table is now displayed and as you can
see our two guests are checked-in. A few things to notice
about each entry in the browse table. A number in the St-
(Status) Column indicates how many days before that guest is
scheduled to Check-out, followed by the scheduled departure
date. We say 'scheduled' because you extend or shorten the
stay as needed. Refer also to the column headed 'Balance'.
The amount is currently "0" because we have not yet posted any
charges or payments to these folios. We will do that now.
Place the highlighted cursor over the entry for Ann Baker and
press <Enter> to access the 'Front Desk Menu'. Refer to other
parts of this manual for a complete explanation of the options
available on this menu. We are concerned now only with the
option 'Transactions'. That option is now highlighted, so
press <Enter>. What we see now is an itemized listing of the
folio for Ann Baker. The Balance Due is "0", but we are about
to changes that. The cursor is on the first room charge.
Notice the solid arrow in the St - Status Column. As always
this suggests this item is ready for action.
Press <Enter> for the 'Transactions Menu'. Select the option
'Fpost' by pressing <Enter> again to Post the currently
highlighted transaction. MotelMAX asks you to confirm your
choice, press <Enter> since "Yes" is already highlighted. The
first item is now posted. Notice the check mark in the status
column. Pan right using the <RightArrow> key and notice the
column labeled "Pstd" has been changed to "Yes" and further
right notice that MotelMAX has recorded the "PostTime".
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Try posting the second charge. BEEP - MotelMAX will not let
you post a charge in advance. This charge will be ready for
posting in one day, that is, if the number "1" is in the
Status Column. You can only post charges if there is a solid
arrow in the Status Column.
Now, let's add a phone charge. Follow these instructions
carefully. This is the fastest and easiest way to add
charges. Press <Enter> to access the 'Transactions Menu'.
Press "C" to select the option "Charges". Press "P" to add
a new phone charge. Fill in the box where the amount is 14.00
and enter the phrase "long distance" for a description. Press
<Enter> after each entry. The phone charge is now added to
the Transactions Browse Table and it is ready for posting,
however, let's assume the amount should have been $16.00. We
need to "Edit" this charge. Be sure the cursor is on the new
phone charge. Press <Enter> to access the 'Transactions
Menu'. Press "E" to select the option "Edit". Our edit
window re-appears. Change the amount from 14 to 16 and press
<PageDown> or press <Enter> twice. The phone charge has now
been updated. Post it now by pressing <Enter> three times -
all done.
Let's view the effect of our actions. Press <ESC> to exit the
Transactions Browse Table and return to the Current Folio
Browse Table. Notice that the entry for Ann Baker now has a
Balance Amount. We can look at that folio in great detail.
Try these options while the cursor is still on the entry for
Ann Baker:
Press <F4> to view a breakdown of folio details. Press <ESC>
to exit from the Folio Status Screen. Now press <F5> to
preview the Folio/Invoice as it now stands. Notice that only
posted charges appear on the folio. Press <ESC> to return to
the browse table. You can use <F6> to print a copy of the
current folio summary. Press <F10> if you have to update the
guest information. This should be familiar from the Check-in
Browse Table; also, press <F2> if you want to change the
display order of entries on the Browse Table, again just as
you can do for Check-in's.
Now, as a test, with the cursor on the entry for Ann Baker,
press <F7> as if you wanted to Check this guest out. Notice
that MotelMAX will not let you check-out a guest if they have
any unposted charges or payments.
So to process this folio, you would post all charges and
payments until the balance due is equal to zero, then check
the guest out using the <F7> key and close the folio using the
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<F8> key.
There are many options available for transferring to another
room, or transferring charges from one folio to another.
Refer to the 'Front Desk' section of the User Manual. These
option are beyond the scope of our quick tutorial. Before we
exit and close our shift, access the folio for Jack Martin and
post some additional charges. Also, post some payments using
the same procedures. When you are done, press the <ESC> key
to return to the Main Menu.
We are now prepared to Exit from the program and to close our
shift. Before we do that, we want to organize our records.
Presumably, we received some payments and we have to balance
with our starting cash amount. To assist us, select the
option 'FrontDesk' from the Main Menu. Now select the option
'Payments' on the submenu and answer "Yes" to "View Current
Payments", that is, list all payments received during this
shift. Press <ESC> to exit from the Current Payments Report
display and answer "Yes" to print the Payments Report.
This report is designed to help you organize your records,
prior to closing your shift and it should be turned in along
with your Closing Shift Report which we will produce now.
4 Closing Your Shift
From the Main Menu, press <ESC>. MotelMAX asks you to confirm
that you wish to exit the program. Answer "Yes". MotelMAX
now asks whether you wish to Close the Current Shift. You do
not have to. You can exit and return to the same shift.
However, for our tutorial we will answer "Yes".
MotelMAX now prompts us to enter the Ending Cash Total. This
amount would be adjusted had you received any cash payments.
Enter the ending cash amount or if the amount is correct,
press <Enter>.
MotelMAX asks whether you want to automatically print the
shift report. Before you answer "Yes", check that your
printer is on and that it is online and ready to print. If it
is not, MotelMAX will not print the report. You can print it
later from the reports menu.
Press <Enter> to accept the default of "Yes". Confirm that
you want to Close this Shift by pressing <Enter> again.
MotelMAX starts processing your work. Gauges keep you
apprised of the progress. When done, MotelMAX exits and
returns to DOS.
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This completes our quick tutorial. You can now begin
exploring different features of MotelMAX. You will find that
the user interface is consistent. Once you are familiar with
Browse Tables and Edit Windows, you will find other portions
of the program exactly the same as the ones you now know.
The next concern is setting up MotelMAX to handle the specific
needs of your site. If you find you need help, contact our
technical support number.
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