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MotelMAX(tm) the Hotel/Motel Resort Manager USER MANUAL Version 2.6 - August 1996 _______ ____|__ | (R) --| | |------------------- | ____|__ | Association of | | |_| Shareware |__| o | Professionals -----| | |--------------------- |___|___| MEMBER MKM Software P.O. Box 590932 Houston, Texas 77259-0932 USA Phone: 281-488-2436 CompuServe: 72704,3566 America Online: MKMware Copyright (C) MKM Software, 1989-96 All Rights Reserved TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION 2 Disclaimer of Warranty 2 Definition of Shareware 2 Registration 2 Distribution 3 How to Register 3 MotelMAX - Version List 4 Installing MTLMAX.ZIP 4 Updating to a New Version 5 OPERATIONS 7 Opening a Shift 7 Closing a Shift 7 User Name and Password 7 Reservation Browse Table 7 Advance Deposits 9 MasterBills 9 FRONT DESK - FOLIOS 11 Front Desk Menu 11 Updating Folios 12 Transactions 12 Direct Bill Folios 12 Guest File 13 Reports 13 Re-Index 14 Close Account Month 14 Close Account Year 14 Re-build AVL Tables 15 Verify Data 15 MotelMAX SET-UP 16 Site Set-up 16 Taxes / Miscellaneous Set-up 16 Folio Set-up 16 Printer Set-up 19 Room Types 19 Room Set-up 19 Rate Tables 20 Room Type Availability 20 User Names 21 Zip Codes 21 Reservation Codes 22 Travel Agents 22 General Ledger 22 Text Substitution Keys 23 MotelMAX - User Manual v2.6 Copyright (C) MKM Software 1989-96 - All Rights Reserved Page 1 INTRODUCTION MotelMAX is a complete Hotel, Motel, Bed & Breakfast and Resort Manager, providing modules for reservations, advance deposits, point of sale, accounting, room inventory and many reports. This program is remarkably easy to use. It will help organize your work site like never before. It introduces uniformity in the way room rates are applied, guests are checked-in and checked out and it saves everything. You can always go back and reconstruct a period of activity to verify account totals or track business activity. In addition, powerful wordprocessing and mailing features let you create any kind of letter, confirmation or marketing, to facilitate communication with your customer base. The registered version of MotelMAX comes with a 110 page illustrated user guide. This file is an abbreviated version of the user guide. Please refer to the online help screens for the latest program information. Also, whenever the program requires input from the user, there is always context sensitive help at the bottom of the screen. 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." 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. 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 MotelMAX - User Manual v2.6 Copyright (C) MKM Software 1989-96 - All Rights Reserved Page 2 $135.00 to MKM Software. The $135.00 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. Distribution Anyone distributing the Standard Version of MotelMAX for any kind of remuneration must first contact MKM Software for authorization. This authorization is 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 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 receive a personalized copy of the latest version of the program without any shareware notices, a printed, illustrated 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. How to Register You can register or 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 MotelMAX - User Manual v2.6 Copyright (C) MKM Software 1989-96 - All Rights Reserved Page 3 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, LA 70003-USA Phone: 713-488-2436 or 504-885-7470 CompuServe: 72704,3566 America Online: MKMware You can register by credit card using either American Express, Discover, Mastercard or Visa. Contact: Public (software) Library Toll free USA only - 800-242-4775 Fax: 713-524-6398 Voice International: 713-524-6394 CompuServe: 71355,470 Public (software) Library can manage orders only. They cannot provide product support. Be sure to provide your site name (max 35 characters) with your order so that your copy of MotelMAX can be stamped with your property name. MotelMAX - Version List MotelMAX comes in several versions depending on 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 more rooms. Each version includes the modules for reservations and advance deposits. All amounts are in US currency. Include an additional charge for shipping and handling. MotelMAX Version List 50 rooms................. $135 100 rooms................ $175 101+ rooms............... $250 Shipping US and Canada... $4 Shipping International... $11 Installing MTLMAX.ZIP The entire MotelMAX program and documentation are zipped up into a single file called MTLMAX.ZIP. To install the program, you will have to unzip this file, using the popular file compression program PkZip v2.04g. You will need the MotelMAX - User Manual v2.6 Copyright (C) MKM Software 1989-96 - All Rights Reserved Page 4 file PKUNZIP.EXE from the PkZip program. This program is available from most bulletin boards and online services. For this sample installation, we will install MotelMAX in a directory called \MOTEL. You can choose any directory name that you prefer. The entire MotelMAX program and all files are stored in a single directory. There are no subdirectories and as stated above the directory name does not matter. Place the installation diskette in drive A: and at the C: prompt, enter these DOS commands. We assume PKUNZIP.EXE is in your DOS path. C:\=>MD \MOTEL <Ent> C:\=>CD \MOTEL <Ent> C:\MOTEL=>PKUNZIP A:MTLMAX <Ent> C:\MOTEL=>MOTELMAX <Ent> Updating to a New Version Let's assume you have been using a prior version of MotelMAX. It is installed in a directory called \MOTEL. Now you are upgrading to the latest version of the program. You have accumulated months of data in the prior version of the program and you would like to continue to use that data in the new version. Follow these installation and upgrade instructions. Install the new version of MotelMAX in a separate directory called \TEST according to the instructions in the previous section. 1. Check that you do not have an open shift in your prior version of MotelMAX. Start the prior version in the \MOTEL directory. If you are prompted for a Username, this means there is no open shift, so press <Esc> to exit. If you see that a shift is open, continue with the sign-on. From the Main Menu, exit the program and close the current shift. Now you are ready to install the new version. 2. Copy the entire \MOTEL directory to another directory called \WORK. Now you have a backup copy of MotelMAX in the \WORK directory. 3. Install the new version of MotelMAX in the \TEST directory. 4. Copy these 4 files from the \TEST directory into the \WORK directory using the following commands: C:\=>COPY \TEST\MOTELMAX.EXE \WORK <Ent> MotelMAX - User Manual v2.6 Copyright (C) MKM Software 1989-96 - All Rights Reserved Page 5 C:\=>COPY \TEST\SPC.DBF \WORK <Ent> C:\=>COPY \TEST\LTR.DBF \WORK <Ent> C:\=>COPY \TEST\LTR.DBT \WORK <Ent> 5. Change to the \WORK directory and start the program with the command: MOTELMAX NEW <Ent>. 6. Once you sign-on, select from the Main Menu: UTILITIES; MANAGER; VERIFY DATA. This option reformats data from prior versions to work with the latest version of MotelMAX. When you are sure everything is correct, you can copy the entire contents of the \WORK directory to the \MOTEL directory. That is all you have to do to upgrade to a new version of MotelMAX. Delete the files in the \TEST and \WORK directories to reclaim some disk space. Change to the \MOTEL directory and start the program using the NEW start switch. C:\=>CD \MOTEL <Ent> C:\MOTEL=>MOTELMAX NEW <Ent> MotelMAX will build all files it needs and re-build old files to match the new file formats. Even if you do not use the NEW start switch, the program will verify the file structures. MotelMAX - User Manual v2.6 Copyright (C) MKM Software 1989-96 - All Rights Reserved Page 6 OPERATIONS Opening a Shift MotelMAX breaks all usage of the program into segments or shifts. When you sign-on to the program, if a shift is not opened, MotelMAX will prompt you for a username and password to open a new shift. Once a shift is opened, all accounting activity is tracked and logged onto the shift report. Shifts provide a way of tracking accounting data and transactions independent of the transaction date. You cannot access the program unless you either open a shift or sign-on after a shift has been opened by you or by someone else. Closing a Shift When an operator exits the program he has the option to close the current shift. Normally, the answer is Yes. At this point the program indicates what the closing cash drawer amount should be based on payments received or refunds given. It is the responsibility of the operator to balance the cash receipts and cash drawer with the shift report and turn in the amount and shift report summary of shift activity. User Name and Password Whenever you sign on to MotelMAX and open a shift you have to enter a valid user name and password. For the shareware version of the program enter: Username: MOTELMAX <Ent> Password: MOTELMAX <Ent> Reservation Browse Table MotelMAX lets you enter reservations up to two years in advance and to accept one or more advance deposits for a reservation. All reservations are listed in a browse table. The browse table can be sorted several different ways. The default sort order is by arrival date. 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 are well on your way to understanding how to use MotelMAX. MotelMAX - User Manual v2.6 Copyright (C) MKM Software 1989-96 - All Rights Reserved Page 7 The browse table offers a brief overview of current reservations. Refer to the <F1> help screen for definitions of hotkeys and columns. Everything you want to accomplish with reservations can be accomplished from the browse table. Whenever you need to input data, refer to the bottom of the screen for context sensitive help. Every reservation must be attached to a guest record. You can add guest information at the beginning of the reservation or at the end. If you add the guest at the beginning, information from the guest's last stay is used in the new reservation, last room type, room number and discount, etc. MotelMAX can assign room rates or you can enter your own rate at reservation time. Following are the rate types: <N>ormal. Normal Room Rate; MotelMAX assigns a rate according to the rate tables you have set-up. If the room night is a Friday or Saturday, the program reads the weekend rate from the appropriate rate table. If the room night falls on a Sunday through Thursday night, the program reads the daily rate from the appropriate rate table. <A>ssigned Daily Rate; MotelMAX prompts you for a per night room rate, you enter the amount and that amount overrides the amount found in the rate table. This is a user defined rate at the time of reservation. The rate tables are not used. You assign the individual room rate on a per night basis. <1> Single Occupancy. This selection instructs the program to read the room rate from the rate table for single occupancy. Sometimes you may want to differentiate the room rate based on the number of room occupants. <2> Double Occupancy. This selection instructs the program to read the room rate from the rate table for double occupancy. Sometimes you may want to differentiate the room rate based on the number of room occupants. <W>eekly Rate. If the guest's stay is seven or more nights, you can instruct the program to use the weekly room rate from the rate table. Each seven day segment of the stay is charged at the weekly room rate. Each remaining individual night is billed at the normal room rate. <M>onthly Rate. If the guest's stay is thirty or more MotelMAX - User Manual v2.6 Copyright (C) MKM Software 1989-96 - All Rights Reserved Page 8 nights, you can instruct the program to use the monthly room rate from the appropriate rate table. Each 30 day segment of the stay is charged at the monthly room rate. Each remaining night is billed at the normal room rate. <F>lat Rate. This rate type lets you enter the total room charge for the entire stay. The program then assigns a room charge for each night based on the total room charge and the number of nights. This is a user defined rate at the time of reservation. It does not use the rate tables. You assign the total room charge and the program assigns the per night room charge. Advance Deposits An important feature of MotelMAX is the ability to track advance deposits for a reservation. When you press <F5> on the reservation browse table, a separate browse table is displayed for advance deposits. One or more deposits can be added to a reservation. Once you add a deposit, post it using the <Tab> key or the <Gray+> key. You can delete a deposit, if it is not posted by pressing the <Del> key. You can add another deposit by pressing <Ins>. These are familiar commands from other browse tables as you will see. Once a deposit is posted, you cannot delete it. Instead, you have to refund it using the <F6> key. All deposit browse table commands are displayed at the bottom of the screen. When you refund a deposit, MotelMAX prompts you for a forfeit amount. This is a penalty fee you might assess against the guest for refunding the deposit. This is an option. Once you establish a forfeit amount and a refund amount, MotelMAX creates a folio with these transactions automatically added and posted. You have to access the FrontDesk option on the Main Menu to print and close the Deposit Refund Folio. If a reservation has just one remaining posted deposit, and this deposit is refunded, MotelMAX automatically cancels and deletes the original reservation. Availability tables are updated accordingly. MasterBills This feature exists primarily for group bookings. But it has other uses as well. A typical use is as follows. A business group checks-in. The company pays all room MotelMAX - User Manual v2.6 Copyright (C) MKM Software 1989-96 - All Rights Reserved Page 9 charges, but each guest must pay all other charges. Create a MasterBill which will be paid by the company. Transfer all room charges for the group to the MasterBill folio and leave the remaining charges on each guest's individual folio. Unlike other folios, a MasterBill is not attached to a particular room so you cannot add new room charges to it. If you have to modify the amount of room charges on a MasterBill, add a room adjustment transaction. While you cannot add a room charges to the MasterBill, you can transfer any kind of transaction to the MasterBill from another guest folio, making it very flexible. MotelMAX - User Manual v2.6 Copyright (C) MKM Software 1989-96 - All Rights Reserved Page 10 FRONT DESK - FOLIOS Guest Folios can be accessed through the Main Menu option; FrontDesk. After a guest has been checked-in from the reservation browse table, this is the area of the program where you perform all changes to the folio right up to check- out time. Front Desk Menu The Front Desk Menu includes these options: Folios. Access current folios for current checked-in guest. This option is the main topic of this chapter and the next. Use this option to browse through the current checked-in guest. You can select any folio and perform a variety of actions, including adding, editing, deleting or posting transactions. Also, it is here that you access folios in order to check-out a guest. DirectBill. Access folios for guests who have checked- out but whose folio is not paid. A separate chapter is devoted to Direct Bill folios. This option accesses a separate browse table comprised only of DirectBill folios. These folios can be edited or checked-out just like folios for current guests. WhoIsOn. Display information about the current shift and MotelMAX version information. This is useful information to quickly determine the status of the current shift. Payments. Display a list of all payments received during the current shift. This report should be run prior to the close of a shift. It can be used by the front desk operator to confirm that credit card receipts and cash totals match those in the computer before the operator actually closes the shift. AutoPost. Automatically, post all pending unposted charges through today's date. Prior to 3:00 pm this feature does not post today's room charges as the screen message will indicate. This is a precaution in case a current guest should decide to check-out early. After 3:00 pm all pending charges, including room charges are posted. Payments are not posted. These should be posted manually by the operator at the time they are added to the folio. You can run this option as often as is necessary. It will count the number of folios checked and the number of charges posted and MotelMAX - User Manual v2.6 Copyright (C) MKM Software 1989-96 - All Rights Reserved Page 11 display the results. Daily Posts. Display a list of all folios and the posted charges and payments for each folio through a given date. Depending on the number of current guests, you may want to run this report prior to an AutoPost. You definitely want to run it after an AutoPost. This report should be turned in by the night front desk operator to affirm all folios have been prepared for the next business day. It permits you to verify folios are properly updated without having to access and view each folio individually. Updating Folios All current open folios for checked-in guests are listed in a browse table. The browse table of current folios can be sorted in several ways. The default sort order is by room number. This is the central point for working with folios of checked-in guests. From here you can update the individual folios and it is from here that you print, check- out or close all folios. Press the <F1> help key to access a full screen of online help. Also, press the <F7> View Menu to display all reports relating to folios. Transactions The transaction browse table contains an itemized listing of all folio transactions for a given guest and whether they have been posted. The transactions are sorted by transaction date with payments preceding charges within each date. Press the <F1> help key for a complete description of all available hotkeys and options. Direct Bill Folios Direct Bill Folios are folios that have been checked out but were not closed because the balance due was not equal to zero. We have extended this definition to include any unresolved folio. You can now send any checked-out folio to direct bill without regard to the balance due. This gives you many more possibilities. Also, you can now send a MasterBill folio to direct bill. This gives you the ability to combine one or more direct bill folios into one folio, again increasing the possibilities you have for organizing your records. When you send a <current> folio to direct bill, the folio is 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. MotelMAX - User Manual v2.6 Copyright (C) MKM Software 1989-96 - All Rights Reserved Page 12 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 folios. However, you cannot 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. Guest File Your first introduction to the guest file occurs when you are booking reservations. You can attach a guest record to a reservation either at the beginning or end of the reservation process. Sometimes, however, you may want to access the guest file directly to lookup specific information about a current or previous guest or to prepare a promotional mailing. You can accomplish all this by selecting the option GuestFile from the Main Menu. A submenu appears with several including the option to Browse the guest file. Select this option to access a browse table of guests. You can create up to 3 user defined letters to send to any and all guests. Refer to the <F1> help key for more information. Also, press <F7> and view the sample guest letters. The sample letters provide instructions on how you can create your own letters. Postal Codes. When you are editing a guest entry and you enter a US zip code or Canadian postal code, MotelMAX checks if that code is in the zip/postal code file. If it is, you can choose to let the program stuff the city, state and optionally the country name for you. This feature can over time save you many keystrokes and likewise ensure uniformity of spelling and style in the adding of city, state, province or country names. Also, you can generate revenue reports by zip code. Reports MotelMAX contains powerful reporting capabilities. You can display reports to the screen and subsequently print them or save them to a file to load into your favorite word processing program. Press the <F1> key for help in viewing and printing reports. Report contents can be selected by date, shift number or month number. It is best to open and close several shifts MotelMAX - User Manual v2.6 Copyright (C) MKM Software 1989-96 - All Rights Reserved Page 13 before you begin to run all the reports, especially accounting reports. It helps to have more data in the program to run the reports. On the other hand, after you enter several reservations, move to the REPORTS; RESERVATIONS Menu and begin printing arrival reports and room racks. These are the first reports you will want to see. Again, wait until you close a few shifts before you run the accounting reports. Re-Index Index files are used by MotelMAX to quickly locate specific information. If the computer is switched off while the program is running; 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. Once a week, run the option to <Optimize> your files. This can improve program performance. 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 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. 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 should close an account month just prior to closing the MotelMAX - User Manual v2.6 Copyright (C) MKM Software 1989-96 - All Rights Reserved Page 14 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. Re-build AVL Tables Use this option to re-build the room type and room number availability tables. Whenever you change your room set-ups, especially when you edit or delete room numbers, or room types, you may have changed a room number that is currently in use by a pending reservations. This can cause discrepancies in the room type and room number availability tables. However, this is very simple to correct. Simply run this option. All room type and room number availability tables are rebuilt starting from today and working through to the end of the tables. Please note, this option only affects reservations from today forward. It does change any past reservations. Verify Data If you are updating from an earlier version of MotelMAX prior to version 2.50, run this option just once. It will make some adjustments to complete the update. If you should run it more than once, no harm is done. It exists to ensure compatibility between the current version of MotelMAX and all prior versions of the program. MotelMAX - User Manual v2.6 Copyright (C) MKM Software 1989-96 - All Rights Reserved Page 15 MOTELMAX SET-UP 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. Site Set-up This option lets you control many features of MotelMAX and customize the program for the special needs of your site. Complete each item of the Site Set-up edit window. There is context sensitive help for each entry field. Taxes / Miscellaneous Set-up This options lets you adjust all tax rates and other system wide settings, including default charges for extra guests. Refer to the context sensitive help at the bottom of the screen as you complete each entry field. Folio Set-up This option lets you control the folio printout. You can customize the folio to appear the way you want by changing the page length or changing the location and font size of your site name. The default page length format for folios is 8.5 by 11 inch paper. However, you can change this. If you are using preprinted forms on 8.5 by 5.5 inch paper, you can easily adjust the program to handle these forms, using the options described below: Currency Symbol. Enter the currency sign or symbol used in your country. The currency symbol can be up to four characters in length. You can use upper or lower case characters. Place Symbol <B>efore or <A>fter Amounts. Indicate whether the currency symbol should be printed <B>efore or <A>fter the amount. Set Weekly Rates on <D>aily or <T>erm Basis. This option instructs MotelMAX on how to assign weekly room rates. If you select <D>, the program divides the total weekly room rate by seven and assigns a portion of the amount to each room night in the guest's stay. However, you may choose <T> for term whereby the entire weekly room charge is placed on the first night of the MotelMAX - User Manual v2.6 Copyright (C) MKM Software 1989-96 - All Rights Reserved Page 16 guest's stay. The other room nights are billed at 0. Set Monthly Rates on <D>aily or <T>erm Basis. This option instructs MotelMAX on how to assign monthly room rates. If you select <D>, the program divides the total monthly room rate by thirty and assigns a portion of the amount to each room night in the guest's stay. However, you may choose <T> for term whereby the entire monthly room charge is placed on the first night of the guest's stay. The other room nights are billed at 0. Print <0> Amount Room Charges on Folio. This option works together with the prior two set-up choices. If you answer <N>o, only non zero room charges are printed on the folio printout. For example, if you assign weekly or monthly room rates on a term basis, only the one significant room amount is printed. All the zero room charges are not. This makes for a much shorter folio printout for guests staying at the weekly or monthly rate. If you answer <Y>es, all room charges are printed whether the amount is zero or not. Folio Length in Lines. Set the length in lines for your folio printout. The default is 48 for 8.5 by 11 inch forms. If you are using special forms, increase or decrease this number until you get the results you want. If you are using 8.5 by 5.5 inch forms, 24 lines should work correctly. Set Site Name Font On. Enter the printer <escape sequence> that turns emphasized printing <ON>. For example, on an Epson printer, you can turn emphasized printing on by entering this printer code: \027E. On a laser printer, you may want to switch to a different font or larger point size to enhance the appearance of the site name on the folio printout. Leave this entry blank if you prefer to print the site name in the normal print style or font. Set Site Name Font Off. Enter the printer <escape sequence> that turns emphasized printing <OFF>. For example, on an Epson impact printer, you can turn emphasized printing off by entering this printer code: \027F. If you are using a laser printer and you switched on a different font to print the site name, you now have to switch back to the original font to print the rest of the folio. Leave this entry blank if the previous entry on this form is blank. In short, if you turned a special printer font on in the previous entry, you must at this point turn that font off or set the font back to the original font. The entries you make here depend upon the kind of printer you are using MotelMAX - User Manual v2.6 Copyright (C) MKM Software 1989-96 - All Rights Reserved Page 17 and can be found in the user guide for your printer. If you are in doubt, leave this entry and the prior entry blank. Set Folio Form Length On. If you are printing folios on specialized forms, enter the printer <escape sequence> that sets your printer to the correct page length. For example, on an Epson impact printer if you are using 8.5 by 5.5 inch forms, you have to set the printer page length to 33 lines. The correct printer <escape sequence> to accomplish this is: \027C\033. If you are using 8.5 by 11 inch forms, simply leave this entry blank. Set Folio Form Length Off. If you set a special form length in the prior entry, you have to reset the form length to the normal size after printing the folio. On an Epson impact printer, if you set the form length to 33 lines per page for the folio in the previous entry, here you have to reset the lines per page to 66 (the normal lines per page for 8.5 by 11 inch paper) after printing the folio. The correct printer <escape sequence> for an Epson impact printer is: \027C\066. You have to refer to the user guide for your printer to find the correct printer code. If the previous entry is blank, leave this entry blank as well. Site Name Row, Column, Skip. These entries let you change the location of the site name at the top of the folio: Row. Enter the row or line number where you want the site name printed. Your entry must be more than 0 and should be less than 15. If you are using forms that are only 5.5 inches in length, take care not to use too many lines at the top of the form. You may want to experiment with different locations. Column. Enter the column number where you want the site name printed. Your entry should be more than zero and less than 70; otherwise, the site name may not fit on the page. Use this option to move the site name to the left or right margin or to center the site name on the folio printout. Skip. After printing the site name, MotelMAX skips to the next line. If you want to skip an additional line before printing the text of the folio, enter <Y>es. Enter <N>o if you do not want to skip an additional line. This is a matter of preference. Skipping an additional line tends to MotelMAX - User Manual v2.6 Copyright (C) MKM Software 1989-96 - All Rights Reserved Page 18 enhance the site name. Upper Case. Enter <Y>es if you want to force printing the site name in upper case. If you answer <N>o, the program prints the site name exactly as it appears on the screen and reports. End of Folio Message. Enter a message line to print on the last line of the folio. This message appears on folio pre-bills and on the final folio printed at check- out time. The message can be up to 70 characters in length. You can enter three different messages. The default is print message 1, but you can assign any message to a particular folio. Printer Set-up MotelMAX comes with two printer set-ups from which you can choose. 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 <Ins> key. Printer set-up requires that you enter the escape sequences to reset your printer and to set your printer for printing in condensed or compressed print mode. Consult your printer manual for the correct printer codes, or contact us. We have the codes for several hundred different printers. 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 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. Room Set-up Use this option set-up individual rooms for your site. MotelMAX comes preset with 35 rooms so you can get started right away. However, you will want to 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 MotelMAX - User Manual v2.6 Copyright (C) MKM Software 1989-96 - All Rights Reserved Page 19 to change and press <Ent>. Or press <Del> to delete the currently highlighted room. If you want to add a new room, press <Ins>. Press the <F1> key for online help. All availability files for room types and room numbers are updated whenever you sign-on to MotelMAX after the close of an account month, or, when you start the program with the command: MOTELMAX NEW <Ent>. Rate Tables MotelMAX automatically assigns 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 in more ways than you might first realize. 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 <Ins> to add a new table, <Ent> to edit a table, <Del> 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. Rate tables are used until the rate table Thru date expires. The transaction date of a room charge determines what table to read. Make some sample reservations for which the guest's stay extends beyond the Thru date of a table and review the daily charges for that reservation and see how the rate tables were used. 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 want to make a new table with only minor changes from the original rate table. The best way to understand rate tables is to create some tables, then return to the reservation browse table and book some reservations. While you are in the reservation browse table, press the <F7> key to get an itemized listing of the individual room charges assigned by MotelMAX. Each itemized room charge displayed will indicate which rate table was used to build that rate. This way, you can see how each table is applied in building individual room rates. You will find there are perhaps more pricing mechanisms than you need. These can be easily worked around or put to good use. Room Type Availability MotelMAX - User Manual v2.6 Copyright (C) MKM Software 1989-96 - All Rights Reserved Page 20 Use this option to access the room type availability table. This table records room use by room type and calculates the percentage of occupancy on a daily basis. If you want to have these number reflected accurately, you must enter the correct number of rooms per room type for your site. User Names This option lets you define user names and passwords and control who has access to what parts of the program. MotelMAX comes preset with at least two usernames: MANAGER and MOTELMAX. Notice that these two user names are described as system users. This means they cannot be deleted. Having two system user names ensures that there are always two user names and that you do not have the problem of someone deleting all the user names. You can add as many user names as you like. However, each name you add will not be a system user name and therefore can be deleted. When you add you own user name you may want to edit the system user name MANAGER or MOTELMAX to your name so that your user name is a system user name. Overriding Restrictions. Sometimes a new user may have a shift open and as it happens you need to print an accounting report for which this user does not have access. As the system manager, simply select the option you want even though the access is restricted for the current user's name. The program warns you this option is restricted, however, you are prompted for a password. If you enter the password for either of the two system user names, you can override the restriction and access any option you want. Take care to keep the passwords assigned to the system users known to only those for whom you want access. Zip Codes Use this option to edit the zip code or postal code file. You can add and edit postal codes as you enter reservations or as you edit guest records. However, at some point you may want to access this file directly to make changes or to delete some entries. Use this option for direct access to the zip code or postal code file. If you add a US zip code, only add the first five digits. Do not add the entire nine digit zip code to any entry in the file. If you are adding a Canadian postal code, add only the first three characters. Do not add the entire six character postal code. It is too specific. MotelMAX - User Manual v2.6 Copyright (C) MKM Software 1989-96 - All Rights Reserved Page 21 Reservation Codes Use this option to add, edit or delete reservations codes. You can add and edit reservation codes as you enter reservations or as you edit reservations. However, at some point you may want to access this file directly to make some changes or to delete some entries. Use this option for direct access to the reservation code file. Travel Agents When you select this item, a list of all travel agents currently defined are presented in a browse table. You can add, edit or delete travel agents to the browse table as needed. Also, when you are booking reservations, if you need to book a reservation from a travel agent you can add agents to the agent list while you are booking the reservation. However, at some point you will want to come to the main travel agent browse table and be sure that all information is correctly added for each agents. General Ledger View the general ledger and current amounts for each account. MotelMAX lets you define the exact payment and charge accounts you want. You can make an account active by entering a Menu Key code, and by deleting a menu key code, the account will become inactive. Inactive accounts will not appear as a selection on menus. The account labels and account numbers are fixed, but many of the accounts can be customized. All accounts are presented in the familiar browse table. Refer to the bottom of the screen for help messages, or press <F1> for a full screen of online help. MotelMAX - User Manual v2.6 Copyright (C) MKM Software 1989-96 - All Rights Reserved Page 22 Reservation Letters - Text Substitution Keys: <today> - today's date <account> - account name <mrms> - greeting for letter Mr or Ms <f_name> - guest's first name <l_name> - guest's last name <addr> - street address <city> - city name <st> - state or province <zip> - zip or postal code <cntry> - country name <fol_no> - folio number - can be used as a confirmation number <room> - room number <roomtype> - room type description - up to 25 characters <a_date1> - arrival date in format: MM/DD/YY <a_date2> - arrival date in written format: Month DD, CCYY <d_date1> - departure date in format: MM/DD/YY <d_date2> - departure date in written format: Month DD, CCYY <nights> - number of nights <xx> - use for adding <s> to plurals <t_xgst> - total extra guest charges <t_room> - total room charges <t_tax> - total tax charge <dpstdue> - deposit due amount <dpstpaid> - amount of deposit paid <duedate> - deposit due date <t_chrg> - total charges <t_chrgx> - total charges with tax <t_due> - total amount due <t_duex> - total amount due with tax Guest Letters - Text Substitution Keys: <today> - today's date <account> - account name <mrms> - greeting for letter Mr or Ms <f_name> - guest's first name <l_name> - guest's last name <addr> - street address <city> - city name <st> - state or province <zip> - zip or postal code <cntry> - country name <l_room> - last room number <l_stay1> - last stay date in format: MM/DD/YY <l_stay2> - last stay date in written format: Month DD, CCYY <f_stay1> - first stay date in format: MM/DD/YY <f_stay2> - first stay date in written format: Month DD, CCYY <t_stays> - total number of stays <t_nites> - total nights stayed <t_chrgs> - total charges not including tax MotelMAX - User Manual v2.6 Copyright (C) MKM Software 1989-96 - All Rights Reserved Page 23 Group Confirmation Forms - Text Substitution Keys: <today_1> - today's date - MM/DD/YY <today_2> - today's date - October 10, 1996 <group_name> - group name <addr_1> - street address <addr_2> - address <addr_3> - address <group_id> - five character group id code <contact> - contact person <reference> - group reference <arr_date_1> - arrival date - MM/DD/YY <arr_date_2> - arrival date - October 10, 1996 <t_room> - total room charges <t_guest> - total extra guest charges <t_tax> - total tax charges <t_chargex> - total charges with tax <t_charge> - total charges without tax <t_deposit> - total deposit paid <t_totalx> - total due with tax <t_total> - total due without tax <dep_amt> - group deposit due amount Group Billing Statement Forms - Text Substitution Keys: <today_1> - today's date - MM/DD/YY <today_2> - today's date - October 10, 1996 <group_name> - group name <addr_1> - street address <addr_2> - address <addr_3> - address <group_id> - five character group id code <contact> - contact person <reference> - group reference <t_room> - total room charges <t_incidental> - total incidental charges <t_tax> - total tax charges <t_charge> - total charges with or without tax <t_payment> - total payments <t_total> - net total MotelMAX - User Manual v2.6 Copyright (C) MKM Software 1989-96 - All Rights Reserved Page 24 _______ ____|__ | (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.