Questions and Answers

FAQ

Beds24 is a cost-effective self-service system offering powerful online booking engines for your own website property management and optional channel management.

1 Bookings

Beds24 shows real-time availability. Bookings can be instant (auto confirmed) or on request (manually confirmed or declined).

1.1 Can bookings be moved between rooms?

Yes, Bookings can be changed or moved to another room if required.

Open the booking and go to the Summary tab, then change the room/unit and click SAVE.

Go to BOOKINGS > Booking Grid and you can drag and drop a booking from one room to another.

1.2 Can I (owner) cancel bookings?

Yes, you can change the status of bookings within Beds24.com. Bookings from Channels should be cancelled within the Channel and modifications/cancellations will then be imported into Beds24.

Open the booking and go to Summary tab and change the STATUS.

1.3 Can guests cancel bookings?

Yes, you can provide guests the option to view and cancel bookings but not change them. Go to SETTINGS -> GUEST MANAGEMENT -> GUEST LOGIN and click HELP for instructions.

If the booking was made a Channel, suggest the guest contacts the Channel to cancel the booking, this ensures that your availability is updated and the dates re-opened.

1.4 Can bookings be grouped together?

If your guests book multiple rooms, you can 'Group' the bookings together, you will see the list of 'grouped' bookings when you open any one of the bookings in the Group.

Open the initial booking (Master), go to the Invoice tab and scroll to the bottom, then add the new booking into the 'Add Existing booking to Group'.

1.5 What information is gathered during the booking process?

You can set which information you require your guest to enter when they make a booking. You can set optional/mandatory information, additionally you can set Custom Questions (if required).

Go to SETTINGS > PROPERTIES > BOOKING QUESTIONS you can identify the Standard Questions and define any additional questions in Custom Questions.

1.6 How can I change the details in the first line of the Charges & Payments and/or Invoice tab of a booking?

Go to SETTINGS > GUEST MANAGEMENT > INVOICING > INVOICE ITEM ROOM DESCRIPTION.

If this is left blank a default description consisting of the room name, check in and check out dates [ROOMNAME1] [FIRSTNIGHT] - [LEAVINGDAY] will be used.

1.7 Can I change the booking status?

The booking status are defined, it is not possible to change the status.

Flags can be used to flag bookings that require special attention.

The flag text is displayed with the other booking fields within the control panel and the [FLAG] template variable can be used to display this text as "hovertext" when the mouse cursor is positioned over the flagged booking in the Calendar view.

Flags can also be automatically applied via Auto Action which you can set up in SETTINGS->GUEST MANAGEMENT->AUTO ACTIONS.

2 Channel Manager

We have two way XML connections with major booking channels so Beds24.com can export inventory and prices and import bookings and modifications to bookings.

2.1 What is the difference between XML Connection and iCal Connection?

XML - Beds24.com can export inventory and prices and import bookings and modifications to bookings.To some channels we can also send pictures and descriptions.

iCal - Beds24.com can export availability and blocked dates, import bookings (summary information), the capabilities of the connection depend on the channel.

You can find details for each connected channel here.

2.2 How does the Channel Manager work?

This page explains in detail how the channel manager works.

2.3 Can I setup different prices for each Channel?

Yes, if required you can set different rates for your own website and booking channel(s). You can set different prices for each Channel, check the Channel Help page for the requirements and options.

2.4 Can I send a surcharge to a Channel?

Yes, you can setup different rates for a Channel and/or you can use a Price Multiplier to change your Rates/Daily Price for a Channel. The price can be increased/decreased. Check the HELP page for the Channel for more information.

3 Currencies

===Can I use multiple currencies in Beds24? ===

You can set the system to use one master currency.

If you are using multiple properties you can set a different currency for each. If you need to manage bookings in another currency than your default currency you can create an "invoicee" for the additional currency and assign the charges it. For more information on the invoicee function please see Invoicees.

The new responsive version of the booking page allows you to use a currency converter.

We currently use live data from the openexchangerates.org for currency conversion.

3.1 What if the Booking Channel use a different currency than my currency, can I convert the currency in Beds24?

When you are using booking channels which require a different currency than your standard currency you can add a multiplier to prices to convert to a different currency. Check the channel HELP page for the specific instructions.

3.2 In which currency can I pay for my Beds24 account?

Your account fees are billed in € but you can pay in any mayor currency according to the current exchange rate.

4 Payment Collection and Payment Gateways

4.1 Can I collect payments from my Guests?

You can use Beds24 to receive deposit payments with the booking or collect credit card details. Integrated payment gateways are Paypal (which also allows credit card payments), Stripe, Realex, Authorize.Net, Paymill, asiapay, pesopay, siampay, paydollar, and Bitpay. All later payments have to be processed outside the Beds24 system. Beds24 does not handle money. All payments go directly into your account with the payment gateway.

To use this service you will need an account with the payment gateway you want to use.

All the payment gateways we connect to are fully PCI DSS compliant.

Alternatively you can securely collect credit card details and process the payment through your own bank or merchant account.

Beds24 is not involved in deposit collections for bookings from booking channels. Each booking channel handles them according to their rules/your account settings.

If you use Stripe as payment gateway you can choose to send credit cards supplied by all channels directly to Stripe where the cards can be validated and charged.

Once the guest credit cards have been sent to STRIPE you can use auto actions to collect the payments. Go to Settings > Guest Management > Auto Actions and click HELP (top right menu) for instructions and examples.

4.2 Can I send a payment request to my guests ?

Yes, you can setup an automated email to your guests requesting payment for their bookings. See the details in the HELP page for the Payment Gateway.

4.3 What happens if the Customer Credit Card is rejected ?

If you have setup your account to send the credit card details to STRIPE then you will receive notification that the credit card was rejected and a Booking info code will be added to the Info tab of the booking.

If the booking was from Booking.com then you can use the Blue button in the 'Detail Tab' to Report an Invalid card to Booking.com and they will request a new card from the guest.

It is also possible to select to Auto Report invalid cards to Booking.com, go to Settings > Channel Manager and select the appropriate option for Booking.com.

If it was a virtual card Stripe might have rejected it because it was not yet valid. In this case you can send it again on check-in day also via the "Details" tab of the booking.

For other channels you will need to contact them and report the card as invalid.

If the booking is in the future, then the invalid credit card details will be stored in Beds24.

4.4 Can I auto report Invalid cards to Booking.com?

Yes, go to Settings > Channel Manager and select the option next to Booking.com options.

5 Documentation

5.1 Is there documentation in Beds24?

The start page of the support wiki has links to many common questions: https://wiki.beds24.com/index.php/Main_Page

There is also a search function which can be used to search for other topics.

When you click on the FUNCTIONS button in the top left you will find links to commonly used functions.

Beds24 has setup wizards: https://beds24.com/wizard/index.php?lang=en

They are designed to introduce the system and guide you through the setup process. The wizards open your control panel and booking page in wizard mode. Login with your username and password and follow the steps.

There are also tutorials and videos showing you how to do the set up: https:/wiki.beds24.com/index.php?title=Main_Page

6 Email Address

6.1 How can I change my email address?

You can change your Administrator Email Address by going to SETTINGS -> ACCOUNT - > ACCOUNT ACCESS.

You can change your Property Email Address by going to Property Email Address in SETTINGS -> PROPERTIES > DESCRIPTION "Email".

7 Fees

7.1 What are the fees for using Beds24?

With Beds24 you only pay for what you use. There is a basic fee for the use of the system which is based on the number of rooms set up plus fees for the services which are used.

You can find detailed information and a calculator on our website to calculate the monthly fee for your set up.

7.2 Where can I see my fees?

Login in to the system and go to Account > Billing

7.3 Are there charges for payment collections?

Yes, please see the section on Payment Collection/Payment Gateways.

8 Facebook

8.1 Can Beds24 connect to Facebook?

Yes, Beds24 provides a Facebook app to accept bookings directly from a facebook page.

Go to SETTINGS ->BOOKING ENGINE-> BOOKING WIDGETS -> FACEBOOK APP and for more details click HELP (top right menu).

9 Forum

9.1 Does Beds24 have a user forum?

Beds24.com has a forum used by other Beds24.com users (http://forum.beds24.com)

You can access the Forum from your Beds24 control panel, click on the Forum link (top right menu)

10 Free Trial

10.1 Do I have full access to Beds24 with the Free Trial?

Yes, signing up for the free trial opens a fully functional account.

You may use this account to test all the functionality of the system for free.

10.2 How long is the free trial?

The trial period is 14 days, after this period expires, a payment is required to continue using the account.

Payments can be made in SETTINGS -> ACCOUNT -> BILLING.

11 Guest Login

11.1 Can Guests login to Beds24 to see their bookings?

Yes, you can give guests the option to view and cancel bookings but not change them.

Go to SETTINGS -> GUEST MANAGEMENT -> GUEST LOGIN and click HELP (top right menu)

11.2 Can guests make payments for the bookings?

Yes, you can setup an automated email to your guests requesting payment for their bookings.

12 Google Analytics / Tracking

12.1 Can Google Analytics be installed on Beds24?

Yes, you can install Google Analytics on you booking page. See the details in this wiki page:- https://wiki.beds24.com/index.php/Track_Bookings

Beds24 also has a built in logging system which will give you information on the activities on your booking page and where a booking originated from.

13 Help / Training

13.1 Does Beds24.com provide training?

Beds24.com has extensive training/help, you can access the relevant HELP for each area of BEDS24.com by clicking the HELP button in the top right menu. Where you see (?) for a setting, click (?) for context help.

There is setup wizards that you can access from this page: https://beds24.com/wizard/index.php?lang=en

They are designed to introduce the system and guide you through the setup process. The wizards open your control panel and booking page in wizard mode.

There are also tutorials and videos showing you how to do the set up: https://wiki.beds24.com/index.php?title=Main_Page

When you click on the FUNCTIONS button in the top left you will find links to commonly used functions.

You can also use the forum, use the button in the top left menu or this page: http://forum.beds24.com or create a ticket via the support button at the top of the Beds24 control panel.

14 Import Data / Connect to other Systems /API

14.1 Can I import bookings from another system?

If you need to import bookings into Beds24 you can use a csv via our API (https://api.beds24.com). For some channels we can try to import bookings.

The API can also be used to import/export other data, connect to third party systems or to build your own application.

14.2 Can I import bookings from the Booking Channels/OTAs?

Yes, once mapped to Beds24.com, some booking channels provide access to 'Import existing bookings' if your OTA does not provide this option then you can use the CSV API to import existing bookings. Please check the HELP page for the Booking Channel to see the Capabilities.

15 Icons

15.1 Can I add icons to the Booking Page?

Yes, you can add icons to your booking page, from the Main Page wiki, go to the Developers section for more information.

16 Languages

16.1 What languages does Beds24.com support?

The backend control panel is available in English and German. We provide partial courtesy translations into French, Greek, Portugese and Spanish to make it easier for staff who do not speak English or German. A Japanese version of Beds24 is available via our partner Co-Reception.

The booking page where guest can make their bookings is available in 37 languages (Arabic, Bahasa Indonesia, Bulgarian, Burmese, Catalan, Chinese (simplified), Chinese (traditional), Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Estonian, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hebrew, Icelandic, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Lithuanian, Mongolian, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Serbian, Slovak, Slovenian, Spanish, Swedish, Thai, Turkish, Vietnamese). If the booking page does not currently support your language we can look into adding it if you help us with the translation.

Hosts can choose to activate one or more languages to give guests the option to book in their own language.

16.2 What languages does Beds24.com provide for customer support?

We can offer customer support in English and German.

16.3 Is it possible to add languages to the Booking Page?

If the booking page does not currently support your language we can look into adding it if you help us with the translation.

16.4 Can I send messages to the guest in their language?

Yes, go to SETTINGS -> BOOKING ENGINE -> INTERNATIONALIZATION -> BOOKING PAGE LANGUAGES and tick the appropriate languages. Then you can enter the message in the specific language where this setting is available. (ie. Confirmation messages, auto emails etc).

16.5 Can I import the language of the guest?

It is not possible to import the language of the guest, however we can deduce the language of the guest from the country they enter at the time of their booking. Go to SETTINGS -> CHANNEL MANAGER and set 'Deduce language from Country' = Yes. The language will show in the Mail tab of the Booking.

Default Language selected in SETTINGS -> BOOKING ENGINE -> INTERNATIONALIZATION -> BOOKING PAGE LANGUAGES will be used if the guest language is blank or you do not have a message in the guest language.

17 Messaging and Notifications

17.1 E-Mail

You can set up template Emails to manually or auto send to guest e.g. x days before arrival/departure, based on origin of the booking etc. Go to SETTINGS -> GUEST MANAGEMENT -> AUTO ACTIONS and click HELP (top right menu) for instructions and examples.

You can export all bookings and process the data e.g. add to your mailing lists.

We have an integration with MailChimp for news letters, go to SETTINGS-> APPS & INTEGRATIONS-> MAILCHIMP and click HELP (top right menu) for instructions.

Bookings through OTA´s except VRBO/Homeaway will be confirmed directly through the OTA not from Beds24.

VRBO/Homeaway do not send confirmation messages. They require these to be sent from Beds24. The confirmation message you have set up in SETTINGS->GUEST MANAGEMENT-> CONFIRMATION MESSAGES will be sent to the guest.

18 Mailings

18.1 Can I send newsletters or bulk emails to all guests?

Guest information and contact details can be downloaded to be imported into external mailing lists.

We have an integration with MailChimp for news letters, go to SETTINGS-> APPS & INTEGRATIONS-> MAILCHIMP and click HELP (top right menu) for instructions.

19 Mobile

19.1 Is there a mobile version of Beds24?

The design of the control panel is responsive meaning it adjusts to the size of the screen. This allows you to perform all actions from your smart phone or tablet it you need to. You have the option to set up a special dashboard to use from mobile devices.

The booking page is mobile friendly. It detects which device the guest uses and adjusts the view accordingly.

20 Multiple Properties / Agency Functions

20.1 Can I manage multiple properties in one Beds24 account?

With Beds24 you can manage multiple properties in one account. You have the option to create sub accounts with individual logins for each property. The sub accounts can have their own login with full access (read and write) or limited access (read only).

The agency search page allows guests to search for availability by criteria you define and book directly online. For a simple example please look here: https://beds24.com/demo/agency-online-reservation-system.html

20.2 Can we collect owner payments from properties we manage for third party owners?

We do not have a way to automatically split payments or calculate commission. You could collect the deposit from the guest (your commission) and the property collects the balance when the guest arrives.

21 Multiple Users

You can create Sub Accounts when you need multiple users to access your Beds24 account,click on the 'User' icon on the top right and then on 'Account Management (in the old control panel SUB ACCOUNT in the top right)) and click HELP (top right) for information.

21.1 Can more than one person login at a time to my Beds24 account?

Only one person can use the login at a time, if you need multiple users, then you can create sub accounts with full or limited access rights. Choose from default roles (e.g. admin, backoffice, reception, cleaner) or create your own roles.

21.2 Is there a charge for multiple logins?

Yes, please see you the billing section in your Account for details.

21.3 Can I limit the access rights of my staff?

Yes, you can specify the access rights to each user, you can choose from default roles (e.g. admin, backoffice, reception, cleaner) or create your own roles. The Roles are explained in the SUB ACCOUNT Help page.

21.4 Can I grant access for owners?

Yes, you can specify the access rights the owners have with default roles (a good starting point is the owner role) or create your own roles.

21.5 Can I limit what a user can see in the bookings?

Yes, you can limit the access rights to a login with the ROLE and then you can HIDE additional options within the system.

21.6 Can I give my cleaner access to view the bookings, but stop them from seeing the prices and personal data of the guest?

Yes, you can limit the access to a login with the ROLE you have assigned and HIDE sections of the bookings within their account.

22 Pictures

The new responsive booking page allows up to 5 pictures per property plus up to five pictures per room and offer.

By default the adaptive version of the booking page allows for one picture per unit but you can add a Woo slider which will let you display multiple pictures. If you are comfortable working with HTML you can also add multiple pictures directly.

Go to SETTINGS-> BOOKING ENGINE-> PICTURES and click HELP (top right menu) for instructions.

22.1 Can we add pictures/images to Upsell Items?

Yes, please go to SETTINGS -> BOOKING ENGINE -> UPSELL ITEMS, and click HELP (top right menu) for the instructions.

23 Private Label

23.1 Can I use my own domain in Beds24?

Yes, The private label option allows you to use your own subdomain for your booking page bookings.mywebsite.com (instead of beds24.com).

24 Proposal / Quote

24.1 Can I send a a proposal or quote to a guest?

Yes. Please use these instructions.

25 Rates/Prices

25.1 Can we setup seasonal pricing in Beds24?

You can set a simple or refined rate structure based for example on seasons, occupancies, minimum/maximum stays, time of booking (e.g. last minute).

For help, with setting prices please go to the Prices section: https://wiki.beds24.com/index.php?title=Main_Page

25.2 Can I send occupancy pricing to OTAs/Channels?

Some channels accept occupancy based pricing, please check the HELP page for each Channel for specific details, Go to SETTINGS > CHANNEL MANAGER and select the channel from the link on the left. Then click HELP (top right menu) for instructions.

26 Reports

26.1 Can I run reports of my bookings from Beds24?

The system includes a range of predefined reports including revenue reports, arrivals, departures, invoices, occupancy and current guests. You also have the option to create custom reports. All reports can be saved as .csv files. Custom reports are also available for download as Excel or pdf files.

26.2 Can I create my own reports in Beds24?

Yes, you can create custom reports in your account.

26.3 I have created a Report in the Master account, can I make this available in my sub accounts?

Yes, you can Clone reports from one account to another.

26.4 Can I email a report to my Clearners?

Yes, you can use the ROUTINES feature in SETTINGS > ACCOUNT > ROUTINES > ROUTINE, click HELP (top right menu) for instructions.

26.5 Is it possible to automate reports and send to my email address?

Yes, you can use the ROUTINES feature in SETTINGS > ACCOUNT > ROUTINES > ROUTINE, click HELP (top right menu) for instructions.

26.6 Can I run financial reports for all my bookings?

Yes, there are a number of pre-defined reports in the Standard Reports, you also have the option to create custom reports.

27 Setup and Customisation

27.1 Will Beds24 setup my system for me?

Beds24 is a self service system. Set up is free of charge and you do it yourself. We have setup wizards which introduce the system and guide you through the setup process.

27.2 How can I customise Beds24?

Almost all elements on the booking page and invoice have classes and you can apply custom CSS to customise them. You or your web designer can use Firebug or a similar tool to look up the classes.

28 System Status

28.1 How can I see the status of Beds24 system?

We do have a public monitoring system. Even though our service is very reliable there will be occasional short outages due to necessary maintenance. Also we cannot except acts of God.

29 Support

29.1 What level of support can I expect from Beds24?

Beds24 is designed as a self-service system. Beds24 information and free support is available via following channels:

• Beds24 Forum
• Beds24 Support Wiki
• Context sensitive help - click on HELP at the top right of any page for information about the page. A click on the ? icons next to each setting opens context help with information about the setting.
• Ticket support system. We can see your settings so you do not need to send us screenshots. If you want to send a screenshot you can use a tool like this:  http://pasteboard.co to send us a link.

For users who prefer phone support we cooperate with partners who offer professional help for a fee. For a list please have a look here:

30 Web site integration and Widgets

30.1 How can I integration Beds24 with my website?

Beds24 can be integrated into any website. Adding a booking widget to a website requires pasting some html code we provide to the source code. This will work with any system as long as you can access the source code.

The Beds24 booking page is fully customisable. The innovative design of the new responsive version lets you not only change colors but also define which content you want to display where on the form.

31 Where is your office?

Our company is in Berlin, Germany.

32 Wordpress

32.1 Does Beds24 have a wordpress plugin?

Beds24 provides a Wordpress plugin (https://wordpress.org/plugins/beds24-online-booking/) which makes it easy to add booking technology to any Wordpress site via shortcodes. The actual management of bookings and inventory is done directly in the Beds24 control panel.

33 Cancel Account

33.1 How can I cancel my account?

You can cancel your account in SETTINGS -> ACCOUNT > BILLING.