The Reservation Manager Part 2 : Inquiry, Booking, Payment Management

Modified on Fri, 26 Sep at 5:01 PM

Introduction

Welcome to your complete reservation management workflow.

The Inquiry Management, Booking Editor, and Payment Manager work as a powerful, integrated system, streamlining everything from guest inquiries to final payments. Guest inquiries are captured, converted into professional quotes, and seamlessly transitioned into bookings. From there, property managers can customize every detail while automation and real-time updates keep operations smooth. Payments are then effortlessly managed, with accurate records and clear financial oversight.

Together, these tools deliver a connected, efficient, and guest-centric reservation process built for reliability and performance.

Below, we’ll walk you through each feature and show how their integration creates a cohesive, powerful management solution.

Inquiry Management: Converting Interest into Bookings

The Inquiry Management system is the first touchpoint for guests, turning inquiries from multiple channels - website, OTAs, emails or verbal requests - into professional, customizable quotes. It streamlines communication, suggests alternatives and boosts conversion rates with an efficient, guest-friendly process.

Unified Communications

Inquiries from various sources land in the Inquiries Inbox of Reservation Manager.
Select one to view details and respond.

Explore the full Unified Communications tutorial here.

Create a Quote

1. Open Create Quote pop-up

For Airbnb inquiries: Click Quote at the top right of the inquiry to open a popup pre-filled with inquiry details (review and adjust if needed)

For other sources (email, verbal, etc):

Open the Create Quote pop-up using one of these options:

Select dates on the property calendar
Click Quote at the calendar’s top-right

Then enter the required details.

2. Include alternative properties in quote (optional)

To boost conversions, add clickable property images to your quote email, linking to your integrated WordPress website. (If not integrated, set links via Link Properties Page).
Steps to add alternatives:

1. Tick “Send other alternative properties in quote”

2. Select alternative properties.
Pre-set Link Properties here.

3. Save and Send Quote

Select Email Quick Quote to only send a Quote Preview Template (review before sending) without creating a Quote in your calendar.
Select Create Quote to open the Booking Editor (details covered shortly), customize details if needed. At the bottom right, click Save to save quote only or Save & Notify to save quote and send Responding with a Quote template, with review.
Select Confirmed it to create and send a quote using the Responding with a Quote template immediately (without review).
The quote and related communications will be saved in the Reservations folder.

Declining Inquiries

To politely decline Airbnb inquiries:

1. Click Decline on the inquiry to open the Decline Form.

2. Enter a reason and send Declining an inquiry template.
Declined inquiries are auto-archived in the Reservation Manager.

To decline other inquiries, either draft your own message or click the Message Template icon to select a Decline template from your Custom Email Template list.

The Booking Editor: Your Central Hub for Reservation Management

The Booking Editor is the all-in-one control center for managing reservations. It offers property managers a flexible, efficient way to update booking details, apply discounts, configure advanced settings and streamline operations through powerful automation, all in a single, intuitive interface.

There are several ways to access the Booking Editor:

After clicking the Create Quote button at the bottom of Create a Booking Quote pop-up.
By clicking a reservation on your GuestWisely Calendar.
Double-click on a Reservation file within the Reservations folder.
By clicking Booking ID in various reports.

Manage Reservation

Communication: All exchanges with the guest.
Top-right actions:

Search message.
Confirm the booking.
Cancel the booking.
View booking details & quick edit.

Date & Occupants: Modify check-in/check-out dates, occupant counts and currency.
Payment Policy: Set booking-specific rules. Apply globally via Payment Settings.
Taxes: auto-applied per Taxes Settings, with remove/ add options.
Services, Discounts and Booking Expenses: Pulled from their settings, defaults auto-ticked (Tick/untick to add or remove. Not editable). Use Add for new, editable entries.
CSA Insurance: Add CSA Insurance to the booking. Available for U.S. clients only. Learn more here.
Others: See details in the Other Settings section below.
Booking Logs: Logs changes (user & time) for auditing.

Other Settings

Include alternative properties with your quote option.
Automation: Turn off Quote Chaser or all guest-facing automations.
Expiry: auto-cancel/archive rules for quotes and tentative bookings after a set period, pulled from Special Preferences, adjustable per booking.
Special Terms: Apply special terms and conditions.
Commissions: Pulled from Commissions Settings, adjustable per booking.
Staffing: Assign Housekeeper, Check-In Manager, or Concierge roles.
Other: Features like language selection, task tracking (flags), and secure lockbox code storage enhance convenience.

Book it

Give you the options to collect payment, record payment and confirm booking.

Reservation Status

Available - Free days, available for bookings.
Quote - Non-binding estimate, does NOT block availability.
Tentative - Temporary hold, blocks availability.
Booked - Finalized reservation, blocks availability.
Block - For maintenance or special events, blocks availability.
Owner Booking - For owner use, blocks availability.
Housekeeping Done - Property cleaned and ready for next gues
Early Check-In - Approved for guest early arrival.
Late Check-Out - Approved for guest late departure.

Record Notes

Use this feature to create internal notes, visible across multiple reports.

Check-in/Check-out Time: Enter exact times, displayed in multiple reports.
Reservation Notes: Displayed in the Bookings Report.
Housekeeping Notes: Displayed in the Housekeeping Report.
Check-in Manager Notes: Displayed in the Check-in Planner Report.
Association Notes: Displayed in the Association Report.
Referral Information: Displayed in the Bookings Report.
Airbnb/ Booking.com Number: Airbnb/ Booking.com Booking ID.

The Payment Manager: Financial Control & Transparency

The Payment Manager centralizes and automates payment tracking, processing, and reporting. Integrated with the Booking Editor, it ensures transparent, efficient financial management with minimal effort.

Booking Payment Manager

Payment Schedule:
Shows when payments are due based on your settings.
Payment Installments:
Displays the status of each payment milestone.
Payment History:
Logs all transactions for the booking. Note: Deleting a record only removes it from the view, it does not trigger a refund.
Manage Payments:
Provides tools to manage guest payments.

Manually Record Payment

The Manually Record Payment feature records payments in reports without processing them, ideal for users without a payment gateway.

Click Process
Select Payment Date
Enter Amount
Select Credit/Debit
Choose Payment Type
Enter Description
Click Submit

Retained Funds for Damage and Cancellations

Specify amount to retain:
- For confirmed bookings → Damage charge
- For canceled bookings → Cancellation fee
Categorize as My Funds or Owner Funds
Apply commission and taxes (Optional)
Click Save.

Advanced Payment Management (Paid Bolt-On)

Click “Process” to view card details, take payments, place holds or process refunds.

Note: The ability to view card details depends on both the booking channel and the payment method used. For certain channel bookings, such as Vrbo or Booking.com, card details can be accessed by entering your user password.

Auto-charges the guest’s card per the payment schedule after the first payment, with options to Process or Cancel scheduled transactions.
Generate Automated Payment option: Appears after the first payment is completed; used to re-enable automated payments for the booking.

Tracking Your Payment Records

Navigate to Reservation Manager > Payment Manager to access the following reports:

Payment Manager Report: Provides a comprehensive overview of all properties, including payment installments, payments received, damage deposits, retained funds and outstanding balances.

The report offers a wide range of filtering options to help you locate and manage records efficiently. You can also record payments, retain funds, and filter by payment status or lead source directly within the report.

Automated Records Report: Tracks all automated transactions (holds, refunds, completed payments) with a search tab and filters for easy management.

Reconciliation Report: Simplifies monthly reconciliation by effortlessly matching GuestWisely records with your bank transactions.

View all payments received by date or custom range.
Filter results by date, property or other criteria to narrow your view.
Instantly download individual invoices by clicking the “Invoice number” or “Receipt/Credit Note number” in the report for easy sharing.

Note: This feature is for internal use only. Invoice data isn’t automatically sent to tax authorities. For government integration options, contact support@guestwisely.io.

Booking Payment Status Icons

Displayed across key screens, these icons provide a clear, instant snapshot of each booking’s payment status for easy oversight. When clicked, it opens the Booking Payment Manager page.

Payment Status Icons Explained:
= Nothing paid and nothing due yet.	= All payments have been completed.
= A payment or deposit is due.	= The payment is managed by the channels.
= Payments are current and in good standing.

Note: Over due payments can be easily viewed and tracked and under Home > Reminders > Payments.

That’s Part 2 done! You’re now equipped to manage reservations like a pro with GuestWisely!