New booking engine?

[Arks]

You can try it for free for a month. So why wonder, just give it a shot. I don't think I would import 12 years of guests but create a smaller version from your spreadsheet and use it.
Why would you want 12 years of guest records? How many of those actually come back? Or are on your donot book list?.

I don't have a spreadsheet of guest data and that's part of the problem. A data dump would be enormous.
I'm figuring I will just do a search on who has been coming for years and copy thos records by hand.
I need it mostly for who gets what perk. But that's all in the guest notes, which probably won't transfer no matter what.
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I don't have a spreadsheet of guest data and that's part of the problem. A data dump would be enormous.

It may not be as bad or difficult as you think of course you may rent more rooms in a year than I do, 1000 - 1500 a year. Database should be a group of relational tables, sounds like you are mostly wanting your guest info, name, address, notes. For fun I downloaded that info from RK for the six months I have used it into a spreadsheet, gave me around 500 lines in the sheet and less than a megabyte of data, taking that out 12 years at my rate might give me 10 megabytes and 10 to 20 thousand records, that's not really large for data. My database at work was getting close to a terabyte of information and some tables had records in hundreds of thousands.
Why not try it and see the result, I'm glad to help if I can. I've been downloading my payment and reservation data each month into my own database as that lets me pull out information in a manner that is easier for me to compare with Maxine's hand written book.
.

I have no idea how to do that! There's no 'download to file' button anywhere! I'll have to ask. From what I heard from another inn, it was $700 to build the DB when they switched.
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Be realistic why do you need 12 years of data? Download the file from your current system and see what you've got first. Then you may be able to weed it all out and come up with the ones you really need to keep. I also like that idea of having a check box for new or returning guest.
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We use a mandatory Drop-down list that asks "How did you find us?". Repeat Guests are an option. Then as we RK users know, you can simply do a search and combine previous visits.
I also use the color-coded symbols and for us, a blue star means repeat. Other examples of flagging symbols we use: Various packages, dietary restrictions, late arrival, single guest, Trip Advisor, Gift Certificate, etc. Tons of possibilities, all appearing on the Reservation Manager chart.
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I also use the color-coded symbols and for us, a blue star means repeat. Other examples of flagging symbols we use: Various packages, dietary restrictions, late arrival, single guest, Trip Advisor, Gift Certificate, etc. Tons of possibilities, all appearing on the Reservation Manager chart.

I don't sell many add-ons, so I forget to look on every reservation to see if they bought an add on. I love how the reservation system will star those for me on the availability screen so it catches my attention that the reservation requires special handling.

 

[Momma Smurf]

You can try it for free for a month. So why wonder, just give it a shot. I don't think I would import 12 years of guests but create a smaller version from your spreadsheet and use it.
Why would you want 12 years of guest records? How many of those actually come back? Or are on your donot book list?.

I don't have a spreadsheet of guest data and that's part of the problem. A data dump would be enormous.
I'm figuring I will just do a search on who has been coming for years and copy thos records by hand.
I need it mostly for who gets what perk. But that's all in the guest notes, which probably won't transfer no matter what.
.

I don't have a spreadsheet of guest data and that's part of the problem. A data dump would be enormous.

It may not be as bad or difficult as you think of course you may rent more rooms in a year than I do, 1000 - 1500 a year. Database should be a group of relational tables, sounds like you are mostly wanting your guest info, name, address, notes. For fun I downloaded that info from RK for the six months I have used it into a spreadsheet, gave me around 500 lines in the sheet and less than a megabyte of data, taking that out 12 years at my rate might give me 10 megabytes and 10 to 20 thousand records, that's not really large for data. My database at work was getting close to a terabyte of information and some tables had records in hundreds of thousands.
Why not try it and see the result, I'm glad to help if I can. I've been downloading my payment and reservation data each month into my own database as that lets me pull out information in a manner that is easier for me to compare with Maxine's hand written book.
.

I have no idea how to do that! There's no 'download to file' button anywhere! I'll have to ask. From what I heard from another inn, it was $700 to build the DB when they switched.
.

Be realistic why do you need 12 years of data? Download the file from your current system and see what you've got first. Then you may be able to weed it all out and come up with the ones you really need to keep. I also like that idea of having a check box for new or returning guest.
.

We use a mandatory Drop-down list that asks "How did you find us?". Repeat Guests are an option. Then as we RK users know, you can simply do a search and combine previous visits.
I also use the color-coded symbols and for us, a blue star means repeat. Other examples of flagging symbols we use: Various packages, dietary restrictions, late arrival, single guest, Trip Advisor, Gift Certificate, etc. Tons of possibilities, all appearing on the Reservation Manager chart.
.

I also use the color-coded symbols and for us, a blue star means repeat. Other examples of flagging symbols we use: Various packages, dietary restrictions, late arrival, single guest, Trip Advisor, Gift Certificate, etc. Tons of possibilities, all appearing on the Reservation Manager chart.

I don't sell many add-ons, so I forget to look on every reservation to see if they bought an add on. I love how the reservation system will star those for me on the availability screen so it catches my attention that the reservation requires special handling.
.

YEs!!! I forgot to say that there are ways to automatically have RK link to symbols for packages and such.

 

[JimBoone]

You can try it for free for a month. So why wonder, just give it a shot. I don't think I would import 12 years of guests but create a smaller version from your spreadsheet and use it.
Why would you want 12 years of guest records? How many of those actually come back? Or are on your donot book list?.

I don't have a spreadsheet of guest data and that's part of the problem. A data dump would be enormous.
I'm figuring I will just do a search on who has been coming for years and copy thos records by hand.
I need it mostly for who gets what perk. But that's all in the guest notes, which probably won't transfer no matter what.
.

I don't have a spreadsheet of guest data and that's part of the problem. A data dump would be enormous.

It may not be as bad or difficult as you think of course you may rent more rooms in a year than I do, 1000 - 1500 a year. Database should be a group of relational tables, sounds like you are mostly wanting your guest info, name, address, notes. For fun I downloaded that info from RK for the six months I have used it into a spreadsheet, gave me around 500 lines in the sheet and less than a megabyte of data, taking that out 12 years at my rate might give me 10 megabytes and 10 to 20 thousand records, that's not really large for data. My database at work was getting close to a terabyte of information and some tables had records in hundreds of thousands.
Why not try it and see the result, I'm glad to help if I can. I've been downloading my payment and reservation data each month into my own database as that lets me pull out information in a manner that is easier for me to compare with Maxine's hand written book.
.

I have no idea how to do that! There's no 'download to file' button anywhere! I'll have to ask. From what I heard from another inn, it was $700 to build the DB when they switched.
.

I have no idea how to do that! There's no 'download to file' button anywhere! I'll have to ask. From what I heard from another inn, it was $700 to build the DB when they switched.

In RK under the GUEST tab I can see a list of my guests, a check box I can check and a GO button to EXPORT the results. Pretty much the same options for the several reports that I like to use. If there is no export button on your program is there an option to print out a report with the information you need? Do you have the option for saving the report to some type of file that could be emailed?

 

[EmptyNest]

You can try it for free for a month. So why wonder, just give it a shot. I don't think I would import 12 years of guests but create a smaller version from your spreadsheet and use it.
Why would you want 12 years of guest records? How many of those actually come back? Or are on your donot book list?.

I don't have a spreadsheet of guest data and that's part of the problem. A data dump would be enormous.
I'm figuring I will just do a search on who has been coming for years and copy thos records by hand.
I need it mostly for who gets what perk. But that's all in the guest notes, which probably won't transfer no matter what.
.

I don't have a spreadsheet of guest data and that's part of the problem. A data dump would be enormous.

It may not be as bad or difficult as you think of course you may rent more rooms in a year than I do, 1000 - 1500 a year. Database should be a group of relational tables, sounds like you are mostly wanting your guest info, name, address, notes. For fun I downloaded that info from RK for the six months I have used it into a spreadsheet, gave me around 500 lines in the sheet and less than a megabyte of data, taking that out 12 years at my rate might give me 10 megabytes and 10 to 20 thousand records, that's not really large for data. My database at work was getting close to a terabyte of information and some tables had records in hundreds of thousands.
Why not try it and see the result, I'm glad to help if I can. I've been downloading my payment and reservation data each month into my own database as that lets me pull out information in a manner that is easier for me to compare with Maxine's hand written book.
.

I have no idea how to do that! There's no 'download to file' button anywhere! I'll have to ask. From what I heard from another inn, it was $700 to build the DB when they switched.
.

I just tried to look at your current systems site... yikes hasnt been updated since 2013! And looks like it too not responsive either
look around the backend closely and see if there is an option somewhere to get guest data.
if not contact them and get it

 

[JimBoone]

You can try it for free for a month. So why wonder, just give it a shot. I don't think I would import 12 years of guests but create a smaller version from your spreadsheet and use it.
Why would you want 12 years of guest records? How many of those actually come back? Or are on your donot book list?.

I don't have a spreadsheet of guest data and that's part of the problem. A data dump would be enormous.
I'm figuring I will just do a search on who has been coming for years and copy thos records by hand.
I need it mostly for who gets what perk. But that's all in the guest notes, which probably won't transfer no matter what.
.

I don't have a spreadsheet of guest data and that's part of the problem. A data dump would be enormous.

It may not be as bad or difficult as you think of course you may rent more rooms in a year than I do, 1000 - 1500 a year. Database should be a group of relational tables, sounds like you are mostly wanting your guest info, name, address, notes. For fun I downloaded that info from RK for the six months I have used it into a spreadsheet, gave me around 500 lines in the sheet and less than a megabyte of data, taking that out 12 years at my rate might give me 10 megabytes and 10 to 20 thousand records, that's not really large for data. My database at work was getting close to a terabyte of information and some tables had records in hundreds of thousands.
Why not try it and see the result, I'm glad to help if I can. I've been downloading my payment and reservation data each month into my own database as that lets me pull out information in a manner that is easier for me to compare with Maxine's hand written book.
.

I have no idea how to do that! There's no 'download to file' button anywhere! I'll have to ask. From what I heard from another inn, it was $700 to build the DB when they switched.
.

Don't have access to your booking program, but on RK I could look at the page/form that displayed a list of my guests, I could highlight the information, copy and paste that into a spreadsheet, I've done that with other online lists as well, several steps to jump through, but not $700 either.

 

[NoHoBar]

HB: When someone asks who to use we can provide information without telling them who not to use. I would be careful doing that on a public website, as it only looks like sour grapes. There are many users who are happy with said program.
You had another thread you started where you did it, and this is a new thread, I would consider leaving it alone. Just my 2 cents.
I was nearly sued for dissing (without the details here), so be careful.

 

[Hillbilly]

HB: When someone asks who to use we can provide information without telling them who not to use. I would be careful doing that on a public website, as it only looks like sour grapes. There are many users who are happy with said program.
You had another thread you started where you did it, and this is a new thread, I would consider leaving it alone. Just my 2 cents.
I was nearly sued for dissing (without the details here), so be careful..

I respect your comment and I understand what you're trying to get at. That said, I'm giving my opinion and nothing I have said is false. Many people are very upset at RK and I will give MY opinion of my experience to someone who is looking for solutions to new software. I will not jump on here and get in an argument with someone who loves RK. Because if it works for them than that's great. It's my opinion and many agree or disagree. Informtion from this forum is great. We all have opinions and that's all it is. When choosing a software company I want to know all there is before making a decision. Good or bad. Reservation Key does have some good features and is well suited for many. But many features after years of waiting still do not work. So make sure the features your business needs to work for you is something that currently works with the software you choose to run your business!

 

[Momma Smurf]

HB: When someone asks who to use we can provide information without telling them who not to use. I would be careful doing that on a public website, as it only looks like sour grapes. There are many users who are happy with said program.
You had another thread you started where you did it, and this is a new thread, I would consider leaving it alone. Just my 2 cents.
I was nearly sued for dissing (without the details here), so be careful..

I respect your comment and I understand what you're trying to get at. That said, I'm giving my opinion and nothing I have said is false. Many people are very upset at RK and I will give MY opinion of my experience to someone who is looking for solutions to new software. I will not jump on here and get in an argument with someone who loves RK. Because if it works for them than that's great. It's my opinion and many agree or disagree. Informtion from this forum is great. We all have opinions and that's all it is. When choosing a software company I want to know all there is before making a decision. Good or bad. Reservation Key does have some good features and is well suited for many. But many features after years of waiting still do not work. So make sure the features your business needs to work for you is something that currently works with the software you choose to run your business!
.

I know exactly what HB is talking about; and sometimes wonder if more folks on here understood the issues behind the scenes, whether we could have more of a collective bargaining power and influence, instead of a few of us being singled out as vocal individuals that don't represent the "norm"; knowledgeable innkeepers vs software developers without all the operational clues and experience.

 

[JerseyBoy]

HB: When someone asks who to use we can provide information without telling them who not to use. I would be careful doing that on a public website, as it only looks like sour grapes. There are many users who are happy with said program.
You had another thread you started where you did it, and this is a new thread, I would consider leaving it alone. Just my 2 cents.
I was nearly sued for dissing (without the details here), so be careful..

I respect your comment and I understand what you're trying to get at. That said, I'm giving my opinion and nothing I have said is false. Many people are very upset at RK and I will give MY opinion of my experience to someone who is looking for solutions to new software. I will not jump on here and get in an argument with someone who loves RK. Because if it works for them than that's great. It's my opinion and many agree or disagree. Informtion from this forum is great. We all have opinions and that's all it is. When choosing a software company I want to know all there is before making a decision. Good or bad. Reservation Key does have some good features and is well suited for many. But many features after years of waiting still do not work. So make sure the features your business needs to work for you is something that currently works with the software you choose to run your business!
.

Whenever I look at any new software (or any service for that matter), if I am able, I always want to know what other users of that software think. They will give you a much better perspective of how it works in real situations, what the customer support is like, is the software being maintained and fixed. I also ask them if they have time to walk through some examples of how I might use it to see what surprises will arise. In general I determine if they are happy or not. I try to get several opinions if I can. This is really no different than what our customers do when they look at our TripAdvisor reviews. I know I'm new to the forum but one of the reasons I joined is so that I can get the opinions of fellow innkeepers on all kinds of subjects, not just positive things. I really see no problem with HB voicing his opinion. He clearly has a reason for it and if Morticia or anyone else wants to factor in his experience I'm sure they can discuss it off-line. Anyway, that's what I would do.