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Manage Group Allotment Blocks

Gabriela Garcia
Updated

Overview

After you learn how to create, edit, and delete allotment blocks, the next step is to master the management of these blocks. To do this, you need to know how to:

  • Read and understand the allotment block details
  • Analyze the availability versus occupancy information in the calendar
  • Create and share allotment block URLs with guests
  • Keep an eye on the pickup numbers

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How to manage Group Allotment Blocks

Check the Allotment Block details

The allotment block details will appear on the group profile page under the Allotment Block tab, where you can edit them at any time (see Edit an Allotment Block).

You can filter the list of allotment blocks by:

  1. Search: View a specific group profile by entering its name or code. Leave the field blank to see a complete list of all your allotment blocks.
  2. Date Created
  3. Status: Select all or choose any of the options: Tentative, Lead, Definite, Canceled
  4. Type: Select all or choose Block or Based on Availability

In the allotment blocks table, you can quickly review the block's details:

  1. Allotment code: A unique block code that always starts with "b." 
  2. Allotment Name: click on it to edit the allotment block
  3. Type
  4. Date created
  5. Earliest Arrival: The earliest check-in date taken from the linked reservations
  6. Latest Departure: The latest check-out date taken from the linked reservations
  7. Auto-release
  8. Status
  9. Actions: remove the allotment block or generate a Booking Engine URL
  • In this view, you can also review each Allotment Block's intervals' details by clicking on the plus sign '+' on the left from the allotment block code, which will open another section with more details.
  • The name of your Allotment Block will always be displayed consistently in the Cloudbeds Booking Engine, regardless of the selected Rate Type (Base Rate, Rate Plan, or custom)

 The default status for Earliest Date and Latest Departure is N/A when no reservations have been linked. 

View Allotment Blocks on the calendar

Occupancy

The calendar's Occupancy reflects all Definite Allotment Blocks (that belong to Open Group Profiles) for that day by adding that number to the current occupancy.

Example:

  • Total capacity = 10 rooms
  • Allotment Block allotment = 5 rooms
  • 1 reservation booked that doesn’t belong to any Allotment Block or Group Profile
  • 2 reservations booked within the Allotment Block

Occupancy on the calendar should show the following:

5 blocked rooms + 1 reservation outside of Allotment Block = 6/10 = 60% occupancy

Availability

The calendar's Availability per accommodation type reflects any existing Definite Allotment Blocks that belong to Open Group Profiles.

 Allotment Blocks also affect the remaining number of rooms that can be reserved in the future for the corresponding Accommodation Type.

For example, if all rooms/beds of this Accommodation Type are held by the Allotment Block, this Accommodation Type will not appear when making a new reservation (unless the overbooking option is allowed).

 When a definite Allotment Block is created, and rooms are allocated as a block, keep in mind the following considerations:

  • The system will modify the availability of the corresponding Accommodation Type based on the number of rooms/beds of this type in the Allotment Block.
  • If you block rooms but haven't reserved them yet, the Calendar won’t display any indication of the block (i.e., it won’t show any other elements on the Calendar).
  • Whenever you update availability in an Allotment Block, and if its status is "Definite" and the Group Profile is "Open," the system instantly recalculates availability on the Calendar for the corresponding Accommodation Type.
  • When you book reservations from an Allotment Block (which has a Block type), the availability on the Calendar won't change because those rooms are already subtracted when they are allocated within the set interval. However, it will increase the calendar's Reservation number.

Share Allotment Blocks URLs with guests

Generate a unique URL for each Allotment Block so guests can book the allocated rooms directly from the Booking Engine. You can share the generated URL with a group of guests, a travel agent, or a wholesaler and start receiving reservations, which will be automatically booked within the Group Profile/Allotment Block.

 To create an allotment block URL, first:

  1. Create a group profile
  2. Create a definite allotment block for the group profile

Generate the URL

  1. From the Groups page Groups icon.png, click the desired Group Profile
  2. Go to the Allotment Blocks tab and click on the gear icon next to the desired allotment block name to choose the Booking URL option

  This function appears only on Definite Allotment Blocks: The tentative Allotment Blocks won’t have this option.

  1. Select the date range (optional)
  2. Click Generate URL
  3. Copy the code and share it with your guests/agency

  1. URLs without dates will take guests to the booking page, where the Allotment Block availability is displayed for default dates (today).
  2. URLs with dates will take customers to the booking page, where the Allotment Block availability is displayed for the specified dates.

 To use the URL option for Rate Plans with a promo code, make sure you enter the promo code in the designated field on your Booking Engine property page. Alternatively, it is possible to generate the URL as described above and add the following at the end of the Booking Engine URL:

&promo=*promo code on the rate plan here*

Make sure to replace the text between the asterisks (*) with the promo code.

Booking Engine Group code field

The Booking Engine has a field for entering the Allotment Block ID, also known as the Group Code. This allows guests to make group reservations by simply entering the code instead of copying and pasting the URL created in the previous step.

  1. From the Groups page Groups icon.png, click the desired Group Profile
  2. Go to the Allotment Blocks tab and find the Allotment Block code
  3. Share the code with your guests/agency
  4. The guests/agency will be able to apply the Allotment Block code on the Booking Engine when creating the reservation (via the group code field)

Review the Allotment Block Pickup

On the Pickup tab, you can see what inventory has been allocated and how many rooms have been picked up. You can also check the rates set for the dates in the allotment block and release the inventory that wasn't booked.

Pickup numbers on the Group Profile

  1. From the Groups page Groups icon.png, click the desired Group Profile
  2. Go to the Pickup tab
  3. Select the dates you want to look at. By default, it will be set to the first date of the selected allotment block.
  4. Select the room types
  5. Select the allotment block
  6. See the status/type of allotment block

 If the Allotment Block has the status Tentative, no rooms will be allocated from the general inventory. The status must be updated to Definite to book reservations from the block.

  1. The first number in the table shows how many accommodations from the allotment block have been picked up.
  2. The second number is the total number of allocated rooms in the selected allotment block.
  3. Under both numbers, you can see the rates set for the specific date and accommodation type in the selected allotment block.

In the example above, you can see that on July 15, a guest booked 1 out of 2 rooms allocated in the allotment block; the group still has 1 room left to book within this allotment block on that day.

  • Even if the allotment block type is Tentative, the numbers of inventory allocated will be the same as for "Definite." The difference is if the status is "Tentative," the allocated inventory is not taken out of the total property inventory.
  • Only if the block is Definite will the numbers in the table show the inventory taken out of the total property inventory.
  1. Click Release Inventory to release the unsold rooms back to the general inventory (optional)

 If the rooms allocated for the specific group were not booked, you can manually Release Inventory on this page or set Auto Release on the Allotment Block settings page (check how to Set Allotment Block Rates and Availability).

  1. If Auto Release is enabled in the Allotment Block settings, this page will display when the inventory will be auto-released.

Pickup numbers on the calendar

You can see the Definite Allotment Block pickup numbers on the Calendar for corresponding days. The numbers include all definite Allotment Blocks that belong to Open Group Profiles on the corresponding days.

Example:

  • Total capacity = 10 rooms
  • Allotment Block = 8 rooms
  • 1 reservation was booked that doesn’t belong to any Allotment Block or Group Profile
  • 3 reservations were booked within the Allotment Block 

The allotment block window (small circle) on the calendar will show 3/8, meaning 3 rooms out of 8 allotment blocks were booked; it doesn't count the reservation that doesn't belong to the Group Profile.

 The numbers in this circle will be dynamically updated in the same situations that cause these numbers to change in the group profile’s Pickup tab.

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