Managing Packages

Provided you have already created your desired special requests, making a package is easy to get started. To begin, access the GM Functions module from Chorum’s left-hand navigation pane, expand the Room and Rates folder, then select Packages from the list of available options.

Once the menu has loaded, begin by clicking the New button along the top ribbon menu (note that there are two - the lower ribbon is for package elements, which we don’t need just yet). A new row will appear on the upper portion of the menu with several blank columns. Click in a cell to fill it in.

Expand each of the below items as needed for more information on a given column:

• Pkg Code An abbreviated code representing this package. The abbreviation should be easily identifiable. For best results, MSI recommends limiting this field to 2 - 4 characters.
• Pkg Description The full name of the package being offered. Try to keep the description brief and to-the-point, but otherwise, there is not a limit here.
• Repeat Nights This controls the frequency the package posts its associated special requests, starting from the night the package is added (note that this does not necessarily have to be the guest’s arrival date, in the event the package is added later during the guest’s stay). A value of 1 means the package posts every night, while a value of 2 means the package posts every second night. If the package’s associated requests should only post once over the course of the guest’s stay, set Repeat Nights to 0.
  
  Be aware that if this value is more than 0 but less than the posting night value for an associated request, that request won’t post. For example, a hotel creates a package with a repeat period of two days. One of their associated requests is set to post on the third day - since the package repeats before reaching the third day, this special request never posts to the guest’s folio.
• Dept Code This is the department code the package will display on the guest’s receipt after posting. On detailed financial reports such as the Department Audit Report, each individual special request will by shown under the department codes assigned to them. For example, if the package is set to use the department code “PKG” but its associated special requests use the department code “BB1” and “BB2,” the folio will show PKG as the code while financial reports will show BB1 and BB2 instead.
• Currency By default, this will be USD (US Dollars). However, if your hotel has configured other currencies for use in Chorum, you can set the preferred currency here. See Exchange Rate Setup for more information on building different currencies in Chorum.

Once you have finished filling in each column, click Save in the top-left corner to finalize package creation (this must be done before attempting to add special requests, else Chorum won’t save them correctly). If you decide instead to cancel creating a new package, click either the Cancel or Refresh buttons in the upper-left hand corner to undo any unsaved changes.

From here, click anywhere on the package row to highlight it, then begin adding special requests using the lower Package Elements menu. To add an existing special request, click the Add Items option from the middle ribbon menu. If you’re familiar with the creation of special requests, you can also create one directly from this menu for use with the package without needing to use the Special Requests menu prior. A new special request created in this way will automatically add itself to the Special Requests menu. See the related topic Managing Special Requests for more information on each of the columns here.

Note that if a given special request has been assigned its own Repeat Nights value on the Special Requests menu, that value will be ignored on the Packages menu. The package instead uses its own Repeat Nights value. If you intend to create a package with a repeat period of two or more nights, with some requests posting nightly with others only posting on specific nights during the stay, be aware that the nightly special request must be added multiple times each with a different posting night to make sure it posts every night. For example, a hotel wishes to create a package with a repeat period of three days. In that package, they’ve included a special request that should post every night, and a second special request that only posts on the third night. After setting the package’s Repeat Nights value to 3, they add the second request and set the Posting Night to 3. Then, they add the first request three times, setting the Posting Night to 1, 2, and 3, respectively, like so:

Notice that BB1 has three entries, while BB2 only has one. The posting nights each match when the request will post over the repeat period of the package.

When finished, click Save in the Package Elements ribbon. The requests are now a part of the package and will post their associated fees as designed when the package is added to a guest’s stay. If you decide instead to cancel or undo the addition of a special request, click the Cancel or Refresh button on the Package Elements ribbon to undo any unsaved changes.

Be aware that once a special request has been linked to a package, it is preferred to make any future changes to the special request on this menu instead of the Special Requests menu. Changes made to a special request via the Special Requests menu do not automatically update entries on the Packages menu.

If at any point after you create a package you decide it needs to be updated or changed, you can always do so by returning to the Packages menu.

If you only need to update package info by itself, simply click on the package you wish to update to select it, then click the column you need to change. Update the column’s contents as needed. If you need to delete the package in its entirely, after clicking the package to select it, click Delete from the top menu. Be aware that deleting a package can only be done if it is not being used elsewhere in Chorum - if a past, present, or future booking has the package attached, the package will need to be removed from the stay(s) before it can be deleted on the Packages menu.

If you need to update or modify the requests associated with a package, first select it on the upper portion of the menu. The package elements region will update to show all requests associated with the package. Any changes applied to an existing special request attached to the package will update the same values on the Special Request menu but remember that the same does not apply in the other direction. If a request is updated on the Special Request menu instead, changes made do not automatically update here (though if you change the Sp Req Code to a different code then change it back, the current settings will update to match whatever was built in the Special Request menu).

To remove a special request that has been added to a package, you cannot actively be editing any other special requests on that same package. If you just made changes to another special request, the Remove Items button will be grayed out and unavailable until you save your changes and re-select the package for editing. Otherwise, simply click the grey box to the left of the special request to highlight the row you wish to delete, then click Remove Items. Chorum will confirm you wish to delete the request from the package - click Ok to confirm, and the row will be removed.

Be aware that any time you change a package’s settings, this will not affect departed guests or any previous postings for an in-house guest’s stay. Changes will only apply to the current business date onward for both in-house and future guests.