Through the Reservation Extras module, you can create discount codes to provide to your guests.
Discounts are a great way to attract new guests and encourage repeat reservations. Guests can use discount codes during the checkout process on your website. You can even include the code in automated emails to past guests or leads to encourage them to book with you. Who doesn't love to save money!
Here's a few examples of discount codes you could create in CiiRUS:
15% off all certain units
20% summer savings (for guests that stay during the summer)
10% off for all repeat guests
$100 off for guest's that leave a review
More often or not, the discount tends to be a percentage amount. The amount is calculated from the base rental rate in CiiRUS. This means, it's calculated before any other fees or taxes are applied.
How to create a discount code
To create a discount code, go to:
Reservations & Pricing > Pricing
Reservation Extras
Click the "Add+" icon above the grid which will create a new row.
Type a code and a description. In this example, the code will be "10OFF" and the description will be "10% Off Promo."
To finish creating the discount, click the "Edit" icon.
In the popup window, you can fully configure the discount by following the steps in each tab. Not all fields or settings are required or may be needed depending on the extra that you're setting up. In this example, we'll focus on the fields that are needed for a discount code:
Step One: Configuration
Enable the checkbox "Discount Code." This is important as it tells CiiRUS that the extra is a discount to be deducted from the base rental amount.
Specify that the extra is optional. This means the discount amount won't automatically apply to all quotes and reservations.
If applicable, choose which units are available to get the discount. This is only necessary if you want the discount to work for certain units.
The other fields in this step are not required or really necessary when creating discount codes.
Step Two: Amounts
Type: You can choose whether the discount is a percentage, nightly amount, or a flat fee.
If you choose "percentage," the discount will be a percentage of the base rate of the reservation. For example, 10% off the base rental amount.
If you choose "nightly amount," the discount will be a flat amount taken for each night of the reservation. For example, $10 off for each night of the stay.
If you choose "fixed amount," the discount will be a fixed amount regardless of the length of stay. For example, $100 off for the entire stay.
2. Amount: Enter the discount amount. It's very important to enter a negative (-) symbol before the amount so the system calculates the discount correctly and deducts it from the totals.
3. Taxes: If the discount is taxed, specify which taxes to charge.
4. Revenue Share: Enter the amount of the discount that you retain on your PMC bookings and an owner bookings. For example, if the total discount amount is $150 and you retain it, then $150 will be deducted from the amount due to you.
CiiRUS super-users can configure additional settings for discount codes in the "Step Three - Conditions" tab. These settings are only supported by your CiiRUS website.
You can apply the following conditions:
Date range: You can specify a date range during which the discount is available. For example, a guest arriving during the summer could be eligible for the summer promotion.
Minimum or maximum length of stay: You can choose to only apply the discount if the reservation is for a minimum or maximum number of nights.
If you need additional help with this step, you can submit a support ticket from the CiiRUS Help Center.
Once you've finished configuring the extra, click the "Save' button to save and close out:
Apply discount upon website checkout
You can encourage guests to book again by creating an automated email to send out to past guests or leads with your discount code.
Guests that have a discount code that are booking on your website, can apply it on the checkout page as shown in the example below:
If a guest is calling or booking elsewhere, you can always apply the discount from the Reservation Folio by adding it from the Reservation Extras section.
Calculating PMC commission on a discounted reservation
There are two scenarios when it comes to how the system will calculate your commission and therefore what is due to you and the owner.
Scenario 1) The system will calculate your commission on the discounted based rental amount
For example, let's look at the following reservation where the PMC commission is 20% of the base rental amount:
Base rental amount = $600
10% off discount = -$60
New base rental amount = $540
PMC commission = $108 (20% of the new discounted base rental amount)
Scenario 2) The system will calculate your commission on the base rental amount before the discount was applied
Using the same financials from scenario 1 where the PMC commission is 20Z% of the base rental amount:
Base rental amount = $600
10% off discount = -$60
New base rental amount = $540
PMC commission = $120 (20% of the original base rental amount before the discount)
To configure this important setting, go to:
Global Settings > Settings Assistant
Navigate to "Pricing & Fees Settings"
Locate the "Discount Code Payout Calculation" setting
For scenario 1 where the system calculates the PMC commission on the discounted base rental rate, enable this setting.
For scenario 2, where the system calculates the PMC commission on the original base rental rate, disable this setting.