What is iMagic Hotel Reservation?
It's a reservation system for small sized operators. This may be for B&B, Motels, Hotels or holiday homes.

What do I do if I have a question?
Please visit our support website.

Does iMagic Hotel Reservation support multiple users?
Yes iMagic Hotel Reservation can be used on a LAN by several users at once.

To setup multiple users you would install the software onto each PC that needs it. Then designate one as the main/server PC, this then shares it's database with the other PCs on the network.

It takes a few steps to setup the network feature. As follows:

1) Install the software onto the server, this will then be the central database. Configure and setup the system and other details as required.
2) Still on the server, create a share to the folder in which you installed the software. You can do this in Windows 2000 by right clicking on the folder and selecting Sharing. You'll then want to give full read and write access.
3) Install the software onto each workstation (don't run it just yet).
4) On each workstation run the Network Administration program (found by pressing Start/Program Files/iMagic Hotel Reservation). Follow the wizard and set the database path to the share that was created on the server.
5) You can now run the software on each workstation and it will use the database on the server.

How can I change the default currency setting?
iMagic Hotel Reservation uses the system's currency setting. To change this to a different currency:
1) Press Start/Settings/Control Panel.
2) Select Regional Options.
3) Select the Currency Tab.
4) Change the Currency Symbol to your currency and click OK.
iMagic Hotel Reservation will now use your currency.

How much does it cost?
Latest pricing is available by clicking the Buy Now link on the menu.

I'm quite happy with my pencil and paper why should I use a computer?
There are many advantages to using computer software although the main one should always be that it makes your life easier. The software product is intended to save you time and effort.

Can iMagic Hotel take online bookings from my website?
Yes. iMagic Hotel Reservation allows you to take online bookings either directly through your website or through a web booking provider. These include AvailabilityOnline.com, Webervations.com and SuperOop.com.

What support is offered?
Support is available online at our dedicated support website. Questions would normally be answered within 24 hours.

I am wondering if iMagic Hotel has a limit to the number of rooms the database will hold?
The upper limit depends on the speed of your PC, available RAM etc. The average PC should be able to deal with several hundred rooms. A more powerful PC can handle many times that.

How can I change the order of the displayed rooms?
Select Configure/Rooms, you can the rearrange the rooms by selecting a room and using the up/down buttons.

Can I download the software rather than pay for postage?
Yes. After purchase you'll be emailed a keycode, when you enter this into the application it will convert to the full version. We'll also mail you a CD just in case you need to reinstall in the future, free of charge.

Does iMagic Hotel Reservation support deposits?
Yes, You have two options for refunding the deposit. If you don't want the refund or charge to appear on the receipt/confirmation then:
1) Edit the booking.
2) Click on Step 4 - Payments.
3) Select the key deposit item and press Delete Item.

The deposit will be removed and the totals updated. If you want the deposit and return of deposit to be recorded (this might happen with a partial refund) and displayed on the receipt/confirmation then:
1) Edit the booking.
2) Click on Step 4 - Payments.
3) Press Add Item.
4) Enter a refund name, such as "Deposit Refund".
5) Enter a negative amount that you want refunded.
6) Click OK.
In this case the total will be worked out by subtracting the refund amount.

Can you change the template (add headers, logos, etc) for guest receipts and/or confirmations?
Yes you can customize the confirmation and receipt templates as required. If you look in the installation folder, by default this is "c:\program files\imagic hotel reservation", you'll see two files BookingConfirmation.rtf and BookingReceipt.rtf. If you open these files in a word processor, such as Microsoft Word, you can edit the layout, add logos etc. Just be sure to save them as RTF files when you've finished.

We run a hostel with shared dorm rooms, how can we book out beds rather than rooms?
To book beds rather than rooms, you'd enter in the bed number along with the room. So for example if you had 3 beds in 1 room, rather than enter "Room 1", you'd enter:
Room 1 - Bed 1
Room 1 - Bed 2
Room 1 - Bed 3

In this way you can book out the individual beds or the whole room.

When I launch the application I get the error "Format of the initialization string does not conform to the OLE DB specification.". What can I do?
This error indicates that either Microsoft Jet or Microsoft MDAC are out of date or need repairing. Mostly this can be fixed by going to the Microsoft Update website and downloading the latest versions. However if you are running Windows XP with SP2 then the Microsoft updates above may not launch. In which case you'll need to repair your install, you can do this by:
1) Locate the mdac.inf file in C:\WINDOWS\inf
2) Right click on the file and select install.
3) When prompted for a location, enter:
C:\WINDOWS\ServicePackFiles\i386
4) If prompted for the Windows XP CD, either load the CD or point to:
C:\WINDOWS\ServicePackFiles\i386

This will reinstall and repair Microsoft MDAC/Jet.

What reports are available?
All commonly used reports are available, including sales, customers, vendors and inventory. iMagic Hotel Reservation is fully compatible with MS Access, so most reporting applications can be used including Microsoft Office Ultimate 2007 FULL VERSION [DVD], Microsoft Access 2007 and Crystal Reports 2008 Full Product. You can also export to MS Excel for even more options.

How do I get a copy of the latest version?
From within the application select Help/Check Web For Updates.

How do I backup my booking and customer information?
All the data is stored in the database file which is called db.mdb. To find the location of the database file select Help/About from the main menu and then click the "Database..." button. To backup this file you just need to copy it to another location. Windows does have an in-built backup system called Windows Backup. With this program you can schedule automatic backups of your files.

After the 1 year of free/updates support, what is the cost to renew for another year?
After purchase you get 1 year of updates/support included, after that time you can optionally renew and get another year of updates and support. The price is per user, 1 User is $49.

How can I move the software to another PC?
To move to another PC you'd need to install iMagic Hotel Reservation on the new PC and enter in your registration key details. Then copy the database file (db.mdb) from the old PC to the new PC. To find the location of the database file select Help/About from the main menu and then click the "Database..." button.

I sometimes use discounts. Does your software have a way of including these on the billing page so the computer adds it into the billing as opposed to me having to figure it out on a calculator then inputing the total in myself?
There are several ways to do discounts, the one you use would depend on how you want them handled. The easiest way is on the Payment step, select the booking details and press Edit Item. You can then enter in a discount amount by pressing the "Discount" button.
Another option is to add another line by pressing the Add Item button and including a negative amount for the discount.

My rates are based on double occupany and there is an additional charge for extra persons. I also have an additional charge for pets. Is there a way to add that to the billing page?
Yes, on the payment step press the Add Item button and include the additional charge. You can also save these extra charges by selecting the "New Item" from the "Predefined Item" option. This saves you having to enter the details more than once.

When I did the Configuration Wizard, it only allowed me to put in an average charge per room. Is there a way to enter the exact room price for each room so that it appears each time I book that room?
The basic setup is for an "average rate", this simply assigns the same charge to each room. To set different rates for each room select Configure/Rooms then edit each room in turn.

I entered one reservation and when I went to enter a new booking, the information for the previous booking came up. How do I make it so the booking screen is blank?
The current reservation is saved until it's completed. This is useful if you need to perform searches, check other screens, reports etc. To finish the reservation click the "Next" button until you get to the last step and press "Confirm". (you can also quickly jump to the last step by clicking on the "Step 5 - Confirmation" text).