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iMagic Hotel Reservation - Frequently Asked Questions
This page answers many of the commonly asked questions about iMagic Hotel Reservation. If you can't find the answer you are looking for then please contact our Support.
This section is split into Sales and Technical Questions for ease of reference. Click on the question below to be taken to the answer:
Sales Questions
Q. What is iMagic Hotel Reservation?
Q. What do I do if I have a question?
Q. How much does it cost?
Q. When purchasing for multiple users, what does iMagic consider to be a 'user'?
Q. I'm quite happy with my pencil and paper why should I use a computer?
Q. Can I download the software rather than pay for postage?
Q. After the 1 year of free/updates support, what is the cost to renew for another year?
Technical Questions
Q. What do I do if I have a question?
Q. Does iMagic Hotel Reservation support multiple users?
Q. How can I change the default currency setting?
Q. Can iMagic Hotel take online bookings from my website?
Q. What support is offered?
Q. Does iMagic Hotel Reservation work on a Mac?
Q. How can I transfer my installation of iMagic Hotel Reservation from one PC to another?
Q. I am wondering if iMagic Hotel has a limit to the number of rooms the database will hold?
Q. How can I change the order of the displayed rooms?
Q. Does iMagic Hotel Reservation support deposits?
Q. Can you change the template (add headers, logos, etc) for guest receipts and/or confirmations?
Q. We run a hostel with shared dorm rooms, how can we book out beds rather than rooms?
Q. We've entered test data in the trial version, how can we delete all the data and start again?
Q. 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?
Q. What reports are available?
Q. How do I get a copy of the latest version?
Q. How do I backup my booking and customer information?
Q. How do I restore from a backup?
Q. How can I set season rates for rooms?
Q. How can I create an emailing list of customers for promotions?
Q. 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?
Q. 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?
Q. 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?
Q. 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?
FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions
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?
The first thing would be to scan these questions to see if it's already been answered. If you can't find anything then please visit our Support page.
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 main PC (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 Database Folder. To find the Database Folder select Help/About and click "Database...".
Note that if you are using Windows 7 or Windows Vista and the above folder is in the "Program Files" folder you'll need to click on the "Compatibility Folder" button to open the actual folder.
To create a share with Windows 7 right click on the folder and selecting Properties, then click on the Sharing tab and click "Share". You'll then want to give "Full 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/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.
When purchasing for multiple users, what does iMagic consider to be a 'user'?
For licensing users are "concurrent users", so the licence you need is for the number of PCs using iMagic Hotel at any single time. You could for example have a 3 user licence but install it on 5 PCs, this would work if you only use it on 3 of those PCs at any single time.
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.
To setup online bookings in iMagic Hotel Reservation select from the main menu Web Bookings/Configure Web Bookings. The Web Bookings Configuration Wizard will then open allowing you to choose which options to use.
An article is also available talking about how online bookings work.
What support is offered?
Support is available either online at our dedicated support website or via email, please see our Support page.
Does iMagic Hotel Reservation work on a Mac?
iMagic Hotel Reservation is designed for use on MS Windows as such it's intended use is a PC. You can however use Windows on a Mac which would allow you to use iMagic Hotel Reservation, in order to do so you would need something like VMWare Fusion.
How can I transfer my installation of iMagic Hotel Reservation from one PC to another?
To move the system to another PC you would need to first install iMagic Hotel Reservation on the new PC and enter in your key details to register it. Then you would move the Database File (db.mdb) from the old PC to the new one, to do that:
1) Find the folder of the current Database File by launching iMagic Hotel Reservation then selecting Help/About and clicking "Database".
2) Open the folder found and exit iMagic Hotel Reservation. Note that if you are using Windows 7 or Windows Vista and the above folder is in the "Program Files" folder you'll need to click on the "Compatibility Folder" button to open the actual folder.
3) Copy the Database File (db.mdb) to the new PC either over the network or copy it to a USB key.
4) On the new PC find the folder of the Database File, again to to this launch iMagic Hotel Reservation on the new PC, select Help/About and click "Database". Again on Windows 7 or Windows Vista click on the "Compatibility Folder" button.
5) Copy the Database File to the new folder.
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 hundreds of 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 the deposit is part of the final payment then simply enter the Deposit amount into the booking on Step 4 - Payment.
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. First note the Template Folder from Configure/Settings, then open that folder in Windows. You can then edit the Template Files (they end in .RTF). If you open these files in a word processor, such as Microsoft Word, you can edit the layout, add additional details like company name, address, logos etc. Just be sure to save them as RTF files when you're finished.
To add new database fields to the Template please view the post in our support forum at:
http://support.imagicsoft.com/viewtopic.php?t=690
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.
We've entered test data in the trial version, how can we delete all the data and start again?
If you have too much information to manually delete, perhaps the easiest way is to delete the "Database File" and then reinstall, this will then create a new blank database for you.
To do this, select Help/About and click "Database...". Navigate to the folder in Windows and then exit iMagic Hotel Reservation. Delete the db.mdb file. Then reinstall from the trial download or CD if you have one.
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 iMagic Hotel Reservation select Help/Check Web For Updates.
Note that if you have just renewed updates after the year period then you would need to enter in your new key details from Help/Register before checking for updates.
How do I backup my booking and customer information?
From the main menu select File/Backup Database, you will then be able to select where you want the backup file copied to. You can also schedule backups, Windows has an in-built backup system called Windows Backup. With this program you can schedule automatic backups of your files. To find the location of the Database File, which contains all of your bookings, select Help/About and click "Database..."
How do I restore from a backup?
First install iMagic Hotel Reservation (if you haven't already) and enter in the key and name details to register it, these can be found in the purchase email.
You will then want to copy the Database File from your backup into the Database Folder. To find the Database Folder launch iMagic Hotel and select Help/About and click "Database...". You can then navigate to this folder in Windows.
Note that the Database File must be called db.mdb otherwise it will not be recognized. If you used the File/Backup Database command it would have been renamed to something like Backup-Apr-21-2011.mdb, so you would want to rename it back to db.mdb.
Note that in some instances Windows may have created a "Compatibility Folder", if it has you must copy the file back to the "Compatibility Folder". To check this open the Database Folder and see if a "Compatibility Folder" button appears on the toolbar. If it does click it to go to the "Compatibility Folder" before copying back the file.
How can I set season rates for rooms?
There are several ways to set room rates in iMagic Hotel Reservation, one of which is by seasons. In this case you can set weekday and weekend rates based on the "season" or date range. To do this:
1) First set the "seasons" you would like by selecting from the main menu Configure/Advanced/High Low Season. You should make sure that all dates in the year are covered.
2) Then set the rates for each Room you would like to use Season Pricing. To do this, select from the main menu Configure/Rooms. Select a Room and press Edit. Then press the Season Pricing button to set the rates for each of the Seasons you previously set.
Note that the Unit Price on the Room will be ignorned when you have Season Pricing set, since the Unit Price is being set by the Season Rates.
How can I create an emailing list of customers for promotions?
Yes you can create a mailing list of emails in the system. It's specifically designed to be "generic" so can be used in any email program.
To use it select Customers/Email Mailing List Wizard and follow through the instructions on screen.
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.
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).
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