Integrating the screening process into your workflow
Your 'Batch 1' listings are enabled, we ran the import... now what?
With Autohost now in your technology stack, you should think of the reservation screening process as an ongoing process that gives you the ability to address items that require attention in order to ensure each reservation that approaches the check-in date has been verified.
The most important thing to note is that the release of check-in instructions is now dependent on the reservation being marked as either "verified" (i.e. the guest successfully completed the guest portal, with no flagged reasons for concern), or "approved" manually by the property manager (i.e. you, as the property manager, manually APPROVE a the reservation upon reviewing their screening results).
With that in mind, here are two directives your team should consider employing on an ongoing basis:
- Assess all reservations that are flagged for "review" and make a decision (by clicking APPROVE or DECLINE on the reservation).
Regardless of the reservation lead time, the key point to remember is to review the reservation and either 'APPROVE' them or ‘DECLINE' (and thus cancelling the reservation on the PMS). If you decide to decline, do so promptly to ensure that you free up your booking availability for future reservations. - Review any reservations with an approaching check-in date that has the reservation status as "pending" (this means that the Guest Portal has not been completed).
If this is the case, you can contact the guest and explain to them the importance of completing the guest portal. Alternatively, you can assess the screening results of the reservation, and proceed to make a judgment call to manually ‘APPROVE' (or ‘DECLINE') the reservation. Remember that the check-in instructions will only be sent if the reservation is either approved or verified.
If a reservation is flagged for review, Autohost gives you the ability to view the specific items flagged and the reason for the review. From there, you can proceed to make a decision, based on your business practices.
Remember: If you choose to ‘DECLINE' a guest on Autohost, it will simply prevent the check-in instructions from being released. You must also cancel the reservation through the corresponding booking platform.
