Create cost items
Costs are created in the Setup module.
Before creating costs, think about how you want to classify them. For example, do you have several cleaning companies that perform tasks for you? Then create the cost item final cleaning per cleaning company. This makes it easier to link the right cost item to the right automatic task. In the cost item, you can enter a separate price per type and/or channel.
Add a new cost item
To add a new cost item it is necessary to fill in several fields.
General settings
- Give the cost item a name. This name is visible to the guest.
- The description is not mandatory. If the cost item is an extra which can be selected during booking or in the Customer portal, a description is certainly of added value. For example, for a towel package, specify how many towels a guest will receive.
- You can use the internal name to distinguish between different Costs. For example, "Final cleaning company A" and "Final cleaning company B".
- Type of cost item: select the type of cost item that best suits the cost item you are creating.
- Selectability: When can this cost item be selected?
Examples
Mandatory:
Pet surcharge, late check out and tourist tax. Costs that are always mandatory to charge. Pet surcharge is only charged if a pet is added in the travel party. Late check out costs are only charged if the guest has actually added a late check out.
Important:
These can be extras which you would like the guest to add. These are checked by default for the guest. For example, a rebooking guarantee.
Guest selection:
Think of a cot, highchair, sandwich service, breakfast or dinner and bike rental.
You can still differentiate between selecting during the reservation or only when upgrading.
Backoffice:
For costs which only you may add for the guest or which are part of a specific package.
Ask guest can be used for example for the cost item lunchbox. You can, for example, ask whether the guest has dietary requirements. Or for bicycle hire, the height of the guest so you can reserve the right bicycle for the guest.
Applicability
Indicate here the type(s) and channels to which the cost item applies.
Price
- Please indicate how the price should be calculated for this cost item.
Please note that for a pet you always select "per pet" or "per pet per night". Costs to be calculated per person should be "per person" or "per person per night".
- The valid from date allows you to enter multiple price thresholds. Here you can read all about price thresholds.
- Stock control is only applicable if, for example, you have a maximum of 5 cots and the costs cannot be added when the stock runs out. If you want to read more about this click here.
- You can set a cost item to be variable. In costs, you can specify that the price is an adjustable price. We then call this a variable cost item. In that case, an employee with extensive reception authorisation can adjust the price on the order.
- Standard prices are used if you want to use the same price for all types and channels. If you click no, you can enter a separate price for each type and/or channel. You can read more about this in the articles Price differentiation per type, Price differentiation per channel, Price differentiation per channel and type.
Billing
- Select the correct ledger account, if you have a separate ledger account per channel, indicate this here.
- Can the cost item be displayed with its own line on the invoice? If not, combine it with other cost items on one invoice line. You can read more about this here.
- Check counts as rent if the cost item should be included in the calculation of the commission for owners.
- Do not invoice if the guest has to pay the costs on arrival. You then invoice this outside Booking Experts, click here for more information.
- Policy for cancellation invoices choose include in basis if the guest pays the same percentage cancellation fee on the cost item as on the rental. Should the guest pay the cost item in full when cancelling? then choose 1-to-1 take over. Should the guest not have to pay the cost item on cancellation? then choose exclude.
Validity
- If the cost item has to be valid for a certain period, you can create a period group for this. Read more about the validity of a cost centre here.
- Is a cost item valid for reservations with a specific amenity? If so, specify the amenities for which this applies. Read more about this here.
- Valid when choosing specific items and valid when choosing amenities are preference bookings. More information on this can be found here.
- Costs for late check-out. This checkbox ensures that this cost item is only applied when a late check-out is booked.