A Rate Grid Discount allows you to adjust your online rates by a percentage for specific dates and specific room types, without changing your base (RACK or STO) rates.
This article explains how to set up a Rate Grid Discount, step by step.
Rate Discounts only apply to online bookings. They do not apply to manual calendar bookings.
This article specifically covers adding a discount to your rates. If you would like to use the Rate Discount tool to temporarily increase your rates, please see our tutorial on How to increase your rates using the Rate Discounts feature.
Open the Rate Discounts section
Add a Rate Grid Discount
- Click on the 'Add' button
Set up the primary information
- From the Type of discount dropdown, select Rate Grid.
- By default the discount will be active. You can deactivate the discount here, without deleting it.
- Use the free-type field to name your Rate Grid Discount.
- Use the 'Valid From' date widget to select the start date.
- Use the 'Valid Until' date widget to select the end date.
There is no minimum stay setting on the Rate Grid Discount. This discount will use the minimum stay set on NightsBridge.
Open the Rate Grid
- Click the 'Enter Percentages on Rates Grid' button to open the Rate Grid.
- A blank grid will open showing:
- All room types and meal plans (rows)
- The applicable dates you selected (columns)
- A blank grid will open showing:
Add the discounts
Double-click within a block on the grid to apply a discount to a specific Room Type, on a specific date.
- Enter a minus (-) followed by the percentage discount you want to apply (ie. -10 for a 10% discount).
- Once done, click on the 'Save' button.
A discount does not have to be applied to every Room Type or date within the range. Only for the dates you choose.
Copy discounts across dates or room types (optional)
Use the Copy Down button to apply the same discount, to the same date, to all other Room Types that follow on the Rate Grid.
Use the Copy Block button to apply the discount across multiple dates and Room Types.
Select the original block first.
Use Shift or Ctrl on your keyboard to select multiple blocks before copying.
Adding an additional date range
Additional date ranges are easily added to offer the same Rate Grid Discount across multiple date ranges.
- Click on the '+Add a new date' button.
- Your system will provide another set of date widgets.
Use the date widgets to set the 'Valid From' and 'Valid Until' dates.
Additional date ranges can be added as required. If you do this, make sure to check the newer rates to ensure the correct discounted percentage has been applied on the 'Enter Percentages on Rates Grid' button.
Set the price pointing
The price pointing feature will automatically round or point your discounted rate accordingly.
Detailed information on the concept of price pointing is covered within our article, What is Price Pointing?
Discounts without price pointing
Discounts are calculated at a percentage off the base rate.
If you don't apply price pointing the discounted rate may appear as an irregular amount, even though the discount itself is correctly applied.
Rounding
- Click on the drop-down menu and
- Select a rounding
Pointing
- Click on the drop-down menu and
- Select a price point.
Once your price pointing is set, the rate on your Booking Engine will automatically adjust once discounted.
Choose the room types and meal plans
By default, your system will be set to apply the discount to all room types and meal plans. This can be changed to fit your needs.
To individually select from your room types and meal plans:
- Click the toggle to turn if off.
- Tick each of the room types you would like the discount to be applied to.
Choose how the discount is distributed
Discounts can be distributed by Rate Sheet or by Channel.
Distribute by Rate Sheet
- 'Rate Sheet' will be selected by default.
- Review your list of rate sheets and tick those that the discount should be applied to.
- Save your changes.
Channels linked to the selected rate sheet will receive the applied Discount.
- Channels that can identify the update as a discount will display it as such on their platform.
- Channels that do not provide this feature may receive the discount but display it as just an updated base rate.
Distribute by Channel
- Select 'Channels'.
- Review your channel list and tick those channels that the discount should be applied to.
- Save your changes.
Channels selected will receive the applied Discount.
- Channels that can identify the update from NightsBridge as a discount will display it as such on their platform.
- Channels that do not support this feature may receive the discount, but display it as just an updated base rate.
Distributing by channel provides the option to discount a rate on your Own Web site only.
Publish your Setup
- Click 'Exit' to return to the Setup menu.
- Click on the 'Publish' button to distribute your Basic Discount.
- A confirmation message will display.
View your discount online
- Open your Booking Engine and search for your discount
It will be applied according to the information your selected in Setup.
Remember that your search on your Booking Engine will need to match the conditions of the discount you created for it to display.
