3 Key Steps To Handle Group Reservations

You know how to run one group trip at a time. Now a question is how to scale group trip planning. The answer is in optimizing and delegating. This article is about optimizing group reservations, so you free yourself from onboarding clients and focus on growing your business.

When dealing with group reservations, you need an effective work process to make sure that: 

• All details are captured and stored properly.
• Selected travelers' data is shared securely.
• Team members can easily find, process, and share client information with the third parties who help deliver the travel experience.
• Updates are communicated without delays. 

These 3 simple steps added to your group booking process will help you optimize, save time, and labor hours: 

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Step 1 | Apply "groups within groups" whenever possible.

Dealing with the group leaders instead of individuals significantly cuts payment processing and reporting time

Step 2 | Automate tasks and payment reminders

Automation no longer requires sophisticated systems. A basic package with a smart group booking platform like YouLi comes with automated payment and task reminders on pre-determined dates. 

Step 3 | Automate room inventory management

One of the biggest obstacles when dealing with group reservations comes from not knowing if you have enough spots left on the tour. Allow a booking platform to set up available spots. Define pricing packages to let clients pick a specific room or a cabin.

Handling "groups within groups" 

Let's say you need to handle a trip for multiple sports teams, student groups, or several families. You don't want to ask each individual for payment, yet you do need to know their dietary requirement. 

An invitation group is a way to organize your trip guests where any member can also complete tasks on behalf of other members. This is helpful when one partner does all the admin work, like passports and visas. Learn more about Invitation Groups. 

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Automating Reminders

Automating tasks takes nagging clients out of your mind. Set up the deadline, and the software will send out reminders if a client forgot to sign a form you asked for, or make a payment. 

In YouLi, 3 reminders are automatically scheduled when you set up the deadline, but they will ONLY be sent if the task has not been marked as completed:

• DUE SOON (1 week before the Due Date)
• DUE (On Due Date)
• OVERDUE (2 days after Due Date)

Worried about travelers getting annoyed with multiple reminders? Don't worry, your clients will never get more than 1 reminder per day. Learn more about automating group booking process. 
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Setting Room Capacity

Let’s say you booked a venue with 10 rooms for your group event: 6 twin shares, and 4 private rooms. How do you set up the registration page to ensure full occupancy and avoid overbooking? Use group tour reservations software, like YouLi, to set up pricing packages. The planner gets alerted about each reservation, while the backend system prevents clients from overbooking. 

A few scenarios when you will benefit from adding multiple packages to your group trip or retreat:

• You offer Single Supplement, Twin Share, or a Private Room Upgrade
• Your booking price depends on the room view
• You need to manage room inventory
• You want to set MAX group size
• You require MIN group size for a booking
• You offer early-bird discounts
• You offer private packages or member discounts

Learn more about room inventory management for small group trips.