Overview

SkyHotel runs the hotel's website and its back office in one place. Guests find rooms, book and pay on the website, and join the SkyHotel Circle membership. Staff use the admin to check guests in and out, manage bookings and rooms, set prices and offers, look after members, keep the website up to date and follow the numbers.

Everything starts with a booking and follows the guest through the stay: Booking → Check-in → In house → Check-out. Rooms follow their own cycle beside it, and every step is counted in members' points, the reports and the activity log.

How the pieces fit together

The SkyHotel process map.

Reading it from the top: a booking comes in from the website, a phone call or a travel agency. Its price comes from Rooms & Rates and any offer code, and members get their member rate. On the arrival day the guest appears on the Arrivals list. At check-in the desk gives them a clean room and takes the payment and deposit; the room turns Occupied. Extras go on the bill while the guest is in house. At check-out the bill is settled, members earn their points and the room turns Dirty until housekeeping cleans it.

Who sees what

Each staff member has their own user name and password. A general manager decides, area by area, whether a person can view or edit it. The menu only shows the areas a person can use, and the server checks every request again. If a page or button you expect is missing, ask your general manager.

Where to go next

If you are new, read 1. Getting Started, then the chapter for the work you do most: 3. Check-in / Check-out for the front desk, 6. Housekeeping for the housekeeping team, and so on. For one specific thing, use the search box, or go to 15. Reference and 16. Quick Answers.

1. Getting Started

1.1 Signing in

Open the hotel website and click Staff sign in in the footer, or go straight to /AdminLogin. Enter your user name and password and press Sign in. You land on the Dashboard.

The staff sign-in page.

• If the user name or password is wrong, the page says so and nothing else happens. Several wrong tries in a row lock sign-in for a short while.
• Your session lasts 8 hours and renews while you work. When it ends you are sent back to this page.
• If your password is changed by a general manager, you are signed out everywhere and sign in again with the new one.
• Forgotten password: ask a general manager to set a new one for you in Users.

1.2 The layout

The parts of the admin screen.

• View site opens the hotel website in a new tab, so you can see what guests see.
• The badges beside the menu count work waiting for you: arrivals not yet checked in, rooms not ready, reviews waiting to be published.
• Every page has the same shape: title, main buttons, filters, then the list.

1.3 Lists, filters and windows

• Filters apply as you type or pick. Long lists are split into pages; use Previous and Next under the list.
• Quick periods such as Today or Next 30 days set the dates for you. Fill From and To for any other range.
• Open (or the button on a row) shows the record in a window over the page. Press Esc, click outside it or press Close to go back.
• Changes are saved when you press the button (Save, Check in, Book …). A short message at the bottom of the screen confirms it.

1.4 Your rights

For each area you have None, View or Edit. With View you can look but the buttons that change things are hidden. A few areas have an extra right on top of Edit: Cancel & refund for bookings, Block dates for rooms and Adjust points for members. See 12.2 Rights.

1.5 My account

Open My account at the bottom of the menu to change your name or password. Type your current password, then the new one, and press Save. The right side lists what you can do in each area.

My account.

1.6 On a phone or tablet

The admin and the website both work on phones and tablets. On a narrow screen the menu folds into the ☰ button, and lists turn into cards with a label beside each value.

Check-in / Check-out and the hotel website on a phone.

2. Dashboard

2.1 Today at a glance

The Dashboard opens after you sign in. It greets you, shows today's date and sums up the hotel right now.

The Dashboard.

2.2 Jumping to work

Below the cards are short lists, each with a link to the page that handles it:

• Arriving today → Check-in: names, room type, room and expected arrival time, with the member grade.
• Leaving today → Check-out: room and the balance still to pay.
• Rooms not ready → Housekeeping.
• Reviews waiting and the latest activity, with links to All reviews and the full activity log.

Booking page (top right) opens the website's booking page, handy when a guest at the desk wants to book another stay.

3. Check-in / Check-out

3.1 Arrivals, In house and Departures

The front desk page has three tabs. Each shows how many guests it holds.

• Arrivals: bookings due today that are not checked in yet.
• In house: everyone staying tonight, with their room, check-out time and balance.
• Departures: guests due to leave today.

Pick another date, search by guest, booking code or room, or filter by room type. Members show their grade, and guests who may have a later check-out show Late checkout eligible. A promo code used on the booking shows in red under the booking code.

Arrivals for today.

3.2 Checking a guest in

The check-in steps.

1. On Arrivals, press Check in beside the guest.
2. Check the booking at the top: guest, booking code, stay, room type, rate, requests and how they paid.
3. Choose a room. Only free rooms that are Clean or Inspected can be picked; the others are greyed out.
4. Fill in the guest details: phone, address, country, passport no., car plate and valet ticket no.
5. Choose the check-out time.
6. Press Continue to payment, take any balance and the deposit, then press Take payment and check in.

The check-in window: room 107 is clean and picked.

Once the guest is checked in, the room turns Occupied by itself and housekeeping sees it.

3.3 Passport rule

The passport number is optional for guests from the hotel's own country and required for guests from any other country. The hotel's country is set in Settings.

A guest from Germany can't be checked in without a passport number.

3.4 Late check-out

Every guest's check-out time starts at 11:00. Members of Bronze grade and above show Late checkout eligible, so the desk knows to offer a later time. Pick any time up to 15:00 in the Check-out time list. The time shows on the In house and Departures lists so housekeeping can plan.

3.5 Promotion check

If the booking used a promo code, the check-in window shows a Promotion panel and checks the code against the room type:

• Valid: a green note, for example Valid for Classic Room.
• Not valid: an orange note, for example Not valid for Classic Room, when the offer changed after the guest booked. Choose Honor the discount (the default) or Remove the discount. Removing it puts the discount and its tax back on the bill and is written to the activity log.

3.6 Payment and security deposit

Before the guest gets a key, the payment step shows what is still owed for the room and the security deposit.

The room was paid in full online, so only the deposit is taken.

• Room balance: nothing for a prepaid booking. Phone and agency bookings are paid at the front, by card or in cash.
• Security deposit: the amount set in Settings ($150 unless changed; 0 turns deposits off). Take it as a Card hold or as a Cash deposit. It covers extras and is settled at check-out.

3.7 Extras on the bill

On In house or Departures, press Check out beside the guest. The window opens with the bill; nothing is final until you confirm.

Guests in house tonight.

1. Under Add a charge, pick the item (minibar, spa, dining …), type the amount and press Add.
2. Update the guest details here if needed and press Save details.
3. Press Close to leave the guest in house, or carry on to check them out.

3.8 Checking a guest out

How the deposit is settled at check-out.

1. On Departures (or In house), press Check out and add any last extras.
2. Check the bill. The Payment & points panel shows the balance, how much of the deposit is used, how much is released and what is still to take.
3. If anything is still to take, choose Card on file, Card at the desk or Cash.
4. For members, the panel shows the points they will earn and their new lifetime total.
5. Press the brass button, for example Take $11.28 and check out, then confirm.

The check-out window: bill on the left, deposit and points on the right.

Confirm, and the guest is checked out. The room turns Dirty for housekeeping.

4. Bookings

4.1 Finding a booking

The bookings list. The phone number sits under the guest's name.

• Search by booking code, guest name, email or phone.
• Filter by Status, Room type and Source (web, phone or agency), and choose the Sort order.
• Pick the dates: Today, Next 7 days, Next 30 days, All, or your own From / To.
• Press Open on a row to see the booking.

4.2 The booking window

One booking: guest, stay, room, rate, price breakdown and payment.

• Notes for staff: type a note and press Save note. Guests never see it.
• Front desk jumps to the check-in page for this guest.

4.3 Changing dates or room

1. Press Change dates or room.
2. Change the dates, room type, adults or children, and press Check price.
3. The new total shows with the amount to collect or refund. Press Save changes.

One night less: the difference is refunded.

4.4 Cancelling and refunds

The Cancel booking box shows what the rate's rules allow: free cancellation until the deadline, and after that the first night is kept. Tick Waive the fee and refund to refund in full anyway. Only staff with the Cancel & refund right see this box.

4.5 No-show

If a guest never arrives, a No-show button appears on the booking from the day after the arrival date. Marking it closes the booking and frees the room.

4.6 Phone and agency bookings

Press New phone booking or New agency booking. Both are pay at front: nothing is charged now and the full amount is due at the desk.

1. For an agency, enter the Agency name and the Agency reference.
2. In Find a guest or member (the orange box), type a name, email, phone or member number and pick the person. Their grade and late check-out badge appear. For a new guest, type the name and an email or phone.
3. Choose the dates, room type, rate, adults and children, and the expected arrival time.
4. Click the Promo code box: a list of offers that fit this room type, these dates and this guest drops down. Pick one or type a code.
5. Press Check price, then Book.

The promo list for a Classic Room, and the price with the member rate and code.

4.7 Booking statuses

The life of a booking.

5. Calendar

5.1 Day view

Rooms run down the side and nights across. Bookings without a room wait at the top.

Day view.

• Give a room assigns a room to a booking that has none.
• Move to another room moves a booking. Moving a guest who is in house turns the old room Dirty and the new one Occupied.
• Both need the Calendar Edit right.

5.2 Week and Month

Each day shows how many guests arrive and how many are staying, as two separate numbers. When a day has more than five, press the number to see the list.

Week view.

Month view.

5.3 Day lists

The list opens in a window, sorted by arrival date and then expected arrival time. Each guest has a badge: Checked in or Booked.

Today's arrivals from the Month view.

6. Housekeeping

6.1 Room statuses

The room status cycle.

6.2 Updating a room

The page opens on the Dirty rooms, the ones to clean first.

Every room with its status, who changed it and when.

1. Use the chips at the top to show one status, or All. Search by room or note.
2. Press the new status beside a room. It saves straight away with your name and the time.

7. Rooms & Rates

Four tabs: Room types, Rooms, Seasons and Blocked dates.

7.1 Room types

Room types with their size, guests, weekday and weekend prices, number of rooms and status.

Press the edit button on a type to change it:

• Name, beds, size, sleeps and view.
• Weekday rate and weekend rate. The strip below shows the price and free rooms for the next 14 nights.
• On sale on the website: untick to stop guests booking this type online.
• Short description, description and amenities (amenities separated by commas).
• Picture from the media library, then up to six photos for the room page; the first is the main photo.
• Room video: shows as a play button on the room page. Choose No video to leave it out.

Editing the Penthouse Suite.

7.2 Rooms

The numbered rooms, with their floor and room type. Press Add a room to add one.

7.3 Seasons

A season raises or lowers every price by a percentage between two dates, for example +20% for a festival week. Press Add a season, or edit and delete seasons in the list.

Seasons.

7.4 Blocked dates

Block a room for some dates, with a reason such as repairs, so it can't be sold. This needs the Block dates right.

Blocked dates.

8. Offers

8.1 The offer list

Offers with their discount, room types, dates and how often they were used.

8.2 Creating or editing an offer

1. Press New offer, or the edit button on a row.
2. Enter the code guests type, for example STAY3, a title and a description.
3. Set the discount %, points (normal, or extra such as 2×) and minimum nights.
4. Set Valid from and Valid to.
5. Choose Room types: All room types, or Specific types and tick at least one.
6. Tick SkyHotel Circle members only if needed, and Switched on to make it live. Pick a picture and press Save.

STAY3 covers three room types only.

8.3 Where codes are checked

• Website: a room type the code doesn't cover shows a note on that room, for example STAY3 isn't valid for this room.
• Phone and agency bookings: the promo list only offers codes that fit.
• Check-in: the code is checked again (see 3.5 Promotion check).

9. Members & Guests

9.1 SkyHotel Circle

Members get a lower room rate, earn points and move up through grades as they stay.

SkyHotel Circle grades.

Points stay pending until the guest checks out. Late check-out means the desk may offer a time up to 15:00.

Members with their grade and points. The chips at the top count the members in each grade.

9.2 Member detail

One member: points, profile, points history and stays.

• Profile: phone, country, notes for staff and the VIP guest flag. Press Save profile.
• Points history: every stay, gift and adjustment, with who made it.
• Stays: upcoming and past bookings.

9.3 Adjusting points

Under Adjust points, type the points to add (or a minus number to take away) and a reason such as Goodwill, then press Adjust. This needs the Adjust points right and is written to the activity log.

9.4 Adding a member

1. Press Add member.
2. Enter the first name, last name and email, then save.
3. A temporary password shows once. Give it to the guest; they sign in on the Membership page and can change it under Profile in My Circle.

The new member's number and temporary password.

9.5 Guests

Everyone who has booked. Search by name, email or phone, or filter by country. Press Open to see a guest's stays and edit their phone and notes for staff. Members link through to their Members page.

Guests.

10. Content & Media

10.1 Content blocks

Change the words, pictures and videos on the website without a developer.

Pick a block on the left and edit it on the right.

1. Pick a block: Home hero, Welcome, Dining, Spa & wellness, Location, Membership or Gallery.
2. Edit the title and text, then pick a picture from the media library.
3. Where offered, pick a background video. It plays muted on a loop; the picture shows while it loads and for visitors who prefer less motion.
4. Press Save (Save gallery for the Gallery). Changes show on the website straight away; Open the website to check.

10.2 Media library

All the photos and videos the website uses, in one place. Filter by photos or videos, search, and click a file to preview it and see where it is used.

The media library with a photo ready to upload.

10.3 Uploading

1. Open Upload a photo or Upload a video.
2. Choose the file. A preview shows. Give it a title.
3. Upload it. The form clears, ready for the next file.

• Photos: JPG, PNG or WebP. A smaller copy for lists is made for you.
• Videos: MP4 or WebM. Large videos go up in parts; keep the page open until it finishes. Short, silent clips work best for the home page.

10.4 Renaming and deleting

• Any file can be renamed.
• The photos and videos that came with the website can't be deleted.
• A file in use on a room, offer or content block can't be deleted; the message lists where it is used. Pick another file there first.

11. Reviews, Reports & Activity

11.1 Reviews

Guests review a stay from My booking on the website after check-out. New reviews wait for staff before anyone sees them.

Reviews waiting to be published.

• Publish shows the review on the home page. Hide takes it down again.
• Reply adds the hotel's reply under the review.
• Delete removes it for good.
• Filter by All, Waiting, Published or Hidden, by rating, by text and by date.

11.2 Reports

Reports for the last 30 days.

Pick a period: Today, This week (Sunday to Saturday), Last 7 days, Last 30 days, This month, Next 30 days, or your own From / To.

Below are occupancy by night and tables by room type and by booking source. Future nights count bookings already on the books.

11.3 Activity log

Everything staff and the website do: when, who, the action, the item and the result. It opens on Today.

The activity log.

• Filter by Person, Action or item and Outcome, and pick 7 days, 30 days, All or your own dates.
• Refused requests, when someone tries something their rights don't allow, are logged too.
• Everyone can see their own activity. General managers see everyone's.

12. Users & Settings

Users and Settings are for general managers only.

12.1 Users

Staff with their role and what they can do.

1. Press Add a user, or the edit button on a person.
2. Enter the full name, user name and job title. Type a new password, or leave it blank to keep the current one.
3. For each area choose None, View or Edit, and tick extra rights where offered.
4. Tick General manager to give every right, including Users and Settings. Untick Can sign in to switch an account off.
5. Press Save.

Rights for a front desk user.

12.2 Rights

A user gets None, View or Edit per area, plus extra rights.

Changing someone's password signs them out everywhere.

12.3 Settings

Hotel details, look and booking rules.

• Hotel: name, town, tagline, address, phone and email shown on the website.
• Look: accent colour and the website's theme.
• Booking rules: tax %, check-in from, check-out until, free cancellation (hours before arrival), breakfast price per person, security deposit (0 = none) and hotel country (guests from other countries need a passport no. at check-in).

Rules apply to new bookings. Existing bookings keep the price they were booked at.

13. The Guest Website

What guests see. Knowing it helps you answer questions at the desk and on the phone.

13.1 Browsing

The menu has Rooms, Offers, Dining, Spa, Membership, Gallery and Location, plus My booking, Circle sign in and a light/dark switch.

The home page with the booking bar.

Rooms: every room type with its starting price.

A room page: photos, video tour, size, beds and amenities.

Offers with their code and the room types they cover.

13.2 Booking a stay

1. Dates & room: the guest picks dates and guests, then a room type and rate. A promo code can be typed here.
2. Your details: name, email, phone, arrival time and requests. Members sign in here for the member rate.
3. Payment: card details. Members can also pay part with points.
4. Confirmed: the booking code, which the guest keeps to manage the stay.

Step 1: rooms and rates for the dates.

Step 2: the guest's details.

Step 3: payment.

Step 4: confirmed, with the booking code.

13.3 Rate plans

13.4 My booking

Guests enter their booking code and last name to see their stay, cancel it under the rate's rules, or review it after check-out.

My booking.

13.5 Membership and My Circle

The Membership page explains the grades and lets guests join or sign in. Signed-in members see My Circle: their points and grade, upcoming and past stays, points history, member promotions and their profile.

The Membership page.

My Circle for a Gold member.

14. Installation & Setup

For the person who installs and looks after the site.

14.1 First sign-in

1. Make a password hash for the first general manager. In PowerShell:

   $p = Read-Host "Password"; [BitConverter]::ToString([Security.Cryptography.SHA256]::Create().ComputeHash([Text.Encoding]::UTF8.GetBytes($p))).Replace("-","").ToLower()

2. Edit appConfig/application.cfg:

   app.app.runmode | 1
   app.admin.user | elena
   app.admin.passhash | <the 64-character hash>

3. Sign in as that user. They become general manager. Open Users and set a password for each person who needs access. Sample accounts can't sign in until they have a new password; switch off or rename the ones you don't need.

14.2 Folder permissions

Give the site write access to three folders. On IIS, give the application pool identity Modify permission.

14.3 HTTPS and payments

• Serve the site over HTTPS. Sign-in sessions travel in cookies and in each request.
• Connect your payment provider to the website's payment step: use the provider's hosted payment page or card form, and never send or store full card numbers on your own server. The hotel keeps only the card brand and last four digits.

14.4 Redeploying

15. Reference

15.1 Booking statuses

15.2 Room statuses

Clean or Inspected → check-in → Occupied → check-out → Dirty → housekeeping → Clean. Out of order is set by hand. See 6.1.

15.3 Settings and their usual values

15.4 Member grades

15.5 Example roles

A starting point for setting up your team in Users.

16. Quick Answers