Boost Direct Bookings with Well-Configured Discounts
A good discount at the right time can turn a one-time guest into a loyal customer. Promotional Codes allow you to design flexible and attractive campaigns that boost direct bookings on your own web, rewarding loyalty and encouraging demand during specific seasons. This guide explains what they are, their benefits, and how to set them up step by step without errors.
What are Promotional Codes?
They are combinations of characters or codes that you offer to customers or partners to obtain a discount when booking on your website. They are automatically applied when entered during the booking process. They serve to reward loyalty, encourage bookings during specific seasons, and launch specific campaigns.
Benefits of Using Them
Increase direct bookings by offering special discounts on your web.
Build customer loyalty with exclusive benefits for repeat customers.
Enhance flexibility: you can design as many codes as you need, with different conditions.
Strengthen competitiveness: they allow you to quickly respond to market changes or competitor campaigns.
Step by Step: How to Create a Promotional Code
Step 1. Create and Configure a Promotional Code in Revenue
Access the Revenue → Promotional Codes module.
Click the "Create Promotional Code" button.
Next, complete the General Information:
Name (must meet all these technical requirements):
Cannot start with "select", nor be " select ".
Cannot start with "drop constraint | table | database | index"
nor be " drop constraint | table | database | index ".
Cannot include ";".
Cannot start with "insert", nor be " insert ".
Cannot start with "insert", nor be " insert ".
Cannot start with "insert", nor be " insert ".
Cannot start with "update", nor be " update ".
Cannot start with "update", nor be " update ".
Cannot start with "update", nor be " update ".
Cannot contain "sp_".
Cannot contain "--".
Cannot start with "WAITFOR DELAY".
Pay Attention to Details
A code with a 100% discount is not supported. If necessary, use 99.99% or a fixed amount. If you set a fixed amount that exceeds the booking rental amount, the booking cannot be completed and an error will be displayed; you will need to manually reconfigure the code to adapt it to the new amount. Example: a code of €1000 for a booking with a rental of €800 → the code will not apply and will result in an error.
Discount value applied to the rental price: in percentage (%) or fixed amount (€).
Validity: define the dates during which bookings can be made with the code.
Combinable with other discounts:
If enabled, the code discount adds up to other discounts applicable to the booking. Example: a booking with a 10% discount and a code with 5% → a 15% discount will be applied to the total booking.
If disabled, the code does not add up; the system applies the best discount between: the one configured in the accommodation's discount/surcharge rule or the promotional code. Example: there is a 10% by rule and a 15% in the code → only the 15% from the code will be applied.
Which accommodations does it apply to? By default, it applies to all; you can limit it to specific accommodations you select.
Step 2. Define the Code Application Conditions
Go to the "Application Conditions" section.
Adjust additional parameters to ensure the campaign works as designed.
Configure the available controls (enjoyment period, minimum or maximum stay, minimum amount, usage limit, etc.).
Enjoyment period: use this option when the stay dates must differ from the code's validity period. You can associate more than one enjoyment period with the same code to clearly define when it can be used; this provides flexibility to accommodate seasonality, events, or business strategies.
What to do: define the allowed stay dates and, if you need to segment by periods, add additional periods.
Minimum or maximum stay: restrict the promotion to bookings of X nights.
What to do: indicate the minimum and/or maximum number of nights required for the discount to be applicable.
Minimum amount: make the code only apply to bookings above a certain amount. You can base it on rental amount or the total booking with extras included.
What to do: enter the financial threshold and specify if the criterion refers to the rental or the total with extras.
Usage limit: control how many times the code can be used.
Disabled: unlimited use within the rest of the conditions.
Enabled: choose between:
Personalized campaign: single use by one user.
Mass campaign: multiple uses; different users can use it once per user.
What to do: decide whether to limit or not and, if so, select the appropriate campaign type.
These settings will allow you to customize each campaign according to your sales strategy.
Step 3. Select the Accommodations Associated with the Promotion
Go to the "Associated Accommodations" section.
Decide the scope of the promotion:
By default, it applies to all accommodations.
If you prefer, manually select the accommodations you want to restrict it to.
Activate the Use of Promotional Codes on Your Web
Enable the feature so your customers can apply codes during booking:
Go to the "Web Configuration" module.
Select the web and click "Edit".
Activate the "Allow adding promotional codes" option. From that moment, Promotional Codes can be used in your booking system.
Best Practices
Promote your codes through email marketing or social media to increase bookings during specific periods.
Build loyalty with your customers by rewarding repeat bookings or positive reviews on the web.
Create exclusive codes for partner agencies; the agency will book directly on your web and their commission will be deducted through the code.
Evaluate effectiveness: generate lists of bookings with applied codes and measure the success of each campaign.
Data protection: send offers only to customers who have agreed to receive promotions; you can check this in your Customers List in the VRMS.
Functionality with Cross Selling on your web page
If you work with Cross Selling, a code configured within a specific VRMS account will only apply to the accommodations of that VRMS account. It will never apply to the supplier company's advertisements; only to the advertisements of the seller company's own accommodations.
Common Errors
Creating 100% codes → not compatible.
Setting a fixed amount greater than the booking price → will cause an error (e.g., €1000 for a booking of €800).
Using names with restricted terms (e.g., "select", "insert", etc.) → will invalidate the code.
Well-defined and correctly activated Promotional Codes on your web are a direct lever to increase bookings, build customer loyalty, and respond quickly to the market.
Follow the complete flow: create, configure, apply conditions, associate accommodations, and activate on web, respecting technical restrictions and best practices to maximize the performance of each campaign.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I apply a Promotional Code only to certain accommodations?
Can I apply a Promotional Code only to certain accommodations?
Yes. You can limit the application of the Promotional Code to the accommodations you choose within the system.
Can a Promotional Code be combined with other active discounts on the booking?
Can a Promotional Code be combined with other active discounts on the booking?
It depends on the "Cumulative" field configuration: if activated, it will add to other discounts; if not, only the most advantageous will apply.
How do I measure the effectiveness of my Promotional Codes?
How do I measure the effectiveness of my Promotional Codes?
Generate a list of bookings with applied codes and analyze which ones worked best.
Do Promotional Codes work on all my advertisements if I have Cross Selling?
Do Promotional Codes work on all my advertisements if I have Cross Selling?
No. They apply only to the advertisements of your own accommodations within your VRMS account; never to those of external suppliers.