This comprehensive module provides the flexibility to set custom price rules by portal and by property, helping you tailor your pricing strategy for maximum revenue and manage promotions without complications.
Core Principles of Discounts and Supplements
When managing pricing rules, it is essential to understand the system's core logic: the Unique Rule Principle and the Order of Priority.
Unique Rule Principle: to ensure price stability and avoid calculation errors, an accommodation on a determined portal can only be linked to one single active rule.
This does not restrict complexity, as you can add all the necessary details—including multiple date ranges (seasons) and different types of adjustments (modifiers)—within that single rule. If you need to change the pricing strategy for an accommodation, you must edit the existing rule or remove the accommodation from the old rule before assigning it to a new one.
Order of Priority (Hierarchy)
The system selects only one rule to apply to a price adjustment, always prioritizing the most specific instruction. Discounts from different rules are never summed.
Level 4: Rule of Accommodation in Portal (Maximum Priority): Applies to a specific accommodation on a specific portal.
Level 3: Portal Rule: Applies to all accommodations, but only on a specific portal (e.g., just for Booking.com).
Level 2: Accommodation Rule: Affects a specific accommodation on all portals.
Level 1: Company Rule (General): Applies to all accommodations if no other instruction exists.
Remember!
If a rule exists in Channel PRO for an accommodation and portal, the system will automatically ignore any discounts or supplements configured from the VRMS.
Key Functions Available in the Module
You have access to the following operational actions to manage your pricing strategy:
Rule Management: Create new configurations, edit existing rules (name, percentages, dates, or linked accommodations), or delete a rule when it is no longer needed.
Inventory Selection: Filter your inventory by location, ID, or name to quickly select and work only with desired units.
Mass Assignment: Select and add groups of accommodations to a rule in a single step.
Exclusions: Manage the list of units that should not be affected by any price adjustment.
Validation & Control: Check if planned changes meet the system rules before saving and visualize conflicts (e.g., attempts to violate the Unique Rule Principle).
Creating a New Price Rule
The creation of a price rule is composed of three fundamental elements: General Configuration, Seasons, and Modifiers.
Step 1: Define the General Configuration
Access "Price Modifiers" from the side menu of Channel PRO.
Click on "New Rule".
Enter an internal name for the rule and click "Apply".
Press "Assign" to select the portals and properties it will apply to.
Choose the available portals and then select all properties or just some. You can use the search bar or filters by location for Mass Assignment. Confirm with "Apply".
Step 2: Define Seasons (Date Ranges)
Press "Add" to define the seasons or, if you already have created rules, select "Copy Rule".
Define the range of dates for the rule to be active.
TIP
The system automatically detects and reorganizes overlapping seasons (total or partial) for a single accommodation, dividing the period to apply the exact modifier.
Step 3: Define Modifiers (Discounts or Supplements)
Select the type of discount or supplement. The system will automatically deactivate any types incompatible with the chosen portal.
Types available: Simple discount, Simple supplement, Long stay discount, Short stay supplement, Early booking discount (specific date or X days before arrival).
Define the parameters: percentage, fixed amount (€), dates, number of nights, etc. Note that prices can generally only be adjusted by a percentage (%).
Click on "Continue" to add more conditions, or save the rule. You can add multiple modifiers (adjustments) to a single season within the same rule.
REMINDER!
A price modifier does not necessarily imply that the price will be marked as a discount or crossed out on the portals. These types of modifications are exclusively dependent on the portal, and each one manages the Discounts and Supplements price modifiers at a Marketing level in its own way.
How to Manage Exclusions
Use the Exclusions function if you have a general rule but want certain accommodations to maintain their original price without any modification.
Go to the Discounts and Supplements section.
Enter the Excluded Accommodations section.
Select the portal.
Choose to exclude all accommodations or only specific ones.
Click on Save.
Important!
Once an accommodation is added to the exclusion list for a portal, it will be protected and will only send the base rate, ignoring all discounts or supplements configured in Channel PRO and VRMS for that channel.
Best Practices
Use clear names for your rules to identify them easily.
Apply early booking promotions on portals where bookings are usually made well in advance (like Vrbo).
Use short stay supplements on key dates or holidays.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
What happens if I have active discounts in VRMS and Channel PRO?
What happens if I have active discounts in VRMS and Channel PRO?
The rule configured in Channel Pro has higher priority and will be applied. The system will ignore any discounts or supplements coming from the VRMS for that specific case.
Can multiple rules be active at the same time?
Can multiple rules be active at the same time?
No, due to the Unique Rule Principle, an accommodation on a portal can only be linked to one active rule. If you need to combine multiple price changes (e.g., Early Booking and a Simple Discount), you must configure them as different modifiers within the same rule.
If I have a general discount configured, why is it not applying to a specific accommodation?
If I have a general discount configured, why is it not applying to a specific accommodation?
What happens when a rule expires?
What happens when a rule expires?
No other rule is activated automatically, not even those configured in the VRMS.
I have configured a discount, but it is not reflecting on the portal. Why?
I have configured a discount, but it is not reflecting on the portal. Why?
Why won't the system let me add an accommodation to a new rule?
Why won't the system let me add an accommodation to a new rule?
This is because of the Unique Rule Principle. The accommodation is already linked to another rule for the same portal. To solve this, you must either find and edit the existing rule or remove the accommodation from the previous rule so you can assign it to the new one.
What happens if I try to create two seasons that coincide in the same dates for a single accommodation?
What happens if I try to create two seasons that coincide in the same dates for a single accommodation?
This is not a problem. The system will automatically detect the total or partial overlap and reorganize the seasons, dividing the period into different sections to apply the corresponding price modifier exactly to each date range.
How can I ensure a specific accommodation does not receive any price adjustment?
How can I ensure a specific accommodation does not receive any price adjustment?
You should use the Exclusions feature for the specific portal. This action "blocks" any automatic price change, ensuring only the base rate is sent without discounts or supplements.
I have many accommodations. Do I need to create the rules one by one?
I have many accommodations. Do I need to create the rules one by one?
No, you can create Default Rules that apply to all accommodations on a portal. Additionally, the accommodation selector includes a search feature and filters by location for quickly selecting and managing multiple units at once.