Owner properties have known for years about the power of the Rental Program code in Unit Setup but most non-owner properties have been unaware that it can be just as valuable to them. In their defense, it is tucked away in an obscure location on the configuration screen of a unit number and then there is that label – “Rental Program” – which all but begs to be ignored if you don’t have one. So, let’s see if we can shed some light on this little gem and discover why it is so powerful and what it can do for you.
To begin with, we’re talking about a single-character code that is entered into a unit setup in the same area as the Available and Statistical flags. Until a few years ago, this was a free-form field that accepted numbers, letters and even characters. When we changed it to become a defined single letter (Configuration à Miscellaneous Files & Codes à Reservations à Rental Program codes), we also took the opportunity to make it a required field. The update routine for that release populated it (I believe with an “A”) for all properties that had not been using it. At the time, we described this in the Release Notes but, since then, we’ve never really promoted its use.
What does it do and why should you care? Well, by itself it doesn’t have any inherent meaning. However, it is the most common filter in all SMS|Host reporting (right after multi-prop if your system is so configured) and it is also used in that same capacity for a number of screen displays (F7-Snapshot, F8-Tape Chart, F9-Available Units, F6-Zoom Rack). Its power is derived from the meaning you place on it in distinguishing between factors that are important to your property.
Perhaps, your units fall into groupings of bed size with several room types of each; or you might find that the higher floors are more in demand that the lower; maybe various sections of the property have been renovated more recently than others. By designating each unit with a Rental Program code, you can create artificial groupings that are meaningful to you. Then, you can track those distinctions in your reporting – accounting, marketing, statistical, operations. Compare sales between the groupings. Analyze occupancy, travel agency bookings, unit utilization. For properties with owners, it might be used to monitor and manage units that have signed rental contracts with different terms.
It is entirely up to you how you use it but it can provide a powerful way to envision your property from a perspective you may not previously have employed.