External Property Setup
The External Property Setup option allows you to bill charges from iQ-POS to other properties that use roomMaster or even properties that use a different PMS system. Since it uses IP based communication, there is just about no limit to the distance between properties. They could be across the street or across the state.
The External Property feature functions as a Micros emulation. Properties that use roomMaster and want to receive charges from your iQ-POS must have the External Posting Interface (EPI) add on. Properties that use a Property Management System (PMS) based on Micros protocols can also receive charges from your iQ-POS.
The first step is to create the proper account codes.
Setup Bill to Room Accounts for External Properties
Account codes need to be configured for the property sending the Bill to Room charges and the property receiving them.
Account Codes for Sending Bill to Room charges
In roomMaster, with supervisor access, select Setup > Configuration > Guest Ledger > Account Codes. Next, add two account codes for each of the properties you will be charging to. Use account codes between 300-349. The type should be Transfer and the report group and subgroup should be Transfer/Guest Ledger. One must be a debit and the other should be a credit. For example, to bill to the Beach Hotel, one of your sister properties, create the following account codes:
| Account Code | Description | Category | Account Group | Account SubGroup | Posting Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 320 | Beach Hotel Refund | Transfer | Transfers | Guest Ledger | Debit |
| 321 | Beach Hotel Charge | Transfer | Transfers | Guest Ledger | Credit |
And if there is more than one External Property.....
| Account Code | Description | Category | Account Group | Account SubGroup | Posting Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 322 | Palm Hotel Refund | Transfer | Transfers | Guest Ledger | Debit |
| 323 | Palm Hotel Charge | Transfer | Transfers | Guest Ledger | Credit |
| 324 | Gulf Hotel Refund | Transfer | Transfers | Guest Ledger | Debit |
| 325 | Gulf Lounge Charge | Transfer | Transfers | Guest Ledger | Credit |
The transfer account codes to External Properties must not be set as Zero Value Codes, since one side of the transaction will be in your PMS and the other side will be in the External Properties roomMaster or PMS. The Dayend Close in roomMaster will not be able to complete if there is a one sided transaction for an account set as a Zero Value Code.
By setting up the additional transfer account codes, you can track how much was billed to and collected by the other properties. The net amount of the account codes should be how much they collected from their guests for charges posted at your property. This is the amount they owe you.
Account Codes for Receiving Bill to Room charges
If the receiving property uses roomMaster, with supervisor access, select Setup > Configuration > Guest Ledger > Account Codes. Next, add two account codes for each of the outlets from other properties you will be receiving charges from. Use account codes between 300-349. The type should be Transfer and the report group and subgroup should be Transfer/Guest Ledger. One must be a debit and the other should be a credit. For example, at the property receiving charges from outlets at Piper's Resort:
| Account Code | Description | Category | Account Group | Account SubGroup | Posting Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 330 | Piper's Restaurant | Transfer | Transfers | Guest Ledger | Debit |
| 331 | Piper's Restaurant Credit | Transfer | Transfers | Guest Ledger | Credit |
And if there are more than one outlet at the External Property.....
| Account Code | Description | Category | Account Group | Account SubGroup | Posting Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 340 | Piper's Gift Shop | Transfer | Transfers | Guest Ledger | Debit |
| 341 | Piper's Gift Shop Credit | Transfer | Transfers | Guest Ledger | Credit |
| 345 | Piper's Spa | Transfer | Transfers | Guest Ledger | Debit |
| 346 | Piper's Spa Credit | Transfer | Transfers | Guest Ledger | Credit |
Having the separate account codes for each outlet at the other property allows you to post the charge correctly from the different outlets and also track how much is being charged from each outlet. Enter the proper account codes based upon the outlet the charge was received from on the Accounts tab of the Micros POS configuration in the External Posting Interface (EPI). See the EPI help section in roomMaster for more information. The net total of ALL the account codes for charges received from the other property is how much is owed to the other property since you collected payment for services rendered at their property.
For properties using a Micros or Micros emulation PMS, create the account codes for for the outlets from the sending properties in the same manner as above. Contact your Micros PMS support department for assistance. InnQuest Software support will not be able to assist.
External Property Setup
From the Bill to Room tab in Workstation Settings, select either the Bill to Room with Number Window or Bill to Room with Keyboard Window option to allow bill to room charges to be posted to external properties. To use Bill to Room for an external property that includes letters in their room numbers, such as M105, or to charge to the direct bill account of an external property, you must use the Bill to Room with Keyboard Window option.
Enter properties to receive Bill to Room charges by selecting External Property Setup and then Insert.
Site Name is the name of the property your are posting to. Using the examples from above, the different site names would be Beach Hotel, Palm Hotel and Gulf Hotel. A different record would be added for each property.
IP Address is used to locate and direct the information to post the charges. Whether the external property is on the same network or on a completely separate network determines the proper address to enter. The main factor is having the IP address of the computer that is running EPI or the Micros PMS system at the property receiving the charge.
Internal Network - If the external property is on the same network as iQ-POS, the internal IP address of the computer running EPI is entered. Depending on the network configuration, this address would most likely start with either 192.168... or 10.xx.... It is recommended to set a static internal IP address for the computer running EPI to avoid the IP address changing and iQ-POS not being able to locate EPI and post the charges. If you are not interfacing with roomMaster, the IP address of the computer running Micros would be entered.
External Network - If the property is on a separate network, enter the external address for the property, usually the address of the properties external router. This will be used to locate the correct property across the internet to post the charge.
Port Number is used in conjunction with the IP Address to locate either the computer (Internal Network) or property (External Network) for the charge to be posted. Including a specific port identifies a specific location for the charge to be processed through.
Internal Network - For properties using an internal network to bill the charges, the port number needs to be opened on the computer running EPI and entered along with the IP address in the Settings field on the Interface tab of the Micros POS specification in EPI.
Example: If the EPI was running on a computer at the external property with an IP address of 10.0.0.125 and the port selected for the Micros POS interface was 2222, the entry on the Interface tab in the Settings field in EPI would be 10.0.0.125:2222 The colon (:) separates the IP address from the port number.
If you are not interfacing with roomMaster, enter the port Micros is configured to receive postings on.
External Network - For properties posting through an external network the port number entered should be the port number on the properties router. The port number should be configured on the router to forward any data received to the computer at the property to where the EPI is running.
Example: The external IP address of the property is 254.xxx.yyy.123 and the port opened to receive the external posting data is 1118. EPI is running on a computer with an internal address of 192.168.1.20 and the port opened on the computer and configured in EPI is 3333. In iQ-POS the IP address entered would be 254.xxx.yyy.123 and the port would be 1118. On the router at the receiving property, port 1118 would be forwarded to 192.168.1.20:3333 which would be entered on the Interface tab in the Settings field in EPI.
If you are not interfacing with roomMaster, it should be forwarded to the Micros server.
Charge/Credit is the credit account code used to transfer the charges to the guest folio at the external property.
Refund/Debit is the debit account code used to transfer a refund to the guest folio at the external property.
Unique ID allows you to give a unique identifier (01-99) for each External Property to be used for tracking purposes.
EPI Special Formulas
For external properties using roomMaster and EPI, Special Formulas are entered on the Accounts tab of the EPI session receiving charges.
/NOCONNECT is required. This allows iQ-POS at the sending property to be responsible for creating and maintaining the connection with EPI. The status light for the session will remain green when /NOCONNECT is used. In EPI, on the Session Configuration, Interface Tab, Settings field, you need to enter a loop-back address (127.0.0.1) and then the port that the EPI will be listening on that you select to handle bill to room. For example, if you want to use port 1118 for EPI bill to room from your iQ-POS stations, you would enter: 127.0.0.1:1118.
/PREFIXRC is optional, but gives the ability to post to company master direct bill accounts at the receiving property by using the City Ledger by Account ID Prefix. All account numbers prefixed by "R" will be posted to rooms and all account numbers prefixed by "C" will go to City Ledger. For example, entering "R101" will post to room 101 and "C812" will post to City Ledger account 812. The Bill to Room with Keyboard Window option must be used if this special formula is entered.