Advance Deposits

roomMaster allows for an unlimited number of advance deposits to be applied to a reservation. Deposits are listed by date, with an amount for each deposit and total of all deposits for the reservation. The users are alerted of any existing deposits when checking in a guest from a reservation.

Entering an Advance Deposit

Advance deposits can be entered two different ways in roomMaster on the reservation form.

From the Deposits Button

Press the Deposits button on the reservation form.
Click on Insert in the Deposit Information group box to add an advance deposit. Note that the transaction will be stamped with the current audit date, the user's initials, as well as the shift number.
Enter the appropriate account code, or click on the Account List to display a list of accounts. For example, if the deposit is made with a credit card, choose the Credit Card account code. The account code description appears on the list of deposits in the reservation.
Enter the amount of the deposit. Remember that you can easily access the Windows calculator at this point by selecting Calculator from the Tools menu.
Voucher can be used to reference the deposit, for example the check number, for reports.
Click on OK to save the deposit or Cancel to return to the reservation without saving the deposit.

Note: If a credit card is being used for the deposit, the Credit Card Processing screen will appear when OK is selected.

From the Charge Button

Press the Total Stay button on the reservation form.
Click the Charge button with the defaulted amount of deposit required for the rate code. If No Deposit Required is displayed, click the icon next to the Charge button to display a menu of other deposit options. Select the amount to charge from the menu. The deposit transaction screen will appear with the amount defaulted. If a credit card is on the reservation, the appropriate account code will also be included. Enter a different account code if needed.
Enter a check number or reference number in the Voucher field.
Click OK to save the deposit or Cancel to return to the reservation without saving the deposit.

Note: If a credit card is being used for the deposit, the Credit Card Processing screen will appear when OK is selected.

Note that Deposit Information has been updated to reflect the new advance deposit – a credit is displayed, as well as a negative running balance.

Click here for step by step examples of processing refunds for no-shows and deposits

Information About a Specific Deposit

Detailed information about each advance deposit is accessible from the Deposits button on the reservation screen.

Click on an advance deposit and then click on Expand, or simply double-click on the advance deposit. The Transaction Information screen is displayed.

The transaction number is listed next to the money icon.
The reservation confirmation number, account code/description, amount, and voucher are listed in the next section. Room number will usually be "(None)" since the guest has not checked in.
The audit date, date/time entered, shift, drawer, and user initials of the person recording the deposit are listed in the last section.
Click on Ok when finished.

Refunding an Advance Deposit

To refund an advance deposit, select the Deposits button on the reservation form. Next, select the Insert button and use a debit/refund account. Usually, account code 600 is used to show a refund will be sent via accounting. If you use a cash refund account, it is assumed the money is being refunded directly from the cash drawer. If you are refunding a credit card payment, use a credit card refund transaction.

For more information, see No-Shows and Forfeiting Deposits.

Processing a Forfeited Deposit

Sometimes if you are refunding an advance deposit, the guest is not entitled to a full refund. Select the Deposits buttons on the reservation form. Next, select the Insert button and select account code 420 Deposits Forfeited. Enter the amount of the deposit the guest is not going to receive back. This may be the full amount of the deposit or a partial amount. Next, refund the remaining amount to the guest normally. (see above)

Transferring/Applying an Advance Deposit to a Guest Folio

Once a guest with a reservation checks into the hotel, roomMaster will show any advance deposits that should be applied to their folio during check-in and room assignments.

Check in the guest as usual from their reservation by clicking on CheckIn on the reservation.
Complete the CheckIn Wizard and then Click on CheckIn or CheckIn/Guest Ledger. A listing of advance deposit transactions is displayed.
Click on Folio Transfer to transfer the deposit to the guest's folio. The guest's room number will be displayed, as well as the highest amount that can be transferred. Adjust the amount if necessary, then click on Ok. If the deposit is being split over multiple rooms, then transfer the required partial amount of the deposit.
The debit has been made and the balance in the far-right column is adjusted accordingly. This reflects a debit to the advance deposit ledger and a credit to the guest ledger.
Click Exit to return to the reservation, then click on Save to keep the changes. If CheckIn was originally chosen, the guest ledger screen closes and the check in is complete.
If CheckIn/Guest Ledger was originally chosen, roomMaster goes into the guest's folio. Notice the advance deposit is displayed in the folio.

Viewing a List of Advance Deposits

All reservations with advance deposits can be viewed by selecting the Deposits tab from the Display Reservations screen.

Monitoring Deposits Due

You may want to list all reservations that require a deposit but have not sent in their deposit. When you first enter the reservation and the guest is going to send a deposit, use Hold Type "DEP" which is for Deposit. If you have created or changed hold types, you must make sure that the Hold Type is a "Deposit" hold type. When the check or form of payment is received in the mail, you would retrieve the reservation and apply the deposit. To list all reservations that have not sent a deposit, run the Deposits Due report.

Advance Deposit Reports

There are several reports related to advance deposits, which are located in the reports menu:

Deposits Due

The Deposits Due report lists all reservations with deposit hold types and no advance deposits posted to the reservation. Enter the number of days to look forward from today – this number should be less than or equal to your forecasting days

Advance Deposit Detail Report

List all advance deposit transactions (past and future).