Skip to main content

GDS Billing

Even though Global Distribution System(GDS) members like Expedia and Travelocity book rooms for your property, they should not be treated like Travel Agents when it comes to them paying you for guest stays. Billing can be completed the same way as a City Ledger Direct Bill account, where the guest charges are moved to an account and paid by the GDS after the guest has left. Or, GDS's may provide a single use credit card number to guarantee the reservation and pay for the room and tax, but you will need to obtain a guarantee for any incidentals. Procedures for both scenarios are provided below.

Creating a GDS Master Acount

Attaching the Guest Reservation and Folio to the GDS

Hiding the Rate from the Guest

Charging an Upgrade Fee

Checking Out a GDS Folio to Direct Bill

Sending an Invoice Statement to a GDS

Posting a Payment Received from a GDS

Checking In a Guest with a GDS one time use credit card

Checking Out a Guest with a GDS one time use credit card

Creating a GDS Master Account​

The first step is to create a Company Master for all your GDS partners. This is done in Back Office > City Ledger/Company Master > Company Master. This becomes the master account for all charges for guests booked through the GDS. Click here for information on creating a new direct bill account. It is recommended to create an Account Class called GDS and assign it to each of the GDS direct bill accounts. This allows you to group all the GDS accounts for reporting purposes.

Attaching the Guest Reservation and Folio to the GDS​

Designate the direct bill account on the Other Information Tab of the guest reservation. Enter the account number of the GDS in the Direct Bill field. The magnifying glass next to the field can be used to navigate to the correct direct bill account number for the GDS. Only active direct bill accounts will display. This will carry through to the guest folio when they are checked in. On the folio, the attached direct bill account displays in red below the first sub folio, identifying the folio is attached that direct bill account.

Hiding the Rate from the Guest​

Since the GDS is paying a discounted rate, you do not want the guest to see it. Hide the rate on the sign-in sheet by checking the Hide Stay Totals and Rate Information when guest has Direct Bill option in Sign-In Sheet Setup. This way the rate will not print on the sign-in sheet. Also check the Print rate on folio only when rate is posted option under Folio Setup. Checking this option means only sub folios with room revenue posted will print the guest rate. Make sure your staff only present the incidental folio to the guest to avoid any guest questions.

Another way to hide rates on the sign-in sheet and folios is to setup specific rate codes for GDS's, and check the box for Hide Rate on Sign-In Sheet. Click here for more information on creating rate codes.

If your property is set to only use a single sub folio for guests, it is recommended to check the Only create additional folios when Travel Agent or Direct Bill option in Sub Folio Options. An incidental folio is created automatically for any reservations checked in that have a Travel Agent or Direct Bill account attached. Get a credit card or other guarantee for this sub folio. Enter the information in the Name Properties section of More Folios for the incidental folio, making sure to select the appropriate pay type.

Charging an Upgrade Fee​

What if a guest arrives and wants to upgrade their room type? Charging an upgrade fee is easy. First, create an account code to post the upgrade fee. Set the category to Room Revenue so the upgrade fees are included in room revenue. To post the charges, use the Daily Charge option on the folio under More Options > Daily Charges and Packages to add the upgrade fee to the guest folio. Select the incidental folio as the sub folio the fee is posted to, usually sub folio B. As a daily charge the upgrade fee is automatically posted with room and tax each day. And by locating it on the incidental folio, it is kept separate from the room and tax posted for the GDS charge.

Checking Out a GDS Folio to Direct Bill​

The same steps apply for checking out a guest to a direct bill account as a regular checkout. However, use account code 210 - City Ledger to bring the folio to a zero balance. Using this code transfers the balance during the dayend close process from the folio to the direct bill account attached. To transfer the balance prior to completing the dayend close, select Back Office > City Ledger/Company Master > Post Today's Items. All account code 210 - City ledger transactions are then moved to their Direct Bill accounts as invoices. Checkout the incidental folio to the appropriate form of payment.

Sending an Invoice Statement to a GDS​

One of the advantages of using a direct bill account for a GDS is now you can send a statement to the GDS rather than waiting for them to send you payment. Print a statement by selecting Back Office > City Ledger/Company Master > Company Master then open the direct bill account for the GDS. Click on Print Statement and the C/L Account Statement prompt window appears with the GDS account defaulted as the lower and higher company. Review and complete the report options to print the statement. Send this to the GDS to advise them of the expected payment.

To only print GDS accounts, select all direct bill accounts using the lower and higher company range, and then the GDS group in the Company Class field. This will print statements for only direct bill accounts with a GDS company class.

Posting a Payment Received from a GDS​

When a check is received from a GDS, it needs to be posted to the GDS direct bill account. With many of the GDS's, a percentage of the guest stay is held back as a commission payment to the GDS. To account for this, create an account code as a credit and on the Discounts, Short Pays and Commissions screen of the City Ledger payment process select the account code created for commissions and enter the amount held back by the GDS. Continue on with the process paying off the invoices included on the GDS check.

For example, the GDS had multiple guests' stay for a total of $450, but the GDS holds back 10% as their commission, sending a check for $405. Post this using the following steps:

  1. Select Back Office > City Ledger/Company Master
  2. Select Payments and Adjustments
  3. Select Payment and press Next
  4. Select the GDS account that has sent the payment and press Next
  5. Enter the account code 201 for check and $405 as the amount of the check
  6. Press Next
  7. Select the GDS Commission account created and enter $45 for the amount.
  8. Press Next
  9. A list of all invoices for the GDS will appear which have not been paid. Highlight each invoice the GDS check includes, pressing Pay Invoice after each one.
  10. When all invoices are marked which correspond to the GDS payment, press Finish.

The journal for the day will include one posting to account code 201 for $405, the check amount received, and one to the GDS account code number created for $45, accounting for the GDS commission.

Checking In a GDS guest with a one time use credit card​

Many GDS's are using one time use credit cards to pay the room and tax portion of the guest stay rather than sending a check after the guest has stayed. When a guest with a reservation with a GDS one time use credit card is checking in, use the following steps:

  1. Open the reservations through either Reservations (F5) or Quick Room

  2. Select CheckIn and proceed through the CheckIn Wizard. IF YOU ARE TAKING A CREDIT CARD FOR INCIDENTALS, DO NOT SCAN THE GUEST CREDIT CARD DURING THE CHECKIN WIZARD. It will overwrite the GDS one time use credit card already on the reservation.

  3. On the Guest Folio Properties screen, select CheckIn/Guest Ledger

  4. Select CheckIn on the Confirm CheckIn screen.

Note: If the GDS one time use card is to be charged at checkin, post the payment at this point. The credit entered will be offset by the Room and Tax charges posted nightly during the guests' stay.

  1. Select More Options on the Guest Folio

  2. Select Credit Approvals > Incidental Approval > Scan Card, then scan the guest card. Enter an an approval amount. The default amount for incidental approvals can be set in Credit Card Processing.

  3. Select Close to close Credit Approvals. If a sub folio does not already exist, roomMaster will create an Incidental automatically.

  4. Select Close to close the guest folio.

The information for the Incidental credit card can be viewed by opening the folio, then going to More Folios > Folio B > Name Properties

Checking Out a guest with a GDS one time use credit card​

GDS's that use a one time use credit card can restrict the date that the card can be charged on, often on the date of the scheduled checkout. Use the following steps to checkout a guest using a GDS one time use card and their own card for any incidentals:

  1. Select the guest folio from Current Guests and Folios (F8) or Quick Room.

  2. Select CheckOut and the Folio Transaction screen appears with the account code for the one time use credit card and the balance for sub folio A, the room and tax charges, already entered.

  3. Press OK to post the charge.

Note: If you have credit card processing, when the Credit Card Interface screen appears, YOU MUST SELECT THE CREDIT CARD TO CHARGE. Use the drop down box next the Card # field to select the correct card. Then press Process to complete the posting.

  1. The Folio Transaction screen will appear with the account code for the GDS one time use card entered. Verify the correct account code for the credit card the guest left for incidentals and change it needed. Press OK to post the charge.

Note: If you have credit card processing, when the Credit Card Interface screen appears, confirm the credit card the guest left for incidentals appears or use the drop down box next the Card # field to select the correct card. Then press Process to complete the posting.

  1. Select the proper options on the Confirm CheckOut screen and press OK or OK/Print to complete the checkout.