Before you can use the Room Release feature in the Express Actions panel, you need some background information.

Hotels around the world all contract and manage room release options differently, so EventsAir's Room Release feature has many variables and options to give you maximum flexibility. You can set up a room release schedule based on your specific agreement with each hotel. 

For example: 

• Hotel XYZ contracts with you for 500 rooms, but they'll allow you to release up to 25 percent of the UNBOOKED rooms in your block, thirty days before the event.
• Hotel ABC contracts with you for 200 King Rooms and 350 Double Queen Rooms. Their contract states that you can release 15 percent of the TOTAL contracted King Rooms and Double Queen Rooms, two months prior to the event.
• Hotel California contracts with you for a "Run of House" block of 250 rooms for five nights. You can release 10 percent of the entire block of rooms, both reserved and available, on a night-by-night basis.

In each case, you'd set up a room release schedule in advance to accommodate varying schedules, and also create reminder alerts. When you're ready, you can release rooms based on these pre-defined schedules or tweak the numbers as needed before sending the release details to the hotel.

Managing Room Release schedules

Room Release schedules are set up on a hotel-by-hotel basis in the Setup Panel (Accommodation). When you're setting up or editing details for a specific hotel, you'll see the Room Release tab.

There are two sections:

•  Room Release Schedule (the top section) - where you set dates and maximum percentage to release, of either total or unsold rooms. You can create multiple scheduled items, as this sometimes happens in hotel contracts.
  
  
• Suggested Room Release Calculation (the bottom section) - where you say how room release percentages should be calculated, and set up your preferred alert(s).

Create or modify a Room Release schedule

Under the Room Release tab, select the Add Schedule Item button to see the available options:

1. Enter the date you want to actually release rooms back to the hotel.
2. Enter the maximum percentage to release.
3. Select whether this will be a percentage of the original Total Room Block, or just the remaining Available (unsold) Rooms at the time of release.

NOTE: What you select here will always be driven by the specific details in your accommodation contract with each hotel. EventsAir will create a suggested room release per night based on what you choose here AND which rooms are being used least, based on current availability and bookings.

When you confirm by clicking the Add Schedule Item (or Update Schedule Item), it will now appear in the list of room releases scheduled for that hotel:

Choose a basis for room release calculations

Every hotel contract is different, so it's important you review and understand these requirements. The calculation feature helps suggest room releases as part of this process, but you can manually adjust these numbers.

Below the Room Release Schedule, you'll see the Suggested Room Release Calculation section:

• Total Rooms per Night - the suggested room release will be based on the per-night availability and usage of the entire room block (Singles, Doubles, Suites, etc., all added together).
  
  
• Total Rooms per Category per Night – the suggested room release will be based on the per-night availability of rooms in each room category.
  
  
• Total Rooms – the suggested room release will be based on the availability of all room types for the entire duration of the block.

Set up Room Release alerts

You can choose to set either one or two alerts in advance of your scheduled Room Release date. 

Check the desired alert level, and enter the number of days in advance you want it to be sent. (Remember, you can send email or text reminders to specified people using the Event Alert system, configured in Event Setup.) 

Running the Room Release Express Action

When you're ready to release rooms, from the Express Actions panel, open the Room Release module to see the following settings and options:

• Hotel – select the hotel.
• Release Date – ensure you've selected the correct release date here.

Review the suggested room release

It will look something like the below:

Each piece of information helps you decide whether or not you want to go ahead with the suggested release, or modify it:

Current Allocation

This shows the current room block for this hotel: Total rooms, Allocated (booked or set aside as sub-blocked) rooms and Unsold rooms. (You can't edit these numbers manually - they'll only change based on confirmed bookings / confirmed cancelations, or if you change the hotel inventory.)

Room Release

This shows how many rooms will be released, based on what's in the panel below. (Therefore, if you make adjustments, the Rooms and % will automatically change to reflect your changes.) The Maximum figure won't change - it's there to let you know how many rooms you should release, if you're sticking to what you originally specified when you set up the schedule.  

After Release

This shows you what will be the result if you apply the release. If you adjust the room release numbers, the Total and Unsold number will change to reflect your changes.

Room Release Information (left-hand column)

The first column of the Room Release grid shows you what you asked for when setting up the schedule (and what the suggested release should be calculated on). 

It will also list all the room types set up for that hotel. 

In the example, Double Room with Rollaway Bed is set up as "Limited to Room Type Inventory" with Double Rooms, so they're both in the same row. 

You can also select an entire row of a specific room category using the Quick Update option, and edit all nights in the block in a single action (see Quick Action below for more information).

Room Release Date Details

The remaining columns will show detailed information per room type for all the dates in this hotel block. You can either accept the suggested room release numbers or edit them. Of course, if you make changes, you'll see updated details reflected in the Room Release and After Release statistics blocks at the top of the window, and in the top row (which shows the room release total for each date). 

This top row can't be edited directly, but will update if you make changes in the rows below.

You can also see:

• Release Percentage / Maximum
• Current numbers (purple row)
• Release  – where you can edit the actual release number .
• After Release numbers (green row) - what will happen to your room block numbers if you apply the current release numbers.
• Room Release Lock – click on the lock to either lock or unlock editing on this date when using the Quick Update function. 
• Quick Update – select Quick Update for either the row or column to edit releases on different criteria in one bulk action.

Making adjustments

If you make a change that will result in exceeding your original specified percentage, that box will be outlined in red:

In some circumstances, you may realize that you've booked many more rooms than you need, and will need to adjust your scheduled release accordingly. In this case, you'll get a warning if a room release will result in a reduced inventory:

Quick Update Option

If you select the lightning icon for either an entire row of rooms or for a specific day, you can release or keep rooms in a single action, based on a specific number of rooms or a specific percentage.

The Quick Update options include:

• Release Rooms – release rooms, based on a specified number of rooms.
• Release Percentage – release a number rooms, based on a specified percentage.
• Keep Rooms – keep rooms, based on a specified number of rooms.
• Keep Percentage - keep a number of rooms, based on a specified percentage.

More options

Interim Release

If you check the Interim Release box, you can release specific rooms not tied to a scheduled release. EventsAir will keep track of this and include the release numbers as part of the calculations for the next scheduled release.

Release Log

Selecting Release Log will display a report showing all room release activity. Information included in the log includes:

• Schedule
• Date/Time
• Hotel/Room Type
• Date
• Previous Inventory
• New Inventory
• Interim Release
• User

Reset All

Selecting Reset All will remove any entries or edits you've made, and return all Room Release numbers to their default values.

Zero All

Selecting Zero All will reset all entries to zero across all room nights in your room block.

Select the "Release Rooms" button

When you're ready, select the Release Rooms button. This creates an email to your hotel, detailing the room release, so that they can process the release of the rooms.