Waitlists

When it comes to event planning, managing accommodation can be a complex task, especially when the demand for certain hotels or room types exceeds the available supply. That's where the Resiada Waitlist feature comes into play, offering a smart solution to this common challenge. In this article, we'll delve into the intricacies of the Waitlist feature in Resiada, explaining how it can be a game-changer for both event organizers and attendees.

Turning On Waitlists

Go to your event and click on ‘Manage’.
In the event navigation bar, under ‘Advanced’, select ‘Waitlist Settings’.
From the waitlist page, check ‘Enable Waitlists’.

Setting Up Calendar Restrictions

You can make waitlists available on specific days, which is useful for managing popular room nights at your contracted hotels.

To set this up, select ‘Allow Waitlists only on Selected Days’ under ‘Calendar Restrictions’.
Later, in the Waitlist Fulfillment Set up section, use the date picker in the popup to choose the days for waitlisting at selected sub block hotels or room types.

Fulfillment Order Options- Only Applicable if Utilizing Automatic Fulfillment

Decide how waitlisted rooms are automatically fulfilled with these three options:

Existing/Partial First: Prioritizes reservations partially fulfilled already.
Oldest First: The earliest sign-ups get priority.
Maximize Revenue: Chooses options that generate the most revenue, with ties resolved based on sign-up order.

Note, if you want to fulfill manually, you can leave the fulfillment order to the default order of Existing/Partial First.

Waitlist Capacity

This limits the total number of rooms on your waitlist.
For example, if set to 1, only 1 room can be waitlisted across all sub block hotels and room types.
As rooms are fulfilled, space is returned to the capacity.

Hold on Payment Error

Define how long to hold a room if a user's payment fails. In the instance, that additional deposit is required with the addition of a waitlisted night.
Users are notified by email about the payment requirement and the remaining time before cancellation.

Email Reminders

Enable ‘Send waitlist reminders for guests’ to notify guests via email when a waitlisted room becomes available or to remind them of their status.
Set reminders to be sent after a specified period or at regular intervals.

Waitlist Fulfillment Settings

Automatic Fulfillment: Rooms are distributed to attendees based on fulfillment order settings and changes in room availability.
Manual Fulfillment: Allows back office admins to manually assign rooms based on availability, giving preference to VIPs or preferred attendees.
Quick Actions: Set up rules quickly using the ‘Quick Actions’ section for either ‘Automatic Fulfillment’, ‘Manual Fulfillment’, or ‘Disabled’ settings.
(See Waitlist Fulfillment Settings for more detail)

Requesting More Rooms for Waitlists

In case of high demand, contact your contracted hotel to inquire about additional availability.
Export the Waitlist report filtered by the desired hotel(s) for this purpose.

Managing Waitlist Requests

Access the Waitlist Requests list via ‘Manage’ > ‘Waitlist Requests’ under ‘Advanced’.
Requests appear in priority order. In automatic fulfillment, requests are removed as inventory becomes available.
For manual fulfillment, select reservations to fulfill and specify whether each can be fully or partially fulfilled.

Key Takeaways

The Room Waitlist feature in Resiada helps manage accommodation efficiently, ensuring a smoother event experience.
Utilize calendar restrictions and fulfillment settings to cater to specific event needs.
Keep attendees informed and manage their expectations with automated email reminders.

Using the Room Waitlist feature effectively can significantly enhance the accommodation management aspect of event planning, ensuring both organizers and participants have a more streamlined and satisfying experience.