The MRBTA uses a fully integrated booking and tourism product system called Bookeasy to plug in real-time operator information to our destination website, margaretriver.com. Each member is given a username and password to manage the imagery, contact and business information on their web page. Accommodation, tour or activity operators can also add or channel accommodation, tour or entry ticket inventory to sell online or via the region’s four visitor centres.
HOW FAR IN ADVANCE DO I NEED TO SET MY RATES ON BOOKEASY?
Visitors are able to book up to 2 years in advance, so your default rates and availability need to be set up to accommodate this. Some channels such as wotif.com are only 6 months, and booking.com is only 12 months in advance, but Bookeasy is 2 years – don’t be the operator who gets caught out! Make sure you have updated your rates accordingly, you’d be surprised how far people book ahead, especially for peak dates or major events!
WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN GOLD AND ON REQUEST FOR BOOKABLE MEMBERS PRODUCTS?
Bookeasy offers three ways in which operators can manage their availability:
- 24 HOUR CONFIRMATION (ON REQUEST) – When a client makes a booking they will be advised that the booking will be confirmed within 24hrs. The operator will receive an email (and SMS if the operator requests this service) to notify them that a booking has been made and the booking can be confirmed by the operator from their Reservation Screen on the Bookeasy console. Booking Centre staff can also view this booking and contact the operator to request confirmation. Operators with a 24 hour confirmation period will receive a lower priority in the search listing and are identified by the 24 hour medal symbol. Commission fee is 12.5%.
- GOLD MEDAL (REAL TIME BOOKING CONFIRMATION) – When a client makes a booking it is instantly confirmed and payment will be processed at time of booking. This means that the operator guarantees that availability and pricing is 100% accurate and all bookings must be honoured. These operators will appear at the top of availability searches through the website and the regional visitor centres and will be marked by a gold medal. Commission fee is 10%.
- GOLD MEDAL (REAL TIME BOOKING CONFIRMATION) EXCEPT FOR BOOKINGS DUE TO ARRIVE WITHIN 24HRS – When a client makes a booking it is instantly confirmed and payment can be made instantly EXCEPT if the booking has a check-in or arrival date within 24hrs of the booking being made (in this case the operator reverts back to 24 hour confirmation period). Operators guarantee that availability is 100% accurate for all bookings except for bookings due to arrive within 24hrs. Clients booking for a date more than 24hrs in advance will not have to wait for confirmation. These operators will appear at the top of availability searches and will be marked with a gold medal. Commission fee is 10%.
To avoid double bookings it is strongly recommended that direct bookings taken by an operator are only confirmed once the room or tour has been marked as unavailable on the operator’s online console. Operators that are unable to honour a booking once paid and confirmed to the client will be 100% responsible for finding an alternative option to an equal or greater standard or will be billed for any difference in cost if an alternative option is found.
I AM A 24 HR ON REQUEST OPERATOR, DOES THIS MEAN I DON’T HAVE TO UPDATE MY RATES & AVAILABILITY AND CAN TURN AWAY REQUESTS?
The ‘24 hour’ console option is designed to give operators a small window of time to be able to confirm availability for the date of stay or tour requested. It is not to reconfirm rates published in Bookeasy. All rates must be honoured as advertised as per the Competition and Consumer Act 2010 regulated by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission. 24 hour operators are still expected to update rates and availability on a daily basis and can avoid incident by making sure that your default room rate is set to your high season rate. Any change to this rate to allow for seasonal adjustments or longer stays should then be managed directly in your daily rates calendar.
WHAT IS THE BOOKEASY ONLINE DISTRIBUTION NETWORK?
Through the Online Booking Control section of your Bookeasy console, accommodation or tour operators can ‘opt-in’ to distribute their inventory via other Bookeasy booking centres (WA Visitor Centre, Fremantle Visitor Centre etc). It’s free to be a part of and you only pay a commission if and when a booking is made, so your business gets FREE advertising and marketing exposure. 15% commission applies on all bookings unless otherwise arranged with that centre (via membership or other arrangement), with net payment paid directly to you from the Booking Centre who makes the booking.
WHAT IS WA HOLIDAY GUIDE?
waholidayguide.com.au is a Bookeasy affiliate website that draws all WA based Bookeasy accommodation & tour inventory into one booking website. It’s free to be a part of and you only pay a commission if and when a booking is made, so your business gets FREE advertising and marketing exposure.
MRBTA will manage all bookings made via this website for operators mothershipped by MRBTA – these bookings as an external site attract a 15% commission whether gold or 24 hour. Contact WA Holiday Guide to opt out of this service.
I OFFER ONE NIGHT STAYS PENDING A CLEANING SURCHARGE – DO I NEED TO LIST THIS SOMEWHERE ON MY OPERATOR PAGE?
The first suggestion is to try and include your cleaning fee in your 1 night rate plan. For any accommodation providers who offer one night bookings that incur a cleaning surcharge, please ensure the additional cost is included in each room description section on your page, as well as in the ‘For Booking Centre Staff Only’ section, under Business Details in the General Details field. This is important for any clients booking online so they know upfront if there are additional costs, no one wants to be surprised with extra fees!
WHEN WILL I RECEIVE MY BOOKING PAYMENTS?
The MRBTA will collect payments on any bookings facilitated through the region’s accredited visitor centres using Bookeasy and WA Holiday Guide, a real-time booking and secure payment platform. Monies collected are held in Trust by the association until the goods/ services are received by the customer. Operators will receive any outstanding net payments twice monthly by electronic funds transfer (EFT) into their nominated account registered in their Bookeasy console once the checkout date has passed for the booking and a commissions/payment report by email.
HOW DO I COLLECT A BOND FOR MY GUEST?
The MRBTA are not responsible for the collection of bond monies or security deposits. Operators who require a bond will need to stipulate this as a booking condition in their BookEasy console and are responsible for the collection/return of all bond monies (accommodation operators only).
WHAT SIZE SHOULD MY IMAGES BE?
At least 1920 pixels wide in landscape format – any smaller and they will appear pixelated (blurry). The top banner image on your webpage will be cropped at the top and bottom of the image so try to choose an image with the subject in the middle of the photo. More handy hints can be found by logging into your member’s console, hitting the help button and selecting Photos.