Jomres 9.23
Jomres 9.23.0 released with some fantastic new changes to the free Core including a new tariff editing mode, child rates, extra guest prices, cleaning fees and search feature updates.
There are a lot of changes in .23, so check your weights, strap on your mask and we'll dive right into them.
This version brings a new property configuration setting called Compatability config mode, a new tariff editing mode called Standard, Occupancy levels and Child rates, Extra guest prices, City tax and Cleaning fees. These changes are designed to give your property managers price and configuration options that are in line with the methods the big OTAs use to configure properties, making their experience of using Jomres simpler than ever.
There are also search related changes, and template file updates for Bootsrap 4.
Important : If you are using a customised version of the booking forms (either dobooking.html or dobooking_srp.html) you will need to update your versions of those forms. If you are using Leohtian, this means that you will need to update Leohtian to the latest version of the theme/template.
Property configuration mode.
Jomres 9.23 has a new setting called "Force Compatability property configuration mode?". New installations have this option set to Yes by default. Updated installations have this set to No, it's up to site managers to decide if they want to set this option to yes.
What does it do?
Firstly it sets a flag for a property called compatability_property_configuration. When a property has this flag set to 1, then they are unable to edit their tariff configuration mode, and a variety of options previously visible in the property configuration page are no longer available to them. This makes the property configuration options simpler for them (remember, you can still use the default property settings plugin to change the defaults for new properties).
When a property is created while this setting is active, their tariff editing mode is set to Standard. When a property uses Standard editing mode, they are have access to new features that allow them to set the Occupancy levels and Child rates.
Standard Tariff editing mode
In previous versions of Jomres you could create a complex set of prices using a combination of the Guest types settings and Micromanage tariff editing mode. While this offered a huge amount of flexability regarding setting prices some new users would struggle with setting prices because this method was far removed from how most OTAs set prices and this could result in some confusion.
Standard mode offers a simpler (yet still powerful) interface that is based on Micromanage with a couple of new options and some older ones removed. These new options include 7 and 30 day discounts.
In later versions I intend to extend Standard mode with more price rules and restrictions, similar to those found on booking.com.
Occupancy levels
Once a property (including villas/apartments) have the property's rooms configured then managers can set the Occupancy levels. This determines how many adults and children each room can accommodate.
Child rates
Child rates can be configured from the Child Policies page. This allows you to configure prices based on the age ranges of children, plus the model used in calcuations (per booking or per day). Note, these prices are charged at the same rates, regardless of the types of rooms chosen in the booking.
Extra guests
The Standard Tariff mode tab is new and contains a new option Extra guest prices. In Standard mode guest prices are assumed to be based on two guests staying. If more than two guests are chosen in the booking form, then this extra guest price is applied. Currently, like child rates, this price is calculated the same regardless of the room type chosen in the booking but in the future I would like to make it dependent on the room type.
All tariff editing modes
City tax
The Property Configuration > Bookings tab has two new options : City tax and Cleaning fee. In previous versions of Jomres managers would use the Extras feature to add these fees however to simplify pricing configuration this new City tax setting has been added. There are a number of charging models that can be applied : Single fee, Per night, Per guest, Per guest per night and Percentage of booking value.
Cleaning fee
Likewise the Cleaning fee no longer needs to be set using the upsell feature of Extras. This is a simple flat fee that can be applied to a booking. Personally I have never been a fan of cleaning fees, I have always felt that they should be included in the cost of the property, but they are common in the industry so they are supported here.
Other changes
Search related changes
As noted in previous blog posts, the Search functionality has received some much needed love. For many years Jomres has had CMS specific search modules/widgets and for a while I have been itching to create new search functionality which is CMS agnostic. This agnosticism means that it's easier to produce new search plugins and UI elements that will work regardless of the CMS.
This revamp makes it much easier for you to build the search form that you want to build. You're not limited to whatever I present you with because form elements are broken down into discreet sets with you can use to create your own search forms by creating your own Jomres template files. This article in the manual shows you how to both use the search widget feature, plus how to create your own search forms. It's super easy to follow.
Todo : support ajax related functionality and I'm planning to add new elements that mirror how other big OTAs allow search adult and guest numbers. This is already supported in Core so just needs to be added to the plugin.
Plugins updated with Bootstrap 4 template sets
All plugins have had Bootstrap 4 template sets added, which means that Jomres is now compatible with Bootstrap 4 themes/templates. Many of these template sets do not need to be modified to work with BS4, however some will need work to make them compatible and I will work on those over the next few weeks. If you use a specific plugin that needs to be brought up to date before then please let me know via the ticket system or forum and I'll try to push it ahead of the queue.
Todo : Standard mode needs to be updated for BS4 however the other modes have been refactored.
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