Before making the first transaction from the terminal at a given service station (PC), it is necessary to select the terminal to be used from the drop-down menu during payment/pre-authorisation. For subsequent payments, the system already remembers the selection. If the cookies are deleted, HotelTime will still remember which terminal was used.
Processing preauthorization
Use case: The guest does not pay on arrival, but the receptionist wants the stay (and any extras) guaranteed and covered, so a pre-authorization is created.
...from reservation detail
In the Credit Cards section, the user selects the "preauthorization by terminal" option, and then has the following options:
- Create a token = a token of the card is created with the transaction and stored with the reservation
- Manual card entry = the guest's card is not working and needs to be entered manually
- MOTO payment = the guest is no longer at the hotel and a transaction needs to be made
After confirmation and payment by card, the pre-authorisation is displayed in the "Creit cards" section and can be used up to the full amount. The pre-authorisation must be collected (click on the green paper) or cancelled (click on the red cross) within 14 days from the day of creation in order not to affect the Adyen risk score.
...from room detail
Starting with HotelTime version 4.6.10, it is now possible to assign pre-authorizations, either standalone or with tokens, to specific rooms. If a user creates a pre-authorization or a pre-authorization with a token via the Adyen terminal from the room details, the pre-authorization and token are flagged with the specific room as "Room Number [room number]." Pre-authorizations and tokens remain linked to the room even in cases of room changes, reservation splits, or reservation joins.
In the details of a specific room, only the pre-authorizations and tokens tied to that particular room or reservation are visible. Conversely, in the reservation details, all pre-authorizations and tokens linked to all rooms within the reservation are displayed. If a pre-authorization or token is created from the reservation detail, no specific room is identified, and such pre-authorizations or tokens remain linked only to the reservation as a whole.
Collecting a preauthorization
Use case: The guest's card was pre-authorised on arrival for accommodation, local fees and any extras. On the guest's departure, the pre-authorisation is collected (a payment is made and the remainder of the unused pre-authorisation, if any, is unblocked back to the guest's bank account).
Communication with Adyen in this case occurs asynchronously (the result of the operation is not received by HotelTime immediately but with a delay), and the operation result may take several minutes (usually a few minutes). The amount of usage can always be manually adjusted; it can be used up to its full amount (not more) and can only be collected once.
A payment from the preauthorization can be created in two ways:
1. From the reservation billing by clicking on "Use card pre-authorization," which creates a payment without the need to create a deposit invoice.
2. From the reservation details by clicking on the green note, which uses the pre-authorization and simultaneously creates a DPP (the DPP is created after the pre-authorization is confirmed by Adyen).
The user is notified of the operation result by a system notification. And then the deposit invoice is created to the reservation for further use. Settlement then proceeds normally either using the payment or applying the deposit invoice.
Cancellation of a preauthorization
Cancellation of pre-authorization can be processed directly from HotelTime by clicking on the red cross in the Credit Cards section in the reservation or room details, or in the list of pre-authorized cards (Sales > Payments > Credit card pre-authorizations). A table will then pop up where you need to confirm that you really want to cancel the preauthorization.
Preauthorization cancellation is an asynchronous operation, i.e. the response from Adyen is not immediate and can take up to 30 minutes. For a given card operation, the information "Processing" appears first, which means that HotelTime, has sent the cancellation request and is waiting for Adyen's response. Once Adyen sends a response, a pop-up notification will pop up in the system informing the user if the preauthorization cancellation was successful.
We recommend setting up an internal SOP to regularly cancel all unused pre-authorizations, e.g. on the day of departure when it is clear that the hotel will not use it. Pre-authorisations that are neither collected nor cancelled significantly affect the risk score of Adyen and a large number of such transactions may limit the disbursement of funds to the operator's bank account.