Close invoices

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No guest is going to stay at the hotel forever - at the end of their stay, payments need to be booked, invoice completed, and reservations check-out.

When checking out, you can execute the payment for all outstanding payments, close the (partial) invoice and print the invoice.

Different ways of checking out a reservation

Where?

How?

Active desktop

In the  Departures  area located in the Active desktop, move your cursor to the respective reservation, open the context menu by right-clicking, and select the  Check-out  command.

Room plan

Select the reservation for the desired guest in the  room plan  and open the context menu with a right-click. In the context menu, select the Check-out command (NOTE: The command is only available on the departure date).

Departures list

In the  Departures list , select the reservation of the desired guest and click on the [Check-out] button located at the lower part of the window.

Reservation dialog box

Open the reservation and click on the Check-out button located in the  Reservation dialog box . NOTE: This button is only available on the day of departure.

Invoice overview

Open the reservation's invoice overview and click on the Check-out button  located in the invoice dialog box. 
(NOTE:  only checks out the invoice, not the guest. The guest remains checked in!)

 

Check out via the active desktop

A check out will post payments for all charges, close the invoice, print the invoice and check out the guest - if all invoices are closed.
The following example assumes the check out via the active desktop. Nevertheless, there are several other options to perform a check out.

Requirements: You must be registered at a cash register.

You

  1. Right-click the reservation in the active desktop's departures list and choose "check-out".

  1. The invoice overview opens. Now every outstanding invoice has to be checked out individually by clicking the "Check-out" button .

The check-out window opens. The open balance is automatically displayed in red.

  1. In the Payment area of the dialog box, select a payment method.

  2. Click on [Post payment].

  1. You can now close the invoice. To do so, click the [Check out invoice] button located in the right side of the window (with or without print).
    If you select [Check out invoice] an invoice will be printed according to the selected parameters in the Print area of the dialog box. For more information please see below: Print area.

Result

A PDF is created and the invoice now can be printed. If the reservation contains another open invoice, repeat steps 2-5 for this invoice.

The closed invoices are marked with a red dot.

Next step

You can now leave the invoice dialog box by closing the window.

The guest is checked out and the reservation disappears from the Departures list.

 

Accelerated invoice completion via keyboard

  1. In the invoice overview, click the "Check-out" button .

  2. Select the method of payment using the <ARROW DOWN> key or typing the starting letter (e.g., “c” for cash) and press <Enter>.

  3. Re-click the <Enter> key to close and print the invoice.

  4. Press <Escape> to return to the invoice/reservation overview.

 

Attention!

Once an invoice is closed you cannot edit it anymore. To edit an invoice you will have to open it again. This is only possible, however, if you have not already executed the end of day process.

Check-out invoice before the actual departure date

You can check-out an invoice before the actual departure date:

  1. Open the respective invoice (further information can be found here: Invoice overview).

  2. Click on the Check-out button  located in the invoice dialog box.

  3. Select a payment method and click on Post payment.

Now all of the charges (even future ones) will be booked with the current date. You will therefore receive the following message:

  1. Click on [Yes] and the invoice will be closed and all of the items will be booked to today’s date.

Example: A reservation from 29 June - 5 July  will already be checked out on 29 June The outstanding accommodation amounts for 29 June - 5 July will be booked together with the payment on 29 June. It is the booking date for all charges. In order to make sure that it is apparent that the accommodation for the various nights had been calculated, the date of stay will appear in the “Description” column:

Click [No] and the payment will be made, but the invoice will remain open. The charges will only then be booked when the invoice is closed.

Example: The payment was booked on 29 June, the invoice remains open.

When closing the invoice, the charges (accommodation) will be booked together with the date the charges were made (date of stay).

Book items button

[Invoice dialog > Check out button > Check-out dialog]

This button will be active if there are still un-booked charges for this reservation.

By clicking the [Book items] button located in the upper left part of the window, all of the open charges  will be booked with today's date. In this case, the invoice remains open, so that it can be edited later.

Print area

[Invoice dialog > Check out button > Check-out dialog]

 

Field

Function

Language

Select the language in which the invoice is to be compiled (the invoice form must be available in the selected language).

Template

Select a template (only required if the desired template deviates from the default template type). By means of the template, you can also set the language to be used for the confirmation. If you, for instance, select the Spanish template, your confirmation will be created in Spanish.

Type

When printing the invoice, you can set how the booked articles are to appear on the invoice. Therefore, you can select the desired mode for printing the invoice in the “Type” drop-down menu. Determine the sorting and whether or not each article is to be grouped individually or if the same articles are to be combined in the invoice being printed.

Dispatch type

Print as PDF (default): Creates an invoice as a PDF file.

Send e-mail: Sends an e-mail with the invoice as a PDF attachment to the e-mail address of the recipient. The e-mail address is taken from the contact data saved in the guest profile! A copy of the email will be automatically sent to the hotel’s e-mail address (system data > My property > E-mail).

E-mail preview (PDF): Creates a PDF as a preview. Select this option when wanting to check the contents of the PDF, before sending it as an e-mail attachment (see above).

Recipient

Invoice holder: Sends the invoice to the person who has been designated as invoice holder in the invoice overview. The email text for invoices saved in the system data will be used (system data > Text templates > tab > "’’Settings" > Hotel management (Inv.)).

Booker: Sends the invoice to the booker of the reservation. The email text for invoices saved in the system data will be used (system data > Text templates > tab > "’Settings" > Hotel management (Inv.)).

Guest profile: Sends the invoice to the guest selected by means of the booker of the reservation. The email text for invoices saved in the system data will be used (system data > Text templates > tab > "’’Settings" > Hotel management (Inv.)).

E-mail address: This is where you can manually  enter an arbitrary e-mail address to which the e-mail is to be sent. A text field for entering the e-mail text automatically opens (the email text for invoices saved in the system data will not be used in this case, because the program cannot translate the wildcards used for the salutation).

Additional text:

Select the additional free texts check box:  activate, if an additional text is to be printed to the invoice. The desired text can than be written into the additional free text field. HINT: The additional text in the invoice form can be exported with the following replacement code: ${freetext}

E-mail text

As long as the e-mail address has not been entered manually (Recipient -> E-mail address), protel Air will use the e-mail text for invoices saved in the system data (see above). Set a check here if you want to edit the text.

Print invoice: Group invoices

For each member of the group, the charged services can either be shown as classified in a detailed manner or combined in the group invoice. Here’s how it works:

  1. Open the respective reservation (for group reservations, always the Group dialog box*).

  2. When printing the invoice, select the template for group invoices.

  3. Please select single article, sorted by guest or single article, sorted by room! Then, click on [Check out invoice].

*E. g., by means of the [Show group] button or by means of the "Open group" context menu command in the room plan...

Print invoice: Export posting text:

The booking text in the invoice can optionally be issued with or without a description.

Example:

In the depicted invoice, the Breakfast position has been booked containing the description “Sausages, bacon, eggs...”.

By means of the replacement code in your invoice forms, you can control if the booked articles are to be issued with or without the description.

${item.invoiceText}

Use this replacement code if you only want to issue the article text.

${item.additionalText}

The article will then be issued together with the description (contained in the default form).

Hint: In order to be able to change the replacement code in the invoice form, you will have to remove the protection from tables (right mouse-click in the table column > Menu “Cell” > Command “Remove protection”).

Print invoice: Display of the invoice sum (gross, net, tax)

The invoice amount can be shown as either including taxes (gross) or excluding them (net). Moreover, the contained tax amount can also be separately acknowledged.

The following replacement codes are at your disposal for the integration into your invoice forms:

${totalBrutto}

Total gross amount. Whole amounts (e.g., 10) use decimals (e.g., 10.00).

${totalTax}

total tax amount. Whole amounts (e.g., 10) use decimals  (e.g., 10.00).

${totalNetto}

Total amount whole amounts    (e.g., 10) use decimals (e.g., 10.00).

${totalBruttoAmount}

Total gross amount. Whole amounts (e.g., 10) do not use any decimals.

${totalTaxAmount}

total tax amount. Whole amounts (e.g., 10) do not use any decimals.

${totalNettoAmount}

total net amount Whole amounts (e.g., 10) do not use any decimals.

Print invoice: Export of tax information

Information about the calculated taxes can be exported for each item on the invoice.

Note: Packages are not allowed to contain items with with varying tax rates.

The following replacement codes are at your disposal for the integration into your invoice forms:

item.vat.name

Name of the charged tax

item.vat.amount

Value of the calculated tax (gross minus net)

item.vat.value

Tax rate

item.vat.code1

Tax code 1

item.vat.code2

Tax code 2

item.vat.descr

Description from tax

Print invoice: Invoices with more than one guest

[Hot Topics > Everything about invoices > Closing invoices > Printing invoices]

If the invoice contains posts for several guests, you can export the name of the guest once using the following replacement code:${guests}.

You can find more information about using replacement codes in your text templates here: System data > Text templates > My Text templats.

Print invoice: Mark invoice as copy for repeated printout

Invoice dialog box > Print

In some countries, an invoice must be marked as a copy if it is printed out more than once.

If required, activate the following XSetup:

Result: If an invoice is printed out more than once, this is automatically indicated by the ${invoiceType} replacement code - see following figure:

Of course you can also activate this setting if it is not a legal requirement in your country.

Please note: This feature only applies to closed invoices

Check out via the invoice overview

  1. Open the invoice overview (e.g., by marking the respective reservation in the invoice or departures list and clicking the [Open invoice] button).

  2. In the invoice overview, click on the "Check out" button, you will find the button at the bottom left of the invoice overview). Or you can open the context menu by right-clicking on an arbitrary position in the invoice and selecting the Check out command.

  3. The check-out window opens.

  4. Proceed as described above.

Invoice tasks

How to get to the invoice tasks:

Open an  invoice (invoice overview) and click the invoice tasks button at the bottom of the invoice overview - see following illustration:

Or right-click on any of the entries to open the context menu and select "Invoice tasks"

The invoice tasks include the following functions:

Post payment

[Invoice overview > Invoice window > Invoice tasks > Post payment]

Post single payments without closing the invoice.

You will find a detailed description in the chapter entitled "Cash register > Invoice overview > Post payment"

Fiscalize

This function is only available for countries with special taxation requirements. Fiscalization is directed towards the trouble-free archiving of transactions generated in protel Air and to protect these archives from manipulation.

Fiscalization will generate a fiscal number and will then close the invoice.

Note!

Fiscalized invoices cannot be reopened! Even if the end of day has not yet been executed and the invoice has been closed on the same day, invoices which have once been fiscalized cannot be reopened. Fiscalized invoices can - at most - be cancelled. When a fiscalized invoice is cancelled, a cancellation-fiscal code is generated so that the comprehensive documentation is possible.

Interim invoice

[Invoice overview > Invoice dialog box > Invoice tasks >  Interim invoice]

An interim invoice amount will be created. An interim invoice can be printed after the charges which have been made up till the creation day have been balanced.

An interim invoice can be created both on the arrival day as well as during the entire length of stay - day of departure being the exception.

You will find a detailed description in the chapter entitled "Cash register > Invoice overview > Interim invoice".

Reopen Invoice

Closed invoices can still be opened on the same day in order to enter corrections, for example.

This is only possible, however, if you have not already executed the end of day process.

Open the invoice dialog box, click on the Invoice tasks button , or open the "invoice tasks" context menu, and then click on the Reopen invoice.

Void Invoice

You will find a detailed description in the chapter entitled "Cash register > Invoice overview > Void invoice".

Print proforma invoice

A proforma invoice is an informative invoice and shows all estimated charges incl. tax amounts which are based on the rate code of the reservation, including bookable packages and fixed charges. The proforma invoice is not an official invoice document and therefore not binding, as the displayed charges can differ from the actual invoice at checkout. Usually the proforma invoice is printed before check-in (meaning as soon as a reservation is created and up to the time when the guest is checked in).

You will find a detailed description in the chapter entitled "Cash register > Invoice overview > Proforma invoice".