Hi there,

What's New?

We’re introducing a streamlined Edit Booking Sidebar in Lavanda PMS, which allows users to perform all essential booking adjustments from a single, intuitive side drawer. This enhancement is designed to improve ease of use and efficiency, supporting both long-term and short-term stay requirements.

Key Features:

• Relocate Bookings

What’s changed?: Users can now relocate bookings directly from the Edit Booking sidebar. The Modify Booking option has been replaced with the new Edit Booking option.

Why was this changed?: To centralize key booking adjustments, making it easier to manage bookings without navigating away.

• Adjust Stay Dates (where applicable)

What’s changed?: Stay dates can be adjusted directly within the sidebar.

Why was this changed?: To simplify the process for changing stay dates, improving efficiency for short-term and long-term stays.

• Modify Occupancy (where applicable)

What’s changed?: Occupancy adjustments can now be made within the same interface.

Why was this changed?: Consolidating occupancy modifications within the sidebar reduces the need for separate screens, speeding up booking adjustments.

• Change Rates

What’s changed?: Rates can be easily modified from the sidebar, where applicable. E.g. Long stay bookings on a monthly interval rate

Why was this changed?: By enabling rate changes in one location, users can quickly and efficiently manage booking pricing.

• Resend Contracts

What’s changed?: The option to resend contracts is now accessible from the sidebar.

Why was this changed?: Centralising contract resending minimises steps and makes it easier for users to manage contracts.

Why Have We Made This Change?

This update is designed to streamline the booking management workflow and enhance user experience. By bringing all booking edits into one place, the Edit Booking Sidebar reduces user confusion and accelerates the booking management process.

Impact:

These improvements aim to reduce complexity and increase productivity, making it easier to manage bookings within Lavanda PMS.

Availability:

This feature improvement is now available to all customers as of 8th November 2024.

Getting Started:

To access the new sidebar, log into Lavanda PMS, select a booking, and click the Edit Booking option to make adjustments. The enhanced management options are available immediately.

Warm regards,

Team Lavanda

Hi there,

What's New?

We are excited to introduce a significant enhancement to the booking management process within Lavanda PMS. You can now move bookings to units of different unit types. This is the first in a series of updates designed to improve the move booking process, which previously allowed moves only to units of the same type.

Key Features:

• Flexible Booking Moves: Users can now move bookings to units of different types, offering greater flexibility in managing guest accommodations.
• Streamlined Process: This update streamlines the process for upgrading or downgrading unit types, making it easier to accommodate common scenarios like guest requests for alternative accommodations.
• Enhanced User Experience: The new feature improves the overall user experience, making it easier to manage and adjust bookings to meet guest needs.

Why Have We Made This Change?

Upgrades and changes to unit types are common occurrences. The previous process did not support such changes, limiting flexibility in booking management. By enabling moves to different unit types, we aim to make the booking process more intuitive and versatile, aligning with the real-world needs of our users.

Impact:

This enhancement streamlines the booking process for all customers, making the system more intuitive and user-friendly. It reduces the time spent on managing booking adjustments and improves operational efficiency.

Availability:

This new feature is now available in all workspaces on 6th November 2024.

Getting Started:

Explore the new feature within Lavanda PMS and experience the improved flexibility in managing your bookings.

Warm regards,

Team Lavanda

Hi there,

What's New?

We’re pleased to announce several improvements to the Documents Tab in Lavanda PMS, designed to simplify document management and improve ease of use. These updates will help users more intuitively add, manage, and resend documents, making the system more efficient.

Key Features:

• New "Add Documents" Button

What’s changed?: The previous "+" button has been replaced with a clearer "Add Documents" button.

Why was this changed?: This improvement increases clarity for users, making it easier to locate the document upload functionality without needing to search for it.

• Contract Template Name Displayed

What’s changed?: The contract template name is now visible directly in the Documents Tab UI.

Why was this changed?: This added visibility helps users identify which contract template is being used, allowing for more efficient document management.

• Improved Resend Contract Option

What’s changed?: Users can now resend contracts by selecting the three dots next to a document and choosing "Resend Contract."

Why was this changed?: Centralising this functionality in the Documents Tab eliminates the need for users to navigate elsewhere, streamlining the contract resending process.

Why Have We Made This Change?

These updates simplify and enhance document management, improving user experience by reducing the steps needed to add Docusign contracts. By adding clearer features and more visible information, users can operate more efficiently within the system.

Impact:

The feature improvements will make it easier for users to add Docusign contracts, identify contract templates, and resend contracts, reducing complexity and increasing productivity across the board.

Availability:

These updates are now available to all customers starting from 23rd October 2024.

Getting Started:

To experience the new features, simply log into Lavanda PMS and head to the Documents Tab. The new “Add Documents” button and enhanced contract management options will be available immediately.

Warm regards,

Team Lavanda

Hi there,

Release date: 24th September 2024

What's New?

We are excited to announce an enhancement to Lavanda PMS: Increased Data Sent to Stripe with Payment Requests. This enhancement adds more comprehensive data to Stripe payment requests across all payment methods, which will be visible in the Stripe reconciliation reports. By incorporating additional details into payment requests, users will be in a much-improved position when reconciling payments on the bank statement, the PMS reports, and the bank ledger balance.

Key Features:

Added Data in Payment Requests from Invoice:
When requesting a payment from an invoice, the following data is now included:

• Invoice Number
• Booking ID
• Invoice Recipient Name
• Invoice Recipient Email
• Lead Guest Name
• Unit
• Check-in Date
• Check-out Date
• Internal CRM ID

Added Data in Payment Requests from Payments Screen:
When manually recording a payment or using the Credit / Debit card (Cardholder present - Stripe) payment option from the payments screen, the following data is now included:

• Booking ID
• Payment Type
• Payment Reference
• Lead Guest Name
• Unit
• Check-in Date
• Check-out Date

Why This Change?

This improvement supports better bank reconciliation, helping users reconcile payments more quickly and effectively. By enriching the data sent to Stripe, this update improves clarity and operational efficiency, especially for teams managing high volumes of transactions.

Impact:

This feature enhancement will simplify the reconciliation process, reducing manual intervention and improving the accuracy of financial reporting. It aligns Stripe payment requests with the PMS journal for seamless and effective bank reconciliation.

Getting Started:

This data is being rolled out to Stripe, and you’ll be able to view it directly on your Stripe dashboard to enhance your payment request and reconciliation process.

How to check on your Stripe dashboard:

1. On your Stripe dashboard, navigate to Transactions.
2. Select a payment transaction.
3. Scroll down to the Metadata section to see the added data depending on payment request type.

Warm regards,

Team Lavanda

Hi there,

Release date: 18th September 2024

What's New?

We are pleased to introduce an improvement to Lavanda PMS: Automated Handling of Payment Disputes and Chargebacks. This feature streamlines the management of payment disputes for Stripe transactions, automating the previously manual process of handling disputes and reversals.

When a Stripe payment (via card or SEPA) is initially successful but subsequently disputed by the payee, the payment will now be automatically marked as 'disputed'. If the dispute leads to a refund, the system will reverse the payment and create a payment reversal note for accounting purposes (Journals/Allocations), marking the payment as 'reversed by dispute'. In cases where the dispute fails, the dispute flag will be removed, and the payment will remain as successful.

Key Features:

• Automated Dispute Flagging: Payments via Stripe are automatically marked as 'disputed' when a dispute is raised.
• Automated Reversals: If a dispute results in a refund, the payment is reversed, and a payment reversal note is automatically generated for accurate accounting.
• Dispute Resolution: If the dispute is unsuccessful, the payment will retain its 'successful' status, with the dispute flag removed.
• No Partial Reversals: There are no partial refunds or reversals; the entire payment is reversed if the dispute is won by the payee.

Why This Change?

Previously, this process relied on manual Stripe notifications and manual creation of payment reversals, leading to inefficiencies and an increased risk of bad debt. Automating this process allows us to manage higher volumes of disputes more effectively while reducing operational risks.

Impact:

This feature improves operational efficiency by automating the handling of payment disputes, eliminating the need for manual intervention. It helps reduce the risk of errors, ensures accurate accounting, and lowers the potential for bad debt.

Getting Started:

Begin exploring this feature in Lavanda PMS to enjoy the improved management of payment disputes and chargebacks.

Warm regards,

Team Lavanda

Hi there,

Release date: 12th September 2024

What's New?

We are excited to announce a new feature in Lavanda PMS: Cancel Stripe Payment Requests. This feature allows users to cancel payment requests directly from the PMS, intentionally expiring the payment link.

Previously, when a payment request was in progress, several actions on an invoice were unavailable until the request was either paid or expired naturally. With this new functionality, you can now cancel the payment request, immediately unlocking all invoice actions again.

Key Features:

• Cancel Payment Requests: Users can now cancel active payment requests, effectively expiring the payment link and allowing other invoice actions.
• Enhanced Flexibility: This update simplifies payment management by removing the need to wait for a payment request to be fulfilled or expired.
• Improved User Control: Gain more control over invoice management, streamlining your workflow by avoiding unnecessary delays.

Why This Change?

Handling payment requests often led to unnecessary bottlenecks, as users were unable to take certain actions on invoices until the payment request was processed or expired. The previous processes were cumbersome and time-consuming. This new feature eliminates these inefficiencies, ensuring a smoother and faster invoice management experience.

Impact:

This enhancement improves operational efficiency and provides users with greater control over payment requests and invoice actions. It reduces delays, making the payment management process more intuitive and user-friendly.

Getting Started:

Explore this feature within Lavanda PMS and enjoy the improved flexibility in managing Stripe payment requests.

Warm regards,

Team Lavanda

Hi there,

What's New?

Release Date: August 2024

We’re pleased to introduce three key updates to Lavanda PMS that will enhance the accuracy, transparency, and efficiency of your invoice and payment management processes.

1. Stripe Payment ID Now Displayed in the Payments Info Tab

• What’s Changed?
  The Stripe Payment ID has been added to the payments info tab, making it easier to view and track payment details directly within the platform.
• Why This Change?
  Previously, Stripe Payment IDs were only accessible via reports, leading to inefficiencies. This update ensures that crucial payment information is visible on-screen, improving the ease of payment management.

2. Invoice Issuance Validation Improvements

• What’s Changed?
  We’ve made significant improvements to the validation process when issuing invoices. These enhancements reduce errors and ensure that invoices are only issued under correct conditions, thereby improving the accuracy of your financial records.
• Why This Change?
  This update improves the invoice validation experience, streamlining the issuance process.

3. Paid/Allocation Status Now Displayed on Invoice List Views

• What’s Changed?
  The Paid/Allocation status is now visible directly in the invoice list views, allowing for quicker assessment of invoice statuses without the need to open individual invoices.
• Why This Change?
  By displaying the payment and allocation statuses upfront, this update helps users quickly identify which invoices are paid, partially allocated, or still outstanding, improving the efficiency of financial management.

Why These Updates Matter:

These updates are part of our ongoing commitment to improving the user experience and enhancing the efficiency of financial management within Lavanda PMS. By making key payment and invoice information more accessible and reducing potential errors, we aim to help you manage your operations more effectively.

Impact:

These enhancements are designed to streamline your workflow, making it easier to manage payments and invoices accurately and efficiently. All customers will benefit from these updates, leading to improved operational efficiency and a better overall user experience.

Getting Started:

These new features are live and ready to use. Explore the updates in your Lavanda PMS account today to experience the improved payment and invoice management capabilities.

Warm regards,

Team Lavanda

Hi there,

What's New?

We are thrilled to introduce the new Tasks Report as part of our standard Operations reports.

Please note that this feature can only be accessed by users with the Admin or Analytics Viewer user roles.

Key Features:

The Tasks report provides a comprehensive view of all tasks created within the PMS. It includes detailed information such as:

• Task owner
• Due date
• Type of task
• Associated booking and unit
• Subtasks, displayed as individual rows

Available filters:

To enhance usability, the report can be filtered by:

• Due date
• Building
• Task status
• Task category
• Assigned to

Impact:

This report can also serve as a housekeeping report. By filtering on specific task categories such as guest ready cleans or refresh cleans, you can streamline and manage your housekeeping tasks efficiently.

We are confident that this new report will provide valuable insights and improve your task management efficiency.

Getting Started:

This feature is now live under the Reporting segment of the PMS. We encourage all relevant users to explore this new capability in order to maximise their portfolio’s performance.

Warm regards,

Team Lavanda

Hi there,

What's New?

We are excited to announce the launch of our new Reporting Library, a significant enhancement to Lavanda PMS that empowers you with advanced reporting capabilities. This new feature is designed to provide more insightful, and user-friendly reporting options, enabling you to make data-driven decisions with ease.

Key Features:

• Clear menu structure organising reports by functional area. 13 reports are available across: Operations, Sales & Marketing and Finance.
• Portfolio reporting: Ability to access data of all the workspaces PMS users have access to in a single view.
• User permissions: The Lavanda user permissions are now shared with the reporting system and no longer required to be managed separately. Google accounts are no longer required to gain access to the reports under the Reporting Library.
• Consistency across all workspaces: The architecture of the new reporting system means report definitions are shared across multiple workspaces ensuring consistency and reduced maintenance.
• Report capabilities include:
• Filtering: Date and building filters.
• Cross Filtering
• Search Bar: Free text search for each table.
• Data Download: Export to Excel, CSV, or PDF.
• Sorting

Why This Change?

Our aim with this launch is to provide seamless access to data in order to make data-driven decisions. It addresses permission issues and removes the need for Google accounts. Additionally, the new reporting system allows for consistency across all workspaces, with shared report definitions.

Impact:

This update benefits the Chapter & Canvas brands by offering seamless access to a range of reports. The new reporting system should contribute to improved efficiency, greater consistency, and more insightful data analysis, ultimately driving better business outcomes.

Getting Started:

This feature is now live under the Reporting segment of the PMS. We encourage all relevant users to explore this new capability in order to maximise their portfolio’s performance.

Warm regards,

Team Lavanda

Hi there,

What's New?

We are excited to introduce several enhancements to the payment and refund processes within Lavanda PMS. These updates aim to improve the user experience and unify the interface for all users, regardless of their Accounts Receivable (AR) system usage.

Key Features:

• Direct Refunds in Payments Tab: For users not using the Accounts Receivable (AR) system, it is now possible to record and make refunds directly in the payments tab, ensuring they are properly related to the corresponding payments.
• Unified Display for Refunds and Payments: For all users, refunds and payments are now displayed in a manner that clearly shows which refunds belong to which payments.
• Consistent UI for Payments: The user interface for recording or taking a new payment directly in the payments tab has been aligned to match the process when doing it from an invoice.
• Improved Payment Screen: The view payment screen has been enhanced for better clarity and usability.
• Consistent Payment Statuses: Payment statuses are now consistent across the payments list, improving overall clarity and user experience.

Why This Change?

To unify the user interface and improve the user experience, making it easier for all customers to manage payments and refunds efficiently.

Impact:

These enhancements streamline the payment and refund processes for all customers, making the system more intuitive and user-friendly. This reduces the time spent on managing financial transactions and improves operational efficiency.

Getting Started:

Explore the enhanced payment and refund features within Lavanda PMS and experience the improved user interface and functionality.

Warm regards,

Team Lavanda