How to set up and use Vouchers
Vouchers in HotelFriend are gift cards that your hotel can sell to guests. Guests purchase vouchers at a set price and can later redeem them as a payment method when paying for accommodation or services. This feature is located in the Accounting module under "Vouchers and discounts".
What are Vouchers?
Vouchers are prepaid gift cards with a specific value. You can sell them at face value or at a discounted price (e.g., sell a €100 voucher for €90). Guests can then use vouchers as a payment method when settling their invoice.
Voucher Products vs Vouchers
The system has two tabs:
- Voucher products - Templates for vouchers you want to sell (e.g., "€50 Gift Card", "€100 Spa Voucher")
- Vouchers - Individual vouchers that have been issued/sold to guests
Creating a Voucher Product
Follow these steps to create a new voucher product:
- In the main menu on the left, navigate to Accounting.
- Click on Vouchers and discounts.
- Make sure you are on the Voucher products tab.
- Click the "Add voucher product" button in the upper right corner.
- Enter the voucher information:
- a. Name - Enter a descriptive name (e.g., "€100 Gift Voucher", "Spa Day Voucher")
- b. Period of validity - Set the date range when the voucher can be redeemed (optional)
- c. Discount amount - The face value of the voucher (e.g., €100.00)
- d. Price - The price guests pay to purchase the voucher (e.g., €90.00 for a €100 voucher)
- Add a Description (optional) - Use the text editor to describe what the voucher can be used for.
- Enter the Account ID for accounting integration:
- a. This is used for DATEV export and accounting reports
- b. Enter the account number where voucher sales should be recorded
- Set the Status toggle to Active to make the voucher available for sale.
- Click Update to save the voucher product.
Managing Voucher Products
The Voucher products list shows all your created voucher templates:
- Name - The voucher product name
- Period of validity - Date range when vouchers can be redeemed (shows "-" if no limit)
- Amount - The discount/face value of the voucher
- Price - The selling price
- Status - Active (green toggle) or inactive
To manage voucher products:
- Edit - Click on any voucher product row to open the edit form.
- Activate/Deactivate - Click the status toggle to enable or disable sales.
- Search - Use the search field to find specific voucher products by name.
- Actions menu - Click the three-dot menu (⋮) for additional options.
Selling a Voucher
To sell a voucher to a guest:
- When creating an invoice, add the voucher product as a line item.
- The guest pays the voucher price (e.g., €90 for a €100 voucher).
- A unique voucher code is generated and can be printed or emailed to the guest.
- The sold voucher appears in the Vouchers tab.
Redeeming a Voucher
When a guest wants to pay with a voucher:
- During invoice payment, select Voucher as the payment method.
- Enter or scan the voucher code.
- The voucher value is applied to the invoice.
- If the invoice amount exceeds the voucher value, the guest pays the remaining balance with another payment method.
- If the voucher value exceeds the invoice amount, the remaining balance stays on the voucher for future use (depending on your settings).
Voucher Types
You can create different types of vouchers:
- Single redemption - Voucher can only be used once
- Multi redemption - Voucher can be used multiple times until the value is depleted
- Time-limited - Voucher has a validity period and expires after the end date
- Open-ended - No expiration date (leave Period of validity empty)
Tips for Vouchers
- Promotional pricing - Sell vouchers below face value to encourage purchases (e.g., €90 for €100 value)
- Seasonal offers - Create limited-time vouchers for holidays or special occasions
- Account ID - Always set the Account ID for proper accounting and DATEV export
- Clear naming - Use descriptive names so staff can easily identify voucher types
