Notifications

Notifications inform you when key system values change or reach a specific value. For example, when pricing changes by a large amount or when the Occupancy Forecast reaches 90%. You define Notifications to ensure that you know what the system knows.

What Help Do You Need With Notifications?

  • I want to see the Best Practices for setting up and monitoring Notifications.
  • I want to watch a video or see the steps to setup Notifications.
  • I need to learn about the two categories, business change and specific value.
  • I want to see the details for each Notification that I can set up.
  • I need to understand the scoring for Notifications.

Two Categories of When You Get Notified

When the Business Changes

G3 RMS measures the change between the current and the previous results and triggers a Notification if the change meets your defined threshold. For example, that the Occupancy Forecast increased by more than 5% or that Overbooking at the Master Class level increased by more than 5 rooms. You have two options for when the system measures the change:

  • Change From Last Optimization: The system compares the results from the last time it ran an optimization to the results from the previous optimization. The optimizations may be a nightly processing or a intraday processing (if the property subscribes to this option).
  • Change From Last Nightly Optimization: The system compares the results from last night's optimization to the results from the previous nightly optimization. Even if the property subscribes to optional intraday processing, this Notification is only sent if a change meets your threshold after the nightly processing.

When Data Reaches a Specific Value

G3 RMS checks if a property value meets your defined condition. For example, that a competitor's price is at or below $200 or that property overbooking is at or above 15 rooms. You have two options for when the system checks values:

  • Value as of Last Optimization: The property value met your defined condition after the last optimization. This optimization may be a nightly processing or an intraday processing (if the property subscribes to this option).
  • Value as of Last Nightly Optimization: The property value met your defined condition after the last nightly optimization. Even if the property subscribes to optional intraday processing, this Notification is only sent if a value meets your condition after the nightly processing.

Setup Steps

  1. Click and then Information Manager.
  2. Click Notifications.
  1. Click the configuration icon . The Notification Configuration window opens.
  2. Click the add icon to start the setup wizard.
  3. In the Property step, select Properties (if the Notifications are for individual properties) or Property Groups (if the Notifications are for groups of properties that you set up). Note: When you set up a Notification for a Property Group, the Notification is applied to all properties associated with that Group, even if the property is added to it later.
  4. Locate the Properties or Property Group in the left pane:
    • Enter a full or partial name in the search field to filter for names that contain those characters.
    • Click a Property or Property Group to select it.
    • Press Ctrl or Shift + click to select multiple properties.
  5. Click > to add the selected properties or Property Groups to the Selected for Notification pane, or click >> to add all the properties or groups. The properties that you add will receive the Notifications that you select in the next steps in the wizard.
  6. Click Next.
  7. In the Notification Details step, select the Type of Notification. See the short summary of these types in the Overview, or see Data Details for descriptions of each Notification.
  8. Select the desired options for Sub-Type, Notification Level, and Notification Sub-Level. The options vary by the selected Type.
  9. Click Next.
  10. In the Condition step, select the conditions under which G3 RMS will send a Notification. Your options vary, depending on your selections in Notification Details:
    1. Select if the amount of change or specific value Increased by _ or more, Decreased by _ or more, or Increased or decreased by _ or more than the threshold that you set up.
    2. Enter the threshold value in the open field.
    3. Select if the change or specific value applies to the number of Rooms, a Percent, a Price Point or a Currency value.
  11. Click Next.
  12. In the Monitoring Window step, select the desired Start Date and End Date for the period in which G3 RMS will monitor these changes, within the forecast window:
    1. Click the default date.
    2. Complete one of the following options:
      • Enter a date in the Selection field.
      • Select Specific Date from the menu. Click the arrows icons to navigate between months or years. Click the appropriate date in the calendar.
      • Select Rolling Date from the menu. Select Today or choose to offset today by a defined number of days by selecting Today +. Enter the number of offset days in the selection field.
    3. Click Apply.
  13. Click Finish. The Notification Type that you created displays in the Notification Configuration window, with the change parameters that you set up for it.

G3 RMS separates the steps to resolve Notifications into "Investigation" and "Action" options. G3 RMS changes the score only if you take an action, even if the action is to make no change.

  1. If needed, click the filter icon to locate the Notifications to resolve. See Filters for a description of options and results displayed when using filters.
  2. Filter the results further by typing partial titles in the Search for Notifications ... field. For example, type "Overbooking" to find Notifications with "Overbooking" in the title. Click the refresh icon to clear the filter.
  3. Select the Notifications to resolve:
    • Select a Notification.
    • Select the checkboxes in the right column if you want to action multiple Notifications together. For example, multiple Forecast Change Notifications for one date but different Room Classes all have the same cause. Selecting multiple Notifications limits the available actions that you can take.
  4. Investigate and take action, using the details in the right pane and the instructions that display below How do I investigate the Notification or How do I action the Notification.
    • Click the blue linked text. G3 RMS opens a new tab or window and goes to the appropriate page where you take the necessary steps to investigate or resolve the issue. This option is not available if you selected multiple Notifications.
    • Select the checkbox to Make no changes to the system if you choose to continue monitoring the occupancy date.
    • Select the checkbox to Suspend the notification on this date if you no longer want G3 RMS to monitor the same condition for this occupancy date. For example, an arrival date outside of the main booking window may experience many changes to its forecast, so you may not want to monitor this date at this time. In this case, select the checkbox to suspend the Notification. As the date approaches, you can clear the checkbox, and G3 RMS will monitor the occupancy date for you again.
    • For the Booking Pace Notification, you can also select Suspend and monitor, resume if the difference to the threshold increases. For details, review its Description.
  5. After you investigate or resolve the issue, return to the Notifications page. G3 RMS records your actions in Notification History.
  6. Add a note regarding the resolution by clicking the note icon in the right pane.

When you create and save a Notification, it is enabled. You can temporarily disable a Notification and re-enable it to use another time instead of recreating it.

  1. Click the configuration icon . The Notification Configuration window opens.
  2. Locate the Notification to be disabled. If needed, click the filter icon to filter for a property or Notification type.
  3. Select the Disable checkbox for the Notification to be disabled. A confirmation window displays.
  4. Click Yes to disable the Notification and delete all active instances of it.

To re-enable a Notification, clear the Disable checkbox.

  1. Click the configuration icon . The Notification Configuration window opens.
  2. Locate the Notification to be edited. If needed, click the filter icon to filter for a property or Notification type
  3. Select the Notification to edit. A Notification Details pane opens with details about the Notification.
  4. Click Edit on the bottom right corner of the window. The Notification Details become available for editing.
  5. Change the Notification Details, the Condition that defines when G3 RMS will trigger the Notification, or the Monitoring Window.
  6. Click Save.
  1. Click the configuration icon . The Notification Configuration window opens.
  2. Locate the Notification to be deleted. If needed, click the filter icon to filter for a property or Notification type
  3. Select the Notification to delete. A Notification Details pane opens with details about the Notification.
  4. Click the delete icon .
  5. Click Yes to confirm the deletion.

Notification Details

The table below provides details about each Notification that you can set up:

Title Description
Booking Pace as of Last Nightly Optimization G3 RMS compares actual Transient booking against its expected booking curve, which is based on last year's booking patterns for the same period (STLY). The system checks for dates where pace is ahead of or behind the expected booking curve, for up to 365 days. It sends the Notification if the pace meets the degree of difference that you set up. To review the expected pace for a single day, see the Actual versus Expected On Books data in the Investigator.

You can set up the Notification to notify you if the pace is faster, slower, or both. Additionally, you can set up specific date ranges that you want to monitor. Use the degree of difference to control the number of Notifications that you receive, with a small degree of difference resulting in more Notifications.

For this Notification only, you have an action called, Suspend and monitor, resume if the difference to the threshold increases. It tells G3 RMS to re-trigger the Notification only if the difference to expected booking pace increases.

If you select this action, the Notification re-triggers if the defined threshold is met and:

  1. The difference from the expected booking pace is larger than when you selected the "Suspend and monitor" action for this arrival date.
  2. Only for Notifications set to “faster or slower than expected pace,” the direction of the difference changes (if it was pacing faster than expected and now paces slower, or the other way around).

Scenarios for Using this Notification

  • Properties with small or low inventory – If your property has a small number of rooms or a temporary reduction in rooms, use this Notification to learn about new future events that might book many rooms before the system can react.

  • Large unique events – Use this Notification to learn about unique and large new events that are difficult to anticipate and don't repeat. For example, a surprise concert announcements of a very popular performer.

  • Focus on long term strategy - Set this Notification up for the +180-365 day range with a “high variance”. This helps you focus on dates further in the future, where your revenue gain opportunities are larger.

If this Notification is not available, it's because your property uses a Limited Data Build or has less than 365 days of historical pace data.
Competitor Price Change Notification

G3 RMS compares today's competitor pricing to the competitor pricing from yesterday. If the change meets the Notification conditions, G3 RMS sends a Notification.

If you are changing rate shopping vendors, consider disabling this Notification until the new vendor's data is populated in G3 RMS.
Decision Change From Last Nightly Optimization G3 RMS compares the pricing, overbooking or LRV from last night's optimization to the results from the previous nightly optimization. If the change meets the Notification conditions, G3 RMS sends a Notification.
Decision Change From Last Optimization

G3 RMS compares the pricing, overbooking or LRV from the last optimization, either nightly or intraday, to the equivalent data from the previous optimization. If the change meets the Notification conditions, G3 RMS sends a Notification.

The maximum window that the system will monitor is determined by the Intraday Processing Window, which is typically 45 days. We recommend using the Decision Change From Last Nightly Optimization Notification to look at the full data window.

If your property does not have intraday processing, this Notification behaves the same as Decision Change From Last Nightly Optimization.
Forecast Change From Last Nightly Optimization

G3 RMS compares the Occupancy, ADR, Revenue, or RevPARClosed Revenue Per Available Room. The total room revenue divided by the total number of rooms (capacity). For the capacity definition, see the At a Glance - RevPAR topic (under Data Details). forecast from last night's optimization to the equivalent data from the previous nightly optimization. If the change meets the Notification conditions, G3 RMS sends a Notification.

One explanation for a significant forecast change is that G3 RMS expected a different booking pace. To review the expected pace for a single day, see the Actual versus Expected On Books data in the Investigator.

Forecast Change From Last Optimization

G3 RMS compares the Occupancy, ADR, Revenue or RevPAR forecast from the last optimization, either nightly or intraday, to the equivalent data from the previous optimization. If the change meets the Notification conditions, G3 RMS sends a Notification.

The maximum window that the system monitors is determined by the Intraday Processing Window, which is typically 45 days. We recommend using the Forecast Change From Last Nightly Optimization Notification to look at the full data window.

If your property does not have Intraday processing, this Notification behaves the same as Forecast Change From Last Nightly Optimization.
Occupancy Change From Last Optimization

G3 RMS compares the Occupancy On Books from the last optimization to the equivalent data from the previous optimization. If the change meets the Notification conditions, G3 RMS sends a Notification.

For this Notification, the system monitors the full data window, beyond the intraday processing window.

If your property does not have intraday processing, this Notification behaves the same as Occupancy Change From Last Nightly Optimization.
Occupancy Change From Last Nightly Optimization

G3 RMS compares the Occupancy On Books from last night's optimization to the equivalent data from the previous nightly optimization. If the change meets the Notification conditions, G3 RMS sends a Notification.
Year On Year Pace Change G3 RMS compares this year's ADR, RevPAR, or Occupancy on books to last year's as of the same time and for the same monitoring window. If the size of the pace difference meets the Notification conditions, G3 RMS sends a Notification.
Competitor Price as of the last Nightly Optimization G3 RMS compares the competitor price from the last nightly optimization against your defined condition. For example, competitor ABC showed a price of 200 in the last nightly optimization and you want to know when their price is above 150. Thus, G3 RMS triggers this Notification to let you know the condition is met.
Decision as of Last Nightly Optimization

G3 RMS compares the decision (like the price) from the last nightly optimization to your defined condition. If the decision meets that condition, G3 RMS sends a Notification. For a similar example, see the previous Notification type.

Decision as of Last Optimization

G3 RMS compares the decision (like the price) from the last optimization, either nightly or intraday, to your defined condition. If the decision meets that condition, G3 RMS sends a Notification.

The maximum window that the system monitors is determined by the Intraday Processing Window, which is typically 45 days. We recommend using the Decision as of Last Nightly Optimization Notification to look at the full data window.

If your property doesn't have intraday processing, this Notification works the same as Decision as of Last Nightly Optimization.
Forecast as of Last Nightly Optimization G3 RMS compares the forecast, for example, occupancy forecast, from last night's optimization to your defined condition. If the value meets that condition, G3 RMS sends a Notification.
Forecast as of Last Optimization

G3 RMS compares the forecast, for example, occupancy forecast, from the last optimization, either nightly or intraday, to your defined condition. If the value meets that condition, G3 RMS sends a Notification.

The maximum window that the system monitors is determined by the Intraday Processing Window, which is typically 45 days. We recommend using the Forecast as of Last Nightly Optimization Notification to look at the full data window.

If your property doesn't have intraday processing, this Notification behaves the same as Forecast as of Last Nightly Optimization.

Best Practices

The number of Notifications that you receive is dependent on how you set them up and the amount of volatility in your booking data. If you consistently receive too few or too many Notifications, review your Notification setup.

G3 RMS regularly updates the demand models that it uses to calculate demand. This can trigger changes to forecasts and decision and, therefore, new Notifications. These updates of the demand models also happen after some changes that trigger a Sync. For example, when you change past Special Events or change market segment attributes.

When the system receives rate shopping data for an arrival date for the first time, it may change its forecast and decisions for that date, which in turn may trigger Notifications.

Uncertainty and decisions may change as an arrival date approaches. When you enter your main booking window, G3 RMS receives more booking data, which reduces its forecasting uncertainty and may cause more changes to the forecast, potentially triggering more Notifications.

You don't need to act on Notifications because G3 RMS already acted. For example, if the Occupancy Forecast change meets or exceeds the threshold that you set up, you don't need to change pricing. The system already optimized the remaining unconstrained demand and decided if decisions need to change. You can review Notifications daily, but they are for your information only and, therefore, are less important than Alerts and Exceptions.

Notifications help the system know what you know. Notifications may point you to a situation where you need to share your knowledge with the system. For example, investigating a change in the overbooking decision may lead you to realize that you need to override a group's wash.

Often, just viewing the Notification details may provide you with enough information to know what the system knows, and no further investigation may be necessary. When you aren't sure if you need to share something with the system or when you question a new Occupancy Forecast or decision, click one of the links to investigate the Notification in the Notification details. Then investigate forecast and decisions.

If you investigated forecast and decisions yesterday, and you interacted with G3 RMS by, for example, placing Demand and Wash overrides, you should feel comfortable that Notifications are due to your changes and spend little time investigating.