Small Registration Key Packet

for Homewood, Home2 and Hampton Inn Hotels

There is new smaller, letter sized (8.5x11") version of the registration key packet stock which folds up into a small key jacket, 2 guest ID cards and a registration slip. Compared to the cost of pre-printed generic key jackets and a separate registration form, this new stock cost significantly less; about 5 cents per registration, and provides a more informative and professional presentation for the guest room key, while also wasting less paper. It is the brand standard for Homewood's and an approved option for the Hampton Inn brand but could be used by any hotel. The guest name and room number are automatically printed on the key jacket. On the Hampton Inn version, space is provided for the High Speed Internet Access Code to be automatically printed. View sample here. Following are the steps, issues and solutions to transition into the new stock:

1. Order the new small stock and eForms update BEFORE you run out of existing stock:

Hampton Inn hotels who choose to use the new stock may do so by contacting Teri Lavery (1-888-337-2776,1 tl@efplus.com) to order the stock and the matching eForms.

2. Update the SmartBOX with the new eForms BEFORE you run out of existing stock:

After ordering the new stock, you will be contacted by your customer service representative and will be sent an email containing a link to the update program from our web server. The update program link is the one that ends in ".exe" in the email titled "EFPlus.com SmartBOX update for <Inncode> on <date>"  If you have not received this email, contact your customer service rep at efplus.com

The update must be performed on each workstation with a SmartBOX attached. If you prefer to avoid this update process, you can order replacement SmartBOXes, pre-programmed with the new forms for $25 per SmartBOX plus shipping. You must return the old SmartBOXes.

The remaining steps must be completed as a group and we strongly recommend that you contact eForms support engineer James Newton (1-888-337-2776,3# jn@efplus.com) and schedule a time for guided installation.

3. Configure OnQ 5 to use the Small Registration Key Packet stock:

Please note, both 3a AND 3b must be completed but only once for the entire property, 3c must be done at each workstation:

3a. There is an item in Database Maintenance under "Hotel Defaults", "Receipt Printing", called "Use key packet format when printing pre-reg cards." Turn that on if you are using the Registration Keypacket stock and turn it off if you print registrations on plain white paper. note: despite the name  of the item, it applies to any registration printing, not only to pre-reg. Save the changes and get out of Database Maintenance.

3b. Enable the small version of the registration key packet

1) Click the iSupport Icon on the desktop of your PC or go to https://hiltonisupport.accenture.com You may be asked to select your position (Hotel, Corporate, etc...)

2) Log in with your OnQ ID:

3) Find the "Search" field and type in "Key" then press Enter. In the search results, click the article titled: Americas Only: OnQ Property Management: How to Configure OnQ PM to Use the Small Registration Key Packet Stock.
We have been told this is directly accessable, without searching, from
https://hiltonisupport.accenture.com/ArticleView.aspx?id=24

4) Scroll to the end of the article and select the option to enable or disable the feature. To use the Small Registration Key Packet, select "Enable..."

despite the language used in the solution, this stock can be used by other brands, including the Home2 Suites.

5) Run the support action. If you see “File Download – Security Warning” select “Run” also.

6) The Fix it for me will begin to run after a few moments. Follow the steps to complete the change.

If the program can not find the hotel code, it may ask you to enter it in the dialog shown here:

7) Now the program will tell you the CURRENT state of the setting (so it will show "disabled" the first time) and then allow you to continue or cancel. Press Continue.

Now you should see the confirmation message:

Despite the advice here please do NOT contact OnQ support if you have problems, instead, contact Electronic Forms Plus, Inc.

Please note that this Support Action simply switches between the large or small key registration packet layouts; you must ALSO turn on or off the item in Database Maintenance under "Hotel Defaults", "Receipt Printing", called "Use key packet format when printing pre-reg cards."

8) Because the new setting is only picked up when OnQ first starts, you must leave the front desk program, and get back in, then try to print a registration. Check for the guest ID cards being filled out.

3c. Leave the front desk program, and get back in, then try to print a registration with just plain paper loaded. Check for the GUEST IDENTIFICATION cards being filled out. If that does not appear, something is wrong with step 3; please stop and contact us.
Note: This last step (3c) must be performed at each workstation.

4. Printer Setup:

No changes to printer driver setup is needed. You should not need to do anything under Start / Settings / Printers and Faxes.

All printers should come ready to use with the small registration key packet stock. You may need to reset the printers to factory defaults:

To Reset the IBM IP 1422 printer to factory defaults:

1. Press the Menu buttons until you see "Utilities Menu" then press Select
2. Again press the Menu buttons until you see "Reset to Factory Defaults" then press Select again.

To Reset HP printers to factory defaults:

1. Press the Green check mark or "OK" button.
2. Press the up/down buttons to select the "CONFIGURE DEVICE" menu and press the green check mark.
3. Press the up/down buttons to select the "RESETS" menu and press the green check mark.
4. Press the green check mark on "RESTORE FACTORY SETTINGS"

On the HP p3005d / 3015, we may need to set PAPER HANDLING, TRAY 2 TYPE to ANY TYPE instead of PLAIN. The tray sizes should then both be letter and the tray types should be any type. If that still doesn't work set PAPER HANDLING, TRAY 1 SIZE to LETTER and TRAY 1 TYPE to PREPRINTED instead of ANY TYPE.

For the 3005 with an optional second tray (purchased separately): Click to run the 2nd tray setup program. On the printer front panel, press the green check mark, followed by the arrow keys until CONFIGURE DEVICE is displayed, then press check again, and arrow to PCL, check and arrow to MEDIA MAPPING. Check and arrow to CLASSIC, and check to save the setting. Press the Menu button to return to ready. Hopefully, that will make the printer send jobs for tray 1 (the pull down) to tray 3 (the optional second pull out tray) and still send regular print jobs to tray 2 (the original under the printer tray).

5. Load Small Registration Key Packet stock:

You should now be able to load the stock in the upper, pull down tray and the plain white paper in the lower, pull out tray. Since the new stock is letter sized, it was decided to load it in the pull down tray since that allows for a more direct paper path for the stock and puts the least load on the printer. The printer will automatically pull from the correct tray once it is correctly configured.

Please print a receipt and registration and verify that they pull from the correct tray and have the correct appearance.

Start over at step 2 for the next workstation.

Known Issues:

Batch Printing

There have been intermittent problems with the batch printing of registrations:

From time to time, a batch will print with rate change information running over each of the registrations. It looks like the rate changes for ALL the guests are printed on EACH guests registration. This problem is intermittant. It will show up one day, and then be gone the next and not show up again for months. When it does happen, you can work around it by printing the registrations individually. OnQ Support is aware of this issue, but please do call to report to them that you are being affected by it and be sure to mention defect #12537. As far as we know there is nothing that the support person should try to fix the problem; it must be corrected by OnQ development. There is nothing EFP can do to solve this issue as it is related to the printed data, not to the form.

This next issue seems to have gone away, but is listed here in case it ever shows up again: Only a few of the guests will print and the details on different sections of the registration may not match. E.g. the room number on the top does not match the room number printed on the ID cards or the inside of the keypacket. OnQ Support is aware of this issue, but please do call to report to them that you are being affected by it and be sure to mention defect #10339. As far as we know there is nothing that the support person should try to fix the problem; it must be corrected by OnQ development. For now, each registration in a batch must be printed individually after calling up each guests registration on the screen. Again, this seems to have been fixed. There is nothing EFP can do to solve this issue as it is related to the printed data, not to the form.

Tray Select

Since the new stock is letter sized, it was decided that it would be best to load it in the front, pull down tray since that allows for a more direct paper path for the stock and puts the least load on the printer. The plain white paper is then loaded in the bottom tray, under the printer. Reset the printer to factory defaults (see above) to clear any previous tray size setup. This seems to be working well and several properties. However....

Plain paper reports printing on stock. The "Rate Report" and "Shift / Cash Balance Report" seem to have been programed in OnQ to print from the wrong tray, on the stock rather than on plain paper. At this point, our best recommendation is that the registration key packet stock be pulled back in the tray so that the printer will feed the plain paper when these reports are being printed.

Other, minor issues:

All workstations print the same format: There is no way in OnQ to set some workstations to print the old plain paper registration and some to print the registration key packet.

Registration always prints even for guests whose reg cards have already been printed (pre-reg'd Hilton Honors members, etc...) Under Start / Programs / Hilton... / Database Maintenance (you may need a manager to log in) / Hotel Defaults / Receipt Printing, Turn OFF (un check) "Reprint batch printed reg cards at check in"

Hard to read Room number, HSIAC code, etc... All the text on the form is actually printed in the same font: Arial 8 point. But because the room number, HSIAC code, guest name and other text printed on the actual key packet portion is being printed over a blue background, it may be more difficult to read. EFPlus, Inc. does not have any control over the size of the font used to print the room number, guest name and other data elements which come from the OnQ program. The OnQ support line also has no ability to change the size of those elements. If you would like to see those elements printed in a larger font, please make the request through your brand management (and please let them know how much you like the other features of the form? Thank you!) if enough hotels request this change, OnQ development may be able to justify the (relatively short) time required to make the changes. EFPlus, Inc is also limited in the colors we print on the stock by the brand standards. We have lightened the background as much as we are allowed to do in order to improve readability. We do control the size of the HSIAC, but it must fit in the space between the label and the top of the tear off section of the key packet. We believe we have done everything possible to improve readability of this text; if you have other ideas, please contact us.

Web Access / High Speed Internet Access code (HSIAC): The actual web access code does NOT print on the key packet automatically. This is data that must come from OnQ and so Hilton development must add that feature to OnQ when possible. In the mean time, we have developed a workable solution, via our web server at:
http://www.efplus.com/bat/hsiac.bat
Copy and paste that address into your browser favorites.
Please note that this web based system replaces the hand edited file used by a few hotels and allows us to correct alignment issues automatically when stock with new layouts are implemented by the brand.

If you would like to be able to print simple messages in the empty tear off section on the right, please contact technical support to verify that your eForms will support that function and we will provide you with a new link which will accept up to 5 lines of text which will then print in that space. Older versions of the eForms would support the printing, but would also attempt to print those messages on the folios, where there really isn't space. An update will correct the problem.

Support

Please email or call with any comments, questions, or concerns.

James Newton, Electronic Forms Plus, Inc., Engineering dept
jn@efplus.com Voice:1-888-337-2776,3# Fax:1-951-587-9744
43397 Business Park Drive, D-1, Temecula, CA 92590
http://www.efplus.com

Techincal notes:
In the SQL server at the property, the following commands will set this option and cause OnQ to use REGKEYPHW.RPT when printing registrations:

use practice
update property set use_key_packet_ind = 1
update property_extension set homewood_key_packet_ind = 1

The following commands will clear the settings back to a plain paper and cause OnQ to use FOLIOREG.RPT when printing registrations.

use practice
update property set use_key_packet_ind = 0
update property_extension set homewood_key_packet_ind = 0

And these commands will set the full sized registration key packet and cause OnQ to use REGKEYP.RPT when printing registrations.

use practice
update property set use_key_packet_ind = 1
update property_extension set homewood_key_packet_ind = 0

If you have access to the server, these commands should be useable in the SQL Query Analyser (typically install at: "C:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\80\Tools\binn\isqlw.exe") or in any other console interface to the SQL server. This is what the support solution above is doing.

The option in Database Maintenance under "Hotel Defaults", "Receipt Printing", called "Use key packet format when printing pre-reg cards." is simply setting use_key_packet_ind to 1 (when checked) or 0 (when cleared). At some Homewood properties in the past, there was a second option for setting or clearing homewood_key_packet_ind as well, but this option is not exposed at all hotels, which makes this solution necessary.