Preparation for Passover requires meticulous cleaning not only of the kitchen and dining room, but of all spaces that might have contained food — it’s like spring cleaning on steroids. An alternative is the Passover program or Passover getaway: a visit to a hotel which has been specially prepared for Passover. Rabinically supervised cruises, hotel stays, and resort visits require complex preparations on the part of the tour operator or company that makes the arrangements.

Not only are there rooms to book, but there can be complex relationships among the rooms, as families travel together and one invoice may cover a number of rooms. Additional guests not staying at the hotel may join the Passover meal, and there may be special needs, from allergies or accessibility issues to birthday cakes and seating preferences at meals. There are multiple activities from golf to religious studies, and different price points for different ages and room arrangements.

Organizers of Passover programs also have to be able to accept deposits and payments and keep track of them. They have to have information for the hoteliers and for the guests. And naturally they want to be sure to have continued contact with their satisfied customers, in order to plan for next year.

This used to be a matter of sheaves of paper. Not any more.

We thought it was high time for an online system for Passover program operators. So we created one, initially for Grand Getaways.

The advantages of web-based systems for arrangements of this kind are impressive:

• Immediate access 24/7 from any standard web browser, anywhere in the world. For the travel and hospitality industry, this is a must.
• Constant access to up to date information. No need to check in with the desk clerk or the people in the home office, nor to work from last night’s data.
• A higher level of security than is generally possible with systems based on paper or requiring frequent emailing of data.
• A program that can handle the complexity of the arrangements without massive and expensive software downloaded to multiple computers.

Clevertech developed an integrated system for the Grand Getaways Passover vacation at the Waldorf Astoria in Orlando, Florida. The system includes project management, accounting, and customer relationship management elements, all combined into a single, highly user-friendly admin site.

The system has a number of special features:

• Alerts for accounts that haven’t been touched in seven, fourteen, or twenty-one days
• In-depth information for each guest, with view and edit formats
• A highly customizable system that can adapt to different packages, room types, stay dates, pricing plans, and hotels
• Invoices that combine maximum flexibility with speed and simplicity
• Ability to generate and email invoices, integrated with accounting functionality
• Reporting with a high level of control, allowing quick access to targeted information

While the specific functionality of the system is designed for optimum workflow and efficiency — that’s what we at Clevertech do, after all — the online nature of the system gives it a level of usefulness that simply wouldn’t be possible with a software package that lived in a single computer.

Is an online system what your business needs? Meet with me at one of my favorite coffee shops to discuss your particular needs. I’ll buy you a cup of coffee and we can begin the conversation that will lead to improvement in your workflow and your bottom line.

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