When guests complete their Online Pre-Check-In, ChargeAutomation collects essential verification details, arrival times, and answers to custom questions. By mapping these fields to your PMS, guest responses automatically sync directly into your PMS reservation records, eliminating manual data entry.
đ How Guest Response Mapping Works
ChargeAutomation supports two types of guest response syncs:
Standard Pre-Check-In Fields: Built-in data points (e.g., Estimated Time of Arrival, verified guest email, phone number, guest count, and ID verification status).
Custom Questions / Fields: Custom questions you define (e.g., flight number, vehicle license plate, purpose of stay, pet details, or special requests) mapped to corresponding custom fields or reservation notes in your PMS.
𧊠Step-by-Step Configuration
Step 1: Set Up Custom Fields in Your PMS
Before mapping in ChargeAutomation, ensure the target fields exist in your PMS:
Go to your PMS settings (e.g., Guesty, Hostaway, Hostify, Beds24/BookingAutomation, OwnerRez).
Create the desired Custom Fields or Custom Variables at the Reservation/Booking level (e.g., Flight Number, Car Plate, Estimated Arrival).
Note the exact field names or variable keys.
Step 2: Create Custom Questions in ChargeAutomation
Log in to your ChargeAutomation Dashboard.
Navigate to Settings > Pre-Check-In > Custom Questions (or Check-In Steps).
Click Add Question (or edit an existing question).
Configure the question parameters:
Question Text: (e.g., "What is your estimated flight number?")
Field Type: Text, Number, Dropdown, Date/Time, or File Upload.
Requirement: Set as Mandatory or Optional.
Applicability: Apply to all properties or select specific listings/booking channels.
Step 3: Map the Question to Your PMS Field
In the question configuration modal, locate the PMS Field Mapping section.
Select your connected PMS from the dropdown.
Choose the matching PMS Custom Field from the list:
Direct Custom Field: Maps the answer directly to the custom field created in your PMS.
Reservation Notes / Internal Memo: If your PMS does not support custom fields, choose to append the responses into the reservation notes/comments.
Click Save & Apply.
Common Fields & Mapping Examples:
â°When Do Responses Sync to the PMS?
Instant Sync: Responses are pushed to your PMS immediately upon the guest clicking Submit / Complete Pre-Check-In.
Real-Time Updates: If a guest edits or updates their responses prior to check-in, ChargeAutomation updates the corresponding fields in your PMS.
â ď¸Troubleshooting & Best Practices
Field Type Matching: Ensure the field type in ChargeAutomation matches the field type in your PMS (e.g., mapping a text field to a text field, not a number or date field).
Permissions / API Tokens: Verify that your PMS integration has read/write permissions for custom fields and reservation updates.
Fallback to Reservation Notes: For PMSs that have restrictions on custom field creation via API, configure ChargeAutomation to push full check-in summaries into the Booking Notes.