Long Term Reservations

Many campground reservation management systems do not have graceful ability to easily manage long term reservations. Firefly, however, was built with the idea that repetitive tasks should be automated. With long term reservations, monthly charges, payments, and notification emails can be totally automated which leaves very little to no action required by the park manager.

Creating a long term reservation

When a guest makes a reservation from the reservation portal, they have the option to create a long term or short term reservation. When choosing long term, only the arrival date is selected, since they probably do not know an exact departure date. The guest will then be able to book units available for long term rental.

Guests can make a long term reservation from the reservation portal

The same option is given when created a new reservation from the back end.

Recurring Charges

Once the long term reservation is created, click the Charges tab on the reservation detail page.

New charge and recurring charge for long term reservation

You will see a new charge for the first month (in the Charges section), and also a recurring charge that will create a new charge for future months (in the recurring charges section). The new charge is ready for a payment to be added, and may already have a payment if the reservation was made from the reservation portal and a deposit was required.

Click the recurring charge edit icon (circle with 3 dots) next the the recurring charge

You will see the recurring charge edit dialog.

If you want to edit the recurring charge amount, update the price. To end a recurring charge, enter the end date. No end date means the recurring charge will continue indefinitely.

In the Options section at the bottom, check Send email notification for every new charge created checkbox to send the guest an email every time a new charge is created. Check the Auto process payment checkbox for the payment to automatically process each month. Check the Send email notification of upcoming payment and process in x days checkbox to send an email to the guest letting them know their payment will automatically process in x days.

Check each one of these options to completely automate monthly rent payments for your long term guests. Each month, they will automatically be notified of new rent payment that is due, notify them the payment is scheduled, and will automatically process the payment.

That is 100% automated which means ZERO work is required by you!

You can read more on charges and payments here.

Utilities

Lastly, many campgrounds charge electricity on top of the monthly rent, which mean utilities have to be recorded once a month. Firefly makes recording utility payment extremely easy.

First, select Reservations > Record Utilities. Select the Utility and Read date.

Next, if you would like to create automatic scheduled payments for each utility reading you record, specify the payment options that should be used for all payments.

Finally, go down the list of units and record the utility meter reading.

Record utility readings and schedule payments for each

On the left, choose which guest is responsible for the utility usage and should receive the charge. If you only want to record the reading without making anybody pay, choose Do not charge.

On the right, enter the current reading in the Current box. Check the checkbox next the the predefined payment options if you want to schedule a payment. Click Save to complete the utility recording and the schedule the payment.

Charge and schedule payment created from utility recording

If you navigate to the Charges section of the reservation detail page for a reservation that you just recorded a utility and scheduled a payment for, you will see a new charge created and a payment scheduled.

This makes recording utilities a BREEZE. It only takes a few minutes to complete utility readings and collect payment.

It couldn't be easier

Firefly makes it so easy to manage your long term reservations. You no longer have to set reminders to remind yourself to send out invoices on the right day of month for each one of your long term guests. Firefly truly makes long term reservations at campgrounds and RV parks a joy to manage.