⏱ Estimated time: 10–20 minutes
👤 Role: Ecommerce Administrators, Revenue Managers, Marketing Managers
How to simulate a guest booking journey across different modules.
Best practices for testing integration between the storefront and your PMS/Spa software.
How to manage test payments during onboarding vs. post-launch.
During Implementation: This is a mandatory step to verify that rates, timebands, and inclusions are correctly mapped to your third-party systems (Guestline, Opera, Premier, etc.) before the site is visible to the public.
Once Live: Use this whenever you launch a new product, change your deposit rules, or want to audit the guest experience after a configuration update.
Key Logic:
A test order confirms the "handshake" between systems. By placing a real order, you ensure that guest notes, enhancements, and payments flow through to your internal manifests exactly as expected.
Onboarding Rule: Do not use promo codes for $0$ orders during your initial setup. You must process a real payment (even for £1) to ensure Stripe and your PMS are communicating financial data correctly.
Live Site Rule: To avoid transaction fees on live test orders, you can create a 100% discount promo code, but be aware this won't test the actual payment gateway connection.
Visit your storefront and navigate to your Spa Days or Treatments.
Select an item and click Book Now.
The Itinerary: Choose your arrival time (Timeband) and any specific inclusion times. Enter your name and proceed.
Enhancements: Add at least one "Extra" or "Upgrade" to the basket to verify that these appear correctly in Premier.
Click View Basket and proceed to Checkout.
Search for your desired dates and guest occupancy on the storefront.
Select a Room Type and then a specific Rate Plan.
Upgrades: If prompted, choose a room upgrade to test the price difference logic.
Extras: Add a "Featured Extra" (like a bottle of Prosecco) to ensure the service request reaches the Front Office.
Progress through the checkout to place the order.
Navigate to the Dining section and click Book a Table.
Select the restaurant, date, time, and specific menu.
Click Add Reservation to booking, then View Basket.
Deposit Check: If you have configured table deposits, ensure the charge appears correctly at checkout. If no deposit is set, the booking will complete without a payment window.
Placing the order is only half the process; you must now verify the "back end."
Check the PMS/EMS: Log in to your internal system (Opera, Guestline, Premier, ResDiary). Confirm the booking exists and that all notes and extras are visible.
Refund: In the Ecommerce platform, go to Manage > Orders, locate your test, and issue a full Refund (see the "How to issue a refund" guide).
Cancel: Manually Cancel the booking in your third-party system to release the inventory (room/treatment/table) back for sale.
The "Multi-Basket" Test: The most robust test is a "mixed basket." Add a Room stay, a Spa treatment, and a Retail product into a single transaction. This confirms that the platform can successfully split and route data to three different systems simultaneously.
Inventory Release: Always remember to cancel the test booking in your internal PMS or Spa software. If you only refund the money in the Ecommerce platform, the room or spa slot will remain "blocked" in your diary, preventing real guests from booking that space.