How to Issue a Refund

⏱ Estimated time: 5 minutes

👤 Role: Finance Teams, Reservations Managers, Spa Managers

What you'll learn:

• The mandatory sequence for cancelling bookings and issuing refunds.

• How to process full or partial refunds via the platform.

• The specific workflow for reinstating Gifted voucher balances.

• Understanding guest payout timelines.

When should I use this?

Use this process whenever a guest is entitled to a return of funds due to a cancellation, amendment, or service issue.

Key Logic:

To ensure your reporting remains accurate across all systems, you must follow a "System First, Finance Second" approach.
The physical booking must be removed from your diary (Premier, SynXis, etc.) before the monetary refund is triggered in the Ecommerce platform.

Before you start:

• 🚨 Mandatory Step: Cancel the booking in your third-party provider (Premier, SynXis,
  

Guestline, etc.) before proceeding with the refund here.

• Stripe Warning: All refunds must be processed through the Ecommerce platform. Do not issue
  

refunds directly within your Stripe dashboard, as this will cause a permanent data mismatch in

your Ecommerce reporting.

• Deferred Payments: If the booking has a future-dated deferred payment scheduled, you
  

must manually cancel that payment record within the order screen to prevent future accidental charges.

Step-by-step:

1. Locate the Order

1. Log in to the Ecommerce platform.

2. Under the Manage heading in the sidebar menu, click on Orders.

3. Search for the Order Number or Guest Name. You can use the dropdown menu to filter by other
   

methods if these details are unavailable.

1. Once found, click the Edit button beside the order to view the full details.
   

2. Process the Refund

1. In the left-hand sub-menu of the order screen, click on Payments and Refunds.

2. Scroll to the bottom of the page to find the Refund section.

3. Amount to Refund: Enter the specific amount. This can be the full total or a partial amount.

4. Reason for Refund: Enter a clear rationale (e.g., "Guest cancelled within policy" or "Service issue"). This
   

is for your internal audit trail.

1. Click the Refund button.
   

3. Refunding a Gifted Voucher Redemption

If the guest used a voucher to pay, the refund process functions differently to ensure the voucher balance is restored.

1. In the same Payments and Refunds tab, locate the section for voucher redemptions.

2. Select the specific voucher from the dropdown menu.

3. Enter the amount to be credited back to the voucher.

4. Click Refund.

5. Verification: Confirm the success message appears. The voucher value is now reinstated for the
   

guest to use again.

Best practice:

Communicate Timelines: Always advise the guest that while the refund is processed immediately by the hotel.
We tend to find that it typically takes 5–10 working days to appear in their bank account, depending on their financial institution.

Important Notice:

Order of Operations:
If you refund the money but forget to cancel the booking in your PMS or Premier, you will have a "ghost" booking taking up availability in your diary for a guest who is no longer arriving.
Always cancel the booking in your management software first.