FAQ

General

Q: What do you mean by “real-time”?

A: When we say that Sunrise is a “true, real-time” reservation system, we’re talking about a reliable, always-on database system that is hosted online, allowing multiple users to access this single system and to know, at any given instant, what the inventory situation looks like for a given campground. (Think online trip-planning sites.) This real-time nature allows guests to book online and have confidence that they have a confirmed reservation, while giving campground operators that same peace-of-mind.

If your system has to be “synchronized” or otherwise reconciled in order to be certain of your inventory, it’s not real-time. If it requires you to set aside specific inventory for use online to prevent double-bookings, it’s not real-time.

Q: How many users can be using the software at once?

A: There is no limit to the number of users, logged in or otherwise. Period.

Q: What do I need to run Sunrise? (System Requirements)

A: Sunrise does not impose specific hardware or operating system requirements. Being web-based, Sunrise simply requires a modern, standards-compliant web browser. For Sunrise Panorama, our front-office management application, CAS recommends the use of Firefox which offers greater speed, performance, and compatibility. You can use your web browser from any PC, Mac, laptop, Netbook, or tablet to manage your park. Sunrise Panorama is also designed for the iPad, making managing your park on-the-go even easier. SunriseReservations.com is compatible with all major web browsers including Internet Explorer 7 and up, Firefox, Chrome, and Safari. We even support Linux! Please contact us for additional information regarding specific mobile/tablet computing browser compatibility.

Q: What if I lose my Internet connection?

A: Yes, a reliable Internet connection is a “system requirement,” and we understand that this can be a challenge in certain locales. We’ve been encouraged to find, however, that this is rapidly becoming less of an issue. Ever-growing reliance on Internet-deployed services of all kinds has fueled expansion of Internet infrastructure and new alternative technologies provide competent backup Internet options, as well. We’d love to discuss these options and your challenges with you. Whatever technology system you employ, when the power or Internet fail, we recommend having paper and pen handy.

Q: Do I have to put all of my sites on Sunrise?

A: No. You can choose to manage only a portion of your sites using Sunrise. In fact, our Sunrise Starter plan is a great way to get started today and begin taking online reservations. We expect, however, that you will want to manage all your sites with Sunrise. Because Sunrise works differently than what you may be used to, you’ll really enjoy using it to manage all of your inventory, including seasonal and storage sites.

Q: Do I have to take reservations online?

A: We’ve worked hard to build a system that makes online reservations work for you. If you’ve tried online reservations before unsuccessfully, we encourage you to consider our solution. If your park is anything like the majority of our campgrounds, you’ll appreciate our approach to online reservations. However, we understand that certain exceptions exist. Contact us regarding our solutions for private/membership parks.

Q: Can you import my current customer and/or reservation information?

A: Probably. We offer data migration services to new customers and have successfully migrated both customer and reservation data from several common formats. As you can imagine, this process can sometimes be challenging. We understand, however, that this data is important to you and we are committed to working with you to make your transition to Sunrise as positive as possible. Keep in mind that additional costs may be involved, depending upon the nature of the operation.

Signup / Billing / Account Setup

Q: How much does it cost?

A: We have several plans, with options for every park. Refer to our Pricing page.

Q: How do I sign up?

A: It’s easier than ever to sign up for Sunrise. Just visit our Sign Up page, enter the number of sites in your park and select the plan that’s right for you! You’ll be asked for some basic information about your park and be able to conveniently make a payment online. That’s all you’ll need to get started! Once your initial park data has been entered into the system, you’ll receive login information to begin using the system. We’ll contact you regarding any further customizations you may require.

Q: How long does it take to get up and running?

A: This depends on many factors, of course, but we typically recommend allotting 2 to 6 weeks in order to allow for any customizations, credit card application processing, etc.

Q: What does the setup fee provide?

A: The setup fee covers quite a bit, in fact. There’s the making of the interactive park map that each park receives, credit card account setup, custom skins/branding and/or business rules (where applicable), initial database work, user accounts creation… just to name a few.

Q: Do I have to sign up with a new credit card processor?

A: Possibly. We currently provide support for 3 North American payment processors. If you have an existing account with one of these, we may be able to use it. If you do not have an account with a supported processor, we can walk you through the signup process. We’re very satisfied with our payment partners and are often able to provide better rates to our customers than their current rates.

Q: How will I be billed?

A: We offer several flexible options for monthly billing including Credit Card or Checking/Bank account. Charges include software and online transaction charges.

Q: For which reservations will I pay a transaction fee?

A: When we say, $3.50 per “online” reservation, we are referring to those reservations taken through SunriseReservations.com only. While all of our software is “online,” reservations taken through Sunrise Panorama, our management application, have no associated transaction fees whatsoever.

Q: Can I accommodate the transaction fee in my rates?

A: Sunrise gives you complete control over your rates. If you select one of our non-Starter plans, you can even provide separate rating for those reservations which come in online.

Q: Can I upgrade plans?

A: Absolutely. We allow you to upgrade plans at any time.

Features / Custom Rules / Online Reservations

Q: How do I apply rate and business rule changes? Who does it?

A: This depends on the nature of your rates. Complex, custom rating requires our business rule experts to build and maintain these rules for you. Simpler rating rules allow campgrounds to edit these rates themselves, within the Sunrise Panorama software, itself.

Q: What can I do with the standard rating?

A: Standard rating is available to parks on any plan. This simply refers to those rates that can be set up and maintained using the software interface alone, without any custom rules authoring. Standard rates are applied to a given Reservation primarily by Dates, Site Groups, and Non-Inventory Items (which define both the dollar amount and accounting entry to apply).

Using a flexible representation for time, you can define Rates that apply to individual days of the week (weekdays, weekends, Wednesdays), spans of days (weekly stays, monthly stays), specific holiday weekends, seasons and nearly any combination thereof. You can apply these individual Rates to all of your sites, or just particular groups of sites, or any overlap, as well. Once time and group are established, raising or lowering a rate is simply a matter of modifying the amount specified by the associated Non-Inventory Item.

Q: What kind of custom rules can be created?

A: We like to say that if you can describe it, we can build it.

Our advanced rules engine handles two areas: rates and site availability. Custom rules are available to all but our Sunrise Starter parks. Standard rating accommodates most common rate scenarios, but we know that every park has unique needs, so we offer custom rating based on any number of criteria. Examples include (but are certainly not limited to):

Think you’ve got a brain-teaser of a custom business rule? Give us a call. We take pride in our ability to build rules to solve truly unique circumstances. Bet you can’t stump us! ;)

And for a more in-depth description of our rules engine technology, read this blog entry.

Q: What does it cost to have custom rules built?

A: Custom rules authoring and management is a service available to all but our Sunrise Starter parks. Please contact us for current rates for this service. A limited number of hours is included with Sunrise Premium and Sunrise Unlimited plans.

Q: Will it work with my accounting software?

A: Included as part of our flexible reporting solution, we provide standard accounting reports in several output formats, including CSV, XLS and XML. Not only will the reports be usable as-is, these common data formats may be used to automate workflows in unsupported third-party accounting packages. For Sunrise Premium customers, we are excited to offer live integration with recent versions QuickBooks Pro (2003 and newer). This live integration allows QB Pro to connect to your live Sunrise instance at any time to pull up-to-the-minute financial data. We are currently considering applicants to our limited Beta of this feature.

Q: If a guest books a reservation online, can the park provide a confirmed reservation without guaranteeing a specific site?

A: With Sunrise, you are in complete control over which site is ultimately assigned to a reservation. We provide the option to specifically alert guests to the fact that their site selection merely indicates a preference. Guests can have the assurance of a confirmed reservation while understanding that their selection may or may not be honored at check-in.

For our Sunrise Premium and Sunrise Unlimited customers, we can use our advanced rules engine to control what inventory is presented to an online guest based on nearly any criteria (stay length, camper type, length, club membership, dates, etc.) With this option, you have control not only of which site a guest ultimately is (re)assigned, but also of which site is offered them at the time of booking.

However you choose to use Sunrise, allowing customers to select their site preference online ultimately saves you time and hassle. (read: money)

Q: Do you do websites?

A: Sunrise provides every park an individual profile page and listing on SunriseReservations.com, which provides vital information about your park. Each profile is optimized for search engines, increasing your property’s visibility.

Sunrise is meant to work in conjunction with your existing campground website, allowing you to send your guests directly to your online reservations page. If you do not have an existing website, we can recommend a web developer, and you are always free to use your provided SunriseReservations.com profile exclusively.

Q: Can I include images of my park/sites on the online reservation system?

A: You bet! Each park’s SunriseReservations.com profile includes a number of gallery images with which to feature your location. Sunrise Premium and Sunrise Unlimited customers can also provide individual images for each site. These site images are presented to your guests not only as confirmation, after they’ve made a selection, but during the selection process, helping to reduce check-in/post-check-in relocation requests.

Q: Can Sunrise help me promote my park?

A: Of course! We built it to do just that! There are many ways Sunrise can help you promote your park. First, your park will be listed on SunriseReservations.com, which is optimized for indexing by major search engines. Our approach to search-engine optimization (SEO) is to simply make your campground’s listing the most relevant destination for potential guests, with no gimmicks.

Sunrise Panorama makes it easy to organize and maintain guest records for effective communication and promotion. All reports can be exported as CSV data for convenient email “blasts” or more traditional mailings. Even track birthdays and anniversaries!

Q: I have a question that is apparently not frequently-asked. Where can I get an answer?

A: Please feel free to contact us via email, phone, post or carrier pigeon. Details are provided here: Contact CAS.