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System Settings

The settings in this page refer to system wide settings which are not related to hotel applicable policies.

PMS

Settings related to the PMS system used by the hotel. Each PMS has certain features that can be enabled. If a feature is not listed under a PMS it is not supported by that PMS.

  • PMS Type: Represents the type of the PMS used by the Kiosk Application.
    • Select which PMS is used by your hotel. Supported PMS types:
      • Oracle Opera PMS (Default value) or Oracle Opera PMS with OPI integration
        • Generate invoices in PDF format
        • Use Guest Registration Cards
      • Infor HMS
        • Use Guest Registration Cards

Auto Setting Guest title

Turn on or off automatically setting the guest's title in the PMS based on gender retrieved from the scanned document.

  • Enable auto setting guest title: Turns auto setting the guest's title on or off. The feature is turned off by default.
  • Male: Default title is Mr.
  • Female: Default title is Ms.
  • Empty: No gender retrieved or available from document. Default title is "" (empty).

Timers

Timing settings used by the Kiosk Client application

  • Camera Countdown: Configures how many seconds elapse between the moment when the user clicks on the "Take Photo" button and when the photo is taken. The default value is 3 seconds.
  • User Idle Timeout: Configures after how many seconds of inactivity (i.e. lack of any user input) will the application raise the inactivity pop-up. The default value is 60 seconds.
  • User Idle Countdown: Configures how many seconds elapse between the moment when the application raises the inactivity pop-up out and when the user is redirected to the startup page. The default value is 10 seconds.

Keycard

Settings related to how are the room key cards are managed by the system

  • Auto-generate the first room key: Configures whether the system enables the auto-generation of the first room key. By default, this box is checked (feature is on).
  • Keycard Return: Configures whether the system enables showing the keycard return feature when there is a connected keycard dispenser that accepts keycard return.
    • If Keycard Return is unchecked, then the Kiosk Client app will not show the key card return page on check-out, regardless of whether the page is configured in the Kiosk Client's flow config file (flowconf.xml).
  • Max Allowed: Set the maximum number of keycards that can be created for a room. Maximum room keys to be dispensed is 10, with a default value of 4.
  • Phone Number to Notify Key Programming Errors: Enter the contact number to receive SMS text messages in the case of keycard dispensing errors.

Accompanying Guests

This setting group controls the parameters of scanning and verifying the identification documents for the accompanying guests attached to a hotel reservation.

  • Require Passport for All Guests: When enabled it will require that each accompanying guest will have to scan passport. By default the checkbox is unchecked (feature is off).
    • Allow Accompanying Guests to Scan on Late Arrival: When checked, guests not arriving at the same time as the primary guest, can scan their documents by using the Late Guest Registration button when they arrive at the hotel. By default the checkbox is unchecked (feature is off).
    • Allow Manual Data Entry for non-Foreign Children: Enables manually entering the ID document data for children that are under a certain age. This is intended for the Family check in functionality where children do not have documents. By default the checkbox is unchecked (feature is off).
    • Count Children Separate: When checked, the Kiosk will count the number of adult documents and child documents scanned separately. By default the checkbox is unchecked (all guests are counted the same).
    • Require Face Validation: When checked, the Kiosk will prompt for each guest to take a photo which is then validated against their scanned ID. By default, this box is checked.
      • Note: Require face validation setting is ignored if Require Passport is unchecked.
      • Fail Check In: When checked, the Kiosk will not allow the check in to complete if any of the additional guests fail face validation with their scanned document. By default, the checkbox is unchecked.
      • Minimum Age For Validation: Sets the age in which a person who is equal to or older must take a live photo to validate with the document. Default value is 0 which means face validation is taken with all passport scans regardless of age.
  • Allow Adding Additional Accompanying Guest: When checked, up/down(+,-) controls are shown and enabled to be able to add extra guests. Two up/down controls are shown when “Count Children Separate” is on. By default, the checkbox is unchecked.
    • Minimum Age to Register as Accompanying Guest: Sets the age in which a person who is equal to or older will be added to the main reservation as a accompanying guest. Default value is 0 which means all guests regardless of age will be added as accompanying guests to the main reservation.

Guest Personal Data

Options related to clearing or anonymizing the guest Personally Identifiable Information (PII) in an automatic manner

  • Enable Clearing Guest Data: Turns automatic clearing of PII data on or off. The feature is turned off by default.
  • Data Retained After Checkout (Days): Configures how many days to wait after check-out before a guest's PII data will be purged. The default value is 7.
  • Replace Guest Data With: Set the value that will be used to replace guest PII data. The default value is DELETED.

Scan Data

Settings related to saving information related to the scanned ID documents

  • Save to Disk: Configures whether the application stores the images of the scanned ID documents in a dedicated folder. By default, the feature is not enabled.
  • Location: The path of the folder where the application stores the images of the scanned ID documents. It is only applicable when Save to Disk is checked.
    • The default value is C:\ProgramData\NEC\kiosk\scandata (a local folder path).
    • This location can be:
      • a local folder (To be used when storing on each Kiosk machine is acceptable)
      • a network share mapped as a network drive (Recommended to be used when storing to a common location is a requirement)
      • a network share in its UNC notation (Not recommended)
  • Send Failure Notification: When checked, the Kiosk Client will send Email and/or SMS notification to the contact methods listed in case the scanned ID documents cannot be properly stored. If the scanned document data is able to be saved temporarily to the Kiosk machine, it will need to be manually copied to the Location configured above. By default, the documents are stored temporarily in C:\ProgramData\NEC\kiosk\temp.
    • Email Address: Contact email address.
    • Phone Number: Contact phone number.
  • Testing and copy errors: After setting up the copy location, tests should be run to confirm the Kiosk positions are able to save the zipped contents to the desired location.  Copy and save errors will be recorded in the Kiosk Client log file. Periodic review should be performed to verify the copy location is still accessible to the Kiosk Client. Copy errors due to no longer being able to access the save data location are only visible in the Kiosk Client log file or when Send Failure Notification is enabled.

Important: Some features such as the Scan Data feature can be enabled to deliver guest document image data to the owner or purchaser of the software. It is the responsibility of the owner or purchaser to properly handle and secure the data that is copied to the owner's chosen scanned data location. Once it is out of the Kiosk System and saved to the chosen location, whether it is on the Kiosk Client machine or to a network share, the Kiosk System and the Kiosk manufacturer are not responsible for the data's security.

Considerations for choosing the Scan Data storage location

  • Local folder (such as C:\path\to\local\folder)
    • To be used in Kiosk systems that use several Kiosk machines (1...3), when collecting the scan data from all Kiosk machines does not pose many difficulties.
    • Enter the path of a folder which is known to exist on all Kiosk Machines.
    • When storing on a local folder, we recommend keeping the default value of C:\ProgramData\NEC\kiosk\scandata, as you do not need to do any other actions to make it work
  • A network share mapped as a network drive (such as K:)
    • To be used in systems with multiple Kiosk machines, to allow the system admins to collect all the information at once, without needing to navigate through all Kiosk Machines.
    • This option is our recommendation when storing the scan data in a common location is a requirement, as it benefits by the OS-level security and privacy
    • Using this option requires mapping the network share as a network drive. Refer to the following example.
    • Assuming that we know the UNC path of the shared folder and the access credentials, then we need to proceed like below:
      • Open Windows Explorer > Right click on "This PC" > choose "Map Network Drive"
        //
      • In the dialog that opens up, choose a convenient drive letter, then specify the location of the network shared folder.
        //
      • Make sure that "Reconnect at sign-in" and "Connect using different credentials" are checked, then click Finish
      • You will be prompted to enter the credentials for accessing the shared folder:
        //
      • Enter the credentials then click OK.
      • Provided that you entered the correct UNC path and the correct credentials, you should be seeing now in Windows Explorer the shared folder mapped as a drive with the chosen letter:
        //
      • To have Kiosk saving the scanned document information to this location, in Kiosk Admin you should just enter the path to the mapped drive, such as below. Then click Save in the System Settings page.
        //
  • Network share path (such as \\machine_name_or_ip_address\path\to\shared\folder)
    • This is an alternative to the mapped drive option which does not require mapping the network share as a network drive
    • In this case, you can just type the UNC path to the network share, such as \\machine_name_or_ip_address\path\to\shared\folder
    • This option has the drawback that you need to use a network share that is "shared with Everyone" or "shared with Guest user", as you do not have the possibility to configure the share credentials.
    • Using network shares which are "shared with Everyone" or "shared with Guest user" create security holes which expose sensitive PII data - therefore, we do not recommend using this option.

Guest Communication

This setting group contains system-wide options that set what will be sent and how the guest will receive their information when completing check-in or check-out.

  • When completing check in, the system can be configured to send room number and the WiFi access credentials (Network Id and Password)
  • When completing check out, the system can send the invoice for the stay period. The invoice includes the stay details (Guest name, room number, stay duration), the total cost of the stay and the price per each additional service used. When sending the invoice details on check out via SMS, it will not include the complete list of billed items; just information about the room-stay and the bill total.

This information can be automatically delivered to the guest via email or SMS if the appropriate external connections to those systems are configured.

Buttons for the guest to choose their methods of receiving the information can be configured to be displayed for email, SMS or print. A printer must be attached to the Kiosk and configured as the Window's default printer for the print option to succeed.

  • WiFi Network ID: The hotel wide Wi-Fi Network SSID to be included with the guest room information.
  • WiFi Password: The hotel wide Wi-Fi Network Password to be included with the guest room information.
  • Automatic Email Notification: When checked, hotel enables automatic email sending function. Email will be sent to the guest automatically after completion of check-in process even the guest does not select the "Email" button.
  • Automatic SMS Notification: When checked, hotel enables automatic SMS sending function. SMS will be sent to the guest automatically after completion of check-in process even the guest does not select the "SMS" button.
    • Note: Automatic sending of guest information will work without the presence of the buttons.
  • Send Room Info on Check-in: When checked, the Kiosk Client will include the room number and description in the message when the check-in is completed.
  • Send Folio Details on Check-out: The Kiosk Client will include folio details when check-out is completed.

  • Show Printer Button: When checked, it allows printing the necessary information to the Windows default printer configured on that Kiosk.

    Printing is made on the Kiosk machine default system printer. If the system does not have a default printer defined; this option is not presented to the guest. The default state of the check box is checked.

  • Show Email Button: When checked, it allows sending the necessary information via email.

  • Show SMS Button: When checked, it allows sending the necessary information via a SMS message.

    It is OK to have multiple "Show ..." options simultaneously checked.

Kiosk Display Options

Controls various display options used within Kiosk Client

  • Hotel Packages: controls the layout for the Hotel Add-On Package display in Kiosk Client. Depending on the size of the package images, the number of images per row and column may need to be adjusted.
    • Max Rows Per Page: can be set to 1 or 2. Entering any other value but these two has the effect in defaulting the number of rows to 1. Default value is 1.
    • Max Cols Per Page: can be set from 1...4. Entering any other value has the effect in defaulting the number of columns to 3. Default value is 3.
  • Invoice Details: controls the layout for the Invoice details section in Kiosk Client.
    • Max Rows Per Page: can be set to 1 or 10. Default value is 10.

Report Data Retention

  • Months Before Purging Report Data: Configures the number of months that reporting data will be stored in the Kiosk. Default value is 12 months.

Search Behavior

  • Partial Comparison: When enabled, this allows a reservation lookup to search last name by entering a minimum of 3 characters. Ex. To find a reservation that has last name "Lincoln", entering "Lin" would find the reservation.