CellarPass Platform Upgrade Completed | 3/1/2023

We have completed the scheduled platform update that introduced many enhancements, improved features and bug fixes throughout the ecosystem.

These release notes are designed to alert you of these changes and help you understand that some of benefits of the new features and improvements included in this release.

As with all release notes we distribute, we strongly recommend that you take a moment to review them and share them with your fellow team members.

Updated 3/3/23 9:52AM

ADMIN PANEL
Today's update includes some new features and bug fixes.

1. Sharing of User Accounts
   We have come across many cases recently where Admin accounts are being shared across the entire tasting room staff. This is not only not following PCI requirements and best practices, but is not condoned during our training sessions for security reasons. Every User that access the CellarPass admin panel must have their own login credentials as this not only helps us identify technical support issues, but Users can personalize their settings that may not work for all. There is no additional charge nor any limits to the number of Users, so follow best practices and invite others to use their own account to login.
   
   
2. NEW! Team Member Position / Title Required
   When a new User is invited into the CP ecosystem for the first time, they will not be required to provide an official title with the company. This title is now displayed as a new column in Team.
   
   
3. FIXED! Widget v3.02 Sign-In on Mobile
   We found an issue where some mobile devices didn't show our sign-in feature consistently. This has been fixed with this release.
   
   

RESERVATIONS
Today's update includes some new features and bug fixes.

1. NEW! Capacity Management for v3 Inventory Mode
   We have completely rewritten the code used to keep all of our inventory and remaining seats available logic specifically for subscribers that are running our "v3" inventory management mode. We identified and thoroughly tested the following scenarios:
   
   
   1. Modified reservations with increased party size.
   2. Modified reservations with decreased party size.
   3. Increasing capacity via the Calendar (creating an exception).
   4. Decreasing capacity via the Calendar (creating an exception).
   5. Cancelled Reservations.
   6. Any changes to the Floor Plan assigned to an EventID that is associated with timeslot.
   7. Using the Admin Calendar view to "slide" private one-off reservations from one Location to another or to a different time.
   8. Using the Admin Calendar view to manually close down a time slot. 
   9. Using TablePro v2.x to re-assign a party to a different table, either same floor plan or a different floor plan.
   10. Using TablePro v2.x to re-assign the party to a larger table or smaller table, which would either remove availability (larger table) or increase availability (moved to a smaller table).
       
       
2. NEW! Double-clicking with Single Reservations in Calendar
   Today's update changes the double-click behavior in the Calendar when there's only one reservation booked against a timeslot. This will now open the standard modal window that shows the list of Reservations, allowing you to close the time slot, book against it or view any of the associated reservations.
   
   
3. FIXED! Double-clicking with Single Private Reservations in Calendar
   We found an issue that was limited to private, one-off reservations that was not showing the reservation details view. This has been fixed as of 3/2/23 at 4:34AM.
4. NEW! Linking to Single-Occurrence Events
   We have completely re-written and made it much easier to generate Booking links for single-occurrence events. You can now Preview or Copy Event URL using the More Actions menu. These same links are also available by clicking on the Event within the Experiences Manager.
   
   
5. NEW! Rescheduling Reservations with Discounts Applied
   If you reschedule a reservation into the same event, the modified reservation's discounts will be saved. However rescheduling into a different event, manually-applied discounts will not be applied automatically.
   
   
6. NEW! Manually Send Reminder Email
   We have added a new option to the More Actions menu in the Reservation Details screen that will allow you to manually trigger the Reminder Email to be immediately sent to the guest's email address on file with the reservation. You can also select to send the Reminder to an alternative email address just as you can with Confirmations and Cancellations.
   
   
7. NEW! Reservation Reviews
   We have made it easier than ever to view a review that is associated with a Reservation. The reservation status will appear a "pink" color. Clicking the "View" link will show the full details of the review, including the public review and any private messages that were included.
   
   You can also link to the Review within the Activity tab of the Reservation details view as this will denote when the Review was received. Clicking the "View" link will also show the Review details.
   
   
8. UPDATED! Reservation Confirmation Email
   We have moved the Admin Message from the bottom of the template to the top of the template.
9. UPDATED! Widget Theme Designer
   We have completed some further enhancements to the Theme Designer.
   
   
10. UPDATED! Experiences Manager
    We have removed the "Single Events" tab in the Experiences Manager and will now show both Recurring and Single-occurrence events in one tab labeled as "Live Events". Events that have ended or are Inactive, will remain in the Inactive tab.
    
    
11. UPDATED! Reservations Reminder Email Template
    We have released our updated Reservations Reminder email template that is sent 24 hours prior to the guest's expected arrival time. This new design follows our new template design for 2023.
    
    
12. FIXED! Editing Reservation Schedule
    We found a validation issue that prevented in some cases the ability to save changes to a schedule. This has been fixed as of 3/2/23 at 4:34AM.
    
    
13. FIXED! Reservation Schedule View
    We fixed an inconsistent bug that would show a validation message that was related to other timeslots that were not being modified.
    
    

TICKETING
Today's update includes some new features and bug fixes.

1. NEW! Cancelled Event Status
   You can now Cancel or "end event" in the Publish Status dropdown. Selecting "End Event" option will follow the standard procedure of verifying you want to continue and will mark the event as Cancelled.
   
   
2. UPDATED! Ticketed Event Pages
   We continue to re-write and optimize our Ticketed Event pages. Today's upgrade now displays your other ticketed events and other events that are happening nearby, introducing new ways to cross promote your events.
   
   

CELLARPASS.COM
This release includes many improvements to our website.

1. UPDATED! Regional Pages
   We are in the process of completely rewriting and redesigning our regional pages which will provide performance enhancements and better delivery of content to visitors.
   
   
2. UPDATED! Featured Regions
   We are in the early stages of upgrading and building out the following regions on CellarPass.com: Woodinville Wine Country, Walla Walla, Chelan, Leavenworth. Other regions under enhancements are: Mendocino, El Dorado, Paso Robles and Santa Barbara.
   
   

COMING SOON
We've got some other projects in the works that we will be sharing with you in the coming weeks.

1. NEW! Interactive Regional Maps
   We're currently alpha-testing our new regional pages that include an interactive map of the region. Filters have been added to be able to view availability based on party size, tasting fees and much more. Once this is moved into the beta stage, we will be sharing the details in upcoming release notes.
   
   
2. NEW! CellarPass Point of Sale (Codenamed Synergy Commerce)
   For over two-and-half years, we've been working silently on the future of CellarPass and we're very excited to share with you. In Q2 '23, we are launching our own iPad-based Point of Sale that will transform how you manage tables, dining checks, sell wine & merchandise and much more. Download our 2023 Vision that covers CellarPass' early pioneering days of reservations, to the present and the near future.
   
   
3. UPDATED! Concierge Bookings
   We are completely re-writing the user experience when booking on behalf of a guest, which is typically done by Tour Guides, Tour Operators, Hoteliers and personal assistance. We are renaming these features and will be sharing the details in upcoming release notes.
   
   

TRAFFIC STATISTICS
We know many of you have been concerned about reduced tourism traffic which is evident across all the regions we work in. Many factors are playing a role in this downturn; economy, weather, job security, seasonality and cost of living.

During our last few focus groups, guests continue to complain about the high cost of hotel stays and tasting fees which is causing them to change from weekend getaways to day trips and visiting less properties, averaging 3.4 properties per day, instead of 4.7 in 2022.

CellarPass' Cellar Scout program not only inspires guests to visit wine country, but is designed to have them visit at least 3 times per year. If your tasting room is looking for new guests, then we recommend you sign up for Cellar Scout as it's 100% free as part of your subscription. It takes just a few minutes to setup and you'll be welcoming our Scouts in no time.