Deposits and cancellations
Collect deposits and remaining balances at your hotel automatically
Guests pay online when they book direct. STRYK charges the remaining balance by the cancellation deadline and refunds free cancellations on its own.
- Payments through your own online payment account
- Free cancellations are refunded automatically
- Test booking with payment and cancellation in the 14-day trial
In short
Automatic deposit collection means the guest pays online when booking direct, so your hotel does not have to chase the balance. STRYK charges it at the cancellation deadline through your online payment account, with up to three attempts, one day apart. A free cancellation refunds the online payment automatically. The core price is a base fee plus an amount per room. Online payments carry an additional 1.9% platform fee.
Updated
Where cancellation terms fail in practice
The cancellation terms are on your website, but the money is still missing. Usually for one of these reasons.
- Today
A couple book three nights in a double room and do not turn up on Friday. The room stays empty and no payment ever arrived. Your email asking for a bank transfer has sat unanswered in their inbox for two weeks.
With STRYKThe rate ties together price, cancellation terms and payment. The guest pays online at direct booking, and the cancellation deadline is fixed when the booking is made.
Read more - Today
The cancellation deadline passed on Tuesday. The front desk checks which bookings are still unpaid against a list, whenever there is a quiet moment. The balance is only chased on the arrival day, when the guest is already at the door or does not come at all.
With STRYKSTRYK charges the remaining balance at the cancellation deadline itself. Up to three attempts, one day apart, run without anyone lifting a finger. Only then does your front desk deal with the case by hand.
Read more - Today
A guest cancels in time, so the deposit has to go back. Someone looks up the payment in the online payment account, transfers the money by hand and adds the refund to the booking afterwards.
With STRYKA free cancellation refunds the online payment automatically. Cancellations that are not free go through the cancellation settlement in the finance area.
Read more
A direct booking from payment to deadline
An example from a hotel with 18 rooms, where the owner keeps an eye on payments personally.
The booking appears in the calendar
Overnight a family booked four nights in the family room and paid online. The front desk sees the booking in the booking calendar without reloading the page. STRYK recorded the cancellation deadline when the booking was made.
A guest cancels before the deadline
Another booking is cancelled in time. Because the cancellation is free, STRYK refunds the online payment automatically. The front desk does not have to look for it in the online payment account.
New direct booking with payment
A couple book two nights on the hotel website and pay online. The payment runs through the hotel's online payment account. Which payment methods are offered depends on what you have enabled there.
The cancellation deadline passes
At the cancellation deadline STRYK collects the remaining balance of the affected bookings. If a charge fails, a second attempt follows the next day and a third the day after.
Check open cases
The owner opens the payment overview before dinner. Bookings where all three attempts failed go to manual follow-up: call the guest, agree on another payment method or cancel.
What sits behind deposits and cancellations
Payment, rate, collection and refund depend on each other. If one of them is missing, the cancellation rule stays on paper.
Online payment in your own account
Guests pay for direct bookings through your hotel's online payment account. Which payment methods are available depends on what is enabled in your account. Bank transfer is not offered in the online checkout.
Read moreRates with cancellation terms
A rate ties together price, availability, inclusions, cancellation terms and payment. There is exactly one cancellation deadline: the one in the cancellation policy. It is recorded when the booking is made.
Read moreRemaining balance by the cancellation deadline
STRYK collects the remaining balance when the cancellation deadline ends. Without a free deadline, it is collected immediately. If a charge fails, up to two further attempts follow one day apart. After that, the case stays open for manual follow-up.
Read moreRefunds and corrections
A free cancellation refunds the online payment automatically. All other cases go through the cancellation settlement in the finance area. Issued invoices stay unchanged and are corrected by cancellation or credit note.
Read more
Deposits without and with automatic collection
What changes for your team in payment, deadline and refund.
| Task | Bank transfer and reminder by email | Collection through STRYK |
|---|---|---|
| Receive deposit | The guest gets a payment request by email. Someone checks the bank account to see whether and when the transfer arrives. | The guest pays online at direct booking through your online payment account. The payment method depends on how it is enabled there. |
| Collect remaining balance | Reminder by email or phone call, often only shortly before or after arrival. | Automatic collection at the cancellation deadline, up to three attempts one day apart. |
| Failed charge | Only noticed when someone goes through the list of open items. | After three attempts the case is flagged for manual follow-up. |
| Free cancellation | Refund made by hand in the payment account, with a note added to the booking afterwards. | The online payment is refunded automatically. |
| Record cancellation deadline | The terms sit in an email or on the website, and they change over time. | The deadline from the cancellation policy is recorded at the time of booking. |
| Costs | Bank fees and time spent on follow-up. | Core price plus a 1.9% platform fee on the amount processed online, on top of the payment provider and card costs. |
One price that grows with your property
Deposits, collection and refunds cost nothing on top of the core price. A platform fee of 1.9% applies to every payment processed online, in addition to the payment provider and card costs. If you do not accept online payments, the fee does not apply.
Pricing in detail€59 base fee + €6 per room or unit per month
Example with 18 rooms€167per month
- 14-day free trial
- No setup fee
- Personal onboarding
Net prices, annual billing. 20% off the base fee in the first contract year.
Set up online payment in your hotel
Collection starts where your direct booking starts: with the rate and the payment account.
Send your cancellation terms
You tell us your number of rooms and send your current cancellation terms. We get back to you personally and discuss how to set them up as rates.
Connect your online payment account
You connect your hotel's merchant account. Which payment methods your guests see depends on what is enabled in that account.
Set rates and cancellation terms
You enter price, cancellation policy and payment for each rate. The preview shows in advance which price a guest sees.
Run through a test booking
You book on your booking page and then cancel the booking. This shows you how payment and refund appear in the calendar and on the invoice.
Frequently asked questions
Which payment methods can guests use?
That depends on your online payment account. Online payment runs through your hotel's merchant account, and the methods offered are the ones you have enabled there. Bank transfer is not offered in the online checkout.
When is the remaining balance collected?
At the cancellation deadline in the cancellation policy. If a rate has no free deadline, it is collected immediately. The deadline is recorded at booking, and terms changed later do not affect existing bookings.
What happens if a charge fails?
STRYK tries up to three times, one day apart. If all three attempts fail, your team resolves the case manually, for example by phone or with another payment method.
Is a cancellation fee calculated and collected automatically?
Not as a separate step. At the cancellation deadline STRYK collects the remaining balance, so a later cancellation is already paid. You settle the fee and any partial refund through the cancellation settlement in the finance area.
What does automatic collection cost me?
A 1.9% platform fee on the amount processed online, plus the variable costs of the payment provider and the card that the payment provider charges to you. Without integrated online payment there is no platform fee.
Does STRYK also collect the remaining balance for portal bookings?
No. Online payment through STRYK applies to direct bookings on your booking page. Payment and cancellation terms for portal bookings are governed by your contract with the portal. Portal commissions continue to be paid to the portal.
Is the refund for a cancellation booked immediately?
For a free cancellation STRYK starts the refund of the online payment automatically. When the money reaches the guest depends on the payment method and bank. Corrections to invoices already issued are made by cancellation or credit note.
Try online payment with your own rates
Send a request with your number of rooms and your current cancellation terms. In the 14-day trial you book, pay online and cancel again yourself to see the refund.