=== VikBooking Hotel Booking Engine & PMS ===
Contributors: e4jvikwp
Tags: hotel booking, booking engine, channel manager, hotel, reservations
Requires at least: 4.7
Tested up to: 7.0
Stable tag: 1.8.13
Requires PHP: 7.4.0
License: GPLv2 or later
License URI: https://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-2.0.html

Famous Booking Engine, PMS and Hotel Reservations plugin for property managers. The best solution for accommodations to drive more direct bookings.

== Description ==

= Vik Booking for WordPress =

The famous Booking Engine and PMS online software for accommodations is now available also for WordPress as a native Plugin!

If you are looking for a reliable reservation system for a Hotel, B&B, Villa, Apartments, Hostel or any similar accommodation, then you have found the right plugin. In fact, Vik Booking is a **PCI-DSS** and **OpenTravel** compliant hotel & vacation rental Booking Engine used by thousands of properties every day.

This is the **free** version of the plugin, but you can upgrade to the **Pro** version at any time from your *wp-admin* section. Experience the power of a true and internal Booking Engine that competes with the best ones of the world!

The **Pro** version is compatible with *Vik Channel Manager*, the first and only native Channel Manager for WordPress, listed as a Premier Partner of **Booking.com** since 2018 among the top 20 systems worldwide. **Full API** connections available with the most famous OTAs such as **Airbnb**, **Expedia** and **Google Hotel** for their new Free Booking Links! Beware of "fake" Channel Manager plugins that only offer unreliable iCal synchronizations with no private access to the OTA's APIs.

Vik Booking was born in 2010 for a different web-software (CMS) than WordPress, and that's how it became famous. The same powerful framework is now (since 2018) at the service of all webmasters, designers and web-agencies that work with WordPress. It's definitely the hotel reservation plugin that you, or your client, were looking for.

Visit [VikWP.com](https://vikwp.com/) for more details. Interested in our full solution inclusive of the Channel Manager? Visit also [E4jConnect](https://e4jconnect.com/).

= Some of the unique features =

* Custom Rate Plans (Refundable, Flexible, Non Refundable rates).
* Rooms, Room Types, Listings and Sub-Units management functions.
* Availability & Pricing Calendars + Occupancy Overview.
* Bookings Management made right.
* Feature-rich back-end section for your PMS.
* Front-end customizable and self-hosted booking process.
* 12 different Views for the front-end (12 types of Shortcode for your pages)
* Compliant with any Pricing Model: Occupancy, Nightly, LOS, OBP etc..
* Housekeeping features with Tableaux, festivities and room-day notes.
* Permissions/ACL Management functions for the various WP Users Roles.
* Multi-language support with built-in translation functions.
* Channel Manager compatible. We are a certified Channel Manager provider (E4jConnect).
* Google Hotel Ads certified for Free Booking Links.
* Driver-based pre-check-in system for guests data collection.

= Some of Pro version features =

* Seasonal Rates and Rates Calendar with 1-click modification.
* Booking Restrictions: Min, Max LOS, CTA/CTD, forced Arrival/Departure week days.
* Custom Payment Gateways (over 60 available on VikWP.com).
* SMS Gateways for automated notifications.
* Custom Cron Jobs scheduling for automated tasks (reminders, invoices).
* Customers Management functions, sales channels and commissions.
* Graphs and Statistics.
* Custom Options, Extra Services, Extra Fees.
* Add, Remove or Switch rooms from existing bookings.
* PMS Reports with extendable framework (built-in services for various countries).
* Electronic invoices extendable framework compliant with Italy (Agenzia delle Entrate), Greece (myDATA ΑΑΔΕ) etc..
* Guest registration functions and reporting: check-in, check-out, no-show.
* WhatsApp Business messaging integration with AI support (Channel Manager required).
* Our award winning solution of Booking Engine + PMS and Channel Manager is all you need on your WordPress website.

= Interested in, curious about the Pro version? =

You should take a look with your own eyes at the demo website to see what you can do with Vik Booking. Do not stop at the front-end though, make sure to visit the wp-admin section too.

1. [Front-end Demo Website](https://vikwp.com/demo/vikbooking)
1. [Admin Demo Website](https://vikwp.com/demo/vikbooking/wp-admin)

== Installation ==

= Installation through the WordPress Plugins Browser =

* Search for "Vik Booking" in the Add Plugin section of your website back-end
* Install the Plugin by clicking on the apposite button
* Activate the Plugin by using the apposite activation button
* A link to access and configure Vik Booking will be visible in the left-menu
* Enjoy it

= Alternative Installation Method =

You can only install the **free** version of Vik Booking, not the Pro version. If for some reasons the WordPress Repository installation won't work, you can contact us to receive the zip installer file and upload it via FTP onto your server.

* Download the installer zip file from [VikWP.com](https://vikwp.com/)
* Unzip the archive on your computer's local drive
* Upload via FTP the unzipped folder *vikbooking* onto your */wp-content/plugins* directory
* Log in to your *wp-admin* section and activate the plugin

== Frequently Asked Questions ==

= Is upgrading to Pro mandatory? =

No, not at all. However, it took our company 8 years to build the *Pro* version and we are willing to spend a lot more years of work on this software. We encourage you to evaluate the free version first, and then upgrade to Pro to unlock its potential.

= Why some functions are not available in the free version? =

We are a software development company listed as a certified Channel Manager Provider by the major OTAs of the world. We work to deliver a full software solution for CMS and Web Software like WordPress as a valid alternative to the same proprietary and external systems. We make money by selling licenses of the Pro version.

= Is it worth upgrading to Pro? =

Vik Booking is not a one-page plugin. You can build websites worth a lot of money with this plugin. You don't need anything else to deliver a complete website, if not a Theme and some experience with WordPress.

= Can I build a portal of multiple properties/apartments? =

No, you can't! Vik Booking was designed specifically for single properties, or multiple properties managed by the same company. Basically, you cannot build a portal with multiple vendors where certain users should access and manage only their rooms and reservations. Vik Booking is a true booking engine for Hotels, B&Bs, Apartments, Villas and Hostels. It should be installed on the website of the accommodation. Even though permissions for receptionists and managers can be set up, the logic of the software remains single-vendor.
If you are looking for a solution for a real-estate agency (for example) that manages multiple properties on its own, then it's still fine as long as you don't need specific users/owners to see or manage their own data because this is not supported.

= Can I use Vik Booking with my preferred Theme? =

Yes, of course. You are free to install Vik Booking on your website with your own Theme. The plugin will adjust to it thanks to its own CSS framework. It is also possible to work on a custom CSS file to adjust some layouts.

= What about Vik Channel Manager or E4JConnect? =

Vik Booking is the Booking Engine and PMS plugin, it can work alone on any existing website. However, if you are looking to establish real-time API connections with OTAs like Booking.com, Airbnb, Expedia, Google Hotel Ads etc.. then you need to use our full solution, which is composed of a one-time fee to purchase the Pro version of Vik Booking as well as the plugin Vik Channel Manager. The only recurring cost, just like any existing (and real) Channel Manager software, is the one to keep the connection active with the various channels. This is the subscription for our certified and award-winning Channel Manager service called "E4jConnect". Please notice that all these services are entirely provided by our company, it's one single company with no third party connections. We are the software developer company as well as the Channel Manager provider. This makes a big difference.

== Screenshots ==

1. Bookings List: reservations from your website and any other channel.
2. Booking Details: a neat, complete and user-friendly interface.
3. The elegant Dashboard: custom admin widgets with sections and containers.
4. Availability Overview: calendars showing the rooms allocated.
5. Rates Overview Pricing Calendar: set or change rates with one click.
6. Direct Reservations from your website: online payments via credit card.
7. Booking Suggestions: in case of no availability, the system will suggest the closest solutions.
8. PMS Reports: an extendable framework to export financial data.
9. A smart Widget only for those who also use the complementary plugin Vik Channel Manager.
10. Tableaux for housekeeping with festivities and room-day notes to highlight bookings and hot dates.
11. Support for Dark Mode appearance preferences to delight your eyes at night (and not only!).
12. Multitask panel: an incredibly fast way to query data for nerds.
13. Browser (web push) notifications will turn your device into a real-time updated system.

== Changelog ==

= 1.8.13 =
*Release date - 30 June 2026*

* New PMS Report "Bookings".
* Improvements to RMS Occupancy Pace report data collection.
* Outdated Channel Manager versions detection.
* Multiple low-severity security fixes for CSRF and XSS prevention.

= 1.8.12 =
*Release date - 16 June 2026*

* Added support to listing-level check-in instructions.
* Door Access Control passcodes available in front-end booking details page.
* Improved room-level minimum advance booking notice (empty notice allowed).
* Fixed URL routing issue for meta-search landing pages.

= 1.8.11 =
*Release date - 03 June 2026*

* Fixed "arbitrary file deletion" vulnerability through Chatbot (AI or administrator reply to first message was required to use the exploit).
* Booking color tags improvements to support any future OTA payout notification.
* Unified AJAX response parsing for guest messaging controllers.
* Styling improvements for compatibility with WordPress >= 7.0.
* Content translations applied to front-end Quote Details page.
* Quote URI routing improvements.
* Various booking and registry libraries updates.
* First payment detection improvements for OTA reservations.

= 1.8.10 =
*Release date - 05 May 2026*

* Quote framework minor improvements and fixes.
* Inquiries framework (and Chatbot) fixes.
* Security fixes mainly for XSS prevention or data filtering.

= 1.8.9 =
*Release date - 28 April 2026*

* Quote framework general improvements and bug fixes.
* Quote lock/do-not-lock option.
* Automatic payment collection scheduling for VCC and CC of additional OTAs.
* Language translation strings updated.
* Multiple low-severity security fixes for XSS prevention.

= 1.8.8 =
*Release date - 20 April 2026*

* Door Access Control: passcodes generation improvements for multi-unit (hotel inventory) room types.
* New front-end "Chat" module, available as a Gutenberg native block or as a legacy widget.
* AI Agent (Chatbot) to guide customers through the booking process or answer questions (CM required).
* New admin-widget "Inquiries Chat" to manage AI Agent conversations with guests and message requests.
* WhatsApp Business messaging support (Channel Manager required).
* New cron-job "Messaging Reminder" for scheduling the delivery of WhatsApp message templates to guests.
* AI powered auto-responder to guest messages received through WhatsApp backed by custom training system.
* Send custom and interactive WhatsApp message templates to guests (visit E4jConnect.com for more details).
* Introducing the new Quote system to manage custom quotes with various booking solutions for your customers.
* New admin-widget Quotes to monitor the status of the existing quotes.
* Send quote details via email and/or custom and interactive WhatsApp message templates.
* New front-end View (and Shortcode) "Quote Details" to let your customers see their quotes and proceed to booking.
* Added support for the latest FontAwesome webfonts version.
* Several framework improvements and fixes.

= 1.8.7 =
*Release date - 11 February 2026*

* Door Access Control: framework improvements (device data mapping).
* Door Access Control: automatic removal of expired passcodes.
* Door Access Control: hotel inventory room-types mapping (subunits).
* Door Access Control: new integration for U-tec Smart Home.
* Resolve room assignments through intelligent combinations matrix.
* Hotel inventory room-types with multiple subunits reassignment options.
* New notification of type "OTA Bank Transfer Update" (E4jConnect channel manager required).
* Improved notification of type "OTA Payout Update" (E4jConnect channel manager required).
* Rates Overview OTA Rates improvements (net rates) and automatic loading.
* Availability Overview preference for automatically loading rates and restrictions (Multi-calendar).
* Longer and alphanumeric customer pin codes enforcements.
* Template file customization improvements (DOMDocument HTML strings loading).
* Various RMS report metric calculations improved.
* PMS Reports automatic execution improvements with all-profiles processing.
* Improved Virtual Credit Cards fetching operations from OTAs (E4jConnect channel manager required).
* Various internal libraries updates.

= 1.8.6 =
*Release date - 22 January 2026*

* Availability Overview new "inline-scroll" layout.
* Increase/Decrease Rates in Rates Overview and Multi-Calendar.
* Rates Overview new option to display OTA rates (E4jConnect channel manager required).
* Newly created derived rate plans can populate the base rates for all listings.
* Identity document AI-powered details extraction through MRZ (E4jConnect channel manager required).
* Various pre-check-in improvements, including MRZ detection support.
* Introducing Revenue Manager (RMS) framework and libraries.
* New RMS Reports: Occupancy Pace and Booking Pace (E4jConnect channel manager required).
* New Door Access Control integration for Nuki - Smart Locks (E4jConnect channel manager required).
* Door Access Control passcode generation failures support re-try actions through the Notifications Center.
* OAuth2 support for custom third-party applications and Door Access Control framework.
* Webhook endpoint support for custom third-party applications and Door Access Control framework.
* Booking.com Virtual Card Update notifications (E4jConnect channel manager required).
* Automatic payment scheduling and collection for Virtual Credit Cards.
* Various improvements to OTA payout notifications (E4jConnect channel manager required).
* Various improvements to the electronic invoicing framework.
* Batch update for "unsafe" customer PIN codes detected.
* New admin-widget AI Training Drafts (E4jConnect channel manager required).
* Guest messaging: AI self-training functionalities for approval or rejection (E4jConnect channel manager required).
* Guest messaging: added support to suspicious messages (phishing) delivered by OTA notifications.
* Guest messaging: manually generated AI replies can rely on the model's pre-trained knowledge.
* New backup export type "Reservations - Pricing" to include only time-sensitive operational data.

= Earlier versions =

For further details about older versions, please refer to the [changelog.md](https://plugins.svn.wordpress.org/vikbooking/trunk/changelog.md) file of the plugin.
