Questions from Irish hoteliers
Fourteen answers covering activation, compliance, integrations and Irish specifics. Ask the Dublin desk anything not covered here.
How does GuestlinePortal integrate with Fáilte Ireland grading?
Every module that renders a guest-facing surface — the booking engine widget, the OTA content push, the invoice footer — pulls your Fáilte Ireland grading from the Fáilte register on the first initialisation and refreshes it monthly. If your grading changes between refresh cycles you can force a re-fetch from the GuestlinePortal Client Portal Settings > Grading tab. Welcome Standard, Approved, Guesthouse, 3-star, 4-star and 5-star badges are supported in both the English badge set and the Irish (Gaeilge) badge set for Galway and Ring of Kerry properties.
Is the module Revenue Ireland VAT-compliant?
Yes. Every generated invoice line carries the Revenue Commissioners-mandated VAT split — 9% for accommodation, 13.5% for F&B including breakfast, 23% for parking and other standard-rated ancillaries. Invoices are stored for the seven-year retention period. A ROS-compatible XML export is generated quarterly for your VAT return. For EU B2B customers with a valid VAT number, reverse charge is triggered automatically after VIES database verification.
Can I use Bank of Ireland or AIB with the payment connector?
Yes. The Bank of Ireland + AIB payment connector routes card authorisations through Bank of Ireland Payment Acceptance and AIB Merchant Services on a unified rail. Both PSD2 Strong Customer Authentication and 3-D Secure 2.2 challenge flows are handled server-side, with liability shift retained where the challenge is passed. Enter your Bank of Ireland IBAN (BIC BOFIIE2D) or AIB Merchant Services ID (BIC AIBKIE2D) in the Client Portal to route to the correct acquirer.
Do you serve Northern Ireland properties?
Yes. Northern Ireland properties billed in GBP are supported alongside Republic of Ireland properties billed in EUR. The multi-property module orchestrates rate parity across the cross-border cluster while keeping VAT and payment rails jurisdictionally correct — HMRC VAT for Belfast, Revenue Commissioners VAT for Dublin.
How is data protected?
All processing happens inside the EU — data is stored in an EU-Central-1 region with a Dublin failover. GuestlinePortal is registered with the Irish Data Protection Commission (DPC) under registration IE-14872. See our /ie-privacy notice for the full processing register, retention schedule and Data Protection Officer contact.
How long does it take to activate a module?
Under five minutes for most Irish properties. Sign in with your Guestline Client Portal email, issue a Rezlynx API token from the Integrations tab, paste it into the GuestlinePortal Sandbox portal, choose your Fáilte grading, VAT prefix and payment rail. Larger groups (Dalata, iNua, PREM, Talbot) using the multi-property module typically finish provisioning within one working day.
Is there a contract or lock-in?
No. Every module is month-to-month. Cancel at any time from the Client Portal. The first month is always free — nothing is charged until day 31. There is no set-up fee, no cancellation fee, no minimum term.
Do you replace Guestline Rezlynx?
No. GuestlinePortal is an independent editorial add-on hub. Every module works alongside Rezlynx and does not replace Rezlynx. Your reservations, folios, rate plans and guest data all remain in Rezlynx as the source of truth. The modules read and write via the official Rezlynx API.
Which Irish cities and towns do you cover?
Full editorial coverage for Dublin (D1, D2, D4, Docklands), Cork (city, airport, suburban), Galway (city, Salthill, Connemara), Limerick, Killarney (town, Lakes, Ring of Kerry), Belfast (Titanic Quarter, Cathedral Quarter), Kilkenny, Waterford, Sligo, Ennis. Other Irish locations are supported but do not currently have a bespoke regional playbook.
Do you support the Irish Hotels Federation (IHF) rate structure?
Yes. The IHF rack-rate convention — BAR, IHF member, corporate and Fáilte-approved trade tariffs — is preserved end-to-end. Rate plans configured in Rezlynx map one-to-one onto the IHF vocabulary in the booking engine and OTA content.
How does the yield engine handle Irish demand events?
The yield module is trained on eight years of Irish occupancy and pickup data. Six Nations home fixtures at the Aviva Stadium, Bloomsday, All-Ireland finals at Croke Park, Galway Race Week, the Puck Fair, Cork Jazz Festival and the Dublin/Cork/Waterford Christmas markets are all tagged and weighted in the demand curve.
Can I try before I buy?
The first month is free on every module. There is no product called ‘trial’ — you simply request access, activate your first module and are not charged until day 31. If you cancel before then the account is closed at no cost.
What if I need help outside Dublin business hours?
Ticketing is available 24/7 via the Client Portal. Live chat with the Dublin desk is available Monday to Friday 08:30–18:30 IST/GMT. Tickets opened outside hours receive a first response the following morning. For urgent production incidents affecting revenue there is a Sandbox portal escalation number issued at contract signature.
How is GuestlinePortal different from SiteMinder or Cloudbeds?
SiteMinder and Cloudbeds are full PMS or all-in-one distribution platforms that replace the incumbent PMS. GuestlinePortal is an editorial add-on hub that plugs into your existing Rezlynx installation and adds Irish-market-specific extensions on top. See our /compare-with-siteminder-ireland and /compare-with-cloudbeds-ireland pages for the full comparison.