Here’s the English version of that document, ready to paste into a `MANUAL_admin_en.txt` or similar. 

---

## ADMIN GUIDE

**CM Free V1.0 – Apartma Matevž**

---

### 1. What is CM Free and what does it do?

CM Free is a simple system for managing occupancy and reservations for Apartma Matevž.
It helps you with:

* displaying the **occupancy calendar** (who arrives, who departs, when it’s free),
* handling **inquiries** (coming from the public website),
* managing **reservations** (confirmed, cancelled, blocked dates),
* **syncing with other calendars** (e.g. Booking.com, Google Calendar – if enabled).

You **don’t need programming knowledge** to use the system. It’s enough that you can:

* open a web page in your browser,
* read the basic reservation information,
* decide whether an inquiry should be **accepted, rejected, or rescheduled**.

---

### 2. Basic concepts (so we speak the same language)

* **Unit** – in your case this is “Apartma Matevž” (in the future there might be more: A1, A2, S1…).
* **Inquiry** – the guest selects dates on the public page and submits a form. This is *not yet a reservation*.
* **Reservation** – a confirmed stay for selected dates.
* **Occupancy (calendar)** – a color-coded view of when the apartment is occupied, free or blocked.
* **Block / admin block** – a manually occupied date; reservations are not allowed then (e.g. cleaning, maintenance, owner’s holiday).
* **Autopilot** (if enabled) – logic that assists you when confirming: it checks if the dates are free and whether basic rules are met. The final decision is still yours.

For the admin, the most important flow is:
**Inquiry → (review) → Confirmation → Reservation → Occupancy in the calendar.**

---

### 3. Logging into the admin area

1. Open your browser (Chrome, Firefox …).
2. In the address bar enter the admin URL (e.g. `http://your-server/app/admin/`).
3. Enter:

   * username
   * password
4. Click **Login**.

> If login fails, double-check the password for typos, or ask the person who set up the system for you.

---

### 4. Quick start: first use step by step

Once logged in, you usually see these main menus:

* **Calendar** – occupancy overview.
* **Inquiries** – new and old guest inquiries.
* **Reservations** – confirmed reservations.
* **Integrations** (if in use) – connections to Booking, Google Calendar, ICS…
* **Unit settings** – description, prices, minimum nights, rules…

Minimal daily workflow:

1. **Open Inquiries.**

2. Review new inquiries (status: “new” or “awaiting decision”).

3. Also open the **Calendar** to see if the requested dates are free.

4. Decide:

   * **Confirm** – a reservation is created and the calendar marks those dates as occupied.
   * **Reject** – the guest receives an email; the dates remain free.
   * optionally, before confirming or rejecting, communicate with the guest via email or phone.

5. Once the inquiry has been confirmed, you will find it in the **Reservations** menu.

---

### 5. Occupancy calendar

The calendar is your main board. Here you can see when the apartment is free or occupied.

Typical markers / colors (adapt to your actual CM configuration):

* **Empty cell** – the date is free.
* **Colored cell with guest name** – a confirmed reservation.
* **Dots or special color** – inquiry or “soft hold” (dates temporarily held until something is resolved).
* **Grey or another color** – admin block (cleaning, maintenance, “not renting”).

Basic actions in the calendar:

1. **View details**

   * Click on an occupied slot → a window pops up with guest name, dates, and a link to the reservation.
2. **Manual block**

   * Select a date range (click arrival day → click departure day).
   * Choose **Block** (e.g. “Admin block” or “Cleaning”).
   * Saved! The dates are marked as occupied/blocked.
3. **Unblock**

   * Click on a blocked slot → choose **Remove block**.
   * The calendar refreshes and the dates become free again.

> Recommendation: after you finish manual changes (blocks, unblocks), always verify that the calendar matches the reservations and your real-world situation.

---

### 6. Working with inquiries

Open the **Inquiries** menu.

Here you will see a list:

* **New / Awaiting decision** – inquiry has not yet been processed.
* **Confirmed** – the inquiry has been turned into a reservation.
* **Rejected** – the guest has received a rejection.
* (optionally) **Cancelled** – the guest cancelled or you cancelled the reservation later.

**Processing a new inquiry:**

1. Click on the inquiry row.

2. Check:

   * guest’s name and contact (email, phone),
   * requested dates (arrival – departure),
   * number of guests,
   * any message from the guest.

3. Open the **Calendar** (if not already open) and check:

   * whether the dates are free,
   * whether there is any block, cleaning or another reservation.

4. Decision:

   * If everything is fine → click **Confirm**.
   * If the dates don’t work or the offer is not suitable → click **Reject**
     (optionally, agree on alternative dates with the guest first).

The system will then automatically:

* on **confirmation**:

  * create a reservation,
  * mark the dates as occupied in the calendar,
  * send a confirmation email to the guest (if email sending is enabled),

* on **rejection**:

  * record the rejection,
  * send a polite rejection email to the guest.

---

### 7. Reservations (overview and basic changes)

In the **Reservations** menu you can see all confirmed reservations.

Typically you can:

* open a reservation and view details (contact, dates, price, notes),
* add an **internal note** (visible only to you / admins),
* in some cases:

  * change the status (e.g. mark as “paid on arrival”),
  * manually **cancel a reservation** (if the guest cancels).

When cancelling:

1. Check the cancellation rules (per your agreement with the guest).
2. In the reservation, choose **Cancel** (or similarly named button).
3. The system will:

   * free the occupied dates in the calendar,
   * mark the reservation as cancelled,
   * optionally send a cancellation email to the guest (depending on settings).

---

### 8. Emails and PDFs for the guest

When a guest sends an inquiry or a reservation is confirmed, the system can send emails. Typically:

* **Inquiry confirmation** – the guest gets an offer or an inquiry summary (if configured).
* **Reservation confirmation** – the guest receives:

  * stay dates,
  * number of guests,
  * price (without tourist tax, if the municipality collects it separately),
  * basic house rules,
  * possible **PDF attachments** (reservation summary).

As admin, you should check:

* that email addresses in unit settings **work** (do a test inquiry and look at your inbox),
* that the content is understandable to the guest (no “technical jargon”).

---

### 9. Unit settings

In the **Unit settings** (or similarly named) menu you manage the main configuration for Apartma Matevž:

* **Unit description** – text displayed to the guest.
* **Price list** – base price per night, long-stay discounts (e.g. 7+ nights).
* **Minimum nights** – e.g. minimum 2 nights.
* **Max number of guests** – how many people can sleep in the apartment.
* **Tourist tax** – informational display; typically not included in price and collected separately by the municipality.
* **Additional services** – e.g. baby cot, keycard, cleaning.

Recommendation:

* make changes calmly and step by step,
* after any larger change (price, rules) always submit a **test inquiry** to see what the guest sees.

---

### 10. Integrations (if you use them)

If your CM is connected to other platforms:

* **Booking.com / Airbnb** – calendar sync to avoid double bookings.
* **Google Calendar / ICS** – external calendar for viewing occupancy.

As admin you typically need to:

1. In the **Integrations** menu, check whether a platform is connected (status: active).
2. After bigger changes (many blocks/unblocks) optionally:

   * trigger a **manual refresh** (pull/push), if the UI supports it, or
   * at least verify that the occupancy in the other platform matches the main one (CM Free).

The technical side (ICS links, API keys, advanced filters) is usually handled by the person who set up the system – normally the admin does not need to touch it.

---

### 11. Daily admin routine (summary)

Every day or at least several times per week:

1. Open **Inquiries**:

   * process new inquiries,
   * confirm or reject them.

2. Check the **Calendar**:

   * see if new reservations are correctly displayed,
   * see if any days need a **block** (e.g. cleaning).

3. Optionally open **Reservations**:

   * check upcoming arrivals (name, arrival time),
   * record payments or notes.

From time to time:

1. Review **Unit settings** (price list, min nights, description).
2. Check **Integrations** if you use them (connection status, updates).

---

### 12. When you need a “computer person”

In most cases the admin can handle:

* processing inquiries,
* working with reservations,
* blocks and unblocks,
* basic settings (price, description, min nights).

Help from a developer / advanced user makes sense when:

* integrations with Booking/Airbnb or ICS **don’t work**,
* you see “500 Internal Server Error” or similar,
* you want to change **advanced rules** (e.g. automatic confirmations, special discounts, specific tax logic),
* you want to **upgrade to the Plus version** (e.g. online payments, advanced autopilot).

---

If you want, we can later prepare a short **technical appendix** (for your guru friend) that explains:

* where JSON files live,
* how inquiries/reservations/occupancy are stored,
* where logs are,
* and how backups should be done.
 
