Aplauso organizes your venue into a three-level hierarchy: Property → Outlets → Departments. Understanding this structure helps you route tips correctly, generate the right QR codes, and get meaningful analytics per area of your business.

The Property Hierarchy

Property (e.g. "The Grand Hotel")
├── Outlet: Main Building
│   ├── Department: Housekeeping
│   ├── Department: Concierge
│   └── Department: Bellhop
└── Outlet: Spa & Wellness
    ├── Department: Massage Therapy
    └── Department: Esthetic Services
LevelWhat it isHas a tipping QR?
PropertyYour venue or brandNo
OutletA physical location or buildingYes
DepartmentA team or service area within an outletYes
EmployeeIndividual staff memberYes

Creating Outlets

Outlets represent distinct physical locations or areas within your property (e.g., different buildings, a spa separate from the hotel, or an off-site valet operation).

  1. Go to Manage → Outlets.
  2. Click New Outlet.
  3. Enter:
    • Name (e.g. "Main Hotel", "Spa Building", "Valet")
    • Description (optional - shown to guests on the tipping page)
    • Default tip presets (override the property-level presets if this outlet serves different tip norms)
  4. Click Save.

Single-location venues: If you operate from one location, you may not need multiple outlets. You can keep a single default outlet and organize entirely by department.

Creating Departments

Departments group employees by role or service type within an outlet.

  1. Go to Manage → Departments.
  2. Click New Department.
  3. Enter:
    • Name (e.g. "Housekeeping", "Valet", "Concierge")
    • Outlet - select which outlet this department belongs to
    • Description (optional - shown to guests when browsing the tipping directory)
  4. Click Save.

Assigning Employees to Departments

When you invite employees, you assign them to a department. You can change this at any time:

  1. Go to Manage → Team → [Employee Name] → Edit.
  2. Change the Department and Outlet fields.
  3. Save.

Department and Outlet QR Codes

Once departments are created, Aplauso generates a department QR code that guests can scan to see a directory of on-shift staff and tip their choice of worker (or split a tip across the team).

  • Department QR URL: k.aplauso.io/d/{departmentId}
  • Outlet QR URL: k.aplauso.io/o/{outletId}

These codes are especially useful for:

  • Housekeeping floors (guest tips the department and Aplauso distributes)
  • Valet queues (multiple attendants, one QR code at the booth)
  • Spa reception (tips directed to the therapist the guest just saw)

To get department and outlet QR codes:

  1. Go to Manage → Departments → [Department Name].
  2. Click Download QR Code.

Analytics by Department and Outlet

The management dashboard shows tip volumes, average ratings, and guest satisfaction broken down by outlet and department, making it easy to spot high-performers and areas for coaching.

See Understanding Your Insights Analytics Dashboard for details.

Recommended Setup for Common Venue Types

Hotel

  • Outlets: Main Building, Spa, Restaurant, Valet
  • Departments per outlet: Housekeeping, Concierge, Bellhop, Room Service

Spa / Wellness Center

  • Single outlet (unless multi-location)
  • Departments: Massage, Facials, Nail Services, Reception

Valet Service

  • Single outlet
  • Single department: Valet Attendants (use department QR for the whole team)

Next Steps