The latest Merlin Software server update, released on May 10, 2026, introduces another round of enhancements focused on operational visibility, reporting accuracy, booking management, marketing flexibility, and improved owner servicing.
As always, these updates are based on real feedback from resorts and management teams using Merlin every day. Here is a closer look at what has been enhanced and what it means for your operation.
Faster Searches and Smarter Contract Management
Name Locate Fast Using Unit and Week
A new search feature now allows users to find owners and members based on what they own using Unit and Week searches directly from the Name Home Page.
For teams managing large ownership databases, this reduces time spent on manual record filtering and speeds up service interactions.
This is particularly useful for:
- Owner services
- Reservations teams
- Member support
- Resale departments
Finding ownership information is now quicker and more intuitive.
Find Contracts Perform Actions
A new menu path has been added:
Sales → Names → Sale Contracts → For Actions
This enhancement allows users to locate contracts and perform actions from a centralised workflow. For high-volume sales operations, this improves efficiency when managing updates and contract administration across multiple records.
Booking and Reservation Improvements
Promo Code Visibility on Reservations
The Promo Code used during booking creation now displays directly within Reservation Info → Details.
This gives reservation teams immediate visibility into:
- Promotional campaigns
- Booking sources
- Offer tracking
- Marketing attribution
It also helps reduce confusion when guests reference promotional offers during communication with your team.
Add Booked to Unallocated Summary
Additional booking and summary fields have been added to:
- FO → Actions → Reservations → Members → Members Manual Select
- FO → Actions → Reservations → Rapid → Unallocated Summary
This gives reservation teams greater visibility into inventory allocation and booking activity.
Reservation Request Created Date
A new Reservation Request Created Date field has been added to the Priority Waitlist page. This helps teams prioritise requests more accurately and improves transparency around booking timelines.
Property Availability Improvements in the Rental Web App
One of the most practical enhancements in this release is the update to the Rental Web App Calendar Widget. Instead of guests manually scrolling month by month to find available dates, the calendar now automatically jumps to the next available period.
This is especially valuable for:
- Seasonal resorts
- Resorts with planned closure periods
- Low-availability inventory
The result is a smoother booking experience for guests and fewer abandoned searches.
Marketing and Appointment Enhancements
Greater Flexibility for Tours and Appointments
Previously, when a Tour or Appointment was started, Merlin automatically selected both TOUR and SHOW status options.
The logic has now been updated to allow users to untick the TOUR option where necessary. This provides more accurate appointment tracking and reporting for marketing teams.
Appointment Rescheduling
Users can now reschedule appointments directly within Merlin.
In addition, if an appointment or tour is rescheduled, the associated booking details will now automatically move with the updated appointment. This prevents data inconsistencies and reduces the need for manual corrections.
Venue Valid/Invalid Option
A Valid/Invalid tick box has been added to:
Set Up → Modules → Marketing → Marketing 4 → Venue
Marketing teams can now manage active and inactive venues more cleanly without deleting historical setup information.
Jenny Call Status Reporting
A new dedicated report has been created to track specific call statuses requested by the Jenny workflow processes.
CC and BCC Email Fields Added to CDE
CC and BCC email fields have been added to the CDE setup page to support enhanced communication workflows for annual statement processing.
Sales and Ownership Enhancements
Future Bookings and Banked Weeks on Resales Grid
The Resales Data Grid now includes a view displaying:
- Future bookings
- Banked weeks
This gives resale teams better visibility when preparing listings or discussing ownership activity with prospective buyers.
EXT Fields Added to Member Export
EXT 2, EXT 3, and EXT 4 fields have been added to the Member Locate Export.
This provides additional flexibility for resorts managing extended custom data fields.
Points Added to Owner Export
A Points column has been added to:
Sales → Reports → Members → Mail Labels → Owners Incl Ownership Export
This improves segmentation and reporting for points-based ownership structures.
Loyalty Program and Member Enhancements
Loyalty Program Upload Page
A new upload page has been introduced, allowing loyalty program memberships to be uploaded in bulk. This significantly reduces manual entry time for resorts managing large loyalty databases.
Upload Loyalty Validation
Additional validation checks have also been introduced during loyalty uploads to improve data integrity and reduce import errors.
Membership Flag 1 Added to Membership CDE
A new Membership Flag parameter has been added to Membership CDE setups, providing more configuration flexibility for resorts with customised membership structures.
Financial and Back Office Enhancements
Password Protection for PDF Documents
Password protection can now be applied to PDF documents generated from Merlin.
This enhancement strengthens document security and supports resorts’ handling of sensitive financial or ownership information.
Levy Statement Print Order Enhancement
A new setup option now allows levy invoices to be raised by:
- Sequence Number
- Unit Number
This replaces the previous default format and gives finance teams more flexibility when organising levy statement processing.
Export Count Increase
The export count has been increased for:
BO → Reports → Levy → By Ownership Export
This supports resorts that work with larger ownership databases and achieve higher export volumes.
Commission Rate Remarks Customisation
Custom Commission Rate Remarks can now be configured within Commission Setups. This improves visibility and clarity around commission structures and calculations.
Additional Reporting Enhancements
Preferred Telephone Type Added to Guest Report
The Preferred Telephone Type field has been added to:
FO → Reports → Guests → Detailed Reservation Guests
Length of Stay Added to Export
A Length of Stay field has been added to the Lessors page export for improved reporting and analysis.
What These Updates Mean for Merlin Users
The May 10 update continues Merlin’s focus on practical operational improvements that help resorts:
- Reduce manual work
- Improve booking visibility
- Enhance reporting accuracy
- Streamline marketing workflows
- Improve owner servicing
- Strengthen operational control
Small operational improvements create measurable long-term gains across reservations, finance, marketing, and member services.
Considering New Resort Software?
One of the key advantages of Merlin Software is that enhancements and operational improvements like these are generally released at no additional cost to existing users. Merlin continues to evolve alongside the operational realities of resorts, vacation clubs, and mixed-use hospitality operations.
If your current software feels outdated, disconnected, or difficult to evolve, now may be the time to review your options.
Questions About These Updates?
If you have any questions about the May 10 enhancements or would like assistance enabling specific features, please contact Merlin Support in your preferred way.
If you are exploring new software solutions for your resort, contact Mike Ashton to arrange a demonstration and see how the Merlin ecosystem can support your operation.
Frequently Asked Questions about the latest Merlin Software enhancements
1. Are Merlin Software enhancements included for existing users?
Yes. Most Merlin Software enhancements and operational improvements are released to existing users as part of ongoing platform development at no additional cost. This allows resorts to continue benefiting from new functionality, reporting improvements, workflow enhancements, and operational tools without needing costly upgrade projects or software migrations.
2. How do these updates help resorts improve daily operations?
The May 10, 2026, enhancements focus on reducing manual work, improving visibility, and speeding up common operational tasks. Updates such as faster owner searches, appointment rescheduling, improved reporting, loyalty upload tools, and smarter reservation workflows help teams work more efficiently while improving the experience for owners and guests.
3. Can Merlin Software support different types of resorts and ownership models?
Yes. Merlin Software is designed to support a wide range of hospitality and vacation ownership operations, including timeshare resorts, fractional ownership, mixed-use developments, points clubs, legacy resorts, rental programs, and multi-property operations. The Merlin ecosystem is highly configurable and continues to evolve in response to real operational requirements.
