Resource Bookings

Resource Bookings allow your organisation to manage bookings for holiday homes, rooms, equipment, vehicles, venues, facilities, or any other bookable resource.

Staff create the resource, set the booking and pricing rules, then place the booking component onto a webpage so members or the public can make bookings.

How Resource Bookings Work

1. Staff create a resource.
2. Staff configure booking rules.
3. Staff configure pricing rules.
4. Staff add images, instructions, terms, and email templates.
5. The resource is published.
6. A Resource List or Resource Booking component is added to a webpage.
7. Members or the public select dates and submit a booking.

Creating a Resource

A resource is anything that can be booked.

Examples include:

• Holiday homes
• Meeting rooms
• Training rooms
• Equipment
• Vehicles
• Venues
• Shared facilities

When creating a resource, staff can enter the resource name, description, category, manager, timezone, booking instructions, booking terms, images, and email templates.

Booking Rules

Booking rules control when and how the resource can be booked.

Common rules include:

• Maximum advance booking: for example, bookings can only be made up to 12 months in advance.
• Minimum booking length: for example, a minimum 2-night stay.
• Maximum booking length: for example, a maximum 21-night stay.
• Availability restrictions: prevent bookings during blocked or unavailable periods.
• Approval requirements: allow bookings to be requested first, then approved by staff.

Pricing Rules

Pricing rules determine how the booking cost is calculated.

Examples include:

• Nightly booking fee: charge a set amount per night.
• Hourly booking fee: charge a set amount per hour.
• Daily booking fee: charge a set amount per day.
• Cleaning fee: add a fixed cleaning or preparation charge.
• Seasonal pricing: charge different rates for different periods.
• Additional fees: add administration, equipment, or service charges.

The system calculates the booking price before the booking is submitted.

Publishing a Resource

To make a resource available for booking, enable bookings on the resource and publish it.

Staff can also use publish start and end dates to control when a resource is shown on the website.

Adding Bookings to a Webpage

Once the resource has been created and published, staff can add a Resource List or Resource Booking component to a webpage.

The component can display available resources and allow users to select dates, check availability, view pricing, and submit a booking.

Resource lists can also be filtered by category or tags, making it easy to show only selected resources on a page.

The Booking Process

When a booking is submitted, the system will:

1. Check the selected dates.
2. Check existing requested and approved bookings.
3. Validate the booking against the resource rules.
4. Calculate the booking price.
5. Create the booking request.
6. Create an invoice if pricing rules apply.
7. Send booking emails where configured.
8. Notify the resource manager where required.

If the booking does not meet the rules, it will not be accepted.

Availability Calendar

The availability calendar helps prevent double bookings by showing existing requested and approved bookings.

Public users only see the dates required to block availability. They do not see private booking details for other users.

Invoices and Payments

If the resource has pricing rules, an invoice can be created when the booking is submitted.

Staff can approve invoices, collect payment, and manage booking-related charges through the standard invoicing and payment tools.

Booking Emails

Resources can use email templates to communicate with the person making the booking.

Common emails include:

• Booking request confirmation
• Booking approval emails
• Reminder emails
• Arrival instructions
• Payment reminders

Email templates can include booking information such as:

• Resource name
• Booking start and end dates
• Booking instructions
• Booking terms
• Custom booking fields

Managing Bookings

Staff can manage bookings from the Resource Bookings area.

Staff can:

• View booking requests
• Approve bookings
• Decline or cancel bookings
• Edit bookings
• Create or review invoices
• Collect payments
• Send booking emails

Example: Holiday Home Setup

A typical holiday home setup may include:

• Resource: Beach House
• Booking rule: maximum 12 months in advance
• Booking rule: minimum 2-night stay
• Pricing rule: nightly booking fee
• Pricing rule: cleaning fee
• Approval: staff approval required
• Webpage: Resource List component showing holiday homes

Members or public users can then view the resource, select available dates, see the calculated price, and submit a booking request.

Tips

• Use clear names and descriptions for each resource.
• Add good images so users understand what they are booking.
• Set booking rules before publishing the resource.
• Test the booking process before making it public.
• Use email templates to reduce manual communication.
• Keep booking terms up to date.