Booking Engine: Minimum Notice for Online Reservations [Mini Video]

Laura S walks you through how to update the minimum notice for online reservations in your ThinkReservations account.

Typically this feature is used for limiting same-day online reservations. However, it can be beneficial if you're not currently accepting reservations but want to make sure any potential guests that reach your booking engine can see what you have to offer. Show guests current availability and pricing while requiring that they call your property to make a reservation through a set number of days into the future. As we move closer to travel picking up, it will allow you to have more control over the bookings you take.

For your convenience, we've included a transcript of this video below.

Hi everyone, and thank you for joining me this afternoon. My name is Laura Scheidegger and I am a sales account manager with ThinkReservations.

Today I'd like to do a quick share demonstration on how to update your minimum notice for online reservations. This will allow your guests making online reservations to see your full availability. However, it will add a note saying please call to make the reservation. Let me show you what I'm talking about and take you into our demo account. Hold on while I share my screen.

Okay, in the demo account, or in your account, I should say follow along with me and head to the upper right-hand side where you see Settings. Once in the settings, under Business Configurations, go ahead and click on Booking Engine.

Once you're in the booking engine settings go ahead and scroll down a little bit and find Minimum Notice for Online Reservations. This is where you need to make the change.

Right now, this setting is set to “1”. Say you want to stop taking online reservations, but you want to have that restart backup on June 1st. June 1st right now is exactly 62 days away. So if I change that to 62 minimum notice for online reservations, scroll down and click the green Save button. Now that has automatically updated your booking engine. So any guests making a reservation prior to June 1st will be instructed to call.

Let me show you how that looks when a guest is making a reservation on your website. I'm going to show you in our Viewpoint demo account. Let me refresh the screen. Once the screen has refreshed we’ll come over to Check Availability.

I'm going to add a reservation for May 18 check out on the 20th and Search. This will show your availability and the rates of your rooms, but it will also add a note right here in red that says “Available by calling,” with the phone number to call. It will show all the rooms available and it will even continue to show the Availability Grid at the bottom, if that is how you have your settings set up.

Scroll back to the top. Maybe my guest wants to make a reservation in mid June right now. Let's say June 15. Two nights. Click Update. Now this availability is allowing you to make the reservation online. Very simple.

Let me show you one more thing and go back to the Settings. Under Booking Engine Settings, Minimum Notice for Online Reservations. This does have to be updated daily. So today we are 62 days prior to June 1st tomorrow. It would be only 61 days prior to June 1st. Everyday this must be updated so that the system knows that starting June 1st you want online reservations to restart. This, as I said, can be updated at any time by you. Just make sure you scroll to the bottom and hit Save.

And if you would love our Support Team to assist you by walking you through how to do this, please don't hesitate to reach out and call them or send them an email and they will be happy to walk through these instructions again. I hope everyone has a fantastic afternoon and is able to get outside in the sunshine. Take care everyone.