Request to book

Request to book lets customers ask for a time slot instead of booking it instantly. The slot is held while staff review the request, and the booking only confirms once someone approves it. Denied or expired requests release the slot and refund any payment automatically.

Getting started

Three settings work together to turn the feature on:

1. Mark slots as requestable, either by setting a slot or schedule status to Requestable, or through the When minimum notice passes setting.
2. Turn on Show request to book slots for the booking site template, under Bookings > Booking site settings, in the Time slots section of the Content tab.
3. Choose how payment is handled under Purchases > Payment settings with the Request to book payment setting.

Incoming requests appear under Bookings > Requests.

How it works

A requestable slot shows a request button on the booking site instead of booking instantly. The button label comes from the Request to book text configured on the template (default "Request to book"), and the slot uses its own colors on the calendar view. When a customer submits a request, they go through the normal checkout, the slot moves to the Requested status, and it is held so nobody else can book it. Other customers see a requested slot the same way they see a booked one.

Staff then decide. Approving confirms the booking, sends the standard confirmation email, and (in the charge after approval mode) sends a payment request email. Denying releases the slot back to its previous status, refunds any captured payment through the payment gateway automatically, and emails the customer, optionally with a reason.

A request that receives no decision expires on its own once the slot's time passes. Expiry behaves exactly like a denial: the slot is released and any payment is refunded.

Step-by-step guide

Make slots requestable

There are two ways a slot becomes requestable, and they can be combined:

1. Set the status directly. In the schedule editor, the slot editor in the booking drawer, the create slot drawer, or the bulk update drawer, choose the Requestable status. The slot shows the request button from the start.
2. Use the minimum notice setting. On a schedule or an individual slot, set When minimum notice passes to Show as request to book. The slot books instantly while the booking window is open, then switches to the request button once the minimum notice has passed.

The When minimum notice passes setting has three options:

Tip: a slot with the Requestable status also follows this setting once its own minimum notice passes, so a requestable slot can fall back to call to book, keep taking requests, or hide.

Show request slots on the booking site

1. Open Bookings > Booking site settings and edit the template.
2. In the Content tab, open the Time slots section.
3. Turn on Show request to book slots.
4. In the Slot appearance table, the Request to book row sets the button label and the background and text colors used on the calendar view.

When the toggle is off, requestable slots display the same way as blocked slots on that template.

Choose how payment is handled

1. Open Purchases > Payment settings.
2. Set Request to book payment:

This setting applies to the whole group, so every booking site template charges requests the same way.

Review and decide requests

1. Open Bookings > Requests.
2. The Pending tab lists open requests with the received time, customer, event, requested time, payment, and expiry. The Decided tab shows the outcome, who decided, and any denial reason.
3. Click Approve to confirm the booking, or Deny to release the slot. Denying offers an optional reason that is shared with the customer.

The list updates in real time when a new request arrives or a decision is made elsewhere. Requests can be filtered by customer name, email, event, received date, payment mode, and outcome, and the list supports saved views, pagination, and CSV download.

Requests can also be decided from any bookings view: opening a requested slot in the booking drawer shows a Booking request bar at the top with the same Approve and Deny actions.

Good to know

• A requested slot is locked while the request is pending. Its status can only change through approve or deny, from the Requests page or the booking drawer.
• Requests hold real capacity. A requested slot blocks conflicting slots and consumes resources exactly the way a booked slot does, and schedule regeneration never removes it.
• Requests apply to private slots only. Public slots that multiple groups can join do not offer requests.
• The customer receives a request received email at submission, and a confirmation or cancellation email after the decision. Requests never send the standard booking confirmation before approval.
• Three triggers are available under advanced emails for custom automations: Booking requested, Booking request approved, and Booking request denied.
• Approvals and denials are recorded on the transaction's activity feed and in the event logs, attributed to the staff member who decided.
• In the charge after approval mode, the payment request sent at approval follows the group's normal payment request expiry settings.

FAQ

Q: What happens if nobody approves or denies a request?

A: It expires automatically once the slot's time passes. The slot is released and any payment is refunded, the same as a denial.

Q: Can the customer cancel a pending request?

A: Not from the booking site. Customers contact the venue, and staff deny the request, which releases the slot and refunds any payment.

Q: Does a denied request refund the customer?

A: Yes. In charge at request mode, the payment is refunded automatically through the payment gateway when staff deny or the request expires. In charge after approval mode there is nothing to refund because no payment was taken.

Q: Can request to book and call to book be used together?

A: Yes. They are separate statuses and can coexist. Call to book slots keep their text and external links; requestable slots use the request flow.