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How to manage bookings with the quota-based booking system

Overview

The quota-based booking system allows guests to make reservations at a service without requiring staff confirmation. The system automatically manages a set quota and stops accepting bookings once the limit is reached. This ensures efficient allocation and prevents overbooking.

Unlike the on-demand booking system, guests can cancel their own quota-based bookings after they have been confirmed.

This article explains how to manage bookings made through the quota-based system in the CMS, via email, and with the staff app.

Note:

  • The quota-based booking system is NOT available in the Amenities, Issues, Housekeeping and Room service, Spa, Shops and Other requests features.
  • For the Activities calendar feature with the quota-based booking system, check out this specific article: How to manage activities calendar bookings with the quota-based booking system (link).

Managing reservations in the CMS

Step 1: Access the reservations list

  1. Navigate to Activity from the top menu.
  2. From the left menu, click Quota services in the CMS.
  3. Select the service from the drop-down menu.
  4. Choose the date to view all confirmed bookings for that day.
  5. Use the filters to refine the results by Interval or by Earliest/Latest

Bookings are grouped per reservation time (Turn). Staff can see the occupancy of each time slot and the number of guests who attended.

Step 2: Manage reservations

  • To modify a booking:
    1. Locate the reservation in the list.
    2. Click the Edit button (pencil icon).
    3. Update the date, time (turn) or number of people.
    4. Click Save changes.
  • To cancel a booking:
    1. Locate the reservation in the list.
    2. Click the Cancel button (trash icon).
    3. Confirm the cancellation. The guest will receive a cancellation notification.
  • To update attendance information:
    1. Locate the reservation in the list.
    2. Tick the Attended checkbox.
    3. The number of guests who attended will update in the reservation time heading.
  • Send a message to the guest:
    1. Locate the reservation in the list.
    2. Click the Edit button (pencil icon).
    3. Type a message in the Additional info for customer text box.
    4. Click Save changes. The guest will receive a notification.

Important: The guest cannot answer these messages.

Step 3: Add a new reservation

If a guest requests a booking by phone or in person, manually add the reservation in the CMS:

  1. Click Add reservation for the desired time slot.
  2. Fill in the booking details (guest name, room, check in, check out and number of people, etc.).
  3. Click Save changes to confirm the reservation.

Note: This ensures that all reservations, whether made through the app or manually, are properly recorded and managed.

Managing reservations via email

If email notifications have been configured for quota-based bookings, hotel staff will receive an email each time a guest makes a booking. The email allows staff to be aware of new bookings or cancellations.

Step 1: Access the email notification

  1. Open the email inbox and look for the notification from STAY.
  2. The email contains details such as:
    • Guest name
    • Room number
    • Check-in and checkout dates
    • Date and time of the booking

 

Important: With the quota-based booking system, email notifications are for informational purposes only. Any changes to a reservation must be made directly in the CMS.

Managing reservations with the staff app

If hotel staff use the STAY staff app, quota-based bookings can also be managed from smartphones.

Step 1: Open the CMS in a browser

  1. From a mobile device open the commonly used browser (e.g., Google Chrome, Safari, etc.).
  2. Enter the following URL in the navigation bar: https://cmshotel.stay-app.com/login

Note: The CMS can not be accessed from a browser (only an instructions screen will be visible) on a mobile device. It will only be operational once it has been anchored to the device's home screen.

Step 2: Read the anchoring instructions

When entering the URL from a smartphone, a screen will appear showing the steps to perform the anchoring, which are the same as explained below:

  • Tap the Share icon.
  • Select Add to Home Screen.
  • Tap Add (top right).
  • Return to the device's home screen. The app should now be visible with the STAY icon, ready to be used.

Note: The text on the screen changes slightly depending on the operating system (iOS or Android), but the steps are essentially the same. The differences are:

  • The Share icon. On iOS, tap the arrow icon at the bottom of the screen. On Android, tap the three-dot menu in the top right corner.
  • Additional installation step (Android only): After tapping Add, Android ask whether you want to Install or Create a shortcut. You must select Install.

Step 3: Open the staff app and activate notifications

  1. From the smartphone home screen, open the app.
  2. The first screen displayed will request the activation of push notifications. To do this, click the Enable notifications button.
  3. A notification from the operating system in use (iOS or Android) will appear on the screen asking for permission to activate notifications. Select Accept/Allow.

Note: You can receive push notifications on both smartphones and tablets. Please note that mobile devices display the mobile app view, whereas tablets will display the desktop CMS version

Step 4: Log in with credentials

The same login screen used for the CMS on a computer will now be displayed. Use the same login method, whether through Single Sign-On (SSO) with Google or Microsoft, or with a username and password.

Note: Keep in mind that, just like when using the CMS on a computer, the system will require you to log in after a certain period of time. You will need to enter the credentials again; the previous setup steps do not need to be repeated.

Step 5: View quota-based reservations

  1. Tap the Quota services section from the left-side menu.
  2. Select the service in the drop-down menu.
  3. Choose the date to view all confirmed bookings for that day.
  4. Use the filters to refine the results by Interval or by Earliest/Latest

Bookings are grouped per reservation time. Staff can see the occupancy of each time slot.

Step 4: Manage reservations

  • To cancel a reservation:
    1. Tap on the reservation time to access the scheduled bookings.
    2. Locate the reservation to cancel.
    3. Tap Cancel (in red).
    4. Confirm the cancellation.
    The reservation details will be removed, and it will disappear from the list. The guest will receive a push notification with the updated booking status.
  • To update attendance information:
    1. Locate the reservation in the list.
    2. Tap the Attended button. The check icon will turn green.
  • To add a new reservation:
    1. If a guest requests a booking by phone or in person, manually add the reservation in the staff app.
    2. Tap Add reservation (plus icon) for the desired time slot.
    3. Fill in the booking details (guest name, check in, check out and number of people). Search by room number so guest details are automatically filled in.
    4. Tap Save changes to confirm the reservation.

 

Note: Sending a message to the guest who made a reservation cannot be done from the staff app. To do so, access the CMS.

Next steps

After managing quota-based bookings, consider these additional actions:

  • Monitor reservations regularly to ensure the system is properly allocating capacity.
  • Train property staff so the team understands how the quota-based booking system works.
  • Adjust quotas if necessary by modifying capacity in Content > (Feature section) > Hours & booking system.

Need further assistance?

If additional questions arise or further assistance is required:

  • Contact support via live chat.
  • Send a ticket to the Support team.
  • Visit STAY Academy, the training platform.