How to set the opening hours and booking system for a service

Overview

In the Hours and booking system tab, staff can define operating hours for a service and decide whether guests can make reservations or place orders through the app. You can also select the booking system that best fits your operational needs.

This article walks through configuring these options to ensure guests have access to accurate information.

Before getting started

Before setting up the opening hours and booking system, consider the following:

• Ensure access to the CMS and the Content section.
• Decide whether the service will allow bookings/orders/requests via the app or only display its schedule.
• Prepare the operating hours and time slots in which the service will operate.

Step-by-step guide

Step 1: Define the opening hours

If you only want to display opening hours without allowing bookings/orders/requests in the app, follow these steps:

1. Inside Content, navigate to the specific feature.
2. Inside the feature, select the service to configure opening hours.
3. Click Edit.
4. Open the Hours & booking system tab.
5. Select the option Show opening hours only.
6. Define the time intervals and the days of the week the service will be open.
7. Enter a name for each time interval.
8. If the service operates 24/7, check the Open 24h box.
9. If needed, add Exception days.
10. If the service will be temporarily closed, activate the Temporarily closed option (the toggle in the upper right corner of the Opening hours section).
11. Click Save changes.

Step 2: Choose a booking system

To allow bookings/orders/requests through the app, select a booking system in the Hours & booking system tab. Choose one of the following options depending on the service type:

1. On-demand booking system (link): Guests submit a reservation request. Then, the hotel staff can accept or reject the request. They can also modify it before or after confirmation.
2. Quota-based booking system (link): Reservations are automatically confirmed until the available quota per frequency is reached.
3. PRO booking system (link): An advanced management system allowing control over order/booking volumes, capacity, guest access, timing, and detailed status tracking. To activate this system, contact STAY at support@stay-app.com.
4. External booking system (link): Redirects guests to a third-party booking system via a link.
5. Integrated booking system (link): Enables the integration of external management tools with STAY. To request activation, contact STAY support at support@stay-app.com.

Step 3: Configure the selected booking system

Depending on the chosen system, additional parameters will need to be configured, such as:

• Available time intervals and days of operation.
• Service capacity (for quota-based systems) or delivery options (for PRO systems).
• Minimum and maximum advance booking times.
• Prices and offers.
• Staff email addresses for request management.
• Automatic messages for confirmation or rejection notifications.

For detailed setup instructions for each system, refer to the dedicated article for each option.

Next steps

Once the opening hours and booking system are set, proceed with these configurations:

• Set up the service catalog or menu: Create a catalog to display items, dishes, or treatments. Depending on the selected booking system, configure either a regular or an advanced catalog.
• Enable Concierge chat: Activate Concierge chat to allow guests to ask questions directly through the app.
• Review the app display: Use the Preview button in the CMS to check how guests will see the opening hours and booking system in the app.

Need further assistance?

If there are additional questions or further assistance is required:

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