Booking Approval Settings
By default, bookings on SlotBase are confirmed instantly. If your facility needs to review and approve each booking before it is confirmed, you can enable the booking approval workflow. This page explains how approval works, how to configure it, and how it affects the player experience.
How Booking Approval Works
When booking approval is enabled:
- A player submits a booking request.
- The booking enters a Pending state.
- A facility admin reviews the request and either approves or rejects it.
- The player is notified of the decision.
When booking approval is disabled (the default):
- A player submits a booking.
- The booking is confirmed immediately, provided the time slot is available.
Configuring Approval Settings
- Go to Facility Settings in the admin sidebar.
- Select Booking Settings.
- Configure the following options:
| Setting | Description | Default |
|---|---|---|
| Require Booking Approval | When enabled, all new bookings require admin approval before confirmation. | Off |
| Auto-Approve After (minutes) | If set, pending bookings are automatically approved after this many minutes if no admin has acted. Set to 0 or leave blank to disable auto-approval. | None |
| Minimum Booking Lead Time (minutes) | The minimum number of minutes in advance a player must book. Prevents last-minute bookings. | 0 |
| Advance Booking Cutoff (minutes) | The maximum number of minutes in advance a booking can be made. Limits how far ahead players can book. | None |
- Click Save.
Choosing the Right Approval Mode
Auto-Approve (Default)
Best for facilities that want a frictionless booking experience. Players book and get instant confirmation.
If you trust your members and want maximum convenience, keep approval turned off. This is the most common setup for recreational facilities.
Manual Approval
Best for facilities that need to vet bookings -- for example, private clubs, facilities with limited capacity, or venues that need to coordinate with staff before confirming.
Auto-Approve with Timeout
A middle ground: enable approval but set an Auto-Approve After time (e.g., 30 minutes). This gives admins a window to review bookings, but ensures players are not left waiting indefinitely if no admin is available.
How Approval Affects Players
| Scenario | Player Experience |
|---|---|
| Approval off | Booking confirmed instantly. Player sees confirmation screen. |
| Approval on, admin approves | Booking shows as "Pending" until approved. Player is notified on approval. |
| Approval on, admin rejects | Player is notified that the booking was declined. |
| Approval on, auto-approve triggers | Booking is automatically confirmed after the timeout period. |
Pending bookings still hold the time slot. Other players cannot book the same resource and time while a booking is pending approval.
Lead Time and Advance Cutoff
These two settings control the booking window independently of approval:
- Minimum Booking Lead Time -- Prevents bookings that are too close to the current time. For example, setting this to 60 means players must book at least one hour before the session starts.
- Advance Booking Cutoff -- Prevents bookings that are too far in the future. For example, setting this to 20160 (14 days in minutes) means players can only book up to two weeks ahead.
If you set a very short auto-approve timeout alongside a long lead time, bookings may auto-approve before an admin has a chance to review them. Make sure your timeout gives admins enough time to act.
Common Configurations
| Facility Type | Approval | Auto-Approve | Lead Time | Advance Cutoff |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Open recreation center | Off | -- | 30 min | 30 days |
| Private tennis club | On | 60 min | 60 min | 14 days |
| Community pool | On | 30 min | 120 min | 7 days |
| Cricket academy | Off | -- | 0 | 60 days |