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Calendar Blockout Management

Calendar blockouts prevent bookings for specific periods, marking resources as unavailable. This helps tourism operators manage capacity for events, maintenance, or staff leave, ensuring accurate availability and preventing overbookings.

Hayden Zammit Meaney avatar
Written by Hayden Zammit Meaney
Updated over 2 months ago

Calendar blockouts prevent bookings for specific periods, marking resources as unavailable. This helps tourism operators manage capacity for events, maintenance, or staff leave, ensuring accurate availability and preventing overbookings. For example, block out dates for a popular tour during annual maintenance to avoid guest disappointment.

Accessing this feature

Go to Calendar.

How to use it

Follow these steps to effectively implement and manage blockout dates within your calendar:

Initiating a New Blockout

  1. Upon reaching the Calendar section, locate and click the Create button. This action will open a configuration panel or form.

Defining Blockout Details

  1. Blockout Name/Reason: Provide a clear, descriptive name for the blockout. This name serves as an internal reference and can optionally be displayed to guests. Examples include "Annual Maintenance," "Staff Training Day," "Private Event," or "Public Holiday."

  2. Start Date and End Date: Use the date picker to select the start and end dates for the unavailability period. For a single day blockout, select the same date for both start and end. For a multi-day blockout, select the respective start and end dates.

  3. Time Specificity (Optional): By default, blockouts apply for the entire day(s). If only a partial day needs to be blocked, uncheck the "All Day" option and specify the exact start and end times (e.g., 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM).

  4. Apply to Resources: Determine which resources or experiences are affected by this blockout.

  • All Resources: Select this option if the unavailability applies universally across all bookable items.

  • Specific Resources: Choose this option to select individual resources or categories that are unavailable. This is useful for targeted maintenance or staff-specific leave. You will then be prompted to select the relevant items from a dropdown list.

  1. Internal Notes (Optional): Add any additional internal notes regarding the blockout. This detail is not visible to guests but helps internal team members in understanding the blockout's purpose or specific instructions.

  2. Guest Visibility: Decide whether the blockout reason should be visible to guests.

  • Visible: The Blockout Name will be displayed on your guest-facing calendar, indicating unavailability. This can be useful for transparency (e.g., "Fully Booked - Private Event").

  • Hidden: The dates will simply appear as unavailable without providing a specific reason to guests.

  1. Confirm and Save: Review all entered details for accuracy. Click the Save button to apply the changes. The new blockout period will now be reflected in your calendar and availability displays.

Reviewing and Managing Existing Blockouts

  1. The Calendar page displays a comprehensive list of all active and upcoming blockout periods.

  • Edit: To modify an existing blockout, click on its entry in the list. This will reopen the configuration panel, allowing you to adjust dates, reasons, resources, or visibility. Remember to save any changes.

  • Delete: To remove a blockout, select the desired entry and click the Delete button. Confirm the deletion when prompted.

Tips

  • Implement blockouts as soon as unavailability is confirmed. Early action prevents accidental bookings and provides ample time for guest notification if necessary.

  • Use descriptive and consistent names for blockouts (e.g., "Annual Leave - John Smith," "System Upgrade," "Venue Maintenance - Level 2"). This clarity helps internal understanding and external communication.

  • Periodically review upcoming blockouts to ensure their accuracy and relevance. This practise helps identify and correct any outdated or incorrect entries.

  • Ensure all relevant team members are aware of significant blockouts, especially those affecting multiple resources or extended periods.

  • Carefully consider when to make blockout reasons visible to guests. For planned closures or events, transparency can enhance guest trust. For internal issues, it may be more appropriate to simply display "unavailable."

  • Use partial-day blockouts to maximise resource availability during remaining operational hours for brief maintenance, staff meetings, or personal appointments.

  • Whenever possible, apply blockouts to only the affected resources rather than blocking all. This strategy optimises overall availability and reduces unnecessary restrictions.

  • Align blockout dates with your broader operational calendar, including public holidays, seasonal closures, and planned events, to maintain a unified view of your organisation's availability.

Need help?

For further assistance, contact us at [email protected]

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