Hotel Bookings – WooCommerce Bookings and Appointments FAQs

Can I access a trial version of the complete WooCommerce Bookings and Appointments plugin before purchasing?

A dedicated demo store is available for the WooCommerce Bookings and Appointments plugin, where you can access and explore all product settings and review sample products designed for various business use cases such as rentals, appointments, and hotel bookings. The demo allows you to log in as an admin and see how the plugin works. If you need the plugin installed on your own website, purchase is required along with obtaining a license key. However, a 30-day refund policy is offered, allowing you to request a refund within that period if the plugin does not meet your needs. For personalized configuration assistance, providing details about your business use case can help the support team tailor the setup for you.

Can I mix hotel bookings with tour bookings using the PluginHive Bookings plugin?

Yes, you can configure separate bookable products for hotel bookings and tour bookings using the PluginHive Bookings plugin. Each product can be set up independently to allow customers to book either a hotel room or a tour.

Can I use the PluginHive Bookings plugin to create and sell multi-day vacation packages that bundle multiple services (such as hotel, van, driver, restaurant, and guide) together, with individual availability and pricing for each service provider?

The PluginHive Bookings plugin does not currently support selling multiple services as a bundled package where each service (e.g., hotel, van, driver, etc.) has its own separate availability and pricing restrictions. The plugin is designed to allow only one asset (service) to be selected for booking per product, and does not facilitate bundling several bookable products (each with their own availability) as a single vacation package.

Can the plugin be used for hotel reservations, such as offering reservations for cabins or room rentals?

Yes, the plugin supports hotel reservation scenarios and can be used to offer reservations for cabins or room rentals. To see how this works, you can explore the test products created for hotel bookings on the demo site, such as the "King Premier Room Weekly Booking" and "King Premier Room" listings. Additionally, visiting the demo store allows you to learn more about the available features for hotel and room booking management. If you need further guidance on configuring your own products for hotel reservations, you can refer to the demo links provided or contact support for additional assistance.

Can the PluginHive WooCommerce Bookings & Appointment plugin be used to search for hotel rooms (including multiple hotels) by period, number of guests, and additional parameters such as breakfast included?

The WooCommerce Bookings & Appointment plugin includes the "Availability Search Widget," which allows customers to filter available booking products based on:

• Specific date ranges
• Number of participants (guests)
• Asset name (which can represent different hotel rooms or hotels)
• Time range

This search functionality is available on the Website Home Page, Shop Page, and Category Pages. However, filtering by specific amenities such as "breakfast included" may require customization. The plugin team offers paid customization services if you need advanced search parameters beyond what is available by default. For more details on displaying and using the Availability Search Widget, refer to the knowledge base article: https://www.pluginhive.com/knowledge-base/display-woocommerce-bookings-search-availability-widget/

Can the WooCommerce Bookings & Appointment plugin be used to send a deposit payment reminder email before the arrival date for a booking?

Yes, by using the WooCommerce Bookings & Appointment plugin together with the PH WooCommerce Deposit plugin, you can offer booking functionality at your resort and set up deposit payments. This combined setup allows you to charge a fixed, percentage, or scheduled deposit at the time of booking and send the remaining payment reminder email before the day of arrival. For advanced or specific reminder timing (like two weeks before arrival), you may need to specify your deposit and reminder requirements, so custom add-ons can be suggested if necessary.

Can the WooCommerce Bookings & Appointments plugin be used to hire out specific positions on a lake (similar to rooms in a hotel), allowing users to choose their position, book week-long stays (Saturday to Saturday), pay a deposit at booking, and view the availability of each position?

Yes, the WooCommerce Bookings & Appointments plugin can be configured for this type of setup with some limitations. Here’s how you can achieve your requirements:

1. **Creating Bookable Products and Assets:**

• Set up the lake as a "Bookable Product" in WooCommerce.
• Add the individual positions (15 total) as "Booking Assets" within this product. This allows each position to be booked and tracked individually.

1. **User Selection and Booking:**

• Customers will be able to choose their preferred position (asset) and book it via an interactive booking calendar displayed on the product page.
• The booking can be restricted to week-long durations (Saturday to Saturday) through booking rules and availability settings.

1. **Deposit Handling:**

• The plugin allows you to require a deposit at the time of booking.

1. **Availability Display:**

• While the plugin does not display availability exactly like in your screenshot, it offers a booking calendar showing available and unavailable dates for each position. Customers can view available weeks when selecting a position.

For specific guidance on setting up booking assets, refer to this article: [How to Set Booking Assets Using WooCommerce Bookings and Appointments Plugin](https://www.pluginhive.com/knowledge-base/how-to-set-booking-assets-using-woocommerce-bookings-and-appointments-plugin/). Demo site for plugin functionality: [Plugin Demo Site](https://woocommercebookings.pluginhive.com/custom-shop) Note: For advanced display of availability (similar to a grid or specialized visualizations), custom development may be required beyond the plugin’s default features.

Can the WooCommerce Bookings & Appointments plugin handle bookings for a single location inn with various per person/per night options and additional day trips, tours, and activities?

Yes, the WooCommerce Bookings & Appointments plugin allows you to manage bookings for a single location inn with per person and per night options. You can add Participants (per person) and Resources (for activities, trips, tours) to each product. This enables your customers to book accommodation for a specific number of people and nights, as well as select additional activities. For detailed setup guidance, refer to these articles:

• How to set booking participants: https://www.pluginhive.com/knowledge-base/how-to-set-booking-participants-using-woocommerce-bookings-and-appointments/
• How to set booking resources: https://www.pluginhive.com/knowledge-base/how-to-set-booking-resources-using-woocommerce-bookings-and-appointments/

To see how the plugin functions, you can test its features on the demo website: https://woocommercebookings.pluginhive.com/custom-shop

Can the WooCommerce Bookings and Appointments plugin be configured to charge customers per night for overnight bookings, similar to hotel stays (e.g., booking from the 1st to the 7th charges for 6 nights)?

Yes, the WooCommerce Bookings and Appointments plugin can be set up to charge customers based on the number of nights, just like hotel bookings. To enable this, go to the plugin's settings and turn on the "Bookings Per Night" option within the Bookings setting tab. With this configuration, when a customer selects a booking from the 1st to the 7th, they are charged for 6 nights.

Can WooCommerce Bookings be configured so that, after a customer selects their desired date range, only the relevant products for that period are displayed (e.g., only High Season options during High Season dates)?

The WooCommerce Bookings and Appointments plugin does not natively filter products on the homepage based on customer-selected date ranges, like traditional hotel booking systems. All products are typically displayed, and the availability and pricing are shown after the customer selects a product and chooses dates on the product page. If you require only relevant products to display on the homepage based on selected date ranges, this functionality would require additional custom development or the use of advanced product filtering plugins. Alternatively, you can manually clarify which product corresponds to each season in your product naming and descriptions to help guide customers.

Does the WooCommerce Bookings and Appointments plugin support overnight boarding bookings where clients are charged per night (e.g., book from Jan 1 to Jan 7 and only get charged for 6 nights)?

Yes, the WooCommerce Bookings and Appointments plugin supports overnight bookings charged per night. The plugin provides a "Bookings per Night" feature, allowing you to set up a dynamic booking calendar similar to a hotel stay. When a client books from Jan 1 to Jan 7, the system calculates the cost based on the number of nights (6 in this example), not days. You can refer to this detailed setup guide: https://www.pluginhive.com/knowledge-base/setup-guide-woocommerce-bookings-and-appointments-plugin/#:~:text=3.3%20Multiple%20consecutive%20days%20Booking%20%E2%80%93%20Check%2Din%20and%20Check%2Dout

How can I manage room bookings in WooCommerce so that customers can reserve rooms (instead of people), especially when the group size in each room can vary?

To manage room availability by number of rooms rather than the number of people, configure each "room" as a "participant" under your booking product. This setup allows customers to select the quantity of rooms they wish to book, regardless of how many people will occupy each room. Each room booked will deduct from the maximum number of available slots (rooms) per date or time block. There is no need to use the Participant Groups Add-on for this scenario. You can create a private product for internal management if required. For a reference configuration, see this sample product: https://woocommerce-165470-2313787.cloudwaysapps.com/product/premier-hotel-room-booking/

How can I offer a discounted rate per player for group bookings (e.g., golf societies) larger than our standard maximum participant limit using the WooCommerce Bookings and Appointments plugin?

While the WooCommerce Bookings and Appointments plugin does not allow direct discounts specifically for group bookings as a whole, you can set up rules to apply discounts based on the number of participants in a booking. To offer a discounted rate per player for larger groups, follow these steps:

1. Navigate to your product edit page (e.g., Green Fees at Ventnor Golf Club) in WooCommerce.
2. Ensure "Enable Participants" is set to "Yes."
3. Use the "Booking participants" settings to configure participant rules.
4. Set a rule to apply a discount when the number of participants meets or exceeds your specified threshold (e.g., 10 participants).
5. Specify the discounted price or percentage discount that should apply when this rule is triggered.
6. Save your changes.

This way, when a booking is made for a group that meets the participant threshold, the discounted rate will be automatically applied per player. For detailed, step-by-step guidance, refer to the documentation article: https://www.pluginhive.com/knowledge-base/discount-woocommerce-bookings-an-ultimate-guide/#hotel

How can I set up our guests to select a hotel and have the booking cost calculated based on the number of people (PAX) using your plugin?

To achieve this setup, follow these steps:

1. Create each hotel as a separate Bookable product in your WooCommerce store. Configuring individual booking cost rules for different hotels within a single product is not feasible, so separate products are required for each hotel.
2. After creating individual products for each hotel, use the plugin's "Booking Participant" feature. This allows customers to select the number of PAX (people) for the booking.
3. Set up booking cost rules based on the selected number of participants so that the total booking amount is calculated as (fee x number of PAX).
4. For detailed guidance, refer to these articles:

• Setting up Bookable Products: https://www.pluginhive.com/knowledge-base/setup-guide-woocommerce-bookings-and-appointments-plugin/#BookableProduct
• Configuring Booking Costs: https://www.pluginhive.com/knowledge-base/how-to-set-booking-costs-using-woocommerce-bookings-and-appointments/
• Using the Booking Participant Feature: https://www.pluginhive.com/knowledge-base/how-to-set-booking-participants-using-woocommerce-bookings-and-appointments/

By following these steps, you can set up individual hotels and allow guests to specify the number of people, with the cost automatically calculated.

How can we configure the booking system so that customers can select their check-in and check-out dates like a hotel (e.g., check in March 10, check out March 12 for a 2-night stay) and are only charged for the nights they actually stay, not including the check-out date?

Enable the "Bookings per Night" option in your booking product settings. This allows customers to choose both a check-in and check-out date, and the system will only charge for the nights between the selected dates (check-in night up to but not including the check-out date). For example, if a guest books from March 10th (check-in) to March 12th (check-out), they will be charged for 2 nights: March 10th and March 11th.

If setting "Minimum Duration" to 2 does not enforce a minimum 2-night stay, what should I do to ensure only bookings of 2 nights or more are accepted?

If setting "Minimum Duration" to 2 in combination with the "Bookings per Night" setting still permits single night bookings, update the "Minimum Duration" to 3 and ensure "Bookings per Night" is enabled. This configuration will require guests to select at least three calendar dates (e.g., March 10 to March 12), which results in a minimum booking of two nights (March 10 and March 11), aligning with the typical hotel check-in and check-out convention.

Is it possible for customers to book a hotel night and add a tour in the same reservation?

Yes, you can allow customers to book a hotel night and add a tour in the same reservation by creating the hotel booking as a Bookable product and assigning the tours as resources within that product. Customers will then have the option to select a tour while booking their hotel room. For detailed instructions on setting up resources, refer to this guide: https://www.pluginhive.com/knowledge-base/how-to-set-booking-resources-using-woocommerce-bookings-and-appointments/

Is it possible to set up booking costs based on the number of participants (PAX) for each hotel without creating separate products for each hotel?

No, configuring booking costs based on the number of participants (PAX) for each hotel requires creating each hotel as a separate Bookable product. The plugin does not support different cost rules for multiple hotels within a single product. By setting up each hotel as its own Bookable product, you can use the "Booking Participant" feature to allow guests to select the number of people, and configure booking cost rules that calculate the total amount as (fee x number of participants). This ensures accurate pricing based on the specific hotel and participant count. For more information, refer to the guide: https://www.pluginhive.com/knowledge-base/how-to-set-booking-participants-using-woocommerce-bookings-and-appointments/

Is it possible to set up booking costs based on the number of participants (PAX) for each hotel?

Yes, it is possible. Set up each hotel as a separate Bookable product. Then use the plugin's "Booking Participant" feature, which enables guests to select the number of people (PAX) staying. You can configure booking cost rules to automatically calculate the total amount based on the number of participants, ensuring that the cost is calculated as (fee x participant count). For more details, refer to this guide: https://www.pluginhive.com/knowledge-base/how-to-set-booking-participants-using-woocommerce-bookings-and-appointments/

Is the PluginHive WooCommerce Bookings & Appointments plugin compatible with the Dokan multi-vendor app for creating a hotel booking marketplace?

Yes, the WooCommerce Bookings & Appointments plugin by PluginHive is compatible with the Dokan multi-vendor solution. To create a marketplace where vendors can offer and manage bookable products or services, you will need the following:

1. WooCommerce Bookings & Appointments plugin: Handles booking functionality for products or services.
2. PluginHive Dokan Bookings integration plugin: Integrates bookings with the Dokan marketplace.
3. Dokan Business Pro Plugin: Provides the multi-vendor marketplace features.

With this setup, each vendor can manage their own bookings and have them synchronized with their Google Calendar. This allows vendors to offer bookings for their products/services directly in your marketplace.

What new features are included in the Booking Plugin 5.0 update?

The Bookings Plugin 5.0 update introduces several new features:

• Booking Search and Availability Module: A plug-and-play module that allows you to create a fully functional booking site easily, supporting various business models like hotel reservations, rentals, and online classes. Customers can search and book based on their preferences.
• Apple Calendar/iCalendar Integration: Bookings can now be exported as iCalendar events, enabling seamless synchronization with Apple Calendar and other calendar platforms.
• Enhanced Google Calendar Sync: Improved synchronization ensures bookings from WooCommerce sync effortlessly with both your and your customers’ Google Calendars, helping everyone stay coordinated.
• Streamlined Plugin License Activation: The process for activating your plugin license is now simpler, making it easier to manage bookings and focus on your business.

You can explore these features on the demo site: http://bookingsdemoforhotel.pluginhive.com/

What new features are included in the current version of the WooCommerce Bookings Plugin?

The current version of the WooCommerce Bookings Plugin includes several new features:

1. Booking Search and Availability Module: Enables users to create a fully functional booking site, allowing customers to search and book according to their preferences—ideal for hotel reservations, rental services, online classes, and more.
2. Apple Calendar / iCalendar Integration: Allows bookings to be exported as iCalendar events for seamless synchronization with Apple Calendar and other calendar platforms.
3. Enhanced Google Calendar Sync: Streamlined synchronization between WooCommerce and Google Calendar for both admin and customers.
4. Streamlined Plugin License Activation: Simplified process for activating your plugin license to make management easier.

What new features are included in the latest version of the Bookings Plugin?

The latest version of the Bookings Plugin includes several new features:

• Booking Search and Availability Module: A plug-and-play module for creating a fully functional booking site, suitable for use cases like hotel reservations, rentals, and online classes. It allows customers to search and book based on their preferences.
• Apple Calendar / iCalendar Integration: Enables the export of bookings as iCalendar events, allowing synchronization with Apple Calendar and other calendar platforms for accessible bookings across devices.
• Enhanced Google Calendar Sync: Improved synchronization between WooCommerce bookings and Google Calendar for both store owners and customers, ensuring better coordination.
• Streamlined Plugin License Activation: The plugin license activation process has been simplified, making it easier to manage your bookings and focus on your business.

What new features are included in the updated version of the PluginHive Bookings Plugin?

The updated version of the PluginHive Bookings Plugin includes several significant new features:

1. Booking Search and Availability Module: This module lets you quickly build a fully functional booking website, suitable for hotel reservations, rentals, or online classes. Customers can search and book according to their preferences, increasing satisfaction and conversions.
2. Apple Calendar/iCalendar Integration: Bookings can now be exported as iCalendar events, allowing seamless synchronization with Apple Calendar and accessibility across multiple devices and calendar platforms.
3. Enhanced Google Calendar Sync: Bookings now sync more smoothly from WooCommerce to both your and your customers’ Google Calendars, ensuring everyone remains coordinated and up-to-date.
4. Simplified License Activation: The process for activating the plugin license is now more straightforward, reducing hassle and giving you more time to focus on business operations.

Where can I find documentation or a setup guide to configure the plugin for hotel or room reservations?

The plugin offers a comprehensive setup guide for configuring hotel or room reservations. You can access the official Setup Guide for the WooCommerce Bookings and Appointments Plugin here: https://www.pluginhive.com/knowledge-base/setup-guide-woocommerce-bookings-and-appointments-plugin/. Additionally, you can review example configurations for test hotel booking products through these demo links:

• King Premier Room Weekly Booking: https://woocommercebookings.pluginhive.com/wp-admin/post.php?post=147&action=edit
• King Premier Room: https://woocommercebookings.pluginhive.com/wp-admin/post.php?post=628&action=edit

These resources provide step-by-step guidance on setting up and configuring booking products tailored for hotel and room rentals. For further assistance or clarification, you can also contact PluginHive support directly.

Where can I see a demo of how the PluginHive WooCommerce Bookings & Appointment plugin works for hotel booking scenarios?

You can explore the plugin’s features and functionality using the demo website provided by PluginHive at https://app.instawp.io/public/launch?t=woocommerce-bookings-and-appointments-plugin&d=v2. This site allows you to interact with the plugin as it would work in a live environment, including the search and filtering options.

Why did the price of the Bookings Plugin increase from $99 to $149 in one year?

The price of the Bookings Plugin was adjusted from $99 to $149 per year to reflect the continual improvements in product quality, dedicated support, and valuable new features. Recent enhancements include:

• A new Booking Search and Availability Module, allowing you to easily create a comprehensive booking site suitable for hotel reservations, rental services, and online classes, with advanced search and booking capabilities for customers.
• Apple Calendar / iCalendar Integration, enabling the export of bookings as iCalendar events for seamless synchronization with Apple Calendar and other calendar services across various devices.
• Enhanced Google Calendar Sync, making it easier to synchronize bookings from WooCommerce with both your Google Calendar and your customers’ calendars for improved coordination.
• A streamlined plugin license activation process for easier setup and management.

These enhancements ensure greater value, efficiency, and capability for your business.

Why has the renewal price of the Bookings Plugin increased from $99 to $149, and what new features are included with this change?

The Bookings Plugin renewal price has been adjusted from $99 to $149 per year to reflect ongoing improvements in product quality and dedicated support. The latest version of the plugin includes several new features:

• Booking Search and Availability Module: A plug-and-play module to help you create a complete booking site quickly, suitable for hotel reservations, rental services, and online classes. This lets customers search and book according to their preferences, improving satisfaction and increasing conversions.
• Apple Calendar / iCalendar Integration: Bookings can now be exported as iCalendar events, enabling seamless synchronization with Apple Calendar and making your bookings easily accessible across devices and calendar platforms.
• Enhanced Google Calendar Sync: The synchronization process between WooCommerce and Google Calendar has been further improved, ensuring that both you and your customers receive booking updates smoothly and stay coordinated.
• Streamlined Plugin License Activation: The process for activating the plugin license has been simplified for easier management, reducing setup hassle and saving time.

Why is the minimum night booking requirement not enforcing correctly when using "Bookings per Night"? Customers are able to book only 1 night, but we require a minimum of 2 nights.

The "Minimum Duration" option in your booking product settings determines the minimum length for bookings. However, when using "Bookings per Night," the system might interpret this setting based on the number of nights rather than calendar days. If you require guests to book at least two nights, ensure the "Minimum Duration" is set accordingly (e.g., 2 for two nights). If it still allows 1-night bookings, try setting the "Minimum Duration" to 3 and enable the "Bookings per Night" feature. This configuration should enforce a minimum 2-night stay and properly handle the check-in and check-out dates as expected for hotel-style bookings.