Disable Online Booking on a Cloud or Essential Website
On Cloud and Essential websites you can disable the booking feature so guest can use inquiry forms, or phone to request a booking. This is helpful if you have non-exclusive listings in your inventory.
By enabling this feature unit by unit in your website, all the BOOK NOW buttons become REQUEST, or INQUIRE buttons. In fact, you can type in the button label so it is clear to your guest how they can book that unit with your business.
Step 1 - Change your Book Now button
Change your Book Now button to another label such as Request to Book.
On your Dashboard, navigate to Booking Configuration under your Settings section. About 1/3 down the page you will see the options to the left. For this example, we want our Book Now button to say “Reserve this Property!”
You can also add additional information that will help guests understand the button when selected will open the Property Inquiry form, and not go to a payment page like a normal booking.
Step 2 - Add a headline and footer to your property inquiry form.
Since guest will be directed to your Property Inquiry form, and not a secure checkout page when they select a property, we can add some more helpful information to that form. For example, a headline that says “Reserve this property” and a description that lets the guest know how long their request could take and even immediate options like calling to book.
Step 3. Select the units to disable online booking and replace with your Request to Book button and form.
Go to your PROPERTY MANAGER section of the Rezfusion admin.
There you will see a new column available called Disable Online Booking. Simply toggle any property you would like to disable and show your Request to Book button instead of Book Now.
That’s it, you are now finished.
What does disabling booking look like to guests?
Searching properties
At first disabled properties look like any other property.
For this example, the Townhomes On Windsor #4 is disabled. But as you can see in this search page example, it looks no different to other properties. Guests can still see the rates and availability and add the property to favorites or trips.
Adding to Trips
When a guest adds a property from the search page to Trips, they will see the new button you created in step 1.
You can now see Townhomes on Windsor #4 has the new button RESERVE THIS PROPERTY that will open your Property Inquiry form. Duval Square above has a Book Now button that would take the guest to a secure checkout page.
Viewing detailed quote
When a guest opens the detailed quote you will again see your new button, as well as the description field you filled out in Step 1.
Property Page
On your property page, you will see the guest is also presented the new button and description. It is clear to the guest the property rate and availability, but they know they must fill out a form or call in order to secure the property.
Property Inquiry form
When a guest clicks your new button, in this example, Reserve this Property!, it opens the Property Inquiry form with your new headline and description.
That is it, your guests will make the booking request and your team will receive the email and be able to secure the booking with the guest the way that works for your owner.