Managing Online Cancellations

⏱ Estimated time: 10 minutes

👤 Role: Reservations Managers, Front Office Managers, Spa Managers, Finance Teams

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What you'll learn:

• How the Consumer Cancellation Feature empowers guests to manage bookings.

• The system requirements for automated Spa, Room, and Table cancellations.

• How to enable and configure cancellation policies within the platform.

• Understanding the manual vs. automated refund processes for each module.

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When should I use this?

Use this guide to set up or manage the automated cancellation feature. This functionality allows guests to cancel their bookings via their confirmation email link or customer account, reducing the administrative burden on your reception and reservation teams.

Key Logic:

Cancellations are governed by the specific terms set at the time of booking. The platform acts as an interface that communicates with your third-party systems (Premier, Guestline, Opera, ResDiary) to validate whether a guest is within the allowed window for a cancellation or refund.

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Before you start:

• Spa Users: Ensure your Premier software is on version 2.13.36 or newer (Cloud).

• Room Users: Confirm your rate-level cancellation policies are correctly configured in Guestline or Opera.

• Voucher Note: Automated cancellations do not automatically refund voucher redemptions; these must be handled manually.

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Step-by-step:

1. Configure Spa Cancellations (Premier)

Spa cancellations rely on the settings defined within your Premier Manager software.

1. In Premier: Navigate to Manager > Site > Site Settings > Booking Options.

2. Under Booking and Billing, set your rules in the fields: "Charge for Cancellations Made Less Than X Hours Before Appointment at X Percent."
   

3. In Ecommerce Platform: Go to Content > Cancellation Policy.

4. Tick Enable Cancellations under the Spa Header.

5. Outcome: When a guest cancels, the slot is freed in Premier and the cancellation status is updated in the Ecommerce platform.

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2. Configure Room Cancellations (Guestline/Opera)

The platform pulls the cancellation logic directly from the rate plan settings in your PMS.

1. In PMS: Ensure each rate plan has a clearly defined cancellation policy (hours/days notice).

2. In Ecommerce Platform: Go to Content > Cancellation Policy.

3. Tick Enable Cancellations under the Rooms Header.

4. Guestline Note: While the platform processes the refund and cancels the booking in the PMS, any deposits or deferred payments must be manually reconciled within Guestline to align with their standard integration process.

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3. Configure Table Cancellations (ResDiary/Sevenrooms)

Unlike Rooms and Spa, Table cancellations use a "blanket rule" defined directly within the Ecommerce platform.

1. In Ecommerce Platform: Go to Content > Cancellation Policy.

2. Tick Enable Cancellations under the Tables Header.

3. Set the Cancellation Terms (Hours) and choose whether a deposit refund is permitted.

4. Outcome: Once completed, the reservation is removed from both ResDiary/Sevenrooms and the Ecommerce platform records.

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4. Monitor and Manage Requests

Not every scenario can be automated.

• Unique Scenarios: If a policy is complex or undefined, the guest is directed to a "Manual Request" form which sends an email directly to your property.

• Notification: You will receive an automated email notification every time a guest successfully cancels or if a cancellation attempt fails.

• Policy Honoring: The platform automatically honours the specific policy that was active at the exact time the guest made their booking, even if you have updated your terms since then.

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Best practice:

Clear Terms: Ensure your "Before You Start" notes in the product descriptions reflect your cancellation policy. While the system enforces the rules, clear communication prevents guest frustration during the cancellation process.

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Important Notice:

Voucher Redemptions: If a guest cancels a booking that was paid for using a gift voucher, the system cannot automatically "re-load" the voucher balance. Your team must manually issue a new voucher or credit in accordance with your internal policy.