When using the Calendar Booking transaction process, you can manage the capacity of an event, space, or service listing within a specific timeframe using the Seats feature.
Seats represent the maximum number of people or bookings allowed for a single time slot in an event, rental, or service. By specifying a number of seats, you set the listing’s capacity and enable customers to book multiple spots within the same time slot.
If seats are available for a particular time slot, the listing remains open for booking until the limit is reached. For example, if an event has 10 seats and 6 are booked, 4 seats remain available. Once all seats are taken, the time slot is automatically marked as unavailable, preventing overbooking.
This feature is particularly useful in marketplaces offering multiple spots for reservation or accommodating simultaneous bookings, such as events or courses.
Tip: "Seats" is a generic term representing the concept of multiple spots available for booking. Depending on the nature of your marketplace, this term may not feel intuitive or accurate for your end users. You can customize the term "Seats" to better suit your marketplace concept using the Marketplace Texts feature.
How to enable seats
Seats are automatically enabled whenever you use a Listing type with the Calendar Booking transaction process setting. Seats are enabled for all booking time units: daily, nightly and hourly. One seat is selected as the default option whenever the Calendar Booking transaction process is enabled, as listings must have at least one spot available to be bookable by customers.
What are the seat options
You can either select "One seat" or "Multiple seats".
"One seat" means that whenever a listing is created and a time slot is made available, only a single spot will be available for booking. Providers do not have the option to define how many seats are available for any given time slot. When a customer makes a booking, the time slot becomes reserved and unavailable for others to book.
"Multiple seats" means that whenever a listing is created and a time slot is made available, the number of available seats must be specified for that time slot by the provider. This specified amount of spots will be available for booking. Customers can book however many seats were made available for the time slot.
Experience from the provider's perspective
One seat
When One seat is enabled, all listings created will have one seat available for booking by default. In this case, the provider does not need to specify the number of seats.
Multiple seats
When Multiple seats is enabled, the provider needs to set the number of available seats for booking. The number can be set to multiples, one or even zero, but the field cannot be left empty.
Experience for the customer's perspective
One seat
When One seat is enabled, the booking price is calculated based on the number of time units (days, nights, or hours) booked and the cost per unit.
Multiple seats
When Multiple seats is enabled, the booking price is determined by multiplying the price of the number of time units (days, nights or hours) by the number of seats booked by the customer.
When multiple seats are booked across different time units, the minimum number of available seats is displayed as the maximum booking limit. For example, if Day 1 has 10 seats and Day 2 has 5 seats, a customer can book a maximum of 5 seats for both days, as Day 2 has the lowest seat availability.