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Seats and waiting clients

This page is for group bookings and classes where a single appointment has limited capacity. Use it when you need to configure seat limits, allow one client to reserve more than one seat, set a minimum number of bookings, or work with waiting clients.

Where the main rules are configured​

The main settings are in the group appointment itself, in the "Class settings" section:

  • "Max. number of seats" defines the total group capacity;
  • "Max. seats per client" defines how many seats one client can reserve through online booking;
  • "Minimum to run" sets how many seats must be taken for the class to run;
  • "Accept online bookings" enables online booking for that group;
  • "Accepts waiting clients" allows the client to stay in waiting status instead of being rejected immediately.

If you also want clients to see how many places are left, that is configured separately in Public profile and visibility.

How seats work​

In a group appointment, the system tracks total capacity, not only the number of joined clients. One client can take more than one seat, but only if:

  • the group has enough free seats;
  • the value in "Max. seats per client" allows it;
  • there is no rule in the flow that limits the request to one seat only.

This matters because availability in group activities is calculated by seats, not only by number of participants.

When a client becomes waiting​

A client can enter "Waiting" status during online booking when:

  • the group no longer has free seats;
  • "Accepts waiting clients" is enabled for the appointment.

If the group is full and this setting is off, the online request is rejected instead of entering waiting status.

In practice:

  • this is most commonly used for a single place in a full class;
  • "Waiting" is better than a manual note because it stays visible in the booking flow and can be processed automatically.

What happens when a seat becomes free​

If the group has waiting clients and a seat becomes available before the group starts:

  • the system checks waiting clients in the order they joined;
  • it moves them out of waiting into the normal online status;
  • it notifies employees that a client has joined from the waiting list.

This means that when "Accepts waiting clients" is enabled, the operator does not need to move each client manually every time someone cancels in time.

Minimum to run​

A minimum is for a class that only makes sense with enough people — for example an early-morning group or a trial class. You set how many seats must be taken and what happens if they are not. At the moment you choose before the start, Reservation.Studio checks by itself and either notifies the team or cancels the class. You do not have to keep track of the bookings for every class by hand.

The minimum is optional and off by default.

How to set it​

  1. Open the group appointment — new or already saved — and in "Class settings" turn on "Minimum to run".
  2. In "Min. number of seats", enter the minimum number of seats.
  3. In "When to check", choose when the check happens: from 30 minutes to 48 hours before the start. If the location has a cancellation deadline of up to 48 hours, "At the cancellation deadline" is at the top and is selected by default. Otherwise the default is 12 hours before the start.
  4. In "If not enough book", choose what happens when fewer seats are taken than the minimum:
    • "Notify me" — the class stays, and the staff receive a notification and decide themselves;
    • "Cancel automatically" — the class is cancelled, and the clients are notified of the cancellation.
  5. With "Cancel automatically", also choose "Warn me" — "No warning", or 15 minutes, 30 minutes, 1 hour or 2 hours before the cancellation. The default is 30 minutes.
  6. Save the appointment.

Under the settings, one line describes in words what will happen. The form also warns you when:

  • the class starts too soon for a check, or the chosen check has already passed — the class is saved without a check; moments that have passed are marked "(passed)" in "When to check";
  • the location has no cancellation deadline — clients can still cancel after the check;
  • with automatic cancellation, the check is less than 2 hours before the start — clients will learn about the cancellation shortly before the class.

How seats are counted​

The minimum is counted like the maximum: by seats, not by people. A client with 2 seats counts as 2. Waiting clients, clients who cancelled and no-shows are not counted. A client who still has to pay is counted.

What happens at the check​

  • If at least the minimum number of seats are taken, the class runs and nothing else happens.
  • With "Notify me", the staff receive a "Class below its minimum" notification and decide whether to run the class or cancel it.
  • With "Cancel automatically", the class is cancelled, every booked client receives the usual cancellation notification, and the appointment shows "Cancelled — not enough participants.". The staff receive a notification about the cancelled class. When some of the clients paid, the notification lists them so you can refund them by hand — the cancellation does not refund money by itself.
  • With "Cancel automatically" and a warning turned on, the staff receive a notification before the check when the class is below the minimum.

The notifications go to the employees the location sends online booking notifications to, and to the owner. By default they arrive in the app and on the phone, without email. You can adjust them in the notification settings of your profile: "Warning before a class below its minimum is cancelled", "A class is below its minimum", "A class was cancelled below its minimum" and "Payment for a cancelled class". The last one is sent when a client pays through a payment link opened before the cancellation: the class stays cancelled, and the notification says who paid, how much and for which class.

What you see in the appointment and the calendar​

  • On the class card in the calendar, the count of seats taken, for example 3/10, takes a warning colour while the class is below the minimum. Hold the pointer over it to see "Clients (3/10) · min. 5".
  • An open appointment below the minimum shows a warning with a "Run it anyway" button. It keeps the class and switches off the automatic cancellation for it.
  • In the open cancelled class you see "Cancelled — not enough participants.".

What the client sees​

In Marketplace, the class shows the minimum, for example "Runs with min. 5 booked". When fewer are booked than the minimum, a line such as "2 more needed" is added — only if the location shows free seats in group classes. After a check that reached the minimum, the class shows "Will run". In the class details, while the check is still ahead, the client sees when it will be decided and whether the class cancels itself. A cancelled class shows "Cancelled — not enough participants.", except to a client who cancelled themselves.

note

When you move a class in the calendar, Reservation.Studio runs the same checks as when you save in the form — for example for a busy employee or resource, and for the minimum — and asks you to confirm if there is a warning. If you decline, the class stays where it was.

Limits when reserving more than one seat​

When a client tries to reserve more than one seat online, the system applies extra checks:

  • the requested count cannot be higher than "Max. seats per client";
  • there must be enough free seats for the whole requested count;
  • if there are not enough free seats, the request is rejected instead of splitting seats between confirmed and waiting;
  • when a group option uses benefit cards, more than one seat cannot be reserved in a single request;
  • when payment uses a membership, more than one seat cannot be reserved in a single request.

This matters for operators too: if a client wants several seats, the system does not automatically split the request into confirmed and waiting seats.

Group options, benefit cards, and memberships​

If the group service has separate pricing options:

  • the client must choose a valid participation option;
  • if the selected option accepts benefit cards, a valid provider must be selected for that exact option;
  • if the selected option has no available seats, booking for it cannot continue.

With benefit cards and memberships, the online flow is optimized for one seat per request. This reduces errors when covering a visit and validating the exact group option.

What the operator sees​

From the group appointment screen, the operator can see:

  • the total group capacity;
  • the maximum seats per client;
  • the minimum to run, if one is set;
  • whether the group accepts online bookings;
  • whether it accepts waiting clients.

In client lists and in the appointment itself, seat count can also be shown per client. This helps distinguish one client reserving multiple seats from several separate participants.

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