# Booking Settings Documentation
**Location:** WordPress Admin → Yatra → Settings → Booking
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## 📋 Booking Configuration
### Enable Booking Confirmation
– **Field Type:** Checkbox
– **Default:** Enabled (true) ✅
– **Description:** Send confirmation emails when bookings are made
– **What it does:** Automatically triggers an email to customers when they complete a booking
– **What happens when enabled:**
– Customer receives immediate booking confirmation
– Email includes booking details, trip information, and next steps
– Booking status changes to “Confirmed” (if auto-confirm is on)
– **What happens when disabled:**
– No automatic confirmation email is sent
– Customer may wonder if booking was successful
– You must manually communicate with customers
– **⚠️ Important:** Disabling this can confuse customers and increase support requests
– **⭐ Pro Tip:** Keep this enabled for better customer experience and reduced support workload
### Auto-Confirm Bookings
– **Field Type:** Checkbox
– **Default:** Disabled (false) ❌
– **Description:** Automatically confirm bookings without manual approval
– **What it does:** Sets booking status to “Confirmed” immediately upon booking
– **When enabled:**
– Bookings are instantly confirmed
– No manual review required
– Faster booking process for customers
– Good for automated, high-volume operations
– **When disabled:**
– Bookings start as “Pending” status
– You must manually review and confirm each booking
– More control over which bookings are accepted
– Good for high-value or complex bookings
– **🎯 Use Cases:**
– **Enable:** Standard tours, day trips, automated systems
– **Disable:** Custom tours, large group bookings, VIP experiences
– **⭐ Pro Tip:** Start with disabled if you’re new, then enable as you become comfortable with the system
### Require Login for Booking
– **Field Type:** Checkbox
– **Default:** Disabled (false) ❌
– **Description:** Customers must create an account to make bookings
– **What it does:** Forces customers to register or log in before booking
– **When enabled:**
– Customers must create an account first
– Login required for all bookings
– Better customer data collection and tracking
– Customers can view booking history
– **When disabled:**
– Anyone can book without registration
– Higher conversion rates (less friction)
– Less customer data collected
– Bookings are tied to email only
– **📊 Impact on Conversion:**
– **Enabled:** 10-30% lower conversion rates
– **Disabled:** Higher conversion, less customer loyalty
– **⭐ Pro Tip:** Disable initially, then enable if you need better customer management
### Allow Guest Checkout
– **Field Type:** Checkbox
– **Default:** Enabled (true) ✅
– **Description:** Allow customers to book without creating an account
– **What it does:** Gives customers the option to book as a guest
– **When enabled:**
– Customers see “Book as Guest” option
– Can complete booking without registration
– Higher booking completion rates
– Good for one-time customers
– **When disabled:**
– All customers must create an account
– Better customer relationship building
– Lower initial conversion but higher retention
– **⚠️ Important:** If “Require Login” is enabled, this setting is automatically overridden
– **⭐ Pro Tip:** Keep enabled for most travel businesses to maximize bookings
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## 🔄 Cancellation & Refund Policy
### Cancellation Policy
– **Field Type:** Dropdown Select
– **Default:** full_refund
– **Description:** What happens when a booking is cancelled
– **What it does:** Sets the default refund behavior for cancellations
– **Options Explained:**
– **No Refund:** Customer receives no money back when cancelling
– *Best for:* Last-minute bookings, non-refundable deals
– *Customer impact:* Highest risk, lowest booking rate
– **Full Refund:** Customer receives 100% refund (subject to timing rules)
– *Best for:* Standard bookings, customer-friendly policies
– *Customer impact:* Lowest risk, highest booking rate
– **Partial Refund:** Customer receives partial refund based on timing
– *Best for:* Balanced approach, protects both parties
– *Customer impact:* Medium risk, moderate booking rate
– **🎯 Recommendation:** Start with “Full Refund” and adjust based on your business needs
– **⭐ Pro Tip:** Your cancellation policy significantly impacts booking conversion rates
### Cancellation Days Before Departure
– **Field Type:** Number Input
– **Default:** 7
– **Description:** Number of days before departure when cancellation is allowed
– **What it does:** Sets the deadline for customers to cancel their bookings
– **How it works:**
– Setting of 7 days means customers can cancel up to 7 days before trip
– Cancellations after this period may not be refunded
– Works with your cancellation policy setting
– **Examples:**
– **7 days:** Customer can cancel 8+ days before trip, but not 7 days or less before
– **3 days:** Customer can cancel 4+ days before trip, but not 3 days or less before
– **0 days:** Customer can cancel anytime (even day before)
– **📊 Business Impact:**
– **Longer period:** More customer-friendly, but more uncertainty for you
– **Shorter period:** More predictable for you, but customers may hesitate
– **⭐ Pro Tip:** 7 days is standard for most travel businesses
### Refund Policy
– **Field Type:** Textarea
– **Default:** Empty
– **Description:** Detailed refund policy description shown to customers
– **What it does:** Provides customers with detailed information about your refund terms
– **Where it appears:**
– During the booking process (before customer books)
– In booking confirmation emails
– On customer booking pages
– In cancellation flow
– **Why it’s important:**
– Legal requirement in many jurisdictions
– Builds trust with customers
– Reduces disputes and chargebacks
– Sets clear expectations
– **Good Example:**
“`
Full refund if cancelled 7+ days before departure.
50% refund if cancelled 3-6 days before departure.
No refund if cancelled less than 3 days before departure.
Refunds processed within 5-7 business days.
“`
– **⭐ Pro Tip:** Be specific, clear, and fair. Ambiguous policies lead to disputes.
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## ⏰ Booking Expiry & Reminders
### Booking Expiry Hours
– **Field Type:** Number Input
– **Default:** 24
– **Description:** Hours before unpaid bookings expire and are cancelled
– **What it does:** Sets a time limit for customers to complete payment
– **How it works:**
– Customer makes booking but doesn’t pay immediately
– Booking is held for the specified number of hours
– If payment isn’t completed, booking is automatically cancelled
– Trip availability is returned to inventory
– **Why it’s important:**
– Prevents customers from “holding” spots indefinitely
– Ensures fair access to limited spots
– Reduces no-show situations
– **Common Settings:**
– **24 hours:** Standard, gives customers time to think and pay
– **12 hours:** Good for high-demand trips
– **48 hours:** Good for expensive trips requiring more consideration
– **⚠️ Important:** Must be at least 1 hour (cannot be 0)
– **⭐ Pro Tip:** 24 hours works well for most travel businesses
### Booking Reminder Days
– **Field Type:** Number Input
– **Default:** 3
– **Description:** Send reminder emails this many days before departure
– **What it does:** Automatically sends reminder emails to customers before their trip
– **How it works:**
– Setting of 3 days means reminder sent 3 days before trip
– Email includes trip details, meeting points, and important information
– Helps reduce no-shows and improves customer experience
– **Common Settings:**
– **3 days:** Standard reminder timing
– **7 days:** Good for international trips requiring more preparation
– **1 day:** Good for local day trips
– **What’s included in reminders:**
– Trip date and time
– Meeting location and instructions
– What to bring
– Contact information
– **⭐ Pro Tip:** 3 days is optimal – not too early to forget, not too late to prepare
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## 📝 Waitlist Settings
### Allow Waitlist
– **Field Type:** Checkbox
– **Default:** Enabled (true) ✅
– **Description:** Allow customers to join waitlist when trip is fully booked
– **What it does:** Gives customers an option when trips are sold out
– **When enabled:**
– “Join Waitlist” button appears when trip is full
– Customers can sign up to be notified if spots open up
– Captures potential customers who might otherwise leave
– Helps gauge demand for additional dates
– **When disabled:**
– No waitlist option shown
– Customers see “Sold Out” with no alternative
– May lose potential customers permanently
– **📊 Benefits:**
– Increases customer retention
– Helps plan additional trip dates
– Builds customer list for marketing
– **⭐ Pro Tip:** Always keep this enabled – it’s free customer acquisition!
### Waitlist Auto-Confirm
– **Field Type:** Checkbox
– **Default:** Disabled (false) ❌
– **Description:** Automatically confirm waitlisted customers when spots become available
– **What it does:** Automatically offers spots to waitlisted customers when they open up
– **When enabled:**
– First person on waitlist automatically gets the spot
– Email notification sent automatically
– Customer has time to confirm and pay
– Fully automated process
– **When disabled:**
– Admin gets notified about available spots
– Admin must manually contact waitlisted customers
– More control but requires manual work
– **⚠️ Important:** Auto-confirm works on first-come, first-served basis
– **⭐ Pro Tip:** Enable for efficiency, disable if you want to prioritize certain customers
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## 🎯 Best Practices for Booking Settings
### 1. Booking Confirmation Strategy
– **Always enable confirmation emails:** Essential for customer service
– **Test confirmation emails:** Ensure they look professional and contain all necessary information
– **Monitor delivery:** Check that emails are reaching customers’ inboxes
### 2. Auto-Confirm vs Manual Approval
– **Start with manual approval:** Gives you control while learning the system
– **Enable auto-confirm for:** Simple, repeatable tours with low risk
– **Keep manual for:** Custom bookings, large groups, VIP experiences
– **Consider your volume:** Manual approval doesn’t scale well
### 3. Guest Checkout Strategy
– **Enable for maximum conversions:** Reduces booking friction
– **Consider your business model:**
– One-time customers: Enable guest checkout
– Repeat customers: Consider requiring accounts
– **Test both ways:** See what works for your specific audience
### 4. Cancellation Policy Design
– **Be customer-friendly:** Flexible policies increase bookings
– **Protect your business:** Consider your costs and risks
– **Be clear and specific:** Avoid ambiguous terms
– **Check local regulations:** Some places have legal requirements
### 5. Timing Settings
– **Booking expiry:** 24 hours balances customer needs with inventory management
– **Reminders:** 3 days before departure is optimal
– **Cancellation deadline:** 7 days is standard and fair
### 6. Waitlist Management
– **Always enable waitlist:** It’s free customer acquisition
– **Auto-confirm for efficiency:** Saves time and captures customers quickly
– **Monitor waitlist demand:** Helps plan additional trip dates
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## ⚠️ Common Mistakes to Avoid
1. **Disabling confirmation emails:** Leads to confused customers and more support work
2. **Setting too short cancellation windows:** Reduces booking conversion significantly
3. **Requiring login for all bookings:** Can reduce conversion by 20-30%
4. **Setting booking expiry too short:** Customers may not have time to complete payment
5. **Not using waitlist:** Losing potential customers permanently
6. **Vague refund policies:** Leads to disputes and chargebacks
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## 🔗 Related Settings
– **Email Settings:** Configure booking confirmation and reminder email templates
– **Payment Settings:** Set payment deadlines that work with booking expiry
– **Customer Settings:** Manage customer accounts and registration options
– **Notification Settings:** Configure admin notifications for new bookings
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## 📋 Quick Setup Checklist
### Essential (Must Configure)
– [ ] Set Booking Confirmation (keep enabled)
– [ ] Set Cancellation Policy
– [ ] Set Cancellation Days (start with 7)
– [ ] Set Booking Expiry Hours (start with 24)
– [ ] Set Reminder Days (start with 3)
### Recommended (Should Configure)
– [ ] Decide on Auto-Confirm (start disabled)
– [ ] Set Guest Checkout (keep enabled)
– [ ] Write detailed Refund Policy
– [ ] Enable Waitlist (keep enabled)
### Optional (Consider Later)
– [ ] Configure Waitlist Auto-Confirm
– [ ] Require Login for Booking (consider carefully)
– [ ] Test booking flow end-to-end
– [ ] Monitor cancellation rates and adjust policies