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Booking rules

The booking rules control how guests may reserve online: in what cadence, how last-minute, for how many people, and whether a booking applies immediately or needs your approval first. You find everything under Settings → Bookings & Rules, split across several tabs.

Time & slots (the "Booking" tab)

  • Slot interval — the cadence of bookable times (15, 30, 45 or 60 minutes).
  • Default duration — how long a table counts as occupied per booking; optionally a full block.
  • Lead time — how last-minute bookings are still allowed (from "none" to several days).
  • Booking window — how far in advance (in days) guests can book.

Capacity (the "Capacity" tab)

Here you set Min. persons and Max. party size. With the large-party threshold and the group-booking threshold you define from which head count a request is treated as a large party or routed into the group-booking process. You can also optionally limit reservations and guests per slot, and allow or forbid combining tables.

Confirmation mode

The Automatic confirmation switch decides whether online bookings are confirmed immediately (on) or first land with you as "pending" and must be approved manually (off). Manual gives you more control, automatic saves work.

Cancellation & no-show

In the Cancellation tab you set a cancellation deadline (in hours) and your cancellation policy as free text. If payment via Stripe is enabled, you can additionally use a card guarantee with a no-show fee: the guest stores a card at booking that is charged if they fail to show up. Charging it is done in the "Managing reservations" chapter.

The text in the cancellation policy field is at the same time the default for events: every event whose own cancellation field is left empty picks it up automatically — on the event page, in the booking confirmation and on the widget's confirmation screen. An Insert suggestion button fills the German and the English field with a complete example text which you then adapt.

Right of withdrawal for online bookings

Booking online means entering into a distance contract. Whether a statutory right of withdrawal of 14 days applies depends on what you offer — so you decide it once in the Cancellation tab. Three options:

  • Not decided yet — nothing is shown, exactly as before. The invoicing overview carries a reminder about it.
  • No right of withdrawal — the normal case for classes, workshops and experiences on a fixed date: section 312g(2) no. 9 of the German Civil Code exempts leisure activities tied to a specific date. Your guests are told about this on the event page, on the payment page and in their confirmation.
  • Right of withdrawal applies — for offers without a fixed date and for professional training. The address of your withdrawal policy is then mandatory (including the model withdrawal form, on your own site). Your guests confirm they have read it when booking, are told the deadline in their confirmation and can withdraw from the contract with a button.

If the date is less than 14 days away, one more mandatory tick box appears: with it your guest expressly requests that performance begins before the period ends, and confirms that the right of withdrawal is lost once the service has been performed in full.

A withdrawal works like a cancellation — without your cancellation deadline and with a full refund: the booking is cancelled, a credit note is created, and a payment made by PayPal, card or SumUp goes back automatically. Your guest receives an acknowledgement by email, you get the usual cancellation notification.

The setting applies to paid event bookings only. Table reservations and free events are not affected. VidiReserve only provides the function and does not check your choice — if in doubt, please take legal advice.

Reminder emails

With the reminder lead time (e.g. 24 hours) you set when guests are automatically reminded of their reservation. Which system emails are sent at all is controlled in the "Messages" tab.

On the Payment tab you can store your own payment link (e.g. a Stripe payment link or PayPal). Guests see it after booking on the confirmation page and in the confirmation email — for prepayments or deposits, for example. The payment itself runs through your provider; VidiReserve does not process it.

For event providers

As an event provider this page only shows the rules that apply to sign-ups for your events. The table- and slot-related settings no longer appear at all: slot cadence, duration, lead time, booking window, party- and slot capacities, and table behaviour (combining, tables per slot). You control those directly on each event instead — via participant count, sign-up deadline and the event times.

What stays relevant for you:

  • Confirmation mode — whether sign-ups are confirmed immediately or first need your approval.
  • Reminder lead time — when participants are automatically reminded of their event.
  • Cancellation deadline & policy — until when and under which conditions participants may cancel their sign-up.

In addition, the Publicly listed switch controls whether your business appears in the public directory.