Creating Your First Booking

This guide walks you through the full setup flow for your first booking. By the end you will have a booking with a recorded deposit. If you completed the onboarding wizard, you already have a package -- start at Step 2.

Step 1 -- Create a Package

1. Go to Packages in the sidebar.
2. Click New Package.
3. Fill in the details:
   • Package name -- The guest-facing trip name, e.g. "Full-Day Float Trip".
   • Package type -- Choose Day trip or Overnight.
   • Includes meals -- Toggle on if meals are provided.
   • Includes lodging -- Toggle on for overnight packages.
   • Deposit percent -- The percentage of the total charged as a deposit.
4. Click Save Package.

Tip: Keep package names short and descriptive. Guests see this name on their confirmation email.

Step 2 -- Add a Variant

Variants are the bookable configurations underneath a package.

1. Open the package by clicking its name in the Packages list.
2. Click Add Variant.
3. Fill in the variant details:
   • Total nights -- Set to 0 for day trips.
   • Guided days -- Number of days a guide is on the water with the guest.
   • Min guests / Max guests -- The allowed group size.
   • Pricing mode -- Per guest (charge per person) or Flat rate (one price per trip).
   • Price -- The base price.
   • Deposit amount -- Auto-fills from the package deposit percent but can be overridden.
4. Click Save Variant.

Note: You need at least one variant before a package can be selected during booking creation.

Step 3 -- Create the Booking

1. Go to Bookings and click New Booking, or use the New Booking Quick Action on your dashboard.
2. Fill in the booking form:
   • Guest -- Search for an existing guest or click New guest to create one.
   • Package -- Select the package you created.
   • Variant -- Select the variant.
   • Check-in date -- The first day of the trip.
   • Check-out date -- The last day (same as check-in for day trips).
   • Party size -- Number of guests attending.
   • Notes -- Optional internal notes.
3. Click Create Booking.

The booking is created with a status of Inquiry.

Step 4 -- Record a Deposit

1. Open the booking from the Bookings list.
2. Click Record Payment in the booking detail panel.
3. Enter the payment amount and select the payment type.
4. Choose the payment method (cash, check, card, etc.).
5. Click Save Payment.

The booking status automatically advances to Deposit paid. Hookset sends the guest a deposit confirmation email.

Tip: If you use Stripe for online payments, guests can pay through the public booking page and the status updates automatically.

Next Steps

• Managing Booking Status
• Understanding Packages
• Using the Guide Allocation Board