Blackout dates prevent guests from booking specific date ranges on your public booking page. Use them for holidays, maintenance periods, private events, or seasonal closures.
Creating a Blackout Period
- Go to Settings > Policies and scroll to the Blackout Dates section.
- Click Add Blackout.
- Fill in the fields:
- Start date -- The first blocked day.
- End date -- The last blocked day.
- Reason -- A description for your reference (e.g., "Lodge maintenance", "Holiday closure").
- Click Save.
How Blackout Dates Work
- Public booking page -- Blackout dates appear as unavailable on the date picker. Guests cannot select check-in or check-out dates that fall within a blackout period.
- Dashboard booking form -- Blackout dates show as highlighted/warned dates but staff can still create bookings during blackout periods if needed.
- Booking calendar -- Blackout periods appear as shaded blocks on the dashboard calendar.
Note: Blackout dates block new bookings only. Existing bookings that overlap with a newly created blackout period are not affected.
Editing Blackout Dates
Click any blackout entry to edit the dates or reason. Changes take effect immediately on the public booking page.
Removing Blackout Dates
Click the delete icon next to a blackout entry to remove it. The dates become available for booking again immediately.
Best Practices
- Plan ahead -- Add blackout dates for known closures at the start of each season.
- Use descriptive reasons -- Help your team understand why dates are blocked.
- Check for existing bookings -- Before creating a blackout, review the calendar for any bookings that overlap.