> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.anny.co/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Booking Option

> Define how your resources are booked: duration, price, interval, and advanced rules.

A booking option defines how a resource is booked: duration, price, booking interval, and all further rules around the booking process. In the admin area, "booking option" and "service" are used synonymously. The label shown depends on the category of your resource.

## How does a booking option work?

Booking options live centrally in your account. You create them once and link them to one or more resources. A resource can have multiple booking options (e.g. hourly and daily), and a booking option can be linked to multiple resources.

<Warning>
  Editing a booking option affects all linked resources.
</Warning>

The booking process follows the **resource-first flow**: customers first choose the resource and then the booking option they want. Alternatively, you can activate the **service-first flow**, where customers first choose the service and then (optionally) a resource.

### Time-period modes

Each booking option uses one of four time-period modes:

| Mode                 | Description                                            |
| -------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------ |
| Fixed duration       | The booking interval is predefined (e.g. always 1 day) |
| Flexible duration    | Customers set the duration within a min/max range      |
| Duration by schedule | The booking fills the entire available time slot       |
| Series               | Multiple appointments are booked as a package          |

<Tip>
  For all-day or multi-day booking options, you can define a start and end time. If you set the end time earlier than the start time, anny automatically recognizes an overnight booking (e.g. check-in 4:00 PM, check-out 11:00 AM).
</Tip>

### Series

In "Series" mode, the appointments are maintained centrally in the resource availability. Each appointment can be assigned to a series. When booking, customers choose the series they want via a dropdown and book all associated appointments as a package. Individual appointments can be rescheduled or canceled centrally and stay in sync with the bookings.

## When do I use this?

* **You rent out rooms, desks, or equipment**: Define booking options with a fixed or flexible duration to set how they are booked
* **You offer classes with multiple appointments**: Use "Series" mode to make chains of appointments bookable as a package
* **You want different pricing models on the same resource**: Create multiple booking options (e.g. hourly rate and daily rate) and link them to the same resource
* **Not suitable for**: When the service is at the forefront (e.g. coaching, consulting) and customers should choose the service first, the service-first flow is the better choice

## Relationship to other features

| Feature            | Relationship                                                                     |
| ------------------ | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Smart Availability | Connect additional resources to a booking option to ensure combined availability |
| Dynamic pricing    | Add time-based price rules to the booking option (e.g. weekend prices)           |
| Add-on options     | Add add-ons, additional resources, and recommendations to the booking process    |
| Service schedules  | Restrict the availability of a booking option via its own schedules              |

## Settings & options

### Basic settings

| Setting     | Description                                |
| ----------- | ------------------------------------------ |
| Name        | Display name on the booking page           |
| Group       | Internal organizational unit               |
| Time period | Mode: Fixed, Flexible, By schedule, Series |
| Price       | Amount incl. VAT rate                      |

### Advanced settings

| Setting                           | Description                                       |
| --------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------- |
| Booking interval                  | Time gap between possible start times             |
| Lead time                         | Earliest possible booking time in the future      |
| Advance booking period            | How far into the future bookings can be made      |
| Preparation/follow-up time        | Automatically blocked buffer time, not charged    |
| Allow booking across blockers     | Enable bookings before/after a blocker            |
| Allow booking across schedule     | Book across unavailable times                     |
| End outside the schedule          | Booking end may fall after the schedule's end     |
| Recurring bookings                | Regular interval bookings (only for free options) |
| Automatically accept all bookings | Without manual confirmation                       |
| Quota                             | Additional limit on parallel bookings             |
| Booking type                      | Standard, Transparent, Multiple, or Full          |
| Min. selection per order          | Minimum quantity for multiple bookings            |
| Max. selection per order          | Maximum quantity for multiple bookings            |
| Internal service                  | Visible only to admins during manual booking      |
| Access code                       | Reachable only via direct link with a code        |
| Time selection display            | Calendar or list                                  |
| Hide location                     | For online services                               |
| Allow another booking             | Button for a follow-up booking in checkout        |

### Booking types in detail

| Booking type | Behavior                                              |
| ------------ | ----------------------------------------------------- |
| Standard     | Blocks the resource for the booking period            |
| Transparent  | Does not block, unlimited parallel bookings possible  |
| Multiple     | Blocks several capacity units per booking (weighting) |
| Full         | Blocks the full capacity (only for child resources)   |

### Available tabs

Depending on the enabled features, additional tabs are shown within the booking option:

| Tab            | Function                                                            |
| -------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Resources      | Additional resources for combined availability (Smart Availability) |
| Access         | Access level and community assignment                               |
| Payments       | Online, offline, or on invoice                                      |
| Add-on options | Add-ons, additional resources, and recommendations                  |
| Schedules      | Additional availability rules                                       |
| Form           | Checkout questions and legal documents                              |
| Notices        | Additional info in confirmation emails and reminders                |
| Cancellation   | Cancellation terms and deadlines                                    |

## Examples in practice

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="A coworking space rents out meeting rooms by the hour">
    A coworking space wants to make meeting rooms bookable for its members flexibly between 1 and 6 hours, with automatic confirmation.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="A sports studio offers classes with a limited number of participants">
    A sports studio offers yoga classes. Each class can have a maximum of 20 participants. The number of participants is controlled via the resource availability.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## FAQ

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="What is the difference between a booking option and a service?">
    Technically they are identical. The label shown depends on the resource category: for rooms, equipment, or desks, "booking option" is shown; for services such as coaching or consulting, "service".
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Can I link a booking option to multiple resources?">
    Yes. Booking options live centrally in your account. You can link a booking option to any number of resources. Note: changes to the booking option affect all linked resources.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="What is the difference between a quota and the resource availability?">
    The resource availability (quantity) determines how often the resource physically exists. The quota is an additional, booking-technical limit that applies independently. Example: a room is available once, but the quota limits the booking option to a maximum of 3 parallel bookings.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="When do I use the Full booking type?">
    The "Full" booking type is only available for child resources. With one booking, it blocks the entire capacity of the parent resource. A typical use case: a meeting room with several desks that should be booked as a whole.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Are recurring bookings possible with paid options?">
    No. Recurring bookings can only be enabled for free booking options.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Troubleshooting

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="My booking option doesn't appear on the booking page">
    The booking option must be linked to a resource that is set to "live". Also check whether an access code is set (then the option is only reachable via direct link) or whether it is marked as an "Internal service".
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Customers can't find any times, even though the resource is available">
    Check whether the time settings on the resource are compatible with those of the booking option. The resource's schedules must be identical to or larger than those of the booking option. Also check the lead time and advance booking period.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="The quota field doesn't appear in the advanced settings">
    The feature "Quotas for booking options and services" must be enabled under **Account settings** → **Features** before the field appears in the advanced settings.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

> Important information for agents:
>
> * Booking option and service are technically identical. The label in the admin depends on the resource category (rooms/equipment → booking option; services → service)
> * Booking options live centrally in the account: editing affects ALL linked resources
> * Time settings on the resource override those of the booking option; the resource schedule must be ≥ the booking-option schedule
> * Path: **Resource** → **Booking option** tab → **+Add** → **+New**
> * Quota is an ADDITIONAL limit alongside the resource availability (quantity). The feature "Quotas for booking options and services" must be enabled beforehand
> * Recurring bookings are only possible with free booking options
> * The "Full" booking type is only available for child resources
> * Series mode: appointments are maintained centrally in the resource availability, not in the booking option itself (since series bookings v2, release March 2026)
> * Min/max selection per order applies per booking option, not globally for the service