Seasonal Booking Workflow

The problem

Three guesthouses shared one inbox and a paper diary. Between December and March, staff copied the same guest details into a spreadsheet, a confirmation email and a printed arrival sheet. Double bookings happened twice last season, and the front desk had no way to see which rooms were held on a deposit versus confirmed.

What we changed

We mapped the booking steps onto a single editable sheet set: an enquiry log, a room hold sheet and a weekly arrivals page. Each field is a named layer, so the team can rename columns for shoulder season without breaking the layout. A shared swatch library keeps the printed sheets consistent with the guest-facing confirmation cards.

How it was built

• Enquiry log with separate layers for guest name, stay dates, room type and deposit status.
• Room hold sheet with a colour-coded grid for tentative, confirmed and paid bookings.
• Weekly arrivals page sized for A4 and US Letter, with a print-safe export preset.
• Font substitution notes so the front desk can swap typefaces on office machines.

Where it landed

The group ran the new sheets through one full peak season. Double bookings stopped, and the front desk could hand a printed arrivals page to a relief staff member without a walkthrough. The hold sheet is now the first thing opened each morning.

Related reading: more project write-ups and studio feedback.