Overview
Reservations are a core element of managing your property's inventory. When a reservation is created, a room is held for your guest to prevent others from booking it. The room availability automatically adjusts and your connected channels reflect this new availability, reducing the chance of overbooking.
Reservations can be created by guests (through connected channels or your direct booking engine) or manually through Little Hotelier. All reservations (past, present and future) are displayed on the Calendar.
Managing reservations effectively helps you maintain accurate guest records for future reference and generate detailed reports.
Finding reservations
You can locate reservations in two places:
Calendar: Search by check-in or check-out dates
Reservations: Search by reservation details
Creating a reservation
When to create manual reservations
While most bookings come automatically through OTAs and your booking engine, you'll need to create manual reservations for walk-in guests, direct bookings via phone or email, travel agency bookings, or handling overflow from partner properties.
How to create a reservation
From Calendar: Use the +Reservation button or click and drag on the Calendar
From Reservations: Click +Create reservation
Reservation details
General information: Check-in/out dates, room type, rate plan, room number, guest numbers, pricing and discounts
Primary contact details: Name (mandatory), contact information, payment details, arrival time, ID documents, marketing consent and special requests
Editing reservations
Little Hotelier provides several tabs to manage different aspects of a reservation:
Details tab: Modify dates, room type, rate plan, guest numbers, pricing and primary contact information
Guests tab: Manage additional guests and set primary guest
Inclusions tab: View rate plan inclusions
Extra items tab: Add and manage extra selling items
Payments tab: Process payments, handle refunds and track deposits
Notes tab: Add internal notes and document special requests
Invoices tab: Generate and manage invoices
Managing reservation status
Available statuses:
Confirmed: Default status for new reservations
Checked-in: Guest has arrived and keys provided
Checked-out: Guest has departed and room ready for cleaning
To change a status, open the reservation, use the status dropdown in the bottom right corner and save changes.Status changes are reflected through different colours on the Calendar.
Cancelling reservations
Only Confirmed reservations can be cancelled directly. Checked-in/ out reservations require a status change first. Cancellations are permanent and cannot be undone.
To cancel a reservation:
Open the reservation
Click Cancel Booking on the Details tab
Click Yes, I'm sure to confirm
For reservations made through connected booking channels, guests must cancel through their original booking platform and channels will automatically update your inventory. Manual updates may be required if a channel doesn’t send automatic updates.
Processing payments with Little Hotelier Pay
Process payments directly:
Open the reservation
Navigate to the Payments tab
Click Process Payment
Enter the payment amount and card details
Click Process
Payment card details are automatically deleted seven days after checkout in compliance with PCI DSS regulations.
Best practices
Regular monitoring: Check Calendar daily, review upcoming arrivals, verify payment statuses
Data accuracy: Double-check all booking details and room assignments
Payment management: Process deposits promptly and keep payment records updated
Guest communication: Confirm bookings and keep guests informed of any changes
Important notes:
Always update to Checked-out status when guests depart
Verify availability before creating manual reservations
Keep guest comments separate from internal notes
Never include credit card information in comments or notes
Review local legal requirements for guest information collection
Generate invoices only after finalising reservation details
Reservations cannot be deleted, only cancelled
Cancelled reservations disappear from Calendar but remain accessible in Reservations
Room becomes available for new bookings after cancellation
Monitor email notifications for manual update requirements from channels