What are Latch Bookings?

Latch Bookings offers a convenient way for residents to reserve rooms and resources at their property through the easy-to-use Latch App. With this feature, Property Managers have the ability to create and manage an array of bookable resources and spaces for reservation. Additionally, Property Managers can also link bookable resources with Latch access control devices, automatically providing residents with temporary access credentials to their booked spaces for the duration of their booking.

The process is seamless, as residents can browse and book these resources all from within the Latch App, without the need for additional hardware. 

Creating a Bookable Resource / Space

To create a new Bookable resource/space:

1. Navigate to 'Manage Settings,' select 'Bookings,' then choose “Create Resource.”
2. Create a Booking Schedule:

   • A schedule reflects the days and hours when resources will be available for residents to book. Selecting specific days will allow those resources to be booked on only those days (Example: Monday - Friday or Saturday-Sunday).

     For each individual day, a unique schedule can be configured. Breaks in the available time slots can be added by clicking the '+' button on the right of a specific day (for example lunch breaks or other blackout periods). Selecting 'Copy to all' will copy the schedule set for the first day across all other days selected.

3. Set the time slot duration:

   • The options of 30 minutes, 1 hour, or 2 hours will divide up the time the resources are available for residents to book into smaller time slots. For example, if you choose 1 hour, the resource will be available for bookings in 1 hour increments (e.g. 8am-9am, 9am-10am, 10am-11am).

   • If you want to set a custom time slot, select "Custom." This will allow residents to book the resource for the entire duration you specify (e.g. 3pm-7pm).

4. Configure the Bookings Settings:
   • Max Time Slots: This is the total number of time slots an individual resident may book the resource/space per day. For example, if 'Max Time Slots' is set to '4' with a 30-minute time slot duration, then a resident would be able to book up to 4 slots for a 30-minute time period each (a total of 2 hours a day). 
   • Max Concurrent Bookings: This is the total number of time slots that different residents can book a resource/space at the same time. This should be used when there is more than one bookable resource/space that does not need to be uniquely identified, for example, if there are four treadmills in the gym. Setting this value to '4' would avoid having to create four individual resources that need to be tracked and managed in Latch Mission Control.
   • Furthest Booking in Advance: This is the furthest in the future a resident can book a resource/space.
5. Additional Information:
   • Any additional information or notes added here will be displayed to the resident who books this resource/space.
6. Email Notifications:
   • When enabled, all property managers will receive an email whenever this resource or space is booked by a resident and if they cancel an upcoming booking. 

Bookings with Access

In the next step, the bookable resource can be associated with specific doors if desired. This will provide automatic access credentials to users booking this space from the start to the end time of their booking, after which their access will automatically end

Associating doors with a bookable resources is done via Spaces - a new way of organizing doors within Latch Mission Control. In order to add a Space here to this bookable resource, you must first create a Space and assign doors to it. 

Creating a Space

1. Navigate to 'Manage Settings,' select 'Manage Spaces,' then choose “Create Space.”
2. Give the space an easily identifiable name, for example "Outdoor Patio"
3. Select the doors you would like to associate this this space (Note: doors can be assigned to multiple spaces)
4. Set the space as "Communal" - Only communal spaces can be associated to bookable resources
5. Click "Create space" - The space can now be added to the bookable resource!

Adding a Space to the Bookable Resource

1. On the second step of 'Create Resource' we can assign the new space under Assign Access. 
2. Click "Add Space"
3. Select the Space that we just created (Outdoor Patio)
4. Click "Add Spaces"

Managing Bookings

Property Managers can view an overview of all bookings by navigating to 'Manage Settings' and choosing 'Bookings.' From this page, managers can edit/delete a resource, view Booking information in detail for a specific resource, or cancel bookings.

The overview page shows the following:

• Time Slots: This is the total number of currently active bookings happening right now.

• Time Slot Duration: This is the time slot setting configured for this resource/space.

• Total Bookings: This is the total number of Bookings made for this resource/space since it was created.

Editing or Deleting a Bookable Resource/Space: 

To edit or delete bookable resources/spaces, select a resource from the list. From there, select “Edit” in the top right and make any necessary changes or choose “Delete resource” at the bottom of the page under the Info tab for that resource/space.

Please note, if you delete a resource/space or edit the schedule, all future bookings that residents have already created for that resource/space will be canceled. Residents will be notified in the Bookings section of the Latch app and via email that their booking has been canceled. 

Putting a Resource into PAUSED state 

Bookable Resources can be put on pause, which means that no new bookings can be made for that resource, but existing bookings will not be canceled and refunded. This can be used to make some changes in the near future to the bookable resources, without canceling all existing bookings.

Viewing Bookings for a Resource/Space:

To view the upcoming schedule for a resource/space, select it from the Bookings overview page, then select the 'Schedule' tab on that resource page

Canceling a specific booking:

To cancel a resident's booking without removing all future bookings, for example, due to required maintenance or repairs, navigate to Resource/Space from the Bookings overview page, then select the 'Schedule' tab. From there, choose the specified day and time slot you'd like to cancel and select "Revoke.” This will cancel this resident’s booking and notify them in the Latch App.