Without booking requests, any member can book a meeting room that you keep for client meetings. You see the booking only after Flex confirms it. Booking requests add an admin check to each booking. The member asks for the time slot. An admin then approves or declines the booking request. Until an admin approves the booking request, Flex creates no fee. Flex also deducts no credits and no coins until then.

Booking requests come from booking policies. When a booking policy has Request Approval turned on, each booking that a member makes on a resource with that booking policy waits for an admin. A booking policy controls a resource through its resource's rate.

A booking request exists only when a booking policy asks for approval. Set up these items before you start:

Flex creates a booking request when a member books a resource whose resource rate uses a booking policy with Request Approval turned on. When a member creates a booking for a resource that requires admin approval, the system creates a booking with the status "Tentative". Flex treats this tentative booking as a calendar blocker, and it must be confirmed and charged later.

Booking requests apply to bookings that members make on the Member Portal and on the mobile apps. Booking policies do not apply to bookings that admins make on the Admin Portal. For this reason, a booking that an admin makes never becomes a booking request.

When the member books a resource that requires approval, these things happen:

A booking request is a placeholder. While a booking is tentative, Flex does not create a booking fee. Flex also deducts no credits and no coins. No purchase flow runs, and no invoice is generated. All of these things happen only when an admin approves the booking request.

Each booking request stays Tentative until an admin acts on it. The admin email notification tells you that a new booking request exists. The email has no link to the booking request. You act on the booking request from the Admin Portal.

Use the calendar to find a booking request by its resource and its time slot. To open a booking request from the calendar:

On the calendar, a booking request shows a question mark icon before the member or company name. A confirmed booking shows no question mark icon. A booking from a recurring booking request also shows a recurrence icon.

A member profile or company profile shows only that customer's bookings. Use a profile to find a customer's booking requests. To open a booking request from a profile:

In the Edit Booking dialog, a booking request has the Tentative checkbox selected. The Booking Fee field shows Tentative instead of an amount.

The booking request is now open in the Edit Booking dialog. Approve the booking request to confirm the time slot for the member. Decline the booking request to free the time slot for other members.

When you approve a booking request, Flex confirms the booking. Flex also starts the billing for the booking at that moment. To approve a booking request:

Decline a booking request when you do not want the member to have the time slot. A declined booking request costs the member nothing.

To decline a booking request:

The Booking Canceled email is the same email that a member gets for any canceled booking. The email does not say that an admin declined the booking request. The email also gives no reason. To explain your decision, contact the member directly.

A single booking request has 1 time slot. A recurring booking request has 1 time slot for each occurrence. Flex creates a separate booking for each occurrence of a recurring booking request. You open each occurrence on its own, the same way you would a single booking request. When you approve or decline an occurrence, you choose the scope of the change. The change applies to that occurrence only, or to that occurrence and all upcoming occurrences in the same recurrence.

A booking request costs nothing while it waits. After approval, Flex bills the booking the same way it bills any other booking. When you approve a booking request, Flex does these things:

The purchase flow decides whether the booking fee goes on an invoice at approval. The purchase flow options give these results:

When a purchase flow generates the invoice at approval, the member cannot cancel the booking on the Member Portal. Invoiced bookings cannot be canceled.

A declined booking request never gets a cancellation fee. To charge the fee from your cancellation policy, you must approve the booking request first.

When you approve the booking request, Flex runs the purchase flow that applies to the member. If that purchase flow has Charge invoice immediately selected, Flex charges the booking fee before you cancel the booking. To charge a cancellation fee for a booking request:

Set up a cancellation policy that charges for late cancellations →

Each booking request waits until an admin decides. If nobody approves a booking request before its start time, the booking request lapses. Members can't cancel or edit a lapsed booking.

The Automatic tentative booking cancellation setting cancels unapproved booking requests at a set time before they start. The setting applies to your whole organization. To set the automatic cancellation:

If you keep the default value, Flex never cancels booking requests automatically. Learn what happens to lapsed bookings →

These practices keep booking requests from blocking resources for too long.

Why does the member see Requires Approval instead of a price?

The member sees Requires Approval instead of a price because Flex calculates the booking fee only at approval. Until an admin approves the booking request, the booking request has no fee.

Does a booking request use the member's credits or coins?

A booking request uses no credits and no coins while the booking is Tentative. Flex deducts credits or coins only when an admin approves the booking request.

Does a booking request run my purchase flow?

A booking request runs the purchase flow only when an admin approves it. Until approval, Flex generates no invoice and charges nothing.

Why did a booking that I made skip the approval?

A booking an admin makes on the Admin Portal skips approval because booking policies apply only to bookings members make. Members make these bookings on the Member Portal and on the mobile apps.

Why is a booking Tentative when its resource does not need approval?

A booking can be Tentative without Request Approval when it's an occurrence of a recurring booking more than 2 months ahead. Flex confirms such an occurrence automatically 2 months before its date. Learn how Flex accounts for future bookings →

Can I charge a cancellation fee when I decline a booking request?

You can charge a cancellation fee for a booking request only after you approve the booking request. A cancellation policy has no effect on a Tentative booking, even if you select Apply cancellation policy.

What is the difference between Cancel Booking and Delete?

Cancel Booking keeps a record of the booking with the status Canceled. Delete removes the booking from Flex permanently. Use Cancel Booking to decline a booking request, so the member's booking history keeps a record.

Does the member know that I declined the booking request?

The member does not learn from Flex that an admin declined the booking request. The member receives a Booking Canceled email, the same email as for any canceled booking. The member gets the email only if Send notification is selected when you cancel the booking.