Information on the interactive Availability Calendar on the new RMS Booking Engine. 

About the Interactive Availability Calendar

An updated Interactive Availability Calendar is available at the category level in the new RMS Booking Engine. When guests search for stay dates and no availability is found, they see an Availability Calendar showing when that category is next available, instead of a blank "no availability" message.

Use this when you want guests who hit a no-availability result to be offered alternative dates rather than a dead end, and when you need to control which rate the calendar displays.

Before you begin, you will need access to Setup > Online Bookings > Online Options in RMS, and the new RMS Booking Engine in use for the property. The calendar is a standard part of the new Booking Engine and cannot be switched off.

Important! The Interactive Availability Calendar will display rates and Stop Sells/availability. Restrictions such as Closed to Arrival and MLOS (Minimum Length of Stay) will not display on the calendar. These restrictions will still be respected when guests search and attempt to book.

Click on Get Started below to start the quick guide.

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Please Note! RMS is highly configurable. Some Terminology, User Access & Permissions, Images, Labels, and Functions used in these articles may differ from your setup. CLICK HERE to find out more.

Terminology

• Stop Sell - A restriction that prevents new bookings from being made for a specific rate, category, or date, even if inventory is available.
• MLOS (Minimum Length of Stay) - A restriction that requires bookings to be at least a certain number of nights.

How the Interactive Availability Calendar Works on the RMS Booking Engine

When a guest searches and no availability is found for their selected dates, the RMS Booking Engine will:

• Display a category-level availability calendar. Rather than showing "no availability", guests see a calendar for that specific category, for example Cabin, Villa, or Powered Site. The calendar shows future dates where that category has available inventory.
• Show categories that are not available in a clearer way. Categories that have no availability for the searched dates can still be displayed under a "Not Available" section, so guests can see what the property normally offers even when it is not available for their current search.
• Allow guests to re-search using the calendar. Guests can select a date in the availability calendar to update their search, adjusting their plans based on what is actually available.

What a guest sees when no availability is found:

• A message such as "We couldn't find availability for your selected dates. Try another date from the calendar below."
• A category-level calendar showing dates with available inventory for that specific category.
• A "Not Available" section, where applicable, listing categories that are not available for the searched dates but still exist at the property.

The guest can then select an alternate date on the calendar, see updated availability, and proceed to book as normal.

Benefits of the Availability Calendar for Your Property

• Reduced drop-offs. A customer is less likely to abandon the booking journey when they see clear future options instead of a hard "no availability" message.
• More bookings from flexible travellers. Many guests are willing to adjust their dates when they can see what is available. The calendar makes this visual.
• Better communication of what you offer. Even when nothing is available for the current dates, guests can still see which categories your property normally sells, providing reassurance and encouraging them to try different dates.

Configure the Interactive Availability Calendar

Both settings below are on the same screen. In the side menu of RMS, go to Setup > Online Bookings > Online Options and navigate to the Page Settings tab.

Set the Lead Rate Type

The Interactive Availability Calendar uses your Lead Rate Type to determine which rate, and which rate values, are displayed to guests.

1. In Lead Rate Type, choose the rate type you want the calendar to use when displaying rates.
2. Select Save.

Please Note! The tickbox for "Use Availability Calendar" in Online Options is a legacy setting for the previous Booking Engine. On the new RMS Booking Engine, this checkbox does not disable the Interactive Availability Calendar. The calendar is always enabled as part of the Booking Engine experience.

Set the No Availability Message

You can customise the message guests see when no availability is found.

1. Enter your preferred text in the No Availability Custom Message field.
2. Select Save.

The custom message displays above the Interactive Availability Calendar when there is no availability for the searched dates.

FAQs

Q: Will guests see prices on the calendar?
A: The calendar focuses on displaying availability. Rates will display as per the selection made in the Lead Rate Type dropdown in Online Options. Alternatively, rates will continue to display in the standard results once the guest selects a date and the search is re-run.

Q: Does this impact performance for large properties?
A: The feature is designed to use your existing availability data. As with any availability-heavy feature, RMS monitors performance and optimises to support properties with larger inventories.

Q: Can I turn this off if I do not want to show future availability?
A: No. The Interactive Availability Calendar is a standard feature of the new RMS Booking Engine and cannot be disabled on that interface.