Arketa

Booking windows

Control how far in advance clients can book, when booking closes, and how delayed scheduling and member perks interact.

Booking windows control the time frame in which clients can book a class. You can set how far in advance booking opens, when it closes, and when cancellations are no longer allowed. These settings also interact with delayed scheduling and member perks if you use those features.

The three booking window settings

SettingWhat it controls
Booking opensHow far in advance a client can book. Default: 90 days
Booking closesHow long before class starts booking is cut off. Use a negative value to keep booking open past the start time (e.g., -15 means booking stays open 15 minutes after class starts)
Cancel closesHow far in advance a client must cancel to get a refund. Default: 0 (cancellations not allowed)

Edit your booking windows

  1. Go to Settings → General (or Settings → Booking Windows)
  2. Update the values for classes/events/workshops and private bookings
  3. Changes save automatically

Default settings

Classes, events, and workshops:

  • Booking opens: 90 days in advance
  • Booking closes: -15 (15 minutes after class starts)
  • Cancel closes: 0 (no cancellations by default)

Private bookings:

  • Booking opens: 90 days in advance
  • Booking closes: 48 hours in advance
  • Cancel closes: your global cancellation policy

Delayed scheduling

Delayed scheduling controls when a class appears on the public schedule and becomes bookable — separate from how far in advance the booking window opens. You configure this at the recurring class level, not globally.

Example: Set a recurring class to "drop 7 days before class at noon." Classes exist in the system further out than that, but clients won't see them until 7 days before.

This is great for "schedule drop" studios where all classes for the week open at the same time.

How booking windows and delayed scheduling interact

These two settings can conflict if not configured correctly:

Booking windowDelayed schedulingResult
14 days30 days before classClass appears on schedule 30 days out, but clients can't book until 14 days before
90 days7 days before classClass appears and becomes bookable 7 days before — this is the recommended setup

Best practice: Set your global booking window high (90–180 days) and use delayed scheduling to control when classes become visible. This ensures classes are generated far enough in advance and avoids the situation where a class shows but can't be booked.

Member perks: early booking access

If you want members to be able to book earlier than the general public, use Member Perks → Early Booking Privileges in Settings.

Example setup:

  • Delayed scheduling: classes drop 7 days before class at noon
  • Member perk: 7 days early access for active members
  • Result: members can book 14 days before class; the public can book 7 days before — both at noon

Weekly schedule drop example

Goal: All classes for the following week open every Monday at noon.

Setup:

  1. For each recurring class, set delayed scheduling to: Drop 7 days before class at Monday, 12:00 PM
  2. Set global booking window to 90+ days
  3. Optionally add a member perk for early access

What happens: On Monday January 12 at noon, all classes scheduled for Monday January 19 become bookable at once. Classes for January 26 open on January 19 at noon, and so on.

Frequently asked questions