Handling an early arrival before a booking is confirmed

Create a provisional stay, then confirm

When a client calls or messages that they are on the way but the booking isn’t confirmed in the calendar, open Stays, choose New Stay, and set the status to Provisional if those options exist. Pick the dog, the service type (daycare or boarding), and the expected start date. Record the tentative reservation in the day’s notes.

Convert to confirmed when the owner arrives

At drop-off, open the provisional stay, verify the dog and owner, then tap Confirm if available. The badge may disappear, the capacity counter may increment, and the stay may move into the normal workflow. If the owner cancels or no-shows, remove the provisional stay if deletion is supported — no ghost booking remains.

Worked example

Call at 7:45 AM: “We’re five minutes out for daycare, but I didn’t book online.” Staff action: New Stay → Dog: “Milo” → Service: Daycare → Date: Today → Status: Provisional. Arrival at 7:55 AM: Owner checks in. Staff open Milo’s provisional stay, tap Confirm. Milo moves to In the Building. Verify the day’s count manually.

Decision rule

• Provisional = owner en route, no confirmed booking.
• Confirmed = owner on site, dog verified.
• Delete = owner cancels or no-show after 30 minutes. Remove the tentative reservation from the day’s notes.

Exception

If the facility is at capacity, do not create a provisional stay. Instead, add the dog to the waitlist note on the day’s calendar view and tell the owner you’ll call if a spot opens. Record the waitlist in the day’s notes.

Related: Dog Daycare Manager features.