Availability and capacity — the rules

Guest, vendor, hotel-partner and reseller bookings do not use the same checks.

Availability answers two questions: can guest see a time slot, and can booking be accepted at confirmation? R3 covers visibility. R6 covers confirmation.

Availability types

Availability type	Meaning
Unlimited	No capacity limit.
Limited by bookings	Each booking uses one place, regardless of guest count.
Limited by seats	Each guest uses one seat.
Needs approval	The time slot stays visible; vendor decides whether to accept it.

Rules

ID	Rule	What it means
AVL-001	Availability type per time slot	Every time slot has one availability type. See definitions above.
AVL-002	Capacity follows availability type	Limited by bookings counts bookings. Limited by seats counts guests. remaining = capacity − used.
AVL-003	Guest visibility follows party size	Guest sees a time slot when it can take the whole party. Unlimited and Needs approval slots stay visible. Visible does not mean capacity exists.
AVL-004	Time slot must fit the minimum party	A Limited by seats slot is unavailable when remaining seats are below the vendor's minimum party size.
AVL-005	Needs approval applies to whole booking	If any item or add-on uses Needs approval, the whole booking needs approval. Otherwise it confirms automatically.
AVL-006	Checkout checks availability again	A time slot can sell out after it is added to cart. Before guest, hotel-partner, or reseller checkout confirms, check every item again. Stop booking if any item is no longer available.
AVL-007	Vendors can override availability	Dashboard shows remaining availability for every time slot. Vendor can still book a full slot; that booking still counts against availability.

Booking paths

Booking path	What it checks
Guest, vendor page	Availability and price; selected time slots decide approval.
Vendor dashboard	Shows every time slot and remaining availability; vendor can still book a full slot.
Hotel partner	Availability and price; selected time slots decide approval.
Partner reseller	Rechecks every item at confirmation; stops if any item is no longer available.
Concierge	Rule not written yet.

Checks

Check	Expected
Limited by bookings slot has one place left	One booking fits, regardless of party size.
Limited by seats slot has three places left; party has four	Slot is not bookable.
Needs approval slot is full	Slot remains visible; booking needs approval.
Any item or add-on needs approval	Whole booking needs approval.
Time slot sells out after it enters cart	Checkout stops booking before confirmation.
Vendor books a full time slot	Booking is allowed and still counts against availability.
Partner booking has two items; one sells out	Partner checkout stops booking before confirmation.

Rules still needed

• Whether a slot is held while someone is paying.
• Cut-off times, lead times and booking-window rules.
• Blackout dates and recurring-schedule overrides.
• Time-zone ownership for booking dates.
• When cancellation returns capacity.