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• How do I set booking limits per day (or per time slot)?

How do I set booking limits per day (or per time slot)?

Booking limits per day are handled by capacity, meaning how many bookings you allow for the same date before it becomes unavailable. This is useful for tours, events, classes, or rentals where you have multiple identical units. In WP Booking System, per-day limits are typically handled with an inventory/capacity approach, where each date has a maximum number of bookings and the date blocks only when capacity is reached. Time-slot (hourly) limits are different and require a time-slot booking system, because WP Booking System is date-based and does not support hourly bookings.

On this page

1. Per-day limits vs time-slot limits
2. What you’ll need
3. Step 1: Decide what “capacity” means for your business
4. Step 2: Set the maximum bookings per day (inventory/capacity)
5. Step 3: Show remaining availability to visitors (optional)
6. Step 4: Test the limit on the front-end
7. If you need time slots (hourly bookings)
8. Common issues (and quick fixes)
9. Best practices
10. Mini FAQ

Per-day limits vs time-slot limits

• Per-day limit: allows multiple bookings on the same date until capacity is reached (for example: 10 bookings per day).
• Time-slot limit: allows multiple bookings within the same day, but limited per hour or slot (for example: 2 bookings at 10:00, 2 bookings at 11:00).
• WP Booking System is date-based, so per-day limits are the correct model; time-slot limits require a time-slot booking tool.

What you’ll need

• WP Booking System installed and activated
• A calendar embedded on a page (with a form if you accept bookings)
• An inventory/capacity solution enabled in your setup (if you allow multiple bookings per date)

Step 1: Decide what “capacity” means for your business

Before you configure anything, define what one “booking” represents. Capacity can mean seats, spots, units, or availability of identical resources.

• Tour: 12 seats per day, any number of bookings until 12 seats are filled.
• Class: 8 spots per day, bookings block only when 8 is reached.
• Rental units: 3 identical apartments, bookings block when all 3 are booked for a date.
• Delivery/service: 5 appointments per day (date-based), not time-slot based.

Tip: If you need capacity per night across a range, you still manage it per date because each date in the range must have capacity available.

Step 2: Set the maximum bookings per day (inventory/capacity)

To allow multiple bookings per date, you need a quantity/inventory approach. The idea is that a date remains available until it reaches the maximum number of bookings allowed.

• Enable inventory/capacity for the calendar so dates track quantity.
• Set the maximum bookings per day (for example: 10).
• Decide what happens at capacity: dates should become unavailable or show as fully booked.

Once inventory is configured, embed the calendar normally and test that the date is not blocked after the first booking if capacity is greater than 1.

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Step 3: Show remaining availability to visitors (optional)

If your setup supports it, showing “remaining spots” can reduce low-quality bookings and support emails, because customers can see whether a date still has availability.

• Example: “Only 2 spots left” on a high-demand day.
• Example: “Fully booked” when capacity reaches 0 remaining.
• Example: hide fully booked dates completely to simplify the calendar view.

Tip: If you do not show remaining spots, make sure your booking confirmation message is clear so users understand their booking was recorded.

Step 4: Test the limit on the front-end

Testing is important because per-day limits change how the calendar behaves after multiple bookings.

1. Open the booking page in an incognito/private window.
2. Submit a test booking for a specific date.
3. Submit additional test bookings until you reach the daily maximum.
4. Confirm the date becomes unavailable only after capacity is reached.

Tip: After testing, delete the test bookings so they do not affect real availability.

If you need time slots (hourly bookings)

If your business requires bookings by hour or by time slot (for example: hair salon appointments, consultations, classes at 10:00 and 11:00), you need a time-slot booking solution. WP Booking System is date-based and does not support hourly booking selection, so you should use a plugin designed for appointments and time slots if that is your requirement.

• Use WP Booking System for rentals, day-based bookings, and date-range stays.
• Use an appointment/time-slot plugin for hourly bookings and slot capacity per hour.

Common issues (and quick fixes)

After one booking, the date becomes unavailable (but I want multiple bookings)

• Confirm inventory/capacity is enabled for that calendar.
• Confirm the maximum bookings per day is greater than 1.
• Check whether your workflow blocks dates immediately on submission and treats every booking as “full capacity” by default.

The date remains available even after I reached capacity

• Confirm the inventory decreases correctly when a booking is created (pending vs accepted may matter depending on your workflow).
• Clear cache and test again in an incognito/private window.
• Check whether cancellations or deleted bookings restore capacity as expected.

I want limits per time slot, not per day

• Time-slot limits require an appointment/time-slot plugin, because date-based calendars do not manage hours and slots.
• If your use case can be treated as “per day”, capacity works well and is simpler to manage.

Best practices

• Define capacity clearly (spots, seats, units) and keep it consistent across your pages and emails.
• Decide whether capacity should decrease on “pending” bookings or only on “accepted” bookings, then apply it consistently.
• If you allow multiple bookings per date, consider showing remaining availability to reduce support questions.
• Test capacity behavior after theme/plugin updates and after changes to caching/optimization settings.

Mini FAQ

Can I allow 5 bookings per day for the same calendar?

Yes, if you use an inventory/capacity approach and set the daily maximum to 5, then the date blocks only when all 5 bookings are used.

Does capacity work for date ranges (multi-night bookings)?

Yes, because each date in the selected range must have capacity available. If one date in the range is at capacity, the range should not be available for booking.

Can WP Booking System do hourly bookings with capacity per hour?

No. WP Booking System is date-based and does not support hourly/time-slot selection, so you would need a time-slot appointment plugin for that type of booking.