Managing Bookings | Guidewinds

Finding Your Bookings

The Bookings Page

Go to Dashboard → Bookings to see all your bookings.

Views Available

List view: See all bookings in a sortable table
Calendar view: See bookings on a calendar (from Dashboard → Calendar)

Filtering & Sorting

Filter your bookings by:

Status: Upcoming, Completed, Cancelled
Date range: This week, this month, custom dates
Trip: Filter by specific trip type
Search: Search by angler name, email, or confirmation number

Pro Tip

Click any column header to sort. Click again to reverse the sort order.

Booking Details

Viewing a Booking

Click any booking to see its full details. You'll see:

Angler information: Name, email, phone
Trip details: What they booked, date, time, duration
Party size: Number of guests
Add-ons: Any extras they selected
Payment status: Paid, deposit only, or unpaid
Special requests: Notes the angler added
Confirmation number: Unique reference for this booking

Booking Status Meanings

Confirmed: Paid and ready to go
Pending: Awaiting payment or manual confirmation
Completed: The trip date has passed
Cancelled: Cancelled by you or the angler
No-show: Angler didn't show up

Communicating with Anglers

Automatic Emails

Guidewinds automatically sends emails to anglers at key moments:

Confirmation: Immediately after booking with all details
Reminder: 24-48 hours before the trip
Follow-up: After the trip (if enabled)

Customize these emails in Settings → Notifications → Email Templates

Sending a Message

To send a custom message to a angler:

Open the booking details
Click "Send Message"
Type your message
Click Send

The angler receives your message via email. Their replies come to your contact email address.

When to Message

Common reasons to reach out:

Confirm meeting location details
Ask about dietary restrictions or special needs
Notify about weather concerns
Send additional preparation tips

Adding Internal Notes

Add private notes that only you can see:

Open the booking
Find the "Internal Notes" section
Add your notes
Save

Use notes for things like "Repeat customer, prefers morning starts" or "Birthday trip - consider special touch."

Making Changes to Bookings

Editing a Booking

You can modify most booking details:

Open the booking
Click "Edit"
Make your changes (date, time, party size, etc.)
Save

Notify the Customer

When you change a booking, the angler is automatically notified. If you're making a significant change (like rescheduling), consider sending a personal message first.

What Can Be Edited?

Date and time
Party size
Add-ons
Angler contact information
Special requests/notes
Payment status (mark as paid, etc.)

What Can't Be Edited?

Payment amount: For refunds or price changes, use the Refund feature or contact the angler about the difference
Trip: To change which trip they booked, cancel and rebook

Rescheduling

To move a booking to a different date:

Open the booking
Click "Reschedule"
Select the new date and time
Confirm

The angler will receive an updated confirmation email with the new date.

Cancelling Bookings

How to Cancel

Open the booking
Click "Cancel Booking"
Choose whether to issue a refund (full, partial, or none)
Add a cancellation reason
Confirm

Refund Options When Cancelling

Full refund: Return 100% of what they paid
Partial refund: Specify an amount (minus cancellation fee, etc.)
No refund: Keep the payment (e.g., for late cancellations per your policy)
Credit for future booking: Offer to reschedule instead

For detailed refund guidance, see our Refunds and Cancellations guide.

Marking Bookings Complete

Automatic Completion

Bookings are automatically marked as "Completed" when the scheduled date passes.

Manual Status Changes

You may need to manually update status in some cases:

No-show: Mark a booking as "No-show" if the angler didn't arrive
Early completion: Mark complete before the date if the trip happened early

Collecting Remaining Balance

If Using Deposits

When anglers pay a deposit (not full amount), you need to collect the balance.

Options:

Send payment link: From the booking details, click "Request Balance" to send a payment link
Auto-charge: Enable automatic balance collection in Settings → Payments to charge the saved card before the trip
Collect at dock: Accept payment in person (cash, card, Venmo, etc.) and mark as paid manually

Recommended

Auto-charging the balance 24-48 hours before the trip is the smoothest approach. No money conversation at the dock, and you're protected if they no-show.

Handling No-Shows

What Qualifies as a No-Show

A no-show is when a angler doesn't arrive for their booking and doesn't contact you to cancel or reschedule.

No-Show Policy

Set your no-show policy in Settings → Booking Policies. Most captains keep the deposit or full payment for no-shows.

Recording a No-Show

Open the booking
Click "Mark as No-Show"
Decide whether to keep or refund their payment
Confirm

Prevent No-Shows

The best defense is prevention:

Require deposits (people with money on the line show up)
Send reminder emails 24-48 hours before
Send a what-to-bring email that keeps them engaged
Confirm meeting location clearly

Tips for Staying Organized

Check Your Dashboard Daily

Your Dashboard shows upcoming bookings at a glance. Make it part of your routine to check it each morning.

Use the Calendar View

The calendar gives you a visual overview of your schedule. Especially helpful when managing multiple bookings per day.

Set Up Notifications

In Settings → Notifications, enable:

Email alerts for new bookings
SMS alerts (optional) for same-day bookings
Daily summary email

Export Your Data

Need booking data for taxes, records, or analysis? See our Exporting Your Data guide.

What's Next?

Understanding Your Dashboard — Get more from your control center
Refunds and Cancellations — Handle payment issues
Customer Portal — What anglers see and can do