What this page is for
Bookings is part of the core of CityLights: it is always on and included in every licence. It records every stay at your properties (guest, dates, platform, amounts, payments and status). Licensed modules such as the booking website, finance and reports build on it.
Who can use it
- Changing its settings needs Change organisation and module settings.
- Day-to-day use is controlled by the View, Add, Edit, Delete and Export bookings permissions, and the View, Record and Delete booking payments permissions.
How to set it up
- Check the platforms under Master data and tick Platform collects payment for platforms that take the guest's money.
- Check the payment methods under Master data.
- Open Modules, then Settings on the Bookings card, and choose the options below.
How to split stays by calendar month
A stay from 28 July to 3 August earns money in two months. Tick Split stays that cross a month end to record it as one booking per calendar month, each with its share of the gross, fee and net by nights. It is off until you tick it. Optionally list the only platforms to split, e.g. AIRBNB, BOOKING_COM. New and changed stays are split straight away; stays already in the system are split overnight. Unticking stops further splitting; stays already split stay as they are.
Fields and columns
| Setting | What it does | Default |
|---|---|---|
| Warn about overlapping bookings | Ask before saving a booking that takes nights already booked | On |
| Bookings list shows (months) | Months of check-ins shown when no dates are chosen | 1 |
| Split stays that cross a month end | One booking per calendar month, amounts shared by nights | Off |
| Only split these platforms | Platform codes from Lists, comma-separated | Empty = every platform |
Statuses and automation
- Adds the Bookings menu link, the Arrivals and departures dashboard card, bookings in search, and the Payments card on every booking.
- When splitting is on: the first part keeps the booking, later parts carry the reference plus
-YYYYMM, the last part takes any rounding difference, payments stay on the first part, and deleting the first part deletes the whole stay. - Bookings can't be switched off, because other modules depend on it.
Settings that change this page
The settings above, under Module settings.
FAQs
Can I delete a property with bookings? No. Offboard it instead.
Does splitting change the booking on the platform? No. It only changes how CityLights records the stay.
Troubleshooting
| Problem | What to do |
|---|---|
| A long stay wasn't split | Check the setting is ticked and the platform is listed (or the list is empty). Older stays are split overnight. |