Changeover guide

How to handle booking changes and cancellations

Treat an amended booking as a decision about an existing stay, with the old dates and the new source still visible.

The short answer

A change or cancellation should be linked to the original booking, checked against its source and reviewed when it conflicts with confirmed work. A second message should not silently create a second clean or erase an independently confirmed stay.

Match the update to the existing stay

Identify the property, original dates, source and sender. If the same complete stay arrives again, record the additional source without adding duplicate work. If dates differ, show both versions to the person making the decision.

Use a stable property identity rather than a name alone.
Retain the received time and original message or file.
Mark what changed: arrival, departure, guests, note or cancellation.

Hold uncertain changes out of the working plan

A phrase such as 'they may leave a day early' is useful information, but it is not a confirmed new checkout. Keep it in review until the owner confirms. The same caution applies when a change overlaps another booking or when two sources disagree.

Show staff the current diary entry and proposed update together.
Ask for confirmation when a cancellation is ambiguous.
Record who accepted or rejected the change.

Tell the team what to act on

Once confirmed, update the diary and make the new changeover date visible in the daily and weekly views. If a booking was cancelled, ensure the work plan no longer presents it as an active clean. Keep the history so the office can answer later questions.

Worked example · illustrative

Illustrative date change

What arrives

The guests at Coastguard Cottage are now leaving on Sunday, not Saturday. The next arrival is still Monday.

What the office does

The office sees the Saturday checkout alongside the proposed Sunday checkout and the source message. After confirmation, the diary uses Sunday and retains the earlier date in the booking history.