Effectively managing bookings is essential for running a successful short-term rental. Haven provides tools to help you handle reservations efficiently.
Viewing Bookings
Access your bookings from:
- Host Dashboard - Overview of all bookings
- Property Pages - Bookings for specific properties
- Bookings Section - Detailed booking management
Each booking shows:
- Guest information - Name, contact details
- Dates - Check-in and check-out dates
- Property - Which property is booked
- Status - Current booking status
- Payment - Payment status and amount
- Details - Number of guests, special requests
Booking Statuses
Requested
- Guest has submitted a booking request
- Awaiting your approval (if instant book is disabled)
- Guest has not yet paid
Approved
- You have approved the booking request
- Guest can now proceed to payment
- Booking is not confirmed until payment is received
Confirmed
- Payment has been received
- Booking is fully confirmed
- Property is reserved for the guest
Cancelled
- Booking was cancelled
- Refund status shown
- Dates may be available again
Completed
- Stay has ended
- Historical booking record
Damage Protection
Haven can screen bookings and apply damage protection through Truvi. Learn how the integration works in Damage protection and review common billing, evidence, and screening questions in the Damage protection FAQ.
Managing Bookings
Instant Book vs. Approval Required
Haven supports two booking modes:
Instant Book:
- Guests can book immediately without approval
- Payment is processed right away
- Booking is confirmed upon successful payment
Approval Required:
- Guests submit booking requests
- You review and approve or reject
- After approval, guest completes payment
- Booking is confirmed upon successful payment
Approving Booking Requests
- Review booking request - Check guest information and dates
- Verify availability - Ensure property is available
- Approve - Click approve to allow guest to proceed to payment
- Guest pays - Guest completes payment after approval
- Booking confirmed - Booking is confirmed once payment is received
Cancelling Bookings
- Open booking - Navigate to the booking details
- Cancel - Click cancel booking
- Select reason - Choose cancellation reason
- Process refund - Refund processed according to policy
- Notify guest - Guest receives cancellation notice
Changing Booking Details
Haven does not support modifying existing bookings. If a guest needs to change their reservation (dates, number of guests, etc.), they must:
- Cancel the existing booking - Cancel the current reservation
- Create a new booking - Book again with the desired dates or details
- Refund processed - Original booking refunded according to your cancellation policy
- New booking confirmed - New reservation is created with updated details
This ensures clear pricing and avoids confusion about refunds and charges for changed bookings.
Guest Communication
Sending Messages
- Send email messages to guests through Haven
- Messages are sent via email (not in-app messaging)
- Guests can reply directly to your email
- Send check-in instructions, answer questions, provide local recommendations
Automated Messages
- Welcome messages sent when booking is confirmed
- Check-in instructions emails scheduled automatically
- Booking status updates sent via email
Best Practices
- Respond quickly - Fast responses improve guest experience
- Be clear - Provide clear instructions and information
- Stay organized - Keep track of all bookings
- Communicate proactively - Reach out before check-in
- Document everything - Keep records of communications
Manual Bookings
Haven also supports manual bookings — reservations you create directly from the calendar for guests who booked through other channels (phone, email, or outside of Haven's checkout flow). Manual bookings appear in a distinct sky blue color on your calendar and trigger all the same downstream effects as standard bookings, including guest emails, integration partner sync, and access code provisioning.
See Manual Bookings for full details on creating and managing manual bookings.
Bookings from PMS Integrations
If you use a PMS like Hospitable, reservations from Airbnb, Vrbo, and other channels automatically appear in Haven's calendar as blocked dates. These show the guest name, platform, and number of guests. Haven direct bookings are also pushed to your PMS to prevent double bookings across platforms.
See PMS Integrations Overview for details on setting up two-way reservation sync.
Related Articles