Understand the guest journey for a direct booking

This reference helps staff explain what is happening without promising a booking or charge before Holidario confirms it.

Before checkout#

On the listing, the guest chooses arrival, departure, and party size. Holidario checks:

• valid dates and, unless the operation permits it, arrival after today;
• departure after arrival;
• maximum capacity;
• the minimum stay for that date;
• no conflicting reservations or blocks;
• a price for every night and the cleaning fee;
• a valid coupon, when entered.

A visible listing does not mean every combination can be booked. Resolve the displayed message by changing dates, guests, or coupon; do not force it by creating a different reservation in parallel.

Details and terms the guest confirms#

Checkout recalculates totals on the server. It requests name, email, phone, acceptance of terms, and a payment method; some providers may require additional personal details. Marketing consent is separate from the booking.

When the agency has configured General Booking Conditions, the guest can open them from the acceptance itself. On checkout submission, Holidario retains the exact accepted text, its fingerprint, language, and time as evidence. If the agency changes the text while checkout is open, submission stops so the guest can open and review the new version; that attempt does not confirm a booking or payment.

Before payment, the guest sees the rental, dates, party size, breakdown, discount, cancellation policy, and office contact where configured. Available gateways depend on the agency's setup.

Never ask a guest to send a complete card number, security code, banking password, or screenshot containing those details by email or messaging.

When a reservation exists#

Two outcomes must not be confused:

• Booking confirmed: a reference appears, Holidario creates the reservation, sends a confirmation email, and offers View Booking.
• Payment being verified: the page says the bank is processing it and asks the guest not to make another payment. Staff must not promise a second reservation or repeat checkout yet.

An incomplete payment session can expire. An error page or return to the homepage without a reference does not prove whether the bank moved funds; reconcile the state before requesting another attempt.

What the guest can do afterwards#

The View Booking link in the email and confirmation opens a panel containing:

• reference, property, dates, party size, and total;
• submitted contact details;
• payment status;
• charge date when a card was saved;
• Pay Now for compatible deferred charges;
• policy, cancellation deadline, and cancellation option while allowed;
• office contact details, when configured.

The link contains a hard-to-guess public identifier but opens the panel without sign-in. Treat it as the guest's private link: do not publish it in tickets, open screenshots, or shared documents.

Recover problematic states#

• Dates no longer available: search for alternatives; do not recreate the same stay until you confirm no reservation exists.
• Price unavailable: the agency must fix pricing; refreshing cannot solve it for the guest.
• Booking conditions changed: reopen them in checkout, review the new version, and confirm again before submitting.
• Payment pending: allow verification to finish and use Handle confirmed direct bookings.
• Payment failed: retain time, provider, amount, and message without card details; inspect the record before authorizing another attempt.
• Email missing: verify the address and spam folder, but use the on-screen reference as evidence; do not change a different booking's email.

Escalate to the agency for date, rule, or service issues. Escalate to Holidario for reservation/payment mismatches, repeated gateway errors, or missing confirmation after bank verification has concluded.