The problem
In August and at Christmas every run is spoken for, and a late cancellation is a run you turned someone else away for. If a 20-run kennel has 3 late cancellations a week in 10 peak weeks a year, each a 7-night stay at $37£28€33A$54C$53 a night, that's $782£588€700A$1,129C$1,105 a peak week, $7,820£5,880€6,997A$11,290C$11,054 a year.
What the AI does
KennelBooker's online booking portal shows owners live availability and lets them pay a set amount, a deposit or the full stay when they book, processed by Stripe. Up to two peak rates, mid-season and high-season, are applied automatically to each day of a booking, and cancellation charges and late checkout fees can be set to apply automatically. When no single run is free it checks whether a stay can be split across runs, and its booking wait-list shows which waiting bookings fit when a cancellation comes in. Put your deposit and cancellation terms on the booking page in plain words.
A worked example
A 20-run boarding kennel near Chelmsford takes peak bookings by phone with no deposit. In about 10 peak weeks a year, 3 stays a week are canceled within a few days of arrival, too late to resell.
Before
3 late cancellations x 7 nights x $37£28€33A$54C$53 = $782£588€700A$1,129C$1,105 a peak week, $7,820£5,880€6,997A$11,290C$11,054 a year, about $652£490€583A$941C$921 a month averaged
After
With a 30% deposit kept on late cancellations: about $234£176€209A$338C$331 a peak week, $2,346£1,764€2,099A$3,387C$3,316 a year, about $196£147€175A$282C$276 a month averaged
What it's worth
About $196£147€175A$282C$276 a month kept, averaged over the year, if the same 3 late cancellations a peak week forfeit a 30% deposit (about $234£176€209A$338C$331 a peak week x 10 weeks = $2,346£1,764€2,099A$3,387C$3,316 a year, divided by 12). A kept deposit carries almost no cost, so it is counted in full. The Beagle plan for up to 30 runs is $70.48£52.99€63.06A$101.74C$99.62 a month excluding VAT, about $85£64€76A$123C$120 with VAT.
How to set it up
- Start the 14-day trial on the plan for your number of runs; Beagle covers up to 30.
- Set your nightly rates and your two peak rates with their dates, then check a test booking across Christmas is priced correctly.
- Write your deposit and cancellation terms, set the matching deposit and cancellation charge, and show the terms on the booking page.
- Connect Stripe so the deposit is taken when the owner books online.
- Add the booking link to your website and Facebook page, and ask phone bookers to complete their booking online so the deposit rule applies to them too.
What goes wrong
- Deposits and cancellation charges must be clear and fair before the owner pays; a charge buried in small print may not be enforceable.
- Stripe's card fees come off every deposit, on top of the plan price.
- A wait-list only helps if someone contacts the waiting owners promptly when a run frees up.
- Bookings taken over the phone and never entered online escape the deposit rule unless you take payment another way.