A manual booking is a reservation you add to Hospitable yourself — useful when a friend is staying at your property, or when a guest books through a platform that isn't integrated with Hospitable.
If you need to change a reservation from another platform, read Altering Reservations From Airbnb, VRBO, or Booking.com.
⚠️ Manual bookings are not the same as Direct bookings. If you're not sure which one you need, see Difference between Manual Bookings and Direct Bookings.
How manual bookings work
Just like reservations from a connected channel, manual reservations can use your automated messages, smart lock codes, and tasks. For allow this, make sure the relevant messaging rules are scoped to the Manual platform.
All payments for manual reservations are handled by you (the host) outside of Hospitable. Hospitable will not charge, capture, or refund funds on a manual booking.
How to create a manual booking
You can create a manual booking from either the Inbox or the Calendar.
🚫 Manual bookings cannot be created over existing reservations. If any of the dates you want to book are already taken on Airbnb, Agoda, Booking.com, Vrbo, or Hospitable's Direct booking platform, the manual booking will be blocked. Hospitable does not allow hosts to intentionally create a double booking.
Create a manual booking from the Inbox
Go to the Inbox.
Click + Add booking.
Select Add a manual booking.
Fill out the required information: property, dates, guest name and contact details, and number of guests.
Click Create booking.
💡 If the selected property has a limited calendar, you'll see Continue instead of Create booking. The next page reminds you that Hospitable cannot automatically block these dates on your connected channels. Review the reminders, then click Create booking.
Create a manual booking from the Calendar
Go to the Calendar.
Select the dates.
Near the bottom of the right-hand panel, click + Add booking.
Select Add a manual booking.
Fill out the required information: property, dates, guest name and contact details, and number of guests.
Only one guest email address can be added per manual reservation.
Click Create booking.
How to alter a manual booking
You can edit a manual booking's dates, guest details, number of guests, and financials at any time — before, during, or after the stay.
Alter a manual booking from the Calendar
Click the reservation on the calendar.
In the right-hand panel, click Edit reservation.
Apply the necessary changes.
Click Update booking.
Alter a manual booking from the Inbox
Search for the guest name or reservation code.
Click the conversation thread.
In the left-hand panel, click Edit reservation.
On mobile: tap the three dots in the top-right corner to display the panel.
Apply the necessary changes.
Click Update booking.
How to cancel a manual booking
Manual bookings can be canceled, but only while the reservation is still in the future.
To cancel an upcoming manual booking:
Open the reservation from the Inbox or Calendar.
Click Edit reservation.
Select Cancel booking.
Confirm the cancellation.
You cannot cancel a manual booking once the reservation's dates are fully in the past. If you need to remove a past manual booking, see the FAQ below: Can I cancel or delete a manual booking that has already taken place?
FAQs
Can I cancel or delete a manual booking that has already taken place?
Not directly. Manual reservations can only be canceled if the stay is in the future. A manual booking in the past cannot be canceled or deleted from Hospitable as-is.
If you need to remove a past manual booking for any reason, you have two options:
Edit the dates to a future date, then cancel. Open the reservation → Edit reservation → change the check-in and check-out dates to a date in the future → Update booking. Once the reservation is in the future, you can cancel it using the steps in How to cancel a manual booking above.
Edit the financials instead. If the reason you want to remove the booking is to correct your payout or reporting, you don't need to cancel it. You can edit the financials on any manual booking (past or future) from Edit reservation.
Before choosing an option, it's worth clarifying what you're trying to achieve — correcting the record, removing the stay from reports, or something else — so you can pick the path that matches your goal.
Why can't I just delete a past manual booking?
"Delete" isn't an action Hospitable offers for reservations. Manual bookings are treated like any other reservation in your history, which is why the only way to remove an upcoming one is to cancel it, and past ones remain on the reservation record.
Can I edit the financials on a past manual booking?
Yes. Financials on a manual booking can be edited at any time, regardless of whether the stay is in the past or the future. Open the reservation → Edit reservation → update the financial fields → Update booking.
Will automated messages, smart lock codes, and tasks run on manual bookings?
Yes, as long as your automation rules are scoped to the Manual platform. Check your messaging rules, smart lock settings, and task rules to confirm that Manual is included in the platform scope.
Can I create a manual booking over dates that are already booked?
No. If any of the dates are already reserved on Airbnb, Agoda, Booking.com, Vrbo, or Hospitable's Direct booking platform, Hospitable will not let you create the manual booking. This is intentional — hosts cannot create a double booking through Hospitable.
Does Hospitable process payments for manual bookings?
No. Payments for manual bookings are handled entirely by you, outside of Hospitable. Hospitable does not charge the guest's card, capture authorizations, or issue refunds for manual reservations.
What's the difference between a manual booking and a Direct booking?
They serve different purposes. A manual booking is a calendar entry for a reservation arranged outside of Hospitable — no payment is collected by Hospitable. A Direct booking is a reservation made through your Hospitable Direct booking site. For a full comparison, see Difference between Manual Bookings and Direct Bookings.