Group bookings

A group booking is a price that sells several of a session's spaces together as one purchase - a "bring a friend" or "group of 4" rate. It fills a fixed block of spaces while the rest of the session stays open for other customers, unlike private hire, which takes the whole session. Group is one of the three price types, and it works on any session, repeating or one-off.

Add a group price

1. 1
   Open the session on Sessions. In Prices & offers, choose Add a space or group price, then Create new.
2. 2
   Pick the Group type and set how many spaces the block takes (for example, 4 for a "group of 4").
3. 3
   Give it a name, like "Bring a friend", and an optional description. Set the price for the whole block (0 for free) and save.

The customer pays for the block as one unit, not per space. A block can be larger than your usual per-booking limit - the limit only caps how many single tickets one customer stacks, not the spaces inside one group purchase.

Capacity and capping

A group price only shows at checkout when the session has enough spaces left for the whole block. For example, on a session with 8 spaces, a "group of 4" can be sold while at least 4 remain. Once 5 are taken, the group price disappears and customers can still book the remaining 3 as standard tickets. The session editor flags a price that could never fit, like a "group of 10" on a session that seats 8.

How customers manage a group booking

• Cancelling and rescheduling - customers can cancel or move a group booking themselves under your cancellation and reschedule policy, like a standard booking.
• Adding or removing spaces - the +/- spaces control is hidden for a group booking, because the block has no per-space price. To change the group size, the customer cancels and rebooks, or you adjust it as staff from the booking details panel.
• Buying a block with other prices - a block is bought on its own. Picking any other price at checkout, including a membership, replaces the block. While a block is selected, the other prices show an empty circle to signal it's one or the other, and a membership says "Replaces" and the block's name. If a customer has already picked other prices, the block says "Replaces your ticket selection".

In admin, a group line reads as the block and its price - for example, "Bring a friend (3 spaces) - £20".

To charge a different group price on one date, change it in that date's Prices section - see override a single session.

Two saunas: hire one while the other runs

If you have two saunas at one site, a group price lets customers hire one of them privately while the other keeps selling seats. Set the session's spaces to both saunas together, add a standard price for seats, then add a group price the size of the sauna for hire. For example, with an 8-seat and a 6-seat sauna, set 14 spaces and add "Small sauna private hire" as a group of 6:

• A hire of the small sauna leaves 8 seats on sale.
• While 8 or fewer seats are sold, the hire stays on offer.
• Once a 9th seat sells, the hire disappears, because the small sauna is now needed for seats.

Use a group price here, not private hire, which closes the whole session to everyone else. Customers aren't told which sauna they're in, so allocate on arrival.

Run a bring-a-friend offer with a code

A discount code can't require a minimum number of spaces on its own. To discount only bookings of 2 or more - say, buy one, get one half price for one weekend - pair it with a group price:

1. 1
   On the session, add a Group price of 2 spaces at the normal price of two spaces, say "Bring a friend".
2. 2
   In Offers → Discounts, click Add discount, choose Share a code and % off, and set 25%.
3. 3
   Under Applies to, choose Choose prices and tick only that group price.
4. 4
   To limit it to dates, under Dates and times set Session dates to Between dates, say Saturday to Sunday.

25% off two spaces is one full price and one half price. The code is refused on a solo booking and outside its dates. At the normal price of two spaces, the group price costs the same as two singles, so it can stay on other dates. Spaces per booking at 1 space under Usage discounts one space on any booking instead, which is simpler but works for someone booking alone.

Common questions

1. What's the difference between a group price and letting someone book several spaces? Standard tickets are priced per space, up to your per-booking limit. A group price sells a fixed block at one set price.

2. A group price won't appear at checkout - what's wrong? Check the price is on that session and that the session has enough remaining spaces for the whole block. Group is only offered on sessions with 3 or more spaces.

3. A customer wants the group rate and an extra space or two - can they do that in one booking? Not in one checkout. They book the block first, then book the extra spaces on the same session using the same email address. Both arrive on a single booking with the right total, so you see one party rather than two.