Your booking deposit and cancellation policies can be updated within Setup on NightsBridge. You are able to set your policies to reflect recommended industry standards, or you can set up your own.
Select 'Deposit & Booking Policy on Setup
- Select 'Setup' on your Main Menu
- Select 'Deposit & Booking Policy'
Set the Deposit Policy
- Type in the field to enter the deposit percentage require. This will be applied to online bookings via your Booking Engine automatically.
- Use the drop-down menu to select whether one-night stays require 100% of the booking cost as the deposit. Your policy will then require one-nights stays to be settled in full.
- Use the drop-down menu to set whether one-night stays are refundable or not.
- Indicate the shortest booking window that requires full payment as the deposit *.
* You are able to set NightsBridge to override your deposit policy and require a 100% of the booking total if the booking is made a certain amount of days before arrival.
It makes sense to match this number with your cancellation policy.
Example:
The property has a cancellation policy where the guest would forfeit 100% of the booking total should the guest cancel 7 or less days before arrival. So if a booking is made and the booking window is less than 7 days, it would then make sense to require 100% of the booking total as the deposit.
- the booking is essentially already in the last leg of the cancellation policy
Booking policies & external booking channels
- This booking deposit policy will apply to bookings made via your NightsBridge Booking Engine and connected booking channels able to retrieve this information from NightsBridge. Not all booking channels are able to retrieve your deposit and cancellation policy details from NightsBridge.
- We always recommend checking your policies on the connected booking channel directly to ensure they align.
- When a booking channel accepts the deposit payment on your behalf, they may have their own set of deposit rules. Certain channels may provide predefined policies that might not match what you have setup on NightsBridge.
Set your Check-in and Check-out times & Terms and Conditions
Your Check-in and Check-out times, as well as the Terms and Conditions can be updated on HOME.
- Guidance on updating this information is available in our article on How to update the Terms & Conditions for your General Policies
Click to continue to your Cancellation Policy 👇
Set the Minimum Advanced Stay
Your Minimum Advanced Stay settings are now available within your Availability Conditions on HOME.
- Please see our tutorial on How to update your Same-day and Lead Time (Minimum Advanced Stay) settings
Click to continue to your Cancellation Policy 👇
Update your Same-day booking settings
Your same-day booking settings are now available within your Availability Conditions on HOME.
- Please see our tutorial on How to update your Same-day and Lead Time (Minimum Advanced Stay) settings
Click to continue to your Cancellation Policy 👇
Do you want to use industry-standard cancellation policy rules or set up your own?
Set your cancellation policy
- Click on the 'Use Recommended Policy' button
The fields will update with the preset recommended policy settings.
Booking policies & external booking channels
- This booking deposit policy will apply to bookings made via your NightsBridge Booking Engine and connected booking channels able to retrieve this information from NightsBridge. Not all booking channels are able to retrieve your deposit and cancellation policy details from NightsBridge.
- We always recommend checking your policies on the connected booking channel directly to ensure they align.
- When a booking channel accepts the deposit payment on your behalf, they may have their own set of deposit rules. Certain channels may provide predefined policies that might not match what you have setup on NightsBridge.
Each row on the screen follows the same structure:
Forfeit [value] [penalty type] if the guest cancels [number] days before arrival
This means:
- Value = how much is forfeited
- Penalty type = what the penalty is calculated on
- Days before arrival = how close to arrival the cancellation happens
Example:
- Forfeit 100% of Deposit if guest cancels 7 days before arrival
- → If the guest cancels 7 days or less before arrival, they lose their full deposit.
The drop-down menu lets you choose how the cancellation penalty is calculated.
% of Deposit
The penalty is based on the deposit paid.
Example:
- Deposit paid: R1,000
- Penalty: 50% of Deposit
- Guest forfeits: R500
✅ Most commonly used option
✅ Simple and guest-friendly
✅ Ideal if you charge deposits
% of Total
The penalty is based on the full booking value, not just the deposit.
Example:
- Booking total: R6,000
- Penalty: 25% of Total
- Guest forfeits: R1,500
⚠️ Can be higher than the deposit
✅ Useful for peak periods or strict policies
Nights
The penalty is based on a number of nights.
Example:
- Penalty: 2 Nights
- Guest forfeits the value of the first 2 nights
✅ Common for hotels and lodges
✅ Easy to understand for guests
Amount
The penalty is a fixed monetary value.
Example:
- Penalty: R1,000
- Guest always forfeits R1,000, regardless of stay length
✅ Simple flat-fee option
⚠️ Less flexible for different booking sizes
Set your Cancellation Policy
Your cancellation policy tells the system what penalty applies when a guest cancels and how close to arrival the cancellation happens. You're able to what percentage of the deposit or booking total the guest will forfeit when they cancel their booking a set the number of days before arrival.
The cancellation policy is built in steps, starting close to the arrival date and moving further out.
Each line is a rule that tells the system how much of the deposit to keep if a guest cancels within a certain number of days.
How each cancellation rule works
Each row on the screen follows the same structure:
Forfeit [value] [penalty type] if the guest cancels [number] days before arrival
This means:
- Value = how much is forfeited
- Penalty type = what the penalty is calculated on
- Days before arrival = how close to arrival the cancellation happens
Example:
- Forfeit 100% of Deposit if guest cancels 14 days before arrival
- → If the guest cancels 14 days or less before arrival, they lose their full deposit.
Adding or removing cancellation rules
- Click the green '➕' button to add a new rule
- Click the '⛔' button to remove a rule
- Always increase the number of days as you move down the list
- (for example: 7 → 14 → 21 → 30)
For each rule you create:
- enter the value of the percentage or amount
- use the drop-down menu to select the penalty type
- enter the days before arrival
Booking policies & external booking channels
- This booking deposit policy will apply to bookings made via your NightsBridge Booking Engine and connected booking channels able to retrieve this information from NightsBridge. Not all booking channels are able to retrieve your deposit and cancellation policy details from NightsBridge.
- We always recommend checking your policies on the connected booking channel directly to ensure they align.
- When a booking channel accepts the deposit payment on your behalf, they may have their own set of deposit rules. Certain channels may provide predefined policies that might not match what you have setup on NightsBridge.
Best-practice tips
- Keep your policy clear and simple (3–4 rules is usually enough)
- Apply stricter penalties closer to arrival
- Match the penalty type to how you charge guests
(If you take deposits, use % of Deposit)
The drop-down menu lets you choose how the cancellation penalty is calculated.
% of Deposit
The penalty is based on the deposit paid.
Example:
- Deposit paid: R1,000
- Penalty: 50% of Deposit
- Guest forfeits: R500
✅ Most commonly used option
✅ Simple and guest-friendly
✅ Ideal if you charge deposits
% of Total
The penalty is based on the full booking value, not just the deposit.
Example:
- Booking total: R6,000
- Penalty: 25% of Total
- Guest forfeits: R1,500
⚠️ Can be higher than the deposit
✅ Useful for peak periods or strict policies
Nights
The penalty is based on a number of nights.
Example:
- Penalty: 2 Nights
- Guest forfeits the value of the first 2 nights
✅ Common for hotels and lodges
✅ Easy to understand for guests
Amount
The penalty is a fixed monetary value.
Example:
- Penalty: R1,000
- Guest always forfeits R1,000, regardless of stay length
✅ Simple flat-fee option
⚠️ Less flexible for different booking sizes
Keep in mind that because some channels accept the deposit payment on your behalf, you may not have full control over the cancellation policy. Certain channels may provide predefined policies that might not match what you have setup on NightsBridge.
Set your Payment Details (Guest Payment Options)
Your Payment Details and are now available as Guest Payment Details on on HOME.
- Please see our tutorial on How to update the guest payment options
Your Automated Payment Link settings are now available as Guest Payment Details on on HOME.
- Please see our tutorial on How to automatically collect the booking balance before arrival
Update your Bank Details
Updating your banking details can now be completed via your Property Menu on HOME.
- Please see our tutorial on How to update your bank details and submit your bank account confirmation letter
Update your cleaning fee and breakage deposit
Updating your cleaning fee and breakage deposit is now available via the Main Menu on Home.
Please see our tutorials on:
Save & Publish
- Click on the 'Save' button
- Publish your changes by clicking on the 'Publish' button.
A confirmation will display in green.
