Going live and pausing bookings

Open your website to guests when you’re ready, and pause bookings if you need a break.

Updated

Until you go live, your website is a private draft: your team can preview it, but guests can’t find it or book. Going live opens your website and booking page to everyone. Only the site’s owner can do it.

Before you go live

You need two things:

  • At least one pitch, so guests have something to book.
  • A card for your PootlrHost plan, added in Payments & billing. On Pay As You Go it’s for the £1 booking fee on each online booking: nothing is charged until a guest books, and fees on pay-on-arrival bookings go on it on the 1st of each month. On Pro it pays your subscription.

If either is missing, tapping Go live shows Not quite ready to go live, with a link to Add a pitch or Add a card.

Anything still on your getting-started list, like photos or a cancellation policy, doesn’t stop you going live. Guests see your website without it, and the list waits for you on Today.

To see your website as guests will, tap Preview in the banner or the header. It opens in a new tab. Bookings and messages are switched off in a preview.

How to go live

While you’re a draft, every dashboard page shows a line saying Your website isn’t live yet — guests can’t book.

  1. Tap Go live in that line. You’ll also find it in Settings under Taking bookings, and on your getting-started list.
  2. If you’re asked Already taken any bookings?, choose Not yet or Yes, I have some (see below).
  3. Check where your website will be, and tap Go live.

You can also go live from the last step of setup, with Go live now.

Once you’re live you’ll see your link to copy, a QR code for your gate or noticeboard, buttons to share it, and how to add your booking link to Google.

“Already taken any bookings?”

Bookings you’ve taken by phone, email or on another booking site need to be in PootlrHost first, or someone could book a pitch that’s already taken. Choose Yes, I have some and you can Import them, Add them one by one, or connect Pitchup or another booking site (if Other booking sites is switched on). Then come back and go live. See Importing bookings and guests.

You won’t be asked once you’ve added or imported a booking, connected another booking site, or answered on your getting-started list.

Pausing bookings

Need a break? Go to Settings, tap Change beside Taking bookings and choose Paused. Your website shows a “We’ll be back soon” page with your phone number and email, and nobody can make a new booking. Guests who’ve already booked can still open their guide, stay page and payment links. Choose Live to open again. The owner or a manager can do this.

Good to know

  • Guests can book as soon as you’re live. Until you connect Stripe, they pay on arrival. See Setting up card payments.
  • Team members who aren’t the owner see The owner can go live. instead of the button.
  • A draft can’t be paused. It goes live once, and after that you can pause and unpause.