> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.riservahq.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
# Booking a reservation for a guest
To book a guest on the phone or at the desk, search what's open, pick a time,
then take their details. Nothing is charged when you book.
Start from **Reservations → Book reservation**. It's also on Home under
**Quick actions**.
## Step 1 — Search availability
1. Set the search bar's controls (see the table below).
2. Press **Search**.
3. Read the open times to the guest from the result cards.
4. Press **Select time** on the time they want.
The search bar runs across the top of the page:
| Control | What it does |
| - | - |
| **Location** | One property, or all of them |
| **Experience** | One experience, or all active ones |
| **Party size** | How many are coming |
| **Dates** | One day, or a range up to 14 days |
| **Time** | Blank for any time, one time to search around it (±90 minutes), or a From–To window |
Staff search **ignores the online booking cutoff and shows members-only
experiences.** What you see is what you can actually sell, not what the website
is offering.
A heading sums up the results, for example "2 of 5 experiences have open times
· party of 4 · around 2:00 PM". Below it is one card per experience, with its
photo, venue, duration and price.
Each card shows the open times, for example "6 open · 11:00 AM, 11:30 AM,
12:00 PM, 12:30 PM". The **+N more** link lists every time with the spots
remaining. That popover is your phone script: read the guest their real
options and how tight each one is.
A search over a range of dates shows a heading per day. Runs of empty days
collapse into a single line, so a quiet week doesn't fill the screen.
The card says why:
* **Sold out** — nothing is left at that party size.
* "Takes parties of 2–8 — this search is for 12."
* "No open times this day."
## Step 2 — Take the guest's details
1. Read the experience's **description** in the left column to the guest. It's
your phone script. The policy that applies is shown with it.
2. Type at least two characters into **Customer** to search your Shopify
customers, and pick one. For a new guest, fill in the fields instead.
3. Add anything the guest mentions in **Special requests**.
4. Check the date, party and time in the right rail. You can pick a different
time from the day's openings there without going back.
5. Choose the **Channel**: **Phone** or **Walk-in**.
6. Press **Book reservation**.
The right rail also shows the money: "\$75 × 4 guests" with the total, "\$1,500
for the venue" for a buyout, or "No booking fee."
### Attach a customer record
Each customer search result shows the person's name, a **Member** badge for a
club member, their email or phone, and how many orders they've placed.
Pick a result and it becomes a **card**. Its details are locked in exactly as
Shopify holds them. Remove the card to go back to typing details by hand.
For a new guest, fill in these fields:
* **Name** (required)
* **Email**
* **Phone**, with a country selector that formats the number as you type
When you type an email or a phone, Riserva links the reservation to a Shopify
customer. It matches an existing customer by email, or by phone when there's
no email. If there's no match, it creates one.
With a **name only**, the reservation isn't linked to any customer. If Shopify
hiccups, the reservation still goes through.
The app needs Shopify's approval for your store before it can read customer
records. Enter the guest by hand for now, and contact Riserva support.
## What happens next
**Nothing is charged.** A staff reservation of a priced experience is created
**Confirmed**, with a payment state of **Payment due**. A free experience is
created **Not required**.
The page footer puts it this way:
> Reservations of priced experiences start as Payment due; collect with a
> payment link, on-site, or waive it.
Collect from the reservation's page afterwards. See
[Payment policies and money states](/core-concepts/payment-policies).
## Good to know
* **A Phone reservation with an email address sends the guest the Reservation
confirmed email at once.** It has the date, time, reservation code and manage
link. It isn't sent if the confirmation is switched off in Settings → Emails.
* **A Walk-in gets no confirmation email** (they are standing at the desk).
Neither does a reservation without an email, so tell those guests the details
yourself.
* Paying a payment link later sends nothing extra from Riserva. Any receipt for
that payment comes from Shopify.
* Guests with an email on file also get the reminder in the 24 hours before the
visit, unless reminders are switched off.
* Your **intake questions** are *not* asked here; they're a storefront thing.
If the answers matter for a phone reservation, note them in **Special
requests**, or add them as a comment on the reservation afterwards.
Times can sell out between your search and your confirmation. Riserva says
which limit stopped it:
* "That time just sold out."
* "No table can seat this party at that time."
* "That time has reached its pacing limit."
* "That time already has as many parties as it allows."
When a time you reached through a direct link vanished, you see:
> That time was just taken — pick another from the times on the right.
## Related
**What things mean on this screen:** [What things mean: Home, the reservations list and Book reservation](/reference/home-list-and-booking)
* [The reservations list](/daily-operations/reservations-list)
* [A reservation's page](/daily-operations/reservation-page)
* [Running service with the Host view](/daily-operations/host-view)
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