Hello,
Thanks for your message. We understand the situation, and exactly for these reasons, VikBooking is designed to work together with our E4jConnect Channel Manager service that connects your website with various OTAs through real-time API connections.
However, turning the booking engine into a request-to-book system is still allowed, whether you’re using the free or Pro plugin version.
In your case it is sufficient to disable the booking functionalities from the very first setting in the Configuration page, and then you can enable the “Request Information” parameter at listing-level, by editing every room on your VikBooking from the wp-admin section. Alternatively, you can use the native block/widget of type “Search Form” and enable the “Inquiry” parameter. This way the property manager will receive request-to-book reservations in the wp-admin section with pending status, ready for acceptance or modification.
Although this is not the recommended way for using VikBooking as a Booking Engine and PMS for your website, it still a supported configuration.
We invite you to reach out to our team by using the contact form on any of our websites should you have any other questions, or need information related to our Channel Manager service for channels like Booking.com or Airbnb. We even speak the same language 🙂
The VikWP Team
Thank you for your kind reply. Unfortunately, at the moment, the client is only asking us to organize the flow as a room availability request. She will learn how to use it later and, above all, how to connect all the other platforms she works on. However, if I only insert the information request button, it does not allow me to select dates, thus effectively asking the guest to send a text message. I couldn’t find the widget you mention in your message. Could you give me instructions?
Hello,
The request information button leads to an inquiry form, which does not take stay dates into account as you’ve noticed.
If you are looking for a request-to-book form, then you should publish in the home page (or on any other page) the block of type “VikBooking – Search Form” (if you’re using Gutenberg or any other page builder supporting native blocks, it will be a “legacy widget” otherwise, but not a Shortcode). From the settings of the block/widget, choose the “Inquiry” layout type to obtain a request-to-book form.
We invite you to get in touch with our team through our websites should you have any difficulties.
The VikWP Team
