Manage flexible spaces

Managing flexible spaces is often a logistical puzzle, especially when you're working with rooms that can be divided, combined, or rented out in five different configurations. You want to utilize your space as efficiently as possible, but you absolutely don't want double bookings or disappointed customers because 50 chairs are arranged in a U-shape when they expected a theater-style setup.

Luckily, you don't have to solve that puzzle manually every day. With smart reservation software like i-Reserve you can automate the logic behind your flexible walls and table configurations. In this article, we'll delve into two features that will make your life a lot easier: dynamic room configurations and smart shared rentals.

1. The Musical Chairs: Room Layouts and Capacity

Let's face it: an empty room is just an empty room. It's the layout that determines whether the space is suitable for an intimate brainstorming session or a large-scale presentation. But that layout directly affects how many people can fit.

In many systems, a room is a static object: "Room 1" has a capacity of 50 people. Period. But you know that in practice, things are more complex. In a theater setting, those 50 people fit perfectly, but if the client wants a U-shaped setup for a training session, it might only fit 20.

Let the customer choose (and the system calculate)

How do you solve this without having to use a calculator and floor plan for every request? Simple: let the customer choose.

In i-Reserve customers can specify their preferred seating arrangement directly when booking. Square, theater, school, or cabaret setups—you decide. The great thing is that the system automatically adapts to your needs. If a customer chooses a U-shape, the system automatically adjusts the available capacity.

This prevents the awkward situation where a customer books online for 40 people, selects "U-shape" in the comments, and you have to call afterward to explain that it's physically impossible. By linking the layout and capacity, you create clarity right away.

Happier facility service

This feature is not only useful for your clients and your administration, but also invaluable for your facility management colleagues. Because the desired setup is directly linked to the reservation, they know exactly what to set up.

No more last-minute table shuffling because the information got stuck in an email. It's all in the system, linked to the resource. This way i-Reserve takes care of the technology, allowing you to focus on the guest experience.

Search smarter

You can even take this a step further in your 'Search & Book' functionality on the website. Customers can filter specifically based on their needs. Looking for a room for 30 people in a school setting? Then the system will show only the rooms that support that specific combination. This saves your customer time searching and you unnecessary questions.

2. Partial rental: The art of combining

Then there's the other challenge: the flexible wall. Many meeting venues and community centers have large rooms that can be divided into several smaller rooms.

Suppose you have a "Ballroom." You can rent it out entirely. But if you close the wall, you suddenly have "East Room" and "West Room." This sounds like a great way to maximize your revenue, but in a static calendar, it's a nightmare. Because if you rent out "East Room," the "Ballroom" is no longer available. But "West Room" is still available. How do you keep things organized without accidentally giving away the entire room when half of it is already occupied?

From static to dynamic

This is where the power of i-Reserve comes into play. The system doesn't work with flat calendars, but with a smart distinction between Products (what the customer books) and Resources (the physical spaces).

The logic works like this:

• You define the physical parts as Resources: Resource 1 is the left part, Resource 2 is the right part.
• Next, you create Products for your webshop.
• Product A ("Hall East") uses only Resource 1.
• Product B ("West Hall") uses only Resource 2.
• Product C ("The Ballroom") uses both Resource 1 and Resource 2.

Automatic Blocks: Peace of Mind

This may sound technical, but the result is pure peace of mind. The system continuously monitors the availability of the underlying resources.

What happens when someone books 'Zaal Oost' (Resource 1)?

1. The system sees that Resource 1 is busy.
2. 'Zaal Oost' can no longer be booked at that time.
3. But... because 'The Ballroom' (Product C) also requires Resource 1, the system automatically blocks the 'Ballroom' as well.
4. 'Zaal West' (Resource 2) remains happily available for rental.

It works the other way around: if someone books the entire Ballroom, i-Reserve immediately blocks the option to rent individual sections of the room. This prevents double bookings without having to manually compare schedules. You can be confident that the availability on your website is always up-to-date.

Control your square meters

Why bother with all this? Because as a modern landlord or manager, you don't have time for administrative hassles. You want to focus on your business. By utilizing partial rentals (or combined rentals) and room configurations, you'll get more out of your property.

• You maximize your occupancy rate: You don't have to say "no" because your schedule is too rigid. You sell what's available, in every possible configuration.
• You prevent errors: Human errors when transferring availability are a thing of the past.
• You look professional: Your customer immediately sees what is possible, what it costs and can book straight away.

Think ahead

Maybe you're currently renting out fixed spaces and thinking, "This doesn't apply to me (yet)." But i-Reserve is happy to help you think about the future. Perhaps in a year you'd like to install that partition wall to be more flexible. Or perhaps you'd like to experiment with combination deals, offering a meeting room and a lunchroom as a single package.

The structure of resources and products makes this possible. Whether you split a room or combine three rooms into one event venue, the reservation system scales with you.

You provide the experience, we provide the logic

Managing rooms is more than just handing out keys. It's about hospitality, about facilitating encounters. You want to focus on whether the coffee is good and whether the projector works, not on whether two groups are accidentally scheduled to be in the same room at the same time.

i-Reserve takes care of that complex logic for you. It's a straightforward reservation system for smart entrepreneurs. You set the rules, which layouts, which sections of the room, and which prices, and the system monitors the boundaries. This leaves you time for what truly matters: your customers.

Try i-Reserve now for 30 days

Want to brainstorm how to market your spaces as flexibly as possible? We'd love to brainstorm with you. No complicated sales pitches, just a simple look at your process and how you can make it smarter. Try i-Reserve free for 30 days and discover the peace of mind that comes with having your calendar manage itself.