The Booking Settings screen (Booking → Settings) contains every configuration tile for the module. This reference lists each tile, what it is for, and where to find detailed instructions.
The Booking module can be renamed for your property, so your navigation pane may show something like Rentals or Activities instead of Booking. The tiles and the settings behind them are the same either way.
Accessing Booking Settings
From the left navigation pane, click Booking.
Click Settings on the top ribbon (or More → Settings if the ribbon is collapsed).
Booking Settings Tiles
Reservation Configuration
Tile | Purpose | Documentation |
Booking Types | Define the categories linking products, units, and rate plans. Control which booking periods are available and how the online portal presents them. | Bookings - Booking Type Setup |
Policies | Create cancellation and deposit policies. Required before a product can appear on the online booking portal. | Bookings - Policies |
Custom Status | Add reservation statuses beyond the five Sharper provides, for workflow stages specific to your operation. | This page |
Products and Pricing
Tile | Purpose | Documentation |
Rate Plans | Build pricing tiers and assign them to products, so rates vary by the dimensions that matter to what you rent. | This page |
Product Categories | Optional grouping labels for products. Used for organisation and reporting only — they do not affect pricing or availability. | This page |
Price Adjustments | Fees added to reservations automatically. Available as All Orders, Offline Orders, Online Orders, and Per Unit. | How-To Make Reservation Price Adjustments |
Price Adjustment Groups | Optional grouping for price adjustments. Organisational only. | This page |
Promo Codes | Discount codes for staff use or for guests booking online. | How-To Set Up and Manage Discount Codes for Online Booking |
Units and Availability
Tile | Purpose | Documentation |
Unit Groups | Groupings of units used for organisation and reporting. Create these before creating units. | Bookings - Unit Groups |
Units | The individual bookable items — a specific kayak, cabin, or piece of equipment. | Bookings - Units, Bookings - Updating Units |
Unit Blackouts | Block units from being booked during maintenance, private hire, or closed periods. | Bookings - Unit Blackouts |
Maps | Visual maps for the back-office Map screen and the online booking portal. | Bookings - Unit Maps |
The Map tile in the navigation pane only appears if a default booking map has been set for the outlet. If your staff cannot see it, the map exists but has not been made the default.
Membership
Tile | Purpose | Documentation |
Booking Credits | Prepaid credit allowances members draw down when booking. Used by boat clubs and membership programmes. | Boat Club - Setup and Settings, Boat Club - Redeeming Booking Credits |
Custom Status — Setup
Sharper provides five reservation statuses. Custom statuses let you add stages that match how your operation actually runs — for example "Waiver Signed", "Equipment Issued", or "Awaiting Cleaning".
Go to Booking → Settings → Custom Status.
Click Add New.
Enter the status name as staff should see it on a reservation.
Click Save, and repeat for each status you need.
Custom statuses appear alongside the built-in ones on the reservation record. They are for tracking your own workflow — they do not change availability, pricing, or billing.
Product Categories — Setup
Go to Booking → Settings → Product Categories.
Click Add New.
Enter the category name — for example "Paddle Craft", "Powered", or "Equipment Hire".
Click Save.
Assign a category to a product on the product record. Categories are labels only: they group products in lists and reports and have no effect on what a guest is charged or what is available.
Price Adjustment Groups — Setup
Go to Booking → Settings → Price Adjustment Groups.
Click Add New.
Enter a group name — for example "Environmental Fees" or "Insurance".
Click Save.
Assign a group to a price adjustment when you create it. Grouping is organisational only — it makes a long list of fees easier to manage and report on, and does not change how or when a fee is applied.
Rate Plans — What They Do
A rate plan holds the pricing rows for a product, so one product can charge different amounts depending on the booking rather than needing a separate product for every price point. Rate plans are created under Booking → Settings → Rate Plans and then assigned on the product record.
A product with no rate plan assigned falls back to its own base price. If a guest is being charged a flat rate when you expected tiered pricing, check that a rate plan is actually assigned to the product — an unassigned rate plan changes nothing on its own.
For how pricing interacts with product setup, see Booking - Product Setup and How-To Change Product Pricing: Understanding Fixed vs. Product Pricing.
Typical Setup Sequence
If you are setting up the Booking module from scratch, work in this order so nothing is blocked by a missing prerequisite:
Unit Groups — create before Units.
Units — must exist before products can be assigned anything to book.
Booking Types — must exist before Products.
Rate Plans — can be built before or after Products, but must exist before you can assign one.
Policies — must exist before assigning to Products or enabling online booking.
Products — bring the above together.
Price Adjustments — assign to Products once Products exist.
Maps — any time after Units exist.
Product Categories, Price Adjustment Groups, Promo Codes, Custom Status, Booking Credits — any time.