Reconfirmation – Ask Guests to Confirm Before the Visit
No-shows cost the most when the table sat empty all evening without anyone knowing. Reconfirmation asks the guest the day before: are you still coming?
If they do not answer, the table can be released automatically and become bookable again – in time for someone else to take it.
Turn it on
Booking → Settings → No-show & SMS → Återbekräftelse (Reconfirmation)
| Setting | Default | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Ask guests to reconfirm | Off | Enables the whole feature |
| Send request (hours before) | 24 | When the question goes out. 24 = a day ahead |
| Release table if unconfirmed (hours before) | 0 = never | When an unconfirmed table is cancelled automatically |
| Require confirmation from party size | Empty = all | Only parties from that size need to confirm |
The guest always gets an hour
A table is never released within an hour of the request going out, no matter how you set the times. Without that rule, a booking created at 18:00 for 19:00 could get its request at 18:05 and be cancelled in the same run – the guest never even had time to read the SMS.
In practice this means a genuinely late booking isn't auto-released at all: by the time the hour is up, the booking time has already passed. That's deliberate – someone who booked five minutes ago clearly intends to come. If you still want rid of it, cancel it by hand.
If you set "release the table" to a higher number than "send request", the settings page warns you. The release would then fall before the request, and the numbers don't mean what you think.
Start without releasing
The default is 0 = never release, and that is deliberate. Turn the question on first and see how many actually answer before letting the system cancel on your behalf.
A released table is genuinely cancelled – the guest gets an SMS about it. If you have regulars who rarely answer texts but always turn up, you would be doing them a disservice.
Sensible settings
| Situation | Request | Release |
|---|---|---|
| Just want a reminder | 24 h before | 0 (never) |
| High demand, want to fill gaps | 24 h before | 4 h before |
| Large parties only | 48 h before | 12 h before, from 6 people |
The earlier you release, the better the chance someone else books – but the less patient it is toward a guest who answers late.
What the guest sees
An SMS with their booking link and one button: Bekräfta att du kommer (Confirm you are coming). One tap is enough.
Confirmed bookings are marked in the list and on the floor map, so you can see which ones are settled ahead of the evening.
Rules can require confirmation per booking
If you have a booking rule with the action Require confirmation, it applies to those bookings – even when the setting above is off, or when the party is smaller than your threshold. The rule is an exception upward, never downward.
Related: Mark no-show, Enable and customize SMS messages, Booking rules
This feature is part of Vendion Booking.
Curious how it looks in practice? Read more about the product or book a short demo.
Was this article helpful?