Residents want to see the open dates and book a pavilion without calling. This guide covers the decisions to make first, then the setup that keeps bookings and money straight.
Decide the rules before you build anything
Most online booking problems are policy problems nobody wrote down. Staff have applied the rules from memory for years, and a booking form can't do that.
Write each rule as one sentence a resident could read:
- Who may book. Residents only, residents first or anyone. If nonresidents can book, decide whether their booking window opens later.
- Rates. A resident rate and a nonresident rate, and whether nonprofits or town groups pay less. Decide what proves residency.
- Deposits. Whether you charge a damage or cleaning deposit, how much and when it comes back.
- Approval or instant booking. A small pavilion on a weekday can confirm on the spot. A large event, alcohol or amplified sound may need a person to say yes.
- Insurance. Whether events over a set size need a certificate of insurance naming the town, and how many days before the event it is due.
- Cancellations and refunds. The deadline for a full refund, what you keep after it and who can approve an exception.
- Rain. Whether bad weather allows a free change of date, a refund or neither, and who decides that the weather counts.
Take the draft to whoever sets fees, usually the council or the parks board. A fee schedule and policy they adopted gives the front desk something to point to when a renter argues.
What to collect on the booking form
Ask only for what you will use. Every extra field is one more reason to give up and call instead.
- The renter's name, phone and email, and an organization name if they book for a group.
- The pavilion, the date and the time block, including setup and cleanup.
- Expected attendance, since it decides which insurance and approval rules apply.
- Their address, if residency sets the rate.
- Yes or no questions for the things that change the rules: alcohol, a bounce house, a food vendor, amplified sound.
- Agreement to the rental terms, recorded with the date and time.
Documents such as an insurance certificate can come later. Let the renter hold the date first, and put the due date for the certificate on their confirmation.
Approval steps for larger events
When a booking needs approval, write down who reviews what. Parks staff might check the date and size, the police department might review alcohol and the fire marshal might review tents or grills.
Each reviewer should see the request in one place and record a yes, a no or a condition. Email chains between departments are where requests go missing.
Tell the renter where their request stands. "Received, waiting on insurance" saves a phone call. Set a date by which you will answer, and hold the slot until then.
How payments and refunds are recorded
Each booking should carry its own money history: the fee charged, the deposit, every payment, every refund and who issued it. A total in a spreadsheet column can't tell you why it changed.
Keep the deposit separate from the rental fee. They often post to different accounts, and the deposit is the part you may give back.
Payments should settle to the town's own merchant account. Ask your finance office which account rental fees post to and how they want online payments reported. A daily or weekly export that matches each bank deposit saves them a manual match.
Refunds should go back to the card that paid, through the same system, with a reason recorded. A refund issued by hand somewhere else leaves the booking record wrong.
Decide how staff take payment at the counter or by check, and record those payments against the same booking. Otherwise the online record covers only some of your rentals.
Make the calendar the one source of truth
Double bookings happen when there are two calendars: the online one and the book at the front desk. Pick one. Every booking goes through it, including phone and walk-in bookings that staff enter for residents.
Block town events, maintenance and closures in the same calendar, so residents never see a slot as open when it isn't.
A hold should expire. If approval or payment is pending, show the date as held, and release it automatically if the renter doesn't finish by a set deadline. Tell them the deadline when they book.
Messages to send renters
Most calls to the front desk are questions a well-timed email would have answered. Plan these messages before you launch:
- Confirmation, right away, with the confirmation number, the pavilion, the time, the amount paid and the refund and rain policy.
- Documents due, a week before the insurance certificate deadline, with a link to upload it.
- Reminder, a few days before the event, with directions, parking and who to call on the day.
- Deposit returned, or the reason it wasn't, after the inspection.
Check-in at the front desk and on site
On the day, staff need a short list: who has which pavilion at what time, whether they paid, whether the insurance certificate arrived and any conditions of approval.
Give each booking a confirmation number the renter can show on a phone. A printed daily list works for park staff without a tablet.
After the event, record the condition of the pavilion before you release the deposit. A short note and a photo are enough when a dispute comes later.
What to put on the website
Each pavilion should have its own page with:
- Capacity, amenities and photos.
- Accessible parking, paths and restrooms.
- The rates, the deposit and the refund and rain policy, written out on the page.
- Open dates, shown live from the booking calendar.
- A booking link, plus a phone number for anyone who can't or won't book online.
The booking and payment screens count as your website for accessibility. The Justice Department's rule under Title II of the ADA covers content a town provides through a vendor, payment systems included, and sets WCAG 2.1 Level AA as the standard. Read the rule summary on ADA.gov.
Ask any vendor how they test those screens, and try booking with a keyboard alone before you sign.
Where LFW fits
On the LFW Platform, residents book a pavilion, field or room online, sign the rental agreement and pay your town’s own Stripe account. Spaces you choose wait for staff approval, nothing is double-booked and staff refund a cancellation in one step. Send a written setup request, and we reply within one business day.
Leland Fiegel