Hotel: why an action does not go through
This article is a quick guide to refusals: what a message means and where to fix it. Detailed instructions are linked in each section.
Who: the front desk, the manager, the hotel owner.
Check first: that the right location is selected, that your role has the right you need (Front desk, housekeeping and accountant permissions) and that the screen is not stale — many refusals go away after "Refresh" or reloading the page.
The room is occupied, out of order, or the type is sold out#
| Message | Why | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| "The room is out of order — it cannot be sold, assigned or checked into…" | The room is out of order (OOO) | Pick another room or return the room to sale |
| "The room is out of service — it is sold, but cannot be assigned to a booking or checked into…" | A minor fault: the room is sold by type, but this particular room cannot be assigned | Pick another room of this type |
| "no rooms of this type are left on …" | The type allotment for that night is used up | See below what uses it |
| "A guest is staying in this room — free it with Check out…" | The room is still occupied by the previous guest | Check the previous guest out first |
| "Room … is reserved for the remaining dates of the stay — choose another room." | During a room move the room is held by another booking | Pick another room |
What uses up a room type's allotment for a night:
- every booking of this type — both with an assigned room and unassigned (sold by type);
- the unpicked remainder of open room blocks;
- rooms out of order (OOO) on those dates;
- rooms sold for a few hours if they overlap the night.
A free room on the board does not yet mean the type can be sold: an unassigned booking or a block may be holding it. Check the unassigned bookings block above the calendar and the room blocks.
An uncleaned room does not prevent check-in — check-in goes through with the warning "The room was “…” at check-in — check housekeeping." More in Is the room ready.
The price changed — or did not#
- A booking's price is fixed at the moment of sale. If you changed the rate plan or season afterwards, nights already sold keep the old price — both in the booking and in the nightly charge.
- Booking dates moved — new nights are priced at current prices, the old ones stay as sold.
- A negotiated (manual) price of a booking is one amount for every night, including an extension.
- Dates cannot be moved or a night cannot be removed: "This night belongs to a business day that is already closed — it cannot be removed from the stay…". The night audit has already closed the day — correct it with a posting in the current day or reopen the day (Night audit).
Which price wins and how to check the total — Hotel rates.
A payment is not confirmed#
Money appears in the booking only after the bank answers. Until then the operation waits in the Failed / not completed block of the booking card.
| What you see | What to do |
|---|---|
| "The bank has not answered yet — click Check" | Click Check: a retry will not charge twice |
| Schedule step "Charge failed" | Wait for the retry set by the hotel or send the guest a payment link |
| "An operation is already running for this payment" | Wait a minute and try again |
| "The booking changed — reopen the card" | Close and reopen the booking card |
A hold and a prepayment are different operations, and not every provider supports holds. Details in Prepayment, guarantee and hold.
A receipt does not go to the room bill#
At the POS the room is inactive in the "Charge to room" list, or a guest ordering by QR sees "Charge to room is not available for this order…".
- The room has No charges to this room turned on — the front desk closed the bill to charges from the register.
- The Charge limit is reached: the order would push the debt above the limit.
- The room is not checked in — an order from the QR of an empty room is cancelled.
The check is done by the server, not only by the POS: another device cannot bypass it. Nights, fees and manual front desk charges are not stopped by this setting. To lift it: the room card → "🔑 Guest services" → "Room charges". More in "No charges" and a charge limit per room.
A section or button is missing#
| What is missing | Why |
|---|---|
| The calendar, 📊 Reports, Guests, check-in buttons | The role works as a housekeeper: it has no rooms section |
| Amounts and balances in reports ("Balances are hidden…", "hidden") | The role has no "Hotel finance" right |
| The Close day button in the night audit | Only the owner or the "Night audit" right closes a day |
| "Reopening a day is allowed to …" | The hotel's audit policy: the owner only, or shift managers too |
| Refusal at another location | The role or the employee has a narrowed location scope |
| Hotel network: "Locations not included: N" | Those locations are not hotels or are not available to you |
New rights take effect after the employee signs in again. More in Front desk, housekeeping and accountant permissions.
A Booking.com or Airbnb booking has not appeared yet#
The iCal import polls the platforms' calendars about every 15 minutes. A fresh booking on a platform does not show up instantly.
- iCal carries occupancy only — no prices, restrictions or guest data. Prices on each platform are changed in its own dashboard.
- An external booking blocks the specific room the link is attached to.
- Disputed overlaps do not overwrite your booking; they go to the conflicts list — resolve them manually.
More in iCal and channels.
Check-out does not go through#
At the front desk:
| Message | What to do |
|---|---|
| "The guest folio still has a balance — settle it at the POS (cash register) first…" | Take the payment or refund the overpayment at the POS, then press Check out again |
| "The last night is still being posted to the folio — retry the check-out in a few seconds." | Wait and retry |
| "Room operation completed with unfinished steps" | The guest is already checked out — finish the remaining steps with the button next to them |
More in If the system refuses.
Online check-out by link sends the guest to the front desk if: online check-out is turned off; today is not the departure day or the hour has not come yet; the room is being checked or there is a damage question; a company pays; the room is in a group stay with a shared bill; the stay began without a booking; the bill is already closed; the guest is owed a refund; online payment is not available. Details in Online check-out.
A door code is not issued#
In Hotel settings → Rooms & types → Door locks and digital keys, the Guest keys list:
| Status or message | What it means | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| "Being issued" | The code is on its way to the lock, or the vendor answered ambiguously | Wait: before retrying the system itself looks for the code at the vendor and does not create a second one |
| "Not issued" and a task for the front desk | The vendor refused or three attempts failed | Look at "Attempts: …; error …" under the row, check the lock and its connection, then Reissue |
| "Access to the lock account has expired — sign in again." | The sign-in to the vendor account is no longer valid | The owner signs in again in the Lock account block |
| "Waiting for the platform to be connected to …" | The platform is not connected to the vendor yet | Sign-in appears later; for Nuki — an API token |
| "Revoked by the front desk" | The code was removed manually | Reissue if the code is needed again |
More in Electronic key and the stay.
What to send to support#
To get help faster and without extra guest data:
- Press Support at the bottom of the sidebar and copy the Support code — it identifies the account and location. More in Remote support.
- Write what you pressed and what text you saw — word for word or as a screenshot.
- Give the room number, date and time by the hotel clock.
Do not send: passport data, the guest's phone and email, a card number, the account password. The guest's name is not needed either — the room and dates are enough.
Related sections#
- Check a guest in and out at the front desk
- Create, change and cancel a booking
- Hotel rates
- Prepayment, guarantee and hold
- Night audit: room-night charges and closing the business day
- Front desk, housekeeping and accountant permissions
- Electronic key and the stay
Frequently asked questions#
Why can't I check several guests in at once?#
Check-in and check-out are one room at a time. Bulk check-in with a per-row result is not available yet.
The room is cleaned — why did the waiting guest get no notification?#
There is no automatic "your room is ready" message for a waiting guest yet. Let the guest know yourself.
Can I check a guest into an uncleaned room?#
From the booking card — yes, with a warning about the cleaning status. On the board an uncleaned room has no Check in button.
We connected an external PMS — why did the charges not appear in our bill?#
In external PMS mode the charges go there. Only a demonstration adapter is available there now — this mode is not yet suitable for a live hotel.
Support asks for a code — where do I get it?#
In the Support window at the bottom of the sidebar, the Support code field. You do not need to share your password.