OpenBowlingLane Management

Introducing online reservations at a bowling center: six steps

Moving from phone and paper plan to online reservations works best in small steps. Here is how to proceed without anything going wrong on a Saturday evening.

Updated: October 13, 2026

First the plan, then the booking page

The most common mistake when getting started: online booking is switched on while the paper plan is still lying at the front desk. Then there are two versions of the truth, and sooner or later a group stands in front of an occupied lane.

So the order matters: first the team works with the digital lane plan. Only when all reservations are in there is the booking page for guests added.

The six steps

  1. Set up lanes and opening hours

    Enter your lanes with their equipment, plus the weekly schedule with closed days and special hours. This is the basis for everything else.

  2. Enter your prices

    Set up your prices as they apply today: by time, weekday and public holiday. Check that every opening hour has a price – a gap will later lead to wrong amounts in the booking.

  3. Transfer existing reservations

    Carry over all reservations from the paper plan, including leagues and regular groups as recurring bookings. From now on only the digital plan counts.

  4. Train the team

    Have the team enter phone bookings and walk-ins in the lane plan for one to two weeks. Mistakes show up during this time, while no guest is booking on their own yet.

  5. Switch on online booking

    Decide how far in advance guests may book, which playing durations you offer and whether a deposit is required. Make a test booking before you link to the page.

  6. Make the booking page known

    Link to the page prominently on your website, in your Google Business Profile and on social media. A QR code at the front desk helps regulars next time.

What to think about beforehand

  • Cancellation rule: until when may guests cancel free of charge?
  • Deposit: every day, only at weekends or only for events?
  • Groups: how many people play on one lane at your venue?
  • Birthday parties and corporate events: as packages of their own or still on request?
  • Responsibility: who on the team maintains prices and special opening hours?

Setting it up in OpenBowling

OpenBowling guides you through these steps with a setup assistant and shows what is still missing – such as opening hours without a price. You switch on online booking when your venue is ready. Until then the team already works in the lane plan.

If it ever gets too busy, you pause online booking with one click and resume it later.

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