Holiday and Peak-Season Booking Cap Planner

Turns your staff, hours, and visit lengths into a clear booking cap for a holiday or busy season, so you never promise more visits than your team can do well.

Pet sittingPets✓ Checkedv1.0

Before and after

BEFORE · what the owner typed

Planning Thanksgiving week for Stonemont Pet Care in Quarrygate. Me (Maureen Byrd) and Mason Bishop are working. Maureen can work Wed, Thu, Fri, 8am to 4pm each day, that's 480 minutes. Mason can work Wed and Fri only, 9am to 3pm, 360 minutes. Drop-in visits are 30 minutes and I add 15 minutes for driving, so 45 each. Already booked: Wed 6 drop-ins, Thu 4, Fri 5. One of Thursday's is a senior Xoloitzcuintli named Tamale Quillfeather who needs pills, so that visit is 45 minutes plus the 15 driving, 60 total. Office number is 319-555-0124. I want to keep 2 slots open each day for my regulars. Waitlist by text please. Our deposit for holiday booking is $25, nonrefundable.

AFTER · what the skill produced

Thanksgiving Week Booking Cap, Stonemont Pet Care

Who is working

Maureen Byrd: Wed, Thu, Fri, 8am to 4pm (480 minutes each day)
Mason Bishop: Wed and Fri, 9am to 3pm (360 minutes each day)

Time per visit

Standard drop-in: 30 minutes + 15 driving = 45 minutes
Tamale Quillfeather's Thursday visit (medication): 45 + 15 = 60 minutes

Daily capacity (available minutes divided by 45, rounded down)

Wednesday: Maureen 480 / 45 = 10 (10.67 rounded down). Mason 360 / 45 = 8. Team total: 18.
Thursday: Maureen 480 minutes. The 60-minute medication visit uses 60, leaving 420. 420 / 45 = 9 (9.33 rounded down). Plus the medication visit itself, so 10 visits total. Team total: 10.
Friday: Maureen 10, Mason 8. Team total: 18.

Open slots after existing bookings

Wednesday: 18 capacity - 6 booked = 12 open
Thursday: 10 capacity - 4 booked = 6 open (the 4 booked includes Tamale Quillfeather)
Friday: 18 capacity - 5 booked = 13 open

Recommended booking cap
We recommend holding 2 slots each day for your regulars, as you asked.

Wednesday: 12 open - 2 held = 10 new bookings
Thursday: 6 open - 2 held = 4 new bookings
Friday: 13 open - 2 held = 11 new bookings
Total new bookings to accept for the week: 25

Tightest day
Thursday. Only Maureen is working, and it has the fewest open slots. We recommend closing Thursday first and sending extra requests to Wednesday or Friday.

Waitlist plan
Collect: owner name, pet name, dates wanted, visit type, and a cell number for texting. If a slot opens, text people in the order they asked. Tell them you will contact them only if a spot opens. The holiday booking deposit is $25 and nonrefundable.

Message when the cap is reached
"Thank you for thinking of Stonemont Pet Care. Our Thanksgiving week visits are full for that day. We would be glad to add you to our waitlist and will text you if a spot opens. You can also reach us at 319-555-0124."

Message confirming a waitlist spot
"You are on our waitlist for [date]. We will text you only if a spot opens. The holiday booking deposit is $25 and nonrefundable."

Questions for the owner

Do you want to take overnight stays or walks this week? Those need their own time math.
Should Mason Bishop's hours on Thursday be opened up to add capacity?
How will you handle a request that falls on a held regular slot if the regular does not book by a set date?
When exactly is a waitlisted spot confirmed, for example when the $25 deposit is paid? We did not state a rule since you did not give one.

What it does

Turns your staff, hours, and visit lengths into a clear booking cap for a holiday or busy season, so you never promise more visits than your team can do well. It also gives you a waitlist plan and wording for turning people away kindly.

Use it when: Use when a pet sitting business needs to set booking limits for holidays and peak seasons, such as "how many bookings can I take over Thanksgiving," "set my holiday cap," or "plan my summer schedule."