Cloudbeds Booking Engine is our commission-free booking engine for your website and Facebook page.
On the Booking Engine Settings page, you may control many of the booking engine's features like Accommodation Allotment, same-day booking settings, mandatory fields to be filled by guests, language preferences or insert a redirect URL.
Learn more about the Cloudbeds Booking Engine.
Access the Cloudbeds Booking Engine Settings
- In your Account Menu
, go to the Settings Page and click on the Booking Engine section.
- Click on the Settings tab.
Settings overview
The options set on this page will be applied only for your Cloudbeds Booking Engine account and will not be sent to OTAs.
- Some Booking Engine options may not be available for certain Cloudbeds packages. Reach out to our Support Team if you have any doubts or specific requests.
Availability and Accommodations
Total price for stay options
Choose how the total cost of a reservation is displayed to guests on your Booking Engine:
- Show Lowest Sales Price: Guests will see the lowest price for 1 night stay:
- Show Accommodation Total Price for Stay (default option): Guests will see the price for the room multiplied by number of days they want to book:
Allow guests to book specific accommodations on the Booking Engine
With the option Allow guests to book specific accommodations on the Booking Engine you may sell individual rooms within the selected room type:
Customize the name, description, and images for each individual room on the Accommodation Types page by choosing the room type and scrolling down to (Optional) Accommodation naming and Organization section.
- Check How to sell individual accommodations on your Booking Engine for more details.
Cloudbeds provides a single Booking Engine per property. It is not possible to create separate booking-engine URLs for each room or unit. When you enable Allow guests to book specific accommodations on the Booking Engine, guests can choose an individual room, but all bookings still happen within the same Booking Engine link.
Accommodations Settings
Allotment (Set a smaller quantity of accommodations than available)
When enabled, choose how many rooms you would like to sell on the Booking Engine and limit the number of rooms sold.
How “Quantity to Sell” controls Booking Engine allotment and availability
The Quantity to Sell field defines how many units of each accommodation type can be sold on the Booking Engine. When you configure this setting for the first time, it is automatically populated with the total number of rooms in that accommodation type.
- Setting Quantity to Sell = 0 blocks that room type from being sold on the Booking Engine (for example, in the image below the Standard Double Room and Superior Room cannot be booked on the Booking Engine).
- In the same screenshot, the Blue Dorm has 6 total units, but Quantity to Sell = 3. This means the Booking Engine will stop showing availability for that room type after 3 Blue Dorm units are sold.
This option does not close the sale of the accommodation type for other sources, only for the Booking Engine. To limit the number of rooms to sell on OTA, go to Availability Matrix and reduce the Amount Allotted for Sale.
- The Booking Engine Allotment tool only applies to Base Rates. You can limit rate plans and packages while setting the rate plan interval in the Rate Plans and Packages menu.
Important notes about Booking Engine Calendar Price Display, Base Rates, and how to hide the Standard Rate
As explained above, setting Quantity to Sell = 0 for a room type removes its Base Rate from the Booking Engine. Since the Booking Engine Calendar Price Display relies exclusively on Base Rates, this also means the calendar will not show nightly prices for that room type on those dates.
If you want to hide the Standard Rate from the Booking Engine while keeping Base Rates active for availability and pricing logic, you may apply a Minimum Length of Stay (Min LOS) restriction to the Standard Rate. A high Min LOS prevents guests from booking the rate without setting Booking Engine allotment to 0.
Learn more in: How to Hide the Base Rate on the Booking Engine (Sell Rate Plans Only).
Limit number of accommodations of the same type that guests can book for a single reservation
Set the number of rooms which a person can book within one reservation:
Hide Map
When enabled, the map will be hidden on the booking page. Learn more here.
Guest Info
Additional fields for guests
Enabling these settings will make certain fields mandatory for your guests to fill in when they book through the booking engine:
- Ask for a Postal Address
- Ask for Nationality
- Ask for Gender: Guests will be prompted to provide their gender when booking. At this time, there will be the options of male or female. Even if you have shared room (dorm) for specific gender (female dorm, male dorm), the system will still allow you to select any gender in the booking engine and book the dorm.
- Ask for Personal Tax ID Number
- Ask for Company Name
- Ask for Company Tax ID Name
- Require Telephone Number to book
- Ask for Estimated Arrival Time: When enabled, you can choose the time format.
- Require acceptance of terms and conditions
Edit your Terms and Conditions on the Policies page.
Marketing
Opt-in to marketing content (only if GDPR is enabled)
See Marketing Opt-In (for properties with GDPR enabled) to know more about this feature.
- Click here to learn how to enable GDPR.
Configure the marketing opt-in/opt-out option to display on the booking engine.
- If No is selected: Guests will not be able to opt-in to your marketing emails* during the booking process on the Booking Engine.
- If Yes is selected: Guest will be able to decide whether to opt-in to marketing emails* from your property.
Type additional content that explains what this marketing might include. You will be able to specify the text in each language supported by the booking engine. Provide clear, concise text that indicates a guest is opting out of any marketing related emails. Email templates where the type is set to Marketing on the Email Templates settings page.
See example below (See numbers in the first screenshot Cloudbeds PMS and where they relate to 2nd screenshot Booking Engine):
If the guest opts-in to additional marketing, the property can schedule marketing-related emails.
- Both guest and property can opt-out the guest, but only the guest can opt-in to marketing content.
- When GDPR is enabled for the first time, all emails will be set to non-marketing type, but it can be changed by the user.
Confirmation Email
Option to send the customer an automatic confirmation allows you to send the reservation confirmation to the guest right after they complete the booking form. Edit your Confirmation Email template on the Email Templates page.
Redirect URL
If Redirect on confirmation page is selected, guests will be redirected to the provided URL once the booking is completed. Enter after how many seconds the redirect will be initiated. This will not redirect to a Facebook URL.
Other Settings (Payment and Language)
Credit Card CVV Settings
Select whether to ask your guests for CVV code when entering credit card information (credit card payments only).
We strongly recommend that properties connected to Cloudbeds Payments in Canada and Europe have this option selected. These countries have more strict fraud detection rules and having the CVV settings as optional could result in a transaction being rejected.
Language Settings
Select which languages you would like to appear on your booking engine for guests to choose from.
The languages selected will appear in the top right corner of the booking engine screen for your guests. The number of languages is constantly updated:
See the Frequently Asked Questions if you have any doubts about the Booking Engine.
Cloudbeds Booking Engine Plus Settings
Cloudbeds Booking Engine Plus is a re-imagined and upgraded version of your Cloudbeds Booking Engine. Learn more here.
Display Offers options
Customize which fields you would like to appear on the booking engine, when your rooms are sold, and the quantity that can be sold:
- Collapsed (default option): Shows base or lowest rates with the option to expand for more rates.
- Expanded: Displays all base rates and rate plans by default.
The “View offers / Hide offers” drawer color is automatically generated from your Primary color and cannot be changed independently in the Settings panel.
If the drawer color does not match your Header color exactly, update the Primary color under Booking Engine → Customize. This ensures consistency across the booking flow.
Display add-ons
Select if your property add-ons will be displayed before or after the checkout in the booking engine reservation process. Learn more about add-ons here.
If the add-ons are charged before checkout, these will be included in the guest's deposit.
Display guest filter in the booking engine
Choose whether guests can filter search results by the number of people in their booking. Your options are:
- For total guests (default option): The guest selector in the Booking Engine displays a single field where the guest can choose the total number of people in their party.
- For adults and children: The guest selector displays two fields: one for adults and one for children. Guests can filter by the exact party composition.
- No: The guest selector is completely hidden from the Booking Engine. Guests will not see or select how many people are traveling.
Learn more about its behavior here: Cloudbeds Booking Engine Plus Filters Logic and Guest Steppers.
Show accommodations with no availability
Display the unavailable accommodations in your booking engine. This will show the corresponding accommodations in grayscale with a none available badge in your booking engine page.
This feature only applies to rooms that have no inventory available (amount allotted for sale), not to the accommodations that have been manually blocked.
Calendar Price Display
- See nightly rates at a glance (the lowest price is shown initially) in the Booking Engine availability calendar, making it easier to compare pricing per day.
- This feature is enabled by default, but users can easily turn it off in the Booking Engine Settings (Option "Show rates on the availability calendar").
- The Price Display feature only applies to Base Rates (not Rate Plans).
- For this feature, prices are currently shown in your property's default currency.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I remove or customize default check-in and check-out dates on the Booking Engine?
The Cloudbeds Booking Engine does not automatically add check-in or check-out dates to your Booking Engine URL, and there is no setting to remove or configure “default dates.” When you share the standard Booking Engine link, the URL looks like:
https://hotels.cloudbeds.com/reservation/<your-property-code>
When a guest opens this link, the system may append a currency parameter, for example:
https://hotels.cloudbeds.com/reservation/<your-property-code>?currency=usd
but no checkin or checkout values are added. Guests choose their stay dates directly on the Booking Engine.
How to create a customized Booking Engine link with dates and filters
If you want your Booking Engine link to open with specific dates (and optionally guest count and a promo/group code), you can create a customized URL and use it in campaigns, social media, or direct messages:
- Open your Booking Engine and use the calendar date picker to select the desired check-in and check-out dates.
- Click Filters (if available) and set the number of guests and/or enter a Promo / Group Code.
- Click Apply.
- After the page reloads with your selections, copy the full URL from your browser’s address bar.
The copied link will include parameters such as checkin, checkout, guests, and (if used) your promo/group code. When a guest clicks this customized link, the Booking Engine opens with those dates and filters already applied—for example:
https://hotels.cloudbeds.com/reservation/<your-property-code>?currency=usd&checkin=2026-01-29&checkout=2026-01-31&guests=2
This behavior only occurs when you share a URL that already contains these parameters. The Booking Engine will not add specific dates to the link on its own.
What other options do I have to generate special Booking Engine URLs?
Besides sharing your standard Booking Engine link or a customized URL with dates and filters, Cloudbeds offers additional ways to create special-purpose Booking Engine URLs for groups, specific room types, or targeted rate plans.
Group Allotment Block URLs (Groups Add-On)
From the Groups module, you can generate a unique Booking Engine URL for each Definite Allotment Block. Guests who use this link will see only the rooms and dates allocated to that block, and their reservations will be booked directly into the corresponding Group Profile/Allotment Block. To learn how to create and share these links, see Manage Group Allotment Blocks.
Advanced parameters for room types, rate plans, and promos
You can also build advanced Booking Engine URLs by combining your standard Booking Engine link with parameters such as room_type, checkin, checkout, guests, adults, kids, rate_plan, and promo. These parameters let you:
- Send guests directly to a specific room type (or a subset of room types).
- Show only a particular rate plan or a base-rates-only view for the selected room.
- Apply a promo code automatically so guests see the related promotional rate plan.
- In advanced cases, pre-fill all stay details and redirect guests straight to the confirmation/checkout page.
Example: highlight a specific room type in a campaign
Imagine you want to promote a Deluxe Ensuite in a social media campaign and send guests directly to that room type with dates and guests already selected:
- In Cloudbeds PMS, go to Property > Accommodation Types and locate the accommodation you want to promote. Note the Accommodation Abbreviation (for example, PEH for the Deluxe Ensuite).
- Open your Booking Engine in your browser, select the desired check-in and check-out dates, choose the number of guests, and click Search (and Apply filters, if needed).
- Once the page shows availability for the selected dates and guests, add the parameter room_type=room-abbreviation(for example, room_type=PEH) to the end of the URL.
Copy the full link, open it in a new tab, and confirm it loads correctly. The selected room type should appear at the top of the results, while guests can still scroll down to view additional room options under the Discover more options section.
You can now use this URL in a “Book Now” button or message. When a guest clicks the link, the Booking Engine opens with your selected dates, guest count, and the highlighted room type already in focus.
For the full list of supported parameters, examples, and compatibility notes with Booking Engine Plus, refer to How to redirect your guests to a particular room type and/or rate plan in Cloudbeds PMS .
How can I offer a Group Booking Engine link for multiple properties?
The standard Cloudbeds Booking Engine only displays availability for one property. If your business manages two or more properties linked together under an Organization, you will automatically have access to the Group Booking Engine (GBE).
The GBE provides a separate link that consolidates all properties in your Organization, allowing guests to browse and book across them in one place.
Need a Group Booking Engine? First, your properties must belong to an Organization. If you do not yet have an Organization set up, you can learn more about Organizations here.
Once your Organization is active, you can set up the GBE by following: Where can I customize the Group Booking Engine and How to add the Group Booking Engine to your website.
⚙️ Transition Now to the Cloudbeds Booking Engine Plus Immersive Experience 2.0
The old booking engine iframe will soon be discontinued. To ensure your property continues to receive bookings seamlessly, transition to the Immersive Experience 2.0 before the end of the year. The upgraded Cloudbeds Booking Engine Plus offers faster performance, a modern design, and improved conversion rates.
Learn more and make the switch today: Cloudbeds Booking Engine – Immersive Experience 2.0: Everything You Need to Know.
Comments
Hi is it possbile to change the date configuration of the calendar in the booking engine?
As of now the week starts on a Sunday and not on a Monday.
It would be great to know how to change the date configuration of the calendar so that the week starts on a Monday and ends on a Sunday.
Hello, Adrian Osmani!
Currently, it is not possible to change the date configuration on the Booking Engine calendar.
Based on your feedback, we have created a new idea here in the Cloudbeds Community, so you and other users can already see it, comment on it, and vote for it. The more votes, the better!
Thank you for your suggestion 💙
Now we just need a Total Guest Merge Field for the Reg Cards and confirmation letters. If we have an option to turn off adults and children all together in system settings and not even has it as an option that would be even better. We charge by how many guests, regardless of age and occasionally have the guests who insists that kids must stay free so it's totally find that they booked a room for two adults and show up with two adults and three kids.
Is it possible to set 2 guests as a default, instead of 1?
Hello, Patrick Farrell,
Could you please provide us with more details, so we can better assist you with this request?
We look forward to hearing from you.
Thank you!
Hi Juss Reyes
At present, our booking engine is set to default 1 guest when selecting dates. 90% of our reservations are for 2 guests. I would like to have 2 guests appear when the user is selecting dates, so the user does not have to manually tap to increase guests.
Thank you
Hello, Patrick Farrell,
Thank you so much for the provided information. Based on this, our dedicated Support Team will review this request more closely and get back to you as soon as possible.
Regards!
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