Blocking, Unblocking, and Managing Room Availability in the Calendar and Availability Matrix

Juss Reyes

Updated October 02, 2026 15:31

Purpose	Block, unblock, or temporarily remove room availability from the Calendar, Availability Matrix, or selected distribution channels.
Best for	Property owners, property admins and operators, front desk agents, and specialized managers responsible for room availability.
Use this when	You need to close an entire accommodation type, block a specific room or bed, create a temporary hold, close selected channels, or restore availability after removing a block.
You need	The applicable Calendar, Rates and Availability, or Distribution privileges for the workflow you want to complete.
Expected result	The selected accommodation type, room, bed, or channel is blocked or reopened for the applicable dates.
Important limit	Each blocking method affects availability differently. A channel closeout does not block direct reservations, while an Availability Matrix accommodation block closes the selected inventory across direct and connected reservation sources.

Introduction

Cloudbeds PMS provides different ways to block room availability depending on whether you need to close an entire accommodation type, a specific room or bed, or selected distribution channels.

This article explains how to block and unblock availability using the Calendar and Availability Matrix. It also explains channel closeouts, courtesy holds, and what to check when a room does not become available after a block is removed.

Choose the correct blocking method

Use Accommodation Blocked in the Availability Matrix to close an entire accommodation type or its selected rate-plan inventory.
Use Blocked Dates or Out of Service in the Calendar to block a specific room or bed.
Use Closeouts to close selected distribution channels while keeping direct reservation sources available.

Choose a room-blocking method
Block availability for specific channels
Block an accommodation type in the Availability Matrix
Block a specific room or bed in the Calendar
Remove a Calendar room block
Troubleshoot availability after unblocking

Choose a room-blocking method

Select the method that matches the inventory you need to close and the reservation sources that should be affected.

Method	Best for	Effect
Accommodation Blocked	Closing an entire accommodation type or selected rate-plan inventory for one or more dates.	Closes the selected inventory for connected channels, the Cloudbeds Booking Engine, and direct reservations.
Blocked Dates	Blocking a specific room or bed without closing the entire accommodation type.	Removes the selected physical room or bed from availability for the selected dates.
Out of Service	Marking a specific room or bed unavailable for operational reasons.	Removes the selected room or bed from sellable availability and displays the block in red on the Calendar.
Courtesy Hold	Temporarily holding an accommodation for a potential guest.	Temporarily holds the room until the hold expires, is removed, or is converted into a reservation.
Channel Closeout	Closing one or more selected distribution channels only.	Closes the selected channels while keeping the Cloudbeds Booking Engine and direct reservations available.

Property owners can create room blocks by default. Other users need the applicable privileges assigned by a property administrator. Review Role privileges for more information.

Block availability for specific channels

Use Closeouts to block availability for selected distribution channels without closing the Cloudbeds Booking Engine or direct reservations in Cloudbeds PMS.

Go to Distribution .
Open the tab.
Click Add Closeout.
Select the channels to close.
Select the room types to close.
Select the date range and applicable days of the week.
Click Add Closeout.

Closeout configuration fields

Block an accommodation type in the Availability Matrix

Use Accommodation Blocked when you need to close an entire accommodation type or the selected accommodation and rate-plan combination.

The New Availability Matrix is available only to participating properties during the limited release. Select the tab that matches the Availability Matrix experience enabled for your property.

Block multiple dates or accommodations

Use Long-Term Interval in the Classic experience or Intervals in the New experience to block multiple accommodations, dates, or days of the week.

Click Menu.
Go to Rates and Availability.
Select Availability Matrix.
Click Long-Term Interval.
Select the applicable rate plan.
Select the accommodations to block.
Select the start and end dates.
Select the applicable days of the week.
Under Interval Settings, select Accommodation Blocked.
Set Accommodation Blocked to Yes.
Click Add Interval.
Click Save.

To unblock the selected inventory, repeat the workflow and set Accommodation Blocked to No. Then add the interval and save the changes.

Click Menu.
Go to Rates and Availability
Select Availability Matrix
Click +Intervals.
Select the applicable rate plan.
Select the accommodations to block.
Select the start and end dates.
Select the applicable days of the week.
Under the interval settings, select Accommodation Blocked
Check the box Accommodation Blocked to enable the block
Click Add Interval.
Save the pending changes.

To unblock the selected inventory, repeat the workflow and uncheck the box for Accommodation Blocked. Then add the interval and save the pending changes.

Block one date or a short date range in the grid

Use the Availability Matrix grid when you need to block one date or a small number of dates directly.

Open the Availability Matrix.
Open Display Options.
Enable Accommodation Blocked.
Locate the applicable accommodation and dates.
Select the applicable cells in the Accommodation Blocked row.
Click Save.

To unblock the dates, clear the selected Accommodation Blocked cells and save the changes.

Open the Availability Matrix.
Select the view that best supports your task:
- Use Rates view to organize the grid by rate plan.
- Use Accommodation view to group each accommodation with its associated rate plans.
Open Options.
Enable Accommodation Blocked.
Locate the applicable accommodation, rate plan, and date.
Select the applicable Accommodation Blocked cell.
Confirm the new value and save the pending changes, when required.

To unblock a date, clear the applicable Accommodation Blocked cell and save the pending changes.

You can review dates back to the start of the previous month in the New Availability Matrix. Past-date cells are read-only, so an Accommodation Blocked value cannot be changed for a historical date.

Required privileges for blocking accommodations

Users who can access the Availability Matrix may still receive an Access denied error when blocking or unblocking accommodations if their role does not include the required rate privileges. To complete this action, the role must have:

Base Rates
Increase Daily Rate or Decrease Daily Rate — at least one
Availability Matrix/Availability Block

If the required rate privileges are missing, the user may receive an Access denied error even when Availability Matrix/Availability Block is enabled.

Property Owners can review and update user privileges under Account → Settings → Users → Roles. See Add, edit or delete roles for more information.

Block a specific room or bed in the Calendar

Use a Calendar block when you need to remove a specific physical room or bed from availability without closing the entire accommodation type.

Use Blocked Dates

Use Blocked Dates to block a specific room or bed for selected dates.

Click Menu.
Select Calendar.
Locate the unit to block.
Select the start date of the block.
Select the end date of the block.
Select Blocked Dates.

Confirm the dates.
Confirm the accommodations.
Enter the reason for the block.
Click Save.

The block appears in gray on the Calendar.

Use Out of Service

Use Out of Service to block a specific room or bed for operational reasons. The block appears in red on the Calendar.

Open the Calendar.
Locate the applicable unit.
Select the start date.
Select the end date.
Select Out of Service.

Confirm the dates.
Confirm the accommodations.
Enter the reason.
Click Save.

The block appears in red on the Calendar.

Create a Courtesy Hold

A Courtesy Hold temporarily holds an accommodation for a specific number of hours or days for a potential guest.

You can create the hold from the Calendar and convert it into a reservation if the guest confirms.

Review How to create and edit a room hold for the complete workflow.

Remove a Calendar room block

Use Clear Dates to remove a Blocked Dates or Out of Service block from the Calendar.

Open the Calendar.
Locate the unit and select the existing block.
Select Clear Dates.

Out of Service

Blocked Dates

If the room does not appear as available after the block is removed, review the troubleshooting steps below.

Troubleshoot availability after unblocking

If a room still does not appear as available in the Calendar or Cloudbeds Booking Engine after you remove a block, check the following.

Check for overlapping reservations, holds, or group blocks

Review the affected dates for active reservations, courtesy holds, or group allotment blocks. Another active inventory commitment can keep the room unavailable after the original block is removed.

Clear Calendar filters

Active Calendar filters can hide a room or accommodation. Clear the filters, refresh the Calendar, and review the affected dates again.

Review Availability Matrix change history

Review the Availability Matrix history to confirm whether the Accommodation Blocked value was changed and saved.

Open Logs in the Classic Availability Matrix and review the applicable accommodation, date, and change record.

In the New Availability Matrix, select the applicable cell and open its change history, or open Logs for broader Availability Matrix changes. History opens in a side drawer without taking you away from the matrix.

Check for a channel-managed closure

Some channel-related closures may be managed directly in the OTA extranet. Remove the closure in the channel's extranet when required, then send or trigger the applicable availability refresh from Cloudbeds.

Next operational step

After blocking or reopening inventory, review the affected dates in the Availability Matrix overview and confirm that the expected rates, availability, and restrictions are ready for sale.