How to reduce no-shows
A set of measures against no-shows — guest reminders, deposits and the grace period.
No-shows are the biggest headache for restaurants. In Hostme, three settings in different places fight them. Turn them all on together for maximum effect.
Step 1. Turn on confirmation reminders
The guest gets a reminder to confirm the booking before the visit — this alone reduces no-shows by 30–40%.
Open Reservations → Booking Rules → Guest Confirmation Reminder, turn on Send confirmation reminder to guests and choose how long before the visit to remind.
Step 2. Turn on deposits for risky bookings
A deposit or a late cancellation fee “disciplines” guests, especially large parties and peak hours.
Set it up following the guide How to start accepting deposits — you can take a deposit only from large parties (amounts by group size).
Step 3. Set the grace period
So that tables don’t sit idle, set how many minutes late a guest can be before they can be marked as a no-show: Reservations → Booking Rules → No-show Handling → Grace period. Guests later than that are marked as no-shows, and the table goes back into rotation.
Result: guests get a reminder, risky bookings are insured with a deposit, and overdue ones free up the table on time.
Related: Guest reminders · Deposits