Glossary · 25 terms · 2026
Glossary of own
booking systems.
25 terms from online booking systems 2026: channel manager, iCal sync, payment gateway, Booking/Booksy/Restaumatic commissions, no-show, RBAC, webhook, client=merchant. For guesthouses, restaurants, beauty salons, and clinics looking for an alternative to commission-based platforms.
Online Booking System
An online booking system is software that lets customers book services, rooms, or tables directly on the company website without calling. It consists of an availability calendar, a booking form, email confirmation, and sometimes a payment gateway. It can be a third-party widget (Booksy, Restaumatic) or an own system (Lokal360 System Mini/Standard/Pro).
Channel Manager
A channel manager is software that synchronizes availability and prices between different sales channels (Booking, Airbnb, Slowhop, your own site). When a guest books on one channel, the channel manager automatically blocks the date on all others. It prevents overbooking. Price in Poland 2026: 200-1500 PLN/month.
iCal Sync
iCal sync is a free mechanism for synchronizing calendars between platforms (Booking, Airbnb, Slowhop). Each platform generates an iCal link with the current calendar, and other platforms import it. Sync runs every 6-24h, not in real time. It is enough for a guesthouse with 3-7 rooms and 2-3 channels. For 8+ rooms a full channel manager is recommended.
Direct Booking
Direct booking is a reservation made directly through the company website (with no commission to Booking/Booksy/Restaumatic platforms). The customer pays 0% platform commission and the company saves 15-30% of the booking value. The payment gateway charges only 1.5% per transaction. Hybrid model: 60-70% direct, 30-40% Booking for new tourists.
Payment Gateway
A payment gateway is an integration with a payment processor (Przelewy24, Stripe, PayU, Tpay) on the company website. The customer pays a deposit or the full amount online, and funds go directly to the company account. Operator fee: 1.2-1.5% per transaction. Client=merchant model: the company has its own P24/Stripe account, Lokal360 only integrates and is not a party to the transaction.
Platform Commission
A commission is a percentage of each booking handed over to the intermediary platform. Booking 15-18%, Airbnb 14-16%, Booksy 1-3% + subscription, Restaumatic 5-10% + subscription, Glovo 25-35%, Pyszne 13-30%. Annual loss for a guesthouse with 300,000 PLN turnover on Booking: 45,000-54,000 PLN.
No-show
A no-show is a customer who does not appear at the booked appointment or stay without cancelling in advance. Restaurants: 10-20% no-show with direct booking and no deposit. Hotels: 5-10%. Clinics: 15-25%. Mitigation strategy: an online deposit of 50-100 PLN (reduces no-show by 70-80%) plus an SMS reminder 24h before.
Multi-resource
Multi-resource is a booking system feature that handles many resources at once: hotel rooms, salon stations, coworking meeting rooms, restaurant tables. Lokal360 System Pro (8999 PLN) supports multi-resource natively. System Mini (3999 PLN) manages a single resource (e.g. a solo beautician).
Overbooking
Overbooking is a situation where the same resource (room, table, hall) is booked twice for the same date. Classic cause: lack of a channel manager or iCal sync between channels. Effect: conflict with the customer, compensation, bad reviews. A channel manager or iCal sync eliminates the risk.
PMS (Property Management System)
PMS is a hotel property management system: check-in/out, guest register, invoices, reports, integrations with the channel manager. The most popular in Poland 2026: Cloudbeds, eviivo, HostKeeper, Polish Booking Center. Price: 200-1500 PLN/month subscription. For a guesthouse of up to 8 rooms a PMS is usually not needed, Lokal360 System Pro is enough.
RBAC (Role-Based Access Control)
RBAC is an access control model in the system: different roles (admin, manager, reception, guest) have different permissions. In a booking system: admin can change prices, manager can add reservations, reception can see the list of today's guests. Lokal360 System Pro (8999 PLN) has RBAC natively.
Webhook
A webhook is a mechanism for notifying external systems about events. For example, after a booking in Lokal360 the system sends a webhook to a CRM (HubSpot, Pipedrive) and to email marketing tools (Brevo, MailChimp). Webhooks are the standard for system integration in 2026, an alternative to polling APIs. Lokal360 System Standard supports webhooks natively.
Booking API
An API is a programming interface that lets external systems use booking functions. For example, integrating your own mobile app with the booking system through a REST API. Lokal360 System Pro (8999 PLN) has a REST API with OpenAPI 3.0 documentation. System Custom (14999+ PLN) adds GraphQL and webhooks.
Online Deposit
An online deposit is a partial or full payment for a reservation, collected at the moment of booking through the payment gateway. It reduces no-show by 70-80% (the customer has already invested and will show up). Typical amounts: 30 PLN (manicure), 50-100 PLN (medical practice), 150-300 PLN (dinner for 4), 30% of the stay value (guesthouse).
Conditional Cancellation (cancellation policy)
Conditional cancellation is the set of rules for refunding a deposit when a booking is cancelled. The most common variants: full refund up to 24-72h before, 50% refund, no refund. The choice of cancellation policy affects conversion (the more lenient, the more bookings) and risk (the more lenient, the more cancellations). Optimal for a guesthouse: 50% refund up to 7 days before, no refund within the last week.
Seasonality (dynamic pricing)
Seasonality is the difference in prices depending on the season, day of the week, or hour. Hotels: high season (summer/holidays) vs low (November). Beauty salons: weekends more expensive than weekdays. Restaurants: lunch cheaper than dinner. Lokal360 System Standard supports dynamic pricing per day or season, with manual override available to the admin.
Loyalty Program
A loyalty program is a system of incentives for returning customers: coupons, discounts, points, VIP status. The simplest version: "every 10th service free". A more advanced version: points redeemed for rewards, silver or gold status with different benefits. Lokal360 System Pro (8999 PLN) has a loyalty module natively.
Cross-sell + Upsell
Cross-sell is offering complementary products or services ("the customer bought a manicure, suggest a pedicure"). Upsell is offering a higher version ("the customer chose Strona Wizytowka 1299 PLN, suggest Komplet 6990 PLN"). A booking system can automate both: show add-ons during checkout or send a follow-up email with a proposal.
CRM (Customer Relationship Management)
CRM is a system for managing customer relationships: contact base, interaction history, lead status (cold/warm/hot), notes. The most popular in Poland 2026: HubSpot Free, Pipedrive, Sellizer, Livespace. Integration with the booking system via webhook: each new booking automatically creates or updates a contact in the CRM.
Client = Merchant (model)
Client = Merchant is a payment gateway integration model in which the client (the company) has its own P24/Stripe account, and the website provider (Lokal360) only integrates. Lokal360 does not hold funds, is not a party to the transaction, and does not need a KIP/KNF license. Full financial control on the client side, full legal compliance.
Booksy Lock-in
Booksy lock-in is the phenomenon of becoming dependent on the Booksy platform through: a customer base used to the Booksy app, reviews that stay on the Booksy profile, and the Booksy marketplace generating new customers. Exit strategy: a 3-month hybrid period (Booksy + own system + email to the base "book direct"), then gradual phase-out.
Hybrid Distribution Model
A hybrid distribution model is a strategy of combining an own system (60-70% of turnover) with external platforms (30-40%). Platforms (Booking, Airbnb) bring in new tourists. Direct (your own site) handles regulars and referrals. It maximizes profitability without losing volume from the platforms.
OTA (Online Travel Agency)
An OTA is a platform that intermediates in tourism bookings: Booking.com, Expedia, Airbnb, Vrbo, Slowhop, Travelist. They charge commissions of 12-25% on every booking. For a guesthouse OTAs are a source of new tourists (especially from abroad), but they are economically viable only when they complement direct booking.
PSP (Payment Service Provider)
A PSP is a payment service provider integrating various payment methods (cards, BLIK, transfers, Apple Pay, Google Pay). Polish PSPs 2026: Przelewy24 (P24), PayU, Tpay, Stripe, mBank Paynow. Fees: 1.2-1.5% per transaction. They require a contract directly with the client company (client=merchant).
GDS (Global Distribution System)
A GDS is a centralized tourism booking system for travel agencies: Amadeus, Sabre, Travelport. For a small local business a GDS is practically out of reach (it requires at least 10-15 rooms plus expensive intermediation). A guesthouse in 2026 does not need a GDS, a channel manager with OTAs is enough.
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