Manage multi-day boarding, overnight stays, and extended daycare with Stay Appointments - optimized for kennels, boarding facilities, and pet hotels.
What are Stay Appointments?
Stay Appointments are specialized bookings for overnight and multi-day pet care:
Boarding (overnight kennels, pet hotels)
Extended daycare (drop-off Monday, pick-up Friday)
Pet sitting at your facility
Overnight training camps
Different from regular appointments:
Span multiple consecutive days
Track check-in and check-out times
Manage nightly/daily rates
Monitor kennel/room occupancy
Handle mid-stay service additions
Enabling Stay Services
Create a Stay Service Type
Before creating stay appointments, configure stay services:
Go to Services → New Service
In service type dropdown, select "Stay"
Configure stay-specific settings:
Nightly rate OR Daily rate
Check-in time (default)
Check-out time (default)
Required resources (kennels, rooms, suites)
Save service
Common stay services:
Standard Boarding (per night)
Luxury Suite Boarding (per night)
Extended Daycare (per day, no overnight)
Training Camp (per day with overnight)
Creating Stay Appointments
Access Stay Creation
Click New → Stay (or keyboard shortcut M)
Stay Creation Wizard
Stay appointments use a specialized multi-step wizard:
Step 1: Basic Information
Select customer and pets:
Search and select customer
Check pets staying
Each pet can have same or different accommodations
Select stay dates:
Check-in date - Arrival date
Check-out date - Departure date
Number of nights calculated automatically
Example: Check-in Oct 20, Check-out Oct 25 = 5 nights
Step 2: Check-in & Check-out Times
Set arrival time:
Default check-in time pre-filled (from service settings)
Adjust if needed (e.g., early check-in 10am vs standard 2pm)
Set departure time:
Default check-out time pre-filled
Adjust if needed (e.g., late checkout 2pm vs standard 11am)
Why this matters:
Early check-in may incur additional charges
Late check-out may incur additional charges
Affects kennel/room turnover
Determines when pet is available for pickup
Step 3: Accommodations & Services
For each pet, select:
Accommodation type:
Standard Kennel
Large Kennel
Luxury Suite
Private Room
Shared Room
Pricing model:
Per night (most common for boarding)
Per day (for daycare-style extended stays)
Flat rate (entire stay one price)
Additional services:
Add services during stay:
Daily walks
Playtime sessions
Grooming
Training
Medication administration
Special feeding
Step 4: Assign Resources
Select specific accommodations:
Kennel number
Room name
Suite identifier
View availability:
Green = Available entire stay
Yellow = Partially available (conflicts some nights)
Red = Not available
Auto-assign option:
System assigns first available accommodation
Best when flexible on specific location
Step 5: Special Instructions
Add stay-specific notes:
Feeding schedule and dietary restrictions
Medication instructions with times
Exercise preferences
Behavioral notes (separation anxiety, dog-aggressive, etc.)
Emergency contact information
Pickup authorization (who can pick up pet)
Upload documents:
Vaccination records
Vet contact information
Special care instructions
Medication photos
Step 6: Review & Create
Summary shows:
Dates: Check-in to check-out
Duration: Number of nights/days
Accommodation: Per pet
Services: Additional services scheduled
Total cost: Breakdown by pet and service
Action buttons:
Create Stay - Standard creation
Create & Send Confirmation - Creates and emails customer
Save as Draft - Complete later
During Stay Management
Check-In Process
When pet arrives:
Open stay appointment
Click "Check In" button
System records:
Actual arrival time
Staff member who checked in
Condition upon arrival
Status changes to "In Progress"
Check-in workflow:
Take arrival photos
Inspect pet for existing injuries/conditions
Verify belongings (food, toys, medications)
Confirm special instructions with customer
Assign to accommodation if not pre-assigned
Adding Services Mid-Stay
Customer requests additional services during stay:
Open stay appointment
Navigate to "Add Service" section
Select service and date(s)
Options:
One-time service (e.g., bath on day 3)
Daily recurring (e.g., extra walk every day)
Specific dates (e.g., playtime on Mon, Wed, Fri)
Invoice updates automatically
Common mid-stay additions:
Grooming before checkout
Extra playtime
Medication administration
Training sessions
Special treats/enrichment
Daily Care Tracking
Document daily activities:
Notes section:
How pet ate (full meal, partial, refused)
Bathroom habits (normal, diarrhea, constipated)
Energy level (playful, lethargic, normal)
Interactions with other pets
Any concerning behavior or health issues
Photo updates:
Daily photo for customer peace of mind
Document any injuries or issues
Before/after grooming
Pet having fun (playing, socializing)
Best practice: Update daily at consistent time (evening preferred)
Health & Incident Management
If pet becomes ill or injured:
Document immediately in appointment notes
Take photos of injury/symptoms
Contact customer via phone + email
Vet consultation if needed:
Add vet visit as service
Upload vet records
Update medication schedule
Update daily care notes with treatment plan
Emergency protocol:
Call customer immediately
Follow documented emergency contacts
Transport to vet if authorized
Document all actions in detail
Check-Out Process
When customer arrives for pickup:
Open stay appointment
Click "Check Out" button
System records:
Actual departure time
Staff member handling checkout
Review stay with customer:
How pet did during stay
Any incidents or concerns
Medication administered
Services provided
Return belongings
Finalize invoice and process payment
Checkout checklist:
✅ Pet health check
✅ Return all belongings
✅ Share stay summary with customer
✅ Provide vet records if applicable
✅ Schedule next stay if requested
✅ Process payment
Stay Pricing
Nightly vs. Daily Rates
Nightly rate:
Charged per night pet stays overnight
Example: 5-night stay = 5 × nightly rate
Standard for boarding facilities
Check-out time determines if extra night charged
Daily rate:
Charged per calendar day
Example: Mon-Fri = 5 days
Used for extended daycare (no overnight)
Partial day charging:
Early check-in (before default time): May add extra half-day charge
Late check-out (after default time): May add extra half-day charge
Configurable per service
Multi-Pet Stay Discounts
Automatic discounts when multiple pets from same family board:
Configure in service settings
Example: 10% off second pet, 15% off third+
Applies automatically to invoice
Visible in pricing breakdown
Additional Service Pricing
Services during stay billed separately:
Added to final invoice
Can be one-time or recurring
Priced according to service rate
Example stay invoice:
Standard Kennel (5 nights @ $40/night): $200Daily Walk (5 days @ $15/day): $75Checkout Bath: $45Subtotal: $320Multi-pet discount (10%): -$32Total: $288
Resource Management
Kennel/Room Assignment
Track accommodation occupancy:
View which kennels/rooms occupied each night
See upcoming check-ins/check-outs
Identify turnover cleaning needs
Timeline view best for resource management:
Horizontal bars show stay duration
Each kennel gets own row
See overlaps and conflicts
Optimize space utilization
Capacity Planning
Monitor facility capacity:
Total kennels/rooms available
Current occupancy percentage
Upcoming capacity by date
Peak booking periods
Overbooking alerts:
Warning when exceeding capacity
Identify conflicting reservations
Manage waitlist
Multi-Pet Stays
Same Family, Multiple Pets
Common scenarios:
Same accommodation (pets share kennel/suite)
Separate accommodations (own kennels)
Mixed (one shared, one separate)
How to handle:
Option 1: Single stay appointment with multiple pets
Create one stay
Select all pets
Assign each to accommodation (same or different)
One invoice with all pets
Option 2: Separate stays
Create individual stay per pet
Useful if different dates (one stays longer)
Separate invoices (can link for discount)
Recommendation: Single stay appointment preferred for simplicity
Pet Interaction During Stay
Document social dynamics:
Pets that play well together
Separation needs
Group vs. individual time
Feed separately if food aggressive
Scheduling socialization:
Add "Playtime" services for interaction
Document interactions in daily notes
Photos/videos of pets playing together
Common Stay Types
1. Vacation Boarding
Typical duration: 5-14 nights
Services included:
Standard kennel/suite
Daily feeding
Bathroom breaks
Basic exercise
Add-ons customers request:
Extra playtime
Daily walks
Cuddle time
Webcam access
Daily photo updates
2. Extended Daycare
Typical duration: 5 consecutive days
No overnight stay:
Drop-off Monday morning
Pick-up Friday evening
No overnight accommodation needed
Charged per day, not per night
Best for:
Work weeks
Training programs
Socialization intensive
3. Overnight Training Camp
Combines boarding + intensive training
Structure:
Stay for 1-2 weeks
Daily training sessions
Practice exercises
Board-and-train model
Documentation:
Daily training notes
Progress reports
Video of training
Owner instructions for home practice
4. Short-Term Emergency Boarding
Unplanned/urgent stays:
1-3 nights typically
Last-minute bookings
Family emergencies, medical issues
Considerations:
Flexibility on accommodations
May not have full paperwork upfront
Collect vaccination records during stay
Follow-up on missing information
Stay Reports & Summaries
Daily Stay Report
At end of each day, generate report showing:
Current occupancy
Pets checking in tomorrow
Pets checking out tomorrow
Health/incident notes
Tasks for tomorrow (grooming, vet visits)
Customer Stay Summary
Upon checkout, provide customer with:
Stay dates and duration
Daily care notes
Photos taken during stay
Services provided
Medication administered
Recommendations for future stays
How to generate:
Open stay appointment
Click "Generate Stay Summary"
Review and edit if needed
Email to customer or print
Tips & Best Practices
Booking stays:
Book early for holidays (30-60 days advance)
Require vaccination records before check-in date
Send pre-stay reminders (3 days before)
Confirm pickup time day before checkout
During stay:
Daily photo updates = happy customers
Document everything (CYA for disputes)
Note feeding and bathroom patterns
Report concerns immediately (don't wait)
Checkout:
Allow 15 minutes for checkout process
Don't rush customer (share stay details)
Schedule next stay while they're there
Send follow-up email with stay summary
Facility management:
Clean accommodations between stays
Inspect for damage or maintenance issues
Rotate popular kennels/suites fairly
Track maintenance schedule per resource
Troubleshooting
"No available accommodations for dates"
→ Check resource calendar, adjust dates, or use waitlist
"Customer wants to extend stay"
→ Edit stay appointment, change checkout date, system updates pricing
"Pet needs medication mid-stay"
→ Add medication administration as recurring service, document in notes
"Checkout delayed, customer running late"
→ Update expected checkout time, alert team if impacting next check-in
"Dispute over extra charges"
→ Reference daily notes and services list, show timestamped documentation