Booking system changes

Based on feedback, we’ve decided to make several changes to our booking system. These updates are designed to simplify the entire process for both participants and you as a retreat leader—whether when creating and managing events, or in your accounting when handling commissions.

Changes at a Glance

Here’s a quick summary of the changes. Further down on this page, everything you need to know is explained in detail:

More flexible pricing structure

You can now set different prices for each event of a retreat (e.g. single room, double room, solidarity price, etc.). Discounts are also possible.

Custom payment and cancellation terms

In addition to our predefined payment and cancellation terms (which you can simply select and use), you can now create your own fully flexible conditions

Simplified commission settlement

Payments now flow directly between you and participants, under your conditions. The commission for a successfully mediated booking will be invoiced after the retreat and can easily be paid through our payment service provider. This means you receive the full amount (according to your payment terms) from the participant and pay the commission afterward. Of course, we’ll provide you with a proper invoice incl. VAT for your accounting.

Provide billing details

For proper invoicing of the commission, you need to provide your billing address. Without it, you won’t be able to receive bookings via RetreatPartner.de. Please enter the address under which your business is registered. If it changes, you must update it in RetreatPartner as well. This address is not publicly visible and is only used for invoicing.
→ You can find billing details in your account under Settings → Billing details

Provide payment information

To correctly display to participants where they should send the payment (if paying via bank transfer), you must enter your payment details under Settings → Payment/Cancellation Terms.
Your bank details are not publicly visible and are only shared once a booking is confirmed.

Creating Your Own Payment Terms

Under Settings → Payment/Cancellation Terms, you can add your own payment plans. Click Add Payment Plan to create as many as you like and then assign them to your retreat events. This is useful, for example, if you offer both longer trips and shorter day retreats at your location.

Name: Here you can enter a name for the payment plan. This is only visible to you and helps you select it during the retreat.

Amount: Here you select the amount. In most cases, it makes sense to choose a percentage amount. This way you stay flexible and can apply the payment condition to multiple retreats. Make sure that the total of all payment steps adds up to 100% in the end.

When is the payment due?

• Immediately: The amount must be paid right after booking.

• X days before the start: e.g. “14 days before the start” means the amount must have been received in your account no later than 14 days before the retreat begins.

• At the start of the retreat: The amount must be paid no later than the beginning of the retreat, or directly in cash on site.

Payment methods: Here you can select the payment methods for each payment step.

The following options are available: Bank transfer (your bank details will automatically be shared with the participant upon booking), cash, or other. If you select other, you can add further information in the text field.

Delete payment condition: If you have already assigned a payment condition to a retreat, you can no longer delete it. You must first deselect it from the retreat, and then you will be able to delete it.

Create your own cancellation policies

Under Settings → Payment/Cancellation Policies, you can also create your own cancellation policies. By clicking “Add Cancellation Policy”, you can create as many different policies as you like and then assign them to your retreat events. This is useful, for example, if you offer both longer trips and short day retreats on-site. For longer trips, it makes sense to set stricter cancellation policies, while for smaller on-site workshops, you can often be more flexible since your own risk is lower.

Name: Here you can enter a name for the cancellation policy. This is only visible to you and helps you select it for your retreat.

Amount: Here you select the percentage of the retreat price that will be charged as a cancellation fee at the specified time. The cancellation policies will be visible to participants. In the event of a cancellation, you must invoice the participant for the cancellation fee yourself.

From when do you keep the amount?

• From 48 hours after booking: On RetreatPartner, all participants have 48 hours after booking to cancel for free. This protects participants in cases of accidental or incorrect bookings.

• From X days before the start: For example, “from 60 days before the start” means that anyone who cancels 60 days before the retreat or later pays this percentage. If there is another cancellation period closer to the retreat start, that one may apply instead.

Example: There are two cancellation periods:
A: 50% if canceled from 60 days before the start
B: 80% if canceled from 14 days before the start

Example Case 1: Participant cancels 55 days before the start → They pay 50% of the retreat price.

Example Case 2: Participant cancels 10 days before the start → They pay 80%, even though both conditions could theoretically apply, because period B is closer to the start date, has a higher amount, and therefore takes precedence over condition A.

Delete cancellation policy: If you have already assigned a cancellation policy to a retreat, you c

Create a retreat event

Create a new date for your retreat, or edit an existing one to apply the new settings. Click on the three dots next to your retreat, then select “Edit Retreat”. In the “Data” tab, you can edit existing dates or add new ones.

Total number of spots: This indicates how many participants your retreat will have in total. It is not related to the bookable spots on RetreatPartner – those are defined further below via the prices. The total number of spots is used for display and search filtering. For example, some participants look for a small retreat with a maximum of 8 participants, while others may prefer a larger retreat.

Select payment conditions

Here you can select from the global payment settings (predefined by us) or your own, as described above. Simply click on the preset option, and the dropdown menu will open, as shown here.

Select cancellation policies

Here you can select from the global cancellation policies (predefined by us) or your own, as described above. Simply click on the preset policy, and the dropdown menu will open, as shown here.

Set up prices

When setting up prices, you can now create as many different prices as you like, for example for different room categories. For each price, you also specify how many spots are available.

If you receive a booking outside of RetreatPartner, you should reduce the available spots here to avoid overbooking a category. If a booking comes through RetreatPartner, you don’t need to make any changes. Only reduce the spots for the places that were booked externally.

Example:

You set up 5 available spots for the single room. Then you receive one single room booking via RetreatPartner and one single room booking directly with you.

You reduce the available spots to 4 (even though only 3 spots remain). The available spots always mean “the total spots available for booking via RetreatPartner”. Since you already received one booking through RetreatPartner, it works out as:

4 available spots − 1 booking = 3 remaining spots.

Additionally, you can specify whether the price includes accommodation or not. Often, participants book the room in the retreat center themselves. In this case, you would of course deselect “Accommodation included.” It’s best to explain in your retreat description exactly how participants can book their accommodation themselves.

For each price, you can also set an early bird and a last-minute price. If participants book within these date ranges, the discount will be applied automatically. Make sure that the periods for the two discounts do not overlap.

Confirm / Decline Booking

When you receive a booking through RetreatPartner, you have up to 72 hours to either accept or decline it for free. This protects you in case, for example, you forgot to update the available spots.

If you decline a booking, you must provide a reason. This helps prevent frustration for the participants.

Once you confirm a booking, the participant receives a confirmation email with the payment details. Therefore, you should confirm the booking as soon as possible.

If you neither confirm nor decline the booking within 72 hours, it will be automatically confirmed.

Cancellation

Participant cancels

Participants always have 48 hours to cancel their booking for free. After that, the cancellation policy you selected applies. If a participant cancels, you will receive a notification by email. You can then invoice them for any applicable cancellation fee.

You as the retreat leader must cancel

You have 72 hours to decline a booking for free. If you need to cancel a booking or the retreat date after 72 hours, you must pay the 15% commission as a cancellation fee.

Alternatively, you can reschedule the retreat date. If all participants accept the new date, no cancellation fees will apply.

If you need to cancel due to illness or other hardship cases, please contact us. We will work with you to find a fair solution for everyone!

Billing

The commission for a successfully mediated booking is invoiced after the retreat ends and can be paid easily via our payment provider. You receive the full amount from the participant according to your set payment conditions, and pay the commission afterwards. Of course, we provide you with a proper invoice including VAT for your accounting.

You can find your invoices under “My Retreats” → “Billing”