Understanding what customers see when they book
This article walks through what your guests see when they book on your reservation page, from picking a location to receiving a confirmation. Each section links to the setup article that controls it, so you can jump straight to the right setting.
Live examples use the Sparky's demo site: sparkys.reservewithrex.com/select-location.
Before you start
The guest experience is shaped by setup you do in the Admin Dashboard. Make sure these are in place:
- At least one venue is live — see Configure venue general settings.
- At least one published package — see Create your first package.
- A connected payment processor if you take payment — see Set up Stripe payments.
Terminology
Consistent terms used throughout this article and the app:
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Sidebar | The venue info and navigation panel — shown on the right on desktop, and in a slide-up drawer on mobile. Holds social links, a menu link, the inquiry button, a custom page button, and custom sidebar links. |
| Categories | The filter chips on the package list that group packages. |
| Package | A bookable product shown as a card (e.g. a lane, a lesson, an event). |
| Activity | A bookable item inside a package, used for multi-activity bookings. |
| Add-on | An optional extra a guest adds at checkout. |
| Modifier | A choice within an add-on (e.g. size, flavor). |
| Time slot | An available start time for a package. |
| Resource | A physical asset Rex assigns and protects from overbooking (lane, bay, table). |
The reservation page
The reservation page is where guests browse and book. Example: sparkys.reservewithrex.com/package.
Location selection
On multi-venue accounts, guests first pick a location. Example: sparkys.reservewithrex.com/select-location.
Guests choose a venue and a Number of Guests, then click Continue. Picking a guest count above the venue's maximum sends them to the inquiry form instead. Coming Soon venues appear in the list but can't be selected.
Single-venue accounts skip this and land directly on the package list.
Sidebar navigation
In the new design, the sidebar holds your venue info and navigation. It appears on the right on desktop and as a slide-up drawer on mobile. Each item only shows when you fill in its setting — empty settings are hidden automatically.
The sidebar renders these items in order:
- Venue image, name, and address. A Change button appears here on multi-venue accounts so guests can switch location.
- Social links — Facebook, Instagram, X (Twitter), and TikTok icons.
- Get Directions — opens your map link in a new tab.
- Phone number — taps to call on mobile.
- View Menu — opens your menu link in a new tab.
- Event inquiry button — opens the inquiry form.
- Custom Page button — opens your custom page.
- Website link — opens your location page in a new tab.
- Custom sidebar links — your own promo cards.
Configure all of these in your venue settings. The relevant sections are described below.
Social links. Add your Facebook Link, Instagram Link, X (Twitter) Link, and TikTok Link in the Social Media Links section of your venue settings. Each link you fill in shows its icon in the sidebar; leave one blank to hide it.
Menu link. The View Menu Link field also lives in the Social Media Links section. Paste the URL of your food or drink menu. When set, a View Menu item appears in the sidebar and opens the link in a new tab.
Event inquiry button. The inquiry button lets guests reach your party and event inquiry form. Configure it in the Inquiry Page section of your venue settings:
- Enable Inquiry Page — turns the button on.
- Event Inquiry Title and Tab Name — control the button label. The sidebar uses Tab Name first, then falls back to Event Inquiry Title, then to "Contact".
The button opens the inquiry form — see Create an event or party package and Create contact-only packages.
Custom Page button. Add a custom page in the Custom Page section of your venue settings:
- Custom Page is Enabled — turns the button on.
- Page Name — the button label.
- Description and Custom Script — the page content.
Custom sidebar links. Add your own promo cards in the Sidebar Links section. Each card has:
- Link Text — the card title.
- Link URL — where the card opens.
- Link Label — optional call-to-action button text. When set, the card shows a title, description, and button. When blank, the whole card is a single link.
- Description — optional rich text shown on the card.
- Image — optional card image.
Use Add Item to add another card. Cards show only when at least one is configured.
Categories
On the package list, category filters group packages so guests can narrow the list. Set these up in Set up categories.
Package cards
Each package shows an image, price, duration, and guest range. Guests pick a date, then open a card to see the full description and available time slots.
- Card content and pricing — see Configure package pricing.
- Time slots and availability — see Set up your schedule and pricing.
- Page text, labels, and branding — see Customize text and labels on your reservation page and Customize your reservation page.
If a date has no open slots, guests see "There is no availability for the selected date." When a package has next-available times enabled, the page also shows upcoming open slots under Other dates with availability.
The booking flow
Once a guest selects a package, date, guest count, and time slot, they move through the booking flow. Steps appear only when relevant to the package.
- Sign in or check out as a guest — sparkys.reservewithrex.com/reservation-info/account. Guests use Guest Checkout (email only), Create an account, or Sign in. You can default to guest checkout, or hide guest checkout or account creation per venue.
- Choose activities — sparkys.reservewithrex.com/reservation-info/activities. Shown for multi-activity packages. See Multi-activity bookings.
- Add add-ons — sparkys.reservewithrex.com/reservation-info/addons. Guests pick optional extras and modifiers. See Add-ons.
- Enter reservation details — sparkys.reservewithrex.com/reservation-info/checkout. Contact info, custom questions, and notes. See Add checkout questions to a package.
- Sign a waiver — sparkys.reservewithrex.com/reservation-info/waiver. Shown when a waiver is attached. See Connect a waiver to a package.
- Add a profile photo — sparkys.reservewithrex.com/reservation-info/collect-profile-photo. Shown only when the package collects one.
- Pay — guests review the order summary (line items, fees, tax, deposit, and the Due Now total), apply a promo code or gift card, and pay. If a gift card or coupon covers the full amount, the payment form is skipped and guests just click Complete Your Reservation. See Discount codes.
- Confirmation — sparkys.reservewithrex.com/reservation-info/confirmed. The guest sees a confirmation with their reservation number and a note to check their email.
The confirmation email
Every completed booking sends the guest a confirmation email. It includes the venue name and address, package, date and time, guest count, assigned resources, add-ons, the order summary and grand total, and the cancellation policy. It also carries a Manage Reservation button guests use to modify or cancel, and an add-to-calendar button when calendar links are enabled.
Checkout fields
The reservation details step adapts to your setup. Common fields:
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Contact details (name, email, phone) | Always. |
| Custom questions | When the package has checkout questions. See the Add checkout questions article. |
| Per-guest details | For integrations that need each guest's info. |
| Notes | When notes are enabled on the package. |
Party and event inquiries
For large parties and events, guests submit an inquiry instead of booking instantly. Example: sparkys.reservewithrex.com/party.
The inquiry form has two steps:
- Event details — guests pick a Location, answer What's the Occasion?, choose a Select Date, an Event Start Time, an Event Duration, and enter Number of Guests. Guest counts outside your allowed range show an error. Guests click Next.
- Contact details — First Name, Last Name, Email, and Phone (all required), plus a "Keep me updated" opt-in. Guests click Next to submit.
After submitting, guests see a thank-you page — sparkys.reservewithrex.com/thank-you — that recaps the occasion, date, time, duration, and guest count, and confirms the email you'll follow up to.
Set this up with Create an event or party package and Create contact-only packages.
After booking
Guests start from the Manage Reservation button in their confirmation email.
- Pay an outstanding balance — the email's payment link opens sparkys.reservewithrex.com/pay-reservation (it carries the reservation's
idandtoken). Guests pay on the same form used at booking. A broken or incomplete link shows "Content load error, URL is not valid." - Modify a reservation — from their account (sparkys.reservewithrex.com/account), guests choose Modify reservation and pick a new date or time. Rex compares prices: guests either pay the difference, get a refund for it, or pay nothing if it's unchanged.
- Cancel a reservation — guests choose Cancel reservation and confirm. If a cancellation fee applies, the amount is shown before they confirm; otherwise they get a full refund. Whether a fee applies depends on your cancellation policy and cutoff window.
Preview your own page
Every link above opens the live Sparky's page so you can preview the exact screen. To preview your own page, swap sparkys for your venue's subdomain (or use your custom URL).
Troubleshooting
A package isn't showing on the page
Possible causes
- •The package is hidden, unpublished, or has no availability.
Fix
See the Common reasons packages don't appear article.
Sidebar sections or packages are in the wrong order
Possible causes
- •Priority values control ordering.
Fix
See the article on how priority controls the order packages and tabs appear.
Category filters are missing
Possible causes
- •No categories are set up or assigned.
Fix
See the Set up categories article.
The location screen doesn't appear
Possible causes
- •The account has a single venue.
Fix
This is expected — single-venue accounts go straight to the package list.
No time slots are available
Possible causes
- •The schedule has no open slots for that date.
Fix
See the Set up your schedule and pricing article.
Guests can't reach a payment step
Possible causes
- •No payment processor is connected.
Fix
See the Set up Stripe payments article.
Updated Jun 16, 2026
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