Webinar Recap: Holiday Season Prep

The holidays are like your busiest (and most profitable) stretch of the year, particularly if you're operating a dog daycare or boarding facility. It’s also when schedules get quirky, demand spikes, and pet parents look for a little extra TLC. In our recent webinar, we walked through simple ways to prepare, from tweaking holiday hours, setting deposits and peak-date pricing to adding low-effort upsells. so you’re organized, protected, and ready to deliver a great experience for pets and people alike.

What We Covered

• Using the right hours tool for the job:
  Specific Dates lets you tailor hours or close by reservation type (and allows staff overrides). Disabled Dates closes everything with no overrides—best for full-facility closures on fixed holidays.

• Securing revenue up front:
  Schedule date-bound deposits (e.g., Nov–Dec) so high-demand reservations require a % or $ down payment.

• Charging for peak demand:
  Configure Peak Date Pricing per reservation type and location; set a dollar or percentage increase for specific dates/ranges.

• Upselling automatically:
  Use Gingr PreCheck to offer add-on services 24 hours before the stay, and add Customer Portal pop-ups that prompt customers to add services during booking.

Set Your Holiday Hours the Smart Way

Gingr users can configure facility hours to account for the fall and winter holiday season, depending on their specific needs, services, and schedules.

Option A — Specific Dates (flexible & overridable)

• Limit or close by reservation type (e.g., close Daycare on 12/25 but allow Boarding pickups).
• Set drop-off, pickup, or both time windows.
• Apply to a single day or a date range.
• Staff can override (with the appropriate group permission) for special requests or VIP exceptions.

Perfect for:

• Half-day schedules (e.g., Halloween Daycare 12–3 pm).
• “Closed” status for some services but not all.
• Situations where you may need the ability to override.

Option B — Disabled Dates (full facility closure)

• No reservation-type filters; everything is closed.
• No overrides—ever.
• Great for fixed-date holidays; can recur annually (e.g., every Dec 25).

Pro tip: If the holiday date changes each year (e.g., Thanksgiving), create non-recurring entries a few years in advance.

Secure Revenue with Deposits

Pet businesses can use Gingr to create date-ranged deposit windows—not year-round (e.g., Nov 1–Dec 31 → 20% deposit for Boarding Standard).

• Choose location, start/end dates, $ or % amount, and reservation types.
• When customers cancel or no-show during peak times, you can forfeit the deposit per your policy.

Don’t forget: Enable collection in Admin → Customer Portal settings so deposits are required at the point of request/booking.

Policy communication: Add a Customer Portal pop-up that explains your deposit/cancellation policy in plain language (see template below).

Increase yield with Peak Date Pricing

Similar to hotels and airlines, you can turn on Peak Date Pricing in Gingr to increase rates automatically on your busiest dates. Head to Admin → Pricing Rules → (select Location) → (choose Reservation Type) → (select or create Pricing Rule Group) → Manage Peak Dates. From there, you can;

• Set a $ or % upcharge for specific dates or ranges.
  Example: Dec 24–25 → +$10/night (recurring every year).
• Configure per location and per reservation type (yes, it’s a little tedious—but powerful).
• The label you enter appears on estimates, carts, and invoices (e.g., “Holiday Surcharge—Christmas”).

Best practices:

• Schedule moveable holidays 5 years ahead; adjust as needed.
• Use a clear label (e.g., “Holiday Surcharge — Thanksgiving”) to minimize billing questions.

Pro tip: Avoid deleting groups to preserve history. If you need to change pricing, create a new group with the appropriate start option. Only delete clear duplicates created by mistake.

Upsell Add-On Services Automatically

'Tis the holiday season, after all, when spending and the spirit of generosity are at an all-time high. Maximize revenue around the holidays with simple features that make a big impact on your bottom line.

Gingr PreCheck (24-hour pre-arrival upsell)

• Each reservation type should belong to only one PreCheck form.
• Turn on Status, select Location and Reservation Types.
• In Select Upsell Additional Services, add the services you want to offer (e.g., Go-Home Bath, Nail Trim, Extra Playtime).
• By default, PreCheck can send 24 hours before the reservation start to capture last-minute adds.

Bonus time-saver: Enable Allow Customers to Add Belongings in the form to streamline busy-day check-ins.

Enable communications: Turn on the corresponding System Email/SMS so PreCheck messages actually send.

Customer Portal pop-up (during booking)

Head to Admin → Reservation & Appointment Requests → Reservation Request Service Text. If a customer submits a request without add-on services, trigger a friendly pop-up encouraging them to add services before checkout.

Sample copy you can paste: "No services selected — Would you like to add a Go-Home Bath, Nail Trim, or Extra Playtime to make your pet’s stay even better?"

Common Pitfalls to Avoid

• Closing the whole facility with Disabled Dates when you actually needed to keep Boarding open—use Specific Dates instead.
• Forgetting communications: PreCheck won’t send if System Email/SMS isn’t enabled.
• Vague invoice labels: Always name the surcharge (e.g., “Holiday Surcharge—Christmas”) to reduce questions at checkout.
• Multiple PreCheck forms assigned to the same reservation type (creates confusion/doubles).

Templates You Can Use Today

Add some holiday flair to your customer communications while informing them of updates rates, specials, and policies during peak season.

Deposit Policy (Customer Portal pop-up)

Holiday Deposit Policy
A 20% deposit is required for reservations between Nov 1 and Dec 31. Deposits are non-refundable if canceled within 72 hours of arrival or for no-shows. Thank you for understanding—this helps us reserve space and staff for your pet’s best experience.

Holiday Hours Website/Email Blurb

Holiday Hours
12/24 & 12/25: Boarding open for scheduled drop-off/pickup; Daycare closed.
12/31: Daycare 12–3 pm only; Boarding normal hours.
Please call for special accommodations; fees may apply.

Holiday Seaon Rollout Checklist 

Use this sample checklist to get your pet-care business ready for the rush ahead! Save this and ensure it's easily accessible to staff. Print it, email it, pin it — whatever works best for your unique workflow.

Hours

Add Specific Dates for limited services (e.g., Daycare half-day; Boarding open).

Add Disabled Dates for full closures; set to recur where applicable.

Confirm staff override permission is enabled if you plan to allow exceptions on Specific Dates.

Revenue

Schedule Deposit Dates for Nov–Dec (and summer peak if applicable).

Verify Customer Portal deposit settings.

Add Deposit Policy pop-up.

Pricing

Configure Peak Date Pricing per location & reservation type.

Use clear, customer-friendly invoice labels.

Pre-schedule moveable holidays 3–5 years out.

Upsells

Create/confirm PreCheck forms (one per reservation type).

Select Upsell Additional Services for each form.

Enable System Email/SMS for PreCheck.

Add Reservation Request Service Text pop-up to nudge adds during booking.

(Optional) Enable Belongings in PreCheck.

Final Thoughts

With some preparation and the right combination of Gingr features, you’ll enter the holidays with clear hours, protected revenue, and stronger per-stay spending without slowing down the front desk.

Watch the Recording

Missed the webinar or want to revisit what was covered? Watch the webinar recording on-demand.

Learning Links

• Set a Disabled Date (How-To)
• Set Hours for a Specific Date (How-To)
• Reservation Deposits (Topic Outline)
• Set Up Peak Date Charges (How-To)
• Set Up Gingr PreCheck Forms (How-To)