Class capacity, waitlists, and late cancellations: rules members can predict

Set capacity within applicable occupancy, safety, and supervision requirements. Floor space, equipment, pool lanes, and instructor coverage may put further limits on a class. Record the reason alongside the number so staff know what to check before changing it.

If the same class runs in different rooms, the limit may belong to the room rather than the class. Decide which one applies when they disagree.

A booking window says when members can book and when booking closes. Decide how far ahead members need to plan and when instructors need a settled roster. Choose times you can explain in one sentence, for example: booking opens seven days before class and closes one hour before it starts.

Tell members:

• How many people can wait. A long list for a small class sets expectations you cannot meet.
• Whether a released place goes automatically to the first person waiting, or is offered to them and must be accepted.
• When the waitlist stops filling places, for example at the cancellation deadline, so nobody is booked too late to attend.
• What a waiting member sees: their place in line, and a plain statement that they do not have a booked place yet.

Automatic promotion can reduce staff work and preserve queue order. Tell members if they may be booked without being asked again, send a notice when it happens, and make canceling easy.

Choose a cancellation deadline that leaves time to fill a released place. State whether canceling before it returns a class credit and whether that credit keeps its original expiry date. Explain what counts as late and which package or membership terms apply.

Choose the consequence of a late cancellation or no-show: a used class credit, a recorded absence for staff review, a disclosed fee, or another agreed policy. Explain how a move to another session is treated so the same deadline applies consistently. A booking cancellation and cancellation of a recurring membership are separate actions.

This example uses class packs, automatic waitlist promotion, and no extra fee. Adapt the terms to your studio. They are not Rovari's default settings.

For a Tuesday class at 6 pm, the example’s free-cancellation and promotion cutoff is Tuesday at 6 am. After that time, staff should explain any remaining booking options and their credit consequences before confirming a change.

Heartcore uses a twelve-hour cancellation window and stops automatic waitlist promotion when that window begins. Its cancellation policy includes fees. Check its current terms before comparing them with your own.

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A booking records that a member intended to come, and attendance records that they did, so track the two separately. If level requirements or instructor pay depend on attendance, a list of bookings will overcount. Mark attendance from the roster during or after class, and treat an unmarked booking as unknown rather than as a no-show.

A class can be cancelled because an instructor is sick or a building closes. Decide how you will tell booked members, whether credits return automatically, and whether bookings are restored if the class returns. If members need to book again, say so. They may otherwise assume their original booking still holds.