Online, in person or a mix: which booking method suits your sunbed business
Not every beach business charges the same way, and that's fine. A beach bar with lots of walk-in, spur-of-the-moment crowds doesn't work like a beach club where almost everything is booked days ahead. The trouble starts when you try to force your business into a method that isn't yours: discrepancies creep in, customers don't show up, or you get queues on the sand you could have avoided.
The good news is that you don't have to choose "the best method". You have to choose the one that fits how you work —and, almost always, a combination of several—. Let's make it clear.
Before you choose: separate "who books" from "how they pay"
It's the most common mix-up. They're two separate decisions:
- Who enters the booking. The customer can do it themselves, from your website or a QR code on the beach, without anyone on your team stepping in. Or your attendant can do it right by the sunbed, like an old-school usher, noting it down on the spot.
- When and how they pay. That's a different thing, and it's separate. An online booking can be paid in advance… or on arrival. A booking taken by an attendant is paid on the sand. And a hotel can charge it to the room.
Once you separate the two questions, the muddle disappears and the choice becomes simple.
The ways to charge, and who each one suits
| Payment method | When the customer pays | Who it suits |
|---|---|---|
| Online by card (in advance) | When filling in the booking form | Anyone who wants to lock in the spot and cut down on no-shows: if they've already paid, they don't flake |
| Pay on arrival | On the day, as they settle in | Anyone who'd rather not charge online or wants to offer flexibility; the booking is confirmed all the same |
| In person, by your staff | On the sand, as the sunbed is set up | High-traffic businesses where the attendant handles everything (cash or your usual card reader) |
| Charged to the room | At hotel checkout | Hotels with guests staying over, via their PMS |
Online payments run through your own gateway (Stripe or Redsys, whichever you already use or prefer) and take a few minutes to set up. Pay on arrival needs no setup at all: switch the option on and you're done. And in-person payment is business as usual —you charge with your card reader or take cash—, except it's logged in the system so the cash adds up and you can see it from your dashboard.
Hardly anyone uses just one (and that's fine)
The norm is to combine them. Two examples:
- A beach bar opens online bookings with pay on arrival so people can come with peace of mind, and lets its attendant enter the ones who turn up without a booking and pay in person. The result: a single picture of occupancy, wherever they came from.
- A more premium beach club charges online in advance for its front-row spots (the most sought-after, where a no-show hurts) and leaves pay on arrival for the rest. It secures the valuable spots without putting up barriers for everything else.
There's no need to marry one method. You switch on the ones you want and each customer comes in whichever way makes sense.
Your money, into your account
One detail that makes all the difference: when you charge online, the money goes straight into your account (your Stripe or your Redsys → your bank). Reserva de Hamacas doesn't get in the middle or take a cut of every booking, the way the middleman portals do. You collect in your own name; we just give you the tool to accept it.
How to find your mix
A quick guide to get you started:
- Lots of walk-ins, few advance bookings → attendant taking payment in person + online booking with pay on arrival.
- You want to cut no-shows and lock in spots → online payment in advance in the most in-demand zones.
- A hotel with guests staying over → charge to the room, and see how it fits your case under hotels.
- A community pool → slot booking with no charge; we've covered it under communities.
We've spelled it out for beach businesses and beach bars, and you can see what each plan includes. Whatever combination you choose, the idea is the same: that getting paid stops being a headache and adapts to how you work, not the other way around.
