How to manage exceptional closures on Manawa?

API Connection: If your availability is synchronised via a booking software (Fareharbor, Bokun, Rezdy…), everything is managed by your software. This tool does not apply to you.

You have a private group taking the whole boat this Friday? Your guide is sick on Thursday morning? Only 2 spots left at 9am tomorrow? No need to call Manawa. From your back-office, you can handle all of this in a matter of seconds, at any time of day.

This guide walks you through the "Manage closures and stock" tool step by step, so you can keep your Manawa calendar perfectly up to date.

• Fewer cancellations
• Fuller existing groups
• Better demand management
• Last-minute bookings

Where to find the tool in the back-office?

Log in to backoffice.manawa.com, then go to the Activities tab. Select the relevant activity and look for the "Manage closures and stock" block.

Click Edit: you'll be taken directly to your real-time availability calendar.

⚠️ Important: Every change is immediate and shows up instantly on your Manawa pages. If in doubt, email us at [email protected] before making any changes.

Reading your calendar at a glance

Once inside the tool, you'll see a monthly calendar showing all your time slots. Colours immediately tell you the status of each slot:

Green = slot open, bookable Red = slot closed or blocked Orange = limited spots remaining

A quick glance is all it takes to check whether your Manawa calendar is consistent with your actual schedule.

Closing a specific time slot

You want to block only the 3pm slot on March 18th, without touching anything else? You can do it down to the minute.

1. In the calendar, click on the date in question.
2. The tool displays all the time slots for that day.
3. Next to the slot you want to close (e.g. 3:00pm), click "BLOCKED".
4. The button turns red: the slot is immediately closed.

💡 Pro tip: Need to reopen the slot later? Simply click "UNBLOCKED" to put it back on sale immediately.

Limiting available spots on a slot

Only 2 spots left at 9am and 5 spots at 2pm this weekend because you already have groups elsewhere? Update it in real time to prevent overbooking.

1. Click on the date in the calendar.
2. Next to the time slot, click "LIMITED" (the button turns orange).
3. A Stock field appears on the right: enter the number of remaining spots.
4. Done. The slot now shows a limited stock.

✅ Good to know: If you drop to fewer than 5 spots, a "Limited availability" orange badge automatically appears on your Manawa page. This is a great conversion lever, it creates a genuine sense of urgency for customers.

Real-life example

You have a group of 8 on Tuesday morning. Your max capacity is 10. Only 2 spots remain: set the 9am slot to LIMITED with stock = 2.

Common scenario

Last-minute cancellation: you get 3 spots back. Switch the slot back to UNBLOCKED or increase the stock accordingly.

Closing a full day or an entire period

Away at a training course for a whole week? Closing due to exceptional weather? You can block several days at once, without manually handling each slot one by one.

1. In the tool, find the "Add closure period" button.
2. Select the start date and end date.
3. Choose who the closure applies to: this variant only, all variants of this activity, or all your activities.
4. Click "Add": the entire period immediately turns red in the calendar.

💡 Tip, closing a single day: To block just one day, set the same date as both start and end. E.g. from 18/03/2026 to 18/03/2026 included → the entire day of March 18th is closed.

Which scope should you apply the closure to?

Reopening a slot after a cancellation

A customer cancels their booking and you get spots back? No problem — you can put those slots back on sale in seconds.

1. Go to the "Closures and stock" tool from your back-office.
2. Find the date in question on the calendar.
3. If the slot is BLOCKED: click "UNBLOCKED".
4. If the slot is LIMITED: increase the stock figure in the field on the right.
5. The change is instant: customers can book again straight away.

✅ A winning habit: As soon as you receive a cancellation, open your back-office and put the spots back online. The sooner you do it, the sooner another customer can book, and you recover that revenue.

If you need to add new time slots or new seasons (e.g. you're now opening on Sundays), that's done in the Seasons section of the back-office. See the dedicated guide: How do you set up your prices and seasons on Manawa?

Bonus: moving towards instant confirmation

If you use this tool regularly and your Manawa calendar consistently reflects your real availability, you can take things one step further.

Get in touch with us at [email protected] to discuss:

⚡Instant Confirmation

Bookings are validated automatically, with no action needed on your part. You earn the "Instant Confirmation" label, a strong trust signal for customers browsing your page.

⏰ Last-Minute Bookings

Reduce the minimum lead time before booking to accept customers right up to a few hours before the activity, ideal for filling same-day slots.

💡 The virtuous cycle: An accurate calendar → fewer cancellations → better partner rating → eligibility for instant confirmation → more automatic bookings → more revenue. It all starts with 2 minutes of updates.

Final check

After every change, take 30 seconds to verify that everything looks correct from the customer's side:

1. Go back to your Dashboard.
2. Click "View" next to the modified activity.
3. Select the relevant date in the booking flow.
4. Confirm that the closed slot is no longer offered (or that the limited stock is showing correctly).

💡 Note: The "from" price shown on results pages may take a few hours to refresh. However, closures and stock changes are instant in the booking tunnel.

In summary: what you can do in 2 clicks

Need help or a quick training session?

Something unclear? A configuration that doesn't look right? The Manawa team is here for you. Email us at [email protected] and we'll set up a quick call to walk you through the tool.