Class bookings guide How to manage class bookings and a waiting list.

Updated 5 November 2026 · KEIKOUP, by VELTESA

The short answer

To manage a gym's class bookings you need four things: a fixed number of spots in each class, clear rules for booking and cancelling, a waiting list that moves in order, and automatic reminders. With those, every member knows whether they have a spot without having to ask.

1. Set the number of spots in each class

The limit should come from what really fits: the space in the room, the equipment available and how many people the coach can look after properly. Use the lowest of the three numbers. If a class changes room or coach, review it.

2. Decide the booking rules

These four decisions prevent most questions. The examples are only a guide: adapt them to your gym.

Decision	Example
When booking opens	Seven days before the class.
The deadline for cancelling	Two hours before the class.
How many classes can be booked at once	As many as the member's plan includes.
What happens after a no-show	First talk to the member. If it keeps happening, apply what the rules say.

Publish the rules where members can see them and apply them the same way to everyone.

3. Make the waiting list move on its own

A good waiting list follows the order people joined and does not depend on someone watching their phone. Here is how it works in a class with eight spots:

1. Eight people book and the class is full.
2. The ninth joins the waiting list.
3. Someone cancels and a spot opens up.
4. The first person on the list gets the spot and a notification.
5. Everyone else moves up one place.

Also decide what happens when someone cancels just before the class, because the person coming off the list may not see the notification in time. It helps to set a point after which the list stops moving.

4. Notify at the moments that matter

• When someone comes off the waiting list, so they know they have a spot.
• Before the class, with a reminder to everyone who has a spot.
• If the class is cancelled, for example for a public holiday, to everyone booked.

5. Reduce no-shows

A booked spot nobody uses is a spot another member wanted. Before thinking about penalties, try this:

• Make sure cancelling is easy.
• Send a reminder before each class.
• Record who comes, to spot repeated no-shows.
• Talk privately to anyone who often misses classes.

6. Choose where to manage bookings

Tool	Pros	Watch out for
WhatsApp group	Everyone already has it.	Messages get lost and someone has to keep count.
Spreadsheet or paper	It is simple and costs little.	It is only up to date if someone updates it, and the waiting list is managed by hand.
Booking app	Spots, the waiting list and notifications run on their own.	Members have to learn to use it and it usually has a cost.

With few classes and few members, a spreadsheet can be enough. When answering messages and moving people off the waiting list takes time away from coaching your members, an app is worth it.

Common mistakes

• Changing the number of spots depending on who asks.
• Holding spots by word of mouth, outside the list.
• Skipping the order of the waiting list.
• Cancelling a class without telling the people booked.
• Changing the rules without warning.

How KEIKOUP helps

In KEIKOUP you decide the schedule, the spots and the coach for each class. Members see the calendar and free spots, and book in three taps. If the class is full, they join the waiting list. When someone cancels, the first person on the list gets the spot and an email. Everyone with a spot gets a reminder before the class, and if you cancel a class for a public holiday, those booked are told by email.

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