Resource Booking (Halls, Rooms, Equipment) on Website

Implementing Resource Booking (Halls, Rooms, Equipment) on a Website

Halls, meeting rooms, projectors, microphone stands — these are inanimate resources with fixed schedules. Key difference from specialist booking: one resource can be booked by multiple people simultaneously (if allowed), and some resources can only be booked as a package.

Resource Types and Their Features

Schema Accounting for Units

CREATE TABLE bookable_resources (
    id              SERIAL PRIMARY KEY,
    name            VARCHAR(255) NOT NULL,
    resource_type   VARCHAR(50),
    capacity        INTEGER DEFAULT 1,    -- number of units (3 projectors → 3)
    min_duration    INTERVAL DEFAULT '1 hour',
    max_duration    INTERVAL,
    slot_step       INTERVAL DEFAULT '30 minutes',  -- rounding
    advance_booking INTERVAL DEFAULT '1 day',       -- minimum booking advance
    max_lookahead   INTERVAL DEFAULT '90 days',
    location        VARCHAR(255),
    amenities       TEXT[],
    images          JSONB DEFAULT '[]',
    is_active       BOOLEAN DEFAULT TRUE
);

CREATE TABLE bookings (
    id              BIGSERIAL PRIMARY KEY,
    resource_id     INTEGER REFERENCES bookable_resources(id),
    quantity        SMALLINT DEFAULT 1,   -- how many units are booked
    starts_at       TIMESTAMP NOT NULL,
    ends_at         TIMESTAMP NOT NULL,
    status          VARCHAR(20) DEFAULT 'pending',
    booker_name     VARCHAR(255),
    booker_email    VARCHAR(255),
    purpose         TEXT,
    attendees_count INTEGER,
    metadata        JSONB
);

Checking Availability with Capacity

-- How many resource units are occupied in the requested interval
SELECT COALESCE(SUM(quantity), 0) AS booked_qty
FROM bookings
WHERE resource_id = $1
  AND status NOT IN ('cancelled')
  AND tsrange(starts_at, ends_at, '[)') && tsrange($2::timestamp, $3::timestamp, '[)');

If booked_qty + requested_quantity <= capacity — the slot is available.

Buffer Time Between Bookings Rule

Halls often need time for cleaning or preparation between tenants. Implemented as a resource setting:

CLEANUP_BUFFER = timedelta(minutes=30)

def get_effective_booked_intervals(resource_id: int, date: date) -> list[Interval]:
    raw = get_bookings(resource_id, date, status_not_in=['cancelled'])
    return [
        Interval(
            start=b.starts_at - CLEANUP_BUFFER,
            end=b.ends_at + CLEANUP_BUFFER,
        )
        for b in raw
    ]

Calendar View on Frontend

For halls, the most convenient UI is Week view with columns for resources:

Time     | Hall A     | Hall B     | Meeting Room
9:00     | [FREE]     | [BOOKED]   | [FREE]
9:30     | [BOOKED]   | [BOOKED]   | [FREE]
10:00    | [BOOKED]   | [FREE]     | [BOOKED]

FullCalendar (resourceTimeGrid view) with custom backend is suitable:

calendar = new FullCalendar.Calendar(el, {
  plugins: ['resourceTimeGrid'],
  initialView: 'resourceTimeGridDay',
  resources: '/api/rooms',
  events: '/api/bookings',
  selectable: true,
  select: (info) => openBookingModal(info),
});

Configuration in CMS

Administrator configures through interface:

• Working hours by day of week
• Holiday and non-working days (blackout dates)
• Minimum and maximum booking duration
• Whether confirmation is required or booking is automatic
• Cancellation rules (how many hours in advance to cancel for free)

Implementation Timeline

Booking one resource type with basic management — 5–7 business days. Multiple types, capacity-aware checking, buffer between bookings, calendar UI, managing exceptions in CMS — 8–12 business days.