Write a deposit, cancellation, and no-show policy for my hotel or restaurant
A clear, enforceable booking policy with guest-facing wording that cuts no-shows without driving away bookings.
The prompt
Help me write a deposit, cancellation, and no-show policy.
Business type: [restaurant / hotel / B&B / vacation rental / tour operator]
Location: [COUNTRY AND STATE - consumer protection and card network rules vary]
Current no-show and late cancellation rate: [e.g. 12% of covers on Saturdays]
Booking channels: [direct website, phone, OpenTable/Resy, Booking.com, Expedia, Airbnb]
What I want to protect: [peak nights, large parties, tasting menus, special events]
Card guarantee or deposit tools I have: [DETAILS]
Steps:
1. Recommend a policy tiered by risk (e.g. standard tables vs. large parties and holidays; flexible vs. non-refundable rates), with the fee or deposit, cancellation window, and how it applies.
2. Flag where third-party channels apply their own policies that override mine, and how to keep them consistent.
3. Note what must be disclosed before booking and how it should be agreed to (e.g. checkbox at booking, written confirmation) so charges hold up in a card dispute.
4. Cover exceptions: illness, weather, travel disruption, and a manager's discretion rule, so staff are consistent.
5. Add steps that reduce no-shows without fees: confirmation and reminder timing, waitlists, and reconfirmation calls.
Return:
- The policy in plain language for my website and booking confirmations (under 200 words).
- A staff version with the exceptions and how to process charges and refunds.
- A short script for phone bookings and for a guest disputing a fee.
This is general information; confirm with a local lawyer and my payment processor, especially on fees and deposit refund rules.
Highlighted [brackets] are blanks to replace with your own details.
Fill in the blanks and use this promptMore Projects & Operations prompts
What to fill in
- restaurant / hotel / B&B / vacation rental / tour operator
- e.g. 12% of covers on Saturdays
- peak nights, large parties, tasting menus, special events
- DETAILS
How this prompt is built
This prompt follows the Few-Shot structure (Few-shot prompting). A few-shot prompt includes one or more worked examples of the input and the output you want, so the model can copy the pattern instead of guessing it.
Related prompts
- Price and document a change order before doing extra workA change order with cost breakdown, schedule impact, and justification that the owner or GC can approve quickly.
- Write SMART goals and action steps for a school improvement planTurns needs-assessment data into measurable school improvement goals, strategies, and progress checks.
- Write a sole-source justification that will survive reviewA noncompetitive procurement justification with the legal basis, market research, and price reasonableness that auditors and procurement officers expect.
- Write an after-action report and improvement planAn after-action report that rates performance against each objective, finds root causes, and produces a tracked improvement plan.