Easy Appointment Booking gives you two ways to handle multiple guests: group bookings, where several customers can book the same timeslot independently, and private bookings, where one party occupies a slot regardless of how many people are in their group. This guide explains how each works and how to configure them.
Private bookings vs. group bookings
Private booking | Group booking | |
Who can book a slot | One customer (one party) | Multiple customers at once |
Best for | 1:1 appointments, restaurant tables, photography sessions | Classes, tours, workshops, museum visits |
Capacity | Slot closes after one booking | Slot stays open until the attendee max is reached |
Guest count | In-app guest counter, with Private Appointments on | In-app guest counter |
Enabling group bookings
Group bookings are enabled automatically when you set the max attendees per timeslot to more than 1.
Go to Dashboard > Show all events and click Edit on your event.
On the event settings page, find the Max attendees per timeslot field.
Set it to the maximum number of people you want to allow in a single slot.
Click Save.
Once the max is greater than 1, a guest counter appears in the booking flow. Customers can increase the number of guests, and the price adjusts automatically (for example, at $10 per person, a party of 4 pays $40). No product variant setup is required.
đĄ Tip: The attendee maximum syncs directly with the product quantity in Shopify â you don't need to manage inventory separately.
How capacity affects timeslot availability
Each time a customer books, the number of attendees they select is subtracted from the remaining capacity for that slot. When the cumulative attendees reach the maximum, that timeslot is no longer shown to new customers.
Example: Your pottery class has a max of 8 attendees. Three customers have already booked (1 + 2 + 3 = 6 attendees). The slot still appears for groups of 1 or 2, but a group of 3 or more won't see it as available.
Setting a minimum number of attendees
You can require a minimum group size before a booking is accepted â useful for events that don't make sense with fewer than a certain number of people.
Go to Dashboard > Show all events and click Edit on the event.
Click the Advanced tab.
Scroll to the Booking Management section.
Set Minimum number of attendees per time slot per booking.
Click Update Advanced Settings.
Setting a maximum number of bookings per day
In addition to per-slot capacity, you can cap the total bookings accepted in a single day.
Go to Dashboard > Show all events and click Edit on the event.
Click the Advanced tab.
Check the Maximum bookings per day box and enter your limit.
Click Update Advanced Settings.
Private bookings with a guest count
For private bookings (one party per slot), turn on Private Appointments. The customer still picks their party size with the guest counter and pays per person, but the timeslot closes to everyone else as soon as the first booking is made.
Go to Dashboard > Show all events and click Edit on your event.
Set Max attendees per timeslot to the largest party you accept (for example, 6).
Click the Availability tab.
Under Private Appointments, check Hide timeslots as soon as any booking is made.
Click Save.
A party of 3 books, pays for 3, and the slot disappears for other customers even though 3 spaces were left. If the event has more than one availability (for example, three tables or three stylists), each availability closes on its own and the timeslot stays visible until all of them are booked.
đĄ Tip: If you want to collect guest information without charging extra per person, set the price once on the product and use Intake Questions to ask "How many guests are you bringing?" The answer is recorded on the booking.
Charging per person vs. a flat rate
Scenario | Setup |
Charge per person, multiple independent bookings | Set max attendees > 1; the guest counter multiplies price automatically |
Charge per person, one party per slot | Set max attendees to your largest party size and turn on Private Appointments |
Flat rate regardless of group size, one party per slot | Turn on Private Appointments; set the price once; use Intake Questions to capture guest count |
Flat rate regardless of group size, multiple bookings per slot | Set max attendees > 1; set price once on the product |