Private dining and big-party enquiries, booked on the call.
What Amira does when a guest asks for your private room, how the deposit and the arrival are tracked before the night, and what your team still does.
The phone rings while your host is seating a table. The caller wants the private room for fourteen next Thursday, and the details end up on whatever paper is nearest. An enquiry by message stays with whoever read it, and if they are off tomorrow, so is the follow-up. Big parties are worth the most and get the least attention, because they arrive when nobody has a spare minute.
How Amira books the room
You set the party size at which a booking becomes an event. From that size, Amira books your private room instead of a regular table, and a smaller group that asks for the room gets the room. Below it, a group gets the smallest free table that fits, like any other booking.
The room follows the same rules as your tables, so Amira can only book what the check says is free. That check covers the room's capacity, the start times you host events, and one event at a time. If the evening is taken, she offers the times that are still free. A party larger than the room can't be booked into it: Amira says so and records the enquiry for your team.
The booking goes into your book before Amira says it's booked, and she reads it back from the saved record. Where you add set menus, she then takes the menu and each guest's choice and saves them on the booking. Where you set a deposit rule, she tells the guest the amount and the deadline. Without them, the menu and deposit become a follow-up in your host workspace. Nothing is sent to the guest automatically.
How deposits are tracked
During setup you choose when a deposit applies: from what party size, on which days, how much per guest, and how many hours the guest has to pay. The rule can start below your event size, so a large group at regular tables shows a deposit due as well.
| When | What happens to the deposit |
|---|---|
| A booking matches your rule | The amount and the deadline show in your host workspace. This includes bookings already in the book when you set the rule. |
| The party grows | The amount goes up |
| It drops below your rule | The deposit drops off |
| The booking is cancelled | The deposit drops off |
| Your team marks it paid | Nothing changes it automatically after that |
Your team sends your usual payment link, then marks the deposit paid or waives it. Onla never takes or holds the money.
Late guests, no-shows and cancellations
Fifteen minutes after the booking time, a booking nobody has marked shows as late, with the minutes, in Today's Running late list. Your host marks the guest arrived or a no-show. A no-show frees the table for the rest of that sitting, so Amira can offer it to the next caller. If the guest walks in after all, Undo puts the booking back.
A guest whose plans change can move or cancel with Amira on the call, at any hour. The table frees up as soon as she cancels it. Reminders with buttons to keep, change or cancel the booking come with WhatsApp. It isn't live yet, so today a guest who can't make it calls.
We won't quote you a no-show rate from another restaurant. Mark your no-shows for a few weeks and your weekly report gives you your own.
What your team still does
Amira books the room, the set menu and each guest's choice. Your team runs the evening.
- The deposit payment: Amira states your terms, and your team sends your payment link and handles any refunds. Your host workspace shows what is still due.
- Cake, decorations and anything unusual. Amira saves these on the booking or records them for your team, and she does not confirm they will be ready.
What to decide before go-live
You set these during setup, and we test them before guest calls. The full sequence is on Getting started.
| Decide | What it sets |
|---|---|
| Your room | How many it seats, and the start times you host events |
| Your event size | The party size from which bookings go to the room |
| Your deposit terms | From what size and on which days a deposit applies, how much per guest, and how long guests have to pay |
| Your set menus | Each menu's price per guest, courses and choices, group size, days and notice |
Questions restaurants ask
Can an AI host book a private room?
Yes. When a party is big enough for your private room, Amira checks the room and saves the booking before she confirms it. Where you add set menus, she quotes the ones that fit and saves each guest's choice on the booking. Without set menus, the menu becomes a note for your team.
Does Onla take the deposit?
No. Onla never takes or holds payments. You set when a deposit is needed and how much per guest. Amira tells the guest the amount and the deadline on the call, and each matching booking taken in Onla shows them in your host workspace until your team marks it paid or waives it.
Does it send the event menu to the guest?
No message is sent. Where you add set menus, Amira tells the guest the menus that fit the group and takes each guest's choice on the call. Without set menus, the menu is recorded as a follow-up for your team.
What size party counts as an event?
You decide during setup. From that party size, bookings go to the private room instead of a regular table.
What if the room is already booked that evening?
The room takes one event at a time. Amira offers the times that are still free, so the guest can book one on the same call.
Will an AI host cut our no-shows?
We can't promise you a number. Guests can cancel with Amira at any hour, late bookings are flagged, a no-show frees its table for the next caller, and your weekly report counts the no-shows your team marked.
Does Onla send booking reminders?
Not yet. Reminders come with WhatsApp, which isn't live. Until then, a guest who can't make it can move or cancel with Amira on the call.
Can guests send event enquiries on WhatsApp?
Not yet. WhatsApp is planned and isn't live.
Ask the demo for the private room
Try “The private room for twenty, this Friday?”, then book a walkthrough to set up your own room and rules.
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