How to Prepare Your Booking Calendar for Dashain and Tihar Rush

At least 3 to 4 weeks before rush period, freeze high-demand slot structure, set deposit policy for premium windows, define cancellation and reschedule windows in plain language, and publish policy everywhere customers book.

Consistency matters more than strictness.

Owners often overestimate how many services can fit per day. Add small buffers between complex services, cap back-to-back high-effort services per staff, and reserve recovery slots for spillover.

A slightly conservative calendar usually outperforms an overloaded one.

Use staged reminders for peak weeks: 48 hours for confirmation plus policy reminder, 24 hours for timing and prep notes, and 2 hours for final check-in prompt.

Run waitlist as an active system with tagged flexible customers, instant fill-from-cancel templates, and short response windows.

Within 72 hours after rush period, measure no-show by slot type, compare deposit versus non-deposit completion, track overrun services, and update next season rules from evidence.

The best improvements are usually small operational changes repeated consistently.

Should every slot require a deposit during festive season? Not always. Start with high-demand windows and high-no-show services first.

What is the most common planning mistake? Overbooking without buffers. It hurts customer experience and staff performance.

How early should we announce seasonal policy? At least 2 to 3 weeks before peak demand so customers can plan around it.

Payment behavior context: https://nchl.com.np/nepals-retail-payment-switch-surpasses-monthly-transaction-of-npr-1-2-trillion-marking-a-new-milestone-in-the-nepals-digital-payment-journey/. Provider references: https://khalti.com/info/transaction-limits/ and https://blog.esewa.com.np/revision-in-transaction-limits/.

This guide should be adapted to your team size, service duration profile, and festive demand pattern. Last verified: 2026-09-07.