Alternatively, spas could consider
booking an indefinite time, where guests
are not given a specific time confirmation
but rather a start time range (within the
space of an hour, for instance). When calling
to confirm, the customer would be
confirmed for a time within the stated time
range or be offered an alternative time.
Shifting to the customer the consequences
of not arriving is a practice that
has gained currency—notably, hotels and
airlines, which have cut no-shows by
using guaranteed or nonrefundable reservations.
Although spas have been slow to
adopt a similar practice, many now require
a credit card to hold the booking, while
providing a cancellation period as brief as
four hours. Failure to cancel in timely
fashion incurs a charge ranging from 50 to
100 percent of the service’s cost. Flat-out
no-shows are charged in full.