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SmartBookings UK Booking System
The Independent UK Online Booking Platform

Online Bookings for UK Businesses

The UK's dedicated booking platform for soft play centres, children's role play villages, family entertainment venues, and equipment hire. Effortlessly manage timed play sessions, birthday party room hire, capacity caps, and direct card payments with zero platform commission.

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Direct Payment Integrations Zero Vendor Lock-In 100% UK Support & Hosting
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SmartBookings | UK Booking System for Soft Play, Role Play & Activities - SmartBookings Online Booking
📷 SmartBookings Management Portal Live Calendar
💳 0% Commission • All UK Gateways
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Tailored For Play Venues & Hire

Everything You Need to Run Your Play Venue & Booking Business

Tailored specifically for UK soft play centres, children's role play villages, family activity venues, and hire operators.

🎯 Capacity Control

Capacity Caps & Timed Play Sessions

Built for soft play centres and role play towns to prevent overcrowding. Automatically enforce council capacity limits, manage 90-minute timed play slots, and program automatic prop-reset intervals.

🎉 Party Revenue

Birthday Party Packages & Room Allocation

Automate high-margin party bookings. Collect upfront deposits (e.g. £50), allocate private party rooms with cleaning buffer intervals, and upsell hot food buffets, party bags, and character visits.

🧸 Family Friendly

Age-Tier Ticketing & Safety Ratios

Granular pricing for non-walking babies, toddlers, juniors, and supervising adults. Automatically enforce required adult-to-child guardian ratios and offer off-peak childminder passes.

💳 Keep 100% Profits

0% Commission Payment Gateways

Connect directly to Stripe, Square, DOJO (next-day settlement), SumUp, Clover, and WorldPay. Keep 100% of your ticket and party takings with zero platform percentage deductions.

📱 Fast Check-In

Rapid Reception Check-In & Walk-Ins

Scan parent e-tickets from any phone or tablet barcode scanner to eliminate busy weekend entrance queues. Sync walk-in counter ticket sales with your live online capacity in real time.

🇬🇧 UK Support

Proudly UK Based & GDPR Compliant

Secure UK cloud hosting, GDPR compliance, and built-in allergy capture for party catering. Backed by friendly phone and email support from UK booking software specialists.

Key System Facts & Overview (At a Glance)

Commission Rate:
0% Booking Commission (Keep 100% of Revenue)
Monthly Pricing Structure:
Flat subscriptions: £15 (100 bookings) • £35 (500 bookings) • £65 (Unlimited)
Core Soft Play, Role Play & Activities Capabilities:
Timed session ticketing, real-time capacity caps, age-tier pricing (babies, toddlers, juniors), and private birthday party room deposits.
💳 Direct Integrations: Stripe, Square, DOJO, SumUp, WorldPay, Clover & 12+ UK gateways
🇬🇧 100% UK Hosted & Supported (Contact Us)

Engineered for UK Soft Play, Children's Role Play & Family Entertainment Venues

Running a bustling indoor play centre, children's role play village, or family activity hub requires software that understands your daily operational realities. From managing busy weekend capacity peaks to organising birthday party rooms and upselling cafe packages, SmartBookings gives you complete control without taking a slice of your ticket sales.

Essential Features for Soft Play & Role Play Operators

  • Timed Session Ticketing & Real-Time Capacity Caps: Set maximum headcounts per time slot (e.g. 90-minute or 2-hour play sessions). Once your fire safety capacity is reached, time slots automatically close to prevent venue overcrowding.
  • Granular Age-Tier Pricing: Create custom ticket categories for Babies (Under 1), Toddlers (Ages 1-3), Juniors (Ages 4-11), and Accompanying Adults. Enforce minimum adult-to-child guardian ratios automatically at checkout.
  • Children's Birthday Party Packages & Private Room Hire: Allow parents to book themed party packages online. Collect deposits (e.g. £50 upfront), allocate dedicated party rooms with buffer turnaround times, and upsell hot food options, party bags, and character mascot visits.
  • Role Play Village Reset Buffers: Automatically block 15-minute or 30-minute clean-down and prop-reset intervals between timed sessions so your miniature supermarket, fire station, and hospital are pristine for the next group.
  • Rapid Front-Desk Check-In & Walk-In Admissions: Scan customer ticket barcodes on smartphones or tablets at reception to eliminate queue bottlenecks during busy weekend changeovers. Take walk-in admissions using integrated card readers (Square, DOJO, Clover).
  • 0% Booking Commission — Keep All Your Ticket Revenue: Unlike overseas ticketing platforms that charge 4% to 8% per ticket, SmartBookings operates on a flat, transparent monthly fee. Connect your own UK merchant account and keep every penny your customers pay.

Complete Equipment Hire & Service Booking Capabilities

Alongside indoor family entertainment, SmartBookings provides industry-leading workflows for UK equipment hire (bouncy castles, plant hire, tool hire, vans, and marquees) with integrated UK postcode lookup and radial delivery pricing, plus class and appointment scheduling for wellbeing studios, fitness classes, and salons.

Plug In Your Preferred UK Payment Provider

Connect your booking portal directly to Stripe, Square, DOJO (next-day settlement), SumUp, WorldPay, Opayo / SagePay, Clover, or Cardstream. No forced intermediaries, no delayed payouts, and zero hidden transaction markups.

Related Topics & Keywords: # soft play booking system uk # childrens role play booking software # kids activity venue software uk # timed play session ticketing # soft play party room bookings # uk play centre management # zero commission booking software
Topical Authority Silo

Related UK Booking Solutions

🧸

Soft Play Centres

Capacity caps, age-tier pricing & party rooms

🏘️

Children's Role Play

Miniature towns & automated prop reset buffers

🎉

Children's Parties

Party package builder & automated deposits

UK Operator FAQs & Answers

Frequently Asked Questions: SmartBookings UK

Clear, factual answers to help you evaluate and scale with SmartBookings.

How does SmartBookings manage capacity limits for soft play and role play centres?

You can set exact headcount thresholds for children and supervising adults per session. SmartBookings tracks ticket sales in real time, automatically locking out sold-out slots to guarantee compliance with UK local authority and fire safety capacity rules.

Can we sell children's birthday party packages with room allocations and food options?

Yes. Parents can select a themed party package, choose an available private room slot, set child headcounts, and pre-order hot/cold food buffets and party bags. The system collects your deposit upfront and schedules automated balance payment reminders.

Does the system support tiered age pricing (babies, toddlers, juniors, and adults)?

Yes. You can configure granular ticket bands (e.g. Under 1s, Toddlers 1-3, Juniors 4+, and Supervising Adults) with customizable child-to-adult ratios, sibling discounts, and off-peak childminder passes.

How does SmartBookings handle role play village session resets and clean-down times?

You can configure automated turnaround buffers between sessions (e.g. 15 minutes between 90-minute play sessions). The diary automatically prevents customer arrivals during reset windows while staff restock village props.

What payment gateways are supported, and do you charge commission on ticket sales?

SmartBookings integrates directly with your choice of 18+ UK merchant accounts—including Stripe, Square, DOJO, SumUp, WorldPay, Opayo, and Clover. We charge 0% commission on your bookings, allowing you to keep 100% of your ticket and party revenue.

Have a specific question about your booking setup? Contact our UK team directly.

Need step-by-step setup guides? Browse the SmartBookings Documentation Portal ↗ with user guides for tickets, hires, and payment gateways.

18+ Direct Payment Integrations

Plug In Your Preferred Payment Provider

Direct API connections to all major UK and global payment gateways. No forced intermediaries, no extra transaction markups. Your money goes directly into your bank account.

ST
Global Leader

Stripe

Seamless online card processing, Apple Pay, Google Pay, and instant payouts.

💳 Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Apple Pay, Google Pay Direct API
SQ
In-Person & Online

Square

Unified in-person card readers and online booking checkouts in one simple system.

💳 Visa, Mastercard, Amex, Apple Pay Direct API
SU
Low Cost

SumUp

Compact card readers and low transaction fees for mobile and independent operators.

💳 All major UK credit & debit cards Direct API
WO
UK Enterprise

WorldPay

The UK's largest payment processor with enterprise-grade stability and custom rates.

💳 Global & UK card networks Direct API
DO
Next-Day Settlement

DOJO

Lightning-fast next-day payouts (even on weekends) and sleek modern payment terminals.

💳 Visa, Mastercard, Amex, Mobile Wallets Direct API
OP
Trusted UK Gateway

OPAYO (formerly Sage Pay)

Industry-standard UK payment gateway with top-tier anti-fraud screening.

💳 All UK debit & credit cards Direct API
CL
POS & Online

Clover

Integrated Point of Sale hardware and online booking payment gateway.

💳 Major international cards & contactless Direct API
GL
Global Scale

Global Payments

Worldwide payment technology services for high-volume transactions.

💳 Multicurrency card processing Direct API
CY
A Visa Solution

CyberSource

Sophisticated fraud management and multi-currency payment acceptance.

💳 Worldwide credit & debit cards Direct API
CA
White-Label Gateway

Cardstream

Independent payment gateway connecting businesses to multiple merchant acquirers.

💳 All major card schemes Direct API
FI
Competitive Rates

First Payments

Bespoke UK merchant account packages designed for small and medium businesses.

💳 UK credit and debit cards Direct API
HA
Small Business

Handepay

Transparent UK merchant services with simple fee structures and no hidden charges.

💳 Contactless, chip & pin, online Direct API
RE
High Growth

Retail Merchant Services (RMS)

Tailored card payment solutions and business membership benefits.

💳 Visa, Mastercard, Maestro Direct API
OP
Omnichannel

Optomany

Next-generation payment acceptance across physical, mobile, and online channels.

💳 All major debit & credit schemes Direct API
PA
UK Card Processing

PayZone

Affordable card machines and online payment gateways across the UK.

💳 Visa, Mastercard, contactless Direct API
SA
Secure Gateway

SafePay

Bank-grade encrypted online transactions with high fraud protection.

💳 International and domestic cards Direct API
EL
Acquiring Bank

Elavon

Global merchant acquirer offering reliable, secure processing for online bookings.

💳 Global cards and regional payment methods Direct API
TA
Personalized Service

TakePayments

Dedicated UK account managers and flexible merchant agreements for local businesses.

💳 All UK debit and credit cards Direct API

Have an existing merchant account or terminal?

Keep your current rates, negotiated fees, and existing hardware. We hook straight into your setup with zero disruption. View our Payment Gateway Setup Guides ↗ for step-by-step instructions.

Talk to an Integration Specialist
Transparent & Flexible Pricing

Choose the best pricing for you

You can change your plan or leave us at any time.

Starter

Ideal for startups, solo operators and emerging businesses.

£15 Per Month
0% Commission on bookings
  • 100 bookings per month
  • 0% commission on all bookings
  • Up to 10 services or resources
  • Access to all features and integrations
  • Direct payment gateway connections (Stripe, Square, DOJO)
  • Automated booking emails & reminders
  • Standard UK support
Get Started
Most Popular

Standard

Our most popular plan for established and growing businesses.

£35 Per Month
0% Commission on bookings
  • 500 bookings per month
  • 0% commission on all bookings
  • Up to 50 services or resources
  • Access to all features and integrations
  • Direct merchant account integration
  • Customer portal & automated marketing tools
  • Standard UK support
Get Started

Ultimate

Designed for high-volume businesses and multi-service operations.

£65 Per Month
0% Commission on bookings
  • Unlimited bookings per month
  • 0% commission on all bookings
  • Unlimited services or resources
  • Access to all features and integrations
  • Priority support and feature requests
  • Full branded booking portal & website widgets
Get Started

All plans include access to all features and UK payment integrations. Zero hidden transaction markups.

No Obligation • Instant Setup

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100% UK Based Support & Developers
Zero Vendor Lock-in Payment Gateways
30-Day Money-Back Guarantee