Day-Based vs. Hourly — Which Booking Type Should You Use?

What This Is

Every product in BRS must be set as either Day-Based or Hourly. This is one of the most important decisions you will make, so choose carefully.

Day-Based

•       The item is reserved for the full day — from whatever time you deliver to when you pick up.

•       Each item can only be booked once per day.

•       This is how the majority of bounce house rental businesses operate.

•       Use this for: inflatables, tents, tables, chairs, concession machines, or anything you only deliver and pick up once per day.

Day-based rentals are typically paired with time increment pricing (see: How Time Increments Work (Day-Based Pricing))

Hourly

•       Customers select a start time and a number of hours.

•       The system blocks that specific time window.

•       The same item can be booked multiple times in one day as long as the time windows do not overlap.

•       Use this for: items that can be set up, used, and returned quickly — for example, a photo booth or a popcorn machine that you drop off and pick up on the same trip multiple times a day.

Hourly rentals require separate pricing configuration (see: How to Set Up Hourly Pricing)

Our Recommendation

Use Day-Based for almost everything in a bounce house rental business. Hourly is a specialized setup and only makes sense if you are genuinely operating the same item for multiple customers in one day.