Short answer: because Reserved is the confirmed, active status for a placed booking — it's holding the spot on your calendar. It isn't a temporary state waiting to turn into something else, and there's no separate "Booked" status it advances to. If your booking says Reserved, it's a live booking.
In this article
The confusion usually comes from expecting a "Booked" or "Confirmed" label to appear. In TripWorks, Reserved is that label.
The two booking statuses you'll actually see
- Draft — the booking was started but not finished. This is an in-progress order or an online checkout the guest didn't complete. A Draft isn't a confirmed booking yet; you'll see a Pay option to take payment (or you can reserve it) to turn it into a real booking.
- Reserved — the booking is placed and holding its spot. This is the normal status for any live booking, whether it came from your website, staff, or a reseller/OTA.
(You may occasionally see Under Review for certain imported bookings that need a look before they're confirmed.)
So the lifecycle is Draft → Reserved, not "Reserved → Booked."
Reserved doesn't mean paid
Booking status and payment status are separate. A Reserved booking can still have a balance owing — and that's completely normal in several cases:
- A deposit was taken and the rest is due later.
- The booking will be paid at check-in.
- It's a reseller/OTA booking, where the guest pays the channel (or you invoice the reseller) rather than paying you at booking.
To see what's actually owed, look at the booking's payment details (Total Due / Deposit Due / balance), not the Reserved status. Reserved tells you the spot is held; the payment section tells you what's been collected.
When a booking is stuck as a Draft
If a booking you expected to be live is sitting in Draft, it was never completed — most often an online checkout the guest abandoned before paying. The held items aren't a confirmed booking. You can:
- Take payment on it (the Pay action) to reserve it, or
- Reserve it without payment if you'll collect later (for example, pay at check-in), or
- Delete it to clear it out if it's an abandoned cart you don't need.
Frequently asked questions
Is a Reserved trip confirmed?
Yes. Reserved is the confirmed, active status for a placed booking — it's holding the spot on your calendar. It's not a pending state waiting to change.
Why doesn't my trip change from Reserved to Booked?
Because there is no separate "Booked" status. Reserved is the confirmed booking status in TripWorks — it doesn't advance to anything else. If it says Reserved, it's a live booking.
Does Reserved mean the guest has paid?
Not necessarily. Booking status and payment status are separate. A Reserved booking can still owe a balance — a deposit with the rest due later, a pay-at-check-in booking, or a reseller/OTA booking paid through the channel. Check the payment details for what's owed.
What's the difference between Draft and Reserved?
Draft is a booking that was started but not completed — an in-progress order or an abandoned online checkout. Reserved is a booking that's placed and holding its spot. Bookings go Draft → Reserved, usually by taking payment or reserving the order.
My booking is stuck on Draft — what do I do?
A Draft was never finished (often an abandoned online checkout). Take payment on it with the Pay action to reserve it, reserve it without payment if you'll collect later, or delete it if it's a cart you don't need.
A reseller/OTA booking shows Reserved with a balance — is that a problem?
No. Reseller and OTA bookings come in as Reserved, and the guest pays the channel rather than paying you at booking. The balance reflects that you'll settle with the reseller separately (often by invoice), not that anything is wrong.
Related
- Reschedule, unschedule, or cancel a booking
- Recording payments on a trip
- How OTA & reseller bookings connect
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