Online booking for meeting rooms
Two audiences, one room. Members should book in two taps and pay nothing; visitors should pay before the door opens. The trick is doing both without two systems.
One event type per room for visitors, paid online, plus an invite-only free event type per room for members, with start times every thirty minutes.
Members and visitors want opposite things#
A member booking a room for twenty minutes should not see a price or a card form. A visitor should not be able to book a room for nothing. A shared spreadsheet gives you neither, and two booking systems give you double bookings.
The setup to start from#
Rooms hired by the hour during the working day, where the only thing that matters is that two people cannot book the same room at once.
| Duration | 60 minutes, offered every 30 so a booking can start on the half hour |
|---|---|
| Minimum notice | 1 hour |
| Buffer | None — consecutive bookings are the business model |
| Bookable up to | 90 days |
| Max bookings per day | One event type per room |
| Location | In person |
| Payment | Paid online for visitors, free for members with an invite link |
| Cancellation policy | Full refund 12 hours before |
Worth asking on the booking form: How many people? · Do you need a screen or a whiteboard?
Give members an invite-only event type so they book without seeing the visitor price, and keep a public paid event type for everyone else. Same room, two doors.
Same room, two doors#
For each room, a public paid event type for visitors and an invite-only free one for members. Both are the same room, so a booking through either blocks the other — which is exactly what you want.
Start times every thirty minutes#
A one-hour duration with Show start times every set to thirty lets a booking start at 10:30 without wasting the half hour before it.
Book from the corridor#
One hour’s minimum notice, so somebody can book the room they are standing outside.
Getting started#
- Sign in at app.marubox.jp with Google or Microsoft. There is no card and no trial clock.
- Create an event type with the settings above. Event types explained
- Connect your calendar so each room never gets double booked. Google · Outlook
- Set your real hours, and close Japanese public holidays in one tick. Availability
- Put the link in your bio, or the widget on your site. Adding it to your website
Common questions
Can members book free while visitors pay?
Yes. Make two event types for the same room — a public paid one and an invite-only free one — and give members the invite link. A booking through either blocks the room for both.
How do I stop two people booking the same room?
Each room is one event type, and a confirmed booking removes that time from every offer. A slot being filled in is held until the person finishes or gives up.
Can bookings start on the half hour?
Yes — set Show start times every to thirty minutes while keeping a one-hour duration.
Set this up in about ten minutes
Business Box is free for as long as you like, with no card required — booking pages, Google and Outlook calendar sync, availability, Japanese public holidays and the website widget. Taking card payment for bookings is ¥1,200 a month, tax included, with no commission on what you sell.
Last reviewed 28 September 2026.