Why your society needs amenity booking
Shared facilities are where neighbour disputes start — two families arrive for the same party-hall slot because the register at the gate disagrees with a WhatsApp message from last week.
Pain point 1: Double bookings
Two residents think they have the clubhouse on Saturday evening. Security has to pick sides.
Fix: Plinth blocks overlapping pending and confirmed bookings at the database with an exclusion constraint — the second request fails with a clear "slot already booked" message.
Pain point 2: No approval trail for high-impact bookings
Party halls and rooftop areas often need committee sign-off. A paper slip on the manager's desk is easy to lose.
Fix: Turn on requires approval per amenity. Bookings start as pending until an admin approves them — every action is logged in the audit trail.
Pain point 3: Gate diary vs reality
The security register says one thing; the committee WhatsApp group says another.
Fix: One live schedule at Amenities that every member and admin sees — same source of truth as your notices and governance records.
Pain point 4: Cancellations without a record
"No one told me it was cancelled" — familiar after a last-minute change.
Fix: Residents and admins cancel through cancel_amenity_booking; status moves to
cancelled and the slot opens for others.