The best booking software for escape rooms is one that helps operators manage bookings, customer waivers, and room capacity all in one platform.
But the right platform can do more than just streamline your daily operations. It can (and should) help your company grow in the right direction.
Just ask Danielle Tomerlin, owner of United Escapes of America. When the pandemic began, she had just one escape room. Today, she runs about a dozen entertainment venues across America.
“I really could not have grown to so many locations if it weren’t for Xola,” she says. With spontaneous walk-ins, lean staffing, and last-minute schedule changes, Danielle needed a system that could flex with her, as well as scale when opportunity struck.
That’s exactly what the right booking partner can do for a business. In this guide, we’ll break down what makes a booking system great for escape rooms, which features to prioritize, and why Xola is built for operators who want more than just software — they want a true growth partner.
Why escape rooms need specialized booking software
There are many moving parts to an escape room business, and managing them all requires specialized booking software. Between timed bookings, room resets, and group coordination, you’re often juggling a unique mix of logistics that can quickly spiral without the right tools in place.
This is to say that a generic booking tool probably won’t make the cut. Escape room businesses depend on precision and speed to deliver a smooth and pleasant guest experience.
These days, travelers are booking closer and closer to their activity date, and escape rooms are no exception. As Craig Everett, co-founder and CEO of Holibob, shared at Phocuswright Europe 2025, “We continue to see the kind of booking window get later and later… We see those conversion rates continuing to climb, in terms of the number of people who are buying one, two, three things in that very close window before they travel.”
That’s exactly the kind of last-minute behavior some operators are seeing across their escape room facilities. To add to that, here are the challenges to consider when shopping around for a new booking solution:
- Coordinating back-to-back room resets with minimal buffer time
- Managing group sizes to avoid overbooking or splitting teams
- Handling locked room turnover without delays between bookings
- Catering to different difficulty levels or themes across rooms
- Minimizing no-shows with automated reminders and prepayments
- Offering private vs. public bookings based on group preferences
- Balancing staff assignments based on room schedules and capacity
This is where specialized escape room booking software makes all the difference. The right software, like Xola, keeps operations running smoothly behind the scenes, allowing your guests to focus on the fun.
Key features escape room operators should look for
Now, let’s say you’re actively searching for a new booking partner. We’ve put together a list of features you should look for, based on our years of experience working with escape room operators like yourself.
- Prevent overbookings and scheduling mishaps. Automatically block double-bookings and prevent public and private groups from clashing, even during peak times. Key: Ensuring your availability calendars update in real-time.
- Keep rooms staffed and ready. Assign a game master or staff member to every room, and automatically block bookings if a shift goes unfilled.
- Make sure every player signs a waiver before they arrive. Use digital waivers to get everyone signed and ready ahead of time, reducing paperwork pile-ups at check-in.
- Easily manage props and room inventory. Track which games need which items, and avoid surprises like broken locks or missing puzzles. Software like Xola allows you to manage equipment inventory in tandem with all your bookings.
- Fill up slow nights with strategic promotions. Use last-minute Lightning Deals to offer discounted prices for empty rooms. This helps drive more bookings on quieter days of the week.
- Control group sizes automatically. Set a minimum and maximum guest count for each game to avoid overcrowded rooms.
- Understand what’s working (and what’s not). Use your software’s built-in reporting tools to see which time slots, games, or locations drive the most revenue.
If these features resonate with you, then you’re in the right place. Better yet, if your current software program doesn’t provide you with the tools needed to manage all of the above, there’s likely a better solution for you out there.
How escape room businesses use booking software in the real world
We’re not just hypothetically speaking here. There are hundreds of escape room operators using booking software to manage their inventory, keep their rooms filled, and even collect feedback from guests once they’ve left the venue. Here are just a few of the ways that operators like yourself are working with their booking partners to improve their operations.
Managing an escape room’s Saturday night rush at the front desk
It’s a busy Saturday night, the best night of the week for an escape room operator. Yet this also means a whole lot of people, a whole lot of games to be played, and a whole lot of room for error.
But with Xola, a staff member uses the real-time dashboard to see which rooms are in play, who has already signed their waivers, and which guests haven’t arrived yet. With a few clicks, they can do everything needed to ensure the games flow smoothly, no matter how many customers are walking through the door.
The platform makes it easy for them to assign a game master, check inventory for props, and monitor upcoming sessions, all while juggling walk-ins and no-shows. And at the end of the night, it’s yet another successful Saturday for the books.
Scaling from one escape room location to ten
Remember Danielle, the founder of United Escapes of America that we mentioned earlier? Well, she went from running a single escape room to managing 10 facilities, all in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. As other escape rooms closed their doors, she saw an opportunity to expand.
But to grow quickly with a lean team, she needed a platform that could keep up. With Xola, she was able to centralize her bookings, staffing, and customer communication in one place. She could open or close rooms instantly from her phone, depending on staff availability. She ran an Easter promotion on the fly and assigned on-call game masters as new bookings came in, sometimes just minutes before a group walked in.
As Danielle puts it: “Being able to run my company from the road and have my rooms just as flexible as our customers are — that’s one of my favorite things about it,” she says. That kind of flexibility gave her the confidence to scale fast and take over new locations, knowing her operations wouldn’t fall behind.
Automating review collection after guests play a game
A group finishes their game and walks out buzzing with excitement. Whether they escaped or not, their smiling faces show that they had a great time. The next day, they get a friendly, personalized email in their inbox asking how it went and inviting them to leave a review. You didn’t have to write it, schedule it, or even think about it.
Xola sends out customizable review requests automatically 24 hours after the experience, complete with a link to your preferred review platform. This reminder will bring in more reviews, which not only helps grow your reputation online but also provides valuable feedback on your guest experience.
Top picks: Best booking tools for escape games in 2025
We’ll give it to you straight: There are a lot of booking solutions on the market nowadays, and it’s not always easy to spot the one that’s best for you. From full-on software solutions like Xola to appointment-based tools that might make a difference if you’re just starting, here’s what we recommend —
Xola — Best overall for escape room operators
- Keeps rooms running smoothly with automated scheduling, waiver collection, and resource management
- Helps fill slow nights with last-minute Lightning Deals and boosts revenue with smart upsell options
- Gives you the reporting you need to grow, by room, location, time slot, or channel
Xola is purpose-built for tour and activity businesses, such as escape rooms. You can customize your booking windows, manage staff and props across multiple locations, and respond to last-minute changes in real time, even from your phone. Operators like United Escapes of America use it to manage 10+ locations and dozens of rooms, all with a lean team. Whether you’re running one room or 30, Xola helps you grow without the chaos.
Square Appointments — Best for private-room bookings
- Accepts bookings and payments through a basic online calendar
- Good fit for solo operators or private, by-appointment rooms
- Integrates with Square’s other tools
Square Appointments works well for simple, low-volume escape games, such as private rooms run by solo operators or small teams. It’s easy to use but lacks the advanced capacity, staff, and room management tools needed by larger or multi-room businesses.
Calendly — Best for hobbyists or side projects
- Clean scheduling interface, easy to set up
- Sends automatic confirmations and reminders
- No payment, waiver, or capacity controls
Calendly is a basic appointment scheduling tool. While not designed for escape rooms, it could work if you’re running a low-frequency, passion project with one room and zero overhead. Anything more than that, and you’ll quickly feel the limits.
DIY setup — Best for testing an idea
- Combine Google Forms, Sheets, and email for manual bookings
- Free to use, but fully hands-on
- Great for early experiments, but unsustainable at scale
Some operators start out using spreadsheets to track guests and manually send out confirmations. It works in the very beginning, but once bookings ramp up or you open a second room, it becomes nearly impossible to keep up. When you’re ready to save time and deliver a better guest experience, Xola helps you upgrade without missing a beat.
FAQs about booking software for escape games
Let’s address some of the most common FAQs we receive from escape room operators already working with or considering partnering with Xola.
What’s the easiest way to collect waivers?
Use built‑in digital waivers (like Xola Waivers). Guests sign them right after booking or on a kiosk before arrival, eliminating paper lines and manual follow‑ups.
Can I set different pricing for weekdays and weekends?
Yes. You can configure pricing rules so weekends (or evenings) cost more. You can also run discounts during off‑peak times to boost bookings.
Is there a way to limit bookings by group size or age?
Absolutely. You can set minimums and maximums per room, enforce age restrictions, or prevent single-person bookings where games are designed for groups.
Can I block sessions if staff or props aren’t available?
Yes. Advanced systems allow you to automatically block timeslots when rooms, staff, or essential props are unavailable, preventing awkward situations with guests.
How do I recover abandoned bookings?
Many platforms support abandoned-cart recovery by sending gentle reminders or offering incentives to guests who started booking but didn’t complete it.
Does the software integrate with OTAs or marketplaces?
Good ones do. Integration with OTA platforms like Viator or GetYourGuide helps you reach new audiences while syncing availability to prevent double bookings.
What kind of customer support should I expect from booking software?
Look for platforms that offer 24/7 support via phone, chat, or email—especially if you run games late at night or on weekends. Bonus points if you get a dedicated onboarding manager and training sessions tailored to your escape room’s specific setup. Tools like Xola also offer a searchable help center and live chat support built right into the platform.
How to choose the right escape room booking platform
When evaluating booking systems for your escape room, prioritize platforms that can handle your unique operational demands—like timed room turnover, waiver collection, and group logistics. Here’s a quick recap of what to look for:
- Flexible scheduling that lets you control room availability, pricing, and blackout dates.
- Smart capacity management to avoid overbookings and make sure groups flow in and out smoothly
- Built-in waiver collection so players can sign before they even arrive.
- Automatic follow-up emails to collect reviews or drive repeat visits.
- Reporting tools that help you identify your most profitable games, time slots, and marketing channels.
- On-the-go access so you can make changes in real time from your phone, if needed.
- Responsive support to help you troubleshoot quickly, especially on those extra busy nights.
Want a booking system built for escape games?
Xola was designed with escape room operators in mind, helping you manage bookings, staffing, waivers, and reporting all in one place. Whether you run a single room or a growing franchise, Xola provides you with the tools to scale smoothly and adapt on the fly.
Stories like Danielle’s United Escapes of America serve as inspiration. It’s proof that with the right booking platform, real growth is within reach.
