A booking system for an unstaffed gym has one job that class and membership software doesn’t do: turn a paid booking into a door code that works only for that slot, and get it to the customer without you. There are three ways: send codes by hand from a lock app, connect a generic booking tool to a lock yourself, or use a system built for private hourly gyms. Manual codes are fine for a few bookings a week. A gym open all day needs the code tied to the payment automatically. Below is where each approach breaks, and the questions to ask any vendor, us included.
Option 1: codes by hand from the lock app
A customer books and pays somehow: a message, a bank transfer, a shared calendar. You create a code for the booked time in the lock app, send it by SMS and delete it afterwards.
That works while you test demand with a few trainer clients. It breaks quickly:
- Volume. A gym open 6:00–22:00 with 60-minute slots has up to 15 changeovers a day. At half occupancy that is about 225 codes a month, over 11 hours of your time at three minutes each.
- Nights. Someone books at 23:10 for 6:00. If you were asleep, they stand at a locked door and your phone rings.
- Changes. Every moved booking means deleting one code and creating another. Forget the deletion and the old code still opens the door.
- Mistakes. A wrong day, a mistyped digit, a code sent for an unpaid booking. Over hundreds of bookings some happen, always when nobody is at the gym.
- Holidays. Nobody can take a day off.
Option 2: a generic booking tool plus a lock
A generic appointment tool handles the calendar and usually the payment. Everything between “booking paid” and “customer at the door” you build yourself:
- a code for exactly the booked time, in the lock’s format;
- one code for two slots in a row, not two;
- a fallback when the lock is offline;
- deleting expired codes;
- sending the SMS through a provider in your country;
- keeping cleaning time off sale;
- invoices in your country’s format.
Each piece is possible. The cost is your time, a subscription per piece, and a chain where nobody owns the failure. When a code doesn’t work at 21:00, you work out whether the booking tool, the automation service or the lock is at fault while the customer waits outside.
Option 3: a system built for private hourly gyms
One flow: the customer books an exclusive slot and pays online, gets an SMS with a time-limited PIN right after booking, and the code opens the door only during the slot. That is what Sparekey does, and how Chrám pohybu and Fithub run.
Questions to ask any vendor
Booking and payment
- Does one booking reserve the whole gym exclusively?
- Can a customer book several slots in a row in one order, with one code?
- Can customers book and pay 24/7 with nobody confirming?
- Which payment gateway and methods work in my country?
- Can customers move their own booking, and until when?
Door access
- Does each booking get its own code, valid only for the booked time?
- When does the customer get the code?
- What happens when the internet at the door is down?
- Which door hardware is supported, by name? “Most smart locks” is not an answer.
- Can customers tamper with the recommended hardware?
Running the gym
- Are slot length and buffer configurable per location?
- Can I block time for cleaning, maintenance or my own clients, including repeating blocks?
- Can prices differ by weekday or weekend, time of day and specific date?
- Are discount codes and multi-slot discounts built in?
- Can I add more locations, and what does each one cost?
Money and data
- Is there an invoice for each booking and a CSV export for my accountant?
- Which statistics are there: occupancy, revenue per available hour, peak hours, returning customers?
- Where is the data hosted, and is there a data processing agreement?
Cost and support
- What is the total over three years: setup, monthly fees, per-booking fees, SMS, add-ons?
- Who answers when a customer is at the door at 21:00 and the code doesn’t work?
- How long is setup, and what do I need to supply?
How Sparekey answers them
- Booking (1–5). Each slot books the whole gym. Several slots fit in one order with one code. Customers book and pay 24/7 through Stripe (cards, Apple Pay and Google Pay), and move their own booking up to 24 hours ahead.
- Door access (6–10). Each booking gets a time-limited PIN by SMS right after booking. If the internet is down and a new code can’t be stored, the customer gets the location’s backup code. We recommend a 2N keypad with a maglock, installed by a professional; Nuki is the simpler, cheaper alternative, but it can’t be secured well against tampering. Other locks with time-limited PIN codes: ask us. See choosing door access.
- Running the gym (11–15). Slot length, buffer, opening hours and time zone per location. One-off and repeating blocks. Prices by weekday or weekend and time of day, plus specific dates. Discount codes and multi-slot discounts. Unlimited locations, which you add yourself.
- Money and data (16–18). An invoice for each booking, CSV export, and statistics for revenue, occupancy, revenue per available hour, peak hours and returning customers. Hosted on our servers in the EU; see security and GDPR.
- Cost (19). €990 one-off for setup and €26 a month for Operations (hosting, maintenance and your SMS sender name). SMS are billed per message. Several doors or a shared entrance are solved during setup at no extra cost. See pricing.
- Support and setup (20–21). You reach a person who knows your setup. Plan about a month, mostly for payment gateway approval and the installer’s visit; see implementation.
The full feature list is on how it works. For anything else, get in touch.
FAQ
Can I start by sending codes by hand?
Yes, for a few bookings a week while someone is always available. Once bookings come in at night and customers move slots, it becomes a part-time job.
Can I use a generic appointment tool with a smart lock?
Yes, if you build the link yourself: the code for the booked window, the SMS, a fallback when the lock is offline, and deleting old codes. Each piece is a place where a customer can end up at a locked door.
How long does setup take?
About a month, mostly waiting for payment gateway approval and the installer’s visit.