Understanding Highlighted Times in the booking system

Modified on Tue, 5 May at 11:15 AM

Understanding Highlighted Times in the booking system

Highlighted Times guide customers toward the most efficient booking slots by analysing travel time, schedule density, and availability patterns. The system highlights the best options first — without restricting which times the customer can actually choose.

TL;DR

Highlighted Times never block any time slots — customers can always book any available time. The feature just ranks and surfaces the most efficient options. Configure it in the booking form under Highlighted Times settings. Use transit thresholds to define what counts as "optimal", and limit how many highlights appear per day.

5 things to know

1

It ranks, not restricts. All valid time slots remain selectable. Highlighted Times only marks the most efficient ones — usually those with the shortest travel distance or most compact schedule impact.

2

Transit thresholds define "optimal". You set an absolute transit threshold (e.g., any slot under 15 min travel is optimal) and a relative threshold (e.g., within 10 min of the day's best slot). Slots meeting either rule get highlighted.

3

Near-future priority. You can boost short-notice availability — even if it's not the most travel-efficient. This is useful when you want to fill the next few days first, accepting slightly longer travel time in exchange for quicker booking.

4

Control how many highlights show. Set the maximum number of highlighted days and slots per day. Many businesses use 1 highlight per day to reduce decision fatigue — showing 3 good dates each with one recommended time.

5

Optional CO₂ markers. You can enable CO₂ icons on low-transit slots to encourage environmentally sustainable booking choices — without limiting customer freedom.

Where to configure: Booking form → Highlighted Times settings  ·  Key setting: Absolute transit threshold  ·  Best practice: 1 highlight/day, 3 highlighted days
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All configuration options explained

Look max. days into future: How far ahead the form searches. Short range = faster, more relevant. Long range = more flexibility.

Absolute transit threshold: Any slot with travel time below this (e.g. 15 min) is always optimal. Lower = stricter, higher = more permissive.

Relative transit threshold: Dynamic rule — if the day's best slot is 12 min, and the relative threshold is +10 min, anything up to 22 min is also "good". Helps surface realistic alternatives.

Near-future preferences: Prioritise the next N working days even if not most efficient. Set a higher transit tolerance for short-notice bookings.

Always suggest good transits: If enabled, keeps scanning until it finds at least one truly optimal slot. If disabled, the first acceptable near-future match wins.

Suggesting multiple days: How many distinct dates appear in suggestions. More dates = more customer choice.

Maximum suggestions per day: How many highlights appear per day. 1 highlight/day reduces decision fatigue.

Optimal times after date selected: After the customer picks a date, the form highlights the best time on that day based on transit.

Allow less-optimal times (short notice): Inside the short-range window, choose whether to hide low-quality slots, show only optimal, or show all but highlight good ones.

CO₂ markers: Optional icon on low-transit slots to promote sustainable choices.

How the engine scans dates

Hubhus checks dates chronologically and stops when it finds a set of "good" options. If no strong match is found early, it continues scanning until the best available low-transit day is identified. This ensures fast performance even with large calendars.

If no clear winner exists, all available times are shown — so customers never see "no availability" when times do exist.

Common searches

highlighted times • optimal booking slots • travel time booking • transit threshold • smart booking suggestions • CO2 marker • booking efficiency

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