How do I set early-entry and late-exit buffer on a door code around the booked sauna time?
Early-entry and late-exit minutes widen the door PIN window around the paid sauna or cold plunge start and end. Set that padding on the partner lock, not as a native Zettlor door-code control.
Early-entry and late-exit minutes widen the door PIN window around the paid sauna or cold plunge start and end so guests can arrive a little early and leave without the lock cutting them off at the exact clock minute. That access-window padding is not the same as Zettlor’s live session turnaround buffers, and Zettlor does not ship a native door-code buffer control—set it on the partner lock (or in the automation that mints codes after Stripe).
What Zettlor does today
Door-code early/late buffer is not native. Live in Zettlor today: pre-buffer and post-buffer minutes on offerings or repeating schedule templates that block the next booking from landing in cleanup time (see session-buffers). Those calendar buffers protect inventory turnaround; they do not open or close a smart lock. Unique door PINs after pay remain a partner-lock / Platform integration job. Zettlor has no door-code buffer or heater pre-heat screen in Store. Session turnaround buffers on offerings or templates are separate—they protect the calendar, not the lock.
Guest booking, cancel, and credit self-serve steps stay on Help. This page is for operators.
Desk path
No native door-code buffer path in Zettlor. Partner lock admin: In your lock admin, set minutes before booking start and minutes after booking end on the code’s validity window. Zettlor side: keep the booked session start/end accurate on Schedule; use Scheduling → Configuration pre-buffer / post-buffer only for calendar turnaround between private sessions—not as a substitute for lock validity. API / Platform automation should pass booking start/end plus desired skew to the lock vendor when minting the code.
Do not invent a settings path beyond what is listed here. If the product does not include a control, the desk workaround is the path.
Failure mode
Operators widen Zettlor session buffers hoping the door will unlock early. The next shared drop-in cannot book into cleanup, but the PIN still dies at session end because the lock never received a late-exit skew. Others set a 30-minute early door window that overlaps the previous private party’s late-exit, so two codes are valid in the same corridor at once. Access buffer and calendar buffer must be designed together, in different systems.
Operator example
Alchemy runs unmanned Sunday mornings on one sauna and one cold plunge. Bookings are 60 minutes on Zettlor. The lock partner sets 10 minutes early-entry and 15 minutes late-exit on each paid code so guests can towel-in and towel-out. Separately, Zettlor keeps a 15-minute post-buffer on private hire templates so the next paid slot cannot start until staff reset is protected on the calendar. The door window and the schedule gap are related ops choices, not one setting.
A sauna and cold plunge operator can copy the shape of this example without copying another brand's private pricing or customer lists.
How to do this
- Write down booked session start and end from Zettlor—those timestamps are the source of truth for when the guest paid to be inside.
- In the partner lock (or minting automation), set early-entry minutes before start and late-exit minutes after end for each code.
- Keep early-entry shorter than the previous session’s late-exit plus any staff-only reset you need, so two PINs do not overlap on one door without intent.
- Keep Zettlor session turnaround buffers on the offering or template for inventory protection; do not expect those minutes to change lock validity.
- Align reminder SMS timing with the real unlock time so guests are not told “come now” while the code is still inactive.
- Test three bookings back-to-back: confirm code A dies before code B’s early window if you require a hard handoff, or document the intentional overlap if you allow it.
- Document the desk override when a guest’s phone dies inside the late-exit window—still without publishing a master code.
Related questions
Is door-code buffer the same as session turnaround buffer?
No. Session buffers (live in Zettlor) block bookings into cleanup time on the calendar. Door-code buffer (partner) widens when a PIN works around the paid start/end. Use both on purpose; do not swap them.
What if I only use Zettlor with a staffed door?
You may not need door-code buffers at all. Roster and check-in cover a staffed entry. This guide is for unmanned or hybrid PIN entry after pay.
Can Zettlor SMS include the buffer times?
Native confirmation templates can state arrival guidance in plain language. Unique codes and their exact validity windows should come from the lock partner message or the automation that knows the skew, not from a fabricated {access_code} tag inside Zettlor.
Follow-up guides
- How do I send a unique door access code by SMS or email after a sauna booking is paid?
- How do I add a turnaround buffer between private sauna or cold plunge sessions?
- How do private hire and shared drop-in share the same sauna slot without double-booking?
- How do I sell a private room during public hours with add-ons, not only a full buyout?
Book a demo or get started.
- How do I send a unique door access code by SMS or email after a sauna booking is paid?
- How do I add a turnaround buffer between private sauna or cold plunge sessions?
- How do private hire and shared drop-in share the same sauna slot without double-booking?
- How do I sell a private room during public hours with add-ons, not only a full buyout?
Zettlor is booking and operations software for commercial sauna, cold plunge, and wellness facilities. See how it works.