After months of development and refinement, I’m excited to announce the release of SimonTodd Bookings & Rentals – a comprehensive WordPress plugin that transforms WooCommerce into a fully-fledged booking and rental management system.
Why I Built This
Having worked with numerous clients who needed booking functionality for their WooCommerce stores, I found that existing solutions were either prohibitively expensive, overly complicated, or simply didn’t offer the flexibility required for real-world use cases. Whether it was a photography studio needing appointment slots, a plant hire company managing equipment rentals, or a venue handling event bookings – each had unique requirements that off-the-shelf solutions struggled to accommodate.
So I built my own.
Two Product Types, Endless Possibilities
The plugin introduces two new WooCommerce product types:
Bookable Products
Perfect for appointments, classes, consultations, and any time-based service. Features include:
- Flexible duration settings – hourly, daily, weekly, or monthly booking periods
- Time slot management – define specific available times with capacity limits
- Availability rules – block out holidays, set seasonal availability, or restrict specific days of the week
- Custom fields – collect additional information from customers during booking
- Buffer time – automatically add preparation time between bookings
- Advance booking controls – set minimum notice periods and how far ahead customers can book
Rental Products
Ideal for equipment hire, vehicle rentals, or any product that customers borrow and return. Features include:
- Equipment inventory tracking – link physical equipment items to rental products
- Pick-up/return time slots – define when customers can collect and return items
- Flexible pricing – daily, weekly, or monthly rates with automatic discounts for longer periods
- Security deposits – optional deposit collection, either fixed amounts or calculated from equipment values
- Late fees – automatically calculate charges for overdue returns
- Stock management – real-time availability based on existing bookings and equipment quantities
Built for Real Businesses
Every feature has been developed with practical business needs in mind:
Calendar Views – Visual calendars for both bookings and rentals, making it easy to see availability at a glance and manage your schedule.
Email Notifications – Customisable email templates for confirmations, reminders, and admin alerts. Edit them directly from WordPress without touching any code.
Reporting – Track revenue, booking volumes, and equipment utilisation with built-in reports.
Admin Confirmation – Optionally require manual approval for bookings, giving you control over your schedule.
iCal Export – Sync bookings with Google Calendar, Outlook, or any calendar application that supports iCal feeds.
Seamless WooCommerce Integration
This isn’t a standalone system bolted onto WordPress – it’s a native WooCommerce extension. Bookings and rentals flow through the standard WooCommerce checkout, work with your existing payment gateways, and appear in your regular order management. Customers see their bookings in their account area, and you manage everything from the familiar WooCommerce interface.
Get In Touch
If you’re looking for a booking or rental solution for your WooCommerce store, I’d love to hear from you. Whether you need the plugin as-is, require customisation for your specific workflow, or want a complete booking website built from scratch – get in touch and let’s discuss your requirements.
The plugin is available as part of my managed WordPress hosting packages or as a standalone solution for existing sites.