July is often seen as the month of well-earned holidays. For many of us who work in offices, including part of our team here at Clock—and yes, even me—this is a time to take a breath, switch off, and recharge. But while we enjoy some summer downtime, many of you in hospitality are doing quite the opposite.
For some hotels and resorts, July is often the busiest time of year. This is when your operations hit full speed, when your staff stretch their superpowers to serve so many guests every day. And for that, writing this from a sun lounger on the beach, I just want to say: thank you.
You are the silent heroes of summer. And this time, instead of listing what new features we released (although there were a few), I want to reflect on what already helps you save time and keep delivering great stays—especially now, when every minute of productivity matters.
Why should emotionally and cognitively intelligent human beings waste their energy on routine tasks that machines and systems can handle faster, better, and more accurately?
Updating distribution channels, pushing pricing changes, syncing booking updates—these are perfect examples of jobs we gladly handed over to automation long ago. While these automations might now be taken for granted, they remain some of the most powerful time-savers in the background of your everyday work.
And we continue building on that. Take, for example, our direct certified integration with Booking.com. It bypasses third-party channel managers to bring faster, more reliable availability and pricing updates. But it also saves you from the tedious manual tasks of reporting no-shows or invalid cards. Clock now does that for you—automatically.
The benefit? You avoid unwanted commission charges and get faster clarity on failed payments, without lifting a finger.
Another invisible champion in your daily operations is automated payment processing. If you're using Clock’s full capabilities, you already know the difference this makes.
You can set up advance payment collections, no-show fees, and arrival deposits to run entirely on autopilot—even when they involve OTA virtual cards. Authorising, capturing, and even releasing guarantees can all happen while your team stays focused on guests.
The result? Hours of manual work saved each day. If you work for one of those properties where during summer, your workload is highest, these hours aren’t just saved—they are repurposed into what you do best: creating memorable stays.
Let’s be honest—none of us really enjoys the traditional, form-filled check-in. As guests, what we really want is a smooth arrival, a welcoming face, and a room that matches our expectations (and maybe even our spouse's view preferences).
Online check-in helps everyone. We, guests, handle the formalities on our phones, and even get to choose our preferred room attributes for a small fee. For you, it means more time to engage in real conversation or simply handle more guests faster during busy moments.
That’s real service: focused, personal, and made possible by getting the paperwork out of the way.
Our system was built to simplify more than just the check-in. Pre-arrival communication, integrated workflows, and smart dashboards all serve the same purpose: cutting through the admin to let your team do meaningful work. And while much of that goes unnoticed when it works well, it’s in the high season that the benefits really shine.
Since it's summer, let me share something that aligns perfectly with active holidays. We’re just about to roll out a long-anticipated feature: activity bookings.
For resorts, wellness retreats, and activity-based hotels, this means a fully integrated way to offer guests bookings for classes, excursions, rentals, spa zone access—you name it. Whether bundled with accommodation or sold separately, we, the guests, will love the seamless experience. And you’ll love how much time it saves you from juggling multiple systems or chasing emails.
It’s coming very soon, and we believe it’ll open a new chapter in delivering not just stays, but complete experiences for those of you for whom that matters.
So while some of us sip iced coffee under the sun, you’re delivering magic under pressure. We see that. We admire that. And everything we build is meant to help you carry that weight a little more lightly.
July may be a time of rest for many, but for some of you, it’s the time when your brilliance is on full display. We hope the tools we provide offer you not just time savings, but a bit of breathing space to take pride in what you do.
To all of you running the show while the world is on holiday: thank you.
Until next month,
Krasimir