The enquiry-to-booking process
How an enquiry moves from first contact to a confirmed booking — the standard sequence, seasonal variations, SLA targets and the fields that must be updated in HubSpot before a deal can be closed.
A deal may only be marked Closed won in HubSpot once the tenancy agreement is signed and the deposit has cleared. Marking early is the single most common cause of occupancy reporting errors.
Overview
Enquiry-to-booking is the end-to-end process of turning a new enquiry into a confirmed booking. Every site follows the same four stages, but timings flex around the academic calendar. The goal is simple: no enquiry goes unanswered, and no deal is closed before it is real.
Each stage produces a record in HubSpot. Use the deal property Deal stage to track progress, and always attach evidence where indicated. A highlighted term like this links to its glossary entry.
Step-by-step
Qualify the enquiry
Respond within the SLA and capture budget, course year and move-in date. Set Deal stage to Qualified in HubSpot.
Book the viewing
Offer an in-person or virtual viewing and confirm it from the deal record. Batch into open days during peak season.
Make the offer
Send the offer with the room, rate and tenancy dates, and set an expiry. Chase before it lapses; release the room if it expires.
Confirm the booking
Once the tenancy agreement is signed and the deposit has cleared, set Deal stage to Closed won. Operations is notified automatically.
Call within five minutes of an enquiry landing where you can — speed-to-lead roughly doubles conversion during peak season.
Never mark a deal Closed won before the deposit clears. A failed payment must be logged as a payment issue, not deleted.
The booking flow
Four stages, each gated by a check that must pass before the next begins.
Seasonal variations
The bulk booking window. Hundreds of enquiries land between January and April. Batch viewings and pre-booked open days are essential; individual response SLAs relax to 1 working day to allow for volume.
Run daily standups and track progress on the Peak Season dashboard.
SLA targets & system fields
| Stage | Target | Owner | HubSpot property to update |
|---|---|---|---|
| Enquiry | 2 hours | Sales team | Deal stage |
| Viewing | 3 days | Site team | Viewing status |
| Offer | 1 day | Sales team | Offer status |
| Booking | On signature | Sales manager | Deal stage |
Frequently asked
Log at least three contact attempts across two channels and set Deal stage to Unresponsive. The nurture sequence takes over automatically and the deal is recycled after 30 days.
Show flat standards
Consistent framing helps listings and remote viewings. Drop approved reference shots into the slots below in the CMS.
Walkthrough video
“A booking rushed through today costs us far more than one confirmed tomorrow. Get the checks right — the speed follows.”
Knowledge check
When can a deal be marked Closed won in HubSpot?