Racquets Booking Policy - FAQs
- Court and class bookings can be made online from 8am, 9 days in advance online or 8 days in advance by the reservations team, in person or over the phone. Racquet courses are available for booking once published on the timetable.
Q. How do I register for online bookings?
A. You need to have registered for the Member’s Lounge. Visit https://www.harbourclub.com/account/registration to register and log in. Once registered, you will see the online booking system link.
Q. Does the 8 or 9 days include the current day?
A. You can book 8 or 9 days ahead of the current day so If you were booking on a Monday you can book for the following Wednesday online or Tuesday via reservations.
Q. Why do people booking online get an extra day’s booking rights?
A. We want to encourage members to book online to speed up the booking process and improve the experience for other members at reservations.
Q. How far can I book in advance for private lessons?
A. The same as for courts and classes; 9 days online and 8 days via reception. You can also speak directly with your coach.
Q. I do not have access to the internet how should I book 9 days in advance?
A. See a member of the team and they will be happy to help you register on the Member’s Lounge so you can make bookings in club through one of our member computers in club.
Q. How long in advance can I book my course?
A. Up to 90 days in advance depending on the course and at the point it is published on the timetable for booking.
Q. What about the Tennis Stars programme?
A. Booking for Tennis Stars courses is subject to a Priority Booking window which is a period exclusively for current child participants to renew for a following term. Booking will open up to any other children at the end of this period. These dates will be advertised in club.
Q. Can my child book on Tennis Stars even if I am not a racquets member?
A. Yes. We want to encourage children to learn and participate in all of the club products so they are all effectively full racquets members.
- All chargeable classes and courses must be paid for in full at the time of booking. Refunds will only apply if 24 hours notice of cancellation is given for the class or before the first instance of a course.
Q. Why can’t I pay when I turn up?
A. You can if that is when you are making the booking. We require payment at the time of booking to ensure there is a commitment on the part of the member to that class or course as other members may have wanted to book but cannot as the class or course is full.
Q. Can I pay for my bookings ‘On Account’?
A. For bookings made in club at the reservations desk you can choose to pay ‘On Account’ or via cash or credit card. For bookings made online you will need to pay via the ‘Smartpay’ facility provided where you enter credit card details.
Q. Why can’t I get a refund once the class or course has started?
A. There is a limit to the number of members that can take part in a class or course. Once the class or course has started we are unable to re-sell to another member. We need a commitment from the member booking onto a class or course to ensure the class or course can be delivered as planned.
Q. What is the difference between a class and a course?
A. A class is a single session that you book and pay for. A course consists of a number of sessions. For example, you book and pay once and may go on 4 consecutive weeks.
Q. What if I am unable to attend for a reason outside of my control?
A. If we have 24 hours notice before the start of a class or course then you are entitled to a refund. If less than 24 hours notice is given then no refund applies. The policy needs to be fair and consistently applied.
Q. Can I get a refund if I book online?
A. Yes, providing your cancellation is more than 24 hours before the booking time or first instance of a course when you cancel your booking the same card that was used to process the online payment will be refunded.
Q. What if I cancel online with less than 24 hours notice?
A. You are still able to cancel and remove the booking but you will not be eligible for a refund.
- Booking rights follow peak and off-peak membership access rights.
Q. What is the latest time I can make a booking for as an off-peak member?
A. The last time you can make a booking is at the latest your membership will permit usage of the club. So if the last entry time is 6.30pm during the week for example then the last booking is 5.30pm.
Q. What is the earliest time I can make a booking for as an off-peak member?
A. This will usually be when the club opens.
- Clubs reserve the right to introduce advanced booking restrictions at times where courts are in high demand. During such times, the member will only be able to make one advanced booking per day. Subject to availability, additional bookings in high demand periods can be made 24 hours in advance.
Q. Why should there be a limit to the number of advanced bookings?
A. When courts are in high demand limiting the advance booking to one per day allows more members the opportunity to book courts. However, as stated, if a court is available 24 hours before then additional bookings can be made.
Q. What times are these high demand periods?
A. They are specified by the club. Please check with the club reception. The club will keep these periods to a minimum and will review on a regular basis.
Q. How will I know what these restrictions are?
A. Please check with the club reception.
Q. Why can I make additional bookings 24 hours in advance at high demand times?
A. High demand refers to periods where anticipated booking periods are popular. As such we expect courts in these times to be booked in advance. When court slots have not been filled on the day high demand does not take effect and courts are free for all to book.
Q. Can children book and play at high demand periods?
A. Yes unless the club has imposed a restriction on children (under the age of 14 years) from booking a court.
- Booking durations are 1 hour for singles and 1 hour 30 minutes for doubles during periods within high demand. Bookings can be made for 1 hour 30 minutes for singles and 2 hours for doubles at all other times.
Q. Why is there a difference between singles & doubles?
A. Due to the nature of the game. One hour for singles is generally long enough for most players and we want to present the maximum amount of court time for members to book and play.
Q. Can I make more than one advanced booking?
A. Yes, unless it is within a period of high demand.
Q. Can I make another high demand booking if one is available on the day?
A. Yes. High demand does not take effect on the day so you will be able to make as many bookings as there are courts available.
Q. Why are there restrictions in high demand?
A. Our aim is to allow more members to play more often, keep wasted court time to a minimum and to maximise the number of potential bookings in a day.
Q. How long are Padel bookings?
A. The booking durations are the same as tennis.
Q. What if my booking overlaps with high demand, how long can I book for?
A. You are able to book the full duration for bookings that overlap. For example you may book a singles court of 1 hour 30 minutes that is 60 minutes inside and 30 minutes outside of high demand in one single booking or a 2 hour doubles that is 90 minutes inside and 30 minutes outside of high demand.
Q. What happens if I need to book a court for box league or postal tournament matches?
A. For these matches one and a half hour duration will be allocated. The format is 2 sets (can be short) and a match tie break. If you are playing in a LTA postal tournament and require longer than a one hour booking then you will need to book at periods outside ‘high demand’.
- Bookings require the names of all players. If players’ names are not available at the time of booking, the booking will be held provisionally. To confirm the court booking players names must be provided 24 hours prior to the booking start time or the court will be released. Amendments to players’ names can be made at any time prior to booking start time.
Q. Why do I have to give the names at all?
A. For a number of reasons. Importantly we want to protect your membership and ensure that only racquets members are playing. We also need to allocate the correct playing duration. Knowing who is on court and when is important for planning and communication.
Q. What if I actually don’t know their full name or surname?
A. You will need to ask them.
Q. How can I search for members?
A. There will be search functionality available so you can search by first name, last name and membership number.
Q. What happens if I don’t know the names when I make the booking?
A. The booking will be provisional until the names have been provided. You must do this at least 24 hours before the booking start time or you will lose the booking. We will send you an email if this is the case so you have a chance to re-book.
Q. What happens if the players change?
A. You must go online and change the names or inform reservations prior to the start of the booking.
Q. What’s the latest point at which I can add or change the names?
A. Up to the start time of your booking.
Q. What happens if I want to change from a singles game to a doubles game or vice versa, can I just add or delete more names – what will happen to the time allocation?
A. You will need to cancel this booking and re-book.
Q. Can I book a court to practice on my own or for when I’m hitting using a ball machine?
A. No. You can’t book a court for practice; however you can make use of a court if one is available at the time you wish to practice. If the court you are on is subsequently booked you will have to vacate the court.
- Courts for private tennis lessons can be booked online, at reception, or via the coach. To book lessons less than 24 hours in advance please speak directly to your coach.
Q. Why can’t I book online or at reception with less than 24 hours notice?
A. There needs to be a reasonable amount of time for the coach to receive confirmation of their booking.
Q. Can I pay the coach at the same time as making the booking?
A. For private lessons with one or two people you need to pay the coach directly. For classes and courses including private terms you must pay online or at reservations.
Q. How do I cancel?
A. Online, through reservations or via the coach.
Q. How do I get a refund for a private lesson if I cancel?
A. Our coaches are self employed and so you must check with the coach directly about their terms and conditions.
- If a booking is not used or is cancelled with less than 24 hours advance notice, a ‘late cancellation’ will apply to the member who booked the court, unless the court is rebooked.
- Why do we have late cancellation policy?
- Three late cancellations in any 90 day period will result in the loss of advanced booking rights for 1 month for courts and private lessons.
Q. Why over a 90 day period why not 60 days for example?
A. The rule is to encourage members to play or to cancel with enough time to allow other members to book and play. 3 times over 90 days is 1 per month which we feel is appropriate.
Q. Does that mean I can’t book classes & courses if I have lost my advanced booking rights?
A. No. You may still book onto classes and courses.
Q. Does this mean I can’t play tennis for a month?
A. No. It means you cannot book in advance. You can be an additional player or join on courses and classes.
Q. What if the late cancellation was not my fault?
A. As the person booking the court we are asking you to take responsibility for that booking. The rule is set to 3 late cancellations before the withdrawal of your advanced booking rights to allow for this type of eventuality.
Q. What if this was in a competition & I don’t know the opponent?
A. In this instance a late cancellation will not apply. Please ensure you inform reception if your competition opponent hasn’t turned up.
Q. I play multiple times per week, 3 times is disproportionately low compared to a less frequent player. Why is this not calculated as a percentage of bookings instead?
A. It is important that the policy is simple and easy to remember, calculate and enforce.
Q. It is not possible for me to share the booking responsibility as I am the only member of our group who is available to make the booking at 8am.Why should I be at risk of a late cancellation each time?
A. If you play with a regular group then you should encourage them not to let you down. If your booking rights are suspended then you can still play if another one of your group makes the booking. As courts are available to book from 9 days online the 8am window may not be as pivotal to securing your preferred court and/or time.
- If a court is empty 10 minutes after a booking start time, the court will be released for use by other members.
Q. Why 10 minutes, what if I arrive 12 minutes past for example?
A. We realise that we need to accommodate the fact that, on occasions, members will be running late. The current policy is 10 minutes. We need to strictly apply the rule to ensure we do not lose court time that could be made available to other members.
Q. Who is it released to – what if there is no one on the court after the 10 minutes?
A. It will be released for other members to book. If the court has not been rebooked by another member then the member can rebook but the late cancellation will apply.
Q. I have seen a court is free and I would like to play on it. What should I do?
A. You must see reservations who will see if the original booker is more than 10 minutes late. If this is the case then they will be able to remove the original details and book you on instead. If you simply walk on court without contacting reception then priority will go to the original booker if they turn up.
- Bookings for junior members under 14 years of age can only be made by an adult (parent or guardian).
Q. Does this apply to all children, racquet & health & fitness?
A. Yes.
Q. What if the adult is not a racquet member?
A. That doesn’t matter. They are only making the booking for the junior member.
Q. What if the child booking wants to play with their parent who is not a racquet member?
A. The parent would book the court on behalf of the child and if the opponent or partner was not a racquets member the relevant court fee would be payable at the time of booking.
Q. What is the minimum age I can book for my child?
A. You can book for your children from the age of 3 years.
Q. If my 12 year old is allowed to be in the club unaccompanied and wants to book a court how can this be done?
A. If a court is available on the day, reception will be able to make the booking on their behalf.
- Harbour Club Tennis members can book courts up to 9 days in advance online at their home Club or any David Lloyd Leisure Club, or 8 days in advance via reception. Chelsea Harbour Club Tennis members can also book at Notting Hill Harbour Club.
Q. What is a Full member?
A. It is a membership category that has racquets facilities included.
Q. I am a Health & Fitness member. Can I book a court at another club?
A. Yes, but the same conditions as your home club apply i.e. you can only book on the day and you will be charged the relevant court fee.
Q. As a Notting Hill member how would I gain access and booking rights at Chelsea?
A. Ask one of the membership team for details on how to upgrade your membership.
- Clubs may have designated a ‘walk on’ court which can be booked from 7.30pm the day before, via the reservations team.
Q. How do I know if my club has a walk on court?
A. Ask at the club reservations desk
Q. Why keep a designated ‘walk on’ court and not just have it available for booking?
A. To allow members who are not able to organise their game in advance the opportunity of playing.
- Members can arrange to play with guests. You will need to have a valid guest pass and declare the guest’s name on the booking as per policy point 6
Q. What’s the difference between a ‘guest’ pass and a ‘social guest’ pass?
A. With a ‘guest pass’ you are able to use all areas of the club whereas a ‘social guest’ can only use the club social areas.
Q. How do I get a guest pass?
A. You can download guest passes online or visit reception.
Q. Do I have to give the name of my guest at the time of booking?
A. No but we do request a name and preferably email address of the guest before the booking time. Online you can click on ‘Other Players’ to enter this detail. Your guest will then get an email confirming their booking.
Q. Can I purchase a guest pass or pay for my guest online at the time of booking?
A. Yes. We will take payment from the booking member or you can hold the court provisionally and pay in club.
Q. My guest will not be able to ‘swipe’ into the club as they don’t have a membership card. Will I receive a late cancellation?
A. No. You will not receive a late cancellation for bookings with genuine guests as additional players. This is why we ask for your guests full name and email address to link to your booking.
- Clubs reserve the right to pre book courts and restrict bookings made by junior members.
Q. Why do clubs pre book courts?
A. To provide group coaching, maintenance, tennis events, competitions and social events.
Q. Why are juniors restricted and at what times are the restrictions?
A. We want to encourage junior members to play tennis regularly however we acknowledge that clubs during busy periods may need to prioritise adult members who pay significantly more for their membership. If there are any restrictions these will be set by the club, kept to a minimum and details will be available from reception.
- Health & Fitness members can book a tennis, squash, badminton or padel court on the day at any David Lloyd Leisure club if one is available. Additional charges payable at the time of booking will apply.
Q. Why can H&F members book any courts at all?
A. If courts are available on the day then H&F members are welcome to play for a fee. It may be that they are thinking of becoming a racquets member or have been invited to play on the odd occasion. We don’t want our courts to go wasted so if courts are fee last minute and a H&F member is willing to pay, then we should allow them to.
Q. What charges are applied to H&F members for the privilege?
A. For tennis and padel the fee is £15 per member at periods of high demand and £10 per member at other times. For squash and badminton the fee is £7.50 and £5.
Q. Can a Health & Fitness member be named as an additional player in advance?
A. Yes, up to 9 days in advance for online bookings or 8 days via reception. Additional charges payable at the time of booking will apply.
Q. Can a Health & Fitness member book in advance at another club?
A. No. H&F members have on-the-day booking rights at home or away clubs. Additional charges payable at the time of booking will apply.
- If a Health and Fitness adult member is found to be on court without paying the appropriate fee, they must pay the court fee and the booking rights for everyone on their membership will be lost for one month
- Courts that are pre-booked yet remain unused is a major frustration to those members that were unable to book and play and then see courts available. One of the aims of our Racquets Booking Policy is in the interest of all members being able to find a court and maximise the opportunities to play and by reducing the high volume of no shows and late cancellations more members will be able to enjoy their sport.
Q. Why 24 hours notice?
A. To allow enough time for another member to book the court.
Q. What is the point of cancelling within 24 hours if I’m going to get a late cancellation?
A. If we rebook the court a late cancellation does not apply.
Q. How will you know if I have arrived at the club or not?
A. You need to ensure you use your membership card at the security turnstiles at reception or ‘check in’ with reception. This is important as if we do not have this ‘check in’ in it will appear as a late cancellation. It is also important that you use the correct membership card.
Q. What if I, the booker, have arrived on time but my opponent has not?
A. You must inform reservations. If the court is rebooked then a late cancellation will not apply. Alternatively, if you find another member in the club who wants to play then inform reception of the name change.
Q. What if only one person in my doubles game has not turned up?
A. For a doubles games, a late cancellation will only apply if only two players have arrived (one being the member who booked the court). After which the court is made available for other members to book, or you must advise us that you wish to play singles. If 3 players “check in” then the booking can remain as a doubles without any penalty.
Q. How will I be notified that I have received a late cancellation?
A. Providing you have supplied an up-to-date email address then you will receive an email for each one you receive and also an email to notify you that your booking rights have been temporarily suspended should you incur multiple late cancellations within a certain amount of time. You will be able to see the quantity and details of any late cancellations through the online booking system via the Harbour Member’s Lounge.
Q. As the booker, why should I be penalised with the late cancellation if it my partner or opponent who has not turned up?
A. As the booker, you are fully accountable for the booking. As it is possible to book courts and add any players to the booking it would be possible for incorrect members to be used and late cancellations to be issued without the other player’s knowledge.
Q. What happens if it is the club or coach cancel the court with less than 24 hours notice?
A. The coach or the club will inform you and a late cancellation will not apply.
Q. I have received a ‘late cancellation/no-show notification. How has this happened?
A. If you receive a late cancellation then you must have cancelled your booking with less notice than 24 hours and no-one has rebooked the court. For a no-show then it may be that you, or one or more of your additional players haven’t ‘swiped in’ or used the correct membership card to access the club before 10 minutes past the booking time. It is also possible that you have entered the club in time but not used the court at all.
Q. I have received a ‘late cancellation’ and I have a question who do I contact?
A. If you have any questions please contact reservations or direct your query by email to: ‘[email protected]’ or ‘[email protected]’. See reception or the website for club specific contact details.
Q. What if the booking system is down or the club security gates are not working?
A. If the booking system is down we will ensure that no inappropriate late cancellations will be recorded. If the security gates are not working you must check in with reception.
Q. What happens if this behaviour continues to be the case?
A. They may have their membership revoked.