In summary
What you need to know
A practical checklist for demos, trials and procurement conversations.
- Score every vendor against identical scenarios
- Include implementation and exit requirements
- Test exceptions, not only the happy path
- Best for
- Hospitality operators reviewing reservation systems
- Reading time
- 4 min read
- Last reviewed
- 2 August 2026
Share this guide
A requirements checklist keeps software selection grounded in the way your venue actually works. Use this before demos, then score each platform against the same scenarios.
01
Guest booking
Confirm that the booking flow is mobile-first, branded, multilingual where needed and clear about deposits, minimum spend and cancellation terms.
- Real-time availability
- Accessible party and seating choices
- Confirmation and self-service changes
- Reliable booking-source tracking
02
Host and floor operations
The team should be able to create, edit, move, merge and cancel bookings quickly. Test walk-ins, waitlists, table status, multiple services and unusual party sizes.
- Visual floor plan
- Pacing and capacity controls
- Guest notes and visit history
- Role-based permissions
Procurement gate
A must-pass test before commercial scoring
A platform that fails a mandatory scenario should not recover points through optional features.
| Test | Pass condition | Owner |
|---|---|---|
| Peak service | No double booking or unusable table split | Host lead |
| Guest cancellation | Inventory and policy update immediately | Reservations manager |
| Deposit refund | Booking and payment records reconcile | Finance |
| Guest export | Required fields open in a usable file | Data owner |
| Loss of connection | Team follows a documented fallback | General manager |
03
Revenue protection
Check flexible deposit rules, secure payment processing, cancellation windows and refund handling. Reporting should separate booked, cancelled, no-show and seated covers so managers can identify patterns.
04
Implementation and ownership
Ask who imports existing data, builds the floor plan and trains the team. Confirm service levels, support hours, export formats, contract length and what happens to data when the contract ends.
Venue-specific application
A realistic operator example
A small group comparing three platforms creates a shared worksheet with one row per requirement and four evidence columns: vendor claim, live test, responsible owner and result. The team gives a platform zero points when a requirement is only promised, partial points when it needs a manual workaround and full points when a host completes it successfully. This prevents the longest demo from winning and makes disagreements visible before a contract is signed.
- Assign an owner to every requirement
- Mark requirements as mandatory, valuable or optional
- Use the same test data for every vendor
- Record workarounds and dependencies
- Include security and export questions
- Get frontline sign-off before selection
What to measure
Signals that belong in this review
Next operational step
Use the relevant UpSalt workflows
- Score every vendor against identical scenarios
- Include implementation and exit requirements
- Test exceptions, not only the happy path