The drop-in membership is a great idea. Booking under it could be just as easy: members save their details once, then simply pick the classes they want. Here's a working sketch, from a member who loves the classes.
Members already pay once a month. Ideally they'd also only introduce themselves once. Here's how booking a handful of classes compares:
Name, dog, vaccines, waiver and membership are already on file, and the membership applies automatically.
Click around. It runs entirely in your browser: nothing is booked and nothing is charged.
No new software required. These are settings and features in Acuity Scheduling, which Summit already uses, that move booking a lot closer to the demo above.
Acuity has built-in client accounts. A member who signs up once (the Sign up link at the top right of the scheduler) and stays logged in gets their name, phone and email filled in automatically, gets intake forms they've already completed filled in too, and can see their membership. The setting is Scheduling Page → Settings → Booking behavior → Client log in & registration, and it's on by default, so this might mostly be a matter of telling members about it.
Logged-in members can tap View Redeemable Codes at checkout and choose their subscription from a list. The Use Subscription button in the membership confirmation email also opens the scheduler with the code already applied. One tip: bookings made while logged out don't attach to the account automatically, but staff can link them with Assign all to client user on the client's page.
Acuity can't mark an intake question "ask only once." Its suggested approach is to put the full intake (dog details, vaccines, waiver) on the new-client or evaluation appointment, and keep the drop-in class form to a question or two. Logged-in members can skip forms they've already filled out.
Acuity's dynamic links can pre-fill the booking form and apply a code from the URL. A link like the one below opens straight to the group classes with the member's details and membership filled in. Members could bookmark it. Because it contains their contact info, it should go out in a private welcome email.
summitdogtraining.as.me/?appointmentType=category:Adventure%20Dog%20Club&firstName=Sam&lastName=Rivera&email=sam@example.com&certificate=MEMBERCODE
The Add another time booking setting lets clients choose several times in a single checkout, up to 24. Acuity's docs say recurring bookings aren't available from the classes layout, so this one is worth a quick test to see whether picking a few drop-in classes in one go works with Summit's setup.
“Tip: the next time you book a class, click Sign up at the top right of the scheduler to create an account. After that, your details fill in automatically, and you can choose your membership under View Redeemable Codes instead of typing the code.”
Based on Acuity's help center as of October 2026. Feature names and menus change, so a quick test with a member account is worth doing first.
If Acuity's options ever fall short, the building blocks for a page like this demo are now off-the-shelf services with free tiers or pay-as-you-go pricing.
Magic-link sign-in (type your email, click the link) through Supabase or Firebase Auth. Members' profiles and dogs are saved once and reused for every booking.
Stripe Billing runs the $250 or $375 monthly subscription. Stripe Checkout hosts the card form, and the Stripe Customer Portal handles upgrades, card changes and cancellations.
A bookings table with the 6-dog cap enforced in the database. Monthly class credits reset with each billing cycle, kept in sync by a Stripe webhook.
This page is static HTML on GitHub Pages, which is free. Confirmations and calendar invites go out through an email service such as Resend or Postmark.
This isn't meant as a criticism. Running your own booking system takes upkeep, and card fees are about the same either way, so the cheapest route is probably whatever your current tool can already do. The point is just that a smooth repeat-booking flow is much easier to get today than it used to be, and members who find booking easy tend to book more classes.
We love the classes. That's why we keep booking them. 🐾