What's the difference between "cohorts" and "sessions"?

They refer to the same thing. In the listing editor this is called Fixed Sessions and each entry is a Session Date, but the underlying idea — a group of guests who arrive and leave together on dates you set — is what's meant by a cohort.

Can I switch a retreat from one enrollment type to another later?

Yes, from the Retreat Type section of your listing editor. Because Fixed Sessions, Rolling Enrollment, and Flexible Dates each store their own availability fields, check your session dates or stay limits again after switching to make sure they still reflect what you want.

How do I set a minimum or maximum stay length?

For Rolling Enrollment and Flexible Dates, you set a minimum stay of at least 2 nights in the Retreat Type section. Rolling Enrollment also lets you set a maximum stay length in the Schedule section of your listing editor.

Do session dates need to be exact, or can I generate them automatically?

You can add each session date by hand, or use Schedule Rules to define a recurring pattern once — it generates the individual sessions for you automatically.

Calendar & Availability

Fixed Dates, Rolling Enrollment, or Flexible: Choosing How Guests Book Your Retreat

Every retreat on Finding Retreats is set up with one of three enrollment types, chosen in the Retreat Type section of your listing editor. This single setting decides how guests see your availability, what you manage afterward, and which other fields show up in your listing editor. You can change it later, but because each type stores availability differently, it's worth reviewing your dates and stay limits again after switching.

Fixed Sessions: guests book from cohorts you set

With Fixed Sessions, all guests on a given session arrive and leave together — this is what "cohorts" refers to. You add one or more Session Dates, each with its own start and end date, and sessions can't overlap each other. A guest picks one of those sessions to book.

If you run recurring sessions, Schedule Rules can generate them for you: define a recurring window once and it writes the individual sessions into your Session Dates list automatically, rather than you adding each one by hand.

Rolling Enrollment: guests arrive whenever there's room

Rolling Enrollment drops the idea of a session entirely. Guests can check in on any day you have room and choose how many nights to stay, within limits you set — a minimum stay of at least 2 nights, and optionally a maximum. Availability here is driven by your accommodation's bed counts on a given night rather than by fixed start and end dates.

Flexible Dates: guests pick a start date, you keep the duration fixed

Flexible Dates sits in between. You add one or more Available Date Ranges — windows during which a guest can start the retreat — and the length of stay is fixed based on your accommodation's room settings rather than chosen freely by the guest. You still set a minimum stay of at least 2 nights.

A note for guests: the availability note

Whichever type you choose, you can add an optional availability note that replaces the default availability message on the guest-facing booking sidebar. It's useful for anything a plain calendar can't express well — seasonal pricing, a high-season surcharge, or booking conditions specific to that retreat.

Choosing between them

A quick way to think about it:

Use Fixed Sessions when guests need to arrive and depart as a group, and you're comfortable planning specific dates in advance.
Use Rolling Enrollment when you have ongoing, always-open accommodation and want guests to pick their own arrival day and length of stay.
Use Flexible Dates when the experience itself has a set length, but you can accommodate guests starting on more than one date.

Related help

For adding multiple sessions to a Fixed Sessions retreat, see "Multiple cohorts." For a comparison of session-based versus open-ended booking, see "Cohorts vs open-ended." For the exact steps to add or edit session dates, see "Set cohort dates."

Frequently asked questions

What's the difference between "cohorts" and "sessions"?: They refer to the same thing. In the listing editor this is called Fixed Sessions and each entry is a Session Date, but the underlying idea — a group of guests who arrive and leave together on dates you set — is what's meant by a cohort.
Can I switch a retreat from one enrollment type to another later?: Yes, from the Retreat Type section of your listing editor. Because Fixed Sessions, Rolling Enrollment, and Flexible Dates each store their own availability fields, check your session dates or stay limits again after switching to make sure they still reflect what you want.
How do I set a minimum or maximum stay length?: For Rolling Enrollment and Flexible Dates, you set a minimum stay of at least 2 nights in the Retreat Type section. Rolling Enrollment also lets you set a maximum stay length in the Schedule section of your listing editor.
Do session dates need to be exact, or can I generate them automatically?: You can add each session date by hand, or use Schedule Rules to define a recurring pattern once — it generates the individual sessions for you automatically.

← Calendar and Availability