Need a simple way to book desks and meeting rooms at your office? It can be tricky to switch to a new tool, especially when your team already has their favorites.
But, if you’re already using Google Workspace for your projects and teamwork, you can book meeting rooms right from Google Calendar.
Does Google have a room booking system?
Not exactly. Google doesn’t have a dedicated room scheduling system, but you can still use Google Calendar to book conference rooms and meeting spaces. It has built-in features for reserving shared resources, and if you need more advanced options, you can integrate it with third-party tools to improve the Google Calendar room booking process.
How to book a meeting room in Google Calendar
If you manage a meeting room, you can create a shared calendar in Google Calendar to let people book it when needed. To do so, open Google Calendar on a computer (this feature isn’t available in the mobile app). Click on “Add other calendars” and select “Create new calendar.” Name the calendar, add any important details, and click “Create calendar”.
Once the calendar is set up, go back to the main view and find it under “My calendars.” Click on it, then go to “Settings and sharing.” Here, you can adjust how meeting requests are handled—choosing whether bookings are automatically accepted, manually approved, or only added after users RSVP. You can also decide whether to make the calendar public or share it with specific people in your organization.
Google Calendar room booking limitations
Google Calendar can be great for booking shared spaces, but it has some downsides, too. While it helps teams manage meeting rooms, it lacks flexibility and can lead to scheduling issues.
One major challenge is that an IT admin controls most settings. If you need to change booking rules, adjust availability, or update permissions, you usually have to wait for them to make the changes. This can slow things down, especially in a fast-moving office environment. Plus, since everyone shares the same calendar, anyone can accidentally delete a reservation, causing meetings to disappear without notice.
Customization is also pretty limited. Google Calendar lets you set booking hours and approvals, but you can’t:
- Restrict how far in advance people can book.
- Set cancellation deadlines.
- Prevent one person from booking a room for too long.
- Avoid scheduling conflicts or double bookings.
There are no built-in rules for meeting room fairness, so one person could block a room for an entire day, leaving others without access. Because Google Calendar doesn’t track space usage, it’s hard to know how often meeting rooms are actually used or if people are booking them but not showing up.
Google Calendar doesn’t support payment processing for renting meeting rooms to external guests either. This means that if you run a coworking space or use office hoteling, you have to handle payments manually, which adds extra work for admins.
Some of these limitations can be improved once you organize your meeting rooms and resources in a structured format. This means adding details like location, capacity, and available equipment, making it easier for users to find the right space for their needs. While setting this up takes a little extra effort, it’s worth a try.
At the same time, dedicated booking tools like Archie integrate with different office tools, including Google Workspace, to solve all these problems easily. Such platforms add advanced features like usage tracking, better booking controls, and even payment processing, making room reservations smoother for everyone. Plus, with integrations like Archie, you can manage bookings inside and outside Google Workspace, giving you more flexibility.
How to book a meeting room in Google Calendar with third-party integrations
If your company has connected Google Workspace with a room booking tool like Archie, meeting room reservations will automatically sync between both platforms. Whether you book a room in Google Calendar or through Archie, the reservation will appear on both systems instantly. Admins can decide whether to allow bookings from both platforms or limit it to one, making sure everything stays updated in real time.
By linking your space to a Google Account, you also get access to Google Calendar and Google Contacts. This means that any meeting room booked in Archie will automatically show up in a Google Calendar, helping you keep everything organized across different schedules.
If you already use Google Contacts to manage your team, this integration makes inviting members super easy. With just one click, you can send invites to your Google Contacts and simplify the whole process.
Here’s what you can do with Archie-Google Workspace integration:
- Easily invite people – Quickly send meeting invites to your Google Contacts.
- Sync with Google Calendar – Automatically update room bookings across both platforms.
- Prevent double bookings – Any meeting scheduled in Google Calendar will block that time in Archie, so no one else can book it.
In case you’re curious, here’s how to integrate Archie with Google Workspace step by step.
Should you use Google Calendar for room booking?
Using Google Workspace for room booking is helpful, but it has its limits. That’s where Archie comes in—making scheduling even easier with seamless integrations, smart booking tools, and real-time updates on Google Calendar room availability.
Whether you’re managing office spaces, coworking rooms, or meeting areas for external guests, Archie keeps everything organized, prevents double bookings, and ensures a smooth room booking experience for your team and visitors.
