Room and Resource Booking changes

From the end of October Microsoft Outlook will replace the Room and Resource booking facility previously provided through Lotus Notes.

Outlook will provide a comprehensive range of room booking functionality as well as additional features that have not been previously available through Lotus Notes.

These include:

The ability to book rooms directly when arranging a meeting using the ‘New Meeting’ function in the Outlook calendar.

Any room booked from an individual’s calendar will automatically be cancelled or rescheduled when a meeting is cancelled or rescheduled.

Resources such as hot desks, pool cars and video conferencing equipment will also be made available through the Microsoft Outlook calendar. These can be accessed for booking via the ‘New Meeting’ function.

Rooms will ‘decline’ if they are not available.

Bookings will be available for 14 months in advance (rooms required for particular reasons outwith this period will be able to be booked through nominated ‘super users’).

Hot desks can be booked from the Outlook Calendar for any period of time in a day i.e. from an hour to a full day.

Specific information on pool cars will follow shortly.

Some rooms (e.g. Woodhill House conference rooms A and B) will only be bookable by certain members of staff while others (e.g. the Council Chamber) will be available for booking by anyone but subject to approval by Facilities staff.

In depth support will be available through a ‘Room and Resource Booking module’ in ALDO or through the following comprehensive room and resource booking instruction manual.

More detailed instructions on how to use the system will be distributed nearer the time of the changeover.