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Self-Pouring Station

The self-pouring station lets a guest pour their own drink from a self-service beverage device (a tap or dispenser at the property) and be charged automatically for what they pour. It is part of the LIKE MAGIC shop family: the same catalog-and-cart pattern as the honesty shop, but tied to a physical dispensing device that meters each portion.

This article is written for the operator/administrator who enables and configures the self-pouring station, not for guests. For the wider shop family and how catalogs work in general, start with Shops Overview.

1. Who Can Use This​

Configuring the self-pouring station is an administrator task: the station is enabled per property by LIKE MAGIC (section 3), its catalog is authored in your property's Prismic repository (section 4), and it needs a provisioned station device (section 5). The guest-facing station itself has no role restriction. Any guest on a property where it is available can use it.

2. What the Guest Sees​

On a property where the self-pouring station is available, the guest reaches it from My Stay:

  1. They open the self-pouring station shop and browse the available drinks and portions.
  2. They pay, then pour a portion at the device.
  3. After payment they see a per-device payment-success screen.

The drink list, portion sizes, prices, and translations all come from the property's catalog (see section 4). The station does not have a code-fixed assortment.

3. Enabling the Self-Pouring Station​

The self-pouring station runs on the legacy guest-journey service, so it reaches guests only on properties running on Apaleo. It is enabled separately per property by LIKE MAGIC, independent of the honesty shop, the dynamic shop, and the box shop. Enabling one does not enable another. If the station is missing for a property that should offer it, request its activation via a Support Ticket; if it should apply to all properties of your account, say so in the ticket.

ℹ️ Note: Enabling the station is not enough on its own. It also needs a drink catalog (section 4) and a physical station device provisioned (section 5). If it is on but either is missing, guests cannot pour.

4. Authoring the Drink Catalog​

The station's drink list is content, authored in Prismic, not code. In the property's Prismic content you define the drinks and portions a guest can pour: name, description, portion size, price, image, and translations. Publishing a change in Prismic flows to the guest app without a release.

To add or change what the station offers:

  • Author the drinks and their portions in the property's Prismic catalog.
  • Provide translations for each language the property serves.
  • Publish: the guest app reads the updated catalog.

For how Prismic content is structured, translated, and published, see Content Management with Prismic.

5. The Physical Station (Metering & Access)​

Unlike the honesty shop, the self-pouring station is bound to physical hardware: a metered tap or dispenser. The catalog decides what guests can pour, but a guest can only pour when a real station device backs the shop.

Because the station is a metering device:

  • It meters each portion. A drink is defined as a portion of a set volume, and the station dispenses exactly that portion. The guest buys a portion, and the device pours the metered amount for it.
  • Not every guest sees it. The station appears in My Stay only while the reservation is In-House, and never for a travel buddy recorded as a minor. Alcohol control therefore happens through who reaches the station, not through the drink.
  • A station device must be provisioned for the property, and each station is addressed individually. The payment-success confirmation is per device.

ℹ️ Note: Because the station meters a fixed portion volume, the price you author in the catalog is the price of one portion. To offer different sizes, author them as separate portions.

6. Payment & Charge-Back to the Folio​

Guests pay through the property's payment configuration: the same provider and VAT presentation as the rest of the guest journey (see Payment Configuration). There is no station-specific payment setup; if payments are configured, the station can charge.

A pour charges back to the guest folio. When the guest buys a portion, the platform records a charge against the reservation's folio, and the station validates that charge before it releases the pour. The drink is only dispensed once the purchase is confirmed for the item. Each portion the guest pours appears on their folio like any other in-stay purchase.

7. Conclusion​

Offering the self-pouring station is three moves: have LIKE MAGIC enable it for the property, give it a Prismic drink catalog authored as priced portions, and provision a physical station device. Payment rides on the property's existing configuration and charges back to the guest's folio per metered pour, and only in-house guests who are not recorded as minors reach the station at all. If the station is missing, it has not been enabled for the property yet (Support Ticket); if it is empty or a guest cannot pour, check the catalog and the device. For the other shops and the shared catalog model, see Shops Overview.

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