How to use Room Finder in Outlook

How do I use Room Finder in Outlook?

Use the Room Finder to find the perfect room for my meeting

How do I use the Room Finder in Outlook?

The Room Finder in Microsoft Outlook is a handy feature that helps you find suitable meeting rooms quickly and easily. Especially in companies with many meeting rooms, it can be tedious to find an available room with the right equipment. The Room Finder offers a clear search for free rooms, displays their availability and makes it easy to reserve them directly when booking appointments.

In this article, we will show you step by step how to use the Room Finder in Outlook to plan your meetings efficiently.

1. Open the Room Finder

The Room Finder is integrated directly into the Outlook calendar view and can be accessed with just a few clicks:

Open Outlook and switch to the calendar view.
Click on “New Appointment” or “New Meeting” to create a new event.
In the appointment window, click on ‘Add Rooms’ or open the Room Finder, which is located in the top menu bar.

2. Find and book an available meeting room

Once Room Finder is open, you have several options for selecting the right room:

Select a building or location

If your company has multiple locations or office buildings, you can narrow your search to specific areas. Select the desired building to display only the rooms available there.

Use room lists and categories

Many companies organise their meeting rooms into categories, e.g. by capacity, equipment or special features. If your company uses such categories, you can search specifically for rooms that meet certain requirements (e.g. rooms with video conferencing systems or whiteboards).

Display available rooms

Outlook automatically displays a list of available rooms for the selected date range. Green markings indicate that the room is available, while red markings indicate that the room is already occupied.

Select and add a room

Click on an available room to add it to the meeting. The name of the room will then appear in the ‘Location’ field, and the booking will be automatically stored in the system.

3. Use the advanced functions of the room search

Use the scheduling assistant

If several participants are invited, you can use the scheduling assistant in Outlook to see which rooms and participants are available at the same time. This helps to avoid scheduling conflicts and find the best time for your meeting.

Schedule recurring meetings with fixed rooms

If you hold regular meetings in the same room, you can create recurring meetings and reserve the room permanently. Outlook automatically checks whether the room is available for all scheduled appointments.

Check room capacities and equipment

Some companies store additional information about rooms in Outlook, such as the maximum number of people or available technical equipment. You can find this information in the room details or by clicking on the properties of the respective room.

4. Common problems with Room Finder and their solutions

Although Room Finder is a helpful feature, there are some typical challenges:

A room is not displayed

Ensure that the room is actually registered in the system. Some companies have separate booking systems that are not directly linked to Outlook.
Check that you have selected the correct room list or location.

The desired room is already occupied

Use the Planning Assistant to find alternative time slots when the room is available.
Check whether a comparable room is available at the same time.

The booking is not accepted

If your company has specific booking policies for rooms, manual approval may be required.
Check whether you have the necessary permissions to book rooms. Some rooms are only available to certain departments.

5. Why booking software for meeting rooms offers even more advantages

The Room Finder is a helpful tool, but in many companies, additional functions are required to organise meetings smoothly.

Book additional services directly

Outlook only allows you to book the room, but what about catering, technical equipment or special seating arrangements? Meeting room booking software such as arbooMEET allows you to add these additional services directly when booking the room.

Automatic updates when appointments change

If a meeting is postponed or cancelled, the facility management or catering team must be informed manually. An intelligent booking solution ensures that all teams involved are automatically notified when something changes.

Better overview of room utilisation and capacities

Meeting room software provides detailed analyses of which rooms are used how often. This enables companies to manage their meeting rooms optimally and avoid unnecessary bookings or double bookings.

The Room Finder helps – booking software makes it even easier

The Room Finder in Outlook is a great way to quickly find and reserve available meeting rooms. But when it comes to additional services, dynamic changes or better room utilisation, many companies reach their limits.

With advanced booking software such as arbooMEET, you can book not only rooms but also additional services, technical equipment and catering directly – all with seamless integration into Outlook.

Would you like to know how you can make your meeting room management even easier? Contact us for a live demo of arbooMEET and experience how easy and stress-free meeting bookings can be.