Add holidays to Working Hours
This guide explains how to add holiday closures and modified holiday hours to the Working Hours attribute so your AI Employee accurately communicates availability to callers during holidays.
How holidays work in Newo.ai
The Working Hours attribute (project_business_working_hours) controls when your AI Employee considers the business open or closed. It is a free-text field located in Builder > Attributes > Business.
When you save the attribute, the system automatically parses the text and extracts:
Regular working days and hours
Non-working days
Schedule exceptions, including holidays
The AI Employee references this information during every conversation. It uses holidays and schedule exceptions to:
Tell callers whether the business is currently open or closed
Communicate upcoming holiday closures or adjusted hours
Validate appointment and reservation availability
Add holidays to the attribute
Open the Builder.
Navigate to Attributes > Business.
Locate the Working Hours attribute (
project_business_working_hours).Add your holiday schedule after the regular working hours. Write holidays in plain, natural language — the system parses free-form text.
Click Save.
The system processes the updated text and makes the holiday information available to the AI Employee within a few minutes.
Formatting examples
The Working Hours field accepts natural language, so there is no strict format to follow. Below are examples for common holiday scenarios.
Full-day closures
Use this format when the business is completely closed on specific holidays.
Working days: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday Working hours: Monday–Friday: 9:00 AM to 5:00 PMHolidays: - Closed on New Year's Day (January 1) - Closed on Memorial Day (May 26) - Closed on Independence Day (July 4) - Closed on Labor Day (September 1) - Closed on Thanksgiving Day (November 27) - Closed on Christmas Day (December 25)
Modified holiday hours
Use this format when the business operates on a reduced schedule during holidays.
Working days: Monday through Sunday Working hours: Monday–Thursday: 11:00 AM to 9:00 PM Friday–Saturday: 11:00 AM to 10:00 PM Sunday: 11:00 AM to 8:00 PMHoliday hours: - Christmas Eve (December 24): open 11:00 AM to 3:00 PM - New Year's Eve (December 31): open 11:00 AM to 6:00 PM - Thanksgiving Day (November 27): open 11:00 AM to 2:00 PM
Combination of closures and modified hours
Use this format when some holidays are full closures and others have adjusted hours.
Working days: Monday through Saturday Working hours: Monday–Friday: 8:00 AM to 6:00 PM Saturday: 9:00 AM to 3:00 PMHoliday schedule: - Christmas Day (December 25): closed - Christmas Eve (December 24): open 8:00 AM to 12:00 PM - New Year's Day (January 1): closed - New Year's Eve (December 31): open 8:00 AM to 2:00 PM - Memorial Day (May 26): closed - Independence Day (July 4): closed - Labor Day (September 1): closed - Thanksgiving (November 27): closed - Day after Thanksgiving (November 28): open 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM
Extended closures
Use this format for multi-day closures such as seasonal breaks.
Working days: Monday through Friday Working hours: Monday–Friday: 9:00 AM to 5:00 PMHoliday closures: - Closed from December 24 through January 1 (winter break) - Closed the week of July 4 (summer break)
End-to-end example
A dental office called Brighter Smile Dentistry operates Monday through Friday from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM. They close for major holidays and have reduced hours the day before Thanksgiving and Christmas. Here is a complete Working Hours attribute value:
Working days: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday Nonworking days: Saturday, Sunday Working hours: Monday: 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM Tuesday: 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM Wednesday: 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM Thursday: 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM Friday: 8:00 AM to 5:00 PMHoliday schedule: - New Year's Day (January 1): closed - Martin Luther King Jr. Day (January 20): closed - Presidents' Day (February 17): closed - Memorial Day (May 26): closed - Independence Day (July 4): closed - Labor Day (September 1): closed - Day before Thanksgiving (November 26): open 8:00 AM to 12:00 PM - Thanksgiving Day (November 27): closed - Day after Thanksgiving (November 28): closed - Christmas Eve (December 24): open 8:00 AM to 12:00 PM - Christmas Day (December 25): closed - New Year's Eve (December 31): open 8:00 AM to 12:00 PM
With this configuration, the AI Employee will:
Inform callers that the office is closed on Thanksgiving Day if they call on that date
Tell callers about the reduced hours on Christmas Eve when they ask about availability
Prevent appointment bookings on holidays when booking validation is enabled
Accurately answer questions like "Are you open on the Fourth of July?"
Best practices
Include specific dates. Write "Christmas Day (December 25)" instead of just "Christmas." Specific dates help the AI Employee determine the correct day, especially for holidays that shift year to year.
Update holidays annually. Holidays like Thanksgiving, Memorial Day, and Labor Day fall on different dates each year. Review and update the Working Hours attribute at the start of each calendar year.
List all holidays in one section. Keep holiday information grouped together after the regular hours rather than scattered throughout the text. This makes the attribute easier to read and maintain.
Use plain language. The system parses natural language, so write holidays the way you would describe them to a person. Avoid abbreviations or shorthand that could be ambiguous.
Test after updating. After saving the updated attribute, call the AI Employee and ask about a holiday you added (e.g., "Are you open on Christmas?") to confirm it responds correctly.