Configure the Appspace Places add-in for Outlook to find and reserve Appspace-managed workspaces from a Microsoft 365 meeting.
For: IT Administrators and Remote / Hybrid Workers — Microsoft 365 Integration and Workspace Booking
Who this article is for: IT Administrators configure the Microsoft 365 calendar connection. Employees sign in to the add-in and reserve workspaces. Sections marked Admin only require access to Appspace Integrations and Reservations.
Note
The Appspace Places Outlook 365 Add-in also supports the Microsoft Outlook 2016 client.
What’s in this article:
How the Microsoft 365 Integration Works
Appspace uses separate Microsoft 365 connections for the Reservations platform and the Outlook add-in.
The Reservations platform uses a tenant-level calendar connection to import room resources and create, update, and synchronize reservations. Depending on your organization's configuration, this connection uses Application Permissions or Delegated Permissions.
The Outlook add-in is a separate per-user component. It uses delegated access for the signed-in user and the meeting they are composing. It does not import Microsoft 365 room resources or receive the tenant-level access used by the Reservations platform.
Important: Consent for the Outlook add-in is separate from consent for the Microsoft 365 calendar connection configured in Appspace. Review each Microsoft consent screen for the permissions granted in your tenant.
What You Can Do in Outlook
After the add-in is installed and connected, you can:
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Open Appspace Places from the ribbon when creating or editing a Microsoft Outlook meeting.
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Show or hide the Appspace Places pane without leaving the meeting form.
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Search for Appspace-managed rooms and workspaces when no location has been selected.
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Use the meeting date and time to find resources that are available for the selected period.
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Search and filter by building, floor, zone, workspace type, workspace subtype, availability, capacity, and facilities.
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Browse a floor map when map data is available for the selected building.
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Add the selected Microsoft Exchange resource to the Outlook meeting location.
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Create, update, or cancel your own meetings and associated reservations.
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Book or manage a meeting on behalf of another employee when the required Microsoft 365 delegation is configured.
Only the buildings, floors, and resources available to your Appspace account appear in the add-in.
Calendar and Reservation Data
The Reservations platform stores the meeting information needed to create and synchronize the reservation, including the title, organizer, attendees, location, start and end times, recurrence, sensitivity, and meeting notes.
Appspace does not request, process, or store meeting attachment content. The Outlook add-in itself does not store calendar data.
Prerequisites
Before configuring or using the add-in, ensure that:
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Your Appspace account has a license that includes Workspace Reservations.
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The Workspace Reservations system is configured with a Microsoft 365 calendar provider.
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The required Microsoft 365 room resources and Appspace-managed workspaces are configured for reservations.
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The Appspace Places add-in is deployed by your organization or available for installation from Microsoft Outlook.
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You have a Microsoft 365 account linked to your Appspace account.
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You use a supported Microsoft Outlook desktop or web client.
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Your browser allows the sign-in and consent windows used by Appspace and Microsoft 365.
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Microsoft 365 delegate access is configured when you need to book on behalf of another employee.
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(New) Visitor invitations for room and workspace reservations in the Appspace Places add-in require Appspace platform version 2602.3.0 or later.
Note: Outlook menus and add-in locations vary between new Outlook, classic Outlook, Outlook for Mac, and Outlook on the web. Your Microsoft 365 administrator may also deploy the add-in automatically.
Configure the Microsoft 365 Calendar Connection
Admin only
Configure an Office 365 passport before employees use the Outlook add-in. The passport authenticates the calendar provider used by Workspace Reservations and controls how Appspace synchronizes Microsoft 365 resources.
Add the Office 365 Passport
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Sign in to the Appspace console.
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Open the Appspace menu.
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Select Integrations.
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Select the Passports tab.
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Click Add.
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Select Office 365.
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Click Next.
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Review the Office 365 passport configuration screen.
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Select the permission model used by your organization.
Application Permissions
Application permissions are the recommended option for synchronizing Microsoft 365 room resources. A Microsoft 365 administrator grants tenant-level consent to the Appspace application.
This model allows Appspace to synchronize selected meeting-room calendars without requiring a signed-in service account to remain active. It also supports the Outlook add-in and book-on-behalf workflows without requiring delegate access to be maintained individually for every user and room calendar.
You retain control over which resources are added to the Reservations calendar provider. Your organization can also use Microsoft application access policies to restrict the mailboxes the application can access.
Note: Application permissions allow the integration to run in the background without a signed-in user. An administrator account is used to authenticate and consent to the connection during setup.
Delegated Permissions
Delegated permissions use the access assigned to the service account that authorizes the passport.
The service account must have the required delegate access to every Microsoft 365 calendar that Appspace needs to synchronize. This can include:
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Meeting-room resource calendars.
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User calendars used by the Outlook add-in.
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User calendars used for book-on-behalf workflows.
Delegate access must be maintained as new rooms and users are added.
User Permissions Only
Use this option for a dedicated Outlook add-in or book-on-behalf connection that does not synchronize Microsoft 365 room resources.
This option uses delegated access to user calendars. The authenticating account must have access to each user calendar required by the workflow.
Important: Do not select User Permissions Only for the passport that synchronizes Microsoft 365 meeting-room resources.
Authenticate the Passport
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Click Connect.
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Sign in with the Microsoft 365 account required for the selected permission model.
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Review the Microsoft consent screen.
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Grant the requested permissions.
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Complete the onscreen authentication process.
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Return to Appspace after authentication succeeds.
The passport opens on the Account Settings tab.
Review the Passport Account Settings
Use Account Settings to:
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Change the passport name in the Name field.
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View the passport Account ID.
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Review the application permissions granted to the passport.
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View the passport connection status.
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Refresh the connection status.
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Remove the connected account when the passport is no longer required.
Important: Removing the account disconnects the passport. Confirm that no active calendar provider depends on it before removing it.
Configure Passport Permissions
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Select the Permissions tab.
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Search for a user or user group.
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Select the user or group.
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Open Select permissions.
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Assign one of the following access levels:
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Can Manage: The user or group can view and modify the passport configuration.
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Can View: The user or group can view the passport configuration without changing it.
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Repeat the steps for each user or group that requires access.
To remove access, locate the user or group and click the delete icon.
Connect the Passport to Workspace Reservations
After authenticating the passport, configure the Microsoft 365 calendar provider in Workspace Reservations and select the passport as the authentication connection.
The calendar provider controls which Microsoft 365 resources are imported and synchronized. Adding a passport alone does not import every resource into Appspace.
Note: See Configure and Manage Workspace and Desk Reservations Calendar Providers for the resource-import and provider-configuration procedure.
Configure Private Reservations
Admin only
Configure each Exchange resource mailbox to preserve the private sensitivity of meetings synchronized to Appspace.
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Connect to Exchange Online PowerShell.
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Run the following command for the resource mailbox:
Set-CalendarProcessing "ROOMNAME" -RemovePrivateProperty $false
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Replace
ROOMNAMEwith the meeting-room resource mailbox name. -
Repeat the command for each resource mailbox that must preserve private meeting sensitivity.
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Verify the calendar-processing setting in Exchange Online.
Important: The RemovePrivateProperty setting preserves the private flag on the room calendar. It does not exclude the meeting from synchronization.
In Appspace views, the meeting title, attendee list, and notes are masked for people who are not the organizer, an attendee, or an authorized administrator.
Private and confidential meetings remain part of the reservation synchronization workflow. The organizer, meeting attendees, and authorized administrators can view the full reservation details according to their access.
Install and Sign In to the Add-In
Your organization may deploy the Appspace Places add-in centrally. When self-service installation is available, install it through the Outlook add-in store or your organization's approved deployment process.
Install the Add-In
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Open Microsoft Outlook.
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Open the add-ins or apps screen available in your Outlook client.
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Search for Appspace Places.
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Select the add-in.
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Review the add-in details and permissions.
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Click Add or Install.
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Close the add-ins screen.
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Open a new meeting in a separate window.
Note: When the add-in is deployed by an administrator, it may already appear in Outlook. In some Outlook clients, select Apps, All Apps, or the ellipsis menu to locate it.
Open Appspace Places
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Create or open a Microsoft Outlook meeting.
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Select the Meeting or Appointment tab when required by your Outlook client.
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Click Appspace Places on the ribbon.
The Appspace Places pane opens on the right side of the meeting form. You can close and reopen the pane without closing the meeting. -
Click Sign In.
Select the Appspace Deployment
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Select the login option used by your organization:
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Select Public Cloud Login when your Appspace deployment is accessed through
cloud.appspace.com. -
Enter your Appspace URL and select Custom Domain Login when your organization uses Private Cloud or a custom domain.
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Enter your Appspace credentials.
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Click Log In.
Grant Microsoft 365 Consent
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Sign in with your Microsoft 365 identity when prompted.
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Review the requested delegated permissions.
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Accept the consent request to continue.
When Microsoft 365 tenant policies allow it, an administrator can consent on behalf of the organization from the consent screen.
Note: Your organization may require a Microsoft 365 administrator to grant consent. The add-in consent remains separate from the tenant-level Reservations calendar connection.
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Wait while the add-in connects to your organization's Appspace deployment.
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Confirm that the Welcome to Appspace Places screen appears.
Reserve and Manage a Workspace in Outlook
After completing these steps, the selected workspace is added to your Outlook meeting and submitted as an Appspace reservation.
Step 1: Create the Meeting
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Open Microsoft Outlook.
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Create a new meeting.
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Enter the meeting title.
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Add the required attendees.
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Add optional attendees when needed.
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Set the start date and time.
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Set the end date and time.
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Configure recurrence when the meeting repeats.
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Select a time zone when the attendees use different time zones.
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Enable the all-day option when appropriate.
Tip: Set the meeting date and time before selecting a workspace. Appspace Places uses the meeting period to determine resource availability.
(New)
Optional: Register an Attendee as a Visitor During a Room or Workspace Reservation
- Add the person as an Outlook attendee.
- Open the attendee status options and select + Invite as Visitor.
- When modifying an attendee already listed, select the attendee’s three-dot menu, choose Edit attendee, and select Visitor.
- Complete the Visitor information:
- Attendance type: Virtual or In-person
- First Name
- Last Name
- Visitor Type
- Visitor Purpose
- Select Remove to delete the attendee from the attendee list, or Save to confirm the required information and return the attendee to the reservation with the selected attendance status.
Step 2: Open Appspace Places
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Click Appspace Places on the meeting ribbon.
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Sign in when prompted.
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Click Get Started to view the introductory guide when it appears.
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Select the option to skip the guide next time when you no longer need it.
Step 3: Select the Building
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Open the building selector.
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Search for the building.
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Select the building.
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Select a floor or zone when those options are available.
Only locations available to your Appspace account appear.
Step 4: Search and Filter for a Workspace
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Review the workspaces available for the meeting period.
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Enter a resource name in the search field when you know the workspace you need.
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Open the filters to narrow the results.
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Apply any relevant filters:
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Floor
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Zone
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Workspace Type, such as room or space
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Workspace Subtype
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Status, such as available or unavailable
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Capacity
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Facilities
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Clear a filter when you need to broaden the results.
The results update to match the selected location, meeting period, and filters.
Step 5: Find a Workspace on the Map
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Click Map View when a map is available.
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Select the required floor.
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Review the resources shown on the map.
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Select a resource to view its details and availability.
Only resources you have permission to view appear on the map.
Step 6: Apply the Workspace
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Select the workspace from the list or map.
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Review the workspace name, capacity, facilities, and availability.
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Click Apply.
The selected Microsoft Exchange resource is added to the Outlook meeting location. The Appspace Places pane retains the selected workspace details.
Step 7: Complete the Reservation
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Review the meeting details.
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Confirm that the correct workspace appears in the location field.
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Click Send.
Microsoft Outlook sends the meeting invitation to the attendees, and Appspace creates the associated workspace reservation.
Note
(New) The following occurs if one or more visitor(s) are added under Step 1 (in the Optional: Register an Attendee as a Visitor During a Room or Workspace Reservation section):
- For a single event, an attendee saved as a visitor is synchronized to both the Appspace reservation and Visitor Management.
- Appspace matches the attendee to an existing visitor record and creates one if none is found.
- The corresponding visitor invitation triggers configured visitor workflows, including pre-registration emails and visitor notifications.
- Changes to an existing event (such as adding/removing visitors or changing an attendee from visitor to in-person or virtual) are synchronized between Outlook and Appspace.
- Changing a visitor’s Attendance Type to virtual removes that person from the associated visitor management invitation while keeping the attendee as virtual on the reservation.
- Visitor Purpose is synchronized between Appspace reservations and Visitor Management for room, workspace, and building-level events, including visitors added while editing an event.
- If a single event is changed to recurring, visitor attendees automatically become virtual, the Visitor option is hidden, and no visitor management invitation is created for the recurring series.
Update a Reservation
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Open the meeting from your Outlook calendar.
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Update the meeting date, time, attendees, or other details.
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Open Appspace Places when you need to change the workspace.
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Select and apply a different available workspace.
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Send the meeting update.
Appspace synchronizes the updated reservation through the connected calendar provider.
Cancel a Reservation
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Open the meeting from your Outlook calendar.
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Select the Outlook option to cancel or delete the meeting.
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Send the cancellation when Outlook prompts you.
Appspace receives the calendar update and removes or cancels the associated reservation according to the connected provider workflow.
Book on Behalf of Another Employee
You can create or manage a meeting on behalf of another employee only when the required Microsoft 365 delegate access has been assigned to the booking account.
When delegated access is available:
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Open the delegated calendar in Outlook.
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Create or edit the meeting from that calendar.
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Use Appspace Places to select the workspace.
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Send the meeting or meeting update.
The employee represented by the delegated calendar remains the meeting owner in Microsoft Outlook.
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