diff --git a/db/migrations/20251030154438_reservation_team_nullable.ts b/db/migrations/20251030154438_reservation_team_nullable.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..9aa4ffc9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/db/migrations/20251030154438_reservation_team_nullable.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,16 @@
+import type { Knex } from "knex";
+
+
+export async function up(knex: Knex): Promise<void> {
+    await knex.schema.alterTable("reservations", (table) => {
+        table.uuid("team_id").nullable().alter();
+    });
+}
+
+
+export async function down(knex: Knex): Promise<void> {
+    await knex.schema.alterTable("reservations", (table) => {
+        table.uuid("team_id").notNullable().alter();
+    });
+}
+
diff --git a/src/modules/reservation/reservation.controller.ts b/src/modules/reservation/reservation.controller.ts
index a837c5fc..403cd628 100644
--- a/src/modules/reservation/reservation.controller.ts
+++ b/src/modules/reservation/reservation.controller.ts
@@ -28,9 +28,10 @@ class CreateReservationEntity {
   @Type(() => Number)
   locationId: number;
 
-  @ApiProperty()
+  @ApiProperty({ required: false })
+  @IsOptional()
   @IsString()
-  teamId: string;
+  teamId?: string;
 
   @ApiProperty()
   @IsNumber()
diff --git a/src/modules/reservation/reservation.service.ts b/src/modules/reservation/reservation.service.ts
index 04a0e5b6..57b85eed 100644
--- a/src/modules/reservation/reservation.service.ts
+++ b/src/modules/reservation/reservation.service.ts
@@ -23,7 +23,7 @@ export interface UpdateReservationDto {
 
 export interface CreateReservationDto {
   locationId: number;
-  teamId: string;
+  teamId?: string; // Make teamId optional since it can be null for organizer reservations
   startTime: number;
   endTime: number;
   hackathonId: string;
@@ -77,7 +77,7 @@ export class ReservationService {
     const reservation = this.reservationRepo
       .createOne({
         locationId: data.locationId,
-        teamId: data.teamId, // Organizer reservations are not team-specific
+        teamId: data.teamId && data.teamId.trim() !== '' ? data.teamId : null,
         startTime: data.startTime,
         endTime: data.endTime,
         hackathonId: data.hackathonId,
@@ -195,9 +195,13 @@ export class ReservationService {
     // 1. Validate basic constraints (hackathon bounds, location exists, duration)
     await this.validateBasicConstraints(data);
 
-    // 2. Validate team constraints
-    await this.validateTeamConstraints(data.teamId, userId, data.hackathonId);
-    console.log("validated team constraints");
+    // 2. Validate team constraints only if teamId is provided
+    if (data.teamId && data.teamId.trim() !== '') {
+      await this.validateTeamConstraints(data.teamId, userId, data.hackathonId);
+      console.log("validated team constraints");
+    } else {
+      console.log("skipping team validation - no teamId provided");
+    }
 
     // 3. Check for conflicts (blackouts, capacity, team double booking)
     await this.checkConflicts(data);
@@ -310,26 +314,31 @@ export class ReservationService {
     // If capacity is 0, skip capacity check (unlimited)
 
     // 2. Check team double booking (team can't have multiple reservations)
-    const teamConflicts = await Reservation.query()
-      .where("teamId", data.teamId)
-      .where("reservationType", ReservationType.PARTICIPANT)
-      .where("hackathonId", data.hackathonId)
-      .where(function (this) {
-        this.where(function (this) {
-          this.where("startTime", "<", data.endTime).where(
-            "endTime",
-            ">",
-            data.startTime,
-          );
+    // Only check team conflicts if teamId is provided
+    if (data.teamId && data.teamId.trim() !== '') {
+      const teamConflicts = await Reservation.query()
+        .where("teamId", data.teamId)
+        .where("reservationType", ReservationType.PARTICIPANT)
+        .where("hackathonId", data.hackathonId)
+        .where(function (this) {
+          this.where(function (this) {
+            this.where("startTime", "<", data.endTime).where(
+              "endTime",
+              ">",
+              data.startTime,
+            );
+          });
         });
-      });
 
-    console.log("teamConflicts:", teamConflicts);
+      console.log("teamConflicts:", teamConflicts);
 
-    if (teamConflicts.length > 0) {
-      throw new BadRequestException(
-        "Team already has a reservation during this time",
-      );
+      if (teamConflicts.length > 0) {
+        throw new BadRequestException(
+          "Team already has a reservation during this time",
+        );
+      }
+    } else {
+      console.log("skipping team conflict check - no teamId provided");
     }
   }
 
diff --git a/yarn.lock b/yarn.lock
index a6ff0100..daf88765 100644
--- a/yarn.lock
+++ b/yarn.lock
@@ -2050,13 +2050,13 @@
     "@types/send" "*"
 
 "@types/express@*", "@types/express@^5.0.0":
-  version "5.0.4"
-  resolved "https://registry.yarnpkg.com/@types/express/-/express-5.0.4.tgz#975e7fc1097066a83b992fd2bb8a4819622e8bae"
-  integrity sha512-g64dbryHk7loCIrsa0R3shBnEu5p6LPJ09bu9NG58+jz+cRUjFrc3Bz0kNQ7j9bXeCsrRDvNET1G54P/GJkAyA==
+  version "5.0.5"
+  resolved "https://registry.yarnpkg.com/@types/express/-/express-5.0.5.tgz#3ba069177caa34ab96585ca23b3984d752300cdc"
+  integrity sha512-LuIQOcb6UmnF7C1PCFmEU1u2hmiHL43fgFQX67sN3H4Z+0Yk0Neo++mFsBjhOAuLzvlQeqAAkeDOZrJs9rzumQ==
   dependencies:
     "@types/body-parser" "*"
     "@types/express-serve-static-core" "^5.0.0"
-    "@types/serve-static" "*"
+    "@types/serve-static" "^1"
 
 "@types/express@^4.17.20":
   version "4.17.23"
@@ -2157,12 +2157,12 @@
   dependencies:
     "@types/express" "*"
 
-"@types/node@*", "@types/node@^22.10.5", "@types/node@^22.8.7":
-  version "22.18.11"
-  resolved "https://registry.npmjs.org/@types/node/-/node-22.18.11.tgz"
-  integrity sha512-Gd33J2XIrXurb+eT2ktze3rJAfAp9ZNjlBdh4SVgyrKEOADwCbdUDaK7QgJno8Ue4kcajscsKqu6n8OBG3hhCQ==
+"@types/node@*":
+  version "24.9.1"
+  resolved "https://registry.yarnpkg.com/@types/node/-/node-24.9.1.tgz#b7360b3c789089e57e192695a855aa4f6981a53c"
+  integrity sha512-QoiaXANRkSXK6p0Duvt56W208du4P9Uye9hWLWgGMDTEoKPhuenzNcC4vGUmrNkiOKTlIrBoyNQYNpSwfEZXSg==
   dependencies:
-    undici-types "~6.21.0"
+    undici-types "~7.16.0"
 
 "@types/node@>=10.0.0":
   version "24.2.0"
@@ -2178,6 +2178,13 @@
   dependencies:
     undici-types "~7.14.0"
 
+"@types/node@^22.10.5", "@types/node@^22.8.7":
+  version "22.18.13"
+  resolved "https://registry.yarnpkg.com/@types/node/-/node-22.18.13.tgz#a037c4f474b860be660e05dbe92a9ef945472e28"
+  integrity sha512-Bo45YKIjnmFtv6I1TuC8AaHBbqXtIo+Om5fE4QiU1Tj8QR/qt+8O3BAtOimG5IFmwaWiPmB3Mv3jtYzBA4Us2A==
+  dependencies:
+    undici-types "~6.21.0"
+
 "@types/passport-jwt@^4.0.1":
   version "4.0.1"
   resolved "https://registry.npmjs.org/@types/passport-jwt/-/passport-jwt-4.0.1.tgz"
@@ -2236,7 +2243,7 @@
     "@types/mime" "^1"
     "@types/node" "*"
 
-"@types/serve-static@*":
+"@types/serve-static@*", "@types/serve-static@^1":
   version "1.15.10"
   resolved "https://registry.yarnpkg.com/@types/serve-static/-/serve-static-1.15.10.tgz#768169145a778f8f5dfcb6360aead414a3994fee"
   integrity sha512-tRs1dB+g8Itk72rlSI2ZrW6vZg0YrLI81iQSTkMmOqnqCaNr/8Ek4VwWcN5vZgCYWbg/JJSGBlUaYGAOP73qBw==
@@ -2879,9 +2886,9 @@ asynckit@^0.4.0:
   integrity sha512-Oei9OH4tRh0YqU3GxhX79dM/mwVgvbZJaSNaRk+bshkj0S5cfHcgYakreBjrHwatXKbz+IoIdYLxrKim2MjW0Q==
 
 axios@^1.12.0, axios@^1.7.9:
-  version "1.13.0"
-  resolved "https://registry.yarnpkg.com/axios/-/axios-1.13.0.tgz#ead6f495f41f9c8869dcf7b0f24f5a4ab89707f0"
-  integrity sha512-zt40Pz4zcRXra9CVV31KeyofwiNvAbJ5B6YPz9pMJ+yOSLikvPT4Yi5LjfgjRa9CawVYBaD1JQzIVcIvBejKeA==
+  version "1.13.1"
+  resolved "https://registry.yarnpkg.com/axios/-/axios-1.13.1.tgz#45b62dc8fe04e0e92274e08b98e910ba3d7963a7"
+  integrity sha512-hU4EGxxt+j7TQijx1oYdAjw4xuIp1wRQSsbMFwSthCWeBQur1eF+qJ5iQ5sN3Tw8YRzQNKb8jszgBdMDVqwJcw==
   dependencies:
     follow-redirects "^1.15.6"
     form-data "^4.0.4"
@@ -3515,9 +3522,9 @@ css-what@^6.1.0:
   integrity sha512-u/O3vwbptzhMs3L1fQE82ZSLHQQfto5gyZzwteVIEyeaY5Fc7R4dapF/BvRoSYFeqfBk4m0V1Vafq5Pjv25wvA==
 
 csvtojson@^2.0.10:
-  version "2.0.13"
-  resolved "https://registry.yarnpkg.com/csvtojson/-/csvtojson-2.0.13.tgz#48f431a9320f04d821770c17b206dfb2093a78ec"
-  integrity sha512-1C7bojbYRmQPLfc6yE5zeMbp+1w8dj3jNrz51S3mLYgQOau2ZtNu/fc67uV8UvyAfuLU+xydDvHG/+APwCJUAA==
+  version "2.0.14"
+  resolved "https://registry.yarnpkg.com/csvtojson/-/csvtojson-2.0.14.tgz#89b46c302bb1aae1f2f7a9d8a5a3d7a6c301750b"
+  integrity sha512-F7NNvhhDyob7OsuEGRsH0FM1aqLs/WYITyza3l+hTEEmOK9sGPBlYQZwlVG0ezCojXYpE17lhS5qL6BCOZSPyA==
   dependencies:
     lodash "^4.17.21"
 
@@ -7925,6 +7932,11 @@ undici-types@~7.14.0:
   resolved "https://registry.yarnpkg.com/undici-types/-/undici-types-7.14.0.tgz#4c037b32ca4d7d62fae042174604341588bc0840"
   integrity sha512-QQiYxHuyZ9gQUIrmPo3IA+hUl4KYk8uSA7cHrcKd/l3p1OTpZcM0Tbp9x7FAtXdAYhlasd60ncPpgu6ihG6TOA==
 
+undici-types@~7.16.0:
+  version "7.16.0"
+  resolved "https://registry.yarnpkg.com/undici-types/-/undici-types-7.16.0.tgz#ffccdff36aea4884cbfce9a750a0580224f58a46"
+  integrity sha512-Zz+aZWSj8LE6zoxD+xrjh4VfkIG8Ya6LvYkZqtUQGJPZjYl53ypCaUwWqo7eI0x66KBGeRo+mlBEkMSeSZ38Nw==
+
 universalify@^2.0.0:
   version "2.0.1"
   resolved "https://registry.npmjs.org/universalify/-/universalify-2.0.1.tgz"