Connecting Cloudbeds to BetterSTR

BetterSTR connects directly to Cloudbeds so your properties and reservations sync automatically and every guest gets their own digital guidebook link. The connection uses a Cloudbeds API key that you create yourself — no plan upgrade or approval needed. This guide walks you through creating the key, connecting it, what syncs, and what to check if something doesn’t look right.

Before you start

Step 1 — Create your Cloudbeds API key

1. Log in to Cloudbeds at signin.cloudbeds.com.
2. Open Account → Apps & Marketplace (top-right menu).
3. Click + New Credentials. Give it a name (e.g. “BetterSTR”), pick any category, and enter https://localhost as the Redirect URI. Click Save.
4. Select your new entry in the API Credentials table, scroll right to the API Key column and click Create.
5. Tick all five scopes: read:hotel, read:guest, read:reservation, read:webhook, write:webhook. If your account has multiple properties, choose the ones to include.
6. Copy the key — it starts with cbat_ and is only shown once, so copy it before closing the dialog.

Step 2 — Connect it to BetterSTR

1. In BetterSTR, go to Integrations and choose Cloudbeds, or head straight to the Cloudbeds connection page.
2. Paste your key into the Cloudbeds API Key field and click Connect Cloudbeds.
3. BetterSTR validates the key with Cloudbeds before saving it. If the key is accepted, your property details and reservations begin syncing automatically straight away.

What syncs, and how fast

• Property details — name, address, photos, description, amenities, check-in/check-out times and currency. Property details refresh daily, and the full detail (photos, address, policies) is fetched in the background shortly after the first sync.
• Reservations — guest name, email, phone, party size, room assignment and booking source (Booking.com, Expedia, Airbnb, direct) all sync across.
• Booking changes — new bookings, status changes and date changes arrive in near real-time via Cloudbeds webhooks, with an hourly sync as a safety net. In practice a new booking appears in BetterSTR within a couple of minutes.
• Guidebook links — every reservation automatically gets its own unique guest guidebook link, ready to share in your confirmation emails and check-in messages.

Cloudbeds shortcodes in the guide builder

Once connected, the guide builder’s shortcode menu gains two Cloudbeds categories — Cloudbeds Fields (property-level values such as check-in time, property phone and currency) and Cloudbeds Res (per-booking values such as the confirmation ID, party size, room name, booking source and estimated arrival time). Any custom fields you’ve defined on Cloudbeds reservations appear there too. Insert them like any other shortcode, e.g. {{cloudbeds_room_name}}, and they resolve per reservation when the guide is viewed.

Troubleshooting

• “Cloudbeds rejected the API key” — the most common cause is a missing permission scope. Scopes can’t be edited after creation, so delete the key in Cloudbeds and create a new one with all five ticked, then use Update API Key in BetterSTR.
• “That does not look like a Cloudbeds API key” — keys start with cbat_. Make sure you copied the API Key from the API Key column, not the Client ID or Client Secret from the credentials row.
• Connected but a property is missing — keys can be scoped to specific properties at creation. If a property was left out, create a new key that includes it and update the key in BetterSTR, then click Sync Properties.
• A booking change isn’t showing yet — webhook updates normally land within a couple of minutes, but if one is missed the hourly sync will pick the change up. If something is still missing after an hour, use Sync Reservations to pull it immediately.
• Key stopped working after a quiet period — Cloudbeds expires keys that go completely unused for 30 days. BetterSTR’s hourly sync keeps your key active automatically while connected, so this only comes up if the integration was disconnected for a month or more. Create a fresh key and reconnect.
• Rotating your key — use Update API Key on the Cloudbeds page in BetterSTR. The new key is validated before it replaces the old one, so a typo can’t break your existing connection.