BetterSTR connects directly to Hosthub so your rentals and bookings sync automatically and every guest gets their own digital guidebook link. Hosthub keeps your calendars in sync across 200+ channels, and BetterSTR sees every booking that lands there, whichever channel it came from. The connection uses a Hosthub 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.
Step 1 — Create your Hosthub API key
- Log in to Hosthub at app.hosthub.com.
- Open Settings and scroll to the API keys section.
- Click Create new API key, give it a nickname (e.g. “BetterSTR”) and save.
- Copy the key. You can revoke it from the same page at any time without affecting the rest of your Hosthub account.
Step 2 — Connect it to BetterSTR
- In BetterSTR, go to Integrations and choose Hosthub, or head straight to the Hosthub connection page.
- Paste your key into the Hosthub API Key field and click Connect Hosthub.
- BetterSTR validates the key with Hosthub before saving it. If the key is accepted, your rentals and bookings begin syncing automatically straight away.
What syncs, and how fast
- Rentals — name, location, check-in and check-out times, currency and timezone. Rentals refresh daily, or on demand with Sync Properties.
- Bookings — guest name, email, phone, party size, stay dates and the channel each booking came from (Airbnb, Booking.com, Vrbo, Agoda or direct) all sync across.
- Booking changes — BetterSTR checks Hosthub every 10 minutes for new, changed and cancelled bookings, so a new booking is never more than a few minutes from having its guidebook ready.
- Guidebook links — every booking automatically gets its own unique guest guidebook link, ready to share in your confirmation and check-in messages.
Add your guide content in BetterSTR
Hosthub’s API keeps property content light — it doesn’t carry photo galleries, descriptions or amenity lists. Your bookings and guest details sync fully, and you add photos, house info, WiFi details and local recommendations in the BetterSTR guide builder, where they instantly apply to every current and future booking.
Hosthub shortcodes in the guide builder
Once connected, the guide builder’s shortcode menu gains two Hosthub categories — Hosthub Fields (rental-level values such as the rental name, check-in and check-out times, city and maximum guests) and Hosthub Res (per-booking values such as the confirmation code, party size, booking channel and unit name). Insert them like any other shortcode, e.g. {{hosthub_checkin_time}}, and they resolve per booking when the guide is viewed. If a booking carries its own check-in or check-out time, that wins over the rental default automatically.
Troubleshooting
- “Hosthub rejected the API key” — double-check you copied the full key from Settings → API keys. If in doubt, create a fresh key and use Update API Key in BetterSTR — the new key is validated before it replaces the old one.
- A booking change isn’t showing yet — changes normally land within 10 minutes. If you need one immediately, open the Hosthub page in BetterSTR and click Sync Reservations.
- A guest’s email looks odd — booking channels like Airbnb and Booking.com often provide a relay address rather than the guest’s real email. That relay address still works for sending the guidebook link.
- A rental is missing — the key covers every rental the Hosthub account can see. Click Sync Properties to pull the latest list; if it’s still missing, check the rental is active in Hosthub.
- Cancellations — cancelled bookings sync too, and their scheduled guidebook messages stop automatically.