Digital Guidebooks for Hostaway
Hostaway reservations arrive by webhook, and each guide link goes back into a Hostaway custom field
INTEGRATION
Hostaway reservations arrive by webhook, and each guide link goes back into a Hostaway custom field
Hostaway is used by property managers who run listings on several channels at once and lean on its custom fields and message templates to keep operations tidy. BetterSTR plugs into that setup rather than around it. Your Hostaway listings arrive with photos, house rules, WiFi and booking links already filled in, every reservation gets its own guide, and the guide link is written back into a Hostaway custom field so your existing message templates can send it.
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Listing content comes across when properties are synced. Reservations arrive by webhook the moment Hostaway creates or updates them.
| Data | Synced? | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Listings | Yes | Name, address, map pin, bedrooms, bathrooms, beds, guest capacity, amenities, currency and time zone. |
| Reservations | Yes | New, modified, pending, inquiry and cancelled bookings. Owner stays are left out. |
| Guest name, phone and email | Yes | As held on the Hostaway reservation. |
| Party size and channel | Yes | Total guests, adults, children and infants, plus the booking channel. Pets aren't sent. |
| Door codes | Partial | Read from a reservation custom field whose name mentions the door or access code. |
| Check-in and check-out times | Yes | The listing's check-in start hour and check-out hour. |
| Photos and descriptions | Yes | The full listing gallery, summary, house rules, access and key pickup notes, neighbourhood and transit text. |
| WiFi details | Yes | The listing's WiFi name and password. When filled in on Hostaway they take priority over WiFi entered in BetterSTR. |
| Booking links | Yes | Airbnb, Vrbo, Google and Expedia listing URLs, unless you set your own in BetterSTR. |
In Hostaway's settings, open the API section and create a key. Hostaway shows a numeric Account ID and a secret, and the secret is only displayed once.
On the Hostaway integration page, put the Account ID and API Secret Key in their fields. BetterSTR checks them by reading your listings straight away.
Listings load first, followed by reservations arriving from today onwards. The webhook and guide link field are set up in your Hostaway account for you.
BetterSTR registers one account-level webhook with Hostaway covering reservations being created and updated. A booking is saved as soon as the webhook lands, usually within seconds, and cancellations come through the same way. Hostaway doesn't send events when a listing changes, so edits to photos, WiFi, rules or custom fields reach BetterSTR when you press Sync properties.
If you already store details in Hostaway custom fields, the guide builder can show them. Connecting adds Hostaway Fields and Hostaway Res menus:
{{HXFIELDNAME}} for listing custom fields, such as parking instructions or a bin day note.{{HBXFIELDNAME}} for reservation custom fields, such as a booking-specific lockbox number.{{HXPARKINGINFO}}.Going the other way, BetterSTR fills a reservation custom field called guidebook_shortcode with each guest's guide link. Add it to a Hostaway message template and the link goes out with your normal messages. The same guide can also run on an Android TV in the property.
Account ID and secret in, listings and bookings out.
Guidebook and integration
For new bookings to land
Guide link in a custom field
No card needed to sign up. Paid extras such as SMS are optional.
The Hostaway connection costs nothing, see pricing for optional extras. Using something else? Browse the integrations list.
In Hostaway, open Settings and go to the API section, then create a new key. Hostaway shows your numeric Account ID alongside a secret key. Copy the secret straight away, because Hostaway only displays it once.
Hostaway sends webhooks for reservations but not for listing edits. Press Sync properties on the Hostaway page in BetterSTR and the new WiFi, photos, rules and custom fields are pulled in.
Yes. BetterSTR writes each guest's guide link into a reservation custom field called guidebook_shortcode. Add that field to a Hostaway message template and the link is included automatically.
The first reservation sync starts from today's arrivals, so stays that began before you connected are not included. Run the Historical sync on the Hostaway page to bring in current and past reservations.
This usually means the API secret was regenerated in Hostaway or the access token has expired. Create a key in Hostaway if needed, then use Update Token in BetterSTR to enter the Account ID and secret again.