Digital Guidebooks for Hostex (hostex.io)
Approve BetterSTR once in Hostex and every reservation gets its own guide link, written back into Hostex for your messages
INTEGRATION
Approve BetterSTR once in Hostex and every reservation gets its own guide link, written back into Hostex for your messages
Hostex brings Airbnb, Booking.com, Vrbo, Agoda and direct bookings into one inbox, and most Hostex hosts lean on its automated messages to get guests through arrival. BetterSTR fits into that routine. Each Hostex reservation gets its own guide, and the link is saved back onto the reservation in Hostex as a custom field, so your existing message templates can send it without you copying anything.
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Reservations update when Hostex notifies us. Property details come across when you connect and whenever you press Sync Properties.
| Data | Synced? | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Properties | Yes | Name, address, timezone and default check-in and check-out times. Properties removed in Hostex are switched off. |
| Property text | Yes | Description, plus guest access, house rules and neighbourhood notes where you've filled them in. |
| WiFi details | Yes | Network name and password, if they're saved on the property in Hostex. |
| Photos | Partial | A single cover image per property. |
| Bedrooms, amenities, currency | No | Not included in the property data Hostex shares with us. |
| Reservations | Yes | Stay dates, new bookings, changes and cancellations, with price and fees. |
| Guest name, phone and email | Yes | From the reservation, or the first listed guest. |
| Party size and channel | Yes | Number of guests, and whether the stay came from Airbnb, Booking.com, Vrbo, Agoda, Expedia or direct. |
| Smart lock codes | Partial | Read when the reservation syncs. A code Hostex generates closer to arrival may need a Sync Reservations to show up. |
| Reviews | Yes | New and updated guest reviews. |
On the Integrations page in BetterSTR, choose Hostex. You're sent to Hostex to sign in, with nothing to copy or paste.
Press the blue authorise button. Hostex hands BetterSTR an access token, which we refresh in the background so it stays valid.
Your properties load first, then reservations for the next two years. Most accounts are done within a couple of minutes.
When you sync properties, BetterSTR registers a webhook with Hostex for created and updated reservations and for reviews. Each notification makes us fetch that one reservation fresh from Hostex, so new bookings, date changes and cancellations reach the guide shortly after they happen. Hostex has no webhook for property edits, so press Sync Properties after changing a listing's details.
better_guide. Put {{cf.better_guide}} in a Hostex message template to send it.There are no Hostex-only shortcodes inside the guide builder. Hostex data fills the standard ones, such as the guest's name, stay dates, WiFi and door code. The Hostex-specific part happens in your Hostex messages:
{{cf.better_guide}} to your booking confirmation or pre-arrival template.The same guide can be shown on an Android TV display in the property.
Authorise once and every reservation gets a link your templates can send.
Integration included
No keys to copy
Guide link in Hostex
No credit card required. SMS and other add-ons are optional.
Hostex connects on the free plan, see pricing, or compare the other integrations.
No. Click Connect on the Hostex integration in BetterSTR, sign in to Hostex and approve access. Hostex issues a token to BetterSTR directly, and we keep it refreshed.
BetterSTR writes the guide link into a reservation custom field named better_guide. Add {{cf.better_guide}} to a Hostex message template and every guest gets their own link.
Guides use the default check-in and check-out times set in Hostex. Correct them in your Hostex settings, then press Sync Properties in BetterSTR so the new times come across.
Hostex often generates smart lock codes a few days before arrival, after the booking first synced. Press Sync Reservations in BetterSTR to fetch the latest code for upcoming stays.
Hostex sends webhooks for reservations and reviews but not for property edits. Press Sync Properties on the Hostex page in BetterSTR after you change a listing.
