Short answers to the questions Beds24 users ask most, grouped by topic. Each answer links to the article that covers the feature in full. Beds24 is a self-service system with a booking engine for your own website, property management and optional channel management.
- General
- Bookings
- Booking engine
- Channel manager
- Airbnb
- Booking.com
- Currencies
- Fees and billing
- Free trial
- Help, support and training
- Import data and integrations
- Languages
- Messaging and notifications
- Multiple properties and users
- Payment collection
- Prices
- Reports
- Template variables
General
Beds24 works on any mobile device
The control panel is responsive and runs in the browser on any phone or tablet, so you can do everything from a mobile device. There is also a Beds24 app for Android and iOS for daily tasks, which you activate in Settings > Marketplace > Mobile App. The booking page detects the guest's device and adjusts automatically. See Mobile App Android and IOS.
Your data is stored securely
Beds24 complies with the GDPR for personal data and with PCI DSS for card data. The data centre is certified to DIN ISO/IEC 27001. All data is backed up hourly to secure storage away from the main servers, and all data is transferred over SSL. You can follow service status on the Beds24 status page. Short outages for maintenance can occasionally happen. See How to manage Security and Privacy.
Beds24 is available worldwide
You can use Beds24 in any country.
You can cancel your account at any time
After cancellation you no longer have access to your data, so download everything you need first.
Steps:
- Download the bookings you still need with the Export button in Bookings.
- Download all your invoices in Settings > Account > Billing.
- Cancel the account in Settings > Account > Billing, on the account cancellation page.
Note: normal monthly charges apply until you complete step 3. If you set up automatic payment, your card keeps being charged according to those settings until then.
Bookings
Beds24 shows real-time availability. Bookings are either instant (confirmed automatically) or on request (you confirm or decline them). See How to Manage Bookings.
Bookings can be moved to another room or rental
- Drag and drop the booking in the calendar or in Bookings > Grid.
- Or open the booking, change the room or unit in the Summary tab and click Save.
For a booking from a channel, see Channel bookings are changed at the channel.
You can cancel direct bookings yourself
Change the status of a direct booking in its Summary tab. Bookings from channels are cancelled at the channel, and the cancellation is then imported into Beds24. For Booking.com and Expedia you can ask the channel to cancel directly from the booking in Beds24.
Guests can view and cancel their direct bookings
Guests can view and cancel direct bookings, but not change them, through the guest login in Settings > Guest Management > Guest Login. See Guest login. Ask guests who booked through a channel to cancel with the channel, so your availability is updated and the dates reopen.
Group bookings are supported
When a guest books several rooms or rentals, Beds24 creates a group booking. You can also group bookings manually from the Invoice tab of the first (master) booking, with Add Existing booking to Group. See Group Bookings.
You decide what guests enter when they book
For direct bookings you set which standard questions are optional or mandatory, and you can add your own custom questions, in Settings > Properties > Booking Questions. See Booking Questions and Custom Questions on Booking Page. For channel bookings, the channel decides what is collected. Beds24 imports everything the channel sends.
Flags highlight bookings that need attention
A flag adds a background colour and a text to a booking. The [FLAG] template variable can show the flag text when you hover over the booking in the calendar. Set up preset flag texts and colours in Settings > Account > Preferences > Bookings > Booking Flag Text Values, or set flags automatically with an auto action. See Preferences and Auto Actions.
A cut-off time stops same-day bookings
Set a cut-off time for same-day bookings on your booking page in Settings > Properties > Booking Rules > Same Day Booking Cut Off. See Booking Rules.
Note: channels receive the change with the next update, not instantly. You can send an update manually from the channel connection page. To close availability at a set time of day on a channel, use the channel's own setting, for example Airbnb's Advance Notice (hours). Other channels may have a similar setting. Check with the channel.
You can create bookings manually
- In the calendar, click + in the room row and date column, then enter the details.
- Use the Add booking button at the top of the control panel.
- In the Price Checker, set the dates and rules, then click Book.
Booking engine
The booking engine works with any website
Paste the HTML code Beds24 provides into your website's source code to add a booking widget. This works with any website where you can edit the source code. See How to use Widgets.
The booking page is fully customisable
On the responsive booking page you choose which content shows where, and you can change colours and fonts or add your own CSS. It shows up to 5 pictures per property plus up to 5 per room, rental and offer, as a single picture or a slider (see Pictures). See Responsive Booking Page and How to use Custom CSS.
Rezintel builds a website from your Beds24 data
You can use your own domain
The private label option lets you run the booking page on your own subdomain, for example bookings.mydomain.com instead of beds24.com, for an additional fee. See Private Label.
WordPress sites can use the Beds24 plugin
The free Beds24 WordPress plugin adds booking features to a WordPress site with shortcodes. You still manage bookings and inventory in the Beds24 control panel. See Wordpress.
Bookings can come from Facebook
See Use the Facebook App.
Google Analytics can track your booking page
You can install Google Analytics on your booking page. See Track Bookings. Beds24 also logs activity on your booking page and where each booking came from. See Activity Logs.
Channel manager
Beds24 connects to over 60 booking channels. It is a preferred or premium partner of Booking.com, Airbnb and the VRBO group, and an Elite partner of Expedia. With two-way API connections, Beds24 sends inventory and prices and imports bookings and changes to bookings instantly. For some channels it can also send content such as descriptions and pictures, and create accounts. See How the Channel Manager works and, for what each channel supports, Channel Manager Capabilities. The full list of channels is on the Beds24 channel manager page.
API/XML and iCal connections do different things
- API/XML: sends inventory and prices, imports bookings and changes to bookings. For some channels it also sends pictures and descriptions.
- iCal: sends availability and blocked dates and imports bookings with summary information only. What it can do depends on the channel. See How to setup iCal.
Error messages come from the channel
Beds24 forwards the channel's error message when what you send doesn't meet the channel's requirements. Open the help page for the channel, from the link in the email or from the control panel, to see why the error happens and how to fix it. See How to manage Error Messages from Channels.
Each channel can have its own prices
You can set different prices for your own website and for each channel, or use a price multiplier to raise or lower prices for a channel, for example to add a surcharge. See Setting Prices for Booking Channels and the help page for the channel.
Each channel can have its own availability
Once a channel is connected, set its inventory per date in Settings > Channel Manager > Channel Inventory. See Channel Inventory. To send custom availability to one or more channels, for example to stop selling on a channel at certain times of the year, use virtual rooms. See Channel with Custom Availability.
Beds24 sends the new-booking notifications
After you activate the channel manager, channels stop sending you booking notifications and Beds24 sends them instead. The channel usually confirms the booking with the guest, so Beds24 doesn't send a confirmation. To send one as well, set up an auto action email from the available template. See Auto Actions.
Channel bookings are changed at the channel
The channel manager can't send booking changes to the channel. Make changes and cancellations at the channel. Cancelling a channel booking in Beds24 doesn't cancel it at the channel and can cause a double booking. Exception: VRBO XML bookings can be cancelled in Beds24.
If you change a channel booking in Beds24 and don't want the channel to overwrite it, set Allow Channel Modifications to No, or to All except room changes to stop the channel moving the booking back to its original room. Set this for all bookings in Settings > Channel Manager, or per booking in the booking's Details tab. The channel still treats a moved booking as being in the room the guest booked. See How the Channel Manager works.
Some channels send card details
Channels handle payments for their bookings
Beds24 isn't involved in deposits for channel bookings. Each channel collects them according to its rules and your account settings. To see payments the channel collected at the time of booking, set Import Channel Collect Payments to Yes in Settings > Channel Manager. The payments then appear in the booking's Charges and Payments tab. If you use Stripe, you can send card details from all channels straight to Stripe to charge them. See Payment collection.
Special offers are managed at the channel
The channel manager doesn't send special offers. Manage them in the channel's extranet. Booking.com is an exception, see Booking.com.
Some channels accept prices per stay length or guest count
Some channels support prices for different minimum stays and different numbers of guests. See the help page for each channel you use.
Multiple properties are set up per channel
One account can hold many properties. How you connect them depends on the channel. See the help page for each channel.
Overbookings usually trace back to errors or room codes
- Check for error messages by email or in the potential issues menu, and fix them straight away. They can mean the channel manager can't make updates.
- The same room code on several rooms in Beds24 can cause overbookings. Check your setup for warnings.
If you can't find the problem, send Beds24 a support ticket with the booking numbers and dates. See Overbooking.
Missing bookings are usually a mapping issue
Check that the room the booking is for is mapped correctly. If you can't find the problem, send a support ticket with the booking number and the date the booking was made.
Wrong booking prices have a few common causes
- A special offer set up at the channel reduced the price the channel manager sent.
- Rates are linked at the channel.
- Your prices aren't set up as you expect.
- The channel manager can't import prices from every channel. If you set minimum prices in Settings > Properties > Rooms > Setup, those are used.
Pool allotment and contracted rooms work differently
- Pool allotment: all your rooms sit in one pool and every channel takes rooms from it. When the pool is empty, all channels close automatically.
- Contracted rooms (base allocation): you agree to give a channel a number of rooms exclusively. You can't sell those rooms directly or on other channels.
See How the Channel Manager works.
No-shows are reported to the channel
For Booking.com, report a no-show with the button in the booking's Details tab. For other channels, contact the channel if needed.
The guest invoice can show the booking amount
To show the booking charges instead of the payout amount, go to Settings > Channel Manager, scroll to Invoice and select Booking Amount. For a different invoice for bookings from a certain channel, see Invoicees.
Airbnb
For setup, see Connect Airbnb Account and Using Airbnb and Booking.com. Notifications, confirmations and booking changes work as described in Channel manager.
All customers can use the Airbnb API connection
This includes agencies. You can connect existing listings, several Airbnb accounts and several host accounts, and import a listing from Airbnb into Beds24. Airbnb support can tell you more about Airbnb's own policies.
Co-hosts can't connect co-hosted listings
Airbnb doesn't let co-hosts use its API, through Beds24 or any other channel manager. Your options:
- Ask the host to transfer the account to you.
- Let hosts connect their Airbnb accounts to Beds24 themselves.
- Create a (temporary) sub account in Beds24 for each host, so they can log in and connect their Airbnb account.
- If you manage many properties, Beds24 can give you a "Connect with Airbnb Account" button that hosts use outside Beds24, without logging in.
See Airbnb Mapping.
The API connection does more than iCal
API changes apply within a minute. iCal updates can take up to 24 hours, which makes iCal unreliable. With the API connection you can:
- Import bookings (with personal data, number of guests and price), changes and cancellations
- Message guests directly from the booking
- Create listings and send and update content and pictures
- Send availability and prices automatically
iCal only sends inventory and imports bookings with limited details (no guest name, price or email address), changes and cancellations. You can use iCal or the API for a room, but not both. See Airbnb iCal.
Airbnb bookings are instant by default
Listings managed through the API use instant book, so all bookings are confirmed. Instant book listings get more bookings and rank better. You can still cancel bookings in the Airbnb extranet. On request, Beds24 can set individual listings to request only. Airbnb only allows this for listings that aren't on any other channel with instant booking, such as Booking.com, Expedia, Ctrip or Agoda.
Room types don't need one listing per room
Beds24 supports room types with Airbnb, so a room type with 6 double rooms doesn't need 6 listings. Airbnb also supports dorms, see Dorms on Airbnb.
Special prices can be sent to Airbnb
See Setting Prices for Booking Channels.
Guest messages go through Airbnb's messaging system
Message guests from the booking in Beds24. If a guest changes a booking, Airbnb emails you. When you accept the change, Beds24 imports it. For messages in the guest's language, see Languages.
Airbnb pays you directly
Airbnb charges the guest and pays you by bank transfer or PayPal.
Booking.com
For setup, see Booking.com: Synchronise bookings prices availability and Booking.com. Notifications, confirmations, booking changes, missing bookings and prices work as described in Channel manager. Ask Booking.com or the guest to cancel at Booking.com, and the cancellation is sent to Beds24.
Card details can be withheld by Booking.com
Booking.com sometimes withholds the card number or CVC unless you ask for them. Contact your Booking.com representative if you always need them. See Card Number Collection.
Promotions can be set up in Beds24
Set up Booking.com promotions in Settings > Channel Manager > Booking.com > Promotions or in the Booking.com extranet. See Booking.com: Promotions. Set extra costs such as tax, cleaning fees or service charges in the Booking.com extranet.
Each Booking.com property needs its own Beds24 property
This applies to several Booking.com hotel IDs and to properties in different Booking.com accounts. One Beds24 account can hold all of them.
Invalid cards and no-shows are reported from the booking
Use the buttons in the booking's Details tab. If you use Stripe, you can report invalid cards to Booking.com automatically, set in Settings > Channel Manager. See Payment collection.
A one-way connection is changed by reconnecting
To switch to a two-way connection, disconnect Beds24 in the Booking.com extranet, then start the connection again as a two-way connection.
Currencies
Each property has one currency
The system uses one master currency, and with multiple properties each property can have its own. To manage bookings in another currency, create an invoicee for that currency and assign the charges to it. See Set Currency and Invoicees.
Guests can see prices in their currency
The booking page can show a currency converter. See Languages. If a channel needs a different currency from yours, add a price multiplier for that channel. See the help page for the channel.
Beds24 bills in euros
Your account fees are billed in € and you can pay in any major currency at the current exchange rate.
Fees and billing
You pay for what you use
There's a basic monthly fee based on the number of rooms or units you set up, plus fees for the services you use. There are no hidden fees, no setup fee, and Beds24 charges nothing for payment collection. You only pay your payment provider's fees. See all fees and a calculator on the Beds24 pricing page. Your own fees are in Settings > Account > Billing. See Billing.
Seasonal businesses can hibernate their account
While your account hibernates, you have read-only access, no bookings are imported and all automated functions stop. You pay a holding fee equal to the monthly basic fee.
Free trial
The free trial is a full account for 14 days
The trial account has all features, so you can test everything for free. After 14 days, the account becomes a regular Beds24 account with all your settings. To keep using it, keep your account balance positive. Beds24 accepts all common payment methods, including credit card, bank transfer, money transfer in any currency, PayPal, Apple Pay and Google Pay.
Help, support and training
Beds24 is built for self-service
Free help is available through:
- This help centre, with search, tutorials and videos. See How to use Support and Videos.
- Context help: click Help at the top right of any page, or the ? icon next to a setting.
- The Beds24 setup wizards, which open your control panel and booking page in wizard mode and guide you through setup. Log in with your username and password and follow the steps.
- Support > Functions in the control panel, with links to commonly used functions.
- The Beds24 forum, also reachable from Support in the control panel.
- The ticket system, which lets the support team see your settings.
Support is in English and German. Fees don't include telephone support. For phone support or paid setup help, see Marketplace for Integration Partners.
Training is available as webinars and paid sessions
Regular webinars cover how Beds24 works and specific functions, and recordings are available on demand. See Webinars. For a fee, Beds24 also runs Zoom sessions that help you set up your account. Send a support ticket to request one and get access to the booking calendar.
Import data and integrations
Existing bookings can be imported
Once mapped, some channels let you import existing bookings. See the channel's capabilities. For other channels or another system, import a CSV through the Beds24 API. See Import bookings manually and How to use API.
Beds24 connects to many apps and services
See Marketplace. Services not listed there can often be connected through Make (formerly Integromat), see Make, or through the open API, which you can use to integrate your own systems.
Languages
The control panel is in English and German
Partial courtesy translations exist in French, Greek, Portuguese and Spanish. A Japanese version is available through the partner Co-Reception.
The booking page is available in 39 languages
Armenian, Arabic, Bahasa Indonesia, Bulgarian, Burmese, Catalan, Chinese (simplified), Chinese (traditional), Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Estonian, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hebrew, Icelandic, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Latvian, Lithuanian, Mongolian, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Serbian, Slovak, Slovenian, Spanish, Swedish, Thai, Turkish and Vietnamese. If your language is missing, Beds24 can look into adding it if you help with the translation. Activate languages in Settings > Booking Engine > Internationalization. See Languages.
Messages can go out in the guest's language
Tick the languages in Settings > Booking Engine > Internationalization, then enter each message, such as confirmation messages and auto emails, in each language. Direct bookings use the language the guest booked in. Channels usually don't send a language, so set Deduce language from country to Yes in Settings > Channel Manager. The language then shows in the booking's Mail tab. If it's blank, or you have no message in that language, the default language set in Settings > Booking Engine > Internationalization is used. See How to use Messaging.
Messaging and notifications
You get an email for every new booking
Beds24 emails you for each new online booking and each change to a channel booking. You can also opt in to SMS notifications, which cost extra. See Host Notifications.
Direct bookings always get a confirmation
Guests who book directly always get a confirmation message, which you customise in Settings > Guest Management > Confirmation Messages. Channels confirm their own bookings, except VRBO, which needs Beds24 to send the confirmation message you set up. See How to setup Confirmation Messages.
Emails can be sent manually or automatically
Set up template emails to send manually or automatically, for example a set number of days before arrival or based on where the booking came from, in Settings > Guest Management > Auto Actions. See Auto Actions.
Airbnb, Booking.com and VRBO messages are in Beds24
Beds24 connects directly to their messaging systems. See messages in Messages in the control panel or in the booking's Messages tab.
Your email addresses are changed in settings
Change the administrator email address in Settings > Account > Account Access and the property email address in Settings > Properties > Description. See Change Email or Password.
Newsletters go through Mailchimp
The Mailchimp integration adds guests to your mailing lists automatically. See INTUIT mailchimp. You can also export bookings and guest contact details to use in other mailing tools.
Multiple properties and users
One account can manage many properties
You can also create sub accounts with their own login for each property, with full (read and write) or read-only access. The agency search page lets guests search all properties by criteria you define and book online, see the agency booking page demo. See How to Setup Agency & Multiple Properties.
Owner payments aren't split automatically
Beds24 can't split payments or calculate commission. One option: collect the deposit (your commission) from the guest and let the property collect the balance on arrival.
Each user needs their own login
Only one person can use a login at a time. For more users, create sub accounts: click the User icon at the top right, then Account Management. Any charges for extra logins are shown in the billing section of your account. See Sub Account.
Roles limit what each user can see and do
Give each sub account a default role, such as admin, backoffice, reception, cleaner or owner, or create your own. You can also hide parts of bookings, for example prices and guest details from a cleaner. For owners, the owner role gives an owner portal that shows only the information and reports you allow. See Sub Account.
Payment collection
Guests pay through your own payment provider
Beds24 integrates with Stripe, PayPal (which also takes credit cards), Agodapay, Authorize.Net, Global Payments, AsiaPay, PesoPay, SiamPay, PayDollar and BitPay, including Bitcoin payments. You need an account with the provider, and the money goes straight to your account with no Beds24 fees. All connected gateways are PCI DSS compliant. See How to setup Payment Gateways.
Payments can be taken at booking or requested later
Take a deposit or full payment when the guest books on your booking page, and send payment requests, manually or with an automated email, for payments due later. See How to setup Payments.
Channel bookings can be charged through Stripe
If the channel doesn't collect payment, send the guest a payment request. Many channels, including Booking.com, Expedia and Agoda, give you a virtual credit card, which Stripe can charge automatically when payment is due. See Stripe Channel Virtual Cards. You can also send cards from all channels to Stripe to validate and charge them, and collect payments with auto actions.
Card details can be collected securely
Collect card details and process payments through your own bank or merchant account. Because of strong customer authentication (SCA) in the EU, card details no longer reliably secure a booking, so European customers are advised to use payment requests. See Card Number Collection and Strong Customer Authentication.
Rejected cards are flagged on the booking
- If you send cards to Stripe, you're notified of a rejected card and a booking info code is added to the booking's Info tab.
- For Booking.com, report the invalid card automatically or with the button in the Details tab, and Booking.com asks the guest for a new card.
- Stripe may reject a virtual card that isn't valid yet. Send it again on check-in day from the Details tab.
- For other channels, contact the channel to report the card.
For future bookings, the invalid card details stay stored in Beds24.
Quotes can be sent to guests
See Proposal or quote.
Prices
Prices and discounts can depend on season, occupancy, minimum and maximum stay and booking time, for example last minute. See How to setup Prices.
| You want | Use | See |
|---|---|---|
| Seasonal or day-of-week prices | Daily Prices: set rules in Daily Price Rules and the price per day or date range in the calendar | How to setup Daily Prices, Seasonal Prices, Weekend and Weekday Prices |
| Early bird prices | Min Stay until Checkin in a Daily or Fixed Price. 3 = bookable at least 3 days before check-in. 0 = bookable for tonight | Last-Minute Prices and Early Booker prices |
| Last-minute prices | Max days in advance in a Daily or Fixed Price. 7 = bookable only in the week before the first night. 365 = up to a year ahead | Last-Minute Prices and Early Booker prices |
| Prices per number of guests | Occupancy prices on your booking page. Some channels support them too | Occupancy Based Prices |
| Minimum and maximum stays | Room, offer, Daily Price or Fixed Price level. The calendar can override the minimum stay, but not below the room, offer or price value | Minimum Stay and Maximum Stay |
| Dynamic prices | Calendar edits or a daily multiplier, the built-in Yield Optimiser, or PriceLabs and RoomPriceGenie in Settings > Marketplace | How to setup Dynamic Prices, Yield Optimiser |
| Optional extras | Upsell items on your booking page (Settings > Booking Engine > Upsell Items), with descriptions and pictures per language. Custom fees on channels | Upsell Items |
| Higher prices on your booking page | Booking Page Price Multiplier in Settings > Booking Engine > Property Booking Page. 1.23 raises prices by 23%. 0.85 lowers them by 15% | How to setup Discounts |
Prices show as far ahead as Max Days in Advance
The default is 365 days. To send up to 2 years of data to channels, set Export data to 2 years in Settings > Channel Manager. Airbnb rate plans only send prices for 1 year. For more than 365 days, use per-day or per-occupancy pricing.
Reports
Standard and custom reports cover your bookings
Standard reports include revenue, arrivals, departures, invoices, occupancy, current guests and financial reports. In the control panel, click Reports and choose Standard reports, or choose Custom reports to create your own. See Standard-Reports and Custom-Reports.
Reports can be cloned to sub accounts
Click the User icon at the top right, then Account Management. See Sub Account.
Routines email reports automatically
Send reports to yourself or your cleaners on a schedule with Settings > Account > Routines. See Routines.
Template variables
Template variables insert booking data into text
Template variables are short codes that are replaced by information from each booking. Use them in any text setting that allows them, copied exactly, including the square brackets. See Template Variables.
Smart logic compares values
IF-style template variables compare two values and show one text if the comparison is true and another if it is false, for reports and auto actions. Use colons (:) between the two values and the first text, and a pipe (|) between the two texts. A text can be empty. See Template Variables.
To test smart logic, enter the template variables in Settings > Account > Preferences > Bookings > Booking Header and click Save. The result shows at the top left when you open a booking.