Frequently Asked Questions about Beds24 Online Booking Engine and Channel Manager

How does the free trial work?

How do I sign up?

Does Beds24.com charge a commission?

How do we collect a booking deposit?

What if I need help?

Will I be on a contract?

How do guests pay?

I don't have a website. Can I still take online bookings?

What are on request bookings?

Can I enter bookings I take over the telephone or offline?

I have a complicated rate structure, can Beds24.com cope with this?

We close for part of the year, how does that work?

Where can I show my availability calendars?

Can I make my own booking form?

Can I sell multiple properties?

Can I receive an SMS text message on my phone?

How secure is Beds24.com?

How do I pay for my account?

My question was not answered here, where do I get more help?

How does the free trial work?

Signing up for the free trial opens a fully functional account. You may use this account to test the availability calendars and make real or test on-line bookings. A free credit is added generally allowing one months usage of the online booking engine. To continue using the system once the credit is consumed you will need to make a payment.

How do I sign up?

Choose a user name and enter your email address. A password will be emailed to you and your account is ready to use.

Does Beds24.com charge a commission?

No. Beds24.com does not charge you or your guest any commission on bookings. All you pay is a small monthly fee.

How do we collect a booking deposit?

You can specify the deposit as a fixed amount, a percentage of the total (up to 100%) or for the first nights value. You can use one of the connected payment gateways to process credit card payments or Paypal.

What if I need help?

We have a context sensitive on-line help system that provides instant help for every setting. If you are stuck, send us a message using the 'Contact Support' function in the help section. Customer support is free.

Will I be on a contract?

No. There is no minimum payment or sign-up period. Beds24 is a pre-pay, pay as you go service. You may cancel your account at any time. Credit balances are non refundable.

How do guests pay?

All payments go directly to the host. You can either collect payments after arrival or use one of the payment options integrated in the system:
  • Credit card payments via one of the integrated payment gateways (funds deposited directly to your account, gateway providers will deduct their fee and Beds24 charges a small fee per transaction)
  • Payment to your Paypal account (funds automatically deposited instantly to your Paypal account, Paypal will deduct their fee and Beds24 charges a small fee per transaction)
  • Securely collect card details without charging them, the card processing must be handled manually by your bank or merchant account

I don't have a website. Can I still take online bookings?

You can use your Beds24 booking page as your website and direct customers to it via Emails or links on other websites. If you have a facebook page your can accept online bookings directly from your fanpage.

What are on request bookings?

On Request bookings allow you to decide whether to accept or decline each booking. This style of booking suits hosts who are not comfortable with a instant confirmation booking system. Inventory is reserved at the time of booking and is returned if the booking is declined. You may choose this style of booking for last minute or special period bookings.

Can I enter bookings I take over the telephone or offline?

Yes - log in and click add new booking, enter the details of the booking and those dates will then be removed from your availability. Alternatively you can go to the calendar view and black out those dates.

I have a complicated rate structure, can Beds24.com cope with this?

The Beds24.com rates system can be as powerful or as simple as you require. You may offer a simple per night rate or a complex combination of rates offering different prices for different seasons, length of stay or even different nights of the week. Beds24.com can enforce other rules like a minimum stay period and discounts for longer stays. Rates may be set to allow the booking to start or end only on specific days, i.e. Saturday to Saturday. We believe the Beds24.com rates system can handle just about every possible way of charging for an accommodation, if it can't deal with yours let us know and we will try our best to add it.

We close for part of the year, how does that work?

Your rates have a start and end date and are only offered for the period you set. If you have no rates set for certain periods those dates will show as not available. Beds24.com can continue to take online bookings for your future seasons even while you are closed.

Where can I show my availability calendars?

You can show the calendars on as many web sites, blogs etc as you like. There is no limit to the number of places you may display your calendars and they will work anywhere that supports HTML and javascript.

Can I make my own booking form?

Yes, the appearance of the booking forms and links you put on your own site can be customised as you desire.

Can I sell multiple properties?

Yes. You may define multiple properties in Beds24.com and implement a search form that shows the guest a list of those available. Beds24.com has powerful agendy functions allowing easy implementation of association or booking agency functions while individual owners have complete control over their rates and inventory.

Can I receive an SMS text message on my phone?

Yes, you can select to receive SMS notifications for all, none, only new bookings arriving today, or arriving within a selectable number of days. SMS notifications can be sent to phones on 712 networks in 212 countries so yours is almost certainly covered. There is a small charge per SMS sent.

How secure is Beds24.com?

Beds24.com uses a state-of-the-art 256 bit SSL security certificate to secure and encrypt data.

How do I pay for my account?

We accept payment by credit card, bank transfer or PayPal. Beds24 is a pre-pay, pay as you go service. You decide how much you would like to pay at any time.

My question was not answered here, where do I get more help?

Send us a message or have a look at the user guide and online help once you sign in to your account.