All Hostfully Guidebooks Reviews
1-25 of 121 Reviews
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Ashley
Hospitality, 2 - 10 employees
Used unspecified
OVERALL RATING:
4
Reviewed November 2023
Perfect for Just Starting Out!
Tim
Real Estate, 2-10 employees
Used weekly for less than 2 years
OVERALL RATING:
5
EASE OF USE
3
VALUE FOR MONEY
5
CUSTOMER SUPPORT
5
FUNCTIONALITY
4
Reviewed September 2019
Hostfully Guidebook Keeps Guests Informed if Only They Would Read
My experience with the platform is it has been terrific to work with. There are a lot of features and capabilities that may not be readily apparent to a first-time user, such as how to include the ability for guests to review you after their stay, or how to customize the checkout list, or rename a category. But just know, the platform is flexible and there are many ways to organize and setup your guidebook to be uniquely yours.
PROSThe program is tremendously flexible for taking once written binders of information into accessible information whether links, text and/or video. Use of Google Places helps to ensure recommendations are good looking and have all the relevant information such as an image, link, map and whatever information a host would like to write in recommending an attraction, bar or restaurant. Guidebooks created with Hostfully look terrific whether on a computer, smartphone or printed. As a property manager, there's really no need to manage multiple documents of information to send to guests. You can print your guidebook and keep a binder if you want, you can email a PDF version or you can send a link to the guidebook. Hostfully becomes the one place to update all house information, rules, policies and guest recommendations and that's darn handy! And if you are a property management company implementing Hostfully for many properties, you'll appreciate the ability to Brand your guidebooks.
CONSHostfully allows you to manage multiple guidebooks. As an administrator of several guidebooks, how to manage one entry to many guidebooks can be a little confusing until you gain experience with the program. However, the fact that Hostfully has such a capability places it in a unique position so I'd call this also a Pro.
Reason for choosing Hostfully Guidebooks
Ease of use, especially making recommendation cards, overall features and flexibility, and the end result of guidebook; good looking on any device.
Reasons for switching to Hostfully Guidebooks
No need to reinvent the wheel. Creating your own guidebook will be much harder and time consuming. In the end, you might not be happy with the results and will no doubt lack important capabilities already built into Hostfully.
Joel
Hospitality, 1 employee
Used weekly for more than 2 years
OVERALL RATING:
5
EASE OF USE
5
VALUE FOR MONEY
5
FUNCTIONALITY
5
Reviewed May 2023
Perfect for our needs
We don’t think about it much, which is exactly why we like it! We made a guidebook, occasionally update it, and our guests can find all of the info they need for their stay. We have gotten several compliments on it from guests and no complaints!
PROSHostfully is an easy to use product, perfect for our need for a vacation rental guidebook. The interface is easy for guests to understand and access, and we can generate a simple link. We also like being able to create a PDF version to send directly to guests.
CONSUpdating guidebook recommendations is sometimes buggy and difficult. Especially when choosing photos, entries sometimes do not save correctly.
Reason for choosing Hostfully Guidebooks
It was clean, easy to understand, a good price, and catered directly to vacation rental owners like us. We saw some websites that ranked it as one of the best options, and after visiting the sites, we picked Hostfully.
Vendor Response
Thank you for your wonderful feedback, Joel! We're delighted to hear that Hostfully is perfect for your vacation rental guidebook needs and that the interface is easy for both you and your guests to understand and access. We're glad you appreciate the simplicity of generating a link and creating a PDF version to send directly to guests. We apologize for the inconvenience you've encountered with updating guidebook recommendations. We're thrilled that Hostfully has been a clean, easy-to-understand solution for you at a good price point. It's fantastic to hear that you've received compliments from guests and no complaints regarding the guidebook. Thank you once again for choosing Hostfully! :)
Replied May 2023
Sophia
Hospitality, 2-10 employees
Used weekly for less than 12 months
OVERALL RATING:
3
EASE OF USE
3
VALUE FOR MONEY
3
CUSTOMER SUPPORT
3
FUNCTIONALITY
3
Reviewed November 2023
Hostfully Guidebooks
Ease of use and very helpful for assisting guest
Salma
Hospitality, 2-10 employees
Used weekly for more than 2 years
OVERALL RATING:
4
EASE OF USE
4
FUNCTIONALITY
4
Reviewed May 2023
Digital Guidebooks Helpful for Vacation Rental
I like that it is an easy way to create and share house rules, check-in information, property specific info. This is all really important information that guests need to have, and even though we have a printed House Manual at the property, it is essential to have something digital. I like that it is an easy link to share with guests and they can access it from anywhere.
PROSI like the way the digital guidebook is set up with "cards" for each category, and that it is easy to send to guests so that they can have all the important information in one place.
CONSNot really. Overall the set up was pretty easy and straight forward.
Reason for choosing Hostfully Guidebooks
I chose Hostfully because it seemed easy to use, I appreciated the free option on the first listing and it was fairly easy to set up.
Vendor Response
Thank you for your positive feedback on Hostfully's digital guidebooks for vacation rentals, Salma! We're glad to hear that you appreciate the way the guidebook is set up with cards for each category and find it easy to send to guests, allowing them to have all the important information in one place. We're pleased to know that the overall setup process was straightforward and that you chose Hostfully because of its ease of use, the availability of a free option for the first listing, and the ease of creating and sharing house rules, check-in information, and property-specific details. We agree that having digital information is crucial for guests, and we're glad you find it convenient to share the guidebook link with guests, making it accessible from anywhere. Thank you for choosing Hostfully Guidebooks! :)
Replied May 2023
Ismael
Hospitality, 2-10 employees
Used daily for less than 2 years
OVERALL RATING:
5
EASE OF USE
4
VALUE FOR MONEY
4
CUSTOMER SUPPORT
5
FUNCTIONALITY
4
Reviewed March 2023
Hostfully Guidebooks the best option for your gests
Overall my experience has been very good and I think it is a very good option to digitize the guidebook of the apartment to make it easier to use and understand for the guest, besides being able to consult it beforehand in case there is any doubt or problem.
PROSHow easy it is to customize all the templates to meet your needs, Hostfully gives you the perfect structure and space to tailor the message to your guests in the way you see it fits.
CONSI would like the market place area to be more thought out so that you can offer your own services. This can be done, but in terms of quality and product placemente, it is noticeable that the options that Hostfully brings for its commercial agreements are more careful and have more options to be more attractive to the guest.
Vendor Response
Thank you for your kind review of Hostfully Guidebooks, Ismael ! We are thrilled to hear that you find our platform easy to use and customize to meet your needs. We appreciate your feedback regarding the marketplace area, We are glad to hear that you have had a positive overall experience with Hostfully Guidebooks, and that our platform has helped to digitize your apartment guidebook and make it more accessible to your guests. Thank you for choosing Hostfully Guidebooks, and we look forward to continuing working with you! :)
Replied March 2023
Stefani
Hospitality, 51-200 employees
Used daily for less than 12 months
OVERALL RATING:
5
EASE OF USE
5
VALUE FOR MONEY
5
CUSTOMER SUPPORT
5
FUNCTIONALITY
5
Reviewed September 2019
Great platform. Great support.
We've had a very positive experience with Hostfully thus far. During the onboarding process, we got one-on-one training along with best practices recommendations that helped us improve the quality of our guidebooks. We didn't feel like we made this investment and then were left to figure things out on our own. Implementation was a daunting task for us as we have hundreds of properties, but Hostfully was so easy to use that we were able to get all of them set up within a week or two. We've also made recommendations to Hostfully about new features or improvements we'd like to see based on our experience using the platform, and they care about our opinions. We've already seen some development changes based on those recommendations, and we appreciate that so much!
PROSWe loved the concept, first and foremost, but what really sold us was how user-friendly it was for the host AND the guest. We wanted the guest experience to be easy for them so our guests felt empowered to answer their own questions and troubleshoot without having to sit on the phone with a guest relations specialist while on their vacation. We put answers in their fingertips and helped set an appropriate expectation pre-arrival.
CONSThere were initially some limitations to the way we wanted to display content to our guests, but since we discussed it with our rep, they have adjusted the software to give us more freedom. I can't think of a negative that is still relevant.
Donald
Hospitality, 2-10 employees
Used weekly for less than 6 months
OVERALL RATING:
5
EASE OF USE
5
VALUE FOR MONEY
5
CUSTOMER SUPPORT
5
FUNCTIONALITY
5
Reviewed January 2023
A fantastic Tool
I love the Guidebook. It was super easy to set up and I had it up and going in no time. Customer support was great in the early stages of implementation as well. I quickly customized it and am now sending it out to my prospective guests before they arrive at my property. I am also encouraging them to share it with friends as a marketing tool for myself and as a way for them to share their experience in Colorado and encourage their friends and family to enjoy the same great experience they had.
PROSThis software provides needed information about my vacation rental including rules and policies, amenities, appliances, "how to's", as well as information about local activities, events, places of interest,, etc. The software is very usable, and attractive and helps my vacation rental to stand out from others who don't use such a tool. It is a time seizure as well Because it helps to answer questions before my guests even ask them.
CONSReally, I can't find anything to complain about regarding this software. I would like to be able to self-brand it but that may be a feature available at higher levels of account membership, though I am not sure.
Reason for choosing Hostfully Guidebooks
I really didn't look into any other competitors. I found Hostfully. The demos looked great so I simply went with it. The price was right and I am very glad I chose to use it.
Vendor Response
Thank you so much for taking the time to leave such a fantastic review, Donald! We are delighted to hear that our software has been able to provide you with all the necessary information about your vacation rental and help it stand out among others. We're glad to hear that our Guidebook feature has been easy to set up and that you've received great customer support during implementation. Regarding the branding feature, it is available at higher levels of account membership, and we'll be happy to provide more information if you're interested. Once again, thank you for choosing Hostfully, and we look forward to being a part of your vacation rental success in the future :)
Replied March 2023
Tod
Hospitality, 2-10 employees
Used daily for more than 2 years
OVERALL RATING:
5
EASE OF USE
5
VALUE FOR MONEY
5
CUSTOMER SUPPORT
5
FUNCTIONALITY
5
Reviewed July 2019
This is a RAD Guidebook ((Ridiculously Awesome Digital)
As a tourism professional, I'm a very big fan of products that make my life easier. When paired with the fact the Hostfully Guidebooks product also helps to make the experience of my valued clients better, it is a winning platform. I couldn't be more pleased.
PROSIn 2017, I implemented the Hostfully Hospitality Guide into my four, vacation-rental properties here in the mountain resort community of Kimberley, British Columbia. It's such a friendly way to share the key information, partially-required for my guests to have a 5-Star experience. Once set-up, the ease of use and integration into my Property Mangement System leads really helps me come across as knowing what the heck my business is doing:)
CONSLike any SAAS, it takes a bit of learning and with all the awesome updates, I still need to take the time to process and integrate all the improvements.
Paul
Hospitality, 2-10 employees
Used monthly for more than 2 years
OVERALL RATING:
5
EASE OF USE
5
VALUE FOR MONEY
5
CUSTOMER SUPPORT
5
FUNCTIONALITY
5
Reviewed March 2022
Save yourself time while improving your guests' experiences (win-win)
It's no easy feat to manage over 100 vacation homes/rentals. An even bigger challenge is when they're all full of guests! This is where Hostfully guidebooks came in and saved the day. I've been using Hostfully's guidebooks for over 3 years and our guests love them. They find the information and recommendations we provide extremely helpful and because of it, we believe, they enjoy their stay more. Importantly, they are intuitive for first-time users and easy to dive right into. I was never asked by any guests for instructions or for help using them. We provide a QR code in each property which guests can scan to access the guidebook and voila! The management side is very easy and user-friendly. I was able to create almost 100 guidebooks for different unique homes in just 3 days! Hostfully also makes it easy and quick to update the guidebooks using a super-efficient "card" system which I love (it's genius). I used to create and update guidebooks by using a word processor, a very manual and time-consuming approach I would not recommend from the moment Hostfully is around. It's a no-brainer, really... Give it a try!
CONSNone comes to mind, honestly. I provided feedback for improvements when I first started working with Hostfully and the team was always so receptive and appreciated our feedback. They implemented so many improvements since then... so, what I saw as "cons" in the early days have been more or less ironed out.
Carol
Hospitality, 1 employee
Used daily for less than 12 months
OVERALL RATING:
5
EASE OF USE
5
VALUE FOR MONEY
5
CUSTOMER SUPPORT
5
FUNCTIONALITY
5
Reviewed March 2022
Essential tool for every vacation rental host
My vacation rental is in another state, so I'm unable to visit as often as I'd like to. A paper guidebook really wouldn't be ideal me. Hostfully allows me to provide a wealth of information to my guests, and allows me to update the content from home at any time. Of the software tools I use to manage my rental, this is one I never second guess.
PROSHostfully is easy to use from both a host and guest perspective. I can easily add or update content, and the web interface is intuitive enough for guests to navigate around the site without any help. The free version is great, but the features that come with the paid version allow me so much more flexibility. I love creating my own custom categories! I also like being able to create/personalize links for each guest, and have the links expire on the date I specify.
CONSNothing... while there is always room for improvements/new features, I'm really love/value the software very much.
Reason for choosing Hostfully Guidebooks
I found the overall web experience (from guest perspective) more to my liking
Mark
Hospitality, 2-10 employees
Used daily for more than 2 years
OVERALL RATING:
4
EASE OF USE
3
VALUE FOR MONEY
3
CUSTOMER SUPPORT
3
FUNCTIONALITY
3
Reviewed May 2023
Does What It Shoud - but no more
It looks good to have a digital product - not sure how much guests value it in practice
PROSThe basic premise is great and it works well in theory
CONSNo analytics severely limits how you can judge vfm
Reason for choosing Hostfully Guidebooks
can't remember
Vendor Response
Thank you for your feedback on our product, Mark. We appreciate your thoughts and are glad to hear that it functions as intended. We value your feedback and look forward to keep working together! :)
Replied May 2023
Hannah
Leisure, Travel & Tourism, 2-10 employees
Used daily for more than 2 years
OVERALL RATING:
5
EASE OF USE
5
VALUE FOR MONEY
5
CUSTOMER SUPPORT
5
FUNCTIONALITY
5
Reviewed August 2022
Highly recommend this software
Great experience all round, I have needed help once and it was so easy to contact someone at customer service and they talked me through on the phone and solved my issue!
PROSSo easy to use, easy to navigate as a guest as well as the creator.
CONSNothing, the software does everything I wanted it to do!
Reason for choosing Hostfully Guidebooks
Recommended by a Hospitality forum I am a member of.
Vendor Response
Thanks a lot for the awesome review, Hannah! We're happy to know you find the Guidebook easy to use and hit the mark for you. Thank you for being a loyal Hostfully user. :)
Replied October 2022
Karen
Leisure, Travel & Tourism, 1 employee
Used weekly for more than 2 years
OVERALL RATING:
5
EASE OF USE
4
VALUE FOR MONEY
5
CUSTOMER SUPPORT
5
FUNCTIONALITY
5
Reviewed May 2023
Hostfully Makes Life Easy
Love this product
PROSGreat source to provide vacation home information for guests
CONSFilling out all the information and not knowing exactly what I was doing.
Reason for choosing Hostfully Guidebooks
Ease of use, guests can easily look at our vacation home information from phone.
Vendor Response
Thank you for your review, Karen! We're thrilled to hear that Hostfully has made your life easier and has been a great source for providing vacation home information to your guests. We understand that filling out all the information might have been confusing, and we apologize for any inconvenience caused. It's great to know that the ease of use and mobile accessibility have been beneficial for your guests. We're glad you love our product! :)
Replied June 2023
Marilyn
Leisure, Travel & Tourism, 1 employee
Used weekly for less than 2 years
OVERALL RATING:
5
EASE OF USE
5
VALUE FOR MONEY
5
FUNCTIONALITY
5
Reviewed September 2019
Perfect Guide for My Vacation Rental
Overall positive experience
PROSI'm not sure how I found out about the Hostfully Guide, but it couldn't have come around at a better time. I had my own personalized guide, but every time it needed updating it was a major time consuming project. What I like the best is the ease in which I can update and how my guests can access it on their phone, laptop, tablet or computer. Plus they can also pass it along to other family members or friends who will also be staying at our home. Another wonderful feature is that it incorporates both the house manual plus tips on where to dine, shop, visit, etc. I've already promoted the Hostfully Guide several times when new vacation rental managers or owners ask for some tips on how to provide this very information to their guests. And since I only have one home the price is right (FREE!)
CONSThere isn't anything I don't like about it.
Reasons for switching to Hostfully Guidebooks
Ease of use and availability for my guests.
Monica
Hospitality, 1 employee
Used weekly for less than 2 years
OVERALL RATING:
5
EASE OF USE
5
VALUE FOR MONEY
5
CUSTOMER SUPPORT
5
FUNCTIONALITY
5
Reviewed August 2022
Level Up Your Hospitality Brand with Hostfully!
Offering a customized electronic guidebook for our guests adds value for their stay and experience here at the Chick Inn on Main in Summerville, SC. Guests are always extremely impressed with the link and QR Code!
PROSI currently only use this software for the electronic guidebook feature and I love how easy it is to create new recommendations/cards! Love how I can customize my own pictures for each restaurant/attraction/location that I add. I have the QR code in a frame for our guests staying at our home, in addition to sending them our custom link immediately after they book with us!
CONSIntegration and the ease of use is amazing. I truly don't have any areas for improvement to suggest on behalf of Hostfully's electronic guidebook feature.
Vendor Response
Monica, thank you so much for the amazing review! We're delighted to know you love your experience and manage everything with ease. It's awesome to know your guests are exceptionally impressed too! Thanks again :)
Replied October 2022
Nicki
Hospitality, 2-10 employees
Used weekly for more than 2 years
OVERALL RATING:
5
EASE OF USE
5
VALUE FOR MONEY
5
CUSTOMER SUPPORT
5
FUNCTIONALITY
5
Reviewed May 2022
Much better than others in their field
This saves us so much time as an extension to our FAQ page on our website.
PROSWe have the paid version as we have several properties - we love it's ease for guests, the layout is user friendly and for us it is easy to add to and distribute. Particularly like the language translation features as our guests are multi national.
CONSAt the moment there are some glitches in the translation tool but I understand this is being worked on.
Reason for choosing Hostfully Guidebooks
Value for money and that it was free when we started with one property, although we soon moved onto paid as we did not like the adverts on the free version which were completely irrelevant due to our location.
Haley
Real Estate, 1 employee
Used weekly for less than 2 years
OVERALL RATING:
5
EASE OF USE
5
VALUE FOR MONEY
5
CUSTOMER SUPPORT
5
FUNCTIONALITY
5
Reviewed May 2023
Haley says you need Hostfully
These are so easy to put together and so necessary for my business. Every guest receives one before and during checkin at one of my Airbnb Locations.
CONSIt is a little tricky to navigate when putting it together.
Vendor Response
Thank you for your great feedback, Haley! We're glad to hear that you find Hostfully's guidebooks easy to put together and essential for your business. We understand that navigating the platform while putting the guidebook together can be a bit tricky, and we apologize for any inconvenience caused. We're constantly working to improve the user experience and make the process smoother. Thank you for choosing Hostfully.
Replied May 2023
Juan Miguel
Hospitality, 11-50 employees
Used daily for less than 2 years
OVERALL RATING:
5
EASE OF USE
5
VALUE FOR MONEY
5
CUSTOMER SUPPORT
5
FUNCTIONALITY
5
Reviewed May 2023
Very good product
It helps our team communicate and work together. It elevates our guest experience.
CONSNo significant cons to the product. Overall happy with the experience.
Mark
Consumer Services, 2-10 employees
Used weekly for more than 2 years
OVERALL RATING:
5
EASE OF USE
5
VALUE FOR MONEY
5
CUSTOMER SUPPORT
5
FUNCTIONALITY
5
Reviewed September 2019
Hostfully Guidebooks
We get awesome response from our guests when we send them the link to our Guidebooks, with all our property details and recommendations. They like that they can easily navigate through these, and that the recommendations we set up can then take them to websites about the activity/place to find out more. It's been good having additional features added such as being able to produce custom categories.
PROSI like the way the final product presents to our Short Term Rental Guests, and the way you can apply changes or add features across multiple properties easily.
CONSThat it doesn't give a very good printed version of the Guidebook
John
Hospitality, 2-10 employees
Used weekly for less than 2 years
OVERALL RATING:
5
EASE OF USE
5
VALUE FOR MONEY
5
CUSTOMER SUPPORT
5
FUNCTIONALITY
5
Reviewed September 2019
Easy and useful platform
Sharing Holiday Rental information with our guests before arrival and during their stay.
PROSThe software is very easy to set up and to update when necessary, with many options to enrich the added information. The structure is perfect for the content needed and demanded for a Holiday Rental, with friendly "Cards". One of the favourite is to be a able to put the name of the recommended business and the platform displays the map automatically. It is a good tool to share information with our customers in a browser environment rather than an app. This can be used but almost every guest.
CONSThere are no Cons. We haven't had a problem or a negative issue since we started using this platform.
Tahirah
Hospitality, 1 employee
Used daily for less than 2 years
OVERALL RATING:
5
EASE OF USE
5
VALUE FOR MONEY
5
CUSTOMER SUPPORT
5
FUNCTIONALITY
5
Reviewed September 2019
Great hospitality platform
I love that I have everything in one place and I could just send a link to my guests or print out each portion needing printed. It's very easy to use for both owners and guests.
PROSEasy to use Self explanatory User friendly Useful and great for guests Nicely designed
CONSThere's nothing I do not like except I'm not sure how secure it is.
Eric
Hospitality, 1 employee
Used monthly for less than 2 years
OVERALL RATING:
5
EASE OF USE
5
FUNCTIONALITY
5
Reviewed May 2023
Using for one Rental
Easy to use and easy to provide to my guests. I don't have any negative feedback and am appreciative of all that Hostfully does!
PROSIt is easy to manage and I was able to create my unique URL. The information I can add here is great for my guests!
CONSThe only thing I wish worked easier is the categorization of cards when I find them. A lot of them come up as Other when they are obviously Places To Eat or Attractions. This is a minimal gripe and can be adjusted easily though.
Vendor Response
Thank you for your kind review, Eric! We're thrilled to hear that it has been easy to manage and that you were able to create a unique URL. It's great to know that the information you can add is valuable for your guests. We apologize for any inconvenience you've experienced with the categorization of cards. We truly appreciate your positive feedback and support. :)
Replied May 2023
Maria
Hospitality, 2-10 employees
Used monthly for less than 2 years
OVERALL RATING:
5
EASE OF USE
5
VALUE FOR MONEY
5
CUSTOMER SUPPORT
5
FUNCTIONALITY
5
Reviewed May 2023
A Great Guest
We are very happy with the the Guidebooks and find it very helpful even for our staff.
PROSThe guide book is very easy to use and most of all we can send the link to our guests so that they can read our policies and ask questions, make suggestions and or comments before they arrive.
CONSAt present we are very happy with the Guide books and dont see any negatives.
Vendor Response
Thank you for your positive review, Maria! We're delighted to hear that our guidebook has been easy to use and beneficial for both your guests and staff. It's wonderful that you appreciate the ability to share policies, gather feedback, and facilitate communication before guests arrive. We're glad to have met your needs and look forward to continuing to provide you with a great experience. Thank you for choosing Hostfully!
Replied August 2023
Erin
Hospitality, 1 employee
Used monthly for more than 2 years
OVERALL RATING:
5
EASE OF USE
5
VALUE FOR MONEY
5
FUNCTIONALITY
5
Reviewed May 2023
It’s very good, user friendly.
User friendly
PROSI appreciate that this is available for basic use for free. I have never need upgraded features. But if I ever do, I’d want to go with Hostfully because it’s just so intuitively built for the user - it doesn’t suck up my time trying to figure out how to design anything.
CONSNothing. I wouldn’t like to have to pay for it. Most of our communication and agreements and all payments happen on vacation rental sites like AirBnb or VRBO. Hostfully, as I use it, is a “nice to have”.