Your host dashboard holds every booking, and it is the single place to look rather than relying on email notifications.
What you will find
- Upcoming bookings, with dates, guest name and number of guests
- Bookings in progress, guests currently staying or activities running
- Past bookings, with their payout status
- The price breakdown for each, including commission deducted
- A link to the message thread with each guest
Notifications
You will also be notified when a booking is made, when a guest messages you, and when a payout is being processed. Keep your contact details current so these actually reach you. Bookings confirm instantly, so a notification you miss is a guest already on their way.
Treat the dashboard as the authority rather than your inbox. Email can be delayed or filtered; the dashboard is always current.
Payout status
Each completed booking shows where its payout has got to. Payouts are generally initiated on the first Saturday morning after the guest checks out or the activity finishes, typically within 1 to 7 days, and the bank transfer can then take up to 14 days.
What to check before an arrival
Have a look the day before each arrival:
- Confirm the dates and guest numbers
- Check whether the guest has messaged with anything you need to act on
- Make sure your arrival instructions have actually been sent
Cancelled bookings
These remain visible with their status, and their dates are freed back up automatically.
If a booking is missing
If a guest says they have booked and you cannot see it, ask for their booking reference and email [email protected]. Do not turn a guest away on the basis that a booking is not showing.
Keeping records
Your dashboard is also where you pull the numbers for your own bookkeeping. You are responsible for your own tax obligations on hosting income, and the payout breakdowns are what your accountant will want.