Table of contents:
Why OTA compliance matters
If you receive bookings through online travel agents (OTAs) such as Airbnb, many of these platforms have rules about what can be included in guest messages or in links shared through their messaging systems.
For example, some OTAs restrict:
Promoting direct bookings outside the OTA
Collecting guest contact details for marketing purposes
Asking guests to leave reviews on other platforms
To help you stay compliant while still sharing your Touch Stay guidebook, the OTA Compliance Centre automatically adjusts certain guide features when the guide is opened through an OTA invitation.
⚠️ Important: OTA policies can change from time to time. We recommend reviewing the terms and conditions of every OTA you work with to make sure you remain compliant. Touch Stay cannot guarantee compliance with every OTA policy.
Relevant OTA policies
The main OTA policies about guest messaging and links shared with guests that may affect your Touch Stay guide features are:
Not promoting booking sources other than the OTA (for example your own "book direct" website).
Not collecting guest contact details for reasons not connected with their stay (such as future marketing).
Not asking for reviews on platforms other than the OTA.
Touch Stay features affected
These Touch Stay features let guests submit their contact details, with the option to ask permission to use them for marketing:
Contact Collection pop-up (legacy guidebook design)
A setting lets you hide the marketing consent checkbox. When it's hidden, contacts submitted through these features are automatically labelled not for marketing purposes.
The "Enjoying your stay?" pop-up normally invites guests who give 4 or 5 stars to also leave a public review on Google or TripAdvisor, depending on the review link you've set up. A setting lets you switch this invitation off for OTA guests.
Some content in your guidebook may also break OTA policies, such as:
A topic promoting direct bookings
A topic inviting guests to join a mailing list
A third setting lets you hide topics that may not be suitable for sharing via an OTA.
How the restrictions work
Restrictions are only applied to invitation links. The Quick Share link always shows the full, unrestricted guide.
Every invitation has a Booking Source (also available as a standard field code). In the OTA Compliance Centre you:
Choose which Booking Sources count as restricted.
Choose which of the features above you want to restrict.
If an invitation's Booking Source matches one of your restricted sources, the chosen features are restricted. If it doesn't, the guest sees the full, unrestricted guide as normal.
How to set this up
Go to General settings → OTA Compliance Centre. Your changes save automatically — there's no Save button.
First, select the Booking Sources that should be treated as restricted. At least one restricted source is needed before your other choices are saved. Invitations whose Booking Source matches your selection will have the chosen features adjusted.
Then choose the features you want to modify (see below).
On the legacy Hub, the OTA Compliance Centre is on the Settings page, Preferences tab: click Edit, make your selections and click Save.
Marketing consent settings
When Hide is selected:
The marketing consent checkbox is hidden.
Any contacts collected are automatically labelled not for marketing.
External reviews settings
When Disabled is selected, for guests whose invitation has a restricted Booking Source:
Guests who give 4 or 5 stars are not invited to leave a public review on Google or TripAdvisor. Their rating is simply saved.
Touch Stay doesn't send guests to the OTA's own review page — the OTA asks its guests for reviews itself.
Ratings of 1–3 stars always go to your private feedback form, whatever this setting.
Hide sensitive topics
Select any topics whose content may not be suitable for sharing via an OTA. For example:
Looking to Book Again (if you suggest booking directly instead of via the OTA)
Join our Mailing List
How to share your guide using OTA Compliance
Using the Airbnb integration
If you use the Touch Stay Airbnb integration, this is handled automatically:
The Booking Source is set to Airbnb automatically.
Your OTA Compliance settings are applied automatically.
You don't need to create links manually.
💡 Tip: check that your Airbnb integration is active. See Airbnb integration to learn how to check or activate it.
Using a property management system (PMS) integration
If you use a PMS integration, the Booking Source usually syncs automatically once the integration is fully set up and reservations are syncing correctly.
With Hospitable, the Booking Source is taken from the platform Hospitable reports for the reservation (for example Airbnb, Booking.com, VRBO or Direct). If Touch Stay doesn't recognise the platform, or the reservation has none, the Booking Source is set to Other OTA. To restrict those bookings, add Other OTA to your restricted Booking Sources.
⚠️ Important: check the integration article for your PMS to make sure the integration setup is fully completed.
Sharing the guide without the Airbnb integration
If you don't use the Airbnb integration, you can still apply OTA Compliance by creating an invitation with the right Booking Source. The invitation form is the same in both Hubs:
Go to Messaging & Chat → Invitations (legacy Hub: Message Hub → Invitations) and click Invite guests.
Enter the guest's details.
Click Show more and set Booking source to Airbnb (it's set to Manual by default).
Click Next to create the invitation, then copy the guest's Unique invitation link (or later, use the (⋯) menu on the invitation and choose Copy link).
Paste the link into your Airbnb message.
💡 Best practice: if you do this regularly, we recommend the Airbnb integration instead. It automates the process, sets the Booking Source for you and applies OTA Compliance without manual setup.
How to check your Booking Source
If you're unsure whether the Booking Source is being applied correctly, you can check it in your Touch Stay account:
Go to Messaging & Chat → Invitations.
Click the (⋯) menu in the table header, open the column options, select Booking Source and save. The column is hidden by default.
Find a booking that shows Airbnb (or another OTA) as the Booking Source.
Click the (⋯) menu on that invitation and copy its link to view the guide exactly as the guest will see it.
⚠️ Note: when you open the guide this way, you're viewing the guest version. It also counts as a guide view, because it's recorded the same way as a guest visit.
Frequently asked questions
Can Touch Stay automatically remove all links to my website for Airbnb bookings?
Not fully. OTA Compliance hides the features and topics you select, but it doesn't scan or remove links inside your content. Any links in topic text (for example to your own website) stay visible unless you edit or remove them.
If you need stricter control, you can:
Hide topics that include external links (such as direct booking links) using Hide sensitive topics
Update your content to remove external links, or
Use a separate guide designed specifically for OTA bookings
Can I use two different guides for Airbnb and direct bookings?
Yes. This can be a good option if you want full control over your content.
However, if you use a PMS integration:
Each listing can only be linked to one guide
The system can't switch guides automatically based on the booking source
So if you use a separate Airbnb guide, you'll need to share it using its Quick Share link and add it manually to your PMS messaging templates.
💡 Note: each guide counts as a separate guide in your account, so an additional guide (for example an Airbnb-specific version) may affect your subscription.
Why are some links or content still visible in my Airbnb guide?
This usually happens when links are included directly in the text of a topic. OTA Compliance doesn't remove this type of content automatically, so review your topics, remove any external links manually, or hide the topic.
Does this guarantee full OTA compliance?
No. OTA Compliance helps you adjust your guide, but it doesn't guarantee full compliance with OTA policies. We recommend reviewing your content and each OTA's terms to make sure everything meets their requirements.
🤝 Need help?
Our Fin AI assistant is available 24/7 and typically responds in under 10 seconds. If Fin isn't able to solve your issue, our support team will take ownership of your case from there.
You can also reach out to our team at [email protected], and we'll be happy to help.