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How to create a new guidebook

Creating a guidebook starts with one button and three clear paths. Pick the one that fits — import from an existing listing, copy a guidebook you've already built, or start fresh.

Prefer to watch? The video above walks through how to create a new guidebook. Prefer to read? Everything covered in the video is written out below.

Table of contents:

How to get started

  1. Open the Guidebooks section from the left sidebar.

  2. Click Create Guidebook.

  3. The "Create new guide" window opens with your creation paths.

Notes: "Clone existing guidebook" only appears once you already have at least one guidebook in your account. "Start with Online listing" is offered for Short-term rental, B&B/Inn/Lodge, Glamping, Camping and Hotel/Resort accounts; other account types see a "Start with PDF file" card marked Coming soon in its place. "Start from scratch" is always available.

Path 1: Start with an online listing

Best for: Getting a guidebook set up quickly from an existing Airbnb or Booking.com property listing.

  1. Select Start with Online listing.

  2. Click Start with URL.

  3. Paste your Airbnb or Booking.com listing URL and click Next.

  4. Wait while we fetch your listing data — you'll see a short progress checklist (analyzing the URL, fetching contact info, getting your property location, checking for amenities, summarizing everything). This usually takes 15–20 seconds.

  5. On the Review your property details screen, check the imported property name, location and cover photo, and preview how your guidebook will look with your branding applied. 💡 Tip: double-check the imported location — it doesn't always land exactly right, so it's worth confirming before continuing. Click Next: Content.

  6. Choose how to fill in your content: Re-use content from existing guidebook (select the guidebook to reuse; the parts they share stay synced) or Use listing data only (builds fresh content from your listing, ignoring your Content Hub). Click Next: Generate content.

  7. If you see One last thing... (Add missing Field codes), enter values for the field codes listed and click Proceed, or click Skip.

  8. Wait while your guidebook is generated — another short progress checklist appears (creating topic content, writing section guides, finalizing your guidebook), typically taking 25–30 seconds or a little more.

💡 Tip: If your new content doesn't appear right away in the Guidebook Content tab, refresh the page.

📖 Learn more: How to import a guidebook from Airbnb or Booking.com

Path 2: Clone an existing guidebook

Best for: Adding a new property that's similar to one you've already set up — same layout, same local area content, similar house rules.

  1. Select Clone existing guidebook.

  2. Choose the guidebook you want to copy from the dropdown on the card. The first guidebook in the list is selected for you.

  3. Click Clone guidebook.

You'll see a confirmation message once it's done, and the new guidebook's name gets a "(copy)" suffix automatically so you can tell it apart from the original.

Here's what happens to your content:

What

What happens

Topics

Shared, not copied. The new guidebook gets its own tag, linked to the same topics as the original, so editing one of these topics changes it in both guidebooks. To give the new guidebook its own version of a topic, open it there and choose Duplicate topic.

Settings, branding and cover photos

Copied to the new guidebook

Guidebook-specific changes (custom field values, custom element and topic customisations)

Copied to the new guidebook

After cloning, open the new guidebook and update the property-specific details — name, address, cover photo, check-in times, and any topics that should differ from the original.

Path 3: Start from scratch

Best for: Building a guidebook with a completely clean slate, or when your first guidebook is very different from your existing ones.

  1. Select Start from scratch.

  2. On the Add New Guide screen, enter your Guide/Property name (the only required field) and, if you'd like, the street address, city/town, region/state, postcode and country. Click Next.

  3. On the next screen, upload a cover photo (optional). If your account already has guidebooks, you can also pick tags under Select Tags. Click Create.

Your guidebook starts blank — you can reuse any part of your existing content or create new content from here.

What happens when your guidebook is created

Regardless of which path you choose, your new guidebook opens on the Property info tab. From there, click into Guidebook Content to reach the two-pane editor (content tree on the left, live guest preview on the right).

📖 Learn more: The new Hub – overview & navigation

After creating your guidebook

Here's a suggested order to get your new guidebook guest-ready:

Step

Where

Set your property name, contact details, address and timezone

Property info tab

Set check-in and check-out times

Check-in & Wi-Fi access tab

Add your content — arrival instructions, accommodation info, local area recommendations

Guidebook Content tab

Upload your cover photo, logo and set your colours

Appearance tab

Configure meta title, PIN access and other features

Settings tab

Share your guidebook with guests

Invite guests button

📖 Learn more: Guidebook Essentials

What's different from the legacy Hub?

Both Hubs use the same three creation paths (online listing, clone, from scratch). What differs:

Legacy Hub

New Hub

Start from + Add guide on the Guides page

Start from Create Guidebook on the Guidebooks page

No account-level defaults — set up each guide separately

New guidebooks pick up your Guidebook defaults automatically

🤝 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.

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