Existing guidebooks are not affected when you change your defaults. Only new guidebooks pick them up.
Why use Guidebook defaults?
If you manage multiple properties, you'll likely have settings that are the same across most or all of them — your contact name, your brand colours, your logo, your check-in time. Without defaults, you'd configure these on every single guidebook individually.
With Guidebook defaults:
Set your standard values once
Every new guidebook inherits them automatically
Override on any individual guidebook whenever something is different for that property
How to get there
You can access Guidebook defaults in two ways:
From inside a guidebook — click the Guidebook defaults link (top-right area of the guidebook page)
From the Account library — use the Guidebook defaults shortcut
What you can set as defaults
Guidebook defaults are organised into four sections that mirror the tabs inside each guidebook:
Property info defaults
Setting | What it controls |
Timezone | The default timezone for new guidebooks — drives check-in/check-out, messaging and scheduling |
Check-in / Check-out | Default check-in and check-out times |
Contact details | Default contact name, email and phone number shown to guests |
Languages | Default display languages for your guidebooks |
Meta Title & Description | Default meta title and description used for search engines and link previews |
Branding defaults
Setting | What it controls |
Logo & Icons | Default logo (displayed on the guidebook cover and Info tab) and favicon (shown when saved to a guest's phone) |
Map home pin style | Default style for the property pin on the guidebook map |
Fonts & Colours | Default font and colour scheme for your guidebooks |
Cover Font Colour & Image Overlay | Default cover page text colour and overlay opacity |
General Features
Setting | What it controls |
Leave a review pop-up | Whether the review prompt is enabled by default on new guidebooks |
Contact Collection | Whether the contact collection form is enabled by default |
Custom domain settings | Your custom domain configuration (account-wide) |
Content feedback | Whether guests can leave feedback on individual topics |
I Love This Guide Pop-up | Whether the engagement pop-up is enabled by default |
Include QR Code on PDF | Whether QR codes are included when a guidebook is exported to PDF |
OTA Compliance Centre | Compliance options for online travel agencies |
Touch Stay API | API access settings |
How defaults and overrides work
Every tab inside a guidebook has a "Use Guidebook defaults" toggle.
Toggle setting | What happens |
On (default for new guidebooks) | The guidebook inherits the value from your Guidebook defaults. If you update the default later, this guidebook updates too. |
Off | The guidebook uses its own value. Changes to the default won't affect it. |
This means:
A new guidebook starts with all toggles on — it inherits everything from your defaults
You only switch a toggle off when a specific guidebook needs a different value
You can switch a toggle back on at any time to re-inherit the default
A practical example
You manage five properties. Four of them share the same check-in time (3:00 PM), contact details and brand colours. One property has a different check-in time (4:00 PM).
You set your Guidebook defaults: check-in at 3:00 PM, your standard contact details and brand colours.
You create five guidebooks. All five inherit the defaults automatically.
On the one property with a 4:00 PM check-in, you go to the Check-in & Wi-Fi access tab, switch "Use Guidebook defaults" to off, and set the time to 4:00 PM.
Later, you change your phone number. You update it once in Guidebook defaults. All five guidebooks pick up the change — including the one with the different check-in time, because its contact details toggle is still on.
One update. Five guidebooks updated. One override preserved.
Setting a guidebook value as the new default
Each tab inside a guidebook also has an "Apply as default" option. This takes the values you've set on that specific guidebook and saves them as your new Guidebook defaults.
This is useful when you've configured a guidebook exactly how you want it and want all future guidebooks to start the same way.
⚠️ Note: Applying as default updates your Guidebook defaults for new guidebooks going forward. Existing guidebooks that have their toggle set to on will also pick up the change. Existing guidebooks with the toggle set to off won't be affected.
Do defaults affect existing guidebooks?
It depends on the toggle:
Existing guidebook toggle | What happens when you change a default |
"Use Guidebook defaults" is on | ✅ The guidebook picks up the change |
"Use Guidebook defaults" is off | ❌ The guidebook is unaffected — it uses its own value |
When you first create your defaults, no existing guidebooks are changed. They only start inheriting if you go into each one and switch the toggle on.
Guidebook defaults vs. General settings
These are two different things in the new Hub:
| Guidebook defaults | General settings |
What it controls | Values that new guidebooks inherit (property info, branding, features) | Account-wide options that aren't guidebook-specific (translations, OTA compliance, downloads) |
Can be overridden per guidebook? | Yes — via the "Use Guidebook defaults" toggle | No — these apply to your whole account |
Where to find it | Guidebook defaults link (top-right of a guidebook, or Account library shortcut) | General settings in the left sidebar |
Quick reference
I want to... | Do this |
Set standard values for all new guidebooks | Open Guidebook defaults and configure each section |
Override a default on one guidebook | Open the guidebook → relevant tab → switch "Use Guidebook defaults" to off → set your value |
Re-inherit the default on a guidebook | Open the guidebook → relevant tab → switch "Use Guidebook defaults" back to on |
Make a guidebook's settings the new default | Open the guidebook → relevant tab → click "Apply as default" |
Change a default and have existing guidebooks pick it up | Update Guidebook defaults — any existing guidebook with the toggle on will inherit the change |