Complete the following steps to build a fully bookable website, set up secure payment processing, arrange the right insurance coverage, and prepare your business to accept direct booking reservations.
1. Create Your Website
1) Navigate to Websites in iGMS.
2) Click Create Your Website for Free.
3) Select the properties you want to publish.
4) Once your website is created, it will be assigned a generic URL. You'll use this URL in the next step when setting up Stripe.
5) Website customization.
If you manage one property:
1) Open the Website Builder.
2) Click Main Page Settings.
3) Select Property Page as the main page.
4) Select Layout.
5) Click on the Header.
6) Hide buttons/tabs by clicking on the eye sign next to them.
7) Click Save & Publish.
If you have more than 1 property:
1) Click Settings.
2) Feature the properties.
3) Go to the Website Builder.
4) Click Layout.
5) Add New Sections.
6) Select Featured/Categories.
7) Click on the Header.
8) Hide buttons/tabs.
9) Change the background picture of the search element.
10) Save & Publish. If you want to customize your website even more, please feel free to check our article on how to customize the direct booking website.
If you have any questions or need our assistance with customizing your website, please reach out to our support team in the chat at the bottom right corner or schedule a call with us.
2. Set Up Stripe
1) Create an account at Stripe.com.
2) Complete the required business information.
3) When asked for your Business Website, enter the website URL generated by iGMS.
4) Get your live account.
5) After completing your registration:
Go to Profile.
Open Payments.
Click Connect to link your Stripe account.
If you have any questions or need our assistance with registering on Stripe, please reach out to our support team in the chat or schedule a call with us.
3. Configure Google Vacation Rentals (GVR)
1) In iGMS, go to Websites.
2) Click Activate and then Open Vacation Rentals.
3) Complete your brand information.
4) Review the list of your properties.
5) If a property has a red warning triangle, it requires additional information before it can be published to Google Vacation Rentals.
For each affected property:
Click on the listing title.
Click Validate for GVR.
Resolve all red and yellow validation issues by adding the missing information.
The most common missing fields are:
Number of bedrooms
Sleeping arrangements
For more information on how to make sure the property meets Google Vacation Rental requirements, please check this article.
4. Collect Guest Contact Information
1) Set up a check-in form that will be automatically sent to all new guests.
1.1. Navigate to Documents.
1.2. Edit default check-in form.
1.3. Add/skip sections or questions you want. Make sure that the section that requires guest contact information remains.
1.4. Enable the check-in form automation.
This ensures you have the necessary contact information for future communication. For more information on how to set the form up, please visit this page.
5. Protect Your Reservations with Safely
Set up your Safely integration to protect your reservations. To enable it take the following steps:
1) Navigate to Properties.
2) Click on the property you want to cover.
3) Click More Information.
4) In the Insurance information panel, click Sign up.
5) Click Authorize.
6) After that you’ll need to come back to the previous menu and select your plan.
For more detailed guidelines on how to cover your properties with Safely, please visit this page.
To learn more about the insurance and what types of damage are covered, please visit this page.
You're All Set!
After completing the steps above, your iGMS direct booking website will be ready to accept reservations. If you need additional help, please reach out to our support team in the chat at the bottom right corner or schedule a call with us.