You can add custom fields to both your listings page and the reservation page, providing an extra layer of information. Custom fields allow you to customize specific parameters or preferences for your listings and distinguish between different reservations for the same listing.
You can use custom fields to filter or add layers of information to your reservation reports. Also, custom fields can be added as variables to your automated messages.
Learn more about our custom fields' best practices.
There are two types of custom fields you can add:
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Property custom fields
These are used to differentiate between listings, so that different listings can have different values for the same custom field. For example, add the custom field “Dogs allowed?” (with a Yes/No variable value). Some listings may show the value “Yes”, while others will show the value “No”. -
Reservation custom fields
These are used to differentiate between same-listing reservations, so that different reservations for the same listing will show different values for the same custom field. For example: add a reservation custom field of “Guest’s birthday”. One reservation may show the value “06/11” while another may display “08/30”.
Limitations:
- You cannot use the same name for different custom fields.
- You can change the way you use your custom field after it is created, but you can’t edit the field name, variable name, or type after saving the custom field.
- While changing a custom field name is not supported, you can create a new custom field and manually copy the values from the old field to the new one. If you need to bulk update a large number of values, contact us. Alternatively, you can delete the custom field and create a new one instead.
- Including dynamic variables inside custom fields is not supported and will cause an automated message to fail.
- Guesty does not support nested custom fields. Although you can create custom fields within other custom fields, they cannot be sent in an automated message. If included, the automated message will fail to send.
Creating a new custom field
To create a custom field, you must have the relevant user role.
Follow these steps to create custom fields.
Step by step:
- Sign in to your Guesty account.
- In the top navigation bar, click the icon dropdown menu and select Operations mode.
- Click Automations and select Custom fields.
- Under Custom fields, click either the Properties or Reservations tab, depending on the type of custom field you'd like to create.
- Click on New custom field.
- Fill in the required fields:
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Field name
This is the custom field’s name. Keep in mind, the field name automatically changes to the acceptable format once you type it in.
For example: Are dogs allowed? might change to are_dogs_allowed? -
Variable name
This will be automatically created according to the field’s name.
For example: {{are_dogs_allowed?}} -
Type
There are several types you can choose from, including number, date, free text, and yes/no values.
- When you create an "Options" custom field, create the different options you wish to associate with this field.
If you create "Team member" or "Contacts" custom fields, after finishing the setup, navigate to your listing's custom fields section. Then, from the dropdown menu, select the relevant option.
- When you create an "Options" custom field, create the different options you wish to associate with this field.
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Visibility
Switch the visibility of the custom field on or off for per users permissions.
"Public" is the default setting and enables all users to view the custom field in the reports.
To allow visibility only for users with the relevant permissions, switch the toggle on and it will change to "Restricted". -
Mandatory (reservations)
You can make a custom field mandatory to fill in when creating a manual reservation. Switch the toggle on to set a field as mandatory.
All reservation custom fields will be shown under "Extra information". When creating a manual reservation, you are required to fill in only the ones marked as "Mandatory".
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Field name
- Click Save.
- Once you've created a custom field, adjust its value according to the relevant listing/reservation it relates to.
Tip:
To set a custom field as a link, select text from the type options. When entering the custom field value, input the link directly into the textbox without any additional text. Learn more about adjusting custom field values.
Editing an existing custom field
You can change the visibility of the custom field after it is created, or make a reservation field mandatory or optional upon creating a manual reservation. However, you can’t edit the field name, variable name, or type after saving the custom field. If you need to change a custom field name, you can delete the custom field and create a new custom field instead.
Step by step:
- Sign in to your Guesty account.
- In the top navigation bar, click the icon drop-down menu and select Operations mode.
- Click Automations and select Custom fields.
- Under Custom fields, click either the Properties or Reservations tab.
- Locate the relevant custom field.
- Switch the “Visibility” toggle (for properties) or the "Mandatory" toggle (for reservations) on or off.
- Click Save.
Deleting an existing custom field
You can delete a custom field at any time. Once a custom field has been deleted, the data that was entered into it will be erased from Guesty.
Important:
- If there is a variable in an automated message's text, but the corresponding custom field was deleted, the automated message will not be sent.
- If a custom field with a Yes/No field type was added as a sending condition to an automated message, remove this sending condition before deleting the custom field. Otherwise, the message won't be sent to the relevant reservations.
Step by step:
- Sign in to your Guesty account.
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In the top navigation bar, click the icon dropdown menu and select Operations mode.
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Click Automations and select Custom fields.
- Under Custom fields, click either the Properties or Reservations tab.
- Locate the relevant custom field.
- Click the trash bin icon on the right.
- Click the Delete button in the popup window.
Viewing a custom field placeholder
Follow the instructions below to view your custom field placeholder.
Step by step:
- Sign in to your Guesty account.
- In the top navigation bar, click the mode selector and select Operations mode.
- Click Automations, then select Custom fields.
- Under Custom fields, click either the Properties or Reservations tab.
The placeholders are shown in the "Variable" column.