Digital Guest Books/ House Manuals

Agencies and other headaches, keys and cleaners, running costs and contracts...in short, all the things we spend so much of our time doing behind the scenes.<br>
Pengman
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Digital Guest Books/ House Manuals

Post by Pengman »

Has anyone replaced their hard copy guest book/house manual with a digital one? It’s an obvious way of attempting to reduce Covid 19 transmission. There’s a few out there - Touchstay.com (UK based), Hostfully.com (US based), My Stay Planner - part of supercontrol.co.uk (UK based). Any others? Any views?
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Joanna
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Post by Joanna »

I do ours in Word and for the last few years I've been exporting it as a PDF and putting a link to it on the guests page on our website. The printed copy is in a binder in the cottage too and to be honest I don't know if anyone uses the online version. They might start using it now.
Jo

Joint owner of Baker's Cottage in Chester & Chandler's Cottage in Sidmouth
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Cymraes
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Post by Cymraes »

I'm using Touchstay.

Liking it very much so far
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CSE
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Post by CSE »

Keep with paper as it is less of a far greater risk of harbouring the virus. Plastic has a far great risk associated with it.
Never try to out-stubborn your guests.
SPJ
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Post by SPJ »

CSE wrote:Keep with paper as it is less of a far greater risk of harbouring the virus. Plastic has a far great risk associated with it.
But is plastic not much easier to clean?
SusanMay
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Post by SusanMay »

I think the idea is if you use paper you give a new copy to each booking. It is what restaurants have been told to do with menus.

I've just had a look at Touchstay and it does look very professional. Just depends if you want to send $99 a year subscription. I have put the instructions on a web page too - as well as having them printed off in the cottage - and send a link to it with the password when I send out the "how to get the keys" etc email. Not sure how many people look at it though.
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greenbarn
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Post by greenbarn »

SPJ wrote:
CSE wrote:Keep with paper as it is less of a far greater risk of harbouring the virus. Plastic has a far great risk associated with it.
But is plastic not much easier to clean?
The point with these e-guestbooks is that they’re available via the guest’s own mobile or laptop, and they can also print off anything they want in advance and bring it with them.
Hence a minimum of sheets of information, paper or laminated (the general guidance is for info sheets to be laminated as it can be very easily cleaned, paper can’t), in the property.

When they were launched I guess the main selling point was the ease of updating the information, presentation, ease of access etc etc blah blah - but using them to reduce what’s in the property has probably taken over.
SPJ
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Post by SPJ »

I've got mine on Word and thought about doing the same as Joanna and converting it to a pdf file and sending it to guests before they come. As someone who doesn't have a smartphone, I'd be interested to know from those of you who have, how user-friendly is a pdf file on a smartphone screen?
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Cymraes
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Post by Cymraes »

SusanMay wrote:I think the idea is if you use paper you give a new copy to each booking. It is what restaurants have been told to do with menus.

I've just had a look at Touchstay and it does look very professional. Just depends if you want to send $99 a year subscription. I have put the instructions on a web page too - as well as having them printed off in the cottage - and send a link to it with the password when I send out the "how to get the keys" etc email. Not sure how many people look at it though.
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Joanna
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Post by Joanna »

We have a plastic ring binder with paper pages in plastic sleeves. I understand from the PASCUK cleaning guidelines that the virus lives on paper for around 30 mins and is completely gone by 3 hrs. With this in mind I'm thinking about changing to paper sheets in a card folder (no plastic sleeves). We'll have a few spares and the cleaner can check it on each changeover. If it's looking grubby or torn then she can swap it for a clean version.

I'll do the online PDF too. However, I know some of our guests are not so familiar with technology and will prefer a physical house book.
Jo

Joint owner of Baker's Cottage in Chester & Chandler's Cottage in Sidmouth
Joanna
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Post by Joanna »

In case anyone hasn't already seen it, the protocols are here:
https://www.pascuk.co.uk/standards
These are the Government recommended ones.
Jo

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SPJ
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Post by SPJ »

Thanks Joanna for the UK guidelines. Having just finished plastifying all our tourist leaflets I wonder whether I should have left them as they were!!!
I too have a welcome guide/useful info ring binder with everything in plastic sleeves, so back to paper for that.
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Post by SPJ »

I've decided to provide a fresh guest book for each set of visitors. I've watermarked it "XXX's copy" so they know it's just for them. It'll be done in basic quality paper and in a cardboard cover and then burnt after they've left.
I'll also send them a pdf version when I email them with final arrangements a couple of weeks before they arrive.
It's easy for me as I have very few guests this year.
Joanna
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Post by Joanna »

SPJ wrote:I've decided to provide a fresh guest book for each set of visitors. I've watermarked it "XXX's copy" so they know it's just for them. It'll be done in basic quality paper and in a cardboard cover and then burnt after they've left.
I'll also send them a pdf version when I email them with final arrangements a couple of weeks before they arrive.
It's easy for me as I have very few guests this year.
That's a nice idea - makes it very personal, I might do that too, thanks for the idea!
Jo

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CSE
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Post by CSE »

Plastic maybe be able to be able to be cleaned.
However, has anyone of you tried cleaning any IT equipment with any disinfectant methods/ liquids?*
IT equipment has a lot of joints which could hide a lot of "nasties".
How does the app for guests comply with GDPR (privacy laws)?



* I am old enough to remember our office phones being disinfected regularly by a specialist company. Maybe they will make a come back after years in the wideness
Never try to out-stubborn your guests.
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