Setup service
Switching is our job, not yours
Hostibly is vacation rental software our team sets up for you. We build your branded website, migrate your listings, connect your Stripe account and wire channel sync to Airbnb, Vrbo and Booking.com, then hand you the keys on a walkthrough call. You never touch a setup wizard.
Your listings stay live on every platform while we build
Migration checklist
Harborview Stays, handled by the Hostibly setup team
- done
Brand, photos and domain
harborviewstays.com connected
- in progress
Listings migrated
12 of 14 live
- done
Stripe connected
Payouts settle to your bank
- done
Channel sync
Airbnb and Vrbo, two-way iCal
- queued
Guest email templates
Confirmation ready for review
- No FeesDirect bookings go straight to your own Stripe account
- Unified calendarSee all your bookings and track cleaning tasks in one place
- UnlimitedConnect as many calendars to your listings as you want
Self-serve software or done for you
Lodgify, Hostaway and Smoobu hand you the tools and a setup guide, and the rest of the work is yours. Hostibly puts a team on the same job. Here is each way it plays out.
| The job | Self-serve setup | Hostibly setup |
|---|---|---|
| Building the website | You work through the site builder. Freelance help starts around $15 an hour; agency builds run $5,000 to $8,000 upfront. | Our team builds it with your branding, photos and your own domain. |
| Moving your listings | You re-enter every property, photo set, rate and minimum stay by hand. | We migrate each listing, and you review the pages as they land. |
| Payments | You create and connect the Stripe account, then configure rates and policies yourself. | We connect your Stripe account and set your rates and policies. |
| Channel sync | You reconnect Airbnb, Vrbo and Booking.com on every property and hope the feeds take. | We wire two-way iCal sync and verify every feed before your old one is retired. |
| When you get stuck | Support tickets and help docs, on their schedule. | The same team that built your site, from the kickoff call to the handover. |
Your new website, live in under a week
From kickoff to handover, our team designs and builds your website in under a week. You review the work as it takes shape while we handle the details.
- Day 1
Kickoff and direction
A kickoff call covers your brand, goals and properties. You share your photos and preferences, and we agree on the direction for your website.
- Days 2–3
Design and build
Our team designs your branded website, builds the key pages and adds your property content. You see real pages as they come together.
- Days 4–5
Review and refine
You review the finished site and send any final feedback. We refine the details and prepare everything for launch.
- Under a week
Handover and launch
We walk you through your new website and hand you the keys. Everything stays editable, and the same team is still there after launch.
What we handle, what stays yours
The deal is simple. The work of moving is ours; the accounts, the domain and the final say stay yours.
We handle
Branding and site build
Pages, colors, photos and your domain, built by our team.
Listing migration
Every property rebuilt with its photos, rates and minimum stays.
Payments setup
Your Stripe account connected, rates and policies configured.
Channel sync
Two-way iCal feeds to Airbnb, Vrbo and Booking.com, verified per property.
Guest email templates
Confirmation and reminder templates set up and ready.
The cutover
Old feeds stay live until the new ones are verified, so dates cannot sell twice.
You keep
Your domain
Registered to you and pointed where you want it.
Your Stripe account
Money settles with your bank, never with ours.
Your channel accounts
Airbnb, Vrbo and Booking.com stay in your name.
Every edit after handover
Pages, rates, policies and emails stay editable.
Hosts who let our team do the setup
I was a bit skeptical at first, but the setup service from Hostibly really delivered. All 14 listings were live in less than a month, and now my site genuinely reflects my brand and style.
Amy MorrisCohostWe've booked over $50k directly through our website in eight months with Hostibly. Unsurprisingly, local businesses love booking directly because our prices are better, and we offer discounts for longer stays.
BrandonProperty Manager and CohostHostibly has made running my business a lot easier. The cleaner scheduling especially saves me a ton of time. Direct bookings have also helped me keep more repeat customers. It's nice not losing money to fees.
Daniel KingmaSuper Host
Setup service questions
Need help? Contact us here
- How much does the setup service cost?
- The setup is part of your Hostibly plan, not a separate project invoice. You pay your subscription and our team does the build, the migration and the channel sync. For contrast, Lodgify's own guide to direct booking websites puts a custom agency build at $5,000 to $8,000 upfront plus $200 to $300 a month in maintenance, and freelance setup help on Fiverr starts around $15 an hour.
- How long does it take to migrate my listings?
- It scales with your portfolio. We design and build the website in under a week, while larger listing migrations can take longer because there is more to move and review. Your existing OTA listings stay live on every channel throughout the migration.
- Will I get double bookings during the switch?
- Each property cuts over only after its two-way iCal sync with Airbnb, Vrbo and Booking.com is verified, and the old feed stays active until then. Hostibly flags any overlap the moment it receives it.
- What do you need from me during setup?
- A kickoff call, your photos and rates if we cannot lift them from your existing channels, and answers when we ask about house rules and branding preferences. The building itself is ours. Most hosts find their time goes into the kickoff call and reviewing finished pages, not into setup work.
- Can you move me from Lodgify, Hostaway or Smoobu?
- Yes. Those platforms are built for self-serve setup, which is exactly the work our team takes over. We rebuild your listings in Hostibly, connect your Stripe account and re-establish calendar sync on every channel. Your OTA listings stay live throughout, and your old subscription is yours to cancel whenever you are ready.
- Is the setup service worth it for one property?
- It usually is, and one property is the fastest setup of all. The site build, Stripe connection and channel sync are the same job whether you have one listing or fourteen, so there is no portfolio size where the work disappears. If you enjoy building websites yourself, a self-serve tool will suit you fine. If you would rather be hosting, that is the reason this service exists.
- What happens after the handover call?
- The site is yours to run. Everything we built stays editable: pages, rates, policies, emails. You own the domain and the Stripe account, so nothing sits locked behind us. If you want changes later, the same team that did your setup is still there.
Let us do the moving.
Start your 14 day free trial and our team builds your site, migrates your listings, connects payments and wires channel sync. No card required.