Start here
Set up a new venue, add tables and staff, and learn the five things every host does.
Help and User's Guide
Step-by-step instructions for the things you do in Hostbook. Search for what you want to do, or pick a topic.
Common questions
- Take a reservation over the phone · Reservations
- Book one party across several tables from a table's menu · Floorplan
- Seat a walk-in at a table · Floorplan
- Save the zoom level for a room · Floorplan
- Move a reservation to another table · Reservations
- Cancel a reservation · Reservations
- Add a guest to the waitlist · Waitlist and walk-ins
- Hold a table · Floorplan
- Add a note or allergy to a guest · Guests
- Text one guest about their booking · Messages
- Change opening hours or the last seating time · Settings and setup
- Reset a staff member's PIN · Staff, PINs and devices
Get started
Switch to Hostbook
Which files to export from your old system, moving your booking links (Google too), and how long it takes.
Getting around
Where every screen lives on a computer, and on a phone or tablet's tabs and More.
Run the service
Daily service dashboard
Run a shift from one screen: the list, the floorplan, live counts and alerts.
Reservations
Take a booking by phone, seat it, move it, and close it out the right way.
Floorplan
Seat guests, link tables, hold or block a table, and settle conflicts on the live map.
Reservation Book
Read the day as a timeline, drag bookings to new times or tables, and adjust durations.
Waitlist and walk-ins
Quote waits, add walk-ins, and seat waiting guests when a table opens.
AI Host
Let AI Host find tables, fix overlaps and balance sections, then apply or undo.
Guests and messages
Guests
Profiles, notes, allergies, tags and VIPs: the venue's memory of every guest.
Messages
Confirmations, reminders, the inbox, member emails and bulk service messages.
Reviews
Send private review links after a visit, reply to guests and pull out insights.
Events, promotions and payments
Events and promotional menus
Create and publish events and promotional menus, then check guests in on the night.
Payments
Connect Stripe, save guest cards, review no-show fees and refund payments.
Reports
Reports
What covers, turns, no-shows and server load really count, and how to read them.
Set up and manage
Settings and setup
Opening hours, booking rules, closures, the floorplan editor, layouts and printing.
Staff, PINs and devices
Add staff, reset a PIN, choose what needs a PIN, dark mode and push alerts.
Online booking
How guests book online, your booking and embed links, cutoffs and party limits.
Stay safe and get help
Offline and sync
Keep taking bookings when the internet drops, and fix anything that didn't sync.
Help and support
Ask Support Chat, report a problem, suggest a feature, and let support take a look.
Pause, check, then fix the right thing
What to check when a reservation is missing, a number looks wrong, or a message fails.
Words you will see in Hostbook
Covers, turns, holds, overrides and the other terms the app uses, in plain language.