Move from your old reservation system

Plan around the one slow step, if you have it.

1. 1Exporting and uploading your filesUnder an hour for most systems. Some systems email the export to you, which can take a few minutes.
2. 2Changing the booking link on your website, Instagram and FacebookAs soon as you save the change.
3. 3Changing the booking link on Google Business ProfileUsually live within a couple of hours.
4. 4Removing Google's Featured book buttonA day to a week, because your old system has to remove it. Skip this if your Google profile doesn't have one.
5. 5Directories you control (Yelp, TripAdvisor, Apple Maps)A few days to a couple of weeks, depending on the site.

• Start the slow steps first: ask your old system to remove the Featured book button on day one, then do everything else while you wait.

The Featured book button is the large Reserve a table or Book button at the top of your Google listing that books through a reservation partner. A plain link to your booking page is different and you can change it yourself.

1. 1Sign in to the Google account that manages your restaurant and open your Business Profile (search your restaurant's name on Google, or go to business.google.com).
2. 2Click Bookings (on some profiles, Edit profile › Bookings) to open Set up booking.
3. 3Under Featured book button, see whether a reservation provider is connected. Under Links to your online booking tools, see which links are listed.

If a provider is connected under Featured book button, follow Remove Google's Featured book button below. If only links are listed, you can switch in a couple of hours.

Hostbook needs two files from your old system, plus a third if you send marketing email. Export each as CSV (or TSV).

1. 1Guest list (also called the guestbook, customers or CRM export)One row per guest: first and last name, phone, email, and any tags, notes, allergies, birthdays and anniversaries your system keeps. Every guest needs a first name and a phone number.
2. 2Reservations (sometimes a reservations or covers report)One row per booking: date, time, party size, guest name, phone or email, table, status (booked, seated, cancelled, no-show) and notes. Include every future reservation and at least a month of past ones. A year of past reservations is better: it fills in guest visit history and gives Hostbook real turn times.
3. 3Member list (optional)Your email marketing list: only people who opted in to hear from you, with their email address and, if you have them, the date they signed up. Don't send your whole guest list as members.

• You can drop all the files at once. Hostbook works out which is which, and imports guests first, then reservations, then members.
• Column names don't need to match Hostbook's. Extra columns are fine.

OpenTable has two separate exports: the guestbook and a reservations report.

1. 1Export your guestbookIn OpenTable's help, follow Export your Guestbook.
2. 2Export your reservationsIn OpenTable's help, follow Reservations Report in GuestCenter. Set the dates to cover past reservations (a month or more) and all future ones.

Each system has its own export or data transfer page.

1. 1ResyFollow Resy's Data transfer instructions in the Resy help desk.
2. 2SevenRoomsUse Reporting to export clients and reservations. If an export is missing, ask SevenRooms support for a CSV of both.
3. 3TockUse Operations reports to export guests and reservations.
4. 4resOSFollow resOS's Export your data.

• Links to each system's own guide also appear in setup if a file is missing.

Most reservation systems can export guests and reservations even if they call it something else.

1. 1Look for Export, Download, Reports or Data in the old system's settings or guest list.
2. 2Export the guest list, then the reservations, as CSV.
3. 3If you can't find an export, ask the old system's support for "a CSV export of all guests and all reservations, past and future".

• If you only have an Excel file, open it and use File › Save As › CSV. Save each sheet as its own file.

If this doesn't work: If your old system only gives you a PDF, ask its support for a CSV or Excel version. Hostbook can't read PDFs.

The second step of setup, Bring your exports first, reads your files before you build anything.

1. 1Drop all your files on Drop your exports here, or choose files (or click it to choose them).
2. 2Check the summary, for example You've added 2,410 guests, 8,302 reservations from OpenTable. If a file is missing, Hostbook says which one and links to how to export it.
3. 3Click Use these service periods and Use these turn times if the suggestions from your bookings look right.
4. 4Finish setup and build your floorplan. Then open Import your data on the setup checklist to bring the files in.

Your guests, reservations and members are in Hostbook, and reservations sit on the right tables.

• Nothing is imported until Import your data, so you can try different files during setup.

If you skipped the upload during setup, or have a file to add.

1. 1Open Import your data on the setup checklist, or Admin Settings › Data › Import › Open data tools › Import records.
2. 2Drop your files and follow the questions.

• See Guests › Import guests from another system for the step-by-step import.

These change as soon as you save them.

1. 1Copy your Hostbook booking link from Admin Settings › Venue profile › Guest booking links.
2. 2On your website, replace the old system's booking button or widget with your Hostbook link (or the Iframe code to embed the form). Check every page that had it.
3. 3Update the link in your Instagram and Facebook bios, the Reserve or Book button, and any pinned posts.

• While you're switching, click Manage on the dashboard's Transition in progress banner, then Check my website for old booking links to find any old widgets left on your site.

A plain booking link on Google usually updates within a couple of hours.

1. 1Copy your Hostbook booking link from Admin Settings › Venue profile › Guest booking links.
2. 2Open your Business Profile and go to Bookings › Set up booking.
3. 3Under Links to your online booking tools, click the pencil next to the old link and paste your Hostbook link. If there's no link yet, click Add another link.
4. 4Remove any link that still points at your old system.

Within a couple of hours, the booking link on your Google listing opens your Hostbook booking page.

• Google may review the change before it shows. Search your restaurant's name in a private browser window to check.

Only needed if your old system provides the Featured book button. Hostbook isn't a Google booking partner, so you can't move the button to Hostbook. Your old system has to remove it.

1. 1Contact your old reservation system's support and ask them to remove your restaurant from Reserve with Google (their Google booking integration).
2. 2Give them your restaurant's name and address exactly as they appear on Google.
3. 3Add your Hostbook link under Links to your online booking tools (see above) so guests still have a way to book.
4. 4Check your Google listing every day or two until the button is gone.

Usually within a day to a week, the Featured book button disappears and your Hostbook link is the way to book from Google.

• Until the button is gone, some guests will still book in the old system. Bring those bookings over with a catch-up sync (below).

So any link you missed shows no times instead of taking bookings.

1. 1In the old system, turn off or close online availability from your switch date.
2. 2Keep the reservations already in it. Don't bulk-cancel them: most systems email every guest when a booking is cancelled.

Until every old link is changed, a few bookings may still land in the old system.

1. 1On the dashboard, click Manage on the Transition in progress banner (it appears after your first import).
2. 2Tick each old link as you change it.
3. 3Export a fresh reservations file from the old system and click Catch-up sync. Do this as often as you like; only new, changed and cancelled bookings come in.
4. 4When every old link is ticked, export one last time and click Final sync.

Every booking from the old system is in Hostbook, and the banner goes away.

• Set your Planned cutover date in the same window: from that day, phone and walk-in bookings go into Hostbook only.