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<aside> 👋 Welcome to Folio! Our platform lets you create stylish digital guidebooks for your Airbnb or short-term rental that guests will actually use. We’re excited to have you here!
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Before you dive in to create your first guidebook, make sure you have the following information handy. This information is required in order to publish your guide and share it with guests.
Folio’s self-service platform lets you create and maintain guidebooks 24/7. There are a couple of ways to create your first guide. To get started:
Click + Add a Guide in the middle of your Dashboard page.
Choose from the options on the popup. For your first guide, you have 2 options: Convert from File or Start from Scratch. For subsequent guides, you’ll have the additional option to Duplicate Existing Guide.
Follow the prompts for your selected option to create your guide.
Do you currently have a guidebook, house manual, welcome book, or similar that you share with your guests? We can convert it into a Folio guidebook for a small setup fee!
Click + Add a Guide from your Dashboard and select the Convert from File option by clicking the Upload button.
In the Convert from File popup, enter the Property Name and Address for the guidebook. You can always change them at a later time.
Then upload a file (.pdf or .doc) from your computer, or enter the link to your document (e.g. Google Doc, Dropbox link, another digital guidebook, etc.) in the space provided.
Please make sure your file has the following required info: Property name, Address, Booking Link (w/ photos), at least 1 section about an amenity (e.g. wifi), and at least 1 recommendation (e.g. favorite coffee shop).
If you have more than one file, please zip them first before uploading, or share a link to a shared folder online.
Click Save & Continue, then read the note on the next screen and click Finish. A placeholder for your guidebook will be created and visible on the dashboard.
If we have any questions about your file or need additional information, we will reach out within 24 hours.
Once your guidebook has been successfully converted (approximately 1-2 days), you’ll receive an email to log in and review your guide.
Click on the guidebook tile to view the Guide Details Page. You can see an interactive preview of your guide on the right-hand side of the screen. (Note: the preview is not available when viewing the dashboard on a mobile device.) Make any edits to your guide in the appropriate section.
When you’re satisfied with your guidebook, click Add Billing Info on the Guide Detail Screen to publish your guide! Jump down to Publish Your Guide for more info.
Do you have a new property, or otherwise need to create a guidebook from scratch? Follow our easy 4-step process to enter property information and pick local recommendations to share with your guests!
Click + Add a Guide from your dashboard and select the Start from Scratch option by clicking the Get Started button.
The first step is setting up your Home Screen & Design.
The information entered here is what your guests see when they first open the guidebook, like your property name*, address*, property photo*, and an optional logo. You will also be able to pick the accent color (default is hex code C9D5E1) and the font style, which are applied throughout the guide. *(required fields)
Next, add Basic Information to your guide, such as directions, contact information, and booking link*. You can also add a personalized welcome note to your guests here. *(required fields)
<aside> 💡 Pro tip: Use the two links to encourage repeat bookings, promote a social media site, or even another line of business (like real estate or property design services)!
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Now it’s time to add your Detailed Information. You can think of this section as the “house manual” portion of your guidebook. Include details and rules that are important for guests to know, like wifi password, check-out instructions, quiet hours, how to use appliances, and more.
These sections are completely customizable to your property. For inspiration, view our sample guidebook.
To add an new section:
You can reorder sections by grabbing a section and dragging and dropping it into the appropriate place. You can also add subsections that “nest” within a section.
To add a subsection:
When you are finished adding and organizing your amenity details, scroll down to the bottom and click Continue to move to the last step.
The final step is to complete the Recommended Places of your guidebook.
First, update the Heading and Personalized Note that will introduce the Activities section of your guidebook.
Next, add recommendations to share with guests staying at your property. They can include your favorite coffee shop, nearby grocery stores, fun things to do in the area, and more. You can add as many as you like, and we recommend having between 15-30 places per guidebook.
To add an recommendation:
On the Add Your Guide - Local Activity Information ****page, click Add new recommendation.
In the Add Activity popup, search for the name of the activity you would like to add. Select an option from the dropdown, then click Add Activity.
<aside> 💡 Pro tip: If a place you want to add is not showing up in the dropdown, it likely means there is no Google Places listing for it. To add it anyway, enter the address of the place, select it from the dropdown, then update the Name and Category in the next step.
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The next popup shows activity details. The information on the left-hand side — address, phone, website, hours, and rating — is pulled from Google Places and regularly syncs with Google to make sure the information shown to your guests is up to date.
On the right-hand side, edit the Name and Category provided by Google to add more details or correct any errors. You can also include a personalized note about what makes the place special to you, and select appropriate groupings for your activity.
Continue to add recommendations to your guidebook following the steps listed above. We recommend having between 15-30 places for each guidebook.
Congratulations on creating your first guidebook! Click Add Billing Info on the Guide Detail Screen to publish your guide! Jump down to Publish Your Guide for more info.
Once your guide has been created, you are ready to publish and share your guide with guests!
To publish your first guide, you will need to add billing information to your account. You can do this on your Profile and Settings page, or while publishing your first guide.
To add your billing info while publishing your first guide:
Click the Add Billing Info on the Guide Details page.
In the first popup, enter your billing email and your card information. Your billing email is where all billing-related communication, like payment reminders and invoice receipts, will be sent. When you are done, click Save & Continue.
In the next popup, review your subscription details and click Subscribe & Continue to publish your guide. Your card on file will be charged on a monthly basis.
To publish subsequent guides, there is no need to re-enter your billing information.