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Publishing Your Guidebook ​

Once you have built out your guidebook with pages and content, you can publish it to make it accessible to guests. Publishing generates a shareable URL and QR code that work on any device -- phones, tablets, and desktops -- with no app download needed.

How to publish a guidebook ​

  1. Open your guidebook from the Guidebooks section.
  2. Toggle the publish status to make the guidebook live.
  3. Your guidebook is now accessible at its public URL.

Once published, any changes you make to pages are reflected immediately -- there is no separate "re-publish" step. Simply edit a page, save it, and guests will see the updated content the next time they open the link.

Public URL format ​

Every published guidebook gets a clean, readable URL based on its slug:

https://guide.hejguide.com/{guidebook-slug}/

Individual pages follow the full path of their position in the page tree:

https://guide.hejguide.com/{guidebook-slug}/{page-slug}/
https://guide.hejguide.com/{guidebook-slug}/{parent-slug}/{child-slug}/

For example, a "Kitchen" page nested under "The Property" in a guidebook with slug beach-house would be:

https://guide.hejguide.com/beach-house/the-property/kitchen/

Per-page publishing ​

Even when your guidebook is live, individual pages can remain in draft. This gives you fine-grained control:

  • Set a page to draft while you are still writing it. Guests will not see it even though the guidebook is published.
  • When the page is ready, toggle it to published and it appears in the guidebook immediately.
  • You can also hide pages from the menu while keeping them published -- they are accessible via direct URL but do not appear in the navigation.

This is useful for preparing seasonal content (e.g., a "Summer Activities" page in winter) or staging new pages before a guest arrives.

After publishing, you can share the guidebook URL with your guests in several ways.

QR code ​

Every published guidebook has a QR code available. You can:

  • Download the QR code image and print it.
  • Place it in a physical welcome booklet, on the fridge, or at the property entrance.
  • Include it in a pre-arrival email for guests who prefer scanning over clicking links.

QR codes are especially useful for vacation rentals where guests arrive without prior emails -- they can scan the code on arrival and have instant access to all property information.

The most effective approach is to include the guidebook link in your automated emails. Use the {guidebook_link} template variable in any email template -- it automatically resolves to the correct guidebook URL based on the booking's listing.

Example template:

Hi {guest_first_name},

Here is your digital guidebook for {property_name}. It has everything
you need to know about the property, the area, and how to reach us:

{guidebook_link}

We recommend reading through it before you arrive.

See you soon!
{host_name}

Set this up under Automated Emails. For the full list of available variables, see Template Variables.

TIP

Include {guidebook_link} in a pre-arrival email timed 2-3 days before check-in. This way, every guest receives it at the right time without you needing to remember to send it manually.

Other sharing methods ​

  • Copy the link from the guidebook settings and paste it into any message, email, or chat.
  • Add it to your listing description on Airbnb, Booking.com, or your direct booking site so guests can browse it before booking.
  • Send it via messaging -- paste the link into an Airbnb message, WhatsApp, or any channel you use to communicate with guests.

The guest experience ​

When a guest opens your guidebook link, here is what they experience.

Language detection ​

The guidebook automatically determines which language to display:

  1. Language cookie -- If the guest has previously selected a language, that choice is remembered.
  2. Browser Accept-Language header -- If no cookie exists, the guidebook checks the guest's browser language settings.
  3. Default language -- If neither matches a language you have translated content into, the guidebook displays in your default language (English).

Guests can also manually switch languages at any time if you have provided translations. The available languages are auto-detected from the translations present across your pages.

Welcome modal ​

If you have configured a welcome modal, it appears as a popup on the guest's first visit. This can contain a personalized greeting, key arrival instructions, or a quick orientation. The guest can dismiss it and will not see it again on subsequent visits.

The welcome message is displayed in the guest's detected language if a translation is available.

Responsive layout ​

The guidebook adapts to any screen size:

  • On phones -- The guidebook displays as a clean, scrollable page. The sidebar navigation collapses into a hamburger menu that slides in from the side. Touch-friendly buttons and navigation make it easy to browse with one hand.
  • On tablets -- Guests get a comfortable reading layout with the page tree visible alongside the content.
  • On desktops -- The full layout is displayed with a sidebar navigation and a large content area.

Guests do not need to install any app or create an account. They simply tap the link and start reading.

Dark mode ​

Guests have access to a dark mode toggle within the guidebook. This switches the guidebook to a dark color scheme with light text on a dark background -- ideal for reading in bed or in low-light conditions.

Dark mode is a guest-facing preference and does not affect how the guidebook appears in your dashboard.

Local Guide and maps ​

If your guidebook is linked to a Local Guide, guests see:

  • Category tiles with images (e.g., Restaurants, Beaches, Activities).
  • A featured items carousel showing up to 10 random published locations with photos from your Local Guide.
  • Interactive maps with pins for each location. Guests can tap a pin to open directions in their preferred maps app.

Unpublishing a guidebook ​

If you need to take a guidebook offline temporarily:

  1. Open the guidebook.
  2. Toggle the publish status off.
  3. The guidebook URL will no longer be accessible to guests.

This is useful if you are making major updates and do not want guests to see incomplete content.

WARNING

If you unpublish a guidebook that guests have already received a link to, they will no longer be able to access it. Make sure to complete your updates and re-publish promptly if guests are expecting to use the guidebook during their stay.

Changes go live instantly ​

There is no build step, no delay, and no re-publish button. When you edit a page and click Save, the updated content is live immediately on the public URL. This applies to:

  • Page content edits (text, images, formatting).
  • New pages being published.
  • Pages being moved to draft or hidden from the menu.
  • Branding and color changes.
  • Emergency contact updates.
  • Welcome modal changes.

This makes it easy to make quick corrections -- for example, updating a door code or adding a last-minute note about construction noise -- even while a guest is already using the guidebook.

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