Getting started¶
A new property goes from empty to taking bookings in four steps. Follow them in order — categories have to exist before rooms, and rooms before bookings.
- Install Zitlin on the devices your team will use, and create your account.
- Set up your property — invoice and tax preferences, your guest-facing listing, then categories, rooms and add-ons.
- Set your rates — only if you charge differently by season, weekday or customer. A single nightly rate per category is a perfectly good place to start.
- Take your first booking from the calendar.
Get this one decision right before you enter any prices
Prices include tax, under Settings → Admin → Billing & Tax, decides how every price in Zitlin is read. With it on, a nightly rate of 1000 includes the tax; with it off, tax is added on top and the guest pays more than 1000.
Enter one category, take a test booking, and check the tax line before typing in the rest. Invoices already issued are not recalculated if you change it later.
What you need before you start¶
| Requirement | Notes |
|---|---|
| An email address | Sign-in is by one-time code sent to your email. There is no password to choose or forget. |
| Property details | Legal name and address exactly as they should appear on invoices. |
| Your room list | Room numbers or names, and which category each belongs to. |
| Your nightly rates | One usual rate per category is enough to begin. |
| Photos and a description | For your booking engine and OTA listings. Can be added later. |
Taxes for your region are already configured — pick one on each price field. Only add your own under Settings → More → Taxes if the one you need is genuinely missing.
How long it takes¶
| Step | Roughly |
|---|---|
| Account and property creation | 5 minutes |
| Categories, rooms and add-ons | 20–30 minutes for a small property |
| Rates and seasons | 15 minutes, and skippable at first |
| Restaurant setup | 15 minutes, if you have one |
Direct bookings and the channel manager are set up with Zitlin rather than by you — see Booking engine and Channel manager for what to have ready when you contact support.
Moving from another system?
If you have a large number of rooms to load, or existing bookings to bring across, open a support ticket rather than typing it all in. Support can do the bulk load for you.