Concepts

This page explains the fundamental concepts of Stayoa and how they work together. A solid understanding of these concepts will help you use the platform effectively.

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Property (Accommodation)

A Property is the central unit in Stayoa – your accommodation that you rent out.

Characteristics

• Status: Draft, Published, Archived
• Slug: Unique URL (e.g., alpine-view-villa → alpine-view-villa.stayoa.app)
• Type: Apartment, House, Villa, Cabin, etc.
• Details: Address, guests, bedrooms, bathrooms, beds
• Media: Images, hero image, gallery
• Design: Individual colors, logo, layout

Property Lifecycle

Draft → Published → Archived
  ↓         ↓
Preview   Live

• Draft: Visible only to you, not bookable
• Published: Live and bookable for guests
• Archived: No longer active, but data is preserved

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Bookings (Reservations)

A Booking represents a guest reservation for your property.

Booking Flow

Guest selects dates
       ↓
Review & Price Calculation
       ↓
Payment (Stripe)
       ↓
Booking Created (PENDING)
       ↓
Payment Success → CONFIRMED

Booking Status

Guest Access Token

Each booking receives a unique token (SHA-256 hash):

• Guests can access their booking via token
• Token is valid for 90 days after check-out
• Guests can cancel via token
• Access to documents (PDF, iCal)

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Pricing (Pricing Structure)

Stayoa offers a flexible pricing system with multiple levels.

Price Components

Base Price (per night)
  ↓
+ Weekend Pricing (Fri/Sat multiplier)
  ↓
+ Seasonal Pricing (period-based)
  ↓
- Discounts (Weekly/Monthly)
  ↓
+ Fees (Cleaning, Security, Additional Guests, Tourist Tax)
  ↓
= Total Price

Base Price

The basic price per night in your preferred currency (CHF, EUR, USD).

Weekend Pricing

Multiplier for Friday and Saturday:

• Friday: e.g., 1.2 (= 20% more)
• Saturday: e.g., 1.3 (= 30% more)

Seasonal Pricing

Period-based prices:

{
  "startDate": "2026-07-01",
  "endDate": "2026-08-31",
  "pricePerNight": 200.00,
  "minNights": 7
}

Discounts

• Weekly: Discount from 7 nights (e.g., 10%)
• Monthly: Discount from 28 nights (e.g., 20%)

Fees

• Cleaning Fee: One-time per stay
• Security Deposit: Blocked via Stripe hold (not charged)
• Additional Guest Fee: Per person over base guests
• Tourist Tax: Per guest per night

Price Calculation Example

Base Price: 150 CHF/night × 5 nights = 750 CHF
Weekend Pricing (1 Sat): +45 CHF
Weekly Discount (7+ nights): -0 CHF
Cleaning Fee: +80 CHF
Additional Guests (1): +25 CHF
Tourist Tax (2 guests × 5 nights): +20 CHF
─────────────────────────────────────
Total: 920 CHF

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Payment System

Stayoa uses Stripe Connect for secure payment processing.

Stripe Connect

• Direct Charges: 100% revenue goes directly to you
• No Stayoa Commission: We don't take any commission
• Stripe Fees: Approx. 1.4% + 0.25 CHF (Stripe processing fee)

Payment Flow

Guest enters card details
       ↓
Stripe Payment Intent Created
       ↓
Payment Processing (Stripe)
       ↓
Webhook Event (payment_intent.succeeded)
       ↓
Booking Status → CONFIRMED
       ↓
Confirmation Email sent

Refunds

In case of cancellation:

• Cancellation Policy is checked

• Refund Amount is calculated

• Automatic Refund via Stripe API

• Cancellation Email to guest

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Domains & Subdomains

Stayoa supports two types of domains for your booking page.

Subdomain (Standard)

Automatically for each property:

{slug}.stayoa.app

Example: alpine-view-villa.stayoa.app

Custom Domain

Connect your own domain:

book.your-domain.com
reserve.yourdomain.com

Setup:

• Add domain in Stayoa

• Create DNS CNAME record: CNAME → cname.vercel-dns.com

• Domain verification (automatic)

• Status becomes "ACTIVE"

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Team & Permissions

Work with your team on properties.

Roles

Property Members

Each property can have its own members:

• Member is invited by email
• Invitation token (7 days valid)
• Member can manage multiple properties
• Permission system on property level

Invitation Flow

Owner invites Member
       ↓
Invitation Email sent (with Token)
       ↓
Member clicks Link & accepts
       ↓
Member assigned to Property

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Analytics & Tracking

Stayoa offers privacy-first analytics (GDPR-compliant).

Tracked Metrics

• Page Views: Number of page views
• Unique Visitors: Unique visitors (session-based)
• Conversion Rate: Booking conversion %
• Engagement: Dwell time, scroll depth
• Traffic Sources: UTM parameters, referrer
• Device & Locale: Devices and languages

Privacy Features

• IP Hashing: IPs are hashed (not stored)
• No Cookies: No cookie banner required
• Bot Filtering: Bots and prefetch traffic filtered
• Data Retention: 90 days
• Analytics Opt-Out: Guests can opt-out

Reports

Available reports:

• Revenue Report: Revenue over time
• Booking Report: Bookings per property
• Occupancy Report: Occupancy rates
• Tax Report: Tax report (tourist tax)

All reports are exportable as CSV.

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iCal Synchronization

Prevent double bookings through calendar sync.

Import (From External Platforms)

Import bookings from Airbnb, Booking.com, VRBO:

• Copy iCal URL from external platform

• Paste URL into Stayoa

• Click "Sync Now"

• External bookings are created as calendar blocks

Export (For External Platforms)

Export Stayoa bookings:

• Copy Stayoa iCal export URL

• Paste URL into Airbnb/Booking.com

• External platform synchronizes automatically

Automatic Synchronization

• Interval: Every 30-60 minutes (cron job)
• Timeout: 10 seconds per request
• Retry Logic: Retry after 1h in case of error

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Email Automation

Automatic emails for guests and hosts.

Email Types

Email Content

Each email contains:

• Booking details (date, guests, property)
• Guest access token link
• Property address & check-in info
• Cancellation policy
• Host contact

Email Preferences

Hosts can configure:

• Which emails they want to receive
• Email language (DE/EN)
• Copy to guest (for host emails)

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AI Features

AI-powered tools for content creation.

Description Generator

Generates property descriptions:

• Languages: DE/EN
• Tone: Professional, Friendly, Exclusive
• Length: Short (100 words), Medium (200), Long (300)
• Context: Location, type, amenities, highlights

Title Generator

Generates SEO-optimized titles:

• Styles: Modern, Traditional, Luxury, Cozy
• Length: 40-60 characters
• SEO: Keywords based on location & type

Translation Helper

Translates content automatically:

• Auto-Detection: Detects language (DE ↔ EN)
• Tone: Natural, Formal, Casual
• Context-aware: Property name, field type

Usage Limits

• PRO Plan: 100 AI requests/day
• PREMIUM Plan: 500 AI requests/day
• Rate Limiting: Automatically enforced

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SEO & Discovery

Stayoa is SEO-optimized for better Google visibility.

Structured Data

Automatic Schema.org markup:

{
  "@type": "VacationRental",
  "name": "Alpine View Villa",
  "address": { ... },
  "geo": { ... },
  "offers": { ... }
}

SEO Features

• Meta Tags: Title, description, keywords
• Open Graph: Social media previews
• Canonical URLs: Avoids duplicate content
• Sitemap: Automatically generated (/sitemap.xml)
• Robots.txt: Domain-aware

Multilingual SEO

• hreflang Tags: DE/EN language variants
• Localized URLs: /de/ and /en/ prefixes
• Alternate Links: For language variants

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Next Steps

Now you understand the core concepts of Stayoa!

Recommended next steps:

• Dashboard Guide – Detailed dashboard guide

• Property Management – Manage properties

• Bookings – Manage bookings

• FAQ – Frequently asked questions