Lifestylebookings was born as a result of the frustration of a Host with the the until now, better known booking platforms on the following aspects.

1. Total disregard for the business interests of Hosts
2. No vetting of Guests.
3. No discretion regarding unhinged and damaging reviews.
4. Charging usurious fees.
5. Pocketing the total Accommodation fee up front  in some cases until a number of weeks after the Guest have left.
6. Insisting on Instant Bookings, giving Hosts no chance to double check availability.

By harnessing the latest in AI and software technology we aim to profoundly understand the nature of a Travellers Requirements and to provide Intuitive Search Filters and a Streamlined Booking Process as well as a Spectrum of Property and Activity Options to enhance their experience.

Combining the above with first hand experience and therefore a profound understanding of the ups and downs of being Hosts, Grokstays also strive to provide a Safer and more Caring Business Partnership for Hosts, Assisting with Onboarding, intuitively aiming to  protect them against Excessive Red Tape, Exorbitant Commissions and Fees,  plus Unreasonable Reviews.

For the best viewing results of Lifestylebookings  (LBS) please note the following:

1. On a Laptop ensure that your zoom settings allow you to see the menu items and List a Property on the website top banner.
2. On a Tablet or Mobile Phone the menu items will be under the lines / bars at the top right of the menu banner and the plus sign will be for Add/List a Property.
3. Please  explore INFO as it provides How To and Frequently Asked Questions Information.

Lifestylebookings (LBS) require User Registration for you to be able to interact with the system as a Guest or a Host

Registered users need to Sign In to interact as  a Guest or a Host.

The User Registration/Sign In Pop Up Window Link is in the Top Menu.

LBS uses an Email Verification System to confirm your User Registration.

Please make sure therefore that your Email Address is correct and contactable.

Once you have entered your Email and a new Password and clicked on “Register” a Confirmation Link will be sent to your Email Address.

You would then need to Click on this Link in your Inbox for your User Registration to be Confirmed.

You will then be presented on the LBS system with a Window where you can add all your Personal Data, which LBS requires to be able to Process a Booking for you.

LBS Admin will then Verify you as a LBS User.

From that point onwards you will have your own User Account  Dropdown Menu and Dashboard under your User ID on the Top Menu Bar every time you are Signed In.

Your User Role with LBS will change from User/Guest to that of being a User/Host when you List your first Property or Activity and that gets Verified by LBS Admin.

Please see the LBS Terms and Conditions of Use  in the Footer Menu of the website or clicking on the following link.

Lifestylebookings Terms and Conditions

LBS Privacy Policy can seen in the Footer Menu of this website or by clicking on this link.

Lifestylebookings Privacy Policy

On the Lifestylebookings (LBS) Home page a Guest can first of all choose a Generic Region with one of the Buttons under the introduction text.

And Or the Guest can specify a Location and required Date Range for his Intended Stay in the Search Bar.

(Please ensure that both the Location chosen and the Dates are verified by the system as valid before clicking on the Search (magnifying glass) button.

By scrolling down on the Home Page you will find "OR BROWSW BY CATEGORY"  showing images of Property and Activity Categories.

Clicking on Accommodation or Lease/Rentals will provide another display of images showing Subcategories of each.

Clicking on any Subcategory will take you to the Listings within your Location and Date Range.

The same will happen when u click on the Buy Now or Activity Categories

Each Listing will show a summary of all the Attributes and Pricing of the Listing

An Attribute Filter Form on the left allows the User to further refine his Search.

Don't forget to click on Filter at the bottom of this Form if you would like to refine your search by the settings chosen.

Click on the Listing of your choice.

The Listing Detail Page will then be displayed with a Carousel of Images and you can scroll through them or click on and enlarge any one. Escape to go back to carousel.

You can Switch Currencies to suit your requirements.

A Geolocation Map will indicate the approximate location of the listing and the map can be enlarged and zoomed.

You can Request to Book Accommodation, (RTB). this process is covered in detail in our next INFO topic.

In the event that you need to ask any questions re a specific Accommodation Listing you can utilize our Messages contact form https://www.lifestylebookings.com/messages/

Activity pricing is indicated as a Price From and you can Request a  Quote or more Info based on your Required Dates and the Number in your party.

For Lease / Rentals, Buy Now Properties you can send a Message To Be Contacted.

You are also welcome to contact our Helpdesk for any assistance.
https://www.lifestylebookings.com/helpdesk/

Lifestylebookings (LBS) provides for a Request To Book  (RTB) system for Accommodation Listings.

The Guest can therefore Choose a Stay as per the above INFO How to Search guidelines and then proceed as follows to Request to Book:

Clicking on a chosen Stay property will take you to a page with all the Property Details and the Nightly Rate.

At the bottom of the page there is also a Currency Switcher to for ease of use of International Guests.

The LBS Default Currency is South African Rand

Please note that alternative Currencies displayed is as per guidelines provided to LBS and not necessarily the Exact Exchange Rate your Bank might use when calculating the final payment equivalent in Rand.

Clicking under DATES on this page will open up a pop up Calendar.

This Calendar will show Available Dates for this Stay as per the Host GS Calendar.

Choose your required Date Range on the Calendar.

When hitting Enter make sure that your Start and End Dates appear under Calendar.

If not, Try Again it may just be an entry error.

Conversely those dates may fall outside the Host Booking Window Parameters, ie a date too soon, too short a stay, too far in the future or too long a stay.

Adjust Booking Dates and try again.

Once your Booking Start and End Date appears under Dates you can proceed to click on Request to Book.

If you are not yet a Registered User you will at this point have to Register as a User as per the guidelines on INFO above.

Once you are Registered you need to Sign In and proceed to your Booking Enquiry Page.

You will then be able to Add Details

You then need to ne aware of and agree to our Terms and Conditions by checking the box.

See our Terms and Conditions under INFO.

After checking this box you can Send Request to Book.

On your Dashboard your Booking will now have a PENDING status until the Host Accepts the Booking Request.

See the next INFO subject on Booking Confirmation / Payment.

If you have any questions about  a Listing you can send a message on the The LBS Messaging system. https://www.lifestylebookings.com/messages/

You can always view the status of your Booking in the dropdown menu under your Login in the top Menu of the GS Home page.

After submitting a Request to Book, (RTB) the status of your Booking will be "PENDING".

You will receive an email re the host either Accepting or Declining your RTB.

Tour Booking status will then show either "CANCELLED" or if Accepted it will be "UNPAID".

You can then elect to either cancel this Booking or

You can confirm it by paying the 10% Deposit/Booking Fee by proceeding to  Pay Now.

Follow the Payment Instructions and Proceed with Payment.

The payment will be for the Deposit/Booking Fee and the balance outstanding is called the Direct Payment

When the Payfast payment gateway confirms your payment you will receive a Payment and Booking Confirmation.

Your Booking status will change to "CONFIRMED"

The balance outstanding, ie the Direct Payment is payable direct to the Host/Vendor on arrival or as per mutual arrangement with the Host/Vendor.

Lifestylebookings  (LBS) welcomes Four Categories of Listings.

1. Accommodation - short stays at Nightly rates.
2. Lease / Rentals – longer stay properties at Monthly rates
3. Buy Your Own – Properties For Sale
4. Activities – Tourist Activities and Services.

To be able to do a Listing on LBS you would need to Register as a User.

See User Registration guidelines above in INFO.

Also please see our Terms and Conditions of Use and Privacy Policy at the bottom of our website pages.

As soon as you List  a Property / Activity you become a Host / Vendor on LBS.

Each of these Listing Categories have unique Listing Requirements and Transaction Procedures and will therefore be dealt with in separate INFO Subjects, as follows:

Registered Users can List multiple Accommodation units / rooms.

After successful User Registration you will be directed to a Complete Profile Page.

You would first of all choose a LBS Listing Category (and Subcategory, if applicable ) which is most representative of your Listings.

Please provide all requested personal details, LBS require this information for identification purposes and to be able to conduct business with you.

Complete the Form and Save Changes

You are the taken to an ADD DETAILS Page where you can enter the details of your Listing

Each accommodation unit / room needs to be a separate Listing with a unique name.

Trade names / contactable details are not allowed in unit / room names.

Please submit all the required Property information.

Choose Accommodation as Category and then the Subcategory that best describes your type of accommodation.
(ie Guest Room, Guest House, Apartment, (Boutique) Hotel, Student Hostel, Cottage, House or Villa)

Select and upload your property images

Provide a title for this listing, bearing in mind that it cannot be a trade name or address in other words typically a room number, suite number, or garden suite etcetera.

Enter a Price for your nightly rate.

The LBS default currency the South African Rand

Fill in the the Check in and Check out times as well as all Property Attribute questions.

Listing Tags are used as quick search buttons on the LBS Home page.

Please therefore ensure that you click all the Tag options that define your Location.
( ie South Africa and Western Cape and Cape Town and Atlantic Seaboard)

Then provide a description which highlights the features and benefits of your listing providing yet again that no contact details or trade names are allowed.

It is optional to enter the minimum number of days prior to a booking date as well as a maximum number of days before booking can be made plus the minimum duration and maximum duration of a  booking. These are referred to as the Booking Window

LBS accommodates the synchronization of your calendar with other booking sites such as Airbnb and Bookings.com.

To facilitate this we provide a Booking export URL which you can enter into your calendar settings and in these other booking sites.

At the same time you can add multiple booking import URL's which will be available from your listings on any of these other sites.

The LBS calendar availability of your listing will then be synchronized with your bookings on other sites.

These calendar synchronization settings can be attended to at a later date and please note calendar synchronization is not compulsory as you can manage the availability of your in listing per LBS Booking Enquiry.

Submit your Listing.

You will receive a Listing Submitted Confirmation.

On your dashboard the Listing will show as Pending.

LBS will review and edit/approve the listing upon which you will be informed by email that your listing is approved and your dashboard Listing status will be upgraded to Approved.

LBS works on a Request To Book (RTB) default system to avoid double bookings and to make sure you receive booking requests which you can accept or decline.

Please make sure you click on the button that says manually accept new bookings.

If you do not click this option bookings will be instant bookings regardless of unavailable dates in your calendar without allowing you the time to accept or decline such booking

You are now ready to receive Requests for Bookings

You can List Multiple Accommodation properties by just clicking on List a Property again in the top menu.

See INFO  - Accepting Bookings

Lifestylebookings (LBS) provides for a Request To Book  (RTB) system for Accommodation Listings

When a Guest sends a Request to Book (RTB) it is valid for 24 hours whereafter it will lapse.

You will receive notification via email from LBS of any such requests.

You therefore have 24 hours within which to log into your Host account on LBS , to view your RTB's and to ACCEPT or to  DECLINE / CANCEL the relevant RTB.

The  Booking will have a PENDING status.

The Guest will receive an email re your Acceptance or Cancellation of the RTB.

Tour Booking status will then show either "CANCELLED" or if Accepted it will be "UNPAID".

The Guest then have to either Cancel or pay the 10% LBS Booking Confirmation Fee to Confirm the Booking.

You will receive notification from LBS of such action.

On Receipt of Payment by LBS you will therefore receive a Booking Confirmation and the  Booking status will change to "CONFIRMED"

The balance outstanding which is the Total Accommodation/Activity Cost minus the LBS Booking Fee comprises the Direct Payment.

The Guest is then required to pay the Direct Payment to the Host on arrival.

Any Questions and Answers regarding the Accommodation between Guest and Host is facilitated by our LBS Messaging system.

MESSAGES

See our next topic re for how do I get paid in INFO Direct Payments

The balance outstanding between the Total Accommodation/Activity Cost minus the LBS Booking Fee comprises the Direct Payment.

Guests are required to pay the Direct Payment to the Host on arrival.

These LBS payment policies benefits both Guests and Hosts.

Guests save on cashflow as they only have to pay 10% upfront.

Hosts benefit as they get their income up front on Guest arrival.

Furthermore LBS Fees are close to 50% less than that of most big name booking platforms, ie much more in touch with Host realities. Welcome aboard.

Please see the Lifestylebookings Terms and Conditions of Use  in the Footer Menu of the website or clicking on the following link.

Lifestylebookings Terms and Conditions

Lifestylebookings Privacy Policy can seen in the Footer Menu of this website or by clicking on this link.

Lifestylebookings Privacy Policy