# Quickstart

> From an empty workspace to live on your channels. Four steps, about half an hour, most of it waiting for a channel to answer.

Source: https://docs.santara.ai/start/quickstart/

This is the short path. Every step has a page of its own if you want the detail.

## Before you start

- You need admin access to the Airbnb account or Booking.com extranet you want to connect. A
  co-host invitation is not enough for Airbnb — the connection is authorised by the account that
  owns the listings.
- Have your bank/tax details to hand only if you plan to take **direct bookings**. Channel
  bookings need nothing from you.
- Do it on a laptop. The setup screens work on a phone, but the listing mapping table does not
  enjoy it.

## 1. Create your workspace

Sign up, confirm your email, and you land on **Today** with a **Get set up** checklist at the top.
The checklist is the same three steps below and it tracks your progress — you can leave and come
back.

Set your language and timezone now, under **Settings → Personal**. The timezone decides what
"today" means for arrivals, cleaning and the daily brief, so getting it right first saves
confusion later.

## 2. Connect a channel

**Settings → Channels**.

- **Airbnb** — press *Connect Airbnb*, authorise on Airbnb's own page, and come back. Santara
  reads the listings the account shares with it. Full walkthrough:
  [Connect Airbnb](/channels/airbnb/).
- **Booking.com** — you first add our connectivity provider in your extranet, then enter your
  Hotel ID here. Full walkthrough: [Connect Booking.com](/channels/booking-com/).

Not on either? You can [create properties by hand](/setup/properties/) and still use the calendar,
messages, cleaning and your booking site.

## 3. Import your listings

After authorising, you get a list of the listings on the account. Untick anything you do not want.
For each one, choose whether it becomes a **new property** or a **room inside a property you
already have** — a villa with three bedrooms sold separately is one property with three rooms.

Press *Set up listings*. Santara creates the properties and rooms, maps each listing, and reads
the rates from the channel.

:::caution[This does not go live]
At the end of the import you will see **Set up — not live yet**. Your listings are mapped and
your rates are read, and the channel still runs its own calendar. Nothing syncs out until step 4.
:::

## 4. Check the details, then go live

Open **Properties** and look at each imported room:

- **Nightly price** — a room with no price cannot sell.
- **How many guests it sleeps** — channels do not always share this, and it drives extra-guest
  pricing and the booking site.
- **Photos, wifi, door code, address** — used by guest messages and your booking site.

Then go back to **Settings → Channels** and press **Go live**. That is the moment Santara takes
over the calendar. Read [Going live](/channels/going-live/) first — it is one page and it explains
exactly what changes.

## What happens next

Within a few minutes:

| You'll see | Where |
| --- | --- |
| Existing and future reservations | [Bookings](/daily/bookings/) and [Calendar](/daily/calendar/) |
| Past guest conversations | [Messages](/daily/messages/) |
| Reviews guests left you | [Reviews](/daily/reviews/) |
| A turnover task for tonight's checkouts | [Tasks](/daily/tasks/) |
| Your first daily brief | [Today](/daily/) |

History imports can take a few minutes on a large account. If a screen looks empty, give it five
minutes and refresh before assuming something is wrong.

## Then, when you have time

1. [Set up pricing rules](/money/pricing/) so your rates move by season and lead time.
2. [Invite your team](/setup/team/) — cleaners see only their jobs.
3. [Publish a direct booking site](/setup/booking-site/) and stop paying commission on repeat guests.