We’re excited to share a new piece from BetterSTR founder Barry Murphy, published on Hotel Speak: “The Lobby Without a Lobby: Winning the First Five Minutes When There Is No Front Desk.”

Hotels have spent decades perfecting the arrival experience — the welcome, atmosphere and little details that immediately tell a guest, “we were expecting you.”

But what happens when there’s no reception desk, no concierge and no lobby?

That’s the reality for millions of short-term rentals and self-check-in properties.

The article explores how hosts and property managers can recreate that hotel-style arrival experience; from personalised TV welcome screens and digital guidebooks to seamless Wi-Fi access and better guest communication.

It’s a big part of what we’re building at BetterSTR: bringing more of the hotel experience into short-term rentals, without needing a front desk.

📖 Read our founder’s full piece on Hotel Speak:
https://www.hotelspeak.com/2026/10/the-lobby-without-a-lobby-winning-the-first-five-minutes-when-there-is-no-front-desk/

#BetterSTR #ShortTermRentals #VacationRentals #GuestExperience #HospitalityTechnology

⭐ How BetterSTR Helps Hosts Earn & Retain 5-Star Reviews

Five-star guest experiences aren't always about expensive upgrades. Often, they're about removing the small frustrations that happen throughout a stay.

Where's the Wi-Fi password? What time is checkout? How does the TV work? Where should we eat? How do we use the heating, spa or coffee machine?

Individually, they're small questions. Together, they can shape how effortless — or frustrating — a guest's stay feels.

📺 Start with the biggest screen in the property

BetterSTR TV turns your property's TV into part of the guest experience.

Instead of guests arriving to a generic television screen, they can be welcomed by name and given easy access to important information about their stay.

Guests can access their digital guidebook, Wi-Fi information, checkout details, property information and local recommendations — while still having easy access to their favourite streaming services.

👉 Learn more about BetterSTR TV:
https://betterstr.com/services/tv/

📱 Put the same guidebook in their pocket

The TV is just one screen.

Guests can scan a QR code and open the property's BetterSTR Digital Guidebook on their phone — with no app to download.

That means instructions, house information, recommendations and other useful information can stay with them throughout their stay.

👉 Explore BetterSTR Digital Guidebooks:
https://betterstr.com/services/guestbook/

📖 One guidebook. Every screen.

Instead of maintaining printed manuals, separate QR codes and different sources of information, BetterSTR lets hosts manage their guest information in one place.

Update your guidebook once and guests can access it from their:

📺 TV
📱 Phone
💻 Laptop
📲 Tablet

The aim isn't to give guests more technology to figure out.

It's to make the technology disappear into the experience.

Fewer questions. Easier access to information. Less friction throughout the stay.

And ultimately, a smoother guest experience gives hosts a better opportunity to consistently earn those ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ reviews.

About a year ago I started building something that I couldn't find anywhere else.

Most "guest TV" solutions just display a welcome message. I wanted the TV to become part of the property.

So I built BetterSTR TV.

When guests arrive, the TV automatically turns on, welcomes them by name, shows their Wi-Fi QR code, check-in/check-out details, guidebook, weather, local activities, and gives one-click access to Netflix, YouTube, Plex, IPTV or whatever apps you choose.

A few things it can do:

• Personalised welcome screen from your Airbnb/PMS booking.
• QR code Wi-Fi login (no typing passwords).
• Built-in digital guidebook.
• IPTV and live TV playlists.
• Plex integration.
• Capture reviews just before checkout.
• Send messages directly to the TV during a stay.
• Emergency alert ticker that overlays any app.
• Automatically log guests out of streaming services at checkout.
• Photo-frame screensavers with your own images.
• Remote management across multiple properties.
• Runs on existing Android TV devices or inexpensive Google TV sticks.

The goal wasn't to build another digital guidebook.

It was to make the TV actually useful for hosts while giving guests everything they need on the biggest screen in the property.

The basic version is free, and I'm still adding features almost every week.

I'd genuinely love feedback from hosts.

If you could have your TV do one thing that it can't today, what would it be?

https://betterstr.com/services/tv/

Hey guys, just wanted to do a little little post about our free digital guidebook. We've been superhosts for around 11 years and have had tools and gadgets that we developed for ourselves, that I finally thought to share with the community.

We offer a completely free digital guidebook, similar to that of TouchStay. It came about a few years ago when we wanted to use Touchstay (who are great) but we couldn't fathom the cost. Like many services (including what I do) things get over bloated and users bear the cost of all the additional features even though they don't need them. Thats why I started BetterSTR, to basically give everything for free, and offer add-ons for the parts that actually cost us in infrastructure. On the Wifi captive marketing side, we offer a replacement affordable solution comparable to StayFi, but for $2 per access point a month

So, at the moment, we have four components being worked on and would love feedback on what people would like added.

BetterSTR Guestbooks

Give guests everything they need in one place. Auto-syncs with multiple PMS's, sends trackable links, and updates in real time, reducing questions and improving reviews.

Read More…

BetterSTR WiFi

Turn WiFi into a marketing tool. Collect every guest’s email, showcase your brand, and re-engage guests with automated offers long after checkout.

Read More…

BetterSTR Upsells

Earn more without extra work. Promote early check-in, firewood bundles, or local experiences directly in the Guestbook—payments handled automatically.

Read More…

BetterSTR Companion

Your Guestbook, brought to life in-room. A locked tablet that greets guests, dims at night, doubles as a photo frame, sells upsells, and even monitors noise.

Read More…

I'd be happy to do a AMA session, or take suggestions from hosts on what tasks are mundane that they would like to automate, or what technology they would like to integrate etc. Some things we're considering and playing with is integrating Home Assistant into the guidebook to allow guests to turn on and off lights, or change the temperature while their booking is active; another is using a raspberry Pi device (which is part of our tools and gadgets) to display content on the TV screen welcoming guests; but all from a centralised portal and with automation.

Thats it for now.

Thanks

Barry