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A field guide from CampGrid

Launch10 min readDashboard setup checklist and property setup header

Launch Checklist

A practical checklist from campground setup to your first live booking page.

Best for

  • First-time CampGrid setup
  • Going from blank property to live booking page
  • Knowing what must be done now and what can wait

Before you start

  • Have the public property name, address, and timezone handy.
  • Have a readable campground map image if you already use one.
  • Know the check-in time, check-out time, arrival instructions, and cancellation policy guests should see.
  • Know whether you want manual payment requests or Stripe checkout on day one.
Open in CampGridGo directly to Dashboard setup checklist and property setup header.Open setup checklist

Your path to launch

First create your account, review pricing and pay, then complete dedicated AI Onboarding. The items below describe what AI configures and what you can edit after handoff.

Steps

  1. 1Complete your included AI Onboarding with your name, location, site groups and rates; review and apply the generated setup.
  2. 2Add basic branding if you have it. A logo and color are helpful, but not required for day one.
  3. 3Choose a site list, or optionally upload a map for guests to choose sites visually.
  4. 4Add your first site with a name, type and nightly rate. Use Add similar site or Use settings from to reuse rates, limits and amenities, then Save & add next to place more sites.
  5. 5Add optional extras and required add-ons, then configure Taxes & Fees if every quote needs required charges.
  6. 6Review Rates & availability for minimum nights, seasonal rate overrides, allowed arrival days, and blackout windows.
  7. 7Fill out Booking settings: public contact email or phone, check-in and check-out times, arrival notes, cancellation policy, payment terms, and waiver settings.
  8. 8Confirm your paid AI plan is active in Plan & billing.
  9. 9Choose payment handling. You can use manual payments; online checkout needs Stripe ready for charges and payouts. Complete the sample stay and receipt check before publishing.
  10. 10Open Launch checklist, check a sample stay, confirm your sample receipt, then publish your booking page.

Required before the page can go live

CampGrid keeps the live switch disabled until the essentials are in place. These are the items that prevent guests from landing on an incomplete booking page.

Check

  • Property details include the public name, URL slug, address, country, and timezone.
  • A site list or an optional guest-facing map is selected.
  • At least one active site has a name, type and positive nightly rate. Place a pin when using the map.
  • Guest contact email or phone is present.
  • Check-in time, check-out time, and arrival instructions are present.
  • Cancellation policy text is present.
  • Required waiver settings include guest-facing waiver copy or a document.
  • The required monthly CampGrid AI subscription is active.
  • If online checkout is enabled, Stripe is ready for charges and payouts. Otherwise, manual payment requests are okay for launch.

Make the page useful for guests

Required setup gets the page live. This pass makes it helpful enough that guests can book without emailing you for missing answers.

Check

  • Site names and codes match the map.
  • Nightly rates, required fees, taxes, and add-ons produce the quote you expect.
  • Arrival instructions explain where guests should go and what they need to know before arrival.
  • Cancellation policy text is written in plain guest-facing language.
  • Waiver collection is off, optional, or required based on your real policy.
  • The public contact method goes to someone who can answer reservation questions.

Preflight test

Run through the booking page once before sending it to guests.

Steps

  1. 1Open the hosted booking page from the live strip.
  2. 2Search for a real future date range and confirm available sites appear.
  3. 3Choose one site and review the quote, including add-ons, taxes, and required fees.
  4. 4Read the guest-facing contact, arrival, payment, waiver, and cancellation copy as if you were a guest.
  5. 5If using manual payments, confirm the call to action says the booking is a request, not an instant confirmation.
  6. 6If using Stripe, confirm the Payments page shows Stripe ready for charges and payouts and online checkout is turned on.
  7. 7Send yourself a test request or booking, then confirm it appears in the reservation workspace.

Turn the page live

Open Getting started or the Launch checklist from your campground setup. Test a sample stay and confirm the receipt before publishing. The booking link strip also shows whether your page is live.

The live switch stays disabled while required items are missing. Use the next-action button beside it to jump to the first missing required setup item.

Steps

  1. 1Open the property from the dashboard setup checklist.
  2. 2Finish the next required item shown in the property setup header.
  3. 3Open the booking link and inspect the public page one last time.
  4. 4Turn the live switch on when the page, pricing, and guest messages are ready.
  5. 5Share the hosted link or embed it on your website.

What can wait

Some setup makes CampGrid stronger but should not block a simple first launch. Add these when they match how the property actually operates.

Tips

  • Branding is optional if the property name is enough for day one.
  • Add-ons are optional unless you need required fees or upsells in the first quote.
  • Advanced stay rules and blackout windows can wait if your availability is simple.
  • Detail maps and amenity icons can wait if the overview map is already clear enough.
  • Waivers can stay off until you have the final document and policy wording.
  • Stripe can wait if you are comfortable handling payment requests manually.

Common launch blockers

The most common blockers are missing guest contact info, missing arrival or cancellation details, an uploaded map with no priced active sites, and a subscription that has not started yet.

Stripe is not required for launch. If Stripe is pending, keep manual payments on and switch to online checkout later when verification is complete.

Tips

  • Use the dashboard setup checklist and the property setup header as the source of truth.
  • If the public page looks stale after a slug or branding change, refresh the browser and reopen the booking link from CampGrid.
  • If you pause the page, existing reservations stay in the dashboard.

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