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It’s easier than you think.
Welcome to the playground of possibility, your all-access pass to the most irresistible stays across South Africa. From wine-soaked valleys to mountain peaks, city skylines to sleepy coastal towns, our collection shows off the beauty hiding in plain sight right on your doorstep. Every guesthouse here has been verified, curated, and approved for pure escape-worthy bliss.
“SIGN UP HERE” at the top right in the navigation bar.
You will arrive at our page with an application form.
Add your details, agree to the fine print, then click the “SUBMIT” button to send to our inbox.
We’ll be in touch with the verdict and next steps.
Now the balls in our court. We vet, verify, and vibe-check your guesthouse to our gold standard of “WOW! I’d stay there.”
Once approved, you’ll be placed into one of our 4 Tiers from full-blown luxury to laid-back charm.
Consider it your official Guesthouse Exchange stamp of approval.
Once our curation team has finished their review, you’ll receive a “Welcome” emailer letting you know the outcome.
If your guesthouse has made the cut, you’ll see which Tier level you’ve been placed in, plus a link to log in to your HOST HUB, your personal Guesthouse Exchange space.
Access your HOST HUB using your personal log in link supplied in the “Welcome” emailer you received.
Log in with your username (your email address) and password you created on your application form. Once the page loads, you’ll notice only one button is available: “SUBSCRIBE”.
Follow the prompts to subscribe and activate your subscription.
No need to add any bank details for payment.Your subscription is FREE until 31 July 2027.
Once done, your HOST HUB UNLOCKS.
Complete your details under the “MANAGE ACCOUNT” button.
Your subscription is now active. You are moments away from making and accepting bookings.
And as a surprise, we’ve gifted you 10 FREE Escape Points to your account ready for you to use to book those big Escapes!
NOW FOR THE BIG ONE: time to create your property listing by clicking on the the “ADD / EDIT LISTING” button.
Tell your story well - clear, inviting, and on-brand.
Make it look incredible!
Upload quality, landscape ONLY photographs (no bigger than 1MB) and a video link (if you have one of your property).
Your images should tell the story of your space.
Before uploading, review the Photography and Video Guide PDF in your “Subscription Confirmed” email.
We carefully review every listing’s photographs: only crisp, high-standard visuals will be approved.
Once everything looks great, “SUBMIT” your listing for review and approval.
Once your listing passes review, we flick the switch and BOOM - you’re live within 24-48 hours.
If something needs a quick fix (your wording, photo, or polish), we’ll drop you a friendly note to tweak and resubmit.
Once approved, your listing goes live. Your property is now part of the Guesthouse Exchange platform. In other words… your doors are officially open.
You’re now ready to accept Staycation bookings from fellow members as well as using those 10 shiny Escape Points we gifted you to book your first Escapes.
Keep an eye on your inbox for any booking updates and requests that will start coming through.
Welcome to THE STAYCATION REVOLUTION.
THIS GETS REWARDING.
If you know a guesthouse or BnB that would be a great fit for Guesthouse Exchange, send them our way.
Simply head to the “REFERRALS” button in your HOST HUB, fill in the quick form, and we’ll take it from there.
For every successful referral that joins the platform, you’ll EARN 10 ESCAPE POINTS added straight to your account.
So go on… share a few gems. You will be packing your bags more than you think.
Your FREE subscription runs until 31 July 2027. On 1 June 2027, we’ll email you with your next step which will be to choose one of the following:
1: TO STAY IN
- In your HOST HUB, click “MANAGE ACCOUNT”. Under the “PAYMENT METHODS” tab enter your card details to continue. All payments are securely made through Payfast. We do not have any access to your banking details.
- R2200 per year will be deducted from your account via PayFast on 1 August 2027.
- Payments not made on time will result in your Guesthouse Exchange subscription and property listing being paused.
2: TO STEP OUT
- In your HOST HUB, click “MANAGE ACCOUNT”. Under the “SUBSCRIPTIONS” tab click the “CANCEL” button.
- You must first CANCEL any FUTURE BOOKINGS in the "BOOKINGS RECEIVED" page.
- The 5 day booking policy MUST still be honoured. These bookings cannot be cancelled. In other words any bookings you accepted that fall within 5 days after your membership expires, will still need to be hosted.