Introduction & Overview

Goodstay is a modern, all-in-one management platform purpose-built for independent pet boarding facilities and kennels. Whether you run a small 10-run operation or a large multi-staff facility with daycare, grooming, and overnight boarding, Goodstay puts every tool you need into a single, easy-to-navigate system.

What Goodstay Manages

Area	What You Can Do
Boarding & Daycare	Create reservations, check pets in and out, manage runs/suites
Pet Profiles	Track every pet's details, photos, vaccinations, and history
Owners	Maintain a full client database with contact details and notes
Invoicing	Generate, send, and accept payment on professional invoices
Staff	Invite team members, assign roles, track shifts and tasks
Health & Safety	Enforce vaccine requirements, track medications, send pre-check forms
Communications	Two-way messaging with clients, automated emails, report cards
Online Presence	Public landing page and online booking form at your own subdomain
Customer Portal	Self-service portal for clients to view reservations, invoices, and pets
Reports	Revenue, occupancy, customer, seasonal, forecast, and regulatory analytics

How the App Is Structured

Goodstay runs on a subdomain model. When you register your facility, you choose a unique URL handle (e.g., mypethotel), and your full management workspace lives at mypethotel.goodstay.pet. Your public landing page and online booking form also live on that same subdomain, so clients and staff all use the same domain.

Staff access the management area (dashboard, reservations, etc.) by signing in at your subdomain.
Pet owners access the self-service Customer Portal at mypethotel.goodstay.pet/portal/sign_in.

Creating Your Account

Visit the Goodstay marketing site (e.g., goodstay.pet).
Click Get Started or the sign-up button.
You will be taken to the Create your account page — one form revealed in three steps:
- 1 · Kennel — your facility name and your desired subdomain (e.g., mypethotel). The subdomain is checked for availability in real time as you type. Only lowercase letters, numbers, and hyphens are allowed, at least 2 characters, and a few names (www, admin, portal, support…) are reserved.
- 2 · You — your name and email address.
- 3 · Password — a password (at least 8 characters), entered twice. An optional invite code, if you've been given one for a partner promotion, is tucked behind a Have an invite code? link on this step.
Click Create Account. You are immediately signed in and taken to the Setup Wizard. Every new account starts with a 14-day free trial — no credit card required.

Your subdomain cannot be changed after registration, so choose it carefully. It becomes the address for everything: your management console, client portal, and public booking page.

Signing In

Go to yoursubdomain.goodstay.pet.
Click Sign in.
Enter your email and password on the Welcome back page, then click Sign In.

If you forget your password, click Forgot password? and enter your email. A password reset link will be sent to your inbox.

Signing Out

Go to your Dashboard and click Sign out at the top right. (Your name and avatar at the bottom of the sidebar open your Profile.)

Facility Setup Wizard

When you first create your account, Goodstay walks you through a three-step Setup Wizard to get your facility ready as quickly as possible. On screen the steps are numbered 4, 5, 6 — continuing from sign-up's steps 1–3:

Facility: Basic information about your business
Space: Your first boarding run or suite
Pet Owner (optional): Your first client record

Only the Pet Owner step is optional — you must supply your facility details and one space to finish setup (and you need at least one space before you can create reservations). Everything can be refined later from Settings.

Step 1 — Facility

Fill in:

Field	Description
Facility Name	The legal or operating name of your business (required)
Phone	Your main contact phone number
Email	Your main business email (shown to clients)
Time Zone	Critical — all reservation dates and times display in this zone (required)
Address	Your full address in one field, e.g. "123 Kennel Road, Springfield, IL 62701"

Your sales tax rate isn't part of the wizard — set it later in Settings → Payments & Tax. Click Next to proceed (or Complete Setup at any point once the required fields are filled).

Step 2 — Space

Add your first boarding run or suite:

Field	Description
Space Name	A short unique name, e.g., "Run 1", "Luxury Suite"
Space Type	Standard, Large, Suite, or Puppy — your first space is a boarding run. Daycare yards and grooming stations are added later from the Spaces page.
Daily Rate	Your base nightly rate for boarding
Capacity	How many separate bookings this space holds at once
Indoor space	Tick if the space is indoors

Space types explained:

Standard — a regular boarding kennel run
Large — a larger run for big or multiple dogs
Suite — a premium room or suite (higher rate)
Puppy — a smaller puppy-specific run
Daycare — a group space that holds many dogs at once (added later, not in the wizard)
Grooming Station — one grooming appointment at a time (added later, not in the wizard)

Step 3 — Pet Owner (Optional)

Enter a client's information to create their first record: First Name, Last Name, Email, and Phone.

Click Complete Setup. You are taken to your Dashboard.

Once you're up and running, the Welcome New Customer flow is the better way to add clients — it creates the owner, their pets, and their welcome packet in one step.

Install Goodstay as an App (PWA)

Goodstay is a Progressive Web App, so you can install it on your phone, tablet, or computer for fast one-tap access — no app store required.

iOS (Safari): Tap the Share button → Add to Home Screen → Add.
Android (Chrome): Tap the menu (⋮) → Install app (or Add to Home screen).
Desktop (Chrome / Edge): Click the install icon (a monitor with a down arrow) at the right of the address bar, then click Install.

Once installed, the app opens directly to the dashboard, runs in its own window without browser chrome, and shows a friendly offline page if your connection drops mid-session.

The "Get the App" Card in Settings

You don't have to remember those steps: Settings → General has a Get the app on your phone card. On Android and desktop (Chrome/Edge), its Add to home screen button opens the browser's real install dialog directly; on iPhone — where Safari never offers an install prompt of its own — it shows step-by-step instructions with your device's steps highlighted with a Your device badge. The card disappears once you're already running the installed app.