Appearance

Go-live checklist ​

Everything between "we chose Kamra" and "the front desk ran today on it". Worked through top to bottom, a small property goes live in a day; with data migration and OTA sync, plan two to three. Each step links to the deeper guide.

1 — Get a server and install ​

  • [ ] Pick where it runs: a 2 vCPU / 4 GB RAM / 40 GB SSD VPS is enough for a full property (requirements). Guides: Hostinger · DigitalOcean · Linode · AWS · bench install · Frappe Cloud
  • [ ] Install via Docker quickstart, create your site, point your domain, get SSL (covered in each hosting guide)
  • [ ] Log in and change the Administrator password
  • [ ] Set up daily backups off the server (the hosting guides show bench backup + object storage; on Kamra Cloud we do this for you)

2 — Property setup ​

  • [ ] Run the onboarding wizard: property name, country (this selects your tax pack — GST slabs, PB1, VAT, SST — and your currency/number format), address, contacts
  • [ ] Room types with base prices, occupancy/capacity limits, bed types, photos — then rooms with numbers and floors
  • [ ] Rate card: seasons, rate plans, meal plans; optional guardrails, hurdle rates and an overbooking allowance (Revenue menu)
  • [ ] Taxes: verify a test quote shows the right tax for your country; set your tax registration number (GSTIN / NPWP / TRN / SST no.) on the property
  • [ ] Policies: check-in/out times, free-cancellation window, cancellation fee, no-show charge, deposit expectations — these are enforced in code, not just printed
  • [ ] Invoice series: per-property invoice numbering starts clean; do a test invoice and check the format before real money
  • [ ] ID retention mode: Store, or Verify & Discard (scans and ID numbers auto-scrubbed at checkout — the DPDP-friendly setting)

3 — Staff ​

  • [ ] Create a user per staff member — never shared logins; the audit trail is only as good as this
  • [ ] Assign roles: Front Desk, Housekeeping, Finance, Revenue Manager, Hotel Admin (menus follow the role)
  • [ ] Multi-property? Scope users to their property (User Permissions)
  • [ ] Bookmark the phone screens on staff devices: /hk (housekeeping), POS for captains
  • [ ] Walk the desk through the front-desk guide — one hour covers a shift's work

4 — Bring your data over ​

  • [ ] Export bookings/guests from the old system (eZee, Cloudbeds, or any CSV) and run the migration importer — preview first, then import; past stays land as history so returning guests are recognised
  • [ ] Spot-check 10 imported bookings against the old system: dates, rates, statuses
  • [ ] Import the laundry rate card (CSV) and the menu (bulk import with preview) if you run F&B

5 — Distribution ​

  • [ ] Booking engine: photos, description, policies, FAQs, brand colour; enable the public page and make a test booking on it; configure advance collection and the payment gateway if collecting online
  • [ ] Channel manager for OTA sync — setup guide: Channex self-serve today, STAAH / AioSell with their partner credentials. Map room types, push ARI, send a test booking from the OTA extranet and watch it land as a reservation
  • [ ] Until the channel manager is live, set OTA inventories manually and treat Kamra as the source of truth

6 — Guest communication ​

  • [ ] Email (SMTP): set up an Email Account so confirmations and links can send
  • [ ] WhatsApp on your own number — guide: Meta app, webhook, the three templates; send yourself a test confirmation and reply to it to see the conversations inbox work
  • [ ] Print a QR menu card if guests order F&B by phone

7 — Operations ​

  • [ ] POS: outlets, tables with areas ([Main Hall] T1:4), menu with photos, KOT printer or kitchen display at the pass
  • [ ] Housekeeping: confirm every room shows on /hk, brief the team on claim/accept/done and minibar/laundry posting
  • [ ] Service-ticket SLAs and the escalation contact (WhatsApp alerts once connected)

8 — Dress rehearsal (do this before cut-over) ​

Run one fake stay end to end and check every artifact:

  • [ ] Book (on the public page or desk) → confirmation received
  • [ ] Check in via the check-in flow → GRC prints, occupant register + ID captured, room assigned
  • [ ] Post a room-service charge from POS → appears on the folio
  • [ ] Record a payment, then check out → invoice generates with the right taxes and series
  • [ ] Run the night audit manually once and read what it did
  • [ ] Verify the backup from step 1 actually restored on a scratch site — an unrestored backup is a rumour

9 — Cut-over day ​

  • [ ] Pick a quiet day; freeze changes in the old system at a fixed hour
  • [ ] Re-import the delta (bookings created since the export)
  • [ ] Point the channel manager live; retire the old system's OTA connections the same hour (two masters means double bookings)
  • [ ] Keep the old system read-only for reference; first night audit on Kamra that night, first reconciliation next morning

Need hands? ​

All of the above as a done-for-you package: fixed-fee implementation with an annual support contract, or Kamra Cloud where the server side of this list disappears entirely. The software is identical either way — nothing on this page is gated.