Hotel Website Handover: What to Check Before Launch

A finished preview is only part of a website project. Before your hotel, guesthouse or villa goes live, you also need to know who controls the domain, where inquiries arrive, and how tomorrow's content changes will happen.

Use this checklist as a practical starting point for your handover discussion. Adapt it to your proposal: a simple website with an external booking link needs a different handover from a project that includes a content management system. Ask your provider to confirm the agreed deliverables in writing.

1. Start with the agreed scope

Open the proposal beside the final preview. Check each promised page, language, room type and feature against what has been delivered. Review the final property name, address, contact details, room capacities and photographs. If a feature was added later, make sure its approval and cost are documented.

For WUUS projects, the written proposal defines the pages, content, features, payment terms and acceptance criteria. A booking engine, guest payments and ongoing maintenance are separate scope decisions. Do not assume a booking button includes the software behind it.

Make one consolidated list of corrections. Separate defects in agreed work from requests for additional pages or features so both sides can resolve the remaining work clearly.

2. Confirm control of accounts

Our recommendation is to keep domain and production hosting accounts under the property's control. Confirm the account holder, recovery email, renewal date and person responsible for paying renewals. Keep a record of the provider and the relevant account identifiers in your handover folder.

If the studio manages hosting as a service, ask what happens when that arrangement ends. Can you receive a copy of the site? Who handles a move? What support and charges apply? Record the answers rather than relying on an informal conversation.

Share access through the provider's available permissions instead of putting passwords in a general project document. Store recovery information securely and review who still needs access after the handover.

3. Test the guest's next step

Work through the site on a phone and a desktop. Follow the navigation, open the room pages and gallery, and check the location information against the property's approved details. Try a mobile connection as well as your usual office connection.

Send a clearly labelled test inquiry using an address you control. Confirm it appears in the agreed destination and contains the details needed to reply. If an email notification is part of the scope, check that too. A success message alone should not be your evidence that the request arrived.

Open the booking link and confirm the destination belongs to your property. Check that the handoff is understandable: guests should know when they are leaving the property website for another service. Rates, availability and the reservation process remain with that booking provider unless your agreement explicitly says otherwise.

4. Agree how content will change

Ask a direct question: when a room photo, facility or contact detail changes, who updates the website?

If a CMS is included, request the agreed access and a short demonstration of the editing tasks your team needs. If editing is handled by your studio, record how to request changes, what they cost and the expected response process. A custom website does not automatically come with an editor.

Keep the approved text, room information and original image files together. Record any image credits or licence restrictions. Check the handover terms for source code and third-party components so you understand what you receive and what remains subject to another provider's licence.

5. Record the launch and support arrangement

Before launch, confirm the final approval, outstanding payment, domain connection and backup arrangements. Ask how to return to the previous working version if a launch change fails, and who will make that decision.

Write down the support contact, included defect support period and exclusions. New content, new functionality and issues with external services may require separate work. Agree any continuing maintenance rather than assuming it is included indefinitely.

WUUS's hospitality terms describe the proposal, handover and support framework. Your accepted proposal should make the details for your property clear before you pay a deposit or approve launch.

Keep a short handover record

Your final record can be concise: approved scope, account owners, renewal responsibilities, inquiry destination, booking destination, delivered files, editing arrangement, rollback contact and support terms. Test it by asking another authorised person at the property to locate those answers.

Planning a website for an independent property? Explore WUUS hospitality websites or email hallo@webuntukusaha.com. Share your property link and current setup so the scope can be discussed before you commit.