Touch Stay vs Guest Loop: Which Guidebook Tool Is Right for You?

If you're shopping for a digital guidebook tool, Touch Stay and Guest Loop are two solid options with different strengths. Touch Stay is the established player with years of refinement. Guest Loop is the newer alternative focused on simplicity and guest marketing.

Here's an honest look at how they compare.

The Quick Version

Touch Stay is a mature platform with deep customisation, multi-language support, and a large user community. It's ideal for hosts and property managers who want granular control over their guidebooks.

Guest Loop is simpler to set up, includes built-in email capture and guest campaigns, and is priced as an all-in-one package. It's built for hosts who want their guidebook to also work as a marketing tool.

Pricing

Touch Stay starts at £7.95/month for a single property on the Starter plan. Higher tiers unlock more properties and features like analytics, custom branding, and team access. For multiple properties, costs add up quickly.

Guest Loop is $19.95/month and includes all features: email capture, campaigns, themes, QR codes, and interactive maps. There's no feature gating across tiers.

For a single property, Touch Stay's entry price is lower. For hosts who want email capture and campaign features, Guest Loop includes everything in one price.

Setup and Ease of Use

Touch Stay offers a structured template system with lots of sections to fill in. This gives you plenty of control, but it also means setup takes longer. Expect 30 to 60 minutes for a thorough guidebook. The interface has improved over the years but can still feel complex for first-time users.

Guest Loop is designed for speed. Most hosts have a published guidebook within 10 minutes. The trade-off is fewer customisation options compared to Touch Stay's granular controls. If you want something live quickly, Guest Loop gets you there faster.

We've written a full step-by-step setup guide if you want to see the process.

Guest Experience

Both tools produce mobile-friendly guidebooks that guests can access via a link or QR code. The guest-facing experience is good on both platforms.

Touch Stay guidebooks have a clean layout with collapsible sections. Guests can navigate by topic and find what they need quickly.

Guest Loop guidebooks use themed designs with interactive maps for local recommendations. The visual style is modern and works well on mobile.

Both do a great job of reducing guest messages, which is the whole point.

Email Capture and Marketing

This is where the two tools differ most.

Touch Stay is purely a guidebook tool. It does that well, but it doesn't capture guest emails or send follow-up campaigns. If you want guest marketing, you'll need separate tools.

Guest Loop includes an optional email capture screen when guests open your guidebook. Once you have their email, you can send automated campaigns: review requests, direct booking offers, or seasonal promotions. This is designed to help hosts build a direct booking strategy over time.

If you're happy with your guidebook being purely informational, Touch Stay covers that. If you want your guidebook to also capture leads and drive repeat bookings, Guest Loop builds that in.

Features Comparison

Touch Stay strengths

• Multi-language support: Translate your guidebook for international guests. This is a genuine advantage for hosts in tourist-heavy areas.
• Mature template system: Years of refinement mean the templates cover virtually every hosting scenario.
• PMS integrations: Connects with some property management systems.
• Large community: Active user base with shared tips and best practices.
• Offline access: Guests can download guidebooks for offline viewing.

Guest Loop strengths

• Email capture: Built into the guidebook experience.
• Campaign system: Automated emails for review requests and direct booking offers.
• Speed of setup: Consistently under 15 minutes for a complete guidebook.
• QR code generation: Automatic for each property.
• Interactive maps: Local recommendations displayed on a tappable map.
• All-inclusive pricing: Every feature included at one price point.

Multi-Property Hosting

Touch Stay scales well for larger portfolios. Higher-tier plans support multiple properties, and the template system lets you reuse content across guidebooks. Property management companies often choose Touch Stay for this reason.

Guest Loop supports multiple properties on any plan. For smaller portfolios (1 to 10 properties), the simplicity is an advantage. For 50+ properties, Touch Stay's property management features may be more suitable.

Support

Touch Stay has been around since 2014 and offers email support, a knowledge base, and an active community. Response times are generally good.

Guest Loop offers email and chat support with the team that built the product. Being a smaller team means you often talk directly to the developers. The company is based in Australia, so support hours align with AEST/AEDT.

Who Should Choose Touch Stay?

• Hosts who want deep customisation and granular control
• Properties that need multi-language guidebooks
• Larger property management companies
• Hosts who already have separate email marketing tools
• Those who prefer an established platform with a long track record

Who Should Choose Guest Loop?

• Hosts who want to get a guidebook live quickly
• Anyone building a direct booking strategy
• Hosts who want email capture and campaigns built into their guidebook
• Smaller portfolios (1 to 15 properties) looking for simplicity
• Australian and New Zealand hosts who want local support

The Bottom Line

Both are good tools that solve the same core problem: giving guests the information they need without constant messaging. Touch Stay has the maturity and depth. Guest Loop has the simplicity and marketing features.

If you're curious about Guest Loop, try it free and see if the setup speed and email features fit your hosting style.