Migration guide
Switch from Cloudbeds to FrontDesk
Export your reservations from Cloudbeds as CSV or Excel; FrontDesk recognises the Cloudbeds column names and maps them for you.
1. Export from Cloudbeds
- In Cloudbeds, open the reservations report from the Reports area.
- Filter by check-in date from today onwards (past stays are best kept in Cloudbeds' own exports for your records) and, if the report allows, exclude cancelled and no-show reservations.
- Export as CSV or Excel. Keep the column headers exactly as Cloudbeds writes them.
- Groups on Cloudbeds: export each property separately.
Menu names change between Cloudbeds versions and plans; if yours differ, look for the reservation list or report with an export button. We have no commercial relationship with Cloudbeds.
2. Import into FrontDesk
Upload the file in Import. FrontDesk detects the Cloudbeds format from the headers and pre-fills the mapping below; you can still change any column before confirming.
guest namenameSplit into first and last name automatically ("Smith, Anna" or "Anna Smith"), used when the file has no separate first-name column.
first nameguest first namelast nameguest last nameemailguest emailphoneguest phoneroom numberroom nameroom typecheck in datecheck incheck out datecheck outadultschildrenreservation notesnotesgrand totaltotalHeaders are matched without regard to capitals or extra spaces; where several are listed, the first one found is used.
Specific to Cloudbeds
- • The preset looks for a room number or room name first and only then the room type. If your file only carries room types, make sure FrontDesk room names match them, or add a room-number column before importing.
- • Cloudbeds dates are read month/day/year by default; if any date in the column has a day above 12, the order is detected from the data instead.
How the import behaves
- Create your rooms in FrontDesk first. The room column must match a FrontDesk room name exactly (case does not matter); a row whose room is not found is skipped and listed with the reason.
- Arrival and departure are required, as is a guest name (first, last or full). Dates with a time ("03/10/2026 14:00") and local day/month orders are converted automatically.
- Guests are de-duplicated by email, then by first + last name, so a repeat guest keeps a single profile.
- A row that overlaps an existing booking on the same room is refused, so importing the same file twice does not create duplicates.
- Formats: .xlsx, .xls or .csv, first sheet, one reservation per row, headers in the first row.
- Nothing is written until you confirm: you see the detected preset, the column mapping (editable) and a preview of the first rows.
What does not migrate
The import brings guests and reservations. Everything else stays in Cloudbeds or is set up again:
- Rate plans and seasons: the stay total comes across when the export has a price column (mapped to Stay total, read as an amount in your property currency), but rate plans, seasons and payment history do not. Rebuild rates in FrontDesk for new bookings.
- Payments, deposits and stored card tokens: tokens belong to the old PMS's payment provider and cannot be moved. Deposits already taken stay in your old payment account; note them on the reservation.
- Folios, invoices and historical charges: FrontDesk starts its own invoice series. Keep the old PMS export (or its invoice PDFs) for accounting and tax retention.
- Reservation status and source: every imported row becomes a confirmed reservation with source "Import Excel". Rows whose status column says cancelled or no-show are dropped automatically; checked-out past stays should be filtered out before upload, or they come in as confirmed.
- Guest ID documents, nationality and date of birth: only name, email and phone are imported for the guest profile.
- Channel manager mappings and OTA connections: reconnect in FrontDesk through Channex (two-way, a separate subscription) or iCal feeds, and map room types again.
- Rooms, room types, rate plans, restrictions, users, housekeeping history and reports: set these up in FrontDesk; the import only creates guests and reservations.
And if you ever leave FrontDesk: Settings → Data export downloads your reservations, guests, invoices and payments as Excel or CSV, for one property or the whole group, on every plan. No ticket, no fee, no waiting.
How long it takes
Small property (up to ~20 rooms)
30–60 minutes
Create rooms, export future reservations, import (cancelled rows are skipped). Most of the time goes into rooms and rates, not the file.
Mid-size hotel (20–150 rooms)
Half a day
Same steps; export by month or quarter so any refused rows are easy to fix, and reconnect channels on the switch-over day.
Large hotel or group
About a day per property
The import runs on the property you have open, so do one property at a time: start with a pilot property, check the planner against the old PMS, then repeat. Channel reconnection and staff logins take longer than the import itself.
Estimates for the whole switch, not measurements: the file import itself takes minutes.
Still deciding? See pricing and features side by side.
FrontDesk vs CloudbedsFrequently asked questions
Does FrontDesk connect to Cloudbeds directly?
No. The move is file-based: you export from Cloudbeds and upload the file. There is no live sync between the two systems, so plan a switch-over day.
Will my Cloudbeds channel connections carry over?
No. OTA connections are tied to the channel manager you use. In FrontDesk you connect two-way through Channex (a separate subscription) or via iCal, and map room types again.
Can I test the import before I commit?
Yes. The 14-day trial needs no credit card and includes the import: create a couple of rooms, upload a real export and look at the result in the planner. The demo at /demo shows a sample hotel with no sign-up at all.
Try the import with your own Cloudbeds file
The demo runs on a sample hotel with no forms or sales calls; the 14-day trial needs no credit card.