Overview

The dashboard is where every session begins. It gives you an instant picture of what is happening at your property right now — who is arriving today, who is departing, how many rooms are occupied, and any recent activity that needs attention. Think of it as the front desk whiteboard, but always up to date.

You will check the dashboard at the start of every shift to see what is coming up, and throughout the day to stay on top of changes. Managers and owners also use it to monitor occupancy and property performance at a glance.

What You See on the Dashboard

When you open the Dashboard, the main area shows a widget-based layout organized into sections:

Recently Viewed — quick-access badges for bookings and guests you have viewed recently
Today’s Arrivals and Departures — guests expected to check in or out today, with action buttons to check them in or out directly
Current Guests and Service Requests — who is in-house right now, and any pending guest requests
Occupancy, Revenue, and Room Status — performance metrics for the current period

For a detailed guide to each widget and what you can do from the dashboard, see Understanding the Dashboard.

:::tip Make it a habit to review the dashboard at the start of each shift. A quick look at arrivals and departures helps you plan your day and avoid surprises. :::

The left sidebar is your main menu for everything in Vesta. Click any item to go directly to that section:

Sidebar Item	What It Does	When You Use It
Dashboard	Overview and key metrics	Start of shift, checking status
Booking Calendar	Visual room-by-date booking calendar	Seeing room availability at a glance
Bookings	List and manage all bookings	Creating, viewing, or modifying reservations
Guests	Guest directory and profiles	Looking up guest info, adding new guests
Rooms	Room list and status	Checking room status, marking maintenance
Rates	Rate plans and pricing	Adjusting pricing or creating promotions
Products	Chargeable items and services	Managing minibar, parking, extras
Settings	Property configuration	Changing property details, managing staff

:::info What you see in the sidebar depends on your role and permissions. For example, a receptionist may not see Settings or Rates if those permissions are not assigned to their role. See Managing Roles and Permissions for more. :::

Switching Properties

If you work at more than one property (for example, a manager overseeing two locations), you can switch between them without logging out:

Click the property name in the top bar
Select the property you want to switch to
The dashboard and all data will update to show the selected property

All data in Vesta is scoped to the property you are currently viewing. When you switch properties, you see that property’s bookings, guests, rooms, and settings.

:::warning Double-check which property is selected in the top bar before creating bookings or making changes. It is easy to accidentally work in the wrong property if you manage more than one. :::

Notifications

The bell icon in the top bar shows notifications for your property — new bookings, cancellations, payments, and other important events. A badge on the bell tells you how many unread notifications you have.

Click the bell to see your recent notifications
Click a notification to go directly to the related booking or record

For full notification management including filtering and preferences, see Managing Notifications.

Quick Actions

From the dashboard, you can jump straight into common tasks:

Create a Booking — start a new reservation from the Bookings page
Check In a Guest — find today’s arrivals and check them in
View Guests — look up a guest’s profile or history

Next Steps

Understanding the Dashboard — detailed guide to the dashboard widgets
Searching Across the System — find anything with Cmd+K
Creating a Booking — learn the full booking flow
Checking In a Guest — handle arrivals
Setting Up Your Property — if you are still setting things up