Cloudbeds POS (Beta) - Configuration Guide

Cloudbeds POS is a point-of-sale solution that lets your property manage food, beverage, retail, and service transactions. Whether you run a restaurant, bar, café, spa, gift shop, or other outlet, you can manage orders, process payments, apply promotions and discounts, and configure users, menus, and operational settings from one platform.

This guide walks you through every configuration option in Cloudbeds POS and explains how to set up your property for day-to-day operations. Each section includes step-by-step instructions and best practices.

Who this affects and how

What is Cloudbeds POS?

Cloudbeds POS is an integrated point-of-sale system designed for hospitality businesses. It lets staff create and manage orders while keeping operational and financial data connected within your Cloudbeds platform.

It supports multiple types of revenue outlets, including:

• Restaurants
• Bars
• Coffee shops
• Spas
• Gift shops
• Pool bars
• Room service
• Other service-based outlets

Each outlet is configured independently, with its own products, menus, operating hours, and (for restaurants) floor plan.

Before you begin

Complete these prerequisites before you configure Cloudbeds POS.

1. Make sure your device is paired

Your mobile or tablet device must be paired with the correct property, and you must be signed in with your POS PIN. For instructions, see Pair devices below.

2. Verify your permissions

Your Cloudbeds user account needs permission to access and manage point of sale settings. Under Users in your platform settings, enable POS Settings so the user can see and configure the Cloudbeds POS app.

Depending on your assigned role, you may be able to configure:

• Outlets
• Menus
• Offers
• Discounts
• Receipt settings
• Tips
• POS users and roles

If you cannot access the Point of Sale settings, ask your property administrator to grant the appropriate permissions.

3. Prepare your product catalog

Your property's Items & Services must be configured before you create outlets or menus. Every item must have a category, and products must exist before they can be assigned to outlets or menus.

4. Set up Cloudbeds Payments (optional)

Some payment methods require Cloudbeds Payments to be enabled for your property. These are Tap to Pay and Pay by Link. If you do not use Cloudbeds Payments, these methods are not available in the POS.

Configure outlets

What is an outlet?

An outlet is a location where products or services are sold through the POS. Every order is created under a specific outlet, so each business location can operate independently while sharing the same account. Each outlet maintains its own operational settings and still contributes to your property's overall sales reporting.

Each outlet can have its own:

• Products
• Menus (Restaurant outlets only)
• Floor plan (Restaurant outlets only)
• House Account
• Hours of operation

For example, a hotel may have three outlets:

• Main Restaurant: breakfast, lunch, and dinner service
• Lobby Bar: drinks and light snacks
• Spa: massage treatments and wellness services

All three belong to the same property, but each has its own products, operating hours, and configuration.

Open the Outlets page

1. Log in to Cloudbeds.
2. Click the Account icon in the upper-right corner.
3. Select Settings.
4. Go to Point of Sale.
5. Select Outlets.

The Outlets page shows every outlet configured for your property.

Use the Outlets dashboard

The dashboard gives you a central view of every outlet at your property. For each outlet it shows:

From the dashboard, users with the right permissions can create a new outlet, edit an existing outlet, and activate or deactivate an outlet.

Create a new outlet

1. Go to Settings > Point of Sale > Outlets.
2. Click + Add Outlet.
3. Complete each configuration tab (Details, Products, and, for Restaurant outlets, Menus and Floor Plan).
4. Click Save.

Configure outlet details

The Details tab holds the primary information for your outlet.

• Status: Controls whether staff can use the outlet.
  • Active: new orders can be created and payments can be processed.
  • Inactive: staff cannot create new orders. Historical transactions remain available for reporting.
• Outlet Name: The name staff see throughout the POS app. It also appears on your receipts.
• Outlet Type: How the outlet operates.
  • Restaurant: adds menus, floor plans, sections, and tables. These settings are not available for Service outlets.
  • Service: for businesses that do not need table management, such as a spa, retail shop, or activities desk.
• Description: Optional internal notes. Only users who manage the property can see them, and they are never shown to guests.
• Receipt Logo: The logo printed on receipts. PNG, JPG, and SVG are supported, up to 2 MB. Transparent areas print as white.
• Default House Account: Each outlet can have one default House Account. Select an existing account or create a new one. House Accounts are typically used for staff meals, complimentary items, internal departments, or events. When staff choose Post to House Account at checkout, this account is selected automatically.
• Outlet Schedule: The outlet's normal operating hours. Set opening and closing times for each day of the week. You can add multiple operating periods per day.

Keeping the schedule up to date helps staff see when an outlet is available for service.

Assign products to an outlet

The Products tab determines which products are available for sale at the outlet.

Cloudbeds POS uses your property's Items & Services catalog as the master product catalog. You do not create products separately for each outlet. Instead, you create a product once and assign it to the outlets where it should be sold. For example, a bottle of water can be sold at the Restaurant, Pool Bar, and Gift Shop, while a spa treatment is available only at the Spa.

How the pieces fit together:

• Items & Services holds your property's complete product catalog.
• Item Categories organizes that catalog. A product must have a category to appear in the POS app.
• The outlet's Products tab chooses which catalog products are available at that outlet.

To assign products:

1. Open the Products tab.
2. Browse the available product categories.
3. Select the products you want to make available. Optionally, use Select All in Category to assign every product in a category.
4. Click Save.

To stop selling a product at an outlet:

1. Open the Products tab.
2. Find the assigned product and clear its checkbox.
3. Click Save.

The product no longer appears in the POS for that outlet. It is not deleted from Items & Services and remains available to assign to other outlets.

Configure menus (Restaurant outlets only)

Menus control which products are available at specific times of the day. A product can appear on multiple menus, and each menu becomes available automatically on its schedule. A Restaurant outlet can have one or more menus, and you can create a new menu by copying an existing one.

To create a menu:

1. Open the Menus tab.
2. Click + Create.
3. Enter a menu name.
4. Set the menu's availability for each day.
5. Add menu sections.
6. Add products to each section.
7. Click Save.

Configure the floor plan (Restaurant outlets only)

A floor plan organizes seating and supports table service. Create one or more sections first, then add tables to each section.

Step 1: Create a section

1. Open the Floor Plan tab.
2. Click + Add Section.
3. Enter a section name, such as Indoor Dining, Patio, Bar, or Private Room.
4. Save the section.

Step 2: Add tables

1. Select a section.
2. Choose a table shape: oval, square, or rectangular.
3. Enter the number of seats.
4. Drag the table to the right location, and resize or rotate it as needed.
5. Save your changes.

Edit an outlet

1. Go to Settings > Point of Sale > Outlets.
2. Select the outlet you want to edit.
3. Update the settings you need.
4. Click Save.

Outlet best practices

• Create one outlet for each revenue-generating location.
• Assign only the products sold at each outlet.
• Keep operating hours up to date.
• Configure floor plans to reflect your venue's physical layout.
• Deactivate temporary or seasonal outlets when they are not operating.

Configure offers (promotions and happy hours)

Offers let you set promotional prices for recurring campaigns. Unlike manual discounts, offers are designed for recurring marketing and pricing strategies, so staff do not have to adjust prices at checkout. When an offer is available, the item shows an OFFER AVAILABLE badge in the POS app, and staff can add it at the promotional or the regular price.

Cloudbeds POS supports two types of offers. Each can be configured independently and assigned to one or more outlets.

Open the Offers page

1. Log in to Cloudbeds.
2. Go to Settings.
3. Select Point of Sale.
4. Open the Offers tab.

From this page you can create, edit, activate, and deactivate offers.

Create a new offer

1. Click + Add Offer.
2. Turn the Status toggle on or off.
3. Turn the menu toggle on or off to show or hide the offer in the menu.
4. Select the Offer Type.
5. Enter an Offer Name.
6. (Optional) Enter a Description.
7. Configure the settings for the offer type you selected.
8. Click Save.

General offer settings

• Status: Active offers are evaluated at checkout and applied when their conditions are met. Inactive offers are saved but not available at checkout.
• Offer Name: A descriptive name that identifies the offer, such as Happy Hour Drinks, Lunch Combo, Summer Promotion, or Weekend Special.
• Description: Optional internal notes about the offer.

Configure a promotion

Promotions automatically reduce the price of eligible products or orders when the configured conditions are met. Typical uses include percentage discounts, fixed amount discounts, seasonal campaigns, limited-time promotions, and category-specific discounts.

Two discount types are available: Percentage Off reduces the price by a percentage, and Fixed Amount Off reduces it by a fixed monetary amount.

• Discount Value: The amount or percentage to apply.
• Minimum Spend (optional): The minimum order value required before the promotion applies.
• Outlets: One or more outlets where the promotion is available.
• Promotion Availability: When the promotion is active: Always Available, Certain Period of Time, or Annually Recurring.
• Eligible Products: The products or product categories that qualify.

Configure a happy hour

Happy Hour automatically applies discounted pricing to selected products during recurring days and times. It is commonly used for afternoon drink specials, late-night promotions, weekend specials, and daily promotional pricing. The same two discount types are available: Percentage Off and Fixed Amount Off.

• Discount Value: The amount or percentage to apply.
• Outlets: One or more outlets where the Happy Hour is available.
• Availability: The days of the week, start time, and end time. The discount is applied automatically during this schedule.
• Eligible Products: The products or product categories that receive the discounted price.

Example: Happy Hour Cocktails

• Discount: 20% off
• Days: Monday to Friday
• Time: 4:00 PM to 6:00 PM
• Outlet: Lobby Bar
• Products: Cocktails

Offer best practices

• Use clear, descriptive names for each offer.
• Set availability dates and schedules so promotions run automatically.
• Test offers before making them available to staff.
• Deactivate unused offers instead of deleting them, so you can reuse them later.
• Review active offers regularly to keep pricing and schedules accurate.

Configure discounts

Discounts let authorized staff manually reduce the price of an order or an item at checkout. Unlike offers, which apply automatically when conditions are met, discounts are applied by staff to handle special requests, resolve guest concerns, or make discretionary price adjustments.

Cloudbeds POS supports two kinds of discounts:

• Preset discounts: Predefined discounts you create in Settings.
• Custom discounts: One-time discounts entered at checkout, within the limits you set.

Discount settings

Discount Settings control how discounts can be applied throughout the POS.

Discount reasons. You can set preset reasons for staff to choose when they apply a discount, such as Guest Satisfaction, Service Recovery, Employee Discount, Manager Approval, or Pricing Adjustment/Compensation. Predefined reasons keep discounts consistent and improve reporting.

Discount calculation. If an order has both item-level and order-level discounts, item-level discounts are calculated first. The order-level discount is then applied to the updated order total.

Create a preset discount

1. Go to Settings > Point of Sale > Discounts.
2. Click + Add Discount.
3. Turn the Status toggle on or off.
4. Enter a Discount Name.
5. Select the Discount Type: Percentage Off or Fixed Amount Off.
6. Enter the discount value.
7. Choose whether Manager Approval is required.
8. Choose whether a Discount Reason is required.
9. Click Save.

• Percentage Off reduces the order or item price by a percentage. Examples: 10% Employee Discount, 15% VIP Discount, 20% Service Recovery.
• Fixed Amount Off reduces the order or item price by a set monetary amount. Examples: $5 Off, $10 Courtesy Discount.

Manager approval. You can require a manager's Approval PIN before a discount can be applied. This prevents unauthorized price reductions while letting supervisors approve exceptions. If approval is required and not provided, the discount cannot be applied.

Edit or deactivate a discount

1. Open Settings > Point of Sale > Discounts.
2. Select the discount.
3. Update the settings, or switch the Status toggle to Inactive to stop using it temporarily.
4. Save your changes.

Edits apply to future transactions only. Inactive discounts are kept and can be reactivated at any time.

Discount best practices

• Use descriptive names that show the purpose of each discount.
• Require manager approval for high-value or discretionary discounts.
• Create standard discount reasons to improve reporting and accountability.
• Set maximum discount limits to help prevent unauthorized discounts.
• Review active discounts regularly and deactivate those you no longer need.

Configure receipts and kitchen tickets

Receipt settings control the information printed or displayed after an order is completed. Cloudbeds POS supports two print templates:

• Customer receipts: Give guests a record of their purchase and payment.
• Kitchen tickets: Give kitchen staff the information needed to prepare orders accurately.

To open these settings, go to Settings > Point of Sale and select Receipts. You configure both templates from this page.

Customer receipts

You can turn the following components on or off:

Depending on your configuration, a customer receipt can include the outlet name and description, VAT or Tax ID, order number, date and time, purchased items, taxes and fees, tips (if enabled), payment method, total amount, signature stub (if enabled), and QR code (if enabled). What prints depends on your receipt settings and the payment methods you have enabled.

Kitchen tickets

Kitchen tickets print only what kitchen staff need to prepare an order. They are typically sent to kitchen printers as soon as an order is submitted, and they never show payment information.

A kitchen ticket can also include ordered items, item quantities, item modifiers, and special instructions or notes.

Receipt and kitchen ticket best practices

• Include only the information staff or guests need.
• Enable Tips only if your property accepts gratuities.
• Use the Policy Note for refund or service policies, if applicable.
• Check that kitchen tickets include modifiers and special instructions before you go live.
• Test receipt and kitchen ticket printing after every configuration change.

Available payment methods

Payment methods control how guests can pay for orders in Cloudbeds POS. Some are available by default. Others depend on your Cloudbeds subscription and may need an additional service, such as Cloudbeds Payments.

Payment method best practices

• Confirm Cloudbeds Payments is configured before you enable Tap to Pay or Pay by Link.
• Test each enabled payment method before making it available to staff.
• Review enabled payment methods periodically so they reflect how your property operates.

Configure tips

Tip settings control how gratuities are presented at checkout. You can offer suggested tip percentages, allow custom tip amounts, or turn tipping off entirely. Suggested amounts speed up checkout by giving guests quick choices.

Open the Tip settings

1. Go to Settings > Point of Sale.
2. Select Tips.

Configure suggested tip amounts

You can set up to three suggested tip percentages and mark one of them as the recommended option.

Allow Custom Tip Amount. Turn this on to let guests enter their own gratuity instead of choosing a suggested percentage.

No Tip option. Cloudbeds POS always offers a No Tip option at checkout.

Turn off tipping

If both Show Suggested Tip Amounts and Allow Custom Tip Amount are turned off, the POS does not show any tip options at checkout. Guests go straight to payment without being asked for a gratuity.

Tip best practices

• Set suggested percentages that match your property's tipping policy.
• Highlight the percentage your guests choose most often.
• Enable custom tip amounts if you want to give guests more flexibility.
• Turn tip options off if your property does not accept gratuities.
• Test the checkout experience after you update tip settings.

Manage POS users, roles, and permissions

Users settings control who can access Cloudbeds POS and what each person can do. Assigning the right roles and permissions gives staff access only to the features they need and keeps sensitive operations under control.

User types

• Admin users are managed through the Cloudbeds platform. They manage property-wide POS settings, configure outlets, menus, and other settings, and create and manage POS users.
• POS users are the staff who use the POS app every day. They can be created in the Cloudbeds platform, sign in with a 4-digit PIN, can be assigned to one or more outlets, and can do only what their role and permissions allow. They may need to enter an Approval PIN for restricted actions.

Set POS administration permissions

Administration permissions decide which Cloudbeds users can access and manage POS settings.

1. Go to Settings > Users.
2. Open the Roles tab.
3. Create a new role or edit an existing one.
4. Find the Point of Sale permissions.
5. Turn the permissions you need on or off.
6. Save your changes.

Create a POS user

1. Go to Settings > Point of Sale > Users.
2. Open the Users tab.
3. Click + Create POS User.
4. Enter the user's name and email address.
5. Select a role.
6. Assign one or more outlets.
7. Create a 4-digit PIN.
8. Click Save.

The user can now sign in to the POS app with their PIN.

Create a custom role

Custom roles let you define the permissions for different groups of staff.

1. Go to Settings > Point of Sale > Users.
2. Open the Roles tab.
3. Click + Create Role.
4. Enter a role name and description.
5. Select the permissions to assign.
6. Click Create Role.

POS permissions: Orders

POS permissions: Payments

User and role best practices

• Give each user the minimum permissions their job requires.
• Create separate roles for different jobs, such as Cashier, Server, Supervisor, and Manager.
• Assign users only to the outlets where they work.
• Review user access regularly and remove inactive users.
• Require manager approval for restricted actions, such as high-value discounts or refunds.

Pair devices

Each device must be paired with your property before staff can use Cloudbeds POS. Pairing links the POS app on the device to your Cloudbeds account with a unique pairing code. Once paired, the device can access the outlets and features available to authorized POS users.

Step 1: Generate a pairing code in Cloudbeds

1. Sign in to Cloudbeds.
2. Click the Account icon in the upper-right corner.
3. Go to Settings > Devices.
4. Click + Pair Device.
5. Enter a device name.
6. Click Generate Code.
7. Copy the unique pairing code.

Step 2: Pair the device in the POS app

1. Download and install the Cloudbeds POS app from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store.
2. Open the app on the device.
3. On the pairing screen, enter the pairing code or scan the QR code generated in Cloudbeds.
4. Tap Register Device.
5. Wait for pairing to finish.

When pairing succeeds, the device is linked to your property and ready for staff to sign in.

View paired devices

The Devices page lists every paired POS device for your property, with its device name, device type, pairing status, and last connected date. Use it to spot active devices and manage device access.

Remove a paired device

If a device is no longer in use or has been replaced, remove it from your property.

1. Go to Settings > Devices.
2. Select the device.
3. Click the three-dot icon.
4. Select Unpair.

The device can no longer access your property's POS until it is paired again.

Device best practices

• Generate a pairing code only when you are ready to pair a device.
• Pair devices on a secure, reliable internet connection.
• Give devices clear names so they are easy to identify.
• Remove devices that are no longer in use to keep your account secure.
• Review the list of paired devices regularly to make sure only authorized devices have access.

Related articles

• Cloudbeds POS (Beta): Order Flow Guide
• Cloudbeds POS (Beta): Application Settings Guide
• Cloudbeds Payments: set up and requirements (add link)
• Items & Services: manage your product catalog (add link)