Megan SmallCASE STUDY · 2026
M Linx Guide
A guest guide for short-term rentals. Hosts stop answering the same questions about wifi, parking and check-out, and guests get one page that works on a phone.
- Role
- Product, design and full-stack development, solo
- Status
- Live. First paying client in July 2026
- Stack
- Next.js, Supabase (Postgres + row-level security), Vercel
- Price
- $125 per property founding rate, plus an optional Care Plan
THE PROBLEM
Guests ask the same ten questions
Short-term rental hosts get the same messages before and during every stay: the wifi password, where to park, how the thermostat works, when check-out is. A PDF or a binder in the kitchen does not get read, and private details like door codes should not sit on a public page anyone can find.
I wanted a guide a host could set up in an afternoon, that a guest could open from a link, and that kept the sensitive parts out of public reach.
HOW IT WORKS
From host questionnaire to guest page
- 01IntakeAn interactive questionnaire collects the property details
- 02BuildThe guide is generated from a shared template
- 03ThemeThe host picks one of four themes
- 04ShareThe guest opens a link or QR code
- 05UnlockPrivate info appears only with the right key
The template came from the first guide I built, for a single rental property. I turned its structure into something reusable for every new property.
DECISIONS
Four choices and what each cost
Private info behind a fragment key
Door codes and similar details show only when the link carries a key after the # in the URL. Fragments are not sent to the server, so they stay out of server logs.
COSTA guest who loses the full link loses the private section until the host resends it.
Separate Supabase project with row-level security
The guide has its own database and access rules instead of sharing the BrightBase one.
COSTAnother project to maintain, but a mistake in one product cannot expose the other’s data.
Google Form for email capture
Lead capture goes to a Google Form rather than a custom endpoint.
COSTLess control over the data and the look, but nothing new to secure or host.
Four switchable themes
Hosts match the guide to the property without a custom build for each one.
COSTMore CSS to keep consistent across themes.
RESULT
What exists today
In use
- Live guides with a private section behind a key
- Interactive intake questionnaire
- Animated demo on the marketing page
Not done yet
- More paying clients beyond the first
- A full accessibility and mobile audit