Theme and plugin updates are generally designed to work correctly and should not cause issues with your website. However, since every website has its own configuration, plugins, and customizations, we recommend following the steps below to ensure a smooth update process and minimize potential risks.
Step 1. Enable Maintenance Mode
To prevent visitors from making bookings or interacting with your website while you are updating it, we recommend enabling maintenance mode.
You can use a free WordPress plugin, such as LightStart – Maintenance Mode, Coming Soon and Landing Page Builder https://wordpress.org/plugins/maintenance/
1. Install and activate the plugin.
2. Enable maintenance mode according to the plugin's instructions.
3. Make sure you can still access your WordPress dashboard.
Please note that maintenance mode does not necessarily prevent all booking requests or background processes. If your website receives bookings regularly, consider performing the update during a period of low traffic.
Step 2. Create a Full Website Backup
Before proceeding with any updates, make sure to create a full backup of your WordPress website, including:
- Website files: WordPress core files, themes, plugins, uploads, and other website files.
- Database: Your complete WordPress database.
You can use your hosting provider's backup tools or a suitable backup plugin.
Make sure the backup is complete and that you know how to restore it if necessary.
Step 3. Activate Your Theme License
Before updating the theme, make sure your theme license is activated.
1. Log in to your WordPress dashboard.
2. Navigate to Appearance > License.
3. Activate your theme license if it has not been activated yet.
An active theme license allows you to receive theme updates through the supported update mechanism.
Step 4. Update the Theme
1. Navigate to Dashboard > Updates.
2. Check whether a new version of your theme is available.
3. Select the theme update and proceed with the update.
4. Wait until the update process is complete.
Do not close the browser tab or interrupt the update process while it is in progress.
Step 5. Update the Built-in Hotel Booking Plugin
After updating the theme, proceed with updating the built-in MotoPress Hotel Booking plugin.
1. Navigate to Appearance > Install Plugins.
2. Locate MotoPress Hotel Booking.
3. If an update is available, select the update option and complete the update.
Step 6. Check Your Website
Once both updates are complete, carefully check your website to ensure everything is working correctly.
We recommend verifying the following:
- Your website loads correctly, and there are no visible errors.
- Your accommodation pages display correctly.
- The availability calendar and search functionality work as expected.
- Your booking form, checkout, and booking confirmation work correctly.
- Your rates, booking settings, and other important data are intact.
- Any essential integrations and website functionality continue to work as expected.
If possible, perform a test booking using an appropriate test setup to avoid creating an unintended real reservation or payment.
Step 7. Disable Maintenance Mode
If everything works correctly, disable maintenance mode to make your website publicly accessible again.
Visit your website in a private/incognito browser window to ensure it is accessible to visitors.
What to Do If Something Goes Wrong
If you notice any issues after updating the theme or plugin:
1. Keep maintenance mode enabled, if possible.
2. Avoid making further changes that could complicate troubleshooting.
3. Restore your website from the backup, including both the files and database, using a consistent backup from before the update.
4. Contact our support team and describe the issue you encountered.
When contacting us, please provide a description of the problem, the theme and plugin versions involved, and screenshots or error messages if available.
Important: Restoring a database backup may remove bookings or other changes made after the backup was created. If any new bookings or customer data have been received since then, consider preserving that information and consulting your hosting provider before restoring the backup.
Note: It is possible to purchase a Hotel Booking license apart from the theme in order to control plugin updates on your own.
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