Find answers to common questions about the Hostaway Inbox, including messaging behavior, channel limitations, and communication settings.
Inbox Common Questions
There is no email address in the reservation, so I can't contact the guest. Why?
This is most probably because the reservation has been made prior to the connection with Hostaway. Due to GDPR rules, channels never send guests personal information. For reservations made after the connection, we will get the email address and other personal information.
Note:
- Channels give us guest information only for confirmed reservations and not for inquiries
For Airbnb, Booking.com, and Vrbo, we do not need a guest email address for messages since we use the API
- For iCal reservations, we do not have guest information
- You can manually edit a reservation to add a guest email, either a direct email address or a channel proxy email address
If I mark a message read or unread, will it be done for all my users?
No, it will only be marked read or unread for the user who has acted. The rest of the users will see the message in its original status until they change it.
Can I see the user that has sent the message?
Yes, the Hostaway user who has sent the message is identified in the body of the message thread.
What to do if you receive a 'ConversationMessage' error due to subject length when sending a message?
This can happen when sending messages to Airbnb guests and is mainly due to the 'External Listing Name' of the property having more than 230 characters within Hostaway. Updating the name to less than 230 characters should resolve the issue and allow the message to be sent.
What message information is visible?
The following information is available: time sent, channel, sender, time at which a message was snoozed, and when it is expected to be recovered. And the usual name of the Message Automation and the upcoming automation.
Why are some countries not eligible to have a two-way SMS conversation?
We use Twilio as our provider of SMS communication but the restriction is not given by the provider. These restrictions are given by the carrier (e.g., Vodafone) and specific country legislation regarding business-to-consumer communications. Hostaway cannot influence any changes in this regard, and there is no technical solution for it.
If new messages from guests are displayed automatically, why is there a Refresh button on the Inbox?
We use WebSockets to display new threads and messages as soon as they arrive in Hostaway. However, this is not a 100% reliable method, and in some instances, you may wish to refresh the page. The button is only for those cases.
Are the Inbox features available on the Mobile App?
Not yet, we are planning to bring on some of the features, but please note that the Inbox is now fully responsive, so the desktop version can be used with no issues on mobile devices.
Is the SMS feature activated by default?
The SMS feature is currently being activated for US clients. If you are from another region outside of the US, please submit a request to activate this feature. There can be some limitations for customers outside the US.
What can we see for message notifications on the Mobile App?
We send mobile push notifications and show part of the message, but simplify some of the data we showed regarding the reservation. It will have the guest name, check-in and check-out dates, and listing name.
I want to be able to respond as the Co-Host to guest messages through Airbnb. How can I do this through Hostaway?
You can choose the message co-host sender by following the instructions in this article.
How can I send the automation once the guest has paid?
We added a new condition to message automation that allows sending automation only when the reservation has a certain payment status. This is especially useful for those messages that should be sent only when the reservation is fully paid, like messages containing the guest portal link or door codes. To use this new condition, create a new message automation and add the Payment Status condition.
To learn about how to create message automation, please click HERE
When editing an automation, the text editor bar and the content disappear when selecting a channel that uses API
This is expected behavior.
Hostaway has two different interfaces:
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HTML Editor: only for direct channels (for email)
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Text Editor: whenever a channel that uses API is added to the message automation
