Automated Tasks based on Reservation Criteria

Dear Hostaway Team,

I am writing to request the implementation of a new feature that would significantly enhance the automated task creation functionality within Hostaway. Specifically, I propose the ability to create automated tasks based on reservation criteria or to include conditional logic (e.g., "IF" clauses) within task creation rules, and to separate task creation from task scheduling.

Problem:

Currently, automated tasks are primarily triggered by reservation events (e.g., booking creation, check-in, check-out). However, there is no way to create tasks based on specific reservation details, such as the length of stay. This limitation makes it difficult to automate tasks that are only relevant to certain types of reservations.

Additionally, while I can automate cleaning tasks upon reservation creation, I cannot control the specific start and due dates independently. This forces me to manually adjust task schedules, which is inefficient.

Proposed Solution:

I suggest implementing the following enhancements:

1. Reservation Criteria-Based Task Creation:

   • Allow users to define task creation rules based on specific reservation criteria, such as:
     • "IF reservation is MORE THAN X nights, create task..."
     • "IF reservation is LESS THAN X nights, create task..."
     • "IF reservation includes X number of guests, create task..."
     • "IF reservation is made on platform X, create task..."
   • This would enable users to create tasks that are only relevant to reservations that meet specific criteria.

2. Conditional Logic ("IF" Clauses) in Task Creation Rules:

   • Introduce the ability to include "IF" clauses within task creation rules.
   • For example: "IF reservation length >= 10 nights, THEN create 'Mid-Stay Clean' task."
   • This would provide greater flexibility and control over automated task creation.

3. Separate Task Creation from Task Scheduling:

   • Allow users to create tasks upon reservation creation without automatically setting start and due dates.
   • Introduce options to automatically schedule tasks based on:
     • Previous Check-out Date/Time: Automatically set the task start date/time to the preceding reservation's check-out date/time.
     • Current Check-in Date/Time: Automatically set the task due date/time to the current reservation's check-in date/time.
   • This would allow for better tracking of future tasks and cleaning expenses while ensuring tasks are scheduled accurately.

Example Use Case:

We offer mid-stay cleans for guests with reservations of 10 nights or more. Currently, we must manually create these tasks, which is time-consuming and prone to errors. With the proposed feature, we could automate this process by creating a task creation rule that triggers a "Mid-Stay Clean" task only for reservations that meet the 10-night criterion.

Furthermore, when a reservation is created, I would like the cleaning task to be automatically created but scheduled to start after the preceding check-out date and time, and due for completion before the current check-in date and time. This would ensure tasks are scheduled accurately without manual adjustments.

Benefits:

• Increased automation and efficiency.
• Reduced manual task creation and errors.
• Improved ability to tailor tasks to specific reservation types.
• Greater control over task creation and scheduling.
• Ability to implement many different functions.
• Better tracking of future tasks and cleaning expenses.

Conclusion:

I believe that these features would be a valuable addition to Hostaway and would significantly improve the efficiency of property management for many users. I urge you to consider implementing these features in a future update.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

Sincerely,

Adam Kennedy