Set up and edit default and custom scheduled messages for guests

Learn how to set up and edit these automatic messages for your guests. You can also translate these messages and manage them by OTA channel.

If you want to send default notifications for your account or rental contact, see Set up and edit default notifications for rental and account contact (BETA).

Set up default notifications

1. Go to your left-hand menu and select Settings. Now, click Default notifications.
   
   If you can’t see the menu with the Default notifications section inside Settings, click the small arrow pointing left at the top left of the screen, above Policies.
2. At the top of the page, you will find a drop-down menu with the three possible recipients: 
   • Guest
   • Rental contact (person set up in the rental's contact information)
   • Account contact (person set up in the account's contact information)
     💡 Note: You will need to set up your default notification for all recipients. If you only have one rental, the rental contact and the account contact are usually the same, so you can then deactivate them for one of the roles.
3. When entering one of the recipients, you can select the following:
   • Booking source for which you want to set up the default notification (Manual & website, Airbnb, Vrbo, Expedia, Booking.com)
     💡 Note: Each channel might need a slightly different default notification setup.
   • Messages that you want to activate or deactivate. 
     💡 Note: Use the toggle next to the default notification to activate or deactivate it for a certain recipient/channel.

Edit the default notification's content

Once you click on the pencil icon next to a default notification, you will be able to do the following:

Once you are finished editing your automatic response, don't forget to save your changes.

Learn how to set up and edit these scheduled messages for your guests. You can also translate these messages and manage them by OTA channel.

If you want to send default notifications to the account or rental contact, see Set up and edit default notifications for rental and account contact (BETA).

Set up scheduled messages

To set up scheduled messages, follow these steps:

1. Go to your left-hand menu and select Inbox.
2. Click the Automate button, then choose Scheduled messages.
3. You will see a list of scheduled messages that are already available by default, as well as any that you may have already created. 
4. You can enable or disable a scheduled message, edit the content, and select the Channels to which the message will be sent.
5. If you want to review a live version of the email, click Test message at the bottom of the page. It will be sent to the main account holder's email address, using dummy data instead of real reservation data.

Edit scheduled messages

Click on a scheduled message, then click on the pencil icon next to the editable sections. 

You'll be able to do the following:

If you want to send custom notifications for your account or rental contact, see Set up and edit custom notifications for rental and account contact (BETA).

Create custom notifications

To create a custom notification, follow these steps:

1. Go to your left-hand menu and select Settings.
2. In the sidebar menu, click on Custom notifications.
3. Click on the green Create notification button.
   💡 Note: The button is in the top right corner of your screen if you have already created custom notifications.
   
4. You will now see an empty response template. Start by adding a Name so that you can always easily identify this custom automatic response, should you want to edit or review it later. 
5. Set the Schedule for when the response should be sent by choosing the number of days before/after the guest's arrival/departure/booking confirmation, and the time when you would like the response to arrive. 
6. Create the message content using the rich text editor, where you can insert pictures, hyperlinks, etc. Here you can also use {{Messaging placeholders}} to insert booking/rental-specific information. Find here a list of placeholders and their use.
7. You can then click the button send test email. This generates an example of what your email looks like when sent out to a guest. The test email will be sent to the account owner's email address.
8. Then define the sending conditions of the custom automatic response:
   
   • Choose the Recipients:
     • the Guest;
     • the Rental Contact (the contact information set in the rental's Contact section);
     • the Account Contact (the information set in your My Account section).
   • Choose the Booking channels for which the automatic response should be sent. (For example, Airbnb and Vrbo.)
   • Choose the Rentals.

Edit custom notifications

Once you have created a custom notification, you can always edit it. To edit a response:

1. Go to your left-hand menu and select Settings.
2. In the sidebar menu, click on Custom notifications.
3. Locate the custom notification you want to edit, click the three dots on the right, and then Edit.
   

Disable custom notifications

To disable a custom notification that you have created, follow these steps:

1. Go to your left-hand menu and select Settings.
2. In the sidebar menu, click on Custom notifications.
3. Click on the toggle icon to disable an active custom notification. You can click on it again to re-enable it.
   

Custom scheduled messages are automatic messages that are sent to your guests based on the time-specific events described previously.

To send a custom message to the account contact or rental contact, see Set up and edit custom notifications for rental and account contact (BETA).

Set up custom scheduled messages

To create a custom scheduled message, follow these steps:

1. Go to your left-hand menu and select Inbox.
2. Click the Automate button, then choose Scheduled message.
3. To create a new custom scheduled message, click Create.
4. You can now give the message a name and choose the language you will write it in. Ensure that you create the message in all the languages configured for your website.
   Learn how to activate languages and translate your messages here.
5. Define a subject, then add the message content. You can use the text editor to insert images, hyperlinks, and attachments, or choose to edit the message in HTML.
   🔎 Example: "Thanks for your booking at {{HouseName}}" automatically becomes "Thanks for your booking at Cosy Mountain Cottage"
   💡 Note: Airbnb and Booking.com do not accept hyperlinks, only plain URLs. Any hyperlinked text sent to reservations from these platforms will be received as plain text.

6. Toggle on Enable SMS to enable SMS sending at the same time as the scheduled email. This feature is available free of charge on the Ultimate plan. 
   The SMS will be sent at the same time as the email, but you can enter a different message. You can also use placeholders in the SMS content.

   ⚠️ Important:

   • If the content of the SMS exceeds 450 characters, it will not be sent.
   • The guest's phone number must be included in their contact details. If not, the SMS cannot be sent, and an error message will appear in your inbox.
   • It is your responsibility to obtain the guest’s consent before sending them SMS messages.
7. Set the schedule for when the message should be sent by choosing the number of days before/after the guest's arrival/departure/booking confirmation, and the time when you would like the notification to arrive. 
8. Choose the Channels for which the message should be sent. (For example, Airbnb and Vrbo). Find more information about how to manage your messages by OTA channel.
9. Choose the Rentals.
10. Click Confirm. If you want to review a live version of the email, click Test message at the bottom of the page. It will be sent to the main account holder's email address, using dummy data instead of real reservation data.

Edit custom scheduled messages

Click on a scheduled message that you have created, then click on the pencil icon next to the editable sections. 

You'll be able to edit the following: