Building SMS: Seeking Feedback

If it’s one way comms initially then will there be a message redirecting the guest back to the booking platform to read messages on platform? This will come in super handy for VRBO bookings because guests cannot click on links in VRBO messages so sms will help there 

Two way and group texting capabilities to add mutable guest and team members as needed. love to see WhatsApp get integrated for operations and tasks as well

​@David Thorpe - So glad to see this in the “next” category and being actively worked on. 

I think this is MOST important for DIRECT guests since there isn’t a Guest Hospitable App. Of course, I am a major proponent of the buildout in Guest Portal for ALL communication threads (a defacto App for guests at that URL). 

Having a text that sends a guest directly to the Owner Portal (kinda how Airbnb’s redundant text opens up their app) would be welcomed. 

Today we use SMS based communication with the guest if we have NOT rec’d a reply in platform messaging. We do this via MarketMySTR’s Twilio integration that is tied to our customer service number. 

IMHO the rule of thumb is to default to the platform they’ve booked through with redirects BACK to that platform for consistency. 

As ​@MoniqueD mentions, having a link that would open the VRBO app for guests would be helpful. 

I personally don’t have a need to send SMS to guests.

Informing guests so they do not miss. Two communications are a must when we do WhatsApp, but for now, SMS can be one-way. As a team, we are used to communicating via our system.

SMS is the most reliable way to ensure guests receive communications timely, and potentially can respond. It would be nice to have an integration at the very least with a system such as QUO/OpenPhone to integrate with our existing number since they have a public api already. Especially for direct guests unless communication is moved to a reliable web interface, sms would be much more reliable then hospitable emails. 

Needs to be two-way to allow us to text not only guests, but owners and vendors. There’s currently no way for a Direct inquiry to message us prior to booking, so need either text or email (prefer both). Would love to be able to leverage Hospitable’s AI with the SMS messages. For a mid-size growing PM (54 listings), this is essential, as communications are currently fragmented across systems.

I think it would add a personal touch and do what host buddy does. Yes!

It’s very nice if you guys could consider a WhatsApp integration in the future. For now, we have included a WhatsApp link in the check-in instructions for our guests, so they just need to click on it to be redirected to our WhatsApp Business account.

There is a feature request for this already and it shows as NEXT! Did you see this ​@Sam B  https://feedback.hospitable.com/p/whatsapp-integration-for-guests-communication

More useful than SMS would be whatsapp as most people in Europe use this instead of text messages or email now. The main use is communication but its is also the most effective marketing tool in Europe. Much more useful than emails.

Use SMS and WhatsApp to send access codes and instructions.

By one-way initially, do you mean the way that cleaner and owner text notifications work right now? The problem with that is that guests WILL try to reply to the SMS messages (you can't stop them), and they WILL think that we are receiving their responses. Their responses could potentially contain important information, so their responses can't just disappear into the void. The workaround for that which is already in place, is that replies to SMS get delivered to the host via email, but right now there is a pretty severe bug that I reported a couple months ago, which is not fixed yet, whereby when my cleaners reply to an SMS message, their replies get sent via email to a totally different host! Because each host is not being given their own dedicated phone number to send SMS from. It will be 10 times worse if the same thing happened with replies from guests. With replies from cleaners, it's tolerable, I've just had to tell cleaners that the messages are not something they can respond to. But to tell that to a guest is confusing and unprofessional.

One way as a start is fine...used it on previous PMS to give quick info like door code but also a safer way to offer a guest access to direct booking site as there is some risk using platform messaging to steer guest to direct booking . SMS fixes this (AirBNB cannot see). Two way coms is ideal as they ALWAYS reply and it then comes back to inbox as an email which then means if I need to answer or reply I have to send an email reply to their text message which is very awkward. 

Hey! I actually built an App that sends the direct and manual booking confirmation details to my guests. People tend to book, then get an email which has our payment process details, and they miss it and dont actually get things going with regards to payment until a member of my team calls them. The SMS and whatsaapp solution works well I built a simple web hook and system to Send SMS to them with same booking details. Seems monotonous but has improved our automation of client content tremendously.

​@EricMiller Note that if you're using the phone number provided by Airbnb, there's a good chance it's not the guest's REAL phone number... it's a temporary number assigned to the guest by Airbnb, and it's only good until shortly after their reservation. And although they do not clearly disclose it, it is very probable that Airbnb is monitoring the messages that flow through their system as they relay messages between you and the guest. 

Yes which is why we need functionality that eliminates this. Direct messaging via SMS, WA, etc., rather than platform messages.

I would highly request the SMS feature.  I have been doing SMS separately and it has been highly beneficial and many guests prefer to message me through there.  I would definitely say that we would want both outgoing and incoming SMS messages.  It would be great if our automated messages through hospitable could also go via SMS so basically our templates could be dual function. 

Yes, one way is great! 

I will send if guests do not reply prior to check-in or check out late. 

Some guests turn notifications off and SMS is the only way to contact them with important messages or to tell them to log into OTA and reply 

SMS really only works for guests coming from the same country. We are in Indonesia and almost 100% from our guests are from abroad. No one uses SMS when abroad. WhatsApp is what literally everyone uses to communicate here with local providers.

WhatsApp definitely popular. Guests often start to WhatsApp or text me, which means team members don't see the messages and details they contain so would be good if some kind of integration can ensure all messages are recorded in Hospitable. 

Also yes guests often don't respond in app so eventually you have to text them then team members don't see what's happening 

Thanks for your work on this. Much appreciated.

Two way would be required.  You are only going to frustrate guests who can’t respond the same way they were contacted.  Most people communicate via text other than older generations.  SMS is badly needed.

As many have already enumerated here I agree that SMS delivery is a good starting point but 2-way messaging would be a critical “next step”.  Anything you can do to reduce friction AND increase the effectiveness of communicating with guests and keep comms in one place would be a godsend.

Yes sending an SMS out is better than nothing, but two-way SMS messaging and WhatsApp messaging is a huge and critical piece to a fully functional communications system.  We do a large amount of texting using a third party app which requires the team to track communications in two different places.  Not to mention some guests will send an email so that’s another spot (other PMSes have the ability to email a guest as well to their own email address regardless of channel).  

Priority for us is SMS, then WhatsApp, then email to anyone all from within Hospitable