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Inbox-babysitter / co-host needed for travel

  • August 25, 2026
  • 2 replies
  • 59 views

HighDesertEscapes
Known Participant
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Hi everyone - 

We are very established hosts in Oregon, with about 18 listings (~15 of which are active STRs).  We are taking a 12 day trip to Europe on Wednesday (yes -- tomorrow!).  Our co-host plan has just fallen through and we are scrambling a bit to find someone who can help us out during our 7-10 hour “sleep window”, which of course is right during the peak of activity due to the time zone difference.

We have a well-oiled team of housekeepers, handymen, neighbors etc. and we really just need someone fluent in Hospitable to potentially respond to guests.  We maintain very high standards and are in the top 1% of our market.  We’re at a 4.99 overall with 3,500+ reviews, and we aim to keep it this way.

We have uploaded thorough documents to the Knowledge hub, so “Suggest with AI” usually gets it mostly right -- but of course there are lots of times where it can’t (or shouldn’t!) answer. 

Our goal is to keep things extra simple during this 2 weeks.  No early check-ins, no discounts, basically just nothing outside of the usual unless absolutely necessary. 

We want to find someone who is well-versed in the STR industry and Hospitable in particular, so this seemed like a good place to search.  Basically your job would be to keep an eye on the inbox, respond as necessary, and -- probably most importantly -- coordinate with our wonderful helper, who has worked with us for 5+ years and knows the properties well.  She is our primary “boots on the ground” while we are away.  She’ll take care of the physical work that might need to be done. 

We will be in Wifi/cell coverage 99% of our trip - it really is just that pesky sleep time that we need things covered.  Its about a 7 hour time difference, so you’d need to be “oncall” for about 8 hours, starting at about 7 AM Pacific time.

Note that *most* of the daily business should be basically automated (i.e. turnovers are scheduled/tracked through Turno, pricing is automated, automated message rules for bookings, etc.)

In a perfect world, maybe this turns into a sort of “study group”, which is something I’ve wanted to find for a long time.  I.e. someone in a similar market (higher end homes in the mountain west?) but that isn't a direct competitor.  Someone to bounce ideas off of, share how we do things, collaborate, potentially even refer guests). 

We don’t expect this for free, but aren’t quite sure how to compensate/pay someone for their time.  We’ll figure that part out.  

(Please pardon if this is an inappropriate post for this community - not sure where to look!)

2 replies

Polydom_Lana
Participating Frequently
  • Participating Frequently
  • August 25, 2026

Hi ​@HighDesertEscapes 

Hi — I think we may actually be able to help you with this.

We already use Una, our AI Digital Host, in a very similar setup: she can cover guest communication, work from your property knowledge and rules, and involve the right person whenever something needs human attention or physical action.

Since you already have a well-prepared Knowledge Base, setup can be very fast — usually under 24 hours, and in your case potentially just a few hours. We would mainly need access to the relevant property information and to agree on the rules for what Una can handle herself and what should be escalated.

And if you do find a human co-host for the trip, that works too — Una can work alongside them and take a lot of the routine inbox load off their plate.

Given that you’re leaving tomorrow, I’d be happy to prioritize the setup. Feel free to email me directly at lana.u@polydom.ai.

 


staci
Participating Frequently
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  • Participating Frequently
  • August 25, 2026

What you’re describing sounds pretty straightforward if your systems are already dialed in... mainly monitoring the inbox during your sleep window, handling routine guest communication, coordinating with your local helper as needed, and escalating anything unusual back to you. Our team has done this on a limited basis for good friends in the past. We charged $125 for an 8 hour window for portfolios close to your size. Hope that helps!