Overview
Getting started is quick and easy. Begin by connecting your property management system, importing your properties, testing HostBuddy, and finally subscribing to bring industry leading technology into your short term rental business.
Connecting Property Management System and Importing Properties
HostBuddy AI works best when connected to a property management system. An integration allows HostBuddy to access tons of data within your PMS and enables communication through various online travel agencies like Airbnb, Vrbo, Booking.com, or direct booking channels. By integrating, HostBuddy can assist and communicate with your guests through any channel that is connected to your PMS.
To begin, in the left sidebar, click Properties and then PMS Integration.
After selecting PMS Integration, choose your property management system from the dropdown. Once selected, securely add your account information to complete the integration. Instructions for your specific property management system will appear in a pop-up after selecting Connect PMS. For additional details, refer to the Connect PMS section of this user guide.
After connecting your PMS, click Import Properties to import your property listings into HostBuddy..
After clicking Import Properties you can select the listings you want to set up from the property list pop up.
Building Your Property Profiles
Once your listings populate, information such as listing descriptions, property details, guest reservation data, calendar availability, and up to six months of recent conversations will be imported from your property management system.
After connecting your property management system data, HostBuddy is nearly ready to begin overseeing guest communication. Most information that HostBuddy needs to support your guests comes from the PMS integration.
To enhance HostBuddy's knowledge base, you can add property documents, such as welcome guides and property specific SOPs. Any document related to your property can be uploaded into HostBuddy for guest interactions.
To expedite your set up process, you can use the autofill feature to complete the manual fields of the property profile. This pulls existing data from your PMS integration and any uploaded documents to auto-populate available manual fields. The purpose of this is to identify any knowledge gaps, allowing you to add missing information and create a well rounded data source for HostBuddy to use.
Review and Customize Property Information
After autofilling your property information from your connected resources, check the manual fields for missing data. This helps you understand what information HostBuddy can access from your connected sources and what's absent from our database. You can customize reservation phase access to information, such as the property address, for each field in the property profile. To keep data confidential, select the pen icon next to a data field and select which phases you would like the data to apply to. Review all of the manual sections to spot missing information from your property management system. You should also verify your autofilled information for accuracy and add any essential details.
Test Property Before Subscribing
Once you have added your desired information into HostBuddy's knowledge base, the next step is to test and refine HostBuddy. Make sure it can answer your common guest questions according to your preferences. This can be done by navigating to the Properties page and selecting the Test Property button next to your completed listing.
The Test Property feature lets you interact with HostBuddy as if you are a guest staying at your property or considering booking it. It's a useful way to test the data and information you've added into the property profile, ensuring you are comfortable with how HostBuddy responds to guests once it's active.
Navigating the Test Property Page
The Test Property feature helps you fine-tune HostBuddy for each listing.
On the left side of this page, there's a chat window. This lets you simulate conversations with HostBuddy by asking various questions. It helps you see how HostBuddy interprets and responds using your data.
You can change the reservation stage. Switch between being a current, past, or future guest, or an inquiring guest. This allows you to test how HostBuddy handles different booking stages.
In the chat box, type a question. For example, ask What is the property address?. HostBuddy responds in real-time and shows its logic for providing that answer. If the answer is incorrect, you can easily update your database from this page.
At the bottom, use quick actions for various tasks. Quick Add to Knowledge Base lets you create new data fields, useful for adding custom SOPs or one-off info. You can apply these additions to one or multiple properties.
Edit property profiles directly from this page. For example, change the property address and see if HostBuddy updates accordingly.
Subscribing
After you have tested HostBuddy's responses and feel confident in its communication, the next step is to subscribe and unlock your properties. This allows you to schedule HostBuddy to begin automating your guest communication. It also opens up your messaging inbox, enabling you to see how HostBuddy would respond to live guest messages before fully committing to using it for guest communication. This is a great way to test HostBuddy before it starts responding to your guests.
Please note that HostBuddy will not begin responding to guests until you have scheduled it to cover communication.
You can begin the subscription process by navigating to the properties page and clicking “Subscribe”.
After subscribing, click Unlock All Properties to activate HostBuddy for all your listed properties.
You can also unlock individual properties if needed.
You are now ready to start implementing HostBuddy AI's automated guest communication and AI features to improve your hosting experience and your guests' stays.
Setting Up a Schedule for HostBuddy
HostBuddy operates only when it is on a schedule. Think of it as an employee who needs to be assigned working hours to start interacting with guests. Follow these steps to set up your HostBuddy schedule.
Accessing the Schedule
First, navigate to the Properties page. Find and click the Schedule button next to the calendar icon. This will take you to the schedule view.
Weekly and Monthly Views
You can schedule HostBuddy using a weekly or monthly view. To switch between these views, use the toggle at the top right of the screen.
Creating a Weekly Schedule
HostBuddy can be set to handle guest communication at specific times. You can create a recurring weekly schedule for consistent coverage.