I came here to add a new request - hopefully adding a comment and an upvote will get attention from other hosts and Hospitable.
Problem Statement
Hosts are not always available to respond immediately, especially overnight or during defined offline hours. Guests may send a message during those times and assume the host is actively monitoring the inbox, particularly if they previously received an instant automated answer through Hospitable’s Question Replies feature.
Without an out-of-office response, guests do not know when to expect a personal reply or what to do if their issue is urgent.
Proposed Solution
Add a configurable out-of-office messaging rule that allows hosts to:
Select the days of the week the rule applies
Set specific start and end times
Create custom out-of-office message text
Include after-hours emergency instructions and backup contact information
Automatically send the message when a guest sends a new message during the selected offline period
The rule should recognize existing Hospitable automations.
If a guest asks a question and an automated Question Reply successfully answers it, the out-of-office message should not also send.
However, if the guest then replies with a follow-up question or another message that is not answered by an existing automation, the out-of-office message should send immediately.
Ideally, the system should also avoid repeatedly sending the out-of-office reply during the same conversation or offline period.
Example Use Case
A host sets their offline hours from 9:00 PM to 6:00 AM.
At 9:30 PM:
Guest asks, “What is the Wi-Fi password?”
Hospitable sends the host’s existing automated Wi-Fi answer.
No out-of-office reply is sent.
The guest then replies:
“Thanks. I tried that password but it still isn’t connecting.”
Because the follow-up was not answered by an automation, Hospitable immediately sends the host’s configured out-of-office message:
Thanks for your message. I am currently offline and will personally follow up after 6:00 AM. If you have an urgent issue that cannot wait, please use the emergency contact information below: [Host-configured contact details]
Impact
This would:
Set clear expectations for when guests will receive a personal response
Give guests immediate instructions for urgent or emergency situations
Reduce anxiety when a host does not respond immediately after an automated interaction
Allow hosts to maintain reasonable offline hours without reducing guest service
Work alongside existing Question Replies instead of duplicating or interrupting them
Reduce the need for hosts to manually monitor messages overnight
Create a more complete automation system for Professional-plan hosts
Coral Aurora
•
Jan 9, 2025
Essential. Basic feature can’t believe it isn’t a part of software from day one.
Coffee Moss
•
Aug 12, 2024
In addition to certain times of day, as mentioned by the last commenter, I’d like to be able to schedule a message for particular dates when I’m out of town (i.e. this Friday starting at 12 PM through next Monday at 8 AM). This would allow me to send alternative contact info when I’m traveling that I don’t need to share with every guest.
Moccasin Lily
•
Jul 9, 2024
This is really important for two reasons:
It allows specific details (like an emergency contact who otherwise should not be bothered) to only be released in very specific circumstances. For example, I don’t want to include an emergency contact in every check-in message, or to spam every guest message about an emergency with a generic template or AI response. Those are fine for general questions about groceries, firewood, sauna, etc.
It makes sure that our communications stay personal, which is one of the most important selling points of an AirBnB. When guests have questions, they want a personal response. The auto-messages, canned responses, and even what the Hospitable AI sends are very impersonal and can be off-putting to guests for things like “we’ve locked ourselves out, where’s the spare key?”
Being able to create a messaging rule and then set the time of day when it would auto-send seems to be a very easy-to-add feature. Hospitable already has dozens of filters — why not add one more?!
Log in to comment and vote
Comments4
Black Sorbet
Aug 21
I came here to add a new request - hopefully adding a comment and an upvote will get attention from other hosts and Hospitable.
Problem Statement
Hosts are not always available to respond immediately, especially overnight or during defined offline hours. Guests may send a message during those times and assume the host is actively monitoring the inbox, particularly if they previously received an instant automated answer through Hospitable’s Question Replies feature.
Without an out-of-office response, guests do not know when to expect a personal reply or what to do if their issue is urgent.
Proposed Solution
Add a configurable out-of-office messaging rule that allows hosts to:
Select the days of the week the rule applies
Set specific start and end times
Create custom out-of-office message text
Include after-hours emergency instructions and backup contact information
Automatically send the message when a guest sends a new message during the selected offline period
The rule should recognize existing Hospitable automations.
If a guest asks a question and an automated Question Reply successfully answers it, the out-of-office message should not also send.
However, if the guest then replies with a follow-up question or another message that is not answered by an existing automation, the out-of-office message should send immediately.
Ideally, the system should also avoid repeatedly sending the out-of-office reply during the same conversation or offline period.
Example Use Case
A host sets their offline hours from 9:00 PM to 6:00 AM.
At 9:30 PM:
Guest asks, “What is the Wi-Fi password?”
Hospitable sends the host’s existing automated Wi-Fi answer.
No out-of-office reply is sent.
The guest then replies:
Because the follow-up was not answered by an automation, Hospitable immediately sends the host’s configured out-of-office message:
Impact
This would:
Set clear expectations for when guests will receive a personal response
Give guests immediate instructions for urgent or emergency situations
Reduce anxiety when a host does not respond immediately after an automated interaction
Allow hosts to maintain reasonable offline hours without reducing guest service
Work alongside existing Question Replies instead of duplicating or interrupting them
Reduce the need for hosts to manually monitor messages overnight
Create a more complete automation system for Professional-plan hosts
Coral Aurora
Jan 9, 2025
Essential. Basic feature can’t believe it isn’t a part of software from day one.
Coffee Moss
Aug 12, 2024
In addition to certain times of day, as mentioned by the last commenter, I’d like to be able to schedule a message for particular dates when I’m out of town (i.e. this Friday starting at 12 PM through next Monday at 8 AM). This would allow me to send alternative contact info when I’m traveling that I don’t need to share with every guest.
Moccasin Lily
Jul 9, 2024
This is really important for two reasons:
It allows specific details (like an emergency contact who otherwise should not be bothered) to only be released in very specific circumstances. For example, I don’t want to include an emergency contact in every check-in message, or to spam every guest message about an emergency with a generic template or AI response. Those are fine for general questions about groceries, firewood, sauna, etc.
It makes sure that our communications stay personal, which is one of the most important selling points of an AirBnB. When guests have questions, they want a personal response. The auto-messages, canned responses, and even what the Hospitable AI sends are very impersonal and can be off-putting to guests for things like “we’ve locked ourselves out, where’s the spare key?”
Being able to create a messaging rule and then set the time of day when it would auto-send seems to be a very easy-to-add feature. Hospitable already has dozens of filters — why not add one more?!