A WhatsApp AI agent for vacation rental owners and hosts: answer availability, rates, house rules, check-in instructions and local tips at any hour, in the guest's language
A host's WhatsApp never sleeps: direct-booking enquiries about dates and rates, the Wi-Fi password at 11 pm, the lockbox code from a guest standing outside at 2 am, a question about the washing machine in Spanish. The platforms handle their own messaging; everything else lands on the host's phone.
Quick answer
Give a WhatsApp AI agent your property details, rates and minimum stays, house rules, check-in and check-out instructions, appliance guides, Wi-Fi details and local recommendations, plus a calendar note of booked dates, and it answers direct enquiries, pre-arrival questions and in-stay questions in seconds, in the guest's language, and hands over emergencies, damage and complaints to you. ReplyKit runs this from $29 a month on a dedicated host number, with each property as its own knowledge section or its own agent.
Three stages, one agent
| Stage | Guests ask | The agent answers from |
|---|---|---|
| Before booking (direct enquiries) | Dates, rates, minimum stay, deposit, how many beds, pets, parking | A rates-and-rules note and a booked-dates note you keep current |
| Before arrival | Check-in time, address, lockbox or key, directions, early check-in, what to bring | Your check-in guide, sent in full when asked |
| During the stay | Wi-Fi, appliances, heating or air-con, bins, local food, transport, late check-out | Appliance guides, house manual, local tips |
| After | Lost items, deposit return, receipts, rebooking | Your policies; refunds and disputes handed over |
Direct enquiries are the revenue part: a guest who messages at midnight about a weekend in two months and gets the rate and availability immediately books with you rather than through a platform that charges commission. The booking itself stays with you; the agent collects dates, guests and contact details and hands over, or you link your booking page.
The house manual, written for an agent
- Rates and rules. Nightly rate by season, minimum stay, cleaning fee, deposit, cancellation policy, pets, smoking, parties, maximum guests. One line each.
- Booked dates. A note you update when a booking lands: "Booked: 3 to 7 Nov, 20 to 27 Dec." The agent says a date is taken or free and never confirms a booking itself.
- Check-in guide. Address, how to find it, lockbox location and code or key handover, check-in window, what to do if the code fails (call you). Decide whether the agent may give the code to anyone who asks or only after you confirm the booking; most hosts put the code behind a hand-over.
- Appliances and quirks. Wi-Fi name and password, how the hot water works, the air-con remote, the bins, the alarm. Every quirk you have explained twice.
- Local tips. Five restaurants, the supermarket, the pharmacy, transport, the beach or trailhead.
- Emergencies. Your number, the building manager, local emergency numbers, and the instruction to hand over immediately.
The general structure is in what to put in the knowledge base, and the hotel version in hotel and homestay templates.
What stays with the host
What stays with a person:
- Emergencies. Leaks, lockouts the code cannot fix, security concerns, medical issues: handed over instantly with the guest's location.
- Damage and disputes. Deposit deductions are your call.
- Complaints. A guest unhappy with cleanliness or noise should hear from you, fast.
- Confirming a booking and taking payment. The agent gathers details; you confirm.
- Anything about neighbours or the building that needs discretion.
Everything else, which is most of the volume, the agent handles, and when it is unsure it says so and offers a human rather than guessing; see why the agent says it is not sure.
Several properties
One property: one agent with everything in its knowledge. Several: either one agent with a section per property (works up to about five, with the guest naming the property) or one agent per property on the Growth plan, each with its own number printed in that property's welcome book. The second keeps the Wi-Fi passwords from ever crossing over. Guests write in every language, and the agent replies in theirs from your English manual; the mechanics are in what languages the agent speaks.
One honest note before the setup. ReplyKit connects to your number by QR pairing, the same linked-device mechanism as WhatsApp Web. It is live in minutes and needs no Meta approval, but Meta does not sanction automation this way, so a number can be restricted. We enforce limits of 30 replies an hour and 200 a day per number with a warm-up ramp for new numbers, reply to inbound messages only, and recommend a dedicated number rather than your main line. The full picture is in our ban guide.
Starter at $29 a month covers one number, one agent, one website assistant and 1,000 AI replies; Growth at $49 adds two more numbers, five agents and follow-up nudges; the 7-day free trial needs no card. Replies you receive and messages you send yourself are free; only the agent's own messages count. Pricing is in USD and the service works in any country where WhatsApp does. What it costs in practice.
Frequently asked questions
Can the agent give guests the lockbox code?
If you put it in the knowledge base, yes. Most hosts keep the code behind a hand-over, so the agent confirms the booking with you before sharing it.
Does it answer in the guest's language?
Yes. It replies in whatever language the guest writes, from your English house manual.
Can it take direct bookings?
It answers availability and rates from your notes and collects dates, guests and contact details, then hands over or links your booking page. It does not confirm bookings or take payment itself.
What about platform messages from Airbnb or Booking.com?
Those stay in the platform apps. The agent handles your own WhatsApp number: direct enquiries and guests who message it during their stay.
Can I run several properties?
Yes. One agent with a section per property, or one agent per property with its own number on the Growth plan.
Every guest question answered, every direct enquiry caught
House manual, rates, check-in guide and local tips, in any language. 7-day free trial, no card.
Sources and further reading
- Harvard Business Review, The Short Life of Online Sales Leads (Oldroyd, McElheran, Elkington, 2011) · firms that responded within an hour were about seven times more likely to qualify the lead
- WhatsApp Business Messaging Policy · opt-in, opt-out and prohibited-use rules every business must follow
- ReplyKit, Will WhatsApp ban my number for automation? · our own account of the risk and the limits we enforce
ReplyKit is an independent product and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Meta or WhatsApp. This article is general guidance for running a small business, not legal, financial or regulatory advice.