Leaving Hostaway because of their booking fee?

Send Email or text to current guests

Status: Requested 13 Votes
PacViewLodging
Feb 14, 2024 11:24 AM
Joined Sep, 2019 86 posts

We would like to have the ability to send a mass text or email to all booked guests in a specific property or group of properties  (ie. One our boutique motels, or all vacation rentals, or all guests in a specific city, etc.).   We have had many instances of issues with parking, maintenance needs that will turn off water or electric, emergency situations and the like.  Right now we send a message to each guest.   We would like to use the message interface and be able to select all booked guests for a specific day and send each of them an individual message/text.  We would not want to expose guest information.

Thinking add option for booked guests and then using all of the other message trigger options for properties, when, etc.  Add a message box as part of the trigger.    Maybe call it a new kind of trigger??

Paul W
Feb 15, 2024 7:47 AM
OR Team Member Joined Jun, 2009 848 posts

We actually have a task to do this on our near-term roadmap.  Not a trigger, but a "bulk send" tool basically that lets you select active/future bookings right on the main Bookings list view and then send a message to them right then and there.  So you can filter the list to the bookings you want > select them all > send message and have it instantly go out.  Not sure exactly on timing, but it's part of our overall messaging focus in the next quarter or two.

Matthew S
Mar 4, 2024 9:06 PM
Joined Nov, 2022 1 post

Hey Paul!  It would be cool to bulk-send to past guests as well.  That way you can send specials, new amenities etc.  

Ken T
Mar 4, 2024 10:09 PM
OR Team Member Joined Aug, 2019 1706 posts

That kind of bulk marketing opens some other more complex issues, which at present are best left to specialist systems designed for that purpose like MailChimp or Constant Contact.  We may add that capability at some point in the future, but not the immediate term.

Jennifer W
Mar 5, 2024 8:53 AM
Joined Oct, 2019 54 posts

This would be great to let in house guests know of a weather warning.

Maryellen S
Mar 29, 2024 10:37 AM
Joined Feb, 2024 1 post

Hi!  Until this task is available - what is the best way to send an immediate message to all guests  for all properties?

Ken T
Mar 29, 2024 10:46 AM
OR Team Member Joined Aug, 2019 1706 posts

The best, and really the only, way to do it is as follows:

1. Go to the main Bookings display, and choose the List view.

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2. Then select the Filter button:

3. Use the Filters to narrow down to get just the bookings you want - e.g. bookings that depart after today and arrived before tomorrow.

4. Use the Export button to generate an Excel file containing all those bookings.  The list displayed on the screen doesn't include any contact information - but the Excel export file will.

5. The email addresses will be in a column, which you can easily copy/paste out of Excel into the BCC field of your normal email program, so as to send an email to all of them.  Warning: make sure to use BCC!  Don't use TO or CC, otherwise all your guests will be able to see each others' email addresses!

SPSA
Oct 11, 2024 4:36 PM
Joined Feb, 2020 21 posts

So is this option available? I don't see one yet.

PacViewLodging
Oct 11, 2024 7:57 PM
Joined Sep, 2019 86 posts

Not that I have seen yet...  We need it for things like people parking in the wrong space, notifications for power or water being turned off for maintenance, things like that...  I have not seen anything short of what has been described by Ken.