Communication within the Sandbox will take place on the OwnerRez platform, where both the Host and Guest can exchange messages and files.
Message Threads
To initiate a communication thread with a Guest, navigate to Contacts > Select any Guest. The Sandbox channel communication options are visible as Send as Guest or Send as Me.
- The Send as Guest button will act as a message sent by the Guest. This allows the Host to explore the Sandbox feature and provide feedback.
- The Send as Me button will act like a normal Send button.
Communication History
The Sandbox channel is also available in the Communication History > Sandbox tab.
Common Issues & Questions
How do I retrieve all messages for a user?
OwnerRez intentionally did not create an endpoint for retrieving all threads per user to maintain a lightweight, minimal design and focus on active forward-only interaction.
Partners should receive webhooks for new messages, retrieve the remaining messages from the same thread, and then engage with that thread or message going forward. The retrieval of historical data spanning months or years is not supported.
Can we use field codes in the messages we push to OwnerRez?
No, template variables should be used for templates only. The Messaging API is designed to handle individual messages, not templates.
Field codes are typically used when you don't have that information and you're creating generic messages to send to a large number of potential guests or bookings.
You already have the information about the guest, property, and booking for every message thread. The API directly provides you with the guest and booking info for every message thread.
Instead of using the placeholder {CFNAME}, use the guest's first name, such as "Joe", which is already part of the guest record on the thread.
When using the messaging API, it should feel like a host on the guest conversation page, sending and receiving messages directly with a guest. If you are talking with a guest named "Joe," simply refer to him as Joe. There's no need to compose a message with field codes in it.
How do I determine which thread IDs belong to a user?
The thread ID is a required parameter, which you can get via a webhook or by looking at a booking, finding the relevant thread ID for it, and downloading messages just for that thread.
Should I expect to see email threads?
OwnerRez doesn't do email threads yet -- only channel and SMS currently.
We have centralized other types of channel threads into one set of generic "thread" tables across all types of messages. So far, we've converted channel messaging (Airbnb, Vrbo, Booking.com) and SMS into the new thread model, but email is the biggest in a couple of different ways -- oldest, most data, largest messages, etc., so that's the last one we will complete.
How do I set up an SMS test number?
To configure an SMS Test number, complete the following steps.
- Set up a user account in the stage environment: https://appstage.ownerrez.com/.
- Let us know what the user account is and we'll enable it for a test SMS number.
- You'll need a US-based phone number on your side to test with. Create a guest with that phone number and send a text, which will create an initial thread.
- From then, you can send messages on that thread via the API.