AI guest messaging for Hostaway
TravelPal answers your guests through Hostaway and sells paid extras, like a damage waiver, at your prices. It connects with codes from Hostaway: your account ID and API key.
One Hostaway connection works in both directions. Each item is explained below.
What TravelPal reads from Hostaway
Most property management companies with 20 to 2,000 units use Hostaway when they do not use Guesty.
Listings become properties
TravelPal reads each listing's name, address, photos, amenities, house rules, and your check-in and check-out times. The AI answers guests from these facts, so you do not type them again.
Reservations arrive as they happen
Hostaway tells TravelPal as soon as a reservation is made or changed. TravelPal also checks Hostaway for anything that was missed. Each reservation shows where the guest booked: on Airbnb, for example, or directly with you. So TravelPal treats those guests differently from the first message.
The whole chat, not only the newest message
Chats already in Hostaway arrive with their history. So TravelPal joins a chat in the middle. It does not ask a guest what your team already answered.
The language the guest writes in
Hostaway keeps the guest's language on the reservation. So the first reply is already in that language, not in English.
What TravelPal writes back to Hostaway
Every message goes out through Hostaway, never around it. So your Hostaway inbox shows exactly what each guest was told.
Replies in the booking site's inbox, or by email
Hostaway sends messages four ways: the booking site's inbox, email, SMS, and WhatsApp. TravelPal uses two of them: the booking site's inbox and email. A guest from Airbnb stays inside Airbnb. A direct guest is answered by email, if Hostaway has their address.
Each sale is emailed to your team
On Hostaway, TravelPal sells the extras you price yourself, like a damage waiver or an extra clean. Each sale is emailed to your team, so nobody has to find it in Hostaway. Early check-in and late checkout are not sold on a booking that came from Hostaway. TravelPal changes no time on a Hostaway reservation. To compare the two tools, read the TravelPal and Hostaway AI comparison.
Extra nights go to your team, not onto the booking
TravelPal moves no dates on a Hostaway booking. When a Hostaway guest asks for another night, your team gets the request and the dates. Your team checks the calendar and makes the change in Hostaway. A guest who booked on Airbnb or another booking site is sent there, because the dates on that booking are the channel's to change.
Connected in four steps
You create the access details yourself, inside Hostaway. TravelPal does the rest itself.
Create the key in Hostaway
Open Settings, then Hostaway API. You get a numeric account ID and an API key. You make the key yourself, right now: no wait for approval and no partner form.
Paste both into TravelPal
A wrong account ID or key is rejected right away. So a typing mistake costs only one more try.
TravelPal sets up the updates itself
Hostaway then sends TravelPal new reservations and new guest messages. You set up nothing else inside Hostaway.
Listings import by themselves
Your listings become properties. After that, every Hostaway reservation gets its own private guest link.
TravelPal shows the connection at every step: connected, last update, and any error in plain words. To see the other setup steps, read what onboarding involves.
What the Hostaway connection will not do
Know the limits of Hostaway before you turn anything on. Every property management system has its own limits. TravelPal works inside them, not around them.
No team-only note inside the guest chat
The guest can see every message type Hostaway offers. So the chat has no place for a team-only note. TravelPal does not invent one there. Sale notes and anything held for a person go to your team by message and email.
Hostaway does not report your team's replies
An AI responder for Hostaway has to know when your team has already answered. Hostaway sends TravelPal a guest's message right away. It sends nothing when someone on your team answers in the Hostaway inbox. So TravelPal reads the thread again from Hostaway just before it replies. It stays quiet if one of your own people has answered.
A reservation update replaces the whole reservation
A Hostaway update needs the whole reservation, not only the part that changed. So TravelPal writes nothing onto a Hostaway booking. Your team's edits stay as they are.
Returning guests are not recognized
Hostaway gives guests numbers per account. No single ID follows a person across bookings. So TravelPal does not remember a guest who books again.
When TravelPal's AI is not sure, it stops and asks your team instead of guessing. This rule is the same on every system: see the safety guardrails.
Hostaway integration FAQ
Do I need Hostaway's permission to connect TravelPal?
No. You create the API key yourself in your Hostaway account, under Settings, then Hostaway API. You paste the account ID and key into TravelPal. You do not need a partner application or anyone's approval.
Will my team still see everything in the Hostaway inbox?
Yes, TravelPal sends every message through Hostaway, never around it. So the chat in your own inbox shows exactly what each guest was told. Hostaway has no team-only message type. Your team gets sale notes and held questions as a message and an email instead.
Which channels does the Hostaway connection cover?
It covers every channel, or booking site, you run in Hostaway. Reservations from Airbnb, VRBO, Booking.com, and direct bookings all arrive in TravelPal. TravelPal answers booking site guests in that site's inbox, and direct guests by email.
Can TravelPal change a Hostaway reservation?
Not today. TravelPal is AI messaging for Hostaway: it reads your Hostaway reservations and answers your guests in the thread. It writes nothing onto the reservation itself. Your team makes any change in Hostaway.
Not the system you use?
TravelPal connects to 33 property management systems. Below are the systems closest to Hostaway in how widely they are used.
Updated
Hostaway is a trademark of its owner. TravelPal is not affiliated with or endorsed by Hostaway.