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Getting Started with AI Co Host: Your Automated Guest Messaging Assistant

Christos Lolas avatar
Written by Christos Lolas
Updated today

Managing guest communication across multiple properties can be overwhelming. High message volumes can lead to delayed responses, inconsistent answers, and a negative impact on the guest experience.

AI Co Host is a powerful new Hosthub Pro feature designed to solve this problem. It uses advanced AI to automatically respond to guest inquiries based on your unique property policies, ensuring fast, accurate, and consistent communication, 24/7.

This guide will walk you through setting up, managing, and mastering AI Co Host to save you time and delight your guests.

1. The AI Co Host Dashboard: Your Command Center

The AI Co Host dashboard provides a complete overview of your automated messaging performance. It’s the central place to monitor activity, measure effectiveness, and manage settings across all your rentals.

How to access the dashboard: Navigate to Inbox in your Hosthub menu and select the AI Co Host submenu.

Understanding the Metrics

The dashboard displays key performance indicators for the last 30 days, giving you both an overall summary and a per-rental breakdown.

  • Total number of responses: All messages sent in conversations.

  • Number of responses sent by AI Co Host: Responses fully automated by the AI.

  • Number of responses sent by Host: Responses sent manually by you or your team.

  • Number of messages with no response: Guest messages that have not yet received a reply.

  • Percentage of responses sent by AI Co Host (%): The share of total responses handled by automation.

  • Percentage of messages sent by Host (%): The share of total responses handled manually.

  • Percentage of messages with no response (%): The share of guest messages awaiting a reply.

  • Average response time by AI Co Host: The average time it takes for the AI co host to respond to a guest.

  • Average response time by Host: The average time it takes for you or your team to respond manually.

Filtering Your View

You can refine the list of rentals shown on the dashboard using two filters:

  • Filter by Rentals: Select a specific group of rentals to view their combined and individual stats.

  • Filter by Activation Status: Show only rentals where AI Co Host is currently Active or Deactivated.

2. Customizing AI Policies: Teaching AI Your Rules

The power of AI Co Host lies in its ability to learn and apply your specific property rules. By setting clear policies, you ensure the AI responds to guests exactly as you would.

Viewing and Editing Policies

From the AI Co Host dashboard, click on any rental to open its policy settings. Here you will find a list of policies covering everything from check-in to house rules. For each policy, provide your specific details in the editable instructions field. When you click Save & re-train, all changes are updated in bulk for that rental.

Beyond Policies: How AI Co Host Continuously Learns

While your custom policies are the primary source of truth for the AI, its intelligence doesn't stop there. To provide the most comprehensive answers possible, AI Co Host is trained daily using the latest information from several sources across your Hosthub account:

  • Listing Content: Descriptions, titles, and other details from your connected channel listings.

  • House Rules: Your official rules as defined in Hosthub or the channel.

  • Amenities & Facilities: The full list of amenities you offer for that property.

  • Guest Guides: Information you've already prepared for your guests.

  • Past Conversations: The AI learns your communication style and tone by analyzing how you've responded to guests in the past.

This broad training allows AI Co Host to answer a wider range of questions from day one, even before you've filled out every single policy. However, your instructions in the policy editor are the final authority. If there is a conflict, the AI will always prioritize the specific rules you have written here.

Examples of Key Policies to Set Up

The more detailed your instructions, the better AI Co Host can perform. Here are examples for some of the most important policies:

✅ Check in instructions & alternatives

  • Why it's important: This is the most critical information for a smooth guest arrival. Clear instructions prevent stress and arrival-day phone calls.

  • Good Example: Self check-in is available anytime after 3 PM. The building entrance code is 1234#. Take the elevator to the 5th floor, apartment #5A. The lockbox is on the door handle; its code is 5678. Please let me know once you're safely inside!

  • Poor Example: Lockbox code is 5678. (This is missing crucial context like the building code, apartment number, and check-in time.)

🛜 Wifi

  • Why it's important: This is one of the first things guests ask for after arriving. Automating this response saves you time immediately.

  • Good Example: The Wi-Fi network is "AcropolisView_5G". The password is "AthensBestStay!". The router is in the living room next to the TV if you need to restart it for any reason.

  • Poor Example: password is AthensBestStay! (This is unhelpful without the network name.)

🕖 Early-check in & 🕙 Late-check out policy

  • Why it's important: These are very common requests. A clear, automated policy manages guest expectations and can even generate extra revenue.

  • Good Example: Standard check-in is 3 PM and check-out is 11 AM. Early check-in or late check-out is subject to availability. If possible, early check-in after 1 PM or late check-out until 1 PM can be arranged for a fee of €25 each. Please request this 24 hours in advance so we can confirm availability.

  • Poor Example: Sometimes possible, ask me. (This defeats the purpose of automation and creates manual work.)

🚙 Parking instructions

  • Why it's important: Clear parking details are essential for guests arriving by car and prevent frustration.

  • Good Example: You have access to a free, designated parking spot in the underground garage, labeled '#5A'. The garage entrance is on the right side of the building. Use the black remote found in the apartment's entry hall to open the gate.

  • Poor Example: Parking is available. (This doesn't specify where, if it's free, or how to access it.)

Copying Policies to Other Rentals

After perfecting a policy for one rental, use the "Copy" or "Copy all" button to quickly apply it across your portfolio, ensuring consistency and saving valuable time.

3. Activating and Deactivating AI Co Host

You have full, per-rental control over when AI Co Host is active.

How to Activate AI Co Host

From the dashboard or an Inbox conversation, toggle the switch for a specific rental to Active.

AI Co Host will:

  • Automatically respond to guest messages on your behalf, following the instructions you’ve set for this property.

  • Allow you to maintain control: you can review, override, or stop automated replies at any time.

How to Deactivate AI Co Host

Toggle the switch to Deactivated.

By deactivating AI Co Host for this rental, you will turn off automated guest messaging for this property.

When deactivated:

  • All guest messages will require a manual response from you or your team.

  • AI Co Host will no longer send automated replies for this rental.

4. AI Co Host in Action: A Day in Your Inbox

With AI Co Host, your role shifts from being a full-time message responder to a supervisor. Your inbox becomes a dynamic space where you can see automation at work and step in only when needed. Here's what your daily workflow will look like.

Scenario 1: Seamless Automation (The Ideal Case)

This is what will happen for most common questions.

  1. A guest asks a simple question: "Hi! We just arrived, what is the wifi password?"

  2. AI Co Host gets to work: In the conversation thread, you will briefly see a status indicator: Pending auto-response.... This tells you the AI has received the message and is preparing a reply based on your policies.

  3. A perfect reply is sent: Within moments, a message appears in the chat, sent on your behalf: Host Name (by AI Co Host): Hello! The Wi-Fi network is "AcropolisView_5G" and the password is "AthensBestStay!". Let me know if you need anything else.

  4. No response needed: The conversation is now marked as "No response needed" and moves down your priority list. You didn't have to lift a finger, and your guest got an instant, accurate answer.

Scenario 2: When Your Expertise is Needed (Complex Questions)

Sometimes, a guest's question is too complex, sensitive, or outside the scope of your defined policies.

  1. A guest asks a tricky question: "My flight was cancelled, so I won't be arriving until tomorrow morning. Can I get a refund for the first night? And will a late check-in be a problem?"

  2. AI Co Host identifies the complexity: The AI understands that the refund request is sensitive and requires your judgment. Instead of sending an automated reply, it switches to suggestion mode.

  3. You are prompted to act: The conversation appears at the top of your inbox, flagged as "Response needed." Inside, there is no automated reply. Instead, you'll see a suggested response in the text box, drafted by the AI: "I'm sorry to hear about your flight issues. Self check-in is available anytime, so arriving tomorrow morning is no problem. Regarding the refund, our cancellation policy is..."

  4. You take control: You can now edit this suggestion, add your personal touch, make a decision on the refund, and send the final message yourself. The AI did the initial work, saving you time, but you made the final call.

Scenario 3: Taking Control in Real-Time (Stopping a Pending Response)

You always have the final say. If you see AI Co Host about to respond and you want to handle it yourself, you can.

  1. You see a message arrive in real-time: A guest asks, "Is the pool heated?" You happen to be looking at your inbox.

  2. You see the "Pending..." status: The Pending auto-response... indicator appears. You know the AI is about to reply based on your policy, which might be a simple "No."

  3. You intervene: However, you remember you just turned the heater on for another guest. You immediately click the "Stop" button. The automation for this specific message is cancelled. A system note appears in the timeline: "Manual response enabled by [Your Name]."

  4. You add the personal touch: The AI's suggested response may appear, but you can ignore it and type your own more accurate, up-to-the-minute reply: "Hi! Yes, I just turned the heater on for you. It should be warm and ready in about an hour. Enjoy!"

Your day-to-day interaction is about observation and exception handling. Let the AI handle the repetitive queries while you focus your energy on complex situations and providing standout personal service.

Unlocking AI Co Host with Pro

As a Standard user, you can still access the AI Co Host dashboard to see how it works. You can also view the policy templates for your rentals.

However, to activate AI Co Host, edit policy instructions, and unlock full automation, you will need to upgrade your account. When you attempt to use a Pro-only feature, you will see a prompt with a clear call-to-action to Upgrade to Pro and unlock the full power of automated guest messaging.

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