How Guests and Housekeeping staff can communicate with you via SmartHost
Where do you update Communication preferences?
To access Communications, select a property and then select the Communications Tab on the left menu. There you will find tabs for Guest Communications and Internal Communications. Once you select your preferences you can use the Multi-Property Management tool to copy your preferences to other properties.
Guest Communications
The SmartHost system can send you an email or text notification of arrivals, departures, guest contact requests and reviews. Guests can say things like “I’m checking in,” or "We're checking out".
When you enable Contact the host, you can opt into Require Contact Number when a guest triggers a contact request. When this option is enabled, the guest is asked for their phone number. When the guest complies, the number will be provided to you in your preferred method of contact, email, or text.
Offering late check-out is auto selected to opt-in status.
When a guest makes a late check-out request Alexa will respond with, “Okay, I would be happy to get you connected to your property manager about the possibility of a late check-out…”
If you do not want to offer late check-out, you must unselect the option in the communication section of a property. When you opt out, it will respond with “I’m sorry late check-out is not currently available at the property.”
Under each department tab you can select which contacts you want notified of communication requests from guests for the various department topics. For example, you may want a Housekeeping Manager and an assigned cleaner notified of any housekeeping issues or linen requests.
In the event you wish to edit which contacts are associated to a department, select the ‘click here’ hyperlink and it will take you back to the Contact set-up page.
Both Check-in and Check-out notifications are enabled/disabled based on your preferences at set-up. You can update your preferences individually. When enabled, notifications will be sent to selected contacts via the preferred method of contact, email or text.
The Guest Review feature allows guests that use SmartHost to check-out two options. First, guests are asked if they would like to leave a voice review. If they opt out of the voice review, they are given the option to answer three quick questions.
If they opt for Voice Review, the system will request a phone number to contact them at and within 5 minutes they will receive a phone call. The messaging system will give the guest the opportunity to rate their stay and to leave a voice message. SmartHost devices cannot record conversations thus the need to contact guests via a mechanism that is outside of SmartHost. Phone numbers are not captured and cannot be shared. When enabled, notifications will be sent to selected contacts via the preferred method of contact, email or text.
Weather Based Recommendations offers suggestions for indoor or outdoor activities based on tomorrow’s weather forecast. When enabled, the feature offers a follow-up suggestion after answering a guest’s inquiry.
For example: A guest asks, “What is the WiFi password?” After answering the question with the appropriate response, the system will follow up with a weather-related suggestion for an activity to enjoy.
The suggestion is made once per day. If the weather is questionable, then a suggestion will not occur.
Internal Communications
Internal Communications, when enabled, provides your cleaners with the ability to announce, as they are leaving, that the property is clean. All they need to say is: “Alexa, Cleaning is done.”
Like all other communication features you have the option to select your preferred method of contact, email or text message and which contacts you want notified.
Check-out these helpful Video Tutorials: