How to use WhatsApp automatic AI messaging with your guests

Nowistay now lets you communicate with your guests via WhatsApp — directly from the same app you already use to manage your properties. You can send automated messages, start conversations, and let your AI co-host respond to guests automatically on WhatsApp, just like it does on Airbnb or Booking.com.

The best part? You don't need to use the WhatsApp app on your phone. Everything happens inside Nowistay, in a unified message thread that brings together OTA messages (Airbnb, Booking.com) and WhatsApp messages in one place.

How WhatsApp messaging works on Nowistay

When WhatsApp is active, your guests can receive messages from you on WhatsApp in addition to (or instead of) the usual OTA or email messages. Here's what you can do:

• Send automated templated messages via WhatsApp — booking confirmations, check-in instructions, check-out reminders, and more are sent automatically based on your templates.
• Start WhatsApp conversations manually — send a message to any guest directly from the message thread.
• Let the AI co-host respond on WhatsApp — when a guest sends a WhatsApp message, the AI assistant reads it and replies automatically, just like it handles Airbnb or Booking.com messages.
• See all messages in one thread — WhatsApp messages, Airbnb messages, and Booking.com messages all appear together in the same conversation view.

The unified message thread

When you open a guest conversation in the Messages section, you see a single thread that combines all communication channels. Each message shows a small icon indicating where it came from — a green WhatsApp icon or an Airbnb/Booking.com logo.

At the bottom of the thread, you can choose which channel to use when sending a message. Click the channel selector to switch between Airbnb (or the relevant OTA) and WhatsApp. This way, you can reply to a guest on whichever channel makes sense at that moment.

You'll notice that:

• Messages from the guest appear on the left, with the guest's name.
• Messages from the AI co-host show as "Nowistay" with the AI icon.
• Messages from the host (you or your team) show with the team member name and a person icon.
• Each message has a channel badge (WhatsApp or Airbnb) so you always know where it was sent or received.

Important: you don't see WhatsApp conversations on your phone's WhatsApp app. All messages are managed through Nowistay — your phone stays clean and you keep full visibility from the dashboard. However the guest sees the messages on his WhatsApp app and can respond from there.

Setting up automated WhatsApp messages in your templates

Your existing Guest Messages templates can be configured to send via WhatsApp. When editing a template, you'll find a "Send via" dropdown with two options:

• Auto — the message is sent via the OTA (Airbnb, Booking.com) when available, or by email otherwise. If you also enable the "Also send on WhatsApp" toggle, the message is sent on WhatsApp at the same time.
• WhatsApp — the message is sent only via WhatsApp (not OTA is applicable). The WhatsApp toggle is forced active. The system will also send an email message (if the guest has an email).

Writing the WhatsApp version of your messages

Switch to the "WhatsApp" tab in the template editor to write the WhatsApp-specific text. This version is separate from the standard (email/OTA) version and should be shorter — around 800 characters after variable substitution.

Don't want to write it yourself? Click the "Generate WhatsApp" button, and the AI will automatically create a concise WhatsApp version based on your standard message content. It works in all your configured languages — if your template has French, English, and Spanish versions, the AI generates the WhatsApp text for each one.

You can use the same template variables as in your standard messages — {{guest_first_name}}, {{arrival_date}}, {{property_name}}, {{whatsapp_link}}, and more. They are automatically replaced with the actual guest and booking information when the message is sent.

Previewing and sending messages manually

Before an automated message goes out, you can preview exactly what the guest will receive. Open the Guest Messages section and click on a template to open the preview panel. It shows:

• A Standard tab for the OTA/email version.
• A WhatsApp tab for the WhatsApp version, with all variables replaced using real booking data.

From this preview, you can also send the message manually by clicking the "Send now" button. This is useful when you want to trigger a specific message at a specific moment, outside of the automated schedule.

AI co-host on WhatsApp

The AI co-host works exactly the same way on WhatsApp as it does on Airbnb or Booking.com. When a guest sends a message on WhatsApp:

1. The message appears in the unified thread in your Nowistay dashboard.
2. The AI reads the message and checks your property's welcome guide, house rules, and booking details.
3. The AI replies automatically on WhatsApp within seconds.

You can pause the AI at any time from the thread view if you prefer to take over the conversation manually. And if you respond yourself, the AI steps back and lets you handle it.

Activating or deactivating WhatsApp

WhatsApp messaging is active by default for all properties with the AI co-host enabled. If you want to disable it:

1. Go to Hub → Integrations.
2. Find the WhatsApp card.
3. Click "Disconnect" to deactivate WhatsApp messaging.

You can reconnect it at any time from the same page.

Pricing

WhatsApp messaging is billed based on usage:

• $0.04 per message — this includes every message that goes through WhatsApp: guest messages, host messages, and AI assistant messages.
• WhatsApp usage and identity verifications are combined into a single monthly invoice covering all your properties.
• One invoice is generated per month — you don't need to manage billing per property.

There are no hidden fees or minimums. You only pay for the messages that are actually sent.

Need help?

If you have any questions about WhatsApp messaging, feel free to contact us. We're happy to help!