What guests ask a rental host
Before booking: is it free next weekend, how many people does it sleep, is there parking, are pets allowed. During a stay: what's the Wi-Fi password, how does the heating work, where do the bins go, what time is checkout. Many of these come by WhatsApp or text, often late in the evening.
Where the vacation rental assistant stands
A dedicated vacation rental assistant is in RingMind's catalog but hasn't been built and tested yet; this page shows its live status. Today you can use the hotel assistant, which handles check-in times, amenities and reservation enquiries, or the general business receptionist.
What it does for a rental
- Answers guest questions from your business details and Knowledge Base: check-in and checkout times, amenities, parking, house rules, local directions.
- Takes booking enquiries with the guest's name, number, dates and party size, and says you'll confirm. It doesn't confirm availability or rates unless they're in its knowledge base.
- Answers on WhatsApp and SMS with the same information. On WhatsApp, the assistant and your team can reply freely for 24 hours after the guest's last message; after that, you send an approved template. See the WhatsApp AI assistant.
- Lets you take over. Choose Take over in a conversation to reply yourself, then Hand back.
Think about what you share
The assistant answers anyone who calls or messages your number, and it can't check who is a current guest. Don't put door codes, lockbox codes or Wi-Fi passwords in its knowledge base. Send those yourself through your booking platform or a direct message.
What it won't do
- It won't invent rates, availability or house rules.
- It won't confirm a booking or take card numbers for deposits.
- It says it's an AI if asked, and tells anyone describing a life-threatening emergency to call 911.
Setting it up
- Choose an assistant on the AI assistants page.
- Enter check-in and checkout times, amenities and house rules.
- Add a guest FAQ to the Knowledge Base, or import a page from your listing site and approve the sections you want used.
- Publish, test it in the playground, then get a RingMind number and connect it.
- Connect your WhatsApp Business number if you use one.
Limits to know
Numbers are US and Canada only, and porting isn't available yet. US texting needs 10DLC registration. WhatsApp templates are text only. Integrations such as Notion and Airtable are in Beta. Compare RingMind with the WhatsApp Business app. Plans are on the pricing page.