A website chatbot for small hotels, inns and vacation rentals
Written by the Allinaa team · Updated
A guest in Lisbon plans a trip to your inn while you are asleep in Vermont. Another guest in Texas wants to know at midnight if the late check-in code works after 11 PM. Small properties don't have a night desk for the website. An Allinaa assistant answers guest questions from your own information, in the languages you set up, and captures direct booking inquiries for you to confirm in the morning.
Guests write from other time zones: answers around the clock
The assistant answers whenever a guest asks. It doesn't know the current time, so write check-in and office hours with your time zone; for "can I check in now?" it repeats them and the guest compares. What it cannot do is invent a fact you didn't give it. If the knowledge doesn't say whether the hot tub is open in winter, the right reply is that it doesn't know and can pass the question to you. Read more about after-hours answers.
Check-in, parking, pets and accessibility details from your pages
These are the questions that decide a booking, and each one should be written down once:
- Arrival: check-in and check-out times, early or late arrival options, self check-in instructions (but not door codes; send those privately after booking)
- Parking: on-site or street, fees, height limits for vans and trailers, EV charging
- Pets: which rooms or units allow them, size limits, fees, rules about leaving pets alone
- Accessibility: step-free entrance, ground-floor rooms, grab bars, roll-in shower. Be precise; "accessible" means different things to different guests, and the ADA.gov site explains the federal requirements for lodging
- Amenities: breakfast hours, kitchen equipment, Wi-Fi, laundry, beach gear
If you have several units or rooms, give each one its own page. The assistant knows which page the guest is viewing and answers about that unit.
Answering in the guest's language: three on Standard, all supported languages on Premium
Language is the biggest difference between the plans for a hospitality business:
| Plan | Languages | Good fit when |
|---|---|---|
| Standard | 3 languages: American English plus two you choose | Most guests come from the US plus one or two predictable markets, for example Canada (French) and Mexico (Spanish) |
| Premium | All supported languages, 108 in the chatbot catalog today | Guests arrive from many countries, or you list on international travel sites |
Your knowledge can stay in English; the assistant answers in the guest's language. Check your own language choices in our guide to choosing chatbot languages. If you want your website itself translated, that is a separate Allinaa localization service.
Direct booking inquiries (your booking engine still confirms)
Allinaa does not connect to booking engines, channel managers or property management systems, so it cannot see live availability or take a reservation. Two ways to use it:
- Put your booking engine link in the knowledge, and the assistant sends ready guests there.
- For questions that need you (long stays, groups, weddings, a specific room), it collects an inquiry: dates, number of guests, rooms or units, pets, and contact details with the guest's permission. You reply with availability and a rate.
Every inquiry triggers an e-mail to you and a confirmation e-mail to the guest, and sits in your inquiry inbox with a status and notes.
House rules and cancellation terms quoted correctly
Quiet hours, smoking, parties, maximum occupancy, minimum stay, security deposit, cancellation windows: paste the exact text of your rules and terms into the knowledge. When a guest asks "can I get a refund if I cancel 10 days before?", the assistant quotes your policy instead of summarizing it loosely. AI answers can be wrong, so ask it a few cancellation questions yourself during setup.
Local recommendations: only what you approve
Guests love asking "where should we eat?" The assistant answers from your approved list only. Write your own short guide: three restaurants, the bakery you love, the trailhead, the grocery store, the nearest pharmacy. It won't invent opening hours for places you didn't list, and it only shares links that appear in your approved information or on the page.
Illustrative conversation
Guest (writing in German; translated here): Can we bring our dog to the lake cottage, and is there a fenced garden?
Assistant (writing in German; translated here): Yes, the Lake Cottage welcomes one dog up to 50 pounds, with a pet fee per stay. The garden is fully fenced. Dogs shouldn't be left alone in the cottage. Would you like to check dates?
Guest: July 12 to 19, two adults and the dog.
Assistant: You can see live availability and book directly through the booking link on this page. If you'd prefer, I can send your dates to the owner, who will reply by e-mail.
Illustrative example, not a real conversation.
See also travel agencies and event venues.
Questions owners ask
Can the chatbot take bookings?
No. Allinaa doesn't connect to booking engines. It sends guests to your booking link or collects a booking inquiry that you confirm.
Which plan do I need for international guests?
Standard covers 3 languages. Premium covers all supported languages, which suits properties with guests from many countries.
Should I put door codes in the knowledge?
No. Anything in the knowledge can be shown to any visitor. Send access codes privately after a booking is confirmed.
Will it recommend restaurants I haven't listed?
It is set up to recommend only places in your approved list. Write your own short local guide.