Bookably can now text you when something happens with a booking. Text alerts are free, they go to New Zealand and Australian mobiles, and you can turn them on or off yourself in your Bookably account.
Why we built them
Email is fine for a receipt. It is less good for a booking request that runs out while the host is out on a job. A text reaches the one device people actually carry, and it says just enough to tell you whether you need to act now. There are no quiet hours, so a text arrives when the thing happens.
For hosts
You can be texted when a new booking request arrives, when a booking is confirmed and paid, when a confirmed booking is cancelled by someone other than you, and when a guest starts a conversation. The request text tells you how long you have to approve or decline.
Full detail is in Text alerts for hosts, including how they differ from the app alerts you may already use.
What your guests see
Guests can be texted when a host accepts or declines a request, when a stay is confirmed, and when a confirmed booking is cancelled. Nothing else. There is no marketing by text, and there never will be.
Their guide is Text alerts for your bookings.
What a text will not tell you
Texts name the listing and the dates. They never include anyone’s name, the address, the price, or what a guest wrote. Phones show previews on the lock screen, so the details stay behind a sign-in. Bookably will never ask you to reply to a text with a code, a password or payment details.
Turning them on
Log in and open Text alerts in your Bookably account, or just ask the Concierge or the Host Assistant to open it for you. You enter your mobile number and confirm it with a 6-digit code, and turning them off again is one tap in the same place.
Booking emails carry on exactly as before, whichever you choose.