WhatsApp automation for hotels and homestays
Guests message a property before booking ("Is the room available on the 14th?"), before arrival ("What time is check-in?") and during the stay ("Can we get extra towels?"). WhatsApp is how most of them would prefer to ask.
Answering quickly wins direct bookings that would otherwise go to a travel portal with a commission.
Direct bookings
A guest who asks on WhatsApp is close to booking. Reply with availability and rates, then send a payment link in chat on Tadlo's Pro plan, or your booking engine link. Every direct booking saves the portal commission.
The availability reply
Availability reply
Hi {{name}}! Thanks for your interest in {{property}}. Please share your dates and number of guests, and we'll confirm availability and rates.
Or book directly here: {{booking_link}}
Before arrival
Check-in time, directions, parking and what to bring can go as a message after booking. Your booking system or channel manager may send pre-arrival messages automatically; if not, your team sends them from the inbox. We did not find scheduled reminders in Tadlo's published plans.
During the stay
| Request | Handled by |
|---|---|
| Wi-Fi password, breakfast times | Automated reply |
| Extra towels, room service | Front desk |
| Late checkout | Front desk, per policy |
| Local tours and taxis | Front desk or concierge |
| Complaints | Manager, promptly |
Reviews, sent as broadcasts
After checkout, ask happy guests for a review. Send it as an occasional broadcast to guests who opted in, or personally from the inbox; we did not find triggered review requests in Tadlo's published plans. Never offer discounts in exchange for reviews, and never ask only happy guests to post publicly while hiding the rest.
Offers for past guests
Off-season rates, festival packages and long-weekend offers suit broadcasts to opted-in past guests. In India, Meta charges ₹0.8631 per delivered marketing message and ₹0.115 per utility message, effective 1 October 2026. Cost preview helps a small homestay decide how many guests to message.
Homestay hosts
Hosts running two or three rooms often manage everything alone. Automated replies for directions, check-in and house rules save the host many repeated messages, and the free plan's 10 messages a day can be enough to try it.
Foreign guests
International guests prefer WhatsApp to calls. Meta charges by the recipient's country; replies to messages they send are service messages. Meta gives each business phone number 1,000 free service messages a month and charges from the 1,001st.
Privacy
- Do not ask for ID documents over chat unless you have a secure process.
- Keep guest details out of broadcasts.
- Limit inbox access to staff who need it.
Measure
Track direct bookings from WhatsApp, response time and review volume. Direct bookings as a share of all bookings is the clearest sign WhatsApp is working.
Our pick: Tadlo AI
Tadlo AI
Our top pick
Best for: Hotels and homestays
Tadlo AI gives your front desk a shared inbox from the Starter plan with automated replies, broadcasts with cost preview and opt-out handling from the Growth plan, and payment links in chat on Pro. Meta bills you directly with no markup. Pre-arrival messages come from your booking system or your team.
Price: Free forever plan with up to 10 messages a day. Starter ₹999, Growth ₹2,499, Pro ₹5,999 and Scale ₹11,999 a month, priced on unique contacts engaged per month. Meta's message charges are billed by Meta directly to your own account, and Tadlo adds no markup. Prices exclude GST.
Strengths
- No markup on Meta's message charges: Meta bills your own WhatsApp Business Account directly, and Tadlo only charges a flat plan
- Built for D2C: abandoned cart recovery, COD to prepaid nudges and order updates from Shopify and WooCommerce (Growth plan and above)
- Instagram comments to WhatsApp chats, which most WhatsApp-only tools cannot do
- Priced on unique people reached, not on every message, so you can follow up without counting sends
- Number health checks every 15 minutes, gradual ramp-up for new numbers and automatic opt-out handling
- Your WhatsApp Business Account is created inside your own Meta business account, so it stays yours
Limitations
- Newer than AiSensy, WATI or Interakt, with a shorter track record
- Commerce automations start on the Growth plan (₹2,499 a month)
- Tadlo AI is onboarding brands in stages, and you request access on its WhatsApp page.
Frequently asked questions
How do hotels use WhatsApp automation?
For booking enquiries, check-in information, guest requests during the stay and offers to opted-in past guests.
Can Tadlo AI send review requests automatically after checkout?
We did not find triggered review requests in Tadlo's published plans. Send them as an opted-in broadcast or personally.
Can guests pay on WhatsApp?
Yes, with a payment link in chat on Tadlo's Pro plan, or your booking engine link.
Should hotels reply to complaints on WhatsApp?
Yes, quickly and personally, with a manager involved. A complaint fixed during the stay rarely becomes a bad review.
Can a small homestay use a free plan?
Tadlo's free WhatsApp plan allows up to 10 messages a day, which can suit a small homestay starting out.
Sources
- tadlo.ai: Tadlo AI WhatsApp automation. Plans, features, Meta rates and onboarding checked 16 October 2026.
- Meta WhatsApp Business Platform pricing,
developers.facebook.com/docs/whatsapp/pricing. Rates effective 1 October 2026; page updated 30 September 2026. - Meta WhatsApp opt-in requirements,
developers.facebook.com/documentation/business-messaging/whatsapp/getting-opt-in. Updated 16 June 2026. - Meta WhatsApp messaging limits,
developers.facebook.com/documentation/business-messaging/whatsapp/messaging-limits. Updated 21 May 2026.