Essentials is Hospitable’s free plan, designed to give you the core tools to run your short-term rental business day to day. Essentials runs the business. Paid plans optimise and scale it. This guide covers:
What’s included
What’s not included
How pricing works
What to do next
What’s included on Essentials
Essentials includes everything you need to operate your listings.
📬 Guest communication
Unified inbox across Airbnb, Vrbo, Booking.com
Scheduled messages (check-in, checkout, new reservation & more)
AI-suggested replies - 10 uses per week
Automated answers to common guest questions
Canned responses & custom codes
🏠 Listings & calendar
Calendar sync across channels for double booking protection
Multi-property calendar view
iCal imports
Listing management
Property protection (security deposits, guest verification)
Knowledge hub - Your AI assistant
🧹 Operations
Automated task management for turnovers
Automated task notifications and reminders
Cleaner coordination and payments
🛡️ Guest experience
Guest portal (check-in tasks, reservation information etc)
Rental agreements
Upsells (e.g. early check-in, late checkout)
📚 Support & learning
Community access
Onboarding checklists
What’s not included on Essentials
Some features are available on paid plans only, including:
Smart device integrations
Direct booking website
Advanced automation e.g. AI auto reply
Metered usage of Suggest with AI
Cash payouts from Trip insurance upsell
Issue alerts
Third party integrations
Owner tools and reporting
SMS notifications
Advanced messaging rules
Live support
You can upgrade at any time in Settings > Plans & billing
How pricing works on Essentials
Essentials is free.
You’ll only pay if you enable add-ons such as:
Dynamic Pricing
Security deposits
Guest verification
Dynamic Pricing
Free until you get 3 new bookings or 30 days (whichever comes first)
After that, charged per property
You can preview pricing before enabling it.
Connecting Hospitable to Airbnb, Booking.com or VRBO
When you connect your Airbnb, Booking.com or VRBO account to Hospitable, you're connecting it to a Property Management System (PMS).
This allows Hospitable to:
Sync your calendar and availability
Send and receive guest messages
Manage tasks and operations in one place
Important:
Hospitable does not change your listing settings, pricing, or availability unless you choose to enable features like Dynamic Pricing or automations.
Your listings remain fully under your control at all times.
Recommended next steps
These are the most impactful things to set up first:
✅ 1. Review your pricing
Check your calendar for the next 30–60 days:
Are there gaps?
Are prices consistent?
✅ 2. Preview Dynamic Pricing
Open your single-property calendar
Click Preview Dynamic Pricing
Review suggested prices
You can activate it or adjust settings to fit your strategy.
✅ 3. Check availability
Make sure:
Dates aren’t accidentally blocked
Minimum night stays are correct
✅ 4. Set up automated messaging
At minimum:
New reservation message
Check-in instructions
Checkout reminder
Review request
Go to Guest Experience → Messaging
Visit the 'Getting started' page within Hospitable to view your onboarding checklist. We recommend following that - it’s the fastest way to get fully set up.
🚀 Want help getting set up quickly?
If you’d prefer hands-on help, Rapid Rollout is our guided onboarding program.
1:1 implementation support
Typically completed over 3 guided sessions (3–5 hours total)
We help configure everything end-to-end (messaging, pricing, operations, integrations, and more)
Price: ~$500 (may vary depending on setup)
It’s the fastest way to go live with a fully optimised setup.
Common questions
Is Essentials actually free?
Yes - there’s no subscription fee unless you enable paid features or upgrade.
Will connecting Hospitable change my Airbnb settings?
No - your pricing and listing settings stay the same unless you enable features like Dynamic Pricing or messaging automation.
Can I try Dynamic Pricing before enabling it?
Yes - you can preview recommended prices from your calendar before activating it.
What happens after the Dynamic Pricing trial ends?
Once you reach 3 bookings or 30 days, Dynamic Pricing becomes a paid add-on. You can choose to keep it enabled or turn it off at any time.
Can I use Essentials long-term?
Yes - Essentials is designed to be a permanent plan. You can upgrade at any time if you want additional features or lower fees.
Can I manage multiple properties on Essentials?
Yes - you can connect and manage multiple properties