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Canned Responses: What Are They And How Do I Create Them?

What are canned responses for, when would I use them, and how do I create them?

Jenn Tomaszewski avatar
Written by Jenn Tomaszewski
Updated this week

What are canned responses?

Canned responses are pre-written messages that are saved for future (manual) use when communicating with your guests. They save you time and ensure accurate details are provided to guests consistently, while keeping you in total control.

This covers instances when you would need to send messages that would not fit another messaging rule.

Canned responses are never sent automatically. They always need to be sent manually.

How to create a canned response?

To create a canned response for future usage:

  1. Go to Guest experience.

  2. Click on "Canned responses" on the sidebar.

  3. Click "Add new" to create a new response.

To access your canned responses when you want to send them to a guest

  1. Go to Inbox.

  2. Click on the message thread.

  3. Click Canned responses beside the Send button.

Hospitable also imports your saved replies from Airbnb!

So, if you have any of those already created on Airbnb, then you don't have to recreate them on Hospitable.

More on that here.

Can I use shortcodes and custom codes in canned responses?

Canned responses are just like any other rules, and therefore, you can also use shortcodes and custom codes directly in your Canned responses templates. This helps you make sure not to have generic messages, but instead, populate them with a personal touch.

  • Short codes will be replaced by the actual values from the conversation where they are being used, in real-time, so the messages can still be personal.

  • Airbnb only: if you have returning guests, we will populate the canned responses with the details from the booking that was booked (ie, accepted) most recently

You can read more about shortcodes and custom codes here.

Can I add links to canned response messages?

Yes, you can add links to your canned response templates. Note that it is up to the OTA (booking platform) whether or not they allow links in messages. Airbnb, for example, prohibits messages with links prior to a confirmed booking, so while Hospitable will send the message in full, Airbnb may censor the link or abort the message entirely.

For additional guidance, watch Brandon's Meet Your Host Mentor video.

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