AI agent answers room, rate and directions questions
It replies at any hour from the details you give it and passes booking requests to you. Uses AI Assistant, WhatsApp Inbox.
For hotels & homestays
Take direct bookings on WhatsApp and keep guests coming back without the OTA cut.
A homestay in Coorg gets most bookings through travel portals and pays commission on each. Past guests would book direct, but nobody contacts them after checkout.
Where it usually goes wrong
Commission on every portal booking
Booking questions come at midnight
Past guests never hear from you again
What we'd set up first
In this order. Each step is useful even if you stop there.
Advance on UPI with a GST invoice
Send a payment link for the advance. The guest gets a confirmation and invoice. Uses Checkout & Billing.
Long-weekend and festival broadcasts to past guests
Pick the long weekend from the festival calendar and message guests who stayed in the last year. Uses WhatsApp Inbox, CRM & Pipelines.
The apps behind it
AI Assistant
An assistant that answers customers on WhatsApp and your website chat using your prices and timings, books appointments and hands over to your team when it isn't sure.
- Books the slot, sends the payment link
- Replies in the customer's language
- Only says what you've told it
WhatsApp Inbox
Put your business number on Meta's official Cloud API. Your whole team replies from one inbox, and the AI covers nights.
- Meta's price, no markup
- One inbox, many people
- Broadcasts that don't get you banned
Checkout & Billing
Checkout on Razorpay, Cashfree or Stripe with UPI first, UPI AutoPay for monthly fees, coupons, order bumps and GST invoices on every order.
- UPI at the top of the page
- Small add-ons that add up
- Invoices your CA will accept
CRM & Pipelines
A list of every lead, a board of every deal, and a timeline that fills itself from forms, chats and payments.
- A timeline nobody has to type
- Boards that match how you sell
- A short list of who to call today
From portal guest to direct guest
The question
- What comes in
- "Is the road OK in monsoon? Any room for 4?"
- What runs on its own
- AI answers from your details, offers dates
- What you get
- A reply before they book elsewhere
The advance
- What comes in
- Guest confirms two nights
- What runs on its own
- Payment link for the advance, confirmation sent
- What you get
- Booked direct, no commission
Next year
- What comes in
- Stayed last Diwali
- What runs on its own
- Long-weekend offer to opted-in past guests
- What you get
- They book you before searching portals
Why your own guest list matters
| Feature | Direct booking | Portal booking |
|---|---|---|
| Commission | None | A share of every booking |
| Guest contact | Yours, with consent | Often masked |
| Next stay | A WhatsApp message | Back through the portal |
| Best for | Returning guests, referrals | New guests discovering you |
The hospitality kit
AI answers
Rooms, rates, meals, directions, check-in times.
Advance links
Paid online, with a confirmation.
Festival calendar
Diwali, Christmas, long weekends planned early.
Review requests
After checkout, while the stay is fresh.
Guest list
Every guest with stay dates and preferences.
Shared inbox
Reception and owner on one number.
Keep your channel managerMarketiism handles enquiries, advances and repeat guests. Room inventory stays in your channel manager or PMS.
Questions people ask
How can a hotel or homestay get more direct bookings?
Answer room, rate and directions questions on WhatsApp at any hour, take the advance with a payment link, and message past guests before long weekends and festivals. Direct bookings from your own guest list carry no portal commission. Marketiism handles this from ₹999 a month.
- 0% Commission on direct bookings. From your own guest list.
- Midnight When guests ask. The AI answers.
- Direct Guest list. Opted-in past guests.
- Long weekends Planned ahead. Festival calendar.
How can a homestay get more direct bookings?
Reply fast to WhatsApp and website enquiries, make paying an advance easy with a payment link, and stay in touch with past guests who opted in. A returning guest who books directly costs you no commission. Over a year, direct guests from your own list add up to real savings.
Can the AI answer guests' questions at night?
Yes, on the Growth plan. It answers from the details you give it: room types, rates, meals, check-in times, directions, road conditions and nearby attractions. Booking confirmations and special requests go to you. Guests get a reply at midnight, when many of them are planning.
How do I take an advance payment?
Send a payment link through your own Razorpay or Cashfree account for the advance. When the guest pays, they get a confirmation and an invoice by email, and the payment shows on their record. Collect the balance at check-in or with a second link. Guests like the certainty.
Does it connect to my channel manager?
Not today. Marketiism handles enquiries, advances, guest communication and repeat bookings. Keep your channel manager or PMS for room inventory and portal sync, and block direct bookings there when the advance is paid, so rooms are never double-sold. Many small properties update availability by hand anyway.
How do I bring past guests back?
Collect consent at booking or check-in, then send occasional offers before long weekends, festivals and your best seasons. Pick dates from the festival calendar and send one clear message with dates and the price. Past guests who loved their stay book you before searching portals.
Can I send check-in details on WhatsApp?
Yes. A few days before arrival, an automation can send directions, a location pin, check-in time and what to bring. Guests arrive prepared, and reception spends less time on the phone giving directions to someone lost on a hill road at night. Late arrivals appreciate it.
How do I get more reviews?
Send a thank-you message with your Google review link a day after checkout, while the stay is fresh. Reviews that mention the view, the food and the hosts help both Google and AI answers recommend you. Reply to every review, including the critical ones. Recent reviews matter most.
Do guests get GST invoices?
Yes. Payments through checkout produce a numbered GST invoice with your GSTIN and the correct tax split, emailed automatically. Room tariffs have specific GST rates depending on the price, so confirm your rates with your CA before setting them up. Corporate guests can get invoices with their GSTIN.
Can several staff reply from one number?
Yes. Your hotel's number connects to a shared inbox, and reception, the manager and the owner each reply from their own login. Chats can be assigned, notes stay internal, and the owner can keep the WhatsApp Business app on their phone with the same number.
Can I accept international guests' payments?
Yes, through Stripe for international cards, alongside Indian payments through Razorpay or Cashfree. Foreign guests booking a homestay in Goa or Coorg can pay the advance in a familiar way, and the payment lands on their guest record like any other. No separate system is needed.
How much does it cost for a homestay or small hotel?
Most homestays and small hotels start on Starter at ₹999 a month before GST, with the inbox, advances, broadcasts and up to 1,000 guests. Properties that want the AI answering at night choose Growth at ₹2,999. Every plan has a 14-day free trial. No card needed.
Can I build a simple booking enquiry page?
Yes. Build a page with photos, room types, rates, location and an enquiry form or WhatsApp button, on your own domain. It loads quickly on phones and every enquiry lands in your inbox with its source, so you know which listings and ads bring guests.
Can I store guest preferences?
Yes. Add notes and custom fields to each guest, such as dietary needs, preferred room or anniversary dates. Your team sees them before the next stay, and an anniversary date can even trigger a friendly offer a few weeks before. Small touches bring guests back.
Does it work for restaurants inside hotels?
Yes. Table bookings, festival menus and dining offers can run alongside room enquiries on the same guest list. Tag guests by what they used, so a dinner offer goes to diners and a long-weekend offer goes to people who stayed. Both share one inbox and one guest list.
Can your team help us get started?
Yes. Our team can build your enquiry page, set up the AI with your property details and plan seasonal campaigns as a paid service. Or set it up yourself during the free trial, with a call if connecting WhatsApp gets stuck. Work is month to month.