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Guest Messaging ​

The Guest Portal includes a real-time messaging feature that lets guests communicate with you directly from their guidebook. Messages sent through the portal appear in your Messages inbox in the hejGuide dashboard, and your replies are delivered back to the guest in their portal chat. It works like a private chat thread between you and each guest.

How guest messaging works ​

The guest's perspective ​

  1. The guest opens the Chat section in the portal (via bottom nav on mobile or sidebar on desktop).
  2. They see a chat thread with all messages exchanged with you for this booking.
  3. They type a message and tap Send.
  4. The message appears in the chat immediately.
  5. When you reply from the dashboard, your message appears in the guest's chat.

Your perspective (the host) ​

  1. New guest messages appear in your Messages inbox in the hejGuide dashboard.
  2. The message is linked to the specific booking, so you see the guest name, property, and dates.
  3. You type a reply and send it.
  4. The guest sees your reply the next time they open the chat (or immediately if they have it open).

Real-time delivery ​

Messages are delivered in real time. When a guest sends a message, it appears in your inbox without needing to refresh the page. Similarly, when you reply, the guest sees it in their portal chat immediately if they have the chat open.

The portal chat uses a live server-sent events (SSE) stream backed by Redis pub/sub, so new messages are pushed to the open chat the moment they are sent -- there is no polling delay. (If a browser does not support SSE, the chat falls back to lightweight polling so messages still arrive.) Either way, the thread updates automatically and guests do not need to refresh the page.

Attachments ​

Guests can attach files to their messages -- for example, a photo of a maintenance issue, a screenshot of their booking confirmation, or a document.

Supported attachments ​

  • Images -- JPG, PNG, GIF, WebP, HEIC, HEIF
  • Documents -- PDF, DOC/DOCX, XLS/XLSX, TXT, CSV
  • Maximum file size -- 10 MB per attachment

How to send an attachment ​

  1. In the chat view, tap the attachment icon (paperclip or camera icon).
  2. Select a file from their device or take a photo.
  3. The file is uploaded and attached to the message.
  4. Tap Send to deliver the message with the attachment.

Attachments appear as inline previews (for images) or download links (for documents) in both the guest's chat and your dashboard inbox.

TIP

Encourage guests to use the chat for reporting issues during their stay. A photo of a broken appliance or a maintenance problem is worth a thousand words and helps you respond faster.

Auto-read behavior ​

When a guest opens the chat in the portal, all messages in the thread are automatically marked as read. This means:

  • If you sent a message and the guest opens the chat, the message is marked as read on your end.
  • You can see in your dashboard inbox whether the guest has viewed your messages.
  • There is no separate "seen" indicator shown to the guest -- the read status is for your reference only.

Message notifications ​

For the guest ​

If the guest has installed the hejGuide mobile app, they receive push notifications for new messages. This ensures they see your replies even when they are not actively using the portal.

If the guest is using the web portal (not the app), they see new messages the next time they open the chat.

For the host ​

New messages from guests appear in your Messages inbox with an unread indicator. The sidebar badge shows the number of unread messages across all conversations.

You can also set up email notifications to be alerted when a guest sends a message, ensuring you don't miss time-sensitive communications.

OTA message integration ​

If a booking came through a connected channel (Airbnb or Booking.com via the Channel Manager), messages in the portal chat are also synchronized with the OTA messaging system:

  • Inbound OTA messages (from the guest via Airbnb or Booking.com) appear in the portal chat thread alongside direct messages.
  • Outbound replies you send through the hejGuide dashboard are delivered to the guest both in the portal chat and on the OTA platform.

This means the guest can message you from whichever platform they prefer -- the portal, Airbnb, or Booking.com -- and all messages end up in the same thread.

For details on OTA message synchronization, see OTA Messages.

Chat thread per booking ​

Each booking has its own separate chat thread. If a returning guest has stayed at your property before:

  • Their previous booking's chat thread is separate from the current one.
  • Messages do not carry over between bookings.
  • Each stay has a clean conversation history.

Tips for effective guest communication ​

  • Respond quickly -- Guests appreciate fast replies, especially during their stay. Aim to respond within an hour during daytime.
  • Use the chat for everything -- Keep all communication in one place. This creates a record you can refer back to and avoids losing messages in email or WhatsApp.
  • Send proactive messages -- A quick "Welcome! Let us know if you need anything" on check-in day goes a long way.
  • Reference the guidebook -- If a guest asks a question that's already covered in your guidebook (e.g., WiFi password, checkout time), direct them to the relevant page instead of retyping the information.

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