AvantStay
In-Stay Communication—First Draft

What actually happens, message by message.

A first-draft map of the real guest communication flow, from booking confirmation through the post-stay review ask—which channel a guest is on, what message they get and when, and who's actually on the other end. Built from real examples, with guest names, phone numbers, and addresses replaced by placeholders since this is a public page.

Covers vacation rentals and front-desk hotels. Front-desk hotels (The Gilmore, Sense28 and The Code) have their own journey below the main one, and their front desk plays the role of "the local team." Hotels without a front desk aren't mapped yet.

Direct booking, start to finish

The full guest journey for a direct booking

Applies to: all properties except hotels with front desks (see their journey)

Prefer a visual? See every channel side by side in the Journey Flow view (draft) →

Every message a guest who books directly with AvantStay can receive, in order, from the moment they book to the post-stay survey. It combines the operational touchpoints documented on this page with the concierge marketing track. Conditional messages show their trigger, so not every guest gets every card.

  • Fixed / informational
  • Concierge marketing (upsell)
  • Add-on upsell offer
  • Human / local-team touch
  • Verification step, not a message

Who each message comes from

SMS – Main line
AvantStay's main texting number. Sends all automated texts.
SpokePhone SMS
The local team's own number, one per market. It starts with the welcome text, so the guest ends up with a second, separate text thread.
Email
Automated AvantStay emails: confirmation, check-in instructions and concierge marketing.
Concierge
A concierge agent emailing or texting by hand. Used for the specialized tracks below the timeline.
GX
Guest Experience, 24/7: (833) 442-8268 or experience@avantstay.com. The email address is from the Feb 2023 deck; confirm it's current.
  1. Phase 1

    Booking & confirmation

    Gets the guest verified and confirmed

    At bookingImmediately
    ID verification + guest agreementEmail

    Trigger: every direct booking

    Direct has no OTA doing this upstream, so AvantStay collects ID and a signed guest agreement itself. High-risk bookings get IDV started right away, followed by a risk review once IDV is done.

    Once paid + verifiedUsually same day
    Booking confirmationEmail

    Trigger: payment and IDV complete

    Confirms the stay and links to the House Manual and Experiences.

    Guest invitesEmail

    Trigger: main booker adds guests to the reservation

    Invites go out to the rest of the group right after IDV is complete.

  2. Phase 2

    Pre-stay

    Concierge outreach, then arrival prep

    Anytime before check-inWhen a gap opens
    Extend your stay (orphan night)UpsellEmail

    Trigger: another booking leaves a single open night next to this stay

    Offers the guest that night so they can extend their stay, instead of it going unsold.

    From the Feb 2023 deck ("Opportunity to Extend Your Stay"). Confirm it still runs, and whether it's also sent during the stay.

    💡 Idea: better orphan-night deals
    Day after bookingNoon
    Concierge 1UpsellEmailSMS – Main line

    Trigger: standard booking

    Introduces concierge services and offers to help plan the trip.

    Estates bookings: get the Estates concierge email and a personal intro SMS instead (sample below).

    14 days before check-in
    Concierge 1 reminderUpsellEmailSMS – Main line

    Trigger: standard booking

    A second nudge about concierge services.

    Unconfirmed: what happens for bookings made less than 2 weeks out, and whether the reminder uses both channels.

    7 days before check-in
    Concierge 2UpsellEmailSMS – Main line

    Trigger: guest hasn't replied to Concierge 1

    Last concierge message before arrival prep begins.

    6 days before check-in
    Live check-in steps

    Trigger: the property requires live check-in

    A few properties need an extra step before the guest can check in.

    Palm Springs: a video call with the guest.
    Big Bear: the guest signs a Big Bear-specific waiver.

    To confirm: exact timing and channel. The concierge deck lists this at 6 days out; the Feb 2023 deck had Big Bear's steps at 3 days before check-in.

    Mid-stay clean offerUpsellSMS – Main line

    Trigger: 3+ nights, not VIP, housekeeping available

    3 days before check-in
    Check-in instructionsEmailSMS – Main line

    Trigger: paid, IDV and guest agreement complete

    Links to the Booking Hub for entry codes, directions, the house manual and upgrades. For a direct guest this is the first link into the Hub.

    Copy to check: this message tells guests the local team "will reach out on check-in day," but the welcome text now sends 24 hours before check-in. The live template still says check-in day.

  3. Phase 3

    Check-in & in-stay

    Handoff to the local team

    24 hours before check-in
    Local-team welcomeSpokePhone SMS

    Automated welcome from the local team's SpokePhone number. It shows up as a new text thread, and it's the number the guest uses for the rest of the stay.

    💡 Idea: a personalized welcome with address and check-in steps
    Morning of check-in
    Detailed check-in instructionsSMS – Main line

    The instructions again, on arrival day.

    💡 Ideas: a check-in emergency line, and a "your home is ready early" text
    A few hours after check-in
    Wellness checkSpokePhone SMS

    "How's everything going?" with a thumbs-up / thumbs-down reply.

    💡 Idea: turn a thumbs-down into a short form
    Anytime during the stay
    Guest-initiated contactSpokePhone SMSGX

    Direct guests have no OTA portal, so they reach AvantStay directly: the local team on SpokePhone, or GX 24/7 at (833) 442-8268.

  4. Phase 4

    Checkout & post-stay

    Departure, then feedback

    Day before checkout11:00 AM
    Late checkout offerUpsellSMS – Main line

    Trigger: not VIP, late checkout available

    💡 Idea: free late checkout when available
    Checkout day8:00 AM
    Checkout reminderSMS – Main line

    Trigger: same-day turnover scheduled

    After checkout
    Post-stay surveySMS – Main line

    NPS plus a review ask. If the stay had no negative sentiment, it counts as neutral-to-good and further review follow-ups go out. Direct guests don't get an OTA review request, so this is the only one they see.

Specialized tracks that run alongside

These are sent by hand by the concierge team for specific guests, instead of or on top of the automated concierge messages above.

  • VIP guests

    Trigger: $15k+ or Voyage booking, flagged by a Salesforce report

    Manual email to set up a discovery call with a concierge agent, then a custom proposal. Focus is on re-booking.

  • Estates guests

    Trigger: booking tagged as Estates in Tapechart

    Manual email and SMS from a dedicated Estates concierge: service list, upgrades, an in-person greeting and full coordination.

  • Corporate offsites

    Trigger: Sales introduces the booking to a dedicated concierge agent

    Discovery call, custom proposal, then upgrades and the stay coordinated with a retention focus.

  • Members

    Trigger: membership sign-up

    Introduction email to a VIP-team concierge agent.

  • Short-term campaigns

    Trigger: a brief in Iterable for target dates or regions

    Supervisor or manager approves the brief, then the campaign goes out manually to each matching guest.

EstatesIntro SMS, day after booking
Hi [Guest Name] - We're so excited to host you at [Property Name]. I'd love to assist you with anything you need prior to and throughout your AvantStay experience. Check out our list of concierge services that we can provide at your request. We can also create a personalized itinerary so every minute of your trip is unforgettable. I look forward to connecting! - AvantStay Concierge

The Concierge 1 and Concierge 2 email and SMS templates, and the member introduction email, exist in the concierge team's timeline deck as screenshots. Their copy isn't reproduced here yet.

Front-desk hotels

The guest journey at a front-desk hotel

Applies to: The Gilmore, Sense28 and The Code, across every booking channel

Mostly the same as the journey above. The main difference is that the front desk hands over the room at check-in, so nothing before arrival shares a room number or entry details. Same color key and senders as above, plus in-person contact at the front desk.

How this differs from the main journey

  1. No ID or agreement reminder texts.
  2. 3 days out, a hotel-specific email ("Your upcoming stay at [Hotel], with AvantStay") replaces the check-in instructions.
  3. No room number or entry details before check-in. The guest gets them at the front desk at check-in time.
  4. Early check-in isn't offered as a paid option, because of operational constraints.
  1. Phase 1

    Booking & confirmation

    Confirmed, with no reminder chasing

    At bookingImmediately
    Booking confirmationEmail

    Confirms the stay.

    Different from the main journey: no ID or guest agreement reminder texts follow if either is incomplete.

    Guest invitesEmail

    Trigger: main booker adds guests to the reservation

  2. Phase 2

    Pre-stay

    Concierge outreach, then arrival prep

    Anytime before check-inWhen a gap opens
    Extend your stay (orphan night)UpsellEmail

    Trigger: another booking leaves a single open night next to this stay

    Day after bookingNoon
    Concierge 1UpsellEmailSMS – Main line

    Introduces concierge services and offers to help plan the trip.

    To confirm for hotels: the Feb 2023 deck said concierge marketing excluded individual hotel rooms.

    14 days before check-in
    Concierge 1 reminderUpsellEmailSMS – Main line
    7 days before check-in
    Concierge 2UpsellEmailSMS – Main line

    Trigger: guest hasn't replied to Concierge 1

    6 days before check-in
    Mid-stay clean offerUpsellSMS – Main line

    Trigger: 3+ nights, not VIP, housekeeping available

    3 days before check-in
    "Your upcoming stay at [Hotel], with AvantStay"Email

    Confirms the stay dates and tells the guest to stop by the front desk to check in and get their room details. Links to the Booking Hub for parking, food, the pool and everything else.

    Replaces the check-in instructions in the main journey. No room number or entry details are included.

  3. Phase 3

    Check-in & in-stay

    The front desk takes over

    24 hours before check-in
    Hotel team welcomeSpokePhone SMS

    Welcome from the hotel's own number, the same way the local team welcomes rental guests.

    At check-in time
    Front desk check-inIn person

    The guest gets their room number and key at the front desk. This is the first time room or entry details are shared.

    No paid early check-in offer at front-desk hotels, because of operational constraints.

    To confirm: whether the morning-of check-in text still goes out at hotels, and what it says.

    A few hours after check-in
    Wellness checkSpokePhone SMS

    "How's everything going?" with a thumbs-up / thumbs-down reply.

    Anytime during the stay
    Guest-initiated contactIn personSpokePhone SMSGX

    The front desk is the first stop. Guests can also text the hotel's SpokePhone number or contact GX 24/7. OTA guests may also message through the platform.

  4. Phase 4

    Checkout & post-stay

    Departure, then feedback

    Day before checkout11:00 AM
    Late checkout offerUpsellSMS – Main line

    Trigger: not VIP, late checkout available

    Checkout day8:00 AM
    Checkout reminderSMS – Main line

    Trigger: same-day turnover scheduled

    After checkout
    Post-stay surveySMS – Main line

    NPS plus a review ask. OTA guests also get the platform's own review request.

Not live yet

Ideas & opportunities

Improvements the GX team has proposed or discussed. None of these reach guests today. They're kept separate so the timeline above only shows what actually happens. The 💡 links on timeline cards jump to the related idea here.

  • New idea

    Wellness check

    Turn a thumbs-down into a short form

    A thumbs-down opens a quick form: pick what's wrong from a dropdown, add notes, and flag how urgent it is. The team responds the same way every time and can tackle the most urgent issues first.

  • Discussed · blocked on product capacity

    Local-team welcome

    A more personalized welcome text

    Include the guest's Booking Hub link and repeat the address and check-in instructions: the most time-sensitive and most-asked information. Seen as a big value add and a way to prevent a lot of incoming questions.

  • New idea

    Check-in day

    A dedicated line for check-in problems

    Check-in issues are some of the worst guest experiences. A dedicated emergency line would route to IOT first, with GX as overflow, taking that load off the field team.

  • Discussed before

    Check-in day

    "Your home is ready early" text

    An automatic message when the home is ready before the scheduled check-in time.

  • Discussed before

    Late checkout offer

    Free late checkout when available

    Offer late checkout at no charge when the calendar allows, as a goodwill gesture instead of a paid upsell.

  • Partly exists

    Extend your stay

    Better orphan-night deals

    Spot gaps in the Tapechart and offer a deal to extend the stay, both before arrival and during the stay. Some version of this runs today, but it may not be fully built out.

At a glance

The touchpoint timeline, by channel

The core touchpoints—check-in info, the local-team welcome, the wellness check, and checkout—are the same message on the same schedule for every channel. What actually varies by channel is how a guest first gets into the Booking Hub, and who else is messaging them about a review.

Check-in-instructions timing is confirmed against a real message example. Other cells are directionally accurate but not independently re-verified per channel.
ChannelAt booking~3 days before check-in24 hrs before check-inA few hours after check-inCheckoutIn-stay contact channel
AirbnbAirbnb-specific message: confirm contact info, early Booking Hub link (IDV/agreement handled inside Airbnb's own flow)Check-in instructions—the same message every channel getsSpokePhone welcome from the local teamWellness check via SpokePhone, thumbs-up/thumbs-downAvantStay's checkout & review ask, plus Airbnb's own separate review requestAirbnb message thread—GX-only, the local team can't see it
VRBONo separate message; gated on IDV + signed guest agreementCheck-in instructions, once IDV + agreement clearSpokePhone welcome from the local teamWellness check via SpokePhone, thumbs-up/thumbs-downAvantStay's checkout & review ask, plus VRBO's own separate review requestVRBO's own guest portal
DirectBooking confirmation email; gated on IDV + signed guest agreementCheck-in instructions, once IDV + agreement clearSpokePhone welcome from the local teamWellness check via SpokePhone, thumbs-up/thumbs-downAvantStay's checkout & review ask—no separate OTA review request, since there's no OTA in the loopDirect to AvantStay (SMS/email/GX)—no separate portal
ExpediaNo separate message; gated on IDV + signed guest agreementCheck-in instructions, once IDV + agreement clearSpokePhone welcome from the local teamWellness check via SpokePhone, thumbs-up/thumbs-downAvantStay's checkout & review ask, plus Expedia's own separate review requestPresumed own guest portal—not independently confirmed for Expedia specifically
Booking.comNo separate message; gated on IDV + signed guest agreementCheck-in instructions, once IDV + agreement clearSpokePhone welcome from the local teamWellness check via SpokePhone, thumbs-up/thumbs-downAvantStay's checkout & review ask, plus Booking.com's own separate review requestPresumed own guest portal—not independently confirmed for Booking.com specifically

Updated Sep 23, 2026: the local-team welcome text now sends 24 hours before check-in, and the wellness check a few hours after check-in.

Booking.com and Expedia are grouped with VRBO and Direct throughout this page as "other OTA," following the same IDV/agreement gating—that grouping hasn't been independently verified against a Booking.com- or Expedia-specific real example the way Airbnb and the general OTA pattern have been.

24 hours before check-in

A new thread appears

24 hours before check-in, the guest gets a welcome text sent via SpokePhone from "the local team"—a different number than anything they've seen so far, so it shows up as a brand-new text thread on their phone, separate from whatever OTA or booking-confirmation messages came before.

SMS, via SpokePhoneSent by the local team, 24 hours before check-in
Hi [Guest Name]! Welcome to [Property Name]! We are the local AvantStay team and we're so excited to host you. Please don't hesitate to reach out with any questions! We'll be available from [local team hours] at this number. If you have an after-hours emergency please call our awesome customer experience team at (833) 442-8268. We hope you have a wonderful stay!

This is the first point in the journey where the guest is talking to a real local team, not a centralized/automated sender—worth noting given the local-team-identity idea from the brand voice feedback earlier in this map: this touchpoint already does that, it's the rest of the pre-arrival flow that doesn't yet.

Current direction pushes this further: messages should be prescriptive, not passive—something closer to "please walk through the property and let us know if anything comes up" instead of a general "don't hesitate to reach out."

A few hours after check-in

The wellness check

A short "how's it going?" message via SpokePhone, with a simple thumbs-up or thumbs-down reply, is moving to a few hours after check-in rather than the next morning. The open piece: routing a thumbs-down straight to an immediate human response, not just logging it.

SMS, via SpokePhoneA few hours after check-in
Hi [Guest Name], you're checked in! How's everything going so far? 👍 Great 👎 Something's off

This updates the "Post-Check-In Follow-Up" row in the vacation rental report's current comms map, documented there as "day after check-in at noon" from a Feb 2023 deck. Treat this section as the current state and that older table row as historical.

In-stay

Who the guest is actually talking to

Where an in-stay message or issue lands depends on the booking channel, and who picks it up depends on whether it escalates.

  1. Guest reaches out during the stay

    Channel depends on how they booked.

    Airbnb → the Airbnb message thread, which only GX (not the field team) has access to.

    Any other OTA → that platform's own guest portal (the VRBO portal, the Booking.com portal, etc.).

  2. Guest reports an issue → GX creates the ISGI

    An ISGI is specifically an issue from a guest who is currently checked in—anything a guest shares after checkout is tracked as feedback, not an ISGI.

  3. Field takes ownership

    Field acknowledges in the case comments and owns all guest communication via Spoke through resolution. "Field" is the internal name for the same team the welcome text calls "the local team."

  4. GX closes the loop

    GX tells the guest field has it. Once handed off, GX monitors to confirm field has actually taken over the conversation, rather than assuming the handoff worked.

  5. If the guest goes quiet on Spoke

    Field asks GX for help communicating status—GX has the OTA-thread access field doesn't, so it can close the loop back through whichever channel the guest actually responds on.

Who owns what, once an ISGI is open

  • GX owns

    • Creating and triaging the ISGI case
    • All compensation conversations with the guest
    • Backup point of contact when Spoke isn't viable (international numbers, Airbnb-only guests)

  • Field owns

    • Guest communication via Spoke, acknowledgment through resolution
    • Keeping the case updated with resolution details
    • Flagging context back to GX in the case when compensation may be needed
Exception: compensation conversations always route back to GX, no matter who's been handling the day-to-day conversation. Field logs what happened in the case comments so GX can decide fairly.

Closing this channel split is a top current priority: one unified thread where the local team can respond to a guest on whatever channel they're actually on—Airbnb, another OTA's portal, or SpokePhone directly—rather than the channel deciding who can even see the message.

Check-out day

The review ask, from more than one direction

Checkout triggers several review-related touchpoints at once, not all of them from AvantStay.

  • From AvantStay (Voyage)

    • A checkout message asking the guest to leave a review
    • A separate message asking for an NPS score
    • Further follow-up SMS/messages asking for a review, if the stay scores as neutral-to-good (see below)

  • From the OTA directly

    • If the guest booked through an OTA, that platform sends its own review request too—outside AvantStay's control, on its own timing

How the "neutral-to-good" call gets made: the stay is scanned for any negative sentiment during the guest's time on property. If none is found, it's scored at 50% confidence as a neutral-to-good stay, and that clears the bar to solicit a review. The full logic for cadence and message variants beyond that single threshold lives in a separate Review Solicitation Journey Mapping board in Figma. Worth pulling the key decision points from that board into this page directly in a future pass, rather than just linking out.

First draft—what's still fuzzy

Open questions before this is a finished map

This page started as a rough outline in a chat message. These are the specifics worth nailing down before treating it as a source of truth.

  • Open question

    No-front-desk hotels

    Front-desk hotels now have their own journey on this page. Hotels without a front desk don't have an on-site team, so their version of this map is still open.

  • Open question

    Response-time SLAs

    How long before "the guest isn't answering back on SpokePhone" triggers the local-team-to-GX escalation? Not specified in the outline.

  • Coming next

    A timeline for each booking channel

    The same timeline view as the direct booking, one per channel, so gaps and overlaps are easy to spot. Most OTAs share one flow; Airbnb is the main exception.

  • Coming next

    A full member journey

    Today members get a single introduction to a VIP concierge agent. The full member journey will get its own map.

Source: outlined directly by the AvantStay GX team, Sep 11, 2026, from real Booking Hub, Zendesk, Airbnb, and SMS examples. The direct-booking journey also draws on the concierge team's "Guest Journey Flow & Lifecycle Marketing" timeline deck, added Sep 23, 2026.