Managing Reservations

Overview

ProhostAI centralizes all booking management across platforms, letting you handle modifications, cancellations, and special requests from one dashboard.

Reservation stages

Status meanings:

• Inquiry - Guest has reached out but hasn't booked yet
• Pending - Awaiting host approval (respond within 24h on Airbnb)
• Confirmed - Approved and paid, guest will arrive
• Currently hosting - Guest checked in, stay in progress (a derived display state for confirmed reservations between check-in and check-out)
• Checked-out - Guest departed, time to review
• Cancelled - Cancelled by host or guest, dates reopened

Approving bookings

Step 1: Review and approve

When a new inquiry arrives:

1. Open reservation in Calendar or Inbox
2. Review guest profile, number of guests, special requests, and reviews from other hosts
3. Check calendar for conflicts

To Approve: Click Approve Booking → System sends confirmation and adds to calendar

To Decline: Click Decline → Select reason → Optional message to guest

⚠️ Warning: Airbnb penalizes hosts who decline too many requests. Only accept bookings you can fulfill.

Pre-approval (for custom pricing): Send special offer → Guest has 24h to accept

Modifications

Common requests:

• Change dates
• Add/remove guests
• Early check-in / late checkout

Step 1: How to modify

Date changes:

1. Reservation details → Modify Dates
2. Enter new check-in/check-out → System recalculates pricing
3. Send alteration → Guest must accept → Syncs to platform

Guest count:
Open the reservation → Edit Number of Guests → Confirm with the guest. If your platform charges extra-guest fees, those are calculated by the OTA's pricing rules, not by ProhostAI.

⚠️ Warning: Verify property can accommodate new guest count and doesn't exceed local regulations.

Early check-in / Late checkout:

• Check cleaner availability and same-day bookings
• If approved: Update reservation times so check-in instructions send correctly
• If not available: Offer luggage drop-off

Cancellations

Guest cancels:

• Refund issued automatically per the cancellation policy on the listing (set on the OTA, e.g., Airbnb's Flexible, Firm, Strict tiers)
• Dates reopen on calendar
• Review reason and potentially reach out

Host cancels (emergencies only):
Reservation details → Cancel Booking → Select reason → Full refund to guest → Dates reopen

⚠️ Warning: Host cancellations hurt your ranking and may incur fees. Only cancel if absolutely necessary.

Partial cancellations:
Shorten stay by creating date modification → Refund price difference → Process through platform resolution center

Special requests

Pets: Check policy → If allowed: confirm + apply fee → Update notes

Special occasions: Note occasion → Consider welcome amenity → Personalize message

Extra supplies: Add to cleaner checklist → Confirm with guest

Meet for check-in: Evaluate need → If needed: schedule yourself or co-host → Update instructions

Dietary restrictions: Note if you provide snacks → Share restaurant recommendations

Best practices

Respond quickly - Reply within 1 hour; platforms reward fast response times; use AI Replies

Be proactive - Send check-in instructions early; follow up to ensure smooth arrival; address small issues early

Document everything - Photos before/after stays; save all communication; helps with disputes

Set clear expectations - Share house rules; confirm times; clarify what's included; reduces misunderstandings

Stay professional - Even with difficult guests; facts over emotions; your responses may be public

What's next?

Enhance your reservation management:

• Calendar Management - Master your calendar and availability
• Using AI-Powered Replies - Respond to guests faster with AI assistance
• Setting Up AI Autopilot - Auto-handle inquiries and approval flows

✅ Success: Great reservation management is about attention to detail, clear communication, and quick responses. The little things make all the difference!