Policies & Autonomy

Vanio AI can do more than answer questions — it can act. The Policies & Autonomy section is where you set the rules once, so Vanio AI handles common situations on its own instead of waiting for you. Every action it takes is grounded in the policy you set here and fully logged, so you always know what happened and why.

You'll find it on the Settings → Vanio AI page, below the master switch.

Why this exists

Without a policy, Vanio AI plays it safe: when a situation needs a judgment call — a refund, a relocation, a date change that costs you money — it hands it to your team. That's the right default, but it means you're still in the loop for things you'd happily have automated.

Capture your policy once here, and Vanio AI stops escalating that class of situation and acts the way you would.

Refund policy

Decide whether Vanio AI can grant refunds on its own:

• Let Vanio AI grant refunds autonomously — when on, Vanio AI can issue refunds within your money threshold (below), applying the policy basis you set. When off, every refund is prepared for your approval instead.
• Policy basis — the rule Vanio AI should apply and cite, for example "Airbnb cancellation policy" or "our 48-hour goodwill policy". Vanio AI references this in the record of every refund it makes.
• Notes — any extra constraints on when or how much Vanio AI can refund, per platform or situation.

Money threshold

Set a single number that governs every money action — refunds, resolution requests, claims, and goodwill credits:

• Auto-approve up to — Vanio AI handles money actions on its own up to this amount. Above it, Vanio AI prepares the action and routes it to you for one-tap approval.
• Set it to 0 to have Vanio AI draft every money action for your approval.

This keeps small, routine amounts moving automatically while you stay in control of the larger ones.

Per-situation handling rules

For each common situation, tell Vanio AI how to handle it:

• Auto — Vanio AI handles it on its own (money actions still respect your threshold).
• Draft — Vanio AI prepares the action and routes it to you for one-tap approval.
• Escalate — Vanio AI hands it to your team.

You can also add a short policy note to each one — the judgment Vanio AI should apply, which it cites in the audit trail.

Vanio AI starts you off with rules for the situations we see most often:

• Date changes & extensions — auto-handle extensions and any change while the guest can still cancel for free; the one to set your own rule on is a change that reduces your revenue past the free-cancellation window.
• Relocations — when a unit can't be used and the guest needs to move, set the terms (for example, no extra cost for moves that are your fault) and whether Vanio AI carries out the move.
• Refund requests — grant or draft, governed by your refund policy and money threshold above.
• Maintenance — Vanio AI always dispatches the repair; the only thing to decide is whether any compensation needs your sign-off.

The list is yours to extend. Add a rule for any situation we haven't covered — noise complaints, late check-outs, anything — and Vanio AI will handle it your way from then on. Any situation without a rule simply escalates to your team, just as it does today.

How it works together

The three sections reinforce each other. The money threshold is the ceiling on every financial action. The refund policy decides whether refunds are in play at all and on what basis. The per-situation rules decide which situations Vanio AI acts on. Set them once, and Vanio AI runs the routine work while bringing you only the decisions that genuinely need you.

Related: The Guest Escalation Message controls what the guest sees when Vanio AI does hand a conversation to your team.