Phone Numbers for Voice Agent

Guests still call. Whether it's a lockout at midnight, an early-arrival question, or a booking inquiry from a returning guest, the phone matters. Vanio gives every property a phone number connected to a voice AI agent that answers in seconds, talks like a human, and can do real things — check availability, send a door code, escalate to a human, log the call.

This guide covers buying a number, bringing your own, assigning numbers to properties, and routing calls across a multi-property portfolio.

Buying a Vanio number

The fastest way to get started.

1. Go to Settings → Phones → Buy number
2. Pick a country and area code
3. Browse available numbers (local and toll-free options shown)
4. Click Buy on the one you want

The number is provisioned in a few seconds and assigned to your account. It's billed monthly along with your subscription. You can release it any time from the same page.

Important: For US and Canadian numbers, you may see a warning that "SMS sending to US recipients may be delayed up to 24 hours while the carrier registration completes." Voice calls work immediately, but text messages might take up to a day to reach guests reliably. This happens automatically in the background — no action needed on your part.

Bringing an existing Twilio number

Already have a number on Twilio? Keep it and point it at Vanio:

1. Go to Settings → Phones → Bring your own → Twilio
2. Paste your Twilio account SID and auth token (read-only credentials work fine)
3. Pick which Twilio numbers to import
4. Vanio updates the voice and SMS webhooks on each number to route calls and texts to your AI agent

Your Twilio bill stays with Twilio. Vanio doesn't add a markup on imported numbers.

If you use a different provider, contact support — most major carriers can be configured similarly.

Assigning numbers to properties

A number becomes useful once it knows what property it represents. From Settings → Phones, click any number and:

1. Pick the listing(s) it belongs to
2. Choose what the AI should answer the phone with — "You've reached Sunset Cottage, how can I help?"
3. Set business hours and after-hours behavior (auto-answer, voicemail, or forward to a teammate)
4. Decide which actions the AI is allowed to take on calls (send door codes, confirm reservations, take payment, etc.)

A number can be assigned to one property, a group of properties, or your whole portfolio.

Phone verification for guest accounts

When guests create accounts on your direct booking site, they can optionally verify their phone number with a text message code. Phone verification is no longer required during account signup — guests can skip it entirely and set up their account immediately.

If guests want to add a phone number later, they can do so anytime:

1. Guest goes to their account settings after signing up
2. Clicks Add phone number in their profile
3. Enters their phone number
4. Vanio sends a 6-digit verification code via SMS
5. Guest enters the code to verify their number
6. The verified number appears in their reservation details

The verification works reliably for guests worldwide — including those calling from Greece, France, Germany, and other international locations that previously experienced delivery issues.

Property managers can monitor verification delivery health by country from Settings → Phones → Verification dashboard. If you notice issues in specific regions, contact support for assistance.

Text message reliability

Vanio automatically monitors all your phone numbers to ensure text messages reach guests reliably. If a number has trouble sending messages (especially to US recipients), Vanio detects and fixes the issue within 24 hours.

You don't need to do anything — this happens automatically in the background. If you notice guests aren't receiving texts, the system is likely already working on a fix. Contact support if issues persist beyond 24 hours.

Updating your listing to use the new number

For guests to actually call the number, it has to appear in the places they look:

• Direct booking site. Vanio updates the contact number on your direct site automatically when you assign a number.
• Channel listings. Edit the contact info on Airbnb and Booking.com to show the new number. Two-way sync (if enabled) handles this for you.
• Pre-arrival messages. Vanio's default check-in message includes the property's phone number — no edit needed if you use the defaults.
• Lock screens and key boxes. If you have physical signage, refresh it on the next turnover.

Multi-property number routing

Larger portfolios usually want one of these patterns:

• One number per property. Cleanest for guests. The AI knows exactly which property is calling without asking. Best when you have under ~50 properties or want each property to feel independent.
• One number per region. A single phone number for, say, all your Lisbon properties. The AI asks the caller which property they're calling about. Cheaper at scale.
• One number for everything. A single line for the whole company. The AI asks for the property name or reservation code first. Useful for brand consistency.

Mix patterns however you like. The AI's behavior is configured per number.

Forwarding to humans

Every number has a fallback. If the AI can't help — or the guest asks for a human — the call forwards to whoever is on duty. Set duty rotations from Settings → Team → On-call schedule.

Forwarded calls still log a transcript and recording in the dashboard, so nothing is lost.

Common questions

Can guests text the number? Yes. Texts route to the same dashboard timeline as channel messages. The AI replies in the same voice.

Are calls recorded? Yes, with a disclosure played at the start of every call (configurable per region for compliance). Recordings live in the reservation timeline.

What languages does the voice agent speak? Over 30, with native-sounding voices in the major ones. The agent matches the caller's language automatically.

How much does a number cost? Vanio numbers are a flat monthly fee per number, plus per-minute usage. Toll-free is slightly higher. See Settings → Billing for exact pricing in your country.

Do verification codes work for international guests? Yes. The SMS delivery system routes codes reliably to phone numbers worldwide, including regions that previously experienced delivery issues.

Is phone verification required for guest signup? No. Phone verification is now optional during account creation. Guests can skip it and add their phone number later in account settings if they choose.

Why might text messages be delayed after buying a new number? US carriers require special registration for business text messages. When you buy a US or Canadian number, Vanio handles this registration automatically, but it can take up to 24 hours to complete. Voice calls work immediately.

What happens if text messages fail to send? Vanio monitors all your numbers daily and automatically fixes any delivery issues within 24 hours. You'll see a warning during number setup if this might affect a new number, but no action is required on your part.