Building Custom Workflows

Workflows let you automate the parts of your business that happen the same way every time. A workflow listens for something to happen (a trigger), checks whether it should run (conditions), and then performs one or more actions. Think of it as your operations team running 24/7 in the background.

What you can build

A few things hosts commonly automate with workflows:

• Send a welcome message the moment a booking is confirmed
• Email the cleaner when a same-day turnover is added
• Create a maintenance task when a guest mentions a broken appliance
• Push a Slack alert when a payment fails
• Generate access codes the day before check-in and revoke them after checkout

If you find yourself doing the same thing more than twice a week, it probably belongs in a workflow.

The four building blocks

Triggers are the events that start a workflow. Examples: new reservation, message received, payment completed, task overdue, check-in tomorrow, review posted.

Actions are what the workflow does. Examples: send a message, create a task, assign a cleaner, update a reservation, post to Slack, send an email, generate an access code.

Conditions decide whether the workflow should actually run for a given event. Example: only run for reservations longer than 3 nights, or only for listings in a specific group, or only when the guest is a returning guest.

Suppressions are the opposite — they tell the workflow when not to run. Example: don't send a welcome message if the guest has already received one in the last 24 hours, or skip the cleaner alert if the unit is owner-blocked.

Building your first workflow

1. Open the Workflows page from the left sidebar and click New workflow.
2. Give it a clear name like "Welcome message — Beach properties".
3. Pick a trigger. Browse the trigger list and choose the event that should kick things off. Each trigger comes with a short description of when it fires.
4. Add conditions. Click Add condition to narrow down when the workflow runs. You can stack multiple conditions — they all have to be true.
5. Add actions. Click Add action and pick what should happen. You can add as many as you need; they run in order from top to bottom.
6. Add suppressions if there are cases where you specifically want the workflow to skip. This is useful for avoiding duplicate messages.
7. Test it. Use the Test run button to fire the workflow against a recent reservation without sending real messages. You'll see exactly what would have happened.
8. Activate. Toggle the workflow on. It will start running on the next matching event.

Previewing when workflows will fire

The workflow editor includes a preview panel that shows exactly when your time-based triggers will fire. When you test a workflow, you'll see trigger times displayed in your property's local timezone with timezone labels like EDT or PDT, so you always know exactly when the automation will run.

This preview helps you catch timing issues before activating a workflow. For example, if you schedule a check-in instruction message for "2 hours before check-in" but the trigger time shows it has already passed, you'll see that immediately in the preview rather than wondering why the message didn't send.

[Screenshot: Workflow preview panel showing trigger times with timezone labels like "Will fire at Jun 15, 2024 2:00 PM EDT"]

How workflows adapt to changes

Your workflows automatically stay in sync when you update reservations. When you change a guest's check-in or check-out dates, workflows with scheduled tasks will automatically reschedule to match the new dates. For example, if you have a workflow that creates a "prepare welcome basket" task 2 days before check-in, moving the reservation from June 15th to June 20th will automatically move that task from June 13th to June 18th.

The same works for access codes — if a workflow generates door codes 1 day before arrival and removes them 1 day after checkout, those codes will automatically reschedule when you change the reservation dates.

[Screenshot: Workflow task rescheduling automatically when reservation dates change]

Applying workflow changes to your existing operations

When you modify workflow actions that create tasks (like changing who they're assigned to, when they're due, or their priority), you can apply those updates to your existing future tasks with a single click.

Here's how it works:

1. Make changes to your workflow. Update task assignments, due dates, categories, priorities, or descriptions as needed.
2. Click "Apply changes to existing tasks". This button appears in the workflow header when you have task-creating actions.
3. Review what will be updated. You'll see exactly how many existing tasks will be modified and which reservations are affected.
4. Confirm the changes. Click Apply to update all eligible future tasks at once.

[Screenshot: "Apply changes to existing tasks" dialog showing preview of 47 tasks to be updated across upcoming reservations]

What gets updated

The system safely updates existing tasks that haven't been started yet. It will modify:

• Task assignments and team member assignments
• Due dates and scheduling
• Task categories (cleaning, maintenance, laundry, guest services)
• Priority levels
• Task titles and descriptions

The dialog shows you exactly which tasks will be updated and stays open while the changes are applied, so you can see the progress in real-time.

Safety guardrails

To protect work already in progress, the system automatically skips tasks that:

• Have been started by a team member
• Have completed checklist items
• Are already past their due date
• Have been accepted or are in progress by an assignee

Any skipped tasks are clearly shown in the results so you know exactly what was and wasn't updated.

[Screenshot: Results dialog showing "52 tasks updated, 3 skipped (already started)" with breakdown by reservation]

Custom placeholders now populate correctly

When applying changes to existing tasks, custom placeholders in your task titles and descriptions now properly fill in with actual information instead of appearing blank. Guest names, custom property details like access codes or building information, confirmation codes, and other dynamic content will display correctly in updated tasks.

For example, if your task template includes placeholders like "Building code: {{custom.building_code}}" or "Guest: {{guest.name}}", those will now show the actual building code and guest name rather than empty spaces when you update existing tasks.

[Screenshot: Updated task showing "Building code: PARKADE99" and "Guest: Sarah Johnson" instead of blank placeholders]

Applying workflows to upcoming reservations

Once you've built a workflow that creates tasks for new reservations, you can apply it retroactively to reservations that are already booked. This is helpful when you create a new workflow and want to ensure your upcoming stays get the same automated tasks.

1. Click "Apply to upcoming reservations" in the workflow header.
2. Review the preview. You'll see how many reservations will get new tasks across how many properties. The preview shows the total count of all upcoming reservations that match the workflow.
3. Click Apply to create all the tasks.
4. Watch the live progress. You'll see real-time updates showing how many tasks have been created and how many reservations remain to process.

For large portfolios with hundreds or thousands of reservations, the system automatically handles the entire process in a single operation with live progress updates. You'll see messages like "Created 500 tasks, 1,200 remaining..." so you know exactly how the operation is progressing. The system continues automatically until all matching reservations have been processed.

The system only applies to future reservations and won't duplicate tasks that already exist.

[Screenshot: "Apply to upcoming reservations" dialog showing live progress "Created 500 tasks, 1,200 remaining..." with real-time counter]

How it works for large portfolios

• No reservation limits — The system processes your entire portfolio regardless of size, whether you have 50 or 5,000 upcoming reservations
• Live progress tracking — See exactly how many tasks are being created and how many reservations remain
• Automatic continuation — The process runs to completion without manual intervention, even for enterprise-scale portfolios
• Safe operation — The process is designed to handle interruptions gracefully and won't create duplicate tasks

[Screenshot: Progress indicator showing "Creating 2,847 tasks across 1,064 upcoming reservations..."]

Task categories for organization

When creating workflows that handle tasks, you can organize them by category to keep your operations team focused. Available task categories include:

• Cleaning — Turnover cleaning, deep cleaning, post-checkout inspections
• Maintenance — Repairs, appliance issues, general upkeep
• Laundry — Linen changes, towel replacement, washing machine issues
• Guest Services — Check-in assistance, amenity restocking, concierge requests

Choosing the right category helps with task assignment and makes it easier to track what type of work is happening across your properties.

[Screenshot: Task category dropdown in workflow builder showing cleaning, maintenance, laundry, and guest services options]

Tracking workflow actions from your dashboard

When workflows create tasks or send messages, those actions appear in your property timeline. Each action card now displays which workflow created it, making it easy to identify which automation is handling what. If you need to adjust how a workflow behaves, click Edit in workflow directly from the action card to jump straight to the workflow editor.

This connection helps you understand what's happening across your properties and quickly fine-tune automations without hunting through your workflow list.

[Screenshot: Dashboard timeline showing action cards with workflow names and "Edit in workflow" links]

Starting from a template

You don't have to start from a blank canvas. The Templates tab has pre-built workflows for the most common scenarios — welcome messages, check-in instructions, review requests, payment retries, and more. Pick one, tweak it for your business, and activate.

Watching what your workflows do

Every time a workflow runs, it logs the result. Open the Logs tab to see which workflows fired, which actions succeeded, and which were skipped (and why). If something didn't behave the way you expected, the log will tell you exactly what happened.

Common questions

Can a workflow trigger another workflow? Yes — if one workflow creates a task and another workflow listens for new tasks, they'll chain naturally.

What happens if an action fails? The workflow keeps running the remaining actions and the failure is recorded in the log. You'll see a red marker so you can investigate.

What happens when I change reservation dates? Workflows automatically reschedule their tasks and actions to match the new dates. A task scheduled "2 days before check-in" will automatically move when you change the check-in date.

Can I update existing tasks when I change a workflow? Yes. Use the "Apply changes to existing tasks" button to update all your future tasks with new settings like assignments, due dates, or priorities. The system safely skips any tasks that are already in progress. Custom placeholders in task titles and descriptions will now populate with actual data instead of appearing blank.

Can I pause a workflow temporarily? Yes. Toggle it off from the workflow list. It will stop running until you turn it back on, and your settings are preserved.

What happens if I have thousands of upcoming reservations? The "Apply to upcoming reservations" feature handles portfolios of any size automatically. You'll see live progress updates as tasks are created, and the system continues until all matching reservations are processed. There's no need to apply workflows in batches — one click handles your entire portfolio.

How many workflows can I have? As many as you need. Most hosts run between 10 and 30 active workflows across their portfolio.