Upsells — Earn More Per Booking

Upsells let you offer premium services and early/late access to guests who want them. Your AI assistant handles the offers automatically when guests ask, turning requests into revenue.

Built-In Upsell Types

• Early check-in — Guest arrives before standard check-in time. Set your price and how early you allow
• Late checkout — Guest departs after standard checkout time
• Mid-stay cleaning — Additional cleaning during multi-night stays
• Custom add-ons — Airport transfers, welcome baskets, baby equipment, extra towels

Configuring Upsells

1. Go to your listing in the CMS
2. Open the Guest Portal tab
3. Under Upsells, toggle on the options you want
4. Set pricing for each option
5. Choose approval method:
   • Automatic approval — AI can approve requests when cleaning schedule allows
   • Require host approval — All requests go through you for review, even if calendar is clear
6. Save

Pricing is per-listing — different amounts for different properties based on your costs.

How Guests Purchase

Guests see available upsells in their guest portal throughout their stay. For early check-in, they can request it anytime on their arrival day up until your standard check-in time. They select what they want and pay via Stripe.

The guest portal now shows countdown timers alongside early check-in and late checkout options, so guests always know exactly how long they have to book. If an option isn't available yet, the timer shows when it opens. If it's available now, the timer shows when the booking window closes.

[Screenshot: Guest portal showing early check-in option with countdown timer "Available for 3 hours 22 minutes"]

[Screenshot: Guest portal showing early check-in option unavailable with countdown timer "Opens in 2 days 4 hours"]

AI-Driven Offers

When guests message asking "Can we check in early?" or "Can we check out late?", the AI respects your approval settings:

• If you've set the upsell to require approval — AI directs guests to submit their request through the guest portal for your review, rather than approving directly
• If you've set automatic approval — AI checks cleaning availability and can approve free requests when schedule allows
• For paid upsells — AI always directs guests to the portal to complete payment, regardless of cleaning availability

The AI only offers upsells when contextually relevant and follows your configured approval workflow.

Dashboard Timeline

When guests purchase upsells through the portal, you'll see them appear in your dashboard timeline within seconds. Early check-ins, late checkouts, and mid-stay cleaning requests now reliably show up for you to review and approve.

Dashboard pricing also updates correctly as soon as a guest completes a purchase — the amount paid for early check-in or any other add-on is reflected in your dashboard right away, keeping your booking totals accurate.

[Screenshot: Dashboard timeline showing "Guest requested early check-in for 12:00 PM - $25" entry]

For approval-required requests, you can approve or decline directly from the timeline. The guest receives immediate confirmation of your decision.

Approving and Declining Requests

When a guest submits an early check-in or late checkout request that requires your approval, the Approve and Decline buttons appear in your dashboard timeline as soon as the guest submits the request — you don't need to wait for their payment to finish processing before you can act. This means you can respond immediately, even when a guest's payment is still being verified in the background.

[Screenshot: Dashboard timeline request card showing Approve and Decline buttons for an early check-in request]

From the timeline card you can:

• Approve — Confirms the request, updates the reservation, and notifies the guest.
• Decline — Rejects the request, automatically refunds the guest in full, and removes the request from both your dashboard and the guest portal.

When you decline, the refund happens automatically:

• If the guest's payment was a temporary authorization hold (the charge hadn't been fully captured yet), the hold is released immediately and no funds are ever moved.
• If the payment had already been captured, a full refund is issued automatically. The guest will see it reflected in their account within the normal bank processing window.
• If you decline before the guest's payment has finished processing, no charge is ever completed — the request is simply cancelled.

You don't need to take any separate action to process the refund — it happens the moment you click Decline.

Fulfillment

After purchase, the reservation updates automatically. For early check-in, the check-in time adjusts. For mid-stay cleaning, a task is created for your cleaning team.

For approval-required requests, you'll receive a notification to review the request in your dashboard before it's confirmed.

Tips

• Price based on your cleaning schedule flexibility
• Use "require approval" if you prefer to personally review every request, even when cleaning schedule allows it
• Use "automatic approval" for streamlined guest experience when you're comfortable with AI handling routine requests
• The AI checks calendar for back-to-back bookings and only offers early check-in when available
• Early check-in requests can come anytime on arrival day — guests no longer miss the opportunity if they ask in the afternoon
• Countdown timers in the guest portal create a natural nudge for guests to book before the window closes — no action needed on your end
• Check your dashboard timeline regularly — all upsell purchases appear there immediately for your action
• For approval-required requests, the Approve and Decline buttons appear as soon as the guest submits — act right away without waiting for payment confirmation
• Declining a request refunds the guest automatically — no need to process anything separately in your payment settings

Common Questions

When can guests request early check-in? Guests can request early check-in anytime on their arrival day, right up until your standard check-in time. The option stays available all day, so afternoon arrivals can still make the request. The guest portal shows a live countdown so guests know exactly how long the window remains open.

What are the countdown timers guests see in the portal? When an upsell option is available, guests see a timer showing how long they have left to book — for example, "Closes in 4 hours 10 minutes." If an option isn't open yet (because you've set a lead-time rule), guests see a timer showing when it will become available — for example, "Opens in 1 day 6 hours." This gives guests a clear picture of their options and helps them act before the window closes. The timers reflect your property's local time zone, so guests always see accurate deadlines regardless of where your property is located.

What happens if I can't accommodate early check-in? The AI automatically checks your calendar and cleaning schedule. If early check-in isn't possible due to a previous guest or cleaning conflicts, the option won't be offered.

How do I know when someone purchases an upsell? Upsell purchases appear in your dashboard timeline within seconds of guest approval. You'll also receive a notification, and the reservation details update automatically to reflect the new check-in time or additional services. Dashboard pricing updates at the same time, so your booking totals stay accurate.

What if I don't see an upsell request in my dashboard, or the pricing looks wrong? All upsell purchases now appear reliably in your timeline within seconds, and dashboard pricing refreshes automatically when a guest completes a purchase. If you're not seeing a request or the pricing appears out of date, refresh your dashboard or check the reservation details directly.

What's the difference between automatic approval and requiring approval? Automatic approval lets the AI approve free requests when cleaning schedule allows. Requiring approval means every request comes to you for review first, giving you complete control over your schedule.

Will the AI still approve requests automatically if I have approval settings enabled? No — the AI properly respects your approval settings. If you've configured early check-in or late checkout to require approval, the AI will direct guests to submit requests through the guest portal rather than auto-approving them.

When do the Approve and Decline buttons appear for requests that require my approval? The buttons appear as soon as the guest submits their request — you don't need to wait for their payment to finish processing. This is especially useful when guests pay using methods that take a moment to verify in the background. You can approve or decline right away, and the payment side is handled automatically regardless of when you act.

What happens to the guest's payment when I decline a request? The guest is refunded automatically the moment you click Decline — you don't need to do anything else. If the charge was still a temporary hold, it's released immediately and the guest is never billed. If the payment had already been processed, a full refund is issued right away. If you decline before payment has finished processing, no charge is ever completed. The request also disappears from your dashboard and from the guest's portal, so there's no cleanup needed on either side.

I clicked Decline before but the request was still showing and the guest wasn't refunded — what happened? This was a known issue that has been fixed. Declining an early check-in or late checkout request now correctly refunds the guest and removes the request from your dashboard and the guest portal every time. If you have any older requests that appear stuck, decline them again and the refund and removal will process correctly.