The short answer
Answer guest questions on WhatsApp when the response is fixed: arrival, parking, check-in code, breakfast time, luggage. Never use the chat for payment details, ID documents, cancellations, invoices, or serious complaints. Outside the 24-hour window, only use Meta-approved templates. If an AI responds, guests must recognize it as such under EU AI Act Article 50.
The essentials
- WhatsApp is for questions with a fixed, short answer: arrival, parking, check-in code, breakfast time, luggage.
- Never use the chat for payment details, ID documents, cancellations, invoices, or serious complaints.
- Initiate conversations outside the 24-hour window only with templates Meta has approved in advance.
- If an AI responds, the guest must be able to tell it is an AI, under Article 50 of the AI Regulation.
- A question your team answers multiple times a week becomes a template or a knowledge base entry.
On WhatsApp, answer guest questions where the response is already set and relevant for the coming days: how to arrive, where to park, how to check in, breakfast details, luggage storage. Anything involving money, documents, contracts, or a serious complaint does not belong in the chat—use email, phone, or the front desk instead.
This applies whether your team writes alone or a KI-Concierge handles recurring guest questions. Our overview of what a KI-Concierge handles in daily hotel operations covers the concierge's role in general; here we focus on WhatsApp and Meta's rules.
Guest questions you can answer on WhatsApp
| Guest question | On WhatsApp | Why |
|---|---|---|
| When can I check in? | Yes | Fixed answer, asked shortly before arrival |
| Where do I park and what does it cost? | Yes | Answer with photo or map link |
| What is the code for the key box? | Yes, on arrival day | Time-sensitive and only for the booking guest |
| Can I leave my luggage after checkout? | Yes | Fixed house rule |
| Can I bring my dog? | Yes, if the rule is set | Exceptions require a human decision |
| Is a room still available next weekend? | Only with booking link | Availability and price belong in the booking flow |
For these questions, the answer is known before the guest asks—so they can be prepared. For availability and price, send a booking link: a commitment in the chat does not get logged cleanly in your system and creates duplicate work that can lead to overbookings.
Questions you should not answer in the chat
Payment details: no card numbers, no requests for advance payment via WhatsApp. If your guests know this, fraud attempts claiming to be your property fall on deaf ears.
ID documents and registration data follow their proper channels; invoices and cancellations go by email because both parties need to refer to them later. For a serious complaint, call and confirm what was agreed in writing.
One rule for the team is enough: what you would say on the phone, you can write; what must be documented in writing does not belong in the chat.
What Meta's template rules mean
When a guest messages you, a 24-hour customer service window opens. You can answer freely within it, and such replies are free according to Meta [Q1]. If you initiate contact—for example, three days before arrival—outside this window, you can only use a template Meta has reviewed and approved [Q2].
Each template belongs to a category: authentication, marketing, or utility (service related to an existing booking) [Q2]. The category determines the price. Since 1 July 2025, Meta charges per delivered template; utility templates within an open window cost nothing according to Meta [Q1].
Arrival information, check-in instructions, and departure reminders are service related to a booking. An offer for next winter is marketing, even in the same message; keep them separate.
If an AI responds, one more rule applies—not from Meta: the guest must be able to see they are writing to an AI system, under Article 50 of the AI Regulation [Q3]. Our article on Article 50 explains what that means in detail.
Four templates that answer the most common questions
- Arrival information, three days before: directions, parking, check-in window, and what to do if you arrive late.
- Check-in instructions on arrival day, if you use a key box or code: the number sequence, photo of the door, light switch.
- Departure reminder the evening before: checkout time, where to leave the key, luggage storage.
- Out-of-hours response: when you will read messages again and which number to call in an emergency.
Write in the language of your front desk and end with a real question: "Please tell us roughly when you expect to arrive" gets a response your team can use for planning.
The numbers for a 30-room property
| Item (example calculation) | Value |
|---|---|
| Occupied nights at 70% occupancy (30 × 365 × 0.7) | 7,665 |
| Check-ins at 2.5 nights per stay | around 3,070 |
| Saved follow-up questions if every other stay does not ask | around 1,530 |
| Time at two minutes per follow-up | around 51 hours per year |
Set against this is half a day to set up the templates and the charges per delivered template, whose rates are listed on Meta's pricing page by country and category [Q1]. All figures are estimates; replace them after one month with your own numbers.
The numbers for five vacation rentals
Without a front desk, check-in instructions carry most of the load. Five properties at 55% occupancy come to around 1,000 occupied nights per year in our example; with an assumed four nights per stay, that is about 250 arrivals. If the instructions save three minutes per arrival call, that is around 12.5 hours per year, mostly in the evenings. Here the constraint is not the fee but your availability.
How this works with HOHEIT
If a KI-Concierge is to respond on WhatsApp, HOHEIT sets it up in three to five weeks; most of that time goes into the knowledge base. You provide house data—check-in times, parking, house rules, breakfast details—and approve it. The concierge answers on the website, WhatsApp, and email only from this approved information, identifies itself as an AI, and passes conversations to the front desk when it cannot give a reliable answer.
Each monthly report shows which questions were asked and how they were answered; questions that keep reaching the front desk become the next template. Setup costs from 5,000 euros according to the pricing page; operation is included in the monthly fee.
When WhatsApp for guest questions does not pay off
If no one staffs the channel, leave it closed: a WhatsApp account no one watches disappoints more guests than it helps. If your guests mostly phone or email, a second channel is work without benefit.
And as long as it is unclear on what basis you contact guests and how long message histories are kept, wait; this depends on your situation and should be reviewed carefully.
Next, sort the guest questions from the past two weeks into the table rows, then read how HOHEIT sets up WhatsApp; to discuss your property, you can schedule a call directly.
Sources and further reading
Häufige Fragen
Can I use my staff's personal phone numbers?
Not advisable on operational grounds, regardless of legal assessment. Guest contacts on a personal device become unavailable if someone gets sick or leaves, and message histories cannot be handed over. The standard approach is a business account with the property's own number, accessed by multiple team members on a schedule.
How should I handle voice messages from guests?
Accept them, but reply in writing if the answer includes details the guest needs to reference, like an address, code, or time. A voice message is hard to listen to while driving or carrying luggage, and no one remembers a key code sequence from memory alone.
What if Meta rejects a template?
First check if the category and content match: arrival information with an attached offer is no longer a pure service message. Trim the template to its purpose and resubmit. If you send an offer at all, do it as a separate template in the right category.
Does a WhatsApp reply within the 24-hour window cost anything?
No. Replies within the 24-hour customer service window after a guest message are free according to Meta. Messages you send on your own outside this window need an approved template and are charged per delivered message, depending on category and country (as of 7 October 2026).
What is the difference between a utility template and a marketing template on WhatsApp?
A utility template provides service for an existing booking, like arrival information or check-in instructions. A marketing template contains an offer, such as for next season. Meta does not allow mixing both categories in the same message, or the template will be rejected.
How long does it take HOHEIT to set up an AI Concierge for WhatsApp?
Setup takes three to five weeks, most of which goes into building the knowledge base from your house data. The concierge then answers on website, WhatsApp, and email only from approved information and passes conversations to the front desk when it cannot give a reliable answer.
When does a WhatsApp channel for guest questions not make sense?
When no one regularly staffs the channel, it disappoints more guests than it helps. If your guests mostly phone or email, an extra channel is effort with no return. Also, unresolved questions about data storage suggest getting expert advice first.
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