The enquiry is the sale
In hospitality, a lot is still booked by enquiry. The guest writes: “Do you have a double room free from 12 to 15 February, and what does it cost with breakfast?” Then hours or days pass, and meanwhile the guest books elsewhere, often through a platform that answers immediately.
Whoever answers quickly and personally gets the booking. Every house knows that, but time is short, especially at weekends and in the evening. The enquiry agent takes over exactly this work and leaves you the decision.
What the agent does
Read
dates, guests, children, wishes, language. If something is missing, it asks politely.
Check
availability and price from your PMS or channel manager via the integration, including minimum stay.
Write
an offer in the guest’s language and the tone of your house, with two room options, total price, cancellation terms and a booking link to your direct booking website.
Approve
either every offer goes to you first and is sent with one click, or it goes out immediately. Many houses start with approval and let the agent work alone after a few weeks.
Follow up
if the guest has not booked after two days, a short message follows asking whether the offer still suits. After that it stops; nobody is pestered.
Hand over
groups, weddings, complaints and anything unusual go to you with a summary.
The hotel case: 30 rooms, 40 enquiries per week
| Item | Example value |
|---|---|
| Enquiries per week | 40 |
| Minutes per offer today | 12 |
| Response time today at weekends | over 24 hours |
| Response time with the agent | under 15 minutes |
| Offers followed up today | hardly any |
| Working time per year on offers | about 400 hours |
Example values, replace them with yours. How fast your house answers today, we measure for you free of charge: response time test.
The holiday rental case: enquiries through your own site
Hosts get enquiries through the form on their website and through platforms. The platforms’ own rules apply to platform messages; for your own site there is the agent: offer, link, booking in the calendar. What follows, such as the registration form and door code, is described under self check-in.
What the agent does not do
It does not grant special terms, does not negotiate and does not promise anything that is not in the system. It identifies itself as the house’s assistant, as Article 50 of the EU AI Act requires, see using AI lawfully.
What you need
A mailbox or form through which enquiries arrive, the integration with your system and two hours for tone, templates and rules: which rooms are offered, when to follow up, what goes to you.
When it is not worth it
- Under ten enquiries per week; a good template in your mail program is then cheaper.
- If your PMS does not supply availability through an interface; without prices the offer is only a reply.
Prices
Setup
from 2,900 euros, including tone, templates, integration and two weeks of support.
Operation
129 euros per month on top of the operations contract, model costs included up to 300 enquiries per month.
Process
Review the enquiries of the last three months, set tone and rules.
Templates in your languages, connection to mailbox and system.
Two weeks with you approving every offer.
Launch in the chosen mode, monthly report: enquiries, response time, bookings from offers.
Frequently asked questions
Do guests notice that an AI is writing?
The offer is marked as a message from the house with a note about the assistant and, if you want, approved by you. The tone comes from your previous offers.
What happens to enquiries through Booking.com or Airbnb?
For messages inside the platforms, their rules and interfaces apply. The agent handles enquiries that reach you directly: email, website form, WhatsApp if you wish.
Can the agent quote prices that are not in the system?
No. It only quotes prices and availability from your system. Special terms are granted by your team.
How often does it follow up?
Once, after two days, with a short question. You set the interval and whether it follows up at all.
What if the enquiry is unclear?
The agent then asks a question, for example about the exact dates or the number of children, and writes the offer only once it has the answer.