Messaging use cases and best practices

Learn how to integrate the Messaging API into your platform by exploring common use cases for guest and property messaging.

For property platforms

These use cases are intended for property-side platforms representing accommodation partners.

Send a welcome message after a booking

Send a personalised welcome message to guests as soon as a new booking is confirmed.

How to implement:

1. Monitor your reservation system for new bookings.
2. Call /messages/send endpoint with the reservation, accommodation, and your welcome content.

Example request:

{
  "reservation": "4380765874",
  "accommodation": 2098153,
  "content": "Thank you for booking with us! We look forward to welcoming you. Let us know if you have any special requests."
}

Retrieve new guest messages every 10 minutes

Set up regular polling to retrieve new messages sent by guests.

How to implement:

1. Every 10 minutes, call /messages/latest.
2. Extract new messages from the response.
3. (Optional) Confirm receipt using /messages/latest/confirm.

Example request to confirm receipt:

{
  "messages": ["123e4567-e89b-12d3-a456-426614174000", "987f6543-e21d-65c4-b789-426614174999"]
}

Display a full message history in your UI

Show all past messages in your customer support or partner dashboard.

How to implement:

1. Use /messages/latest to get the latest messages.
2. Extract the conversation, reservation, and accommodation values.
3. Call /messages/conversations with those values.

Example request:

{
  "conversation": "cc872746-77f2-5886-ba7c-17e0497241b5",
  "accommodation": 2098153,
  "reservation": 4380765874
}

The response includes the full message history, including timestamps, senders, and attachments (if any).

This is useful for resolving disputes, tracking guest requests, or viewing communication logs.

For guest platforms

These actions are typically used by platforms representing travellers.

Send a message about a booking

Guests can send a message about their stay—e.g. to ask about parking or check-in time.

How to implement:

1. Call /messages/send with the reservation, accommodation, and the message content.

Example:

{
  "reservation": "4380765874",
  "accommodation": 2098153,
  "content": "Hi! What time is check-in? Is there parking available on-site?"
}

If the conversation doesn’t exist yet, it will be created automatically.

Check for property replies

Fetch the latest responses from the property.

How to implement:

1. Periodically call /messages/latest to see new replies.
2. Display messages in your guest-facing app.
3. Confirm receipt with /messages/latest/confirm.

View past conversations

Let guests view their previous conversations during or after their stay.

How to implement:

1. Use /messages/latest to find the conversation.
2. Call /messages/conversations using the conversation, reservation, and accommodation IDs.