# Introduction

## 👋 Introduction

**Welcome to OkupAI** — a smart channel manager built for **vacation rental and hotel operators** who want **full control**, **clean automation**, and **zero chaos** across booking platforms.

OkupAI synchronizes your properties, calendars, prices, guests, and messages across platforms like **Airbnb**, **Booking.com**, and more — all from one place.

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### 🚀 What you can do with OkupAI

Use OkupAI to:

* 📆 **Sync bookings & availability** across all channels
* 💰 **Manage prices & minimum nights** from one calendar
* 🏠 **Control properties & owners** in multi-unit setups
* 🧹 **Automate operations** like cleaning and guest check-in
* 💬 **Centralize guest communication** (Airbnb, Booking.com, WhatsApp, SMS, Email)
* 🤖 **Automate guest messages** with rules and AI-assisted replies

> 💡 *OkupAI is designed for scaling — whether you manage 3 units or 300.*

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### 🧭 How this documentation is structured

This documentation follows **the same logic as the OkupAI platform menu**.

You’ll find the sections:

* **Getting Started** → first setup
* **Calendar** → prices, minimum nights, booking details
* **Properties & Platforms** → owners, channels, settings
* **Messaging** → automations, templates, live chat
* **Online Check-In** → guest registration & maps

> 📘 If you know *where something is in the app*, you’ll know *where to find it here*.

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### 👤 Is OkupAI for you?

The platform was designed for:

| Role                   | What you’ll find              |
| ---------------------- | ----------------------------- |
| 🏠 Property managers   | Daily operations & automation |
| 🏨 Hotel operators     | Multi-unit & owner structures |
| 🧹 Operations teams    | Cleaning & guest workflows    |
| 💬 Communication teams | Messaging & templates         |
| 🧑‍💻 Technical users  | Advanced behavior & API links |

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### ⚡ How to use this guide effectively

We recommend the following path:

1. Read *Getting Started*
2. Add your first property
3. Connect your first platform (Airbnb / Booking.com)
4. Configure calendar rules
5. Set up messaging & automation

> ⏱ Most users complete the initial setup in **under 20 minutes**.

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### 🧠 Core concepts you should know

Before diving in, it helps to understand a few core ideas:

:::

#### 📦 Property

A property represents a **bookable unit** — apartment, room, or house.\
Each property can be connected to one or multiple booking platforms.\
:::

:::

#### 📆 Booking

A booking is created automatically when a platform sends a reservation.\
OkupAI keeps bookings **in sync**, including changes and cancellations. You can add direct bookings when needed, as well.\
:::

:::

#### 🔁 Synchronization

OkupAI continuously synchronizes:

* availability
* prices
* minimum nights
* booking changes.

\
:::

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### 🔗 Looking for technical documentation?

If you’re a developer or integrating OkupAI into your own system:

> 👨‍💻 **API documentation is available separately**\
> It covers authentication, pagination, bookings, properties, and webhooks.

👉 Jump directly to [**API Reference**](https://docs.okup.ai/okupai-platform/broken-reference) when needed.

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### ✅ Ready to begin?

➡️ Continue with **Getting Started** to set up your account and connect your first property.
